D180 -- Around the world in (100 and) 80 days

14 weeks later, here it is.... our final blog entry!


Our last night was spent at the London GatwickMeridien, so for once we arrived at the airport check in with plenty of time to spare. I got worried when one of the airline staff started asking us really, really detailed security questions - we're talking WAY beyond the usual "has anyone given you a package/did you pack your own luggage?" After several minutes of this I finally had to ask her if these questions were typical or whether there was a specific threat of which we should be aware. She said no, that since September 11 that's the way it always goes on flights to the US. It's a good thing, too, as just over a month later that hijaking plot was uncovered in London...

After the exhaustive questions we checked in and walked to our gate, where we got some fellow passengers to snap a photo of us. They must have thought we're overly sentimental - little did they know this was a big flight for us. We would be flying the last miles in our 66,547 mile trip.



With all those frequent flier miles Thomas earned schlepping across the US for Baron and Budd, we were able to fly business one last time. Nothing but coach in our future now, so we really savored the experience. Often before take-off buisiness passengers are offered orange juice or champagne. Our ritual was to get one of each and mix up a couple of mimosas. Thomas always mixed because he's better at not spilling. (Those damn dance lessons didn't teach me a thing!) So, we shared one last round of mimosas, making a toast to 6 months of adventures. After that, we feasted (on what I can't remember) and then sacked out on on the most incredible British Airways seats that recline 180 degrees. I've never slept so well on a plane!

Back on US soil, one of the first things we saw after we entered DFW was a "Welcome Home" banner at immigration. Nice touch, immigration people! I almost got a little misty - it really was good to be back home. As much as I disagree with and am downright disgusted by the actions and attitudes of some of my elected officials and fellow citizens, I do love this country and feel beyond blessed to have been born here. For example, our travels have given me a greater appreciation for the fact that almost all of us have potable drinking water, that our public schools are relatively free from religion, and that we have the right to openly criticize our government without suffering any violent repercussions (being branded unpatriotic doesn't count as violent).

That welcome home sign prompted lots of affection for home, but didn't stop Thomas from asking me, "Should we go back upstairs to the American Airlines ticketing desk? We've got enough miles left for one more flight!" We looked at one another and shared a brief "Thelma and Louise moment," but decided that we should not make a run for it. Our 6-month Round-the-World trip was officially over.

My father-in-law was there to greet us when we emerged from customs, and he took us home to the family where we all enjoyed Thomas' favorite - his mom's enchiladas. Now that's a homecoming!

Since we've been back we've readjusted to life in the states. The enormity of our homes, our automobiles, food portions, and shopping venues does not shock us much anymore. We are again completely accustomed to driving on the left side of the car on the right side of the road. We've started watching TV again, have enjoyed spending lots of time with family and friends, and even took a trip to New Mexico to go hiking with the dogs. Thomas has signed on for some contract work with his old firm, and I've started work with the Texas Department of State Health Services. We're looking for a house - and struggling to find a nice one that's affordable for a couple that spent a good chunk of their savings globe trotting. Oh well - it was worth it.

I can't believe how incredibly fortunate we are to have had such an amazing journey. We learned so much about this big world and met so many wonderful people who took us into their homes and welcomed us as Americans and as fellow human beings. It's easy here in our relatively geographically and culturally isolated country to forget that there are so many other countries on this planet filled with people who have many of the same struggles and hopes that we do. What goes on there is just as important as what goes on here, but it's hard to take it all in, so I've often just focused on the here. I am struggling with that, but I am hoping that over the long haul, this experience will help me look beyond our borders more often and more meaningfully than I did a year ago.

I am glad to be back and "settling down" but I must admit that every time I see pictures of Italy, or hear about loved ones traveling to places like New Zealand or Vietnam, my heart hurts a little. I am sad that I will probably never again see most of the people we met along the way, that we may never again visit the places we travelled, and that I may once again become consumed with materialistic concerns (Aren't those flat-screen HDTVs nice! I can't wait to visit the Restoration Hardware outlet in San Marcos!). I'll try to fight those consumer urges and keep an eye on what's going on elsewhere and what really matters in life. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks to all of you for reading. It was so much fun for us to get to share our experiences this way. Special thanks to Heidi for encouraging/affectionately nagging us to finish it up.

