Travel, Viagem, Viaje, Voyage, Viaggi!!!

Travel is Viagem in Portuguese, Viajar in Spanish, Voyage in French and Viaggi in Italian, all start with V. Just an observation!

I love traveling! For me traveling is dreaming, inspiring, relaxing, rewarding, unknown, adventurous and I can go on and on. But I must admit, this wasn't our first trip to Europe but this trip for over two months was all of that and more.

When I started planning this trip, I imagined the places and the experiences that will come along. It wasn't easy to plan places for accommodation, transportation, and understand required connections for so many destinations; but everything is on web. I started with a spreadsheet and added info as I found it or interested me. Some became part of our itinerary, others were discarded. Here are some of my tips:

- I bought Rick Steves travel books and I speed-read as much as possible about the destinations. But I didn't  plan the days. He is very accurate and offers great tips and even directions that help a great deal. I read in detail only as we were getting closer to the next destination to start developing a very flexible plan.

- Very important to be flexible, We don't like fixed schedules when we travel as it causes stress for both of us, but we managed and optimized time very well.

- I made sure all places we rented were close to the train station or we could take a train/subway/bus to get there. I was avoiding taxis at all costs as they could be very expensive. I checked if free Wi-Fi was available and heating as we were traveling in the winter, plus proximity to downtown. The rest was decided based on the pictures and description. It was always a gamble, but it was part of the adventure. The apartments we rented were accurate as described for the most part. When they were not, we changed our plans and moved on.

- I downloaded the Rail Planner app for the rail hub in Europe, available offline, it didn't give me prices, but it told me frequency and length of trip. Also I could use it offline. When I got to each destination I checked prices at the ticket machines to validate info to determine when we wanted to go where. The train was our main method of transportation, economical, fast, reliable, comfortable. The regional trains were not the same caliber as the international which all were impressive and faster.

- we relied on ATMs to get our cash as needed. I must say we visit many as cash didn't last long. We paid cash for everything. We certainly were more aware of the cost of things by paying cash. Keep in mind, many places didn't take credit cards, and many advertise cash only.

- we did grocery shopping at each location and had breakfast and dinner at home for the most part. It was fun to go to the store and markets. Most supermarkets were very small in all countries, but the fresh markets were all big and fun to visit. We also went to the farmers market and to the local shops like bakery, butcher, cheese, olives and many other specialty stores. 

                          

- as we planned what to do the night before, and we knew we didn't want to have a packed day, so we planned on one or two sites and a lot of sightseeing walking.

- we walked miles every day, took coffee breaks, gelato breaks, enjoyed the scenery, and watched people. We rarely took the bus unless it was very far or not walkable, and only a few times in the evening when we felt super tired. 

- We didn't buy stuff to bring home to the states as we didn't want to carry extra things from country to country.

- We traveled with one carry-on suitcase each and one hand-bag. 

- The apartments we rented had washers but no dryers. We used the washer and went to the laundrymat to dry only. We made a trip to the laundrymat about every two weeks, two loads of laundry each time and we had clean clothes again. The prices were almost the same in each country €5 for washing and €1 for drying. Industrial machines were super fast and efficient.  

- We studied and memorized a few sentences in the local language to get buy. It was fun to quiz each other. The locals smiled when they heard us trying to use their language and helped us in English whenever they could. Most, not all, spoke at least a little English so communication was never a huge problem. Besides, I speak Spanish and when all else failed finger pointing and gestures worked amazingly well!

We asked ourselves the following questions;

Looking back, What would have we changed if we have to plan it all over again?

- wouldn't have picked Cadiz as a base in Spain;  would have picked a different location, most likely a beach community close to Barcelona. Or Malaga or Marbella which was the original plan, but couldn't find a reasonable priced apartment.

- would have given Cinque Terre one day trip only and would have gone to Southern Italy.

- would have spent and extra day at Lake Como 

What are some of the "BAD" or disappointed memories?

- In Lisbon graffiti was everywhere and not pleasing to the eyes. It seems people lost their pride and the city allows it.

