Our last adventure in Italy began Thursday night upon arriving in Venice. We checked into our hotel that was adorned throughout with Venetian glass chandeliers. Since there has been no new construction in Venice for hundreds of years, I imagined this hotel had once been a palazzo for a rich Venetian merchant.

Maurizio volunteered to walk with us and make dinner recommendations. His favorites were off the beaten path, and lent themselves to more of the local flavor. By now, the sun had just set, and Venice was lighting up for the evening. I couldn’t believe the pictures I took. Every time we crossed a bridge or turned a corner, the views seemed more spectacular than ones we’d just seen. Restaurants dotted the canals with outdoor seating at the water’s edge. We were one of the last to choose a restaurant. While the ambiance was incredible,  I must say the meal was one of the more disappointing experiences of our trip. The service seemed poor, and we mentioned it Maurizio the following day. As I said before, these restaurants thrive on tour recommendations, so he made note to speak to the owner before leaving.

We rested and rose early for our last Gate 1 partnership encounter. We boarded a bus ferry to transport us to the glass blowing island of Murano. The boat ride circled most of the city, and served as a great introduction for the day of sightseeing. In Murano we were ushered into the factory to see a demonstration of the glass blowing process. The craftsman easily created a horse and a vase that he probably produces ten to twenty times a day for touring groups just like ours. Please don’t read me as cynical, but this is quite an industry in Venice and there are probably a dozen more factories and showrooms on the island just like ours. Before coming to Italy, Janet and I had purposed to buy a work of Venetian glass. As we toured the showrooms with our sales guide always ten feet away, we saw incredible works that costs thousands of euros. We found one more to our liking in the low hundreds of euros, and were pleased to take it with us.

 

Our boat ferried us back to St. Mark’s square which was the hub of the city. The Doge’s palace, St. Mark’s Cathedral, and the bell tower are dominant features of the only square in Venice. Our formal tours included St. Marks and the Doge’s palace.  We met Sylvia, our guide while in line to see the palace. Seeing the size and movement of the line, she led us to St. Marks to visit first. As before, no pictures were allowed inside. St. Mark’s had a different feel than other churches we’d visited. There seemed a more eastern influence with its massive domed ceilings covered in gold mosaics. It reminded me of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, MO which boasts one of the largest number of mosaics in the western hemisphere. The church was somewhat dimly lit, and a mass was being conducted as visitors quietly filed by.

Following St. Marks, we were able to proceed into the Doge’s palace pretty quickly. I mentioned in Florence, that one could experience a tipping point of how much art and history someone could absorb in a short amount of time. I think the Doge’s palace was the ultimate limit of our endurance. Maybe because we’re not as familiar with Venetian artists, or the culture of Venice was not something I’d researched much, I found it hard to connect to this new information. The palace was ornate, but most of the paintings were of the doge’s (rulers) themselves, which I found less than impressive. The most interesting aspect of the tour was crossing the bridge of sighs where convicted prisoners would look out the window and sigh at their last glimpse of the beautiful city.

We said ciao to Sylvia and were on our own for lunch. Janet and I found a nice, albeit touristy restaurant in the St. Marks area and enjoyed our last lunch in Italy. Before meeting Maurizio for our serenaded gondola ride, Janet and I explored the shops and admired the glass works on display. We fell in love with a beautiful giraffe until we noticed it was priced at 20,000 euros. The square was not only filled with pigeons, artists, and tourists, but a university graduation was being held in the open air. I can only imagine the memories one would have of graduating in that beautiful place.

A highlight of the Gate 1 Italy tour is the gondola ride. Musicians are hired for the 30 minute ride, which draws attention to your boats and makes you the subject of many pictures. Our gondoliers took us through quiet canals, and masterfully navigated past other boats and obstacles never bumping or touching another object. From this vantage, we could see hotels that enter and exit right on the canal. We even passed the house of the famous opera diva, Maria Callas.  It may be touristy, and a little corny, but how can you go to Venice without riding a gondola?

Maurizio led us on an extended walk through some of the less traveled parts of the city. I love seeing the parts where real people live. Sylvia had explained to us that the population is decreasing yearly due to the ever rising cost of living there. She said the population is down to around 40,000 people, and that most of the places you see are hotels and bed and breakfasts. The reason Maurizio led us this path was to show us the artwork of Lorenzo Quinn, son of the actor Anthony Quinn. The piece is made up of two white hands emerging from the Grand Canal to support the buildings that are slowly sinking, due to climate change, and the heavy use of cruise ships in the area. Another highlight of the walk was crossing the Ponte Rialto, probably the most famous bridge in Venice.  We must have crossed over 50 bridges on our way back to the hotel. But it was the perfect ending of our adventure.

 

That evening we ate a farewell dinner at the hotel. And made our preparations for leaving the next day. Maurizio was really an outstanding tour director. Throughout the week, he kept popping up with surprises like the gelato at Trevi fountain, a token coin from a Roman celebration, a cheesy rice ball, a Pinnochio toy, or a paper map of Italy. He spent time getting to know each of us, and working to meet our needs so that we had the best trip possible. We were really thankful to have him, and would certainly recommend his services to anyone.

Our final morning, I woke early and walked out of the hotel to stand atop the third of our Grand Canal bridges, Ponte degli Scalzi. You know I love to take pictures of the sunrise, and I wanted to take one here, as I believed it would be fabulous.  The streets were quiet, and my mood was joyful and sad at the same time. Boats motored in and out of the Grand Canal beneath me, delivering goods to the local stores. Out of nowhere, two girls came bursting down the street playing music as loud as possible and perched themselves next to me to take a picture.  I asked them to turn the music down, but they ignored me. Fortunately they were gone in a matter of seconds, and I could once again reflect on my good fortune of being able to visit this amazing place, and enjoy the beautiful sunrise.

Our trip to the airport was by water taxi. I have to say, it was the best airport shuttle I’ve ever taken. Before boarding the taxi, we said ciao to Maurizio who kept yelling ciao as we motored down the canal. It seemed like the perfect way to leave Italy, by boat and then by plane. A Gate 1 representative greeted us at the airport and stayed with us until we passed through security. When the plane took off, it circled the Venice lagoon, and we could see the city all tied together with its canals and bridges. We changed planes in Paris, and then on to Boston.  While over the Atlantic, I found a Netflix series called  Medicis: The Masters of Florence, and watched the three episodes offered. Things in the show began to help make sense of the things I’d seen. I couldn’t believe my luck in finding this series of a place I’d just been to and learned so much about.

It may be awhile before we return, but we threw our coins in the fountain and we know we’ll be back. We have so many other things to see and do!  So until next time when we’re living in New England like a tourist……Ciao!

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

Leaving Florence, we made our way to the coast to see the famed Leaning Tower of Pisa. In some ways, I feel bad for the people who live in the town of Pisa, as the cathedral, baptistery, and tower are the only points of interest in this town, and occupy an area about the size of a city block. I’m sure the day in day out parade of touring buses, cruise ship excursions, and tourists in general, wear on a local resident’s nerves. I guess it’s fortunate that most of the city exists south of the tourist area, so they may not even notice unless they try to get to the highway on the north side.

That said, our trip to Pisa was something I will do only once in my life, unless I go back to Italy with someone who’s never been. In my mind, the leaning tower of Pisa is one of the oldest tourist traps in the world. While it is very famous, I learned later that day that it is by no means the only leaning tower in Italy. In fact, on our way to Venice, and even in Venice I viewed many leaning towers. How this one came to prominence is anyone’s guess. I will admit that of all the leaning towers I saw today, this was by far the prettiest.

But we saw it.  We posed for the obligatory pictures of us holding it up, along with the hundreds of other tourists from all over the world. There is only one restroom on the property and you pay a euro to use it. We could have paid extra to go up the tower and into the buildings, but we only had an hour at the site, so it didn’t seem worth it. Instead we spent some time among the sidewalk vendors as I looked for a leather bag like Maurizio’s, that I could call my “man bag” or “murse.”  There were some authentic leather bags for a hundred euros, and there was the one I got for 25 euros. I do try to be frugal.

