Venice Jun10-13

Everyone said that we had to go to Venice and that despite the exorbitant prices and the crowds, it is probably the most beautiful city in Italy, if not the world. I agree.

We arrived by train and the tourist information booth found us a decent and affordable hotel nearby. After dropping our bags we joined the flow of people walking towards San Marco Square and were quickly enchanted by the narrow cobblestone lanes lined with shops and restaurants that cater to the tourist trade in a way that somehow manages to be charming instead of kitchy. Venice is a walkers’ city: you have no choice as there are no cars or even bicycles on the lanes partly because the countless little canals all have to be crossed on arched bridges, with steps. We walked for hours, gazing at the magnificent buildings in the piazza San Marco, gawking at the luxury boutiques, wandering among the cafes in the busy touristy area, and finding our way back home from some back alley explorations. Venice is justifiably famous for its canals we saw the city from the water by taking the vaporetta, which is the equivalent of the public bus. We bought the 24 hour unlimited ticket and hopped on and off these delightful boats all around the main island, Murano and Lido. Cruising up the Grand Canal is the quintessential way to be in the midst of Venice with gondoliers in their striped shirts singing to tourists, water taxis zooming by with elegantly dressed Italians or rich Japanese tourists and barges carrying everything needed to supply a city without roads.

Venice is an artist’s city both in the famous sights and. Our sightseeing stops included the Duomo (cathedral) to admire the mosaics, the Dogge’s Palace which is full of amazing renaissance paintings and sculpture, Murano where we saw glass blowers in action and an incredible array of glass art for sale, and one museum, the Guggenhiem collection of modern art. But in Venice the art is also in the everyday beauty and charm of the public spaces, the buildings, the shopfronts, the posters for art exhibits, and of course the people for whom style is an art.

Lake Como May 30-June 18

Lac Como

Como est un grand lac juste nord de Milan, dans une vallée d’Alpes Italien . Dans ces montagnes il y a une vaste choix de sentiers pour faire de merveilleux randonné. Mon préféré était un trek très aigu sur la crête de la montagne à un petit cottage au nom de Manavello. Après Manavello , nous avons descendu a une plage rocheuse pour nager dans l’eau refraîchisant du lac Como.

Santa Maria est une petite église haute dans la montagne qui se trouve au bout d’une belle marche dans les bois sur un sentier fait de pierre taillé. Une journée ensoleillée nous avons monté à Santa Maria pour assister à un concert de Bach et Vivaldi joué par trois violoniste s et une flûtiste. Après, nous avons descendu un autre sentier apique à une rivière d’eaux vive que nous avons suivie jusqu’à notre maison.

Une autre place que je trouvais spéciale était un petit village d’été au nom d’Era. Dans les anciens temps, les fermiers apportaient leurs animaux et poussaient des légumes dans les villages d’été haut dans les montagnes. Aujourd’hui la plupart sont des maisons de vacances. Pour se rendre à Era ça prends trois heures de marche de Santa Maria, mais une fois arrivé, il y a une vue incroyable sur Bellagio et le Lac Como.

À Como, nous sommes resté au petit village de Somana avec des amis de mon père, Adam, Patty, Islay et Clarissa. Adam joue de la guitare électrique. Il s’est aperçu que j’étais très musicale et m’a demandé si voulais des leçons de guitare. J’ai appris quelques cordes puis il m’a aidé à inventer une chanson. J’ai eu une merveilleuse visite avec eux.

Cinque Terre May 26-30

The five villages of the Cinque Terre cling to cliffs of the Liguria coast just north of La Spezia. The mix of nature and human beauty and the fact the villages are linked by walking paths, train and boat, attracted us to spend a few days in this amazing place.

