ROME, ITALY
To all the mothers out there..HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!
Happy Mother's Day Margie, our wonderful and special Margie, our love goes to you this Mother's Day and every day.
To my gorgeous girl Elise, i thank you for the flowers, chocolates and hugs and kisses...to see you in my msg inbox this morning was a beautiful thought in itself.
I love you so, so much and I miss you my gorgeous ever thoughtful and loyal daughter...You are a gift.
And i loved the message from Sam...offshore and in a 35 knot wind...and yet, remembering Mother's Day...that's so, so special and for me, with his birthday not long ago, even more special, because that's twice in a week i hear from my beautiful son!
To my own mother...a big hug and kiss to you, my beautiful mum whom i miss so much. The one thing I knew was a certainty about coming on this trip, was how i'd miss going to your place, laying on the couch (as we girls do) and chatting to you about every thing...with nothing out of bounds.
I miss that. Sissy, you and I, all there, sharing, chatting, drifting off on the couch!!! The couch. Yes. You have a wisdom that surpasses understanding at times (which i'm positive Elise has inherited!) and i miss being able talk with you.
But...it's so nice being able to message and email you....you've come into the 21 century with gusto...finally, after kicking and screaming!!!
You have a tolerance and patience that I appreciate and miss so much. I hear you constantly...whenever i feel at a loss, i can hear your reassuring words. You're an inspiration and always have been.
You studied for your degree as a mature aged student and became a business woman after bringing up four children in an, at times, stifled and suppressed evironment.
But through this, you managed. You taught us perserverance and optimism and i believe without this we would be lesser people ourselves, because all four children have striven and achieved and have never forgotten our backgrounds. Our history makes us, today, want to achieve and better ourselves always.
You were a single parent for a long time. And at times it was difficult and a struggle. Being the yougest and going on that journey with you created a bond. And now that i have been through those similar years, i totally understand and empathise with you and what you went through in those years. We have a connection..a definate bond..a linked past, as our routes can be traced with a similarity that is scary..and as a result, we have an unwritten true understanding of the other.
And you have that specialness with all your children. And that's something i have always admired. When i see other families falling apart and having strained relatinships i see ours as a strength, as a unity, and i believe it is you that has strengthened this. Even when times are frought, you remain steadfast and always supportive of all of us and you have unique bonds with all your childen, which has enabled us all to have strong bonds with each other also.
You have motivated me to be a better person. When i look at what you've done, what you've achieved, personally, and for others, i am proud that you are my mother. You organised events in towns that culminated in great festivals. Sunshine festival and the 150th to name a few. You tried other ventures, some successful, some not, but you tried, and persevered, and experienced.
You built a beach house. Invested in shares and property. You studied futher post graduate courses, learned about art, about spinning, weaving and dyeing. You delved into permiculture with gusto. You kept up your fitness always and still do with aquaerobics and mobility classes.
Most of all you've been adventurous. Travelling overseas and around Australia. And have gone 4 wheel driving! And camping!
Amazing too because you continue to enjoy life. Even in adversity...you glowed and displayed your endurance, and will to live in totality. I remember the breast cancer and how you fought, and conquered..and the operations on your knees..how you recovered with total determination! Sometimes in your independence i had to will you to allow help, and for me, that was a privilege. I love to be there for you. To return, what you've done for me.
You have also loved and lost...and left a trail of broken hearts...but you have always been happy. Happy in yourself. Happy with your decisions. Whatever they may have been. In your seventies, still with the dazzling smile, white shining hair and ready laugh, you are still graceful and charming.
You are a real lady..who has tireless grit. And always with a project! Sometimes impatiently wanting to surge beyond your expecations..but always achieving wonders in the end.
Nothing has been too much effort. You have just always been there. You've helped me so much. You are now as 'secretary' (which we appreciate so much!) but also when i lived in the country and felt so isolated and alone at times. It was always your voice i heard and the positives you expressed that picked me up. When i moved back to the city and my energy levels were drained, you were there to pick me up, to give me the extra energy to keep on going.
It's the little things...when i moved house...or had to pack houses, you helped to pack, and to unpack glasses and belongings from boxes when i didn't know when to start.
