We are now sitting in our hotel room close to the Malpensa Airport for our flight home tomorrow. This truly has been such a great experience. Even though the two of us have been living in tight quarters for the last two weeks - just today on the drive here, we were reflecting that we never - not even once got on each others nerves! I believe that is because we both needed this trip to rejuvinate ourselves and our souls! That has happened for both of us.
Mollie's last blog covered Rome and Venice - both were wonderful experiences. I wanted to add my repeated feelings about Venice. Every time I leave this city I tell myself "I probably won't be back" and yet everytime I go there I am amazed at how much I love it. I tried to explain to Mollie what it is like to wake up in Venice with the sounds of the city coming to life. It is just something that I have never experienced anywhere else - the church bells, the boats, the people all create a song or melody that is just simply Venice. There is an energy in the city that gives me energy.
It was a bit different in Piaza San Marco - which is where all of the pidgeons are, as they have outlawed the feeding of the birds and they are leaving the square. While it is fun to watch people react to the birds - I must say that I didn't mind not fighting them for our lunch!
Today the weather finally caught up with us. We had planned to have a very relaxing day by the pool and then spa treatments in the afternoon. When we woke up - we were in the middle of a rainstorm that was clearly not leaving anytime soon, so I threw an option to Mollie. Skip the spa treatments and go to Verona, which you may recognize as the home of Romeo and Juliet. I have driven past Verona three times and have always wanted to stop, but never had time. This was our time! We located the tomb of Juliet, which was oddly hauntingly peaceful. We were also able to find her family home and yes - that famous balcony! Aside from all of the hubbub of the two lovers, Verona is a lovely little city that I would definatley put on my list of places to stay and discover more fully.
I was a little disappointed that we could not see the countryside on our drive to Malpensa literally because of the rain. I actually felt compelled to slow down to about 80 and stay in the slow lane on the autostrada! We had entered into the Toscana region again briefly on the way to the airport, which remains my favorite of all of Italy. As we were driving from Rome to Montegrotto Terme several days ago I once again felt myself being torn from this area that I love. Italy is not home to me, but there is definately a part of my heart here, and I tend to get a bit weepy, knowing that it will be several years before I am back. The good news with that is I always look forward to the planning and the new discovery of places. I have been so lucky to have made this trip with different loved ones in my life and I know that I will continue to do that as this lovely country is a place to be shared with people - especially those you love.
As I have done with each trip I have made ,I have journaled the experience and once again - I will close with the ten things that I have learned on this journey....
1.Before anything else – remember to thank you parents – if they have provided you with a great travel partner in a sibling!
2. Laughing with my sister in a double bed is a much better workout that anything I could do at the gym.
3. Gelato is to be used at least once daily…for medicinal purposes only.
4. Maps in general should be used as a guide – not a direction.
5. U-turns on the road and in life can be costly.
6. Lemoncillo should never be mistaken for lemonaid
7. Retracing the steps taken with others can be a good thing.
8. Tears shared with a sister are always good, no matter what.
9. While you can fall in love with faraway places, it is never as deep as the love you have waiting at home.
10. Embrace the curves in the road. Like life – they can be scary, but around the corner – there is always another beautiful view...
And with that Dear Readers...we say goodby to Bella Italia, with fondness and the certainty that there will be another journey...
The Worcester Sisters
Thursday, August 5, 2010
We have some 'splaining to do
Ok people have written that we haven't updated in a couple days and I, Mollie---the younger Worcester sister--, take full responsibility. That said if my big sister were watching over me as a good big sister should she would tell me to step away from the Lemoncello. I tell you people this is better than crack (or as i imagine crack to be since having never tried it). But man does it pack a punch!
So there's my explanation and now on with what you're really here for---the update. Rome was simply indescribable. I can not find the words to express what it was like standing in a monument (the Coliseum) that was constructed in 80AD. Aside from the coliseum there were buildings and ruins strewn throughout this fabulous city that were nothing short of spectacular. One thing amongst, all the other landmarks, that we HAD to find was "The Mouth of Truth". This was the spot where Gregory Peck took Audrey Hepburn in the movie "Roman Holiday" (Laura's and my all time favorite movie) and told her the statue would bite her hand if she were lying. Great scene!
