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Last Day, Freezing in Frankfurt

Poor Hywel had to get out of bed at 3:30 am this morning to drive us to the airport. I was too tired to express it at the time, but he was truly the perfect host and perfect friend and it was quite difficult for us to say goodbye to him. Both Eric and I think our time in Italy, with Hywel and in his home, was one of the most special experiences we have had. When you see the pictures, you will understand why (I hope).

We arranged for a 24-hour layover in Frankfurt so here we are. Brr, it is cold and snowy! But fun for me to be seeing Germany for the first time. We just returned to our hotel after a very sweet visit to the Bahá’í House of Worship, and after we bundle up in more layers of clothing, we will go out to see how Frankfurt works it.

Home tomorrow.

We Like Being Stuck in Town

We are not prepared for the frigid weather that has set upon Florence. It is so cold that we decided to stay in town today, not day-tripping to San Gimignano or Assisi like we had hoped. Not disappointed to be stuck here, of course -- I may actually have time to buy shoes!

And walking past the Duomo again (and again) isn’t so bad, either.

Unplanned and Amazing Visit to Rome

Eric and I had it settled that we would not be seeing Rome on this trip -- yet here we are, eating gelato and typing away on Via Cavour. I have been in Rome twice before, but it is so nice to share it with Eric, who is seeing its beauty for the first time.

I laughed when Eric was reaching for a word to describe the grandeur of Rome, yet the best word he could come up with was “Romanesque.” So true, so true.

62 Minutes in Venice

We did make it to Venice on Friday, but once we got there, we realized there was only one train going to Villach, Austria that afternoon... in 62 minutes. So we quickly bought our tickets to Villach, used the bathroom, checked and double-checked the time, hurried up and down bridges and through the city to get a slice of pizza for lunch, then hurried back to the station. (I have never paid so much attention to my surroundings when I was in such a hurry... nor taken so many pictures.)

So on Friday night we arrived in Villach, and my uncle met us at the station, took us home, and he and my aunt fed and warmed us. Then at noon today, the doorbell rang and rang again, with family and old friends coming through the door with outstretched arms and big smiles on their faces. I had not seen most of them in six years -- and, in the case of my six-year old cousin, Benjamin, we were meeting for the first time.

Here I am now at my aunt and uncle’s home in Villach, confused because the keyboard’s Y and the Z are in the wrong places, but happy and relaxed nonetheless. We just got back from Christkindlmarkt in Klagenfurt, which might be the most beautiful celebration of Christmas I have ever seen.

Tomorrow we go back to Florence, and we are hoping for more than 62 minutes in Venice -- yet it all depends on the train schedule. We’ll see when we get there.

Get Me to Heaven (i.e. Venice)

We are at the train station in Florence and hope to catch a train to Venice in about an hour. I can’t wait to see the Grand Canal again.

Arrived in Florence Yesterday

Our journey to Florence last night was quite an adventure. Besides having delays in both Chicago and Frankfurt, it was just too foggy to land in Florence, so Lufthansa flew us to Bologna and then bussed us to Florence.

Hywel lives in a stunning, rustic, 500+ year old villa perched on a wooded hillside just outside the city. We can warm ourselves by the fire before going to bed.

Only 1:34 minutes remain of my Internet time, so ciao for now! Tomorrow we go to Venice.

Raindrops, John Hancock Center

Questioning the Quality of My Life

“Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for -- in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.” –Ellen Goodman

Will We Survive Italy?

Hywel has twice warned us: “MY HOUSE IS BLOODY COLD.”

Chicago from the Air