February Flowers

Ok Last weekend we had a foot of snow and today we have flowers coming up. This sure is a very strange winter.

Chris and Jennifer in Toronto.

Good Visit with Jenniger and Chris in Toronto.

Looking for apt in rome for after our cruise. I hope webpage starts posting again.

Italy Trip Blog finally posted. Website should be active soon

This was the first trip we have been on with out a computer to do daily blog updates. I wanted to get this documented as soon as possible to include as many details as possible, but alas time goes by.

Both Chris And I have not been feeling well with various problems for the past few months. Me with my heart/stomach issues and him with his knee/throat issues since July. We had to cancel out trip to Yosemite in Aug when my heart problems began. Well finally 2 weeks ago I had the cardiac cath done and was given the all clear.

With all this in mind we were originally scheduled to join some friends in Hawaii, but do to a schedule error on chris’s part and my work schedule. We could not do it. Two other friends called and told us about this unusual trip on the Costa Concordia. It was very well priced and went to places that I would never pay a great deal of money to go.

We thought about it long and hard for a few days and decided to book it. When well called the cruise line back, the price out of Rome on Friday had gone up 250 pp. The price out of Savona Italy on Sat am was still cheap. We booked it. It the price had not gone up we would have been on the ship the night it sank. Our other friends back out. Probably a good thing too because we would have been totally shit faced with them that night. I just thought of this as typing. The ship sank on Friday the 13^th!

Adventure begins On Thursday Jan 12. Our plan to Newark is extremely delayed by hours. We make it to our Milan flight with 6 min to spare. We arrive Milan airport about 915am. We then took the hour long bus ride in the city. We had a difficult time finding our hotel. Pulling out suitcases on the cobble stone streets, Chris re injured his knee. I left him sitting on a bench and ventured out. I walked for about a half hour before finding the hotel. In my poor Italian I was able to ask the correct questions and understand some directions. Turns out the hotel was literally a stones through from were Chris sat. We were looking at the back of it.

Once we checked into the hotel, we ventured out. We found a great little place for lunch and coffee and then we headed underground to take the metro. We needed to find the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie to view the Last supper painting by Leonardo Davici. We had tickets for 330. We found it with little difficult and had time for more coffee. The painting itself was fascinating to see and then to learn that it was pain tined with egg yolks dyed different colors wow.

After our scheduled visit we went to the Cathedral of Milan and to the large mall next door. We found a record store and I bought the one thing I was determined to buy on this trip. I was not in the rack but I was able to ask for it and they got it from the back room for me. On sale too!!!

After a very late dinner we woke early to catch a train to Savona Italy. We once again wheeled our luggage to the Milan central train station. When we boarded the train we found that it was different from every other train we had been on in Europe. It had separate compartments with 6 seats each and sliding glass doors. It remained me of the Hogwarts express. It was a beautiful 2.5 hour ride with a short stop in Genoa (which looked spectacular by the way).

When we arrived Savona we caught a taxi to the port. We both thought it odd that the taxi driver did not speak at all. As we neared the gates to the entrance to the port Chris commented on all the security and the new cameras. “We must have some on famous on our ship”

We exited the taxi and were greeted by a group of young women with clip board. They proceeded to tell us that the ship had some engine problems off the coast of Tuscany and would not be here for a few days. Our cruised was cancelled. Here is a phone number for you to call in Italy. Go back to your hotel. The taxi driver said, “the ship is underwater no engine problem”

After explaining that we had no hotel, and had just traveled 2.5 hours to get there they finally let us into the terminal. We were some of the first passengers to arrive as it was pretty empty. We searched out one of the few English speaking agents. We were given the following option we would be booked back on flight back home in the morning. Exhausted and in Italy for 24 hours they wanted to send us home.

For hours we tried to talk with agents. They booked our flight for the next day. No reservation number or anything they told us just to show up at the airport. Tell them you are from the costa Concordia and you will be ok. Well we knew this would not fly, so after much pressuring we had a reservation number. The told us they would take us to Milan by bus. Well a bus for us never came. The next thing was just get on bus to the airport, again tell them you are from the costa Concordia and you will be ok.

I did not feel like getting stuck at the airport overnight. We finally got our suitcases and headed back to he train station. There was a train to Milan leaving in 10 minutes. We took it. Arriving back in Milan about 9pm. We had no were to go so we found an internet café and started looking for a hotel close to the train station. Most were booked. We found a nearby hotel and walked over.

10 pm exhausted and hungry we called home and had Lynn contact costa in the US to have them call us in Milan. Thank God I rented an international phone ( That is a whole story in itself). We finally make contact with an American agent. She was very nice and helpful. We told her of our days experience and that there was no way that in a few hours we could get up and catch a bus for the hour ride to the airport and fly home all day. She booked us on a flight the following Wed. At least this would give us 3 days in Italy and not make the trip a total waste. We headed to a local restaurant for dinner and then to bed.

　

I wish I would have had the computer with me so I could have really documented the chaos at the ship terminal. The longer we were there the more passengers from the ship came in. They were wet, had no shoes were still wearing or carrying life jackets. Some had foil blankets around them. The red cross was giving out some dry clothes. Why they mixed us with the rescued passengers I have no clue.

In the morning we extended our stay at the Hotel Una and then spent the afternoon and evening exploring Milan. We ventured to some of the typical tourist site. For a late lunch we found this awesome little restaurant in the “bohemian” district. Here I meet at lest on of the goals of the trip. I have fried zucchini blossoms. They were stuffed with ricotta cheese and lightly battered and fried. Out of this world.

On Tuesday Am up early again. Back to the train station and we were on our 3 hour journey to Venice. We figured who knew when we would be back again. It turned out to be a wonderful day exploring Venice. It was VERY cold, but at least the sun was out most of the time. Chris throat was bothering him so badly that he could not even eat his gelato.

Upon leaving Venice I had a nice fall as I attempted to climb the stairs to the train station. Luckily no damage done. This is my second fall in Italy. Hhmmm. The pictures really best describe this day.

Wed morning arrived and once again up very early. Hour bus ride to Malpensa airport and a pretty uneventful trip home.