New school year

I go back to work tomorrow - this will be my second full year at HTS. Jordan starts high school - grade 9 in two weeks and Cameron starts university at Western in one week! It will be a year full of new experiences for the family.

We have had a lovely summer.

• Two weeks in Italy for Jordan and I where I learned so many things about the young man my baby has become.
• A week in California, again for Jordan and I catching up with old friends Kate and Leigh-Ann. Lots of laughs, walks, talking about our errant teenagers and good food.
• Lots of afternoons spent on the new deck and pool with our new garden as a backdrop.
• Lots of books: I have read my way through 6 Lisa Gardner novels and a few other books as well.
• Walks with friends, my Monday walks and talks with Lee.
• Cameron working as a camp counsellor for the YMCA and discovering an affinity for the little campers 4 and 5 years old. He has really enjoyed his job this summer.
• Cameron's various misdemeanours at the start of summer have thankfully (touch wood) settled down to a peaceful summer of making memories with the friends that are splitting up and going to different universities this week.
• Back to school shopping for Cam's dorm room. Needs, wants and would loves!
• Jordan learning how to navigate the Toronto transit system and learning lots of survival skills at a U of T camp.
• Wonderland - riding the coasters with Jordan.
• Two weeks of Onondaga camp for Jordan where he met an Italian girl! He grew taller, leaner and more confident as he always does at camp.
• Mike has worked all summer with no real breaks - not good, hope to get him away sometime soon.
• Mike and Cam drove up to Windy Lake for a quick cottage weekend with Jim and Rita.

And that was the summer! Now for an exciting and hopefully successful school year for us all.

 

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Whistler!

After wanting to ski at Whistler, BC for many years finally we just leapt in and booked for the family day long weekend. We have always thought it too far for just a few days - it is a five hour flight followed by a two hour drive. We arrived yesterday in time for an afternoon on the mountain (this is not a ski hill!). The conditions were perfect, about 4 degrees and lots of groomed snow.

 

We are staying at Stoney Creek Lagoons, a nice two bedroom condo but it is quiet a walk to the lifts - especially in ski boots!

 

Our drive on the sea to sky highway was gorgeous, I really could live in Vancouver. The off the grid, vegan environmentalist out doors lifestyle is really cool!

 

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Piazza Farnese

Sunday morning in Piazza Farnese:

Two cyclists pass through.

The two Italian soldiers are standing in the shade of the building while guarding the French embassy.

A woman stands at one of the two fountains sketching the fountain in her sketchbook, pencils in her pocket.

Two garbage trucks stop so the drivers can have a chat.

A man wanders in and buys the newspaper.

A man pauses and then walks into the church for the 7:30 mass.

The sounds of the sisters of St. Brigida are singing.

A woman buys the paper then sits on the bench outside the Palace Farnese (embassy now) and reads and smokes a cigarette.

Seagulls fly overhead.

A group of children kick a ball around in the corner, avoiding the odd car and taxi.

Venezia

We have spent two days in Venice.  What a different city it is, I am so pleased we came here, it gives Jordan a really different view of Italy from Rome with its busy streets, cars and Vespas, Amalfi coast with its narrow streets, steep cliffs and beaches to Venice with its pedestrian walkways - calli lanes, and canals with vaporetti and gondolas.

We did go to San Marco and up the Campanile to see the view of the city from above, but most of our days have been spent wandering the streets with no particular destination to see what we can find.  We have found really interesting things.  An art display to bring attention to the disappearing honeybee and the disappearing glass artists in Murano.  A lovely display of glass, painting and a video to draw attention to these issues.

We have found lovely churches, piazzas and places to get gelato.  Nice stores with Italian goods that are not mass produced and will suit our lives back home. We bought shoes - blue sandals for me, black dress shoes for Jordan - only an Appleby student has Italian dress shoes for school!, a blue leather handbag, a red and grey silicone watch from an artistic store called The Spot.

We took a water taxi to Murano and spent the day wandering the glass stores.  What a lovely art form. Jordan was particularly taken with glass blowing and is anxious to get lessons and try it out. We bought a few small pieces of glass jewellery, most of the art glass is very expensive - for good reason, it is beautiful, original and takes 30 years to become a master in this art form.