- finding the apartment in Cadiz was easy, we received the key in the mail in the states, but once we arrived and questioned a few things the manager was unaccomodating, no central heating, no internet, one gas heating unit that warmed up one room only and hard to operate. Very poor host, all instructions in German at the apartment (keep in mind we were in Spain), including all TV channels, the apartment itself was very nice and nicely decorated, but the owners attitude not helping made it a bad experience for us. Cadiz is off the travel list forever for us. We wish we would have picked a different base town. But Sevilla made up for it.

- the cell phone we bought only worked in Portugal. It needed a new SIM card in each country, we bought another one in Spain and then stop wasting money.

- bought tickets to the Carnavele parade in Nice and it rained, we got a refund instead. 

- Cinque Terre - nothing there besides the natural beauty, you need only one day to see the towns, unless you are a serious hiker.

What can you categorized as GOOD or unforgettable memories?

- expresso everyday for Ed and capucchino for me at a local coffe shop at €1 each

- in Lisbon the apartment owner picked us up at the airport and gave us a ride when we left. Super nice gesture. 

- meeting Britt and Marcone in Lisbon, the shop owners below our apartment. We had daily conversations when we left in the morning and sometimes in the evening plus the fabulous dinner we had with them at a great sushi restaurant the night before we left. 

- in Cadiz we had a nice conversation with a pre-med student that shared with us how bad it was to be a doctor in a socialist country. The pay is low and it's truly a vocation without monetary benefits after so many years of schooling. She said that a teacher or a government employee made the same money. 

- our hotel in Sevilla was excellent, Melia! We enjoyed it and Ed was able to watch TV in English.

- the flamenco show in Sevilla, great entertainment and delicious food.

- finding the apartment in Villefranche. It was raining when we boarded the bus at the Nice airport, we had no directions to get there, and only two bus numbers to take without knowing what stop to hop off. We asked and "voila" we learned the stop name. The old town had narrow streets winding up and down hills into hidden neighborhoods that only had walkways. Our apartment was up the hill, about two steep blocks from the harbor, nice location but not easy to find at night in the rain. We found it, but the apartment manager wasn't there. Ed sent me to ask, he didn't do it, he guarded the luggage while I rang bells on neighbor apartments and nobody answered, looked for people where there were none and finally ran into a man who let me used his phone to call Donna. The rest is history.  French people were very nice and helpful everywhere.

- seeing the Carnavele parade in Villefranche.

-  we can't forget the food in France. For us was the best of all. We remember the bouillebaise, calamari soap, olives, cheeses. The daily purchase of a french baguette is a memory in itself, the gelato in Italy we had frequently. 

- finding the apartment in Cinque Terre, climbing a very steep hill, turning where the street leveled off and turning again where the wood railing ended, and were you see the children's park, and going down on the dirt path a few steps until you found the stone steps, and go down 29 steps with our luggage wasn't easy, but we laughed between gasps for air and found the key of the apartment on the plant pot in front of it. Yes, those were the instructions!

- uncooked gnocchi, fresh pesto, fresh grated Parmesan purchased at the tiny coop store in CinqueTerre and carried up the hill and prepared it for dinner. 

- the soups I prepared without a recipe in almost every town with different ingredients. Ed loved them and me too! They were perfect for the cold weather.

- in Florence at the bed and breakfast, I couldn't go to bed without going to the dinning room to serve me the sweet wine presenred in a glass decanter accompanied with biscotti and pistachio. I got hooked. I want some now just thinking about it.

- visiting museums was not our first priority, but being in Europe you can't escape history as its everywhere and it was fascinating to see the old buildings several centuries old and the detailed architecture that took decades to finish and are still standing. We visited all the main churches in all towns and attended mass in two; in Florence and Milan (where were all the Lutherans). 

- the high speed trains were much better than flying, no waiting to board, assigned seats, no security mess, lots of leg room and plenty of room for luggage. Prices are reasonable. Food available to purchase and you can order at your seat, or you can go to the dinning car, or you can bring your own food including liquids.

- rain or weather conditions didn't interfere with our plans. We bought an extra umbrella and voila, nothing stopped us from going anywhere even with the rain.

