Do you like clean teeth and cakes that rise? You can thank marble dust for that. Do you know why churches are cold. It's because marble stays cold. This morning we had a fascinating trip to a Carrara marble quarry. Kind of like where Fred Flintstone works but a little more modern and people were wearing work boots.
We checked out of our hotel in La Spezia and headed out to Carrara where there are 25 km of mountains with pure white marble at the top. Our knowledgeable guide, Diego, shared some interesting facts with us on the drive up the mountain. Once we reached as high as we were going, we visited the museum to see artifacts gathered from the mountains. The marble quarries of Carrara have been active since the first century BC started by the Romans. There are 175 quarries in total and in the area we are in there are 30 quarries. They used to only be able to cut 7cm by hand in an entire day. Technology has made it easier to excavate and transport it now, but is still a lengthy process. The marble of Carrara is unique, it is pure white inside and outside. The quarry we went to is called Michelangelo and he personally chose marble from the quarry for some of his famous pieces including The Pieta and Moses. The quarries are efficient and do not waste. The marble dust is made in to toothpaste and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). Also the best concrete is made from marble stones. The tour was fascinating. As you drive around this area of Tuscany you can see blocks of marble ready to transport. All of these are bought and paid for. Marble doesn't come out of the mountain until it is purchased. And if you want to buy marble, it's not cheap. €5,000 for one tonne. One cubic meter is about three tones so €15,000. The biggest exports are to North America, China and Arab nations. Next on the agenda back to Tuscany for more food and drink. Driving through the Tuscan country side is stunning - hills, vineyard, olive trees, cypress trees... We arrived at the beautiful agritursmo family farm in Montecarlo di Lucca. On this sunny afternoon we were greeted by the sound of many birds chirping and our effervescent hostess Antoinella. We were escorted to the wine cellar for lunch but first we learned about the wine, olives, olive oil, vinegar and other products they produce. We were served home made pasta (that was divine), four different wines followed by bruschetta, bread, salami, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and we topped it off with biscotti dipped in sweet holy wine. So delicious! We took a group photo with Diego and started our four hour trek back to Rome. We checked in to Hotel Sonya and met up with Aunty Mary Lou, Uncle Rick, Karen and Monte. We went for a quick bite to eat at an Irish pub (seems odd) and out waiter told us he fell in love with a Canadian from Regina the week before (do we know her?) He said he is even willing to embrace winter for love. Easy for someone to say who has never experienced a Canadian prairie winter!
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After breakfast we walked to the waterfront,which is across the street from our hotel,to catch the boat to the Cinque Terre. The boats can fit hundreds of tourists eager to visit the 5 lands of the national park which cover 12 km. As we were leaving La Spezia our guide pointed out Georgio Armani's yacht. It stands out in the marina - it's all black. Stylish. Porto Venere was our first stop. The houses are painted different colours so the fisherman could pick out their home from a distance. It was pretty quiet in the village when we arrived. We walked the quaint street to the cathedral at the end. We climbed to the top for the best views -stunning. We visited the cathedral at the top and mom and I lit a candle for Garth.The sidewalk that we took on the way back along the water was built by the romantic poets who frquented here - Byron, Keats, Yates...They loved visiting and I can understand how they would have been inspired by the village and scenery. Before we had to make our way back we spotted some deodorant for James and Lyn. Whew! We got back on the boat to Vernazza where we had time to walk around and have a drink. There was a market on when we arrived and we saw the opera singing flower seller that is in one of the Rick Steves videos about the Cinque Terre. He wasn't singing when we saw him but maybe if you buy something you get a song?! Then on to the largest village (population 1500), Montersosso. The villages are picturesque and the total population is 5000.The people of the Cinque Terre are also protected. They don't pay taxes and Unesco will pay them if they don't make as much money as they did the year before. It is very important that the people stay otherwise the villages will become ghost towns. It seems all the tourism has ensured that won't happen. Our guide told us the local specialties are anchovies (caught fresh daily), mussels (also caught daily) and wine. We had lunch in Monterosso with some Cinque Terre wine. I had gnocchi with pesto - delicious! Others tried the seafood. We were able to find a store