Ciao, Italia! - Page 3

**Captain Larry** · 10-29-2007, 10:18 PM

Day 17 (Day 13), Thursday, May 24, 2007 – Another Lazy Day

We also opted to skip the Carara marble Quarry optional tour today. We went to breakfast about 8:00 AM. About 8:30 we went looking for the so-called "farmers’ market." After walking about one mile we fount the market but few if any farmers. There were probably a couple of hundred booths and less than a dozen sold foodstuffs. All the rest were clothing, jewelry, pots and pans, etc. It was really a waste of time for us and it was a mile back to the hotel.

We rested in the air conditioning of the hotel room and then went out to the grocery store. On the way back we bought two tomato and mozzarella sandwiches. About 1:00 PM we went out to the park to sit in the shade, but when we heard thunder we started back. We took the time to go to Biondi, a restaurant near Piazza del Popolo, where we got the best gelato we’ve had yet anywhere.

Back at the hotel we sat on the patio for a while, even when it rained briefly. We were under an umbrella. We went back to the room to get ready for the dinner outing. At 6:15 PM we boarded the bus to ride to Lucca to a restaurant named Il Poggio, The Terrace. The hostess, Elaina, gave us a very entertaining talk about the preparation of the food. The food was good, but there was not quite enough of it.

There was a singer/DJ entertaining and they tried to get people dancing. It was very hot in the restaurant. They pushed the wine hard, and some of it was not bad. A couple of the types were pretty bad. At the first opportunity we escaped outdoors.

At 9:00 PM we boarded the bus for the ride back to the hotel. Pilar put some music on the bus’ CD player and we had a sing-along. That was the end of another easy, restful day. Tomorrow starts a run of hard days.

**Captain Larry** · 10-29-2007, 10:19 PM

Day 18 (Day 14), Friday, May 25, 2007 – Optional Lucca & Pisa Tour

Today we took the optional tour to Lucca and Pisa. We went to breakfast about 7:45 AM and were at the bus at 8:30. It was less than thirty minutes to Lucca where we met our guide, Ria.

Lucca has a complete medieval wall. Since the wall was built the city has never been attacked and Napoleon’s sister, whom he installed as Duchess, protected the wall. We walked along the wall for a while and then through the church of San Frederino, or St. Freddy. We visited several other important sites and then had an hour to explore on our own before lunch.

When we got back together, Pilar led us to the restaurant. After walking several blocks, a phone call, and consultation with some citizens, she led us back past the spot where we started and down a different street. We finally got to the restaurant where we had a very good salad, an okay "spelt" soup, and a fresh fruit and gelato dessert.

Then we went to the bus. Another half-hour and we were in Pisa. It had been getting hot in Lucca and it was miserable in Pisa. We got off the bus and rode the "choo-choo" train into Pisa. Actually, in the German of the manufacturers, the train was the "tschu-tschu."

We got off the tram and then ran the gauntlet of vendors, mostly African, selling knock-offs of everything imaginable. We were instructed to not make "visual or physical" contact. We didn’t and we weren’t bothered. An Italian walking along at the same time stopped to examine a watch. He said no, but was hounded by that vendor and numerous others until we were out of sight.

Once inside Miracle Square we saw the leaning tower and the outsides of the Baptistry and the Cathedral. Pilar got a group ticket that admitted us all (19) into the cathedral. It was nice, but the coolness was what we appreciated most. We took pictures, bought post cards, and went back to the city gate to meet our group for the trip back to the hotel.

Then came a reverse of the way we got there. We ran the vendor gauntlet again, rode the "tschu-tschu" again, and finally got to the bus. Forty-five minutes later we were back at the hotel. After an hour’s nap (I slept but Mary couldn’t) we went out to look for dinner.

At the Corsaro Verde, I had pizza diavallacci (with pepperoni) and Mary had a calzone naturale (ham and cheese). Mine was pretty good and hers was better. While we were eating Pilar came by and introduced her husband, Maurizza.

After dinner we got some gelato and went back to the hotel to get ready for an early start tomorrow.

**Captain Larry** · 10-29-2007, 10:20 PM

Day 19 (Day 15), Saturday, May 26, 2007 – Florence City Tour

We went to breakfast at 7:00 AM since we were to meet the bus at 7:45. We had the included tour of Fierenzi (Florence) today. At breakfast there was discussion of whether men could enter the churches wearing shorts, so I went back and changed to long pants to be safe.