I think Laura enjoyed my gaping jaw expression throughout the day as we came upon each new monument. She had been to Rome previously and new somewhat of what we would be seeing so she was happy to see my reactions.
We only had one day in Rome so we squeezed a lot in. The following day was a driving day to Montegrotto Terme. My sister has been doing the vast majority of the driving--total rock star about it, she's been doing great---this was our last time to see the Toscana region as we drove through it, but I have to admit I actually slept through it (see note about Lemoncello above).
We get to our hotel after about 4hrs on the road and it is spectacular. Hotel Eliseo in the heart of Montegrotto is a wellness spa and the rooms are quite spacious. we even had our own little twin beds though I must say sleeping with my sister again after all these years has been a blast, we just laugh ourselves to sleep. I didn't have too much seperation anxiety as only an inch seperated the beds.
We got to the hotel around 2pm and it was beautiful out so we decided to indulge ourselves and go layout by their "Theraputic pool". I get in whilst my sis made a few phone calls. i noticed right away that people seemed to be staring at me. Certain that they have never seen seen a vision such as myself (after checking to ensure everything was where it was supposed to be) I continued in to the pool and over to the jets for a water massage. It wasn't until my sister joined me that she made the keen observation we were the only people in the pool without swimcaps. Man were getting the stinkeye. In our defense no one gave us these stupid little head thingys and they weren't being handed out at the cabana. How were we to know the protocol? Well as it turns out, we discovered later that we were supposed to have paid to use the pool, which is where I suppose the rules and proper gear were given. Oopsy for the Worcester Sisters!
Nice dinner in Montegrotto and we decide to hit the hay early (no wine, beer OR Lemoncello) as we were headed to Venenzia (Venice) the following day. After about as much CNN and news about the Pakistan floods (not to say we aren't sympathetic to this horrific event) we both checked our emails and drifted swiftly to slumber.
This brings us to Wednesday 8/4/2010. Heading to Venice. We drove to the ferry landing, about an hour from Montegrotto, and caught the passenger ferry over to this little piece of Italian paradise. Coming upon it by boat was fabulous as we passed some cool ruins on another little island. I could not believe the architecture. Of course I've been impressed with every place I've seen, but there iis something very sweet about Venice. I was struck with the dichotomy of Luis Vuitton, Hemes, Bruno Magli and other such high end brands nestled down underneath some of the oldest buildings. Great picture taking opp. We did alot of walking and a little shopping. Had a lovely lunch and wouldn't you know Lemoncello was everywhere! Had a couple beers followed by this delectable Lemony concoction and feeling pretty good we walked some more. We enter the Piazza San Marco which was simply extraordinary. As luck would have it they had several little bars with concerto's playing so naturally we had to stop. This is where things took a turn for me. I don't know how many Lemoncello's I had, but suffice it say it was one (or two) too many. I was fine until I stood up, then---not so much. Walking did me good. We came upon a Gondelier stand and decided it would be a great treat to see Venice via the canal. AMAZING.
We had a cute little 22 yo Gondelier who was third generation in this vocation. He was just darling telling us all about the boat, it's upkeep and of course pointing out many wonderful historic places along the canal. Great experience and while I am sure this is meant to be a romantic adventure I was quite happy to be experiencing this with my sister, just as I have been in sharing this entire trip with her.
We have laughed (alot), we have cried (a little) and everything in between. We have just been enjoying being together as sisters and as women. While our Italian journey is winding down, our life journey continues!
Stay tuned....
The Worcester Sisters
So there's my explanation and now on with what you're really here for---the update. Rome was simply indescribable. I can not find the words to express what it was like standing in a monument (the Coliseum) that was constructed in 80AD. Aside from the coliseum there were buildings and ruins strewn throughout this fabulous city that were nothing short of spectacular. One thing amongst, all the other landmarks, that we HAD to find was "The Mouth of Truth". This was the spot where Gregory Peck took Audrey Hepburn in the movie "Roman Holiday" (Laura's and my all time favorite movie) and told her the statue would bite her hand if she were lying. Great scene!
