ITALY!!!

April 15th-26th

ITALY

First...

NAPLES 

POMPEII

SORRENTO

Fabulous food - ravioli, everywhere bread

Positano and the Amalfi Coast.  We got here by mistake.  Took a wrong turn on our way to Pompeii and Vesuvius.  Best wrong turn we ever took.  Cliff-side driving on narrow roads, with unbelievable views.  Driving our little Fiat car, with wide wheel base, we felt like race car drivers, going in slow motion through hair-pin turns.  Motorcycles buzzed around us like mosquitos, so that is what we called them.  Driving past parked cars only to pass oncoming cars, trucks, and even full size tourist buses bordered between nearly impossible and just plain scary.  Go to YOUtube Positano or Amalfi Coast to get some video adventure.

Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius.  Fascinating.  People caught in the act of living when the volcano blew.  Body impression casts from cavities in the lava show how the people died.  Aside:  BYU has recently used a new light-wave technique to read formerly unreadable document ashes from jars in Pompeii.  Amazing what they have found.

Fancy dessert following an expensive dinner.  Where's the chocolate cake?  The Gelatto? 

 

Our Sorrento Hotel view - across the bay from Vesuvius and Naples.  Vesuvius is just to the left, out of the picture.  But we literally could see this view from bed as we awoke the 1st morning near Naples.  This hotel and view was so spectacular we stayed 5 nights here.  (Besides, Carolyn had caught my cold and was in need of a rest).

ROME

Roma (Italian spelling) - Trevi Fountain.  Rome seems to have a fountain and a statue with naked people at every intersection.

Rome:   Il Vittoriano Monument.  A conquering hero obscures this view.  This monument wiped out a whole section of Rome's archealogical history 140 years ago when it was built.  But is sure is impressive.

The Vatican - St. Peters Square.  It was Easter time, so we couldn't get in for an audience with its noted occupant.  He has a nice museum and a church with a painted ceiling that was pretty impressive though.

Colosseum - Rome.  Truly iconic and unbelieveable.  Standing since 70 AD.

Interior - Colosseum.  The lions, tigers and bears were not having lunch with the gladiators. So, for entertainment we played our own games in the stands - sudokus.  

Traditional Lasagna, NOT "like-ah yor Granma usted to make-ah".

Small cars.  Our Fiat was gigantic in comparison.  We had 12 inches more width and 15 inches more length.  

Spanish Steps - Rome.  

Our hotel room was nearby in the historic sector.  Walking distance to every site in Rome.  Small room, shared bath.  

Every world-class store was on the nearby street...Giucci, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Swarovski, Prada.  Lucky we have no space for souvenirs.

We attended Church in Rome on Easter Sunday.  After sacrament meeting, a mission office couple, Elder and Sister B from Seattle, invited us to dinner.  To our surprise, two other guests also came to dinner -- The new Project Director for building the Rome Temple, and his wife.  Fascinating afternoon.  Hanno and Julie L., of Austria, talked about their experience building both German temples, The Hague temple, Preston, Kiev, Sweden and several more.  His discussion was faith-promoting, funny, dramatic, and insightful.  What a treat.

Never try to get out of Rome, Italy on Easter Sunday.  Every car, bus, train and bicycle is booked solid.  So are hotels...and we had already checked out of ours.  Fortunately something opened up across town for one night only.   

Even on Monday we could not get out of the country, so we settled for a bullet train to Florence.  Stroke of genius! 

FLORENCE

Renaissance City of the 15th century.  Birthplace of Michelangelo.

While planning our next move we took time to wash up so we could look our best for DAVID! 

He may be 17' tall and a bit stone-faced, but he is camera shy.  No photos allowed.  (Who needs photos of David when I have Lane in the flesh!!!)

The Ponte Vecchio Bridge, built in 1345 was the only town bridge to escape destruction during WWII.

Everywhere, we could behold carved masterpieces.  Italian gelato.  Tastes as good as it looks. 

Carolyn poses all statuesque-like (or gargoyle-like) in front of the Duomo, or cathedral set in the heart of Florence.  

In total we spent 12 days in Italy.  Leaving Florence, it took 3 more trains to get us to Austria.  (Italian rental cars are not permitted to cross borders, so we surrendered our car in Rome.)

What a breathtaking experience!  So much to see.  We missed Pisa and Venice and ...and...and...what to do?  

Love to you all,

Lane and Carolyn

The ROCK, Spanish Coast, Lisboa

April 10-15

GIBRALTAR

 Spain

Portugal

The saga continues.  But mundane tasks still control our lives.  Example:  When we left Morocco we really needed to wash our clothes.  Hotel laundry services are so expensive we could just as well buy new things.  So, we turned our tub in Gibraltar into a washing machine and used grape-stomping techniques for the "agitation".  Fun to do.  Fun to watch.  Especially the "Spin Cycle".