We left Pisa and headed east toward Venice. Before leaving Tuscany, we stopped at another Gate 1 partnership that happened to be a winery and olive oil press. After Pamela led us on a tour of the vineyard and the old olive oil pressing room, we were served a fantastic lunch and treated to a wine tasting of their signature labels. At the end of the meal we aided our digestion with a shot of Grappa. It tasted like kerosene and burned the entire way down. This was quickly followed by a nice Lemoncello to end the meal. Most of our tour consumed quite a bit of wine and spirits during the meal and were ready for the bus ride.  I suppose, knowing that the remainder of the ride would be three hours, the planners of the tour wanted to make sure the passengers were happy, if not a little sleepy, travelers.

We stopped at a service plaza outside Bologna for a restroom and snack break. Janet and I took advantage of the cappuccino bar you find in many of these stops. It’s kind of a like a mini Starbucks, but not.  You pay at the register, and then take your ticket to the barista who prepares your beverage. Drinks are served in ceramic ware and standing tables give you a place to consume your beverage. Unlike France where drinking coffee might last hours, these stops prefer you to enjoy your coffee quickly and leave. We did just that and got back on the bus to Venice.

After crossing the Appenine Mountain range that forms a spine through the peninsula of Italy, the land became much flatter than the regions of Umbria and Tuscany. There were still villages, scattered across the country side, but the architecture of the towers had changed from being topped with square fortress-like crowns to pyramids.  This change was a reflection of how close we were getting to Venice, and the influence of Venetian architecture.

We arrived in Venice in the late afternoon and said adio to our driver. Only a few residents are allowed to drive in Venice, so porters unloaded our bus and transported our luggage via boat to our hotel. From the dock, we took a short tram to one of the four bridges that cross the Grand Canal , Ponte della Constituzione.  Ascending this modern bridge we were able to get our first glimpses of the city of islands. Though we’d seen many spectacular sites this week, Venice seemed like a city you could only find in your imagination.

Our experiences in Venice lasted from Thursday evening to Saturday morning, but I’ll save that for my next post.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

Florence, or Firenze in Italian, is a compact city that would take weeks to uncover its many treasures. Unfortunately, we only had a day. The city is best known as the birthplace of the Italian renaissance, and I for one, would exponentially increase my knowledge of this period as we toured its streets and museums. We began bright and early with a walking tour that started at the Piazza di Santa Maria Novella. Our Florence guide, Ricardo, noted the facade of the basilica was a that of a typical renaissance church. This was much different than the Baroque churches we’d seen in Rome or the Gothic church in Assisi. The facade was just a flat layer of marble attached to the front of the building that resembled a school child’s drawing of  a church. On our way to the Academia Gallery to see the David, our guide walked us past the Basilica di San Lorenzo which didn’t have a facade. Its face was a bare block wall with three wooden doors. From the front, you would never know it was a church.  But this is way too much exposition about Renaissance church construction for this blog post. This is why Janet says I’m full of totally useless information.

Our guide also pointed out the Cappelle Medicee at the rear of San Lorenzo as the tomb of the Medici family, and around the corner the Pallazo Medici Riccardi, the home of the Medici’s. I’d heard of the Medicis but I confess, I knew very little of their history and influence before today. As I learned throughout the day, everything we saw in Florence was a result of this family’s influence. Their governance, and patronage of the arts and architecture moved Florence from a feudal kingdom, to one of the most powerful city-states in Italy of the middle ages. 

At the Academia gallery our guide shared with us Michelangelo’s life and work while describing the four statues known as the Prisoners, or Slaves. These unfinished works exemplify how he would move from project to project, often leaving works only partially complete. You get to see the different phases of the process Michelangelo described as freeing the prisoner locked inside the rock. He believed his job was to remove all that was unnecessary, and what was left was the image that was there all the time. Janet felt this was her favorite part of the day and marveled at the master’s technique.

I’m a musician, and am frequently brought to tears by the melodies and harmonies combined to evoke an emotional response. Visual art rarely affects me in the same way as music. However, our guide was a master of interpretation, and the David seemed to be his thesis. His description of the eyes gazing into the future, not being shackled by the dogmas of the past, the over-sized hands prepared to accomplish the task, and the exhibition of human perfection and potential really struck a chord in me.  We walked and talked around the entire statue and I admit, my eyes were filled with tears as I was enthralled by it all.

Apparently, not everyone appreciated the moment as I did.  At one point, our group was seated behind the statue learning more of this incredible work. I couldn’t help but notice a young woman from another group seated among our comrades gazing at her phone while surrounded not only by one of the most famous pieces of art, but indeed an entire gallery of incredible work. I guess I’ve now risen to the level of art snob.

 

Time was fleeting and we left the Academia to view the dominant structure of the city, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. This church is famous for it’s dome, which was the largest in the world until modern times. It was also the first dome constructed of this magnitude since ancient Rome. Covered in white marble with green and black inlaid design, the outside of the cathedral is quite impressive. We didn’t have time to go inside or up to the dome, but maybe that will be a quest for another trip. Opposite the Duomo (Italian for cathedral) is the Baptistery of St. John. Parishioners were not allowed in the cathedral unless they’d been baptized, so the baptistery was placed outside the church in many medieval cathedrals. It too, is covered in the same ornate white, green, and black marble. The east doors are what many people come to see. A series of 10 panels carved in gold relief by the artist Lorenzo Ghiberti depict scenes from the Old Testament, and is credited for being one of the first works of art to use the technique of perspective to display depth.

We moved on from the Duomo to the Palazzo Vecchio where our tour would end. Again, time did not permit us to enter the palace, which was the seat of government during the Renaissance. Here was where the Medicis and their counterparts ruled the city-state of Florence, and was the center of the city’s activity as opposed to the church. The Piazza della Signoria in front of the Palazzo was a virtual outdoor museum containing at least a dozen gigantic statues including a replica of the David to replace the original, where it once stood. Opposite David was an equally impressive Hercules.

Florence is known for its leather and jewelry. As our Italy tour progressed, we noticed that Gate 1 and other tour guide companies had partnerships with local vendors. Restaurants and shops often thrive on the recommendations of these partnerships, and today we found ourselves in a leather shop for a tutorial on selecting quality leather, and a fashion show featuring some of our travel mates. Janet modeled a beautiful aqua colored jacket that I would have gladly purchased had it not cost over 500 euros.  The stop was worth it for the shop as many of our tour walked away with new leather apparel.

As beautiful as Florence was, I must confess that because we were in a hurry to get to the Uffizi gallery, we scarfed down the worst frozen pizza for lunch. It was free, and quick, and we knew that tonight we would be treated to a feast. I’ll leave shame for another day.

We met our new guide, Cindy on the steps of the Uffizi gallery. She was our morning guide, Ricardo’s, wife , whom she’d met years ago while studying art in Florence. Janet and I are both education professionals and have many “shop” talks at home. We jokingly call it our private professional learning community (PLC). After being with these two all day and listening to their breadth of knowledge, I can imagine they too have their own private PLC.

How much art can you see in one trip and not be overwhelmed? I think we tested the limits. The Uffizi gallery contained some of the most incredible works of art I’ve ever seen. Boticelli was certainly my favorite artist of the afternoon with both the Primavera and Birth of Venus beautifully displayed in airtight casing. Unlike the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, these rooms weren’t as crowded and visitors could stand and appreciate the art. The museum is one of the world’s largest so we only were able to see the highlights, including works by daVinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. The only turtle missing was Donatello. (Little humor, very little) But it truly was a feast for the eyes.

At one point we were able to see the walkway that went from the Pallazo Vecchio across the Ponte Vecchio and to the other side of the river. This was how the Medicis were able to travel from the Pallazo to their home across the river without mingling with the common crowd. Our guide told us that the Ponte Vecchio (bridge) used to contain stalls for butchers, but in the summer the smell became unbearable for the Medicis to pass over. So they outlawed the butcheries and replaced them with jewelries, which still stand today.

After the tour, we were given free time until dinner. Janet and I made our way to the Ponte Vecchio and were amazed at the number of big name jewelers displaying their wares. After our cruise in St. Thomas, we knew better than to even get near one of their stalls. We took a leisurely walk beside the Arno river and enjoyed a little time away from the crowd. Spring was in the air, and some of the restaurants had beautiful floral displays for their outdoor dining.

We were promised a feast for dinner, but I could not have begun to imagine the experience we were to have. Our bus took us up and out of the city into the hills of Tuscany to an old farmhouse that has been converted into Ristorante I Tre Pini. Though the inside was beautifully appointed in traditional Tuscan decor, we were thrilled to be led out to the patio for a dinner under the stars and Wisteria covered arbors.

