That Sunday was the last day of the retreat, but thankfully not our last day at the resort. We paid the extra $50 to stay an extra night. That morning, the kids went back to their activity time as we finished up our retreat and had a re-commitment ceremony with each other. At lunch, we gathered up the kids for a little fun. We tried to head towards a boat ride being offered at Eibsee lake. Unfortunately because of the beautiful weather, i believe every other German in the town and then some were also there to enjoy the crystal blue water. This is something we will have to do when we return because we ended up leaving after waiting in the long line. We grabbed some lunch at the PX instead and pick up a few things from the teeny tiny commissary. My husband also purchased a GPS with all of Europe on it since ours only had the maps of Italy and Greece and we needed it to get home the next day. When we returned to the hotel, we took a short break and came up with a game plan to visit Linderhof Palace, the summer home to Ludwig II. The castle that we wanted to visited was under construction so we couldn't head there. So off to the Palace we went. If you want to see the pictures of this place, you can look here: http://www.schlosslinderhof.de/englisch/palace/history.htm
To say this palace was ornate is an understatement. We traveled a good 30 minutes through the mountains to get to this palace near Ettal Abbey. There is a hotel there, a restaurant and some shops. We walked up the path to the ticket office where my conversation with the ticket lady started in German, flipped to English and then ended in Italian. Apparently it's hard for me to keep the languages all straight. We walked some more to the palace and on the way enjoyed seeing some of the other houses located on the property and the surrounding scenery laid out before us. As we approached the palace, all any of us could say was "Wow". It was as ornate as it could be. The palace itself was small, but it had presence. In front of it stood a fountain that shot high in the area and was surrounded by a colorful array of flowers. If you continued to walk a little further, there was another area with steps that led up to the gazebo and other viewing areas of the palace grounds.
We waited in line for the tour to begin, luckily it was in English. Our guide told us about the eccentric king and how he spent over 8 million marks to build this summer home. The inside of the palace was opulent, the stucco designed walls painted with a thin layer of 24 carat gold. We started in the vestibule and walked up the stairs to the music and tapestry room. There the tapestries were sealed off so no one could touch or destroy them and the organ seemed to call my daughter's name, wanting her to play it's music. Good thing she didn't because we were not allowed to touch or lean on anything inside the palace. From there we walked through the yellow cabinet room to the audience chamber where the throne of King Ludwig presided. We walked through the pink room only to enter the bed chamber. This was the largest room in the palace and the bed itself was large than a California king but shorter since during that time frame, the beds they made were not long in length. The room had a fireplace and over looked a beautiful man-made waterfall and fountain. The next room led to the dining room where King Ludwig had a table that was lowered to the kitchen, the food placed upon it, and then raised back up to him. Pretty ingenious for a man back then! After that, we passed into another tapestry room with frescoes all over the walls and ceilings. The eyes of the one of the paintings seemed to follow you into the next room. Creepy! The final room was the hall of mirrors. If you stood on the side and looked at the mirrors on the opposite wall, it made the room appear to be endless. No wonder this idea had been used on many home decorating shows. We descended the staircase and were let out through the back entrance that led to the fountain and gardens. From there we traveled uphill to the grotto, a man made cavern in which the King watched performances. Having been in real caverns before, this really was a disappointment. We hiked back down for what seemed like eternity, all downhill so you had to watch your footing. On the way back to the hotel, we opted to make a pitstop for the monk beer and some postcards.
The next day we checked out of the hotel and my only request was do a little shopping. We hit downtown Garmisch where there was a Kathe Wohlfarht store, which if you don't like nutcrackers or have never heard of her you won't understand the significance of the store. First, it's a Christmas store, complete with hand carved and hand painted figurines, ornaments, and most of nutcrackers. In my house, we love and collect nutcrackers. But these are not the $12.99 nutcrackers you'll find at Target or Kohls, no these are more like $50-300 nutcrackers. But they are gorgeous! You can usually find Kathe Wohlfarht products at Christkindlmarkts in the states or you can visit her stores Europe. If you want to check her out online and order somethings, please go to http://www.christmasfromgermany.com/. You won't be disappointed, perhaps shocked, but not disappointed.
We continued shopping in this wonderful little Bavarian village, and as we rounded the street, i found a little pottery shop nestled in the back of the street. It's there that my husband dug back to his archeology roots and began to described the type of pottery i found before me. I was in love and had wait sometime to get some nice pottery pieces. I decided on a large jug of sorts, I suppose it's more like a pot since it has a lid. It's blue with grapes and the words Rumkopft on the front. I have no idea what it means and it doesn't really translate, but I'm guessing it's to hold something of importance, like beer or wine. I hope to return there one day and get some pieces of his pottery.
