Monthly Archives: August 2013

Rome, Italy

We arrived on Rome around 4pm, checked into our hotel and went out sightseeing. We were staying near the Coliseum so that is the first pic.- then we walked to the Pantheon- then we went to the Piazza Nadona and we finished the night at the Trevi Fountain- pics of me and Marsha throwing in our coins.

I also took a picture of a museum. We had eaten so much earlier that we didn’t eat dinner. I also have many more pics on my camera.

We returned to the hotel – I wrote the section on Lenola then. We got up in the morning and went to the Spanish steps. From there we went to see a famous obelisk – many pics on my camera for this day. From there we went to the Vatican Museum to see the Sistine Chapel and then to see St. Peter Basilica. There is a picture of the Pieta that is in the Basilica. We then climbed to the top of the Dome (pic of Square from Dome). Too many pictures to send. We then walked back to the hotel – across Rome and crossed the Tiber River by Castle Sant Angelo.

We then went to the train station got a train to Perugia. We got to our hotel – the Etruscan Chocohotel-around 9pm. This hotel has everything chocolate and has everything decorated like chocolate. We stopped in the bar and had chocolate with Grappa and chocolate with peppers. See pic.

We then went out looking for sodas and found a Chinese restaurant behind our hotel. They only spoke Italian, but we managed to get sodas. We have no idea what is in Perugia, but we will find out.

Lenola, Italy

We traveled for 34 hours to get from Greece to where we are in Italy. Taxi to bus, bus from Athens to Patras, ferry from Patras, Greece to Bari, Italy, train from Bari to Rome and 2nd train from Rome to Lenola which is an hour south of Rome by train – my guess is approx. 60 miles. Franco, Marsha’s friend picked us up at the train station and took us to his apt. Lenola is his boyhood home and he returns every year for a month – he lives and works in the US. After Marsha and I got cleaned up he took us out to dinner. There are pics of the two restaurants where we ate, but it seemed rude to take pics of the food. Lenola is a small town in the mountains – roads are very curvy. The food was delicious – made with local ingredients. We had homemade linguini with porcini mushrooms, squash blossoms, I had mixed grill with sausage, some kinds of meat on a skewer and goat. It was all great. The next day we got up early because Franco took us to the Amalfi coast – very near Naples and Vesuvius. Talk about winding roads with sheer drop offs . These roads were the worst and they are narrow. There is barely room for 1 car in each direction and people park on the side of the road. We thought Franco may have scraped his car on a wall while trying to let a tour bus pass in the other direction. There couldn’t have been more than a 1/2 inch between the car and the bus. We had stopped for a very light lunch because we were going out to dinner again. Franco had bought fresh Buffalo mozzarella for us. We were stuffed, but went for dinner and we each had a pizza. We were so stuffed we couldn’t finish the pizza. Again it is midnight and we are in Rome. We only have 24 hours here in Rome so it is the whirlwind tour. I will attach the pics and send this message, but I need to get some sleep.

Patras,Greece to Bari, Italy Ferry

Marsha and I took a cab to the bus station and Stephanie took the subway to the airport, so we said goodbye at the hotel. Our bus ride to Patras was approx 2 1/2 hours but it took longer because there was a horrific accident on the highway. We reached the port and got our tickets. The ferry looked nice – see pic. We were only able to get “deck” tickets which means grab a seat and that’s where you sleep. See pic of salon we were in. I then took a pic of a bridge as we were leaving port and also of another ferry. We had dinner on the ferry which was salads, but we had a great view. Then it was time for bed – see Marsha in our luxurious accommodations. I know I have been saying how hot it Is here, but the ferry is like a freezer. It seems there is no happy medium – either too hot or too cold. About 1am the crew woke us because we stopped in a port. To our surprise we think about a thousand people got on. We found out this is a usual occurrence and must be since people brought queen size air mattresses with them. There were people sleeping everywhere! I am writing this while we are about an hour from the Italian port of Bari. Will let you know what happens next and send when I have wifi.

Athens – Day 6

We slept in after 2 long days of touristing. But after we got ready we went to see more ancient ruins in Athens. – see pics of Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Zeus.

We also went to see the Olympic Stadium and Hadrian’s Library (pics on my camera). Then we went to the wine shop because Marsha needed a gift for a friend in Italy. While we were there we had a cold drink. See pic of Marsha in her newly purchased Greek hat.

We then walked around some more – I should say it is still very hot here. We stumbled upon a Greek celebration. The celebration was for the full moon in August. See pics.

We then went to have dinner at a rooftop restaurant with a great view of the Acropolis. We had an appetizer plate for the three of us and then Stephanie and I had stuffed grape leaves and Marsha had an eggplant dip. Tomorrow Stephanie heads to the airport to fly home and Marsha and I head to Patras, Greece to catch the overnight ferry to Italy. Tomorrow will be a long travel day for all of us.

Athens – Day 5 – Mycenae

We were up early for our tour to Mycenae and Epidayuros. We stopped on the way to Mycenae at the Corinth Canal. I took a pic of a boat going thru the canal.

We then went to Mycenae to see Ancient Greek ruins. They really are neat in person and I have a ton of pics on my camera. Our guide was very knowledgable and of course our heads are full of facts we probably won’t remember.

We then went on to Epidayuros to see the amphitheater – it has perfect acoustics and still is being used today. We also saw a “beehive” tomb there and toured the museum.

We returned to Athens about 7pm and we went up about 200 steps to get the funicular to the top of Mount Lycabettus for a birds-eye view of Athens. See pic of Acropolis from top of mountain.

We then headed to the Plaka to get something to eat. Marsha and Stephanie had Greek salad and I had stuffed grape leaves with lemon sauce. The las picture is of the Acropolis at night. It was the view from our table at the restaurant. It is now 12:30 and it has been a long day.