That 60 Years is Not Enough!

This blog has been an evolution.  It began as a way to document trips that my mom, my daughter and I took.  Three generations exploring the world.  But over the past 7 years or so, the blog has not only covered adventures on 4 continents, in 27 countries but also 11 different travelers.  There have been once in a lifetime experiences, mishaps, great food, interesting people, lots of laughs…and love…endless amounts of love.

Well, this entry is a bit different.  The journey was different….the experience was different….my emotions were different.

I believe I love travel because of how I was raised.  I had been to all of the contiguous 48, Canada and Mexico before I turned 16.  My parents took me, my brother, and often as many friends as we could fit into our station wagon or motor home, to all four corners of the country.  I learned to stretch a travel budget to get more out of every dollar than ever imagined.  I learned to try new things.  I learned to embrace different cultures.  I learned to read a map and find the best place to eat in every new city.  What an amazing gift that was…..and what was a gift to my brother and I has thankfully now become a legacy, as our children love travel as much as we do.

This didn’t come naturally to Mom or to Dad.  They were both raised in loving homes….but things like vacations were not a reality in their lives.  Vacation meant extra time to work on the farm, or to visit and help family….maybe a fishing trip to the bay…but neither of my parents had ever been on a real vacation until they married.

So….on June 30, 1956….they got married….and took off on what would be the first adventure of their life together.  Setting the precedent for a  family life that they had only imagined but were set on making a reality.

This year was their 60^th wedding anniversary.  They had a vow renewal on their 40^th.  We had a Golden Anniversary party on their 50^th.  But ….what would they do for their 60^th?  My dad had told my mom that he wanted to take her back on the trip that they took 60 years ago.  A re-do of the two week cross country adventure they had taken in their 55 Mercury, armed only with gas station road maps.  But….the plan had a flaw or two. 

In March, after nearly a year of hoping my dad’s growing inability to do the things he has always done and loss of memory and reasoning skills was fatigue or COPD related dimensia, he was formally diagnosed with Alzheimers.  The tests showed that the progression was further than we imagined…..making us realize just how long my Mom had been compensating for his failing health.  The two of them just weren’t going to be able to take off on their own reliving their memories.

But…..we thought we had a solution to that.  My brother Rick and I, decided to help Dad keep his promise to Mom and we planned to take them on their trip.  As if the Alzherimers wasn’t enough, two weeks before we planned to leave it was determined that a knot on the back of Dad’s head was an aggressive form of malignant skin cancer….resulting in the removal of 3 square inches of scalp all the way to the bone.  Dad decided that the pigskin graft would be just fine….and he and mom gathered all the materials that they needed to change the bandaging and we were ready to head out!

Unlike most of my trips, I have not logged this one on social media.  It wasn’t that I was being private about it…..I simply was being selfish.  I wanted to be "in" each and every moment and not be distracted by trying to post pictures and describe the trip.  I wanted to soak up every memory I could.

Well, after 3 weeks, 8 states and 5000 miles, we are on the last leg….just passing Lubbock and on the homestretch.  I think about the trips I’ve been on and the experiences I’ve gotten to have…..and know in my heart this one tops them all.

Yes…we saw amazing sights. 

We swam in the Pacific in southern California and watched the giant elephant seals spar on the beach at San Simeon.  We road rollercoasters, a cog train  and the narrow gauge train.  We ate seafood up the entire coast of Calilfornia, amazing Italian in North Beach, local cuisines in cities across the southwest and the best pancakes in the world in the Danish community of Solvang, Ca.  We toured Pebble beach, peered over the cliffs at Monterey, saw Alcatraz from the Golden Gate bridge and were in awe of the redwoods in Yosemite.  We were fascinated by dirt devils in the dessert, loved the clear waters of Lake Tahoe and the breathtaking views from the train from Durango to Silverton and had a 300 mile view of  3 states from the top of Pikes Peak. 

It was an amazing trip.

But…..how could it not be……its been a reflection of an amazing life.  60 years of an amazing life together…..and what we really got to see on this trip is that 60 years is not enough.

Dad just asked Mom the same question for at least the 10^th time this morning….and as she has done this entire journey…she looked up at him, smiled and answered…again.  

We will get out in a minute for a pitstop….and Dad will, as he still does without fail no matter how bad the Alzheimers symptoms are, open her door, take her by the hand and walk with her to where ever we are going. 

We have watched him struggle with his lack of strength…wanting so bad to be viable and valuable.  And what I really want him to know is that he has been, thoughout my life and still on this trip, more valuable than I could ever explain.  He thinks its important that he drags his own bag……but I know what is really important is that he…they….my parents…have dragged me, followed me, found me….all over the world. 

