There Goes Connie

Visiting Denver — A RANT and a RAVE

09/28/2015 By: CCPearson2 Comments

This is fresh on my mind because I returned from Denver just a week ago. The Travel Writers Conference that I attended was incredible. I’m SO GLAD I went. But in the interest of informing and helping those of you who might plan to travel to Denver in the future, I’d like to share a couple of thoughts.

First, let’s talk about FRONTIER AIRLINES. To be perfectly fair, the flights from Nashville to Denver and back were smooth, they left on time, and both of them even landed EARLY. Big pluses. However, from a booking and price perspective, I felt like I’d been “baited and switched.” The night before my flight out of Nashville, I received a confirmation e-mail from Frontier asking that I choose my seat. That was okay until I realized that the available seats had various price tags attached to them. What??? The fare that I had already paid didn’t include a SEAT??? First Class doesn’t appear to be a part of the Frontier experience (not that I’d ever be able to fly First Class anyway), but the seats offered ranged from $13 to $35 based on their degree of deluxeness, i.e. legroom. That was bad enough, but then it got worse. I was asked whether I’d be checking a bag or bringing a carry-on. As I’ve stated in a previous post here, I’m a big fan of traveling with only a carry-on. Frontier charges $25 for a checked bag and $30 for a carry-on. You have GOT to be kidding me!!! So, here I was adding an additional $43 to what I had already paid before I ever reached the airport. And, on my flight back from Denver, the seat was $20, and the carry-on was FORTY BUCKS. I kid you not. So, instead of getting a really good price for my ticket, I paid an additional $103 for my seats and my carry-on bag. Sheesh! And during the flight, the only thing free is WATER. No pretzels. Nothing. Anything else comes with a hefty fee.

I checked when I got home, and the available fares for identical flights were listed as Frontier $258, U.S. Airways $269.10, and American $270.60. That, of course, makes it APPEAR that Frontier is the best deal. Now you know the truth. I do not plan to travel on Frontier Airlines again.

On the other hand, I had a very positive experience getting from the airport to my hotel and back with a service called SuperShuttle. What a well-organized, cost-effective, and efficient organization!! As I was powering up my phone once we landed, a message was in my inbox telling me to “click here” when I had my luggage and was ready to leave. At that time, a van number and a passenger number came up, along with precise instructions on how to find my ride. The driver knew who his passengers were, where they were to be delivered, and the most efficient route at his fingertips. And everything, including the tip, could be reserved and paid for in advance. The drivers opened and closed the doors and quickly handled all the luggage. Very courteous and helpful.

My return trip required a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call. !!!! When I reached the hotel lobby at 5:30 a.m., I got a cellphone message saying that my shuttle would arrive within 5 minutes. And it did. Again, the driver knew who to pick up and where, and she knew exactly the order for delivering us to our various departure gates. Impressive. Extremely impressive. Being a 65-year-old woman traveling alone, I especially appreciated the SuperShuttle service. It was a much cheaper and, in my mind, a safer choice. Thank you, SuperShuttle!!

There are MANY great reasons to go to Denver. Here are just two bits of information that might help you in planning your trip.

Vicenza, Italy — Guest Post by Maggie Stephenson Cunningham

09/23/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

Today’s post was written by the sister of a former student of mine at Danville-Neel Elementary School in Morgan County. It’s always fun to hear the impressions and opinions of someone who stays in a place for an extended period of time. Thanks for sharing, Maggie!

“Ciao!” We feel refined when we use the salutation, but did you know the term is a very informal greeting in the Italian language – like “hey” in English? No? Don’t worry, neither did I. I had this and so much more to learn when I arrived in Italy in the late summer of 2014.

I knew life would be different when I married this Army Ranger husband of mine, but moving across the Atlantic Ocean wasn’t on my radar. Not long after we were wed, however, we discussed the possibility of requesting our next post – Vicenza, Italy (I think I was dreaming of gondolas and spaghetti at the time). When we were informed we would, indeed, be relocating to the boot-shaped country in southern Europe, things got real, very real. We would be traveling to another country where we had no family, no home, no experience with the language (other than what you’ll find on the menu at Macaroni Grill), and an 11-month-old child. I (briefly) panicked.

When we arrived in the Venetian airport in August, I contacted my family via email to let them know we arrived, took a deep breath, and followed the instructions of my man on our trek to Vicenza (our car, which we’d shipped 6 weeks earlier hadn’t arrived). I’ll summarize the first 30 days in Vicenza by saying this: we lived in a hotel (did I mention we had an 11-month-old?). We went to the park… a lot.

