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Laurie Reynolds
Laurie Reynolds

Laurie Reynolds

podróżował/a po 9 krajach. Czytaj więcej
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  • Laurie Reynolds19th year to Lisbon!Laurie Reynolds
    3

    Olive oil, pizza, and communists

    15 października 2023, Portugalia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today was a grey, drizzly Sunday, not exactly perfect weather for exploring our neighborhood, but we did. Joe's phone shows he walked 5.3 miles, slow and steady, but he did it!

    An important part of my Portuguese ritual is to buy olive oil for the Berkeley crew. There are three grocery stores within 1.5 km of here, all in different directions. Joe went with me to two of them and rewarded himself with a chocolate bar. The olive oil crisis here and in Spain is extreme. "Quien tenga un olivo, tiene una mina" was something we heard on the news. Prices have really skyrocketed, but not enough to break my habit. I read that Spaniards are coming to Portugal to buy olive oil, since the prices are 28% higher in Spain, but that seems like a bit of false economy to me. Anyway, today's shopping resulted in about 12 L of oil and one chocolate bar.

    The only thing nearby open for dinner was a pizzaria, and it was fine. Sunday is still a day of rest for most restaurants.

    On the way back to the hotel we passed a multi-story building with an elaborate tile and painted mural extending across the front. The sign in front told us that we were standing in front of the national headquarters of the Portuguese Communist Party. That's quite a building they have! Right across the street from our temple of capitalism, the Sana Metropolitan Hotel.

    The news is so awful it's hard to digest. Every day seems to bring new horrors. But on we must go.

    Vacation is over, tomorrow I start to teach. We are busy setting up visits with our close friends here, which seems a bit more urgent this year as our possible last time, and we will stay in town this weekend to see as many as possible! Hoping to see our former Champaign buddy Peggy in Ericeira, then there’s Luis, Eugenia, Nuno, and of course my Camino buddies!!!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie Reynolds19th year to Lisbon!Laurie Reynolds

    Back in Lisbon

    14 października 2023, Portugalia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    I had toyed with the idea of exploring the Arribes del Duero on our way to Lisbon, so our first stop after leaving Zamora was Fermoselle. It’s a slightly touristy town on the Duero and on the border with Portugal. A chat with the very helpful guy in the tourist office convinced me that to go to any of the best stops along the river would take us many hours and make for a very long day. So we decided to grind it out and just drive to Lisbon. I resisted the urge to stop in Ciudad Rodrigo, where I had walked on my 2022Torres, because with the holiday weekend it would be packed.

    For 18 years, we’ve stayed in the Marriott, right next to the Católica where I teach. The university has not renewed its Marriott agreement, so this year we’re in some other big nondescript hotel, but it’s in a neighborhoodJoe doesn’t know at all. Could be interesting. Though I didn’t think it was possible, this neighborhood seems to have even fewer restaurant choices than the Marriott. But we found a good paper tablecloth home cooked food place. Very friendly and good desserts for Joe.

    Tomorrow will be a “get oriented” and “get ready to teach” day. I realized that I didn’t bring any shoes to wear to class, so it’s either Chacos or Altras. I am sure that I will not be much of a fashion statement. But then I never have been.

    Oh and did I say the hotel’s elliptical is on the fritz?     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie Reynolds19th year to Lisbon!Laurie Reynolds
    11

    Visigothic marvel and El Cid church

    13 października 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Today we took a quick trip out of Zamora to visit San Pedro de la Nave. It’s a Visigothic church, moved piece by piece to escape being submerged by construction of a dam. I had been here once before —when the hospitalero in the Zamora albergue offered to drive me out (and I walked back) but this time it was car all the way. Just as beautiful as I remembered it. It’s always awe-inspiring to be in a building from the 7C.

    From there we went back to Zamora to two Romanesque churches right outside the cathedral walls. My favorite church in Zamora—Santiago de los Caballeros, where El Cid is reported to have spent the night in prayer before being knighted. It’s extremely simple and beautiful with capitals choc full of figures and pictoral lectures about sinning, which makes for some explicit capitals.

    Yesterday in the Zamora museum I had seen a capital recovered fromn the ruined Monasterio de Moreruela. I remembered the (luckily in tact) apse of the church as the most stunning I had ever seen. I walked there on my third (?) Vdlp from Granja de Moreruela, where today we stopped for a coffee right outside the albergue. On to the monastery in car. Joe enjoyed it a lot and I think he understands my addiction to walking Caminos a little better.