You were there for us as a family, a loving, supportive, grandmother to my kids, and always available. How could i forget the times you came to stay with us in the country...and just enjoyed playing and teaching the children about nature and patiently playing their games. Remember Sam's cardboard box boat where you were the decky? And he was the skipper?Remember showing Elise the spiders and bugs?
They were the funny times. And there were many. There were also the gloomy times where you pulled me out of myself and helped me when i was disappearing into shaded holes. In times during those pre-greg years and post-foot-op months. You have just always been there at the right time.
And you have especially known when to turn a tragedy into a laugh.
A reader, a philosopher, a listener, an educator, a person with knowledge....you are the kindest, giving and loving person..and i thank you for being the beautiul person you are.
You are a wonderful person, mother and friend. Words honestly can't describe how much i really feel about you.
But one thing is, I'm grateful that you are my mum.
If i could be half the person you are, and half the mother you are to me, to my own children, i will be happy.
My mother, my friend, my confidante, my mentor. I love you endlessly.
Your Daughter,
Jenny xxx
Sunday, 13 May 2007
NAPLES, POMPEI, SORRENTO
Day 72
Naples, Napoli's to the Romans!
We fought the Italian train system and finally arrived in Naples after the Italian wait of an hour because the train broke down :-) Oh and also got scammed by a new idea...a distraught women came knocking on the train window, °need change, can't change my 100 Euros!' She then came INTO the train..and just as we were almost conned..a lady beside us said it was a game. And it was, later on, she was back..when she thought we'd gone (but didn't cos the train was delayed) she was back with the same distresing story!!! We've become accustomed to this, beggars and scammers with all their ploys, and weirdly, we've now become, as others have also, immune to it!
Afer having a 'free breakfast' of panini neopolata (don't know why they said we could have it free...) And decided we'd go from Naples straight to Pompei to see the RUINS. Then to Sorrento...And come back to Naples by night. Good thing we did..
Pompei needed a whole day....what an amazing city. It's the old city that was destroyed by the volcano Vesuvious in 79AD. Apparently there had been an earthquake that destroyed some of the buildings earlier in 62AD but this later volcanic eruption actually destroyed the city!
Which is good for us..because when it got uncovered we could actually see what the old Roman city looked like. The rulers always seem to bole over cites when they came into rule so if this had not been covered by the volcano lava and ash, it would have been destroyed like the others and we wouldnàt be able to see anything!
There were even plaster casts of people from the time that got uncovered. (this is where the first plaster casts were made, by mistake, but thatàs how a lot of stuff is discovered anyway!).
So old. And so big. There were 45 hectares that have been opened to the public and we walked the lot!!!! (yes, 'the bloody foot' is holding up thanks!).
We also realised why we were getting things free ie free entry to monuments etc...It's CULTURAL WEEK in Italy. So all entries are free for a week. Cool. I wonder if it extends to Sicilly, where we will be next week!
Gelato at the end of our Pompei visit was very deserving. One thing is, in Italy, we're not faced with all the skinny jeaned bums....we feel like the skinny ones here!! :-) So! We can eat! Eat! EAT! BELLISIMO! (And would regardless! The FOOD here is divine!)
SORRENTO
We then went to beautiful Sorrento!
Lemons abound. Coastline beckons. Tulips peek out. Olive groves scatter the surrounds..
And what a gorgeous place is Sorrento!....The coast line (amalfi coast) is equisite. Our timing was impeccable. We managed to catch a hop on hop off bus as soon as we arrived at the beach (where we headed first) and off we went! To the music off, 'i want to return to sorrento' on the headphones!
We saw the island of Capri from the distance. Love to go there! Next time!
We found a gorgeous cafe after and ate biscotti and drank espresso....
NAPLES
And arrived in Naples at night...
Saw the castel....and the old smelly streets which we were told the Mafia rule...and the very cheap clothing shops...the hawkers..
Ate pizza....
And crawled into bed way after midnight....
Thinking i was a magical day! Especially Sorrento...where we could easily return for a holiday.....
I LOVE ROMA and its wonderful neibouring cities!