We rode the bus about one hour and then transferred to a "shuttle" bus. We all expected the shuttle to be small, but it was the same size and configuration as our touring bus. It is, however, owned and operated by the city bus line, and it is cheaper and more convenient for GCT to rent the special bus than to purchase permits for the tour bus to enter Florence.

We were delivered to the vicinity of the train station and then walked a few blocks to the square containing the duomo, the cathedral. There we met Nedo, our special guide for Florence. We also got maps. We looked at the "Doors of Paradise" on the Baptistery and at the façade of the duomo. Then we moved to where we could get a better view of the dome and the bell tower.

From there we wound around some streets and squares with Nedo telling us the significance of each. We finally got to Piazza Santo Croce. There we toured the Church of the Holy Cross where Nedo explained things in excruciating detail.

From the church we went directly to the Misuri Leather Factory. They had fine quality leather and gold goods for sale at fine quality prices. Even the GCT discount and the VAT refund did not make them reasonable for us.

We hooked up with Paul and Nancy Clark and together we walked to the Arno River. We crossed the river on the Ponte Vecchio and settled into a sidewalk restaurant, not directly on the street, and had a light lunch. It was kind of expensive but good.

We then had three hours to kill and we had already done everything we wanted to do. We finally found the shady side of the church and sat on the steps to watch the world go by for an hour.

When everyone got back together we reboarded the Site (city) bus and rode to the Michalangiolo (the Florentine spelling) Belvedere Overlook for some panoramic views and pictures of Florence. We saw some other points of interest including the Protestant Cemetery where Elizabeth Barrett Browning is buried.

We got back to our regular tour bus and were back at the hotel by about 5:30 PM. At 7:00 we went down to meet with Pilar about the Siena trip for tomorrow. She needed a minimum of twenty and originally had 22. But four had dropped out so she was planning to tell us that we would have to pay €10 more per person, €55 instead of €45. But Larry and Virginia Loeffler decided they wanted to go since they had been sitting out a couple of tours due to Larry’s illness. That again made 20, so all was well.

We calculated how much Euro currency we needed and decided that we needed €260 more than we already had. We went to the Bancomat and got €150. We didn’t want to have too much in case the Siena trip was cancelled.
We then went to the Tuscan Buffet at the hotel. The food was good, but not great, but we got our €20 worth. Then we turned in for the night.

**Captain Larry** · 10-29-2007, 10:24 PM

Day 20 (Day 16), Sunday, May 27, 2007 – Optional Siena Tour

We ate breakfast about 8:00 AM and boarded the bus at 9:00 AM for the trip to Siena. This was a special trip organized by Pilar and Stefano but not specifically authorized by GCT. The total cost was €900, so it was €45 each for the 20 of us going. We paid Pilar the money on board the bus. This was a trip we wanted to take, but GCT had dropped it from the itinerary.

The ride to Siena was about 90 minutes. We got to Porta Roma, the Roman Gate, where we had to leave the bus. We walked probably a kilometer, up hill then down hill then up hill again, and finally down hill again to arrive at Il Campo. Il campo is the central "square" of Siena. I put square in quotes because it is really not square. It is shaped like a scallop shell.

Pilar pointed out some points of interest on the way and was describing how the annual horse race is run in Il Campo when we heard drums. Pretty soon a group of drummers and flag twirlers came from a side street into the square. They were in costume, Medieval costumes, and they represented the Dragons, one of the 17 districts of Siena. They were celebrating the feast of their favorite saint.

Then a group of women marched into the square singing to a bunch of men who were already there. The men sang back to the women. It was the celebration of a Dutch couple who had just renewed their wedding vows.

We found a sidewalk café at which we sat and drank some Diet cokes. We paid a rather high price, but that got us use of the bar’s restrooms and seats at a table in the shade. From our seats we could observe the square and the people, mostly tourists, who were parading around.

We heard sirens and saw two Polizia motorcycles lead a parade of motorscooters and cars through the square. They were Siena football (soccer) fans with a pregame celebration for that afternoon’s big game with Lazio. Lazio is the state in which Rome is located. Lazio had one of the best teams in the league, and Siena had to win to stay at level A. If they lost they would drop to level B.

