LimeRock Inn

New blog location

2009-06-14T19:34:00.001+02:00

We have officially moved our blog over to the LimeRock Inn website. you can continue reading about our exciting adventures here!

Land & Seascape Package

2009-06-01T21:36:00.003+02:00

We have partnered with the Maine Windjammer Associate to provide an exclusive Land & Sea Package. This package includes all the elements for a getaway you won't soon forget. Click here for more details.

Maine In America celebration

2009-06-01T15:39:00.004+02:00

The Maine in America Celebration is a ten-day festival starting June 18th in the midcoast that celebrates Maine's role in American art. This year's recipient of the Maine in America award goes to world renowned artist, Robert Indiana. Among the many events taking place over the course of the 10 days will be a new play about sculptor Louis Nevelson called The Occupant by Edward Albee. Saturday the 20th, Rockland celebrates Summer Solstice. Main Street will be closed to traffic and music and festivities will abound. Rooms are still available at LimeRock Inn. Please click here for the full schedule of events.

Rent your own lobster trap!

2009-05-30T15:56:00.005+02:00

Captain Jack Lobster Tours here Rockland Maine has a great offer for you. They will now rent a lobster trap for the season and you get all the lobsters caught in the trap. They guarantee a minimum of 25 lbs! The price is $250 and they will even invite you on board for a free ride to see your trap hauled. They may even let you help!! Shipping is available at an extra cost. Captain Jack also provides lobstes boat tours of Rockland Harbor wherein they will explaing how the lobstering industry works here in Maine. I've been out with him several times and it a great fun. this is one of the many exciting and fun things to do during a stay at LimeRock Inn.

Pink Lady Slippers

2009-05-26T21:53:00.006+02:00

This is an amazing time of the season where you can see a rare site in the Maine wilderness. Pink Lady Slippers, a native wild orchid, are in bloom at the Coast Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. They have a research project that monitors the populations of these beautiful plants. The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is just an hour drive from the LimeRock Inn and makes for a wonderful day trip during your stay in Rockland Maine.

Limestone Quarries

2009-05-11T19:43:00.002+02:00

You can't talk about Rockland without mentioning its' deep ties to the lime industry. Rockland had the deepest lime quarry in the world at one time. Lime quarried and processed right here in 1800's has been used all over the world. At one time, there were 125 lime kilns along the water front. There are many abandoned quarries along a stretch of road approaching the west side of town. For more information on a wonderful book on the subject entitled "Rockland Area Lime Industries", click HERE.

Lobsters, Lighthouses & Luxury Offered During the Month of June

2009-05-10T22:24:00.003+02:00

Join us to celebrate Maine lighthouses in the month of June. We provide the luxury. Our beautiful and rugged coast provides the lighthouses and lobsters. All that’s missing is you! This great getaway package includes ALL of the following:

•Two tickets to the Maine Lighthouse Museum (special guided tours will be available Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10am)
•Guided tour of Rockland’s Breakwater Lighthouse and autographed copy of “The Lighthouse at Rockland Breakwater, Then and Now” by Ted Panayotoff on Wednesdays at 10am (weather permitting)
•Official Maine Lighthouse Map and driving map for six area lighthouses
•Illustrated Commemorative Maine Lighthouse Book
•Two tickets on Captain Jack’s Lobster Adventure, so you can learn lobster lore from a real Maine lobsterman
•$50 in Mid-Coast Money redeemable for an authentic lobster dinner for two at participating restaurants
•Two whimsical lobster hats
•A chocolate seascape prepared by local chocolatier, Safe Harbor Chocolates
Two-night packages range from $395 to $493 (add a 3rd night and save 25% off the published room rate). If you want even more, Windjammer sunset cruises, scenic plane rides to view remote lighthouses, or a beach picnic can also be arranged. Click HERE to check availability or book a room. Or click HERE to visit the LimeRock Inn's hompage for other offerings.

Jamie Wyeth Exhibit Starts May 16th

2009-05-03T01:12:00.003+02:00

Jamie Wyeth's exhibit, Seven Deadly Sins, opens May 16th at the Farnworth Art Museum and Wyeth center in Rockland. From the Farnsworth website, "The exhibition of Jamie Wyeth’s 2007 series of paintings, The Seven Deadly Sins, is a rare example of a contemporary artist taking on a subject long associated with the history of Christian art. The subject’s focus is human frailty, specifically the sins of pride, envy, anger, greed, sloth, gluttony, and lust, codified as the seven deadly sins in the writings of the late thirteenth-century Dominican, Saint Thomas Aquinas." The exhibit runs through august 30th. Learn more here.

Spring is here!!

2009-05-02T03:47:00.002+02:00

The grass is green, the birds are chirping and the heat hasn't come on in four days!! It was a long winter.

4th Annual Chocolate March

2009-03-02T00:52:00.003+01:00

Ok folks, the time has come for LimeRock Inn and The Historic Inns of Rockland's 4th Annual Chocolate March. This year's event will be the best yet! We've added about 20 chocolate samplings and demonstrations throughout town which includes tours of the inns. It's more chocolate than you could ever want. All Aboard Trolley will be providing continuous service throughout the day so even if the weather is uncooperative you can still get around. We are offering two day packages that include all kinds of goodies. Click here for all the details on the fun filled day of chocolate!!!

Winter Sunset

2009-03-02T00:50:00.004+01:00

Well, it has been a snowy winter here in Maine. There are times when it feels like spring is a million years away. Then there are days such as this one when you're driving and see the most beautiful sunset. There's something about that sun setting on a snow covered winter evening that is truly beautiful!!

Frank on TV....again!

2009-01-13T01:44:00.003+01:00

Today, Frank went down to Portland to do a cooking segment taping for the WCSH6 show "207". It's a daily news magazine that focuses on all things Maine. Frank has been on before demonstrating how to make gingerbread houses and was invited down again to demonstrate how to make his Key LimeRock Pie. The segment will also help promote this years Pies on Parade event that takes place on the 25th.

On on interesting side note, while Frank was on the way down to Portland, he got a call from the local NBC news reporter for some quotes on the Cruise Ship industry here in Rockland. Frank is the chamber cruise committee chairman and he was featured in a story on this evening's news. Since Frank was already in the Portland news station, they just interviewed him there. Leave it to Frank!

Pies on Parade 2009!!

2009-01-05T23:51:00.003+01:00

We can't believe it is 2009 already! What a great year 2008 was. We have already begun planning for our 5th annual Pies on Parade event. It will take place from 1 - 4 pm on January 25th. The most exciting part is that for the first time, we have partnered with 6 restaurants downtown to also participate in the event. That will bring the total number of venues serving pie to 10!! Each venue will be serving sweet & savory pies and many of the restaurant chefs will be onhand to discuss their techniques. We've also partnered with the All Aboard Trolley Company to do a continous loop throughout the day and take people around.
This year will also mark a milestone for our group. We will have donated more than $10,000 to the Area Interfaith Outreach Food Pantry. In an economy like this, there is a greater need than ever! If you want to read more about the event, please click here. We still have several rooms left at LimeRock Inn for the event.

Home Sweet Home! Snow White Snow!

2008-12-24T02:38:00.003+01:00

Wow! It's hard to believe we've been gone for almost three weeks. It's also hard to believe we have not updated the blog since Mason, OH.

Well, we drove eight hours to Rochester, NY after leaving Mason on Saturday morning. As luck would have it, we managed to slip our travel into the one pocket of mild conditions. Rochester has about a foot and a half of snow Friday night with another 4 to 6 inches of "lake effect". Apparently, lake effect does not count in Rochester, but trust me, shoveling another six inches on top of the other stuff in that small back yard at Louie's was quite interesting.

My "favorite" sister-in-law, Jamie, made beef stew for dinner. As soon as we walked in the house, what a yummy scent to welcome us. It was also interesting arriving with only Louie and Jamie at home as Tim didn't arrive until yesterday and Nick got home this afternoon after we were gone. It's amazing how quiet the house can be when they are not around.

On Sunday, we slept in and had bagels, again, yum. Before we knew it, it was time to leave to go to Webster to meet Uncle Don and Aunt Linda (PJ's mom's sister and husband) for a visit and dinner. Aunt Linda made yummy Chicken Cacciatore, and we got to visit with PJ's cousin, Patty too. She just graduated from Robert Wesleyan College this weekend with a Masters in Education. Well, it's good to know someone got the smarts in PJ's family, ha ha.

Don and Linda's house is beautiful. It is located on a bluff overlooking Irondequoit Bay AND Lake Ontario. Lots of window and a fire place made it both open and homey. It was a wonderful visit, and PJ will see them again in Tuscon in January for Nanny's 90th birthday celebration.

So, what a surprise, we slept in Monday morning too, but yet there was more snow to shovel and no time to waste as Tim was flying up from JFK Airport and arriving at 11am. Louie and I jumped in the Mercedes to pick him up. At first, we thought it was all the snow that made the car steer funny. As it turns out, it was the flat tire I apparently had that made the car drive funny.

Louie and Jamie have a wonderful mechanic. Anyone in Rochester look up Sam LoVitro. He's awesome. Jamie called ahead; he pulled my car right in the garage; and I was ready to go in less than 30 minutes. Turns out, we picked up a nail or something, but Louie and Tim were home shortly after me. Then, it was off to Len and Carolyn's in Penfield for lunch.

Len used to work with Louie at Xerox, and he and Carolyn have visited LimeRock Inn on a few occasions. Len has had some health issues this year, but it was great to see him up and about (and even a few pounds lighter). Wish I could say the same for PJ and me. Oh well, lunch was great and we talked for hours and managed to solve most of the problems of the world if only others would listen.

After returning to Rochester, we dropped off Louie and headed to Craft Company #6 on University Ave. This place is awesome. It's an old firehouse converted into a residence and gallery space. The owners then turned the whole thing into a neat store highlighting local and regional artists as well as a whole bunch of other fun stuff. It is a must see if you go to Rochester.

