Posted on 06/19/2006 2:32:40 PM PDT by schwing_wifey
Here we go yet again. This time we were off for a week in Italy - Rome, Venice, and Milan with our Rick Steve's Travel Guides in hand. Of all the places we've been so far, the books paid off handsomely in Italy. And next to the Swedes up in Kiruna, the Italians are some of the nicest Europeans we've met to date. No wonder so many Americans were there at the same time as we were.
We land in Rome in the evening and catch a cab to the hotel. What can you say about Italian cab drivers? After a week in Italy, I find it amazing that there are not broken bodies and smashed vehicles littering the roadways. I thought I drove aggressively in my Atlanta days but Italian drivers make GA 400 look like a kiddie ride at the amusement park. It wasn't too long for us to realize that crossing a street in Rome was quite different from Stockholm. In Stockholm, the cars stop, in Italy they aim for you.
Our hotel in Rome was out of the Rick Steve's Italy 2006 book. (Hotel Due Torri) Leonardo thought it was pricey for the accommodations which was just what the book said, but you couldn't beat the location. It was within walking distance of everything - Colosseum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain, you name it. We hoofed it all over the city. And the real gem was its proximity to the Piazza Navona.
I'll get into the fun things but first let me rhapsodize about the Piazza Navona. There is nothing that beats an outdoor cafe table, good food and drink, and people watching. This plaza was great, there were street performers that Galileo loved, artists selling their work, all kinds of souvenir vendors, and live musicians. We would walk our legs off each day and end up there each afternoon. It was pure heaven. And in Italy, you don't need to ask for a specific bottle of wine, the house wines at all the cafes and restaurants were excellent in quality and price.
But again, it definitely had its funny moments. For example, one of the afternoons it was sunny but breezy and cool. Leonardo and I would smile as we'd watch group after group go inside the cafe we were at and within moments decide that they'd rather brave the cold and sit outside. It was all about the setting. One evening we stopped in another of the cafes after dinner for ice cream. Two musicians stopped in front and started playing some Cat Stevens. We sent Galileo out with a few euros as a tip so they stayed and played some John Denver. More people clapped and tipped them so they continued with some Harry Chapin. As long as they got tipped they stayed and played. 
At one point, one of the vendors was trying to sell flashing pins to the patrons. The waiters were about to run him off but a few tables wanted the pins (including Galileo) so they strictly supervised the purchases and wouldn't let the patrons pay more than a euro for the pins.
Now on to the sightseeing. Rick Steve's book was great for guiding us and I highly recommend his Italy books, but lets talk about the people. First of all, everybody and I mean everybody was carrying maps and guidebooks. If you weren't carrying one of the aforementioned items, you stood out like a sore thumb. And there were American tourists everywhere and a lot of them. I was floored. And the vendors, there were all kinds of vendors all over the place and you could tell which didn't have permits when the local police pulled up. The illegals would grab their cardboard boxes and stuff and run like the devil. It was riotous to see.
I'll admit I didn't have too much sympathy for the illegal vendors because standing in the line to get into the Vatican Museum, it started to drizzle and they were working the crowd selling umbrellas for a "good price". Yeah, they wanted 25 euros for a 5 euro tote-like umbrella. I really wondered about some of them trying to sell me an umbrella WHILE I WAS CARRYING ONE. You just have to wonder... And speaking of the line to get into the Vatican, you had English speakers trolling the crowd offering tours and "line jumping" to get in for roughly 20 euros per person and that was on top of the cost of the ticket to get in. We decided against that. Unless I 'm mistaken, the line to get into the Vatican Museum was 4 blocks long. It kept moving but every time we went around a corner, the line continued to stretch into the distance. There were beggars along the route but its a little hard to believe the plea of poverty when the little kids are wearing Nike sneakers and GAP clothes. 
We did end up going to the Vatican and St.. Peters on the worst day possible - Monday. The books warned us and the concierge at the hotel warned us but that's just how things worked out. You see, our first day in Rome - Sunday, was beautifully sunny and not too hot so we ended up walking down to see the Colosseum and Forum areas. And another bonus was it was the last day of a week where all the sites had free admission. Consequently everyplace was packed. 