At 12:30 PM we met our guide, Marila. We walked while she talked. It is a delightful city and there were few tourists. We visited a couple of churches, including the main cathedral. This being Sunday, we could not enter the cathedral until 1:30 PM when the mass was over. We stood in line waiting.

About 1:15 PM it started to rain, hard. Several members of our group had small umbrellas. Mary and I had a waterproof jacket and a poncho – on the bus! By putting all the umbrellas together, nobody got very wet, but nobody stayed really dry either. Then we found out that the archbishop was doing the mass and he was notoriously long-winded. We got into the church about 1:45 PM.

Marila led us around the cathedral, continuing to talk all the while. Then she left us. Pretty soon we also left the church and made our way back to Il Campo where we were to meet at 3:00 PM.

About 2:40 Mary got a slice of pizza and I got a ham sandwich. We split a Diet Coke. Then we found out that the table in front of the shop where we bought the food belonged to some other restaurant and we were not allowed to sit there, even after I promised to order something from that store. That, plus the inedible ham sandwich, put me in a bad mood for an hour or so.

By the time we got back to the bus I had cooled off some. All told, I guess we walked about 4 – 5 kilometers, and stood most of the time we were not walking. I could barely keep my eyes open on the bus ride back to Montecatini.

We got back to the Erculini at 5:00 PM and were to meet with Pilar at 7:00. I don’t know if I napped, but I rested.

At 7:00 PM Pilar said her good-byes, officially, gave us some papers and some gifts, and introduced Andre Sandi, "Andy Sandy", who would be the Program director for the Venice extension.

Then we went to the fairwell dinner. Everything was pretty good. They brought out the baked ham with flaming sparklers while the musician at the keyboard played "Stars and Stripes Forever", or a reasonable facsimile thereof. That was to help us celebrate our Memorial Day Holiday.

After dinner we talked and some couples danced. We went back to the room to pack and get ready to leave the next morning.

**Captain Larry** · 10-29-2007, 10:25 PM

Day 21 (Day 17), Monday, May 28, 2007 – Bus Ride to Rome

I set the alarm for 6:00 AM. We supposedly had a wake-up call for 6:30 but the phone never rang. We closed up our suitcases and put them out at 7:15, and they were quickly removed. We had breakfast, picked up our hand luggage, and went down to get ready to go. I had paid our hotel bill last night. We were ready.

There were 18 of us going to Rome. The other 24 were going to Venice for the extension. Of the 18 going to Rome, 6 were going on to Sicily for a back-to-back tour. One couple would spend three nights in Rome and then go to Vienna to begin the Great Rivers of Europe River Cruise. The other 10 of us were going home.

Some members of the Venice crowd were there to see us leave in a light rain. Pilar was with us as was Stefano, our bus driver for the past week.

The four-hour trip was uneventful. At the rest stop I bought a Coke Light, worth €2, with a €50 bill. I don’t know if the cashier would have protested, but I "disarmed" him by saying "mi dispaccio", which I think means "I’m sorry." He smiled, put the €50 in a machine that scans for counterfeits, and gave me 4 – €10’s, a €5, a €2, and a €1.

Just as we got to the outskirts of Rome we encountered a rather severe thunderstorm. It was still raining and blowing when we left the bus and entered the hotel. Stefano got the bus as close as possible to the front door of the hotel. This was, of course, back at the Nova Domus. We got our key to room 205, next door to the room we had before.

At 2:00 PM we gave Pilar the Whispers, her gratuity, and our MasterCard number for the $500 worth of optional tours we had taken. Since it was still raining we went to lunch in the hotel. It was not very good, but also not too expensive. We agreed to meet the Loefflers at 8:00 for dinner.

About 5:00 Mary and I went looking for a souvenir shop. We walked quite a ways, including several blocks along the Vatican wall. We found no stores that met our criteria and so went back to the hotel.

At 8:00 we met the Loefflers and went to dinner. We went first to La Florentina, but I mentioned that Pilar had recommended Termo Secco, just half a block away. We went there and 10 of our fellow tourists were already there. We had a good meal that was reasonably priced. We did stop at La Florentina for gelato.

