Homeward Bound - Day 18

What a dream trip! Wish I could go home for a few days and come back and do more. After one last photo from a hotel window, we were off.

I think one smart move on my part was insisting that we take a van to the airport (here's a photo of me waiting for the van!) I just couldn't see starting an exhausting day being exhausted by maneuvering through the Paris subway, with luggage, on a Monday morning. We were pretty certain our plane would be taking off because the it was being reported that the strikes were calming down but we had no idea what we would face at the airport.

The Air France terminal was a zoo! Check in for each flight was assigned to a particular row of counters but there was only one line. As we got to each counter those assigned to it would break off into their own line. It was such a ridiculous system that at first we didn't understand it so Rick left me where we thought the end of the counter 3 line was. After he left to see if there was a better way to check in, some American women about 15 ft. behind me started yelling at me that I had "ditched" in line. They were so loud and angry I was afraid that they would start a fight with me so, "rule follower" that I am, I said I was sorry and started hiking way back to the end of the line. It took quite a while for Rick to find me and, the rule follower that he isn't, I think was pissed that I got bullied into moving.

Anyhow, it took more than an hour to get to our check-in counter during which we were able to observe the line standing attitudes of many cultures!

Other than being late, our flight to Detroit was uneventful. I sat next to a young man who was returning from spending 3 months taking care of his ailing mom in Morocco. He holds dual US/Moroccan citizenship, works in IT and was going back to his employer to see if they would let him telecommute from Morocco so he could continue to care for his mom.

When we arrived in Detroit, I had a text from Val (Rick's daughter) on my phone asking us to call because she had great news. It was great! She had gotten engaged the evening before to Boris (whom we got to meet at Katie and Robert's wedding). It was great fun spending our two hour layover talking with them about their plans.

Finally, we arrived back in Kansas City around 11:30pm. Daniel and Steve picked us up. We were exhausted but so happy to be home.

While I'm writing this almost 2 weeks after the fact, I can still remember the trip so clearly. I'm glad I hung in there with this blog so that I don't forget details and feelings. I still think the most important feeling I came away with from this trip is that I am a very, very fortunate woman and I am so glad that I appreciate every minute of being as fortunate as I am!

Paris - Day 17

This was our one day to "do" Paris so we got a relatively early start with a quick stop for croissants and a baguette to eat on a bench in a sweet little park right near our hotel. We decided to limit ourselves to the Marais neighborhood and to take the Rick Steves' walking tour. Rick hasn't failed us once on this trip!

We started with a visit to the Shoah (Holocaust) Remembrance Memorial. We thought it would be a walk through but ended up spending about two of our precious hours there. Besides having the names of those from Paris killed in the Holocaust chiseled into the walls outside, it had a tomb where ashes of those who died were buried after the war. Like we did when we visited a similar memorial in Amsterdam last year, we found some Gumpertz names on the wall. We haven't found out if they were related to Rick.

The memorial also featured a museum that documented the history of Jews in France. It was incredibly enlightening and moving to read how Jews were persecuted in France for hundreds of years before the Vichy government collaborated with the Nazis during World War II. It seemed like that in each century the persecution would last for a time and then Jews were gradually accepted into society until another movement started to eradicate them. This cycle repeated itself over and over again. I'm still trying to figure out how people have the tenacity to keep coming back.

We continued on our walk to the Place de la Bastille and then on to the Place des Vosges. We spent some time exploring an apartment Victor Hugo lived in for a period of his life. We made a special trip there because of Daniel's, Alissa's, and my love of the Broadway production of Les Miserables. I am frequently teased by my kids because every time they put on the soundtrack and the song, Come to Me, I cry. I couldn't help humming it as I toured the apartment.

The Place des Vosges was the perfect place to be during a short rain shower. We were able to take advantage of the covered passageways as we explored numerous art galleries. Couldn't help taking this photo for Alissa who seems to have "fond" memories of glass candy she saw when she was in Europe.

