It Took 40 Years...

I don't have the talent for putting how I really feel into words on the page, so I'm not sure how to convey how I was feeling about turning 40 years old. In my mind, the 20 and 30's are grouped together, then the 40 and 50's. I was moving into THAT GROUP! I don't feel that old. To think the next BIG ONE will be 50 years old puts me close to an anxiety attack. How did I get so OLD?!?! It's all downhill physically from here, NOTHING will get better. It's just so depressing...

I have been dreaming of seeing Europe ever since I was old enough to comprehend what Europe is.  I had told Scott (on more than one occasion, more like daily) that I wanted to go to Europe for my 40th birthday.  I knew it was going to take a lot of chocolate croissants to console me reaching this less-than-desirable milestone.

Scott was well aware of how disturbed I was about the upcoming birthday and made the ultimate birthday surprise. I could see him doing a lot of research and trying to be as secretive and I was super-excited. As the birthday week approached, the only information he would give me was to pack for upper 50 degree weather. That's as much information as I was given and I was thrilled- I LOVE surprises! I had no idea where we were going, but if I was forced to make a guess, it would have been Spain. I don't know why, just a hunch. With Grandma Fotheringham and Grandma Lee Ann all lined up for boy and dog duty, Scott and I were off.


Saturday, March 23rd finally arrived. Of course I didn't sleep the night before, wondering if we were going to have a seat on the flight. Scott had warned me the flight looked really full, but he had a Plan B. We made the flight from Salt Lake to New York, whew! When we were in NY, we had a couple of hour until the next flight. We were wandering around and Scott took me to a gate and said, "Surprise! This is where we're headed!" I looked at the destination, which was Bogota. Of course I was happy, I'd never been there and I knew Scott had done a lot of research and must have a great plan. Then I started to really think about it and the big give-away really was that he told me to pack for 50 degree weather. I knew it had to be a lot warmer than that. Then I started to think about the fact that Bogota is very dangerous with a lot of drug violence. I called his bluff and he said I was right. We finally went to our real gate and as I read the destination sign it said, Milapanese. I had no idea where that city was. I was just ecstatic that we did get seats on the flight. It was a huge relief for Scott, I could tell. When I got on the plane, I asked the flight attendant where this flight was headed. With security being such an issue any more with planes, I could tell she was concerned that I was on a plane with no idea what the destination was and wondered if she needed to call security. After all, who would get on a flight not knowing their destination unless something was seriously wrong? Scott noticed her concern and jumped in to tell her he was taking me on a surprise trip for my birthday. All of a sudden I was surrounded by flight attendants all oohing and ahhing over Scott and how wonderful he was. I just wanted to know where I was going! Finally, the word Italy was spoken and I was speechless! Finally, the destination, which hadn't even crossed my mind, was revealed. It was a complete and total surprise and to say I was ecstatic was an understatement. If I'd known then just how completely wonderful the trip was going to be, I may have passed out that very moment. Our Italy trip ended up being one of the best weeks of my life.

Once I got over my initial shock and elation, my first question was, "Did you call Ellen?"  Ellen's sister and brother-in-law had served as a mission president in Milan.  She had been over to visit and stayed for a month and then again with all of her family for a couple of weeks.  I knew she'd be an invaluable resource!  Scott had definitely done his research, reading the entire "Rick Steve's guide to Italy," and had a fabulous agenda already forming in his mind. We did contact Ellen and she provided a "Must See" list.

Bad luck seemed to welcome us when we reached Italy. On our first train ride from the airport, we left the camera on the train. We realized it as soon as we got off of the train, but when Scott went back in to look for it, it was nowhere to be found. There were some cleaners who had already started cleaning, so Scott tried asking them. It was our introduction to trying to communicate to Italians not speaking any Italian. They claimed to have not seen it, but I do wonder if one of them isn't at home enjoying a nice camera they found on the train. Being grateful we at least had Scott's phone camera to use for the trip, we went to catch our train to our next destination. Bad Luck Incident #2- being ripped off by the gypsies. At the ticket machines for the train, there were groups of people standing around that seemed to be offering help to the obvious tourists who weren't sure what to do. I thought they were employees and it was there job to help people. I soon found out how wrong I was. As Scott approached the machine, a man approached him and told him he should use his credit card to make the purchase, but cash. Scott put cash in the machine and the man asked him what his destination was, then he entered it into the machine and our tickets and change were deposited in the opening. The man immediately took the change and handed Scott the tickets. When Scott tried to get his money from him, he walked away and we figured out all these people standing around the machine were there to rip off unsuspecting tourists. Later when we were talking with others, we were told these were gypsies, mostly from Romania, and they had all kinds of shenanigans for ripping people off. It reminded me of my Mom telling me how scared she was of the gypsies in England when she was little. Whenever they would come to the door asking if they could sharper knives or scissors or they were walking by a gypsy camp, she would stay far away. Okay, two strikes in Italy- it was time for the good times to roll!