Naples, Napoli's to the Romans!
We fought the Italian train system and finally arrived in Naples after the Italian wait of an hour because the train broke down :-) Oh and also got scammed by a new idea...a distraught women came knocking on the train window, °need change, can't change my 100 Euros!' She then came INTO the train..and just as we were almost conned..a lady beside us said it was a game. And it was, later on, she was back..when she thought we'd gone (but didn't cos the train was delayed) she was back with the same distresing story!!! We've become accustomed to this, beggars and scammers with all their ploys, and weirdly, we've now become, as others have also, immune to it!
Afer having a 'free breakfast' of panini neopolata (don't know why they said we could have it free...) And decided we'd go from Naples straight to Pompei to see the RUINS. Then to Sorrento...And come back to Naples by night. Good thing we did..
Pompei needed a whole day....what an amazing city. It's the old city that was destroyed by the volcano Vesuvious in 79AD. Apparently there had been an earthquake that destroyed some of the buildings earlier in 62AD but this later volcanic eruption actually destroyed the city!
Which is good for us..because when it got uncovered we could actually see what the old Roman city looked like. The rulers always seem to bole over cites when they came into rule so if this had not been covered by the volcano lava and ash, it would have been destroyed like the others and we wouldnàt be able to see anything!
There were even plaster casts of people from the time that got uncovered. (this is where the first plaster casts were made, by mistake, but thatàs how a lot of stuff is discovered anyway!).
So old. And so big. There were 45 hectares that have been opened to the public and we walked the lot!!!! (yes, 'the bloody foot' is holding up thanks!).
We also realised why we were getting things free ie free entry to monuments etc...It's CULTURAL WEEK in Italy. So all entries are free for a week. Cool. I wonder if it extends to Sicilly, where we will be next week!
Gelato at the end of our Pompei visit was very deserving. One thing is, in Italy, we're not faced with all the skinny jeaned bums....we feel like the skinny ones here!! :-) So! We can eat! Eat! EAT! BELLISIMO! (And would regardless! The FOOD here is divine!)
SORRENTO
We then went to beautiful Sorrento!
Lemons abound. Coastline beckons. Tulips peek out. Olive groves scatter the surrounds..
And what a gorgeous place is Sorrento!....The coast line (amalfi coast) is equisite. Our timing was impeccable. We managed to catch a hop on hop off bus as soon as we arrived at the beach (where we headed first) and off we went! To the music off, 'i want to return to sorrento' on the headphones!
We saw the island of Capri from the distance. Love to go there! Next time!
We found a gorgeous cafe after and ate biscotti and drank espresso....
NAPLES
And arrived in Naples at night...
Saw the castel....and the old smelly streets which we were told the Mafia rule...and the very cheap clothing shops...the hawkers..
Ate pizza....
And crawled into bed way after midnight....
Thinking i was a magical day! Especially Sorrento...where we could easily return for a holiday.....
I LOVE ROMA and its wonderful neibouring cities!
BELLA ROMA
Day 71
Happy Birthday Gloria!!! Glad you spent the day with all your boys!!! Imagine....Troy and Ryan BOTH having babes this year...and you a grandmother twice over.....amazing how these boys grow up! Gee. Second cousins for Sam and Elise!!!!
***************
Here we are.
Beautiful Rome.
That's what it is. We spent Friday walking the cobbled streets of Rome..and the scents, the flavours, the people...are all so beautiful. Traditions are deep and astounding. The history is ingraining.
First we searched for the gelato Silvia told us about...at the Allemagda...and we roamed...literally, the streets looking for this delicious delight! We stood in front of the Vittoria Emanuelle 11 building...walked up directly opposite..to the front of the building, to Via De Corso..turned towards the right side...and saw...Bar Brasile! But thatàs not the name, we thought! Walked up further..and saw Bar Dante...Bar Baby..and asked the man behind the counter, °Fintito!° he said. °long ago, many year ago, finito!!!° Had to laugh.
Sent Silvia a message and told her, finito!! And told her weàd toss a coin for her in the Fontand di Trevi...and thought, that should still be there! And she sent a message back, °easy come, easy go..at least the trevi will be there!!° We laughed. Weàd been thinking the same thing!