I think Laura enjoyed my gaping jaw expression throughout the day as we came upon each new monument. She had been to Rome previously and new somewhat of what we would be seeing so she was happy to see my reactions.
We only had one day in Rome so we squeezed a lot in. The following day was a driving day to Montegrotto Terme. My sister has been doing the vast majority of the driving--total rock star about it, she's been doing great---this was our last time to see the Toscana region as we drove through it, but I have to admit I actually slept through it (see note about Lemoncello above).
We get to our hotel after about 4hrs on the road and it is spectacular. Hotel Eliseo in the heart of Montegrotto is a wellness spa and the rooms are quite spacious. we even had our own little twin beds though I must say sleeping with my sister again after all these years has been a blast, we just laugh ourselves to sleep. I didn't have too much seperation anxiety as only an inch seperated the beds.
We got to the hotel around 2pm and it was beautiful out so we decided to indulge ourselves and go layout by their "Theraputic pool". I get in whilst my sis made a few phone calls. i noticed right away that people seemed to be staring at me. Certain that they have never seen seen a vision such as myself (after checking to ensure everything was where it was supposed to be) I continued in to the pool and over to the jets for a water massage. It wasn't until my sister joined me that she made the keen observation we were the only people in the pool without swimcaps. Man were getting the stinkeye. In our defense no one gave us these stupid little head thingys and they weren't being handed out at the cabana. How were we to know the protocol? Well as it turns out, we discovered later that we were supposed to have paid to use the pool, which is where I suppose the rules and proper gear were given. Oopsy for the Worcester Sisters!
Nice dinner in Montegrotto and we decide to hit the hay early (no wine, beer OR Lemoncello) as we were headed to Venenzia (Venice) the following day. After about as much CNN and news about the Pakistan floods (not to say we aren't sympathetic to this horrific event) we both checked our emails and drifted swiftly to slumber.
This brings us to Wednesday 8/4/2010. Heading to Venice. We drove to the ferry landing, about an hour from Montegrotto, and caught the passenger ferry over to this little piece of Italian paradise. Coming upon it by boat was fabulous as we passed some cool ruins on another little island. I could not believe the architecture. Of course I've been impressed with every place I've seen, but there iis something very sweet about Venice. I was struck with the dichotomy of Luis Vuitton, Hemes, Bruno Magli and other such high end brands nestled down underneath some of the oldest buildings. Great picture taking opp. We did alot of walking and a little shopping. Had a lovely lunch and wouldn't you know Lemoncello was everywhere! Had a couple beers followed by this delectable Lemony concoction and feeling pretty good we walked some more. We enter the Piazza San Marco which was simply extraordinary. As luck would have it they had several little bars with concerto's playing so naturally we had to stop. This is where things took a turn for me. I don't know how many Lemoncello's I had, but suffice it say it was one (or two) too many. I was fine until I stood up, then---not so much. Walking did me good. We came upon a Gondelier stand and decided it would be a great treat to see Venice via the canal. AMAZING.
We had a cute little 22 yo Gondelier who was third generation in this vocation. He was just darling telling us all about the boat, it's upkeep and of course pointing out many wonderful historic places along the canal. Great experience and while I am sure this is meant to be a romantic adventure I was quite happy to be experiencing this with my sister, just as I have been in sharing this entire trip with her.
We have laughed (alot), we have cried (a little) and everything in between. We have just been enjoying being together as sisters and as women. While our Italian journey is winding down, our life journey continues!
Stay tuned....
The Worcester Sisters
Monday, August 2, 2010
Buengiorno from Roma!!
We made it to Rome yesterday! Our drive was fairly uneventful, if you don't count the $60 ticket we got for not passing through a toll station. I really don't think it was our fault, but clearly, was not going to argue. We were on the Grande Ritourno which is essentially one big round about that encircles the city of Rome. We had been on it for about an hour, and continued to "spit" ourselves off, but on the wrong exits. We finally decided to just start over at exit one, which in theory was a great idea. We started following the mapquest directions, which seemed to be working, until we found ourselves out of the city and headed to Firenze. Not good. I am certain that most of you have heard the phrase "all roads lead to Rome". I am certain that applies to every road with the exception of the one that we happened to be on! I told Mollie to look for any sign that said Rome! We took a turn off and low and behold - there was a sign, but it was behind us, so we did what any intellgent gals would do...pulled a u-turn! What should have been about a $2 dollar fare, turned into $62! Imagine our surprise! Oh well, it was worth it as it got us back in the right direction and once again, after some great navigation we stumbled on our hotel! Unfortunately when we got here, they did not have our reservation, but were able to get a room for us!