In Milan, we visited the fourth-largest church in Europe, the Duomo. Being Palm Sunday, there was quite the crowd. I especially enjoyed the seeing the faithful locals who were 80 and 90 years old with palm fronds in hand, waiting in line in the rain to get inside the cathedral for their chance to worship. The Duomo is immense! It is 525 by 300 feet of marble with more than 2000 statues inside. It has 52 100-foot pillars, each pillar representing a week of the year. It was built to hold 40,00 worshippers, the population of Milan when construction began. Construction began in 1386 until 1810, with final touches added in 1965.

Across the street is the Piazza del Duomo, which is Milan's main square. There are a lot of fancy stores, stores I know I will never actually make a purchase in, but the architecture is amazing. One spot I for sure wanted to visit is a mosaic floor that contains the city's symbol, a "torino" (little bull). For good luck, you're supposed to spin around on your heel on the bull. I wasn't going to miss a chance to improve our luck, so I spun around on the bull.  Worked like a charm!

 After the day in Milan, we headed to the first town we'd be staying in. Without being certain we'd make it, Scott hadn't made any reservations. We were frantically reading in the guide book as to the best options and ways to secure a clean, safe, and inexpensive room. The first area we were going to visit is called Cinque Terre. The guide book describes the area this way, "Enjoy one of God's great gifts to tourism...I've never seen happier, more relaxed tourists. The Cinque Terre is an exceptional place. It deserves special dignity. Each of the five villages comes with a distinct dialect and its own proud heritage. In spite of the tourist crowds, it's still a real community, and we are its guests." There are five towns and each is accessible only by train or walking trails, no cars.

The first town we stayed in was called Vernazza. When we arrived, it was dusk and as we reached the main plaza in town, children were playing soccer and there was a foosball table set up outside they were also playing on. The adults were sitting on benches and on steps in the front of apartment buildings and shops. My first impression is how RELAXED they all seemed. The locals were very content just visiting with one another and there was a definite sense of community. As we were walking around the plaza, reading in our book, we hear from a window about three stories up, "You need a room?" We look up to see a man I guess to be in his 70's calling to us. When we respond we do, he is down immediately and telling us his daughter has a room available. When he mentions the name, Scott recognizes it as one recommended in the book. The quintessential Italian grandpa shows us to a building just off the plaza. He picks up both Scott's and my bag and proceeds to carry them up three flights of stairs. By the time Scott and I catch up to him, we're out of breath and we didn't even carry up our bags! He, on the other hand, isn't out of breath at all! To be in that great of shape at 70 plus years old, very impressive. We liked the room and paid for two nights. 

Jet lag was pretty unbelievable and we didn't wake up until after noon the next day. Once we got ourselves upright, we took the train to the town of Manarola. We were hoping to hike the trail the goes all along the water. I was especially excited to see Via dell'Amore where the tradition is for lovers to leave a lock on the rail and throw the key into water. Unfortunately when we got there, we found out the main trail was closed because of a landslide. I was HUGELY disappointed, but decided it became the number one reason for coming back.

We found a restaurant for lunch/dinner, whatever time of day it was. Scott had his Italian dictionary on hand at all time and made a real effort to speak Italian. Usually they would just chuckle and speak to him in English, but I think they appreciated his effort.

Scott ordered fish of some kind. We'd seen the fishermen leave right from the harbor close by and knew the fish would be really fresh. When it arrived on his plate, head and tail attached, he was a bit surprised. He tried his best to eat it and finally asked the waitress for help. She gave him a lesson on how to eat the meat from a whole fish. She had a pretty serious personality, but Scott got her to smile and laugh when, in his attempt in Italian, he told her she was like his mom cutting up his food for him.

Most roads in the towns looked similar, narrow and steep. There were quite a few bed and breakfasts at the top of the steep roads. We saw many tourists hauling up huge bags and looking exhausted. I was very thankful I packed everything into a small rolling duffel bag since we moved rooms almost every night. I did love the bright colors of their buildings. Everything was fresh and colorful and very charming.

Although the main hiking trail was closed, we decided we'd try and follow some of the trails "less taken." It ended up being more of an adventure than Scott was comfortable with. I loved all the things that we were able to see and am 99% sure no other tourist has ever taken the path we did.

This hills were covered in vineyards. This time of year there wasn't anything growing yet, but you could see all the terraced areas and all the trellis that would soon be covered in vines. This picture of me shows kind of where the trail ended, but we blazed our own trail through the hillside.

