Castlegregory, Kerry…w/ Mom & the McCormacks

Not a lot of time in between trips… home from Italy Thursday and the next day it was off to Castlegregory, Kerry, for a few days with the McCormack clan.

Quite a special trip-

~Mom got to meet and spend time with the McCormacks!

~We rented the same house the McCormacks know and love; it’s really like a second home to the them!

First arrival- Castlegregory beach

Emmie-running on the beach

~Celebrating Sharon’s (21st) Birthday. Chocolate Birthday Cake!

Birthday Girl

~ Chess: Emmie learned to play Chess! Many games entertained or simply passed the time. In fact, Emmie suggested a game almost every time we set foot in the house!

Intense chess sessions

~Visiting the  one of the mountain lakes with the boardwalk.  (name?) With the comfort of Scott and Vincent’s presence just in case, Mom managed the narrow boardwalk fabulously. Grace was not feeling well, so she and I missed this outing, so she could rest.

On the way to the lake

Vincent, Audrey, Mikey,& Sharon

Grazing sheep

Large bird perched on a rock in the lake (Not sure on the species)

~ Chatting, appreciating the sunshine & fresh sea air and walking along the beach right across the street.

Mom spotted this smiling rock right as we walked on the beach

Beautiful beach in Castlegregory

~ Poking around the pier and having a pint at the local pub, Nora Murphy’s in Brandon’s Bay.

The weather changes so quickly

Scott on the pier at Brandon’s Bay

Thanks, Vincent- for putting up with all the photos!

Penny for your thoughts, Lisa.

My photo was too dark- sign above the pub
http://www.docbrown.info/docspics/irishscenes/ispage44.htm

Moms & daughters  (Missing my Grace)

Watching a bit of the match

Katie & Becky

Last photo before we head back to the house- Missing Grace

Pisa…and Arrivederci Italy!

Pisa

Even though it was our last day in Italy, we decided not to the rush off in the morning and instead take our time at breakfast. Cristina and Mario offered a generous breakfast including: fruits, toast, meats and cheeses, yogurt, cereal and a breakfast tea cake in a lovely sitting room/dining room with many beautiful paintings and family photos.

Iacopo, our host, emailed suggestions for our day and we began with the first: a drive to Marina Pisa.

Fisheries in Marino di Pisa

Road closures, time to find an alternate route – no bother!

Construction

Standing and exploring a bit on the rocky beach with the sunshine and blue skies was grand!

Scott & Grace

Discoveries

Roaming girls – Marino di Pisa

Ah… sunshine – Marino di Pisa

We read that Pisa is much more than its Leaning Tower…so, we headed into town to see the Tower and city for ourselves.

Pisa, a Tuscan port city, was prominent until about 1200. Even after a naval defeat and the port filling up with silt, the city maintains its importance with its University and Field of Miracles, where you can find the famous tower.

The impressive lawn with Cathedral & Tower

The Piassa dei Miracoli consists of the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Leaning Tower- which is really the Bell Tower and the Churchyard.

Medici Symbol

We all know Emmie has a bit of an obsession with climbing to the top of towers!! How could she and I resist climbing such a famous object? So, bought tickets to do so.  Our entrance time for the Tower was not for another 45 minutes, time to explore the magnificent cathedral!

Door to the Cathedral

Our favorite cathedral we visited this trip. Stunning!

Time to climb…

Tower Entrance

View of the Cathedral and Baptistry

One of the bells

Our obligatory photo at the top!

Descending- yes, you can feel the lean!

It was amusing to watch tourists of all ages and from various corners of the world attempt to capture the quintessential image of holding up the Tower. Emmie wanted to give it a go while we waited to rendezvous with Scott, Grace and Mom. Perhaps a third try would have helped.

Meandering around Pisa, we noticed the university student atmosphere, which we recognize well from State College. Several students seemed to be on break from class or simply meeting where we grabbed a little lunch.

Graffiti revealed students’ causes and local sentiments on many building sides.

We got a kick out of this note on the river’s edge.

Where is Marti?

The rain seemed to come and go despite the forecasted clear skies and several of the shops were unfortunately closed for the afternoon (like siesta in Spain). We voted to return to Casa Formica for some downtime.

Cristina brought us some well appreciated tea and biscuits in the sitting area outside our rooms while Emmie took a turn on their piano.  We even had a few remaining cookies from our lunch spot, Ricciarelli, and a few other almond, pignoli and chocolate treats. Cristina was delighted to hear Emmie play.  Shortly after our tea, we changed to wine as we needed to finish our opened bottle that would not travel home with us.

Emmie got to know a few of the cats on the premises. I think there were about eight. We love this shot of Emmie talking with the black cat that Emmie named…

Emmie and cute cat at Casa Formica

Only this cat wanted our attention and to get into our rooms.

