More fall

I was in "resort country" this past week for a conference, and was able to find a few photos.  The walleye is just, well, it's just Minnesota.  Or Wisconsin, I guess, though there you would find a muskie.  

The leaves are the remnants of fall.  After a week of rain and 50-60 mile an hour winds, leaves still on the trees are scarce.  I avoided taking pictures of some of the snow we experienced, but it was a warning that snow is coming soon enough.

Fall

You know, one of the things that I worried about while I was gone was that I would miss all the fall colors--it really is my favorite time of the year, and one of the things that made me glad to be back in the Midwest.  The PNW has color, but it doesn't have the knife edge of the seasons, the sometimes rapid progression from green to gold to gone.

So I was pleased to see a few bright colors hanging on well into October.  I suppose the lack of rain for the past three weeks has contributed to the longevity of some of the color, but no matter why, fall colors always make the day a bit brighter.

The end of the trip

The trip is winding down, and I will be heading home, I hope, tomorrow. I say "I hope" because Delta isn't making the return trip easy on me. Two flight changes so far, and they have a few more hours to play around with me. The problem is that they have shrunk the number of flights so much that if one is canceled, it is no longer the case that you can hop on one a few hours later. But I am sure that I will get there sometime, though later than I had hoped.

It has been a good trip, though a bit overlong. Not too much, but by just a few days. That was a judgement call on my part--I have been saying that I have never taken a two week vacation, but I just recalled that I was in England for three weeks in 1998, so I guess I have done this before. Still, I told someone today that the relaxation of the trip is fading as I realize and remember all that I need to do once I get back. I guess vacations are always like that.

Italy has been surprising. It is very accessible as a country, even without any Italian. Actually, Latin and Spanish blunted my illiteracy a bit, and I find I can read signs and menus enough to know that I am not ordering the tripe or going in a woman's bathroom. No small feat, that, and worth celebrating a bit. Yep, two of my triumphs of two weeks in Italy were that I didn't eat cow stomach or head into the woman's loo. I am sure that they are going to do a travel story on me--the semi-incompetent American.

The big surprise is that if you are careful, Italy is very affordable. Public transportation is cheap, and I am staying in an above average place for about $65, no $66, no $67, no $68 American Pesos a night. I joke because the dollar has lost 17 cents (and counting) to the Euro since I booked my room three weeks ago. I offered to pay my tab in dollars, and my inn keeper basically laughed. But still. A Diet Coke is $1.38, a pretty good chocolate bar is about the same, and if you are willing to eat on the street and from the market, you can easily eat all day on 20 Euro a day, and eat very very well. Today, for example, I had a chocolate croissant and an Americano with milk for breakfast, and then bought some yogurt from the market for something healthy. I had bite of chocolate and part of a soda for lunch on the run, and then went to a deli at a nearby market and bought some Tuscan prosciutto, some lasagna, and a corn, onion, and cheese thingy, and splurged on a bottle, not a box of wine. Total for the day for food was a little over 16 Euro. If I would have "settled" for a great, ham, cheese, sun dried tomato and balsamic vinegar panini and a bottle of beer or Coke, I could have made it in just over 10 Euro, and felt that I ate very well today.

That leads me to my student consumer price index for bread, cheese, meat and beer/wine. Two people could eat all they wanted and pretty much drink all they wanted from a market for about 8 Euro, and eat a very good meal, with above average ingredients and probably even get a bit of buzz going if they drank all the wine. I know that you can't have a picnic in the US for that, not unless it was with Wonder Bread and PB&J. It was fun figuring out and comparing the prices, for they didn't make a lot of sense. Olive oil is more expensive here than in the US--go figure out that one! Milk is more expensive but you can get a 1.5 liter bottle of water for about 35 cents. Orange juice is always much less expensive than soda, but pasta is more expensive than in the US. Up is down, war is peace, etc.

The real test of whether I would come back here is not whether or not olive oil is expensive or whether I can find cheap Soppressata. I found that for the most part Italy was and Italians were warm and friendly--much more so than France and the French. Not much of a surprise there, I suppose, but I like it here. There is a tendency to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount and number of masterpieces and churches and ruins and towers and views. I think that would be mitigated if I was traveling with people and you could say, "Yes, I saw this and that and such, now let's go eat and drink wine." There might be more of a balance--when you travel by yourself, it is easy to forget that and go from one church to another to the museum to the scenic view to the...

