Rearview - Under the Tuscan Sun

[We arrived safely back home on Friday morning, and since then I've been reviewing the memories (and photos) of our trip. I am planning to record some of the memories while they are fresh on my mind, and now that I have free flowing computer and internet access, I can also add some photos too.]

It's a tough call to say what my favorite day of our trip was, since we did so many exciting things. As for favorite moments, this photo captures the essence of one of the very best. We were headed out of Tuscany on the way to a town called Orvieto, where we had reserved a room for the evening. The day in Tuscany had been amazing...everything I would have hoped for and more, so I was already feeling euphoric. We'd been observing some awesome clouds throughout the second half of our day, but they were always in the distance, providing a dramatic view, but no rain, for which we were thankful. Just as we left the Tuscan region we began to smell rain in the air. I always love the fresh smell of rain, but the scent of rain in the Tuscan hill country, after a day of fun and adventure, with the windows down and the late afternoon sun beginning to cast everything in gold quickly made it's way to the top of my list of favorite moments in the whole trip.

The experience of driving in Italy (or riding anyway) was an adventure in itself, and we spent more time laughing on that day than any other I think. David did a great job as the wheel man, and the rest of us thouroughly enjoyed taking our turns at navigating. At the beginning of the morning we purchased an atlas for Tuscany, and cracked it open, expecting to find road names and mileage notations, but finding instead a not so helpful relief map of the Italian countryside. A review of our trusty Rick Steve's book confirmed that, no, we had not bought a bum map...in Italy the roads are rarely marked with road names, but rather a plethora of signs pointing in the direction of various cities. You travel from round-about to round-about, frantically scanning what at times can be 30-40 signs to tell you which direction to take next. It's like connect the dots, and the Tuscan atlas became more useful as we figured out the method to the madness of Italian driving. We were able to identify the towns between where we were and where we wanted to be, and away we went.

The first town we hit was San Gamignano, a town with many of its historic towers still intact. It's at the top of a large hill, and the views of the surrounding countryside are really spectacular. David and Daniel tackled the stairs to the top of one of the towers and got some great photos, which I will add to this post as soon as I get them from David. Cars are not allowed in the old part of the city, and the whole town is very charming. I would love to return there one day to spend a couple of days relaxing and enjoying the views.

The next stop for us was Montalcino. By the time we reached this town, we had seen plenty of incredible countryside and we were very ready for lunch! Unfortunately for us, it was after 2pm (a.k.a 14:00), and we discovered that these small Italian towns don't have restaraunts that stay open all afternoon. Fortunately for us, we then discovered a fortress with a "snack bar" of sorts that was open, and we ended up having a really fun meal which began with a tasting of local olive oils, and ended with a tasting of local honeys.

Our next target was Montepulciano, but we were running out of time before we were due to check in at our hotel in Orvieto, so we had to just drive through that town. The actual drive between these towns was reported to be fantastic, and it did not disappoint. The only disappointment was that we didn't have more time to enjoy it. I truly hope we will be able to return one day and emerse ourselves in Tuscany for an extended time.

As for Orvieto, it was another happy surprise, with the hotel turning out to be a nice place to rest (with a very decent bathroom) at a reasonable price, and with the old part of the town at the top of a plateau above the modern city. It was in Orvieto that I had the best gelato of the trip (stratchiatella, of course!) I would revisit Orvieto just for the gelato, but the old town square and the cathedral were very quaint as well. We were there on a Friday, and it was wonderful for us to sit and watch the local children run around and around the square while their parents enjoyed gelato and friendly conversation in the cool evening. This was one of the rare (and appreciated) times I really felt that we had escaped tourist Italy and entered authentic Italy. (Not that tourist Italy is anything to complain about!)

Following a restful night of sleep in Orvieto we headed for the airport in Rome to return our rental car and experience Rome...some of that was covered in previous posts, and I'll probably add more detail later, but for now, ciao.

We are about to visit the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Cathedral, then, we're headed to the Cinque Terre on the train. I love the train days, because I get to relax and read, and glance out the window to see Europe anytime I feel like it.