Even though the sites were free, we paid for a tour of the Colosseum and Forum because we wanted to get through as much as possible. It worked out well but if you were really cheap, you could have just casually followed one of the English speaking tours. It seemed we picked up more people as the tour progressed through the Colosseum. 
Before I forget, there were a lot of Americans from California in the Colosseum. They didn't seem to be in a group because of the conversations I was over hearing. Most seemed to have just decided to vacation for Easter in Rome.
Rick Steves recommends buying a book called "Rome - Past and Present" from one of the Colosseum vendors. I agree completely. Its a great book because it has pictures of how the structures and monuments currently look and then it has overlay pages that you flip on top to see how the structure probably looked in ancient times. It made it more interesting for all of us. 
While working our way off Palatine Hill and down into the Forum area, we were walking through an underground passage when two little boys came running through. They couldn't have been more than seven or eight and the second one calls to the first - "Do you know where you're going?" The first replies "No". So the second one, in a clear tone of frustration calls again - "Then STOP!" It was very funny because we had just spent the last 15 minutes trying to find our way down through the stairways and passages.
Because of the beautiful weather, Sunday was our outdoor day. In the afternoon we even made it up to Trevi Fountain. I know this is hard to believe but we never got around to throwing a coin in it. Blaspheme I know! Guess we won't be going back to Rome...sigh. 
Like I said, Monday ended up to be our Vatican - St. Peters Day. Know why Monday is so bad for these sights? Its because all the other major indoor sights are closed. And in this case, it was overcast with periods of sprinkles so what better place to go but inside somewhere? We could have left it till the following day but we are still experiencing "Eiffel Tower Paranoia". You see, we left getting up into the Eiffel Tower to the last day when we went to Paris and consequently didn't have enough time to make it to the top. That's the second time we've been to Paris and not gone up to the top of the tower. Since the Vatican and St.. Peters were so important to us to see, we decided to bite the bullet and deal with the lines so we didn't end up missing it somehow. I'm glad we can say that we made it but I must tell you that the crowds of people were incredible. 
The Vatican Museum was almost wall-to-wall people. Forget taking pictures of the artworks. We took pictures of the crowds. We tried to position ourselves between tour groups where there was breathing room. The groups seemed to try to keep just enough space between themselves so they could give their talks and not have to shout someone else down. We tried following RS's Vatican walkthru but some of the areas were closed off. I must admit between the museum and crowds, it didn't quite meet my level of expectation. I think seeing the Louvre in Paris set my expectations too high. That said, the Sistine Chapel was smaller than I expected it to be. Don't get me wrong, its something else but I thought it would be larger and grander.
Anyway, the people in it were pretty funny. There were guards there constantly telling people to be quiet and not to take pictures. Still I had a man inches in front of me ignoring them and snapping shots with his camera and a flash. Maybe he didn't understand the language? Finally we decided we had enough and wanted out. Sure enough, everybody was squeezing through the general public door while the "official tour groups only" door was empty. (RS tip). We decided to wait for the next group and just join them leaving. Other people kept eyeing the door but nobody was brave enough to take the plunge. Finally we decided we'd go and if anybody stopped us, we'd say we got separated from our official tour and were looking for it.
It was great, we walked down these huge stone stairs, past a guard station, and dropped at the end of the line of people waiting to take the elevator to the top of St. Peter's. And obviously, after we took the plunge, a few other souls followed us. The other door drops you into a huge line waiting to get into St. Peters. By The Way (BTW) the elevator only took you so far, the final climb to the top of St. Peters was stairs and the last few were tight and spiraling. It was like the Cathedral of St. Coeur in Paris except shorter. 
