Coming Home

I wrote this on Wednesday or was it Thursday. Many hours flying and 8 hours lost in time changes.

Coming home

What is it about returning from a trip that is so different than leaving? It's usually pretty much the same distance but it seems to take longer. Also I think I am less patient about delays and the inconveniences associated with travel today.

So we arrived from the ship early so it's meant some extra time standing in line. Then we have the security gauntlet to get through and with everything being so nervous because of the Paris attacks it seems more so and they take longer.

So here we are now waiting beside gate 12 for them to clean the plane before boarding. Shouldn't change things as far as connecting to Calgary but we haven't left yet either. Oh did I mention the free airport Internet service doesn't work. On to the home of the Maple Leafs. Have they won a game since we were gone? 

We finally get boarded on to our plane and leave about an hour later than scheduled so that's one less hour of our 4 hour layover at Pearson. You know people do things to themselves like hauling 3 carry on pieces that really are not meant for the overhead compartments. I think the root of this is the public demand for low fares. You get what you pay for. If you go back to the 70s and 80s airlines were much more closely regulated and yes flying was expensive but you got a seat with legroom, luggage had to be checked and flights made their connections on time. Yes today flights are cheaper but is this a la cartel to lowest price possible worth it? There's my rant for the trip

I'm going to say no inconvenience is going to take away from the wonderful time Marisa and I had over the last two weeks. I'm going to be 60 next Wednesday and this was a fantastic gift to mark a special year. Now that we are on our way home I can't wait to see the boys and reconnect with family and friends. What they say about travel giving you an appreciation for home is so true.

Barcelona

Well this is the last stop on our first cruise and what do they say about the best for last. It really is a beautiful blend of a modern city with old wold charm. Some spectacular architecture with a city revitalized by the olympics. They may be expensive but legacy for a host city is well worth it. You notice it in the pride in how they talk about the recent changes in the city, not just the skyline but the culture, art and history. 

We did a tour this morning to an old Spanish town which gave us the flavour of the architecture and culture of the entire country. What it is a reproduction of the kinds of buildings you would find in a Spanish village in different regions of the country. It's really cool how they built this small town and incorporated artisans and merchants into the whole thing making it a place of commerce yet also a living history. As we were leaving we saw many school groups coming into take a tour. Kids are the same all over the world as watching them get lined up brought back memories of many field trips to museums that I had organized. I recall how excited the kids were to be out of school and yet how they enjoyed hearing about the past.

Our tour ended after a gondola ride which have us spectacular views of the city and the harbor.

Marseilles The French Riviera

We had a less busy day today as our tour didn't leave until the afternoon. I wasn't sure we would be allowed in but they have added extra security so that means the busses are checked before and again as we leave. Today passports were mandatory for everyone.
Marseilles is the largest port city in France and as we learned from our guide Dominque it has been conquered, built, destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries. It is a real mix of old and new kind of like our Eastetn Canadian cities of Montreal and Toronto.
We made a stop at thebeautiful Basilica of Notre Dame De La Garde which overlooks the city and the harbor. Really the photos don't do it justice but I did light a candle for my sister Cynthia in one of the chapels. She would have loved the beautiful artwork and amazing stained glass in this impressive church.

We ran into our fellow Hokies as we were coming down to the bus. They had been out touring since the morning and said I'm not climbing the 200 stairs to get to the top. No way we could convince them it was worth it. However Rod was carrying the banner for them as we passed him on the way up to the Basilica. We sure enjoyed meeting them and getting to know them over the last week. Such fun loving nice people we have exchanged contact information and I would not be surprised to see them come knocking on our door when they come up to Canada for a visit.

Monte Carlo / St. Paul De Vence

I'm leaving Italy and now arriving in Monaco the site of many James Bond movies. Looks like another perfect day. Will add more when we get back as I'm sure we will see many interesting things in St. Paul De Vence. Maybe find some art to bring home.

St. Paul De Vence

What a beautiful little medieval village. This was a perfect day for this excursion as it was a Sunday so traffic and the crowds were light. Actually some of the hotels and shops are closed for holidays and won't open until Christmas or later. I didn't realize how small Monaco was and didn't realize we were actually traveling to France. I really wasn't sure we would get into France considering what has happened since Friday night. I did notice a lot of security around the ship and they checked all our ID cards on the bus before we were allowed on to the dock to board the ship. As always we are screened before returning to the ship.
St. Paul De Vence is situated in the top of the hill and is home to many artists, sculptors, and writers. It is a tiny village with many shops, galleries, and cafes. The description said be prepared for uneven ground and steep streets. To be fair there were some steep streets but the stairs and the cobblestones were smooth compared to the rugged alleys and paths of Rome. This turned out to be much more leisurely paced and our guide Annalise was wonderful in giving us facts and history of the region yet not being overwhelming. The fact that there were only two buses of tourists made it much easier to move around this small walled town. The artists and sculptors were happy to talk to us and explain their work which would not be likely in high tourist season. We certainly wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if we had come when there were full crowds. 

