Garda and the Dolomites.

We slowed things down even further after Venice and visited Lake Garda (which is incidentally is a stop on the Giro D’Italia). We stayed in the Garda Garden Hotel a family run, 30 room old-fashioned hotel that offered half board accommodations. Half Board means that breakfast and dinner are included, so each night we sat at the same table and had the same waiter as we enjoyed a full four-course dinner (just like the old days). It was a nice change of pace and we enjoyed lounging around the pool and walking along the lake. One day we the figured after all the site seeing the kids had done they needed a real break and so we went to GardaLand amusement park – this is the largest park in all of Italy. While it’s no Disney it really is a nice park and the kids had fun on all of the rides. Becca rode one of the coasters three times in a row and was still wanting more.

On our final day we drove up into the Italian Alps, the Dolomites. We drove the length of Lake Garda (a fairly sizable lake) and then up to a ski resort town called Pinzolo. We were treated to some great vistas and beautiful scenery. At one point we jumped out of the car to play near a stream and noted how similar everything looked to Colorado. One major difference though was the number of mountain towns we passed, there were many more than we are used to seeing in the Rockies and much more established. These towns had obviously been there for some time, in most cases the main road had been widened to allow two way traffic and so there are no sidewalks -- the building walls were actually the side of streets so you kind of had to slow down. Our mountain drive continued down past another scenic lake and on to Bergamo just outside Milan were we hopped our flight and headed home. A few more picts

Venice

After an action packed few days in Rome it was time to move on. We loaded onto the train and took off north across the country to Venice. The ride to Venice is a nice one with much of it traversing the countryside. As you near the end you know you are close when you notice water on both sides of the train as you pass onto the 2 mile causeway to the Island. Off the train and into the station we grabbed a map as I left mine at home (duh). You step out of the train station and you are right on the Grand Canal! There is no mistaking you have arrived in Venice. After three bridges and a few missteps we found our hotel and settled in. The room in Venice was “quaint”. It was a portion of a converted apartment with the most uncomfortable furniture I have ever sat on and hot water that only worked part of the time(and not for showers).

We immediately set out to explore the city. Venice is one of those places that is truly difficult to appreciate without being there. There are no roads, no bikes, no scooters etc..just pedestrians and canals. As a mater of fact there are over 100 canals and 400 bridges. This is not one of those scenic places where if you have seen the few famous pictures in the brochure you have seen it all. No exploring the many streets and alleyways is like walking through a picture postcard. Everywhere you turn there is a beautiful view of an old building, a canal or a colorful flower box. I finally had to put the camera away because I could not keep up. Everything in Venice is also very old, unique and full of character, there are no sky cranes construction sites or new glass and chrome buildings.

Of course everything in Venice must come and go via the canals, but you knew that (so did I). However when you are there you realize what that means. Everything comes in on a boat and is carried by hand cart into the city. That means the garbage is picked up by hand and carried out, food for restaurants come in one load at a time. The tree we saw being cut down needed to be chopped up carried to a boat and shipped away. We even saw the UPS boat come down the canal and the driver (or should I say captain) unloaded everything onto his cart for deliveries.

Finding your way through Venice is maddening, there are maps and street names but they go every which way and are impossible to keep track of. We navigated via sense of direction and churches. That is we would try to find a route in a particular direction (which was not always easy) and when we hit a church (every minute or two) we would refer to the map. It worked reasonably well plus we had not where to be so it didn’t much matter.
While there we saw all the sites, the Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge (Marketplace) and San Marco Square. In the square the kids fed the pigeons, which were rather aggressive (be sure to check out the picts). Of course we also took a Gondola ride. While this may sound touristy it really was the highlight of the trip. To travel on the quiet back canals and see the houses and locals up close is awesome. Most of these back canals can be reached no other way even by foot. In all Venice was a nice change of pace from Rome and a day and a half was more than enough time to soak up the vibe! (Extra Picts)

Rome

After Paris and London it was only fitting that we finish out the “big 3” by seeing Rome as well. We did just that this past week as we took a vacation in Italy. Rome is an extremely interesting place to visit and different from any other place. There are of course the ruins of Roman empire and the Vatican city to see but when combined the other squares (Piazzas), fountains and castles there is more to see than most places. The only downside of Rome is that it just doesn’t seem to have the green space that many other cities do.

With a metro that is not as extensive as other places we opted to see Rome via the Hop On Hop off bus, this turned out to be a good decision as we rode often and still managed to walk nearly 20 miles over the course of the three days we were there. We started off slowly by seeing the Castel Saint Angelo, this castle was originally built as a mausoleum for the Emperors but later turned into an armament. It was an interesting place and we managed to pop in a free classical piano recital (maybe some inspiration for Becca). From there we headed off to see the sites of Ancient Rome; it’s been on thing to see beautiful churches and works of art in Europe dating between 1000-1500 but now we saw ruins of one of the greatest civilizations in history at a time when Christ walked the earth. We started with the pantheon which is unbelievable, the fact they could build such a perfect and enormous dome in the year 80 AD is astounding. It was very interesting to understand how they varied building materials and techniques to pull off such an architectural feat. From there we saw the forum which was truly awe inspiring, we stood in the spot that was the political and commercial center of the world at the time, a place where Caesar would have addressed the Romans. While in ruins there is still much to see and with the help of a few books we bought and a little imagination we could get an idea of what things were and how Rome looked thousands of years ago. At the end of the forum we visited the colosseum, a site recognizable by most who have been to Rome or not. As we entered the colosseum and started to walk to the upper levels I was taken aback at how similar it felt to walking through any modern stadium. Of course rather than steel and chrome there is rock but the wide tall passageways and large gates that enter the playing field are all strikingly similar. The floor of the colosseum is no longer intact so it’s easy to see the maze of tunnels and passageways that were used to orchestrate the deadly sport of the day.