In October, things were coming together – our car arrived, we found a suitable home with a yard only 20 minutes from base, and my husband was settling into the uniqueness of an international post assignment. That’s when the fun began! I missed my family and often found military life frustrating, but I also found the challenge of navigating this place with my young family very exciting.

I’ve only been in Italy about a year now, but here are some of the big takeaways:

Living in Europe makes traveling to other parts of Europe much less expensive and time consuming. So far, we’ve traveled to Venice (45 minutes), Bassano del Grappa (1 hour), Verona (1 hour), Florence (3 hours), Rome (5 hours), and Paris (short flight). Most of the time we take the train because it is relatively inexpensive and takes the burden off of us (parking is not easy to come by, and Italians have a pretty poor reputation in regards to driving skills).
Not all “Italian” food is created equal. The fettuccini alfredo, breadsticks, and cheese-stuffed crust pizza you dearly love… you won’t find it here. In northern Italy (that’s where we are), food is pretty bland – no spices, no marinara dipping sauce, and no brick oven pizza. Southern Italy kicks it up a notch with a little more olive oil, oregano, and “oven roasted” fare. Hear this: the food is not bad by any means, but it’s no Carrabba’s. My sister has visited us here in Italy twice; two days into her first trip, she had determined the food was the biggest disappointment and decided we should eat the remainder of our meals together at home (she spent the money she appropriated for food on cappuccinos instead – those things do not disappoint).
Grocery shopping is much easier at the commissary. Don’t judge me, I still go to the Italian grocery store on occasion, but I do the bulk of my shopping on post. Let me put it this way: Italians eat a lot of deli meat and my family does not. The commissary is much like a miniature Kroger while the PX is more like a dwarfed combination of Wal-Mart, the mall, and Lowes. As you can imagine, food prices vary some, and I haven’t found a good sweet potato yet, but I am so thankful for the commissary. Here is an Italian market in my town.

4. Gas is expensive… like more than $4/gal. I won’t bore you with the details, but we get a small discount via military-issued coupons. My husband recently purchased a motorcycle for commuting. This is common practice among men in the military for saving on gas.

5. Agriculture is not isolated to the US. I grew up around a lot of farmland in Danville, Alabama, and I assumed I’d seen the last of it for a while when I boarded the plane in Huntsville last year. I was wrong. Italy is covered… covered… in vineyards (it makes for a nice view). Not far from our home, there is a dairy operation and several acres of row crops. It is a reminder of home (and that’s better than a gondola any day of the week). My sister loves to take a morning run or evening walk down the rural gravel roads when she visits – it must remind her of home too.

6. The back alley is almost always more exciting than the main thoroughfares. If the crowd goes right, go left. You’ll find that Italians play to tourists (like posting pictures of food on the menu or selling fake souvenirs), and you don’t want that. For an authentic experience, get off the beaten path.

I’ve learned more in the past 12 months than I ever anticipated. Italy, much like the US, has beautiful tourist spots and great shopping, but it also has rural communities with normal people leading normal lives. That’s where you’ll find us Cunninghams- tucked away in Vicenza, Italy. Between the exciting adventures, we’re learning to love each other through the (often challenging) norm. I’ll be delighted to return to the conveniences of America and the comfort of extended family when the time comes, but today we drink cappuccino!

P.S. Cappuccino is served in small cups with foam on top. Italian baristas will not prepare it “to-go.” Therefore, Starbucks does not actually serve cappuccino.

P.S.S. If you have the opportunity to visit Venice, take the water taxi instead of a gondola. You’ll still be on the Grand Canal, and your wallet will thank you.

2 Weeks in Italy — Favorite Scenes that Linger in My Mind

09/21/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

Between my camera, Steve’s camera, and my cellphone, I’m sure we have close to a thousand photos. But, as I reflect on our two weeks in the diverse country of Italy, full of history, natural beauty and incredible food, I wanted to try to pick my favorite scenes and events as a way to summarize the experience from my perspective and bring this series of blogs to a close.

1) We began our trip in Rome, and for me, the most stirring sight was the Coliseum. It was not only massive in its construction, but it was also the place where many people were so committed to their belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah that they were martyred for their faith. They died horrible deaths from gladiators and lions rather than to denounce what was in their hearts. I look forward to standing around The Throne with them in heaven some day.

