Hi folks. We are sitting on the train between Rome and Paris. Riding the train was probably not the most efficient use of our time, but it has been a fun day of scenery, reading, looking at pictures, blogging, etc. We were organizing pictures from the trip a little while ago, and South Africa seems like the distant past. It is hard to believe we have less than a week left in this adventure. I think we are both sad to see it end, but we are ready to return to the friends and family we love; the place we call home; and the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the familiar.
We just crossed the border into France a few minutes ago. I can’t even remember what all we’ve blogged about from Italy. Basically, we have seen more incredibly beautiful and historic sights together in Italy than we will even begin to remember. Every city and village we visited felt scenic and age-old, but each had its own personality. The Cinque Terre was quaint and colorful and had a local pace. Florence was busy, narrow-streeted, fashionable, and filled with art, architecture, and history. It was also the place of a few new leather goods. Orvieto – a traditional, hill-top, castle town – surprised us with its class and charm, but also with its history. We enjoyed the artisans and the basilica there. One of the “artisans” – a barbieri – even gave me a haircut. Finally, Rome was really busy, obviously incredibly historic, but also more modern. While we had beautiful, crisp weather everywhere else, in Rome, we had to brave the cold and the rainy in order to see the sights, but we were rewarded with short lines.
It has felt a little hollow to go from being hosted by locals to being on our own as tourists. We have appreciated all the sights, and certainly our time together, but we are finding that we prefer to travel to places where we have local friends to help us experience and process the place they call home. This, in turn, has stoked the hospitality fire in us…consider this your invitation to come visit us in Portland (even if you live there).
On that note, on our last day in Rome, a mutual friend of our friends John and David in the U.S., Mario Capello, was kind enough to meet us for a few hours and give us a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. Mario is a member of the Papal Household, and his job – as far as I can tell – is sort of a special projects coordinator for the Papacy. The Pope. The tour was great, but it was more of a background to our questions about the Pope, Mario’s job, and the Catholic Church. We have seen and will continue to see spectacular churches, the majority of them funded, built, and maintained by the Catholic Church. It has been hard for us to reconcile the expense and opulence of some of these places with the teachings of Jesus. But, our conversation with Mario about his job and about John Paul II (it was really fun to hear personal stories about John Paul II) was really focused more on people and their needs – both the rich and powerful and the poorest of the poor – than on places or buildings. It was a good way to wrap up our time in Italy.
I think Sharon was surprised how excited I have been to ride on trains – one of the things I have in common with my nephew, Grant. Trains remind me of my early childhood in London, and I’m excited to see if London triggers any memories for me in the few days we’ll have there. I’m looking forward to meeting up with a friend of mine from elementary school. I haven’t seen or spoken with Tim in about 23 years, so that should be really fun. Sharon and I are going to go see our old house, school, and neighborhood. Also, we’re going to hang out with our friend, Jack, who lived with Jason and me in Portland for a bit. He now works on the staff of a Parliamentarian, so we’re going to get a tour from Jack of Parliament.
But, Paris is first…
Monday, January 12, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Ah Italy...
After a drive through the countryside and our first bites of pasta, we were well contented to be in Italy. It is a fitting end to our journeys. It is a great culture, we can explore, and we can share our experience over great food.
We have stayed the last three nights in Vernazza, one of the little towns on the Cinque Terre. These towns are perched on the hillsides and surrounded by the Meditteranean. The homes, considered Ligurian style, are all shades of pastel and cling to the rocks. It is absolutely beautiful. We spent our first day hiking between four of the towns. Quite the exercise but the views were well worth it. The towns are a bit sleepy for the winter, but the sun has been shining, and it is kind of nice to not have to fight the crowds.
Yesterday, we travelled by train to several towns up the coast. It was great to experience a Sunday in these towns. Everyone was out walking their babies, playing with the kids at the shore, reading the paper on the benches, or sharing a cappuccino. It was such a nice slow pace that we often miss in the States. We ended up in Portofino which was quite the swanky little yacht harbor. It has been the playground for the rich and famous for yeas. (Girls, I drooled my way through stores such as Gucci, Hermes, Missoni, Armani, and Ferragamo.) It was a great day of exploring.
