David and Karen Journey – DNKJOURNEY

We arrived in Italy on March 31 by cruise ship and departed Milan by airplane on May 13. The map in our gallery shows the many sights in our nearly 8 weeks in Italy. We toured Milan on our final days with side trips to some fascinating sites.

The Shroud was placed back on public display (the 19th time in its history) in Turin from April 2015 until 24 June 2015. The Shroud of Turin is a centuries old linen cloth that bears the image of a crucified man. A man that millions believe to be Jesus of Nazareth. Is it really the cloth that wrapped his crucified body, or is it simply a medieval forgery, a hoax perpetrated by some clever artist? Modern science has completed hundreds of thousands of hours of detailed study and intense research on the Shroud. It is, in fact, the single most studied artifact in human history, and we know more about it today than we ever have before. And yet, the controversy still rages.
It was very cool to see this in person, it is one of those once in a lifetime events.

Few products in the world are distinguished enough to have their location built into their name, but Parmigiano is one of them. Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard texture cheese, cooked but not pressed. The milk obtained, from cows on a strict regime diet of grass or hay, is exclusively from the territory of Parma, Italy. The cheese is made every day, therefore it has a variability which represents the fruit of nature. You will notice that with age comes perfection characterized by tiny white crystal grains, and this 18 – 24 or 36 months aged product. We were given a behind the scenes tour from the head of marketing who explained the strict process of turning, cleaning, flipping, X-raying and perfectly aging the cheese wheels to produce the perfect cheese.

Milan museum of science and technology is the only place in the world that maintains Leonardo Da Vinci’s original drawings. The museum took the drawings and created models they represent. The historic models built in the early 1950s, which are on display in the Leonardo Gallery, are the outcome of an interpretation work that translated and completed Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawings. We were most interested in his flying machines, and a chance to see genius at work.

The ultimate day trip was our 24 hour trip back to the states. Milan to Istanbul to New York and finally Phoenix with the rig in tow, we are off to the next adventure.

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One of our final stops was the Cinque Terre, a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. Cinque Terre consists of five small villages (“cinque terre” means “five lands” in Italian) which cling to the Ligurian cliffs along Italy’s western coast. The five villages, each having their own personality, are in Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The “Five Lands” comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Part of its charm is the lack of visible corporate development; paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach them from the outside.

We spent four nights in Monterosso, which made a great location for boat and train hopping to other villages. We hiked the path between Monterosso and Vernezza. Although this trek is claimed to be the most difficult trek between the villages, it is the only one that is completely open between any of the villages due to landslides in 2011. Some deep relaxation and sun worshiping was on order, since we knew the days in front of us are filled with planes, trains, automobiles, 5th wheels, amusement parks, grandkids, volunteering, transitioning and more adventures to come!

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We met Bernd and Anna on a trip to Costa Rica, and liked them immediately. We “hung out” around the pool, took hikes together in the national park, and at the end of our week was the normal invitation, if you are ever in Northern Italy give us a call. We did. They answered. It was wonderful.

South Tyrol can seem a gnarly, impenetrable place to reach, entirely within the Alps snug with the Austrian border to the north and Switzerland to the west, and its landscape is defined by spiky peaks and dense forests.

Silandro is an idyllic enclave of medieval castles, steepled churches, apple orchards and vineyards in Southern Tyrol, an independent region of Italy. An Austrian territory for eons, it has been an Italian province since the First World. Today, our friends say, they speak German from birth and Italian from age 3, then English starting at age 6. Road signs offer you at least two, sometimes three variations of languages.

We so enjoyed this corner of Italy, we enjoyed the beauty of the place, the hospitality of friends, the German food, which was a welcome break from the Italian fare we have eaten for weeks on end, and mostly, Anna and Bernd’s 9 day old daughter Marta — the surprise of the day.

Bernd and Anna own/host a hotel in Schlanders/Silandro and we know how energies are split between guests, staff, phone calls and unexpected events, so David and I spent the day riding the trains up the valley, renting bikes and riding the fully paved bicycle path down the valley back home again. The path went through a couple lake areas with picnic tables and snack bars, serving good German Beer! Who would not enjoy this bike ride.

What an unexpected gem of a few days we enjoyed in a part of Italy that, in my mind, is on the repeat list. Bennie told us that the bike trail that passes through his town extends from Amsterdam to Rome. We saw miles of it as we drove northern Italy, now all I need is an electric bike and a couple of free months.

