Dream Locations on My Bucket List Archives - Page 3 of 4

The Christmas Trees of NYC (Guest Post from Weston and Tina Shelton)

12/30/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

(One of the joys of my life has been teaching music to hundreds of young people in Hartselle and Morgan County. Through the wonder of Facebook, I am able to keep up with many of them even years later and watch as they blossom and become all God made them to be. Today’s post very likely could be given the MOST BEAUTIFUL award so far on my blog. Weston and Tina Shelton, both former students from Hartselle, recently made a Christmas trip to New York City. They graciously agreed to share both their writing and photography talents with all of you. I’m sure you will agree, after reading this and clicking on all of the photos, many more places are now added to our Bucket Lists. Thank you so much, Weston and Tina).

Photos by Weston Shelton. Be sure to click on each one.

ThereGoesConnie.com has been such a positive and uplifting social media presence, and we are honored to have been asked to write a guest post about our recent Christmas vacation to The Big Apple.
As a child, I always dreamed of Christmastime in the city. Since we are in the process of building a home and without the usual hustle and bustle of decorating and entertaining, this seemed like the perfect year to sneak away during the holidays! Now that we know New York City is such an easy trip from north Alabama, I foresee many future visits.
We arrived at the centrally located Hotel Edison on Friday evening to this lovely lobby Christmas tree.

Hotel Edison lobby

Hotel Edison is an art deco style, 1930’s boutique hotel in the heart of Times Square. If you are looking for a clean, safe and reasonably priced hotel in mid-town Manhattan, this is the place for you. If you are looking to spend significant time in the confines of the hotel and need a spacious, luxurious room, look elsewhere. After checking-in and dropping off our bags, we immediately walked the half block to Times Square where we found this high tech Christmas tree, just above which you will see the New Year’s Eve crystal ball.

The following morning we went directly to the TKTS booth in Times Square, where we purchased tickets for the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular at a great price! Beware, the TKTS line looks intimidating, but moves very quickly. From there we made our way to Radio City Music Hall where we saw our next legendary tree.

Radio City Music Hall

However, the Swarovski Christmas Tree completely caught me off guard. Said to be worth over $1 Million dollars, this tree took my breath away.

The Christmas Spectacular is truly spectacular and so much more than the Rockettes’ signature kickline. From uniforms and numbers originally choreographed in 1933, to specifically engineered snow drones that float through the room, and finally the most beautiful live nativity we have ever witnessed, the show has something for everyone and exceeds the spectacular expectation.
We then made our way through Rockefeller Center to the Top of the Rock, which was my favorite view of the city (Weston preferred the Empire State Building).

Weston and Tina at the Top of the Rock.

Upon returning to the ground, we found St. Patrick’s Cathedral and this beautiful Christmas tree and yet another beautiful nativity.

Christmas tree at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral nativity scene

You will notice that the baby Jesus is absent. We understand that He makes His arrival in a moving service on Christmas Eve.

Leaving the cathedral, we found The Palace hotel located on the following block along with these two Christmas trees and a sweet gingerbread palace.

Our next stop was The Plaza Hotel, where we found this well-known tree in the lobby. Here, your child can fulfill all of her Eloise dreams or have a picture taken with a Santa who is fortunate enough to get to spend his time on a white and gold gilded chaise lounge. The lower level of the Plaza features a food court that is out of this world. Crepes, chocolates, baked goods and even lobster rolls!

Plaza Hotel Christmas tree

After dark, we started making our way up 5th Avenue, taking in all of the elaborately decorated store windows and toward the larger than life light show display on the Saks Fifth Avenue building. I believe the light show has in excess of 200k lights!

We ended our evening , near where we started, at the iconic Rockefeller Christmas Tree and ice skating rink. As the tree started to twinkle, I declared this as the most fun day of my life. Weston questioned me on the huge statement, but over a week later, I still stand by my declaration.

Rockefeller Center

During the next two days, we visited the Brooklyn Bridge, 9/11 memorial pools, St. Paul’s chapel (founded in 1766 and the location of George Washington’s post inauguration prayer in 1789), floated by the Statue of Liberty, went to the top of the Empire State Building and shopped and snacked our way through Chelsea, Greenwich Village and Soho! The Christmas season has come to a close, but as you start planning your 2016 vacations definitely consider moving New York City up on your list. We’d love to help you plan your trip or hear about your past trips to the Big Apple!

Lobby of the Empire State Building

A flower shop in Chelsea

Headed to NYC for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Here are some tips.