The Bar Brasile was wonderful...looking out onto the old streets...and eating stracciotella gelato! (creamy vanilla with huge lumps of chocolate in it!)...and lapping it all up....what a beatiful hour we spent there....in fact, ok we spent longer..:Greg had a beer and i had a vino...again! Weàre certainly getting into the European wine culture, very easy to do! But hey...it's good for your heart hey!
On the way back..in a little street off via de corso, Via Dei s.s. Apostoli we saw a 1 hour film being advertised. With English Audio. Called the Time Elevator. IT traced Romeàs history back 2750 years. What a fascinating history..and experience. We were strapped in chairs which rocked and rolled according to the audio. We even felt rain sprinkle and rats tails (during Rome's dark period) move aound our feet. Most of all, we learned more about Rome.
We tossed the coin at the Trevi Fountain and wondered the streets....climbed the spanish steps and saw the monastery on the top...popped into the hotel where Greg stayed on his many business trips to Rome....enquired about the price...270 Euro per night...just a couple of hundred Euro more than weàre paying at our B&B...and not that much more luxurious...well..ok, it was a bit...
But we're happy where we are..who needs all those exclusive streets on the same street anyway!!! (I do! haha..but canàt buy anything anyway, with our motto, what you buy, you carry!) I mean...itàs not every day you return to your accomodation to see a mattress pulled up outside the door..with a couple of feet sticking out at the end....hmm. The homelesss in Roma. That's us...! (haha..only kidding.)
Oh dear....anyway, Greg reminisced, a lot, and so i heard many more stories about his experiences in Rome, some very weird....and it wasnàt the beer talking. He really did have some wild and wonderful times in Rome! (quite revealing) And all this talk...extended to more tales over dinner...at our 'favourite restaurant' where the man has taken a liking to us...and this time, gave us a nip of rocket fuel after our dinner...(sweet dessert wine!.
We took the underground to dinner by the way...just to save the feet a bit...and it was RUSH HOUR. No kidding. Everyone was squeezed in like sardines. I've seen tight..but this was impossible. Everyone hugging everyone. The steps back up to fresh air was a nightmare. It was claustophobic. In fact, Rome is like this..very, very busy. Itàs easy to see passed the chaos, the confusion, the weird complicated directions of the trains because Rome is so beautiful...but honestly, when they say °Itàs on Roman Time° i know what they mean..because..it really is. Nothing seems to have order or logic! Not the train system, not the restaurinte system..not anything that requires order..because, this is Italy, where time is, Italian time. And order is, non existant.
One has to wonder about that..after Julius Ceasar invented the calender...and spent a lot of time thinking about time...a lot of the buildings were built by the Romans...cities were structured by the ROmans...and yet, there is chaos in a lot of itàs systems in Italy. Reminds me..in Florence..the train was great...the food system of serving was great, ordered and structured...but when we got to Venice...there was this wonky system...you buy coffee here, but cooldrinks there, you pay for pizzas here but choose it over there. You canàt eat it here but you can there. TOTAL DISORDER!
Even when the computers break down..or the train breaks down...they just laugh and wait. Then try to fix it. Even if the train breaks down right there, on the track. No problemo..we fix!! They have the patience of saints...which is probably where the saying comes from. And we, as tourists, have to adjust!
But we can accept that...because WE ARE IN ITALY! :-)
What a day roaming bella roma....a place that is just BEAUTIFUL.
Tomorrow will be busy.....visiting the towns off Rome..
Happy Birthday Gloria!!! Glad you spent the day with all your boys!!! Imagine....Troy and Ryan BOTH having babes this year...and you a grandmother twice over.....amazing how these boys grow up! Gee. Second cousins for Sam and Elise!!!!
***************
Here we are.
Beautiful Rome.
That's what it is. We spent Friday walking the cobbled streets of Rome..and the scents, the flavours, the people...are all so beautiful. Traditions are deep and astounding. The history is ingraining.