After a toast to the evening with a blue colored wine cocktail, the meal began with a table of 17 appetizers. It was followed by entrees of our choice, and Tiramisu for dessert. Live music, unlimited wine, and dancing made this one of the most magical of all our experiences in Italy. Many of Gate 1’s reviews include people describing this as their favorite moment of the trip, and it’s easy to see why.

I didn’t think anything could match Rome for all there was to see, but not only did Florence contain a treasure trove of things to experience, it maintains a small city atmosphere that makes you just want to come back as soon as you can. We enjoyed food, wine, art, history, and each other. For me, it was a perfect day.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

We were sad to leave Rome, there was so much more we wanted to see. But, more great experiences were on the agenda, so we boarded the bus and headed to the tiny mountain village of Assisi in the beautiful region of Umbria.

Our two hour ride to Assisi was punctuated by village after village crowning many of the hills of Umbria. Each looked like something from a long ago fairy tale. It became apparent to me how the feudal system included so many kings, lords, knights, and such. I’ve read about city-states, but seeing them made the concept crystal clear.

Assisi is a mountainside village, dominated by the Basilica of St. Francis. Not only is it a popular tourist destination, many devoted followers of the Franciscan order make pilgrimages to this sacred site. Assisi was the home and burial place of St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan order. The church he led is enshrined in a larger building in the town below the mountain. As with many of the sites with sensitive art work, photography was not allowed inside the basilica. The structure is actually comprised of two churches, the lower church, and the upper church. The lower church contains frescoes that serve as an art history lesson of late medieval and early renaissance art. We were also able to go downstairs to the crypt and see the tomb of St. Francis.

The upper church is beautiful, though not ornate like some of the churches in Rome. The altar contains a large wooden structure with seats for a college of cardinals, and one seat for the pope. Our guide, Giuseppe, told us that when Pope Francis visited, he refused to sit in the papal seat, but instead opted to sit as a cardinal. From everything we learned of St. Francis, this act was very consistent with the saint for which the pope styles himself.  The nave was lined with frescoes showing the life and work of St. Francis, who gave up a life of wealth and luxury to live humbly and serve the poor. Our guide also pointed out a fresco which illustrated St. Francis as the first to depict a nativity scene. With this knowledge, we knew another nativity was a priority for the day. I really enjoyed learning about St. Francis. If I were catholic, I could easily see myself following the Franciscan order.

After our tour of the basilica, we were given a couple of hours to explore the village and have lunch. The street from the upper church was lined with numerous gift shops. Each were packed with trinkets dedicated to St. Francis and other emblems of faith. There was no shortage of nativities in any of these shops. After about five stores, we finally found one that seemed unique enough for Janet’s collection, and small enough to fit in our luggage.

With the nativity chosen, we needed to find lunch. We knew kind of what we wanted, but we were now a few levels up from the base of the village. Fortunately a staircase led us about five stories down to where we needed to be. We chose a lunch that was refreshingly simple. The menu consisted of two types of panini and our choice of wine. Our server also included some samples of their house cheese to try. We sat on barrels at a barrel table and enjoyed the ambiance of this local treasure.

Following lunch, we boarded the bus and headed to Florence. The trip was three hours, and I can’t blame our tour mates for napping. Most were much older than us. But I didn’t pay this much money to sleep. Maurizio was pleased we wanted to see the country side and was more than happy to tell us all about it. For about an hour we enjoyed a personal tour guide through western Umbria and eastern Tuscany.

We arrived in Florence and proceeded straight to Michelangelo’s square. I’d seen this vantage point on Rick Steve’s video and was excited we were going there. The road along the way was lined with beautiful houses built on the Tuscan hillsides. It was almost a dream come true.  The view from this plaza is hard to beat and we took some amazing pictures.

After checking in to our hotel, dinner was on our own. Maurizio explained the difference between a ristorante, trattoria, osteria, and taverna.  We chose a trattoria that’s less formal than a ristorante. Our dinner companions, Tim & Ivy, were a delightful couple from New Jersey who gave us some excellent travel tips. Our day visiting Assisi was awesome, however we knew that our day in Florence would probably be amazing. The only preparation needed was a good night’s sleep.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

With Imperial Rome behind us, Day 2 began with our tour of the Vatican. It was another early morning so that we could beat the crowds and see everything on our agenda. Maurizio and Christine, our Rome guide met us at the bus for the day’s adventures.  Our Vatican experience can easily be divided into the Vatican museums, and St. Peters.

The Vatican museums are huge. National Geographic lists it among the top ten museums of the world. Our tour was limited to some of the highlights that could be seen in an hour and a half, but what we saw was phenomenal. We saw many of the “must-see works including the Pineapple courtyard, the statue of the Trojan priest, Laocoön and his sons being strangled by snakes, the Apollo Del Belvedere, The Rotunda room, the tapestries hall, and the maps room. I could have spent at least a day or two just in these museums. I wanted to see Raphael’s School of Athens, but our tour was just too quick.

 

Of course, our tour of the Vatican Museum concluded with the Sistine Chapel. No pictures are allowed in the chapel, and people aren’t supposed to talk. In order to talk about Michelangelo’s ceiling and wall, our guide was able to utilize signboards in the Pineapple courtyard to point out details not to miss. The chapel is all anyone says about it and more. Pictures may detail the art, but cannot convey the experience of standing in this place with such significance. Regardless of a person’s belief structure, it is truly a spiritual experience.

After exiting the chapel, we made our way into St. Peter’s Basilica. Upon entering the great doors, you can’t help but be impressed by the incredible size of St. Peter’s, the largest catholic church in the world.  Down the center of the nave is a line that marks sizes of major cathedrals and basilicas throughout the world. I always thought St. Patrick’s in New York was so large until we were directed to its marker which lay about 2/3 up the line. The basilica is filled with beautiful statues and mosaics including Michelangelo’s Pieta, one of the highlights for me. The altar was a work in itself made of marble and gold covering the tomb of St. Peter himself. One of the most interesting things we learned about Rome is how the marble was recycled from place to place. Much of the marble used in St. Peters came from the Colosseum and forum.

Our time in St. Peter’s was short but memorable. We exited to St. Peter’s Square for beautiful views of the basilica, the obelisk, and the famous fountains.

Our next stop was a Vatican gift shop just off the square. I need to explain here that Janet collects nativities. To date she has 20 that we display every Christmas. The gift shop contained many wonderful mementos, but we gravitated to the display cases filled with beautiful and unique nativities. Though there were a few we really liked, we settled on one carved from a single piece of wood.

Our Vatican experience was complete, but our day had only just begun. Again, we opted for an additional excursion called the Piazzas and Fountains of Rome, a half day walk through many of the most pictured spots in Rome. Our tour began at Piazza Navona. Once a Roman circus, this is one of the largest of Rome’s piazzas. The former race track is now lined with restaurants, gift shops, churches, and artists kiosks. Three beautiful fountains command your attention as you enter the piazza and each contain stories about the artist and their work. We ate lunch here before moving on to our next destination, the Pantheon. Like the day before, we were transported back almost 2,000 years into the oldest continuously used church. Once a temple to all the gods, it was transformed into a catholic church after the fall of Rome. It’s only source of light is a hole in the ceiling called the oculus.

After leaving the Pantheon, we saw a modern building that incorporated the columns of an ancient temple, and a renaissance palace that had been converted into a mall. Our guide reiterated the recycling nature of the city, rather than tearing down and rebuilding. We also traveled through a fantastic alley filled with shops and eateries. Here we learned how popular Pinocchio is to Italian culture.

Do a Google image search for Rome and Trevi Fountain will undoubtedly be on the first page of pictures. This work of baroque art is attached to  a building that lies at the intersection of three roads, hence the word Tre Vie (Three Roads). This intersection forms the piazza surrounding the fountain which is relatively small compared to the massive size of this magnificent fountain. We spent about a half hour here, throwing our coins in the fountain and enjoying gelato compliments of Gate 1.

Our final stop on the excursion was at the Spanish Steps. These steps were made famous in the movie Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. The fountain in the piazza is in the shape of a boat, and many children were playing in the water. We were fortunate to be there during the annual flower festival, and the steps were highlighted by the fuschia colored bouquets lining the sides. On a sad note, we had to say goodbye to our excellent guide, Christine, who made all these sites come alive!