Each of our days here have been finished off by great meals. As we are on the sea, we have been sampling the local fare. Fresh anchovies are one of the most popular. We have had them in pasta, on pizza, and in a stew. We have also had mussels in a variety of preparations. Supposedly, this is the birthplace of pesto as well, so Andy sampled that the other night. The pesto here has a much finer, thicker consistency...
That's it for now. Today we head to Florence via the back roads.
We have stayed the last three nights in Vernazza, one of the little towns on the Cinque Terre. These towns are perched on the hillsides and surrounded by the Meditteranean. The homes, considered Ligurian style, are all shades of pastel and cling to the rocks. It is absolutely beautiful. We spent our first day hiking between four of the towns. Quite the exercise but the views were well worth it. The towns are a bit sleepy for the winter, but the sun has been shining, and it is kind of nice to not have to fight the crowds.
Yesterday, we travelled by train to several towns up the coast. It was great to experience a Sunday in these towns. Everyone was out walking their babies, playing with the kids at the shore, reading the paper on the benches, or sharing a cappuccino. It was such a nice slow pace that we often miss in the States. We ended up in Portofino which was quite the swanky little yacht harbor. It has been the playground for the rich and famous for yeas. (Girls, I drooled my way through stores such as Gucci, Hermes, Missoni, Armani, and Ferragamo.) It was a great day of exploring.
Each of our days here have been finished off by great meals. As we are on the sea, we have been sampling the local fare. Fresh anchovies are one of the most popular. We have had them in pasta, on pizza, and in a stew. We have also had mussels in a variety of preparations. Supposedly, this is the birthplace of pesto as well, so Andy sampled that the other night. The pesto here has a much finer, thicker consistency...
That's it for now. Today we head to Florence via the back roads.
Finishing off the Middle East
We are a bit tardy on our posts so we are going to catch you up on the end of our time in the Middle East....
We had a great day walking all around the old city of Petra on New Year's Eve. Words really don't do it justice. It is absolutely amazing what these people were able to build out of sandstone. The pictures are the only thing close to describing the beauty. We will hope to show them to you someday.
On New Year's Day, we headed for Amman...our last day in the Middle East. We had a trusty driver for our few days, Raeb, who would buy us drinks and treats when he stopped..pretty funny. On the way to Amman, we saw a lot of desert, some farmland, and the pretty meager existance that most people have in Jordan. We went up to Mt. Nebo, which is where Moses saw the promised land before he died. It really was amazing. Despite a bit of haze, you could see for miles into Israel - the Dead Sea, Jericho, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Galilee all in one panorama.
Our evening in Amman was wonderful because we stayed with Sameer and Mary Petro (again thanks to David Austin). They are originally from Israel, but lived in the US for years, and Lebanon, and now Jordan. It was fun to hear about their lives between cultures, the work that they do together, and to be part of a family for a night. We had a fabulous dinner at a Lebanese restaurant. Andy especially is going to miss the food. We tried to store up the tastes so that we can attempt to re-create them back home. It was a great evening of new friendship and a great ending to our time in the Middle East.
We had a great day walking all around the old city of Petra on New Year's Eve. Words really don't do it justice. It is absolutely amazing what these people were able to build out of sandstone. The pictures are the only thing close to describing the beauty. We will hope to show them to you someday.
On New Year's Day, we headed for Amman...our last day in the Middle East. We had a trusty driver for our few days, Raeb, who would buy us drinks and treats when he stopped..pretty funny. On the way to Amman, we saw a lot of desert, some farmland, and the pretty meager existance that most people have in Jordan. We went up to Mt. Nebo, which is where Moses saw the promised land before he died. It really was amazing. Despite a bit of haze, you could see for miles into Israel - the Dead Sea, Jericho, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Galilee all in one panorama.
Our evening in Amman was wonderful because we stayed with Sameer and Mary Petro (again thanks to David Austin). They are originally from Israel, but lived in the US for years, and Lebanon, and now Jordan. It was fun to hear about their lives between cultures, the work that they do together, and to be part of a family for a night. We had a fabulous dinner at a Lebanese restaurant. Andy especially is going to miss the food. We tried to store up the tastes so that we can attempt to re-create them back home. It was a great evening of new friendship and a great ending to our time in the Middle East.
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