January of 2018 started with a celebration. My sister in law, Tina, was turning the big…. (she’d kill me if I squealed) so a party was in order. She’s married to my brother. They couldn’t be more different which is why I volunteered to host the party. Lots of familiar faces, lots of food, drink, music and dancing. The party was at my house where there was lots of room to serve food, drinks and socialize. After moving the furniture against the walls in the living room we had a decent size dance floor.
2018 also brought some other changes. My daughter and son in law bought their first house. A beautiful new construction in Savannah and my granddaughter graduated from high school.
During the party, my friend Jennifer (the blond next to me in the group photo) and I were talking about, what else, travel. Seems she’s always wanted to go to Italy but her husband would rather go golfing in North Carolina. They have always had a full life with regular vacations but when it came to international travel, he’s not enthusiastic. During the conversation, I mentioned to Jennifer we could absolutely go to Italy. She was beyond thrilled since she knew I had already been there and didn’t think I’d want to go back. I’d go back to Italy anytime. Rose was in along with two other friends, Ann and Fran (their real names). After researching available options, we decided on a tour of Rome, Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Florence, Pisa and Venice. This was to be nearly two weeks with us on a train every third day. It started off, as usual, like a comedy skit. Jennifer had never met Ann and Fran and was hoping we would all click. No worries. Rose and I arrived at the airport after Ann, Fran and Jennifer who were having a great time getting to know each other. We discovered our original flight to Rome had been canceled and were booked on a later flight. Due to the inconvenience, the airline did not charge Jennifer for her overweight bag (50 pound limit, her bag was 64 pounds). After an uneventful flight to Rome, we had retrieved the luggage and were waiting for Rose’s walker to be brought out. We were all together in the baggage claim when Rose got the phone call no one ever wants. It was her daughter calling to tell Rose her son and oldest child had died. Michael had been battling lung cancer for several years and it finally took his life. After a time trying to process this, I offered to take the next flight back with Rose but she wanted to wait for her daughter to call back with more information. The call came and her daughter told Rose they had made arrangements to have the funeral when Rose got home from Italy. The funeral director was willing to delay the service since Michael had been very adamant that his Mom go on this trip. It’s almost as if Michael waited until his mom was on the other side of the world. In spite of this devastating news, Rose was determined to honor Michael’s wish that she go on this trip and to the degree possible, try to enjoy it. We finally collected Rose’s walker and made our way to the hotel. We had arranged for a tour of the Colosseum and other sites that evening and understandably, Rose was not feeling up to it but she insisted the rest of us go. The tour was to last a few hours and we didn’t want to be gone that long so instead, we took a cab to the Colosseum, walked around and took some photos.
The following day, there wasn’t much enthusiasm in the group but we decided to push ahead. We had a tour scheduled at the Vatican. Neither Jennifer, Ann or Fran had been there before and seeing it for the first time is always an awesome and humbling experience. We saw St. Peter’s and interestingly, every time I’ve been to Rome, the Vatican is in the process of canonizing new saints. Rose was determined to honor Michael’s wishes and we set off for the Vatican.
The next day were were off to Pompei with the ever looming presence of Vesuvius in the background.
Once again, Vesuvius remained quiet. After strolling through the streets of Pompei we were on our way to the Amalfi Coast. This was the thing Jennifer had most wanted to see and she was not disappointed. It was spectacular. Magnificent architecture set amidst towering natural formations with the Mediterranean Sea as a backdrop. It’s no secret this is a destination not to be missed. We had a lovely afternoon topped off by a Limoncello tasting. Perfect way to end the tour.
On the way back to our hotel, Ann and I were sitting together and we think we saw a UFO! It was still daylight and we saw this light that appeared to be stationery. It never moved for at least 30 minutes and then without warning, it descended at an enormous rate of speed. Whether you believe or not, that’s what we saw. If you enlarge these photos, you can see the light stationery and descending.
After that excitement, we finally arrived at our hotel, had dinner and prepared for our train ride the next day. Destination, Florence and Pisa.
This visit to Florence was certainly better than our last but not without incident. Everyone was hyper vigilant and we all managed to hang on to our possessions and currency. Anyone who has ever had an interest in the art of the masters must visit Florence at least once. Nothing you’ve ever seen in pictures can compare to seeing these masterpieces in person. From the David to the Birth of Venus and everything in between, it was breathtaking. When you get to Italy, the Accademia and Uffizi Gallery are must sees.