Our first day was hot and sunny. Rob, Steve and Ann hiked up and down the steep trails for 2 hrs from Vernazza, where we stayed, to Corniglia and then Manorola where we met Kathleen, Kathy and Bill for lunch. They had come by train, which took about ten minutes to speed under the cliffs through tunnels. It was Sunday and the town was packed with tourists and locals, many of whom were out celebrating a child’s Confirmation. From there we walked together to the next town, Riomaggiori. The views of the cliffs, the towns perched over the water, the terraced vineyards stretching up the hillsides are breathtaking. The kids and grandparents caught a boat back to our town while Steve and Ann took a dip in the turquoise water, which was surprisingly warm and caught the train back to Vernazza to join the others at the lovely sandy beach.
The next day was our first rain in more than two months! We dug out the raincoats and walked down to the waterfront where we watched the huge waves roll over the breakwater and crash onto the piazza where only yesterday people sat under umbrellas eating pizza.
Being right on the water, seafood is the local specialty and there are plenty of charming little restaurants with outdoor tables. We have been enjoying delicious food, great salads and lots of wine. Everything is fantastic except the prices. Ouch!

Italie

Après le traversier de 20 heures, nous sommes arrivés en Italie! Papa nous a conduit à notre villa à Petrognana.
À Petrognana, les propriétaires avaient des chiens de saucisses qui étaient très mignons parce ce qu’ils étaient tout petits et il voulait toujours bondir sur moi.
Le villa avait une belle piscine où l’on a rencontré nos nouveaux voisins qui avaient deux enfants de six ans et huit ans. La fille avait six ans et elle s’appelait Crusha. On s’est beaucoup amusé ensemble.

Un jour nous sommes allés à Florence qui a beaucoup de tourist où l’on a vu les grandes peintures et beaucoup de sculpture au musée Uffizi.
Une de mes affaires préférées de l’Italie était le galato extrordinaire nos grands parents nous a donné un chaque jour.

Cinque Terre
À Cinque Terre, il y avait beaucoup gelaterie et aussi une grande plage. J’ai voyagé sur un bateau avec nos grands parents et mon frère.

J’AIME L’Italie!.

Tuscany May 19-26

For a long time we had been looking forward to the pleasures of Tuscany. During our week there we were more than satisfied with an abundance good food and wine, spacious comfortable lodging, marvellous cultural outings, spectacular coutrside, and the company of my parents. To crown the experience we were treated to a string of hot, sunny days.

Mom had rented a flat with plenty of room for the six of us in an agriturismo, which is a huge old working farm that has been modified for tourist accommodation. We felt transported back a few centuries or that we were in a movie set when we saw the antique bedroom furniture, the fireplace and stone sink, the 70cm thick walls and the heavy wooden shutters on the tall windows. We ate most of our meals outside either on the sunny stone patio in the morning, or in the shade of the huge trees overlooking the valley in the evening. The Fatoria de Petrognano is up in the Tuscan hills about 20 minutes west of Florence set amid picturesque vineyards, fields and forests. However, getting there requires nerves of steel as the last five km of winding road is barely wide enough for one car with the possibility of a speedy Italian driver around every blind hairpin bend.

Most mornings Ann, Rob and Steve would start the day by cycling three km up to the village of Pomino to buy fresh bread, then coast down so we all could eat it for breakfast. With temperatures in the 30s every day, we were glad to forego sightseeing in towns to drive to the Valambrosa National Forest, visit a local winery for a tasting, or just lounge by the pool, ride bikes and walk the grounds. We prepared most of our own meals with lovely fresh vegetables and meats from the local alimentairi, but one night we splurged for the four-course meal in the main dining room, accompanied by a true vin du maison made from grapes grown on the property.

Tuscany is justifiably known as the place to see renaissance art and every building from the smallest local church to the Uffizi Gallery is adorned with sculpture, painting, and architectural detail. We walked through the winding little streets of San Gimignano amidst the medieval towers and churches; we joined the throngs to see the abundance of art in Florence; in Sienna Mom and I rented the audio guides and spent two hours learning about the floor mosaics and wall frescoes in the Duomo. The kids ran up the stairs of the leaning tower to admire Pisa laid out below. The town of Lucca seemed to be inhabited mostly by regular Italians, so it was the place I could imagine renting a house and staying for a few weeks to walk the car-free streets and explore the beautiful squares.

Our week in the “Tuscan Sun” ended all to quickly but we were excited by our next destination, the seaside villages of the Cinque Terre.

