Back in Texas

After just over 24 hours of travel I finally arrived back in Texas at around 2AM local time (11AM Italy time). I had gotten up at 7AM to make my flight so looks like I was up for just a bit of time during my travels. It all went pretty well though. The flight from Rome to Chicago was smooth and went quickly with the aid of sleeping pills. After the ~3 hr dealy in Chicago the flight to SA was pretty easy. I got kicked out of both the Delta Crown room and the American Admirals club though since they both close early (7PM for Delta, 10PM for American). At least they were comfortable while I was there though.

Today I'm back in Texas and I had the fortune of being woken up by Gus, my dad's yellow lab, knocking on the door. He has apparently learned to use his paw to knock on the door when you are in there and he wants attention.

Anyways, thats it for my travel for Italy. All I have left is a flight to Dallas on Sunday morning and then a flight back home to Seattle. If all goes well I should be arrive mid-afternoon and have some recovery time before heading back to work on Monday.

Check out this beautiful sunset that I say from the Admiral's Club in JFK. Made the wait a bit easier to deal with.

Now waiting in Chicago

The flight this morning went pretty smothly. I had mis-understood the train schedules so although I arrived with time to board the 8AM train, it left at 7:52AM. Oops. I caught the 8:22 traing and made it to the airport about 10 till 9. Check in went fine. The plane ride went very well. I was in an aisle seat in the middle section of a 2-3-2 seat layout. And, there was no one in the middle seat. Worked pretty well for me. I took two sleeping pills as soon as I boarded and the flight just flew by (pun not intended). I was probably awake for only 2 1/2-3 hours out of the 10 hour flight.

When I got in to Chicago things seemed to get good. The gate agent told me it was not a good idea to try and get an earlier flight because they all connected through Dallas. Apparently Dallas and St Louis were having some serious weather issues today. I figured I could get through a 6 hour layover pretty easily. So off I went to the Delta Airline's Crown Room club. I picked it over American becauase they do free cocktails. I relaxed there for a while until they kicked everyone out at 6:30 for their normal closing time. Now I'm sitting back in the American Admiral's club waiting to order some food.

Last evening in Rome

Here I sit on my last night in Rome. Since the last posting I have added some more checkmarks to my list of to-do items. I took it pretty easy this afternoon and just relaxed a bit. Before dinner I wanted to follow the Rick Steve's walk from Campo Di Fiori to the Spanish steps since I was having dinner near there. I followed the walk pretty closely and again enjoyed both piazza navona and the parthenon while also taking in the newfound Trevi Fountains. It is nice to walk the streets of Rome at night and come across these things just sprinkled within the city. It seems like there is nothing much going on and then all the sudden you are in this impressive area. The Trevi fountains are nice on their own and even more impressive when you realize that they were supplied by the aqueducts, not just modern pumps. The sights in this city can easily seem tame when you consider modern day engineering and capabilities but when you realize that these things were done so long ago its then that the true wonder of it all really hits you. The intelligence they had to create the dome of the parthenon in increasingly lighter materials and thickness as they got closer to the top, the aqueduct system, creating paintings out of wall plaster and being able to know how it would dry, all of that is just amazing to me.
after taking all that in I went to dinner at Palatium. I was glad I had made reservations because people were being turned away due to them being fully booked. Of course, one blonde english speaking woman tried really hard to get a table for herself and two friends and was able to get them to accomodate. She said they would be quick. I left after a bit over an hour and they were still there. Wonder what she meant by quick.
Anyways, for me I had the caci e pepi pasta recommended by Simon. Along with that I had a whole bottle of wine. Normally I would have just gotten a 1/2 bottle but I didn't see any on the menu and none of the by-the-glass wines looked interesting. The pasta was great! very peppery though, in case anyone doesn't like spicy foods. It went very well with the wine that I got - Dithyrambus. The wine was a nice strong wine that didn't have too much of a finish. Strong take but faded nicely. It was about 18 EUr so not cheap but not too pricey either. All in all, it was a very good meal.
After dinner I took the leisurely way back to the apartment. I went by Trevi Fountains again and snapped some picture of it at night time with the lights one. There were still tons of people around the fountain. Then I continued on 'home'. I decided I wanted one more shot of gelato but only had 1 EUR after the 12 EUR reserve I had for the airport cab. So off I went to find a ATM machine. The first one didn't work but the 2nd one did. Unfortunately that machine only dispensed in EUR 50 increments. Better safe than sorry, I went ahead and got 50 to make sure I'd have plenty for cab and train to the airport. I then went for a good, large sized gelato cup with nutella/vanilla, chocolate, and chocolate mint. Nice last dessert in Italy.
In the morning I have to get up at 7, get packed, call a cab, get to the train station, take a train to the airport, and then hop on my place to Chicago. I think its a 10 hr flight and I am not looking forward to that part of it. I am still holding out hope that I'll be upgraded to business class. And, if not, at least I have an aisle seat and sleeping pills.