11/02/2015 By: CCPearson2 Comments

In 2008, Steve and I realized that all of our “people” had made other plans for Thanksgiving, so we decided to mark something off MY Bucket List that had sat untouched for years — seeing Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade live and in-person. For a couple of small-town Alabamians, it might come as a surprise that we love New York City. But, after an amazing trip for my 50th birthday, we really wanted to find an excuse to go back. This was it. We found out some things during that visit that might help if you decide to make a similar trip.

M & M’s are watching for the parade, too.

Macy’s balloons

DO YOUR HOMEWORK. If you can possibly swing it and if you make your reservations early enough, do your best to stay in a hotel that is on the parade route. Basically that means along Central Park West or 6th Avenue to 34th Street. Here’s the 2015 Macy’s Parade website – https://social.macys.com/parade/#home. That’s a good place to start your research. Choose one of these hotels and hope, hope, hope that they have a room available. Eight are mentioned in this article. https://www.nycgo.com/articles/thanksgiving-day-parade. Unless you are Donald Trump’s long-lost cousin, you are not likely to want to splurge enough to book one of the rooms that are on floors 2-10. In those, you can stay in your warm comfortable room and just watch the parade go by, BUT you will pay triple the normal price for your room. No, the reason to stay along the route is to be able to get a spot as close to the police barricade as possible.

Pilgrims

Honest Abe

cornucopia

2. GET UP EARLY. DRESS VERY WARMLY. DON’T DRINK MUCH. As soon as the hotel starts serving breakfast, be there waiting. If it’s after 6:00 a.m., that will be too late. Don’t drink much coffee. Now, you might want to put a bottle of water in your backpack, but wait until you get really thirsty to drink it. Why? Bathrooms, of course. Once you get in your spot, you will lose it if you leave. Yes, even if you have someone holding your place. The barricades start going up about 6:30 a.m. Be out there and ready. Steve and I were there, and we still only made it to the second row. Then, you start waiting, and it will likely be cold in New York on Thanksgiving Day. It hovered between 31 and 32 degrees the morning we were there. Think toboggan, gloves, two pairs of socks, etc. It will NOT matter what your hair looks like. 🙂 Depending on your hotel and how early you get your spot, you will likely not get your first glimpse of the start of the parade until 9:30 a.m. We were VERY fortunate. The people waiting around us were fun and friendly. We actually had a great time laughing and chatting.

3. MAKE LOTS OF PICTURES!! Yes, you’ll see it on television in years to come, but that will not be the same. Plus, the celebrities and the most popular balloons could change from year to year. You will enjoy the costumed people walking beside the balloons and floats almost as much as the actual floats. They add so much to the pageantry.

Buzz!

Princess float

4. When the parade ends, go back to your room to 1) use the bathroom, 2) drink lots of water, 3) warm up, and 4) take a nap. After all, you got up VERY early. Then, spruce yourself up nicely and GO OUT FOR A MEMORABLE THANKSGIVING DINNER AT A GREAT NEW YORK RESTAURANT. No. They won”t serve you every single one of your usual Thanksgiving favorites, but there WILL be turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Here’s a link to popular restaurants for this special dinner. https://www.nycinsiderguide.com/thanksgiving-dinner-in-new-york-city#.VjU5vfmrShc. Pricey but worth it. Steve and I were fortunate to go to Tavern-on-the-Green in Central Park in 2008, but it closed the next year. It reopened about a year ago, but the reviews haven’t been good since it was remodeled and put in the hands of new owners. Maybe the restaurant you choose will be within walking distance of your hotel. That will save a taxi fare.

5. ORDER TICKETS FOR A GREAT HOLIDAY SHOW to see either the day you arrive or the day AFTER Thanksgiving. Here’s a link to this year’s offerings for November 2015. https://www.newyorkcitytheatre.com/common/monthly_events.php?year=2015&month=11&category=Big%20Site%20Top%20Show

6. WINDOW SHOP and GO TO ROCKEFELLER CENTER. The displays are spectacular, especially in the most famous stores. You don’t have to skate, but at least watch the skaters for awhile. https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/new-york-city/travel-tips-and-articles/76359 The famous tree will probably be in place, but it is not lighted until later in December.

7. SHOP. Yes, buy a few things. If you fly to NYC, you can always have your treasures shipped home. That’s especially true if you have 12 grandchildren and find lots to buy at FAO Schwartz.

M & M’s in disguise

Yankee Doodle Dandies

So, in summary, attending Macy’s Parade is not for the weak or “faint of heart.” It’s physically taxing, but I believe you’ll be glad you went . . . . once. You’ll feel like a kid again. That’s worth a lot. P.S. If your visit to NYC puts you there through a Sunday, PLEASE, please, please take the subway to Brooklyn and attend a service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. What a blessing that will be.