So, it was an early night last night to ensure our awakening at 7am to get on the road. Unfortunately, we had to postpone our visit to New Haven to see Uncle Frank and Xandi as the weather and early arriving guests have summoned us home. But I have to say, it was a great drive and a beautiful clear day. That is not the forecasted weather for tomorrow.

I speak for the both of us when I say a very "heartfelt thanks" to everyone for a wonderful vacation and visit over the last 20 days. After pulling in the driveway, I can report that we clocked over 3,800 miles in those 20 days and covered every state east of the Mississippi except VT, DE, FL and KY. Oddly enough, our trip consisted of a giant circle around the state of Kentucky. Let me just go on the record to say that there's nothing wrong with Kentucky. Well just have to get there another time. Maybe the derby.....hmmmm

Mason, OH

2008-12-20T16:30:00.003+01:00

This will be a short post as we are getting ready to head out for Rochester, NY. We had a wonderful two days here in Mason visiting the Kraatz clan. Yesterday, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Rich brought us to The National Air Force Museum in Dayton. You can't believe the number of planes they had here. Afterwards, we met Matt and Katie at an Ohio food institution, Gold Star Chili. I had no idea that chili was so big in Ohio. We had chili and coneys which are small hot dogs with chili and cheese. Yum!
Last night, we went to a local farm called Niedermans which is a Kraatz family tradition. This farm does a large holiday light display every year. As Frank put it, it was the midwestern version of the licve nativity we saw in Italy last year. At the end of the light display you enter a large barn where they serve hot chocolate and cookies and local church choirs perform christmas carols. It was all very Norman Rockwell!! Then it was back to the house for pigs in a blanket and crazy gin. A good time was had by all. You can check out some picture here.

In the land of Lincoln

2008-12-18T06:30:00.003+01:00

Today was day two of our jaunt in Springfield. After breakfast, we went over and to the Gustafsons and Terri took us to the Abraham Lincoln museum. Most everything in Springfield has some sort of connection to Lincoln. It really is a beautiful museum and we highly recommend it as a stop to anyone passing through the area. Of course, I almost got kicked out for taking a picture of Lincoln's stovepipe hat. You're not allowed to take any pictures in the exhibit areas. I though I was being sneaky by waiting until no one was around and turining the flash off but apparently there are hidden cameras all over the place. Shortly after taking the picture a security guard tracked me down and me delete the offending shot (deja vu Christa?) We went to a great little restaurant and met Tom for lunch and then came back to the hotel to relax a bit.
We had venison for dinner at the Gustafsons. Tom is an avid bow hunter and has tons of meat, in fact a whole freezer full in the basement. Everything was delicious even though I don't normally care for venison.
Afterwards, we went to the middle Gustafson sons, Will, basketball game. Dad Tom is the coach. They creamed the other team and we were very impressed not only with Will's ability but with Tom's coaching. After the game, it was back to the house for one more lemoncello martini and then back to the hotel for the evening. Check out some photos of our day here. Tomorrow, we head for Mason Ohio and the Kraatz family. It's been four years since we've seen them and we are very excited. We're getting out of dodge just in time too as an ice storm is making it's way into town. Until later.....

P.S. - Had to take a shot of the R2-D2 mailbox. How cool is that!!

Find the Frank!

2008-12-17T15:48:00.004+01:00

So after a blissful night's sleep and a hearty buffet breakfast, we moved on from Cape Girardeau (also found out this is the hometown of Rush Linbaugh, ugh). Although overcast, we thought the storm of the previous night was behind us, or well, past us anyway. After an hour and a half drive, we pulled into the parking garage in St Louis.
Not really surprising, it was a pretty slow day at the arch. We were able to walk into the museum area and get right on a tram. Can we talk about that for a second. Let's just say, you better not be claustrophobic if you want to get to the top of the arch. Check out the pictures. We road together in a tram car (the size of a commercial dryer bin) with five seats. Where the other three people were supposed to sit is hard to figure out. Again, even if you aren't claustrophobic in general I would think that five people in a tumble dryer might put you over the edge.
The observation deck is really neat. On a clear day, they say you can see for 30 miles. We were not so lucky, but we still got to see about 3 miles or so. It's really an amazing structure.
Upon coming down, we hit the museum and the two shops; bought some souveniers; and headed back up above ground. The picture in today's blog is of me and the arch. Yes, if you look closely for a white speck in the lawn area, that's me. Onto the courthouse which was beautifully restored, it was full of information about St Louis' history, who knew?
By now, we were hungry. So we stopped in the Hyatt for some lunch and headed toward Springfield. Well, we started to, but much to our dismay, Heidi (MB Navigation) and TomTom actually had their first fight. Only the two of us would bother to run both systems at the same time and then get ticked off when they give conflicting information, so we don't know which way to go. I felt like Chevy Chase in the original Vacation movie. We finally figured it out and off we went.
Well, what should have been an hour and a half turned into much longer because once again Mother Nature felt compelled to dump freezing rain on us. Although Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel assured us the front had moved on, apparently it had not. FYI, I'm coming back as a weatherman in my next life. There's no other job where you can be so wrong, so often and still have a job.
Anyway, the car handles the bad weather really well. I don't regret not having all wheel drive. Our biggest problem was the freezing rain was so pervasive that we could never get the windshield clear above the halfway point. We went through three gallons of washer fluid in about 50 miles. Ugh.
The good news is we arrived safely at the hotel; had a chance to relax; and then went to see the Gustafsons. It was great to see them and see their house (kids and dogs too). Tom mixes a mean cocktail, so Terry was nice enough to drive us in the Gus Bus to pick up Aunt Evelyn for dinner. Saputos is a great italian restaurant right downtown. Dinner was wonderful and the conversation lively. After yummy desserts, we headed back to the house and hotel for a good night's sleep.
Today, we see the Land of Lincoln. More about that later........

ELVIS ROCKS!

2008-12-16T05:10:00.004+01:00

Yes folks. We made our pilgrimage to Graceland today. Well, it started last night. Sunday was great. We slept in at Barbara's; were couch potatoes most of the day; went to Barbara Panuska's (oops, Bender's) house for dinner and chatted with Claire Bear there too. There could not have been a better way to end our visit to Gwinnett County. Mrs. Bender made great chili; the conversation was lively and fun; and the photo album, ugh, let's just hope Claire looses it somewhere soon.

We left Summit Chase around 9:30pm after deciding to drive part way to Memphis. It mostly worked out great. TomTom and Heidi (the car navigation system) had a disagreement about how to get to I-20. After a time out, they made up and we were on our way. The drive was about 4 hours to Jasper, AL. We stayed in a Hampton Inn.

The trip (mostly on I-20) was uneventful. After getting off the interstate onto US-78, we decided to stop for bathroom and beverage break (smoke break for PJ too). Imagine my surprise when I came out of the truck stop to find he had made friends with someone. Only after a moment did I realize it was a crazy street person pan handling for money. Well, we got away quietly. By the way, bingo and fireworks are all the rage in Alabama although most of the places we drove by seemed empty. Perhaps, people take Sunday nights off.

So after a good night's sleep, we enjoyed our "breakfast" at Hampton Inn. Let's just say I am not worried about losing business to this chain. Not sure what the eggs are, but the sausage and biscuits passed the edible test. By 9:30am, we were on our way.

The pilgrimage would not have been complete driving through Tupelo, MS without stopping at the birthplace of the King. I was there about 30 years ago with Jay Cook and his family on a trip to see his grandparents. Let's just say it has changed some since that time.

Onto Memphis where we emerged at Graceland to start our tour after an energizing fried lunch at Captain D's Seafood. Yummy hush puppies and sweet tea. Gosh, am I easy to please or what?

Well, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Graceland was great! The King would be proud to see how well his surroundings are being taken care of. After departing the King's compound, it was still only 3:30pm, so we decided to put some more miles behind us. Rather than staying in Memphis, we thought we'd go all the way to St Louis (so we thought). Can you say, "30 degree temperature change in one day coupled with freezing rain, sleet and snow."? Let's just say we got most of the way to St Louis, but opted out at Cape Girardeau, MO about 100 miles south along the Mississippi River.

You may have heard of it since most of it was underwater the last time the river flooded. The Drury Motel has turned out not to be dreary. We have a nice room; we checked in around 5:30pm; and enjoyed a complementary cocktail in the bar before deciding to go to a movie. We saw "Four Christmases" with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughan. It is short, but had some quite funny spots to it. All in all, it's been an awesome day.

So now we are back in our room; out of the cold and bad road conditions; and it appears that the storm will be over by morning as to not dampen our trip to the Arch in St Louis followed by a visit with Tom and Terry in Springfield, IL. The home and birthplace of Abe Lincoln (the first republican president I might add). Good night everyone..........

Days 8 & 9

2008-12-14T04:59:00.002+01:00

It's hard to believe that we've been gone for a week already. It's taken us this long to just decompress from the busy season running the inn and all the holiday activities in Rockland over Thanksgiving (ie Festival of Lights) weekend. I have to say that we miss everyone, our puppies and the inn, but it's been 60 degrees here and quite comfortable. That's hard to beat when it's snow and freezing rain at home.

After a week of some crazy running around, yesterday (Friday) and today have been pretty mild. But before I forget, here's the link to my gingerbread house creation for 2008. It was featured in a local newspaper article, so I am quite proud. Also, for the first time ever, I created an atrium completely out of molded hard sugar candy. I dreaded this part of the process, but it turned out to be easy.

Anyway, we slept in on Friday and this morning which was very nice. Barbara had some shopping to do, so late Friday morning we ventured out to the shops in Snellville. Much to our dismay, the selections were not up to par. So, we decided to head to the new Stonecrest Mall in Conyers. Ugh, has this area changed a lot.