That parking lot in the middle of the picture is where the last picture of me was taken and this is where we ended up blazing a trail to. Scott was freaked out a lot of the way. He kept saying we were going to get arrested for trespassing and asking how were we going to explain to the boys why we were in Italian jail and not coming home. I wasn't worried and was enjoying the adventure.

We found this train-like contraption that had track that looked like it went down to the vineyards and then would be loaded with bins full of grapes to bring back up to the road.

This look on my face is telling Scott, "See, here we are at the top and we didn't even get yelled at by any locals and the police didn't chase us."

I loved this stone shed we found next to a house. You can see the branches of grapes that will sprout leaves and grapes in a few months.

One  of the churches in Manarola. Each town had several churches and there always seemed to be a gathering of the local older people gathered around them visiting. The women were grouped together and the men together, involved in lively conversations.

This is my absolute favorite picture of the entire trip. To me, it captures the feel of Italy. The colorful homes built into the mountainside, the boats leaving to try their luck at fishing, and just a sense of serenity.

I ate Margarita pizza pretty much every day. As we'd look at the menu at restaurants, I usually ended up ordering pizza because I was absolutely in love with the authentic Italian pizza. Even the kind that was sold at the train stops, like I'm eating here, was divine. This train is the one we rode out to Siena. Here is the town where to clock would turn from 39 to 40 years old for me. It's a town I will never forget.

There is a wall all around the town.

We really struggled to find our hotel. The narrow streets
 with tall buildings all looked the same.

Finally, we found our hotel.

When we checked in, Scott mentioned it was an IMPORTANT birthday for me the next day. The darling couple who were running the hotel told me to enjoy some wine from the mini bar with their compliments. I thanked them, but then stated that we didn't drink wine. They froze. They looked at me as if I had just said I don't breathe air. I guess to an Italian, wine is like water - necessary for life. Their reaction was quite amusing and then stated, "But I'll definitely take you up on a 40th Birthday Diet Coke!" They just nodded their heads, but I could see they were still stunned.

Our balcony.

View from our room.

The city square is the major hang out. It's where people will just sit down and stretch out like they're at the beach. We noticed a lot of what seemed like college-age people gathering there. I'm sure in warmer temperatures people of all ages would be gathered.

Oh, the gelato! Once you've tasted the real deal, the stuff they sell and claim to be gelato in America just doesn't compare. I'll admit I had gelato at least once a day.

The duomo (cathedral) was constrcuted from 1215-1297.

Inside was very bright and colorful. I was amazed how they were able to paint things to look three-dimensional. That is a flat wall, but certainly doesn't look it.

The view from the top of the cathedral.

My Birthday Cake

After our time in Siena, it was time to head to Venice. Scott was excited about our train ride on this fast machine. I loved the train rides! The scenery was unbelievable.

We're on our way, Venice!

It made me absolutely speechless when we exited the train station and saw this scene before us. a city on the water, I'd never seen anything like it. I was mesmerized see all the activity on the water and how many boats were buzzing around. It was a beautiful, bright day which made the bright colors of the buildings even more spectacular.

We stayed at Hotel Campiello. It was near the water and it couldn't have been a better place the celebrate my official birthday. The room was gorgeous and it was in a fabulous location. We figured out the public water bus service and loved sight seeing from the boat. We also just loved to wander around town.

A typical breakfast included sliced meats and cheese, yogurt fruit, and unbelievably good hot chocolate.

The cemetery for Venice is an entire island! The island is completely walled in. Since New Orleans, Scott and I have become cemetery buffs. This cemetery was fascinating! I didn't know there were so many different options for what to do with your body after you died. This cemetery had it all.

There were flowers EVERYWHERE! Many of them were silk flowers, but the color they added made it bright and colorful.

All of the bambinos (babies) were buried together in one section. Although it was a heartbreaking to see and made me miss the boys, I did like the message of this headstone. With the child getting ready to climb the stairs to heaven with an angel waiting to greet them.

I would guess these are all people who have been cremated and their remains placed in all these different kind of containers.

Everything that come to Venice must arrive by boat. Here is the DHL boat delivering packages. We also saw brown UPS boats making deliveries.

The grocery delivery boats bringing in the groceries for the store.

These are the ambulance boars lines up outside of the hospital.

St. Mark's Basilica was built in 11th century and is decorated with booty from returning sea captains. The interior seems to glow mysteriously with gold. Saint's bones are housed here.

 

Scott said he would love to drive one of

 these

 water taxis as a job - for about a week, then he'd be bored.

One of the most fun things about Venice was just wandering around the streets and turning a corner and seeing a spectacular scene like these. Pretty much every direction you would look in Venice had some beauty to admire.

The Bridge of Sighs connects Doge's Palace with the prison. A condemned man would be led over this bridge on his way to the prison, take one last look at the glory of Venice, and sigh.

Oh- the food, the food, the food! I didn't know that many varities of cheese even existed!