last day in Rome

Well, this is it, my last day in Rome. It started off with some rain this morning so I was glad I had already hit the main sites I wanted to visit.

This morning I went over to Forno to get some croissants for breakfast. They looked pretty brown and so I was afraid they would be dry and crunchy inside. Boy was I wrong. Not only that, but they also glazed them. Imagine the sugar glaze on a donut and put it on a tender, buttery, flaky croisssant. Yes, it is that good. I even upped it a notch with some nutella. I think I found my new favorite breakfast. Though I'd probably have to run a mile each morning just to work it off.

After that breakfast I waited out the rain a bit and then headed over to the pantheon. As I got there I realized I had walked right past it a couple days before and thought nothing of it. Maybe I've been in Italy too long when a giant artistic building like that is just another building. But, inside I went. The dome has an opening at the top of it and some parts of the floor were roped off due to the rain. But, the architects were smart, they build in 24 holes in to the floor as a drainage system. Those guys planned ahead. But I could only count 18 holes, so maybe they got distrated by that number and decided to go play golf instead of finishing up the final 6 to get to 24.

Thats been it for today. This is just an easy day. The rain seesm to be coming back so I'm just going to wander around and see if i can find some 'cool' souveniers for people.

I won't be posting again until I am back in the states. I have a 6 hour layover in Chicago tomorrow so I am sure I will post more then. And I can probably get some pics into the posts as well.

Ciao

more of the demonstration today

ok, so I was sitting at dinner thinking over the things that happened at the demonstration today. It was really an interesting experience when I think back over it. The little square I was in ended up being completely closed off by the police (polizia, carabineri, and guardia finanza). There was only one road in that was open and it was not until I was walking out that I realized they were only letting people out. No one was being allowed in.

There were 6 entrances to the square (plaza?), each one was blocked by two large vans\transports. There was a line of about 12 guys in front of each one and 4 on each side preventing anyone new from coming in. They really had it locked down.

On the street where I left there were another couple vans and many police cars as well as more police in riot gear. It was easily a new experience for me. just wanted to jot it down before I forgot it.

Rome, Day 2 - Done!

OK, maybe not fully done with Rome yet. I did hit the main To Do items though. Today I slept in a bit since I didn't sleep well last night. The apartment being on the street, and without much in the way of sound deadening, lets in a lot of noise from people walking by or scooters going by. Not horrible, but kinda annoying. I did get in some sleep though.

Next time, I think I'll go for a hotel. I like having the kitchen options in the apartment but unless I'm travelling with someone else I don't think its worth it. Plus, there is no internet in the apartment :)

Today I hiked from the Campo Fiori area over to the Vatican. It's a bit of a long walk but it felt good to exercise a bit. I should have taken water with me though because I was in linen slacks and a t'shirt. It got very warm on the walk over so I overpaid for some water on the street. Better than dehydrating though,huh? I managed to arrive just as they were wrapping up the Wednesday ceremony by the Pope. I saw the little popemobile on the big screen but at first didn't recognize it. Due to the ceremony and the number of people the line to get in to the basillica was very long. So I walke around over to the Vatican Museum. The line there looked long but only took me 10 minutes to get in. I spent about 2 hours in the Museum looking at the artwork and displays. Most of the time was spent in the Sistene Chapel though. I just parked on a bench and took in the ceiling and the scenes. I wish I could have taken pictures of it but they were not allowed. One person was forced to show and then delete the picture he had taken. They were pretty strict.

