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Monthly Archives: October 2014

Adventures In Italy… Post 75: The Photo Not Taken (With apologies to Robert Frost)

30 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Italy, Rome, Travel

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Tags

Clothes, Hotels, Laundry, Luggage, Rome, Storage, Travel

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Upon returning home from our first trip to Italy in 2008, Frank and I had taken a total of almost 4,500 pictures.

On our second trip we took even more.

Yet, there were still photo opportunities that I missed.

Looking back, I wish I had taken more pictures of our hotel room.

Like the armoire for example.

It is still ridiculous how the hotel expected two people’s worth of luggage to keep their clothes neat and clean in a space designed for one traveller.

There were only five hangers.

Remember, there were three of us, which added up to nine pieces of luggage:

Three large suitcases with the capacity of forty kilos each..

Three carry-on bags…

Three shoulder bags.

Further, there was not a single chest drawer in the room, including the desk by the window.

Also, I wish I had taken a picture of the lovely recessed bay window in the bathroom. Because it was there that we hid our growing pile of laundry behind the curtain from the maid.

We covered it with a towel of course.

And how could I miss taking a picture of the elevators, which seemed designed only for two people.

There is no way that you can not be in this elevator with someone else and not have them invade your personal space.

Of course, if there’s anyplace in this world that exemplifies the joys of getting up close and personal…

There’s no place like Rome!

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Adventures in Italy… Post 74: The Final Night

28 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Family, Holidays, Italy, Travel, Vacations

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Anxiety, Family, Holidays, Home, Italy, Luggage, Nerves, Packing, Rome, Sleep, Travel, Vacation

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Saturday, December 8th 2012

Sleep did not come too soon on our last night in Rome. I remember waking three times. The first was to make a quick trip to bathroom, where I found Jen passed out on the bathroom floor.

Don’t ask…

Second time was when Frank got up to see what time it was… It was one thirty, he said before clicking the lights back off, and leaving the room in the quiet Roman darkness.
It was obvious that we were all on edge over what was about to transpire over the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.

When I finally awoke, Frank was already up and out of bed. It was 6:15 a.m.

Yes…

It was time to get this party started.

I let Jen sleep a little longer because, if I’ve learned anything from this trip, it’s that Jen can be ready and out the door in fifteen minutes, unlike her mother.

I was grateful that we had packed the day before. However there were a few too many puzzle pieces left over, and they needed to be dealt with immediately.

There were many items that we had mutually would remain behind. The blow dryer, butane curling iron, three umbrellas, coffee pot, unopened bag of potato chips, the rest of the hair products. And the last of my obsession cologne. It told me that it wanted to move on, and was hoping to land in the purse a deserving señorita.

Jen did at the last minute, pull out an unopened bag of Italian cookies out of nowhere, and stuffed them into her purse before anyone could say anything. Well, at least they were unopened when we left the hotel. They have since been snacked on while waiting to board the plane in Rome.

Further addendum:

While reading this over my shoulder in the plane towards London, Jen guiltily whispered in my ear that she did in fact include the blow dryer after all in her luggage stating that she needed one for home.

I immediately had visions of a great explosion and a doomed aircraft, because my daughter was lacking a blow dryer at home.

Well… Live and learn.

“Sigh.”

I wasn’t one bit surprised.

We were in a lot of trouble.

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Adventures In Italy… Post 73: Buyer Beware

27 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Italy, Rome, shopping, Travel

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Tags

Italy, Rome, Sunglasses, Tourism, Travel

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Before my first trip to Italy in September 2008, I purchased a pair of killer sunglasses from a local shop. They were big, brown and blingy, meaning, that they were encrusted with rhinestones. They were the perfect companion for any diva on her premier trip to the eternal city of Rome. I even bought an attachment cord so that I could hang them around my neck when they were not in use, ensuring that I would not misplace them and thereby lose them.

On the fourth day of my trip I looked down and saw just the cord and no sunglasses.

I figured I had lost them somewhere between the Pantheon and Piazza Navonna.

I thought I was doomed.

September is still a very hot month in Italy, and the sun is as bright as in the hottest days in July.