It was nice to meet Icoco after having all our email correspondence.  He and his parents invited us to share a glass of local wine on the terrace which was lovely; we chatted, managing as best we could with the language. Love times like these!

Spaghetteria ir Tegame was an ideal spot for our last meal in Italy as its focus was Pasta!  We feasted on more pasta than we could possibly eat.  Emmie was thrilled to spy the chefs making fresh pasta, “you can see the pasta drying on racks; they are not just taking it from the package like we do…”

Grace and Emmie- happy pasta eaters!

~And of course trips must come to an end. All that was left after our breakfast at Casa Formica was to head to the airport and head home.  Delays due to weather in Dublin gave us more time at the Pisa airport, and still we were back home by early  afternoon. Fantastic trip and memories with Mom/Grandma!  Arrivederi, noi ti amiamo I’Italia

Towers, ruins, vampires, & detours

~~ We were a bit sad to say farewell to Ancora di Chianti- I silently wished we had one more day to explore and relax, (a warm day-would have been nice), but then again it’s important to simply appreciate the experiences you do have.

Grace taking in the view at Ancora one last time.

Ancora di Chianti is a spot we hope to return to some day!

The weather was overcast, but we did not let that negatively influence our trip. Though we did have to face Emmie’s trouble with the curvey roads leading to car sickness- luckily only the feeling and nothing shared…  Unfortunately, we forgot the sea-bands! Poor Emmie!

Onward- traveling to San Gimignano and Volterra and finding our next B & B in Pisa.

San Gimignano– Say this Tuscan hill town a few times fast.

Hearing it pronounced correctly is beautiful, but I am a softy for certain accents. Many of the hill town names took practice saying… Scott and I would look at each other with a puzzled expression, and one of us would ask, “how do you pronounce the name of that town again?”

You can’t help but notice the large towers in this Medieval town and having read from our handy dandy guide book in between breaks from the Name Game, we learned that 14 out of the original 72 towers are left. As you can imagine, the towers symbolized family status, wealth and protection.

A  little stroll through part of San Gimignano with photos!

Piazza della Cisterna, San Gimignano

Grace & Scott checking out the 13 century well in the Piazza della Cisterna

Signs of Chianti Classico – an important part of the culture

Volterra… 

With obvious excitement, Grace smiled as we drew closer to the illustrious hill town of Volterra. Was it due to her recent history lessons of the Roman Empire… perhaps a bit- since she loves her history class and her teacher, however, the more likely reason is part of the second of the Twilight book series movie was filmed here.

Volterrra- Palazzo del Priori

While Grace, Scott and Emmie toured the Palazzo Viti, Mom and I wandered around some of the city’s smaller streets. We stumbled upon the ruins of a Roman Theater, built in about (40 B.C), as it appeared out of the fog – eerie and mysterious.  Later, we were all able to walk down into the sight of the ruins with the fog hovering over us. Though, we could only walk in part of the way due to construction – it was still quite spectacular!

Looking onto the theater from above

Roman Theater

Mom and I found this sign on our wander- Never too far from home

Etruscan Arch (Porta all ‘Arco)

It is usually smooth going using a GPS- up until a road, the road is need is closed.  Obviously, you can’t reason with a GPS despite the many attempts when it repeats the same instructions to turn around and take the road you can’t, thus it was time to buy an actual map. The clerk in the small store near the road closure helped us with a new route.  It added some time to our journey…but nothing you can do but reroute and take in the views.

Our host at the B& B on the outskirts of Pisa had inquired earlier in the week about our general arrival time, letting us know that only his parents would be there to greet us.

The neighborhood approaching our B &B made us a little worried, since there was construction on a road which seemed to lead to nowhere as  the GPS announced the decreasing  distance to our arrival.  DId we enter the correct address into the GPS? Did this place exist?

Though, surprises awaited… behind a set of gates was Casa Formica, a restored family home converted into a B & B.  Cristina and Mario warmly welcomed us even with our non-existant Italian and their beginning English. We lounged a bit and headed to dinner at casual local spot recommended by our hosts. Pizza, pasta (and wine of course) in Pisa!

Casa Formica

Picturesque Tuscany…

Picturesque Tuscany

Breakfast at Ancora was lovely- especially with Ingrid’s homemade pastries in addition to the cheeses, meats, yogurt, cereal & muesli, juices and coffee.

Spectacular views behind our B & B!

Our room was at the base of the stairs.

And other signs- ones of spring

The other guests staying at Ancora were a friendly family from the Philippines on a trip to Italy and France; we had a chance to talk with them more the second morning. Unfortunately since it was so chilly, unseasonably cool we kept hearing, we couldn’t have breakfast on the terrace, so we returned to our rooms for a short bit until there was space at the indoor table.

Hope to have breakfast here on Ancora’s terrace next time!

Laura sat and chatted with us after breakfast about our day’s plans, offering her wisdom and recommendations from her family’s experiences, her warm and outgoing nature and sense of humor made us feel very welcome; she’s a wonderful host. Disappointingly we didn’t meet the rest of the family.