After the museum I went out the 'secret' exit straight to the basilica cuppola (dome). I paid the EUR7 for the walk to the top including the elevator. I had walked enough already today :) The walk was pretty tight. Some of the circular stairs reminded me of the lighthouse steps, just not as wide. There were also some passaged where you had to lean to your right due to the slant of the roof. And there were a lot of steps! I think they said it was 320 in total (540 if you don't take the lift). I spent a good bit of time at the top outside. The view was great from up there. I think due to my Rick Steve's book a number of people realized I spoke english. So I was a temporary professional photographer. I must have taken a dozen pictures. Funny one was when I was handing a camera back to a couple and the lanyard got caught on my other hand's little finger. The camera dropped and the woman gasped before realizing I had hold of the lanyard and the camera was safe. She may have her color back by now but it left her at that time. After enjoyed the view in all directions for a bit I headed back down. Another 320 steps...

I then walked around the basilica itself and just took in the size of it. Standnig inside of it gives you some serious respect for its builders. Most of the churches I've been in could fit in about 1 quarter of this. I walked in here into each of the 4 areas, took more picture for people, and then concluded my visit. I had spent at least 5 hours in the vatican so figured it was time for lunch.

I popped up the GPS and searched for my standard foregin visit location - Hard Rock Cafe. It was a 2.5mi walk but I made it over. While eating I found out that President Bush was in town and they were closing down the street for his cars to come by. After lunch I walked down to a square and sat for a while to rest up and watch the large numbers of cops. It took about 2 hours for anythign to show up and in the end it was just a large protest march. The president may have been coming behind it but I doubt they would have put them on the same route. So I packed up and headed out. Now I'm here posting before I head back to the apartment. I need a shower and some rest. Tonight is going to be a casual dinner near the apartment but tomorrow with be a fancy place Simon says I must visit. I now have 7 minutes to look it up before my net time expires. New updates tomorrow.

back to Rome..

I arrived back in Rome today. Busy day too. Got up early and headed out of San Gimignano back to Florence. The drive went well with not too much going on. Nice and sunny too. Got a bit sketchy back near Florence as the GPS tried to get me going the wrong way down a 1 way street. I noticed the signs just as an old italian guy was waving his hand and smiling to let me know. I quickly turned around and got back on track ignoring the GPS. Dropped off the car and made my way over to the train satation. Pretty uneventful trip there other than running into a family from Houston that was spending a couple weeks in Italy. Their kids were playing with the blinds on the windows and the parents apologized to me. No big deal though because I had done the same thing when I left Rome for Florence.

Once I got in I was tempted to take the bus to my apartment but decided to cab it instead. Cost 10 EUR for the trip and was very comfortable. The apartment is pretty nice but the web listing was a bit misleading. Very little light in the place and it doesnt appear to be the best on neighborhoods. Oh well, at least there are multiple big locks on the door. Looks to be a converted storage or warehouse type thing.

Once I got settled I was back out the door. First up was to find my way to the Colosseum. The GPS was again helpful here. I stopped off along the way at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Very beautiful building and sculptures. I was surprised by how many people were scolded by the guards though for sitting down on the steps. (it was clearly posted at the small entrance that this was forbidden). I walked up the stairs there to take in the view of the city and just appreciate it. I have pics that I will post up once I am back in the states. The net cafe here will not allow me to bring in my laptop so that will have to wait.

Then I resumed my original goal of the Colosseum. I found it easily and waited in line for maybe 5 minutes. It was not much of a line at all. Great sunny day today made it perfect weather for walking around both levels. I was hoping to get good pics of the area beneather the old floor by my camera just didn't zoom enough. I did walk around both the 1st and 2nd levels though and had someone get a neat picture of me standing on the 2nd level. It really is hard to capture it in pictures though, you really have to see it in person. After probably an hour or so walking around I headed out to the forum area.

