Italian Adventure

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Day 877 of Lee and Irene’s Most Excellent Adventure

August 12, 2007

Hello from Great Smokey Mountains National Park on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. We have been here since May 1st working as volunteers in the Visitor Assistance Program. (GSMNP’s version or the Desk Officer Program we were in at Yosemite National Park last year.) We leave tomorrow, having completed our 3.5 months here. I had hoped to get this blog up-to-date before we got here, but obviously I didn’t make it. When I last wrote, I got up to just before our trip to Italy, so if my memory hasn’t failed me, I will recount our Italian Adventure.

On December 16th we left Montey in the care of my sister Barb and brother-in-law Gene, in Yadkinville, NC. Barb and Gene very graciously drove us to Charlotte, NC, for our very early Jet Blue flight to JFK airport in NY where, after a six hour layover, we transferred to Delta for our overnight, non-stop flight to Venice. When the sun came up we were flying over the Swiss Alps and the view from the plane was amazing! We were met in Venice by daughter Jenni and her husband Tony at about 0900. We headed for Aviano, where they are stationed (Aviano Air Base, a NATO facility). They live in a 2-level, 3 bedroom townhouse which is located off-base but is still US government housing. It is quite large and very nice with a view of the Italian Alps. We spent about a week getting to know our son-in-law, visiting with our daughter, and seeing some of the sights.

On Christmas Eve the four of us drove to Venice to pick up our son Chris who we flew in from NYC so the family could spend Christmas together. Even though Chris was very jet-lagged, we all went to “Venice”. We learned that Venice is actually made up of 2 parts. There is the Venice of the mainland, and Venice, the island, that is the Venice people think of when they think of Venice. That is where all the canals are. The only way to get there is either by boat or by train. Once on the island, the only way to get around is to walk or take a boat (there are water taxis and gondolas). I was very surprised to find that there aren’t even any bicycles on the island (at least none that we saw while we were there). We walked for hours and Tony made sure we saw Venice up close and personal. It was very interesting and the architecture of all those extremely old buildings was beautiful. We had hoped to see the Christmas Bazaar but by the time we made our way over there, it was pretty much shut down. One thing I discovered in Venice is that when you are traveling in Europe, always have some 1 euro coins handy because all the public restrooms cost a euro to enter. No euro, no potty.

We attended Midnight Mass at the Base and then opened Christmas presents. It was so great that we were all together. Jenni and Tony did a good job on their first Christmas tree. (Because of a limited budget, Tony had to get quite creative to make some of the decorations using leftovers from a Halloween Party they had in October, but the result was great.) After a very long day we all headed to bed and slept in. Jenni (with a lot of guidance from mom and a couple of recipes from grandma) fixed a wonderful Christmas dinner of turkey, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, veggies, and coconut cake. The cornbread dressing rivaled her grandma’s dressing. Fantastic!

Tony took us all to visit Castello di Miramare which is fully preserved with all its furnishings. It is an amazing place! Check out the pictures in our Italian Adventure Web Album. From there we traveled a short distance to the city of Trieste where we searched for a place to eat because all 5 of us were starving! Unfortunately, Italians believe in taking 3 hours for their mid-day meal and they close everything down to allow them to go home for their meal, including most of the restaurants!!!! We finally found a mall that didn’t shut down between noon and 3 and we ate at a restaurant reminiscent of an eatery you might find in Texas! We had some questions about the menu, which Tony attempted to ask the waitress in his version of Italian, and she asked him if he spoke Spanish. They ended up conversing in Spanish instead of Italian. It really surprised me that the waitress spoke Spanish but apparently its not that unusual in the service industry in Italy.

On December 30th the 5 of us packed our bags and boarded a train in Pordenone bound for Rome, about 4.5 hours away by train. The train was very nice and the scenery was beautiful along the way. Once in Rome we walked to Hotel del Tre Stella, several blocks from the train station. I had booked 2 rooms thru a AAA travel agent. At the cost of $250 per night per room, I wasn’t expecting the Ritz but I was expecting an average room. What we got were 2 rooms that I wouldn’t have paid $30 a night for. When Lee and I went into our room we were accosted by an odor that made me immediately nauseous. It smelled like a sewer. I immediately called the front desk to complain and their solution was to bring me a can of air freshener. Thanks for nothing. The next thing we noticed was that the furniture wasn’t even half as nice as what I had in my college dorm room. There were 2 “twin” beds and I use that term loosely because they were actually more like Army cots. The bedding was all mismatched and full of cigarette burn holes. The towels in the bathroom looked like the rags that Lee uses when he washes the motorhome. The shower was so small that Lee couldn’t even use it. Since it was New Year’s weekend and all the hotels were full, we were pretty much stuck. We checked with the kids and their room wasn’t any better. Their room didn’t smell bad, but the heat didn’t work and there were roaches.