After a quick shower and snack - we ventured out into the city. We had decided to go to the Trevi Fountain the first evening, as it is so beautiful at night! The fountain did not disappoint. It was beautiful. The were throngs of people as expected, but we had a great time. We went to dinner at a small restaraunt where we had one of our best meals yet, as well as a couple of really nice bottles of wine, and fun conversation with a couple from Belgium. Once again we had a mixture of langauges, but were able to communicate.
We got back to the room and had a very sound sleep! Today, we got up and did the "big bus" tour which is a perfect way to see some of the important highlights of Rome if you have limited time. We started of with the Coliseum, where we took a guided tour. So interesting! These structures are not only beautiful, but they truly are architectural wonders. We road the bus for most of the day getting on and off where and when we wanted to see more, or spend additional time in a particular location. Our only disappointment was at the Vatican. We have been carrying wraps with us for the entire trip just in case we wanted to go into a church - with the exception of today. So after waiting in line for about 45 minutes, going through security and making it all of the way to the entance, we were turned away because we were both wearing tank tops. Oh well...
Today also turned out to be the hottest day that we have had, and we are both a bit sun burnt, but we are not complaining! We have been blessed with glorious weather. Tomorrow we are heading out to Montegrotto Terme which will be the most northern part of our trip. We will have one long day in Venice and the remaining time will be spent relaxing in Montegrotto Terme hopefully hitting some thermal spas!
Until our next post!
Ciao from Roma
After a quick shower and snack - we ventured out into the city. We had decided to go to the Trevi Fountain the first evening, as it is so beautiful at night! The fountain did not disappoint. It was beautiful. The were throngs of people as expected, but we had a great time. We went to dinner at a small restaraunt where we had one of our best meals yet, as well as a couple of really nice bottles of wine, and fun conversation with a couple from Belgium. Once again we had a mixture of langauges, but were able to communicate.
We got back to the room and had a very sound sleep! Today, we got up and did the "big bus" tour which is a perfect way to see some of the important highlights of Rome if you have limited time. We started of with the Coliseum, where we took a guided tour. So interesting! These structures are not only beautiful, but they truly are architectural wonders. We road the bus for most of the day getting on and off where and when we wanted to see more, or spend additional time in a particular location. Our only disappointment was at the Vatican. We have been carrying wraps with us for the entire trip just in case we wanted to go into a church - with the exception of today. So after waiting in line for about 45 minutes, going through security and making it all of the way to the entance, we were turned away because we were both wearing tank tops. Oh well...
Today also turned out to be the hottest day that we have had, and we are both a bit sun burnt, but we are not complaining! We have been blessed with glorious weather. Tomorrow we are heading out to Montegrotto Terme which will be the most northern part of our trip. We will have one long day in Venice and the remaining time will be spent relaxing in Montegrotto Terme hopefully hitting some thermal spas!
Until our next post!
Ciao from Roma
Sunday, August 1, 2010
A Day in Sorrento
Yesterday we decided to sleep in a little bit and then head up to Sorrento proper to do a little shopping and exploring of the city. We took the bus up ($2.00 compared to $12.00 for the cab) and took a good long walk through the small alleys. It is so fun to look down the streets at the different doorways, decorated with flowers and plants. I always wonder who lives behind the doors. What are the families like?
We actually started going into some of the high end stores to do a little "shopping". It was fun to see some of the other shoppers who clearly are not on a budget of any kind to speak of. As in Capri - we saw people dropping a whole lot of money! Who says there is an economic crisis?
We did stop at one shoe store where we both scored - Mollie bought some sandles I managed to find a pair of boots that I feel in love with! After shopping we decided to sit and people watch a bit!