Across the street from the Colosseum is the forum area. I was glad I had the Rick Steve's book because he has a well written walking tour of the area. I followed the guide closely and took in all the sights. It is really hard to describe it. Some things look kinda plain but others just have that detail and artistry to them. You can really see the work that went in to these things. I probably spent over an hour walking around here and then going back to look at things again.

Once I was done there I headed back toward the apartment. I stopped off in Piazza Campo Fiori to enjoy happy hour drinks and rest up a bit. Then I got some directions from the woman for the nearest market. She gave me 4 options and, having been a long day already, I went for the closest. Just stocked up with yogurt, orange juice, tomatoes, bread, mozzarella, and a nice large bottle of water.

Thats it so far today. Still trying to figure out where to go for dinner.

Monday = Driving day

I did a lot of driving today. I started off the day with a great breakfast at the agriturismo. I was the only one there and enjoyed a nice sunny morning out on a terrace looking out across the valley. Very sunny and beautiful. what a way to start the day.

After that I headed out for some driving. I started off with a town that Cristiano recommended - Certaldo.Took about 20 minutes to drive over. Then I had to find Certaldo Alto (the top, old part of town). As I followed the GPS I was sure it was wrong and i was going to be really lost. But then I rose out fo town and saw the walled older city of Certaldo. It was a neat drive to it as you just drive along the top of some 'mountains' and curve back and forth until you reach the villiage. I then just wandered around town and took in more of the architecture, people and sights. I had a quick pastry snack but mostly just spent 2 hours walking around. Then it was back on the road back to San Gimignano. I grabbed a guide book and then headed off to Volterra.

Volterra was pretty cool. Seems to have bigger city walls than some of the other cities. It is also more real of a town, less touristy. I walked the inside perimeter of the walls and then headed toward the center to get food. I found a nice little place with covered dining in the shade. I enjoyed a simple meal of caprese salad and bruchetta. Oh, and a 375ml bottle of the house wine. Pretty good wine for only 4EUR. After that I had to go try the gelato at Chic & shock, per Simons suggestion. While I did like it, i think I liked Grom gelato better. Hope i don't offend Justine with that one.

After lunch I took the roundabout way back to San Gimignano. I kinda got lost (on purpose) and just drove where it looked interesting. Then I turned on the GPS and headed back. That little Fiat Punto is a fun car to drive. Handling sucks, as does the power, but its very tossable and fun to rev up. And the tires squeal plenty loud to let you know when you push too hard.

Now I'm at Massimo's internet cafe, also recommended by Simon, and after I post them I'm just giong to have to try some more wines. the rain has just started again so not too much sighseeing to do. There is one restaurant here that I want to go see if I can get dinner reservations at but other than that tonight is pretty laid back. In the morning I drive back to Florence, get a train to rome, and then get to have fun finding the Apartment where I'll be staying. I'll report more when I get setup in Rome.

Sunday - Day of rest???

I wrote up Sundays post last night but still have it on my laptop back at the agriturismo. I will post it when I get to rome and take my laptop to a net cafe.



Highlights

Italy roads are fun to drive on when its dry

Italy roads are not fun to drive on when its pouring down with texas type thunderstorms

Montepulciano is a bit of a drive from San Gimignano but its worth it. very cool town.

Of all the people, ran in to my seatmate from the flight and some friends when I was in Montepulciano

GPS battery was dying so I hobbled my way along with only turning it on when I thought i needed it. worked pretty well.

lots of rain in the afternoons here.