    On the way back to Zamora it occurred to me to stop in a town where Dana and I had stayed on my second Vdlp. We had had a great meal in Rosamari, where the owner had regaled us with stories about how hard it had been for two women to start a business in Franco years. Banks wouldn’t lend without the husband’s signature, etc. Today the restaurant is run by the third generation, and she assured me that her mom and grandma had taught her to be strong and independent. I was shocked that I was able to find a picture of one of the owners outside in 2010 and was happy to send it on to the current owner. The food is still excellent, btw! Joe had a cocido (too heavy for my taste, though I had a few bites), and I just had an ensalada mixta. I am very sad to report, though, that despite my very clear 2010 memory of the first salad since Cáceres without iceberg lettuce, even the Rosamari has succumbed!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie Reynolds19th year to Lisbon!Laurie Reynolds
    21

    Cafe Viriato

    12 października 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Alan, this place deserves a shout-out. Great tapas and, as you said, excellent house wine. I told the waitress that we had been sent here by a friend who walked the Vdlp, and and she told me — “cuando vuelva, esta invitado. Y dígale que ha mandado a buena gente.” We love this place. My favorites were the morcilla with manzana and the bacalao with a mejillón plopped on top. Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie Reynolds19th year to Lisbon!Laurie Reynolds
    1

    In Zamora

    12 października 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Joe slept in so we had a late breakfast, but we had a good three hour window to walk and tour before everything closed down for lunch. I have to say Joe’s schedule is not particularly well-suited to the Spanish rhythm, but today I was able to cajole him into a nap during the 2-5 siesta period.

    In the morning, we went first to the 10C aceñas/molinos, which were in use for 8 centuries.. These are particularly unusual,, we were told, because there are four in a row, which enabled quick changes in function and heightened efficiency. From there, we walked along the river to the Diocesan museum (inside a romanesque church), and then to a particularly beautiful Santa Maria de Huerta, and then the Zamora Museum, which is small but has some beautiful pieces going back to Celtiberian days and earlier. And CR of course we had to walk over the river on the Puente de Piedra so Joe could see the view!

    While Joe napped, I did a reconnaisance all over town to pick out which churches should be top on our list, since we are obviously not going to visit the insides of all 20-something of them. At each church I tried to focus on one particular exterior feature to help me distinguish these beauties one from the other. Lots of capitals I could recognize (Adam and Eve, Slaughter of the Innocents, Daniel) but many I couldn’t. And then at 5, I pushed Joe out of bed and we went on a short circle walk to see three standouts.

    We will have tapas again tonight. Whenever Alan or Sabine recommend a place, you can be sure it’s going to be a keeper !     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie Reynolds19th year to Lisbon!Laurie Reynolds
    1

    Nighttime

    11 października 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    One of the (very few) advantages that being a tourist has over being a pilgrim is that no early rising means late night walks to see everything lit up.

    Oh how pretty it all is!

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  • Laurie Reynolds19th year to Lisbon!Laurie Reynolds
    41

    Drove to Zamora

    11 października 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    I love Zamora! I have walked into this city a bunch of times— it’s on both the VDLP/Sanabres and the Levante. When I looked at the map and saw how close it is to Braganca, I was sold. It’s fun showing Joe all my favorite spots and it is one of my two favorite small Spanish cities, with the other being Soria.

    By 2 we were checked in, and the nice guy at the desk parked the car in the impossibly small spot in the impossibly narrow garage. I tried backing into the spot myself but after many attempts with him looking on I asked him if he was in a hurry because this could take a while. He told me he would be at the parador till his 65th birthday so there was no rush but he would be happy to park it for me. 😀

    Joe was ready for a nap so I got to take myself to many favorite spots. First of all, get down to the 13C pedestrian bridge and cross it. Then turn around and remember how iawesome walking in feels.

    I spent several hours just walking around and got a bunch of tourist info to plan our next two days. So much to do! When Joe got up, we went to the castle, went to La Magdalena, and then spent some time walking with a beautiful view of the Duero snd the pedestrian bridge. We are now sitting in a cafe in the Plaza Mayor and trying to decide if we even want a few tapas before bed. Our stomachs still remember last night’s foodie extravaganza and are not calling for us to eat.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie Reynolds19th year to Lisbon!Laurie Reynolds
    3

    Long long dinner

    11 października 2023, Portugalia ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Who has a 4 1/2 hour dinner?! I am really not a foodie, but when the opportunity presented itself to have a meal in a Michelin star restaurant, I thought, sure.

    It was course after course after course. Always small and beautifully presented. Most of it was local, all of it was Portuguese. Pretty amazing.

    My favorites were the green gazpacho, whose main ingredient was beldroega/purslane, which I had never heard of, and the cheese course. But it was all really good. Except for the foam dishes. What’s with foam?! Why would you have foam when you can have the real thing that you just destroyed and made into foam?

    We started talking to the couple next to us, a Spanish/Portuguese combo, who were just driving around Portugal going from Michelin star restaurant to Michelin star restaurant. Definitely not my mojo, but it was fun to talk to them.

    OK, so tomorrow we’re supposed to get up and go to Zamora!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie Reynolds19th year to Lisbon!Laurie Reynolds

    Visiting Bragança

    10 października 2023, Portugalia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    This is my kind of tourism day, except for the part about Joe feeling sick and staying in bed for the morning. It seems that 24 hours of airport and airplane food did not sit well with his stomach. He’s fine now, but stayed in bed till about noon.

