The Long Way Home

The Cinque and I parted ways. The ladies went on to spend a couple of days in Rome, and I headed to Milan, where I would catch a plane back to the States the next day. Although I was ready to go home, I did wish I was going to Rome. I will have to get there another time, I guess. The train ride to Milan was long (7 hours), and I didn't have a reserved seat, so I had to keep moving around. There was some good people watching on the train. Even a couple of unsavory types, that made me nervous. One guy propositioned me. He wanted to be my "friend", said he wouldn't even charge me. Should I have been flattered? I asked him to find another seat. He did, but kept staring at me. I was really glad he got off the train before we got to Milan. I made it to Milan around 9 in the evening, and booked myself into a hotel by the airport so I wouldn't have to worry about making my 8 am flight. I had a layover in Madrid (gorgeous airport!), then on to Dallas, then to Portland. My flight was delayed in Dallas for a couple of hours due to weather, and I made it home by 11 pm. Including the train ride, I had been traveling for 27 hours. I was so glad to be home. So tired, but glad to be back in Portland, Oregon. 

Sorrento & Pompei

The Cinque said goodbye to Como and headed to Sorrento for the final few days of our Italian adventure. We stopped in Milan to visit with a friend of Lisa's for the afternoon and had a really good lunch overlooking the Duomo, a gorgeous, huge, security packed cathedral.

duomo, milan italy

As with most cathedrals I've visited so far, there were lots of high ceilings and amazing artwork throughout.

the stone carvings in and around the duomo were beautiful

The standout part of the Duomo, for me, was the floor.

gorgeous!

stained glass inspiration

We headed to the train station, which was packed due to construction, and took a train to Napoli, were we would spend the night, then take a ferry to Serrento. Napoli wasn't our favorite, but we had delicious pizza at one of the oldest pizzarias in the city. We stood in line for about an hour because the place was so popular. We ate as they were closing the shop around 11 pm. Totally worth the wait! We left early the next morning and had a crazy taxi ride to the ferry. All five of us, and our luggage crammed into a basic four door sedan. Robin and I were in the front, Lisa, Susanna, and Michelle in the back. I got to sit next to our crazy taxi driver, Michele. He seemed to think it was ok to place his arm and hand on my leg and knee, since it was close to the gear shifter. He blasted Lady Gaga, as we made our way through the crazy traffic. Vespas coming out of nowhere into our lane, other cars and taxis honking and zipping in and out of our lane, as we weaved in front of other cars and busses. It was nuts! and fun! He offered to drive us all the way to Sorrento, and sure it would've been adventure filled, but we wanted to take the ferry. My camera crapped out on me again, so I didn't get many pictures of our adventures in Sorrento. It was a wonderful place. Sunny and hot, and we stayed at a charming little camp ground with cabins. 

the blue green camp grounds

Lisa and I went for a swim in the ocean as soon as we checked in. The water was warm and you could see clear to the bottom. We had some lovely dinners, and  fun filled trip to the lemon grove, where we sampled Limoncello. You may remember from my earlier posts how much I love it. I came home with a bottle of the original. I'll save it for a special occasion. We took a day trip to Pompei, which was only a hour train ride from Sorrento. It was really, really hot that day, but we wondered around the site for about three hours. It's really amazing that the whole city survived (mostly) the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Amazing history - you should read about it all on the internet. 

the streets and homes of pompei

Susanna is quite the history buff, and led us through the maze of streets and sites. Thanks for being such a great tour guide, Susanna!

susanna reading about the indoor gardens at one of the nicer homes

pompei pottery

even the tile floors were in good shape (considering..)