- last but best memory: meeting Judilka, Giorgio and Isack! It was the big highlight of our trip. We had the wonderful fish soup with the dear big shrimp friend looking up out of the bread bowl at us. Judilka was our private tour guide for Padova and multilingual for Ed's benefit. Beautiful day together from beginning to end!

After talking about your experiences, do you have some observations, conclusions, or lessons?

- People in Europe live in small places. Showers are tiny, kitchens are small, clothes washer but no dryer because electricity is so expensive. This was experienced all across the south of Europe. In Portugal business owners didn't turn their lights on during the day and wrapped themselves in coats and scarfs and only turned the lights on when a customer walked in. In conclusion happiness does not depend on the size of your dwelling, it's an inner feeling and one's attitude toward things.

- Trash in all countries we stayed has to be dropped off at the city bins located on main streets or strategic spots. They were bins labeled for trash, glass, paper. Not a pretty sight on any street. We made many frequent trips to the bins. No trash pick up. 

- Dog poop everywhere on the sidewalks. You learned to walk looking down to avoid stepping in it. We don't understand why folks don't just pick it up like we do (in most places). It is funny to hear them wishing for heavy rain to clean the streets!

- Full size refrigerators are not standard. People go to the store more frequently than once a week for that reason. Frozen items are not common at the supermarket. 

- The brand selection at supermarkets is limited. Very few to choose from for all goods due to the limited space. We found prices comparable in packaged goods, but much lower in fresh vegetables.

- Tips are not required. Most restaurants have a cover charge for using the table, typically €4, plus a service charge (tip) may be added to the bill. Bread is not free, it's served but you will find it on the bill; at least €2 charge per person. We typically asked if it was included and 9 out of 10 wasn't. If we didn't want it, we sent it back. None of these charges are standard or disclosed up-front.

- Small cars everywhere and parking is not easy or cheap. Gas was at the lowest prices from €2.25 to €2.75 all across Europe. Very similar to the state prices in US$.

- All business closed, including supermarkets, during lunch hours for 2 to 3 hours. The only place we didn't see this was in Milan. Even in Venice the water taxis didn't operate at lunch hours. Major tourist areas were impacted by this. They may not lose customers as people have no choice but to wait, but restaurants may lose business as tourists may end up buying a sandwich instead of a full meal. Dinner served starting at 7pm with the exception of Spain that is typically 8pm

- trains better than planes! We love their train system and wish we had something similar in the states.

- airfares could be as cheap as trains, so depending on the distance flying could be an option like we did from Spain to France. Planes are smaller, overhead compartments smaller too, our luggage didn't fit, luckily we didn't have to pay as the luggage fees are higher.

- Bus fares average €1.50 and the ticket is good for 70 minutes hop-on-hop-off in the same direction. Can't be used to return. Similar in all countries.

- travel is fun but it's always nice coming back home. This trip was a great reminder of everything we have and gave us a better appreciation for this wonderful country we can call home. The best country of all is the United States of America. Wee really have it all and we have it easy! God bless America!!!

Last, I am glad to record that Ed's red jacket is currently "retired" and my black coat will go to the cleaners after two months of daily use.  The rest of the clothes we wore we may not wear again for a long long time. 

                 

        

We enjoyed and we learned so much that we will do this kind of trip again, we hope not to far away!

Thank you Lord for the wonderful opportunity and for bringing us home safe and sound to tell the story.

The beginning....

Welcome!

Ben-Vindo

Bienvenido!

Bienvenue!

Benvenuto!

And the end.....

Good bye!

Adeus!

Adios!

Au revoir!

Arrivederci!

Until next time.....

                            

Love you all,  

         Ed and Diana

Majestic Lago di Como - Italy

There are very few places we can call majestic. Something majestic, in my opinion, is a place that inspires you, impressive and dignified. Well, Lago di Como or Lake Como is that kind of place. It reminds me of The Fiords in Norway where I felt the same way. A place where the natural beauty leaves you speechless. All you want to do is admire it, celebrate the view, imagine the possibilities. Breathtaking feeling!

