What Is the Matter With Me?!?!

There seems to be a pattern developing. Toward the end of my trips I am falling behind on blogging, and that’s exactly what happened here. I started this entry in normal sequence but am completing it on March 5, 2014. Oops. But this trip must be completed to start another one…. And so this morning […]

Down the Amalfi Coast and Beyond

We were up with the sun and the view stopped us in our tracks. The cities here hang precipitously on the sides of the mountain, seemingly defying gravity, and the dawn lit them up in shades of yellow and orange, the shadows dappled with purples, pinks, and blues. The plan for today was to drive […]

“Why Are They Honking At Us?” “Because You’re Stopped At The Red Light!”

Today we bid an early farewell to Naples. We barely got to see her, but she is a grand city. In some ways she reminds me of Detroit. She puts on no airs. She is grungy. She is a little bit dangerous. And she is, without a doubt, real. We have eaten of her foods, […]

I’ll Have the Pizza

Walking here is a full contact sport. There is an Italian view of personal space that is, basically, nonexistent. It would be very easy to have your pocket picked because people are bumping into you everywhere. As a result of the many cautions we were offered both D and I spent the whole day with […]

“You’re Going to Naples?! Be Careful!”

First full day in Rome, and we get up eat breakfast, and check out of the hotel. Here is the downside of traveling in December: Days are really short. With the sun setting between 4:30 and 5 pm, we don’t want to waste any daylight hours traveling. Instead our grand plan is to travel in […]

Settling In, Getting Reoriented, and Eating

The arrival into Rome was painless. We arrived early, I zipped through passport control and customs, and caught the train to Rome. D was already checked in. We are in room 605 with an incredible view of the Pantheon. D was having issues with electricity. His very nice plug adapters kept blowing fuses, so I […]