This is going to be a quick entry for me, because I need to go eat breakfast. Daniel says hello. We are having a great time, but we are starting to look forward to being home too.

Goodbye for now.

Top 10 Reasons to eat at McDonald's in Rome

10. You could order McDonald's version of steak fries (but we didn't)
9. You could order McPineapple (which David did...though he will deny it, because he so badly did not want to eat at McDonald's in Italy, he's probably already blocked it out.) (And if you're wondering how we convinced him to go ahead and eat there, just keep reading, with a strong emphasis on number 2.)
8. You pay up front, and therefore are in complete control when you may leave the restraunt. We understand and even appreciate the cultural difference here, but it's hard to get used to having to ask for your check after being left alone by the server for an hour.)
7. You are just a little bit tired of fine Italian food. (Which I would not have thought possible.)
6. There is cultural enlightenment (and amusement) to be found in the comparison of speed of food service in Italy vs. at home, even at a place like McDonald's.
5. The drink is included. (!)
4. The fries taste good. (!!)
3. The menu may offer wine, but the cashier will not look down her nose at you when you do not order it.
2. The meal costs a fraction of what you would pay anywhere else (or have been paying everywhere else)
1. You can enjoy the evening while eating at a lovely outdoor table overlooking the Pantheon (some of the best restraunt real estate in Rome) and linger as long as you like.

missing posts

Good morning friends. It's Sunday morning, and we are looking forward to going to church here in Rome. This is the first time I've had more than 10 minutes to look at a computer during this whole trip, and I've noticed that a couple of posts are missing! We have been so restricted with computer time, that I failed to notice that they weren't posting. I'll try to find them in the drafts folder and restore them in a minute. However, most of the missing posts are still in my head. Here are some of the titles...I'm hoping I will be able to come back through and fill in the details (with pictures) after the trip, at least for memories for Daniel & I. Here's what we could have been blogging about:

Salzburg - A Bridge Too Far
Mullets over Munich
American Hospitality in Paris
Le'Soufle, c'il vous plait (Which Daniel could spell correctly for me, if he weren't still sleeping this morning :))
What's So Great About Paris?
Venetian Charm
The Alps by Train
Florence & the beginning of our journey to Too Much (Delicious) Italian Food
Under the Tuscan Sun (including lessons in foreign car rentals and driving in Italy)
Veni, Vidi, Vici (once again, Daniel would be able to help with spelling)

There's a ton of detail to fill in, and maybe even some other titles I should have included. Not to mention Daniel's take on things. But for now I will use a separate post to share the entry that was at the top of my mind last night...

still on the run....

to anyone who is still peeking back at what has turned out to be a rather lame travel blog, i apologize. :)

we are still running around, having fun and trying to post when we can. internet has been hard to come by, but we have it in the hotel today, so hopefully i can post more tonight.

we miss you guys!

p.s. we are in rome

Imprimis (A recovered post)

Well,

It has taken longer than I hoped to post my first blog, due mainly to the difficulty to access free internet over here.

So, as one already knows from everyone else's blog, we arrived safely in Germany and headed straight for Salzburg (home of Mozart and setting to the Sound of Music), but it was about 40 degrees and pouring rain. So after almost catching a cold by drifting around the old town looking for good German food, we ironically ended back up in the train station eating there (which was good German food). An Irish man decked out like a Lucky from Lucky Charms kept addressing me in German, though I told him in German, French, English, and even with an Irish accent that I do not speak the language. He continued to laugh and mutter German at me giving me the overall impression that I was the butt of the joke.

In preservation of time and space for you and me I will hit the main highlights thus far and hopefully provide more detailed updates.

Munich:

The main highlight of the beautiful city was eating in the huge garden located at the center. I ate schwienerschnitzl with fries. It was awesome, of course. From Munich, we took a night train to Paris.