We loved Laura’s stories about the regional pride and history of Florence and Siena. Our day’s journey would include Siena, Monteriggioni, Radda, Volpaia Panzano and back to Greve…some planned and other unexpected stops- encouraged to keep our eyes posted for regional symbols and hidden treasures.

Though the roads were at times challenging to navigate, It was quite clear when you left one town or village and entered another in this part of Italy. We wondered if this was the case all over the country.  Of course we had to make it into a bit of joke.  “You are in Florence- You are not in Florence”.  Ok, it sounded much funnier in our affected accents as we drove.  Hoping for Mother Nature to change her tune and provide us with some needed warmth & sunshine; we drove to Siena stopping once or twice along the way to look at the spectacular views pondering what some of the villas and vineyards might be like down in the valleys and on the hillsides.

Love the signs!

Roadside views

Emmie was determined to jot a few ideas down in her new journal!

Emmie taking note en route

Once in Siena we headed to the Cathedrale di Santa Maria, encountering plenty of stairs and uphill inclines to get there. These are hill towns no less!  “Sorry, Mom more climbing!”  Siena’s cathedral is beautiful and ornately similar to Florence’s Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore on the outside, but quite different on the inside. Where Florence’s Duomo feels more sparse Siena’s white and greenish-black alternating striped marble gives it an almost dizzying effect;  Emmie remarked right as she entered that it had an Egyptian feel.  We wandered around, noting the amazing treasures of etched and inlaid marble panels and sculptures by Michelangelo and Donatello. As usual Thanks, Rick Steves.

Siena’s Cathedral!

The inside of Siena’s Gothic Cathedral with its white and black striped marble.

The Dome

Matteo di Giovanni’s 1481 Massacre of the Innocents

Fascinating history involving Florence and Siena!

Symbol of Siena- the wolf feeding the twins, Romulus and Remus.

The main square, Il Campo, in Siena!  Very lively!

Laura told us about the pride of the Siena neighborhoods and to look for evidence of this local commitment and honor in the representing flags.  Though there is more behind the history, the 17 contrade or districts focus on a famous horse race that takes place twice in the summer. She mentioned how you’ll see local women all wearing the same contrada scarf a rarity for fashion-conscious Italian women but are willing to do it since it indicates their district iss the winner!

Flags of Siena

After lunch and browsing in some shops and heading back to the car, we ran into a procession of  flag bearers.  Definitely unexpected and a fun experience which emphasized Laura’s description of the competing cantrades.

The district of Tartuca.

Contrada -Aquila

Contrade- Selva (symbol forest)

Monteriggioni –

Laura refrained from saying too much about the village wanting us too discover its uniqueness on our own and I hesitate a bit in my description not wanting to disclose or reveal what it’s like.  A small walled town built in early 1200’s by the Sienese in what we read was to control and protect the surrounding valleys from the powerful city state of Florence.  It’s quite a small though quaint town; we had a coffee and local cake, panforte, and poked around.

The view from the car park before entering Monteriggioni

Entering one of the gates of Monteriggioni

Local church

The square…

Next, we only passed through, Radda, strolling along an area where a market was beginning to close. Probably not taking enough time to properly explore… we took in the views of the hills and valley along the ridge.

The views from the ridge

Emmie and Mom in Radda

Before dinner we headed off to find Volpaia, one of the other hill towns Laura suggested. It was a bit of a challenge to find and a surprise when we did. Luckily we had a GPS since the village was located in a spot reached by narrow winding roads.  Yes, much of these hill towns are like this, but these roads were particularly curvy. We saw a few cars in the public parking lot, but there was no one to be seen; it felt like a ghost town. It was quite mysterious and left us curious; If it was during the day, we may have stayed longer to look around, but given our hunger we peeked and dashed.

Our final adventure for the evening was around finding dinner. We headed to Panzano to a place that had been recommended by Laura as her favorite place in town (and it is open on Monday!). Like much of rural Italy the GPS was only marginal help, so we parked and went on foot. Perhaps our first mistake of the evening. After a bit of a stroll we began asking for the restaurant with local merchants (those that were open as it was Monday!). Every one of them said a variation on “it is just up there (accompanied by a vague gesture) past the arch.” We must also note that it was VERY cold.  We finally arrived at the arch to find the restaurant closed, yes, closed. It was not meant to be. We decided to return to Greve to try the talented leather craftsman’s recommendation, Enoteca Fuoripiazza. What a gem- delicious regional choices. We enjoyed a local wine from a winery we passed earlier in the day, Il Molina di Grace; Scott and I shared a florentine steak that was perfectly prepared, and of course wonderful pasta for Mom and the girls. I can’t forget to mention the scrumptious spinach- my favorite vegetable; we have probably had some at every meal. The owner was warm and  friendly and even brought us an extra dessert when we had difficulty deciding.