lots of good food and wine


Sunday, so much for a day of rest
Today was a busy day. The morning started off around 8AM with the goal of getting up and getting out for a head start on my drive to San Gimignano. All went well, and breakfast was very tasty, but it took a lot longer to get to the car rental location than I had planned. I've decided I'm not a fan of Florence street layouts and lack of signs. Makes it a wee bit hard to get where you are going. And, even if you do know where to go, its no fun with a regular rolling back and a 2nd bag. The sidewalks are just a bit too narrow for this to be comfortable for me or the other pedestrians. I did finally make it though.
My wonderful rental car is a Fiat Punto. Yes, for those thinking of spanish words, this does have an N in it so its not what you think. Its a kinda cool little car. It even sounds like its kinda fast. It does struggle on hills though so I have to downshift if I want to accelerate or pass. Pretty fun little car though. The drive to San Gimignano was uneventful and only took about 45 minutes. When I arrived at the Agrituruismo though there was no one there. This was around 11 and they had a note that they would be back at 11:30. Instead of waiting I drove back to town, parked, and went in to walk around a bit. I walked in to the main square area are the cistern and snapped some pictures. Sat down in an outdoor restaurant and had caprese salad followed by some panini. Very tasty. (as I type this I just looked out the window at the Agriturismo and its a beautiful sight. There is a light fog/haze over the hills in the distance and just one light I can see from what I think is a farmhouse. This is how I pictured the Italian countryside. Anyways, back to my day...) I then walked around the city a bit more to work off lunch and get some more pictures.
After that excursion I headed back to the agriturismo. I met Cristiano and chatted with him a bit. Seems like its not terribly busy right now as its only me and one other person (couple? family? can't recall what cristiano said) staying tonight. A family of four arrives tomorrow but in a different area. Cristiano is a very nice guy and speaks good english. I asked for wine tasting recommendations and think I may have offended him b/c I then learned that they make a wide range of wines themselves. They had them locked up today but he will give me a tasting tomorrow. We talked a bit more and then he showed me to the room. After I got everything set I decided to go ahead and drive down to Montepulciano.
Both Frommers and Rick Steves call out Montepulciano as a good wine area, though a bit expensive on some of their wines. It is a 1.5hr drive from San Gimignano but I figured it wasn't like i had a whole lot of other things to do and I might as well go hit some of the more well known wine areas. The drive was slow but became entertaining towards the end when my GPS battery started to get low. I figured I was about 30 minutes away still and the thought did cross my mind to just turn around and try again tomorrow. But I decided to keep on going and just use the GPS when I wasn't sure where to go bugt to leave it off otherwise. I made it to town fine with very little GPS usage.
I then walked in to town and followed around the more circuitous and scenic route. I was trying to get to Contucci Cantini since it was recommended by Rick Steve's guide. I found where I thought it was supposed to be but only found a litle B&B instead. There was another wine room next door though so I decided to go in there. I tried some of their wines and was very surprises. There were two I liked there. One was primarily a cab and the other was primarily a sangiovese. Both good in their own ways though and both worth a bottle purchase. Then, as I walked out I was able to fine the Contucci Cantina. It's almost hidden back behind some other things but it was there. The two guys in there were very friendly and nice, though neither spoke much english. I tired three wines there that ranged in price for EUR7 to EUR30. I purchased two of the EUR7 wines and 2 ~18EUR wines. Very good and easily worth it. After that I figured it was time to head back. I was very surprised on my way back down to the parking area to run into Dana (seatmate on the plane over) and her friend. She introduced us and then her friend went off to look at shops, leaving Dana and I to chat for a few minutes. We chatted about how each other's trip had gone so far and then I went off with my wine and she went back to shopping for leather goods. Then it was my chance to see if I could make it home without the GPS.
Luckily, the GPS had enough battery life to help me hobble home. Its a good thing too b/c some of the signs and turns didn't make any logical sense to me and I would have gotten lost. And, to make things more fun, there was some serious rain that started down. The speed limit was 110KMH but most people were doing less than 90 due to the standing water and risk of hydroplaning. Not quite a fun drive. There was even one point where a lane was closed due to a "landslide". I say "landslide" b/c it was more like just a bit of mud on the road. They could have used a medium broom to brush it off but instead there was a police car and two other cars with people standing there looking at it. It didn't slow traffic too much and was just more of an entertaining thing than an annoyance. Other than that, the heavy rains, hydroplaning, and having to use the GPS only when I was unsure of where to turn, the trip was pretty easy :)
I came back to the agriturismo and first plugged in the GPS so it'll be all set tomorrow. I thought I brought a car charger for it but I can't find it. I may just buy one tomorrow but may not since I only have one more day in the car. I then cleaned up and went back in to town for dinner. I had three restaurant ideas from the guidebook. The first one was full :(. The second one was closed :( and the third one was the one where I ate lunch. So, what to do? Well, I picked the only one I saw that was showing F1 racing on TV. How else would one decide where to eat?