2) Positano and the drive along the Amalfi Coast were both incredibly gorgeous. Steve and I were on the coast of California a few months before this trip, and it was beautiful, too, but I believe the Italian coast cranked it up a notch. I wish you could see — and I wish I had the words to describe — the blue of the Mediterranean. Oh my. And the colorful villages that cling to the rocks? Let’s just say that artists have endless inspirations here.

3) Our cooking class in Florence was SO MUCH FUN. I highly recommend that you take a cooking class of some kind when you’re in Italy. Many are offered, and if I went back, I’d definitely sign up for another one. You’ll learn something, you’ll have a great meal, and you’ll laugh a lot in the process. We worked alongside a couple from New York who had been married for only six days!! Yes, they were COOKING on their honeymoon. 🙂 What was even more incredible was learning that the young husband had grown up as a Missionary Kid in Japan, and his parents are still serving as Southern Baptist missionaries there. Small, small world.

4) I will remember the sight of Steve waving down to me from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Healthy physical specimen that he is, he made it to the top, took a lot of pictures, and came back down in less than 24 minutes!!! A new Pearson family record! Ha! The tower itself was prettier than I anticipated. I believe you’ll enjoy seeing it. If I could go back, I would spend more time in the center of town where it is located, because there are other important museums and sights there as well.

5) The Tuscan countryside is breath-taking. Pictures just don’t do it justice. Miles and miles of vineyards, olive groves, villas and rolling hills — so vibrant and alive. You find yourself basking in all of the scenery and wondering just which direction you should attempt to aim your camera. If/when I go back, I’ll probably want to rent a villa in this region and just stay for several days soaking it all up. Notice the deep purple color of the grapes — very unlike the ones that used to grow behind my grandparents’ house that were used for grape jelly.

6) I loved walking into the piazza in Siena because I had enjoyed the movie “Letters to Juliet” while anticipating the trip. It was like being an “extra” in that movie — especially when we stopped to eat gelato in almost the exact place where the main characters ate theirs.

7) Steve and I are so glad we had the chance to see Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of “The Last Supper.” It was a moving, spiritual experience for us. Yes, we know that people in Bible days reclined at tables, rather than sat, but that fact didn’t take away from the impact of the painting at all. Da Vinci had evidently studied the New Testament and understood a lot about the character and personality of each of the disciples. He, too, had to have been a devout Christian to understand the importance of placing Jesus at the center and how he used divisions of three to represent the Trinity. The painting is a representation of what took place immediately AFTER Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray Him. All of them look astonished and have strong reactions, except for Judas who is reaching his hand toward the plate, going on about the business of eating the meal. Of course, no photos are allowed inside, but this one shows Steve in front of a depiction in the Piazza of Santa Maria Grazie in Milan where the painting is located.

8) When I think of our trip, the faces of our friends Rick and Martine Sharp are woven into virtually every scene. We toured famous places together. We traveled on every possible means of transportation together. We stayed in the same hotels. They bailed us out when Steve’s wallet was stolen. And, of course, we enjoyed many, many delicious meals and cones of gelato together. We laughed A LOT. It is very sad to realize that we will no longer be able to spend time with Rick. We miss him. Martine, we are truly blessed to have had this experience with the two of you.

9) There is a saying in Rome that if you turn your back away from the Trevi Fountain and toss a coin over your shoulder, then you will return to Rome some day in the future. Well, here I am trying my best to toss my coin with Steve trying equally hard to catch that coin so he can put it back in his pocket. Ha! Those of you who know him well will understand completely. He doesn’t like to waste ANY money. However, I believe I WAS successful in my effort, so someday in the future, I hope to return.

“Arrivederci, Italia.” Till we meet again, farewell.

2 Weeks in Italy – The Signs of Christianity are Everywhere

09/16/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

A view of the grand altar in St. Peter’s Basilica. The “Pieta” by Michelangelo, commissioned in 1498 and unveiled in St. Peter’s in 1500. He was in his late 20’s when he sculpted this piece.

I don’t think I’ve ever been in a place where there were more churches, shrines, statues, and paintings depicting Biblical scenes and themes than I observed in Italy. The “trappings of religion” were everywhere. The lines to get inside the major cathedral in each city (referred to as a “duomo”) often ran the length of a city block or more. The Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel were crowded to capacity, even though we had skip-the-line passes and a guide who knew all of the easiest and quickest hallways and routes.

This dome at the Vatican (completely surrounded by the city of Rome) is the centerpiece of one of the largest churches in the world.