Swing Crash 2010, Como Italy

This year was the 5th year that the Swing Crash Festival has happened in the city of Como. Our hosts were two amazing swing dancers, and dance instructors, named Vince and Isa.

isa & vince

What a great experience it was! A day in the life was something like this: Up around 9-ish, breakfast, head down to Caffee' & Caffee' where Robby would get us all caffed up on cappuccino, then we would do a little site seeing. From around 1-5 in the afternoon, depending on the class schedule, we would head over to a local college where our classes were held. We were in the intermediate level, and there about 60 or so couples in our group. I danced with folks from Sweden, Norway, Germany, Spain, and Italy (of course). There were also a couple of Americans there as well, from Washington DC.

michelle (aka #5) and "germany" figuring stuff out

We were so fortunate to have some of the best swing dancers in the world (Yes! the world!!) teach us the coolest moves in Swing dancing.  

pontus and jessica (sweden) showing us the swing out

sarah and anthony (austrailia) performing the charleston routine we learned in class

After class we would head back to the flat, shower, eat, and dress for the nights events on Piazza Cavour. The piazza was right on Lake Como, with the Italian hillsides as a back drop. There was a big stage where the bands would play until midnight.

lisa and michelle in front of the bandstand on Piazza Cavour pondering the start of the evening festivities

the carling family band

By about 9 pm the dance floor was full of folks from our classes, including the instructors, and others from the city of Como, dancing to some great tunes from live bands, and DJ's. 

lots of folks came dressed in the fashion of the era

There was a performance each night given by our instructors and other local dance talent. I would be inserting some of that footage I took of the performances here, if the download from my camera to the computer hadn't screwed up... ugh! The Cinque met lot's of nice folks and I feel really fortunate to have experienced this with such a wonderful group of ladies. I hope we can make this an annual adventure.

robin, me, javier, michelle, lisa (susanna is taking the picture)

lisa and robin dancing in the streets of como, italy.

Buona Sera Como, I hope to see you again next year.

Como, Italy

We arrived in Como for the Swing Crash 2010 Festival. We were there for a week, taking classes and dancing the nights away. (I will post more about that stuff later.) Because we were there for a while, Lisa had booked a really nice flat for all of the cinque to stay in. It was very close to the activities for the event, and walking distance to Lake Como. 

entrance to the cinque headquarters

We were on the top floor of a renovated, late 1800's era building, with our own courtyard off of the outdoor atrium. We had a full kitchen, a washer, and a nice size bathroom. It also had some really nice views of the atrium courtyard, and the streets of Como. 

the never ending flight of stairs

Our host, Rosella, had given us the run down of the city, and told us about the markets. We shopped at this amazing fruit and vegetable market. It was a little slice of heaven for the vegetarians in our bunch. For the rest of us too, of course. Lots of folks were milling around the multitude of stands shouting out prices in Italian and bagging up their purchases. There were a couple of stands that seemed to be the most popular with the older Italian folks, so I would follow them around, figuring they knew where the best deals, and freshest produce was. 

very affordable fresh food

We ate in mostly, making big salads, and pasta dishes. I felt very fortunate have such good cooks in our little flat. I had brought my computer, so we would put on some good Swing Jazz music and hang out while the cooking smells of Italy wafted through our flat. We enjoyed our meals on the outdoor patio in the atrium accompanied by really great wine, and sometimes Limoncello (I love Limoncello!). In the mornings we would start our day at Caffee' & Caffee'. A really good coffee bar on the Piazza down the street from us. Robbie, the owner, would greet us with a smile, and a welcoming, "Orygooone!" then proceed to make us some of the best cappuccino's I have ever tasted. I would usually get a marmalade brioche to go with mine. Sheer joy! 

yum.

robin, susanna, cafee'&caffee' staffer, michelle, lisa, ROBBIE!, me

Dance classes didn't generally start until 1 or 2 in the afternoon, so we would do out site seeing in the mornings. Como is full of grand old Cathedrals and the lake is stunning. We took a trip on the water taxi to a small town on the lake called Varenna.

walking to the beach in varenna

It was very a very cute small town where we had a really good meal (pizza!), and drinks with fruit in it that I have never seen before. We hung out on the beach and swam in clear waters, a view of the snow capped Alps in the far off distance. The water was cold, but you got used to it after a few minutes. I swam away from shore, turning back to see the view of the village, and the mountains. As I treaded water there, taking it all in, it felt a bit surreal. I couldn't believe how far from home I was. Far from anything familiar. It was a moment of bliss, and that's what life's about, right?!, the moments! 