The rest of the day was spent traveling home and viewing the castle lined landscapes of the Alps. It's a trip i won't soon forget and can't wait to go back again.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Garmisch, Germany
And it's only 3 1/2 hours away. We took a marriage retreat trip with the chapel here up to Garmisch, Germany. The girls and I took the bus since the hubby had a meeting to attend and he would meet up with us later. On the gorgeous bus ride through the Italian, Austrian and German Alps, it was breathtaking just to sit and watch as the scenery continually changed. Every so often, you'd see castles just crop up, as if to remind you of a time long ago. The walls and turets all still intact. It was as if time had stood still in that little village. You could just imagine the time when princes and princesses, kings and queens ruled the area. Then as we continued the drive, we saw little towns creep up in the valleys and spurs between the mountain ranges. The villages seemed undisturbed and nestled into the countryside. The mountains themselves reached toward the sky like the skyscrapers of large cities. Planes flying low with people skydiving captured the attention of my 9yr old when she told me how she saw a guy jump from a plane and then remember his chute at the right moment. Cable cars going up and down the mountains taking passengers on a journey of exploration and adventure. And the grand finale, a large and breathtaking waterfall streaming down the mountainside. Who caould ask for a better ride? Ah but then we stopped at a McDonald's rest stop in Innsbruck, Austria. First i have never seen a larger McDonald's in my life and second, the view from the observation desk of this place was AMAZING! Mountains as far as the eye could see, valleys, and clouds nestled in between. Not a bad view to have with your hamburger!
After we left Austria, we conitnued into Germany where we had to climb a mountain in this large bus. Thoughts of the children's story, "The little engine that could" came into play as we all said "I think I can, i think I can", to encourage the bus' ascent.I could tell when we made it to Germany because the architecture of the houses changed. In italy, the houses are almost Mediterranean, Spanish tile roofs, stucco, rich colors with contrasting shutters. In germany, the houses were typical Bavarian homes, dark wood for trim with cut outs along the wood frame, frescoes on the walls, and lost of flowers on the balconies. They were beautiful homes. The scenery in the mountains was more breathtaking than before. The mountains seemed endless as they continued to reach into the sky and the valleys were far from where we were. Edelweiss Hotel is located in a typical Bavarian town called Garmisch. I was in love from the moment I saw the town and the lodge.
Hang-gliders lined the sky, gracefully flying like soaring eagles. The picturesque backdrop of the Alps made it all the better and sort of enveloped the lodge like a warm blanket. Cable cars climbed up the largest mountain, the Zugspitz, behind us and the cogwheel train ran along with the cable cars. Inside the lodge, you could tell it resembled a typical ski lodge. The large mantle and fireplace, the dark wood frame, the huge lounge area all welcomed the guests. Unfortunately, the only problem with the hotel, as I found out about 10 min upon entering my room, was it had no A/C in the rooms, just oscillating fans. Imagine my surprise when i called the front desk about my a/c that wasn't working. Not happy, but it was still doable. My husband arrived just in time for dinner thankfully and afterwards we dropped the kids off with the Just for Kids program they have at the lodge. It's basically activity time for the kids and during the day, there are trips and adventures planned for the kids. If you ever have a chance to go to the hotel, take advantage of this program and spend some time alone with your husband or to yourself. It was really nice knowing the kids were being taken care of.
The main reason we were on this trip was for the marriage retreat sponsored by the Army. It's a program called Strong Bonds. If you have not been on one of the retreats, I recommend you do. Even if you are not too religious, it was still wonderful and not very preachy, preachy at all. We enjoyed a weekend listening to Marc Gungor explain the differences between men and women in his "Laugh Your way to a Better Marriage" video seminar. I thought I was at a comedy club the whole time we watched the videos. And the best part about the retreat, they paid for the rooms and 2 meals a day. how could you not say no?
On Day two of the retreat, we had the seminar in the morning and by lunchtime, the hubby and I were on our way for a nice German lunch and a little sightseeing, sans children. We enjoyed the time with some terrific friends as we entered the town of Obergau. Nestled in this little town was plenty of shopping, a cheese factory, brewery and a monastery. Lunch was great. We enjoyed some of the local beer and I had some terrific German sausage and sauerkraut. the hubster had goulash and a big potato roll looking thing we later discovered was made from a roll. My girlfriend and I visited the local wine and beer store which featured wine and beer made by the monks. The monk behind the counter directed us towards the monastery and the cheese factory. The monastery was beautiful, ornate and large. We couldn't go in at the time since there was a wedding procession occurring just as we got there. And let me say, she was one lucky girl to have her wedding there. It was the perfect location. We did get to look at the grounds of the monastery and soak up it beauty. We shopped a little at the store attached to the monastery where i picked up a few postcards. Then we took the short walk to the cheese factory. It was not what I was envisioning a cheese factory to be. It looked like a small home with a little storefront. Inside, the windows showed you the preparation room for the cheese and the storage area of the cheeses. We watched a short video on how the cheese was made and how this little place makes about 10-15 different cheeses a day! We saw how the cheese was pressed into the round molds, since it's a square before the pressing, and that it takes about 5 months for the cheese to age properly. During that time, it stays in the aging room, sitting on a shelf with all the other cheese wheels. I must say the cheese aging room was impressive. I enjoyed seeing all the various cheeses there. We were able to enjoy a few samples of the cheese and then purchased some for the ride home. My friend also purchased some of the fresh yogurt they made there and she told me it was really delicious. When we returned to the hotel, we grabbed the children and had some great family time at the indoor pool and jacuzzi.