....and the unbelievable desserts! The bakeries always had spectacular window displays.

Unfortunately, our favorite Hotel Campiello was full for our second night, so Scott found a bed and breakfast for us to stay in. This family actually has half of their home as rooms for guests, so I was a bit nervous about the idea. But when we got there, we had our own bedroom and bathroom that was separate from their part of the house. We actually had to call her to meet us at a main area because there is no way we would have every found the place! The narrow streets that go in every direction that all look similar, to someone whose never been there it was an overwhelming maze! But I loved that we got to get back and be with the locals and see how and where they lived. I was very sad going to bed that night thinking it was my last night in magical Italy.

Instead of garages for cars, they all have their boat and boat dock parked in back of their homes.

Scott purchasing our train tickets to the airport.The agents were helpful getting us where we needed to be.

We ended up with a Bonus Day in Italy because all of the flights were full. I told Scott I was fine spending the night in the airport, but he said there was no way we were going to. There weren't even any chairs or benches to sit on and they wouldn't let you down to the gate area unless you had a confirmed seat. I was worried about the money being spent to stay another day since we'd already spent so much, but Scott made plans for us to stay in Padua. It ended up being one of the highlights of the trip.

The Basilica of St. Anthony is there and as we found out, is a site that brings pilgrims from around the world to visit his remains which are buried there. St. Anthony is one of the most popular saints, known as a powerful speaker, a miracle worker, and the finder of lost articles. He said, "Happy is the many whose words issue from the Spirit and not from himself!" I couldn't agree more.

While we were touring the church, we found many people surrounding a stone box, leaning against it, many in tears, praying. We discovered the stone box contained St. Anthony's remains and for many of them being there was a lifelong goal. It was obviously a very emotional experience for many of them.

After the church, we walked around the town. Of course this always involves the consumption of more food. We found a bakery there that became our favorite because the food was delicious and the people working there even better. When you walk in, the bakery is on one side of the store and the pizzeria is on  the other side. Then there is this odd little enclosed area by the door that has some shelves with jam and other condiments where this Italian Grandpa was sitting. We ordered some pizza, which ended up being the best we'd had on the entire trip. While it was cooking, we were looking at the bakery items and I bought the largest croissant I've ever seen. As we got to talking with the people, we found out everyone who worked there was family. The older man at the "jam station" was the Dad and the Mom ran the bakery. The sons, daughters, and even grandchildren worked in the pizzeria and bakery. It was obvious as people came in the door, they all knew each other and were good friends. There was such a sense of community and that all these people really knew and cared about each other. It was very busy that day, many placing orders for Easter bread. It was absolutely delightful to see the people interacting with one another. I was ready to move to Padua that day just so I could come to the bakery and pizzeria to be with these people. The sweet Grandma helped me (as we tried to communicate not knowing each others language) find some cookies that would survive the trip home for the boys. With all of the ugliness in the world, it was experiences like this that bring renewed hope for humanity.

After our fantastic experience at the pizzeria/bakery, we decided to check out a grocery store. Don't you love the "shopping carts"? All over the country, we had been seeing these giant chocolate eggs that have a prize inside, wrapped in brightly colored foil. I really wanted to get some for the boys, but had no idea how to transport them home. Unfortunately for Scott, I figured it out in that grocery store. We took a couple of the giant cardboard boxes to pack them in and then we could check them on as baggage on the plane. Unfortunately, it was raining that night and we had a LONG walk back to our hotel. Being the good sport he is, Scott carried those huge boxes through the rain for a very long time so I could have the joy of seeing my boys receive a giant chocolate egg.

Salami, anyone?

Thankfully, for Grandma's sake, we were able to get on a flight the next day. It was by the skin of our teeth and Scott had to sit in Coach and let me sit in First Class. I know, best husband ever. Especially since he is so tall and really benefits from the extra room in the First Class seats. We arrived home to find Grandma had survived as well as the boys. The chocolate eggs were a hit!

UPDATE: Outside many of the train stations there are groups with their own unique way of making money off of the tourists. In Milan when we exited the train station, there was a group who grabbed your arm and tied these bracelets on your wrist and then put some kind of grain in your hand to feed the pigeons. They were wrong with me in thinking I would like to have a pigeon land on my hand and eat have it eat the grain. So you are given the bracelet and grain without being asked, but then they expect you to pay them. Having recently been ripped off by the gypsies, I was pretty hard-hearted. I completely ignored them and just kept walking. But now, almost 6 months later, I'm still wearing that bracelet. Scott asks me if I'm going to wait for it to rot and fall off and my answer is yes. Any time I look at the bracelet, it reminds of the most perfect trip I've ever been on. I can look at it and it takes me back to my "Happy Place." We'll see how long until it "rots off."