PJ bought new sneakers and several nutcrackers. Barbara bought a new 20 quart pot to make sauce. All in all, it was a successful trip. One good thing about all the changes in ATL is the improved restaurant scene. Dinner on Friday night was at Cosmo's Little Italy Pizzeria on the square in Lawrenceville. Who knew? Real italians from Bari running a restaurant in Gwinnett County. I remember having to travel 20 plus miles into the city just to go to Camille's in the Highlands. Things have changed.

Bill, Gina and Beth met us there and the place was packed. Of course two hours and two pizzas later, we were closing the place down. It was nice to get back to Barbara's at a decent hour. Once again, Beth has done a terrific job on our holiday cards. We spent about two hours last night applying address labels, return address labels and stamps for 700 plus cards, ugh. The good news is that you should receive yours soon. PJ has started stuffing as I write.

So today was all about the family. We went to my brother Paul's house in Dacula around 1pm. We hung out with brothers, sister and cousin Julianne too. Nicole, Louise, Joe and Joel were there too. There was lots of laughing (mostly from watching everyone play Wii bowling, golf and tennis). Then, I forgot to mention Barbara made sauce, meatballs and sausage old school style with the new pot. Along with six pounds of pasta, there was enough to feed an army. Luckily, we amount to one.

So, we are back at Barbara's now. We have slightly modified our itinerary tomorrow. After dinner at Barbara Bender's house, PJ and I are heading west. Our goal is to get as far as possible to accomodate a special desitination (maybe two) on Monday. More about that later. Tune in to find out........

Days 6 & 7

2008-12-12T05:23:00.006+01:00

Yesterday was spent dirivng through rain and fog to Barbara's in Atlanta. Not much exciting to report although we made decent time. It was nice to arrive at Barbara's and have a delicious home cooked meal awaiting us. We got a wonderful nights sleep as well. Today, we picked up Marty and went into downtown Atlanta for some shopping. We went to the Exibition center to see Bodies: The Exhibition. this was the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen. From their website:

To help you see what a body really looks like on the inside, this Exhibition uses real human bodies that have been preserved so they do not decay.A human specimen is first preserved according to standard mortuary science. The specimen is then dissected to show whatever it is that someone wants to display. Once dissected, the specimen is immersed in acetone, which eliminates all body water. The specimen is then placed in a large bath of silicone, or polymer, and sealed in a vacuum chamber. Under vacuum, acetone leaves the body in the form of gas and the polymer replaces it, entering each cell and body tissue. A catalyst is then applied to the specimen, hardening it and completing the process.This method of preservation creates a specimen that will not decay. This offers thousands of unique teaching possibilities for educators at all levels, including medical professionals, archeologistsand other scientists.

You really have to see this to believe it. Not neccesarily for the faint of heart. We then met Becky and Kean for dinner. We ate at a wonderful Italian restuarant called de Paolo's that is consistently voted the best Italian restuarant in all of Atlanta. We are now back at Barbara's playing with the puppies and getting ready for bed.

One last thing. Just before we got home, we encountered an SUV that had a lighted wire frame lawn reindeer strapped to the front. It was one of those motion ones where the head swivels back and forth. It was absolutely hysterical!!

Day 5

2008-12-10T06:02:00.003+01:00

Well, it's now 12:07 am and we are settled in at the Beautiful (uugh!) Days Inn in Winchester, VA. Today was quite a busy day. We had yummy scramble scramble and bacon prepared by Karen for breakfast and then took a tour of the property with Jessica. She was getting a little randy by lunchtime so we took the cue to continue our journey. We took a short drive to Lancaster, PA and met one of our favorite guests, Donna, for lunch. It was really great to see her and also a little odd to see her on her home turf. I've decided that I can not partake in any more buffets on this trip or I will weigh 400 pounds!!

After lunch, we took a two hour drive to Osterberg, PA to meet Frank's friends Wayne and Renee and their 3 kids. We all went to dinner at the Jean Bonnet Tavern (pronounce like Jean Benet Ramsey oddly enough) This was a neat old tavern and B&B built in 1762. Apparently it is haunted and interestingly enough, there was a camera crew for the History Channel there to film a segment on haunted inns. We'll have to keep an eye out for that one. We had a really nice dinner and are very tired now so I am going to end this post. Tomorrow is lunch with Frank's nephew Alex who lives here in Winchester. Then, it's a 10 hour drive to Snellville, GA where Everybody is Somebody (yes, that is the town motto). Check out some photos here.

Days 2, 3 & 4

2008-12-09T03:38:00.003+01:00

Wow, this is a lot of ground to cover. We awoke Saturday morning to the sound of bull horns on boats in the East River as Tim's apartment is just off the Brooklyn Promenade (great view if you lean out the window, ha ha). Breakfast at Clark's Diner (I ordered "The Big Breakfast", yum), then off we went.

If the previous night's adventure was not enough (did PJ tell you about my ignoring both our GPS systems and got us lost?), we needed to get gas almost immediately after getting in the car. Tim assured me there was a gas station on Atlantic Ave just before getting on the BQE. Yes, it was there with fencing and all as they were replacing the tanks. Wanting to check the accuracy of the Mercedes Benz trip computer (it said I had 50 miles to empty), I decided to rough it and off we went through Bay Ridge across the Verazzano Bridge through Staten Island across the Goethals Bridge into Elizabeth NJ. By the time we got to my favorite old Hess Gas Station, I had a mere 5 miles left to empty. Yeah, we made it!

Before meeting Eric and Kristin for lunch, we took a drive down memory lane through Long Hill Township (where we met) to see my old house and PJ's childhood house. Nothing much ever seems to change in NJ except higher taxes. Well, the house was painted a different color; the neighbor across the street was still working on a second story addition (6 years later, Jen!), but it was still good to see.

Lunch with Eric and Kristin was great! Eric looks great too (he said we should say we saw "the best looking guy in Hillsborough"). He may have been the best looking guy at our table, but that's not saying much with me and PJ being the others. It was fun to catch up on his improvements and reminisce about good times past. Kristin has her own GPS story, but it's not my place to tell tales (ask her to tell you cuz it's really funny).

After lunch, we stopped by our old house in Tewksbury (Califon), and it looked good too. It's for sale down in price to $549,000. Wow, the real estate market has really tanked in NJ. It was a fun drive from there to the Waldsteins in Henryville. We arrived at the start of their "adult party" with children attending. What does that mean, you ask? It means six couples getting drunk with ten screaming kids wreaking havoc on the house. Actually, the kids were well behaved. The parents got a little crazy, ha ha. Well, after a fun night it was off to bed at midnight.

Sunday morning was reminiscent of times past with the Sunday paper and good bagels with a schmear. Oh yea, there were two kids jumping about, but it was still fun. We got on the road before 11am to meet Scott and Michael for lunch in Plymouth Meeting (outside Philly). Much to my delight, there was a California Pizza Kitchen restaurant there, so it was Thai Chicken Pizza for me, yum! We shopped the mall a bit. PJ found three nutcrackers in Boscov's, but I can't complain because they were 60% off. He's becoming quite a good shopper.

After that, it was off to see the Hall's of Honey Brook, PA. We arrived at the tail end of Jessica's 2nd birthday party, so we go to see some old friends too. Mostly though, we sat around and drank until about midnight and slept until 8:30 this morning. Fortunately, hangovers were at a minimum. But we did have a lazy morning drinking coffee around the kitchen table watching Karen slave over the stove making swedish pancakes, again yum! Finally, we got showered and out for the day around 1pm after grilled cheese sandwiches. Karen and Kyle live in the heart of Amish Country. You know Intercourse and Blue Ball. While these things seem to be opposites to me, they are also the names of two towns in Lancaster County.

It was fun to see the horse and buggys too. Even more funny to see the hitching posts for the horses in parking lots for the bank and Walmart, etc. It's a different world here. We did a little more shopping as that seems to be the Amish country pass time. Then it was home for a nap (for me) and PJ convinced Karen to create a Facebook acccount. We may never get her off the computer. Finally, dinner tonight was at the Shady Maple Smorgasbord. OMG, this makes any buffet you've seen before seem weak (even Millers, you Mainers). We are talking about over 100 feet of buffet lines (two sided even!). Ugh, I am stuffed; I am tired; so it's off to bed. More later............ Check out some pictures of Jessica here.

Day 1 of our Road Trip

2008-12-06T06:35:00.003+01:00

Today was the first day of our road trip. Since we weren't on a time crunch, we decided to take the ferry from New London, CT to Orient Point, NY. It was a beautiful ferry ride. Click here to check out some of the photos. We met Tim & Madlyn for dinner and then went to another spot for dessert. Tomorrow, we have lunch with Scott and Michael and then off to Henryville, PA for the evening with Christine, Eric and the girls. I would've been more witty in this post but it has been a VERY long day and it's almost one in the morning. I'll get the creative juices flowing for the next post. Thanks again to the Minders and Galkowski's for keeping an eye on the inn while we are gone. We know if is in good hands!!!

Frank interviewed on WCSH6

2008-11-26T01:05:00.003+01:00

Last week, our local NBC affiliate, WCSH6, ran a report on money saving tips and asked viewers for suggestions on other tips. Well, of course Frank sent an email to the television station and got a response from the on air newscaster, Cindy Williams. He discussed the purchase of our new television and how we were able to get a great deal on it by doing our research. Frank & Cindy emailed back and forth and she invited us down to the studio in Portland to be interviewed for an upcoming segment.

Despite the horrible weather (incredible wind and torrential rain) we made the trek down to Portland to the TV studio. It was a fun experience. Cindy could not have been lovlier! By the way, this was also an excuse for us to hit Christmas Tree Shops!! We trudged our way back up to LimeRock Inn in Rockland and came to home to two very excited dogs. They are not used to us being gone all day. We will let you know when the segment airs.

We won an award!