Our wine choice, Il Molina di Grace

A very full day, our weary selves were happy to find our beds!

A Holy Procession and on to the Countryside

Leaving Florence and heading for the Hills

Our plan…pack and head to the Palazzo Pitti, one last Florentine site before picking up the rental car and driving to the Tuscan countryside, first hill town, Greve in Chianti.  Our airbnb host allowed us to leave or luggage in the apartment for a few extra hours.

On our way across the Piazza del Duomo, we noticed people carrying olive branches- Of course, it was Palm Sunday.  We were able to catch a glimpse of the procession after the blessing of the palms. I think it’s fair to say that watching the crowds and priests solemnly walk from the Baptistery to the cathedral  left an impression on us; how blessed to be in the beautiful Florence on such a high holy day.

Palm Sunday- departing the Baptistery

From the Baptistery to the Cathedral

Reaching the Cathedral

The Palazza Pitti a Renaissance palace built back in the mid 1400’s for the Pitti family and later sold to the Medici family.  Quite an extensive palace with endless rooms and many impressive examples of Renaissance and Baroque art.  There was a piano concert that would have been nice to hear if we had more time. What a lovely venue! No photos allowed inside and by the time we departed the rain began in earnest.  Ah, well.

Only a few miles outside the city and the roads got interesting, winding narrow switchbacks climbing, then descending…and repeat.  Scott kept his keen driving wits about him and his sense of humor.  Mom and I were thankful and appreciative he was driving; meanwhile trying to leave my “Oohs and Aahs” in reference to the views at bay.

I had directions from our host, Laura at Ancora del Chianti and knew that she would not be there when we arrived, but a note would be waiting indicating which rooms were ours. The dirt road leading to Ancora was bumpy and affected by the winter rains- reminded Mom, Scott and I of East Ridge a bit (Learned later the neighbors did not maintain their section as well.) Though the air was chilly, upon arrival we knew this spot would be special.

The front of Ancora del Chianti

The window of one of our rooms

Olive groves at Ancora del Chianti

After poking around a bit and settling into our rooms we headed to town -Greve in Chianti.

Grace, Mom and Emmie soaking in the view at Ancora del Chianti

After poking around a bit and settling into our rooms we headed to town -Greve in Chianti,

On and off rain, we wandered around the main plazza and then up to the top of an outlook or type of patio of the Museo Di San Franscesco taking in the views, the beautiful views!

Happy Girls

Happy us

What else?   Scott and I found belts.

Beltmaker in Greve

We consider visiting a local winery and are given directions from the tourist information center … a bit of a miscommunication on timing, but our gracious host, Ettore from Pian del Gallo welcomes us and agrees to give us a tasting.

Thank you, Ettore from Pain del Gallo

Ettore taught us quite a bit about Chianti Classico and Super Tuscan wines; though, he started the tasting with one of his whites and ending with a sweeter one, Vino Santo in addition to plates of his farm’s olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan cheese and crackers…

While the girls did not have any wine, they ate their fare share of snacks…

Grace enjoying antipasti at Pian del Gallo

Big smiles from Emmie

Ettore recommended (when asked) a delicious low-key pizzeria, La Cantina. Delicious, delicious, truly amazing.

Florence….

Florence- day 3

So much to see…- thus our last full day in Florence was site and art intensive!

First the The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo.  This museum holds many of the original works created for the Duomo, The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore for safekeeping and preservation. Though, in the 15th c. this was the site of workshops and studios of the people who worked on the cathedral. Why go?  Well, nothing short of incredible art.

We enjoyed the Sala delle Cantorie, the room with the choir lofts by Donatello and Lucia della Robbia. Children singing and playing music to show how they “praise the Lord.”

Donatello (1433-38), Cantoria- choir loft

Lucia della Robbia’s choir loft

In the Sala dell’Altare, the alter room, we admired the intricate silver work highlighting the life of John the Baptist and other scriptures.

Sala dell’Altare- the silver altar of the Battistero- Unfortunately a bit blurry.

And of course, Michelangelo’s Pietà. Each of the four figures, vary in completion yet certainly share their devotion to Christ.  We read Michelangelo damaged the sculpture with a hammer when he found a defect in the marble.

Michelangelo’s Pietà.

Before Emmie and I climbed to the top of the Duomo, all of us looked around inside. The interior is sparse especially compared to the ornate façade, but this is intended. It was fairly crowded, and you were herded in one direction until you reached the center near the alter and dome.  With the purple cloth covering the crucifix, it was quite evident, Easter was close.

The interior

The Alter at the The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari’s painting, The Last Judgment, which is painted on the inside of the dome.

Emmie and I were happy to use our Firenze Card for the entrance to climb to the top of the Duomo since the line was long. The way in which it was organized and merging; we felt like we were cutting the line.  Scott, Grace and Grandma browsed around the plaza and we would find them with a quick text when we were down. As usual with climbing to the top of towers of cathedrals and castles, Emmie must count the steps- 463 steps later- we made it to the top.