We took pictures and tried absorbing the whole experience like everybody else but there were things that stood out in our minds. First, we wanted a bible from the Vatican or St.. Peters. Would you believe we couldn't find one at either? We must have been looking in the wrong places because I can't believe we couldn't find any. True there were bibles in the book stores and tourist shops surrounding them but we wanted one FROM either. The other thing was the taking of pictures. Some places you could, other places you couldn't, and some said pictures but no flash. Because of the no flash rule, I became Leonardo's tripod. He'd either steady the camera on my shoulder or on my head. Needless to say, that caused more than a few smiles from other tourists who knew exactly what we were trying to do. (Without a flash, the lens takes longer to get the picture so you need to hold the camera very still otherwise it blurs easily.)
Of all the ancient monuments in Rome, in my opinion, the Pantheon has to be the best preserved. To see it is to believe. The thing that struck us about all the different monuments and sites is that they're in the middle of the city. Somehow I always had the impression these sites were in parks or isolated areas. Leonardo told me that's what makes new construction in the city so difficult. As soon as they start digging anywhere, they hit remnants of earlier buildings and have to stop and wait for the archeologists. 
Our last day in Rome saw us trying to squeeze in as much as possible. We walked up to the Spanish Steps and to the Baths of Diocletian. The McDonalds by it was pretty impressive. Eventually we entered the subway to follow the directions to get to the Catacombs outside of Rome. At the designated subway stop, we surfaced and got on a bus. We took the bus to the end of its route where it dropped us at a stonewall and cross street out in the middle of nowhere, with a sign pointing down the road to the catacombs. The road was actually the continuation of the Apian Way, the famous road from Rome. And you could believe it. Its made of large paver-type stones with rounded edges. It was almost like walking on huge marbles. You had to concentrate on your walking to some degree. Still it was rather fun strolling thru the Roman countryside. Even out there, there were ancient buildings alongside the roads in the fields. 
At the Catacombs, we had to wait for the "English Language" tour to be called. They had tours of the Catacombs in 4 or 5 different languages if I remember correctly. To tell the truth, the description of the Catacombs was much more impressive than the actual tour. True, its amazing to be so far underground and know it was dug by hand over a thousand years ago but for a 20 minute (or so) tour, it was a little anti-climatic. Oh, I should mention that there are still thousands of bodies of Christians buried down there in niches in the walls.
I think we got a decent flavor of Rome while we were there. I must say that I really wasn't impressed with any of the hotel recommendations for dinner. Leonardo and I kept kidding each other wondering who's cousin worked in the kitchen. We didn't look at the RS book for recommendations because we've heard people say that because some places get recommended, the quality goes downhill because they have free advertising to the tourist crowd and get the business regardless. I think the best meals we had in Italy were at places we just happened to wander into.
Our hotel in Rome left a lasting impression for me for one reason. One morning I woke to the cry "Uncle Leo!". This went on for at least half a dozen calls, each getting successively further away. It was like the Discover Channel infomercial that says such and such percent of the world doesn't have a telephone as an Italian man strolls the streets calling outside the homes of his friends. It was like a classic come to life and I will always remember waking to that call fading into the distance.
Another thing I will mention now, Rick Steves goes on and on about the pickpockets in Italy. We didn't have any problems or even see any definite problems. Maybe once or twice guys were checking us out but if I noticed any guy staring at me, I gave him a "Just try it!" look. (AKA - my mean look.) Leonardo said they were just admiring me while I always thought they were checking me out for purse snatching. I think we came to the conclusion that the people that get robbed are the ones with the backpack purses and shopping bag-type purses that are always open. Also, people walking in groups gabbing with each other or singles on cell phones look like easy targets. Maybe because the book made us paranoid, we were extra vigilant so nothing happened, even on the crowded subways. Also, Leonardo and I are excellent about watching each other's back.
Also, a couple of evenings we were walking back to the hotel through the streets around 10pm and along the Tiber River. At no time did we ever feel unsafe. Maybe Leonardo and I are imposing enough that we don't look like easy marks, I just don't know. Again, we're usually just strolling, taking in our surroundings with an easy nonchalance wherever we go. In all our travels so far, we've never even come close to a threatening or uncomfortable situation. Maybe its all about attitude? 
