Tuesday, December 31, 2019

A Family Christmas in Chaska, Minnesota

Ron and I flew to Minneapolis on December 23rd.  We rented a car and drove about 30 minutes west to Chaska. It was going to be a wonderful week visiting Ron's daughter, grandchildren and Anne's fiancĂ©, Tim.  We came into Anne's warm home and were greeted by Will and Milla and Oscar, the greyhound.  We headed to the Heartbreakers Bar & Grill to join Tim who was watching his Minnesota Vikings football game.

Christmas Day was celebrated with opening presents in the morning and a wonderful Christmas dinner featuring a Prime Rib of Beef smoked all day by Tim.


Grand daughter, Milla
Enjoying the glowing You Tube frieplace


Will and Milla
Ron with Oscar, the reindeer-greyhound.

Anne, Ron's daughtet

Will approving his book on airplanes

Ron and I enjoying our Christmas in Minnesota
Tim getting ready to carve the smoked Prime Rib of Beef

Tim's family came, including Mom, Aunts and Uncles and their children.
Terry, Jaye, and Jayme

Tim and Anne

Freon (Tim's Dad), Tim and Anne

Jaye (Tim's mom) checking out the desserts

Tim's cousin, Grace, taking a picture of the lovely Prime Rib

Skylar, Tim's cousin, with his father, Bill

The impossibly hard puzzle I received from Anne and family.  It took four days for me to solve.
Tim's parents gave me a book: "A Popular History of Minnesota"  
which I began to read immediately.  It is a wonderful book with so many facts and history I wasn't aware of although my father and his family were from St. Paul, Minnesota.  
















As a family group, we did an Escape Room at the Mall of America (and we did escape with 2 minutes to spare).  



It was pretty cold in Minnesota so we stayed home most of the time and, besides, Anne was on crutches recovering from surgery earlier in the month.  Ron and I got out one night to see a movie.  We departed December 29th coming home to an even colder New Mexico in the mid-20's.  Happy New Year everyone!



Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Taking a Slow Boat to Rome (Part 4)

(This is a continuation of a 4 part blog of a 14 day transatlantic cruise from Florida to Italy in April, 2019, with stops in the Azores and Spain.  Start with Part 1 if you care to see the whole trip from the beginning.)

We departed Cartagena, Spain (see part 3) about 4 o'clock on April 18th on the MS Koningsdam.  The Mediterranean Sea was windy and the waves were rough.  My morning yoga class was cancelled and the swimming pool was closed. Ron and I mainly relaxed until the 19th of April, when we were just east of the island of Corsica, there was a medical emergency involving an ill passenger requiring a Medivac helicopter from France.  The Captain announced that we had to clear the top three decks.  Ron and I joined other passengers on the Lido Deck 9 by the pool as we watched the helicopter try to line up with our moving ship and lower EMTs and a gurney to the 12th deck.  The whole operation lasted more than an hour and was very tricky.  The helicopter could not land so skillful flying by the helicopter pilot was necessary.  When the ill passenger was raised up to the helicopter, we all applauded as the helicopter flew away to Corsica.

This was the first cruise where I had purchased Travel medical insurance including coverage for medical evacuation.  Although I did not have to use it, this emergency was a good lesson.  I hoped this passenger had medical insurance to cover the huge expense they would incur.   This was the 3rd passenger that I was aware of to suffer emergency illness or injury on our 14 day cruise.  One couple we met were booked for the full 21 days to Venice but he had fallen in the shower and broke his arm before we got to the first port of call in the Azores on the 8th day of the cruise.  They got off at Malaga, Spain for treatment.  Unfortunately,  they had no medical or trip cancellation insurance and were stressed about what costs they would have to pay.  Also, one of our table mates, Susan, came down with pneumonia and had to be quarantined and treated by the ship's doctor.  Medical treatment on board the ship is not covered by your ticket and it is also not covered by Medicare when you are more 6 hours hours away from a US port.

Ron and I finally arrived at 7AM on April 20th to the Italian port of Civitavecchia where we took a shuttle bus to Central Rome.  We had reservations for 5 nights at a hotel in the Centro Storico, the ancient historical center of Rome.  We would depart in 6 days from the Fiumicino Airport for Albuquerque.


I had rented a smart phone and we had planned to use Uber for transportation but taxi drivers told us that Uber was outlawed in Rome and that where Uber existed it was more expensive than taxis. We took a taxi from the piazza on the other side of the Tiberus River where the shuttle dumped us out.  Originally, I had booked a modestly price room in a hotel that was in a more residential neighborhood of Aventine Hill with no cafes or shops that we could walk to.  I changed it to an ideally located hotel that was pricier.  But, when will I be in Rome again?  I am happy to say that our boutique hotel, the Otivm, was a lovely experience.

Delicious chocolates, bottled water and a selection of teas and coffee awaited us in our room.