Later that evening the children decided to go on an adventure of their own. My friend's hubby and mine happened to meet downstairs with the kids. They have two girls as well, ages 8 & 12. My girls adored their kids. When i met my friend later on, I brought our youngest daughter with me. we found the guys and the kids and the kids took off to the playground right around the corner from us. We could hear them as they played on the equipment and did their gymnastics in the grass. After a while, my friend and I parted from our husbands as they continued on their walk and we went to check on the kids. As we rounded the corner to the playground we soon realized the children there were not ours. We continued along the winding path that led back to the front of the hotel since that's where the oldest child left her shoes. My friend and I were really beginning to wonder where the kids when we heard them but couldn't see them. Then we heard shouting and crying, but more of a scared crying than a hurt crying. Along the path was a wall that surrounded the Army post. On the other side of the wall was of course the town. Our kids happened to find the one revolving walking gate that led to the town. Unfortunately, unless you had a specific pass, you could not reenter the gate. So there they were, a 6, 8, 9, and 12 yr, crying and upset, peering through bars at us, stranded in Garmisch alone. It was a sight to be seen! The problem though was how to retrieve the children. Luckily my friend had her purse with her ID in it. i remembered seeing a guard gate back where we were talking with the guys. so she went outside the wire with the kids and walked all four back towards the other gate where I joined up with them from the inside. I like to think the kids learned a lesson or at least had an experience that stuck with them, but I'm not sure. I was happy they were safe again though. We ended the night with kids watching a movie and a few of the adults from our retreat enjoying some of the many beverages the hotel had to offer in the lounge.
After we left Austria, we conitnued into Germany where we had to climb a mountain in this large bus. Thoughts of the children's story, "The little engine that could" came into play as we all said "I think I can, i think I can", to encourage the bus' ascent.I could tell when we made it to Germany because the architecture of the houses changed. In italy, the houses are almost Mediterranean, Spanish tile roofs, stucco, rich colors with contrasting shutters. In germany, the houses were typical Bavarian homes, dark wood for trim with cut outs along the wood frame, frescoes on the walls, and lost of flowers on the balconies. They were beautiful homes. The scenery in the mountains was more breathtaking than before. The mountains seemed endless as they continued to reach into the sky and the valleys were far from where we were. Edelweiss Hotel is located in a typical Bavarian town called Garmisch. I was in love from the moment I saw the town and the lodge.
Hang-gliders lined the sky, gracefully flying like soaring eagles. The picturesque backdrop of the Alps made it all the better and sort of enveloped the lodge like a warm blanket. Cable cars climbed up the largest mountain, the Zugspitz, behind us and the cogwheel train ran along with the cable cars. Inside the lodge, you could tell it resembled a typical ski lodge. The large mantle and fireplace, the dark wood frame, the huge lounge area all welcomed the guests. Unfortunately, the only problem with the hotel, as I found out about 10 min upon entering my room, was it had no A/C in the rooms, just oscillating fans. Imagine my surprise when i called the front desk about my a/c that wasn't working. Not happy, but it was still doable. My husband arrived just in time for dinner thankfully and afterwards we dropped the kids off with the Just for Kids program they have at the lodge. It's basically activity time for the kids and during the day, there are trips and adventures planned for the kids. If you ever have a chance to go to the hotel, take advantage of this program and spend some time alone with your husband or to yourself. It was really nice knowing the kids were being taken care of.
The main reason we were on this trip was for the marriage retreat sponsored by the Army. It's a program called Strong Bonds. If you have not been on one of the retreats, I recommend you do. Even if you are not too religious, it was still wonderful and not very preachy, preachy at all. We enjoyed a weekend listening to Marc Gungor explain the differences between men and women in his "Laugh Your way to a Better Marriage" video seminar. I thought I was at a comedy club the whole time we watched the videos. And the best part about the retreat, they paid for the rooms and 2 meals a day. how could you not say no?
On Day two of the retreat, we had the seminar in the morning and by lunchtime, the hubby and I were on our way for a nice German lunch and a little sightseeing, sans children. We enjoyed the time with some terrific friends as we entered the town of Obergau. Nestled in this little town was plenty of shopping, a cheese factory, brewery and a monastery. Lunch was great. We enjoyed some of the local beer and I had some terrific German sausage and sauerkraut. the hubster had goulash and a big potato roll looking thing we later discovered was made from a roll. My girlfriend and I visited the local wine and beer store which featured wine and beer made by the monks. The monk behind the counter directed us towards the monastery and the cheese factory. The monastery was beautiful, ornate and large. We couldn't go in at the time since there was a wedding procession occurring just as we got there. And let me say, she was one lucky girl to have her wedding there. It was the perfect location. We did get to look at the grounds of the monastery and soak up it beauty. We shopped a little at the store attached to the monastery where i picked up a few postcards. Then we took the short walk to the cheese factory. It was not what I was envisioning a cheese factory to be. It looked like a small home with a little storefront. Inside, the windows showed you the preparation room for the cheese and the storage area of the cheeses. We watched a short video on how the cheese was made and how this little place makes about 10-15 different cheeses a day! We saw how the cheese was pressed into the round molds, since it's a square before the pressing, and that it takes about 5 months for the cheese to age properly. During that time, it stays in the aging room, sitting on a shelf with all the other cheese wheels. I must say the cheese aging room was impressive. I enjoyed seeing all the various cheeses there. We were able to enjoy a few samples of the cheese and then purchased some for the ride home. My friend also purchased some of the fresh yogurt they made there and she told me it was really delicious. When we returned to the hotel, we grabbed the children and had some great family time at the indoor pool and jacuzzi.