Love,
Elva (and Thomas, too!)

D179 -- The Exodus

I can not believe it. After six months on the road we are beginning our journey home. Luckily, we are so frantic packing and cleaning out the villa that we don't have time to feel much in the way of emotions. And why is time so tight? I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I keep stopping to do things like photograph all of the bottles we drained over the past two weeks... The one time I do get a bit misty is when we say goodbye to our friends Michael and Sarah. We had such a great time together!


Stowing away our emotions again, we head into town for "last-minute-shopping" Part II. And I thought yesterday's shopping was hectic! Back at the villa cleaning out the fridge, we hear the owner of the villa arrive. Uh-oh. Even though we're late vacating he is a sweetheart - he even offers to drop off our recycling for us!

We say goodbye to Il Vecchio Fienile (The Old Hayloft) and start toward Rome. Our drive takes us through the Tuscan and Ubrian countrysides, so we get one last beautiful look at Italy. Semplicemente bella!

Our flight is fine, but when we get to London there's a problem with our room. We get upgraded for free without even asking. Cha-ching! It's a beautiful room and we're completely freaked out to hear everyone around us speaking English. We can actually understand what's being said on the TV! And so the transition home begins...

-Elva

D178 -- Farewell Mayowa & Leslie

All of us would be leaving Italy soon, so we made a mad dash through the streets of San Gimignano for last-minute shopping. I'd been keeping my purchasing urges at bay for almost two weeks, and oh did it feel good to finally buy those items I'd been eying.

Mayowa and Leslie were leaving on a train this evening from Florence, so we decided to get into town a little early to enjoy one of the most famous museums in Italy, the Uffizi Gallery. On the way there we stopped at a restaurant just outside the city, and then headed over to the nearby Florence American Cemetery, one of only two in Italy for Americans who were killed in World War II (the other is outside Rome). The cemetery was lovely, and it made Thomas feel comforted to know that our country had provided a fitting burial for its soldiers.

From there it was on to Florence and its parking nightmares and crowds. The Uffizi was jam packed - that plus the lack of air conditioning made us all a bit crazy. And the tour groups! While it was neat to see The Birth of Venus up close and personal, all of the hassle and stress left us with a bad aftertaste.

And an even bigger bummer, our next stop was the train station, where we had to part with our wonderful friends Mayowa and Leslie.

Can our week together in Tuscany really be over?!? Those of us left behind felt that they deserved a proper (i.e. embarrassing) farewell, so Michael, Sarah, Thomas, and I ran along side the train waving just like in the old movies.

We remaining four headed back for our last night at the villa, stopping to enjoy the beautiful sunset over the towers of San Gimignano.

-Elva

Coming Soon...

Despite what you may have imagined at seeing the same June 28th posting for the last two months, we have not dropped off the face of the planet, nor are we still in Tuscany. We returned to the US on July 1, and I just haven't been able to finish this blog! I don't know why... maybe I subconciously dread closing the book on such an amazing journey. Or, maybe it's just that I'm a horrid procrastinator who loves to start projects but never quite finishes them. Much like that scarf I promised to knit Thomas two years ago. I swear, I WILL finish that damn scarf.

But enough is enough, so I promise to finish this bad boy up in the next few days.

Love to my peeps,
Elva

P.S. Control freak that I am, I changed some of the pictures Thomas put up in the last three posts. I know, I am horrible... but I did take them :)

D177 -- Exploring Siena

Today we headed off to Siena, which many people say is the one Tuscan city you shouldn't miss. Elva and I had been a little disappointed when we visited Siena last week, but for whatever reason this time the city really impressed us. We had a chance to wander the streets a bit more, especially in parts of the city that didn't receive the heavy vehicle traffic we recalled from our earlier visit. We stopped by the church where the head of St. Catherine is displayed so that our friends could see it, and then we spent some time in the Campo watching city workers prepare it for Il Palio di Siena, the famous annual summer horse race. We also stopped by the stunning Duomo, but alas it was closed for a special event. We ended up sitting on the steps of the Duomo chatting away, and every now and then we could hear a snippet of music coming from within the church; it was quite beautiful.