We continued through the Marais neighborhood to find several streets filled with people and falafel stands. While the Marais has been somewhat gentrified, there are now pockets where Jews and Muslims live together and there is even a gay district in it.

We walked for about six hours so we headed back to our hotel for a short nap before having our last dinner in Paris. Even though it was pretty chilly we decided we wanted to eat at a sidewalk cafe. They had some nice heaters to keep us warm.

It was time to make our way back to our hotel when we realized we hadn't seen the Eiffel Tower and how can you go to Paris without even a glimpse of it? We decided to walk to it. I had my doubts but Rick said we could take a train back to the hotel. After walking about an hour we finally got a good view of it at Place de la Concorde. The walk wasn't too shabby either as we walked past the endless Louvre and gardens.

It was such a lovely evening that we crossed the Seine to the Left Bank and walked toward Notre Dame. The evening was gorgeous and so was the scenery. We reminisced about the last time we were in Paris and totally didn't notice that we were on our eighth hour of being on our feet!

Arrivederci Italy, Bonjour Paris - Day 16

Today we bid farewell to Italy. We left Todi early to make our way to the Rome airport, about a two hour drive. From there Susan and Werner took a cab to Rome Termini station to catch their train to Thun, Switzerland.

Rick and I were a little nervous about flying to Paris because of the strikes that were causing many flights to be canceled. We ended up flying into Charles de Gaulle airport and taking a train to our hotel. The only problem we had was that the strikes had limited the trains and we had to switch to another one to get where we were going.

Our hotel is located in the Marais district in Paris, on the Right Bank, around the corner from the Pompedou Center, and traditionally the Jewish neighborhood. I can't remember how I found this hotel but is it lovely and in a great area. After a little rest we went out to find dinner. Because we were in a neighborhood, we walked past butcher shops, fish shops, fruit and vegetable stands, patisseries, boulangeries, and numerous cafes. Everything was beautiful. We settled into a little cafe. No more pasta, pizza, and red sauce!

I had a delightful omelet with jambon and fromage with a delicious green salad. Rick had steak frites!

Back to Todi - Day 15

Ruth and Joel headed out this morning back to Florence to catch a plane home tomorrow. Susan and I spent some of the morning before packing up, taking some more pictures of this lovely place near Orvieto. It really is much like a spa with a fitness center, pool, and walking trails. Between the olive groves, vineyards, and even pomegranate trees, it definitely felt like we were not in Kansas anymore! They also have apartments available. Check it out at http://www.laroccaorvieto.com/index_eng.html.

We made our way back to the Todi House via several other hill towns. I must say, they all are beautiful but I don't think I could tell you which one was which except for Civita!

Rita had one final dinner for us. We told her it would only be four and of course she cooked for at least ten! Lasagna, very thin slices of beef sauteed with truffles, bright green spinach, and some kind of fruit torte for dessert. Can't find a single photo so I bet we forgot to take some! We must be getting lazy!

Here is one final photo of Werner in the Todi House garden.

Orvieto - Day 14

Today we relaxed in the morning, enjoying the views of our agriturisimo, reading, and walking.

This afternoon we decided to follow another Rick Steves' suggestion and visit his favorite hill town, Civita. Ruth and Joel went exploring on their own. Werner, Susan, Rick and I set off on our adventure. We stopped first at a Lubrino for a view of Civita across the valley.

Civita is village that was begun in the Bronze Age, 1200-1000 BC. It flourished through the Etruscan period, during the time of the Romans, the Middle Ages, was nearly destroyed by an earthquake in 1695 and has been eroding away since the 18th century. It was originally connected to the village of Bagnoregio by a ridge that was eroded and then bombed during WWII. In 1965, a bridge was built connecting the two villages again. Civita has a permanent population of 9 people.

