Photos from Italy...day 2...

It was harder to get through Day 2's images than I had originally thought. This was quite a long day of wide-eyed wandering through a city that I love. The day's overcast skies allowed for some rich, saturated colors, which I think are fitting for a city full of paintings. [FYI, I haven't quite gotten to the image descriptions...so please pardon this work-in-progress.]

Our first full day in Venice was like getting reacquainted with an old friend. After a light breakfast in the hotel, began the day with a slow stroll through the Dorsoduro. Window browsed tiny shops full of local treasure...glass, paper, fine prints...all too tempting. Visited our favorite church...Santa Maria della Salute...her dome clad in scaffolding...her interior always grand. A familiar waterfront return route...the Guidecca looking picturesque across a choppy channel. A Greek cruise ship passed...reminding us to stick to paths less traveled today.
















Lunch at an outdoor cafe at the foot of the Accademia bridge. The sights and sounds of the Grand Canal accompanied our simple meal.


Spent the afternoon winding through the sestieri of Cannaregio, Castello, and San Marco. Light drizzle sent us into tiny shops. Visited several churches spanning the centuries. Standouts included the Gothic church of Santo Stefano and the marble-clad jewel box Santa Maria dei Miracoli (home to a bona fide miracle painting). Our favorite new site: the church of San Zaccaria...a 14th or 15th-century church with a fantastic 10th-century crypt beneath glimpses of a former 9th-century church. Layers and layers of history...such is Venice.























Returned to the hotel past dozens of wily fake handbag scalpers. A quiet drink on the loggia before dinner.

Caprese di Bufula and simple pastas for dinner at a popular spot in the Campo de Santa Margarita. After dinner gelatos from Il Doge...still our favorite gelato in Italy. Late night mojitos and a fantastic tiramisu from Impronta Cafe.

A pleasant drizzly walk back to the hotel. Sleepy.

We're under attack...

First it was rubber bands and broken glass. Then we found the dead squirrel. And today's treat? A nice runny pile of dog shit in our front flower bed. I'll spare you the photo.

We think it may be because Jeff yelled at the Church of Scientology to stop calling us!!

Photos from Italy...day 1...

By special request, I'm going to attempt to post my photos along with the original journal text. This is going to make some of these entries long...but let's see how this goes. We begin our two-week photo recap of Italy with Day 1...the flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt (on United) and on to Venice (on Lufthansa). (The original journal entry from May 15/16 is here.)

And we're off.

The theme for the day was sweat...a sweaty journey full of hot planes, hot terminals, a hot bus, and a hot boat. Nevertheless, at the end of this tale, we ended up in Venice.

No complaints...just a story :)

We left SF on a record, high-90s day. After a 30+ minute delay out on the tarmac, UA flight 900 was bound for Europe. Somehow, only ONE upgrade came through--how does THAT happen--so we grabbed what we could and Jeff sat up front. (Jeff snuck me snacks and sent the flight attendant back with a surprise glass of red wine :)

Once in Frankfurt, we made our way to our connecting flight like two seasoned travelers. A sweaty bus from gate to plane, and a quick flight across the Alps to Venice. (Our first time at this airport.)

"our gate in Frankfurt...really a gate to a shuttle bus"

"on the FRA tarmac"

"boarding the old fashioned way"

"clouds over the Alps"

"our first-ever aeriel view of Venice"

We caught an airport-based water bus...Alilaguna...which got VERY warm when everyone closed their windows to keep the splashes out. We hopped (slowly) across the Lagoon...to Murano, the Lido (our first glimpse of this popular, car-ridden beach destination), and a couple stops in Venice before reaching the last stop in Venice--our stop--Zattere in the Dorsodoro. Our hotel--the Hotel Belle Arte--was only a short walk away.