I don’t want this to be a sad blog.  I want it to reflect my emotions.  My gratitude for the perfect example of a life well loved and well lived.  My gratitude for the continued example of unconditional love.  My gratitude for the laughs, the stories, the memories that we have shared….thoughout my life and thoughout this trip.

This….my friends….has been the most important and most meaningful journey of my life.

What a Way to End a Trip!!!!

Today is the last day of our adventure.  We have had a great time, but we are ready to come home.  We will miss these incredible fresh baked goodies every morning though.

I'd be remiss if I didn't make an addendum to yesterday's post.  You see, I think though I try to remind myself often how lucky I am to have Mom so healthy and happy to travel with me, I sometimes take for granted the things she is able to do.  While having dinner last night, our waiter was practicing his English and chatting with us a bit.  We mentioned that we had just walked from the train terminal. He looked at us increduously.  "The Metro?"  No, we assured him we had come from Termini (the main train terminal in Rome).

He looked at Mom in a whole new way.  He was talking about how he would be tired from that walk, and she mentioned that we had walked TO Termini this morning..... ridden to Pompei, walked to and through the ruins, back to the Pompei station and then to Naples......walked a 10 city block circle around Naples.....come back to Rome and THEN walked from the Termini to the district in which we were staying.  He laughed and laughed....then Mom threw in that she would be 80 in two weeks....and he started around the cafe, chatting excitedly in Italian, telling all his co-workers AND the other customers about the superwoman at my table!  He was so impressed...and when I stop to think about it...so am I!

So, back to the current trip, we'd decided to take the train up into the mountains of central Italy to a little town called Orvieto.  We didn't know a lot about it, but from what we've read it seemed like the perfect way to end our trip.

The train ride was the best we've had.  The trip up into the mountains revealed breathtaking views of the mountains, the valleys and the rustic villas and villages along the way.  So far.....we were not disappointed in our trip.

We didn't know how big Orvieto was going to be....or how far some of the sights we wanted to see were from the train station, so when we got out off the train, we looked around to get our bearings.  The first thing we noticed was an interesting contraption called the funicular.  We weren't sure what that was...but it looked like a tram that went straight up a mountainside...and it looked like fun, so we went in to ask about it.  No one spoke English, but just kept telling us 3 Euros.  What the heck....we paid the three Euros and got on.

Well, we found out that a funicular is actually two trams.  That are on a cable, together.  One starts at the top, is weighted, and is let go down the track.  The weight of that car going down, pulls the other car up.  When it gets to the bottom they take the weights off, weight the car that is now at the top...and it goes again.  Every ten minutes, all day long.  And as you are riding this steep inclinating car up the mountain, the views are spectacular.  This was our first pleasant surprise of the day.

We got off the funicular and stepped into the most charming little Italian city we've seen.  And the views to the valley down below were awe inspiring.

The streets were cobbled and small.  It was built at the top of the mountains, so the streets were hilly.  There were delicious smells coming from the homes and the small cafes.

Everyone we passed greeted us with a smile and a nod.  We felt like we were "home".  We even passed a nice Italian guy in a white truck that smiled and waved, slowed and smiled some more.  He then stopped, got out of his truck walked around and smiled at us some more.  Hmm....he seemed  extra friendly.

We made our way up to the top of the little city, to the Duomo, the city's cathedral.  Along the way we passed ceramic shop after ceramic shop.  That is their trade there.  Evidentally the clay in the area is perfect for making ceramics.  The work was beautiful and the shop keepers were proud of their work.

Funnily, we ran into the man in the truck twice more.....both times, he got out of his truck and walked around to greet us.  I was beginning to think he might have alternative motives.

When we got to the Duomo, we were stunned.  The facade is by far the most amazing we've seen in Europe.  The stones are both dark and light, done in a striped pattern around the entire church, except the front.  The front is an array of stone carvings, tiles mosaics and bronze statues.  We sat and looked for at least 30 minutes, and both could have stayed longer, had we not had other things to see.

The inside was almost as impressive.

Leaving the Duomo, guess who we saw again, driving slowly behind us....passing us....stopping.  We walked by, he passed us again.  This was getting strange.  Mom was giggling at the Italian with the crush on me....I was getting uncomfortable.  But, she must be right.  He must be following me.  I felt like I was in a middle aged rom-com!

