From Sorrento to Rome to KY…..

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Dave

The Vatican Egyptian and Near East Rooms

We headed back to Naples from Sorrento by ferry early Friday morning in a driving rain and heavy fog.  All I could think about were the images of fatal ferry accidents I remember watching on old news reports while trying to assess my current aptitude for long-distance swimming.  I determined that I was most likely lost at sea unless the ferry happened to sink 20 yards from the Naples shore.

I thought the worst was over after we disembarked but the 15 minute cab drive from the dock to the Naples train station turned out to be much more dangerous.  I am just glad I don’t have to drive in that city…being a passenger is bad enough.

We had a good last night in Rome….mid-afternoon lunch/dinner at Life near the Spanish Steps area and then an evening stroll through the Vatican Museum at 8PM.  This is the first time I had an opportunity to take advantage of the evening openings and was thankful that there were much less people there compared to the usual day crowd.  The breathing room was much appreciated and seeing the Sistine Chapel comparatively empty was a great experience.  This was also the first time I visited the Vatican’s Near East and Egyptian collections….I had no idea they had such a quality collection in these areas.

If I do another Vatican tour, I will spring for a private evening tour and completely avoid the crowds.

The last day was a bit bittersweet because it may be a while before I head back….I know I seem to always say that but it does seem it will be quite a while…of course I will add my usual caveat that if someone wants to pay for me to be their guide…

Looks likely that the next trip will be somewhere in Central Asia.  The planning has already begun.

Some photos from our last day in Rome:

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From Rome to Sorrento…

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Dave

We found a great cafe directly across the street from our Rome apartment and quickly became regulars.  Four cappuccinos with four pastries set us back 5.60 euro.  We went there all three days while in Rome including lunch one day and I still don’t think we paid as much combined as we did for the one 39 euro “breakfast” at Cafe Rivoire in Florence.

Our last full day in Rome and I set Kevin, Renee and Steph out together on a tour of ancient Rome while I walked around the city for three hours.

Another great restaurant experience at Ad Hoc in Rome…it lives up to the #1 ranking it receives on TripAdvisor.  I had pasta with black truffles and roast beef with black truffles…amazing.  Of couse, I couldn’t leave Rome without buying a small jar of black truffles at the outdoor market in Camp dei Fiori.

I am getting to know my way around Rome much better and Italy in general– now I need to start working on learning the language.

The next day we walked Kevin and Renee down to St. Peter’s to the Pope’s General Audience while we went shopping for a bit.  We came back to St. Peter’s Square just in time to hear the Pope welcome Bishop Zubik from Pittsburgh.  We got our bags from the apartment, made our way to the train station then took a fast (180 mph) train to Naples –then a disgustingly crowded one hour train ride to Sorrento.  We parted ways with Kevin and Renee as they are staying at a B&B a few miles from us.  I think they are more than ready to explore Italy on their own.

Sorrento is a very nice seaside town that is ultra touristy.  A nice place to spend a few days then the novelty wears off…to me, similar to the feeling I have about Venice.  The one thing I like about the town is the art of traditional inlaid woodworking.  It is nice to see people carry on this tradition and I was lucky enough to watch a few of the artist practice the craft…I think I have found this trip’s souvenir.

We are staying at a B&B called Marina Piccola 73….a fantastic B&B directly on the water that only has 4 or so guest rooms.  I am writing this on their outdoor patio while laying on a canopy bed that overlooks the sea.

We leave tomorrow afternoon for Rome and then fly back the next day.

Some more photos from the trip.

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From Florence to Rome…

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Dave

View from Piazza Michaelangelo – Florence

As usual, it has been a challenging balancing act performing my unofficial role of tour guide–trying to see as much as possible without any of us passing out from exhaustion–though I think we all came fairly close in Rome this evening.

I was able to break away for a couple hours early yesterday morning and made the walk from our apartment to San Miniato al Monte as I planned.  Thankfully, the walk up the hill was much less severe than I anticipated.  The experience was enhanced by the fact that I was the only person in San Miniato and this added an element of spirituality than I wasn’t expecting.

We were able to watch the Steelers game at La Botticella in Rome last night and you would have thought you were siting in a bar on Carson street on the South Side of Pittsburgh…but a block away was Piazza Navona…a juxtaposition that was difficult to mentally process.  A great experience all the way around….great beer, people and a last second Steelers victory.

The Rome-Pittsburgh connection continued the next day.  As we exited the Pantheon, we ran directly into Bishop David Zubik–Pittsburgh’s Roman Catholic Bishop.  Kevin and Renee introduced themselves and chatted a bit and got a photo with him in front of the Pantheon.  Not sure what the chances are that two Catholic Pittsburghers would run into their Bishop outside the Pantheon in Rome…wow.

It is after midnight and I have to get prepared for another long day tomorrow.  I’ll leave you with a few more photos from the last two days.

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Italy…again.

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Dave

Zeno – Enoteca Pitti Gola E Cantina

Yes, back in Italy again–after saying I wouldn’t be returning for quite some time.  It took less than 11 months.  I have to thank Renee and Kevin–old friends from my junior high and high school days–who coaxed me and Steph to return to help them celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.  We have only been here 2 days and I have already spent more on food than I have in the umpteen times I have been here combined.

One thing that stood out already–and it will be difficult to top–is the fantastic experience we had at the Enoteca Pitti Gola E Cantina.  It is certainly worth all of the praise that folks heap upon it on Tripadvisor and other sources.  Thank you Zeno for being a great host and for the seemingly endless sampling of great wine and equally great food.

It is 1 am in the morning and I want to try to awake around 6 am to walk to San Miniato for a little exercise…though I need a bit more than a little exercise after the last two days.  Looking forward to the walk…haven’t been up to San Miniato yet and many rave about it.

Not much more to say tonight…as usual I’ll let the photos do the talking.

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The importance of living in the moment….

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Dave

View of Half Dome from the Panorama Trail

Near the end of our trip, Derek aptly pointed out that when I get an idea in my mind, I usually attack it with a complete disregard for moderation. This has been clearly evident in the last year when I started on my self-proclaimed National Parks Tour. In the last year, I have been to Mammoth Caves, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Glacier, Yellowstone, Death Valley, Grand Canyon (both the north and south rims on two separate trips), Yosemite (twice) and, for good measure, Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada (I guess I ran out of places in the U.S.). I think I drove over 5000 miles in 3 separate trips out west this last year. The clear downside of this mentality is that I don’t allow myself to live in the moment; I am constantly thinking and planning for “what’s next.”

Although I clearly enjoyed my latest adventure—even more so being with Derek and Jarrett who I haven’t seen in a while—I still found myself thinking one step ahead and didn’t embrace the experience as Jarrett described in the last post. So, I clearly have some things to work on as I approach my next adventure.

However, I can say with absolute certainty that I have the National Parks bug out of my system. In fact, I think I now have the credentials to be hired by the U.S. National Parks Service as I spent more time inside National Parks this past year than some of the park rangers.

Concerning the latest trip, I have many good thoughts to post and a few bad ones. I hope to get around to putting these thoughts into words in the next few days. Until then, I will leave you with a few of my favorite pics.

Dave

Posted in California, US, West, Yosemite | Leave a comment