Later that evening the children decided to go on an adventure of their own. My friend's hubby and mine happened to meet downstairs with the kids. They have two girls as well, ages 8 & 12. My girls adored their kids. When i met my friend later on, I brought our youngest daughter with me. we found the guys and the kids and the kids took off to the playground right around the corner from us. We could hear them as they played on the equipment and did their gymnastics in the grass. After a while, my friend and I parted from our husbands as they continued on their walk and we went to check on the kids. As we rounded the corner to the playground we soon realized the children there were not ours. We continued along the winding path that led back to the front of the hotel since that's where the oldest child left her shoes. My friend and I were really beginning to wonder where the kids when we heard them but couldn't see them. Then we heard shouting and crying, but more of a scared crying than a hurt crying. Along the path was a wall that surrounded the Army post. On the other side of the wall was of course the town. Our kids happened to find the one revolving walking gate that led to the town. Unfortunately, unless you had a specific pass, you could not reenter the gate. So there they were, a 6, 8, 9, and 12 yr, crying and upset, peering through bars at us, stranded in Garmisch alone. It was a sight to be seen! The problem though was how to retrieve the children. Luckily my friend had her purse with her ID in it. i remembered seeing a guard gate back where we were talking with the guys. so she went outside the wire with the kids and walked all four back towards the other gate where I joined up with them from the inside. I like to think the kids learned a lesson or at least had an experience that stuck with them, but I'm not sure. I was happy they were safe again though. We ended the night with kids watching a movie and a few of the adults from our retreat enjoying some of the many beverages the hotel had to offer in the lounge.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou Romeo?
That's right, this weekend we headed to Verona. Let me say this, it is a beautiful town and I am so happy we took the time to go. It's located about 40 minutes from Camisano. As you near the town, you can see the remnants of the old city walls built in the late 1600s and the accompanying moat that surrounded the city. I have never seen a moat like this, it was massive. Then we saw the old city gate as well. That was massive and very ornate. We finally crossed one the many bridges that cross over the Fiume Adige, a water way that runs along the city. As we stepped out of the car and looked towards the water, you could see the Teatro Romano on the other side, it's expansive treeline and ornate building up high on the hill. I hope to go there someday! We began to wander through the city and stepped in to one of the several churches located there. When i walked into the church, it was as if Leonardo himself had painted the church. The ceilings had several hand painted pictures of various saints and people. The stain glass on the windows was unlike any that I had ever seen and the whole design of the church was as if I had stepped back in time to a medieval time period. It was breathtaking, and absolutely solemn at the same time.
As we stepped back out on to the streets of Verona, we made a quick decision on the places I wanted to see. (Hey we agreed this was something I wanted to do, even if it meant dragging the family with me.) First in my mind was the house of Juliet. I kept thinking back to the movie Letters to Juliet so I could imagine what the place looked like. I remembered it was a courtyard right off the streets but that was about it. As we walked into the courtyard, throngs of people had made the same pilgrimage. they were milling around, taking photos and standing next to Juliet's statue rubbing her breast. (I thought this was rather strange, feeling up a statue, but as I later read in the book I purchased, if you rub her breast it is supposed to bring you luck. Perhaps i should have rubbed it but then again, Juliet's luck wasn't all that great. She died at 14.) We bought our tickets to get in inside. If you go let me say this, you can purchase a 2 day or 4 day ticket called the Verona pass. This ticket helps to defer some of the costs for the attractions. The pass itself for two days was only 15 euros and the kids, did not need one. One accompanied us on one pass and the other child was free. So take advantage of this tidbit. Now this house was owned by the Capello family and has since been sectioned off and changed hands several times. When the city purchased the house, it was in such disrepair. They brought back to like some of the wall decorations, revamped and cleaned out the inside of the house, brought in period clothing, replicated furniture and pottery, and made a modern Letters to Juliet section, complete with 4 computer stations so you can write to "Juliet". And if you saw the movie, you remember that there are ladies in the village who have taken up writing the responses from Juliet. My girls and i ventured onto Juliet's balcony and took our turn at a photo op on the beloved balcony. Although my oldest complained alot, i am sure that when she gets into high school one day and reads about Romeo and Juliet, she will become much more appreciative of her experience.