Santa at the end of the parade

2 Weeks in Italy — Favorite Scenes that Linger in My Mind

09/21/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

Between my camera, Steve’s camera, and my cellphone, I’m sure we have close to a thousand photos. But, as I reflect on our two weeks in the diverse country of Italy, full of history, natural beauty and incredible food, I wanted to try to pick my favorite scenes and events as a way to summarize the experience from my perspective and bring this series of blogs to a close.

1) We began our trip in Rome, and for me, the most stirring sight was the Coliseum. It was not only massive in its construction, but it was also the place where many people were so committed to their belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah that they were martyred for their faith. They died horrible deaths from gladiators and lions rather than to denounce what was in their hearts. I look forward to standing around The Throne with them in heaven some day.

2) Positano and the drive along the Amalfi Coast were both incredibly gorgeous. Steve and I were on the coast of California a few months before this trip, and it was beautiful, too, but I believe the Italian coast cranked it up a notch. I wish you could see — and I wish I had the words to describe — the blue of the Mediterranean. Oh my. And the colorful villages that cling to the rocks? Let’s just say that artists have endless inspirations here.

3) Our cooking class in Florence was SO MUCH FUN. I highly recommend that you take a cooking class of some kind when you’re in Italy. Many are offered, and if I went back, I’d definitely sign up for another one. You’ll learn something, you’ll have a great meal, and you’ll laugh a lot in the process. We worked alongside a couple from New York who had been married for only six days!! Yes, they were COOKING on their honeymoon. 🙂 What was even more incredible was learning that the young husband had grown up as a Missionary Kid in Japan, and his parents are still serving as Southern Baptist missionaries there. Small, small world.

4) I will remember the sight of Steve waving down to me from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Healthy physical specimen that he is, he made it to the top, took a lot of pictures, and came back down in less than 24 minutes!!! A new Pearson family record! Ha! The tower itself was prettier than I anticipated. I believe you’ll enjoy seeing it. If I could go back, I would spend more time in the center of town where it is located, because there are other important museums and sights there as well.

5) The Tuscan countryside is breath-taking. Pictures just don’t do it justice. Miles and miles of vineyards, olive groves, villas and rolling hills — so vibrant and alive. You find yourself basking in all of the scenery and wondering just which direction you should attempt to aim your camera. If/when I go back, I’ll probably want to rent a villa in this region and just stay for several days soaking it all up. Notice the deep purple color of the grapes — very unlike the ones that used to grow behind my grandparents’ house that were used for grape jelly.

6) I loved walking into the piazza in Siena because I had enjoyed the movie “Letters to Juliet” while anticipating the trip. It was like being an “extra” in that movie — especially when we stopped to eat gelato in almost the exact place where the main characters ate theirs.

7) Steve and I are so glad we had the chance to see Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of “The Last Supper.” It was a moving, spiritual experience for us. Yes, we know that people in Bible days reclined at tables, rather than sat, but that fact didn’t take away from the impact of the painting at all. Da Vinci had evidently studied the New Testament and understood a lot about the character and personality of each of the disciples. He, too, had to have been a devout Christian to understand the importance of placing Jesus at the center and how he used divisions of three to represent the Trinity. The painting is a representation of what took place immediately AFTER Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray Him. All of them look astonished and have strong reactions, except for Judas who is reaching his hand toward the plate, going on about the business of eating the meal. Of course, no photos are allowed inside, but this one shows Steve in front of a depiction in the Piazza of Santa Maria Grazie in Milan where the painting is located.

8) When I think of our trip, the faces of our friends Rick and Martine Sharp are woven into virtually every scene. We toured famous places together. We traveled on every possible means of transportation together. We stayed in the same hotels. They bailed us out when Steve’s wallet was stolen. And, of course, we enjoyed many, many delicious meals and cones of gelato together. We laughed A LOT. It is very sad to realize that we will no longer be able to spend time with Rick. We miss him. Martine, we are truly blessed to have had this experience with the two of you.

9) There is a saying in Rome that if you turn your back away from the Trevi Fountain and toss a coin over your shoulder, then you will return to Rome some day in the future. Well, here I am trying my best to toss my coin with Steve trying equally hard to catch that coin so he can put it back in his pocket. Ha! Those of you who know him well will understand completely. He doesn’t like to waste ANY money. However, I believe I WAS successful in my effort, so someday in the future, I hope to return.

“Arrivederci, Italia.” Till we meet again, farewell.

