Naturally, we had a wonderful, memorable time. Here is the story in a nutshell:
Mülheim an der Ruhr - we visited the outdoor markets, saw Chris' lab, and took Daisy to the park as tiny pink petals flew off the blossoms on the trees. We napped. Chris and I conceded that Mülheim isn't as glum as we'd made it out to be.
Cochem an der Mosel: This cute riverside village in the middle of steep Riesling vineyards was our home base to explore Burg Eltz, this castle pictured below. (This was the beginning of Brent and Cindy's "Scaffolding of Europe" tour.)
Köln: In 2005, Chris made his first trip to Europe to attend a chemistry conference in Köln. He came home with stories and memories that surely were springboard to our eventual move here 4 years later. How special, then, to introduce this city and great Gothic cathedral to his parents.
Paris: well, Chris, Daisy, and I went back home after Brent and Cindy boarded the train to Paris. A few days later, we met up in...
Venice! I honestly couldn't predict how I would like Venice this 2nd time around, now that we are "seasoned travelers" and all. Final verdict: I love it. It is quite possibly my favorite place in Europe.
I must share this fascinating tidbit: all the gondoliers (always men) must be Venetian-born locals. Our gondolier, Simone, learned the art from his father, who learned from his father before him.
Florence: Art and history come alive here. A list of famous Florentines: Dante (we saw his house), Botticelli (we saw his Birth of Venus), Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Brunelleschi (who made the big dome of the main church), Michelangelo (we saw his David), Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto (we saw some great early Renaissance paintings of his), Donatello (fell in love with his David), Galileo (the museum that has his finger preserved was, sadly, closed!), Leone Battista Alberti, Gucci (I know, weird addition), Machiavelli (saw his tomb), the Medici family, Florence Nightingale, Raphael, Savonarola, and Amerigo Vespucci.
Our rooms in Florence were run by a small, lovable family who made a lasting impression on us as we were paying our bill the last night. Francisco, 70 years old and newly mute due to some sort of surgery, is fluent in German, Spanish, and English, yet now, with a steady smile on his face, has only his haphazard hand gestures to help him communicate. He and his wife, Maria, who speaks minimal English, adored Daisy and we all spent quite a while in their office/living room. Francisco took Daisy out to his patio to show her Giorgio, the bunny. He enthusiastically stuck his basil plant under my nose. He ran to the back room and gave us a bottle of wine as a gift - and then returned with a stack of plastic cups. He insisted that Daisy take a little sound-effect toy that made incessant chirping sounds. As we pulled ourselves away, I had a strong impulse to mail them a thank you note, or maybe pictures from our time in Florence, or even, over the years, pictures of Daisy as she grows up and poems that I compose in Italian. Well, maybe I'll start with the thank-you card.
South of Florence lies the Chianti region, where we enlisted Mimma and Franca, sisters, to hold a private Tuscan cooking session with us in Mimma's farmhouse kitchen. We came away with a bottle of Mimma's olive oil, a disc of recipes, a trick for making awesome caramelized onions, and a glowing memory of a special cross-cultural moment, something off the beaten path.
Tuscany surprised us with its beauty. We targeted cities like Siena (saw St. Catherine's home), Montalcino (sampled their prized Brunello wine), and Montepulciano (again known for a wine, Vino Nobile), but my favorite part of the region was our peaceful overnight stay in the countryside. After checking in to the Agriturismo, we hung around outside, gushing over the landscape until the sun finally set. Cheers to Brent for bravely driving a car in Italy! (And sensitively, gently driving a car, with many rest stops, following Daisy's....episodes.)
After making it to the ancient Etruscan town called Civita and a brief overnight in the relatively unappealing hill town of Orvieto, we came to our final stop, Rome.
We waited in a long line to get into the Vatican Museum (Sistine Chapel!) and then saw St. Peter's Cathedral. Although we're not Catholic, this still felt like a part of our tradition and heritage.
In Rome, we dodged the rain, survived the buses, and spent time at the Colosseum, the Forum, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Bernini's amazing sculptures such as David and Apollo and Daphne, and the catacombs.
Well, this looks long! But when you consider that I covered Muelheim, Cochem, Köln, Venice, Florence, Chianti, Siena, Tuscany, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Civita, Orvieto, Vatican City, and Rome, all in a single post, you have to admit that it's pretty good!
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