This region of Provence is so beautiful it attracts the rich and famous with many of Europe's wealthy families owning homes here and of course there is the movie industry. This the location for a number of James Bond movies and of course the Cannes International Film Festival.
I have to mention that we passed some cyclists on our way to and from St. Paul De Vence. They were flying going down and moving quite well coming back up considering the grade and the length of the climb. I guess the Tour de France has held stages here during different times over the years. I hope the weather is good enough to get a ride in when we get home so I can keep my streak of riding at least once month throughout the year.
Just a wonderful day today and we are looking forward to another great day In Marseilles tomorrow.

Which one do you think I should buy after I win the lottery?

Livorno/Cinque Terre

Today we head to Livorno/Cinque Terre and will spend the day near Tuscany. More to come later. Actually we are arriving at the port of Livorno and will be traveling for about an hour to get to Cinque Terre. Some photos of things we don't see every day in Southern Alberta.

Livorno/Cinque Terre

Another longer day of touring. Because we docked at the port of Livorno we had to travel to get to our touring sites. So it was about an hour and a half trip through Tuscany until we arrived at the unesco world heritage site known as Cinque Terra which refers to 5 towns along the coast that are part of the national park. It is one of the most gorgeous places I've ever seen.
Like Rome the pictures are great but it's not the same experience as actually being there so I hope you all take the opportunity to go there some day.
One of the things that struck me was the way that they grew grapes along the mountainside. Such narrow bands cut into the steep hill. We could see the rough steps the farmers built so they could get to the terraces each day. Another thing I noticed was how efficiently they used whatever space they had in their towns. Of course the laundry hanging on the line seems to be a permanent feature here in Italy.
We loved seeing the residents visiting in the square while the little boys and girls kicked a soccer ball around. Much the same as Canadian kids play street hockey year round.
After today we say goodbye to Italy for now as our next stop is Monte Carlo on Monaco.
This was our trip to get a taste of where we might want to next and so far we haven't crossed any of these off our list.

Rome

We had a busy day today. After leaving the port of Civtavecchia we travelled about an hour to get into the city of Rome. Very interesting to hear about the different regions of Italy and the different kinds of food they are famous for; I suppose that's true for Canada too but we just don't emphasize it as much as we should.
Our guide Phillipa was an energetic young man full of information and enough humour to make things interesting. When we got to Rome we had to take a detour to get into the city because there was a demonstration blocking the way. Once we got to where we let off from the bus we were given an hour and a half to walk around the old city and meet back up in time to go to the Vatican. I like big cities and I enjoy old cities but this was amazing. So many streets running in odd angles making it easy to lose one's bearings. We went to.. And then ... And then... (I will post a picture of a map of our route) before heading back to our starting point. It takes some getting used to being a pedestrian in Italy. The lights and crosswalks seem to be suggestions as if there's a small break in traffic or even if there isn't if you confidently walk out across the streets the cars just avoid you or stop to let you pass. He who hesitates is lost.
Marisa found us some delicious pizza near the square. Very tasty crust and the toppings were delicious. Then it was on to the Vatican.
As Philipa was going through the process of getting us organized and making our way to the Vatican museum I couldn't help think about all of the field trips I organized over the years. Kids are just adults who haven't gotten big yet. They don't listen, assume from incomplete information, ask questions that have already been answered, follow the wrong people and complain when things don't go as they expect.
The Vatican was amazing. Philipa handed us off to Giuseppe who was our guide through the Vatican museum, the sisteen chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. He was excellent, knowledgeable about the history of the world, the traditions of Catholic Church and of course the art and architecture of the different sculpture and buildings we saw.
The tour ended with us in St. Peter's square. What an awe inspiring place and when Giuseppe explained how the construction embodied the mission of the church it made me proud of our Catholic heritage. The dome is the head of the church, the square where the people gather is the body and the surrounding columns are the arms gathering it together.
Have I said it enough times but the weather for this trip has been fantastic. When we left I thought we might need to be wearing costs and rain gear but really it's all been rolled up shirts and just comfortable sunny or slightly overcast weather the whole time. I think in July or August things would have felt and smelled much different. I think we will be doing our big trip travel either early spring or later in the fall like this just because of weather and lighter crowds.

Palermo

Wow. What a city so steeped in history. We decided to take one of those double decker bus tours to just get a flavor of the place. I think a couple of weeks would be needed to scratch the surface of this place.