Because tonight was our last night together (Mayowa and Leslie would be leaving the next day), we decided to splurge and eat at a restaurant in San Gimignano that reportedly had the best views in town. While waiting for our table, we decided to pass the time by taking lots of photos.

The views did not disappoint, and we ended up enjoying a 3 hour meal, finally leaving around midnight.

-Tom

D176 -- Lazy Tuscan Day

We started our day off right today...– a wine tour! It began around 11 in the morning and lasted two and a half hours. In addition to the six of us there were two others on the tour, young women who referred to us as "the Dawson's Creek Group" and upon seeing our three digital SLRs decided we must be part of some photography club.


We had a brief tour of the vineyard, but because of the heat we didn't spend too much time outside before heading to the tasting room. Our host was an older Italian man named Ciro, who had huge hands, a great sense of humor, and not an ounce of pretentiousness about him. He treated us to two wines, a Vernacchia di San Gimignano and a Chianti. But perhaps even better, Ciro served us up a great feast of appetizers, including the best bruschetta I've ever had.



He also gave us some good tips on how to taste wine, including the importance of keeping your mouth slightly open when your first breathe in the wine.




Michael enjoying the good life in front of the wonderful Tuscan hills.

We all had a great time, but the wine flowed freely and as a result we were all pretty wiped out by the alcohol and the heat after the tour. So we decided to take it easy this afternoon and relax at the villa while the midday heat passed. After our prolonged siesta, we headed off to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner. With a villa full of aspiring cooks, we had no trouble whipping up a pretty good dinner - caprese salad (Sarah's and my favorite), spicy pasta, grilled vegetables, and steak, with fresh fruit, chocolate, and panforte for desert. We ended the evening by playing cards.

-Tom

D175 -- Back to Pisa

We had a slow start today as Mayowa struggled to learn what had become of his and Leslie's luggage (it never showed up when they landed in Rome). Although at first he had been told it would be delivered this morning, he learned that it would not be delivered until sometime tomorrow. So when he found out that it was being flown to Pisa this afternoon, we decided it would be best to go to the airport to pick up the luggage. We all wanted to go to Pisa anyway, and so it wasn't any trouble to stop by the airport. Before leaving, we headed into town for some pizza slices and gelato.

On the way to Pisa we stopped by several huge fields of sunflowers, which presented us with a picture opportunity we couldn't pass up . . .

Pisa is a place I never thought I would want to visit, but I am really glad that we went. Even though we had seen it a few days ago, we did not really have the opportunity to spend any time there, so it was nice to have a more leisurely pace. We spent some time touring the famous square/piazza and taking pictures, and then split up. The girls toured the inside of the baptistery and the cemetery, while the boys were off to watch the world cup (anyone notice a theme here?). Italy was playing Australia, and there was quite a commotion when Italy was able to score the winning goal in the closing minutes of the game. For the next hour, people were honking horns, waving the Italian flag, and shouting "Italia!"

After picking up Mayowa and Leslie's luggage, it was off to a restaurant for a relaxing dinner.

We all decided to be decadent and order both a first and second main course, something Italians do routinely. I even took it a step further by ordering two pastas, something I think Italians never do (the first dish is usually a pasta and the second is usually meat or fish). We didn't finish until around 11, and so it was about 1 in the morning when we finally got back to the villa.

-Tom

D174 -- Leisurely day

Since our friends had never been to Tuscany before, we decided that a nice introduction would be to explore the town of San Gimignano. First, however, we were treated to a great omelet breakfast, compliments of Michael. We walked around town for only a little while before stopping to have some lunch. Elva and I were worried that our friends would not be as obsessed with food as we are, so we were very relieved to see that food is a top priority for them as well! After lunch we all wandered the back streets of San Gimignano, where preparations for the annual medieval festival were taking place. It's hard to top a medieval festival that is staged in an actual medieval town.

We split up about a half hour after lunch, with the girls going to do some shopping and the boys going to find a pub where we could watch England play Sweden in the World Cup. Mayowa is a big fan of England, so we had a good time watching the match. England won, thanks to a fantastic shot by David Beckham, who did indeed "bend it like Beckham" to score the goal. Mayowa, obviously in good spirits over the win, decided to entertain us with a little "slap the booty" dance.

