European Discovery

All have arrived without a hitch.  We have Susan, Todd, Anita, Chris and Rod; a great group and full of plenty of energy and enthusiasm.

Susan, Todd and Anita arrived yesterday and I picked them up at the CDG airport.  I told them before we left that Versailles might be closed on our free day(because of a French rail strike) and sure enough, it will be so

Chris, Rod, Anita, Me, Susan and Todd at Petit Bofinger

they decided to head out to Versailles and see it on the day that they landed from their US flight.  They did it!!  Saw the gardens, the palace, the works after a 7 hour overnight flight.   I took Chris and Rod for a tour around our neighborhood; The Marais and the weather was beautiful.  We all got together at my regular bistro for dinner and it was yummy as usual and everyone stayed awake.

The next day was our full day of Paris.  In the morning it was a historic tour of the center of Paris and Notre Dame with our local Parisian guide, Patricia.  She

Patricia talking to our group about history of Paris

did a wonderful job explaining the sites and the history of Paris; wars, be-headings, kings, Romans, the works.   We had lunch in a small cafe because the weather turned a bit rainy and cold so my usual outdoor place in the Tuileries would not work.  We then met my regular guide Dominique at the Louvre(she broke her foot so could only see us for a short walk).  She explained more about the origins of Paris and the Louvre as a palace and medieval fort.  We then went straight into the Louvre(no waiting) and she gave a wonderful introduction to the palace itself and the biggy items such as the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa.  The group then could explore the Louvre as long as they wanted to.

I gave the option to see more sights of Paris so I picked Todd, Susan and Anita up and we went down to the Champs Elysee and the Arc de Triomphe.  Todd and Susan I think ran up the 300 some odd stairs for the fantastic view while Anita and I stayed down and observed the 12 lanes of traffic that come in the circle around the arc and not crash into each other.  Then off for a glass of wine on the Champs Elysee.

Eiffel Tower sparkling at night Video A break for dinner and then off to see the Eiffel Tower as the sun sets so we can see it in the light and then see it sparkle.  It sparkles every hour for 5 minutes and has been doing this since 2000.  It is a sight every time I see it.  Todd, Susan and Anita went to the top and Chris and I headed back to the hotel for a late dinner of some Parisian comfort food(Boeuf Borgeneogn?) (spell check does not work on French words)

O.K. I admit, I am writing this conclusion to our tour after I have returned to the US, but I wanted to finish it and add a few last photos for the group.

Our four lovely ladies at the first rest break heading to Positano

Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast have to be one of the most beautiful places in all of Italy and that is saying something.  When we arrived it was gray and windy but we woke up to a beautiful blue sky.  Our drivers picked us up at the hotel at 9:30 for our private drive around the Amalfi coast.  Carmello Monetti(one of the drivers and a non-stop talker and adorable “little old” man) had told us that he prayed to the goddess and she promised him beautiful weather for us.   The road is very, very curvy and very narrow.  I would never recommend for any non-native to drive this road.  There is no where to park and if you drive, it is so white knuckle that no one can really enjoy the scenery.  We made lots of stops to get out and get air and appreciate the spectacular scenery along the way.  I was in the Jaguar(small car) but got to hear already about Carmello and his flip-book(which I did see last year) where he talks all about who has driven and who has been to Amalfi and lots of interesting facts along the way.  Sherri and Joe wanted him to keep his hands on the wheels and watch the road while they watched the scenery but he continued joyfully talking about his beautiful Amalfi with hands a fly’n.

Looking down on Positano

We stopped in Positano for a break and some shopping.  This is a fantastic little town filled with everything lemon.  It is built into the hill so everything goes either down or up; no level.  Everybody slowly wandered down to the beach and back shopping, snacking, viewing; fantastic.  I spent most of my time on my cell phone trying to fix a money problem caused by my Euro ATM card being eaten by a bank in Rome and the bank not giving it back to me.  My morning was saved however, by Susan S. showing me that she had found some beautiful olive oil and balsamic vinegar containers(I told her I wanted some) and indeed, they were perfect and I bought them.

The beach at Amalfi

We then went on to our lunch location in Ravello.

Amalfi Viagra Naturale

This small village is a bit higher up on the hill right after you go through Amalfi.  We had lunch in a little mom and pop place right on top of the hill that Carmello chose for us.  The view was incredible and the food lovely.  We then wandered around Ravello for a bit.  After Rovello headed back down for Amalfi.  The road is so tight and narrow here that the big buses have to make 3 point turns to get around some of the corners so it is a bit slow going.  We stopped in Amalfi for some more shopping and GELATO!!  The girls had been saving up not having any gelato that day(usually they had it 2 times a day) so they were due.  Our driver showed us the best spot and indeed it was fantastic. I had a dark chocolate that was so rich it tasted like my favorite dark bar stirred up and frozen.   We also had some time to do some more wandering through a beautiful church and little alleyways and of course, more shops.  Sherri found an interesting display for the Amalfi version of Viagra which I posted here.

