7.22 Trip to the Roma Termini

Today, I did something I've told my children never to do!  Read about it here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nPxNgrQxE2ZHedcVA

7.21 Heat Exhaustion

I think that after that 45 minute wait for the bus yesterday, I had a bit of heat exhaustion. So today we took it easy (4 hour nap this afternoon!), and didn't go out until evening. It's only 82* (at 9:25 pm) now, and there's a bit of a breeze, so a pleasant evening.

Here's what we saw on our passegiata (evening stroll):

https://photos.app.goo.gl/x8UdqvS5ADj438Fr7

7.20 The Catacombs and Indian food

Today we visited a catacomb containing the oldest known portrayal of Mary and baby Jesus.

For the story of our two hour ordeal getting there, pix, and a video of Italian traffic, go to:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/udBTpxV7Q4cwp4tJ7

7.19 Come take a walk with us in Rome...

Traveling around Rome is pretty intimidating for the uninitiated (us!), but today we made it to the Trevi Fountain and the Wax Museum and back.

Read about our adventures and see pix here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/F8eWa315KNSwHu836

Doors, Knockers, and Windows

Don't we always wonder what's happening behind closed doors? How are THEY living? What are the secrets in back of the windows and doors that let in some things, but guard those within against other things? All those people there... do they feel the same ways we do? And how do we get through the doors that divide us? 

Here is an album with which to ponder...
https://photos.app.goo.gl/iRb4kDRz1kihhU7Y7

#LivingLikeAnItalian

We have been having a lovely low-key time here in Salerno. I'm thrilled to FINALLY have some time to organize pictures so that I can blog.

We are in a roomy, light-filled, comfortable apartment east of the historical city center, very near the sea. It's in an average neighborhood, so we are getting much more of an idea what life is like here than in the touristy areas we have visited earlier. It's a little seedy and run-down looking outside, but has ordinary people walking through the neighborhood (though there WAS that storefront with some kind of card game going on; an older woman seemed to be guarding the men playing, and when Katie peeked in, she was told in no uncertain terms that no women were allowed!).

Katie was tickled that twice she was asked questions about something in the supermarket. Several times people have struck up (or tried to!) conversations with us. Google translation is a wonderful app! You can have a conversation by pushing buttons back and forth; you can hold up your camera to a sign and magically the words on the signs appear changed to English! The translations are reinforcing and helping recall what I've learned. (I was a bit afraid I would get Pam and Katie scalped!)

So here's a link to my album #LivingLikeAnItalian:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SgcxocRnwqU6PTZB9

7.6 Friday Galleria dell'Academia, Pink Parade, Opening Ceremonies

This was a big day!  Michelangelo's David, crossing the Ponte Vecchio with the Pink Parade, interacting with teams from 20 countries and many cities across the world, great Italian food--it was an amazing and unforgettable set of experiences!

For pix and videos, see:
https://photos.google.com/u/1/album/AF1QipN0ErEjbqz1PYXqh6elOamLtr1oX-0PGn5DdUVt

7.5 Thursday morning--practice on the Arno; afternoon Ufizzi

On Thursday morning, our teams got to practice on the Arno...THE ARNO...River! 

See the pix here: 

 https://photos.google.com/u/1/album/AF1QipMcFYI6bDJ0uR2hB4xySyO7rdlPDPxH5dp_BNFX
Then in the afternoon, we visited the Galleria degli Uffizi.  What an incredible art heritage Italy has!

Pix here:
https://photos.google.com/u/1/album/AF1QipPOJT3Rq6pMoYcuo804_mYI9vHJMpPParLgfEDy

7.4 Side trip to San Gimignano, Torchia Tenuto winery, and Siena; team dinner

Today many of the team took a wonderful side trip.  We enjoyed history, architecture, gelato, wine, scenery...all in a lovely day!  For pictures, visit:

https://photos.google.com/u/1/album/AF1QipPtaM5mrCBjfe8TD8p3T4oK0ePjCsb497sx01r5

7.3 Our Drive to Florence

After our whirlwind tour of Venice, our buses took us to our lovely hotel in Florence, the San Gallo Palace. Here are some photos of the drive and the hotel room:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ldsxh1uNvmX4M26F8

7.2 Yes, we're still alive! Venice

What a crazy thirteen days this has been!

We have taken hundreds of photos. We've toured 8 cities, three wineries, and a cheese factory in 10 days before leaving the team to head to Salerno by boat. We raced in Florence and came in third, much to our own astonishment--and others' (who IS that team??)! We have survived Disney rash, injured backs/toes stubbed/swollen feet/arms ripped on dock bumpers/need for imminent hip replacement...also an Austrian tour leader ("it's a 7 minute walk"): we quickly learned to ask, "your walking or ours?" She managed to survive us, as well! We learned insane amounts of information from fabulous tour guides while filling our eyes and souls with thousands of years of wonders. (Did you know that St. Peter's is not Rome's cathedral? There's a difference between a basilica and a cathedral!)

So, after a safe (thank you, God) flight, we landed in the Venice airport. We were bused to a boat, which took us to St. Mark's Square. We had a tour of St. Mark's Cathedral, then many of our group went on a gondola ride (did you know there's only one female gondoliera?).

Here is a link to my Tuesday, 7.3.18 Venice album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/9omT95RqezZ4FyZ5A

7.1.18 The beginning of the adventure...

Today, Pam and I have left for a Grand Adventure.  The Dragon Dream Team, Ohio's first and only all breast cancer survivor dragon boat team, will be representing Ohio at the International Breast Cancer Participatory races in FLORENCE, ITALY!!  We are incredibly excited, though perhaps there is a little trepidation lurking in the back of our minds.

We have been raising funds for a couple years for this, and paying installments on the trip for almost as long.  Many of us went to dragon boat boot camp in FL in April (otherwise known as the Space Coast Dragon Boat Camp), where we paddled at least 80 KM in 6 days (including a 15 km 'run to the causeway' on one day, and a 2000 m race on the Saturday morning).  We practice three times a week on the Portage Lakes, we've already gone to one race this season in Buffalo (3 medals), one of our members has spent a season and a half learning to steer (everyone on the boat must be a survivor in a sanctioned race, so our coach can't steer).  And we are importing a former member who moved to Atlanta to be our other steer, as we have entered TWO boats!  Both of our drummers are working with injuries, but stalwartly agreed to drum.  I've been learning Italian for a year and a half (learning a language at 63 is very different than at 20!).

So, the garden is Preened and (at least roughly) weeded, daughter Christina and husband Eric have dropped us off at a hotel in Pittlsburgh, arrangements and arrangements and arrangements have been made, and the team is as prepared as possible for the races in Italy.  It will be a 500 m race on the Arno River; the set-up is in Cascine Park along the river, near the historic city center.

More later!

Some links you might enjoy:
https://www.dragondreamteam.org/
http://www.florencebcs2018.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqw-ugfq-Ys