            

Lago di Como is located in the northern province of Lombardy, an hour away from Milan. Many claim the lake has the shape of a man walking and use the different parts of the body to explain the location of a specific village. It has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and celebrities and wealthy people since the Roman times. It's also a popular touristic attraction. Names you may recognize Madonna, George Clooney and Versace have homes here. It's regarded as one of the most beautiful and deepest lakes in the world.

We took the train from Milano Stazione Centrale to Varenna, one of the many villages along the shores located on the right hip. Did you find it?

                            

We sat on the left side of the train and were able to enjoy lake views along the way. We passed a bunch of little towns and an hour later we arrived to Varenna. 

Here are a few of my takes from the train...

We walked out of the train station and headed down to the Main Street toward the water. The street has arrows painted for pedestrians and after a few blocks we were by the shore. 

                       

We walked the town from one end to the other enjoying the magnificent views. There were a few tourists like us, the walk-way below is call the tunnel of love. It's narrow and takes you along the hill to the other side.

                        

Breathtaking views from every angle

We stopped for an expresso at a tiny cafe along the way along the stretch of the picture above. The only waiter was a guy from El Salvador.  Again, you hardly ever run into Hispanics, but here we are in this tiny town and I asked him what brought him there. He shared that word of mouth took him there after a friend found a job, he came and voila! Unusual as the unemployment in Italy is very high. He spoke fluent Italian and told me it was easy to learn. 

We continued our journey and ended up at a tiny little beach where I captured the fisherman above, such a peaceful site.

We decided to take the ferry to go to another neighborhood town across Varenna to a village named Bellagio. I wonder if the casino in Las Vegas with the same name took its name from this town. The next ferry was scheduled to leave in about an hour, we bought the tickets and went to a restaurant with outdoors tables in front of the harbor to grab a lunch, this time pizza. We enjoyed it while we talked to a family also waiting for the ferry. Their daughter was a student doing the famous semester abroad program based south of Rome and her parents came to visit. Every American we met during this trip had a similar story. Lucky kids having this life experience at such a young age.

The ferry arrived and we all quietly embarked and soon started heading to the other side of the lake. The ride to Bellagio took 15 minutes and the awe continued. Here is a view from the ferry arriving at Bellagio....

We walked the town up and down as this town was hilly with many steps providing spectacular views almost on evey street. Many shops were closed, but this didn't stop us from walking the town and enjoying the beautiful streets.  Here are a few takes....

                        

                         

Riding the ferry....

                     

                       

Our selfie....

                       

I may sound like a broken record, but the views were breathtaking and the people were super friendly. Leaving Bellagio.....

We will be back to tour the other villages and enjoy a few italian meals with a spritz drink. Back to Varenna via ferry. We took the 5:30 pm train to Milan from Varena and will be getting ready to return to the states tomorrow, March 11th. 

I took these pictures from the train in the ride back....

Our flight leaves at 9:15am, so we need to take the 5:30 am bus to Malpensa International Airport. Luckily our apartment is walking distance to the train station and the buses depart in front of it every 30 minutes. 

March 11th.  We woke up bright and early, had everything packed the night before, just matter of packing a few things, lock and leave the keys as instructed. The bus left to the airport on time. It was an hour ride. The Milan airport is huge and the distribution is not logical with long walks back and forth to check-in and then back to the gates. I wanted to do some shopping at the airport.... the duty free shops opened at 7am and I was able to buy a few little things to take home. 

At the Malpensa airport....

                   

      

     

   Arrivederci e grazie Italia per i tempi meravigliosi e bellissimi ricordi!!!

       Good bye and thank you Italy for a wonderful time and beautiful memories!!!

 

Milano - Fashion and Design!

Our trip is about to end, only a few more days and we are heading to Milano.

We took the train from Venezia for a two hour trip to Milano. I love the European train system, so comfortable and fast, better than flying. We arrived at the Milano Stazione Centrale, the largest rail hub in Italy. Also the most impressive train station aside from Grand Central in NY that I know of. It has four or five levels with shops and restaurants and 2 levels below for the subway. See building below, just beautiful!!!