Peering out one of the windows as we climbed the Duomo.

Emmie and Christine reach the top of the Duomo.

the view from the top

A closer perspective of the Fresco.

Next stop the Bargello Sculpture Museum. 

The courtyard of the Bargello Museum

On our way to see some art (Bargello Museum)

Donatello’s early marble David

Donatello’s bronze- very different depiction of David

David by Verrocchio 1475

Can you see a pattern?  David was certainly a popular biblical hero to sculpt and paint. More to see, but before more touring and seeing more art, we need some food. Plenty of choices…

Next choice? This restaurant was having some work done.

Tasting more ribolitta, the regional Tuscan soup, was no sacrifice; amazing how a soup can vary from place to place. This particular one was delicious- Mom’s favorite if I remember correctly.  Grace and Emmie who could live on pasta were  happy to sample more pasta. And of course a glass of red wine with lunch is grand!  (Trattoria Gabriello)

Fortified and ready to continue, we direct ourselves to the Uffizi Gallery for Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus,  Primavera,, and many other Renaissance masterpieces. These two paintings are one of my most vivid memories of visiting Florence in college. I was excited to gaze at them again and see what Mom, Grace, Emmie, and Scott thought of them.

Had to get a photo of Mom with a performer outside the Uffizi Gallery!

At one of the outside courtyards at the Uffizi Gallery.  I think we are ready to move on…

View of the Ponte Vecchio from the Uffizi Gallery Courtyard

We venture across The Ponte Vecchio and as many do snap a few photos!

Group photo on the The Ponte Vecchio

Grace and Emmie voted for a gelato stop and how fortunate there was a place right on the way.  Mom and I peaked at the leather goods at the market. Devine!

Time to put our feet up for a well deserved respite until dinner.  More vino? We wander into a fantastic wine store on the walk back to the apartment. The owner was genuinely nice and helpful. His English was quite strong and with what seemed like an American accent; turns out he is married to an American and lived in the Chicago area for some years.  He recommended a few wine possibilities for our next few nights in addition to a winery in the southern part of Tuscany.

Fascinated with the beautifully painted paper and calligraphy pens, Emmie and I poked around the IL Papiro shop. We asked a few questions about the process of painting and decorating, which led to an impromptu demonstration. We got lucky since we were the last ones left in the shop before closing. What a fun surprise-we knew we had missed the demonstrations earlier and were just hoping to buy some beautiful paper for Emmie’s Origami boxes and a calligraphy pen; remember, Emmie’s obsession with Harry Potter. Emmie’s excitement and gratitude were priceless and made me proud!

Il Papiro – paper decorationg demonstration.

The blending of paint making incredible designs in the paper

The painted paper sample from Il Papiro

Emmie is becoming quite strong with directions and together we found our way home from our longer than anticipated outing.  With only a small amount of time before leaving for dinner!  Enough time to share our experience and a glass of wine with Mom and Scott.

Our best dinner in Florence, La cucina del Garga!  Such a fun place with eclectic collection of art- friendly and passionate staff.

Best dinner in Florence at the Garga Trattoria

We encourage sharing of food, so we all got to try everything!  To start, delicious calamari with avacado over spider lettuce and an artichoke and Parmigiano antipasti. Then Grandma’s spaghetti with marinara  sauce, (Yes, Grandma’s recipe), a pasta with avocado and lime and a tagliatelle with creamy citrus. Next a roast pork that was out of this world and a sea bass that was almost that good. Desserts were flour-less chocolate cake, Momma’s cheesecake and a lemon tart, which was the winner for Scott. Everything was spectacular.

Ah, satisfaction on many levels! We head to Greve in Chianti tomorrow…

My Hovercraft is Full of Eels

Italy Bound 1 and 2

My hovercraft is Full of Eels

We attempt to learn a little Italian before leaving for our trip borrowing a few language books and a CD in addition to the guide books rom our local library. Tying a few expressions after meals- and even listening with Google translate– Il mio hovercraft è pieno di anguille is Scott’s first choice of expression translate.  Do you know it?  He plays it for us again and again followed by the English translation,  My hovercraft is full of eels.  He truly has a gift, bringing us to giggles as we recall our first encounter with Monty python’s Vulgar Hungarian phrase book skit. We’ll have to have a plaque made with this expression in French, Spanish and Italian. Hmm, have we heard it yet in Irish?  We try reviewing when Mom arrives sharing a few expressions.

We departed on an very early flight with Ryanair. Grace and Emmie were quite cute explaining the ins and outs of Ryanair to Mom. Ryanair- Ireland’s low-budget airline that we have learned how to use and appreciate. 🙂 They sell quite a variety of things on board, not just food, but lottery tickets, smokeless cigarettes, Duty free, I’m sure I’m missing something- they advertise on the bulkhead, and have a a funny little jingle letting you know the flight arrived on time. Within a  few hours we were in Italy…

Arrivati ​​in Italia!