I explored Florence, but I only touched Tuscany. While public transportation got me into the countryside a little, I do think that to really explore (and to find that villa to buy) you probably need to have a car. That has it's own set of challenges such as parking and the anarchy and chaos of Italian roads and drivers. If you could rent outside of the city, and could avoid all that, I suppose you could manage, and it would be worth it to be able to get lost in the countryside. I know I mostly saw the tourist side of things, though I did wander pretty far afield in the city.

But it was a good trip. I pushed myself a bit by trying a new country/place instead England for the umpteenth time or Prague for the eighth time or whatever. I saw many things that I have taught about and art that I have only imagined or seen in books. In some ways it is almost cultural literacy 101. Yes, I taught Western Civ, but to see where Savranola burned those books or to see the REAL David, you don't really feel the impact or the weight or the realness of all that history. That part was fun--I should done this when I was teaching Western Civ--I think I could have made it more real for those students who were no doubt bored to tears in that class.

My last pictures are a hodgepodge. I was in Fiesole, the Florence suburb that commands the highest ground in the area. It is a vertical town with stunning views of the area. No less so is the simple "chapel" of the Church of San Francesco. It did seem more "holy" to me than the elaborately carved and shining alters of the basilica and the Duomos. And lastly, a sunset, by request. I will probably have a wrap up post once I edit the 1500+ photos that I took but that will happen when I get home. Until then, this is it from Italy.

Hmmmm...

I am not really sure why I am doing this. Aside from my normal insecurities that no one really reads this or cares, my inn keeper really put all this in perspective. He has noticed that I always come and go with cameras and had asked what I was trying to accomplish while I was here. I had mentioned this blog, but tonight, he pointed out the obvious. "You don't have to be a good photographer at all, " he pointed out. "It is so beautiful here that any one could get a good picture." How true. You are just viewing the work of an overeducated monkey with a camera. Enjoy!

I was up early today, and tried the train AND the bus system. And succeeded at both, though with different results. I went to Pisa this morning, a city that has little to offer other than a builder's mistake. For the first time, I felt like that monkey mentioned above, or certainly a tourist. I refuse to even post a photo. The train thing went well once I figured out that while you buy a ticket in one place, it doesn't mean that the train that you need is actually in the station where you bought the ticket. Ooops. It convinces me that the US needs more light rail.

The second trip of the the day was to San Gimignano, a true gem of a walled medieval city with commanding views of Tuscany. The city one once had 73 tours, but only about dozen remain. It is walkable, laid back and charming. Each turn brought another picture worthy view and this trained monkey had an easy time finding a few photos.

Lost

Today was a lost day. I was lost, and never really accomplished anything. It was even a slow day for photos. I suppose that I was up for such a day, but it just wasn't a fantastic day in Florence.

I did walk and get time to reflect on a few things. For example, I did think about photos. Florence is, of course, a veritable Kodak moment, or I guess, a Nikon or Canon moment, or a SanDisk moment. I guess I found one camera store that even sold film, but it is a digital world, and I noticed a few things. I can't believe how many people are trusting their phone to "remember" all that they saw in Florence. Really. People who have traveled from Japan and Australia and the US are simply pointing their I-phones and Droids at sights that they probably will never see again. Hmmm--not so sure I would trust my phone for that. But then again, I saw one guy taking photos with his Canon 5D, an exceptional camera worth about $3,500 while holding a gelato the size of his head. Who knows who photos will be better, the gelato head or the careful phone photographer.

I usually address fashion on one of my foreign correspondence moments. Italy, after all, is supposed to be one of the fashion capitals of the world. And it is pretty fashionable. Here is what you need to do--imagine me. Then imagine the total opposite, and you have an idea of Italian male fashion. Lots of black or tight white shirts whether they should or not, and dark jeans. The tight part of that is what is hard--I can't imagine wearing clothes as tight as they do here. But I have it easy, as compared to women. Hear the trend here first! Short, and I mean short skirts or shorts with leggings. And tight. American women of most ages would have a difficult time imagining how tight or how short. I am guessing that this won't hit St. Cloud anytime soon, if for no other reason than people would freeze to death. Actually, the more conservative dress for women is pretty classy. A white shirt, pressed and tailored, with dark slacks. Or a skirt and boots--I have seen lots and lots of boots, some for sale and many on feet. Hard to tell on the heels--this is tough terrain for high heels.