    That meant I had all morning to walk around town center and climb the castle walls! Lots of up and down, lots of pretty views. I just love these small cities, where life is really going on but some (but not too many) tourists come to see their beautiful historic sites. In this case, it’s basically the castle and the old part inside the walls. There is a late medieval “Town Hall” inside the walls. It´s an oddly shaped stone building (looks like a pentagon drawn by someone with bad measuring skills). But it’s a beautiful building, another one of those rare civic romanesque buildings still standing (my other favorite is the Palacio Gelmirez in Santiago, but this is nothing that elaborate). This was where the city leaders met to govern, and the meeting hall sits above the cistern.

    And for those of you who have heard a lot about the Duques de Bragança, they are from here, of course, but they were the ruling royal family in Portugal from mid 17th century till the monarchy fell in early 1900s. That’s why there are Bragança palaces all over the country. I was told there is still a Duque de Bragança, though I’m not sure how he spends his day now that there’s no monarchy.

    Around noon, I was able to convince Joe that he’d have much more fun coming along for a drive through the Parque Natural de Montesinho, a huge swath of northern Portugal that hits the Spanish border. We went to a few small hamlets, old houses all made of stone, deserted except for a few old people and the occasional café. On our way back into Bragança, I took the back route up to the castle and parked the car about five minutes away so Joe could go see it.

    When I dropped Joe off for his nap, I decided to walk back to the castle area because I had seen a sign pointing to the “”albergue de peregrinos.” I know there’s a route through here, the Zamorano-Portugués, and it’s one I’ve been eyeing. I was happy to find 5 Spanish pilgrims there, all of whom raved about the route (except for the heat). The albergue system is estupendo, they said — nice scenery, no crowds, but good facilities. Maybe part of Camino 2024?

    I’m back at the hotel with a little time before dinner. I am not sure that Joe’s stomach will be up for a tasting menu, though, so I don’t know what we’ll do. Eating a fancy meal while he watches me doesn’t sound like much fun. We’ll see.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie Reynolds19th year to Lisbon!Laurie Reynolds
    4
    1

    Made it -and our bags did too!

    9 października 2023, Portugalia ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    I swore I would never ever transfer in Heathrow after our experience last year, which was one for the record books (we made a 45 minute connection when our plane from Lisbon was an hour late into London, but it wasn't pretty). But that was where the re-routing sent us, and since we had five hours, I figured we wouldn't have to rush.

    The very nice woman in the BA lounge told me she was pretty sure my bags had made it from Chicago. I took that as a good sign and when we arrived in Lisbon at 4:30, instead of the 9 am arrival I had booked, our bags were there. YAY.

    Got the rental car, got out of town quickly, but it was a a five hour drive. I had a cup of coffee and got behind the wheel. At 10:30 or thereabouts, we rolled into our hotel. We have a room with a balcony looking over the castle. Rather than drink our welcome glass of wine in the bar, we are going to sit out on the balcony and breathe, just like Kathy told me to! Who else gives you a glass of wine to welcome you other than pousadas and paradores?!

    I saw that our hotel has a one star Michelin restaurant and the food doesn't look too out there -- no foam at all in sight on the pictures I see in the brochure. So we will splurge a little and eat there tomorrow.

    Tomorrow we will spend the day in Bragança and I will probably just sit on the balcony and not do anything while Joe naps.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie Reynolds19th year to Lisbon!Laurie Reynolds

    Huge mess of a travel day

    8 października 2023, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Oh, this journey was supposed to be so easy. Late morning flight from Champaign means time to exercise, eat breakfast, do last minute check. We were going to have a few leisurely hours in Chicago, a short flight to Philadelphia, with another couple hours before our flight to Lisbon. Arrive very early in Lisbon, hop in the rental car and mosey on up to Bragança. No stress, no rush.

    We just had the trip from hell coming home from Florence, so I figured that we were due for a pleasant journey.

    Everything was fine for the first leg of the trip. When we got off the plane from in Chicago, everything changed. Our flight to PHL was delayed by 4 hours so we would not make the connection to the Lisbon flight. They rebooked us, after much confusion, through London on British Airways and then on to Lisbon. That’s fine, BUT OUR BAGS. Grrr, why did I check our carry-ons?!?!?!?! Well, since I had to check the suitcase with my teaching clothes, why not take the easy way and check them all?! Stupid me! Now of course It is not at all clear the bags will make it over here to Terminal 5 and British Airways to get on the flight. Changing airlines, changing terminals, changing flights, and all I have are American Airline baggage claim tags that say CMI-PHL-LIS. No one can tell me whether I will have any way of tracking those bags ever. I could just kick myself, but there’s no point in that.

    I told some Camino friends that the new me was going to be very zen about this, but that was before I knew about the bag mess, so I have gone back on my promise and am now certifiably frazzled. I am hoping for the best, but the British Airways customer service person tells me the bags have still not arrived over in Terminal 5, even though we have been in Chicago for 3 and a half hours. I envision all the cascading complications — we have a rental car, we have hotel reservations, we can’t leave Lisbon without our bags. Will they get there tomorrow, the next day or maybe never?! Ok, I will stop borrowing trouble and just keep my fingers crossed that there is a good resolution.