First we searched for the gelato Silvia told us about...at the Allemagda...and we roamed...literally, the streets looking for this delicious delight! We stood in front of the Vittoria Emanuelle 11 building...walked up directly opposite..to the front of the building, to Via De Corso..turned towards the right side...and saw...Bar Brasile! But thatàs not the name, we thought! Walked up further..and saw Bar Dante...Bar Baby..and asked the man behind the counter, °Fintito!° he said. °long ago, many year ago, finito!!!° Had to laugh.
Sent Silvia a message and told her, finito!! And told her weàd toss a coin for her in the Fontand di Trevi...and thought, that should still be there! And she sent a message back, °easy come, easy go..at least the trevi will be there!!° We laughed. Weàd been thinking the same thing!
The Bar Brasile was wonderful...looking out onto the old streets...and eating stracciotella gelato! (creamy vanilla with huge lumps of chocolate in it!)...and lapping it all up....what a beatiful hour we spent there....in fact, ok we spent longer..:Greg had a beer and i had a vino...again! Weàre certainly getting into the European wine culture, very easy to do! But hey...it's good for your heart hey!
On the way back..in a little street off via de corso, Via Dei s.s. Apostoli we saw a 1 hour film being advertised. With English Audio. Called the Time Elevator. IT traced Romeàs history back 2750 years. What a fascinating history..and experience. We were strapped in chairs which rocked and rolled according to the audio. We even felt rain sprinkle and rats tails (during Rome's dark period) move aound our feet. Most of all, we learned more about Rome.
We tossed the coin at the Trevi Fountain and wondered the streets....climbed the spanish steps and saw the monastery on the top...popped into the hotel where Greg stayed on his many business trips to Rome....enquired about the price...270 Euro per night...just a couple of hundred Euro more than weàre paying at our B&B...and not that much more luxurious...well..ok, it was a bit...
But we're happy where we are..who needs all those exclusive streets on the same street anyway!!! (I do! haha..but canàt buy anything anyway, with our motto, what you buy, you carry!) I mean...itàs not every day you return to your accomodation to see a mattress pulled up outside the door..with a couple of feet sticking out at the end....hmm. The homelesss in Roma. That's us...! (haha..only kidding.)
Oh dear....anyway, Greg reminisced, a lot, and so i heard many more stories about his experiences in Rome, some very weird....and it wasnàt the beer talking. He really did have some wild and wonderful times in Rome! (quite revealing) And all this talk...extended to more tales over dinner...at our 'favourite restaurant' where the man has taken a liking to us...and this time, gave us a nip of rocket fuel after our dinner...(sweet dessert wine!.
We took the underground to dinner by the way...just to save the feet a bit...and it was RUSH HOUR. No kidding. Everyone was squeezed in like sardines. I've seen tight..but this was impossible. Everyone hugging everyone. The steps back up to fresh air was a nightmare. It was claustophobic. In fact, Rome is like this..very, very busy. Itàs easy to see passed the chaos, the confusion, the weird complicated directions of the trains because Rome is so beautiful...but honestly, when they say °Itàs on Roman Time° i know what they mean..because..it really is. Nothing seems to have order or logic! Not the train system, not the restaurinte system..not anything that requires order..because, this is Italy, where time is, Italian time. And order is, non existant.
One has to wonder about that..after Julius Ceasar invented the calender...and spent a lot of time thinking about time...a lot of the buildings were built by the Romans...cities were structured by the ROmans...and yet, there is chaos in a lot of itàs systems in Italy. Reminds me..in Florence..the train was great...the food system of serving was great, ordered and structured...but when we got to Venice...there was this wonky system...you buy coffee here, but cooldrinks there, you pay for pizzas here but choose it over there. You canàt eat it here but you can there. TOTAL DISORDER!
Even when the computers break down..or the train breaks down...they just laugh and wait. Then try to fix it. Even if the train breaks down right there, on the track. No problemo..we fix!! They have the patience of saints...which is probably where the saying comes from. And we, as tourists, have to adjust!
But we can accept that...because WE ARE IN ITALY! :-)
What a day roaming bella roma....a place that is just BEAUTIFUL.
Tomorrow will be busy.....visiting the towns off Rome..
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