2 Weeks in Italy – The Signs of Christianity are Everywhere

09/16/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

A view of the grand altar in St. Peter’s Basilica. The “Pieta” by Michelangelo, commissioned in 1498 and unveiled in St. Peter’s in 1500. He was in his late 20’s when he sculpted this piece.

I don’t think I’ve ever been in a place where there were more churches, shrines, statues, and paintings depicting Biblical scenes and themes than I observed in Italy. The “trappings of religion” were everywhere. The lines to get inside the major cathedral in each city (referred to as a “duomo”) often ran the length of a city block or more. The Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel were crowded to capacity, even though we had skip-the-line passes and a guide who knew all of the easiest and quickest hallways and routes.

This dome at the Vatican (completely surrounded by the city of Rome) is the centerpiece of one of the largest churches in the world.

The skill of the sculptors, the architects, the builders, and the artists was astounding, almost too much to comprehend. How could a person take a block of marble and carve such details, such fluidity and such emotion into it? What drove Michelangelo to spend four years on a scaffolding on his back painting a ceiling? How could an architect even dream of such intricate and elaborate structures?

The cathedral in Florence is known as the Basilica of St. Mary of the Flower. It was begun in 1296 and completed in 1436 with a dome engineered by Brunelleschi. Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and Rossini are buried inside.

This is a view of the cathedral in Siena that has a striped design.

The cathedral in Milan took more than five centuries to complete. What commitment and dedication it must have taken to stay at the task over such a long period of time!

The cathedral of San Marco in Venice is best seen from the water. It is said that the remains of the Apostle Mark are buried here.

The more I saw, the more questions I had.

Were the lines just as long to get inside these churches when it was time for a worship service?

Do the people of Italy have a strong relationship with Christ who is the REASON for all of the buildings and art?

Is Italy morally strong? Do its citizens behave and think in Christ-like ways? If not, then what has changed since all of these signs of Christianity were created?

Is the Bible taught inside all of these magnificent buildings? Or, are most of them primarily art galleries and historical museums?

What do the Buddhists, the atheists, and the Muslims think who visit all of these famous places in Italy? Are they drawn to know more about Jesus or are they just impressed with the beautiful art?

Those questions led me back to good ol’ Alabama, the Heart of Dixie AND of the Bible Belt. We have churches on every corner, but where are the Christians? How are the lives of those who call themselves Christians reflecting Christ? Do non-Christians just see buildings full of hypocrites who are making feeble attempts to follow some arbitrary rules or do they see lives that are radically different because of the saving blood of Jesus Christ?

Anyone reading this have any answers? I’m listening.

2 Weeks in Italy — Transportation and a Look at Italian Trains (Dedicated to our Grandson Nathan)

09/14/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

So, if we weren’t on a Group Bus Tour, and we weren’t taking Shore Excursions from our cruise ship, then how in the world did we get around during 16 days in Italy? Glad you asked. 🙂 Truthfully, we probably used everything available EXCEPT a gondola (too expensive and too rainy the day we were in Venice. We took the water bus instead.)

We arrived in Rome via US Airways after only one stop in Charlotte from Huntsville. While in Rome, we used buses, taxis, and the subway. On the day we were planning to take a train, then a bus, then a taxi to our B and B in Positano, the guide we had hired to show us the major points of interest in Rome “just happened” to know of a driver who was bringing a group from Positano to Rome and was willing to make us a great deal to take us straight back from where he’d come to our destination. Serendipity!!! It was VERY relaxing to get on that van, eat gelato, and watch the scenery go by.

In Positano, we did a lot of walking, rode the shuttle to the special restaurant (La Tagliata) I’ve told you about before, and then we found a driver willing to take us to the train station in Salerno to travel to Florence. Again, it was wonderful to put ourselves in someone else’s capable hands while we ooh-ed and ahh-ed our way along the incredible Amalfi Coast.

Trains in Italy are highly-organized, punctual, and efficient, and ONCE YOU LEARN THE SYSTEM, they are a great way to travel. Trenitalia is the largest and most popular line. The prices are very reasonable, and the routes are useful and relevant to tourists and to Italians. Paying by credit card? Go to the ticket window. Paying by cash? Use the Fast Ticket machines. Have a specific seat assignment? No need to have your ticket validated. Have an open-ended voucher good for a whole day? Be sure to validate your ticket at one of the machines near your train. They WILL check to be sure, and you will likely be charged AGAIN for your ticket if it is found to be unvalidated.

The arrival and departure boards in the train station are very similar to what you find in airports. That is where you will see what track your train will be coming into and leaving from. It’s very important to be at the right place at the right time. Many stops are very short, so you have to be ready to board immediately.