A taxi took us back to the hotel for a short rest before the evening’s entertainment. As part of the tour we were treated to night of light Italian opera favorites by a troupe of serious and comedic singers over another great Roman dinner. Audience participation included me as the dancing partner for a soprano/tenor marital squabble duet. Even Janet, whose doesn’t usually attend classical vocal music, enjoyed this night of music and fun.

Our tours of Rome were now complete, and we slept well to prepare for the remainder of our week. Our trip is designed to see as much as we can in a short amount of time, in case we’re not able to return. I hope the legend of the Trevi fountain is true, and someday I’ll come back to see more of this eternal city.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

In 2010 Janet and I made our first trip out of the country together, spending 7 days in London and Paris. We booked guided tours and saw almost everything someone would want to see on once in a life time visit. For years we planned that the next time we visit Europe we would go to Italy. For the last two years, I’ve been scouting travel sites looking for the tour that would allow us to see what we want to see at a price we wanted to pay. Last year I finally found the tour through Gate 1 Travel that would take us to Rome, Assisi, Florence, Pisa, and Venice so I booked the deal. April break finally arrived and we were on our way!  This trip was way too big to fit into a single blog post so I’ve decided to spread it out into six, capturing the best of the five cities we visited (Rome gets 2 posts).  These posts may be longer than my one day adventures, but we took in so much that it would be impossible to share without more posts.

Our first city was Rome, the eternal city. It’s still hard to believe we walked those streets and saw the sites, but the pictures bear testimony to the fact it all happened. Gate 1 met us as soon as we exited the secure baggage claim area and shuttled us to our hotel. After our 7 hour flight that began at 11:00 PM EST, we were pretty tired, but we managed to explore our surroundings a little and enjoy our first taste of gelato.  We returned to our room for a quick nap before meeting our tour manager, Maurizio, and the remainder of our group for a 6:00 PM orientation meeting and dinner.  As it turned out, our group contained only 16 members and it was easy to get to know everyone. Dinner at our first Italian ristorante was everything we hoped. Italian cuisine in Italy seemed a little different than Italian-American. I don’t remember seeing pepperoni on any menu.   Throughout the week, Janet and I tried very hard to spend at least one meal with all the travelers. Most were delightful people from varied places throughout the US.

We spent two days discovering Rome. The first day was all about ancient Rome. We began the day bright and early at the Colosseum.  Up to the moment we caught site of the arena, Rome had appeared to me as other cities, with modern buildings and daily life. Viewing the Colosseum for the first time kind of takes you out of time and space to a world you’ve only read about. As we exited the bus, the guide pointed out the hill where the Caesar’s palace stood. Over the hill was the entrance to the Roman forum. And to the right, next to a glorious arch stood the Colosseum. My mind was spinning with images of movies I’d seen like Gladiator, Ben-Hur, Cleopatra, and The Fall of the Roman Empire. Here I was, standing in the place all that happened. It was like a world inside a world.

Christina was our local expert, guiding us through the sites of Rome. She was a walking encyclopedia of all things Rome. From her we learned the word, andiamo, which means, let’s go. She also used the word piano a lot. In music we use piano to mean softly, here she used to mean slowly, which was appropriate for our group of all ages.  We had tickets to enter the structure through a special entrance that led to the floor of the arena. This “stage” is a partial covering of the maze of rooms that held animals and performers for the events. It provided us with grand views to begin our tour. We eventually made our way around, and up through most of the site seeing the emperor’s seat, the VIP seats, the stations of the cross that were installed during medieval times, and the only remaining statue of the hundreds that adorned the arches of the outer wall.  Our guide shared tons of facts that my wife will eventually classify as totally useless information I will exposit someday.

After the Colosseum, we headed over to the Forum, through another elaborately carved arch. These two, and the one in the forum are all that is left of over 100 arches that dotted imperial Rome. Here we saw the house of the Vestal Virgins, the spot where Julius Caesar was cremated, and the other ruins of the former capital of the Roman empire.

Lunch was on our own, and a portion of us reconvened for an extra excursion called  Rome’s Hidden Treasures. Our first stop was to Basilica San Pietro in Vincoli or the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains. The chains were displayed as a relic under the altar, and many pieces of art depicted the story of Peter being released from prison by the angel. The reason for our visit though, was to see Michelangelo’s statue of Moses. Meant to be part of a much larger work for the pope’s tomb, this piece was the only part that was finished and became a permanent installation in this church.  I’ve been to many art galleries, and seen many masterpieces. I was soon to learn that all of Italy is like a large art museum, with priceless pieces in galleries, churches, and even on the walls of buildings.

From the San Pietro in Vincoli, we made our way to St. Clement Basilica. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take pictures inside, so I bought a book with pictures. This website contains pictures and information about all we saw. This church was amazing, not for art or sacred reasons, but for history. We began at the “ground” level in the modern church which was in itself, beautiful. On the right wall we were directed to notice waist high arches along the bottom of the wall that appeared to come from below the floor. One hundred years prior, a priest also noticed these arches and began to dig under the structure to see what they were. As the dig progressed, it was discovered that these arches were part of the original church that had existed there in the middle ages. When the new church was built, they simply filled in the old church with rock and soil and built the new church on top. Further digging revealed that below the old church was a pagan temple, and still further was a Roman house dating back over 2000 years. We traveled down through all these layers below “ground” level to where a spring still ran that would have supplied water to the house during the Roman empire. All these structures still exist below the current church, and we were able to see them all, including much of the artwork still in mosaic or paintings on the walls.  We were so glad we took advantage of this opportunity.

We had a few hours between the tour and dinner. While Janet rested at the hotel, I walked down the street to explore the Basilica Paple di Santa Maria Maggiore which means the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major. Not only is it one of the largest catholic churches in the world, but it is one of the handful of churches designated for the pope to say mass. The interior was exquisitely covered in mosaics and other beautiful art and ornaments. The two domed chapels to the sides were even more beautiful than the nave. Later we learned that Maurizio’s mother had been part of the team to restore the ceiling in this beautiful edifice.

I returned to the hotel and we joined the group as Maurizio led us through some of his favorite parts of Rome on a walking tour. We followed his recommendation for dinner and ended up at a wonderful pizzeria, Alle Carrette for a very traditional pizza meal. It was a perfect ending to a glorious day!

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

Back when Simon Cowell was still on American Idol, we got sucked into the craze just like millions of others. At first it was to see the really bad auditions. Being a trained singer, it’s almost torture to watch them, but sometimes we do painful things for fun. Then you kind of get pulled into watching the 100 get whittled down to 20, then to 12, and so on. I don’t remember what year it was, but the battle was the two Davids, David Archuleta and David Cook.  There was no question for me who I wanted to win because David Cook was from my hometown of Blue Springs, MO.

Blue Springs is about 20 miles east of Kansas City, and I’m a proud graduate of Blue Springs High School. It’s kind of surreal watching someone in that level of competition who you know went to the same McDonalds, walked the same streets, or maybe lived in your neighborhood. Seeing him win was quite a thrill. I noticed one day when I drove down the highway the town sign said Welcome to Blue Springs, home of American Idol winner, David Cook.

If you’ve read this blog long enough, you know that Kinky Boots is one of my favorite Broadway shows. Three years ago we saw Wayne Brady perform the role of Lola, and fell in love with the whole show. The message of inclusiveness is made clear in the song “Just Be Who You Want to Be.” I find myself singing that when I feel other people’s expectations for me to be something I’m not. Imagine my thrill to find out Wayne was coming back to the role, and David Cook would be playing opposite him in the role of Charlie. To top it all off, Kirstin Maldonado from Pentatonix was also starring as Lauren. The stars had just lined up for a day trip to NY.

I bought Sunday matinee tickets which made for an easy drive down. We enjoyed a fantastic burger lunch at 5 Napkin Burger in Hell’s Kitchen, and then proceeded to our 2nd row seats to see the show.  David did a great job for someone I didn’t really think of as a Broadway performer. After the curtain call, Wayne did his impromptu freestyle with words given through donations to the Broadway Cares foundation. The show was everything we wanted it to be and more.  Seizing the day is the me I want to be!