Ryanair flies to Pisa, not Florence, so we planned to take the bus or train there, which by the way, we were able to purchase on our Ryanair flight. Next bus was not due to leave for an hour, allowing us a little time to grab a snack and our first Italian coffee.

The drive was scenic and once in Florence, we headed right to our apartment. We anticipated another fantastic experience with Airbnb since Elizabetta was delightful and easy to communicate with even before our arrival. She showed us around the apartment and recommended several possibilities to walk to for lunch and dinner during our stay.

Mom in route to our Florence apartment.

The kitchen in the Florence apt.

View from the Kitchen

No time to waist… we freshened up a bit and took off to begin exploring Florence.

Ready to explore- In the hallway of the apt. building.

Passing by the The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) it seemed almost surreal- this mammoth place of worship known as the Duomo with its green and pink facade seems to cover the entire Piazza del Duomo.  Snapped some photos but saved going in until later.

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore ( Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) – Just one view

Our first dinner was an antipasti mania.  We chose and booked a table at recommended spot by Rick Steves and our host.  The waitress suggested in lieu of the antipasti for two that the kitchen would put something together for us. Not sure if something was lost in translation or one of us nodded inadvertently like first timers at an auction, but we had enough food to feed the entire restaurant for the whole evening.  “Just one more plate,” the other server would say. Oh, my, this was a lot of food, too much. Luckily we were able to cancel one of our main courses, the rabbit- which made Grace and Emmie happy. “Mom, it would be like eating Loppi, our friend Lisa’s pet rabbit.  Overall the food was good, but we were a bit put off by the antipasti mania.

Enough antipasti to feed an army- I guess more wine is needed!

Giggles…

~Day 2 

Mom and I ventured to the local grocery and picked up some food for breakfast for the next few mornings.  Since Scott had several Skype meetings in the afternoon, we aimed to get going as soon as possible.

Highlights:

Began at the The Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze and felt grateful we purchased the Firenze card, as it allowed us to skip the regular line and walk right in.  No photographs allowed… so we’ll have to remember from our memories and this one image I’m borrowing.

Michelangelo’s David is truly spectacular. You have an image in your mind, but seeing him standing in front of us, we are struck by his incredible size.  All 5 of us enjoy our time sitting and gazing. He is remarkable.

Michelangelo’s unfinished sculptures Prisoners. Seeing these statues helps you to gain a little understanding of his process and ability to capture the human body.

Giambologna’s original plaster copy of the Rape of the Sabines

~Next stop 

San Lorenzo Mercato- We love to poke around markets, admiring and observing the local produce and delicacies. On this day, Emmie was little more sensitive to the display of meat cuts; thus our wander varied in speed up and down the aisles.

San Lorenzo Mercato

Food glorious food

Cheese purveyor at the San Lorenzo Mercato

With our initial sights on one stall’s strudel, we chatted with a lovely young woman who introduced us to Mengazzoli vinegar, mustard, and juice. We enjoyed our tasting experience and purchased some blueberry juice, raspberry vinegar and some truffle salt. I was suspect of the idea of truffle oil since I had read a blog debunking the authenticity of truffles and oil mixing well. (We’ll have to read further.)

We also chose a delicious spot for a espresso and lunch.

Grace & Emmie at lunch

Scott & Mom

Scott left for his meetings and Mom, Grace, Emmie and I headed to the The Basilica di San Lorenzo, the parish church and burial place of the Medici Family.

Near the museum of the Basilica di San Lorenzo

Accidentally found the San Gaetano church/Santi Michele e Gaetano walking along the Piazza Antinori.

Our hidden treasure Emmie in front of Santi Michele e Gaetano

Browsed the San Lorenzo Markets- Mom found a gorgeous teal mohair scarf and I followed- (Thanks, Mom) stepping out my box and copying mom’s choice instead of my usual black. (Emmie fell in love with a leather journal cover which looks very Harry Potteresque. We perused a few other shops where Grace got a few fun clothes!

A bit silly!

Mom and the girls!

Emmie’s chocolate radar must have been operating at high levels as she spotted the sign Caniparoli Cioccolateria leading us down a small street; she peaked through the window  and convinced us to go in. Revelation- A cafeteria is full of food- a Cioccolateria is full of chocolate.  Emmie speaks the truth.

Caniparoli Cioccolateria
Didn’t buy one of these- but other delicious chocolate!

Once Scott was finished with his meetings, he met us at the Palazzo Medici.

The Gardens at the the Palazzo Medici

Powerful Pubic Art installation, Red Shoes – Poetry vs. violence against women.

Powerful Pubic Art installation, Red Shoes – Poetry vs. violence against women.