We walked a while up to the main piazza (square) of Sorrento and sat for a while. We had the good fortune of being able to see a bit of a wedding that was going on at the church across the street. My gosh - do they dress to the nines! Afterwords we headed back down to the marina to rest for the evening events that we thought was going to be a festival, but alas, we had missed it by a week. Instead we went to have dinner at one of the places in the marina. That ended up being an event in and of itself. The waiter (Alfonso) took a liking to us and was helping us order. He offered us the lobster and pasta to which I had to explain, "only if it doesn't come with it's head still on". He quickly regrouped and told us he would have the cook make something special for us. We ended up with a very good pasta with some kind of fish in a tomatoe sauce. When I asked for cheese to put on top, we thought he was having a heart attack - I was a little worried that he was going to take our dishes away!
We went without the cheese and the meal was terrific!
After dinner we went to our gellato spot for a night cap of chocolate chip cones! Once we got up to the room we started hearing the booms of fireworks and to our delight, there was a fireworks show going on...for the wedding probably. We went up to the sun terrace to watch them, and placed against the lovely Sorrento evening - they were beautiful! Imagine our luck! Once again - the magic of this country takes over and makes each day eventful no matter what we are doing
.
Tomorrow we are on to Rome... for me this is a great stop no matter what! I am certain that Mollie will enjoy it as well!
Buenonotte Bella Sorrento
The Worcester Sisters
We actually started going into some of the high end stores to do a little "shopping". It was fun to see some of the other shoppers who clearly are not on a budget of any kind to speak of. As in Capri - we saw people dropping a whole lot of money! Who says there is an economic crisis?
We did stop at one shoe store where we both scored - Mollie bought some sandles I managed to find a pair of boots that I feel in love with! After shopping we decided to sit and people watch a bit!
We walked a while up to the main piazza (square) of Sorrento and sat for a while. We had the good fortune of being able to see a bit of a wedding that was going on at the church across the street. My gosh - do they dress to the nines! Afterwords we headed back down to the marina to rest for the evening events that we thought was going to be a festival, but alas, we had missed it by a week. Instead we went to have dinner at one of the places in the marina. That ended up being an event in and of itself. The waiter (Alfonso) took a liking to us and was helping us order. He offered us the lobster and pasta to which I had to explain, "only if it doesn't come with it's head still on". He quickly regrouped and told us he would have the cook make something special for us. We ended up with a very good pasta with some kind of fish in a tomatoe sauce. When I asked for cheese to put on top, we thought he was having a heart attack - I was a little worried that he was going to take our dishes away!
We went without the cheese and the meal was terrific!
After dinner we went to our gellato spot for a night cap of chocolate chip cones! Once we got up to the room we started hearing the booms of fireworks and to our delight, there was a fireworks show going on...for the wedding probably. We went up to the sun terrace to watch them, and placed against the lovely Sorrento evening - they were beautiful! Imagine our luck! Once again - the magic of this country takes over and makes each day eventful no matter what we are doing
.
Tomorrow we are on to Rome... for me this is a great stop no matter what! I am certain that Mollie will enjoy it as well!
Buenonotte Bella Sorrento
The Worcester Sisters
Back to the age of Technology
Just got to Rome where we are re-connected to the internet so we have a couple of days to catch up on. Starting with Friday 7/30/10 when we went to the Island of Capri. We get off the ferry and shopped a little around the landing then saw signs to Centro. Off we went to find the Centro. It ended up being about a mile straight up in 90 degree weather but we were proud of ourselves for doing it. Of course one of the motivating factors was the knowledge that our parents had done it not so long ago, so we simply couldn’t punk out. Did a little shopping up top, but more window shopping and picture taking then anything. The stores were amazing. A lot of high-end merchandise. Lunch time rolled around and we found a cute little café where we shared a delightful meal, beer followed by Limoncello (we are in the region where this Lemony liquor is made). All was delicious. Laura and I have taken to splitting a caprese salad (Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Basil with olive oil) at each meal. I can not believe the flavor the tomatoes have here. I don’t know what variety they are but they are so sweet and ripe, round redness of perfection.