Amalfi Coast

Jordan and I bought a day ticket for the SITA Sud bus and set off to explore the Amalfi coast.  The bus travels over the top of the peninsula from Sorrento, and goes through Positano and Praiano ending in Amalfi.  it takes about 2 hours.  The road is extremely narrow and oftentimes the cars have to stop to let the bus through. The drivers are nuts!  Squeezing cars and buses along the concrete barrier with less than a centimetre to spare. The views are spectacular.  The water is an azure blue, crystal clear and calm. The coastline is steep, often vertical cliffs dropping straight into the water.  There are lots of little fishing boats and not so little luxury yachts dotted about.  There are occasional beaches far below the road that can be reached by steep flights of steps cut into the rock face.

Amalfi is a cute little town perched on the steep rock-face.  It has a gorgeous church covered in mosaics overlooking the piazza.  We had a light lunch and did some window shopping along the tiny little streets before heading for a swim on the public beach.  On our way back to Sorrento we hopped of the bus in Positano and headed along it's narrow little shopping pedestrian walkway. We bought a few little bracelets and had a cappuccino and a fragola granita overlooking the lovely view.  I tried to convince Jordan to take the ferry back, but he is convinced they are unsafe so we climbed back up the mountain to continue on the bus.

 

Being the bus driver that does that trip a few times a day must be one of the most stressful jobs in the world!

Napoli

On our way to Venice we are catching a train in Napoli.  Due to my over zealous timing we needed up in Naples with 3 hours to kill before the train left.  We stowed our luggage at a store facility and headed  of into the city wandering aimlessly.  What an education we got.  

Our fist find was a closed off street market, selling pretty much anything you could need, clothes, shoes, baking goods, fish, vegetables, haberdashery, tools and parts for some kind of vacuum cleaner!  We bought some peaches - 5 for €1.20 and then Jordan bought some 'RayBans' for €5! €5 was the price of the day as we also bought a gym bag for that price. We chatted to a butcher with several large legs of Real Parma ham and then wandered along.  

After deciding the area was deteriorating we turned up a street, found a school that looks more like a prison - poor kids, and some odd clothes shops.  We stopped for a cappuccino before heading down another market street, this one totally run by African men mostly from Guinea and Senegal.  chatted to a sunglasses sales guy who gave up after I told him I was South African - didn't look like a wealthy idiot then.  As we left the street we were approached by two men trying to sell iPad mini's and iPhone 5's for €100!  We stopped to watch a guy doing the shell game and some people actually taking part, Jordan was very tempted to put his €50! Down and play.

We headed back to catch our train to Bologna after a very educational morning in Napoli,

Sorrento

We have spent the last two days in Sorrento, the first day we came in to do some shopping, but the stores have mostly touristy stuff, lemons, ceramics etc.  I bought a few packages of herbs for making some pasta when we get home, but nothing else caught our eyes.  Jordan is rapidly becoming an Italian fashionista and is fixed on linen shirts, 'scarpas', etc.  will have to do more of that shopping when we get back to Rome.  Today we came in to swim.  That involves walking down a zigzag stairway down the side of the vertical cliff to get to the very busy beach at the bottom.

The public beach was extremely crowded so we rented some beach loungers on the breakwater and swam in the cool, clear water.  A few fish, sea cucumbers, a nice sandy bottom. 

I watched the ferries and hydrofoils come and go from the dock, and the little boats carrying people to and from the cruise ship in the harbour.

After several hours (too many it turns out, lucky we have 2 after sun lotions!) in the sun we headed back up the stairs for a gelato and water and a ride back to the hotel.  

Pompeii

Spent the day in Pompeii with Jordan.  Long lines to get in, it must be awful when the true tourist season starts in July and August!  Strongly recommend a guide, the audio guide is good but it is quite hard to figure out if you are in the right spot for each commentary.  

It is remarkable how advanced the Romans where, with sophisticated bakeries, bars and restaurants, theatres and government buildings.

It is neat to walk on the original cobbles with the ruts from the carts that ran on those roads. There is a cafeteria with overpriced and 'under tasty' food but it is a break from the sun and the only place to rest for a while.

We took the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii from Sorrento and back again, cost €8 for both of us for the return trip.