After visiting Juliet's house, I wanted to see her tomb. This however was clear on the other side of town, far away from her house. So that little trek took us a bit. In the meantime, and on the way, we saw some street performers, had lunch at a little cafe (which had a great grilled vegetable and cheese panini), and found the Arena of Verona. The Arena was another fascinating location my husband and i agreed on visiting. this place was HUGE! The original Arena still stands today and is a functioning opera house. The steps were made of stone and marble and as we walked up to the top of the arena, I began to wonder if we would be able to make it back down. The steps were like elephant sized steps, my youngest almost had to crawl over them to climb them. My short stature didn't help me any either. And did I mention there was not a handrail at all? I prefer handrails because I always feel safer with one, otherwise I just imagine myself toppling down, head over heal and that is not a pretty sight! After the Arena, we continued on our long journey to Juliet's tomb. We got lost a couple of times and finally, after a hour of walking (it might have been shorter but I doubt it), we located this girl's tomb. It's inside a museum but outside the museum is a metallic sign post in the shape of a flag that tells you you're at Tomba di Guillette.The courtyard had some quotes from the play and a bust of William Shakespeare. As we traveled through the museum, and tried not to be mesmerized by the beautiful paintings, we located a tiny sign leading us to Juliet's tomb, which was located outside, in the garden, and down some steps. The entry to her tomb was surrounded by another line from Shakespeare, a wall depicting the picture story of Romeo and Juliet, and these ornate stone sculptures on the walls. Inside the tomb area was the main room, where the other family crypts would have been and then there was Juliet's tomb. many of the wall were defaced, much like those in Juliet's courtyard, by the many visitors over the years. Nonetheless, I was happy we made it there and got to see this piece of "history".
After the tomb, we were tired and just wanted to go home, but we still had to walk back to the car. As luck would have it, Romeo's house was on the way back. Now his house is just marked by a sign, a rather sad sign at that, but we did find it. More intriguing down the street were the Scalergi tombs. According to wikipedia, it is a group of five Gothic funerary monuments in Verona, Italy, celebrating the Scaliger family, who ruled in Verona from the 13th to the late 14th century. These tombs were very ornate and massive and the family had a strange habit of naming each other after dogs. One was name Cangrande (big dog), another was Cansignorio (Mr dog) and still another Mastino. To each his own I suppose.
Verona itself is wrought with church after church after church. Each one more impressive than the last one. Some of the more notable churches included San Fermo Maggiore, Basilica of San Zeno, Duomo Cathedral and the Church of St Anastasia. If you get to Verona, you need to see the churches. Another great place was Erbe Square. Lots of vendors and eateries are located here and the square is home to Lamberti tower, one of the largest clock towers in Italy. Additionally, in the middle of the square is a stockade like structure with one chain for a head. Weird but effective on crime I bet. Hanging from an archway is a large whale bone. Legend says that if a righteous man walks underneath the bone, it will fall. Nothing happened the day we walked under it, and fortunately, the bone has never fallen during the centuries of people, including several popes, parading beneath it. Wouldn't this defeat the purpose of being "just" if you were killed by a whale bone that just happened to fall on you because you were righteous. But I do wonder, do you get a prize, like Excaliber?
Verona has history, there is no doubting it. The old city walls and moat surrounding the city remind you of its colorful past as do the half old, half rebuilt/new bridges allowing you access to the city. It's deep, rich culture, stories and history let you know that even though the city itself may be old, the town still lives on.
As we stepped back out on to the streets of Verona, we made a quick decision on the places I wanted to see. (Hey we agreed this was something I wanted to do, even if it meant dragging the family with me.) First in my mind was the house of Juliet. I kept thinking back to the movie Letters to Juliet so I could imagine what the place looked like. I remembered it was a courtyard right off the streets but that was about it. As we walked into the courtyard, throngs of people had made the same pilgrimage. they were milling around, taking photos and standing next to Juliet's statue rubbing her breast. (I thought this was rather strange, feeling up a statue, but as I later read in the book I purchased, if you rub her breast it is supposed to bring you luck. Perhaps i should have rubbed it but then again, Juliet's luck wasn't all that great. She died at 14.) We bought our tickets to get in inside. If you go let me say this, you can purchase a 2 day or 4 day ticket called the Verona pass. This ticket helps to defer some of the costs for the attractions. The pass itself for two days was only 15 euros and the kids, did not need one. One accompanied us on one pass and the other child was free. So take advantage of this tidbit. Now this house was owned by the Capello family and has since been sectioned off and changed hands several times. When the city purchased the house, it was in such disrepair. They brought back to like some of the wall decorations, revamped and cleaned out the inside of the house, brought in period clothing, replicated furniture and pottery, and made a modern Letters to Juliet section, complete with 4 computer stations so you can write to "Juliet". And if you saw the movie, you remember that there are ladies in the village who have taken up writing the responses from Juliet. My girls and i ventured onto Juliet's balcony and took our turn at a photo op on the beloved balcony. Although my oldest complained alot, i am sure that when she gets into high school one day and reads about Romeo and Juliet, she will become much more appreciative of her experience.