 

 

 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

It snowed in New England this week. I know that’s a big surprise to everyone. After all, we’re known for our white sandy beaches, turquoise waters, and swaying palm trees….not! I guess my head was still back on the cruise, because this snow really blew me away. It also blew away our electricity. Fortunately, our apartment is pretty well insulated, but it did get into the 50s which feels pretty cold when you keep your place in the 70s.  We’d also planned to go to New York with Mark and Maria to see Carousel with Jessie Muehler and Renee Fleming. I posted on Facebook that after two days of no power, we were going to Broadway to see a show.

Janet and I had seen Jessie in Beautiful: The Carol King Story, a part for which she won a Tony award. It’s always a pleasure to see people who perform their craft at the top level. Renee Fleming recently retired from the Metropolitan Opera and is one of Maria’s opera idols. I’d done Carousel in community theater about 10 years ago and didn’t care for the show at the time. I thought it might be interesting to see it performed well and maybe experience a change of heart.

Last year, when we saw Hello Dolly together, I let Mark pick the restaurant. His choice was wonderful, but it was at least 6 blocks from the theater. If the blocks were north and south blocks, it would have been easy. But these blocks were east and west which are twice as long as the north and south blocks. We barely made it to curtain call. This year I chose the restaurant, which happened to be a mere three blocks from the theater making for a pleasant stroll after a sumptuous meal.

We were impressed with the show. Though Renee Fleming was a little out of her element, it was a pleasure hearing her sing the iconic “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” If you’re not familiar with Carousel, its about a carnival man, Billy Bigelow, who marries a young town girl, Julie, and is prone to hitting her. He gets mixed up with a thief and dies in the middle of Act II.  He gets to come back to help his daughter, Louise, who’s life is a mess, acting just like him. He becomes visible to her and after she refuses a gift he slaps her. In the original play Louise asks her mother, Julie, if it’s possible for someone to hit you without hurtin, Julie tells her that “it’s possible for someone to hit you hard and it doesn’t hurt at all.” To me, they were justifying his behavior. This was the way we performed it 10 years ago, and the reason I’ve not enjoyed this show very much. The show was written at a different time, and I always felt like it didn’t hold up well in the 21st Century. To my relief, they dropped those lines in this revival, holding Billy accountable for his actions. Performed this way, I enjoyed the show much more, though it’s still not one of my favorites.

The theatrics of the show were wonderful with beautiful dancing, and excellent singing and acting. This is our second spring show we’ve seen with Mark and Maria. It looks like we’ve once again started a new tradition.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

 

It appears that February cruising may also become an annual activity. Suddenly I’m feeling a little less like a tourist and more like a routine traveler. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I’m enjoying my life so it really doesn’t matter. Back in the fall, our friends, Priscille and Ronnie invited us to join Dillard, Laurie, Mike, and Pam to go on a very reasonably priced western Caribbean cruise out of Tampa. We’d already planned a trip for Italy in April, but when we saw the price, we thought, what the heck.

Our cruise friends are all Diamond status cruisers meaning they’ve been on lots of cruises. But I’m finding that once it gets in your blood, it doesn’t matter if you repeat a stop because you can always find something new and interesting to see or do. There are always new stories to tell, and new people to meet.

This cruise departed on Sunday from Tampa. We arrived on Saturday and had booked rooms at Clearwater Beach. CB is really a beautiful part of Florida and we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset over the Gulf while standing on the pier, and a stunning sunrise from our marina side room.

Rhapsody of the Seas is a class smaller than last year’s Jewell of the Seas. I didn’t know if I’d like this ship as there were not as many amenities on board. Through the week I found that what this ship may have missed in amenities, it made up for in spirit and overall fun. With fewer passengers, the crew interacts more with the guests. We took part in many of the trivia games, Zumba classes, and dance parties that made this trip really entertaining. As always, I arise early at least one day of the cruise to get pictures of the sunrise. Happily, I’m never disappointed.

Our first stop was in Grand Cayman where we immediately took part in the Sting Ray City excursion. We got to pet the sting rays and Janet even fed one. Afterwards we roamed around the town to do a little shopping before heading back to the ship. Grand Cayman is beautiful, and it is no wonder that five ships were anchored in its turquoise waters that day.

The second stop was Cozumel, Mexico. Janet and I went snorkeling on the reef and through the star fish sanctuary. We met a young couple from Maine who enjoyed receiving my personalized lesson on how to take the perfect selfie. As the ship departed at dusk that evening, the full moon hung over the city casting its reflection in the water and we were treated to one of the most romantic scenes I’d ever witnessed.

Our third stop was in Belize City, Belize. At first glance, the place does not appear to be a tourist destination. Six of us from our group traveled together on a river cruise to see indigenous wildlife. Our guide pointed out every iguana and monkey along the two and half hour ride that ended at one of the most primitive eateries I’ve ever been to.  After lunch we boarded a bus to the Altun Ha Mayan ruins. This was truly the highlight of the day and worth listening to our guide talk for about four hours. Our bus was the last to the port and we made the final tender back to the ship.

Our final excursion was a beach club in Costa Maya Mexico. Our entire group enjoyed basking in the sun, being serenaded by the roaming beach musician, and enjoying the saltwater pool with free bar. We strolled down the roadway past stalls where locals would work extra hard to get you view and buy their wares.

The last day was at sea and included more parties, art auctions, towel folding demonstrations, backstage tours, and baking by the pool. It appears that at least for one more year it will be a tradition, as Janet and I booked a balcony room on Oasis of the Seas for next year.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

It’s Christmas again, and Janet and I are developing some pretty strong traditions. Yearly we travel to NY to see the department store windows. We host a Christmas brunch for the Sheppard clan. We Facetime with the Dancy clan on Christmas Eve to be a part of the celebration. And this year we will repeat what we started last year by celebrating Christmas dinner at a Boston restaurant.

As much as we loved LaVoile last year, we chose Strega in the North End for our dining celebration this year.  Unlike last year, we drew on an old Oregon tradition of going to the movies on the holiday. The day was snowy and wet, but we persisted anyway. We debated on taking the subway to the North End or driving and parking. I decided to drive, remembering how easy it was to find a parking place last year. However, I was totally unprepared for the intricacies of parking in the North End.

Each parking space has a sign that includes no less than 5 conditions:

• Arrow to the right-
  • Tow Zone-no stopping 11AM-11PM
  • North End resident parking only 11 PM -8 AM
  • 15 minute parking only 8AM-11AM except Sunday
• Arrow to the left
  • 30 minute parking limit 8AM-6PM except Sundays
  • North end resident parking only 6PM-8AM

Janet and I drove around for 15 minutes searching for a space that we could read the sign that said it was legal to park for our 5:00 reservation. As it turned out, a spot was open across the street from our restaurant, what luck.  It indicated we had one hour to park freely.

Though there wasn’t a special holiday menu, Strega was a wonderful experience. We always enjoy the North End.  My favorite part was sharing the holiday with Janet. I do lots of adventures, sometimes solo, sometimes in groups, but mostly with Janet. She gets me, and enjoys the journey. Thanks for a wonderful day. You’re my favorite.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

Well, we finished the series in record breaking time. Downton Abbey was certainly deserving of the title, Masterpiece Theatre. I know we came late to the party, but that’s the beauty of 21st Century media, we get to watch it when we want instead of when the network tells it they will air it.  I have a new friend at work this year who is an avid Downton fan and it has been fun to share the adventure with him.  As I was surfing the Internet, I came upon an advertisement for a new exhibit in New York, which features the Downton Abbey sets and wardrobe. What? No Way!! Janet had no hesitation agreeing this would be perfect to go with our annual 5th Avenue department store window walk. I told Cristos he should take the family since NY is only a few hours away.  Though tempting, he said they might be able to do it in February when they’re booked to cruise out of NY.

We went down and visited Jim and Autumn. This time Janet enjoyed watching our traditional superhero movies as we chose Wonder Woman and Guardians of the Galaxy. A few times she has had to endure our geek fests, but she did great!