A king bed in a separate bedroom

Doors to our terrazzo


A lovely bath with a huge shower


A sitting room
Our terrace



There was a roof top bar where Ron and I enjoyed drinks and the fabulous views of where we were in the center of Rome:






For dinner our first night, we walked to a trattoria (family restaurant) down an alley behind the hotel.  The Antica Trattoria Angelino has a long history and it's menu offered typical Roman dishes.  The food and atmosphere was comfortable.



Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-style fried artichokes)

Spaghetti Vongole (clams and pasta)
So ended our first day of many gastronomical delights in Roma.  The next morning was Easter Sunday.  Ron hadn't felt well since we left the ship and I needed to find a pharmacy to get some cold medicine. He slept in and I walked through the neighborhoods.  Everywhere was crowded with tourists and worshipers and families attending churches (there are a lot of churches in Rome).  I ended up at the Piazza Navona where there was a huge market.









Italy's "Ron Popeil" vegetable carver


This guy got me to buy a lot of tasty creams and oils by giving me free samples


I found an open pharmacy and bought pills and lozenges that the pharmacist recommended.  I also went back with lots of lovely food items and souvenirs.  Later in the week, I took Ron to the Piazza Navona.  There was some great street entertainers, lovely fountains and statuary and great little outdoor cafes to watch the show around us.






  












Dining in Rome is a wonderful experience and we never had a bad meal.  The hotel provided a lovely full breakfast every morning.  We met another couple at breakfast who told us about their favorite restaurants and advised us to take Tram #8 (a block from our hotel) to the end of the line in the Monteverde neighborhood for a great restaurant with terrific pasta, Trattoria da Cesare.  We made a reservation for 5:30PM and found ourselves to be the only diners.  Italians like late dining and the restaurant filled up completely by 7 PM without a seat to spare. Seemed like everyone there except us were locals.

We were close to the Jewish Ghetto of Rome (now called the Roman Ghetto) and using my guide book, I wanted to have lunch at Nonna Betta which was highly rated.  We took a taxi to Via del Portico d’Ottavia, which is the main street of the Roman Ghetto, and began to walk down the street with its beautiful shops and cafes.

  
Watching the tours than came down the street, I noted the brass markers of the Jewish residents who had been taken and killed by the Nazis during WWII outside each shop door.

Unfortunately, because it was Passover, without reservations, we could not get a seat at Nonno Betta, so we sat down outside of the restaurant next door: La Taverna del Ghetto and enjoyed a lovely meal while being entertained by street musicians.  When it began to rain, the waiter found us a seat inside the crowded restaurant.





We took a Hop On Hop Off Bus for an overview of the city.  Halfway through, Ron and I got off at the Spanish Steps Stop 7 , not knowing we would have to climb up a narrow steep street (Via Sistina) for about half a mile.  That was pretty rough on Ron.

Via Sistina


Stairway of TrinitĂ  dei Monti

Piazza di Spagna below the stairway of TrinitĂ  dei Monti

La Trinita dei Monti

We decided to have a lunch at the top of Via Sistina in an outdoor cafe (to the right) across the street from the Hassler Hotel. With the help of the doorman at the Hassler Hotel, we got a taxi to our next Hop On Hop Off Bus stop 8.
One morning, I decided to take the tram to Trastevere, a popular neighborhood just across the Tiber River from where we were staying.  It's a vibrant neighborhood of stores and cafes and tall shady trees.  The narrow streets and plazas had a youthful, artsy vibe.







Basilica di Santa Maria
















I went back to our hotel and told Ron we should definitely tour Trastevere.  We took the tram outside our Hotel to Trastevere and then walked to the Piazza di Santa Maria.

A group of plein air artists in the Piazza di Santa Maria

We sat in an outdoor cafe for drinks and snacks and watched the activity in the Piazza





The outdoor cafe we visited


I went inside the Basilica di Santa Maria while Ron waited for me at the cafe.








We then took a taxi to the top of Janiculum or Gianicalo Hill (the second highest of the seven hills of Rome).  There is a monument to Garibaldi there and one of the best views in Rome.

View of Rome (via telephoto lens) from Gianicolo Hill

Another view of Rome (near our hotel)

Garibaldi monument 

I got to meet the Trastavere soccer team which was visiting Gianicolo when we were there

On our last night in Rome, Ron wanted us to have a "fine dining" experience, so he booked a reservation for "Harry's Bar" on Via Veneto  of Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" fame.  Pricey, but worth it for the history and panache. I enjoyed the uniquely presented Lobster Salad.  There is a Piano Bar at 9PM which we caught for a song or two before we headed back to our hotel.

Harry's Bar in Rome


Harry's Bar is famous for it's Piano Bar
The next day, we took a taxi to Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport for our flight home.  This is a beautiful and highly efficient airport.  But, arriving in Atlanta after a very long flight, we had to go through customs and transfer to another plane,  and all I can say about that experience was it was hellish, inefficient and exhausting.  By the time we got home, we had been up 25 hours straight.  I can truly say that the "slow boat to Rome" was truly a contrasting lovely experience,  and had there been a slow boat to the USA in April, I would have loved to gone back the same way!