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We decided to visit the Lake District of Italy. Lake Como is very popular with Americans, and it was culture shock to hear so much English spoken around you when just the opposite has been true for weeks. It is very luxury oriented, with designer shops for browsing. Lake Garda is very popular with Germans. It is more activity oriented. Bike paths, paddle boats, and of course lots of walking paths. Both locations had an over abundance of places to eat, drink and shop. . . . The traditional vacation things to do. They also had an abundance of benches and gelato stands, just begging you to sit a spell, take a deep breath and R E L A X. In a town on north of Lake Garda, riva de Garda, there was an international bike festival where we toured tents of many bicycle manufacturers and vendors.

The architectural style is mostly traditional Italian vernacular, which is very picturesque. There are also many classical style building churches, grand houses and castles. Both lakes have a ferry system that gives you wonderful views from the water. I think any house on a lake is magical.

What made this lake journey special for us, however, was our B&B host, Jerry and Laura from Il Bogno B&B in Lierna on Lake Como. Who declared we must be tired of restaurant food and offers to make us a homemade Italian dinner. They even invited their niece as a translator! How wonderful conversations can be, with gestures and pictures, great conversation and home made olive oil (from the garden) laughter is the same in every language. Our best night in Italy was not seeing anything, just in the company of open hearted people sharing their story.

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Venice, a group of 117 small islands, is different from any other European city. Stunning architecture is everywhere, travel is accomplished on water or via lots of foot bridges, and getting lost is fun (since you are on an island there is only so lost you can get, ultimately you will get to the other side of the island, get on a water bus and come back home).

Venice became a crossroads in earlier times because of its location between Europe and Asia and it’s natural ability to accept ships. The Canal Grande snakes through the city of Venice in a large S shape, traveling from the Saint Mark Basin on one end to a lagoon near the Santa Lucia rail station The canal is an ancient waterway, lined with buildings – about 170 in all – that were mostly built from the thirteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Most were constructed by wealthy Venetian families and is “undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man”. The majority of the city’s traffic cruises up and down the canal, be it private boats, vaporetti (water buses), water taxis or the famous gondolas. We even went to the gondola building/repair shop, this place is 800 years old and still in business!

Our lodging, however, was on a small canal, luckily our B&B had a outside patio where you could enjoy a glass of wine and listen to the music on the boats. We were serenaded with guitars, accordions and opera singers. Our lodging was a 5 minute walk from St Mark’s square, so we passed through it a various times, sometimes packed with people, other times quiet and you could hear the still live bands playing music at their restaurants while you are invited to drink a cappuccino and people watch. We did not sit and enjoy a coffee, they wanted $12 per cup! We went to a symphony of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, in a small church where he actually played in his day (He was born and composed in Venice).

One of the smartest things we did was download Rick Steves audio tours of Italy. We could wander the town with headsets and take in lots of stories about art as a bounty from wars, or architecture that was specific to Venice, or frescoes that were meant to tell bible stories to people who could not read. We were also in St Marks on St Marks feast day. The city turns out to celebrate with the Venetian flag, a lion with wings, the personal symbol of St Mark. Hundreds of flags greeted us on that day. (I thought it had to do with football, can’t you tell I’m from Denver.)

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The last-minute-deals section of cruise websites can be addicting. David found a killer rate on a 7 day cruise from Rome to Venice (with a stops in Naples, Sicily, Montenegro and Croatia). Our logic was it repositioned us from central Italy to northern Italy; but it turned out to be a wonderful vacation with a small interlude back into American comfort food.

Our port calls allowed us to see a couple spots in Naples, most notable was the underground city created by the Ancient Greek who carved out stones for the buildings still standing 2,000 years later; and the Romans who created linking channels between these caverns, added aqueducts and created wells for easy water gathering. We saw this by candlelight. Other sections of the underground were used, during WW II, as housing for women and children after their houses were demolished and a bomb shelter when planes were spotted overhead. Remnants of the war are still seen there. Napoli pizza was a must. Also in Naples is a sculpture which some art historians agree is the finest sculpture ever created; the Veiled Christ was carved from a single piece of marble. The detail was incredible, you could just stare at and see nuisance after detail after shading . . .