BTW, I'm teaching Galileo a helpful ATM technique when he's out with us. When one of us is using an ATM, he's learning to stand with his back against ours and look around at the other people in line or around the area. I do this all the time when Leonardo is withdrawing money as a deterrant to possible scammers. You may think its silly but I'd sooner be silly than robbed. I think robbers look for the distracted, easy marks and I enjoy doing anything I can do to convince them to look elsewhere.
Before we leave Rome and head to Venice, I have to mention the graffiti everywhere, especially in the Metro. If I thought Stockholm was bad, that was nothing compared to Rome, unfortunately. And another funny thing that happened, when we were sitting in the Piazza Narvona one afternoon, Leonardo points to a guy about 50 feet away in the piazza and says he looks alot like a guy he knows from work. I encouraged him to SMS the guy's cell phone and say his twin is in Rome in the Piazza. A few hours later, Leonardo gets a reply from the guy. It WAS him. Small world.
We hopped a flight from Rome to Venice and it was really pretty neat flying over the Italian Alps. Our pilot was a true Italian driver, fast turns and hard exceleration. (I didn't know planes could take turns on one set of wheels.) Unfortunately the previous evening I had a little too much good Italian wine at dinner so the flight was not too neat for me. Yes, I had a three alarm hangover. (Thankfully it was not a four alarm one...puking on an Italian plane would be SO uncool.) Anyway, after a fairly short flight, we arrived in the airport outside of Venice. 
RS was great for explaining the options for getting to our hotel but you had to read the book several times to work out the best plan of action for yourself. Leonardo planned us to arrive mid-morning so we took the slow water bus to the Piazza de San Marco and then got passes for the local water buses (vaporetto) to our hotel. Because it was daytime and we weren't rushed, this was a great experience. However, if it was late at night, we would have bit the bullet (so to speak) and taken a water taxi (for a small fortune) directly to our hotel, which was on the Grand Canal. This hotel (Hotel Manin) was a high end and recommended by Italian friends who had been there before. The room was wonderfully huge and comfortable. However, the windows opened above an AC unit that was about two stories down and had some puddles where mosquitos must have been breeding. It got too warm in our room and when we opened the windows (no screens in Europe) the mosquitos swarmed in. The hotel was still running its heat and not allowed by law to switch on its AC yet. On closer examination of the walls and ceilings, we were not the first room occupants to squish mosquitos into the ceiling and walls. Leonardo and Galileo hunted them two nights in a row while I blissfully continued to doze, much to Leonardo's disgust.
Venice was really cool, but again not exactly what I was expecting. It seemed almost like an old Disney World. It was loud and noisy and colorful and full of Americans. The city itself reminded me of Gamla Stan here in Stockholm but alot of the streets were even narrower. But, it was nice not worrying about cars or even bicycles. None are allowed. RS says try get lost there. You don't need to try, its very easy to head down a street only to find that it's a dead end. And that is not a real problem unless you're coming back from dinner, tired, and just want to find your hotel. 
Italy in general was cooler than we expected so it almost forced us to do some indoor tours that we hadn't planned in advance. Per RS tips, we got passes in the Piazza de San Marco at one museum in order to tour the Doge Palace at the other end. Since it was a cool day, we toured the museum where Leonardo got yelled at for taking pictures and he also stepped too close to a sculpture and set off an alarm. A couple of people did this so he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. He did get a picture of a famous sculpture of Daedelius and Iccarus - remember the story? They were imprisioned and the father created wings of wax and feathers to escape? He warns his son Iccarus not to fly too high or the wings will melt and he will fall. The son doesn't listen and dies. The main reason this legend was of interest to us it that the name Daedelius was Earth's first spaceship on Stargate SG1. I can't help but try use these little tidbits to teach Galileo history and legends since I have NO IDEA if he's learning anything in school. Still, he seemed to like SOME of the sculptures. 
Besides sinking into the ground (yes those columns are being shorn up), a cool thing to see in the Doge Palace is the prison underneath. And not just the prison cells but the window ledges of the prison cells. There are messages carved in the stone. When you think of how long it must have taken somebody, cooped up in the tiny room, it gives you a whole new perspective on confinement. (No TV, no toilet, no light). 