Trenitalia seats are generally arranged in a two-facing-two configuration. There is ample room for luggage, and the windows are large. There are bathrooms on board, but they are not on every car. Have you ever walked BETWEEN moving rail cars? “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.” Amen??

Italo is an up-and-coming rail line that we used on our trip between Florence and Milan. It was a little more expensive, but it was fast (at one point we were traveling at 300 kilometers per hour), the seats were nicer, and there was free wi-fi on board. Plus, they have a nice waiting area for their customers that lets you know which track to find about 15 minutes before your train arrives. The general population will likely still use Trenitalia, but Italo will definitely win its share of customers.

We took the trains:

1) From Salerno to Florence

2) From Florence to Pisa and back

3) From Florence to Cinque Terre. Once there, a separate train was available that ran north and south between the 5 villages.

4) From Florence to Milan.

5) From Milan to Lake Como and back.

6) From Milan to Venice.

Nathan Baggett is our nine-year-old grandson who lives with his parents and sister in Rome, Georgia. He has been fascinated with trains, train tracks, train whistles, train stations, and trolleys since he was just an infant. Every time we boarded a train in Italy, we wished for Nathan. He would have enjoyed the rides and the atmosphere so much. So, Nathan, these pictures are for you. We love you. Maybe one of these years, we’ll take you to Italy, and we’ll ride these trains together.

Nathan and Megan on a trolley. Grandmomma waving from Italy.

The train in Cinque Terre. Notice the tunnel at the Lake Como station.

2 Weeks in Italy — 3 Small Disappointments

09/09/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

I should be ashamed of myself. After all, Steve and I returned safely and very happily from a fabulous vacation in Italy. We saw a huge portion of the country and some amazing sights. BUT — and this is a fairly small “but” — if I’m totally honest AND if I could go back again, there were three small disappointments that could have easily been fixed if I had planned better or if I’d known then what I know now. (Don’t you hate it when that happens?)

1) On our second day in Rome, we had arranged to meet one of our Southern Baptist missionaries serving there. We were to take a couple of different subways and meet at a certain place and time. Then, we were going to be given a tour of the ministry area and have dinner together. We arrived at the scheduled place and time, but within five minutes, I realized my mistake. The missionary wasn’t there, and I did not have an in-country phone number nor a way of contacting her without being in a wi-fi area. We waited and waited, but she didn’t come. It didn’t help matters that I suggested a different subway stop on the way back to our hotel — a stop that ended up taking us FAR from where we really needed to be. When I finally DID make it back to the hotel and a wi-fi connection, I had an extremely apologetic message from the missionary stating that they had a visiting volunteer team working with them that week and that two of her children had gotten sick and basically, she just forgot. It was a bummer, but it was also very understandable. However, if I had just planned a little better, we might have made the connection happen. The missionary, of course, was forgiven. Maybe next time. The lesson for you? If you hope to connect with someone in Italy or in ANY foreign country, get several types of contact information and have a Plan A, B AND C.

2) I really had this big idea that Steve and I were going to rent a Vespa and ride together along the Amalfi Coast. It sounded romantic. Haven’t you seen old movies with scenes such as that? And, if nothing else, our kids would have gotten a kick out of it. Can’t you just picture my Silver Fox and me (a la Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in “Roman Holiday”)? And look at that beautiful coastline? What a thrill!!!!

Well, the reality was that a 63-year-old and her 65-year-old Silver Fox had NO business heading out on a Vespa — along with hundreds of seasoned Vespa drivers/riders, whizzing cars, and guard-rail-grazing buses — on the windy, narrow roads between Positano and Amalfi or between a mountain and “the deep blue sea.” I didn’t want to return from Italy in a body cast OR a body bag, either of which would have been strong possibilities.

There were Vintage Vespa Tours available once we got to Florence, but we had already planned other adventures for those days. Oh well. Next time.

3) When we arrived in Milan, our plan was to take a train the next day to Lake Como situated at the foot of the Alps. But, late in the afternoon we discovered that if we could get (by train) to Torino (not very far from Milan), then there was a special train called the Bernina Express that would take us through the Alps into Switzerland. Can you imagine how beautiful that ride would be? Can’t you just taste the chocolate we could have bought in St. Moritz? We started scrambling to make the arrangements. We figured schedules, counted our remaining money, and finally got ready to call and “book it” by 7:15 p.m. The tour office closed at 7:00 p.m. It was not to be. But, for those of you planning a trip in the future, please consider adding such an excursion to your itinerary. I believe you’ll be glad. Here’s a link you can use.

Well, there you have my three small disappointments. I don’t have much to whine about, do I?