After lunch we each bought a couple of small souvenirs and back down the hill we went. Ok we punked out and took a cab down, which in hindsight was safest for all as the Limoncello was kicking in. Got down to the bottom and decided we would sit at an outdoor bar until our departure from this quaint place whereupon we indulged in a few more Limoncello’s. This stuff is sent straight from the lemon Gods!
The time for our ferry back to Sorrento came so we hopped on the ferry and each made it about :30 before our heads bobbed in a Limoncello induced slumber. But for the toddler who’s parents were kind enough to buy him a blow horn, it would have been a very relaxing nap.
Went back to the room cleaned up a bit and then went down to our favorite gelatto guy who runs a restaurant. Had some fabulous minestrone and split some pasta. We've both commented on how we need to figure out how to cook pasta al dente, it is truly delicious.
An amazing thunder and lightening storm moved in just about the time we were heading back to our room. The lightening lit up the horizon with bolts looking like they were directly hitting Mt. Vesuvio (of Pompei fame). It went on for about three hours and was fantastic to watch. Another great day on our Italian adventure!
More to come...
The Worcester Sisters
After lunch we each bought a couple of small souvenirs and back down the hill we went. Ok we punked out and took a cab down, which in hindsight was safest for all as the Limoncello was kicking in. Got down to the bottom and decided we would sit at an outdoor bar until our departure from this quaint place whereupon we indulged in a few more Limoncello’s. This stuff is sent straight from the lemon Gods!
The time for our ferry back to Sorrento came so we hopped on the ferry and each made it about :30 before our heads bobbed in a Limoncello induced slumber. But for the toddler who’s parents were kind enough to buy him a blow horn, it would have been a very relaxing nap.
Went back to the room cleaned up a bit and then went down to our favorite gelatto guy who runs a restaurant. Had some fabulous minestrone and split some pasta. We've both commented on how we need to figure out how to cook pasta al dente, it is truly delicious.
An amazing thunder and lightening storm moved in just about the time we were heading back to our room. The lightening lit up the horizon with bolts looking like they were directly hitting Mt. Vesuvio (of Pompei fame). It went on for about three hours and was fantastic to watch. Another great day on our Italian adventure!
More to come...
The Worcester Sisters
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Hello from Sorrento!
Boneserra Dear Readers,
The Sisters are coming to you from bella Sorrento! I must apologize up front as we are at an internet cafe and the keyboard is not familiar so I may just wing it and hope that you understand.
Yesterday was a driving day that turned into an adventure (I am sure no surprise for most of you) We started out early heading south to Sorrento and made a couple of "little stops" along the way. The first was in a walled city that I have been to several times, but of course Mollie had not. Monteriggioni is a classic example of a walled or forted city although very small. I believe that the current residency there is about 40, but low and behold they have a five star hotel and one of my favorite wineries there! There is also my favorite hidden garden so it was a fun little stop! We hopped back in the car and drove like the little demons we are and made it all the way to Napoli when what did we see? A sign that said "Pompei"! Well...what are a couple of adventurous gals with nothing but time on their hands to do but turn right! We went to the ruins and spent about an hour and a half just wandering. I am always amazed to see what came before us and the incredible architecture that is remaining. I will never understand how these people were able to create such magnificent structures without all of the benefits that we have today. Clearly not enough time to see everything, but it was a nice stop and gave a taste of the ruins.
We jumped back on the Autostrada and this is where we made our first (of many) directional mistakes. Unfortunately, we did not realize that we had jumped back on past our exit to Sorrento. We drove for about 30 minutes and looked at each other to say - "this feels like more than 15 km". Of course it was - so we turned around and went back through the pay station....only to somehow end up going the same direction again! After about another 30 minutes we had the same conversation - a little like "Groundhog's Day"! We again turned around, only this time I was so flustered I pulled right in front of the biggest Mercedes Benz truck that I have ever seen (on my side) and some sort of car on Mollie's side. I swear - there must be someone watching over us, because I am fairly certain that the appropriate response at a time like that is not killing the car, closing your eyes and praying that you made it through! I am still not sure that is the appropriate reaction during a time like that but it seemed to work. I am fairly certain that as we continued on, the truck driver was not saying "have a great day", but whatever - we were still in business.