After the ancient ruins we moved on to the center of the Catholic church visiting the Vatican and St Peters. The line into the Vatican museum must have been a half a mile long but moved quickly, once inside we moved through at a fast walk trying to get through this large museum. The Vatican Museum is much like the Louvre, there is weeks worth of art and tapestries and paintings you could admire, so walking through in an hour or so is overwhelming. Of course the tour ends in the Sistine chapel – truly an breath taking work or art and one that must be seen in person to be appreciated. Depending on your vantage point different portions of the ceiling look three dimensional – amazing!! From there we went right to Saint Peter’s we waited in line only to find out that Yvette’s shorts were too short for her to get in, I seem to recall reading this in a guide book somewhere but it slipped my mind when it was important. Oh well we ducked out into a nearby gift shop bought a large scarf that we fashioned into a skirt and we were good! Once we were in the church we were absolutely awe struck. We have seen many other beautiful churches in Europe but this is in a class by itself – it is absolutely the most massive place we have been.
To round things out we visited the famous squares and fountains. We toured the Trevi fountain, Piazza Navone and Piazza Spagna to name just a few. Finally I can not end this post without mentioning the food which was fantastic! It never took us more than 5 minutes to stumble across a place to eat, we always ate outside and had many great experiences as we sampled the local food and enjoyed the friendly Italian service!! The kids were in pizza and pasta heaven and discovered they love Gelato (go figure). As always a few more picts here

A hike of a different kind.

We are settling into a nice pattern where we explore a new city one weekend and relax in the country the next. This past weekend we drove south of Dublin to Wicklow which is on the Irish Sea. We continue to enjoy driving the scenic route through the rural areas. This time we drove through the small hamlet of Enniskerry among others. As we dart through all the small back roads I often found myself wondering if I am really on a two way street . One of the pictures I loaded onto the blog this time shows our rental car in the middle of the road – this shows you how narrow the back roads can be (yes this is a two way road).

Once we arrived in Wicklow we picnicked in a park alongside the Sea, the landscape was beautiful but it was a little chilly and windy. After lunch we walked along the coast for a few miles to an old light house. Along the way we found small beaches, cliffs and caves. We have done a great deal of hiking in Colorado (and other spots in the States) but this was our first “coastal” experience.

Next weekend we are back to the city starting with Rome.

Paris in the Springtime (April 30th)

When we landed in Paris we stepped off the plane and into summer! We were greeted with blue sunny skies, warm temperatures (high 70’s) and all of the trees and flowers in bloom -- it was awesome. Except for a thunderstorm Sunday night we enjoyed this weather all weekend and combined with over 15 hours of daylight we saw all the sites. To our amazement we even surpassed on walking distance in London - 28 miles in total and of course the kids probably even went further with all their energy.

Compared with other European Cities Paris has a much more “park-like” feeling, from tree lined streets and wide boulevards to large fountains and green space everywhere. We started each morning in this setting with a nice walk to the metro, choosing the farther station as it took us by a bakery on the way where we were sure to fill the backpack with snacks for the day. You would figure that by now the technology to make a good croissant would be worldwide and maybe it’s just in my imagination but we all thought they tasted better in Paris, and the next time you see Becca just ask her about the crepes.

Just a quick Metro ride and we could be anywhere in the city we wanted to be. We hit all the major sites -- we started at the Arc de Triomphe and cruised Les Champs Elysees. We awed at the stain glass in Notre Dame, saw the armor and weapons used during the French Revolution at the Hospital of the Invalides. At the Louvre we enjoyed Venus, Napoleons apartment and priceless works of art. Naturally, no trip to the Louvre is complete without marveling at the Mona Lisa, Matt and Becca moved from side to side and wherever they went Mona was still looking (and of course smiling) at them. We also spent a lot of our time just soaking up the city, strolling along the Seine and through the out of the way neighborhoods. We cruised Montmartre and Concorde square and rested at sidewalk cafes just “people watching”

Of course the highlight of the trip was the Eiffel Tower. You really have to see it in person to appreciate it! This was the kids favorite and we spent each night there except our last, and we were on our way, but got rained out. We toured around it, walked up the 700 stairs to the second level and enjoyed the view in every direction. At night we sat at the foot in the park and watched as it lit up and then shimmered as 1000’s of halogen lights flashed – what a spectacle we were not disappointed. It was also great to see how many people came to picnic every night; enjoy the weather and the view of the tower. Sure there were lots of tourists but it was also filled with families and friends with their picnic baskets, wine, cheese and bread.

In all Paris was a memorable trip, there is a lot to do and we only scratched the surface. As I mentioned before we walked all day, there was some much to do and see and the kids went until they dropped – literally. We’ll certainly have to leave Paris on the list for the next European adventure. See More