2008-11-13T19:48:00.006+01:00

Last night was the monthy business after hours for the Penobscot Regional Chamber of Commerce. It's a chance for chamber members to get together to network and catch up with each other. This month it was hosted jointly by Kno-Wal Lin and Penquis CAP. Penquis CAP is the local community action program that assists people in need through all types of programs including fuel assistance, victim service, health & housing. Last year, Frank and I (mostly Frank) helped organize a fundraiser for the Keep ME Warm fuel assistance fund. Well, last night we were presented with the Above & Beyond Award from Penquis CAP for our efforts. We had no idea this was happening and we were very honored to receive it. Click here to learn more about what Penquis CAP does.

Sunrise in Rockland, Maine

2008-10-16T21:53:00.002+02:00

Ok, so I didn't actually get to see the sun rise because I had to get back to LimeRock Inn to take care of the dogs and serve breakfast. But....I did get some beautiful shots of the pre-sunrise light over beautiful Penobscot Bay and Rockland Harbor. Check out some pictures here.

Foreign Auto Festival at the Owls Head Transportation Museum

2008-10-12T22:51:00.002+02:00

This weekend, the Owls Head Transportation Museum hosted their Foreign Auto Festival. More than 150 antique automobiles from around the world showed up today. It was also a beautiful day to watch the antique plane show at the museum. Click here to see some picture of classic foreign cars.

Penobscot Island Air

2008-10-08T23:16:00.003+02:00

Two years ago, a wonderful guest of our from Lancaster PA named Donna invited me to go along with her on a plane ride over Penobscot Bay. There were several lighthouses that she wanted to see that could only be viewed by boat or by plane. Since it was winter, a boat was out of the question so she chartered a flight with Penobscot Island Air. The offer scenic plane rides in the area. Last year, Frank and I won a plane rider for four at our local chamber auction and since Donna was visiting again, we decided to return the favor and take her with us. Our neighbor Bill also came along for the ride. The fall leaves are at their peak right now and it was a beautiful warm autum day here in Rockland. We took in several sights during the plane ride including flying over Wolsgrover Island, which is owned by our neighbors Lucy & Bill. The highlight of the trip was a flyby of the LimeRock Inn! It is amazing how different everything looks from up above. We had a wonderful trip although I find the older I get, the less tolerance I have sharp banking in small aircraft!! Enjoy the pictures here.

Fall Weddings in Rockland Maine

2008-10-02T20:38:00.002+02:00

Yesterday, guests of ours got Married at Birch Point State Park. They were a very nice couple from Ohio. At LimeRock Inn, we have a small wedding, elopement package that includes lodging, wedding cake, the bouquet, boutinierre, cake topper, champagne reception and a wedding officiant. I also photograph the entire ceremony and put the photos on a CD for the couple. We have done several in the past in our backyard gazebo. This one took place right on the rocks at the beach. You can check out the details of the package here.

Although the weather was uncooperative most of the day, we got a small break right during the ceremony. Even on cloudy days, the coast of Maine is just beautiful. We are nearing peak for our falls colors and the gray of the sky brought our the reds and oranges of the leaves even more.

LimeRock Inn Featured on Maine Watch

2008-09-18T21:44:00.003+02:00

Recently, LimeRock Inn was featured in a segment of Maine Watch with Jennifer Rooks. The program focused on Eco-tourism and discussed our efforts to help sustain the environment. you can view the program by clicking here. Enjoy!

Dahlia's, Dahlia's and more Dahlia's

2008-09-13T23:47:00.002+02:00

Today, I went with our neighbors, Lucy & Bill, and Frank's sister, Barbara, to Endless Summer Farm in Camden. They specialize in Dahlias with over 2000 plants and 250 varieties. It is a sight to behold. This was an investigative trip in preparation for the dahlia garden we will be planting next spring. Some of the plants were 10 feet tall. Check out some photos here.

You can also check out the Endless Summer Flower Farm website here.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

2008-07-16T02:48:00.003+02:00

Frank and I were able to sneak out to see one of Midcoast Maine's most beautiful new attractions. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is located on 248 waterfront acres in Boothbay. It's a wonderfull day trip from Rockland. The gardens feature a staggering variety of perennials, native wildflowers and beautiful stonework.

We had a beautiful day to walk the grounds and enjoy the gardens. Click the link below to view my web album. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/CoastalMaineBotanicalGardens

2008 Parade of Sails

2008-07-14T01:21:00.003+02:00

Not many know this but Rockland, Maine is home to the largest fleet of historic schooners in the country. They all offer either multi-night sails or day sails. This past friday marked the annual Parade of Sails where the local fleet, as well as schooners from other parts of the coast, converge upon Rockland harbor for all to see. Myself (and upwards of 500 others) took the 7/8 mile walk out to the Breakwater lighthouse in the middle of our harbor to enjoy the show. Please click the following link to see the photos. The photo in the post is of the Victory Chimes, a three masted schooner that is depicted on the Maine state quarter! Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/ParadeOfSails2008

Stardate, Saturday, December 29, 2007. We're home :(

2007-12-29T23:11:00.000+01:00

When we left off, I was sitting in the airport in Rome trying to find an internet connection. Imagine my dismay when they announced a gate change for our flight, and PJ was no where to be found having gone in search of a network cable. Well, it all worked out. Different gate, but same terminal, so it was just a short walk.

We boarded, and it was off to Zurich. By the way, no pictures, but the Swiss Alps are beautiful. We encountered the Italian Alps first, and they were impressive. Then off the other side of the plane, we saw the others. Wow, are they tall. It felt like we needed to go up higher in the plane for fear of skidding on the peak of one as we flew over.

It was foggy in Zurich, so we didn't get to see anything. Oh yea, 45 minutes to change terminals for the connecting flight didn't help either. Sorry, no new watch for Frank. We didn't even get to see the Miss either, but there was plenty of chocolate on the plane. Kudos to our friend Christina Ferrara in Rignano as she was right about Swiss Air. The service was great and our luggage arrived with us. Dare to dream.......

Eight hours on the plane, and neither of us was able to sleep. Fortunately, a couple of complimentary cocktails at least relaxed us; the food was good; and there was plenty to do watch on TV with individual monitors at each seat. Check out the openning picture as we flew over Maine. Yes, they pointed out Rockland.

At that point, PJ suggested parachuting out of the plane to save us the three hour drive home from Boston, and we are used to arriving somewhere without our luggage. I guess I just need to let this go. Anyway, it was disturbing to learn that it's only 25 minutes by 757 at 40,000 feet from Rockland to Boston. Oh well. Customs was a breeze in Boston, and we ended up waiting longer for the shuttle to parking. All in all, it was a textbook return. We walked in the cottage shortly after midnight.

PJ woke up at 6:30am. Yeah, I'm surprised too. I slept until 10am. PJ's parents arrived around 12:30pm with "the boys", Chance and Rascal. It's great to be back in our house with the puppies. They are happy too although Chance is somewhat out of sorts because PJ subjected him to a bath. Lunch at the Black Bull Tavern, and it feels like home again. Dinner tonight at In Good Company in the good company of Lucy and Bill.

Our guests have checked in and seem nice. A trip to Hannaford for supplies, and I am ready for breakfast in the morning. Well, at least all the ingredients are here. My heart may still be in Italy. Ciao to all. Buon Anno Nuovo! Happy New Year.

Our last day....

2007-12-29T06:17:00.000+01:00

It’s Friday around 1pm, and we are VERY sad. I am sitting at the gate in the airport (PJ found a smoking lounge) in Rome, and we don’t want to go home. Adrianna packed us a wonderful lunch including Roman pizza and panini con prochiutto and fromaggio. I am sure they taste good, but will do nothing to cure the bittersweet sadness of leaving Italy.

Yesterday was great. We woke up early (for once) around 7am. Took breakfast downstairs and off to the train station for the hour commute to Rome. We could not come here and not go to Vatican City. After a short subway ride, we returned to the streets to find the entrance to the Vatican Museums.

What a surprise. A combination of tourists and Italian nationals, but the line was VERY long. The entrance opens at 10am, but people start lining up around 8:30am. Despite being long, we only waited for 1½ hours to enter . As always, check out the photos cuz they tell the story better than I can. We spent about 1½ hours in the museum finishing with the Sistine Chapel. Despite fear of arrest, PJ even managed to take a couple of photos in the Chapel without the flash. This relegates him only to purgatory for a few years, not directly to hell.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/VaticanCity

After departing, we walked back to Piazza San Pietro for a few more outside photos before heaving for Piazza Navona. There is a national Italian lottery drawing on January 6th that pays five million euros. Lucia told me the lucky tickets come from here, so we found a place and bought one. Of course, that means I have to come back in January to pick up my prize. Oh well.

We headed back to the main shopping area (Via del Corso) to pick up some regali (means presents – Italian word of the day). Lots of people, tourist and otherwise. Turns out that the day after Christmas is also considered part of the holiday, but the day after is like in America. People are out shopping for bargains and returning unwanted gifts. What a surprise.

After success, we headed back to Piazza del Popolo to the train station for the hour ride home. The train was crowded at first, but as we left Rome center, there were more seats. PJ slept (what a surprise). I called Lucia to let her know when to expect us. Of course, she was waiting at the station with the car. Not necessary for us to walk (well, actually, as fat as we are it would have been a good idea.

When we returned, it was more sleep for PJ and internet updates for me. We have had very good fortune with the weather here and for travel. After, I went down to the kitchen to hang out with Zio Mario. Like us, he was feeling sad and asked us to stay longer. It was very nice because he asked me to sit with him by the fire, and we talked about everything and nothing. What it was like to be a kid in Italy during WW II. It was tough for Italians because they started out (well, what we would say) on the wrong side.

He talked about encounters with the Italian and German soldiers, and finally the relief from the Americans. He called it Fromaggio giallo, but that means yellow cheese, or as we call it, American Cheese. Made me want a grilled cheese and tomato soup, my favorite as a kid.