It rained in Sicily, so we were pretty quiet, but Montenegro was a wonderful surprise. We hiked up to an old fortress and enjoyed the views and the chance to stretch our legs after countless calories of comfort food. Back in the village of Kotor (Croatia also) offered medieval cobblestones streets, great cappuccino, lovely people, and the desire to return to Eastern Europe and see in in depth. (This was just our toe in the water.)

Venice, of course was stunning and is worthy of its own blog. Ciao for now.

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Florence is crazy with traffic and no drive areas, we decided to stay in a lovely B&B south and take the local bus. Florence (Firenze) is magnetic, romantic and busy. Return time and again and you still won’t see it all. Stand on a bridge over the Arno river several times in a day and the light, mood and view changes every time. Surprisingly small, Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance, its narrow streets evoke a thousand tales.

Florence’s cathedral, the Duomo, is the city’s most iconic landmark. Capped by Filippo Brunelleschi’s red-tiled cupola, it’s a staggering construction whose breathtaking pink, white and green marble facade and graceful campanile (bell tower) dominate the medieval cityscape. Cathedral planning began in 1296 with a round hole in the roof awaiting a person with a technique to build a dome. The dome, the largest in the world for the next 300 years, was finished in 1436, 140 years later.

Home to the world’s greatest collection of Italian Renaissance art, Florence’s premier gallery occupies the Uffizi. The art was bequeathed to the city by the Medici family in 1743 (great art patrons, Michelangelo lived with them when studying sculpture) on condition that it never leave Florence. David a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by Michelangelo is a 4.34-metre, 5.17-metre with the base marble statue of a standing male nude. Some think it is the finest piece of sculpture ever created.

Art, architecture, the Arno River and pizza. That is what I remember most about Florence.

Karen was also reading Dan Browns Inferno, the story, set in Florence made fiction turn real.

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The city of Assisi is built at the foot of Subasio Mountain. The Roman plan of the city is based on a set of terraces. Assisi represents an example of a medieval city-sanctuary with Umbrian-Roman origins. The most important event in the history of medieval Assisi was undoubtedly the life and work of Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), who initiated the Franciscan Order and who was canonized in 1228.

Karen grew up in a Franciscan church, attended Franciscan schools, and identifies her spiritual life as Franciscan based. For Karen, Assisi is like coming home and introducing David to the stories and places that has it roots there. The stories and names of sisters and brothers in the Francis stories are as familiar as her own siblings. It is sooooo beautiful in Assisi. The Roman Assisi was a busy trading center but the city was passed over during other eras. Lucky for us, the original footprint of Assisi is still in place today. I am not sure the part of the trip I admired more: the beauty of the surrounding farm country, the medieval town, the homage to St Francis, or revisiting the Franciscan story in my head. It was a wonderful day, perhaps my favorite day in all of Italy; no surprise there.

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We roam thru the Piazzas; listened to street music; braved the public transit system, and surrendered to the mass of tourists. After touring the major sites described in earlier posts, we visited the Jewish Ghetto, with its still operating synagogue; the narrow cobblestone alleys of Travestere; the Pantheon (which is the best preserved building in Rome, still an active church, and has amazing light with the portico in the roof), and other lesser known sites. Our 5 days in Rome was just enough to hit most sites but only a fraction of the 900 churches, and more than a fraction of the gelato stands. We have our priorities in the right place. Rome is a city with so much history and life you could wander there for endless days.

We rented a car at the Port of Rome (one hour train ride from Rome) to wander through Tuscany and Umbria on the wine tasting, medieval village portion of the trip. The return of the rental car set us up for the next cruise, but that is too many stories away.

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Vatican City is its own country within the city limits of Rome with 900 official residents. The Vatican Museums contain masterpieces of painting, sculpture and other works of art collected by the popes through the centuries. It is the world’s largest private art collection. We took a guided tour through the Museum, the Pope’s quarters, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica. For nearly five hours we were instructed, cajoled, described and escorted through ageless art pieces. We probably saw the finest pieces, but perhaps less than a tenth of all the art museum houses. It was still overwhelming. The Sistine Chapel, and our guides excellent background on Michelangelo’s famous The Creation of Adam ceiling fresco, and The Last Judgement (on the chapel’s back wall) alone was worth the price of admission. If I knew the meanings of the different sections before now, it never struck me as strongly as this time.

