Ciao!

All packed! I can't believe how much we were able to fit into two convertible packs and two day packs. We leave in the morning. Think of us having dinner in Venice on Wednesday at 10 am PST!

Webcams in Venice

I found this link to webcams in Venice:

 http://veniceblog.typepad.com/veniceblog/2004/02/web_cams_in_ven.html

Very cool night shots!

Weather in Italy

Today in Bend it is barely 38 degrees: it's cold, grey, with snow flying through the sky every few hours.

Such is spring in Bend.

Italy is also having Spring, of course, so the weather is inconsistent: sometimes raining, sometimes cool in the low 50s, sometimes warm near 70: it looks like Florence is the coldest of all of the cities we are visiting. According to one website, it should be in the high 60s and partly cloudy on the day we arrive in Venice.

If you want to check out our weather while we are away visit http://www.italy-weather-and-maps.com/weather/italy.php or try http://www.weather.com/. Here's a handy temp converter (I'm hoping for weather in the 20s, but expecting anywhere from 8-23):

4 degrees celsius = 40 degrees fahrenheit
10 degrees celsius = 50 degrees fahrenheit
15 = 60 degrees fahrenheit
21 = 70 degrees fahrenheit
26 = 80 degrees

Films that take place in Italy

Mike and I have been watching MANY films that take place in Italy (and/or are Italian films). Here's a short list of films:

Films:
La Dolce Vita
The Tiger and the Snow
Remember Me, My Love
La Scorta
The Godfather (I and II)
Malena
The Best of Youth
The Wings of a Dove
A Room With a View
I, Claudius
Tea with Mussolini
Rome
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Bread and Tulips
Cinema Paradiso
Stealing Beauty
Under the Tuscan Sun

It all fits!

Two "views" of the clothes that fit in my carry on backpack:

• 2 pair of capris
• 2 skirts
• 1 pair leggings
• 4 pair socks, undies
• 3 bra tops
• 5 tops (2 tanks, 1 tshirt, 2 long sleeve shirts)
• 1 pair shoes
• toiletries

I'll wear jeans, 1 additional tshirt, 1 additional ong sleeve shirt and my fleece on the plane. Amazing: the list sounds like a lot of clothes, but the pack looks so small!

Shoulder Bag!

Nine days left! It's snowing in Bend right now so I'm even more excited to be in what looks to be real spring weather in Italy (50s-60s at least!). I'm imagining some chilly, rainy days, but those can be museum and coffee shop (or "bars" as they are called in Italy) days. But I am hoping for a some warm spring days, especially when we are at Cinque Terre and Sorrento.

For those who understand the pleasure of such things, I did find a shoulder bag (see top left): it's a PacSafe City 200. So far, I've been using it for 2 weeks and it seems to be comfortable (but we did have to add a shoulder pad to it).

And yes, we have figured out what to bring AND that it fits nicely (rolled and packed into 2 quart plastic ziploc bags with the air pushed out) into both our backpacks. I'll post those pictures another day.

Folks have been sending me restaurant recommendations: Jeanne says we should go to Da Ignacia in Venice, and Hilary says we need to go to Mimmi's in Florence. Katey gave me a list of places to eat at in Florence, her favorite gelato and sub sandwich shops! And I hear that the Pane Forte is yummy in Florence, too. Gary says to look for Umbertos in Sorrento. Send me more recommendations!

Top 15 Things I Am Most Looking Forward To....

1. Watching a gondola go under the Rialto Bridge in Venice while sipping caffe coretto at an outdoor "bar" our first morning in Venice.
2. Riding the Vaperetto on the Grand Canal
3. Visiting Peggy Guggenheim's house (and imagining that she looked like Cher, who played her in "Tea with Mussolini")
4. Eating one of those little sandwiches at a Venetian "bar" after a day spent getting lost in Venice.
5. Walking over the Ponte Vecchio in Florence
6. Eating gelato.
7. Eating.
8. Drinking wine.
9. Sitting on our terrace overlooking the Ligurian Sea in Cinque Terre
10. Walking and sitting under the Tuscan sun.
11. Walking through ancient Roman ruins.
12. Riding bikes through the Borghese Gardens or the Appian Way
13. Arriving at our sea view room above Sorrento.
14. Drinking limincello in Capri or Positano.
15. Taking the famous bus ride down the Amalfi Coast.

15 More Days

Right now, I have all of the clothes I'm considering bringing on the bed trying to figure out just what to put back! It's a daunting experience realizing that I'll be wearing the same 5 sets of clothes, all mix and match, for a month! I even found a top that does dual duty as pjs and t-shirt.

I have been doing lots of reading about Italy, of course (not just shopping for a day pack and capris--both of which I did finally find). But that list of books is for another blog posting.

Below is our "final" itinerary: not too many changes since a few months ago. If anyone needs to reach us, you can always leave a message at the hotel (though we will check e-mail once a week and our cell phone voice mail every few days). If you haven't yet, check out some of the "hotel" websites: all of these places have something charming about them (and we'll see just how "charming" they are in reality when we get there):


We leave from Redmond Airport on April 29th, and land in Amsterdam the next morning before flying to Venice that afternoon.

April 30-May 4: VENICE
Pensione Guerrato (http://www.pensioneguerrato.it/services.asp )
Tel and fax: 041-528-5927

May 4-8: FLORENCE
Hotel Enza: http://www.hotelenza.it/eng/tariffe.asp
Tel: 055-490-990

May 8-10: LUCCA
Piccolo Hotel Puccini : http://www.hotelpuccini.com/
Tel: +39 0583 55421

May 10-13: CINQUE TERRE
In Cinque Terre we rented a standalone apartment, Manarola at Maria 3, an
apartment available via http://www.acasa5terre.com/
Phone and Fax +39 0187 92 06 66

May 13-16: SIENA
Piccolo Hotel Etruria http://www.hoteletruria.com/home_eng.php
Tel: 0577288088

May 16-18: ORVIETO
La Magnolia B and B, http://www.bblamagnolia.it/inglese/index.htm
Tel: 0753-342808
Cell: 338-9027400

May 18-22: ROME
Hotel Trastevere http://www.hoteltrastevere.net/ -
Tel: +39.06.58.14.713

May 22-26: SORRENTO
Hotel Desiree (www.desireehotelsorrento.com)
Tel and fax: 081-878-1563

May 26-27: ROME
Hotel Oceania (http://www.hoteloceania.it)
Tel: +39 064824696 or 064820852

We fly out of Rome to home on May 27th!

It's April 1st!

Preparation for the trip continues:
1. Health insurance: check.
2. Hotels confirmed: in progress.
3. New day shoulder bag: in progress.
4. Excited?: check!
5. Euros?: thanks to Kake, we have enough to buy coffee when we land in Amsterdam!

Of course, life is happening while we await our trip to Italy. My sabbatical is now "on" and Mike is busy doing his work: President Clinton's visit was a very hectic time for him (and a very enjoyable time for me!). More pre-Italy info soon....