Soon it was time for dinner. Romano, Lucia, Rodolfo, Chiara, Zia e Zio plus the cousins, Argante and Sylvia. We had a blast. We talked a lot. Drank a lot of good wine. Romano has quite a collection. And simply enjoyed eachothers company with a little Italian and English. At one point, PJ remembered that we had the DVD from “If Walls Could Talk”. So, we subjected them to 30 minutes of purgatory watching me and PJ on TV. We laughed, but soon it was time to head to bed. Our last night in Rignano.

We slept well, and I woke early to start packing. It was not necessary because everything fit easily. We didn’t buy too much or bring too much. Zia Laura came over to say good-bye while we were having breakfast. Then, it was time to bring the bags down and go.

Oops, I forgot to mention that Vincenzo and Christina came by last night and brought a present for us. A beautiful hand painted Italian plate full of candy. Yea, for us. They also brought their photocard, so we could show you pictures from pizza dinner last Saturday. Two meters of pizza on the table for 12 of us. YUM! They are great friends, and we hope they can come to Maine soon.

Lucia drove us to the airport; was nice enough to see us through check-in and a final cigarette for PJ; then we said good-bye as I do for now. Ciao Italia!

UPDATE: Ok, we just got home and it's 12:19 rockland time and 6:19 the next day Rome time, we are very tired as neither of us slept on the plane. We will do one more post tomorrow!!

It keeps getting better........ but tomorrow is our last day :(

2007-12-27T17:11:00.000+01:00

Wow! We survived Natale. It’s hard to believe that it’s the day after. We slept until almost 10:30am. The big surprise when we arrived downstairs was Lucia and her family were still asleep. What a great night.

Wish we could say the same about the weather today. No complaints from me as their idea of rain and ours is substantially different. But I have to say, today was the first day I felt cold outside. The temperature barely made it into the 40’s, and with high humidity, you definitely felt a chill.

We hung out with Zia Adrianna and Zio Mario in the morning. Zia was nice enough to take us into town to see the square of Rignano and also see Zia Maria’s apartment. Zia Maria was Mario’s sister. She passed away in October. I told you about her last night.

Anyway, the apartment is cute and quite small. Living room, dining room and kitchen (all in one) along with a small bedroom and bath. Romano did a great job converting the space for her. He’s a great person.

When we returned, Lucia was awake and reported that Romano was at work; Rodolfo was out with friends; and Chiara was feeling sick. Ugh! We took some time to get caught up on emails and blogs and spent some time alone in our rooms. Before I knew it, it was time for lunch.

After lunch, Lucia graciously volunteered to be our tour guide on a trip to Vitterbo, the largest city in northern Lazio (the state where Rome and Rignano are located). It’s an awesome medieval town whose origins lie with the Etruscans (who the heck are they). I don’t have a clue, but apparently PJ studied them in Art History in college. Nice to know at least some of that tuition money went for good use.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/Vitterbo

Anyway, the oldest part of the town today is medieval (check out the pictures), but was built on Etruscan ruins that date back to Christ’s birth. They basically built caves or gallerias (Italian word of the day) in which to live and start a village. More on this later…….

I forgot to mention that before we arrived in town, Lucia drove us past an upscale resort that is built over natural hot springs (acqua caldo - a bonus word of the day). Not much to see unless you were willing to pay to go inside, but it was still interesting. She also pointed out a low lying area of water that was frequented by people who wanted the perceived benefits of the hot spring, but were unable/unwilling to pay the price. I thought that was quite funny, the idea of a bunch of strangers wrangling around in the mud. I digress……..

After we finished in Vitterbo, we returned to the car and headed home (or so we thought). She took us a different route, and I didn’t quite understand because it was already dark. There was really nothing to see, or was there…….

In fact, we found ourselves in a traffic snarl, and she pulled off and parked. I thought it was just traffic as this new road (like in the US) was smaller and brought us through every small town along the way. All of a sudden, we walked around the bend and found ourselves in Christmas paradise.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/Sulpi

In this town called Sutri (I think), there is Presepio (a live nativity) like you have never seen in your life. I can only say the pictures don’t remotely come close to capturing the beauty. The candlelight; the vignettes, everything was awe inspiring. The place is another Etruscan settlement carved out of lava. It was discovered during an earlier excavation of a Roman amphitheater that was built on top.

Every vignette was set in a galleria and represented how the Etruscans might have lived culminating to the live nativity at the end. Of course the Italians take their religion very seriously, so the three wise men had not yet shown up. But while we were there, we found shepherds in adoration. Not too shabby. The beauty of this cannot be expressed in words (you understand this idea is impossible for me), but it’s true.

Another 30 minutes, we returned home in time for dinner. Leftovers, but nothing to complain about. The food was great the first time and the second time too. After, we started talking about stuff, and Zio Mario asked if we were fans of Hillary Clinton.

Nice to know she’s as much a joke here as she is at home (Sorry friends, Louie, and Uncle Frank, who are democrats). If it’s any consolation, I like Obama. Does that count? Well, I also like Rudi too. Do they cancel each other out? OK, no politics, only Italy. Tomorrow, it’s off to Vatican City and Rome to enjoy our last day here. Ugh, I’m very sad now. Time to go to bed.

Buon Natale Tutti! Merry Christmas Everyone! By the way, we got behind on posts, so check out the previous entries back to Saturday for everything.

2007-12-26T12:56:00.000+01:00

A Merry Christmas it was! We slept until 10am; had a light breakfast; and it was off to the villa on the farm. Romano, Lucia’s husband, is a home builder and has been working on this house for about 10 years. He’s done most of the work himself. As he put it, it’s been like therapy (well, not his word) for him. The land which has been in the family for a long, long, long, long time is beautiful (see photos). By the way, Chiara made the nativity scene with panatone and the people from marzipan. Neat, right?

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/ChristmasDay

The house is awesome too. Four bedrooms, five baths (at least five as we stopped counting) in a traditional style from Tuscany. There is this HUGE room downstairs complete with a separate kitchen (Yes, even in Italy they have them). It stays warm enough here that broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce are always fresh. The meat we ate, chicken, beef and pork, were all fresh off the farm, quite literally. Well, except for the prosciutto (sp) and dried sausage which Argante had made previously along with the strawberry wine. It was good too, and by the way, when does he find time to go to work? I don't know.

We arrived around noon and the first round of eating commenced shortly after 1pm. The cast of characters extended to include Romano’s brother, Fabrizio and family, his sister, Natalina and his Mom, Nonna del Fina. We were 18 for early dinner and 24 for the later meal. That included the rest of Laura’s children Rosella and Frederico and there families, a long list of friends of Romano and Lucia.

Overall, it was a wonderful family day. We spoke to PJ’s parents and my family in GA. We miss this puppies, and I am afraid to say, a little home sick. It’s hard to be away for so long. Well, we have two full days left to go out and explore. We are going to make the most of it, so there’s more to come. Merry Christmas to everyone!

No fishheads, only fishes.........

2007-12-26T12:52:00.001+01:00

Well, as you can imagine we are a little tired. In anticipation of the night of 1,000 fishes, we decided to lay low for the day. Adrianna was nice enough to bring us to Torrita Tiberina, the very small town where this branch of the family is from. Only 900 people, it’s small, and like Calcata, it sits like a fort on a hill top.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/TorritaTiberina

We stopped at a local market to pick up some flowers to visit the tomb of Zia Maria, Mario’s sister that passed away this fall. I called her, Mani Magico or magic hands (and two day’s worth of Italian words of the day) because she was always doing something. Sewing, knitting, whatever, she could not sit still. She was the quiet one who never married. She lived in the house that she grew up in. In fact, she was the success story of Mom’s reconnection to the family.

Sidebar: When Mom retired, she wanted to research our family tree. When you come from immigrant families, it’s not easy since the records are not local. She went to my grandmother’s old address book and wrote a letter. She made 9 copies and mailed them to the last addresses she had for my great grandmother’s, Lisetta, siblings. Eventually, all but one were returned undeliverable. The last one went to Otttavio, Maria and Mario’s father and Lisetta’s younger brother. Zia Maria still lived in the house and kept the letter even though her dad was dead. She brought it to Rignano on her next visit. That’s where Patricia, the American girl from Rochester, NY, came into play. She met a guy from Rignano; fell in love; and stayed in Rignano to marry and raise her family. She translated the first letter from Mom which led to the reunion in 1996 and our reconnection to family once lost.

After Torrita, we returned to Rignano to visit the tomb of Mazio, Adrianna’s brother who passed away from a heart attack shortly after Mom and I were here for the first time back in 1996. He was a good guy who was full a life. Funny thing, his oldest son, Argante looks just like him. Argante was one of the many we spent the holiday with this year.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/ChristmasEve

That brings me to Christmas Eve dinner, and the night of 1,000 fishes. Well I exaggerate a little, but the Italian tradition is to eat only fish on Christmas Eve both as a sacrifice (the catholic part) and for good luck. Adrianna did not disappoint. There was enough to feed an army, and a small army we were. Our family plus Laura, Mazio’s widow, two of her children, Argante and Sylvia, Laura’s sister and her husband rounded out the number to 11 in Mario and Adrianna’s seemingly small apartment, but there was plenty of room. Good food, a friendly game or two of Bingo, then it was off to midnight mass for some, bed for others, and as it turned out, two hours more work for Adrianna, ugh. We went off to bed, so Santa or Babbo Natale could come.

What do Frank and Tom Cruise have in common??????

2007-12-26T12:43:00.000+01:00

How do you top a day returning to an era before Christ? You go to the village of Calcata about 20 minutes from Rignano. It’s medieval. Built on a mountain top, sheer cliffs surround ninety percent of the village. There is a castle like gate which serves as the only way in and out. Turns out that today, it’s an artists colony not unlike Monhegan Island near us on the coast of Maine.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/Calcata

Same idea too. The locals, artists, tolerate visitors and tourists because we bring the cash to buy the art. Turns out there are some very creative people who are also rather anti-social. After Calcata, it was off to Bacciano. By the way, our tour guide today is Virgilio. He’s Adrianna’s cousin who lived in Rochester, NY for a few years, so he has some English. Chiara and Lucia came along for the ride too.