Anyway, our schedule in Venice was really flexible so when the fifth or sixth guy tried to talk us into visiting the Murano Glassworks, we really listened and decided "What the heck." Afterall, it was a free taxi ride across to the island, a beautiful sunny day, and we already had 72 hour vaporetto passes to catch a water bus back.
It was pretty interesting, I'm glad we did it. We were greeted at the boat landing at one of these factories by a representative who escorted in to see glass blowing in progress and yes, they made a "leetle ourse" right in front of our eyes. He then escorted us through the showrooms where there were just some unbelievable pieces of artwork, chandeliers, and of course glasses. To be nice and polite, we picked this piece, which is TOTALLY made from glass except for the wiring and asked the price. My guess was closer than Leonardo's but we were still low. It was 880 euros which included shipping to the US. (Over $1000 US) 
Given the fact I've broken more glass in the last 18 months here than in my entire lifetime, we knew in advance we were not purchasing anything there. But we did the whole thing that we were interested but needed to sleep on it. We even took pictures and asked for a business card. Again, being nice and polite never hurts and who knows, maybe someday I win the lottery and put one of their kick-ass chandeliers in our foyer?
The Piazza de San Marco is a fabulous place to people watch and for kids to play. First, its so full of pigeons that the feed you can buy to give them contains a birth control chemical. Secondly, if you pop a plastic or paper bag loud enough, you get the incredible spectacle of all the birds taking off and circling the piazza a few times before they resettle.
One of our afternoons was warm enough that we planted ourselves in one of the cafes on the square (Lavena del 1750), drank wine and nibbled snacks, listened to the live music, and gave Galileo euro after euro for him to happily feed the birds. (This was the most fun part of the entire trip for him.) 
Sitting in this cafe was one of the most fun parts for Leonardo and I also. Now let me give you a quick heads up about the cafes lining the Piazza. Each has a small, live ensemble playing half a dozen songs in turn. Our cafe plays, then the group at the next cafe plays, then the cafe across the Piazza plays, and so on until it comes back to our cafe.
Now, inorder for this to go on, and as RS tells you, there is a small cover charge to sit down in addition to your order. This is where the fun began. You'd get these small groups of 20-somethings come into the tables, rearrange them for everybody to sit down, get a menu, and then bolt. Leonardo and I watched at least 4 groups do this to the point that the waiter started telling them upfront about the cover charge because he was getting tired of putting the tables back in order. We even started predicting (as a group came in) how long they would stay (not if they would stay - that was obvious).
Needless to say, when we ordered our second round of drinks and food, we commanded serious attention from our waiter and by the end of our fourth round (2 hours later), he was our new best friend and kissing my hand when we settled up the bill. It was not a cheap afternoon but damn if it wasn't one of the highlights of the trip for us too. Even the ensemble waved bye to us when we left. This reminds me, if I haven't said it already, you don't seem to get a bad house wine anywhere in Italy. The white I drank at the cafe was light but flavorful and very refreshing. 
Now what do you do to top off a wonderful afternoon at a cafe in the Piazza? Go for the requisite gondolan ride. Except, for the entire time we were in Venice, Galileo kept calling it a bungalow. Gondolan - Bungalow??? He seriously kept confusing us asking about the bungalow which has no connection what so ever to a gondolan. No matter how we tried drilling it into him, he had "bungalow" on the brain. Anyway, we had an enjoyable cruise through the canals and back streets of Venice. It hadn't mattered to me to do one, but Leonardo and Galileo were adament about it. I will say that it was fun and I'm very glad we did do it. 