I knew my eyes could not take the glare, but I was adamant not to spend a small fortune to procure another pair.

All the shops I passed wanted at least twenty Euros for a pair of Sunglasses. At the time that was about $35.00 U.S.

While visiting the forum, I happened to come across a vendor who had a blanket a strewn out over the ground next to the Mamertine Prison.

There were about fifteen pairs of sunglasses on display.

As I perused over the lot trying to deduce which pair would be the most cost effective, the vendor pointed a pair out to me.

The price tag said forty euros.

“Troppo caro,” I told him explaining they were too expensive.

He then held,out a pair that I had noticed earlier.

I handed them back.

He asked me how much I was willing to pay for them.

“Five euros,” I told him.

He wasn’t happy.

I didn’t care.

Sensing my resolve he then turned around picked up a brown paper bag and slipped the sunglasses inside and then handed me the bag.

Incredibly surprised and not believing my luck, I quickly handed him five euros.

He was so unimpressed with my bartering skills that he didn’t even look at me as I handed him the money.

Needless to say he never thanked me.

Again, I didn’t care.

Please understand, I am not one to barter. I understand the need for people to make a living. I am usually very compliant when it comes to prices.

However, being inequitably gouged is another matter entirely.

There was a logo on both the top and left hand corners of the sunglasses. I knew that I had seen it before, and should know the brand it stood for, but the answer eluded me.

It was only after I arrived home, that I realized that it was the Chanel logo on the glasses.

Understand, I knew that the glasses I purchased were not a genuine Chanel product. Knock offs are big business. However, I did not purchase it because it had the Chanel logo.

I purchased the sunglasses only because I was desperate for a pair of sunglasses without feeling I had wasted my money.

It was about a month after our trip to Italy that I read of Italian law enforcement officials cracking down on bootlegged merchandise.

Anyone caught with bootlegged merchandise was subject to a five thousand euro penalty.

Whoa!

I could only think of how fortunate I was that I no one noticed my sunglasses and questioned me about them.

At that time, one euro was worth 1.65 Canadian.

Our entire trip to Italy had cost that amount.

Each time I think back on this, I tend to feel a little sick inside.

Needless to say, on our 2012 trip, there were zero designer labels when we packed up to go home.

In fact, if it even remotely looked as a designer knock off it wasn’t coming home with us.

Six years later, I still have the same sunglasses and revel in the memories that they
evoke.

It was without a doubt, the best five euros that I have ever spent.

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Adventures In Rome… Post 72: Sexy Scaffolding?

25 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Advertising, Construction, Europe, Italy, Rome, Travel

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Advertising, Art, Construction, History, Italy, Rome, Scaffolding, Tourism, Travel

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When most of us think of scaffolding we think of the unsightly structures that are used to support people and materials in constructions areas.

In my lifetime I have seen more than enough ugly scaffolding and would be quite happy never to see it again.

However, reality dictates otherwise.

There is perpetual need for scaffolding as buildings, bridges, and monuments age and need repair.

There is no place that you will see more scaffolding than in an ancient city where frantic construction is taking place to save crumbling buildings and structures that are thousands of years old.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I learned that scaffolding didn’t have to be ugly anymore.

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In fact, in Rome it is all to easy to walk by a building and not even notice that it is under construction.

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Imaginative engineers have even come up with what can be considered as nothing less than ‘sexy’ scaffolding.

Believe it or not but this high tech scaffolding has even become a medium for business advertising.

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My Father always told me that those who can ‘build a better mousetrap’ are those who will become rich beyond the dreams of avarice.

Well, by the looks of these incredible new forms of scaffolding, someone has become very rich indeed…

…and rightfully so.

 

 

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Adventures In Italy… Post 71: Banff Alberta versus Tivoli Italy (Calendar Wars)

22 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Italy, Travel

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Tags

Alberta, Banff, Calendar, Expressos, Gardens, Italy, Mountains, Tivoli, Tours, Travel, Ville d'Este

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After we left the cafe, we met up with Sally and Kelly who were our travel-mates on the bus today. Coincidentally, we first met them on our tour bus trip to Florence. We had told them on that day that we had also booked this day trip to Tivoli.