There is a castle in Baccianno we toured. Check out the photos, it rocks! Literally, it’s made of rocks and sits on a bluff over looking a lake that’s a former volcano. Not too shabby. For those of you who appreciate the lighter side of the news like PJ, the castle’s recent claim to fame (if you can call it that) was hosting the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Well, at least I can say they have some good taste.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/bacciano

This was a relatively long day as there was a late start and a long time in the car. Dinner was just Adrianna, Mario and us. Then it was off to bed.

A day in Rome......

2007-12-26T12:33:00.000+01:00

After letting the streets of Rome kick our ass in the car, we decided to return on foot to gain back some “street credibility”. It worked. With Chiara along with us, we headed out after breakfast. Lucia was nice enough to take us to a train station closer to Rome. Although commuters use the local train line during the week, the weekend schedule is infrequent.

Anyway, we arrived at Stazione Flaminia which is just outside Piazza del Popolo. Chiara had some last minute shopping to do. We were content to be tourists. We walked down Via del Corso to the Statue Vittorio Emmanule on a horse. It’s significance (other than being huge) relates to the liberation of Italy during the war. He is immortalized in a HUGE bronze statue. Big enough that during construction, the crew of workers used to sit in the open belly of the horse to eat lunch to escape the hot sun.

After many steps, we continued on the street through with the Roman Forum (ancient Rome) below us on either side. Our next adventure was at the end, the Coliseum. Have you seen the movie Gladiator? Even if you are not a Russell Crowe fan, it’s worth it to watch and see the Coliseum digitally recreated. It’s even more awesome in person. Check out the pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/Roma

If anyone doubts the social, political, scientific and artistic credibility of the Italian people, just send them to meet to be set straight (so to speak). Better yet, send them here for a few days. So many things relating to our daily life are part of the landscape (literally) of Rome.

After the Coliseum, we walked back through the ancient Roman Forum. Building after building in ruin but clearly recognizable. Not bad considering they are over 2,000 years old. There is even a newer church built over the ruins of an earlier structure. The only thing remaining was a series of columns which turned out to be so well built, the church was built inside the columns as the builders of the church were unable to destroy the columns. Again, check out the pictures.

So finally, it was off to the Trevi Fountain which is a must if you plan to return to Italy. A few coins over your shoulder in the fountain are supposed to bring you good fortune to return as if all the great stuff isn’t enough to bring you back. After, we moved on to the Piazza di Spagna home of the Spanish steps. These two are located within what is considered modern Rome. And by modern, we mean only about 500 years old.

Via Condoit intersects Via del Corso and runs to Piazza di Spagna and is considered the “Fifth Avenue” of Rome. From Fendi to Bulgari, all the designers are represented. In fact, most had long lines to enter as there was only two shopping days left until Christmas. At 4:30pm, we met up with Chiara; walked back to the station; and took the train back as we had dinner plans with Christina and Vicenzo Ferrara.

Christina’s mom is Adiranna’s best friend from childhood. PJ and I know Christina and Vincenzo because they lived in NYC for three years. Vincenzo works for the government, and often, work overseas is necessary. I guess there is a long term benefit for his career too. Anyway pizza for dinner, what could be better?

Turns out, nothing could be better. According to PJ (me too), this was the best ever! The place is located about 20 minutes north of Rignano. We had to take two cars to get there, but it was worth it. Thin, but chewy, crust covered with all different ingredients as far as the eye can see. I’m not kidding. Each pizza was one meter long. We ordered two, so that’s roughly 72 inches of delight, and we finished it all. Well, not just the two of us.

A short ride home and it’s off to bed. Buona Notte.

Ciao Ravenna. We returned to Rome.

2007-12-22T19:01:00.001+01:00

With much regret, we departed Ravenna on Friday around 1pm after visiting the mosaic studio of our friend Alessandra. Go to the previous blog and there is a link to work she did in a church in Orleans, MA. It took 10 years to make, ugh. We americans don't have the patience to wait that long. So, we have one last cafe in a cafe with the sisters, and we headed for Rome.

I have to say I like Ravenna. Even without directions, I was able to find the right road to connect us to the Autostrada. Maybe I'm getting better in Italy (not really, I'll tell you later. So we headed south along the A14 along the Adriatic Coast. Near Ravenna, it's so flat we were not able to see the water. This was one of the reasons we chose this route, so we thought we would be dissappointed. Patience paid off.

About half way down the coast near, Ancona, the road and the land raised up giving us beautiful panoramic views of the sea. Wish I had one for you, but somebody (not me) forgot to take the camera out of the back of the car, and like my dad, I don't stop for any reason, but gas and to pee (even that is discretionary). The rest of the trip was uneventful to Rome. About an hour south of Ancona we turned west in Pecara toward Rome using the A25.

It's crazy what a difference a few miles make. Once inland, we started to see snow and it became much colder. Initially, the autostrada rides in a valley in the Appini mountains. Then, the tunnel (galleria - word of the day). It was 20 kilometers long! We got out the other side in a winter wonderland. Fortunately, only enough snow to be pretty, but not enough to be dangerous.

Fearing we would not make the rental return in time, I hauled ass averaging 130 kph. We made it to Rome in only two hours. Well, we made it near Rome in only two hours. It seems that I forgot that yesterday was the Friday before Christmas, and like Americans, Italians were trying to get out of town to return home. It took us an hour to get the last 10 kilometers. Worse, it took us an hour to find the rental return by the train station.

Even though we arrived before they closed, the sole clerk was nowhere to be found. What the hell do we do? The counter was in the train station. Needless to say, we couldn't just leave the car on the street. Well, finally he returned after our third attempt to find a place to park (impossible in Rome). Basically, we ended up just dumping the car in the garage where Thrifty parks their cars. There were no spaces, so I left it in the aisle and the keys with the cashier. That's what he said to do. I guess I will just dread this until the credit card bill comes.

So finally, Lucia and Chiara were waiting for us outside the garage. We loaded up and off we went to return to Rignano. With a couple of phone calls, dinner was literally waiting on the table for our return. Everything was better for us.

Now, its off to bed. More to come.

Reluctantly, we leave the palace.......

2007-12-20T23:23:00.000+01:00

Yes, it’s time to leave for Ravenna, but I ask, why do we have to leave the palace…… Seriously, if it were possible we’d stay for ever. Wouldn’t you?

After some debate about our route with the palace staff (do we go on the autostrada or over the mountains), we left around 10:30am. By the way, turns out the morning desk clerk at the palace is from Boston. Don’t you think we should stay? OK, I just have to let it go. Anyway, we decided to use the autostrada because the more direct route (half the mileage) will probably take twice as long. Too many turns and small towns. A trip for another time, I guess.

So off we go. The trip is uneventful. By now, I am very comfortable driving on the autostrada. After Siena, I am comfortable driving anywhere. The views were nice, and we even stopped at AutoGrill to have lunch. For those familiar with the NJ Turnpike, AutoGrill is the equivalent of the Molly Pitcher service area with one difference. Even the highway food is awesome.

I had prosciutto sandwich on a crusty roll with just a little butter. PJ had a chicken cutlet panini. By the way, Coke has even taken over in Italy. For just 6.50 euro, you get sandwich, soda, dessert and a commemorative coke truck for the holidays. How beautiful. So we finished lunch and headed back to the car. Of course in Italy, they make you exit through a maze of items for sale. Kinda like Cracker Barrel, but instead of crap, there’s tons of more great food. We could have stayed all day.

But we didn’t and headed on to Ravenna. As you may have figured out by now, we are somewhat directionally challenged when it come to local streets, so I was not going to let Ravenna get the best of me. Before we left the palace (remember, it’s beautiful), I used mapquest for door to door directions to our hotel. I even elected for maps step by step. Afterward, I cut/paste the information into a Word document, so PJ could navigate once we exited the highway. Well, it worked, I am happy to report we easily made it to the hotel with only one mistake and no blood curdling arguments.

We arrived around 2pm, so there was plenty of time to visit the old sites of Ravenna. For those who don’t know (us included), Ravenna was once a capital of the Roman Empire before being nabbed by Venice. The town is famous for mosaics. Words cannot describe the beauty. You have to look at the pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/Ravenna

After touring, we returned to the hotel to rest for a few minutes. Then we went out again to explore the streets and shops. Turns out there is a new department store and grocery store right across the street from the hotel. I think we are the only people in the world that can window shop in a grocery store, but the food looked great. Again, we could have sampled all day and night.

But there was no reason, at 7pm Alessandra Caprara and her husband picked us up for dinner. We came to Ravenna, in part, because she and her sisters visited with us in October, and they wanted us to see their beautiful town. Also, she saw the article in Classis Country Life about Pizza Rustica and wanted us to try their regional dish called Pasticce da Macaroni. It’s a sweet pastry crust like Pizza Rustica, but filled with pasta, eggs, sauce and meat. Could there be anything better? Answer, simply no.

After Pasticce, there was another course with flatbread, cream cheese and carmelized figs along with a savory casserole, then, the usual dissert display of panatone, chocolates, coffee and dessert wine. It was a great night, and we were out until almost midnight which leads me to apologize for a late posting. After working on this for an hour last night, exhaustion or alcohol got the better of me and I lost my writing before I was able to post. So, I am re-writing this morning before we leave the hotel.

But before we leave the hotel, we go to see Alessandra in her studio. She is a very accomplished mosaic artist. See the link below. She just spent 10 YEARS working on a 1,000 square foot mosaic for the Transfiguration Church in Orleans, MA. That’s why they were visiting Maine. After she finished, the family joined her for a vacation. Check it out. By the way, the religion seems a little out there, but she said they were very nice and respectful of her.

http://www.churchofthetransfiguration.org/art_recent.html

OK, it’s time for a quick cup of coffee and we are off. By noon, we must depart to return to Rome, return SmartCar and reunite with Lucia and the gang. See you later.