Now here's an RS travel tip that was not explained in the book and I will go on his website and give him a comment about it. We had decided to take a train from Venice to Milan to catch the flight back to Stockholm. There is a website where you can register and order your train tickets (so it says). It also has a phone number you can call. From Sweden, first I tried the website to get the tickets and nomatter what credit card I used, the transaction wouldn't go through. Secondly I tried calling the phone number and it just wouldn't connect regardless of the country codes and combinations I tried. It seems the website was broke (or unavailable outside the country) and the phone number is the Italian equilivalent of the US's 900 number that can only be used inside of Italy. So in Venice, we went to a travel office and got the last three first class tickets on the train we wanted to take to Milan. It worked out better than we expected. I say better than we expected because we were hauling big suitcases and because we had the last seats next to the end of the car, the two biggest suitcases fit neatly next to my seat.
Before we get to the train trip to Milan, just let me say a few words about the trip from the hotel to the train. It was incredibly easy using RS's tips. Basically, we got on a vaporetto outside our hotel, rode up the Grand Canal about 5 stops, got off at the train station, walked through the station and got onto the train to Milan. The weather was beautiful and we dragged our roller bags behind us. And, this was the final hours of the 72 hour vaporetto pass we bought for Venice. Sweet!
The trip from Venice to Milan was really interesting. Leonardo saw the framework for a multi-story building where the engineers must have had a little too much grappa for lunch. It could give the Leaning Tower of Pisa a run for its money. I'm sure construction has halted but I wish I had been quicker with the camera and gotten a picture of it. Midway through the trip, we were going through countryside that was full of vinyards and castles on hills. According to my map, we were going through the Verona and Vicenza areas. The week previously there was a major wine festival in this region (Vinitaly). With all the vines along the tracks, I can see why.
It really was pleasant riding the train through the Italian countryside. I can't help but compare and contrast it to other places we've been and I'm not talking about "grand sights". I like looking at the houses and the gardens and the cars. Even seeing the laundry someone has hung in their backyard or from their balcony is interesting to me, (It confirms that undies are undies wherever you go.) And the roof gardens. We saw some amazing roof gardens in the cities and in the countrysides. Europeans do amazing things on their roofs.
One thing I need to check is the meaning of the word "prego" in Italian. To the three of us, its one of our favorite spagetti sauces in the US but I'm sure thats NOT what a lot of the Italians were saying to us. Its probably something simple like "good".
And I must remember to recount, we had one really loud American on the train. And it was your stereotypical American tourist talking loudly and you could say bragging about his position. To tell the truth, I had him tuned out in about 2 minutes. People like that give Americans a bad name.
Arriving in Milan was pretty uneventful and thanks to the RS book, we once again had our plan of action mapped out. We decide to take the Metro to the hotel. According to the maps in the stations, it was right next to a stop. I have to tell you that the hotel's directions on their website were more complicated than necessary. I really do like using the Metro (if you're not rushed or tired or its not late at night) because you get a real feel for a town down there. This was just like Stockholm - we jumped on a train for three stops, switched at their Central Station by walking across the platform and hopping a train for one more stop.
BTW, we were hauling heavy bags but managed the stairs and escalators pretty well. I know there had to be elevators there somewhere but we just didn't bother looking. We picked the Alle Meraviglie to stay at and it was delightful. I swear it wasn't 100 yards from the train to the hotel. So obviously, following the traveler tips, thats the way we returned to the trains to go catch the Malpense Express to the airport for the trip home. We have never had a vacation traveling around like that with so much time between car trips. It was planes, trains, and boats from the morning we left Rome to the ride from Arlanda home.
OK, lets talk about Milan. We were only there for a little over 24 hours. We were flying from Milan back to Arlanda because even with the train tickets to get there, the airline tickets were much cheaper than flying from the other cities. So we dropped off our bags and asked for a lunch recommendation. Unfortunately by the time we found it (20 minutes later) they had stopped serving lunch so we made due with one of the cafes in the big Galleria. 
While we were sitting in the cafe, four American women came in and sat down behind us and started ordering coffee. It was rough going until Galileo turned around and said to their waiter "Cafe Americano". It was totally unprompted and unexpected by all of us and the looks on their faces was priceless. They said "Thank You" to him. Like I said, the whole country was crawling with Americans.