Athens May 15-18

When the ferry docked at the port of Athens just after sunrise we stumbled off bleary eyed after trying to sleep in uncomfortable seats with the TV on all night, only to be told that there were no busses that day due to a general strike. Obviously there was a long line up for taxis, but eventually our turn came and we whisked into the city. The next problem was that our chosen hotel was full (the first time this happened on our entire trip) but the owner recommended another place nearby and by 9 am we were checked in and ready to see the sights.

Modern Athens sprawls over many hills but the ancient city is very compact. That first morning we walked around the Acropolis and Agora, and strolled through the Plaka to get our bearings. The streets were surprisingly quiet for a city of 4 million and we enjoyed walking along the clean, tree-lined streets looking at the mix of old churches and new shops and cafes. This part of the city seems inhabited by healthy mix of traditional Athenians, cool young students and tourists. Back to the hotel for a home-made, “Canadian style” Greek salad with lots of lettuce, and a much-needed nap. That evening we climbed the Pnyx hill to the place where democracy was born and is now a popular dog walking spot for Athenians who appreciate the marble benches to rest and chat.

The next morning, after a wonderful night’s sleep, we started our tour of the Acropolis early to beat the heat of the day. We saw all the famous sights: the Parthenon, the temple of Nike, the porch of the Karytids, just like they are in the Grade 8 history course I taught. Many of the sights are being restored, which meant that the views were somewhat obscured by scaffolding, but this was more than compensated by the added interest that the cranes generated for Rob. Even in May it quickly gets to be 35°C in the shade, so by 1pm we took refuge back at the hotel for an afternoon rest and some homework. That night we ate lamb at a sidewalk Taverna in the Plaka. For most of our travels we have been well ahead of the busy season, so the crowds of well-dressed tourists in Athens were a novelty.

By our third day we were starting to remember many of the most important events and characters of ancient Athenian history, at least between the 6th BC and the 3rd AD. With the help of some excellent “reconstruction” drawings we were able to understand the main parts of the Agora and many of the beautiful exhibits in the archaeological museum. We were particularly impressed by the Stoa, which is a very long and high, covered gallery that was beautifully restored in the 1950s. I felt that being inside an actual building with walls and a roof -assuming the restoration was faithful to the original design of the Stoa of 2500 years ago- gave me a better idea of what life may have been like than did many of the ruins.

On our last morning we went to see the remains of the Temple of Zeus, which is thought to be the largest temple from Greek antiquity, and puzzled at how they managed to get those huge pieces of marble up atop of columns 17m high. The ancient Greeks certainly were an ingenious people who put their skills to creating beautiful and lasting things. That afternoon we marvelled at the efficiency of modern Greece as we sped from Athens to Patras by bus and then as our ferry to Italy slipped its moorings at exactly 17:00, and especially when we saw our compact cabin with 4 bunks!

Athène pay Rob

En Athènes, nous avons visité l’Acropole. À l’Acropole, il y a beaucoup de différents temples. Le Propylaia est la grande entrée pour aller dans l’acropole. Le temple de Niké est en forme d’un grand tour d’où les gardes peuvent surveiller l’entrée.

Le Parthanon est le temple principal de l’Acropole. Les piliers du Parthanon penchent un tout petit peu à l’intérieur, pour que pendent un tremblement de terre, ils ne tombent pas. Au temple de Erechtheion , il y a six statuts de femmes qui retient le plafond. Lord Elgin a retiré un de ces statuts en 1802 et l’envoyé au musé en Angleterre. Les grands-parents d’Athènes disent qu’en pleine nuit, ils peuvent entendre les cinq autres pleurer pour l’absence de leur soeur. Pour préserver les objets d’art de l’Acropole, il y a un musé qui contient plusieurs statuettes et bas-reliefs. Le bas-relief qui m’a attiré le plus était celle d’une lionne entrain d’attaquer un bœuf. L’Acropole est un de mes sites préférées de tout notre voyage.

Petrified Forest, Lesvos

Petrified Forest by Rob

On the Greek island of Lesvos we saw the amazing Petrified Forest. A petrified forest is when there are trees that have turned into rock. Twenty million years ago the vegetation was very different in that part of Lesvos then the present day. Most of the trees that were petrified were Sequoia trees, the same trees that are now found in Northern California. These trees were petrified by volcanic ash seeping into the wood. This movement happened when Lesvos was still part of the mainland. In the Petrified Forest the only things standing were the stumps. Most of the stumps we saw were in their original position.