The next day we headed into New York for our 10:30 ticket time. Turns out we are certainly not the only Downton Abbey fans that were excited for this exhibit. We arrived at 10:00 and the line reminded me of waiting to enter a Broadway theatre.  We waited patiently until all the 10:00 ticket holders had entered, and were duly rewarded when 10:30 arrived and our group was allowed entrance. Immediately Carson and Mrs. Hughes greeted us via video screen to begin our tour. We began in the servant’s quarters downstairs in rooms that contained the actual sets. We proceeded upstairs to the family’s area that held artifacts from the set and displays of the characters. The bedroom was the only set on display, as much of the filming of the family was done in the actual house. The upper floor contained many of the dresses the sisters and mother had worn throughout the show.  The whole thing was totally worth it and I sent Cristos a selfie just to make him jealous.

After lunch, we headed over to 5th Avenue for our walk. This year’s windows were all astounding. I think I enjoyed Sak’s the best with its tribute to Snow White. This really is a fantastic ritual we’ve begun, and I enjoy it more every year. It’s especially fun when we can combine it with other fun things, like a traveling exhibit. I know that this opportunity would not have existed while we lived in Kansas City which is why living here is so cool.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

For many years, a lot of my Facebook friends have posted their love for the British television series, Downton Abbey. Surprisingly enough, it’s a show that Janet and I hadn’t really paid much attention to and didn’t really understand the hype. Last week we were browsing through Netflix and Amazon Prime for something to binge watch, and decided to give it a try. I guess you could say we liked it as we devoured three seasons within the course of a week. Seeing the stories being played out made me want to get a sense of the lifestyle first hand. With a beautiful weekend in the forecast, I knew I didn’t want to just watch television all weekend, so instead I planned a trip to Newport, Rhode Island and see the American version of this tale.

Newport, RI was the summer home of New York society during America’s Guilded Age before the great depression. Bellevue Avenue is a thoroughfare at the center of the south end of the island. Along this tree lined street and on the streets and avenues that cross it are lavish mansions and beautiful homes that rival some of Europe’s finest palaces. Though many were torn down in the mid-20th century, a few have been preserved by the Preservation Society and other groups and can be toured by the general public.

I did some research online and found the Preservation Society to have some of the best options.  Having only planned a day-trip we opted to buy a 2 house ticket, which we thought would give us enough of the Downton Abbey feel, and allow us to get home at a decent time. Our first house was The Breakers. Built by Cornelius Vanderbilt, it is the largest of all the houses in Newport. I say houses, but these places were known as summer cottages in which they only were used for six weeks of the year. During that time, the socialites would attend nightly parties and balls throughout the town. It was easy to see how the Vanderbilt’s could entertain in this lavish edifice. The dining room alone was larger than any home I’ve ever lived. The great hall with its grand staircase looked as if Cinderella herself could descend the steps to meet Prince Charming.

Some of the rooms were decorated for Christmas. We learned that the mansions have a wonderful Christmas tradition of lavish adornments, and this was only the beginning. Maybe next year we’ll come back to see everything when it’s all decked out.

Each guest is given a recorded tour headset upon entering, so you learn a lot about the house as they guide you through every room, including the servants areas like the kitchens, and the secret hallways for the help. So much of it seemed familiar after watching the life of the Crowleys in England. I wasn’t surprised that there were books about Highclere Castle and Downton Abbey in the book store.

Before going to the second house, we made a detour off the main street for me to find a picture from my childhood. When I was little, my mother used to watch the gothic horror soap opera, Dark Shadows. I remember having nightmares of Barnabas Collins, the vampire and the large house they all lived in. If you haven’t guessed, I’m an avid fan of Internet research. It didn’t take too much looking to find that Seaview Terrace is the name of the house used in the opening credits of the show, and it’s located right there in Newport. In fact it was only about a hundred yards away from The Breakers. The rear of the house was used for the shot on the show, and is difficult to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Fortunately for me, we have Google Maps that allowed me to know exactly where to go to get my picture. The yard is surrounded by an ivy covered fence, but I found an opening from which I could take my picture. A couple of years ago, I’d learned that the rocky shore of Kennebunkport was where they filmed the crashing of the waves for the same opening credits. I know it’s geeky and weird,  but I felt a sense of satisfaction that I’d actually seen these two places that haunted my childhood dreams.

The second house was Rosecliff. The recording told us this was the house used in the 1970s move, The Great Gatsby, with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. The entry had a marvelous heart shaped stair case that looked ideal for weddings. Not surprisingly, besides tours, that is the main use for this house. The upstairs is dedicated to the bridal business, and also contains space for short term exhibits in the old bedrooms. The downstairs contained a beautiful ballroom with glass paned doors that opened to a garden on one side of the hall, and the ocean on the other. Janet and I could both imagine ourselves at a ritzy party in this beautiful setting. The woman who’d built the house had a sad life, especially after the Newport craze had ended and society no longer convened there for the summer. The recording mentioned that the help believed she still walks the house looking for family and friends…. spooky, right?

What a day. Walking through the environment of the show we’d just binged on was an immersive experience that really made it all come together. Newport is a beautiful city, on the water’s edge. We are definitely coming back to this New England gem!

 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

Last year we traveled to Bar Harbor, Maine to view the beautiful fall colors of New England. This year we opted for a closer alternative, but no less impressive. The White Mountains are about three hours north of Tewksbury and are the heart of the ski industry of New Hampshire. We visited Franconia Notch on the western edge of the chain a few years ago, and saw the beauty of the area in summer. But this area is widely known for its color tours along the Kancamagus Highway.

The Kancamagus Highway is a little more than 34 miles of scenic highway along NH Route 112 between Lincoln and Conway, NH. Up and down the mountains, and alongside beautiful rivers, this drive did not disappoint. At one of our first stops, a young bride-to-be was surprised when her fiance made use of the spectacular backdrop at this scenic overlook to offer his proposal of marriage.  Everyone one around applauded, and thought the young man had made an excellent choice of location for the event.

One of the most spectacular stops was along the Swift River. The area we stopped at was filled with boulder sized rocks that made little water falls and rapids. We were able to walk on the rocks for some beautiful pictures featuring the river and the foliage.

The Kancamagus Highway terminates at Conway, NH on the eastern edge of the mountain range. Rather than backtrack, we chose to continue the loop through the range and see Mount Washington. Along the way we saw many other colorful mountain sides and rivers. We also found Storyland, a children’s amusement park we hope to bring Elizabeth and Amelia someday. Mount Washington is the crown jewel of the range and is famed for recording some of the coldest temperatures and highest wind speeds in the United States. At its base is the Mt. Washington Hotel, a swanky resort popular with both locals and tourists.

We concluded our journey with a stop at the site of the former “Old Man of the Mountain.”  Until 2003 the Old Man of the Mountain was a rock formation on the side of Cannon Mountain that resembled an old man. It collapsed after years of erosion. An art installation at the base allows visitors to stand in a location and see the jagged face as it appeared before the collapse. The sun was getting low in the sky and we decided it was best to start heading home.  New Hampshire is blessed with beautiful mountains, a seashore, a lakes region, and is a day trip from a thriving world class city.  I hope I’m not the only local that feels like living near here is a like being on vacation all year long.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

Most of our adventures are something we choose to do. A few of our adventures are those that are thrust upon us. Becoming grandparents has probably become the most pleasurable of these latter types of adventures. In June of 2015 we welcomed our first grand daughter, Elizabeth Kay Dancy.  She has totally changed our lives in ways we never knew existed. She has a smile that brightens any room, and a laugh will make the most dour soul smile.

And now, Elizabeth has a sister, Amelia Ellen Dancy. She is darling in every way, and so necessity dictates that Grammy and Papa must once more board a plane to the midwest to visit these beautiful people.

Parents are funny in that the first child is met with loads of caution. When Elizabeth was born, she didn’t whimper without someone springing to their feet. Amelia has the benefit of parental experience and mom and dad are less home bound this time around. As proof, we were able to enjoy some wonderful little outings with the kids.

Our first adventure was to a pumpkin patch in the town I grew up, Blue Springs. Elizabeth loved playing the games, riding the hayride, and walking the corn maze. A little too much adventure made selecting a pumpkin hard, but the day was a huge success. Amelia decided to sleep soundly through the entire outing.

The kids love the zoo and Elizabeth loves the penguins. Kansas City has a nice zoo that is very spread out. Visitors get lots of exercise seeing the exhibits. I remember visiting the zoo once with my parents. My father denied us the ride on the train saying we were there to look at animals, not ride the rides.  Being the dad and papa that I am, I had to ride the train with son and grand daughter!