As we finished up in Amalfi and our drivers had somehow found out from the other drivers in Amalfi that the road between Positano and Sorrento had been closed due to a rock fall so that we had to drive around.  So….we drove the even curvier road up and over the mountain to where we felt like we were on top of the world.  Even our little Jaguar was feeling a little queasy but we made it just fine.

Sorrentos Marina Grande at night where we had dinner

The entire next day of the tour was a free day where they could do anything that they wanted to do.  A couple of folks went out to Capri on the ferry to do some walking, looking around, enjoy the water.  Susan and Joe were going to stick around Sorrento but they decided with no

Our last dinner at Delphinos on the water

help at all just to go out to Capri and have a little adventure.  I was so proud of them doing this on their own.  The Blue Grotto was closed though because of rough water so that was a bummer.  Don and Judy did laundry and relaxed by the pool as they were continuing to Paris after the tour.  In the evening we all got together for our good-bye dinner down at the Marina Grande at one of my favorite little no nonsense seafood restaurants; Delphino’s.  We stuffed ourselves with wonderful grilled veggies, specialty Risotto, fresh swordfish/seabream and of course wine to wash it all down.  It was a stiff hike up the hill to get back into town but it was good for digestion.  I said good-bye to everyone that evening(even though I saw some in the morning) and it was rather sad as they were a FANTASTIC group of people.  I hope they all come back to Italy some day.

Before I complete our last few days I have to add our celebrity sighting that I completely forgot about.  It was the night that we ate dinner at Maccheroni near the Pantheon(yes the one with the pirate waiter).  We were sitting outside and all of a sudden Judy(who loves movies) said “Hello, that’s ” and started waving to someone with a big smile on her face like her best friend was walking through the door.  I looked over my right shoulder and it was James Cromwell(actor in LA Confidential and Babe to just name a few movies).  He smiled an nodded at us(and especially Judy still waving and still smiling) and went into the restaurant.  We did not see him again so they must have taken him to a more private room.  The others figured if “that actor” eats here then the food must be good.  I could have told them the food was going to be good

This kind of reminded me of last year when I saw Italy’s Prime Minister; Silvio Berlusconi in just about the same spot but he was coming out of the fancy seafood place across the street.  The Italian ladies from the next table that I had been talking with all evening and I decided to get up and follow/stalk him to get a picture but that is another story…..

A couple I snapped(getting engaged) at the Trevi fountain in Rome

I find myself finally able to catch up today.  On day 8 we took the train from Siena to Rome via Florence.   We road the small regional train to Florence(about 1.5hrs) and then the ES(EuroStar) train from Florence to Rome(about 1.5hrs).  I was very proud of my group when we arrived into Rome.  I always take a taxi from the train station to the hotel and invariably, if we act as a group, the taxi drivers try to rip us off no matter how much Italian I use or how I know very well how much it should cost.  On the train I asked the group to divide into groups of 3 people and pretend they did not know the others, get in the cab from the taxi line and show them the address directly without speaking.  I know it is a weird request but they all did it and today, IT WORKED.  Everyone got a good price from the meter which I think is a first.  After lunch and a rest, I offered to take everyone on a highlights orientation walk of Rome.  We started with the Campo di Fiori, then Piazza Navonna, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and then the Spanish Steps.  Bernini’s Fountain of the 4 rivers was finally not under scaffolding this year and it looked fantastic. Don had a book which talked about the “monster” great photo op so we walked a different way to the steps and found a fantastic building with a doorway that looked like a monster but unfortunately, under renovation so no photos.

Sherry and our pirate waiter with Brenda looking on

After our walk we rested and then went to dinner at a little restaurant that I like near the Pantheon called Maccheroni.   It was fantastic and everyone loved everything and we got to sit outside.  The waiter was just a crack up and a huge flirt.  He took a liking to Sherri flurting all evening long and he gave us a free primi of homemade ravioli stuffed with 4 cheeses and a wonderful zucchini flower sauce; yummnnn.