As I mentioned earlier, our time in Florence was not without incident. After spending the day surrounded by the most amazing works of art, we headed back to our hotel. We had no definite plans for dinner so Jennifer and I decided to go for coffee. The coffee shop was a short distance from the hotel. While we were there, we began to hear shouting which I realized was a female voice cursing in Italian. We rushed back to the hotel where Ann and Fran were standing in the doorway. Two men had approached them asking for directions which they thought was odd since it was obvious they were tourists. Ann carries a collapsible cane. She had surgery on her leg and found it helpful if she got fatigued. Ann is also Italian. While she was explaining to these men she could not give them directions, she felt a tug on the back of her purse which was under her arm. The purse was zipped but there was an outside pocket where she had her phone. She realized one of the men was reaching for her phone and immediately launched into action. She unfurled that cane and started beating him all the while loudly cursing in Italian which is what Jennifer and I heard from the coffee shop. We raced back to the hotel but by the time we got there the two men were almost out of sight. We had a great laugh and appointed Ann our official bodyguard.
Back to Pisa with it’s famous Leaning Tower and Cathedral. I did not have time on my previous visit to Pisa to explore the Cathedral. I’m so glad I had the opportunity this time. It is exquisite. I never mind returning to a place I’ve already visited. There are always more wonders to see.
More sightseeing the following day and then on to Venice.
We were all excited to see Venice and had planned a Gondola ride at the conclusion of our tour. After having time to stroll around Venice and cross the famous Bridge of Sighs, we boarded our water taxi to Murano, Island of the Glass Masters. If you have ever seen or been lucky enough to own a piece of Murano glass, you know it’s like nothing else on earth. We were given a chance to see how this happens at a demonstration of glass blowing.
Since I don’t have room for another glassware set or pitcher, I settled for a wine stopper which I love. It was incredible walking around the showroom and realizing these pieces are all hand crafted. Time to go back to our boat for the next stop on our tour, Burano, Island of lace and colorful houses. Burano lacemaking flourished in the early 1600’s to the early 1700’s. Many of the very large lace collars seen in artworks from that period were from Burano. Today, walking through Burano, you will see women making lace in the squares having been taught the art from their mothers and grandmothers. The most obvious sights are the wonderfully colorful houses throughout the island in every rainbow color you can imagine. I’ve always been attracted to anything that’s multi colored so Burano to me, was a paradise.
Last but not least, Torcello, the ancient core of the city. One of the first lagoon islands to be successfully populated by people fleeing barbarian invasions, especially from Attila the Hun. Eventually, the population rose to approximately 20,000. Time, disease and nature eventually reduced the population to approximately 10 residents currently. There are still really interesting sights to see including a cathedral with beautiful mosaics and a museum which occupies two 14th century palaces. There are also food stands with all manner of delicious fare. From personal experience, the seafood was incredible.
Our tour of the three islands has the theme song from Gilligan’s Island playing in my head. We headed back to Venice and this absolutely magnificent hotel lavishly lit with Murano chandeliers. From there we were supposed to go on a Gondola ride. Unfortunately, that turned out to be one of the few times bad weather sidelined a planned activity. Once the rain started, the Gondolas were tied up and covered and we found ourselves under the galleries around St Marks Square. We were near a jewelry shop and Rose decided to browse. This gave us the opportunity to crowd in with her which was welcome since it had gotten extremely cold after the rain started. Throughout this trip, Rose had her cane and her walker and really managed to keep up with the group. The only time she slowed us down was, you guessed it, when we lost her to a shop. Once inside though, she can disappear faster than a magician.
We spent the next two days exploring on foot. Our Venice hotel was not in the middle of the city center so we had the opportunity to wander around. We found lots of interesting shops, parks and restaurants. Our last night in Venice was spent in our hotel lobby with great wine, great food and the best company. Now to the worst part. Having to leave. The weather was still not cooperating. Our original flight home was cancelled and we were rerouted to Barcelona where we had to spend the night. We finally arrived home the following day with some souvenirs, great photos, amazing memories and a happily expanded travel group. The only remaining question was, where are we going next?