Italy - Part 3 - FLORENCE

 Florence had many narrow street with many boutique sized stores! They were selling a lot of leather goods...which we didn't pass up.

There were famous cathedrals everywhere we turned. We saw and heard an opea singer standing outside in a piazza on the other side of this. Her voice was ringing off the buildings in an amazing way.

We had coffee and a light meal at this cafe.

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

This guy was sculpted by Donatello and his eyes seemed to follow us around the room. It was like he was about to speak to us...and make a joke! Italians DID seem to be a pretty fun-loving bunch...

Michelangelo carved this and put his own face on the hooded figure at the top.  It is called The Florence Pietà. It's unfinished, but somehow seeing the raw, roughly chiseled marble makes it more amazing.

His statue of David was in this city, but we were unable to get tickets to see it.

Also, Botticelli's painting of Venus (standing on the shell) was there, but alas, there was SO little time...we had to move on to Venice that night to be able to see some of that amazing city the next morning.

Deede

Italy - Part 2 - TUSCANY

This is a view of the rooftops of the 1,000 year old castle we stayed in while in Tuscany... The above pics are taken from the top floor bedroom I slept in. We had driven practically all night long and arrived at about 3am! After Marsha offered us a glass of local wine and some fresh cheeses we laid our heads down for a bit. We were up and headed out before 10 AM the next morning...whew.

Below are more views. The picture on the left shows the entrance that comes out in a narrow street in the castle complex. The one on the right shows where I slept. (It felt like I was in a tree house! ...that's what Marsha called it.)

 

The two pictures above are of the Tuscan countryside. Vineyards were everywhere...and were incredibly colored this time of year.  The colors of the vines would flow from red to green to gold across the hillsides. The top picture shows the town of Sienna. It had a mirage-fantasy sort of look to it.

Trip to Italy - Part 1

 Off to Italy!

 Here we are on the Austrian Autobahn with the Alps in front of us

Starting off on Friday after Deborah was off from work, we headed for a whirlwind trip to Tuscany to pick up her friend Marcia.

This area (above) is near Salzburg at the beginning of our long drive

(Stella Alpina: That means Alpine Star and is a flower - the same thing as Edelweiss)

We stopped in a little town called Bolzano soon after we crossed the

Italian border. We found our way through the wet, car-lined streets to a little family owned Pizzeria called Stella Alpina.

They were the real deal! The food was wonderful and the people there that helped us order a pizza (without us knowing a drop of Italian) were fun and friendly.

PS: Yeah, Italians DO seem to drive on the sidewalks!

It was definitely a local hangout.  After we arrived, there was a family group that came in and sat near us. There was lots of hugging, greetings, and kissing of babies at that table

Here's a shot of the warm and homey interior.

It was a great start to a wonderful trip.

Thanks go to Deborah- who was a great driver on the unfamiliar Auto Strada!

Deede

My Car is Ugly Now!

Here's my little Volvo! I love it...but now its very homely.  We had to get the winter tires put on it and there are no decorative hubcaps on the wheels that have snowtires. This seems to be the same with everyone...or at least most.

The Germans have a deadline of when the winter tires are required to be on the cars. The off-season tires and wheels are stored in the name of the owner until they are needed again. I've heard that if you get in an accident without your correct tires that it can actually void your insurance

Fall and Halloween Garden

This is my pal Barbara's back yard...its all "Fall-like" with it's pumpkins and Halloween holdovers. But she still has some geraniums blooming in protected spots.

Here's the apples she cored and filled with votives for the Halloween party decor. Halloween is an American holiday that is being celebrated more and more often in Germany.

We had quite a few people out and about in our neighborhood on that night Trick or Treating, but Barbara always hosts an American style party for kids at her home

Barb is all about witches!  Here's some spare brooms in case any of her friends need to make a quick get away

You can see her apple trees in the background and her new jar lantern in the foreground

These pumpkins volunteered to come up in her garden all on their own. One of her sons called the bottom one his "Martian" jack-o-lantern because it did not turn orange in time for carving!

Haircuts in Germany

I am getting my hair cut by a woman named Uli.  This is her salon in Altotting, Germany.  She is a master stylist with great skill. Her shop is as neat as a pin, bright and cheerful...it also has the latest in equipment. She even has a portable sink that you can see in the foreground of the picture directly above. This is her in the pink shirt working on a teenager's hair.  I was waiting to have my bangs trimmed.  Zip, zip...it only took a few seconds! I then made an appointment for a full haircut in about two weeks.

Most stylists work by appointment only, but occasionally you'll find one that will take walk-ins.  Men don't have separate barbers, it seems.  They go to the same salons as the ladies.

Fog on the Way Home from the Grocery Store!

I went to buy groceries at about 3:30 in the afternoon yesterday. At about 4:30, when I came out of the store, a pretty heavy fog had rolled in. In Tennessee, fog generally only forms in the early mornings. It was strange and unexpected! I thought it was very beautiful.

I took these shots along the bike trail on the way home.

Deede