Our apartment was located about two blocks from the train station. We had very clear instructions from Tomaso, the owner,  to reach the apartment and we walked there. Neri, his manager, was waiting to welcome us into the apartment. It was on the 7th Floor, top floor of the building, and yes the building had a tiny elevator, that  the two of us with our suitcases barely fit into. It was one of those old fashion elevators that you need to close the outer door first by hand and then close the elevator door. But, it worked and happy we had one.

                

    

The bedroom was a decent size and the bed was very comfortable with a nice down comforter. The kitchen was super tiny as well as the bathroom....but we enjoyed it. The convenience to be so close to the train station is always welcome for travelers; no taxis anywhere and easy transportation in and out the city.

Close to the apartment we found a nice caffe where we went to have our expresso and capuchino in the morning. This caffe roasted their own coffee and it had a very nice atmosphere. At the same place they prepared smoothies, a sign of more non-traditional food in a very hip city. 

Milano is a big city, and like any other big city heavy traffic. Lots of people everywhere, lines, nice shops, but a little frenzied for our taste. I guess we were impressed with small towns with charm!

We did our touring, starting with a must to see the impressive Duomo. We learned this cathedral is the fourth largest in the world after the Vatican in Rome, Westmister Abby in London and The Giralda in Sevilla. The place is huge! It has two thousand statues inside and many more outside. We stood in line to get in and Italian soldiers were handling the check-in but the line moved in fast.

I found the church a little too dark inside but remarkably beautiful. We went Sunday afternoon and attended mass in Italian, same liturgy and songs, but we wish we could have understood the sermon. From the little I could pick up, the priest was talking about the chaos going on in the world. It was packed for mass with people of all ages. The church was built to hold 40,000 people.

                               

In front of the Duomo, there is a huge piazza named "Piazza del Duomo" a place to gather and it was crowded day and night. The statue is Vittorio Emmanuel II, the first king of italy, is in the middle of the piazza.

Surrounding the piazza, there is the famous and elegant shopping area named Galleria Vittorio Emmanuel II where all famous designers have their fancy shops like Gucci, Prada, Luis Vitton, etc. The galleria has four entrances and it shapped like a square cross. It's not than big, and besides the fancy shops there are some elegant and expensive caffes and restaurants.

            

The floors of this gallery are a work of art. The ceiling is glass and iron and it has several hanging chandeliers.

Here is one of the four entrances....all have the same architecture 

                       

This is the middle of the galleria....

We are standing at the middle looking down to pick up the dome ceiling on the picture....

 We had a very nice dinner there after mass.

Crossing the gallery from side to side we found ourselves at the other end where there is Piazza Della Scala and crossing the street is the famous opera house and museum La Scala. 

If it wasn't for the language, Milan looks and feels like any other big city where people are rushing to work, buses are crowded, subways super busy and people walk fast.  It's a very cosmopolitan city, where there is a lot of wealth in banking and design and many young successful business people are attracted to the city. We found restaurants with a more eclectic menus offering big healthy salads besides the typical pizza and pasta, very hip and fast moving. No exception here as the cold weather doesn't keep Italians inside to eat, people gravitate to the tables outside and even thought outdoor prices are higher than indoors, outdoor tables have a very high demand. A few times we found ourselves being the only ones sitting inside.

Another desirable place for high fashion shopping is at the Quadrilateral, many high end stores. We visited many shops and intended to do some shopping in Milan of Italian clothes at moderate prices and Italian shoes but we remain cautious of where the items are made. Well, not to be surprised but disappointed we found many of the clothing and shoes we could afford were made in China. Needless to say no need to carry things made in China that you can find in the states. 

Milan was interesting, I heard it is a frenzy during the international design week where people from all over the world in the design industry meet. Hotels could reach $1000 per day or more and apartments advertise very high prices during this season. It's not a city a have a desire to return, glad we are able to visit it. After two days in Milan we decided to take a day trip to the Lakes, stay tuned!!!!

Meeting Judilka and family at Padova!