Now Milan had more beggars than any place in Italy we had been so far. And Leonardo thinks one old lady that we saw barefoot and shaking with palsy was actually a young man faking it. The feet definitely were pretty big and ugly to be a woman's but Leonardo said he caught a glimpse of the face under the hood and he was positive it was NOT an old woman but a young man.
Anyway, our main sight in Milan for the short time we were there was the Duomo. (Another old church, the child groans.) There is hope however, when asked what the outside of the church reminded him of, Galileo replied "Notre Dame". Some of this culture is sinking in - yippee! The outside of the church was fascinating, even with the scaffolding on the front. The inside was equally fascinating, especially the statue of St. Bartolomeo. (He has his skin as a cloak.) 
At dinner that night, Galileo was served a small flute of a sparkling wine just like Leonardo and I. That raised his eyebrows but we said he could taste it if he wanted, to see what it was like. After he stuck his tongue in the glass, once again he shakes his head and wonders how we can drink that stuff. We're trying to take the tack that as long as we are present, he is allowed to try some of these things. Hopefully then, as he gets older it doesn't seem like something "forbidden" that now he can do. When you can say - been there, done that, it takes the excitement out of some things. Also, we preach moderation in everything we do and I hope that lesson really sinks in.
We had a great time and did get goofy over dinner over the bottle of wine. Somehow I challenged Galileo to identify the animal on the label. (What's he learning in school?) Well Leonardo got into it too and the griffin of mythology became a "llama dog". Don't ask me how... 
Dinner that night was a hotel recommendation again. I don't know why we do that. Its like lemmings to the sea, somebody's relative works in the kitchen. The thing that really caught our notice this time was the 12% service charge added to the bill. When we asked our server about it, he said it was for everybody else, not for him. Leonardo and I just looked at one another. After much discussion, we only added a little more to it for a tip. The server acted insulted when he picked up the check but the tip and service charges amounted to between 15-20% of the bill. True he was hustling that night but maybe they were understaffed since it was the evening before Easter Sunday? Anyway, his attitude annoyed me. And the meal was nothing special.
Even with the bad dinner recommendation, I must say that the staff at the hotel went out of its way to make sure you had what you needed and tried advise you on everything from directions to sights to travel to the airport. We even had an email awaiting us hoping we had a safe trip home. Nice touch. They were recommended by RS.
Like I said earlier, we took the subway to the Cadorna stop, went up and purchased tickets and climbed onto the train to the airport. By the way, Easter morning in Milan's metro - a handful of people and really loud music. We never noticed it before. I guess with a lot of people the music isn't nearly so loud.
Checking in at the airport was a breeze, very light traffic for Easter Sunday. However, it was strange that the seats Leonardo had reserved online were nolonger reserved for Galileo and I, just him. No problem, we're all in row 30. I mention this because as we board, all three of us get issued new boarding passes, this time for row 6. What a pleasant surprise, the three of us got upgraded into the "Prima" section, aka First Class. Keep in mind this is European First Class, not US carrier first class. Still we had bigger seats and better service for the flight home. I also noticed the flight attendant didn't seem too happy. Then I remembered it WAS Easter Sunday.
This year has been Africa, Kiruna Sweden, and now Italy. In the fall I think it will be Spain before we packup for our return to the States. If its Spain, it will probably be late October or early November before I put out our last great adventure so don't hold your breath.
Just in case you need a break from the rough news of the world (especially if you saw any of the Naked SF Biker pictures).
This is probably my last travelogue till the fall, and then we head home to the good old US of A.... home sweet home!
;D
Thanks for the post. I don't know if you saw 'Rome' on HBO, but it has prompted my airplane-phobic son to think about going to Italy and retracing some of Caesar's steps.
I'm surprised about the grafitti in Stockholm. I thought the Swedes were more anal than to do that. : )
We were in Stockholm last year and noticed the graffiti especially in the otherwise-charming Gamla Stan section.
That's what I thought.
Thanks! Very interesting, and charming pictures.
I really enjoyed reading this! I'm hoping to be able to go by my 40th birthday --5 yrs away.
Looking very much forward to Spain, but you know what I really want to read? You're thoughts of when you've arrived back home...in America.