Fantastic dinner!!  Delicious pasta!  Fun atmosphere and plenty of laughter!

Emmie’s Irish Dance Performance timed perfectly with Grandma’s visit

I was thrilled when Emmie’s Irish Dance teacher, Kelly, announced the day of the next performance, Emmie’s first, was March 18 because it was the same day Mom…Grandma would arrive from Arizona.  AndI knew she’d enjoy seeing Emmie dance- her embrace of Irish culture.

I met mom at the airport early in the morning and brought her back to our house; Grace and Emmie were off from school since it was the Monday after St. Patrick’s Day, so they were home, still sleeping.   Anticipation- we had been looking forward to Mom’s visit for months, and now she had arrived- joy!  With a few hours to get settled and catch-up, we were then off to the nursing home where Emmie’s class and another, made up of various ages and dancing experience would perform.  After a short visit with our friends the McKennas,we rode with them to the nursing home; we really are so fortunate to have made such good friends.

Quite evident from the talk among parents before the event and the observed awareness of children, parents, employees and residents the girls dance at this nursing a few times a year. A few residents even slept on the couches and chairs right next to the area where the girls were waiting, socializing and receiving instructions from Kelly. One side of me wanted to hush the girls, so as not to disturb the older women sleeping, but realized by everyone else’s behavior that this was ok- the norm. Nothing appeared to disturb them; and if they did awake, perhaps, they would be delighted to see the liveliness of these girls. (Another side of me wanted to almost …chuckle at the sort of absurdity or strangeness of the obvious differences in age and quality of life.) There is, however, something quite lovely about young people giving back to elders and this sharing of dance was certainly a treat and a gift.

The Walls of Limerick

Some of Emmie’s classmates dancing.

These two young woman are beautiful dancers!  (This gentleman might have been taking a quick nap.)

After the performance, all five of us enjoyed a nice dinner at one of our local favorites, Anderson’s Food Hall. (I only say the name, so we can remember.)

Over next few days my mom and I toured around parts of Dublin while the girls and Scott went about the usual, school and work-as we were also anticipating the Easter Holiday break and our trip to Italy.  Unfortunately, the weather was a bit chilly and rainy at times… not the best for touring around, but we made the most of it.  Mom also got to see where Grace takes flute and meet Emmie’s piano teacher, some of our every day routines.

Mom and I in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral

St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day

Perhaps it is silly to think we hemmed and hawed even a smidgen whether to attend the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin.  We heard various comments and feedback from locals about the parade. Some locals attend- and some don’t, believing it’s really only for tourists; and thus, the contrary opinions raised a few questions and discussion points- Would we be able to see anything, would it be worth it…hmmm? As one of our butcher’s said, “Since you are only in Dublin this year, you must  go…when in Rome so to say,” and we are happy we did.

Yes, it was cold and a bit rainy- but it mostly stopped in time for the main parade. Yes, standing in the same place with people packed around you for about… 3 hours was at times a challenge; though it might have kept us a little warmer. Emmie and I wore some silly Irish hats during part of the parade passed on to us by a former Fulbright professor from last year. They definitely looked like last year’s models. Grace was not a fan.

Christine & Emmie in Irish hats (yes, my eyes are closed- the only photo we took)

(Sidebar: As part of the Ireland Gathering 2013 people from around the world were invited to be a part of the People’s Parade.)

Not quite sure what this one represented?

Purdue’s Big Drum

Big Ten was present!

They certainly look like they are having a grand time!

We did try to remember to bend our knees every once in awhile as we stood; however, we did not realize the severity of stiffness until we started walking out of the crowd.  Oh, my…the four of us laughed so hard despite the fact that it felt like someone took a bat to our legs; I had to pause before continuing because I felt like I was going to have an accident and wet myself, begging Scott to stop making us giggle.  No accidents, thank goodness. Were we the only one walking like this? There were other activities going on besides all the celebrating; however, we opted to head home.

We had never attended a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the States, so it’s fair to say, we didn’t really know what to expect. I imagined marching bands and police and fire departments representing… yet somewhere in my head I had a vision of something like the NYC Thanksgiving Day Parade. (I know, totally wrong….) Needless to say, there were plenty of marching bands, especially from the States, high schools, and various colleges- even the Big Ten’s Purdue was there.   All sorts of groups from all over the world and Ireland walked proudly and seemed to be having a grand time. We scratched our heads at a few groups as we did not understand their costuming, but we chalked it up to our lack of knowledge of Irish stories and legends.   A very festive day!