nice dinner

Ok, I can heartily recommend Paoli for dinner. Their $25 EUR meal is a great option. I don't know what they do with it but their bufalo mozzarella is amazing here. Great starter for the meal. Then I had their risotto with fresh vegetables. Dessert was a 'chocolate cake' but it was more like some pastries covered in chocolate. And, the cost even included a 1/2 bottle of wine. What a deal and what a good meal. Now I'm off to wander more at night and hope the rain stays aways.

Saturday

What a day! I think I covered all of Florence. Ok, maybe not all, but a lot of it. Compared to Berlin, this city is tiny. I started off the day just wandering around some more. I have no idea what things I wandered to but I took a lot of pictures. Just the normal buildings are beautiful around here.



I had a noon appt at the Uffizi gallery. If you are ever going, definitely be sure to make an appt. The line looked to be forever but with my appt I got in within 10 minutes. It's a bit of a hike up to the actual gallery so be prepared or take the elevator. Once in there I was impressed with the art but also a bit disappointed. The gallery is fairly small. I only spent about 45 minutes in there. There was a good bit of art to take in but its not the kind I really like. It was mostly sculptures and portraits. The little detailed small carvings from marble were very impressive. But since I had seen a lot recently at the Roman Art exhibit at the SAM I think it was 'old news'. Still cool, but not as neat as the first time seeing it.



After that I decided to go for lunch. Looking at where I was and my two options I had choice to make. Head NW to one place or SE to another. Both about .4mi from where I was. I took the NW option and followed my GPS. When I did arrive I found out they were closed on the weekends. Ooops, should have read the guide closer. So, back off in the other direction. When I got to that one, they were closed for lunch. This was not called out the guidebook (I checked!), so just one of those things. Then, I pulled up Pocket Streets to find a recommendation from Simon and went to a Pizza place that was pretty good.



After that I went back to Grom to try a better combo. This time I went for their dark chocolate and vanilla. If you like chocolate then you have to try their dark chocolate gelatto. It has little bits of cocoa in there and is just great. Especially with the contrast of the vanilla. Highly recommended.



Then I went back to the hotel to drop off some things, clean up a bit, and then settle up my bill since I'll be leaving early tomorrow. I did some more walking around. Got a local phone card and called dad to check in with him and promptly used up all of my credits in a 7 minute call. But at least I got some good ideas of more places to go. I then walked around some more and found Harry's Bar along the Arno. Looked interesting but a bit too pricey (11EUR for a Gin & Tonic) so I went back to walking. Now I'm in Internet Train catching up on e-mail and updating the blog.

Tonight I have a reservation at Paolo since it was recommended both by Frommers and Rick Steves. Before then I'm going to go find an umbrella since its raining again.

Not sure on net access in San Gimignano so it might be Tues night before I update here.

Friday in Italy

Just got setup at Internet Train for net access but already wrote up Friday's entry on my laptop. So, for now, this is a placeholder. Main points
- 3 hr delay in NYC
- Train ticket for Florence only good for 3 hrs past scheduled time, not all day, so had to pay for new one
- Got nice and lost trying to find hotel. Good thing I had GPS to get me there.
- Beautiful city. Heavy rain and thunderstorm. fun to wander


Arrived in Florence

Well, its the end of day one. It's been an interesting day to say the least. As noted in my last post, we had a slight delay in NYC. Ended up leaving about 3 hours after our scheduled departure time. I was able to find and get in to the Admiral's Club lounge though so at least it was a comfortable wait. The flight over was 7 hrs, 42 minutes. It went pretty well though since I had a cool seatmate to chat with during the flight. Once we arrived in Rome it felt like we taxid longer than we had flown. Eventualy we did get to disembark. Passport control took a long time as I suspect many flights came in at the same time. If we had been on our scheduld 7:40 arrival time I have a feeling the crowds would have been smaller. But, once I passed that things went pretty smoothly. Well, except for my train ticket from Roma Termini to Florence. Although the RailPass people told me my ticket was good all day its apparently only good within 3 hours of the original departure time. Mine was 9:55 and by the time I got to the station the next train was at 1:30. So, worthless ticket and I had to buy another one. Oh well. The ride to Florence was very smooth and comfortable. Great scenery too.