We also had snags.  Getting off the ferry after crossing the Straits of Gibralter, we were nearly out of cash, since our Debit Card would not work in ATM's in Morocco due to rampant fraud, and our card had been eaten by a machine in Casablanca.  Card was recovered in Marrakech a week later after much effort on our tour guide's part.  We made it to Gibralter with about $3.00 to spare which we gave as a tip to the ferry helpers.  Then, no car rentals on Sunday in a British territory.  No matter.  We just took a walk up Gibraltar and then taxied to a nearby city in Spain on Monday where we found "Europcar", which gave us a car that became a real friend.

The Rock of Gibraltar from our hotel balcony.

 Got attacked by a monkey on our walk.

Lookout view of our hotel (and the airport runway) from the Rock.

A piece of the Southern coast of Spain

Cadiz, Spain - oldest European city.  Fun to walk its narrow streets.

We drive across the border into Portugal.

Algarve coast, Portugal.  

Beautiful.  

Expensive.  

But a popular coastal retreat.  

At our fine restaurant, we were seated at a linen covered table set with bread, butter, cheese, liver pate' and an appetizer.  We ordered, we dined.   We were shocked when we got separate charges for the bread, butter, cheese, pate' and appetizer.  We almost told the waiter he forgot to charge us for rental on the forks, and for use of the napkins.  

The road then led to the southwest corner of Portugal, where a rocky cliff marks the place where the ocean goes west and south--the corner of Portugal, pictured below.

Driving into Lisbon was an experience.  Our room in the old city was almost not accessible.  And addresses are mostly "theoretical".  Night time made it more difficult.  After getting to the general area of our "hotel" on winding, steep, narrow cobblestone streets, we talked with 6 people to try to find the place:  a motor cyclist, a taxi driver, a maitre d, a waiter, a bar keeper, a policeman.  Then the checkin was 38 steps up a tower on a spiral staircase and past a security door.  The room was then down 15 steps, down a hall, and up several more steps.  But the place was inexpensive and had a spectacular view.

View of Lisbon from the Castle

Lisbon Castle steps (our hotel is connected near the base of this staircase).  This castle was fun to explore.  It is a formidable structure.

 Palace Square - Lisbon (Our Hotel and the Castle are on the tree covered hill to the right)

Terrace with a view - Lisbon.  Enjoyed the city an extra day while we waited for our mission call to be FedEx's to us.  Finally, we discovered the paperwork had been "returned to sender".  So we checked out and drove back to Spain via Seville....3 minutes before the FedEx truck arrived with our package.  In Seville, we caught an early flight the next morning to Naples, Italy, since Palermo, Sicily tickets were too expensive.

We love you and miss you.  Lane & Carolyn

Moroccan Kasbas & Deserts

Several travel tidbits

Internet in Casablanca provided one session of General Conference.  Amazing!!

our diverse group - 

6 Americans, 2 Argentinians, 1 Canadian, 1 New Zealander, 1 Belgium, 1 German

Horsing around at King Mohammed V mausoleum in Rabat

Fellow travelers (Argentine flight attendants) 

Lane has an admirer who nicknamed him "white heart" (pure in heart)

Sahara desert rats

 (riding the 2 center camels)

Excursion into the Sahara

The medina in Fez is famous in Morocco...a huge "mall" of over 9000 tight alleys.  Cars are forbidden, donkeys and carts transport supplies in and out.  Whatever you need, you will find it in the souks.  We had to be guided in...and out!

 Medina Souks meat market--auuuggghhhh!!

Huge vats of die in the tannery, specializing in leather goods.  

Men die hides while standing in the vats

 Unloading our duffle bags at this unique hotel, deep inside a canyon  

Lights out/generator off at midnight

   At 1:00 a.m. we receive a cell phone call from Sam

He reads our mission assignment:

Philippines San Pablo Mission!!!

(We report July 11, 2011-June 11, 2013)


How wonderful!!!  


Our homeless days are numbered...
Now we can set the end date on our European trip.

 Carolyn grinds argan kernels into oil

The two of us wandered in Marrakech for hours.  

While resting in a city park we enjoyed people watching

Our smiles to a mother-daughter prompted the small child to release her mothers hand.  To our pleasant surprise she approached us, giving us each a kiss on the cheek.  This also happened elsewhere.  Our guide said these children are well educated.  (Interesting, in the U.S. well educated children DO NOT approach strangers.)

 The traditional dessert throughout Morocco is an orange.  Sliced and sprinkled with cinnamon, or whole.  Other traditional dishes are tagines and couscous.  We recommend them all, but we hesitate to admit that the two of us ate at McDonalds twice!  For variety and sanity.

 Spice and grain markets included endless bag displays and dates & nuts all lined up in military-style (no photo)  Only 30 of 500+ photographs are posted here, perhaps still too many...

Lane & Carolyn sitting in front of a wall with a painting and an ad for a "Hotel"

But we will accept the edit

 Speaking of hotels...or lack thereof...

This night we board the overnight train from Marrakech to Tangier

Next stops: 

ROCK of GIBRALTAR

SPAIN  

PORTUGAL

Love, Momma & Dad

Carolyn & Lane