    I have added a picture just to show you that one member of the pair is unfazed and very unworried and calm. I will not add a picture of me. We are leaving Chicago with no idea whether are bags will be on the plane or not.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds

    Travel day —Home again

    22 września 2023, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Yesterday was the day that makes you wonder whether you’re crazy to keep on traveling. We had a 7 am flight from Florence to Madrid. Though it was all booked on one ticket with American, that first leg was on Vueling, which is a low cost airline. That’s fine but for some reason they were unable to give me my boarding passes for the rest of the trip and told me that I would have to get them in Madrid. And then, even though we had business tickets, the lounge wasn’t an option because our first leg was on a low cost. Not a huge deal, but things were crazy crowded and the coffee was very bad. Probably wouldn’t have been much better in the lounge though.

    Once in Madrid, getting those boarding passes was not easy. There is one, yes only one, customer service desk in T4 where these boarding passes could be obtained. The line was slow, and the Iberia customer service representatives did not have an endless reservoir of patience. Luckily we had about 3 hours in between planes, so we were able to navigate it and still had about an hour in the lounge to gird our loins for what was to come next. Joe had a banana and a glass of white wine, interesting combo. The one advantage of this segment of the trip is that since we went through security in the Schengen zone (Florence), we didn’t have to go through security again to get to T4 and our international flight in Madrid.

    The Iberia flight to Boston was fine (why Boston, you may ask - well it all had to do with the cheapest business tickets I could find!). But once in Boston things got hectic and confusing again. I couldn’t recheck our luggage in the international terminal — even though we had carryons, I always check them on the way home. Since our ticket was booked on American, we had to take the luggage over to the domestic terminal. This requires a ride on a transfer bus that seems to come whenever the driver feels like making the rounds. In fact I remembered from one of my caminos flying from Boston and having to ask a car rental bus driver to take me over to the international terminal because the clock was ticking and the transfer bus was no where to be found. Note to self: no more international transfers in Boston. But we made it to Terminal B, checked in again, got through security again, and got to our gate. Our Iberia flight had been 40 minutes late, but luckily (at least for this leg) our flight from Boston to Chicago was also late. So we made the connection.

    Once in Chicago, we had about 30 minutes to get from L gates all the way to the end of G. Joe got a good cardio workout, probably the best he’s had in a long time. As we were walking down G, we heard an announcement that our flight was in final boarding, so I ran ahead, let them know we were here, then ran back to luckily find Joe making his way towards our gate. We made it, got to Champaign, and thought nothing about having to sit for a half hour waiting for the Uber to get home. That was a luxury!

    I don’t expect anyone to really read this rant, but I do like to have a record of it so I can remind myself that we can deal with really bad travel days. Joe suggested this morning that I start planning another trip to Italy, but I think I’ll wait a while for that.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    1132

    Repositioning Day

    20 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Just like the cruise ships that move from summer in the Mediterranean to winter in the Caribbean, we needed to reposition ourselves back to Florence. Our flight leaves from there very early tomorrow morning.

    When I woke up this morning, it occurred to me that I had time to climb the Torre Mangia. So I left notes all over for Joe, in case he woke up, telling him I would be back no later than 11. I had a quick breakfast, and got myself to the ticket line. Since I was early, I was able to get in the first group to go up. About 25 at a time, and a good little bit of cardio to get to the top with its great views. I met a Canadian couple who, like me, is always unable to resist the temptation to climb a tower, climb a castle, climb whatever happens to be there to climb.

    I was back at the hotel and able to bring Joe up a tray for breakfast, so he got a good sleep today. We’ll make up for that tomorrow, with a 4:45 departure for the airport.

    We left the hotel a little after noon and walked through old Siena one more time. I haven’t done any shopping, but I couldn’t resist getting something for my granddaughter who loves drawing and painting. She would have loved that store! Then a few minutes in Piazza Salemberi listening to the cellist playing, and finally on to the bus stop.

    When we got to Florence, we had a short walk to our hotel — unfortunately the place we spent the week had no availability for today, so I just booked something near the station. Turns out it is a stone’s throw from the church I had slightly regretted missing, so I headed over there while Joe took a nap.

    Santa María Novella can be summed up in one word - frescoes! They are everywhere, inside the church, in the cloisters, many in excellent condition from the 14 and 15 C. The nave is long and very high with romanesque barrel vaults. I remembered that Nils had asked about a Giotto crucifixion, so I was delighted to see it hanging in the nave. This is definitely a not-to-be-missed church if you like romanesque and early gothic.

    One last dinner in Florence, then one heck of an early morning to the airport.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    2132

    Cathedral Day

    19 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    I decided to head out in a new direction this morning before breakfast. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that the data I had bought as part of Verizon’s “international plan” was about to expire. I had quite the time wandering lost in the early morning, and Joe was happy to keep on sleeping!

    We spent most of the day in the cathedral, the baptistry, the crypt, and the museum. With two breaks in the duomo square café for aqua frizzante. It was a great visit. The exterior of the cathedral (mostly 13 C) is an unbelievable frenzy of columns, capitals, arches, and more. The cathedral’s marble floors, decorated with biblical and mythological scenes in the 14-16C, are uncovered only for a few months of the year, and we were lucky to see them. But my favorite was the crypt, the ancient church that lies under the current cathedral. It was only discovered in 1999, I read, and it has some beautiful 13C frescoes of Christ’s life. In the museum, there is a walk several hundred steps up to a great “vista panoramica.” Joe sat patiently in a very airconditioned gallery in front of a priceless Madona and child.