Andie and Hugo always talk about the grand times with their cousins growing up. Since they moved to America the relationship with them has not been so continuous, but they both cherish those times together and dream of the day they will see each other again. Their conversations on the subject are  full of fun memories and remain very alive in their minds. Among many of the cousins Andrea told us about was Judilka who lives in Italy; super smart with a PhD in Chemistry and has a very high position in the science world. She happens to be married to a very intellectual and intelligent italian with similar background, also with a PhD making a brilliant couple in all senses.

In preparation for our trip, I asked Andie to give me the contact information of her cousin in Italy because, if possible, I wanted to arrange meeting her during our time in Italy. I wrote Judilka an email to introduce myself and started a correspondence about the possibility of stopping by to meet her and her family. I found out they live in Padova and I added a stop to our itinerary. Padova is Padua in Spanish and in English.

Padova is located in northern Italy about 30 minutes west of Venice. We took the train to Padova to meet Judilka, her husband Giorgio, and their son Isack who is almost a year old. Judilka met us close to the train station; she came with sweet baby Isack in the stroller. We had a grand tour of Padova with our own personal tour guide as we exchanged information on our own lives. There was so much to talk about it, our backgrounds, lives, Andrea and Hugo's immigration to America and so little time. It was like when you meet and old friend that you haven't seen in years and want to get caught up on each other's life. It's always exhilarating when you meet new people and you already have some information on their past and their background. Judilka was as sweet as a peach and treated us like she knew us. Her baby son was a bundle of joy and he never cried during our time together. He was always smiling and when it was time to eat or sleep he didn't waste any time. We were lucky that she is multilingual and was able to speak to us in English so Ed could participate, even though she and I tried to sneak a few conversations in Spanish. 

                

It was a cold and sunny day. We walked the streets with little Isack in his stroller and got to see many sites as we learned a lot about Padova's history. It's the home of the University of Padova which is a very prestigious university funded in 1222 and was the school for Galileo, Copernicus, Dante and Petrach. Then in the XXI century intellectuals and science lovers like Giorgio and Judilka. Padova has been nicknamed the "brain of Veneto" referring to the province of Veneto as this school broke from the traditional curriculum including the Catholic constraints and open up to people of all faifhs attracting intellectuals from all Europe. Like any other school town, the city is vibrant with the students on the streets, caffes and parks. Padova, like most Italian old towns, has narrow streets, cobblestoned paveways, buildings with marble columns and highly decorated facades with balconies, columns, and arched windows.

The university main building is the old Palazzo Bo adjacent to Caffe Pedrocchio. 

The code of arms represent the prestigious families that were admitted to the University.

                            

Caffe Pedrocchio below, with its white column building, is more than a coffee shop. There are three coffee and dining areas each one decorated with one color of the italian flag. The "Sala Verde" Green Room welcomes people to come in and sit down without ordering anything. People come to this room to read the paper, meet friends, students gather to talk or write papers, and there is no time limit. The "Sala Rossa" Red Room has a big clock; it was open 24 hours in the 19th century and the clock was signature of the room. The "Sala Bianca" White Room still shows a hole in the wall (framed). It's a reminder where one of the insurgents was killed in the 1800's. Caffe Pedrocchio is an historical building with elegant settings. It was used by dignitaries then and probably now, too. 

           

                 

We continued the tour on the streets of Padova and found the historical Piazza dei Signori surrounded by historical buildings. Its in this piazza that the fresh market for herbs, fruits and vegetables is held every morning. It's left like nothing happened after all merchants are gone.

                             

One of the surrounding buildings of this Piazza is "Palazzo della Ragioni," The Palace of Reason.. in today's terms it is the Court House. The legend says that people that were going to be judged preferred to consent to guilt without being guilty to avoid the torture that went on. Can we call it reason?

As we continued to wander the piazza we decided to stop for lunch in one of the restaurants below the Palazzo Della Ragioni. Judilka ordered a Proseco for me, the typical aperitivo in Italy and baguette sandwichs made to order for each of us, molto Italiano. You tell the person making your sandwhich how much bread, type of meat, cheese and anything else. Sizes are not set, nor is the prize.

I love the overall architecture with arches, balconies and atriums. No matter what the temperature is, Europeans love to sit outdoors for coffee or a meal.  