We headed out in search of some dinner and Jenni did some shopping along the way. We then got on the subway and headed out to do some sightseeing. Our first stop was the Spanish Steps. On our way out of the subway and also at the Steps there were a lot of “illegal” street vendors. Not only is it against the law for them to be selling their merchandise, but it is also illegal to buy it. It didn’t seem to be stopping anyone and even Jenni bought a belt from one of them. I found it interesting that most of the street vendors are from Africa and apparently are set up with a “lookout” to watch for the enforcement police. While we were at the Steps, all of a sudden there was a whistle and all the vendors grabbed up their blankets filled with their merchandise and disappeared in all directions. It was really something to see!

While we were at the Spanish Steps, somehow Chris managed to meet some girls who attended George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. That is where Chris went to school. Now what are the odds of going to Rome, Italy and meeting a group of girls that attend the same college you attended? Leave it to my son.

From the Spanish Steps we walked to Trevi Fountain, the largest and most famous fountain in Italy. Legend says that if you toss a coin into the fountain you will one day return to the Eternal City. You can understand why it is so famous when you see it. It is awesome! It was so crowded, however, that I never got close enough to toss in any coins.

By the time we visited Trevi Fountain it was getting late so Lee and I headed back to the subway and Chris, Jenni, and Tony went in search of the “night-life”.

Back at the hotel, sleeping was another adventure. When Lee and I went to bed, Lee immediately started complaining about the springs coming through the mattress. I wasn’t having that problem so we switched beds, figuring that because I am considerably lighter than Lee, maybe I wouldn’t be as uncomfortable. Well, I was just as uncomfortable and couldn‘t sleep. I ended up folding up the blanket (which was huge) and creating a sleeping bag, with most of the blanket under me to form some extra padding between me and the broken springs. I was so worn out from all the walking that I was able to sleep, but there was no way I was staying in that room for 2 more nights.

The next morning we had our complimentary breakfast, which consisted of 1 donut or croissant and a 6 oz cup of tea or coffee or cappuccino. Don’t even try to ask for seconds. We talked to the front desk and they said that if we could move our stuff right away, we could move to another room before the people who were supposed to have it checked in. In the new room the bed was better and it didn’t stink, but now we too had roaches and no heat and Lee still couldn’t fit in the shower.

Anyway, it was New Year’s Eve morning and we were determined to have a good time so we all headed for the subway and got off at the stop for the Vatican. We had about a six block walk to St. Peter’s Square. St. Peter’s Cathedral is the most fabulous place. The art and sculpture and architecture are breathtaking. We attended Sunday Mass there, which was held in the chapel area behind the main alter. Mass was celebrated by about a dozen priests and bishops from all over the world and just the procession took about 10-15 minutes. There were parts of Mass and the homily done in 6 different languages. It was a truly unforgettable experience to actually attend Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican City.