Seeing as they had a day to spare, they came and joined us.

While Jen and I were scourging through the local shops and Frank was having a nice sit down at the cafe, they ventured off the tourist beaten path…

They told us that they had decided to be more adventurous and try to get away from the touristy area.

It paid off for them in several positive ways.

Allow me to explain…

Most of us know from experience that the further you veer from the city centre, the cheaper the prices get.
This goes for automobile gasoline, meals, souvenirs and yes, even coffee.

Where Frank, Jen and I paid three euros for each of our espresso coffees, Sally and Kelly only paid one euro for each of theirs.

Now, the second perk for them was what they had found and purchased in a store that they had encountered along the way.

This item was contained inside a plastic bag that Sally was proudly holding in one of her hands.

“We finally got us a calendar of something other than mountains,” Kelly announced to us in almost breathless gasps…

I had to stop and think for a few seconds as to why this would be of such significance to them.

As it turns out, they had told us that they lived in Banff Alberta.

Banff, Alberta known for some of the worlds loveliest vistas of mountains.

Let me repeat that to you again:

Sally and Kelly lived in BANFF Alberta.

That means that they live within sight of one of the world’s best skylines.

They see it every day.

Chances are slim that I will ever see this regal mountain setting in my lifetime. Further, it’s quite understandable that they consider it’s beauty ‘old hat’ …if you’ll pardon the cliche.

And so, with the greatest glee, she showed us her new wall calendar of Tivoli.

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No longer will they have to look at her boring Banff Wall Calander…

… Because she had grown tired of the beauteous Banff Mountains.

In retrospect, I’m very sure that there is an important lesson to be learned here from Sally, Kelly and their new wall calander.

I just can’t figure out what it is.

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Adventures In Italy… Post 70: The Perfect Panettone

21 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Food, Italy, Panatone, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Expresso, Italy, Panatone, Tivoli, Travel, Villa D'Este

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It didn’t take long for Jen and I to hone in on to the first souvenir shop we could find. Before we knew it we were rummaging around the trinkets while comparing cost and colour.

Several stores later, both our hands were full of bags containing trinket treasure and souvenir booty.

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We both decided that this would now be a good time to try and locate Frank.

As it turns out, Frank found us.

He had only gotten as far as fifty feet of the entrance gate of Ville d’Este when he found an indoor/outdoor cafe.

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The Cafe is on the left. We sat just behind the netting

As we sat down at the table we found him working on his second expresso.

Jen and I followed suit and ordered two for ourselves.

Imagine our delight when the waiter brought us a plate of complimentary cookies.

We practically inhaled them.

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When we went to pay for our expressos at the cashier, we found that the cafe was selling Christmas Panettone, baked in the local convents.

I couldn’t hand over my money fast enough.

The thought of tucking into an fresh authentic Italian Panettone baked at a convent was too irresistible for me to bear and worth every penny of the seven euros that it cost.

Please indulge me as I let you in on a little personal history…

While my husband and I were dating he lived in Thorold, Ontario otherwise known as “Little Italy”.

Around the corner from where he lived was an Italian Deli called “Rocko’s”

Many times I had been in the store at Easter and Christmas time when their shelves were just brimming with beautiful and brightly wrapped packages but I just couldn’t figure out what it was.

Big chocolate Easter Eggs…

A ‘Kinder’ chocolate with a toy surprise hidden inside…

(they were so big, it could have held a stuffed animal)

When I finally asked, I was told it was a cake.

Hmm…

That made me a little leery.

A cake all the way from Italy and now sitting on the shelves here in Canada could not be all that fresh.

And so, I had resolved that alas…

I would never be able to try one for myself.

And so…

When I finally had the chance to buy a morning fresh Panettone made in a local convent…

Well…

It was almost like a dream come true.

After getting back to our hotel room we opened it, and enjoyed our fill. Jen and I indulged in each individually ripped off piece of citrusy bread-like cake by popping the fluffy morsels into our mouths one piece after another.

It was delicious.

And life was good.