I have a very sad postscript to add to Disappointment #1. The missionary we were supposed to meet in Rome was killed in a tragic accident while on a visit with her family back in the States in Georgia. Here is an article describing this horrible event. What a beautiful young woman she was. Please pray for her grieving family.

2 Weeks in Italy — Italian Bathrooms . . . and a Packing Suggestion

09/07/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

I should state up front that I like for things to be neat, clean, reasonably sanitary, and orderly, but I am not a germaphobe. Four years of living in Ecuador coupled with having twelve grandchildren has knocked that tendency right out the window. And, the truth is that “when you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go.” Period.

I had heard Italy described as a First World Country, and in terms of well-maintained highways and an amazing mass transit system, I would say that they do a lot of things very well. But, in the category of bathrooms, I think there is still room for improvement.

The bathroom pictured above was in our first hotel room in Rome. Even though I’m not bidet-savvy, this bathroom was spacious and contained all of the essentials, wouldn’t you say? The bedroom was tiny, but the bathroom was definitely adequate. I breathed a sigh of relief.

This second bathroom was in our B and B in Positano. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but suffice it to say, that if I hadn’t lost 20 pounds before we left on our trip, I would have NEVER been able to squeeze myself into that shower. CO-ZEE. But, again, the water was hot, and everything worked as it should. Another relieved sigh.

Now THIS bathroom was either in the town of San Gimignano or Siena somewhere within Medieval walls out in the Tuscan countryside. What makes this bathroom memorable is that it was a “public restroom” and I had to pay 1/2 Euro (almost a dollar) to use it. You might notice that there are a few items sadly lacking, such as a rim and a flusher. Another thing about most public restrooms in Italy is that both men and women go in the same door and use the same area for washing their hands. Thankfully, there are separate stalls beside the sink. Still a little disconcerting, wouldn’t you say?

This last one pretty much “takes the cake.” Yes, this is the sight we saw — and the facility that was available — at the train station in Varenna on the shores of Lake Como. Kind of takes the “I gotta go” right out of a person, doesn’t it? You can see where you are supposed to put your feet. Now, ladies, use your imagination about the rest.

So, when you are planning your trip to Italy, just brace yourself for a wide range of “accommodations” and be ready to grin and muster your courage.

On a somewhat related note, we discovered a new product that we used on this trip. DISPOSABLE UNDERWEAR. 🙂 🙂 No, it’s not like Depends. And, no, it’s not noisy like crepe paper or tissue paper. It’s soft, lightweight, and a great convenience to have when you’re traveling. Just think. You don’t come home with a suitcase full of dirty underwear. We had heard about such a product and went to Amazon.com to check out the possibilities. We recommend Onederwear. The average cost is about $2.00 per pair. Yes. The name says it all. Our children have had a field day laughing about all of this (and I’m fully expecting to find some in our Christmas stockings), but I will just repeat that it works well and really helped when it came time to pack only a carry-on bag.

I hope this was an educational blog, and maybe it provided a chuckle or two. Stay tuned for more on Wednesday.

2 Weeks in Italy – The Food Alone is Worth the Trip

09/02/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

Day 2 — A pizza in Rome. No, this is not one of my favorite pizzas, but I liked the picture of Steve and me. 🙂 That’s prosciutto on top, by the way. You will notice his broken glasses. That happened in the plane on the way to Italy. Poor guy. We went to numerous “Oticas,” but no one had the right tools until we got to Florence over a week later. During the first week, he managed with some Scotch tape. 🙂

Before we left, I had several friends to INSIST that we eat canoli while we were gone. Here is proof that we did just that. We ordered it for dessert at a delightful restaurant in Positano.

So, to be very concise, the food in Italy was amazing. We didn’t eat a single “bad meal” the whole time we were gone. Trust me on that. When we returned, I friend who went to Italy last year told me that he “didn’t really care for gelato” and actually “had rather have Papa John’s.” Are you serious??? I would have to first of all ask, “Then, where in the world did you eat?” Also, would you believe that we didn’t gain weight while we were gone?? I attribute that to 2 things: 1) Lots of walking, and 2) Eating dishes with fresh ingredients and virtually no processed foods. Gelato, also, is less heavy than the ice creams we have here in the States. And, I finally concluded that my two favorite flavors were stracciatella (similar to chocolate chip) and bacio (a combination of chocolate and hazelnut).

Restaurants (ristorantes and trattorias) have one annoying habit to which we had to adjust. They charge for the basket of bread and add a cover charge for each person at the table. It’s called a “coperto.” We never did figure out for sure if a tip was expected on top of that. Sometimes we left one. Other times we did not.