"Alilaguna stop at the airport"

"a wet view of Murano"

"the full, steamy water bus"

"pulling into the Zattere stop"

A quick shower to de-sweat, and then off for a short welcome-walk and then dinner. After a long day, we went straight for the reliable Rosa Rossa. Pizzeria. Pizze Diavola and Pizze Funghi. Tiramisu to finish.

"Venice is full of color"

"chatting in the rain"

"a classic view of the Bridge of Sighs"

"continuous water everywhere"

"Rosa Rossa Pizzeria"

"relaxed"

We ended the evening on the hotel's loggia overlooking their compact garden. Oversized cushioned chairs and a cool breeze coaxed us toward sleep, which was soon to follow.

Poetry in spam...

Most spam email gets caught and fitered away these days. But today, one made its way into my inbox, and I found the random spam-thwarting words (scatted before and after "Helen's" appeal for "new friends") to be calmly poetic:

interest

make least
job

Seems to fit my mood for the day. Thanks "Helen".

Get out...

Toni Basil and "Hey Mickey" don't belong in my head...incescently repeating...throbbing...with images of pom poms...when I"m trying to fall asleep :(

When life gives you lemons...or dead squirrels...

So, we arrive home last night to find a dried, flattened squirrel carcass lying on top of Jeff's car. Two immediate thoughts came to mind:

1. Clearly, the squirrel clearly didn't jump onto Jeff's car, kill itself, and dry quickly to the consistency of beef jerky.
2. Who the hell picks up roadkill and puts it on someone's car? Ick!

No...we did not make lemonade...or squirrel jerky. However, we have started wishing a pox of dead squirrels on stupid people who cut us off in traffic :)

A visit from Teela and Jim...

I can report that both Jeff and I have at least DOWNLOADED our Europe photos...I'm going to guess nearly 3000 between the two of us. Since Jeff's photos are on his laptop, he has actually looked at all of his, but I can't report that much progress :)

One happy diversion from sorting photos was an all-too-brief visit from my Aunt Teela and Uncle Jim. They arrived mid-week from Virginia and spent a couple of nights in Yosemite before staying with us for the weekend. It was wonderful to see them and spend a couple of quiet evenings at home...including several rounds of Mexican Train.

On Saturday, we drove up to the Marin Headlands and walked out to the picturesque Point Bonita lighthouse. Along the way, we were joined by chatty park volunteer Tom...who eagerly pointed out breeding Harbor Seals, hundreds of floating Western Grebes, and all the poisonous plants along the path. He also introduced us to a wild cabbage plant who's flower (the yellow one below) tastes like coleslaw...not sure if there is enough separation between the edibles and the poisonous plants for MY liking. We also spotted nesting gulls--perched on treacherous outcroppings--and swallows--tucked into every nook. Vultures and pelicans rounded out the wildlife. Matthew did tricks for the camera :)












After lunch at one of our favorite spots--Paradise Bay on the Sausalito marina--we took a winding scenic drive along the City coast, including a stop into the re-opened Fort Point historic Civil War-era fortress. The newly repainted and seismically upgraded underbelly of the Golden Gate Bridge's was as bright orange as I've ever seen it. Brilliant.





On Sunday morning, Teela and Jim headed north towards the redwoods, Mt. Shasta, and Crater Lake. We worked in the garden a bit...and found a pleasant surprise. One of our grassy plants decided to bloom this year...small, beautiful flowers...we didn't know it produced these :)

Monday (Rome to SFO)...

A too-early wake up call got the ball rolling this morning. Shower. Breakfast. Time to fly home. The military and its marching band was reassembling on the closed road in front of the hotel...today is a national holiday...La Festa della Repubblica. Bonus...an easy 30min drive to the airport...FCO...Leonardo da Vinci International.

Quick check in through Lufthansa. Confirmed our upgrade from Frankfurt to SFO...both of us.

Time to kill.

Left Rome in the light rain. A couple of hour later, descended through scattered puffy clouds into Frankfurt...by one measure a very predictable, efficient airport...marred by inexplicable irritants.