Back at the hotel we looked at Loeffler’s itinerary for the river cruise and told them what we remembered about the tours and options. Then we finished packing and turned in.

**Captain Larry** · 10-29-2007, 10:26 PM

Day 22 (Day 18), Tuesday, May 29, 2007 – Fly to USA

We woke up at 6:45 AM without an alarm or a wake-up call. We got ourselves ready for breakfast and to put the bags out. I noticed that my denim shirt was missing. Mentally reviewing the events of the previous evening led me to conclude that I had left it in the lobby of the hotel. I went to the desk and said that I had left a blue shirt. The girl walked into the office and returned with it. I was grateful.

We had breakfast, finished buttoning up our bags, and put them in the hallway at 9:15AM. They were gone by 9:25. We went down to the lobby and I paid the hotel bill, which was €22 for yesterday’s lunch. That left me with €5 to spend at the airport.

The seven-passenger minibus was there for our luggage and us at about 9:50 AM. We said good-bye to everyone who was there, including Pilar, and started for the airport, as we supposed. We wound through extremely heavy Roman traffic and stopped in front of another hotel. The driver disappeared.

About 15 minutes later he reappeared with one more passenger. A relatively young man got on and said that he had been with a VBT tour. That’s a bicycle touring company that is also owned by GCT.

Then we went right back past our hotel again and eventually got out of Rome and on the road to the airport. When we got there I paid €1, non-refundable, for a cart to transport our luggage. Then began a series of frustrations caused by the lack of discernable directions in the airport.

British Airways baggage check desks were hard to find and once we found them we didn’t know which line to stand in. A very helpful young man came by and started taking passengers from our queue, one by one, to the check-in kiosk. There we got our boarding passes.

From Rome to London we had seats 21 A & B, window and center seat on the left side of the airplane. But there were no seats together on the Washington flight. So I took an aisle seat in the center section, right aisle, and the aisle seat in the center section, left aisle, in the row behind the first one. That’s not great, but okay.

With boarding passes in hand we stood in the queue until we could check our luggage. Our bags were checked to IAD and had the "Short" tag attached to alert handlers at LHR to the need for speed.

We went through security, which was easy. Then we rode the train to our terminal and found our departure gate, C31. I had €4 left and I spent €2.20 0n a Diet Pepsi. Someone found out, somehow, that our departure gate had been changed to C27, so we went there. I now had €1.80 left, so I went to buy a bottle of water, which cost (Surprise!) €1.80. We were leaving the Euro-spending world with exactly zero Euro in our possession.

Our plane was delayed in arriving, so we took off one hour and ten minutes late. That would make our LHR connection very iffy. On the plane, an Airbus A320, the seats were comfortable with adequate legroom. They served a snack – a pretty good sandwich and a candy bar – and drinks. The view out the window was pretty nice much of the way. I saw the coastline of Corsica and of France, and this time the snow-covered French Alps.

The purser came on the PA and said that they (BA) were aware of the potential connection problems we might have because this flight was late, He said the "ground connection" crew was working on it and would be available for assistance upon landing.

We landed at LHR exactly one hour late. Then, they could not get the walkway to move and we had to wait a few minutes for the stairs to be moved to the plane. Then down the stairs, across the tarmac, up more stairs, and then into the terminal. Then we had to go through security again. I showed the man our boarding passes and he put us through the "fast track." That saved us several minutes of standing in line.

The girl at the "Connection Information" desk said that flight 293 to Washington was also delayed and if we "ran right over to Terminal 4" we could make it, maybe. By then it was after 5:00 PM, Greenwich Summer Time. Flight 293 was due to take off at 5:10 PM but we were told it had been delayed until 5:20 PM. The bus ride from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 took 20 minutes.

Again, we didn’t run, but walked quickly. Our gate was number 25 and was at the extreme end of Terminal 4. When we got there the sign still said Flight 293 to Washington, and there was still a line for boarding. We got in line, got aboard, and found our seats. Mary was in 38F and I was in 39D. The last row that goes all the way across on the Boeing 777 is row 38. The last row in which passengers are seated, and it is only center and right side sections, is row 39. But the seats were comfortable and had a fair amount of legroom.