We decided to get off the Autostrada as it had not been our friend that afternoon, and ended up on the Amalfi Coast drive, which if your nerves are already shot is not a good thing. We finally stopped and asked a nice looking gentelman "sa dovey andiamo Sorrento?" Of course he did. I had to ask him to speak slowly, but did pick up the word "doppo", which for the record was not a personal reference to either of us, but rather telling us that we needed to go all the way back to Pompei! No worries as it wasn't that far! We got to Sorrento and finally had to ask again for directions to the hotel. Neither of us could understand that one so we were on blind luck which low and behold worked again like magic! A lot of that on this trip!
We were both so tired, but decided that we needed dinner so, we went down to the hotel restarant and decided to order fish dishes. Mollie chose the king prawns and I went with the sea bass pasta. I was giggling when I saw Mollie's plate coming with the eyes staring right up at her! Little did I know that her hystarics were due to the entire fish sitting on my plate! Fortuntately they did the whole deboning thing for me...Mollie - not so much! She was a trooper though and after making friends with her prawns, we ended up truly enjoying the meal!
Today we did nothing, except for lay out in the sun on the Amalfi Coast and it was glorious! We took naps, ate lunch, chatted, people watched and rested up for tomorrow which will be Capri and Ana Capri! We are both looking forward to it. Now we are off to explore the evening in Sorrento and hopefully have a little dinner- something that we don't have to introduce ourselves too!
Boneserra from the sisters until domani!
The Sisters are coming to you from bella Sorrento! I must apologize up front as we are at an internet cafe and the keyboard is not familiar so I may just wing it and hope that you understand.
Yesterday was a driving day that turned into an adventure (I am sure no surprise for most of you) We started out early heading south to Sorrento and made a couple of "little stops" along the way. The first was in a walled city that I have been to several times, but of course Mollie had not. Monteriggioni is a classic example of a walled or forted city although very small. I believe that the current residency there is about 40, but low and behold they have a five star hotel and one of my favorite wineries there! There is also my favorite hidden garden so it was a fun little stop! We hopped back in the car and drove like the little demons we are and made it all the way to Napoli when what did we see? A sign that said "Pompei"! Well...what are a couple of adventurous gals with nothing but time on their hands to do but turn right! We went to the ruins and spent about an hour and a half just wandering. I am always amazed to see what came before us and the incredible architecture that is remaining. I will never understand how these people were able to create such magnificent structures without all of the benefits that we have today. Clearly not enough time to see everything, but it was a nice stop and gave a taste of the ruins.
We jumped back on the Autostrada and this is where we made our first (of many) directional mistakes. Unfortunately, we did not realize that we had jumped back on past our exit to Sorrento. We drove for about 30 minutes and looked at each other to say - "this feels like more than 15 km". Of course it was - so we turned around and went back through the pay station....only to somehow end up going the same direction again! After about another 30 minutes we had the same conversation - a little like "Groundhog's Day"! We again turned around, only this time I was so flustered I pulled right in front of the biggest Mercedes Benz truck that I have ever seen (on my side) and some sort of car on Mollie's side. I swear - there must be someone watching over us, because I am fairly certain that the appropriate response at a time like that is not killing the car, closing your eyes and praying that you made it through! I am still not sure that is the appropriate reaction during a time like that but it seemed to work. I am fairly certain that as we continued on, the truck driver was not saying "have a great day", but whatever - we were still in business.
We decided to get off the Autostrada as it had not been our friend that afternoon, and ended up on the Amalfi Coast drive, which if your nerves are already shot is not a good thing. We finally stopped and asked a nice looking gentelman "sa dovey andiamo Sorrento?" Of course he did. I had to ask him to speak slowly, but did pick up the word "doppo", which for the record was not a personal reference to either of us, but rather telling us that we needed to go all the way back to Pompei! No worries as it wasn't that far! We got to Sorrento and finally had to ask again for directions to the hotel. Neither of us could understand that one so we were on blind luck which low and behold worked again like magic! A lot of that on this trip!