Finally, St. Peters Basilica, with the recent declaration of Pope John 23 as a saint, his body has been moved near the main alter, and we were able to get up close and personal. It’s nice to know he is looking so good. We took the opportunity to climb into the dome, and look down at the whole scene. Priceless. Magnificent.

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This pile of current day rubble, is arguably the most important piece of real estate in Western civilization. Anything that happened in Ancient Rome, it probably happened here. Floor plans of great civic buildings – basilicas – were created. The same floor plan of churches, who also took the name basilica. Basic laws of republic and justice that still carry to today had its birthplace. Triumphant arches celebrating conquests of far away lands. Constantine arch, celebrated the conquered Jewish people because they would not deny the God of their people. That conquered status would be in place for 2,000 years until the modern state of Israel was created in 1967. Amazing history in one very small spot, it was like the Petrie dish of western civilization. Again the columns and art has been carried off to decorate new places, but the chariot ruts are still in place, and Julius Caesar was Here!

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We left Positano by a ferry boat, 70 minutes of the ultimate coastline viewing and a complete navigation of the Amalfi coast. The ferry ultimately landed in Salerno, on the mainland, and a straight shot by train into Rome. Rome’s main termini is like New York’s Grand Central Station, layers of trains, Metro’s, passenger connections and lots and lots of stairs. We immediately got on the wrong metro line and our only option was to climb out to street level and cross the street and descend again. Two people, two heavy duffel bags, and ultimately two young people who helped carry them up. We said thanks and bye, and crossed the street, looking at the two stogie of downward stairs thinking if we are wrong it is a long back up agin . . . . . Our angels appeared out of nowhere, assured us we were on the right track, and yes, helped carry out stuff down again. I had a good feeling about Rome, it is a happy city.

Our hotel, the Suite Dreams, turned out to be a 10 minute walk from the Colosseum, and that is where we headed. The Colosseum represents Rome at its greatest. Originally a 4 story structure, the building is more functional than beautiful. Originally, copies of Greek statues stood in the arches and it was sheathed in marble. Only a third of the colosseum remains. Earthquakes destroyed some of it, but most was carted off as easy pre-cut stones for other buildings. You can still see the pot marks where the marble was attached to the walls. One guide told us the walls of the colosseum are currently the floor of the Vatican.

There are stories of gladiators, exotic animals brought back from conquered civilizations (can you imagine a tiger or a giraffe or a camel in Rome?) Much less springing from a trap door wildly chasing a prisoner — an interesting form of entertainment, and a sure fire hit for a Saturday night on the town.

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David’s 3 hour cooking class started at 3pm at the restaurant “Il Ritrovo” in Montepertuso a beautiful small village located on a clifftop rising one thousand feet above sea-level, that boasts breathtaking views of Mediterranean and majestically overlooking the Amalfi Coast. David took the short 10 minute walk from our B&B and told Karen that he will call her when dinner was nearly complete so that we can both enjoy this freshly prepared meal. The instructor was the head chef Salvatore Barba’s, Aunt Mary Lou.

Everything was fresh as Mary Lou went to the market earlier in the day for such things as Zucchini Flowers. The eggs came directly from their own chickens. The menu was:

Five cheese Ravioli, made from fresh homemade egg pasta dough. One secret instead of using yeast, use a bottle of beer, no waiting. Preparing the pasta gave David’s hands and forearms a good work out. Pasta dough was used for making the Raviolli and Pappardelle (large, very broad, flat pasta noodle). We made 27 Ravioli’s, and was told by Mary Lou that we made extra so to serve to other customers that evening. Wow not only preparing it for us but to paid customers, no I did not get a kick back.

Ritrovo Tempura – batter for Zucchini Flowers, can be used for veggies as well. Can’t wait to try it on mushrooms (funghi).

Zucchini Flowers stuffed with five cheese mixture then dipped in the tempura and fried.

Tomato sauce was prepared earlier in the day but was given the recipe for it, no more store bought tomato sauce.

Cherry tomato sauce used for the Pappardelle.

Main course was Meat with lemon sauce or Beef Scallopini with Lemon sauce, same recipe for veal, fish or chicken Scallopini.