The next day was on to follow in the steps of Ceasar and tour through ancient Rome; in particular the Colosseum and the Forum.  The day was beautiful amazingly enough because we had rain, thunder and lightning the night before that woke everyone up. We met Tosca at the Colosseum at 9:30 after a short walk from our hotel.  There are 3 guides in www.walksinsiderome.com that I use and finally I get to meet the last one; Tosca.  We started with the Colosseum which is actually named Flavian Amphitheater but has had a nickname of the Colosseum because of a giant 120ft statue of Emperor Nero(later turned into Apollo) that used to be nearby.  The colosseum was completed in 80AD and took only 10 years to build and is the largest building every built by the ancient Romans. To me, it is one of the most incredible buildings in the world and shows the amazing engineering and architectural feats of the Romans which were forgotten for over 1,000 years.   Even today, the colosseum has fewer working toilets than it did 2,000 years ago!  After the Colosseum, we walked next door to the Forum which as of last year, requires a ticket

Our group inside the Colosseum

for entrance.  I always reserve my tickets in advance so we do not wait in line.

We visited the main Roman Forum starting with arch of Titus, temple of Augustus and Faustina, Julius Caesars grave, temple of the vestal virgins and then finishing with the arch of Septimus and Severus.  One of the things that amazed the group was that we were literally walking on the same stones as Caesar; the basalt road is still there 2000 years later.  It is quite funny to think that all of this was buried by dirt and used as a cow pasture until tentative excavations were done in the 1800’s.  It is also a kind of “archeological soup” as there are ruins from many centuries all in one place and earlier excavators mixed them up a bit.  Tosca was wonderful and with the help of a great book which shows what it looks like today and then an overlay of what they think it looked like 2000 years ago the group really could imagine the magnificence of what Rome would have been like back then.

We then walked the “several” steps up Capitoline Hill(designed by Michelangelo) and then down and around, finishing with Trajans’ column and in front of the monument to Vittorio Emmanuel II, Italy’s first unification king.   I took Don, Judy, Susan and Joe to Rosso Pomodoro for the best pizza in Rome(and also fantastic salads).  The other ladies had heard from a friend of Sherri’s that they had to visit the “keyhole”. I asked Tosca where in the world this was and she showed me on my map.  They decided to walk down to that after having some lunch.   I know this sounds wierd but it is a keyhole(literally) through a gate of the Villa of Malta on the Aventine Hill that is suppose to have the most amazing views of St. Peter’s dome.  After a little adventure with some local police/guards to help them find it when only 5 feet away, they said it was incredible.  Their photos could not really do it justice but I will have to try it next time for sure.  This link and photo is not bad; Villa Malta keyhole.   A great day except for Sherri’s foul looking blisters.

An interesting title?  Yes, we have had a couple of interesting days.  First of all the trip to the emergency room in Siena.  I will not go into details but in short both Brenda and Susan K. had some health issues and it was late in the evening with no regular pharmacies open.  They ended up going to the hospital emergency room(as that is what is open with a doctor) and were seen and have received medications.  They both seem to be doing better now and were treated well and found the service professional, fairly quick and could communicate in English.   I am very relieved as this is not the first tour person that has gone to this hospital(both turned out fine).

Famous dome of the cathedral in Florence

In the morning we took the public bus from Siena into Florence and met our guide Paola at the Accademia to learn about the greatness of Michelangelo and the time that he lived and worked.  The group loved him and Paolo who explained everything to clearly and easily and with such passion.  They said that they ended up getting many “strangers” trying to join the tour and listen to her.  The group was in awe of the beauty of the David.  We then went on a walk around the center of Florence which is in itself one giant outdoor museum.  The weather was beautiful again and not too hot.  We visited the Duomo and got to pop inside and learned of the building and of it’s famous dome by Brunelleschi completed in 1436. I find it amazing to think that they built this church without a dome because no one knew how to do it and they decided to wait 75 years for someone to be born that could.  It is still today the largest masonry dome in the world.

My Florentine art critics in the Uffizi

After the tour we said good-bye to Paola and went for a quick pizza, pasta lunch and sit down.  After lunch it was on to the Uffizi.  I think this is one of the greatest art museums in Europe.  My favorite room is the one with the Botticelli’s(Primavera and the Birth of Venus) where I could just sit for hours.  I gave my group two hours which is not really enough time to see everything but is enough so that they will be too tired if they stay longer.  They did enjoy it but by the end were getting a little art overloaded.  They decided to all have a sit-down and take a photo for me of them performing at their best in the Uffizi. Thank you to Judy for her photo. It is a busy but satisfying day.  We then walked back to the bus station along the open market that surrounds the San Lorenzo church.  They have wonderful leather, scarves, etc and I think Susan S. wins for purchases that day with a handful of beautiful Italian scarves.   After a rush to get to the bathroom before our bus left, and then a longer bus ride than expected, we got back to Siena pretty exhausted but had a wonderful day.