Venice, Italy - The beginning of The Cinque

When I left Avignon, I took the overnight/sleeper train to Venice, Italy. The train ride was pretty uneventful, and if it hadn't been for the ladies from the UK showing me how to put down the bed, I would've been sleeping standing up. There were five of us in our "suite". The ladies from the UK, who were traveling to Greece for a week. Elvis, a young-ish Aussie who didn't have much to say, and kept running his hands through is wavy blonde hair, and an older gentleman traveling back to Venice from a business trip.  Once I got settled in, it was actually quite a pleasant ride. The motion of the train helped to rock me to sleep. The bed wasn't very comfy, and sleeping in my clothes felt a bit confining, but it was nice to watch the night sky go by out the window.  


I arrived in Venice around 9 am, and made my way to the Hotel where I would meet up with Lisa, Michelle, Robin, and Susanna. They were flying in from Portland, and after a couple of days in Venice, The Cinque (us five girls) were heading to Como, Italy for the Swing Crash Festival and dance camp. I can't tell you how good it was to see them. I really needed a dose of "home", and they brought it. Plus, they speak Italian. Me? not so much. 


We stayed in the heart of Venice in an old Hotel call the Pacifico. It was a little challenging to find on the small streets and alleys , but a really nice man who had lived there all his life, walked me through the maze to the door. 

tiny balcony view

 I chatted with the concierge until the ladies arrived. She was studying to be a lawyer, and wanted to practice her English with me. She was really nice to talk with, and had lots of suggestions about what to do while we were visiting. The ladies showed up an hour or so later, soaked, due to the rainy weather. They had to wait a while for the water taxi to pick them up from the airport - but said it was a fun ride. 

Susanna, Robin, Michelle, and Lisa

We got settled in our rooms, (which had the most amazing Murano glass chandeliers), dried off, then hit the town.

lovely. 

It rained on us the whole time were there, but it didn't matter. We walked the streets and saw amazing sites. We must've gotten lost a dozen times, but it didn't matter one bit because the more lost we got, the more great views we saw. We always made it where we were going eventually. 

the "streets" of Venice.

 the water came right up to the side walks. so cool.

We had a lot of good meals (one meal came with dancing waiters!), saw some great art, and went to Murano for a tour of a glass blowing studio. It was  a really good time! My camera kind of crapped out on me or I would have more pictures of our adventures, like being in St. Marco square when it was knee deep in water. We all waded out in it to get that perfect shot of the Cathedral. There were lot's of tourist humming "Singing in the Rain" there. I think folks must have given up on the weather after a while. 

who cares if we get wet?! we are in Venice!

I mean when you are already surrounded by water, what difference does it make if it is pouring from the sky too?! 