We went back to the villa around 7 to rest up before dinner, then headed back into town later in the evening for yet another great meal. Mayowa and Michael partook of a traditional Tuscan dish, Pappardelle al Cinghiale, which consists of ribbon-like pasta with a wild boar sauce. We got back to the villa quite late, and since everyone was still worn out from the previous day's travels, we all promptly went to bed.

-Tom

D173 -- Our final week begins!

Big day for us... today we said goodbye to my sister Patty and her husband Dan, and met up with four friends who will join us on the final week of our 6-month round-the-world trip.


Patty and Dan were flying out of Pisa so we woke up at 7:30 to drive them there in enough time to visit the famous “Leaning Tower.” Boy, that sucker really leans! I'd never given any thought to its purpose and always just picture it off on its own as a stand-alone building. Turns out it's a bell tower for a cathedral (duomo), and it does stand alone but it's right next to the duomo. And behind the duomo is a round baptistery. All three buildings were really beautiful and unique - the baptistery was particularly striking.




I was also struck at the inappropriate attire of some of the duomo visitors - and I'm not talking about women in tank tops!











We dropped the family off and it was on to Florence to meet up with Michael, Thomas' best bud from high school, and his wife Sarah. After a happy reunion at the train station and lunch with the locals

we embarked on a bit of an adventure to pick up their rental car. Avis had shut down early because it was a feast day for Florence's patron saint so we had to find a phone to figure out where to go, then trek out to the airport. Little did we know we'd be having more adventures today. We were set to meet our friends Leslie & Mayowa at the train station around 5, but they e-mailed us that their flight was delayed and instead would get in around 8. But they weren't on the 8:00 train – nor the 8:30. None of us had cell phones so we didn't know what was going on. Sometime during our wait for them I realized I was missing my wallet. When I went to the police office at the station to ask if anyone had found it I somehow ended up filling out a police report. It's hard to communicate when you don't speak the language! Sarah had the good sense to go check the car for me and she came back with my wallet just as I was finishing the “missing wallet” report. I didn't mind the wasted time, as the office was air conditioned and it was damn hot outside. Plus, a couple of the officers were cute!

Leslie and Mayowa rolled in around 10. Turns out their luggage was lost by the airlines and their train had been delayed. Despite their bumpy and long travels they were in good spirits. It was so wonderful and a bit surreal to be hanging out with friends outside the US, and we enjoyed catching up with everyone on the drive home.

-Elva

D172 -- Siena and St. Catherine

Everybody just raves about Siena, so we had to check it out. Once there, our first stop was San Domenico, a church where they keep the relics of St. Catherine. She was a girl from Siena who decided to devote her life to Christ at the age of 8. According to a book in the gift shop, she had several religious ecstasies, could detect people's sins, and subsisted only on holy communion for the last few years of her life. So what are her relics, you ask? For those unfamiliar with the term, it usually refers to items related to holy persons and events – e.g. the chains used to bind St. Peter. Well, when St. Catherine died at 33 her body was decapitated and various parts were shipped to different churches to help inspire faith. This church houses her head and one of her thumbs. I thought the head was in remarkable shape, but then again I don't really know what 700 year-old heads are supposed to look like.

Itching for Internet time, we sent Patty and Dan to the Duomo and set off to check e-mail. After we met up we ate at a family-run place just a few steps from the main piazza. The son took our drink orders, the daughter served us drinks, and the dad took our food orders. There was no menu – he just asked us what we were in the mood for, rattled off a few options, and then kind of decided for us. It was fun to put ourselves in his hands, and the food did not disappoint!



Dan, Thomas, and I worked off all that food by climbing up the bell tower in the Piazza del Campo (pictured above). It was a little too dank and musty for Patty's tastes so she waited at the bottom. The three of us soaked in the vistas and by the time we climbed back down we'd made enough room in our stomachs for gelatto. Mmmm... gelatto. Siena was very pretty, but didn't really live up to all the hype for me. Too many big buses and trucks trying to navigate the narrow, tourist-filled streets.

Back at the villa...

we engaged in our nightly ritual of dinner and cards, and then got ready for Patty's & Dan's last day in Tuscany.

-Elva

D171 -- Wonderful wine tasting

Volterra, like San Gimignano, is a walled medieval town full of brown brick buildings and cobblestone streets perched on a hilltop. Very photogenic!