                               

There is no town in Europe without art and we found this hall by the university displaying a very colorful collage of art right on the walls.

                            

Check the picture above and below to follow my story....it's interesting! The building in the back has a large Circa 1400 clock; it was the former palace of the ruling family. 

                       

   

The two small blue circles at the top mark the time, hour in the left and minutes on the right, 3:55pm,  The two blue circles at the bottom marked the day and month - all digitally! 5 March. Remember Europeans, and South and Central America for that matter, call the day first, then the month. The needles...I don't know....you may want to help me guess what it means. Legend tells that the person that was commissioned to design it didn't get paid, so as a revenge he left off the zodiac symbol of this person on the design.  Please note that there are only 11 zodiac signs, Scorpion takes two spaces. Must be true!

We continued to stroll the streets, this time we headed down to see the Basilica of St. Anthony. On the way there we passed another famous huge piazza-park like named Pratto della Valle. It is an oval shaped piazza with fountains, walkways, dozens of statues of Padua's eminent citizens and grass.  It's used for special events and festivals or simply to gather or take a break enjoying the scenery.

A view from the opposite side shows the Basilica of St. Anthony in the back. You can also see Ed walking back after taking his mandatory pictures.

We arrived at the impressive St. Anthony church. Like in all churches in Italy, visiting is free. The difference here is that no pictures were allowed inside.

                         

Ed sneaked the picture below, and soon he was reminded that no pictures allowed.

                      

There is a section in the church where the tomb of St. Anthony, and many others who wanted to be buried closed to him, are held and some of Anthony's body parts are displayed as relics. Body parts? Yes...his tongue and his jaw are displayed. St. Anthony is known as a powerful speaker, a miracle worker and the finder of lost articles with a strong faith in Christ. History tells that his tongue and jaw didn't disintegrate as dust like the rest of his body and many attributed this to his powerful messages. Eventhough he was born in Lisbon, he joined the Poor Franciscans and moved to Italy at the age of 25 and dedicated his life to Christ and his teachings.

On the right side of the church there is a section called The Cloisters that in the center has an enormous magnolia tree that was imported from America at the end of the 17th century. 

The sun is setting and its time to meet Giorgio, we went to have a drink and appetizers at a bar located  in front of Pratto Della Valle. I had a "Spritz" the drinking of choice in town and Judilka ordered a feast of appetizers. One of them was sardines which are very popular in Italy. Giorgio arrived and he was also fluent in English and considered himself lucky again. We centered the conversation on their backgrounds and jobs, in many instances I barely grasped. We were talking to two research scientists working in nuclear physics and the accelerators ......Ed was holding the conversation for both of us. There were times I wish I had a more broad knowledge and this was one of them. We left this place and headed down to a very famous Antica Osteria dal Capo that had on the door many awards for their food, year after year. We were welcome like they knew us. We found out Judilka and Giorgio were regulars before Isack was born. The owners speak Spanish as they are from Peru and our waitress was from Cuba, but they all spoke italian. Very unusual to find Hispanics in this part of the world. Again, more appetizers and we ordered the special..."fish soup". It truly was delicious and we had a superb evening together.

We talked about their school years in Italy, how they meet, their wedding, the baby and their current life. They are a fascinating couple with brilliant careers and a growing a family. (Ed's red jacket didn't skip above picture).

                      

    

It was time to go and we started walking towards the train station. There was a train leaving in a few minutes and we rushed to buy tickets and boarded on time. Giorgio, Judilka and baby Isack were with us until the last minute and Giorgio surprised us with a huge paper bag he handed as we said ciao. It was a beautiful almond cake shaped as a cross. We ate it for the next few days. Some told us that these are given on special occasions and they represent good luck. Not sure if this is true of not, but we considered ourselves very lucky meeting Giorgio, Judilka and baby Isack. Andrea and Hugo would be very happy we met them too. I think we have new friends and great memories for life!!! We are very thankful they made time for us while we visited Italy and we hope they will visit us here in the states. Now, I have a strong desire to learn italian, time will tell if I persuade it.

Ciao!!! Arrivederci!!!