If I had to narrow down the approximately 42 meals that we consumed while we were in Italy to just five, I believe the following would be my Top Five.

1) Trattoria La Tagliata, overlooking the town of Positano on the Mediterranean. What an amazing experience!!!

The first course. Yes, that’s right, the FIRST course. The waiters brought out about eight vegetables that had been grown right on the premises. You can also see an appetizer of crostini on the side.

The second course consisted of three kinds of pasta. I don’t have a good picture of that, but believe me, it was delicious.

Next came the meat course, accompanied by potatoes and salad. The meats were beef, chicken, veal, lamb, pork and sausages. Don’t you love the colorful dishes??

And, just when we thought we couldn’t possibly hold anything else, here came the plate of pastries and a bowl of fresh fruits. I’m telling you. This meal was spectacular. Promise me you won’t go to Positano without eating there. There’s no ordering from the menu. You are served whatever suits “Mama” on that night, and Mama is an actual person who comes out to greet her diners at the end of the meal.

2) La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali in Rome. Our guide recommended this family-owned place located just a few blocks from where our tour of Ancient Rome ended. It was crowded with locals, and the food was deliciously-prepared. Sorry. I didn’t make any pictures of this place with my camera. When you plan your trip to Rome, put it in your itinerary. You’ll be glad.

3) The meal we shared at the end of our cooking class in Florence HAS to go on this list. Check out the website of this fun cooking school In Tavola. During a three-hour time period, we prepared two types of homemade pasta, potato tortelli, raw tomato sauce, white meat ragu, porcini mushroom sauce and panna cotta for dessert. The smells coming from that kitchen were as tantalizing as any I’ve ever experienced. I wish I had more pictures of the finished products, but as you will see, I was BUSY! 🙂

4) Taverna del Capitano in Siena. This place was recommended to us by a young man who sat near us on the train from Salerno to Florence. He was actually from Siena, and he didn’t steer us wrong. You might not be able to tell by looking at this picture, but the food was bursting with flavor. Steve ordered pork tenderloin seasoned with curry, and I had a vegetable risotto with zucchini and my new favorite cheese — scamorza. I hope I can find it in the States. It is similar to mozzarella but with a much richer taste. We, of course, shared our entrees with each other.

5) Ristorante La Porta D’Acqua in Venice. Maybe it was because I had been soaking wet for several hours. (The one whole day we had in Venice was extremely rainy). Maybe it was because there was soft jazz playing in the background, the waiter led us to a quiet table in the corner, and the bathroom was nice and clean. I’m not sure, but I do know that the meal was peaceful, delicious and restorative. Steve had fish, and I had eggplant parmesan that was incredible.

Have I convinced you yet to plan a trip to Italy?

2 Weeks in Italy — Lessons Learned, Relearned and Confirmed

08/31/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

Lesson #1. If you let your guard down, even for a moment, you can and will be robbed. It happened to me on a trolley in Quito, Ecuador. It happened to Steve at a train station in La Spezia, Italy coming back from a day in Cinque Terre. We had been traveling as a foursome, but on this day the Sharps stayed in Florence, and we decided to head to the Mediterranean Coast one more time. And, Steve and I had been staying right beside each other. But, for a few minutes, I stayed inside the train station while Steve went outside to double check that we were indeed at the right place to catch our train back to Florence. A very animated man came up and started talking to Steve, distracting him. No doubt his accomplice was busy stealing Steve’s wallet during that brief encounter. We didn’t realize this until we were several minutes into our train ride, and Steve noticed that an important pocket was unzipped. Sure enough, his wallet was gone. He had been very diligent about keeping his wallet in a more secure location, but for just a brief time he put it in a more convenientplace. Savvy pickpocketers must have been seen their opportunity. His wallet contained some US cash, some Euros, his driver’s license, but most importantly, the two credit cards we were using for our trip. When we FINALLY made it back to our hotel, we spent several hours cancelling those cards (not so easy when you can’t just dial a 1-800 number). We were promised that replacement cards would be sent quickly, but who knew if they would arrive before we left the country . . . or the next hotel. Thank goodness we were traveling with some friends!!! And generous ones at that. We lived off of their credit cards and some cash that I still had for the next two days. Happily, the new cards DID find us right before we left Milan for Venice. Oh happy day!! LESSON RELEARNED.

Here’s a beautiful spot in one of the villages of the Cinque Terre before the robbery.