The skill of the sculptors, the architects, the builders, and the artists was astounding, almost too much to comprehend. How could a person take a block of marble and carve such details, such fluidity and such emotion into it? What drove Michelangelo to spend four years on a scaffolding on his back painting a ceiling? How could an architect even dream of such intricate and elaborate structures?

The cathedral in Florence is known as the Basilica of St. Mary of the Flower. It was begun in 1296 and completed in 1436 with a dome engineered by Brunelleschi. Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and Rossini are buried inside.

This is a view of the cathedral in Siena that has a striped design.

The cathedral in Milan took more than five centuries to complete. What commitment and dedication it must have taken to stay at the task over such a long period of time!

The cathedral of San Marco in Venice is best seen from the water. It is said that the remains of the Apostle Mark are buried here.

The more I saw, the more questions I had.

Were the lines just as long to get inside these churches when it was time for a worship service?

Do the people of Italy have a strong relationship with Christ who is the REASON for all of the buildings and art?

Is Italy morally strong? Do its citizens behave and think in Christ-like ways? If not, then what has changed since all of these signs of Christianity were created?

Is the Bible taught inside all of these magnificent buildings? Or, are most of them primarily art galleries and historical museums?

What do the Buddhists, the atheists, and the Muslims think who visit all of these famous places in Italy? Are they drawn to know more about Jesus or are they just impressed with the beautiful art?

Those questions led me back to good ol’ Alabama, the Heart of Dixie AND of the Bible Belt. We have churches on every corner, but where are the Christians? How are the lives of those who call themselves Christians reflecting Christ? Do non-Christians just see buildings full of hypocrites who are making feeble attempts to follow some arbitrary rules or do they see lives that are radically different because of the saving blood of Jesus Christ?

Anyone reading this have any answers? I’m listening.

2 Weeks in Italy — Transportation and a Look at Italian Trains (Dedicated to our Grandson Nathan)

09/14/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

So, if we weren’t on a Group Bus Tour, and we weren’t taking Shore Excursions from our cruise ship, then how in the world did we get around during 16 days in Italy? Glad you asked. 🙂 Truthfully, we probably used everything available EXCEPT a gondola (too expensive and too rainy the day we were in Venice. We took the water bus instead.)

We arrived in Rome via US Airways after only one stop in Charlotte from Huntsville. While in Rome, we used buses, taxis, and the subway. On the day we were planning to take a train, then a bus, then a taxi to our B and B in Positano, the guide we had hired to show us the major points of interest in Rome “just happened” to know of a driver who was bringing a group from Positano to Rome and was willing to make us a great deal to take us straight back from where he’d come to our destination. Serendipity!!! It was VERY relaxing to get on that van, eat gelato, and watch the scenery go by.

In Positano, we did a lot of walking, rode the shuttle to the special restaurant (La Tagliata) I’ve told you about before, and then we found a driver willing to take us to the train station in Salerno to travel to Florence. Again, it was wonderful to put ourselves in someone else’s capable hands while we ooh-ed and ahh-ed our way along the incredible Amalfi Coast.

Trains in Italy are highly-organized, punctual, and efficient, and ONCE YOU LEARN THE SYSTEM, they are a great way to travel. Trenitalia is the largest and most popular line. The prices are very reasonable, and the routes are useful and relevant to tourists and to Italians. Paying by credit card? Go to the ticket window. Paying by cash? Use the Fast Ticket machines. Have a specific seat assignment? No need to have your ticket validated. Have an open-ended voucher good for a whole day? Be sure to validate your ticket at one of the machines near your train. They WILL check to be sure, and you will likely be charged AGAIN for your ticket if it is found to be unvalidated.

The arrival and departure boards in the train station are very similar to what you find in airports. That is where you will see what track your train will be coming into and leaving from. It’s very important to be at the right place at the right time. Many stops are very short, so you have to be ready to board immediately.

Trenitalia seats are generally arranged in a two-facing-two configuration. There is ample room for luggage, and the windows are large. There are bathrooms on board, but they are not on every car. Have you ever walked BETWEEN moving rail cars? “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.” Amen??

Italo is an up-and-coming rail line that we used on our trip between Florence and Milan. It was a little more expensive, but it was fast (at one point we were traveling at 300 kilometers per hour), the seats were nicer, and there was free wi-fi on board. Plus, they have a nice waiting area for their customers that lets you know which track to find about 15 minutes before your train arrives. The general population will likely still use Trenitalia, but Italo will definitely win its share of customers.