with lemoncello tasting. We wandered around before heading back to Le Spezia on the train.We were able to see some of La Spezia on the walk back to the hotel. All in all a beautiful day in the Cinque Terre. Another spectacular day! We started with breakfast at our hotel and we were off at 8.30 for San Gimignano. San Gimignano is a wonderful hilltop town with towers...and lots of shops. As an aside, there are 8,000 hilltop towns in Italy all from medieval times - after the fall of the Roman Empire and before the Renaissance. I am happy to support the Italian economy by purchasing leather goods - especially when you can meet the people who create it. We learned that Italy has produces the highest quality toothpicks. We didn't find any toothpicks to buy. We didn't look that hard. San Gimignano is so cute and the area surrounding it is stunning. Tuscany is so beautiful - even the air has a rustic camp fire smells to it. Tuscany has strict rules protecting the landscape - new construction is not allowed. Apparently you can't even add or take down a tree. We learned that only 8% of Italy's economy is tourism. 70% is from small family businesses. With that in mind we went to visit a family farm and vineyard in the Chianti region for wine tasting and snacks. The farm is called Tavernelle Val di Pesa. The business has been run by the family for three generations and they grow grapes, olives and grain. We did a short tour and sat down outside on the patio for tasting. It wasn't really tasting because the 12 of us has 8 bottles of wine. That's a lot more than a taste! Sitting outside at a Tuscan farm/vineyard with the sun shining, drinking wine and eating delicious meats, cheeses, bread olives and bruschetta...it doesn't get any better! Locals drop by to fill their jugs with wine for 1.50€ per litre. Crazy! After drinking and purchasing ( how can you go wrong at 3-9€ /bottle?) a lot of wine we headed to Pisa. The four marble buildings in piazza dei miracoli (square of miracles) are amazing but of course we are all there to see the leaning tower. The most known monument in the world according to our guide. I've seen a lot of photos of the tower but it is different in person. It's brilliant white marble that looks so spectacular and strong - except for the whole leaning thing. We did the obligatory holding up the tower photos. Oh, both James and his mom are on the hunt for deodorant. Lyn thought she found some in a store...but it turned out that what she picked up was only shaped like deodorant and was for something entirely different. Something a little more intimate. I had to stop her before it got to the till. No one wants arm pits that are lubricated and may warm or tingle. We did have a good laugh! We are in La Spezia tonight. We are having a great time on this tour. There are only 12 of us and it's such a great group of people. On the serious side there is a higher police presence at tourist attractions since Paris and Brussels. I guess that's a good thing. Off to dinner soon. Ciao! Zero sleeps! What?!? Only three more sleeps until we leave for this trip we booked in late 2014. Yahoo!
Mom and dad left Victoria this morning to head toward Calgary. The Kraft-Mullane clan are looking after Zoe for the month so mom & dad will fly out of Calgary. They switch planes in Amsterdam and then will meet us in Rome. We fly Edmonton - Toronto - Rome. Is it me or does it seem like everyone is sick. Sneezing, sniffling, hacking,,,and that's just in our house. I am trying not to catch what seems to be spreading around Edmonton. There's no time to get sick! I still have lists that I am checking off. Lists for work and lists for home. Thankfully the lists are mostly full of check marks now. Except shoes. They always cause me sleepless nights. Bringing the wrong shoes can really impact a trip. Of course there are probably other things that should keep me up at night (like some of the things mentioned in James' blog) but honestly, shoes are important. And bulky to pack! I have potential shoes lined up along our bedroom floor. Well, they used to be lined up. I have had them out for more than a week and I've been tripping over them/kicking them around so the "line" isn't much of a line anymore. And then there are coats. Will it rain...will it be sunny? It's spring so I'm expecting a bit of everything. Except snow - it better not snow! Last year I thought I had a waterproof coat until it started pouring on us in Cadiz, Spain. It was NOT waterproof. I have a theory that if I bring an umbrella it won't rain. I found a great little umbrella at Winners that I plan to carry all the time to ward off the rain. My fellow travelers will have me to thank for the great weather we are sure to have. But, I also got a new waterproof (for real) raincoat just in case. It's also the time pre-cruise when I log in to the Holland America site regularly to see if we have been assigned a stateroom. This afternoon there was no room assigned but I am thrilled to report that as of tonight at 6 pm we have a room. 11030 in case you would like to send some flowers or wine. We've never been that