The night train reminded me much of the portrayal of the steerage accomodations on the Titanic movie, with six short beds stacked in threes on opposite sides of the crammed cabin. I slept off and on during the bumpy ride. The main thing that disturbed sleep was sporadic stops in the middle of the night that halted the necessary white noise and the odd solar pattern here. The sun sets at about 9:30 to 10 and rises at about 5:30.

Paris:

Love the city. I wont recount the story of us missing our bike tour or rushing everywhere, but will record how we journied away from the Eiffel Tower to find a local crepe stand and enjoyed the best cappicino I have ever had while dining on the side walk of a busy Parisian intersection with temperatures in the 50s and 60s, maybe 70 a couple of days.

Musee d'Orsay was awesome and allowed us to see Van Gogh, Manet, Monet etc. Rachel and I went to Pont Neuf, mainly because I wanted to see where Jason Bourne was directing the CIA in the first movie, Saint Chapelle, and the Notre Dame, which the highlight there revolved around the Bread Festival in the front lawn where Rachel and I ate a baguette, free sugar crepes, etc.

As if that was not enough food, we grabbed a Croque Monsieur on the way back to the Louvre.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the Souffle Restaurant that Jenny took us to where we all had about 10 courses of souffle, from cheese to chocolate (dark of course). Other great dishes: onion soup, galettes, creme brulee, chocolate brioche, quiche, and, ironically, indian food.

Overall, the city excellent with perfect weather most of the year that shelters the historic city laid on cobblestones and fast, clear rivers that surround the 5-10 story buildings made of old stone and masterful architecture. I am sure that on this point alone I could elaborate an entire blog, but unfortunately, I am writing 5 days into one blog, much of which others have already mentioned.

Before I leave Paris I also want to mention going to Place de Concorde, which is where Antoinette lost her head and Madonna stays when in Paris. Also, Jenny obtained the pleasure of watching a scene shot from this plaza for the next Bourne movie that comes out soon. We saw all the shopping districts and monuments etc. that more words will only fail to describe in addition to the abridged novel I have thusfar provided, so, ask me upon return to see the pictures, which are worth 1001 words.

I will let it end at this, as we are about to journey through the alps to Italy. Hopefully I will be able to post another blog sooner so that it is not a rapid fire, bulleted list of only highlights.

On the run!!!

We're heading to the train...have to be there in just 8 minutes or so!!! we will post more about munich and our first days in europe tomorrow. i can't wait to sleep on the train....it's so exciting!

on the way (A recovered post)

well we are in the airport in chicago & everything has gone smoothly so far. daniel & I practiced italian phrases all the way from austin to houston. my brother took a long lunch to deliver us to the airport and it was great to see him for a quick hello. we're looking forward to visiting more with him and reda on the way home.

the novel thing about this post is that I'm using david's phone to write it. very cool. thanks david. :)

If you want to get another perspective on our trip, you can see davids blog at http://redskycreative.vox.com or amys blog at http://coffee_girl.pleonast.com

the beginning

05.16.2007 (or is that 16.05.2007?)

Welcome to our European vacation. Daniel's not sure if anyone will read our blog, so if you do read, consider leaving us a comment. We'd love to hear from you.

Right now we're still at home in Austin. Today's plan is to get out of here by 9:00, stop for coffee (for Daniel of course), and drive to Houston for our flight at 3:00 or so. We're traveling with another couple, David & Amy. I'm leaving last names out of this, in case any brilliant criminals scan blogs to see who's out of town and target their homes. And, for those of you who are reading and may not know me all *that* well, welcome to my mind. Those who do know me well might say that I'm paranoid. (Could it be that they're just jealous that they don't think of these things?) I say I'm prepared, and I know there are at least a few of you out there who will understand.

Along those lines though, we are very thankful to another anonymous friend, who may be reading, for house-sitting while we're gone. If we had pets or plants, they would thank you too.

I already began my transition to European time last night by staying awake until 4:30 am packing & tying up loose ends. I'm quite glad Daniel is the driver for our trek to Houston.

Back to David & Amy, they will be here any minute, so I guess I should go.

Check back soon for updates (and hopefully some photos too!)