Avignon, France

I arrived in Portland, Oregon day before yesterday. It was a very long and tiring couple of days traveling from Italy, home. The train ride from Serrento to Milan was weird. As happens often in my life, the least appealing person around decided to sit beside me and make me their friend. Michael, so he said his name was, sat down beside me, said "Caio, bella", then asked me to have sex with him. He said, in his thick Italian accent ".. a fine woman such as yourself, seemingly traveling alone, must be stressed out after such a long train ride. Let me take that stress out of your bones." I wish someone could've been there to tell me the contortions of my face. I declined, but he kept on and on - chatting about how he wanted to be my friend, and how maybe I could sponsor him and he could come to the states to be a Rap star. Ugh! I asked him to go sit somewhere else. He did, but then came back and just starred at me and smiled. I also noticed that he would check out peoples bags. Every now and then he would take one down, like it was his, go to the toilet, then put the bag back in the overhead thingy upon his return. I was starting to feel a little scared, this guy was obviously sketchy. I mean, what if he followed me all the way to Milan. Thankfully he got off at the stop before Milan, with a bag from the train - I bet it wasn't even his. The next morning I started my 26 hour travel day, flying back in time, on one continuous July 2nd. I didn't see the sun set, until I was on the plane to Portland from Dallas. I had hoped to sleep on the 10 hour leg of my flight, but couldn't - so I watched bad movies and listened to my ipod. After a delay of a couple of hours, and being squished up in a window seat for the last leg of my journey - I reached Portland around 11 p.m. I am really glad to be home. I slept well, had a good American breakfast of blueberry pancakes, and started the process of unpacking all the boxes that are now lining the walls of my newly floored, and painted condo. The restoration crew that fixed the place up from the leak on the roof, had done a great job - but now it's up to me to put the place back together. So the past two days I have been doing exactly that (in between naps). The jet lag usually wakes me up around 5 a.m., I start unpacking, eat breakfast, unpack some more boxes, have a late lunch/dinner, take a nice long bath, then go to bed around 6 or 7. I slept a good long time last night, so I hope the jet lag will work itself out soon. Today's unpacking left me with a really sore back, so I am taking time out to sit on some ice and catch up on the events of the past two weeks or so in this blog. 


Leaving Dublin, on my way to meet up with the girls from Portland in Venice, Italy - I stopped over for a night in Avignon, France. This little city is known as The Village of the Popes. It is near some of the most amazing lavender fields in France, not to mention the Lavender Museum! I had hoped to have enough time to visit, but because it is in the middle of BFE, and the bus only runs twice a day there, I didn't have time to go. I would've missed my train to Venice - so I just hung out in the city and enjoyed the nice sunny day.

Avignon

Avignon is a very quaint, and very cool place. I hit the town the same weekend as their Gay Pride Festival. Super fun to people watch! There were only about 100 or so folks there celebrating, but they were doing it right, blasting Cher songs and dancing in the town square right in front of the ancient Catholic Church. I wish I had taken a photo - but I was on my way for a tram tour of the city, and running late. 

church walls

There is a huge Catholic Church on the main town square with a beautiful grotto. The inside of the church is under going some restoration, so I just toured around the grounds outside. There were ponds with fish, and ducks, flower gardens, and lots of green space to sit and ponder. 

naked dancing lady statue in the middle of the pond

angel wishing he was dancing with the naked lady (totally my interpretation)

There was a tiny ally way next to the big church. It being the lesser road than the one I was on, I decided to follow the path (not marked by a little yellow walking man - but I felt as though he would go there) and came across a smaller square with a smaller church called the Church of St. Pietro. It was really gorgeous on the inside.

the alley way

Church of St. Pietro

I have been in quite a few churches now on my journey, and I must say, I like the smaller ones. This was my favorite. I love the bird. I hung out in here for a little bit, then had a meal at the cafe' next door to the church.

cafe' on cobble stones

I had a wonderful salad, and bottle of wine. Bottle!?!, yep. When I looked at the price, I thought I was ordering a glass. I was really surprised when the bottle showed up. I managed to drink half of it - it was really good! I hung out here for a while and read my book while my wine stooper passed. I met a couple from Holland, and a group of ladies from Paris. There was also a little 3 year old boy who kept coming over to talk to me (his stroller with the balloon in the pic). The crowning moment of the meal, though, was when Billie Holidays voice came wafting out of the cafe' singing "I'm going to sit right down and write myself a letter...." I don't know, something about the meal, the wine, the cobble stoned little square, then Billie - it made me miss Portland. The song brought back memories of dancing to the PK3 at the Maiden. I was completely blissful but longing to be home. This was probably the moment I realized, for the first time, that I was ready to come home. I have had a wonderful trip, but after putting myself in unfamiliar territory for over two months, I was ready for some same old, same old. I was really glad that the next part of my trip would involve some friends from Portland.