After lunch we headed to the Sistine Chapel which, we were disappointed to discover, had closed at noon because it was New Year’s Eve. We also learned that the Vatican Museum, which houses the Sistine Chapel, would be closed the entire next day, so we wouldn’t be able to see it at all. Instead, we went back to the hotel to chill for a while before dressing for dinner. We found a lovely restaurant but because it was New Year’s Eve all the restaurants had special “New Year’s Eve” menus with hefty price increases. Dinner for the five of us cost enough to feed a small country, but it was New Year’s Eve and we were in Rome, Italy, so we didn’t complain too much. After dinner we took the subway to the stop for Piazza del Popolo which, Jenni informed us, was “the” place to be in Rome on New Year’s Eve. Her research told her that was where there would be fireworks at midnight. The crowds (and the drunks) were already filling the piazza when we arrived around 10:30 pm. Explosions were reverberating off the buildings as people set off M80s, firecrackers, and what sounded like dynamite. With people tossing the firecrackers, etc, haphazardly around us, I started having a panic attack and Lee and I decided that we should find someplace else to ring in the New Year. We said good-bye to the kids and back to the subway we went. We tried the “Spanish Steps” but it was just as crowded and crazy there so I decided that surely St. Peter’s Square would be calmer with fewer drunks. I was right, but first we had to navigate the six blocks to the square. People were throwing M80s out of windows into the street. It was CRAZY! However, when we got to the square we could hear Mass being said and everyone was holding candles. It was beautiful and moving. After midnight we headed back to the subway, dodging firecrackers along the way. When we got to the subway we were able to actually sit down for the first time since we had been in Rome. The subway was always standing room only when we were coming and going, but because Vatican City is at the end of the line, and everyone seemed to be elsewhere in the city, we actually got seats. When we got to the stop for the Spanish Steps, the platform was packed with people (mostly drunk) and they poured onto the subway. There was a young girl of about 10 years and her parents who were standing right in front of me. The girl looked green and I leaned over to Lee and said she looked like she was going to be sick. Sure enough, mom reaches into her pocket and pulls out a plastic Ziploc bag and the girl proceeds to vomit into it. At the next stop, the one for Piazza del Popolo, it was like a stampede as people forced their way onto the already packed subway. One father had to fight to keep his son from being trampled when the boy stumbled getting onto the subway car. Fortunately for us, most people got off the stop before we did so we didn’t have to fight to get off at our stop. What a night! I must say that I have NO desire to repeat that experience!

New Year’s Day the kids slept in and after having a real breakfast at a little café that we found near the hotel, Lee and I went out in search of a English guided tour. On a regular day it would have been no problem to find one but, because it was a holiday, we were out of luck. No tours were running so we were on our own. We hopped on the subway and went to the Coliseum (which was closed but we could still see it for the most part) and then we walked thru several other ruins. We found ourselves having to pick our way through all the broken glass because, we discovered, one of the Italian traditions for New Years Eve is that you break a bottle of champagne in the street to bring you good luck in the New Year. I suspect that most people drink the champagne before breaking the bottle. Why waste the champagne? After exploring the ruins we went in search of Piazza Navone that Jenni had mentioned seeing the day before, that was near the Pantheon. She said that there was a carnival there. Map in hand, we set out on foot from the Coliseum. We walked for what seemed like an eternity, got a bit turned around, stopped for lunch at a very nice restaurant, then set out again, determined to reach our goal. We found the Pantheon (also closed for the holiday) and then we found the Piazza Navone we were looking for and took pictures of the goings-on and visited the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi. By then I was done with walking so we hailed a cab. The cab driver took us through so many little back alleys that we had no idea where we were. Just when we started to think we were never going to get back, we saw the train station so we knew we were close to the hotel. I have no idea how far we had walked but it was a very long way.

We met up with the kids and set out for the Hard Rock Café for dinner on our last night in Rome. Again, we left the kids after dinner and as it was after 10 pm Lee and I headed back to the hotel to pack and go to bed because we had an early flight the next morning. We had to drag Chris out of bed in the morning. Jenni and Tony weren’t leaving until the afternoon to take the train back to Pordenone. Of course Chris still needed to pack and we needed to walk almost a mile to the train station with all our luggage in the rain. We could have called a cab but were afraid by the time it got there it would be too late so we walked/ran to the station. Luckily we already had our train tickets and hopped on the train just in time. By then we were sweating from our rush to the station and the train was horribly hot and stuffy. The train took us to Leonard da Vinci Airport. Chris was on a different airline, in a different terminal, so we parted there and headed for our gate. Chris had a direct flight to New York, but Lee and I had to change planes at Frankfurt, Germany and then we picked up our Jet Blue flight from JFK in New York, to Charlotte, NC where Barb and Gene graciously met us at about 11 pm. We had been traveling for over 20 hours and were glad to be back to the comfort of Montey after our 16 day Italian Adventure.

It was a wonderful trip (despite the horrible hotel in Rome) and we were so glad to have had time to get to know our son-in-law and spend the holidays with our children. We also realized how much we take for granted here in the USA, which made us appreciate this country that much more.

Until next time…

Lee and Irene Williams
3700 S. Westport Ave #3193
Sioux Falls, SD 57106-6360
Lee’s Cell 703-402-1130
Lee’s Email leonzo@hotmail.com
Irene’s Cell 703-963-4665
Irene’s Email icw1015@hotmail.com