high up on a ship...one deck up to Crow's Nest happy hour! Our rule on the ship is no elevators allowed unless it's an emergency - we must take the stairs. It's going to be a challenge this time! Click here for the deck 11 plan. We have been reading Captain Albert's blog. He reports daily as they prepare for the registration of the ms Koningsdam to be transferred over from the builder to Holland America. It's really interesting to read and fascinating how everything is coming together. OK...back to obsessing about what I'm packing. I admit, I have a thing for stationery. Notebooks, paper, pens, markers, post it notes, stickers...I love it all. I currently have enough pens (and notebooks) to last me a lifetime. But I will buy more. There's always something new to try. I've had the obsession my whole life. I loved back to school supply shopping. And when I went to school in the 1970's-'80's there was no where near the interesting selection of goodies that there is today! I had an extensive sticker collection in the '80's organized by type and sparkle factor - scratch & sniff were my favourite. I have a distinct memory of receiving a fabulous pen shaped like a lollipop in my Easter basket when I was about 10. The pen ink smelled like lemon and wrote in yellow. Best Easter gift ever - thanks Easter bunny! My first job was at Willson Stationers at Wesmount Mall in Edmonton. Remember Willson's? Actually, remember when Westmount was a real mall? And Woodward's... I loved working at Willson's! I started when I was 16 and worked there through high school and university. BTS season (Back to School for those not in the biz) was my favourite time. I could sell a Cross Pen set and knew which Smith Corona ribbon fit which typewriter like nobody's business. Don't even get me started on colour coded filing systems. (Aside: For more insight about why I love planning and planning tools, check out this post) I've recently discovered this whole online community of people who are way more obsessed with stationery and planning than I am. It's awesome! This month I purchased the most beautiful leather notebook from Chic Sparrow. It's a traveler's notebook style (Midori created the original traveler's notebook). The leather is called creme, and the colour is chocolate brown. It is divine. The leather is smooth and supple...and it smells so good! The notebook is simple and beautiful. The system has four elastics inside the cover to string notebooks through, an elastic closure and I had the pen loop added. I will take the notebook traveling with the following set up:
May Designs notebooks are really great. They are stitched with a canvas cover that you can personalize and choose what type of pages you would like inside. Oh, and the splurge item I purchased this week. The Polaroid Zip printer to print photos from my phone. It is so cute and perfect for travel. Look how it compares to the size of my business card. I'm excited that I will be able to print off some of my photos from the day and put them right in to my daily journal pages. The printer paper for the Zip is actually sticker paper so it will be quick and easy to print and stick some photos to my pages.
The next thing I want is a TWSBI fountain pen but that will have to wait until after the trip. My dream job is to open a mobile paper store in a renovated Airstream. That way I can travel and surround myself with stationery awesomeness. I would also sell tea out of my Airstream. And maybe stroopwafles. A girl has to dream! Well now that you know about my obsession, my birthday is in October. Have you met Mini Maurice? If not, let me introduce you. Mini Maurice has been my traveling sidekick since 2012. He’s logged many hours in planes, buses and ships; he’s been to four continents and about 20 countries. He loves a great adventure and is always on the search for the best banana. Or banana flavoured liqueur. He’s also been known to try wine…and mojitos. When he’s not traveling, Mini Maurice lives at Sorrentino’s Compassion House. He hangs out with women undergoing cancer treatment. He participates in activities around the house and in any fundraisers we are doing. There was an original Maurice – a regular size sock monkey – who it seems had too much fun with some house guests one weekend and never returned. Original Maurice was a real party animal. Mini Maurice enjoys a good time but sticks close to the house when not traveling. Mini Maurice has an extensive wardrobe at work but he travels light. He grabs his monkey Tilley-esque hat and we're off. He is getting very excited about his next adventure and a month away from work. Here’s a video of his 2015 transatlantic adventure. I have seen this drawing of Amalfi Coast out of the corner of my eye all month. It is the Travel the World calendar by Rifle Paper Co. that sits on my desk at work. Every time I glimpse at it I feel happy and excited. I think the drawing is fun and I assume it captures the spirit of the Amalfi Coast. At least it’s what I think it will be like. Warm sun, sea air, boats, charming villages built in to cliffs and lemons…lots of lemons.
