Maremma--on our way out to Montebelli

This is the view that goes perfectly with that poem--thanks, Nan!

Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

I can't believe we are home again. Time moves so quickly when you are traveling. Deb called me on Saturday saying how much she missed everyone already. It is difficult to come down from that cloud we were perched upon. I still find myself being a bit more observant, even in the village. What I find there isn't quite as inspiring but it is home. Since I can not let go of this trip, however, I am thinking that we will need to have a little reunion luncheon to share pics and stories. On that note, I have posted most of my photos on Flickr, which you can access on this page. You can easily download the photos that you want. Feel free to comment as well. Keep in touch, friends. I will continue to blog memeories form the trip and would like to welcome you to do so. I will add you to the privileges if you so wish.
Love to all.

PS- Here is a poem that my aunt, Nan, sent along for us which is fun and relevent. She and I are great fans of bats though.

BAT -- D.H. Lawrence


At evening, sitting on this terrace,
When the sun from the west, beyond Pisa, beyond the mountains of Carrara
Departs, and the world is taken by surprise . . .

When the tired flower of Florence is in gloom beneath the glowing
Brown hills surrounding . . .

When under the arches of the Ponte Vecchio
A green light enters against the stream, flush from the west,
Against the current of obscure Arno . . .

Look up, and you see things flying
Between the day and the night;
Swallows with spools of dark thread sewing the shadows together.

A circle swoop, and a quick parabola under the bridge arches
Where light pushes through;
A sudden turning upon itself of a thing in the air.
A dip to the water.

And you think:
"The swallows are flying so late!"

Swallows?

Dark air-life looping
Yet missing the pure loop . . .
A twitch, a twitter, and elastic shudder in flight
And serrated wings against the sky,
Like a glove, a black glove thrown up at the light,
And falling back.

Never swallows!
Bats!
The swallows are gone.

At a wavering instant the swallows give way to bats
By the Ponte Vecchio . . .
Changing guard.

Bats, and an uneasy creeping in one's scalp
As the bats swoop overhead!
Flying madly.

Pipistrello!
Black piper on an infinitesimal pipe.
Little lumps that fly in air and have voices indefinite, wildly vindictive;

Wings like bits of umbrella.

Bats!

Creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag, to sleep;
And disgustingly upside down.
Hanging upside down like rows of disgusting old rags
And grinning in their sleep.
Bats!

In China the bat is the symbol of happiness.

Not for me.

Wow...we really are in the middle of nowhere!

And we are loving it! So...no cell service, really bad internet connections...HEAVEN!!! Montebelli is fabulous. Gorgeous accommodations, wonderful staff and guests, great fun. We have had lots of fun day trips to Montepulciano, Massa Marittima, Siena, and Deruta where we have sketched and painted and photographed. We have even been invited to have a little show of our work tomorrow night here at Montebelli. The kids have made such a great impression on our hosts that they want us to come back again and again! The food here is incredible and we are all on a first name basis with the staff. It will be so hard to leave on Friday, but we are so looking forward to seing our families again. Love to all--to the beach in Castiglione tomorrow!

Italia

After a fairly smooth train ride (we had newer coaches), we arrived in Firenze. We took a long bus ride to the campground-it is amazing! So clean and fun. Just right and there is a lovely breeze. Spent several hours in the Uffizi, soaking in more art. The kids have been wonderful. Lots of walking and eating. Tomorrow we go to the Duomo and the Accademia and then off to Tuscany! More on Saturday when we have more time to write. And more pictures!

Love to all
Ciao!

Very busy days and nights...

Today is our last day in Paris, sadly. The kids have been eating crepes like they are going out of style. Our feet are sore, but our heads are full of a million new memories. The Musee D'orsay was inspirational--there is never enough time to enjoy it. The Louvre was overwhelmingly huge, but we talked a lot about the evolution of art as we walked past Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Western European treasures. We then traipsed over to the decorative arts museum where we watched Jean Paul Gautier's collection and performance pieces--as we(I) watched the film, I turned around to find all of the kids FAST asleep!! We all enjoyed a few laughs over that. Lots of time in the Tuilleries gardens drawing, an afternoon at Pere Lachaise Cemetery, a boat ride down the Seine. Midnight walk home from the Arch de Triomph. Now off we go to Italy after one more day of exploring! More soon! Internet service is spotty--will write when we can!
Love to all!