We walked past another chapel, past the theatre, and on towards the caves that we wanted to see.
 Both of those landmarks were charming, well worth the walk, but there are over 400 caves in and around Orvieto...caves that were once dwellings.  We couldn't wait to see one of those.  Just before we got to the cave, here came my friend again.  Driving past us slowly....and stopping.  Okay...I'd had about enough of this.  I planned to give him a glare as we went by, but just as I started to make eye contact, Mom started laughing.  Not giggling anymore, just laughing.  I looked at her....and she managed to get out.  "He has mail in his hand.  He's a mail man!"  Sooo....the reason for his passing and stopping...for us seeing him all around town...and for him being in just a friendly guy.....was not my charm and beauty...it was just that he was delivering the mail.  Oh well.

Mom had just about stopped laughing about the time we got to the cave.  We went in the little man who was host (and we found out owned the cave, because they are mostly all privately owned and maintained) was welcoming and friendly.  The cave was fascinating, with evidence that Orvieto was always a ceramic based economy because of the excavated pieces and kilns that were found in this cave/home.  There were also storage areas, living areas and tombs.

Maybe the most interesting was the water well.  These people who lived in this area are believed to be the first in the world to dig for their water.  The wells are amazing when you consider the time, the tools they had...and just the wherewithall to somehow know there was clean, potable water that far below the surface.  Not the first time on this trip we've been amazed at humanity.

After the caves, we were ready to head back to Rome.....so we started walking back to the funicular, without the company of my "suitorwhowasn'treallyinterestedjustdeliveringthemail".  We walked by one of the spots that smelled so good earlier, and it still smelled just as good.  We couldn't resist.  We stopped.

I tried to explain to the nice young owner that we just wanted a snack of some sort.  He directed us to a table and disappeared in the kitchen.  We visited with his wife and baby (who did not understand English, by the way, but.."peek a boo" and "goochie goochie" seem to be international baby talk.  The young owner soon returned with some hot sandwiches made on an almost tortilla-like flatbread.....they were incredible.  The bread tasty...the cheese melted and gooey, the pepperoni and prociutto just spicy enough....the rocket added a nice crunch.  How lucky are we when it comes to food?

After able to only eat half of the food he brought us...we paid our 8 dollar tab....and headed back down the mountain, caught the next train by just one minute...and talked all the way to Rome about our perfect day.

We decided a walk back to the hotel from the terminal would enable us to do some shopping, take in the evening air and give us one last glimpse of Rome.  After a making a few purchases, we stopped at our favorite little Rome bistro, revisited the perfectly cooked and seasoned calamari and added some bruschetta.....and came to the hotel to pack and get ready to leave tomorrow.

What a trip.....what a travel companion.....what memories.

I think I'll have a lot to reflect on before I wrap up this trip.

A People Vanished, A Train Lost and A Stop in a Strange City for Our Alexa

Well, today we have big plans!  We are going to Pompei and Naples.  That might not seem like a lot, but it will involve a several miles of walking and at least 4 trains.  We are up to this, for sure.  So we set out, walking the almost 2 miles from our hotel to the train station, enjoying the sights and sounds of the morning in the city.

Our first destination will be Pompei.  Pompei was a bustling city back in 79 AD, when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and buried the city under 8 meters of volcanic lava and ash!  No warning, no sirens, no "volcano shelters", the people of the city were all caught doing whatever they were doing at that moment and killed instantly by the molten rock!  The ruins were supposed to be fairly amazing, so we thought it would be a good day for us.

To get to Pompei, we trained it to Naples....but were unsure of how to get from Naples to Pompei.  We were directed to a little store that supposedly sold tickets to the train connector to Pompei, where we bought both the outgoing and the return (and spent a whole 6 bucks on them!) and proceeded out to find our train.  Funny...we couldn't find any info about our train.  Finally we found a couple of official looking guys...who at least understood "Pompei" and "train" and directed us down a stairwell.  So we went.  The station was in a state of disrepair downstairs, and fairly abandonned....but there did seem to be limited train traffic.

We noticed a nice Asian kid and his girlfriend were following us, so we must be going the right way.

We waited...and finally a train came to the platform we had been directed to.  We got on, but got several curious looks.  People just kept staring at us.  At the first stop, a lady started to get on our car on the train, looked at us, and practically ran the other way.  Everyone seemed.....well....dressed differently than even the normal casual Italian commuter.  The area around this station was dirty and all the buildings were in various states of falling down.  It wasn't the good side of the tracks, for sure.

Right after the woman went rushing off, a train employee came rushing toward us, from that same direction.  He jumped on the train and asked us where we were going.  When we replied Pompei...he shook his head and grabbed at us...."wrong train....WRONG TRAIN!!".   He hustled us off the train and pointed us toward the ONLY other platform...."That train" he said.   So, we climbed down, crossed under the tracks and back to the right platform, where we waited for 20 minutes for another train.....which we got on.  We were happy when we thought we heard the conductor call out Pompei Scavi as one of the future stops.

