Tuscan Hills, Rome and An Alarming Warning

Okay.....lets start with the warning first.  No...our security hasn't been threatened by terrorists...not even by local muggers. But.....our...no, MY, security has been compromised!  Any of you who have been reading along may remember that early on I wrote about a cough/pee issue I was having.  That was the entirety of my commentary on that.  I didn't shop for depends online.  I didn't google how to handle cough related incontinence.  And yet, starting a week ago, this ad has been showing up on my google, yahoo and facebook pages!!

Really?  From one blog post, somehow those cyber gremlins decided I needed special underwear???  BIG lesson....be very, VERY, careful what you put out there on the internet...the ads on your computer will give you away!

Now....to better stuff.  We left Florence this morning on an early train to Rome.  First of all, Mom and I have this train travel thing down pretty well.  We (of course because we are here for two weeks and of course I overpack) have two bags each.  Our hotel was in actuality only one block from the back door to the train terminal in Florence.  However, since it was the back door, there was a fairly formidable stairway leading to the terminal.  That isn't two difficult with one bag...but with two, a bit harder.  So this morning, we had our substantial and yummy breakfast and we each grabbed one bag and headed to the terminal.  When we got to the station, we found a good spot and I left Mom with the two bags and I returned to get the other two.

Now....before any of you are outraged at the danger of leaving her alone in a train station filled with hustlers and conmen....don't worry your pretty little heads.  I warned Mom NOT  to take advantage of any of them while I was gone!

I returned with the bags just in time for us to people watch a few minutes before our train was called.  Mom had been watching a guy who was pretty obivously an undercover security person of some sort...and he wasn't great at it.  He walked the same 20 foot line, back and forth, stopping and staring at arriving trains occasionally, putting his phone to his ear but not talking...then walking the line again.  It was pretty funny to watch him and just wonder if he was better at fooling the bad guys than he was at fooling us.  The other interesting character had on a cape and a wizard hat...I wasn't quick enough with the camera to catch a good shot of the hot before he hustled off to obviously catch his connection to Dumbledore.

When we get to the train we have the system down pat.  I climb up with my two bags, mom passes me her two and then she boards.  You would think we had been doing this for our whole lives.  We think we fit right in.....until we notice we dress completely different than the locals and when we open our mouths strange words and accents come out that make everyone stare!

So....off to Rome on what is the best train ride in Italy in my opinion.  The rolling hills and small mountains are littered with vineyards and old villas.  Every little village makes me want to jump off the train and go explore.  I can't wait for the opportunity to take  a drive through this area so I'm not limited by train stops!  We were on  a high speed train so the trip was only an hour and a half...but we enjoyed every minute of it.

Arriving in Rome, we called UBER....which Mom has come to love.  She thinks its like having our own private driver no matter where we are...and it sort of is!  Our driver here was fast to arrive, had a big luxury sedan and moved us smoothly through the rush hour streets to our hotel.

We are staying at a great little boutique hotel between Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.  The perfect location for us to wander around while not touring....as the area is filled with great little shops and cafes.

We were lucky to have our room ready, even though we were arriving so early in the morning, so they let us check in.  We just took the time to drop off our bags and decided to start our Rome adventure with a "overview" tour.

We made our way through the streets to catch a "hop-on-hop-off" bus near Trevi Fountains.  We thought since we were here several days, this would be the perfect way to start off....seeing everything from afar and deciding what we want to explore up close.  The tour was good....giving us insight on some things we didn't know before.


The most fascinating was this little non-descript piece of land.  It is actually the burial ground for the vestal virgins who fell out of favor because they were....well....no longer virgins.  Seems the penalty for that was execution, but there was a law forbidding any harm to the vestal virgins that drew blood.  So while their "partners in crime" were flogged to death above them, the vestal no-longer-virgin  was buried alive....in this very park!!!!  And now.....people were sitting drinking coffee and eating croissants.

The other notable thing was, like in Pisa, was the obvious presence of militia and police.  This time we found out it is all a part of Italy's operation Strade Sicure....which literally translates to "safer roads"...but is the country's anti terrorism efforts.  If visibility is a grading point, they are getting high marks.

We circumvented the entire city.....seeing from our double decker the colliseum, the ruins, the Vatican, .......and so many other sites.  It was perfect for what we wanted.  And the people watching, even from the bus, was wonderful.  A few highlights.....all showing "love" in different forms...

Loving lunch on the go....sorry its  a rushed, hurried photo through the bus window but the woman was moving quickly down the street, feeding her child from her breast as she went!

Love in all shapes, colors, ages and sizes, is still love.....

And then...there is love at a price.....from a girl going to work for the night...already eyeing customers and dashing in and out of bars..