Here we are in Paris!

The kids have a few things to say:

Sarah: The first couple days in Paris have been awesome. Unfortunately it is raining now, but we have still been having a blast. We have seen art and made it. We also went shopping! (I got perfume)

Jake: Aside from the six dollar sprites and the tv being all in french, paris is cool. The people here are crazy i dont know how i havent seen a moped collision yet...

Jonathan: Dad, you haven't shown up yet, so hopefully no rendez-vous, and no french properity for you! It's been amazing so far though, good people, good food, and amazing art. I miss everyone, having a great time! Paris is very big, very fast, and busy. People have been really nice (take that FOX News) and the prices aren't nearly as bad as I assumed they would be. The history of the city is really fantastic, mixing the old and new. Anyways, I miss you all, and the video/photography is going great! See you all soon!

Dori!: Hi. ok so we are in paris and it is vair vair amusing. i like it here so i am moving here...kidding. it's raining, but we went shopping today and went to the musee d'orsay (mom, we saw cezanne). i bought perfume, it's pretty smelling. kay, peace out.

Roya: Hi, so Paris is really pretty and the crepes are amazing (mom, we had that steak dish for dinner). The weather has been good except for the rain tonight. I learned not to wear my sandals during the day or you'll miss out on a cool ballet shop (hopefully we'll go back since it's near the louvre). Bye!

Mollie: Hi! So Paris is beautiful. I want to move here. (mom...I will never call you while I am here because all that info for the calling card does not work.) The weather is great for the most part except tonight because it is raining. Well send Adrian my love and Dad too. Love you all.

Phoebe: So...we've seen a lot of art. Paris is so pretty, even when it's raining. We've basically been partying...parents be worried. just kidding. Love ya at home.

Sara: Hey mom dad and kari! its been a lot of fun. We have a crepe place right down the street from our hotel. The sucre is still the best. It has been a lot of fun, and miss you guys. have fun at the beach, protect pen from the birds! love you all

Hi mommy and daddy this is Katy Elise. I miss you guys very much. Give Kamille a kiss before she leaves. I am having such a fun time in Paris. Today we went to a pretty park Jardin Des Tuilleries and did art work. Mrs. D. is kicking me off now..gosh anyways miss you call you later ! God Bless Byes kisses and hugs

Taryn: So Paris is pretty cool I haven't bought anything yet...but I'm sure I'll buy a lot later. SO far we've seen lots of art and really cool buildings. I got sunburnt on my nose and on a random patch on my arm. I'm doing fine and I'll talk to you later.

(Roya's nose is red -Katy)

This is Nigeen. I'm pretty sure that my parents are not reading this so anyone who has their number, feel free to call them and tell them about this blog thingy (Mrs. Zwieg?) So my dad knows, the calling card and such do not work not like they would anyways or that I would call but I'm fine and having fun so don't worry. I'll call or e-mail if i can so bye.

Hi Mom, Dad, Ariana it Sabrina. Its alot of fun in Europe. Ive been taking some great pictures yeah paris is nice. Bye

Hello its Cameron Etienne, im having a wonderful time here in paris. Nobody likes us American folk. but i forgive them there stupid french people, my sandal broke today and i held everybody up just like now bye!

Deb: Hi boys everything is great We are having a great time. See ya soon ( love mommy )


Soooo....as you can see we are all having a blast. We have been eating amazing fattening food , walking it all off taking in the world's most beautiful art and architecture and loving every minute of it. Oh..and enjoying free wifi at McD's!
Love to all!

Rain, Rain, Go away!!!