Thousands of years of evolution..... Are we really better off?

2007-12-19T22:47:00.000+01:00

Hello again, it's Wednesday. No, I don't mean Prince Spaghetti Day in Boston's Italian Northend. I mean it's time to take SmartCar out of the garage. This time with no lasting memories from the palace (I'll explain later) and head out. First stop was Pisa.

Back to SmartCar.... I was remiss in mentioning when we arrived at the Palace (Have I told you how beautiful it is.....). By chance, we called to let them know our approximate arrival, and I am glad we did. Turns out that the Palace doesn't necessarily mean it's on a big street. Ugh. The instructions were to pull over in front of the garage door to wait for staff to open it.

OK, the street is barely wide enough for two SmartCars to pass, so my parking on the side made lots of Italians very happy as you can imagine. Short story: SmartCar didn't quite make the turn from roadside to garage opening without leaving a little sumthin from the garage openning on SmartCar. Remember, I'm driving a semi-automatic. Yes, I promise it's different (more like a standard tranny (the car kind not the drag queen kind). Ask PJ if you don't believe me. Hopefully, the car rental agency doesn't notice either. The car has almost 100,000 kilometers anyway.

OK, back to the good stuff. After an hour or so drive (departing Florence was much easier than arriving), we exited the Autostrada (actually, it ends) at Pisa. It's just a 20 minute ride from there. With all the toll money, you think someone could invest in a sign or two. Again, as much as we enjoy the towns, getting around by car can be a challenge.

Anyway, after following signs, we found some FREE public parking (at least I hope it was, we didn't get a ticket). Then, it was off to the tower and grounds. Pictures tell it all. It's beautiful. This time we were able to go up to the top. On my trip with Tim, we were not so fortunate. Afterward, we headed to the golden arches we passed after leaving the Autostrada. Even Italy is no longer sacred!

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/Pisa

We each had Big Mac meals with Patatine or American French Fries (They also offer Patate Deluxe or Italian Potates). We were also intrigued by some value menu item called Penzoratti. They looked like tasty bacon and cheese empanadas. Turns out, they were dog food. I thought the Big Mac was OK. PJ still likes McD's in the US better. It mostly tasted the same.

With all those calories, starch, fat and chemicals, we deviated from the Autostrada to go to Siena directly from Pisa. We used local roads, and it was a blast. There are some highways like interstates, but mostly two-lane country roads like Route 1 except lots of switchbacks cuz it's in the montains. The single travel lane and lots of trucks means more like an hour and a half instead of 45 minutes.

That was the least of our problems......... Siena is also beautiful. Trust me, we saw most of it at least twice. Again with the signs. You get off the highway and expect to see the entrance to Walley World not a maze of unfamiliar streets with psychotic drivers ready to run you over which brings me to another interesting observation about this country. The people.... they are wonderful giving you the shirt off their back until you get them behind the wheel of a car. Then, there's a whole Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde thing (chicks too). Turns out the shirt off their back gets bunched up under your head until the ambulence arrives. I don't get it..............

Don't give up yet, the story gets much better...... So basically, ancient Siena is enfortressed in a wall with only a few entrances and exits. If it was good enough in medieval times, it's good enough for today too. Turns out, it doesn't always keep out the crazy American tourists armed with a SmartCar.

So basically, they GREATLY discourage vehicular traffic in the fort particularly in the evenings when there are so many pedestrians. Turns out the aerodynamics of SmartCar are also ergonomically correct for innocent pedestrians. NO, I didn't hit anyone. It's much funnier than that. We started up this hill, and I saw the sign that said permit access (If they really cared, they'd have someone checking, right?). I ignored the sign.

Turns out, the road (I use the term loosely) got smaller and smaller with more and more people. At first, I tried to turn around, but realized that was impossible. With no alternative, we moved on; got through the tight spot; and turned the corner. Even more people. My shorts were soiled (just kidding), but let's just say we were EXTREMELY scared. As we moved along, we caught up to a DHL delivery truck. Nothing has ever looked better. PJ screamed, "Follow him!" Like it was necessary. Where the heck else was I going to go.

Anyway, we got a few yards only to have him stop to make a pick-up. As the truck moved over to stop, a policeman was revealed. OK, how do you say bail in Italian? Turns out the cop was great. He gave us directions out of the area to street parking. We got out and walked about for a ccouple of hours. Again, the pictures tell the story better than me.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/Siena

Surprisingly, it was easy to find our way back to the highway for the hour drive back to Florence. I am happy to report that the trip and parking were uneventful. Once back in the Palace, it was my turn to decide on food (Cibo - official Italian word of the day) for dinner. Chinese, I decided. What else do you have in Tuscany? No really, we wanted to compare/contrast Chinese/American and Chinese/Italian cuisine. If the Chianti and spaghetti aren't enough to throw you off, everything does taste different leaving me to wonder, "What does Chinese food really taste like?"

I guess that's material for another vacation. It's bedtime at the Palace. Talk to you later.

Franco Express (circa 2007 Florence, Italy)

2007-12-18T21:58:00.000+01:00

Well, what can I say? Where did we leave off? Oh yes, great dinner, stunning suite in the 15th century palace, Arno River outside, spectacular views of Florence. Yet I forget to ask, how is your day going?

We slept in today. I woke at 9:30am. PJ, well after that. I went solo to the Sala for breakfast as he wanted to sleep longer. Even I'm getting tired of hearing it, but this is an awesome place to stay. Anyway, we walked into town after breakfast around 10:30am along the River. First stop, the Galleria degli Uffizi. The beautiful museum of art from all ages.

While I appreciate the technical beauty of all the paintings, statues, etc., I don't understand why the only things immortalized from these classic eras is the bad stuff. The rape of this place, the slaughter of that place, the fire over there. Didn't anyone ever want to paint a picture of a Sunday barbeque back then.......... Life had to be hard enough without the constant reminders of the tradgedies, but I digress.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/Florence

After the museum, we walked through Piazza de la Signoria toward Il Duomo (the big church - again, size mattered in ancient times). We had a little lunch; hike up about 13 floors to the top of Il Duomo; hiked back down; had a heart attack (just kidding); caught our breath and off we went to see David. He used to hang out (quite literally as statues in this era were clothing optional) in the Piazza, but time takes it's toll on even those who Michaelangelo immortalize for slaying Goliath. He's found a new home in the Museo Accademia just another 10 minute walk from the Piazza.

He's really the big deal (no pun intended) in the Accademia along with a collection of a lot of other marble stuff, plaster casts of future marble stuff, and a cool collection of musical instruments including a stratvarious violin. Even a hick like me knows that this is very rare.

After this, it was off to this church and that church and the other church. Have I mentioned the role of the church in this culture? At about 3pm, we were ready for a break, so we returned to the palace to rest. After emails and a nap for me (two episodes of The Simpsons for PJ - he was so happy), we ventured back out to capture the streets by night. What can I say, the pictures tell it all.

Another church here, museum there, and it was time for dinner. We ended up at Piazza de la Repubblica. If memory serves, this is where I stayed with nephew Tim in 1999 on that imfamous class trip with the Jesuit boys from McQuaid High School in Rochester, NY. Despite the horrible memories (only kidding - we had a great time), PJ and I found a local albeit somewhat touristy restaurant overlooking the Piazza for dinner.

Of course, it was great. Antipasta for two; pasta for PJ and risotto for me; finishing with veal for PJ and steak for me. Turns out the waiter is from Quebec, Canada and followed a girl (oh, the power of love) to Florence where she dumped him, but he presses on. Anyway, he was a good guy, and we bonded as "vincini" (italian word of the day for neighbors). Too full to have dessert, we stopped at the counter to pick up 400 grams (how many pounds - who gives a hoot) of cookies to bring back to enjoy with a cup of coffee and Amaretto. Oh yes, in our suite.

One finally funny story..... As PJ needed to go back to the suite, I went to the bar to get our drinks. After ordering and collecting the glasses, I was greeted by the husband of the only couple in the joint. I didn't hear what he said, but asked him to repeat what he said. He was surprised to hear me speak in English as he thought I was Italian (he must have been really drunk). Turns out he is French; the wife is Italian; and they live in Denmark. They are sharing the palace with us for their 25th wedding anniversary (again, the power of love....).

Anyway, I was just happy as hell that he thought I was Italian. I can go tonight in my sleep and would be content (just kidding). So, PJ is watching a show on Discovery about ancient Italy (how ironic) as satellite TV makes things available anywhere in the world. Ironically, they just finished interviewing an archeology professor from the University of Southern Maine. We are everywhere.

Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing....... For those of you who can't get enough of me, I introduce you to "Franco Express" (see the photo). Half annoying, but available 24 hours a day. Good night all..........................

Ciao Venezia. Andiamo Firenza

2007-12-17T22:35:00.000+01:00

OK, four words of the day. Pretty soon you're going to be speaking Italian.

We said goodbye to Venice today and drove SmartCar to Florence. If it's so smart, how come we got so lost trying to find the hotel? Oh wait, I mean the palace, and I mean it. 15th century, 4 stories tall (by the way, each floor has 40 foot ceilings), chocolates on the pillow, slippers, heated towel rack in the bath. Oh and the suite, it's HUGE! Check out the photos, but I know for sure our bedroom is bigger than our cottage in ME. We are grateful to Lucy Minder for helping us out by checking on things seeing that it's seemingly been snowing in ME since we left.

Back to our day. We woke up early and slightly hung over, but excited because Davide invited us to Murano (small island a mile or so away) to his studio. Well, the morning could not have been better. Breakfast waiting outside our door; beautiful sunny skies. It was great. We left the house shortly after 9am to hit AMEX to cash some travellers checks. Realizing now that they were totally unnecessary. Travel tip: Most big banks here will gladly take your ATM card and dispense Euros. Isn't capitalism great?