We were fortunate to meet one of them on our trek over the footbridge. Tony and his late wife moved to Civita in the late 60s. They were both architects and set about trying to save the village from falling off the mountain. They began an institute in Civita where students come to work and learn. So far they have been successful in shoring up most of the buildings. We learned a lot more on the walk but I don't want to bore you with it. What a gift it was to meet Tony and talk with a couple of students that work with him.

We spent several hours exploring Civita while Werner read and took a nap in the car below. He was a great sport about it and has really done well with what I'm sure is a lot of frustration at not being able to operate the way he used to. I'm going to post a few pictures of Civita. It was hardly commercialized at all, had a little museum, a Roman well we got to go down in, and lots of amazing energy in being so ancient. I think it was one of my favorite experiences on the trip!


After our drive back to the hotel, we joined Ruth and Joel for dinner. We lucked out again and selected a restaurant by chance where we were served by the chef, had wonderful food, and given bottles of local wine to take home with us. The people in Italy have been so gracious and generous. The ones we have come in contact with have made an effort to make us feel comfortable. They have seemed to enjoy letting me practice my Italian on them and have had patience when we don't understand a word they are saying. I don't think I've ever felt so welcome in a place before!

Orvieto - Day 13

Orvieto is an ancient Etruscan village at the top of a hill. We were able to drive up to it and with the help of Werner’s handicap tag, were able to park in the middle of the village. It is quite a tourist mecca. It’s known for its Duomo.

It’s vistas were incredible and we found a little park to sit and make a friend.

Rick and I visit some Etruscan ruins found in the 1980s during the renovation of a restaurant. We climbed many, many steps down to examine pottery kilns and wells. We couldn’t even imagine that we were touching something walls that were chipped away thousands of years ago.

Werner and Susan headed back to the hotel for a rest while we were exploring the caves so we took the faniculare down the hill and drove back with Ruth and Joel. They had scoped out a restaurant in the new town of Orvieto (down the hill). The Osteria del Grille was a wonderful find. The only one there who spoke English was the brother of the owner. Daniel had spent time in southern California working for Wolfgang Puck and was our very gracious host.

It was literally a “grille” and all they had was meat and fish. You picked out what you wanted to eat from the cooler and then they cooked it on an open fire. We had the most wonderful baked potatoes and grilled vegetables to accompany our meal. I had pork medallions wrapped in bacon. They were the best I have ever eaten! They gave us small bottles of the restaurant labeled olive oil as a gift. For a change we were the only Americans in the restaurant. It is one of those experiences that was a highlight of our trip!

Orvieto - Day 12

After finishing laundry and a last hike up to Todi (where I found some Roman ruins), we headed to Orvieto. The drive was gorgeous. Of course, I got to enjoy it while Susan handled the hairpin turns and Rick and “the lady” (our GPS) navigated.

Our agriturisimo makes wine and olive oil from its own vineyards and olive groves. It is a spa and probably very popular in the summer. It seems as if we have it mostly to ourselves. Although we did meet a couple from Denver who were retirees and had been traveling around Italy for the last 8 weeks with 3 more to go on their trip. They were as frustrated as we were with the spotty internet!

We had a lovely dinner in its restaurant. There was absolutely nothing on the menu that I could eat so they made me some spaghetti with red sauce and a salad. It was great.

Todi - Day 11

We were able to get on the internet thanks to Rick’s morning hike up to recharge the card. Thanks to Rick Steves we decided that the town of Orvieto would be a good place to try. We took a field trip to an agritourissimo that he recommended. It was lovely so we booked rooms for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night. We returned via Lake Balsano. It was formed by the eruption of a volcano. We had a lovely lunch and then returned to Todi.

Susan had arranged, through the owner of the Todi House, a dinner cooked by a local resident. Rita spoke no English. She made us a delicious soup, salad, chicken cacciatore, and tiramisu. She probably made enough for 16 people rather than six! A lovely way to end a lovely day.

Todi - Day 10

We woke up this morning with this view from our bathroom balcony. The valley was awash in fog with just the highest structures peeking through. Here is a photo of the inside of Todi House.