After visiting Juliet's house, I wanted to see her tomb. This however was clear on the other side of town, far away from her house. So that little trek took us a bit. In the meantime, and on the way, we saw some street performers, had lunch at a little cafe (which had a great grilled vegetable and cheese panini), and found the Arena of Verona. The Arena was another fascinating location my husband and i agreed on visiting. this place was HUGE! The original Arena still stands today and is a functioning opera house. The steps were made of stone and marble and as we walked up to the top of the arena, I began to wonder if we would be able to make it back down. The steps were like elephant sized steps, my youngest almost had to crawl over them to climb them. My short stature didn't help me any either. And did I mention there was not a handrail at all? I prefer handrails because I always feel safer with one, otherwise I just imagine myself toppling down, head over heal and that is not a pretty sight! After the Arena, we continued on our long journey to Juliet's tomb. We got lost a couple of times and finally, after a hour of walking (it might have been shorter but I doubt it), we located this girl's tomb. It's inside a museum but outside the museum is a metallic sign post in the shape of a flag that tells you you're at Tomba di Guillette.The courtyard had some quotes from the play and a bust of William Shakespeare. As we traveled through the museum, and tried not to be mesmerized by the beautiful paintings, we located a tiny sign leading us to Juliet's tomb, which was located outside, in the garden, and down some steps. The entry to her tomb was surrounded by another line from Shakespeare, a wall depicting the picture story of Romeo and Juliet, and these ornate stone sculptures on the walls. Inside the tomb area was the main room, where the other family crypts would have been and then there was Juliet's tomb. many of the wall were defaced, much like those in Juliet's courtyard, by the many visitors over the years. Nonetheless, I was happy we made it there and got to see this piece of "history".
After the tomb, we were tired and just wanted to go home, but we still had to walk back to the car. As luck would have it, Romeo's house was on the way back. Now his house is just marked by a sign, a rather sad sign at that, but we did find it. More intriguing down the street were the Scalergi tombs. According to wikipedia, it is a group of five Gothic funerary monuments in Verona, Italy, celebrating the Scaliger family, who ruled in Verona from the 13th to the late 14th century. These tombs were very ornate and massive and the family had a strange habit of naming each other after dogs. One was name Cangrande (big dog), another was Cansignorio (Mr dog) and still another Mastino. To each his own I suppose.
Verona itself is wrought with church after church after church. Each one more impressive than the last one. Some of the more notable churches included San Fermo Maggiore, Basilica of San Zeno, Duomo Cathedral and the Church of St Anastasia. If you get to Verona, you need to see the churches. Another great place was Erbe Square. Lots of vendors and eateries are located here and the square is home to Lamberti tower, one of the largest clock towers in Italy. Additionally, in the middle of the square is a stockade like structure with one chain for a head. Weird but effective on crime I bet. Hanging from an archway is a large whale bone. Legend says that if a righteous man walks underneath the bone, it will fall. Nothing happened the day we walked under it, and fortunately, the bone has never fallen during the centuries of people, including several popes, parading beneath it. Wouldn't this defeat the purpose of being "just" if you were killed by a whale bone that just happened to fall on you because you were righteous. But I do wonder, do you get a prize, like Excaliber?
Verona has history, there is no doubting it. The old city walls and moat surrounding the city remind you of its colorful past as do the half old, half rebuilt/new bridges allowing you access to the city. It's deep, rich culture, stories and history let you know that even though the city itself may be old, the town still lives on.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Process after process after Process
Eventually i am going to have a real adventure here in Italy and by that I mean one that does not include a trip to the hospital for an emergency surgery or a trip to Ikea for storage solutions ideas and items. In the meantime though, I get to contend with processes, or rather going from point A to point B but needing to stop at C, D, and E first to accomplish a task. Really this was supposed to be a simple task, get the paperwork completed to take advantage of the no value-added tax payment on purchases made at Ikea. Yeah, not so easy. To start this process, if you are making a purchase for 200 euros or more, you can avoid having to pay the value added tax on the purchase. So when we went to Ikea for this big purchase, we visited each indiviual information station and roughly translated into Italian the items we wanted so they could put the information on an informazioni prezze (intent to purchase price sheet). This sheet when completed, is submitted to the Tax Relief Office (TRO) and then you get the check payment from the bank and then return to the store with submitted paperwork and payment to collect your items or schedule delivery. The next day I went first to the TRO, luckily I arrived right as they opened at 11am. (really, 11am? Everything else is 9am or 10 am, so why 11?) I was told in advance it was a mulitple step process but perhaps in my pigheadness I failed to see how difficult the process would eventually end up being. When I reached the tax relief office, i realized I didn't have my credit card on me to pay for my purchases. It was a good chunk of change since we bought a couch, a desk, chair and shelving units, but I got the instructions on the process I needed to follow and that included heading to the bank FIRST and not the TRO to start the process. So, after driving back home to get the card I needed, and making sure I arrived at the Italian bank after their long lunch break, because seriously, evrerything here needs to be timed exactly or the process fails, I took my paperwork to the teller to get the check I needed. I was told that since we don't have an account with them, i needed to pay for my items in cash. That wasn't going to work. So frustrated yet once again, I called the big guns, the hubster that is, to assist in the problem. We went to another Italian bank on post to inquire about the payment options and of course the teller spoke only Italian and couldn't or wouldn't attempt to understand me. So he proceeded to get the check printed and all and then asked for cash too. I tried to explain to him that was not what I intended for him to do but hey, why listen to me? Luckily a coworker told the guy we would be back the next day to pay for everything since the banks only allow you to withdraw so much money per day from the ATM. Needless to say, the teller was a little peeved because now he had to cancel the check. (Seriously, had he understood me from the get go, we wouldn't have that problem).