Well, the next hour of our lives can only be described as one of my big mistakes. Our directions to the boat stop for Murano were given to us in relation to where we were staying. AMEX is by Piazza San Marco, so no, we didn't get lost. It turns out there are two stops in the same vicinity. Yes, we went to the wrong one; got on the local boat; and basically, circled Venice before heading to Murano. Thought PJ was going to kill me, but we survived.

After a stop at cemetary island (no Boss, no Tatoo, no planes for that matter), we arrived on Murano. Of course, at the wrong end of Murano for Davide's studio, so off we trekked. Well, I can only say look at our photos and add one million percent to even come close to describing how beautiful it was. Every piazza has a glass sculpture. All different things, but all beautiful.

Half way to Davide's studio, we hear someone calling my name. How can it be? Turns out, we walked right by Rossanna's (Davide's wife) store. She recognized us. Gave us a tour of her store and brought us to the studio and showroom. Again, just look at the pictures. I am speechless. Really.

Murano glass studio pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/Murano

We bought glasses for our house and presents for Uncle Mario/Aunt Adrianna and Lucia & Romano. On the way back, we stopped at the store, and Rossanna invited us for cena (lunch). Kids finish school by 1pm and return home for afternoon meal. Pasta was excellent, and the parmaggiano reggiano belicimo! After a short boat back to Venice. It was back to the B&B for our luggage; one more battle with three flights of stairs; the Rialto Bridge; and the final boat ride. Turns out, after the third time I got it right.

We found SmartCar where he was supposed to be in the garage. Hit the road and did great until we got lost in Florence. Who cares? The suite is beautiful; we ate an awesome dinner; drank a bottle of wine; and now it's off to bed. More to come..................

Last night in Venice-Fish heads galore!

2007-12-16T23:26:00.000+01:00

Ok, so tonight we had dinner with Davide who is a glass blower from Murano and was a guest at the inn this summer. We are actually staying at his sister in laws B&B while here in Venice. He took us to dinner at a local restaurant. We had a five course dinner, most of which involved some sort of fish head. Frank wants me to say that it was FRESH fish head! The first plate had all sorts of whole animals on the plate. I was very good though and ate everything on my plate. The pasta was delicious and the dessert was incredible. With dessert, we had some Grappa which tasted like boots. I've had much to drink tonight so I will let Frank share some of his thoughts. Oh, and I did a picasa web album with many photos of Venice that you can check out by clicking the following link. And now for Frank.....

http://picasaweb.google.com/rpjwalter/Venice

Before I start, I first have to deal with our arrival in Venice. Our kudos go out to Fodors for helping us to decide to park the car at the Tronchetto because it's a few Euros cheaper, but ugh, it would be nice if someone could invest in a sign (segnale - Italian word of the day) or two. We missed the first turnoff completely.

For anyone contemplating a trip to Venice by car, let me just say that after you drive up the ramps to an upper floor don't be so quick (like us) to commit to a space. As it turns out, the garage is about four miles long (well, maybe about 1/4 mile). It was still a long walk not to mention no signs for the boats when we approached the water all the time trailing the precious wheeled luggage. When we finally found where we should be, I guess we ignored the fact that other boats used the dock and ended up at Piazza San Marco and had to change to a local Grand Canal. Not a Roman (or Venetian) tragedy, but just another delay for a trip that took an hour that should have been about 20 minutes. That was only part of the fun.

How many times can you cross the Rialto Bridge, you ask? Well, at least three with wheely luggage when you don't know where the heck you are going. We had to call to have them meet us at the bridge. How embarassing. Well, Christina and her family are wonderful, and we love our room. The bathroom has radiant heat (in the floor). If I was ever on the fence before, well, no more. This is paradise (a warm tile floor in the middle of the night). I guess I am an under acheiver.

We had a nice dinner in a local restaurant they recommended. It was great. We had a little trouble sleeping. I think because it is a new place. Regardless, we awoke this morning to beautiful weather in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If you don't believe me, just look at PJ's pictures.

After much walking around, we ended up back here around 3pm and took a short nap, then went back to Piazza San Marco for night pictures of the glass tree, etc. It is beautiful. We returned to the room ready for dinner. We thought, our friend, Davide, was away until tomorrow. I think he came home early because he realized we were here.

Anyway, we met and he took us for a wonderful meal (fishheads and all). Although, even I got nervous after two bottles of wine, grapa and a shot of whiskey. Well, OK, I was drunk, so nervousness ended quickly. We had a great meal and lively conversation. He's a great guy. After, we returned to the B&B. Remember, it's owned by his sister-in-law and her husband. Their daughter is studying English as a second language, so we hope to get her to Rockland to attend the Penobscot School.

After solving the problems of the world (alcohol is always a good initiation), Davide invited us to his studio tomorrow to watch him work. If you are questioning his ability, let me just say he is currently working with a "high end" US retailer about making glassware for them. If you want to buy it, let me just say there will be "Needless Markup". Are you with me........

So, it's almost midnight. PJ is so drunk that he is watching an episode of "Friends" and only just now ( two minutes later) realized it's in French. I guess that means it's time for bed. After touring the Murano glass studio tomorrow, we drive three hours to Florence where we are staying in the palace. Finally, I'm a prince(ss). Good night.

First morning in Venice

2007-12-16T10:00:00.000+01:00

Ok, so you're all asleep now because it's 4 am. I still don't think I have adjusted to the time because I didn't get to bed until 2 am here! We are off to the Piazza San Marco today which will take most of the day. Here is a photo of the Ponte Rialto (bridge). Our hotel is located down an alley just off the left side of the bridge. Very nice!! We will post more this evening.

We're ALIVE!! By Franco

2007-12-15T18:26:00.000+01:00

Oh my God, where do we start!?!?!

So, let's start with the planes. First flight from Boston to Dulles was uneventful. Would have been nice to have more room, but hey. Two and a half hours later, we depart Dulles for Rome at 5pm in the rain. Thank goodness we left all that snow in New England.

The second flight was a 777. As many of you know me (Frank), all those years travelling with my jobs got me used to first class. Imagine my dismay of having to walk past those plush, comfy seats through business class and econonmy plus. What is this anyway. Six more inches (of leg room, you pervs) means nothing.

Anyway, we ended up in regular old economy class. I must say it was not a joy. Two babies and every seat filled meant no real sleep/rest on the EIGHT hour flight. Finally, we arrived in Rome with the sunrise (beautiful from inside the plane) at 7am a little ahead of schedule. We were optomistic.

Cleared immigration and got to the luggage carousel as it started. First round of bags, nothing. Second round of bags, nothing. You get the picture! Despite almost three hours to walk the bags approximately two gates, United Airlines lost our luggage. When things started looking grim, I headed for "Customer Service". Turns out in Italy it means the opposite just like in the US.

Somehow, twelve bags (including ours) did not make the connection. After waiting almost an hour and a half at customer service, we were informed that the bags were in London. At this point, they are more travelled than either of us. The bright spot of all this was meeting Donello and Jeff, two nice gentlemen who own the restaurant Five-o in Ogonquit, ME. Yes, standing in front of us in Rome were two guys, like us, who booked the same flights and suffered the same fate. We'll catch up with them back in Maine.

So what were we going to do? Of course being the seasoned traveler that I am, the rented international cell phone was in the luggage (bagagli - Italian word of the day). So, no one to call, no way to call them, and yes, the cell phone has been more places than me. We press on at this point. It was easy as we did not have to clear customs as we had nothing to clear.

The BEST surprise was waiting for us outside the exit. Lucia, my cousin, was unexpectedly waiting for us. See, our schedule was fun first, family second. Well, you know what I mean. We were going to travel first to return to Rome for Christmas (Natale - Italian word from yesterday as I owe you one) with the family. At this point, PJ says I'm boring you.

Anyway, we picked up the rental car (I use the term loosely) and drove to Rigano Flamino where were saw Uncle Mario, Aunt Adrianna, Romano, Chiara and Rodolfo and the cast of characters that turned our lemons into lemonade. Back to the car.

A Smart Car For Four. What four people (can I say midgets) could fit in here, I don't know. To top it off, it's an automatic, but has the weirdest shifter I've ever seen (and I've seen plenty). It looks like a manual, but has an auto mode. Shifts like you are just learning to use a clutch even though it's automatic. Have I talked about the size? Yes, size does matter. This car could fit in the back of my Freestyle without folding down the back seat.

OK. With that said, it's quite peppy and fun to drive in a place like Rome and is surprisingly comfortable on the highway. Let's ignore the fact that Thrifty claims it can seat four plus luggage, but we had to fold the back seat just to get our two bags in. Crazy americans.....

Well, by now you know the bags arrived this morning in Rignano, so we took off for Venice where I am sitting at our B&B writing this first entry. We skipped Ravenna, but rescheduled for next Thursday which we means we return to Rignano on Friday, December 20th. I'll tell you about our boatride tomorrow...........Ciao

P.S. Here is a photo of the Trevu Fountain in Rome last night. Enjoy!

Waiting in Logan Airport

2007-12-13T16:50:00.000+01:00

Well, we made it to Logan and it looks like just in time to beat the impending snow storm. Next stop, D.C. and then off to Rome.........

One last post before leaving

2007-12-09T03:34:00.000+01:00

Well, before we leave, I though I'd leave you all with a little bit of Rockland. Here is our lobster trap tree. It's the largest in the WORLD (actually, it's probably the only one in the world!) Enjoy!!

In anticipation of the trip

2007-12-06T03:24:00.000+01:00

Well, we're less than a week away from leaving for our trip. We can't believe it is here already. We plan to post daily with photos and musings on our trip. The first post will be from Ravenna where we spend our first night. We are having dinner at the house of a guest of ours who visited in October. I will be relying heavily on Frank to translate as I don't speak a lick of Italian. The only Italian phrase I know is No parlo italiano which means I don't speak italian. We'll see how far that gets me!