After doing some exploring on foot, we figured out a way to drive Werner up to the center of Todi.




We realized that while Todi is lovely, it and the house were just not working out for us.

We decided to look for some place else to go that would be more convenient and comfortable. Since we had no internet, we had to “rough it” by looking at travel books. We narrowed our search and decided to wait to the morning when we could get the internet “card” reloaded.

We did drive up to Todi for a dinner that was delightful.

Venice to Todi - Day 9

Still catching up because of poor internet connections.

Today was a sad day. I didn't want to leave Venice. Went out for one quick picture-taking session in our neighborhood and then to the internet cafe to catch-up on e-mail. We then took the vaporetto to out of Venice to pick-up our rental car. We then began the journey to Todi.

The trip took about 4 hours. We easily found Cafe de Mario where we met Rick's sister Ruth and her husband Joel, along with Claudia, a Todi resident who took us up to Todi House. I don't use the word "up" lightly as it was quite a climb in the car and then once parked to the house. For some reason I had fantasized that the house would be in the country but it was actually built into the wall of the hill town of Todi. It was an uphill shlep to get our stuff into the house and then once in the house, we found it to be on four steep levels.

Once settled some of us set out to the supermarket to load up on supplies like wine and breakfast stuff. Then all of us set off into town to get some dinner, or so we thought. We walked up hill on tiny streets for about five minutes before we realized that there was no way Werner was going to make it. It started raining on the way back to the house. Rick, Ruth, and Susan set out again and returned with some pizza and then we climbed to our rooms for some much needed rest.

Venice - Day 8

Still playing catch-up. This post is about Friday, 10/15.

Today was the day I fell in love with Venice. I had a crush the first two days but this day clinched it. How lovely it is to live with no cars, motorcycles, traffic noise, etc. The thousands of boats make noise but the canals are so beautiful, you don't notice it. Besides the vaporettos, there are boats of all sizes from small personal craft to larger delivery boats to the gondolas (we never did take a ride on one...it just seemed too-too). It makes one smile to see the UPS and DHL boats making their rounds.

Rick and I decided to walk to Piazzo St. Marco. We knew the general direction but we just set out from the hotel and figured we'd find it eventually. In the mean time every alley we turned down and every bridge we crossed was charming. It's hard not to take a good photo. I'd like to include all of them but I'll just give you a taste here. If you ever want to see all of them, I'd love to show you!

The Piazza wasn't as crowded had we been there in summer but there were still plenty of people. For those of you who have read The City of Falling Angels, you will recognize this shop which I found in the Piazza. The water in the canals was rising and we could see where it was beginning to pool in the square. Metal "risers" were ubiquitous, to be set out when the walking areas become impassable. But we were lucky, just a few puddles.

We didn't go into the Basilica because the line was too long but we walked around it and the other landmarks. Two cafes on opposite sides of the square had bands playing music. I wish I were a more flowery writer to be able to describe the sense of antiquity yet excitement as "the" place to be.

After wandering some more and finding the Bridge of Sighs (pic on left which was getting some repairs), we found the Rialto bridge and then headed back to the hotel for a siesta.

We then went with Werner and Susan to find the Jewish Ghetto. The old gate is in the photo on the left looking from the inside out. Like in Amsterdam, I never felt so Jewish as being in the place that the European Jews lived and were persecuted. It was quite moving to find the piazza of "highrises" (those were built to accommodate all the people and are some of the highest buildings in Venice) filled with children and their parents playing and laughing, talking mostly Hebrew, and ignoring the fact that this had been a place of great suffering.

We found a bakery open and since it was a Friday afternoon, we bought a challah. It turned out to be the last challah they had. Right behind us was an American family from Houston who were disappointed not to get one. So we stepped outside the shop, Werner and a woman from their group said the prayer over the bread and there we were breaking bread at the start of the sabbath, in the Jewish ghetto in Venice, with fellow Americans making contact with their roots. It was very moving.

What a day!