After the day on the bus, we did our own little walking tour of Trevi and the Spanish Steps.  Went to dozens of shops in search of scissors (which are a tough comodity to find in Rome)....and not surprisingly stopped for dinner in a lovely sidewalk cafe.  We just seem to have the best luck with restaurants and this was no exception.  We shared a calamari appetizer and then split veal limone and gnocci .....it was, (I know you are tired of hearing this, but it was) amazing!

Sorry no photos...we were too busy savoring every bite from the bread and fresh butter on....

An after dinner stroll through the streets and now, laying in bed, listening the the violinist busk on the street below us was a great ending to the day.

Tomorrow...we walk.....lots......the ruins, the colosseum and the Vatican!  Wish the Pope were here to see us!

Leaners, Learners and Luscious Tastes of the Seas

Our little room in Florence is just wonderful!  The bed big and comfy, the linens rich and soft, the hotel quiet......we slept great!  And after a good nights sleep we woke up early ready to head west to Pisa.

Though I love the Tuscan region of Italy, Florence is not my favorite city...its crowded and a bit dirty....and people just never seem very happy.  There is lots of history here, but the city has sort of grown up around it.  So, we are training it out of here for the day today, towards the coast to explore the little city of Pisa and of course, see the leaning tower!

We got to Pisa early, around 8:30, and decided to stroll the streets and make our way to the tower, which was about 1.5 miles from the station.  What a good decision that was.  It was a beautiful sunny warmish (50 degree) day.  The city was "monday morning" busy...people hustling around...but everyone seemed happy and content in their lives.  We were walking through the streets not near the tower, so got to see lots of real life.

We watched through a window as a man used a mouth pipe to blow fire onto metal pieces to make silver jewelry.  It was so fascinating that we stood and watched him a long time before we noticed he was paralyzed on his left side.  His precision and creativity were so much more prevalent than any disability he might have had.

We passed through the campus of the Pisa University.  We found and checked out the small University book store.  Today was the first day of the new session and we passed the orientation area, laughing to watch the older boys hanging out the windows checking out the new girls.  Some things are just universal.

We also stopped to watch a professor teach a class, working at the chalk board as his students sat in lift top desks, like a throw back in time.

After a couple of hours of exploring, we finally wandered our way to the tower.  The tower is fascinating, but the cathedral there is truly a work of art.  It is constructed out of what is obviously a white local stone (so many of the local buildings are made of this material), and is just beautiful, simple yet exquisite.  We loved the tower....but more importantly, we were loving Pisa!

Something to note however....for the first time since we got to Europe, there was a visible presence of police and military forces.  From the time we got off the train in Pisa, all through the town in the more "tourist" oriented areas, there were heavily armed police and soldiers.  Perhaps they were just there to be that visible deterent to any sort of bad issues....I don't know....just seemed worth noting.

Walking back to the train station, we found another route that where we wound our way through the small private streets of the little city.  Still, people were happy and friendly.  It was a great day!

All great days must come to an end...and some come to an end in a spectacular way...as did this one. We found a great little seafood restaurant, where they were making handmade pasta in the window.  We shared mussels in white wine and lemon and scampi over fat noodles.  It was culinary perfection!!!!  So much flavor.....all fresh and combined perfectly....and so much food.  As delicious as it was, we actually left a couple of bites of pasta as a few mussels...but not because they weren't delicious....only because we were stuffed.

Now we are back in our wonderful little room....having stopped at a little bakery for a couple of cannolis to bring with us.....watching WorldCNN (which is always such an iteresting way to see American Politics).  I just looked over....Mom has dozed off reading ......and it just makes me smile.

I have a wonderful life!

Goodbyes, Good Food and Good Grief What Happened to the Weather????

Well, Its been a crazy couple of days....but Mom and I are in Florence, just having feasted on Tuscan fare...and cozy in our little boutique hotel....so time to tell our latest tale.

Saturday was the day that Cait had to go home, so Mom and I sadly planned to go on without her.  Well, happily go on, only sad that she wasn't with us,....and only sad intermittently....sorry Cait.  We got up early to catch the first available train to Vienna so that we would have a full day there.  That meant, of course, that we were leaving my baby alone and in bed......not that I should worry about a girl who has been all over the world on multiple occasions alone, but still, it wasn't easy leaving her when we really wanted her to come along.

Her plans were to do a brewery tour in Prague and then head to the airport for her late night plan.  Her tour was cancelled but she ventured out to some breweries on her own and her overnight in Helsinki was remarkable only because she spent the night in a sleep pod!  An experience that neither of us had before....they are small compartments that you lock yourself into for a quite, dark, safe rest in a busy airport.  She has rave reviews!!!