On our very last port stop on the cruise (April 27), we are in Naples. From Naples we have booked a tour of the Amalfi Coast with Mondo Guide. Mondo Guide has been great to work with so far. Our ship stops in Naples twice and we have another tour booked with them to tour Pompeii and Naples (with pizza lunch of course) earlier in the month. I’m really excited to visit the Amalfi Coast see the breathtaking views of the cliff side drive and quaint seaside towns first hand. Of course I’ve watched lots of videos to prepare. With only a few days left in February, I will flip over to the next month soon. March is Kyoto – I’ve already looked – and it’s also a nice drawing with cherry blossoms. Oops, maybe I shouldn't have looked, that might be bad luck. Or maybe it means next spring I will go to Kyoto. I would love to see the cherry blossoms in Japan! I will miss the drawing of the Amalfi Coast after Monday but I am looking forward to seeing (and smelling) it in real life soon. I'm so excited about my craft room. I have wanted an organized, functional space for many years and after painting, sorting and a few trips to Ikea... I finally have one. What does this have to do with my upcoming cruise you ask? Well, not much. Except that I love to journal while traveling. I also collect things along the way - memorabilia type things - with the intent to put them all together when I get home. That usually doesn't happen. The main reason is because when I create, I make a mess. With my new craft room, I can make a mess and then shut the door until the project is complete. I have started journals for past trips. Most aren't complete. I actually completed my China journal from 2014 - it's very chunky. Here are some photos. For the Europe cruise in 2012 I made a couple of great journals from sewing paper together. It was an online course called Remains of the Day by Mary Ann Moss. They were great fun to make. I started to fill them up, but I still have work to do! So, that's my craft room and I'm excited to start creating. In case you didn't notice I have two Harry Potter Funko figurines in my craft room. Every craft room needs a little wizardry! I have a brand new, never stamped in, 10 year passport ready for the trip. Of course I hate the photo, but in 10 years I suspect I will think I looked good. It's not about the photo it's about where my new passport and I will travel.
The first trip on our agenda is exploring Italy, a 19 day Mediterranean cruise and a few days in Amsterdam. I can't resist Amsterdam in the spring. We are sailing on the shiny new ms Koningsdam. As in really new - like we are the first official cruise on it. I'm so excited! We booked this cruise about 14 months ago so it hasn't really seemed real. With 49 sleeps until we leave, it's getting real! I posted some links to videos on this page. There is also a series of videos called Countdown to Koningsdam: episode 1, episode 2, episode 3, episode 4 (we want a suite after watching episode 4), episode 5 Here is a glimpse at our itinerary: Mom, Dad, James, Lyn and I fly to Rome and join a four day, three night tour of Tuscany & the Cinque Terre - eat good food and drink good wine. Back to Rome for two nights to meet up with our fellow cruisers - family & friends, 14 of us in total. More food, wine and gelato. Head to the shiny new ship and tour around the eastern Mediterranean with stops in Naples, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Rome, Athens, Olympia, Istanbul (I hope!), Ephesus, Rhodes, Crete, and back to Naples. After 19 days on the ship we disembark. Mom, dad, James, Lyn, Penny and I catch a flight to Amsterdam and arrive on King's Day - the biggest and orangest celebration in the Netherlands. We have three nights in Amsterdam and we plan on spending a day at Keukenhof - the spring gardens outside of the city. TULIPS! And I want to rent a bike. Sounds fun 'eh?! |
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February 2017
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