Our visit was a short three day in and out affair. Before we left, I made arrangements to have drinks with an old friend from the Kansas City Symphony Chorus, Jonathan Plummer. For over five years, I stopped in Brookside to carpool to chorus rehearsals together. Those drives through mid-town Kansas City included some of my favorite conversations of all time. While the move to New England has been filled with adventures and new friends, there are many times I miss the people back home. Fortunately, we live in the world of Facebook, though not perfect, it gives the opportunity to still be a part of each other’s lives.

 

Based on our first adventure together, I can tell that our lives will be doubly blessed with the addition of Amelia. I look forward to watching her grow and having to wrap myself around another beautiful girl’s cute little finger.

 

 

 

 

 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

I really love living in New England and seeing all that there is to see.  I also like driving down to New Jersey and seeing my wonderful daughter and her husband. This weekend we visited Autumn and Jim for a day, went out to eat, watched some movies, and headed home. The day was extremely foggy and wet.  As we approached NYC, we thought it might be fun to hop over to Staten Island and cross the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and drive the Brooklyn Bridge. All was going fine till I took the tunnel before the Brooklyn bridge. We ended up in downtown and both of us felt the need for a bathroom break. Sunday morning in Manhattan isn’t the easiest place to find a public restroom, but I thought if any place might have one, it might be Central Park. We found a decent parking place on Madison Ave and headed over to the park. At first I thought it might clear up, but as fate would have it, the rain became more steady and I decided to run back for some protection before proceeding any further.

Umbrellas in hand, our quest for a restroom began.  We checked the park map, but could not not locate the one marked closest to us. I dared to ask the man at the information kiosk. Turned out he wouldn’t tell us without buying his map for $10…..pass. We were starting to see yellow when we finally found one on the other side of the park.

Once our bladders had been relieved we were able to actually enjoy this gem of the city. Janet had never walked through the park so I was eager to show her around. One of the places that she wanted to see most was the boat house. 27 Dresses is a great little movie we both love. The boat house is featured as the desired wedding venue for the two sisters. It’s beautiful in the movie, but even more picturesque in person. I’d taken a selfie back in March when I was here with Dan, and she was really jealous. I think our day here was better than the spring and our picture turned out much better.

One of my favorite parts of the park is the sail boat pond featured in E.B. Whites children’s novel, Stuart Little. We were not disappointed today as the clouds cleared and the boats shined in the sun.  I really love how the pond acts as a reflection pool. It’s really a special place.

I’ve remarked before that some of my best adventures are free. Discounting the tolls to cross the bridges into Manhattan, this adventure was spectacularly free. We walked around for about an hour or so, and were back out on the road, proving that great adventures don’t have to be expensive or last forever.

 

 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

Before I moved to New England, Janet and I were Food Channel addicts. We knew all the big names, Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Paula Dean, Ina Garten, Alton Brown, etc. Janet’s favorite cookbook was by Anne Burrell, who’s recipe for risotto is out of this world. We loved watching Iron Chef, The Next Iron Chef, Japanese Iron Chef, Chopped, Cupcake Wars, etc.

In Missouri, our favorite restaurant was Julian in Brookside, a neighborhood in mid-town Kansas City. Celina Tio, a James Beard award winning chef was the proprietor of this charming establishment. Her celebrity chef status included appearances on Top Chef Masters, Iron Chef, and The Next Iron Chef. Kansas City is also home to one of PBS chef Lidia Bastianich’s restaurants, too.

After moving to New England, we got a little bored of the Food Network as all their shows tended to follow the same formula, script, and celebrity chefs. However, our desire to try their food still lingers. A couple of years ago, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, Lidia’s husband, opened Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca on the Boston waterfront. With nothing to do on a Sunday morning, we made reservations at Babbo’s to see if it lived up to our expectations.

It was a gorgeous day so we decided get there before our reservation to walk along the harbor and enjoy the sunshine. In May, we’d gone to 75 on Liberty Wharf, a few blocks away. The views from these harborside eateries are awesome. We found a little pocket park called Fan Pier park and enjoyed watching the boats sail in and out of the harbor. The park provides an amazing view of the financial district skyline.

Both of us ordered pizza at Babbo’s. I’m not going to say that their pizza was out of this world, but it was certainly some of the better I’ve tasted. Being a Sunday morning, it wasn’t very crowded, but I could see where this would be a fun place to go to at night with friends. I suppose even a celebrity chef that specializes in Italian food would find it difficult to stand out among the dozens of excellent restaurants in the North End and other parts of Boston.

After lunch, we walked through the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.  This park lies between the lanes of the John F. Kennedy Expressway and Atlantic Ave, and above I-93. During the 90’s, and early 2000’s Boston engaged in a project called The Big Dig. Among other things, they buried I-93 under the city in a massive tunnel. Above the tunnel was restructured as a pedestrian friendly parkway with gardens, fountains, and artwork. On summer weekends, vendors set up kiosks to display crafts, art, jewelry, and other curios. This is a great improvement over the multi-story freeway that used to cut off the North End and the Waterfront from the rest of the city.

The first part of the walkway includes greenery and rose bushes. Sometimes it’s so thick you forget you’re in the middle of the city.  Like the Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, and Central Park in New York, Janet and I love these manufactured Edens in the middle of the city. A beautiful day, a good pizza for lunch, and an urban garden are a perfect little adventure for a lazy Sunday morning.

 

 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

It’s been my experience that most large cities have a large central art museum that contain substantial collections from all over the world. Paris has its Louvre, NYC the Met, Chicago the Art Institute, even Kansas City is blessed with the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. I’ve had the good fortune to visit each of those museums. Here in Boston, we have the Museum of Fine Arts. I’ve posted about my trips to the MFA in the past. The last time I visited the MFA was with my friend Michael Terrile, the art teacher. He provided incredible insights to many of the works that made me appreciate the gallery all the more.

The Boston metro is blessed with more than just the MFA to house its art collection. As the home of one of the world’s premier learning institutions, it stands to reason that Harvard University should have a world class art museum.  This year I’ve chosen to cross the Charles to Cambridge and explore the Harvard Art Museums as my next Terrile tutoring session.

It seems a little misleading to call them separate museums, as these venues all radiate from a central atrium. However, each of these galleries contain unique curations that stand alone, and are only linked by their address. There are major works from all the standard periods and countries. My favorite, though was the exhibits of 20th Century cubism, impressionism, and expressionism. Here we saw a Piet Mondrian and a Van Gogh self portrait. I know these aren’t exactly unique, but I love seeing works by masters, and knowing they’re so close to my home.

We saw many pieces, stopping here and there to discuss and admire. As much as we love the art, it can become overwhelming very quickly.  I think to enjoy an art museum, you have to know you will not see the entire collection, but what you see will be worth the visit. It’s kind of like a buffet that you can enjoy bits and pieces and feel satisfied with experience as a whole.  Michael makes any art experience fascinating. Harvard was a great museum to experience together.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

Well the ordeal at work is finally over. I’ve been served my penance and need to move on. With most of our work caught up at the district, I exercised a vacation day on Friday  for a much needed three-day weekend.  Janet has been off for the summer and has enjoyed plenty of time at the pool here at the clubhouse, and some beach time while I’ve processed Chromebooks and updated the website.

I woke early on Friday, even though I don’t have to. I’ve channeled my father’s schedule of early rising and early bed times. While Janet slept in, I began to explore Expedia to see what might be accessible to a New England tourist who has a three day weekend and no plans. It turns out that Montreal is only a four-five hour drive from our home. Coming from the mid-west, that’s a Sunday drive. I found a reasonable hotel outside the city, and a guided bus tour that would show us the sites. The only thing left was to convince Janet. Surprisingly enough, she thought it would be an awesome plan and was excited as I was to use our passports for this weekend getaway.

I like the drive through Vermont to Burlington. We took a short detour in Montpelier to see the capitol building, which is just about as small as New Hampshire’s. We arrived at the border patrol who greeted us with “bonjour.” We informed her that we were touristing and would be coming back on Sunday.  Quebec is a bi-lingual province, but most of the signs are only French. It was fun trying to figure out the English translations, as we speak very little French. Our GPS also quit working as we crossed the border so we decided to pay the extra roaming fees for the data plans on our phones so we wouldn’t get lost.