Well, not long after getting on, the conductor came by to look at our tickets.  Though he spoke not a word of English....something was obviously wrong!  He ranted in Italian a while...shook his head...and stormed off, leaving mom and I to sit there and wonder where in the world we were going.  We got a bad case of the giggles, but finally I became composed enough to go asked some studenty looking kids if they were headed to the ruins.  Yes, they were.  We were okay.

In a while, the conductor came back, and ranted at us some more, but also motioned for us to get up and get off the train.   Luckily, the students were getting off here too, so we figured we were at Pompei....and we were!!!!

As soon as we walked out of the train station we were in love with Pompei.  It is a lovely little town, not affected adversely by the tourist industry....as a matter of fact it seemed like most of the tourism was by Italians.  We wanderred around.....but of course, kind of needed a bathroom.  Since most toilets we'd found cost at least $1 Euro to use, we thought we'd stop and have a Coke and use the cafe bathroom.

We found a cute little spot to stop.....Mom headed on to the ladies room, and while explaining (in REALLY bad Italian that we just wanted one Coke) somehow the young man thought we wanted a snack as well!  Well, he brought out our Coke....and the most wonderful fried bread with fresh tomatoes, garlic and olive oil on it.  We were in heaven......and it only cost us 3 Euros....barely more than just a potty break!

After our surprise snack...we walked on toward the ruins, which were, by the way, about a mile and a half from the train station.  Once there, we were surprised at how natural everything was.  A "rustic" tour adventure, for sure.  Additionally, everything was in Italian...and we opted not to have a guide.  So....as a disclaimer....any captions you may read on the photos that we posted on facebook, may or may not be based in fact....they just could be great stories that we decided SHOULD be true!

The ruins were great.  We walked and talked and imagined how it would have been to be living there then.  And after we read online that Mt. Vesuvius is still a very active volcano, with an eruption as recent last century, how it must be to live in Pompei now, knowing the history and knowing that bubbling mountain is still above you.

What most people might find fascinating were the fossils of the bodies that were excavated.  What Mom and I both found most fascinating was the fact that they were still excavating!

After a wonderful day in Pompei and having walked several miles, we headed back to the train.  We wanted to make a special stop in Naples and so thought we better not let time get away from us.

When we got on the train, we again had some "conductor" issues.  It would seem, that what caused such a stir earlier on our trip, was that we had actually bought a BUS ticket...but had gotten ourselves onto the train.  And because they couldn't make us understand that....they just let us ride!  Bless their hearts!

Our Alexa.....who most of you probably know is a shining light in our family.....has roots in Naples.  Her maternal grandfather was raised in the area.  Tony was with the Italian Air Force, working in the states I believe, when he met Alexa's grandmother.  Since Alexa hasn't been able to spend a lot of time with them, we thought it was important that she know as much as we can share  about that part of her heritage.  We thought that photos and stories from Naples would add to that.

We got off the train in Naples, anxious to hit the streets and do some exploring.  We were immediately shocked and saddened.  The Naples that is visible to the casual visitor is not the place we hoped it would be.  It was crowded and dirty.  There were literally thousands of people in the streets just standing.....loitering.  There were tables set up everywhere selling all kinds of goods....bad goods.....fake things.  And the people we saw were so obviously NOT Italian.  We walked and walked....at least 10 city blocks away from the train station....hoping to find the Naples we had wanted to see....but everywhere we went it was the same thing.  People yelling at each other...at us.  It was the most unpleasant experience I've had in Europe!

We bought some postcards.....took some photos...and went back to the station.  Hopefully, we can find out from the Abagnaros a little more about Tony's heritage so that someday we can bring Alexa back with a more pleasant experience!

Finally back in Rome, just as it was getting dark, we still decided to walk back to the hotel.  It was cool and crisp.  We found a little trattoria and had a nice dinner of simple Italian comfort food, lasagna and spaghetti carbonara.

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were beat.  But somehow a day with several misteps ended up being another good day.

Tomorrow....our last day in Rome.....off to Orvieto!

The Emporers, The Masters, The Popes and the Naked Guys

Well, I know it is possible to have a mediocre or bad day when vacationing...we just don't seem to be having that issue on this trip.

Today we got an early start with a great breakfast, we had big plans to see lots and needed to get on our way.  We really don't search out hotels with great breakfasts when we look to book, we just seem to get lucky that way......or we aren't very picky.......but look at this....it looks amazing..right?