Lesson #2. Every individual and/or couple has his/her own travel style, pace, or personality. When you are on a cruise, THE BOAT decides the schedule. When you are on a group bus tour, everyone dances to the tune of the Tour Director. But, when you travel with good friends, some give and take is critical to success. Couple A likes to move at a brisk clip covering as much ground as possible in the shortest period of time. Couple B likes to stop and smell the roses (or, in Italy, stop and see the actual grapes in the vineyards). Couple A likes to pursue the historical aspect of the sights, while Couple B likes to make photos and poke around various shops. Neither way is more right than the other. Neither way is better than the other. What can be done to keep everyone happy and congenial? In our case, we did two main things. 1) We, in an unspoken arrangement, took turns setting the pace and making the plan. And 2) we sometimes went in different directions for a few hours or for a day. It mattered more to the four of us to maintain a rock, solid friendship than for someone to be “in charge.” It worked great. LESSON LEARNED.

Lesson #3. If you leave for Italy as a committed non-drinker of alcohol, you can return from Italy as a committed non-drinker of alcohol. Someone had said to us before we left: “If you make it through Tuscany without drinking wine, then you’ve really done something.” But, I’m hear to testify that it was very much a non-issue. At no time — although wine was everywhere — did we feel pressured to drink any of it. We asked for water (“still” or “naturale”), and it was brought to us with no questions asked or raised eyebrows. Truthfully, it was sometimes actually more expensive to drink water than wine because in several cases wine was included in the price of the meal, but that was only a matter of a dollar or two. As I have stated in blogs before, drinking wine is not a sin issue to us, it is a personal choice we have made. We were glad that this was never a problem on our trip. LESSON CONFIRMED.

2 Weeks in Italy — We Did It Our Way

08/26/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

For the next 4 weeks I will be sharing posts about a wonderful trip to Italy that Steve and I made almost two years ago with our great friends, Rick and Martine Sharp. Our hearts were broken when Rick died on July 20, 2015, after waging an 8-year battle with multiple myeloma. On this trip, though, he was doing well. We laughed a lot and shared an unforgettable adventure. Rick is in heaven now. These posts are dedicated to his memory, and I pray they will be a source of happy memories for his wife Martine. I love you, friend.

What do you get when four people in their sixties — one with a Ph.D in education who has been the principal of three schools and has published numerous books and articles, an engineer who has consulted all over the world, a retired veterinarian who practiced for forty years, and a retired music teacher who likes to blog and embarrass her children — decide it’s time to plan a trip to Italy that has been working its way to the top of their Bucket List long enough?? In my opinion, you get a trip that includes all of the major high points that you might find on anyone’s slide show but which also has a personality all its own.

Some might say that we did our trip the HARD way, and on several occasions (such as when I was dragging myself and my bag down the sidewalk to catch a city bus to the train station), I would probably have agreed. We looked at cruises, but none of them went to all of the places we were hoping to visit. We looked at group tours, and a few years from now, when we are older, those might be great options. A pivotal decision we made was to only take “one carry-on bag and a personal item per person” as specified by the airlines. That made our travel from place to place MUCH easier, but we had to look at the same clothes on each other repeatedly. Small price to pay. When we saw other travelers lugging their extra-large bags, we were smugly glad that we had made a different choice.

Some might say that we did our trip the CHEAP way. We could definitely have spent less money and most certainly, we could have spent a whole lot more. But, I think that our budget of $400 per day per couple, not per person, (after airfare) to cover hotels, in-country transportation, meals and sightseeing was reasonable. And, as I’ve figured it today, we actually came very close. $420 per day. Not bad.

Others might say that we just took off on a lark without any help or advice. That couldn’t be further from the truth. We were as informed as any travelers I’ve ever encountered. We studied guidebooks, websites, maps and blog posts. We asked recent travelers for their recommendations, and we took everything into account. We spent four hours one day about 6 weeks before our trip — everyone with their own computers — researching and booking hotels. We had 3 half-day tours in Rome, a cooking class, a rental car for driving through Tuscany for 3 days, and a tour in Milan booked in advance. But, other than the specified times for those plans, we hoped to have a fairly “loose” itinerary to allow flexibility and to take advantage of special circumstances.

We were gone for 16 days — well, 17 if you count the cancelled flight in Washington, D.C. on our return trip when the airline had to provide hotel rooms. During those days we visited Rome, Positano and the Amalfi Coast, Florence, Pisa, San Gimignano, Volterra, Cinque Terre, Siena, Milan, Lake Como, Varenna, Bellagio, Venice and Murano, and we ate gelato everyday (if we missed one day, we ate it twice the next).

Stay tuned over the coming days as I reveal more details about our trip than you probably ever wanted or needed to read. We had a GREAT time.

Pictured below: Rick and Martine Sharp, our fellow travelers, and Steve and I having our first tastes of gelato on our very first day in Rome.

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