Three glasses of wine later and a good night's sleep, I took cash with me the next day to get what we needed. Everything was going great, I got the check we needed, paid the $1 to get the check since we aren't members of the bank, and then headed to the TRO. But alas, it was only 10:15. I had 45 min to kill since again, they didn't open until 11am. We headed to the commissary, and then back to the TRO. Once the paperwork there was compelted and I paid my $10, i was on my merry way. After a brief return home to put away the melting ice cream and grab some lunch, we headed back to Ikea to pay for everything and set up delivery. I was told two days prior that delivery could be express, which meant I would get my items in 1-2 days. Unfortunately, i was told something different when I went to pay for the items. Since we did not live in Vicenza proper, delivery would take 1-2 weeks. Not happy i can tell you. If only we had my husband's truck here, this would be no problem. But no, that truck is back in the US. So we have to wait. I'm lucky I got through that process and the cashier spoke english. He did tell me I would receive a phone call about delivery and I asked if they spoke English because otherwise, it might be a problem to have to translate to them. I was assured that they do speak English, we shall see.
The kids are officially registered for school too. This 45 minute process included reviewing all the paperwork we previously sent in along with the school documents sent to the school. then i was handed paperwork to take to the bus people in the middle school next door and lunch paperwork to get the kids' lunch accounts set up. For that i had to return to post and head to the PX. After all that running around was complete, I was a little processed out. More wine was needed so i stopped at the Vino de casa (House of wine) to get some vino sfusi (wine on tap). Interesting concept and by far, the best recycling idea I have seen yet here!. You take in an empty wine bottle and have it refilled with one of the wines on tap. The copper barrels are humungous and have a long tube running out them to refill your bottle. Ingenious I tell ya, ingenious! The Italians do love their wine!!
Three glasses of wine later and a good night's sleep, I took cash with me the next day to get what we needed. Everything was going great, I got the check we needed, paid the $1 to get the check since we aren't members of the bank, and then headed to the TRO. But alas, it was only 10:15. I had 45 min to kill since again, they didn't open until 11am. We headed to the commissary, and then back to the TRO. Once the paperwork there was compelted and I paid my $10, i was on my merry way. After a brief return home to put away the melting ice cream and grab some lunch, we headed back to Ikea to pay for everything and set up delivery. I was told two days prior that delivery could be express, which meant I would get my items in 1-2 days. Unfortunately, i was told something different when I went to pay for the items. Since we did not live in Vicenza proper, delivery would take 1-2 weeks. Not happy i can tell you. If only we had my husband's truck here, this would be no problem. But no, that truck is back in the US. So we have to wait. I'm lucky I got through that process and the cashier spoke english. He did tell me I would receive a phone call about delivery and I asked if they spoke English because otherwise, it might be a problem to have to translate to them. I was assured that they do speak English, we shall see.
The kids are officially registered for school too. This 45 minute process included reviewing all the paperwork we previously sent in along with the school documents sent to the school. then i was handed paperwork to take to the bus people in the middle school next door and lunch paperwork to get the kids' lunch accounts set up. For that i had to return to post and head to the PX. After all that running around was complete, I was a little processed out. More wine was needed so i stopped at the Vino de casa (House of wine) to get some vino sfusi (wine on tap). Interesting concept and by far, the best recycling idea I have seen yet here!. You take in an empty wine bottle and have it refilled with one of the wines on tap. The copper barrels are humungous and have a long tube running out them to refill your bottle. Ingenious I tell ya, ingenious! The Italians do love their wine!!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Playing tetris with my household goods
Why oh why do i not have any closets? What is up with this place? My wardrobe is a glorified pine box with a curtain rod and a shelf. It does me little good. And since we got our household good shipment, I am beginning to understand the saying, "less is better." We got our shipment last week, and I was excited to finally see everything. It's amazing how attached you become to your belongings and then when you don't have you're not quite sure what to do so you either do without or go buy more. I'm not sure what is better truthfully.Needless to say, since we got our shipment I am desperately trying to figure out where to put all this stuff.