    We had a light lunch in the main square, nothing great (except for the view), but enough to hold us till dinner. When I left Joe back in the hotel for his afternoon rest/nap, my plan had been to climb the Torre Mangia in the main square. Not sure why I hadn’t figured that the tickets were likely to be sold out, and so they were. My other choices were the Pinacoteca, which houses the best collection of Siena romanesque, and the San Domenico church, where the severed head of Santa Catarina de Siena is in a reliquary for all to see (her body is in Rome). I started with the Pinacoteca, and found some medieval pilgrims begging, but no Santiago. Then I walked over to San Domenico, where I didn’t spend much time with the gruesomeness, but did enjoy the walk and got terrific views of the cathedral from below.

    Dinner tonight in Siena at a very highly rated place, though it may be wasted on my un-foodie palette . Joe is still holding up very well, and remembers that he is in Siena!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    1
    1

    Another travel day.

    18 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    I decided to take a cab to the Lucca train station, though we had walked from there to our hotel when we arrived in Lucca. The whole trip to Siena was very easy. Two regional trains with a 20 minute transfer in Florence. On arrival in Siena, I continued the luxury travel theme and decided to take a cab, because the walk would be straight up and tough for Joe. Unfortunately, there were about 10 parties in front of us and it took us almost a full hour to get to the front of the line and hop in a cab. Apparently, Siena’s cab contingent dropped to under 50 during covid and is now up to 54. But oh well.

    Our hotel is right in the middle of the historic center, very convenient. I had to manage cathedral tickets again to account for Joe not climbing the tower. With timed entry and different tickets to visit different things, it was a bit complicated but I managed. After a quick lunch, Joe took a nap and I headed to the porta del cielo, which took us up and around the cathedral dome. I had about another 90 minutes to just walk and get oriented. This is a tremendously beautiful city, just wow. It has been a bit cloudy this afternoon, but that doesn’t detract from the medieval and gothic beauty.

    We ate dinner in a slightly upscale place called Tre Cristi. It’s about two minutes from the hotel, which was good for Joe. He was feeling good after dinner so we walked to the main square and then on up to the cathedral, both beautifully lit up at night.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    311

    Tourist day in Lucca

    17 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    I got back from my early morning walk at about 9:15, and based on Joe’s response, I was not too optimistic about how our day would unfold. But two cappuccinos and a big breakfast later, he was ready to go.

    The cathedral visit, and seeing the archaeological excavation under San Giovanni, were both top notch. All these layers, and bits and pieces of each layer remain, going back to the Romans from about 2 C BC. It was fun to climb around the sub-church layer, where archaelogists had identified the villa, the early Christian church, the Baptistery, and even a 12 C church destroyed later that century to make way for the current church. I climbed the two bell towers while Joe waited patiently. The Cathedral has an 8 C Volto Santo, which is a wooden crucifixion that comes with the tradition/legend that it was carved by Nicodemus shortly after the Resurrection. Carbon dating disproves that theory, but it has been confirmed as being from the 700s. They are currently doing serious renovation work on the cross and figure of Christ, so it is not hanging in its chapel. But the work space is glass-enclosed, so you can watch the work when it’s in process.

    After the cathedral and church, we found ourselves on the 16-17 C walls that surround the city. They replaced the original Roman walls, and the later medieval walls, expanding the perimeter of the city as they went. This is now an absolutely wonderful 5 km Via Verde - lots of bikes and carts and walkers on a shaded path that has multiple access points within and without the walls. Joe and I walked about 3 km on the path, and I’ve walked the whole circle twice by myself — once in early morning and once when Joe went to take his nap.

    Since we hadn’t eaten any lunch, our last pre-nap stop was at a café outside one of my favorite churches - San Frediano, with a white marble facade (brought over from the Roman amphitheater) and 12C mosaics on top.

    We’re doing a zoom baby shower for my niece and her husband in a few hours, and I will be there!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Opera in the evening.

    16 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    At our Puccini celebration concert, we heard bits and pieces from Madame Butterfly, Toscana, Turandot, La Boheme. One tenor and one mezzo-soprano who alternated. Then a couple of pieces together. I’m no opera expert but even I recognized something from Madam Butterfly! Very fun in a Romanesque church no less.

    Then we took a stroll around the lit-up cathedral, followed by a light dinner in a cute café restaurant we passed on our way back to the hotel. This was a very nice intro to Lucca.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    212

    Another travel day

    16 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Back on the train to Pisa to connect to the train to Lucca. All of this is a little hard on Joe but he’s been a trooper. Up and down the stairs, crowd huddling in the shade, one person says—I just heard the platform was changed. The masses move to the stairs. Another says —no that’s a different train. Finally a real Trenitalia person appears and tells us to stay put. Then the train arrives and there is more confusion. Nothing that anyone who has traveled by train in Italy hasn’t experienced. And I am not knocking Italian trains. They put US trains to shame a million times over. Connection in Pisa was effortless, and even though I could not figure out how to get my ticket stamped, the very nice men in uniforms just told us to sit down and not worry. Note to self: next time, make sure to use the Trenitalia app. Much easier.