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Adventures In Italy… Post 69: Villa d’Este

20 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Hadrien, Tivoli, Travel, Villa de'Este

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Appian, Bus, Cardinal, Cardinal Ippolito de'Este, Gardens, Hadrien, Italy, Lemon Trees, Lucretia Borgia, Orange Grees, Palace, Rome, Tivoli, Tourists, Travel

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After saying goodbye to Hadrian’s Villa we boarded the bus and started the descent up the mountain road that would take us into the town of Tivoli.

When the bus could take us no further, we left the bus behind to venture through the narrow streets.

It was easy to sense what it would have been like to walk these streets six hundred years ago.

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According to my sources, the Famous Gardens of Tivoli are built on Villa d’Este and were built in then1550’s for a very wealthy Cardinal Ippolito d’Este who happened to be the son of the infamous Lucretia Borgia.

The Cardinal wanted very badly to become pope.

When he finally realized that he would never go to Rome, he decided to being Rome to his estate.

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Even though eighty percent of the structures have been lost to time, the elaborate gardens he designed along with the majority of the world’s best known fountains still remain.

Of course, when we were there, there were no active fountains to behold, only quiet trails and elaborate masonry which were overgrown yet wildly beautiful.

I even found some orange and lemon trees.

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They were so beautiful sitting plump and perfect in their Renaissance setting.

The Gardens are built into the side of a mountain, so there are many layers to explore. You could easily get lost depending on how much time you have to explore.

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Our tour group,was given about 2 hours to explore the gardens, or we could spend that time taking a look around the town of Tivoli.

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Jen poking around both inside and outside the Palace

Since Jennifer’s mobility was an issue in regards to her ankle, stair climbing had to be kept to a minimum. And so we poked around the top two palatial levels, both inside and outside the palace before deciding to leave the garden grounds and stroll the city streets.

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Actually, Frank was the one who would be strolling the city streets.

Jen and I would be making a bee-line for the neighbourhood shops almost adjacent to the gardens.

Somewhere inside those shops, there were pretty little shiny baubles calling our names.

We could hear them calling out to us.

And Jen and I were determined to find them.

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Adventures In Italy… Post 68: Hadrian’s Enchanted Gardens

18 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Gardens, Italy, Magic, Travel

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Dancing, Enchanted, Fairy Tales, Gardens, Hadrian's Villa, Italy, Magic, Princesses

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With my very first step into Hadrian’s villa in that early, frosty, morning air I was glad that Frank had remained adamant in regards to today’s day trip to visit Hadrian’s Villa and Tivoli Gardens.

I was so wrong in assuming that these beautful gardens flourished only in spring and summer.

While certainly they were not at their best during the colder seasons, there was an almost magical quality about both of these places.

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It was like coming across a fairy or an elf during their sleep. While beautiful to behold even in their slumber, how could I not be in awe of such grace and quiet beauty.

As a child, my favourite fairy tale had always been The Nine Dancing Princesses.

It is a story of nine princesses, all sisters who much to their father, the kings disdain, completely wear out their shoes in the course of only one day.

Each morning, he would find that all of his daughter’s shoes were worn and in need of replacing.

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And the answer to this mystery was that each night, they would secretly escape into through an underground tunnel into a beautiful land where trees dripped with emerald jewels and golden leaves. And there, the princesses would dance the night away at a grand ball with handsome princesses in a setting so rich and beautiful, the very description of it, has not been lost on me even after all these decades.

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And so, I can honestly say that for all of my life, I have wondered what it would be like to walk in a place just like where the nine dancing princesses danced their nights away.

And it was here, in Hadrian’s gardens where I began to feel for the first time, that I felt a sense that I was indeed walking on their enchanted grounds.

Now of course, reality dictates that there is no such thing as a tree being encrusted with gold leaves and dripping emerald jewels.

However, I was in fact walking among olive trees, which may not quite as exotic as in the fairly tale, but no less intoxicating to one who has never been up close to one before.

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As someone who has loved olives for all her life, and buys her imported olive oil by the gallon, a close encounter is altogether a savoury experience in the real world.