Afterward we went to the museum where I learned much more about volcanoes. For example, volcanoes can erupt many different ways. Volcanoes are formed by hot molten rock from deep in the Earth, erupting from a crack.

Nowadays, volcanoes do not kill many people because scientific machines are able to warn us. Mount St. Helens erupted from its side but only 57 people were killed. My visit to the Petrified Forest was very educational.

Lesvos by Kathleen

Le matin, quand nous sommes levés chez Scosha à Scala, Rob et moi, nous avons vu Rhéa et Malou, nos amies de Canada, et aussi Gigi, le chien de propriétaire de nos logements. Nous avons fait beaucoup de choses ensemble. Malou m’a montré comment tricoter une poupée et Rhéa nous avons enseigné une nouvelle chanson qui s’appelle ‘Les Raftmans’. Aussi nous avons fait des dessins avec les nouveaux crayons d’eau.

Le même soir, après avoir baigner dans la Méditerranée à la belle plage, nous avons mangé dans un restaurant de plage ou nous avons goûté la nourriture spécial de la Grèce. Nous avons mangé la salade Grec, des bals de zuchini, des olives et mon préfère, du Saginaki qui est du feta grille avec pain.

Le lendemain, nous avons escaladé une colline où il y a une petite église très charmante à l’intérieur et avec une belle vue du village de Scala, le mer Agean et loin sur l’île. Les enfants ont monté la côte beaucoup plus vite que les parents.

Le jour suivant, nous avons visité la forêt pétrifiée. C’est une forêt avec des arbres qui sont devenus des roches après plusieurs éruptions de volcans, pendant les millions d’années. J’ai vraiment aimé le musée de la site parce ce qu’on a vu des films qui nous ont montré comment c’est arrivé pendant longtemps.

La dernière journée à Lesbos, nous sommes partis de chez Scosha et nous avons fait un tour de l’île. À Mollivos nous nous sommes baigné dans une source chaud et dans le mer pour se refroidir. Ça faisait du bien. Après un autre dîner délicieux Grec, nous avons continué notre tour jusqu'à la grande ville de Mytlini. Nous avons marché sur le quai et nous avons mangé de la crème glace dans un café ‘cool’ sur le quai. Vers dix heures le soir un grand navire est arrivé pour nous emporter à notre prochain aventure, un traversé de soir de Lesbos a Athènes.

Turkey April 30-May 10

We have been in Turkey for a week and have gathered the following impressions from our stays in Antakya, Kac, Patara and Mugla.

The geography is impressive: out of the sea rise rugged hills strewn with boulders and scrubby trees. The fertile valleys are green with intensively farmed olives, oranges and lemons as well as the most delicious tomatoes and cucumbers. The Mediterranean Sea is bright blue in most places where cliffs go straight to deep water, then turquoise in the coves with beaches. The first few days were cool enough to have us buying long pants, but then summer arrived and it has been at least 30 degrees every day. Many beaches are actually pebbles, but Patara, where we stayed three days, boasts 20 km of fine sandy beach and some very large sand dunes.

Two thousand years ago the southern area of Turkey was the Lycian empire, which was part of the Greek confederacy (a fact that is never mentioned in the Turkish literature) and was later conquered by the Romans, Ottomans and others. At their height, the Lycians used local marble and limestone to build impressive cities with theatres, temples, aqueducts and plenty of tombs. Most are gone forever, but what remains is still more than what can be seen in Greece and Italy combined. The hills around Kac were actually littered with Lycian tombs and the museum in Antakya had some of the most exquisite mosaics I have ever seen. Tomorrow we go to Epheses, which was originally built in 600 BC and is reputed to be the most complete ancient city on the Mediterranean.

Coming from the Middle East and Asia, we are struck by the European-ness of Turkey, which gets ever more pronounced as we move west. The people are quite fair skinned and, apart from some of the older women, most wear western clothing. Although Rob and Kathleen still get plenty of smiles, most of the time we do not stand out, and walking down the street we do not attract anywhere near as much attention as we have in the past six months. People are very welcoming and show their hospitality by inviting us to join the family for tea at the places we stay. As well, strangers we stop on the street will take a few minutes and even stop others to confer before giving directions in some combination of English, German and Turkish. Yesterday at the post office three employees stopped what they were doing to help me to find the dialing code for Canada.