    Our hotel is in the middle of the historic center and about a 30 minute walk in Joe time from the train station. We walked because our B&B didn’t open till 2 pm. It was sunny and a bit hot but we went straight through the historic center.

    Joe napped while I walked around. I went to the plaza built where the Roman amphitheater once was and two pretty stunning Romanesque churches. All the columns and capitals were from Roman temples, so no display of Romanesque inside.

    After Joe’s nap and shower we grabbed a couple of slices of pizza from a place where the 35-50 person line had evaporated. Then the aimless walking took us to the entrance of San Giovanni, another Romanesque church that sits on a 9th century crypt, which sits on a 4th century baptistery, which sits on a 1st C BC Roman villa. Unfortunately no entrance was possible because of the Puccini (who’s from Lucca) celebration. But we learned there would be an opera concert in the church this evening. A performance of some “ greatest hits.” So we bought the tickets and had a light snack in a café nearby. In a beautiful square. Where we are waiting till concert time. This is a charming place, no doubt about it. Some tourists but most definitely a real city.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    1
    21

    Day on the Water

    15 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    I was wrong about two things - one, I was afraid that we would have had so much ferry time yesterday that today’s boat trip would not be so fun. And two, I said I wouldn’t want to come back here. Going slowly up and down the coast was really great! And I got a much better view of the trails I could walk if I were to return. So maybe I shouldn’t say never, because they look fabuloso.

    I am so glad I booked this boat trip weeks ago, because a couple in our B&B was very disappointed they couldn’t get anything for the next four days. It was a bit pricey, but oh so worth it. The views of the villages were amazing, the water was super clear and warm, and I even got to swim near a huge jelly-fish, but only after I was assured that this one wouldn’t sting. One of the young guys on our boat (there were 12 of us total) picked it up, but no way I was interested in that.

    Joe did not get off the boat to swim, but had a seat in the shade and did not mind sitting there doing nothing for our swim time (or at least that’s what he said). After swimming they served us a very nice spread of tapas type food (each one made locally and with an explanation of what it was and who made it!) with some prosecco to accompany it.

    The weather looks like it’s turning, and our boat company has already cancelled the trips for the next three days, not only because of thunderstorms but also because the water will be quite choppy and this little boat can’t take too many waves. We have been quite lucky!

    I did some up and down walking on the trail and saw the bunker we had seen from the boat. The Nazis occupied the town for three years and there were many bombardments. It’s so sobering to see a reminder of how horrible things were years ago.

    One last dinner will be in another highly rated place, which I was able to reserve on Wednesday when we got here. If it’s anything like last night’s meal in Osteria (caprese salad, seafood ravioli for Joe and pesto for me), we will be well fed!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    111

    Day in Cinque Terre

    14 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Along with about a million of our closest friends, we spent the day hopping on and off boats to go into some of the little villages that have become tourist magnets. We are tourists and we are magnetized, so how can we complain. The owner of our B&B told us in no uncertain terms that we should chuck our plan of taking the train and stick to the ferry. I was dubious, but followed her advice. She was absolutely right. Entering these villages from the water is so much more beautiful than going through a tunnel to town from the train station. Only one of our boat rides was what I would call crowded, though they all had a good number of passengers. Based on what some people at lunch told us, the trains were being used by big tour groups (only saw one on all our boat rides) and that makes things more difficult.

    We bought a day pass and started out on the 9:30 ferry. We spent about an hour and a half in each town, so Joe could have a gelato and I could climb the local castle or hoof it up to the overlook. We did stay several hours in Manarola, where we had a long and excellent lunch of mussels and some exceptional white anchovies, which I haven’t had in a long time (boquerones in Spain). The towns are all very picturesque, but seem to be totally dedicated to the tourist business. There are vineyards nearby, so someone is making a living doing something other than selling gelato and boat tickets!

    People were all extremely patient and helpful when Joe needed extra hands to navigate some especially unfriendly steps or ramps. No jostling or pushing either. I am glad we came, but I don’t think I would come back, unless it was in the dead of winter. I’m sure I’d love walking the trail, but I think I’m too hooked on the Camino to make a switch to Italy.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds

    Travel Day

    13 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We left Florence and headed to Cinque Terre by train. I had planned the trip to be as stress-free as possible. Late departure (12:30), 15 minute connection time in Pisa, arrival in Monterosso around 3. I would definitely not want to do this with anything other than carry-ons. Flights of stairs to make connections and no elevator in sight.

    We saw some rocky mountains and Google maps told me it was the Apuan Alps. I saw something that looked like mining, and before I could wonder too much, I saw the name of the town we were passing!

    The owner of our B&B in Monterosso met us at the station to walk with us there. It’s in the historic center, the home where she was born. Very charming. La Poesia.

    Joe took a nap and I followed the walking path out of town for 40 minutes out and then back. Got some pretty good elevation in! I won’t be able to do any of the village to village walks, but I plan to do a bunch of out and back walks when Joe is resting. It’s a beautiful setting and the temperature is great. Crowded, but no surprise there.