I have been starting to gather "prizes" for the home, though I am pretty careful on the shopping. I suspect that most prizes will be edible, which might not be so bad. I had to buy myself a prize today. I had bought a 10 euro smaller bag so I didn't have to carry my big camera bag, and I got what I paid for. The bag strap/buckle broke and just came apart today, tripping its owner. It wasn't like I was carrying cobblestones but the strap broke and and as it fell, I got tangled up in the strap. There were only about 300 people nearby witnessing my grace. I fell, which is a trick with a few cameras hanging from you. No visible damage to the cameras or me, though I am sore. So, I bought a new camera bag that I had been eying. Can't have too many bags.

Actually, if I could bring back prizes, I would bring back food. I love the grocery stores, and everything from pasta to chocolate to cake mixes looks like fun--I want to bring it all back. I mentioned cake mixes because I picked one up and tried to read the directions. I am kind of familiar with making a cake, but I had no clue. I think that it would be fun just to buy a few mixes of different sorts and try and make them once I was home. I wonder if I can bring them back...

I am winding down for the night. I ate from the market tonight, and had my new favorite salami, salami Tuscan, an aged cheese of some unpronounceable sort, bread (yum!) olive oil, and my new favorite condiment, balsamic vinegar. It is very different here, especially the aged balsamics and the older bottles are pricey! Say, if it is 50 years old, it costs about $150.00 for about two ounces. But even the four year stuff is pretty good, and much better than I have ever had before. On cheese, on bread, on the salty salami, or, if you are really good and don't mind a bit of a mess, all three at once with a bit of olive oil.

Tomorrow I hope to less lost, but I guess there are worse things...maybe the next movie will be "LOST under the Tuscan Sun."

Just a few photos today, and most should be self explanatory. A different shot of David, and one of his neighboring statue. Didn't they think of telephoto lenses? A great little fruit market and another cool bike.

Another day, another post...

I just returned from dinner after a long day wandering. Apart from one HUGE museum, I have seen most of the sights that I wanted to in Florence, and feel more comfortable wandering a bit further afield Plus, I was able to do with chance at my side. I would walk, and then I would see something that I read about. I would walk further, lost, and then see another thing. I am seeing Florence the way I like it, without a guide book glued to my face. Or, if I was like some American tourists, with a GPS--turn right. Turn right. Recalculating. Make a U-turn. Arriving at castle/statue/church/art masterpiece on left.

Dinner was the best meal that I have had here, though it was but cheese and bread. But what cheese and what bread! OK, there might have been some wine involved. And a waiter who was a die-hard Red Sox fan who was so happy I rooted for the Twins. Made me want to sing "It's a small world!"

I think that I want to eat like the Italians do. Bread and jam and butter for breakfast, with good coffee. Maybe some yogurt. Lunch, who knows, but something simple. Dinner, like I had tonight. I suppose I will have to eat some vegetables occasionally. And for the record, Olive Garden/Americans use far more garlic than I have experienced. But I will have to learn to bake bread if I am to do this. There simply isn't an alternative to European bread. This is not stuff from a bread maker. What can you do in a simple oven? Or do I really have to get the three ton stone oven that some of the rustic bread is made in? Maybe I can borrow a friend's kiln! There are similarities, though bread at 1400 degrees might be vaporized.

All that said, while I have enjoyed my meals, I have not been overwhelmed with the sense of "I will never eat again so this rests on my tongue." Tonight was the closest, and that was more because of the feeling that I could eat like this and do it myself. Though unpasteurized cheese (and that bread thing) might a bit of a stretch, I could do this. No one would ever come to my house--all I would serve would be bread, cheese, perhaps some salami, and a stray tomato or two.

I saw a lot today, but nothing striking that I could capture on film (electrons?). There is more laundry, captured just like 1980s Fujichrome. I saw a cool reflection, and it didn't hurt that it was on a Fiat 500L that was a great color. There is a view of the bridge, and one of the north side of the Arno River. If you see the two towers in the middle, to the right of the dome, you are looking at the neighborhood where I am staying. Those are the two towers that I can see from my room. The lion is just cute. Roar, and all that. Three are pictures with color, a villa, a lane, and flowers. I watched this woman make marbleized paper for more than hour today--what a cool thing to make! I think I will try that when I get home. It might even be easier than bread making!