We took the trains:

1) From Salerno to Florence

2) From Florence to Pisa and back

3) From Florence to Cinque Terre. Once there, a separate train was available that ran north and south between the 5 villages.

4) From Florence to Milan.

5) From Milan to Lake Como and back.

6) From Milan to Venice.

Nathan Baggett is our nine-year-old grandson who lives with his parents and sister in Rome, Georgia. He has been fascinated with trains, train tracks, train whistles, train stations, and trolleys since he was just an infant. Every time we boarded a train in Italy, we wished for Nathan. He would have enjoyed the rides and the atmosphere so much. So, Nathan, these pictures are for you. We love you. Maybe one of these years, we’ll take you to Italy, and we’ll ride these trains together.

Nathan and Megan on a trolley. Grandmomma waving from Italy.

The train in Cinque Terre. Notice the tunnel at the Lake Como station.

2 Weeks in Italy — 3 Small Disappointments

09/09/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

I should be ashamed of myself. After all, Steve and I returned safely and very happily from a fabulous vacation in Italy. We saw a huge portion of the country and some amazing sights. BUT — and this is a fairly small “but” — if I’m totally honest AND if I could go back again, there were three small disappointments that could have easily been fixed if I had planned better or if I’d known then what I know now. (Don’t you hate it when that happens?)

1) On our second day in Rome, we had arranged to meet one of our Southern Baptist missionaries serving there. We were to take a couple of different subways and meet at a certain place and time. Then, we were going to be given a tour of the ministry area and have dinner together. We arrived at the scheduled place and time, but within five minutes, I realized my mistake. The missionary wasn’t there, and I did not have an in-country phone number nor a way of contacting her without being in a wi-fi area. We waited and waited, but she didn’t come. It didn’t help matters that I suggested a different subway stop on the way back to our hotel — a stop that ended up taking us FAR from where we really needed to be. When I finally DID make it back to the hotel and a wi-fi connection, I had an extremely apologetic message from the missionary stating that they had a visiting volunteer team working with them that week and that two of her children had gotten sick and basically, she just forgot. It was a bummer, but it was also very understandable. However, if I had just planned a little better, we might have made the connection happen. The missionary, of course, was forgiven. Maybe next time. The lesson for you? If you hope to connect with someone in Italy or in ANY foreign country, get several types of contact information and have a Plan A, B AND C.

2) I really had this big idea that Steve and I were going to rent a Vespa and ride together along the Amalfi Coast. It sounded romantic. Haven’t you seen old movies with scenes such as that? And, if nothing else, our kids would have gotten a kick out of it. Can’t you just picture my Silver Fox and me (a la Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in “Roman Holiday”)? And look at that beautiful coastline? What a thrill!!!!

Well, the reality was that a 63-year-old and her 65-year-old Silver Fox had NO business heading out on a Vespa — along with hundreds of seasoned Vespa drivers/riders, whizzing cars, and guard-rail-grazing buses — on the windy, narrow roads between Positano and Amalfi or between a mountain and “the deep blue sea.” I didn’t want to return from Italy in a body cast OR a body bag, either of which would have been strong possibilities.

There were Vintage Vespa Tours available once we got to Florence, but we had already planned other adventures for those days. Oh well. Next time.

3) When we arrived in Milan, our plan was to take a train the next day to Lake Como situated at the foot of the Alps. But, late in the afternoon we discovered that if we could get (by train) to Torino (not very far from Milan), then there was a special train called the Bernina Express that would take us through the Alps into Switzerland. Can you imagine how beautiful that ride would be? Can’t you just taste the chocolate we could have bought in St. Moritz? We started scrambling to make the arrangements. We figured schedules, counted our remaining money, and finally got ready to call and “book it” by 7:15 p.m. The tour office closed at 7:00 p.m. It was not to be. But, for those of you planning a trip in the future, please consider adding such an excursion to your itinerary. I believe you’ll be glad. Here’s a link you can use.

Well, there you have my three small disappointments. I don’t have much to whine about, do I?

I have a very sad postscript to add to Disappointment #1. The missionary we were supposed to meet in Rome was killed in a tragic accident while on a visit with her family back in the States in Georgia. Here is an article describing this horrible event. What a beautiful young woman she was. Please pray for her grieving family.

2 Weeks in Italy — Italian Bathrooms . . . and a Packing Suggestion

09/07/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

I should state up front that I like for things to be neat, clean, reasonably sanitary, and orderly, but I am not a germaphobe. Four years of living in Ecuador coupled with having twelve grandchildren has knocked that tendency right out the window. And, the truth is that “when you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go.” Period.