Looks like showers for Paris and cooler weather. Perhaps you might want to bring a little compact umbrella and a fleece to stave off the chill. Just check out the weather right before you zip up the suitcase. As or Florence, hot and SUNNY! If you have a penlight, you could bring it for our all too brief camping sojourn. Deb just bought some flashlights and we're bringing a few headlamps. Just a few more days...

Florence Update!!

Well Friends,
When last I wrote, we were to be staying at the Hotel Alba. As it turns out, the travel agency booked us for the Albatross (not kidding) hotel in Florence, which had horrible reviews. The booking agency claims that they had just abbreviated the name on the invoice (not true). I only found this out in calling to confirm. Needless to say, it has been stressful these past few days trying to find accommodations for 17 on the night of the yearly fashion festival. Anyhow, not to worry! I found us spots at the highly luxurious (now I'm kidding) Plus Camping Michaelangelo hostel located near the famous Piazzale Michaelangelo. Apparently the views are spectacular. The hostel is a little different (we will stay in platform tents, with beds and such) but gets good reviews. Most importantly, it is quite secure, accessible to the train station by bus, and very close to the sights (15 minute walk to the Ponte Vecchio). Here is the link for a picture: http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/PlusCampingMichelangelo-Florence-319 There are also reviews at that site. I am convinced that all things happen for a reason, whether to give me grey hair or to provide the kids with one of the best vistas in the world, albeit from a tent.

A few last minute tips...

Here are a few things that you might consider while you are packing up to go. First, make sure that you notify your credit card company that you (or your child)will be traveling and where that will be. That way, when they see charges in Paris they won't think that someone unauthorized has taken off with your card. Students: be sure to bring along your student ID or some other way of identifying how old you are so that you do not have to tote around your passport. Many attractions in Paris are free for
under 18's and reduced for 18-25's. Also, for your carry-on, you may want to consider a comfortable bag that zips shut. That way, when we are walking around you will have piece of mind that your wallet won't walk!

Lastly, furnish your mind this last week before the trip.
Visit the Slow Travel site (the link is posted for you). This site is INVALUABLE! It gives lots of great advice on things you would never think of (like bathroom etiquette in Paris, who knew?). Brush up on your Art History (good book: The Story of Art) and look up the sights we will be seeing online. Look ongoogle maps at the satellite view of the places we will be staying to give yourself a sense of space.
Finally watch some movies, especially those with subtitles so you get used to listening to the language. Here is a list of some that I have enjoyed, but feel free to post others!! French: Amelie, Chacun Cherche Son Chat (have not seen this but have heard that it is great), Trois Couleur: Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge, An American in Paris, Ronin, The Bourne Identity (some scenes, though it gives you a feel for Europe) and if you must: The DaVinci Code. Italy: A Room With a View (!!), Under the Tuscan Sun, Tea with Mussolini, Il Postino (about Neruda, the poet), Stealing Beauty (though this might be a bit risque, I've heard and read it is a great portrait of Toscana ). A bit of a warning: pretty much any movie about Tuscany has a subplot about some American
being swept off her feet by her new-found lack of inhibitions or a hot Italian. Parisian movies sometimes have uncomfortably realistic love scenes. Just want you to be prepared...but don't let that scare you-just fast-forward. It is worth it to see the places and hear the language.
Books: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, DaVinci Code (hey, it's fun), The Lives of the Artists (Vasari), The Italians (fascinating), the Rough Guides to Paris and Tuscany, Rick Steves books and videos, phrasebooks, pod casts on learning French and Italian (!!)

Countdown...Are you ready?

Well, it's almost time to go! Ms. Donoghue and I are working to fill every moment of our trip with fun things to do, not that it is a difficult task. Some new additions are a boat ride down the Seine, dinner and music at Limonaire (a place known for up-and-coming musicians and performance artists), and a trip to the L'Orangerie to see Monet's Waterlilies. As you can see from the detailed itinerary, we are going to be very busy. Kids-be prepared to SLEEP on the plane because we will be staying awake all day when we arrive to beat the jetlag. Remember to pack light--our trip out of Paris could be painful with too much luggage!