Before I start this post, I want to be very clear—there is nothing about quilting in the following paragraphs. It has been three weeks since I have been with my quilting group, and longer since I have sewn–not counting hemming my husband’s slacks. The only “quilting moments” in the past two weeks were looking at the floor tiles/mosaics and thinking to myself “that would be an interesting block pattern”.
So where was I? What was I doing that kept me away from quilting? My husband and I, my two children and their spouses and the three grandchildren flew to Rome to spend 10 days cruising along the Italian coast and the Greek Islands. It was hot …but no hotter than Kansas…though tough on my family from temperate Washington state. Most places were very crowded, but when four of the nine of us are students or faculty, we went during school vacation. It was expensive, but it was a once in a life time experience. A small cup of gelato cost $6 but that did not stop any of us from indulging?
We visited well known landmarks—
Trevi Fountain was just a walk from our hotel. We climbed the Spanish Steps, visited the Vatican Museums and rode the metro.
We couldn’t find the designated meeting place for our tour of the Coluissum but discovered we enjoyed touring it on our own better. We christened it as the “grandfather of all ball parks” ..so of course my husband had to get a t- shirt here as he does in every ball park he visits..which he promptly left in a taxi.
Florence was a treat. The added bonus was that we traveled through Tuscany to Frienza. How many books have I read and movies I have watched that were set in Tuscany? There really are villas on the top of hills surrounded by vineyards!
Florence had the best salesmen also!! After purchasing a leather belt for John’s birthday, the sales person zoned in on the red leather jacket I was admiring and insisted I try it on. It was marked 780 euros—BUT because he could tell I was a kind woman, he would sell it to me for 300 euros! Needless to say, I didn’t bring a red leather jacket home…but I did look good in it!
Pompeii boggles the mind–Learning about the lifestyle of people who lived two thousand years ago was humbling. I did not know that most of the citizens of the city escaped; the bodies discovered were mostly of the upper class or wealthy….persons who did not want to leave their wealth behind. Human nature has not changed a great deal!
One goal for this trip was to eat “real” Greek food in a town of whitewashed homes with bright blue shutters and doors. I did–several times! This view from the terrace of our first lunch did not disappoint.
The olive farm we visited was a great example of agriculture tourism. Reminded me of visits to winery’s in Napa Valley.
John is standing in front of a 400 year old olive tree. The experience felt authentic..Now I know not to put my olives in the refrigerator and the meal was fantastic!
The best part of the trip was the eleven days spent with my family. On previous vacations, I wish over and over that the kids/ grandkids could see this or experience that–but this time, we were creating a memory together. I loved watching my grown children reconnect. I often speculated about the memories the 12, 15 and 19 year olds will have on this trip twenty years from now. Here is my guesses—
The 12 year old loved the cats–we saw trim, sleek cats all over Greece. This little charmer would have set in our laps while ate lunch. The municipalities provide cat food and I am sure the cats provide pest control.
Our guide in Athens set the bar so high that all the remaining tour guides could not compare. The 15 year old soaked up more history and mythology in five hours than his entire semester of World History. Aristotle had been a member of the Presidential Palace Guards, so he timed our trip to correspond to the Changing of the Guard..and of course sent us photos of him while in the Army.
Our nineteen year old –who served as our travel agent, will be the next Rick Steves. He would have spent every free moment exploring…and we never ordered too much food at a restaurant, we would just pass our plates to that end of the table. He was with Grandpa at the olive oil tasting, when Grandpa stuck a toothpick into a jar of what he thought was olive spread and put it in his mouth. It was hand cream. Pretty sure that is a memory that will be shared over and over.
I am so grateful for this experience and thank you for allowing me to share the highlights with you. And know, when I was a bit stressed or stuck in a long wait, I often calmed myself by dreaming about my next quilting project!
Next week there will be lots of new quilt finishes–I promise!
Quilts, Etc. 