I had heard Italy described as a First World Country, and in terms of well-maintained highways and an amazing mass transit system, I would say that they do a lot of things very well. But, in the category of bathrooms, I think there is still room for improvement.

The bathroom pictured above was in our first hotel room in Rome. Even though I’m not bidet-savvy, this bathroom was spacious and contained all of the essentials, wouldn’t you say? The bedroom was tiny, but the bathroom was definitely adequate. I breathed a sigh of relief.

This second bathroom was in our B and B in Positano. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but suffice it to say, that if I hadn’t lost 20 pounds before we left on our trip, I would have NEVER been able to squeeze myself into that shower. CO-ZEE. But, again, the water was hot, and everything worked as it should. Another relieved sigh.

Now THIS bathroom was either in the town of San Gimignano or Siena somewhere within Medieval walls out in the Tuscan countryside. What makes this bathroom memorable is that it was a “public restroom” and I had to pay 1/2 Euro (almost a dollar) to use it. You might notice that there are a few items sadly lacking, such as a rim and a flusher. Another thing about most public restrooms in Italy is that both men and women go in the same door and use the same area for washing their hands. Thankfully, there are separate stalls beside the sink. Still a little disconcerting, wouldn’t you say?

This last one pretty much “takes the cake.” Yes, this is the sight we saw — and the facility that was available — at the train station in Varenna on the shores of Lake Como. Kind of takes the “I gotta go” right out of a person, doesn’t it? You can see where you are supposed to put your feet. Now, ladies, use your imagination about the rest.

So, when you are planning your trip to Italy, just brace yourself for a wide range of “accommodations” and be ready to grin and muster your courage.

On a somewhat related note, we discovered a new product that we used on this trip. DISPOSABLE UNDERWEAR. 🙂 🙂 No, it’s not like Depends. And, no, it’s not noisy like crepe paper or tissue paper. It’s soft, lightweight, and a great convenience to have when you’re traveling. Just think. You don’t come home with a suitcase full of dirty underwear. We had heard about such a product and went to Amazon.com to check out the possibilities. We recommend Onederwear. The average cost is about $2.00 per pair. Yes. The name says it all. Our children have had a field day laughing about all of this (and I’m fully expecting to find some in our Christmas stockings), but I will just repeat that it works well and really helped when it came time to pack only a carry-on bag.

I hope this was an educational blog, and maybe it provided a chuckle or two. Stay tuned for more on Wednesday.

2 Weeks in Italy – The Food Alone is Worth the Trip

09/02/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

Day 2 — A pizza in Rome. No, this is not one of my favorite pizzas, but I liked the picture of Steve and me. 🙂 That’s prosciutto on top, by the way. You will notice his broken glasses. That happened in the plane on the way to Italy. Poor guy. We went to numerous “Oticas,” but no one had the right tools until we got to Florence over a week later. During the first week, he managed with some Scotch tape. 🙂

Before we left, I had several friends to INSIST that we eat canoli while we were gone. Here is proof that we did just that. We ordered it for dessert at a delightful restaurant in Positano.

So, to be very concise, the food in Italy was amazing. We didn’t eat a single “bad meal” the whole time we were gone. Trust me on that. When we returned, I friend who went to Italy last year told me that he “didn’t really care for gelato” and actually “had rather have Papa John’s.” Are you serious??? I would have to first of all ask, “Then, where in the world did you eat?” Also, would you believe that we didn’t gain weight while we were gone?? I attribute that to 2 things: 1) Lots of walking, and 2) Eating dishes with fresh ingredients and virtually no processed foods. Gelato, also, is less heavy than the ice creams we have here in the States. And, I finally concluded that my two favorite flavors were stracciatella (similar to chocolate chip) and bacio (a combination of chocolate and hazelnut).

Restaurants (ristorantes and trattorias) have one annoying habit to which we had to adjust. They charge for the basket of bread and add a cover charge for each person at the table. It’s called a “coperto.” We never did figure out for sure if a tip was expected on top of that. Sometimes we left one. Other times we did not.

If I had to narrow down the approximately 42 meals that we consumed while we were in Italy to just five, I believe the following would be my Top Five.

1) Trattoria La Tagliata, overlooking the town of Positano on the Mediterranean. What an amazing experience!!!

The first course. Yes, that’s right, the FIRST course. The waiters brought out about eight vegetables that had been grown right on the premises. You can also see an appetizer of crostini on the side.