For desert Brutto ma Buono, a flour-less rolled cookie made from ground nuts, egg whites and sugar and of course some other special secret ingredients. Can’t wait to try this at home. Chef Salvador tasted one and gave me the fingers on the lips approval and said that they will be served to their customers to enjoy as well.

The dinner was a great success and Karen said that I was her best Italian dinner ever!

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We have toured the western coast of Italy including Almalfi Coast; Rome; Naples; Florence; Tuscany (wine country); Siena. We had booked this cruise as a mid trip vacation and transportation, food and lodging to get from Rome to Venice. And of course adding two more countries: Montenegro and Croatia.

Stay tuned for some great additional posts of the sites listed above including David goes to Italian cooking school, a 3 hour solo class preparing a lovely dinner for Karen, Karen says it was her best Italian dinner and certainly in her top 5 ever. Friends – David has all the recipes, if you provide the kitchen.

Update – the cruise also gives a break back to the western world. For lunch chicken wings, lemonade, and brownie sundae.

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The writer John Steinbeck was so impressed with Positano, Italy that in an essay published in Harper’s Bizarre in May, 1953, he described it as “a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone”. It was after this publicity that the formerly quiet village began attracting an ever-increasing number of visitors. Karen visited there 15 years ago and enjoyed it so much that David had to look at the framed watercolor of Positano and hear of its glories for 13 years before seeing it first hand this spring.

As it happened, we arrived at Montepertuso from Sorrento on Easter Monday, via private driver, along what some call the Mama Mia road along the Almalfi coast. Named Mama Mia for being very narrow and winding with sharp drop offs to the ocean, you never know what’s around the next bend and when surprised by scare you say…….

Easter, for Italians, has the same importance of Thanksgiving for Americans. In Italy, where La Pasquetta (little Easter) is the beloved encore to the extraordinary culinary performance that was Pasqua. La Pasquetta is a springtime tradition turned national Italian holiday that takes place the Monday following Easter Sunday. In an attempt to prolong the joyful spirit of the season and celebrate one more day off from work, La Pasquetta signals a time to enthusiastically rejoice in the sunshine and fresh breezes of spring.

Le Ghiande B&B was “grandma’s house” and is currently a B&B run by an extended family: Salvador, Dimitri and Marco. It was a cold rainy day, and we didn’t want to venture into town so our hosts invited us “for pizza” at 1 o’clock — the family’s Easter Monday dinner. Well pizza was one of the six courses and 25 aunts, cousins, neighbors and friends all of whom spoke Italian very loudly. It was mayhem, and delicious and an experience we will not soon forget. Just like Steinbeck said, Positano will softly call me back again.

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First stop in Italy… We got off the ship, and headed to the Amalfi Coast town of Sorrento. From the Port of Rome, it’s a 1 hour train to city of Rome; then inter-city train from Rome to Naples; and finally a local train from Naples to Sorrento, in all a 4 hour commute. We did well rolling our duffle bags and a little (but heavy) backpack. Our B&B, Gocce di Limone was a short walk from the train station and they had an elevator! We had our own little apartment, what a set-up for our first 6 nights.

Sorrento is a lovely, easy going and picturesque location to commute to the Naples Archaeological Museum, Pompeii, and Herculaneum. All within a 1 hour train ride. The Isle of Capri ferries are a short boat ride as well from this idyllic corner of Italy.

In the year 79 AD, Italy’s Mt. Vesuvius erupted with superheated ash that rained fiery death on several Roman cities nearby. Pompeii and Herculaneum offer the best look at what Roman life was like nearly 2000 years ago. Mt. Vesuvius can be seen in the background of some photos.

That ash killed over 1,000 people instantly and buried the town, which was eventually forgotten. But 1,800 years later, explorers and archaeologists discovered Pompeii again. The disaster that had wiped out this bustling town also preserved it like an insect in amber. Beneath layers of muddy ash was a snapshot of everyday life in a Roman town, complete with bank receipts, graffiti, “for rent” signs, public mosaics depicting extremely graphic decorations on street corners.

The most famous aspect of Pompeii’s ruins is no doubt the hundreds of plaster casts that archeologists have made of the volcano’s victims. When the ash poured down over the city, people were killed instantly, in the exact poses they struck when they noticed their impending doom. As their bodies decomposed, they left perfectly-formed hollows in the ash. Historians inject these hollows with plaster, recreating the positions of the bodies, and sometimes their terrified facial expressions.

Although death and destruction was a tragedy, the wealth of information of how citizens lived their daily lives up till that fateful day is unique and indescribably valuable. When it was excavated you could see the paint on the walls, the furniture was saved, the sculpture was in place — it was just a snapshot in time. Food was in the storage jars, dishes were in the cabinets just 2000 years later.

Of course the experts came in and removed the good stuff and put it in the a Naples Archaeological Museum. It was a fascinating museum to wander through before visiting the ancient ruins..

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Capri’s rise to fame is from the jet setting movie stars, royalty and ultra rich business families that have houses here. This “paradise of idleness” is surrounded by the bluest of seas; the dramatically beautiful, flower-covered Island of Capri has been enchanting visitors for centuries.
Its breathtaking landscapes and beauty stretch from the rocky caves around the island to the edge of the horizon, and has been an inspiration to poets, lovers and travelers throughout the centuries.

On the ferry boat from Sorrento, a man systematically introduced himself to each group and offered a personal tour. We joined him for a day of delight, without whom we never would have seen the details behind beautiful island and understood its place in history.

Of course there are also gardens to ahhh over and funky houses where the inhabitants were able to include priceless art into their domestic design (before antiquity laws were in effect). A group of cloistered nuns, found patrons among the visiting royalty to create an amazing chapel. One prince commissioned an artist to create “the world” on the floor of their chapel. . . . For the nuns to look down upon from their rooms. In 1761 they installed a marvelous hand painted ceramic tile floor. It shows the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The dramatic scene takes place in a lush setting surrounded by trees, plants and all types of animals among which there’s also a unicorn. However, the artist had not seen all these animals, only heard of them, and he painted the crocodile with ears, a delight to us now.

Sunshine, beauty, exotic locals, and of course ice cream, a fine day we had on Capri.

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One of the most significant events of Easter in Sorrento are the processions. These performances take place between Thursday and Good Friday, and are certainly among the most In Sorrento, a series of events during Holy Week, that despite the strong religious character, are real symbols of tradition and folklore can charm even non-believers. The procession on Holy Thursday, is the Lady who seeks His Son. It began around 3am and continues around the town to return to church at dawn. The origins of this procession date back to medieval times, and in particular to the custom of the members of the brotherhoods in groups to visit the various churches of the city at the Tomb Holy Thursday. Over time, these processions have been enriched with symbols: the torches, the recitation of psalms during the procession of the cross. In 1700 the procession rituals was “institutionalized” and has assumed the characteristics it is today. The procession of Holy Thursday is also known by the noun of “White” because of the color of the Sai and the caps worn by the men who take part in this event.

The Good Friday procession, at 9 pm that night, represents the funeral procession for the death of Jesus. The procession is opened by a band that performs some of the most famous funeral marches, including Chopin. During the passage of the parade is the street lights and shop signs are turned off and the city is lit only by torches carried by the brethren. The atmosphere is made even more evocative of the Miserere sung by the choir of 200 men singing the Psalm 50 in Gregorian style. The precession of Good Friday, from which women are excluded, it is also known as “Black Procession”, as the color of the caps and you know that wearing the brothers is typical of mourning.

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The ship docked at four different ports: Funchal, Portugal; Cadiz, Malaga and Cartagena, Spain. All these were ancient Roman cities (Cadiz was 3,000 BC) they were a warren of narrow winding alleys connecting large plazas, people, housing, and history still available for us to experience today. Additionally, they are all fishing villages, and we were lucky enough to be at one on a Friday during lent. The central market was buzzing with people who come to pick up the evening ingredients from the fresh markets. That large head was the biggest tuna I had ever seen. We are we’re in Cartagena on Palm Sunday. This city like many with a medieval history, have religious processions. This group of roman soldiers, escorted churchgoers armed with palms and olive branches from the neighborhoods to the front doors of the church just in time for services. It was a very cool spectacle. It certainly set us up for getting to know the Roman Empire.

With only a few hours in each port, there is barely time to wander for a few hours, drink a cappuccino or eat a gelato then get back to the ship. But you can see the buildings are white stucco, tile roofed and work their way up the sides of the terrain; and the “old city” has marvelous medieval fortifications. There are always great stories of conquering armies and a mix of architecture with names from our history books: the Moors, the Romans, the Phoenicians — visiting these ports made history real.