Children under 18 have free entry into places like Pompeii, the Colosseum and Roman Forum so we haven't had to pay for Jordan, but the entry fees are very reasonable anyway - €11 for me to enter Pompeii!

The casts of the people found during the excavation are interesting, they are captured complete with expressions in their faces and the clothing they were wearing.  

There are lots of stray dogs around Pompeii, quite sad to see these unloved pooches lying in the shade or wandering around.  Tugged at my Doggy heart strings!

I was struck but the number of baths and swimming pools in the city of Pompeii.  There are a number of baths for male and females and a gymnasium and other areas with pools for swimming. 

The baths are complete with change rooms with 'locker' alcoves for their clothes.  

Marina di Poulo

On our first day in Sorrento we crossed the road from the hotel and walked down a very long steep road to Marina di Poulo.  A small beach community with a hotel, some rental apartments and a few restaurants.  We rented two beach loungers and an umbrella for €15 and settled at the waters edge for a swim in the calm waters in the little cove.  The beach is black volcanic sand and the bottom of the cove is rocky, but not uncomfortable to walk on.  Most of the other families there were Italian, the kids are much freer to swim and clamber on the rocks without parents hovering nearby.  They were all playing all day long, no tears or fights that I saw. The beach hawkers (Wigi wigi) were very polite and moved on by with just a shake of the head or a 'Non' and a smile.  No pressure so not a problem at all. 

We had lunch at a little cafe, I had a panini with delicious mozzarella and ham and Jordan had a 'cheeseburger' - looked just like my panini except the ham was replaced with a burger patty!  A delicious cappuccino finished the meals which cost €15. Fun to see a serious espresso machine at a beachside cafe.

Jordan did some exploring on the rocks and we found lots of shards of beach pottery, sea glass etc to bring home.  

After a dinner -local sea bass and panacotta (and lots of waiting for the server to bring the bill in true Italian dinner style) we climbed the long hill back to our hotel.  A lovely day.

When in Rome...

Jordan and I have spent our first 2 days of our Italy trip in Rome.  He is fascinated by the ruins, old buildings and higgledy-piggledy arrangement of the streets and buildings.  It is so nice to be in an old city where the old buildings have not been replaced by tall mirrored glass towers.  I am sure that there must be more scooters and Vespas in Rome than in the whole of North America.  Jordan described the taxi drive from the train station as 'intense'!  No lie there.  Italian drivers are amazing!  After just two days of walking Rome I am worried that Jordan will return home and step off the sidewalk expecting the traffic to stop for him as they do here, and get squished by a huge Canadian car!

We have eaten delicious handmade  pasta and pizza (with cheese) at quaint sidewalk restaurants while watching mimes, listening to musicians and watching hawkers selling trinkets and then melting away at the sign of the police. 

We walked to the Spanish steps, covered in so many people you couldn't really see the steps.  I was impressed with a watercolour an artist was painting of the steps, wish I could paint like that.  We went to the Trevi fountain, again so many people it was impossible to get close so we didn't throw a coin in and will just have to come back to Rome anyway!

Jordan and I set off early to visit the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.  We did an audio tour of the forum, the narration was a little dry but the place is incredible.  So many remain from so long ago.  Jordan said that there are so many artifacts here that columns are left lying in the gardens unnoticed!

We then made our way to the Colosseum and joined a tour group, with an odd guide who kept making off-colour jokes.  It was very interesting to walk around inside the Colosseum and see the remains of the rectangular animal elevators below the ground level, the size of the building is impressive.

After that we walked past the large white building that is a memorial to Emmanuel  and Jordan decided to climb the 12 flights of steps to the top.  Once there we took an elevator to the very top, what a view!  It was amazing.  There is also a lovely large church at the top and they were practicing for a musical production.  A lovely chance encounter.

We found a restaurant and had lunch before heading back to the hotel on foot.  After a rest we headed back out to find the Pantheon and dinner.  We walked in so many circles that we saws the pantheon three times that evening!  We had pasta in the piazza watching a mime's antics and listening to music. Jordan bought a lighted flying gizmo from some hawkers who rapidly disappeared when a policeman entered the piazza!  What a lovely day in Rome, At the end of the day we had walked 29417 steps or 20.59km!