As I said, we do not have a closet to spare. This is hard when you have things you'd rather store than leave out, i.e. coats, winter clothes vs summer clothes, towels and sheets. So in our bathroom we got a shelf that miraculously fits between the bathtub and the shower. The Italians do know how to make small cabinets, that I cannot argue with. We also put a large shelf up on the wall to store the excess towels. So once the towels and washcloths are stored properly, I had all this extra bathroom stuff. Under the sink storage is small and when 4 people are sharing a bathroom, storage becomes a necessity. We did get a nice tall, skinny cabinet that fits between the door and the sink and has 6 shelves. It's a great addition to the bathroom. I wonder why it was never installed in the first place! After getting the bathroom situated I moved onto the kitchen. Somehow, I managed to get all my kitchen stuff into the cabinets. I had to make really good use of my hutch and the drying rack in the cabinet, and I did have to get rid of a few items and store others on top of the cabinet, but hey, it fits. We commandeered a shelf my kid and made it a pantry. This is great for all the excess food items I insist on keeping. Then we got a small kitchen island cart. It helps to clear up the counter space and is another great storage piece. My dry sink stores all my cookbooks too. Once I figured out all the storage space in the kitchen, I was pleased with the outcome. Unfortunately that meant I had to move on to the rest of the house. The kids room are more difficult. Yes, we do have shelves for them but that have lots of little crap, I mean toys, that need homes. Under the bed storage has become a necessity. the stores here have great storage containers (fabric ones and ones that snap together) which are a godsend. They come in all shapes and sizes and some are small enough to slide under the bed. I like them, but I like closets too. I have found that with the kids' stuff, especially the little one, I need to be even more creative with storage. Thank goodness i love baskets and have several for little nick knacks and small Littlest pet Shop toys. (There are too many of those darn animals to count upstairs. I think they multiplied themselves or had babies of their own during the month long adventure they had coming over here.)
My bedroom is a bit more complicated because we just have too many clothes. I remember our first real house that had over 3000 sq ft and his & her walk in closets. Now I must cram all my stuff into a glorifed pine box and then some. My poor husband though, with all his uniforms and gear and then his civilian clothes, he is hurting for space. I managed to find some more storage containers for all the blankets and sheets, and my quilt rack has a real purpose other than looking pretty. We had to buy a dresser for my husband and the poor guy spent a good 5 hours assembling it. After a few hours of cursing, it looked great.
I am still playing tetris with the other items in the house trying to get the living room in order (wow I remember having two living rooms, and now I have one) and the items in the garage. We're waiting on storage shelves to be delivered right now but I think, oh heck, I pray it will all fit prior to me having to throwing anything else out. For now, we are semi-settled in our new house. In about another week we may get to the finishing touches part, the hanging of pictures and painting of walls, but it's a process, much like everything else in Italy.
As I said, we do not have a closet to spare. This is hard when you have things you'd rather store than leave out, i.e. coats, winter clothes vs summer clothes, towels and sheets. So in our bathroom we got a shelf that miraculously fits between the bathtub and the shower. The Italians do know how to make small cabinets, that I cannot argue with. We also put a large shelf up on the wall to store the excess towels. So once the towels and washcloths are stored properly, I had all this extra bathroom stuff. Under the sink storage is small and when 4 people are sharing a bathroom, storage becomes a necessity. We did get a nice tall, skinny cabinet that fits between the door and the sink and has 6 shelves. It's a great addition to the bathroom. I wonder why it was never installed in the first place! After getting the bathroom situated I moved onto the kitchen. Somehow, I managed to get all my kitchen stuff into the cabinets. I had to make really good use of my hutch and the drying rack in the cabinet, and I did have to get rid of a few items and store others on top of the cabinet, but hey, it fits. We commandeered a shelf my kid and made it a pantry. This is great for all the excess food items I insist on keeping. Then we got a small kitchen island cart. It helps to clear up the counter space and is another great storage piece. My dry sink stores all my cookbooks too. Once I figured out all the storage space in the kitchen, I was pleased with the outcome. Unfortunately that meant I had to move on to the rest of the house. The kids room are more difficult. Yes, we do have shelves for them but that have lots of little crap, I mean toys, that need homes. Under the bed storage has become a necessity. the stores here have great storage containers (fabric ones and ones that snap together) which are a godsend. They come in all shapes and sizes and some are small enough to slide under the bed. I like them, but I like closets too. I have found that with the kids' stuff, especially the little one, I need to be even more creative with storage. Thank goodness i love baskets and have several for little nick knacks and small Littlest pet Shop toys. (There are too many of those darn animals to count upstairs. I think they multiplied themselves or had babies of their own during the month long adventure they had coming over here.)
My bedroom is a bit more complicated because we just have too many clothes. I remember our first real house that had over 3000 sq ft and his & her walk in closets. Now I must cram all my stuff into a glorifed pine box and then some. My poor husband though, with all his uniforms and gear and then his civilian clothes, he is hurting for space. I managed to find some more storage containers for all the blankets and sheets, and my quilt rack has a real purpose other than looking pretty. We had to buy a dresser for my husband and the poor guy spent a good 5 hours assembling it. After a few hours of cursing, it looked great.
I am still playing tetris with the other items in the house trying to get the living room in order (wow I remember having two living rooms, and now I have one) and the items in the garage. We're waiting on storage shelves to be delivered right now but I think, oh heck, I pray it will all fit prior to me having to throwing anything else out. For now, we are semi-settled in our new house. In about another week we may get to the finishing touches part, the hanging of pictures and painting of walls, but it's a process, much like everything else in Italy.
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