The second course consisted of three kinds of pasta. I don’t have a good picture of that, but believe me, it was delicious.

Next came the meat course, accompanied by potatoes and salad. The meats were beef, chicken, veal, lamb, pork and sausages. Don’t you love the colorful dishes??

And, just when we thought we couldn’t possibly hold anything else, here came the plate of pastries and a bowl of fresh fruits. I’m telling you. This meal was spectacular. Promise me you won’t go to Positano without eating there. There’s no ordering from the menu. You are served whatever suits “Mama” on that night, and Mama is an actual person who comes out to greet her diners at the end of the meal.

2) La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali in Rome. Our guide recommended this family-owned place located just a few blocks from where our tour of Ancient Rome ended. It was crowded with locals, and the food was deliciously-prepared. Sorry. I didn’t make any pictures of this place with my camera. When you plan your trip to Rome, put it in your itinerary. You’ll be glad.

3) The meal we shared at the end of our cooking class in Florence HAS to go on this list. Check out the website of this fun cooking school In Tavola. During a three-hour time period, we prepared two types of homemade pasta, potato tortelli, raw tomato sauce, white meat ragu, porcini mushroom sauce and panna cotta for dessert. The smells coming from that kitchen were as tantalizing as any I’ve ever experienced. I wish I had more pictures of the finished products, but as you will see, I was BUSY! 🙂

4) Taverna del Capitano in Siena. This place was recommended to us by a young man who sat near us on the train from Salerno to Florence. He was actually from Siena, and he didn’t steer us wrong. You might not be able to tell by looking at this picture, but the food was bursting with flavor. Steve ordered pork tenderloin seasoned with curry, and I had a vegetable risotto with zucchini and my new favorite cheese — scamorza. I hope I can find it in the States. It is similar to mozzarella but with a much richer taste. We, of course, shared our entrees with each other.

5) Ristorante La Porta D’Acqua in Venice. Maybe it was because I had been soaking wet for several hours. (The one whole day we had in Venice was extremely rainy). Maybe it was because there was soft jazz playing in the background, the waiter led us to a quiet table in the corner, and the bathroom was nice and clean. I’m not sure, but I do know that the meal was peaceful, delicious and restorative. Steve had fish, and I had eggplant parmesan that was incredible.

Have I convinced you yet to plan a trip to Italy?

2 Weeks in Italy — Lessons Learned, Relearned and Confirmed

08/31/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

Lesson #1. If you let your guard down, even for a moment, you can and will be robbed. It happened to me on a trolley in Quito, Ecuador. It happened to Steve at a train station in La Spezia, Italy coming back from a day in Cinque Terre. We had been traveling as a foursome, but on this day the Sharps stayed in Florence, and we decided to head to the Mediterranean Coast one more time. And, Steve and I had been staying right beside each other. But, for a few minutes, I stayed inside the train station while Steve went outside to double check that we were indeed at the right place to catch our train back to Florence. A very animated man came up and started talking to Steve, distracting him. No doubt his accomplice was busy stealing Steve’s wallet during that brief encounter. We didn’t realize this until we were several minutes into our train ride, and Steve noticed that an important pocket was unzipped. Sure enough, his wallet was gone. He had been very diligent about keeping his wallet in a more secure location, but for just a brief time he put it in a more convenientplace. Savvy pickpocketers must have been seen their opportunity. His wallet contained some US cash, some Euros, his driver’s license, but most importantly, the two credit cards we were using for our trip. When we FINALLY made it back to our hotel, we spent several hours cancelling those cards (not so easy when you can’t just dial a 1-800 number). We were promised that replacement cards would be sent quickly, but who knew if they would arrive before we left the country . . . or the next hotel. Thank goodness we were traveling with some friends!!! And generous ones at that. We lived off of their credit cards and some cash that I still had for the next two days. Happily, the new cards DID find us right before we left Milan for Venice. Oh happy day!! LESSON RELEARNED.

Here’s a beautiful spot in one of the villages of the Cinque Terre before the robbery.