It's known for its alabaster workshops, so our first order of business upon arrival this morning was to do a little shopping for items made with the beautiful translucent stone. Of course
shopping always works up the hunger, so we stopped for lunch at a fabulous hole-in-the-wall pizza joint. There was just a little counter separating us from the wood burning oven, and it was so fun to watch the chef work. I couldn't believe how quickly he put pizzas in and pulled them out of the oven with his “pizza spatula on super-long stick” thing. And he could cut a large pizza into slices in under 2 seconds. I felt like making Batman sound effects while he worked. Whah-pah! I would have to say it was the best pizza I've had on the entire trip.

We visited some Roman ruins on the way to the car, but didn't dally too long because we had a wine tour scheduled at 5. Well, three of us did, anyway. One of our group decided to go home to watch the US play Ghana. Can you guess who? So we drove back to San Gimignano where Patty, Dan, and I boarded a bus with four others to Il Lebbio, a winery about 10 minutes away from our villa. Luciano, whose family owns Il Lebbio, met us in the vineyard on his little white Vespa. With the help of our fashionable Italian tour guide/interpreter Ana Maria, he showed us some vines and explained how the grapes are grown. We got to see vernaccia grapes, which are used to make Vernaccia wine - a specialty of San Gimignano – and Sangiovese, the predominate grape used in Chianti.


From there we followed Luciano to the winery, which looks like a big garage behind the family's house. There he explained the steps in the process that turns the harvested grapes into wine.

After the tour we were invited to taste four or five wines at a table overlooking the Tuscan hills. Along with the bottles was a lovely spread of snacks prepared for us by Luciano's mother: fresh-baked bruschetta, pecorino cheese, and homemade salami. Anna Maria poured our first glass, but then all the bottles were uncorked and we were allowed to pour ourselves as much or as little as we liked of each. We ate, drank, and chatted with the other members of our group: a couple from Dublin and newlyweds from Seattle. It was more like being at a cocktail party than a wine tasting. SUCH a different experience from the more corporate wineries we've visited. We had so much fun!

-Elva

D170 -- Exploring San Gimignano

We toured San Gimignano with the family today. Highlights included:

a walk up the Grand Tower, which afforded beautiful views of the town, its other towers, and the surrounding countryside;


a visit to the duomo, which had beautiful frescoes of scenes from the new and old testaments, including some very disturbing depictions of hell;


lots of picture-taking;

a fair amount of shopping;

and Patty's first squat toilet experience. For those of you unfamiliar with these wondrous facilities, it's a hole surrounded by a bit of ceramic that you squat over and then flush. Well, men stand over it; women squat. Here Dan rejoices in the fact that he's a man.

After leaving town we drove to a large grocery store, stocked up on supplies, and came home to cook dinner. We had insalata caprese, spagetti piccanti (less piccanti than before), and some locally produced vernacchia wine. Yum! After dinner I spent about 15 minutes trying to ask the owner of the house for some floor fans and an extra key and to tell him about a bug we think is living in one of the wood ceiling beams. I knew the words for key, fan, and insect, but somehow the bug thing was more difficult to explain than I expected. In hindsight I should have just let it go, but I was worried it was something that would harm the house (like termites can). He was very patient, and I finally got my point across after some jumping up and down to point to the wood beam. Patty found it all very entertaining

-Elva

D169 -- Nebraskans in the house

We woke up early today (8 is early for us these days) to drive to Florence to pick up my sister Patty and her husband Dan, who were coming in on a train from Rome. It was great to be reunited with family! Once we retrieved them we set out to secure a parking spot - no easy feat with all the one-way streets, detours, and traffic. We parked right next to a food market, and took the opportunity to do a quick balsamic vinegar tasting. We tried one that had been aged for 20 years old – it was so thick it reminded me of that stuff in "Love Potion #9." (dorky Sandra Bullock film)

From there we went directly to the Galleria Accademia to see Michaelangelo's David. We'd been unable to get reservations, and the line was sooooooo long. We felt badly that my family would have to spend their limited time in Florence standing in line, so Thomas offered to wait while the three of us went to explore the cathedral, or duomo. What a nice guy!