We found the Château Vaudreuil Hôtel & Suites and were thoroughly impressed by the accommodations I’d booked. It was obvious this hotel had a thriving wedding business as the manicured lawns were graced with dozens of Greek statues and gorgeous flower beds. Gazebos and pavilions were scattered throughout the grounds that sat along the banks of Lake Saint Louis. Our room was a beautiful suite furnished with terry cloth robes, king sized bed, and fine linen sheets. It really felt as though we were on a honeymoon. The hotel included a fine restaurant that touted a business casual dress code. I hadn’t brought any slacks but we decided to inquire anyway. I asked the maître d’ if we were dressed appropriately. In what I perceived as a condescending French accent, he nodded to Janet and quipped “she is, but you are not.” With menus in hand, he led us to the table as Janet informed me that he’d only been kidding with me. There is no rushing a fine meal, and we seemed to be in no hurry to receive our food, or to finish it. Mid-way through our dinner, a sudden storm erupted, drenching the outdoor tables while the rain pelted against the wall of windows overlooking the lake. We were glad we’d taken our walk before dinner, as this did not look as though it would let up for quite awhile.

Back in the hotel room, I booked our tickets for the bus tour the next day and we enjoyed a nice quiet night in our room. We rested well and were ready for our Montreal adventure. Our tour was scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. The bus boarded in the middle of the city. Fortunately for us, Saturday mornings are pretty quiet in Montreal so we easily found our parking garage. The tour began in the downtown business district where we passed the Canadian Olympic headquarters, and other major Canadian corporations.

Our bus stopped at the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal for a thirty minute free stop. I would have liked to have gone inside, but the entrance was “cash only” and I was not prepared. After the downtown, we crossed the river to Notre Dame Island and the site of  Montreal World’s Fair. Some of the structures still stand on this island that attracted millions of visitors throughout the summer of 1967.

After the fair grounds, we made our way back through the city and to the site of the 1976 Summer Olympics. Montreal boasts one of the best preserved Olympic villages in the world with most of it’s buildings still being used for athletic and civic purposes. While proud of the preservation of these buildings, the driver was very honest in his opinion of the money spent on the Olympics that put little back into the city, compared to the fair which brought Montreal into the 20th Century. Next to the Olympic village was the Montreal Botanical Garden, which is a place I definitely want to see the next time I return to Montreal.

Our last major stop was the St. Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal.  This basilica is the largest catholic church in Canada and has one of the largest domes in the world. It is famed for the healings that take place there, and many pilgrims ascend the steps leading up the hill on their knees praying as they climb.

After the tour, we walked through this immaculately clean city to Old Montreal along the old port. In the heart of Old Montreal is St. Paul Street, a partially cobblestone thoroughfare lined with dozens of stores, restaurants, art galleries, and bars.  Hanging baskets of flowers, street peddlers, and artists all added to the festive nature of this part of the city. We found a nice little bistro with outdoor seating for our lunch. Both of us agree that this will not be a once in a lifetime trip.

Our walk back to the parking garage was leisurely, but we were anxious to get to the car as our feet were beginning to tire. Montreal doesn’t look like Paris, but it sure feels like it. The people are wonderfully friendly, and proud of their city. The drive home seemed to take longer than Google maps indicated, but this spontaneous weekend adventure was worth it.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

My ordeal at work has seemed to drag on for the past two weeks. I know that my job is secure, but what the reprimand will look like is anyone’s guess. It’s kind of like that feeling of waiting for my mother to decide how many swats, and what type of switch she would use, when my brother and I received a spanking as little boys. Regardless of what will happen at work, there is too much of New England to see to let a beautiful weekend pass by.

This weekend we drove the MassPike through Springfield and into the Berkshires. The Berkshires is a mountain range in western Massachusetts and Connecticut, and known for it’s abundance of art, music, and recreational activities. We’d been there a couple of years ago to see a VanGogh exhibit in Williamston. I’ve read a lot about the area since then and know this will not be our only return trip.

Janet’s brother, Steve had mentioned that he’d taken Jim and June to the Norman Rockwell Museum and suggested we go as one of our adventures.  I don’t need to be told twice, so I began making arrangements. As you’ve read before, we love gardens. My research indicated that the Berkshire Botanical Gardens were less than two miles from the museum, so a great day was in the works.

We began at the gardens, which were wonderfully in full bloom. Janet’s favorite flower is a type of lily known as alstroemeria, and the garden was filled with lily lined paths everywhere we turned. An exhibit of colorful playhouses and a couple of waterfalls also filled out the park. The gardens aren’t very big and took less than an hour for us to tour, but it doesn’t take that much to please us.

 

The Norman Rockwell museum doesn’t look like much as you enter the parking lot, but looks can be deceiving. Mr. Rockwell was a very busy artist, with hundreds of works to his credit. Many of these works are displayed in the large galleries of the museum, including his famous paintings; Freedom of Speech, Golden Rule, and Freedom from Want. I was amazed at the progressive tone in Rockwell’s paintings. I’d always considered his work to be conservatively nostalgic. But these paintings demonstrated an inclusive mindset that inspired people to accept others for who they are.

During our visit, an exhibit of Andy Warhol’s works was also on display as a juxtaposition of American commercial art in the mid-20th century. Bringing the two artists together was also a few works by Warhol’s nephew, James Warhola, who had been inspired by Norman Rockwell as a child. In a downstairs gallery, every cover he illustrated of the Saturday Evening Post is on display covering an entire wall of the room.

Outside the museum, a trail led to Rockwell’s studio. This was truly fascinating as the place has been preserved as if the artist had used it just yesterday. Visitors are allowed to walk through the workshop, that resembles a remodeled barn, and see where he spent countless hours creating his masterpieces. The trail ended near his house, which appears to be lived in, and not open for tours.

After visiting the museum and gardens we took the scenic route home north to Williamston, and then east again along the Mohawk Trail. I still fret about work, but flowers and art are a great way to make sure I keep my priorities straight.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

I’ve been debating in my mind whether or not to write about this adventure. It’s not the cheeriest of posts, but It’s pretty important so here goes.

I’m generally considered a high achieving individual. I’m very passionate about my work and take it very seriously. As a technology director you feel like the circus performer that spins a dozen plates or more, hoping that they don’t all come crashing down at once. I’d just returned from a trip to Missouri to spend time with the kids, and began to work on a project that took a week to finish. Friday, the job was completed, I realized I’d made a huge error that could potentially cost me my job. I informed my boss through email and waited to hear back from her.

We’d agreed to visit Mark and Maria over the weekend in a summer cottage they’d rented in Biddeford, Maine. My boss was supposed to have dinner with us there in Maine on Friday night since it was close to where she lived. On our way, she called and said she couldn’t make it, and also expressed her concern for the error I’d made. She said we would talk more on Monday. Though I felt like my world was crashing in around me, I was relieved she wouldn’t be coming for dinner.

We arrived at the cottage and I shared everything with Mark and Maria. They, and Janet were extremely encouraging, as good friends are, and we enjoyed a nice dinner in Kennebunkport. Mark knows all the good places to eat, and it just so happened we ended up at the same restaurant where we ate lunch at the Christmas Prelude last year.

The next day was filled with a beautiful drive around Biddeford Pool and a walk through the Eastpoint Wildlife Sanctuary. The walk led us down to a rocky beach where we enjoyed hearing the sound of the waves crash against the crags of rock. My passion for perfection meant that it was hard to let go of my circumstances and was kind of a downer. But they took it all in stride and continued to help me see my value and worth.  They took us to a little eatery that looked more like a grocery store than restaurant. We ordered fresh seafood platters from the counter and ate on picnic tables that overlooked the sea.  A little old man volunteered to take our picture. It wasn’t until after we’d left I realized his finger was in all five pictures he took. After lunch we walked along the rocky beach looking for seaglass. I’d never heard of seaglass and found it fun to see if I could find some. That night we found a tiny restaurant there in Biddeford Pool that was surprisingly much less expensive, but better food. I had a triple lobster tail dinner that was just perfect! I felt like I deserved it, after all, it was my birthday.

Sunday came and it was time to pack up and leave. I knew that I’d have to face the music on Monday. But at least at this moment, I had the comforting knowledge that work isn’t my life. It’s pretty important to me, and I always try to do my best. But these moments of spending times with family and friends, seeing new places, eating great food, and listening to the waves is the life I want to cling to.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller