Flying Home

I'm booked on the Patriot Express flight today via Ramstein to Baltimore.  As you remember, my car is it McGuire.  The last part of this adventure is going to be making my way up there. I'll see how I feel when I get back stateside if I'm going to New Jersey or back to Arlington.

The Last Days

Had a nice visit back with Claudio and Paola in Vicenza Monday evening. We shared some good red wines, olives, and cheeses over conversations of culture and life. Paola cooked an excellent vegetarian dinner including a cauliflower souffle that was yummy.

Tuesday, while Paola was at work, Claudio drove us to Padova, a university city about 45 minutes east. It is famous for having the largest public square in Italy. The old inner city and pedeatrian shopping area was constructed with arcades, typical of cities in the Venetian empire.  It was a cloudy day, so the pictures aren't so great.

We went back to Vicenza to pick up Paola and drove to Bassolo de Grappa, about 45 minutes north east into in the foothills. Unfortunately we arrived after sunset, which is getting early here, so I didn't get the best sense of the city. The town is famous for its grappa and medieval wood bridge.  From there I took the train back to Aviano and to the base.  Tomorrow I start the process of trying to get back home.

Good News and Almost Good News

I got up early Monday morning at 6:00, checked out of the lodging, and caught the base shuttle bus for the several mile ride to a sattelite base where the medical facilities are located. The good news was that I was accepted to be seen and was in a dental chair within an hour.  The amost good news was that only a temporary repair could be made and I will need a new crown.  

By early afternoon I found myself on a train back to Vicenza. Claudio and Paola wanted me to come visit one more time.  Never wanting to arrive empty handed, I stopped at the commissary beforehand to pick up some American products like real maple syrup and peanut butter. Discussing the tooth situation, they suggested that I go to Croatia to get the work done, where they have had some dental work done that they are pleased with, and is very inexpensive relative to Italy and probably the US.  I might have considered it if I was staying here for a lot longer but this trip is winding down and I hope to fly back to the states Wednesday.

The weather has been great. It has been sunny everyday since my arrival in Italy with daytime high temperatures in the mid sixties. It does cool down quickly once the sun goes down and you need a sweater and jacket.  Today, my  hopefully last full day in Italy, it is supposed to rain.  We are taking a little road trip to see the town Padua, then stopping a the Diesel Jeans factory outlet enroute to Paola's sister for dinner.  I'll take the train and bus back to Aviano, check back into the lodging, get a good night's sleep, and get up at 5:30 to be ready to get to the terminal for check in for the flight.

The picture of me is in front of one of the oldest houses in Vicenza.

Slight Change Of Course

After the great day in Venice, I thought about a Sun/Mon overnight trip to Trieste or Lubijana.  That changed when I awoke to find a tooth crown had come loose and was barely hanging on. The dental clinic on base was closed until Monday. Just in case I could not get seen there, I was also on the phone with my insurance to get a network referral.  Wanting to get this taken care of first thing Monday morning made me recalibrate.  I set out to see some local nearby towns on the bus routes.

The most interesting was Maniago, a town famous for it's cutlery, but also nice being situated at the base of the mountain range. I wandered around, lingered over a porcini mushroom  lunch, and enjoyed people watching. The Small towns are all similar; the people know each other and enjoy a coffee or a wine or a cigarette together. There's lots of smoking here though expensive. On the other hand, wine is very cheap. I've enjoyed many a glass of decent house red wine for about $2.  Many towns have such narrow old streets that are one way, or no way, for cars.  Mail is delivered thru a fleet of motorcycles. At a cafe or restaurant one should not ne completely surprised by a hole in the floor, if you know what I mean!

Venice 33 Years Later

Saturday was the perfect day to return to Venice after 33 years. The weather was sunny and warm. I planned a day trip to wander around, rediscover, have dinner and get the last train-bus back.  Well, expect the unexpected sometimes.  On the train I happened to sit with expats John (American ) and Ian (Brit), colleagues who were also going to Venice for the day.  They invited me to join them, and I readily accepted. Turned out to be a great decision.  Both these guys had been several times and knew their way around. I learned that Ian is from Walls End, named by the wall that once marked the furthest reach if the Roman Empire in England.   Who knew there was such a place!  The conversations made the trip go by and soon we were crossing the rail causeway from the mainland to the island of Venice, which offered beautiful views of the lagoons and the islands.  The sculling teams were out in abundance, as were the fisherman. 

The first thing after arriving at the Santa Lucia station was to catch a water taxi to the island of Murano, home of the famous glass.  Before sightseeing there was the business part of the trip...John was really there to buy a chandelier for his wife.  I found the artistry of the glass in the many many many shops amazing, but didn't buy any.  We sat in the sun for a pasta lunch, with wine of course, before taking another water taxi direct to the famous San Marco Square.  This was the same approach to Venice I made from Lido in 1981 and I could recall the feeling. We then spent the rest of the day and into the evening wandering around Venice and passing by the famous sights I vaguely remember before a great dinner and the trip back.  Having those guys leading the way was really helpful.  Venice ia truly amazing and I was just as impressed now as I remember being impressed then.   I got back to Aviano around midnight and crashed!

Friday in Pordenone

My new friends Vicenza suggested that I do not rent a car and drive around the Adriatic. They said that that area is only interesting in the summer if you want to go to the beaches. Otherwise the towns are not very interesting.  So on Friday I visited two of the local towns near Aviano. The most interesting was Pordenone with its small palace and Basilica and lots of winding cobblestone alleyways with shops,cafes, and restaurants. The three pictures are from Pordenone. Had great eggplant parmesan at a restaurant there. Friday was a pretty low key day which was okay because I knew I wanted to spend the day in Venice on Saturday.