The duomo was enormous, and the facade was very different from other churches I've seen. It was completely covered with colored marble, had a detached bell tower next to it and an old octagonal baptistery in front of it where Dante and other illustrious Italians were baptized. The inside was more sedate and traditional, but did have a cool fresco covering the inside of the dome.





Back at the Accademia Thomas hadn't moved very far in line. We ended up waiting 40 minutes together on top of the hour he'd already waited, but it wasn't so bad as we got to chat with a nice family from Mexico during the wait. When we finally got inside, we feigned interest in some of the paintings as long as we could and then made a beeline for David. Thomas, Patty, and Dan were surprised at the enormity of the statue. Though I was expecting his size, I wasn't expecting him to be so life-like. It almost looked like he could start breathing any minute. You could see David's veins, muscles, ribs, etc. Extremely impressive, but even more so when you compare him to Michaelangelo's unfinished "Prisoners" in the adjoining gallery. You can really appreciate the perfection that is David when you see a bit of the process it takes to carve marble. We walked around David a couple of times, sat and stared, and just generally enjoyed being in the presence of this great work of art. There was more to the museum but we just skimmed through the plaster models and some religious paintings. How many depictions of the annunciation can you see, after all!

After lunch we walked to Piazza della Signoria while eating the best gelatto we've had since Rome. (Venetian gelatto was nothing to write home about.) In this piazza are many statues - like this one of Neptune - and a reproduction of David in the space he used to occupy. Though it's the exact same size as the original it looks so much smaller. Funny how being outdoors in front of a big castle can do that. Patty and Dan spent their last couple of hours in Florence touring the Galeria Uffizi. Thomas and I will be returning with our friends next week so we held off and got an internet fix instead.

We all reunited in front of the Uffizi, walked over the Ponte Vecchio, and then back over the river and through a market to our car.

We took the scenic route home and it was fun to see Patty and Dan experiencing the beauty of Tuscany for the first time. We got settled in at the villa and then ate dinner at a restaurant called Leonetto in nearby Pancole. FANTASTIC! My steak was like buttah and we had great chianti from right around Pancole.

-Elva

D168 -- Did I just wet myself?

Ever wonder what you'd do if you woke up to find a strange man in your bedroom? Well, at some point during the wee hours of the morning I turned over on my side, opened my eyes, and saw what looked like a short man standing next to my bed. I immediately started belting out short, loud screams and scooting to the other side of the bed. Over my screams I heard Thomas yelling, “It's me! It's okay, it's just me!” For some ungodly reason, he had been sitting upright in bed staring at me when I opened my eyes. I'm not sure if he was sitting up because I'd done something to wake him, or whether I woke up because I felt his presence looming over me. Either way, it scared the hell out of me. I kid you not, I reached down to feel my pajamas because I thought surely I'd peed my pants!

Thomas was quick to find the humor in the situation – he started laughing right away. I didn't find it so funny. We both went back to sleep, and what was the first thing I heard when I woke up in the morning? Thomas laughing. Ah, I love that man of mine!


Back to the trip....

We have precious few days left on the RTW trip, so we've got extra motivation to relax as much as possible during the next two weeks. We took it very easy today, getting a late start and then just moseying about San Gimignano.

For dinner we cooked some spaghetti piccanti using a spice mix I'd bought in Bolzano. It turned out way too “piccanti” but man was it good. Feel the burn!

-Elva

D167 -- San Gimignano

It's so nice to be back in a house - especiallly one with a view like this! And though it felt good to do some “ordinary every-day things” like laundry, grocery shopping, and cooking, I can't help worrying that these tasks will quickly turn from enjoyable to annoying once we're back in our old routines back home.

















We explored the town of San Gimignano today. It reminded us a lot of Toledo in Spain, only smaller. Like Toledo, it's a walled medieval town of brown brick and stone buildings, but what's unique about it is the many towers that dominate its landscape.



Though it's small, it has everything we could want – restaurants, shopping, places to check e-mail & make phone calls home, and best of all, little markets where you can get all kinds of gourmet goodies like mozzarella di bufala, balsamic vinegar, locally produced olive oil & wine, and spice mixes. I can't wait until our family and friends arrive so we can cook big dinners.

-Elva