Lesson #2. Every individual and/or couple has his/her own travel style, pace, or personality. When you are on a cruise, THE BOAT decides the schedule. When you are on a group bus tour, everyone dances to the tune of the Tour Director. But, when you travel with good friends, some give and take is critical to success. Couple A likes to move at a brisk clip covering as much ground as possible in the shortest period of time. Couple B likes to stop and smell the roses (or, in Italy, stop and see the actual grapes in the vineyards). Couple A likes to pursue the historical aspect of the sights, while Couple B likes to make photos and poke around various shops. Neither way is more right than the other. Neither way is better than the other. What can be done to keep everyone happy and congenial? In our case, we did two main things. 1) We, in an unspoken arrangement, took turns setting the pace and making the plan. And 2) we sometimes went in different directions for a few hours or for a day. It mattered more to the four of us to maintain a rock, solid friendship than for someone to be “in charge.” It worked great. LESSON LEARNED.

Lesson #3. If you leave for Italy as a committed non-drinker of alcohol, you can return from Italy as a committed non-drinker of alcohol. Someone had said to us before we left: “If you make it through Tuscany without drinking wine, then you’ve really done something.” But, I’m hear to testify that it was very much a non-issue. At no time — although wine was everywhere — did we feel pressured to drink any of it. We asked for water (“still” or “naturale”), and it was brought to us with no questions asked or raised eyebrows. Truthfully, it was sometimes actually more expensive to drink water than wine because in several cases wine was included in the price of the meal, but that was only a matter of a dollar or two. As I have stated in blogs before, drinking wine is not a sin issue to us, it is a personal choice we have made. We were glad that this was never a problem on our trip. LESSON CONFIRMED.

2 Weeks in Italy — We Did It Our Way

08/26/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

For the next 4 weeks I will be sharing posts about a wonderful trip to Italy that Steve and I made almost two years ago with our great friends, Rick and Martine Sharp. Our hearts were broken when Rick died on July 20, 2015, after waging an 8-year battle with multiple myeloma. On this trip, though, he was doing well. We laughed a lot and shared an unforgettable adventure. Rick is in heaven now. These posts are dedicated to his memory, and I pray they will be a source of happy memories for his wife Martine. I love you, friend.

What do you get when four people in their sixties — one with a Ph.D in education who has been the principal of three schools and has published numerous books and articles, an engineer who has consulted all over the world, a retired veterinarian who practiced for forty years, and a retired music teacher who likes to blog and embarrass her children — decide it’s time to plan a trip to Italy that has been working its way to the top of their Bucket List long enough?? In my opinion, you get a trip that includes all of the major high points that you might find on anyone’s slide show but which also has a personality all its own.

Some might say that we did our trip the HARD way, and on several occasions (such as when I was dragging myself and my bag down the sidewalk to catch a city bus to the train station), I would probably have agreed. We looked at cruises, but none of them went to all of the places we were hoping to visit. We looked at group tours, and a few years from now, when we are older, those might be great options. A pivotal decision we made was to only take “one carry-on bag and a personal item per person” as specified by the airlines. That made our travel from place to place MUCH easier, but we had to look at the same clothes on each other repeatedly. Small price to pay. When we saw other travelers lugging their extra-large bags, we were smugly glad that we had made a different choice.

Some might say that we did our trip the CHEAP way. We could definitely have spent less money and most certainly, we could have spent a whole lot more. But, I think that our budget of $400 per day per couple, not per person, (after airfare) to cover hotels, in-country transportation, meals and sightseeing was reasonable. And, as I’ve figured it today, we actually came very close. $420 per day. Not bad.

Others might say that we just took off on a lark without any help or advice. That couldn’t be further from the truth. We were as informed as any travelers I’ve ever encountered. We studied guidebooks, websites, maps and blog posts. We asked recent travelers for their recommendations, and we took everything into account. We spent four hours one day about 6 weeks before our trip — everyone with their own computers — researching and booking hotels. We had 3 half-day tours in Rome, a cooking class, a rental car for driving through Tuscany for 3 days, and a tour in Milan booked in advance. But, other than the specified times for those plans, we hoped to have a fairly “loose” itinerary to allow flexibility and to take advantage of special circumstances.

We were gone for 16 days — well, 17 if you count the cancelled flight in Washington, D.C. on our return trip when the airline had to provide hotel rooms. During those days we visited Rome, Positano and the Amalfi Coast, Florence, Pisa, San Gimignano, Volterra, Cinque Terre, Siena, Milan, Lake Como, Varenna, Bellagio, Venice and Murano, and we ate gelato everyday (if we missed one day, we ate it twice the next).

Stay tuned over the coming days as I reveal more details about our trip than you probably ever wanted or needed to read. We had a GREAT time.

Pictured below: Rick and Martine Sharp, our fellow travelers, and Steve and I having our first tastes of gelato on our very first day in Rome.

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