Mom and I grabbed our last breakfast at the hotel before we left....and I would be remiss not to finally mention the incredible breakfast that was included with our hotel.  Every morning we had fresh pastries, warm and yummy, eggs basted in butter and bacon perfectly crisp, fruit that tasted more like we were in the caribean in summer than Prague in the winter (we still haven't figured that one out) and fresh juices.  The girls who worked the breakfast were so delightful every morning, never minding that Mom and I ALWAYS forgot to grab a tea bag before we were seated...and they patiently brought us our tea with a smile.  It was just another perk to a great stay.

Our train trip was beautiful....we passed over the alps and arrived in Vienna.  The only downside to the train trip was the self appointed train police that was seated in front of us.  The train was very empty and so we had kept two of our bags with us, hoping to use the laptop and chargers and a few other things out of them.  We put those bags into two empty seats instead of placing them in the overhead compartment.  I noticed that he kept glaring my way as I did it, but didn't think much about it.  As soon as the conductor came by, the trainpolice called him over and pointed out that our bags were not where they were supposed to be.  The conductor apologetically asked us to put them away.  No biggie.  About 30 minutes into our trip I wanted something out of my bag so I pulled it down and put it on the seat where it had been earlier.  Trainpolice turned and barked at me that the conductor had told me that wasn't okay.  I smiled and ignored him......which seemed to irritate him more.  After I was finished I put the bag away.....a little closer to him that earlier, so that if I dropped it, it might just land on him!  Unfortunately I wasn't clumsy this time and there was no international incident.  Mom was glad.

Our hotel in Vienna was right on the "ring" across from the Opera House...we couldn't have been happier with the location, especially considering that we took an "express" deal on Priceline, to get an exceptional room at a great price.  So we dropped off our bags and went out exploring.

Vienna is beautiful.  The weather was perfect.  It is such a cultural hub and everyone seemed smartly dressed and stylish.  We walked and bussed and walked some more.  We happened upon a great festival where they had an "ice skating trail", much like a water park's lazy river, without the lazy part.  Families were out having a great time and genuinely everyone we ran into seemed happy.  That was the biggest thing I will take away from Vienna.....well......that and the food!  I know...again with the food.

We sampled street fair...and the sausage, which seemed sort of normal....was incredible.  It was filled with cheese that melted in the grilling process...and stuffed down into a hollowed out fresh roll.  We just halfed one, so we could eat more later....but we each could have finished an entire one off easy!
We then went to a local market area and ate dinner....Weinerschnitzel, made with real veal instead of some pork substitute.  It was melt in your mouth tender and though looked sort of "meh"....was delicicious.

After a full day of sightseeing and eating we decided to call it a night and plan our next few days.
I have to make a side note here before I go on with the story.  I think that when we took Mom on the walk in Spain several years ago and our meals weren't always on a regular timeline, we somehow scarred her.  Scared too....but really scarred.  When looking for a pen in our hotel room, I opened the drawer by her bed....IT WAS FILLED WITH FOOD!!!!  My mom....with her fit little figure and ladylike (usually) demeanor...is a food hoarder!  I'm thinking of an intervention when I get home...either that...or I'm just going to eat her snacks!

So...now that I've ratted her out...I'm going to tell you just why I love travelling with Mom so much.  We were laying in bed...having both already taken long hot baths.  Relaxing as we planned the next few days.  Well, the train from Vienna to Venice is longer than we thought...and we were going to spend an entire day on the train.  That isn't horrible, but when you have limited days for seeing things, a full day on a train isn't perfect.  However, there was a late night train that was leaving Vienna at 10pm....it was now about 8.  I didn't even hesitate to suggest to Mom that we get up and rush to grab the overnight train and  essentially give ourselves another day of vacationing.  She didn't even hesitate to say....lets go!  So we got dressed, packed up...left our lovely hotel room....and caught the overnight train.  We were happy....and we slept great!  What a travel buddy!

So...we arrived in Venice bright and early at 8:00 am....right after our porter gave us our wake up and served our breakfast.  We were rested and ready to go...stepped out of the train and realized the weather might not cooperate.  It was cold....mid 30s...and starting to drizzle.  We were not discouraged and went right out and jumped on the first water taxi, planning to visit all the islands first.  Wasn't long before the drizzle turned to rain...and then to downpour.  We went to Murano and Lido....but when we got back and started walking through the Market toward the Grand Canal, the wind and rain just flat got the best of us.  Our Umbella was useless...our feet wet...and we were not seeing anything.  