    We’re at a very cute tapas place for a light supper. Good restaurants all fill up, so I’ve already made reservations for our next two nights!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Plan B

    12 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    I always write these snippets before we go to dinner, but I woke up this morning remembering last night’s terrific meal (sea bass, seafood pasta, zucchini flower salad with burrata, mint and tomatoes — YUM) but the very best was the lemon sorbet and pistachio biscotti. When I told the waiter how good they were, he brought me a little bag. I am saving them. Osteria di Giovanni, one of the best so far!

    This morning it was pretty clear that Joe was zonked. Not even the lure of a couple of cappucinos did the trick. Time to let him rest. So I was lucky to learn that the driver could come in the afternoon. It means that ultimately we will not get inside Santa Maria Novella (though we have enjoyed many hours sitting at cafés in the plaza with decent music buskers and lots of people enjoying themselves), nor will we get to the Archaeological Museum. We can deal with that. I always try to schedule more time than “needed” in a place so we can adjust if something like this happens, and I’m glad to have this last day in Florence to let Joe recharge. Once again, the elliptical and the lovely café outside our hotel door came to the rescue!

    I got more votes for Arezzo than for San Gimignano, and had decided to go for it. But several people at breakfast this morning raved about San Gimignano. The guys at the desk agreed with them, pointing out that the drive to San Gimignano is more scenic than to Arezzo. My guess is that Arezzo is less touristy and that we would have really enjoyed the frescoes that Irene told me about, but I have to say that San Gimignano was quite nice. And our driver took an off-road route for most of the way, going through that beautiful iconic Tuscan landscape— hills, vineyards, villas, cypress trees. Funny how different the vineyards of Tuscany look from the vineyards of Spain even though the main ingredient is the same.

    It was very crowded — September is absolutely no longer shoulder season. No point in grousing about all the tourists, so we just tried to concentrate on the beauty of the town and the piazzas. Had a cold drink in a little café about two seconds off the main drag where it was quiet, shady, and calm. Then Joe sat on a bench with the old guys while I got him some ice cream. Nocciato (hazelnut) and pistacchio are my hands down favorites.

    So our touring in Florence is done. Our last dinner awaits. Onward tomorrow!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    11

    Pisa

    11 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Originally I hadn’t included a stop in Pisa, but several friends recommended it, and we had an extra bit of time in Florence, so why not? It was another hot, sunny day, and Pisa was crowded crowded crowded, but the monumental complex is, well, very monumental.

    The travel part was easy, with the driver showing up at our door at 8:30 and dropping us off about 6 hours later. We didn’t have a whole day to explore more of the city, and I decided to keep us centered in the cathedral square rather than rush around to see some more monuments. This was the perfect length of trip for Joe and allowed us to see things at leisure and enjoy another café up several stories high and looking out over the tower.

    I was actually a little cynical about the leaning tower before we got there, but it really does take your breath away up close. It looks like it has been cleaned very recently and it is a sparkling white marble beauty. And in spite of all the people posing to place their hands so the photo looks like they are holding up the tower, it was easy to get an unobstructed view and enjoy its intricate and ornate carved arches. Actually, there was beauty aplenty, given that there are three romanesque buildings (baptistery, cathedral and tower) all within a few hundred feet of each other. I did not climb the tower, but was more than content with the views of the outside. The cathedral and the Baptistery had lots to see and admire, too. The height of the arches in the cathedral was gasp-inducing, two rows of barrel vaulted perfection. There are also some beautiful mosaics of Christ the Pantócrato behind the altar, but it was hard to get very close to them.

    I had never heard of the Camposanto (though Michelin tells me it is as famous as the other buildings). It’s a 13th century burial ground, more than 600 graves, an open-aired long rectangular nave surrounded by romanesque arches filled in with delicate beautiful gothic lacing. It looks just like a huge cloister inside. The walls had some huge 14th century murals involving macabre death scenes and the last judgment. Appropriate for a cemetery.

    We have one day left in Florence, and no major sites left to see. I had planned to go to the Archaeological Museum, but this trip was so nice that I asked if we could do it again tomorrow. We are still undecided between Arezzo and San Gimignano (again, based on recommendations of some good buddies), but either option looks great. And yes I know there will be crowds.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds
    1
    511

    Uffizi

    10 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    This morning was a good time to do some wash. That will postpone the need for a laundromat trip, and it’s pretty depressing to sit inside a laundromat while you’re in a beautiful place. I had left stuff soaking last night, and my handy dandy lagarto soap was all I needed. 5 minutes of scrubbing and that was it. Walking the camino every year makes me an expert in this particular domestic chore.

    The crowds at the Uffizi were very large, especially around the Botticellis, no doubt about it. But the medieval rooms much less so. I love the slightly byzantine Madonnas. And there in front of me, at the bottom of a large picture of three saints, was a hat with a scallop shell. I had been hoping to see Santiago, but he was pretty much going incognito in this picture. I wonder why his scallop shell was so well hidden. And I’m also not sure how I was lucky enough to see it!