The products in the shops and scene on the street and in the market have more in common with southern France or Italy than Jordan or Egypt. And, as travelers, we are most impressed by the sparkling clean restaurants and bathrooms found in even the cheapest and most out of the way places. Of course all this modern western-ness comes at a price; most things in Turkey cost about as much as they do in Canada, but still less than we are bracing for in Greece and Italy.

Still, Turkey is a very foreign country, made more so by the fact that very few people speak any English. While walking through an orchard, we came upon a group of women pruning the trees whose clothes and equipment could have been from a hundred years ago. This week the country has seen huge protests, which have forced the government to dissolve and call elections. The main issue is the separation of the state from religion. The present government is overtly Islamic and has been putting through laws to move Turkey to being an Islamic country. Although 98% of the population is Muslim, modern Turkey was founded as a secular government and most people we talk to want to keep it that way.

Turkey is a fascinating country and an ideal transition between Asia and Europe. We had originally wanted to stay here for a month or more but extentions in India, Nepal and Egypt have cut our time to a busy ten days. Next time we will get to Istanbul!

Syrıe parRob

Le voyage en bus d’Aman ‡ Damasce a durÈ quatre heurs. ¿ la frontiËre Syrienne, nous avons voulu un visa pour sept jours mais, nous l’avons eu juste pour trois. DËs notre voyage en Syrie Ètait plus court que planifiÈ, nous avons visitÈ que trois places, Damasc, le Crak de Chevaliers et Allep.
Damasc est une des villes capitales la plus ancienne du monde. Nous avons marchÈ ‡ travers l’Ènorme vieux Souk ´†bazaar†ª jusqu’au quartier ChrÈtien o_ nous avons visitÈ l’Èglise o_ St Paul Ètait baptisÈ il y a presque 2000 ans! En revenant nous avons passÈ une toute petite ruelle o_ travaillent des artisans en bois. Ils fabriquent des plats et boÓtes finis des couches dÈcoratives faites de centaines de toute petites morceaux de bois. L’aprËs-midi nous avons visitÈ le musÈ Palais d’Azen. J’ai beaucoup aimÈ les salles avec des meubles dÈcore de perle et la chambre musicale. La crËme glace ‡ la fin de la journÈe Ètait dÈlicieuse!
La Crak des Chevaliers est un ch‚teau trËs bien prÈservÈ parce qu’il n’avait pas beaucoup de batailles aprËs les Croisades. Le ch‚teau est en haut d’une colline. Nous avons aimÈ courir dans les corridors, monte dans toutes les tours et voir toutes les salles. Le Crak des Chevaliers est un des ch‚teaux de la pÈriode Croisades. En haut le vent souffle trËs fort et il faut se tenir bien. Le ch‚teau Ètait trËs beau.