I know these threads take a little while to put together and just wanted to let you know that your efforts are much appreciated.
Unfortunately, out on the island Lidingo, it IS the local teens with nothing better to do. You can tell because as soon as the guys paint the cute little train stations, the next day they're all marked up. (And then they start painting again).
Bet that could be nipped in the bud if they didn't allow spray cans sold to anybody under 30.
Also, Tunnelbana trains coming up from the Norsborg area (south end of the red line) always seem to be in worse shape than the others...???
My husband and I have both touched on the subject of what home will be like now. First of all, I can tell you right now we both are sooo looking forward to it. This has been a wonderful experience but with it has also been the slightest degree of non-stop stress. Its a pain trying to read forms, make appointments, call customer service, even find stuff that all you would need to do back home is walk into a Home Depot or Walmart.
However, this has also been non-stop excitement and adventure, almost like a kid over-d ing on video games. After about 6 months home, I will do a followup to my journal regarding our perpective on the whole experience. I think that needs to be part of our family book.
Thanks for the encouragement. Actually I've been writing for many many years (privately) so this stuff can be enjoyed by my husband and I when we are too old to travel and do stuff like this. Plus its for our son. Pictures are great but its the little bizarre happenings like "Uncle Leo!!" that I don't want to forget. And be thankful you're getting the "abbreviated" versions - the originals are small books in themselves.
;D
BTW, there was a recent posting about some lady crawling over a retaining wall to take pictures (and falling to her death). The first thing that popped into my mind was the ledge we stood on overlooking Lake Nakuru in Africa. Retaining wall? Heck! What retaining wall! I did creep out to get a picture of a rock hyrax but I also knew I had a good chance of falling if I screwed up. I'm beginning to have questions about how much we should be "protecting" people from hazardous situations. If it looks obviously dangerous, maybe they'd think twice or at least take more care (like me...).
Thank you for the ping. I hope you had a good time in the old country. :)
You're welcome....
The people in Italy were some of the nicest we've experienced so far in Europe... if it was fake, they did an excellent job of faking. Next to Kiruna Sweden, thats the country I'd go to again in a heartbeat, or even live in for a little while, if offered the chance.
I take it many people in Italy and Sweden are pro-US or the "I don't agree but respect your opinion type"?
BTW, where/what is Kiruna?
Don't really know if they are pro-US or not, but I can tell you I've met A LOT of people who want to move to the US or kids that want to RETURN to the US (one of their parents came "home" to Europe).
Kiruna Sweden is inside the Arctic Circle and the home of the Ice Hotel... check out the link in #2 (I think) to our adventure up there.... it was totally awesome!!!!
Heh, I see the American dream is alive and well. Excellent. :)
I heard of the Ice hotel b4, it's really cool. Congrats on being there. Hope you enjoy your trip and come home safe.
Bump for later
Glad you've enjoyed what you've seen of Europe so far.
It is a human right to once experience Italy.
My favourite italian region is Tuscany, for many reasons.
(Learn more about the magnificent florentine renaissance
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/renaissance/middleages.html - this is one of the major reasons why we westerners are who we are)
Italy is a part of the world that has shaped the conditions of mankind like no other geographical/cultural area, with the possible exception of Greece.
You also went to Kiruna, Sweden.
I'm swedish and live in Sweden, but I've never been to the polar part.
I've been all over Europe, to Asia, to America, but I haven't visited Kiruna.
We all need a get away every now and then.
More and more people are discovering Sweden, maybe I should as well!
Välkomna till Europa!
(Welcome to Europe!)
Claudius' Naumachia on Fucine Lake (Those About To Die, chap III)
Those About To Die (via Kurt Saxon) | 1950s (I believe) | Daniel P. Mannix
Posted on 11/24/2005 10:45:06 AM EST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1527955/posts
Salvaging Caligula [Nemi Ships, Caligula, and Mussolini]
Time | Feb. 4, 1929 | staff
Posted on 11/25/2005 7:40:21 PM EST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1528600/posts
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