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Transatlantic cruises are one of the most sought after travel experiences. It is a “voyage” and not a cruise, since so many sea days are part of the itinerary. Think of it as mobile elegance between two continents – connecting the old world with the new, with a fitting air of grace, space and formality across the Atlantic Ocean.

There are plenty of distractions during a transatlantic cruise. Lectures twice a day, afternoon teas, trivia contests, and stage shows every night, and even a movie theatre – and let’s not forget the abundance of food! With nothing to do all day, long chatty breakfasts are the norm, meeting people from everywhere and all of them fascinating people.

Our dinner mates, Tony and Sandy from Florida were on their way to see family in Sicily, and Gisela and Klaus from Germany were on their way home after a south Florida and Caribbean cruise vacation. Fifteen dinner dates let you get to know someone! Lucky for us we all enjoyed the same things . . .

Not seeing land for eight days is short if you harken yourself back to those immigrants who made the same journey, with a much slower vessel, not sure what they would find on the other end, and certain they would not see family for a long time. It really makes you think.

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Over the last four years our RV life has focused on the western part of North America. The southwest, located between LAX and Denver, held many different ways to traverse the landscape with interesting places to visit no matter which way you turned. But, it is time to move to other parts of the country, and other airport/RV storage opportunities to consider, so this season journey to the Southwest was our last.   Were there any roads not travelled? Any icons yet on the bucket list?   We spent 6 weeks travelling in the NEW 5^th wheel, between Grand Lake and Tucson, and another 6 weeks in Tucson at a 55+ RV park living the snowbird life.

Moving in a not-so-straight line we saw the Chaco Canyon and Canyon DeChelly. The ancient homes of the Navajo people reminded us as the Machu Picchu of the United States. A sacred space, yet you can see the human ingenuity and strength tested with the weather, the arid landscape and the customs of the day.   If only the walls could talk.

We wandered through Monument Valley and saw the Colorado Plateau the way you imagine it in pictures. John Wayne and John Ford got it right, we were in awe of the vast sandstone buttes rising above the valley floor. We were thankful for our 4wd truck — back roads, river gullies and memorable sunsets were available to us.

We found our way back to Lake Powell; the kayaks took us as far up Antelope Canyon as it would go. Some places were so narrow you could touch both canyon walls at the same time.   It was heaven to leave the powerboats behind and go to a place where you had to earn the view. It was magical.

A highlight was hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park.  This is a hike we have been wanting to do and is only accessible when the water is at an acceptable level, such as in the Fall.

We spent a week in Las Vegas; at donation centers and seeing awesome shows.  Here we met up with David’s niece who happen to be visiting Las Vegas the same time.

Off to Lake Havasu – more kayaking on the large reservoir and some water trails in the region. Wearing shorts in November was perfect, the Lake Havasu region is the perfect combination of warm weather, wonderful scenery and a community large enough to have all the services you require.   Where else can you kayak from Arizona to California?

Finally, we settled in Tucson for 6 weeks, our first venture into 55+ RV living. It is like summer camp for adults.   A schedule of events that begins at 7 am and goes throughout the day.   You can find any type of music lesson, craft lesson, craft group, sports competition, card games, and exercise class.   But the best group of all was the back yard group. Several RVers who “back into a common space” use that common space for a nightly happy hour. A place to share how everyone’s day went. Repeat snow birders from all over North America, these folks have known each other for years. They were the most welcoming group I have ever met, and confirm what I always knew about the RV community. I suspect we will keep in touch with them and see some again over the next year.

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The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, held the first week in October, and a mere 10 hours from Grand Lake, makes a perfect stop. This year there were 548 balloon teams, including 106 special shape balloons, representing 22 countries.

We love the fiesta, the color and the energy brings out your inner child. Day after day we rose before dawn (and we were lucky to get a RV site within the balloon fiesta compound) so a short walk away was coffee and 100,000 people all in a good mood to watch the mass ascension of several hundred hot air balloons. The special shape mass ascension was amazing. Albuquerque was large enough to provide shopping and vendors for us to really settle into the new RV. We loved the Fiesta so much we extended our original reservation of 3 nights to 5 nights.

Watch this Timelapse Short Film of this amazing event at https://vimeo.com/110211449

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