    All in all, the visit was not the terrible crush I had feared. Joe particularly enjoyed stopping at all the Roman busts lining the two long hallways, seeing if he could remember a bit of trivia about the particular emperor or god depicted.

    We spent a long while on the rooftop cafe enjoying being within spitting distance of the Palazzo Vecchio. I’ve found the perfect substitute for my much loved Fanta de Limón (a camino favorite). Here it’s “Lemon Soda” (and the can proudly proclaims that it’s “solo limoni siciliani”).

    I think some quality rest time is on order today, especially since we have an early departure to Pisa tomorrow. And many restaurants are closed on Sunday anyway. On the way back to our hotel, we passed the only sandwich shop that has ever been the subject of a New Yorker article, I’ll bet.
    https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/04/25/t…
    I brought two back for dinner in the little sitting area off our bedroom, and we will take a stroll along the river before bed.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds

    Cathedral Day

    9 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    My morning jaunt started at the train station to see about a day trip to Pisa. We have time and it’s close! Trains run frequently and are cheap. I got the Pisa info I needed and went to the Santa Maria Novella piazza (my favorite so far) to watch the day come to life.

    Since Joe is the world’s slowest cappucino drinker, and since he wanted two this morning, I had plenty of time to talk with the concierge guy about visiting Pisa for a day, buying tickets, etc. He suggested that hiring a driver would be so much easier for Joe (using him as an excuse for my taking the easy way out!). Problem solved.

    Today was our day to visit the cathedral. I had done the climbing parts yesterday afternoon, so this was all about the ground floor and below. Cathedral, museum, baptistery. The cathedral itself is not one of my favorites, though the dome is very impressive. Too bad they tore down the Romanesque predecessor. The book says it’s gothic trending to early Renaissance, but it is awfully clunky and imposing inside to my way of thinking. Though I am surely no expert. Some remains have been excavated below the current cathedral floor, going all the way back to a Roman home, an early Christian church, and Romanesque Santa Raparata. The museum houses tons of pieces that were removed from the gothic cathedral when the marble was put on; they are displayed beautifully. There’s a pieta (not completely finished) by Michaelangelo that was to be for his own tomb, but apparently he stopped working on it because he found too many imperfections in the marble. The romanesque baptistery has beautiful mosaics; some are in scaffolding for restoration, but there was a lot to ooh and ahh over.

    Just a note about the timed entry tickets. Seems like it should work great, but the problem is that there is one line for which some people have timed entry and some don’t. Too complicated to explain. As a result, there was a lot of screaming and shouting and pushing when four of us made our way to the front at our assigned time, and at the direction of staff. One large group was particularly angry because they also had timed entry, but had been waiting in line for 45 minutes, not knowing they were supposed to jump the line when it was their time. Luckily there was a couple from Wisconsin with us and we stood firm. I am not sure why the staff who motioned us to the front did not come to our defense when the shouting and shoving started, but it made for some excitement!

    For the first time, there was someone else with me in the hotel’s small fitness center. Good to have another body in there moving around to keep the lights from going off so frequently. Minor annoyance, not a complaint, I am very grateful for it. We have a dinner reservation in a place highly recommended by friends. It’s in a part of town we haven’t been to, so we’ll take a cab over early and walk around a bit.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Laurie ReynoldsHeading to TuscanyLaurie Reynolds

    Medici day

    8 września 2023, Włochy ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    It's getting a little hotter, pushing 90 now. I took my early morning walk around the San Lorenzo district, doing reconnaissance for our visit later this morning to the Medici chapels, San Lorenzo church, the palace. The main market was just opening and it's always fun to walk around a real market.

    We are falling into a good routine-- I walk for a couple hours, we eat breakfast, we head out to the destination, we sprinkle our visit liberally with cafe stops. After lunch, back to the hotel for Joe to nap.

    We spent the morning in Medici territory - the San Lorenzo church, which was the church for the Medici family and close to their palace. It has a beautiful Annunciation by Fra Lippo Lippi (I remember him and Fra Angelico, whose Annunciation is in the Prado, from my Spanish Art class in 1970!) We also went to the Medici Chapels, a huge, ornate, imposing pantheon with only 5 people buried inside, I guess they were the most important Medici, because the rest of the line has far more humble tombs. There are even a few Michaelangelo statues. My takeaway of the Medici family is that they had a very impressive trajectory -- from little known merchants and "modest money changers" to the creators of an impressive business empire and control of the city, along with their patronage of the arts of course!

    While Joe napped, I substituted my elliptical workout for a climb up the cathedral dome, and then to the top of the bell tower. It's been a bit complicated figuring out how I can do the climbs, which require timed entry, and still coincide the rest of my visit with Joe's timed entry for the non-climbing part of the visit. Hopefully we can visit the cathedral and the Baptistery together tomorrow.

    It was the hottest part of the day when I got to the cathedral, but the wind at the top of the 481 steps (416 for the bell tower) was so refreshing. Lots of great views after so many twisty turny steps up.

    Our hotel has been making our dinner reservations and so far so good! We had a nice walk to the plaza in front of Santa Maria Novela and then hoofed it to Armando’s Trattoria.

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