Once I got in my next challenge was to find the B&B where I'm staying. I figured it was easy from looking at the map and that I could just wing it. Well, after winging it for a bit I made a nice big circle back to the Florence train station. Oops :). Out came the Garmin GPS which I had already pre-programmed with key addresses. Got that and up running and found the hotel easily. Checked in, droppped off my bags, and headed back out the door.

Since I got in later than I had planned I wasn't sure what to start with. I figured I'd just wander a bit so I headed past the Duomo and toward the Uffizi Gallery and Ponte Vecchio. Took a lot of pictures of the Duomo buildings and just random things along the way. This city is beautiful and thats just from seeing the buildings. It is a bit more cramped and less organized/logical than Berlin though. And the streets are kinda free for all with pedestrians and scooters/cars kinda sharing some roads. I managed to survive that though and made it to the bridge. I was trying to find a bar my dad had told me about but was unable to do so. So I instead went in to the Golden View Open Bar (http://goldenviewopenbar.com/) and enjoyed a nice glass of chianti with some primavera. Although I had expected bread, I received a pizza with basil and cherry tomatoes. very tasty though and defnitely good. After that snack/mini-meal I started to walk back to the hotel and got caugh in a heck of a rain storm. Thunder and all. I did mange to find Grom gelateria that Simon had recommended so I just had to take cover in there. And since I was there I figured I might as well get something. I tried their lemon gelato and while it was good I think I can do better. Next time I'll go for a two flavor combo with chocolate and something good. After that though I figured I was done, especially with the rain. Came back to my room and cleaned up a bit, typed this up, and now I'll read more guide books before calling it a night. If I had net access right now I'd post this but guess it'll have to wait.

delay in NYC

And here I was worried that having only an hour between arrival and departure in NYC would be an issue. Maintenance is working on the plane so I have a bit of time to kill. Not much to do but wait and browse the web. Guess I'll go try to find the Admiral's Club...

at the airport

nope, not much interesting to report from the airport, probably why I'm creating this post. Easy ride to the airport and now just taking it easy until the flight leaves. Have a 4 hr flight to JFK and then an 8hr flight to Rome. Then its a short train from the airport to Rome's main station and then a train up to Florence. Should be there by noon local time on Friday as long as all goes well. Due to having only an hour layover in JFK I probably won't be posting again until I get to Florence and am all setup and caught up on sleep.

All packed and ready to go

Only about 6 hours left until I head to the airport. So much for sleeping tonight. At least I'm all packed and ready to go now. I even thought ahead and kept some wine bottle shipping materials so that I can confidently put some bottles in my checked luggage and get them home. Tomorrow morning I head off to JFK and then to Rome. Then its a short train ride to Roma Termini station and then off to Florence. The hardest part there will be figuring out how to get to the hotel. Thankfully I have a garmin GPS all pre-set as well as my tilt with GPS as a backup. I'm all geeked up for the trip.

2 days to go

Less than two days now before I head off to Italy. I have lodging set for both Rome and San Gimignano areas but having a bit of trouble with faxing info to the place in Florence. Hopefully that gets resolved today.

The current plan:
Arrive in Rome on Friday morning around 7:30. Then I hop on a train to Rome main station where I catch a train to Florence. Once I get to florence I have to figure out how to find the hotel where I'm staying. That should be fun.

After two nights in florence I'll pick up a rental car and drive to San Gimignano. I'll base myself there but go out driving a bit and exploring other little towns. After two nights there I drive back to Florence and head for the train station.

Then its back to Rome. I'll stay there for a couple days and then catch an early flight out to head home.

Should be a fun trip. I just have to be patient and wait till it starts. More entries and pictures to come...