So...at noon when we found that the weather was to continue like this for the next 5 days.....we regrouped....AGAIN!!!  We decided on bailing on Venice and adding Tuscany, where the sun was shining and the weather a balmy 50, to our trip...we waded to the train station, caught the first train west...and now find ourself in Florence, in a lovely hotel with a chocolate festival happening across the street.  We wandered the city, ate some great local cuisine, and are going Pisa tomorrow!

Today....when life gave us lemons...we made lemoncello!

Trains, Busses, and Taking a "Bite" out of KarLovy Vary

So today was our long day trip to see the healing waters of Karlovy Vary, or Carls Bad, or Charles Bath.....however you want to say it, it is a picturesque resort town in the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic that is renowned for the hot springs that have been drawing people for centuries.

We got up early, picked up our take away breakfast that the  hotel made us, and were at the train station for our 7 am departure.  The train was smooth and roomy and scenic.  It was a 3 1/2 hour ride, but the ride alone was a "tour" so we loved it.  We went through milling towns and climbed up into the mountains.  As we nears Karlovy Vary, we could see snow on the tops of the hills all around.

There hasn't been real snow in the area for over two years (though we got a dusting today) and that has saddened the skiers in the area....but the biggest draw and economic base of the area are the hot springs.  While there are spas and baths where you can languish in the hot water, the unusual thing about these healing waters is that to get their real benefit you drink them!  We were anxious to try that out.

So, our train pulled in and we bundled up and headed out.  The train station was several miles from the town center, so we were discussing where we needed to get a taxi, when Mom stumbled over an uneven drain in the sidewalk and fell.  Now.....while you might be concerned about any 80 year old stumbling and falling on a hard rock surface.....my first reaction was that she was going to catch her balance.  When it was evident that no, there was NOT going to be any balance catching, I then thought. "oh, I hope she doesn't injure her wrist when she catches her fall.  Well, never fear!  It was cold, so she had her hands in her pocket and could not get them out in time to catch her fall.......so....she caught her fall with her face!

Jumped right up like nothing happened....but when she turned to look at us, she had busted her chin, and both her lips.  Her bottom lip was cut almost clean through!  Cait and I were concerned and hovering.....but she kept insisting that she was fine....and wasn't about to let a bloody face slow her down.  Besides.....we were on our way to the healing waters!

Our new Czech friend Jitka showed us around town, explaining the history and the waters.  She was very funny....though didn't mean to be.  She struggled a bit with English at times but was full of facts.  She used to be the Mayor's liason to foreign visitors....so has hosted everyong from the leaders of Iraq, to Russian dignitaries, to Gregory Peck!  She was very no nonsense......but the funniest thing was...if she was stuck for something to say....she had a few go to statements that she made repeatedly.....sort of like Marc Rubio at the debate the other night!

The city was like something out of a movie, the streets and buildings unchanged for centuries.

Everyone in town is carrying around these strange little cups.....sort of like an adult sippy cup,but made of porcelain....not to be left out, we bought cups of our own!  The people who live here, and evidently thousands who travel here regularly, believe that the springs have healing powers, so they walk the colonades, and drink from the springs, one hour before each meal three times a day.  After some thought, I think maybe just the water and the regular walks everyday could be the "magic" behind the healing power, but I drank anyway!

Jitka was quite impressed with the celebrities and royalty that have come to Karlovy Vary for centuries.  Since medieval times, emporers have been coming from as far as the holy land ....and in modern times, it is still a favorite of Middle Easterners and the Russians.  The Russian is so strong that there is a huge Russian Orthodox Church and a statue of Karl Marx in prominent display.

After spending the day with Jitka, we were going to grab some dinner and head back to Prague.  She was very alarmed that we had taken the train.  She said there was an excellent bus that was much faster and much nicer.   So, we opted to take her advice and headed to the bus station.  Near the station was a great little spot to eat, and since we had not eaten since breakfast, we were fairly hungry.  Lucky for us, we found another great spot.  Cait had a giant pork chop covered with bacon and an egg and fried onion bits.  Mom and I had the grill trout.  All....amazing!

After dinner we went to the bus stop, anxious to see this "wonderbus" that Jitna was so proud of.  We, as evidenced by the photos below, it did not live up to the billing.  Instead of our own private compartment, where we controlled the noise and the temperature, we crowded onto a perfectly normal bus......Mom and Cait behind me and me with a guy who smoked a pack of cigarettes and evidently spread the ashes all over himself before getting on the bus.  He then made himself comfy on 2/3 of our allotted seating space and went to sleep.  Thank goodness Jitna was right about the time....the trip was only 2 hours of misery instead of 3.5!

Exhausted, we got back to the hotel just in time to pack to leave tomorrow.  Cait is heading home and Mom and I will go south through Vienna, Venice and Florence, to Rome!  Pasta and gelato, here we come!