Further, the architecture of Hadrian’s villa was indeed palatial. Although the remains of the buildings are only remnants of walls, pools, and the occasional set of stairs it is easy to get the sense that they indeed were once the property of an important ruler, or in this case a Roman Emporer.

I would very much like to return to Hadrian’s villa one day, but this time I would like to spend more time to explore in detail all that which a day tour on a schedule cannot allow.

Not to mention, that I would truly love the opportunity to maybe dance among the olive trees.

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Adventures In Italy… Post 67: Close Encounters With An Italian Candy Vending Machine

17 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Bus Stations, Candy, Italy, Rome, Travel

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Tags

buses, Candy, coins, Italy, money, Vending machines

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The clock radio read 6:30 a.m. As we closed our hotel room door shut to head downstairs to the lobby.

Today was our last day trip which would take us to Hadrian’s Villa and Tivoli Gardens.

It was with great trepidation that another cab was ordered to take us to the Appian Line bus terminal.

You might remember me telling you of our horrific cab ride two days earlier when we went to Florence.

Thankfully, this cab and its driver were much, much kinder.

Frank gave him a five euro tip as well. After my last experience, I thought he deserved more. I am so mystified as to how two cab trips to the same destination could be so different.

And so, we arrived at the bus station at 7:a.m., right on schedule.

Well, Frank’s schedule that is because, as it turns out we were one and a half hours early, as the bus tour was not scheduled to leave until 8:30 a.m.

That meant a trip to the coffee shop around the corner from the bus station.

A last hurrah of sorts.

Six coffees, two Danish and an orange juice later we emerged happy and well coffeed.

We returned to the bus station with still almost an hour left.

Once again I found myself sitting in the bus terminal lobby getting caught up on my writing.

I was on my third page when my eyes started to wander to the vending machine next to me.

It was interesting to try to figure out what was inside the colourful packages behind the glass.

Please refer to the photo above and let me know what you think these two packages hold.

I must say that the package with the little green blobs had me intrigued the most.

Looking back, I wish I would have forfeited my loose Italian change to this machine.

Next time I will.

I’ve just got to know what those little green blobs are all about…

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Adventures In Italy… Post 66: Give Us Each Day Our Morning Coffee

16 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Coffee, Mornings, Travel

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blogs, Coffee, Hadrian's Villa, Italy, Mooey's, Mornings, Rome, Starbucks, Tivoli Gardens

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Thursday, December 6th:

The alarm went off at 5:00 a.m.

Today was our last day trip that would take us to Tivoli Gardens and Hadrian’s Villa.

During the night, I kept waking up thinking it was dawn when we were only still in the wee morning hours.

Yet again, I did not get out of bed till 5:30.

It has long been a family tradition that when on the road Frank is the keeper of the coffee.

If we are lucky enough to have a coffee maker in the room, Frank was the first person to operate it.

If there was no coffee maker available, then it would be his task to set out by dawn’s early light and procure however much coffee we needed, plus an extra one for luck.

Now, I’ll have you know that long before our journey even began, indeed even when our plans were still in in the infancy stages, Frank had put a great deal of thought into how he could provide the morning quota caffeine sustinence for his family while on holidays.

And he took this undertaking very seriously too.

Allow me now to share with you how he proposed to provide coffee for us in our hotel room each morning:

First, he went out and purchased a small ‘two cup’ plug in water heater, along with the appropriate electrical outlet that would plug into the wall.

In case you didn’t know, Italy’s electrical outlets are different from ours.

Next, Frank went out and purchased several packages of Starbucks instant coffee singles.

Sure, we could have gone for something cheaper, but when in Rome, you just cannot drink inferior coffee.

It’s just plain wrong.

As for the creamers, Frank found a wonderful product called ‘Mooey’s’ available on American store shelves.

Little capsules of cream that do not go bad, and tasted good.

We brought three small plastic mugs and sweetener.

And there you go…

In less than five minutes, we were able to climb back into bed and nuzzle a hot cup of coffee, and Starbucks no less!

And that is how Frank was able to provide coffee for the three of us in our own hotel room.

I am such a lucky, and very grateful wife.

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