The flight departed LHR about 5:50 PM, 40 minutes late. I had set my watch to London time when we left Rome. Now I set my watch to Eastern Summer Time. The pilot said we had a tailwind and would make up the time. We would land at IAD on time.

I noticed in the magazine that one of the movies was "Chronicles of Narnia," so I watched it. It was pretty good. We had a very tolerable dinner while I was watching the movie. I don’t like curry so I took the "cottage pie" instead of the chicken curry. I had some red wine and it was pretty terrible compared with the Tuscan wine I had been drinking for the past week.

When the movie was over I got up to stretch, to talk to Mary, and to go to the restroom. I also got my journal, my puzzle book, and a long sleeved shirt out of the overhead bin.

On the flight from FCO to LHR the man behind me was coughing and sneezing all the way. On the LHR to IAD leg, there was a family across the aisle, every one of whom was blowing his or her nose regularly. My prospects of staying healthy for the next week were not too good.

We landed at Dulles just about the originally scheduled time. They brought a mobile lounge (bus) to the rear of the plane as well as the front. So with my very last seat in the plane, I was the first one off. While I was standing in line for immigration my cell phone rang. It was Amy checking to see if the plane was on time. I found out later that I was not supposed to turn on my cell phone until I had cleared all customs and immigration. I also found out later that Amy was already at the airport waiting for us. I thought she was calling from home.

Immigration was easy, and customs even easier. Then we went to pick up our checked bags. They were not there, but that was not unexpected. We went to the baggage claim desk and they had a computer printout with our names and other information. They knew our bags were not on our plane. When I told the lady that we were going to Greensburg the next day, she said they would send them to us by FedEx. She said that the bags might be on the next morning’s flight but more likely on the next day’s evening flight. Therefore we should look for them on Thursday.

I called Amy’s home and talked with Matt. That’s when I found out Amy was already at the airport. Matt called Amy on her cell phone and told her where we would meet her. In just a couple of minutes Amy and Gavin pulled up. Since we didn’t have our luggage we loaded quickly.

Back at the house, Brooke was still awake so we got to see all of them. Amy fixed us a chicken and bean burrito. It was very good but proved to be a little harsh for that late at night. We went to bed a little after 11:00 PM. That was about 23 hours after we got up this morning.

**Captain Larry** · 10-29-2007, 10:28 PM

Day 23 (First day after the tour), Wednesday, May 30, 2007 – Drive Home

I wasn’t keeping notes this last day, and my memories are a bit vague, but I will record what probably happened.

We got up at a reasonable time after a rather fitful night’s sleep. We got ready and left about the same time Matt left for work, even before Gavin left for school. But we got to say goodbye to everyone. Without luggage, loading the car was pretty easy.

We stopped at a McDonald’s for a quick breakfast and then drove on home. I’m sure we stopped somewhere for lunch, but I don’t remember it, and I don’t remember stopping anywhere else. I think we got home early in the afternoon and went directly to the Post Office to retrieve our held mail.

It had been dry all the time we were gone, so the lawn did not need to be mowed immediately. All we had to do to get settled in was to read the mail, buy some groceries, and respond to voice mail and email messages.

**Captain Larry** · 10-29-2007, 10:29 PM

Epilogue

Mary’s bag had apparently arrived on Wednesday because the FedEx deliveryman brought it to our house on Thursday. Everything seemed to be intact, except that the TSA lock that had been on it was missing. I would not have been surprised that her bag had been opened, but the lock being completely gone was surprising.

My bag must not have made the Wednesday flight. FedEx brought mine on Friday. The TSA lock was intact, but the bag itself and most of the contents were wet. I can only guess that it was left unprotected from the rain that was falling in London when we passed through there. But no real harm was done, and we were finally reunited with all of our possessions.

The Amalfi Coast and Tuscany Tour, more accurately, Extended Vacation, was great. We enjoyed almost every minute of it. The tour guides and bus drivers were excellent. The hotels were certainly adequate. We are certainly happy to have gone. But my Italy itch has been scratched, at least for now.

FlRic · 11-03-2007, 03:28 PM

Great review Larry..brings back many pleasant memories.

fin · 11-08-2007, 03:28 PM

Wow. That'll take a heap of readin' but I look forward to it. Have gotten sidetracked in a website filled with counterscams from people contacted y Nigerians, and it is hugely engrossing.