Syrıa April 27-30

On his birthday, Rob made a wish that we would be allowed into Syria. The next day his wish came true and we were issued three-day visas at the border. Just enough time for a whirlwind tour of the cradle of civilization: a day in Damascus, a day to visit the Crusade Castle and a night in Allepo.
We had heard that Syrian food is delicious and were hungry to confirm these rumours when we arrived in Damascus in time for supper. Al Kamals, with its Parisian-style dÈcor and a menu with many home-style dishes proved to be a fine choice. Although the sidewalks were dark and quiet at 9pm, the brightly lit restaurant was a beehive of activity with decked-out waiters serving the many clients. We sampled the mezze of olives and pickles that magically appeared and sat back to see what the locals were ordering. We ate well and devoured the scrumptious salads, which were the first in a long time that we were not worried about food poisoning.
The next morning we headed out early to explore the old walled city, hoping to find a quick bite for breakfast along the way. Nothing seemed to be open. Finally we came upon a small bakery and ordered four cheese pastries, then four more, then another two just because they were so good (10 cents each; Syrian food is also inexpensive). As we stood munching we noticed across the laneway a doorway opening to a beautiful courtyard. We peeked in to find it was a restaurant complete with bubbling fountain that was just opening up for the day. It was beautifully decorated with an inner courtyard. We ordered coffee and sat back to enjoy the atmosphere and sip our coffee. Heaven!
We wandered the maze of alleyways in the souk marveling at the variety of goods in the tiny shops and the crowds in the narrow alleys. We visited the Christian quarter and walked along the famous Straight Street to St. Paul’s Chapel, where St. Paul was baptized after losing his sight on the road to Damascus. Later, we came upon an atelier where we met three 60-year old brothers who showed us how they make intricate inlaid boxes, trays and furniture with very tiny pieces of wood and Mother-of- Pearl. We now have a much better understanding and appreciation of the dexterity of this work. We found another restaurant with an inner courtyard and ate more delicious food for lunch. At the table across the fountain was a scene with all the contradictions of modern and traditional life in Syria: A group of women wearing head scarves, smoking the hubbly-bubbly, eating lunch, bouncing babies on their knees and talking on cell phones!
The afternoon saw us tour the Azam Palace, built in 1749 by the then Governor of Damascus. The rooms of the palace are magnificently decorated with inlaid tile work and exquisitely painted ceilings. With time running out we headed for ice-cream at a Damascus institution, Bekdach’s. It only serves one flavour: pistachio-topped ice delight (what a marketer’s dream) but there were so many people lined up for a cone that Steve had to fight his way in while we waited outside. Delicious! We dashed to the bus station with full tummies and a firm commitment to return to this beautiful, exotic and enticing city.
The next morning we saw what T.E. Lawrence called "the finest castle in the world", the Crac des Chevaliers. Built largely by the Crusader knights during the 12th century, this remarkably well-preserved castle sits at the top of a hill. With its inner and outer walls separated by a moat and its strategic position, the castle was in fact never breached, which is the main reason why the fortress has survived more or les intact. We arrived early to explore the castle while empty of tourists. We climbed the exterior walls and the narrow spiral staircases up the 13 towers checking out the views from all angles. We wandered around stables, a Gothic church, the water closets and a network of cellars capable of storing five years' worth of food. There were no guides, no lights, no fences and no restrictions, so the kids had a ball running along dark corridors with flashlights, causing their parents the odd heart attack as they climbed crumbling walls and dangled over openings onto 100-foot drops. Their imaginations were working overtime thinking of King Arthur and his knights.
By two pm we were on a bus to Aleppo. If Damascus is the oldest capital city in the world, Aleppo is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city on the planet. (Varanasi also claims this honour). We dropped our bags and walked to the Christian Quarter, the most charming part of Allepo with its beautifully maintained narrow stone-flagged alleyways and age-old houses. Many of the manors have been converted to restaurants and after peeking at a few we opted for the Sissi House. With all the inlaid wood, a grand piano and an host of waiters in black suits it was in one of the most beautiful restaurants we have ever seen. Everything was delicious, appetizers, main courses even local wine, and the most amazing thing was the cost-$25 Canadian for everything!
The next day we had time for a quick tour of the Old City. We strolled the famous covered Souqs, some of them dating to the 13th century, visited the citadel sitting atop a huge manmade earthen mound which dominates the city skyline, and wandered through the Great Mosque. At a street stall we gobbled a shwarma for lunch and dashed to the border by taxi so that we could cross into Turkey before our visas ran out.
We loved Syria. Before, we had heard only of the Mahar Arar case and the Government of Syria from the media. We now know first hand more about the people of Syria. They are generous and welcoming. Everywhere we went we heard "Welcome". They love kids and would come up to Rob and Kathleen to talk to them. People asked us on the street if we needed any help finding places. We were not hassled to buy things. We also met numerous Iraquis who had come to Allepo to escape the troubles at home for a few days. On our last day, over shwarmas, we met an Iraqui couple who, with their minimal command of English, shared some of their thoughts on what it is like to live in Iraq these days, and about their tragic loss of family members. They hoped to immigrate to Canada in six months. We would have loved to talk to them longer but had to make our run for the border.
We would like to go back to Syria again for a longer period and we hope it will be sooner rather than later.