We were both so tired, but decided that we needed dinner so, we went down to the hotel restarant and decided to order fish dishes. Mollie chose the king prawns and I went with the sea bass pasta. I was giggling when I saw Mollie's plate coming with the eyes staring right up at her! Little did I know that her hystarics were due to the entire fish sitting on my plate! Fortuntately they did the whole deboning thing for me...Mollie - not so much! She was a trooper though and after making friends with her prawns, we ended up truly enjoying the meal!
Today we did nothing, except for lay out in the sun on the Amalfi Coast and it was glorious! We took naps, ate lunch, chatted, people watched and rested up for tomorrow which will be Capri and Ana Capri! We are both looking forward to it. Now we are off to explore the evening in Sorrento and hopefully have a little dinner- something that we don't have to introduce ourselves too!
Boneserra from the sisters until domani!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Something about last night (and then today)
So as Laura posted we had a fabulous day trip yesterday through the Chianti region, where of course we had to have some wine (and a beer for some reason). When we got home, we cleaned ourselves up and went to have a light supper---had to make it an early night because we had a big day planned for today which I'll get to in a minute. Well the Chianti Gods followed us back to Volterra and our "light dinner" turned in to three great bottles of wine, some cheese with honey and some crostini with different spreads on it (not so good turned out one of the spreads ended up being pureed wild boar, I knew immediately something was amiss when my glads started tingling, but I cowgirled up and ate it). We seemed fine while sitting in the middle of the beautiful piazza a soft warm wind blowing while we knocked back our last glass, emptying bottle three. I decided to do some drunk dialing (from Italy to the US and to Laura's friend not mine---it seemed like a great idea at the time). As we rose to make the short jaunt back to our hotel something just got us laughing hysterically, could of been that we were two sisters of certain ages holding hands like little girls or the way people were watching us, who knows or cares reality was we were having a blast. We get back to the hotel trying desperately to regain some semblence of composure, but that only made us laugh harder. It was only 10:00 so we decided to do a facial mask. Then we get the great idea that we need to take our show on the road and in full facial mask, the Chianti courage kicks in and we pull out my Flip Video camera to make our audition reel for Ellen DeGeneres. Off to her website they went and if we have our passports revoked upon reentry to the US we'll know who to call---our parents of course!
So on to today...today was our day to go to Firenze and see the legendary statues and paintings from centuries gone by. In a word---Breathtaking. We've all seen pictures of "The David", but to see him in all his marble glory was truly phenomenal. I wondered if it is something that could be recreated today, I really don't think so! Then off to the Uffizi gallery where we were greeted by some of the most amazing works of art the world has ever known (one of my personal favorites being "The Birth of Venus"). One thing struck me profoundly and that was the fact that the frames which held these paintings were as awe inspiring as the artwork itself and yet not one single mention on who created the frames! A big oversight in my opinion.
After we got some culture we got our shopping on. Neither of us went crazy but we found some great deals on italian leather goods and must e & Gabanna Sunglasses.
Wiped out after the day (and preceding evening) we stopped in our little town of Volterra for a lovely dinner and then back to our room to prepare for a big day of driving tomorrow as we head to Sorrento (no wine tonight).
Until next time,
Mollie & Laura
So on to today...today was our day to go to Firenze and see the legendary statues and paintings from centuries gone by. In a word---Breathtaking. We've all seen pictures of "The David", but to see him in all his marble glory was truly phenomenal. I wondered if it is something that could be recreated today, I really don't think so! Then off to the Uffizi gallery where we were greeted by some of the most amazing works of art the world has ever known (one of my personal favorites being "The Birth of Venus"). One thing struck me profoundly and that was the fact that the frames which held these paintings were as awe inspiring as the artwork itself and yet not one single mention on who created the frames! A big oversight in my opinion.
After we got some culture we got our shopping on. Neither of us went crazy but we found some great deals on italian leather goods and must e & Gabanna Sunglasses.
Wiped out after the day (and preceding evening) we stopped in our little town of Volterra for a lovely dinner and then back to our room to prepare for a big day of driving tomorrow as we head to Sorrento (no wine tonight).
Until next time,
Mollie & Laura
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