Home comes to Ireland

Friends

Home…what is it that we miss about home…without hesitation our friends. We have certainly made wonderful friends in Ireland; life long friends, we think and hope.  Last week, though, home came to Dublin.  An idea for a visit evolved into a reality… and our dear friends, Erica, Brian, Maddie and Aidan decided to spend their spring break in Ireland. What a wonderful treat! To be around friends who you know well plus the added bonus of staying together gives you opportunity to get to know each other even more, more time to laugh, tell stories, go places, learn things together, share food…

Emmie was beside herself, counting the days until Maddie’s arrival.  Her friends would ask at me in the morning at school about Maddie. At first simple questions, “Is Emmie’s friend, Maddie really coming to visit or will we get to meet Maddie?” Other days they probed more, “Will Maddie come to school?  Do you have a picture of Maddie…?” Needless to say, Emmie had been telling her her friends about Maddie and sharing her excitement. Sending Emmie to school on the day of their arrival was her challenge; in fact a bit tortuous from her point of view since they would get to the house hours before the end of her school day.  I’ll never forget the precious sight of their reunion when Maddie, Erica, Aidan and I went to meet Emmie at the end of the day.  Very sweet. Perhaps even more adorable and lovely was their reunion on the following Friday when the Kings returned to Dublin from traveling in other parts of Ireland. Deep sigh, ahm friendship…

Each one of us can recall special moments during the King’s visit which gives me pause to remind myself how truly special they are and how lucky we are to have them as friends.

We did not plan much that first day, so they could settle in after much traveling and get accustomed to the new time zone;  it was grand to simply catch up with each other. Once home from school, several of the neighborhood kids played out on the lawn; Maddie and Aidan joined in the fun of running around with Carl, Henry and little David and of course Emma and Emmie.

The following day while the girls were at school and Scott worked, the King clan and I ventured to City Center.  We walked around Trinity College, Grafton Street and Stephen’s Green. Once it was the end of the school day and time to meet Emmie and Grace, they continued to look around the City Centre, Brian taught a class at Trinity and we planned to rendez-vous later for dinner.

Brian, Aidan and Maddie near the Trinity Arch.

Strolling around St. Stephen’s Green

Look who I got to sit next to over lunch!

Before heading to our favorite gastropub L. Mulligan’s, however,  we connected at Grogan’s pub across from Dublin Castle.  Quite amusing to watch Brian get a few tips from the barman about pouring a proper Guinness! Indeed, good craic!

Guinness proud

We spent several hours gabbing, laughing, & eating at Mulligan’s; we had two tables right next to each other, so the kids and adults could enjoy time with their contemporaries.

Discussing the finer points of the menu – beer and whiskey…

The next day each family rented a car, and we took a drive to Glendalough, county Wicklow!  I had heard wonderful recommendations from several local friends and people- Emmie’s school secretary mentioned on a good day it is breathtaking…. and with a little, shall we say, Irish luck we had a gorgeous day. We drove the scenic route there, many twisting and curving roads with amazing vistas. There were many cyclists along the road, working hard with the steep  climbs; we stopped once to get an extra glimpse back at the valley.

En route to Glendalough- cyclists riding hard

What a view!

Stopping for a gander

Glendalough was buzzing with visitors; locals and tourists alike! A glorious day, really!  We strolled around the trails seeing both lakes and other parts of this early medieval monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin.  We read in our brochure that young (St.)  Kevin traveled to Glendalough and lived in the “hollow of a tree” and returned at some later time to find a monastery where he became well known as a holy man bringing much attention to the area.   It was wonderful to watch all four of the kids enjoy the time outside, rambling around, climbing trees, getting a lesson from Brian on skipping stones, as well as observing the frog spawn along one area of the boardwalk. Emmie’s class is reporting signs of spring across Europe, so the frog spawn sighting was very exciting!

Brian and Erica enjoying the sunny weather!

All 4 in a tree

Celtic Gravestone at Glendalough

The round tower

Looking for sheep

Smiling girls

Frog spawn- Do you see the frog?

Though we brought snacks with us, after all our walking, we were hungry and ready for a proper meal. My friend Anne-Marie recommended a lovely spot that her sister had recently brought their mom. We were glad to have called for a reservation. Wicklow Heather was lovely. After a long day, hanging out at the house watching some Gaelic Football and simply relaxing was grand and much needed.

On Sunday we ventured just shy of a half hour to Malahide Castle.  We were fortunate with  another nice day weather wise. Following our tour of the castle which, was in the Talbot family for 800 years, we were greeted by blue skies and sunshine perfect for roaming the lovely gardens.  Flowers and plants are just starting to bloom- in another month or two it’ll truly be a sight.

Maladhide Castle

One of the oldest trees in Dublin

Beauty !

Sometime in the afternoon we went our separate ways. Erica, Brian and the kids headed west to explore more of the country and we headed home as Grace had homework and Scott needed to prepare for his trip to Stockholm.

It was certainly a treat to have the Kings return to Dublin the following Friday and hear about their days of adventure seeing the Cliffs or Moor, The Ring of Kerry, Bunratty Castle and more. We are excited to visit many of these places ourselves. Saying good bye and see them depart the next morning was sad.  Many memories to treasure; we are ever grateful for their visit and all our friends in Ireland and back home.