Seen in Siena

I made a day trip to Siena today, and I can say it was so worth the time and effort to get there. It's an easy 90 minute bus ride so it is close. I was on the "Rapido" bus so no stops but still pretty countryside along the way.

Of course the tourist had to visit a few churches, though to just call them churches is a bit of an injustice--Lake Holcombe United Methodist is a church--these are edifices and monuments. The photo of the candles and the shrine was stolen at the Basilica, the smaller of the two major churches though remarkable for a church that is 800+ years old. I did buy and light two candles...one for me and one for others. I figured I needed a whole one, while my friends could share.

The larger church, the Duom0 takes your breath away. In Florence, all the decoration is on the outside and while impressive to look at it from that perspective, it basically has the charm of a pole barn on the inside. Well, OK, a NICE pole barn but one none-the-less. Not so in Siena. Certainly they were competing to be more magnificent and if so, Siena wins hands down. The stone work and all the contrasting colors of marble is so visually arresting that it takes your breath away. It is impressive from the outside, but the inside boggles the mind. Here is how stunning it is: You barely notice the four statues by the Mike guy who did David. Admittedly they are smaller works, but still. They are just swallowed by the splendor. The view from the top is no less impressive. I would have loved to visit that roof top gardent. It perhaps helps that Siena is built on several hills, and they give it a scale that Florence doesn't have since it is so flat, though the hills were challenging, especially in the rain.

Monday, Monday

I feel like I am posting early today, mostly because I "home" early today. It was a rainy gloomy day, and while I certainly am waterproof, my cameras are less so. Of course they would have been perfectly dry had I brought my rain jacket but it was warm and dry in my suitcase.

One highlight was a great lunch. I haven't talked much about food, in part because I haven't exactly been starving at any point of my trip. But I am functionally eating--when I am hungry I find something to eat so I can keep walking. The rain encouraged me to sit and eat, and it was a good meal, though not amazing I want to meet the chef I'll never have a meal this good again. And it was expensive, at least for me. I have been more likely to eat off the street, so to speak, with sandwiches (of sorts--I have avoided the tripe sandwich which seems to be so popular here) or bread and cheese from the market. That is fine with me, though it might be one more reason I am traveling alone!

What made lunch fun was the company. I sat near three women from California, and they were funny. Two of them had just been in Rome for two weeks so they could be "one with Rome." The third was a daughter, who I really suspect came for a week to make sure her Mom didn't buy a villa somewhere. They brightened the day, and they shared great advice about Rome, though I think they thought I was a heathen for only giving it a day. They were renting a car, and a convertible Mini-Cooper was mentioned several times. One more reason I am taking the bus into Tuscany...

The pictures were a bit flat today, no doubt due to the weather but also because I am not exactly sure what I am doing. I am "covering" this place kind of like I would if I was working for the paper and looking for feature photos. I don't think that the photos are bad, and they tell part of the story, but if my goal was to find a photo or two to sell, I have not succeeded. Maybe once I am out of the city proper. I guess if nothing else they are better than average tourist pictures. I have one of the best cameras in the world, good lenses, and I am in Florence--how hard can it really be?

I know some people know I like cobblestones, and Florence does have some cobblestone streets. Actually, they are missing one, the 33rd up and 16th over as it is my bag so it can commune with my cobblestones from Paris, London, and Prague. A few fall flowers, the only fall colors I have seen, peek out around a gate. I had to post another photo of a Fiat 500, if for no other reason than the color. This is the newer one, probably from about 1968-9, that put out 19 horsepower or so. It is the safer one--it has a more substantial bumper, of course. As much as I want one, the thought of it and a Ford Explorer meeting at an intersection scares me.

I went to several markets, including the one that has the lucky symbol of Florence, a bronze boar. Like lucky pigs everywhere, you pet him (yes, it is very visually a him) and then put a coin in his mouth and if it drops in the grate below, you will be lucky or your hair will grow or something like that. I like the woman in the little market on the edge of the city center, if not for the color, certainly for the wrinkles. As for the cat, who knows? The color contrast, maybe? Or is because I got to say, "stupid cat." Poor David. Even iconic masterpieces have to suffer an occasional pigeon or two. I think that there might be a life lesson in this!