Boarded our on-time 747 bound for San Francisco. Champagne for Jeff and red wine for me. I do love business class.

Followed a familiar route over Iceland and Greenland and down over Canada. The US leg involved wonderful views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Shasta. The San Francisco Bay was beautifully lit...a welcome sight.

Sunday (Rome)...

Awoke to another sunny day in Rome...forecast to be the warmest of our visit. Another filling breakfast...yesterday's held us over till dinner...Italy has enough of our money. Filled our water bottle...Rome has countless, free-flowing water fountains all over the city for cool, fresh refills.

Headed a short distance to the three-building Musei Capitolini high atop Capitol Hill...the seat of ancient Roman temples and even pre-historic settlements back to the Iron Age. The museum has an amazing sculpture collection. We finished our visit in the open-air section of the museum that overlooks the Forum. This section is the Roman temple of Jupiter.

Another long afternoon walk, starting with a daytime stop at the Pantheon...free, easy entrance into this impressive architectural wonder...originally a Roman temple...now a church. Next stop, the controversial modern building on the Tiber constructed to showcase (and protect) the ancient Altar of Peace...a huge, gleaming-wite marble "box"...carved with intricate figures. We viewed the Altar from the outside for free :)

Across the street, the simple church of San Rocco...in Rome, even the small churches are gems. Hit a couple of tourist meccas on our walk back to the hotel: viewed the famed Spanish Steps from afar...across the heads of a gazillion people. Popped by the Trevi Fountain...a brilliant fountain, buried under the weight of popularity.

Took a long winding path back to the hotel...past the gleaming monument to Italian unification; past the Forum; past the Colloseum; past the Circus Maximus. Dinner one last time in the Travestere...pizzas and wine from a recommended spot. The Travestere was full of Italians...in town for the three-day holiday weekend. Had one last wonderful gelato. Saw our angry mime again.

Fell asleep tired, but knowing we had wrung every last drop from the Eternal City.

Saturday (Rome)...

Jeff tells me that at 4am, a full military marching band passed by our hotel...I heard nothing. Had our first hearty breakfast of the trip...including fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon (the way I like it) and due cappuccini.

Started the day with the second half of our Palantino ticket with a visit to the always-impressive Colosseo. New sections were open on this visit, providing some up-close vantage points to peer into the ancient flooring and imagine what it was like in the bowels of such a structure.

Began a long afternoon walk in the direction of Castel Sant' Angelo. Ducked into two cool churches along the way...cool in decor, but more importantly, cool in temperature. Maria en Campitelli was a dark, quiet church with few visitors, while Agnese di Agone was bright and opulent and teeming with admirers. Outside, on the Piazza Navone, Jeff spotted a landmark from a book he is reading: Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. (Thanks to Matt for the recommendation...Jeff is pointing out "clues" all over Rome.)

Our primary destination for the afternoon--the Castel Sant' Angelo--is another book landmark. The Medeival Castel was construted on top of an ancient Roman masoleum constructed by Emperor Hadrian. Later, the Castel housed Papal apartments, and a secret passage to the Vatican ('Il Paseo') for the Pope to escape invading armies. For modern visitors, the result is a 3-D inter-mixing of eras. From the parapets, got a colorful glimpse of the myriad of street vendors below: sandals, handbags, glasses, scarves, grass reeds twisted into oragami grasshoppers...tripods?

A short walk to the Vatican, where visitors lined up for evening service in Piazza San Pietro. Watched the curious scene for an hour...expecting something to happen...I'm sure it did eventually...probably even included the Pope. Nevertheless, hunger overcame us and we walked along the Tiber back to the Travestere for dinner. A very popular spot...Carlos Menta...with good food at very reasonable prices. They are the one place that seemed to have embraced the American economic model that with high volume, you can have low prices.

Returned to the hotel for drinks (mojitos) and dessert (a creative, rich tiramisu) at the hotel rooftop bar, Circus.

Nestled into a very cozy bed.