After breakfast we headed to the Colosseum.  When you look at the structures that still stand....heck...when you look at those that have crumbled....it is so amazing that people could create these things over 2000 years ago.  Just the scope of the engineering and architecture without all of today's conveniences .... well, humans are simply brilliant.  Talented AND brilliant....and we have been forever!

We walked from the Colosseum to the Forum ruins.....

Past the ruins to the Altare della Patria and the Italian tomb of the Unknown soldier....

And we started seeing the first of what would be LOTS of naked men!

The morning was brisk but not cold....and clear.  The people watching was at a premium.  We walked between 3 and 4 miles and quite simply, had a great morning......and the naked men had nothing to do with our good moods.

After we finished with the "Caesar stuff", we moved on to the Catholic stuff.  We were both excited about visiting Vatican City, but I think a little worried we might be disappointed because our expectations were so high.  WE WERE NOT!!!

We decided to take a tour, since it might be our one shot at the Vatican, and moreso, because it enabled us to avoid the lines both there and at St Peter's Basilica.  We were the last to join the tour and met up with the group at the Vatican Obelisk.  We knew the story of St. Peter's execution, but had no idea that this was the exact spot where Nero had him cruicified upside down and personally lit the fire that burned him alive.  And did so, along with 100s of other Christians, simply because they were Christians.  Religious persecution is as old as humanity and is still just as horrific.

After this quick intro to Vatican City and some history about the area, we had a quick toilet break before we went into the buildings.  I am sworn to secrecy and would be a bad daughter to rat Mom out for getting separated from the group and "lost" for a short time, so I won't mention it.  BUT....in addtion to the 10+ miles we walked today, I ran several 100 yards around the outside of the Vatican yelling "MOM!" because I didn't know how I would explain to Dad that I had lost her.  Lucky for me, she showed up...and we proceeded.

From our first steps into the Vatican, we knew we were in for one of those once in a lifetime sort of days.  The artwork, the masterpieces, the architecture.....it is all just so breathtaking.  At one time, in the early 1500s, MichaelAngelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael all three were living at the Vatican and working on pieces for the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica.

And......we saw more naked men!

We were able to get photos of so many great things that it is hard to be disappointed that we couldn't photograph the actual Sistine Chapel.....but maybe it was for the best.  We just sat and took it all in.......and I think neither of us will ever forget it.  Maybe most amazing is that MichaelAngelo was only 23 when he was commissioned to paint the Sistine Chapel.  And...he first said no...because he was a sculptor, not a painter.  But when you look at the work in the chapel,....the detail, the creativity...even at times, the humor,...he put into the artistry, you can't help but understand just what a genius he was.

We were lucky, the crowds were relatively light today and though you usually have to make reservations 3 months in advance to see the tombs of the popes and of St. Peter that are under St. Peters....we got to go in.  The Pope's crypts were so varied in style and extravagance...you could almost imagine the ego of each pope when you saw his tomb.

The most amazing crypt was that of St. Peter.....though there is some controversy about whether or not he is really interred there.  The crypt room is walled off with glass, so you can only stand on the outside and look in. You aren't allowed to photograph there, but if you were, it might look something like this image my camera accidentally got while I was holding down by my hip......just saying.

As we came up from the tombs into St. Peter's......we were both speechless.  We've seen some amazing churches...but this one....incredible.  It is over 600 feet long, and adorned with priceless works of art from one end to the other.  The Pope's altar is in the center of the room under a giant Arch.....supposedly right above where St. Peter's crypt is.

As we walked around, taking it all in, we noticed these two young men in "priest wear"...and then noticed they were speaking English.  Of course, we had to talk to them.  They were young sematarians from the States, who were studying at the International studies center of the Vatican.  The redhead was Zack...he was new and happy to talk from people from home.  He is assigned to duty in  St. Peter's several days a week, helping out and answering questions from tourists.  But last week he was assigned to serve the Pope.....he said it was the thrill of his life.  We talked about the Pope, about the future of the church, and how he feels working in the Vatican.  He was bright and funny and interesting.  Made me think of my friend Pam...and the calling her son has to the priesthood.  It also made me smile.

We have walked 1000s (actually 10s of 1000s) of steps today.  We were tired and thirsty and hungry.......so we found ourselves a place to eat.  We at light tonight.....shared a big salad and a grilled fish...both of which were great.

But we had a hidden motive for the light dinner!  After dinner, on the way back to our hotel, we stopped for gelato.  Sweet end to a perfect day.

Tomorrow...off to Napoli!!!!!