Italy - The Flight Home~

Up early, breakfast was included with our room.  With plenty to choose from, neither of us was really hungry yet.  We were catching the earliest shuttle we could.  We wanted plenty of time to check on the status of our seats & clear customs.  We'd been notified our flight was running well over an hour behind schedule.

Once we reached the Delta booth, I again asked for upgraded tickets.  We were there most of an hour, so it worked out well that the flight had been delayed.  A supervisor was called over.  We were upgraded to the second row behind first class - preferred seating - with more leg room!  It was worth every minute of time at the desk!

The line at customs was long, but they were speedy & we were through with enough time to have lunch before going to our gate.

Details~

Boarding the jet, even at the door, I recognized this as a very nice aircraft.  Easily the largest I've flown in, we soon found our seats.  The few extra inches of space make such a difference in passenger comfort.  I found a water bottle on my seat & handed it to the Steward behind me.  He apologized & explained they had been diverted to pick us, up on very short notice.  The plane we'd been scheduled to take had mechanical issues.  My prayers had been answered.

More information~

With large monitors on the seat backs in front of us, I scrolled through the menu.  (The page on the details of the flight, speed & air temperature, elevation, mileage to our destination, were fun to check during the flight.)

Where we'd been~

Once we were in the air, I discovered the air vent above me needed to be adjusted.  The ceiling was so high - I couldn't reach it - without taking my shoes off & standing on my seat!  Even then, I had to really stretch to turn it.  I'd just finished when one of the crew came by & asked me with a big smile - if I'd accomplished my mission. :-)

Where the airport was in relation to the city~

Courtney was determined to stay awake the entire flight.  I decided to watch a movie & Braveheart was the longest one I could find.  We were offered bottled water shortly after take-off.  Snacks next  & dinner followed.  Finally, ice cream!  I don't think anyone turned it down.  I lost count of the times we were offered either refreshment or food!

On our way!

After dinner, I continued my movie.  Walking to the back of the plane to visit the lavatory - I'd just exited when the same crew member saw me.  She asked if I was trying to get in my steps for the day?  I looked as puzzled as I felt.  She pointed out the facilities mid-way down the length of the plane.  I hadn't even seen the sign.  :-)  

As badly as I wanted a window seat, none were available & I'm not complaining!  But on the entire plane, there was only one row where the window blind was open.  Not one single other passenger on the entire plane had their window blind open!  Why oh why - take a window seat & not enjoy the views?  

When we disembarked in Atlanta, I was feeling pretty decent.  We were still behind schedule for our connecting flight to Omaha.  The minute we were off the plane - airport personnel holding signs directed our every step.  Talk about efficient!  The line at customs was long, but moved fast.  I had my second retinal scan.  Courtney was behind me.  The custom's officer was going to detain her.  The scan didn't match the one taken on our way out.  We were told the technology was brand new.  Courtney explained she was accompanying me & was allowed through.  Later, she realized she wasn't wearing her contacts & had been before.

We made it to our gate to leave for Omaha with a few minutes to spare.  As I boarded that plane, I knew it wouldn't be a pleasant trip.  The door seal looked ancient, the jet was tiny & packed with seats.  We were in row 20 something, over the wing.  I ended up in the only seat on the jet that didn't recline.  But!  I had a window!

Leaving Atlanta~

I felt sorry for this crew.  I don't know how they manage to keep their professionalism.  Difficult when working with so many passengers, in such a cramped, confined space.  The carts hardly fit down the aisle.

Evening views~

As afternoon turned to dusk, the lights came on in the cities below.  At least this direction, we'd be gaining time!

I focused on the earth passing by beneath us.  A less than 3-hour flight should feel like nothing after the hours we'd been traveling this day.  No monitors on this old craft.  The small boy in the seat in front of me, had his seat fully reclined, though he was seldom in it.  

A last view~

 I was thrilled to see the lights of Omaha come into view!  It was dark, but oh how sweet those lights of home, looked.  The captain made an announcement, military personnel were on the plane & asked everyone to remain seated until they could disembark.  The passengers applauded & politely stayed seated.

  

Once we were cleared to exit, Courtney & I grabbed our bags & were out the door!  As we passed security, we could see a very large crowd on both sides of the now cordoned hallway, through the airport.  We had no choice but to take that path & it was a little embarrassing.  Everyone was obviously there to welcome home the military who had exited the plane ahead of us.  I heard Butch's voice & suddenly there he was, making his was through the throng of people!  He led, we followed - ushering us to the Bronco, his hug felt so good!  How he'd found parking at all, I don't know.  Courtney had stayed awake our entire time 14+ hours in the air.  Once we were home, she was off to bed!  I don't remember my head hitting the pillow! 

The next day, we returned to Eppley.  Courtney had one more flight to make - home to Seattle.  It seemed so strange to see her leave without me :-(   Many thanks to my husband, our son-in-law, our grandkids (who were without their Mom for a couple weeks.) & most of all - our daughter for including me!

We both loved the adventure & neither of us will ever forget our time in Italy~  

Italy - Return to Venice~

We had reservations for a direct train back to Venice.  Courtney called the Taxi company & told them when we needed to be at the station.  This time, we'd ordered the tickets on-line, so had no hold-up at the station.  Boarding the train, it was the most luxurious we'd been on.  Very few people on-board on an early Sunday morning.  Relaxing just to sit back & watch the scenery go by.

Along the Coast~

With no further connections to make, we arrived in Venice in good time.  I'd wanted to go ahead & take the commuter train over to Hilton Gardens, where we'd spend our last night.

Venice Train Station~

Courtney had some last minute shopping she wanted to do.  Lunch was sounding really good too, since we'd not had breakfast.  We checked our bags at the station, the line was long, but eventually we had our claim ticket.  

Another beautiful Cathedral~

The day was the warmest so far & more humid than at the coast.  On the streets, the town was the busiest we'd seen it!  We originally were going to walk back to the Hard Rock Café store, but after trying to make time through the crowds, we changed our minds in favor of lunch.

A tall girl standing outside a restaurant caught my eye & in English - said; "The food is wonderful!"  I asked if she had something in a quiet corner & we were soon seated.  A very savvy business owner, to have someone who spoke English to bring in customers. 

Another amazing piece of art~

The above painting was my view from our booth.  The usual great food, if a bit pricy, since we were on a main thoroughfare.

On the streets~

With so many people in town, the shops were as busy as the streets were full.  

Coming down the steps from one of the many bridges~

Those who know me, know I'm not big on crowds.  It was a sudden change from the quiet of Cecina & the beach.

A very busy place~

Courtney did some shopping while I stood against a wall in the shade & enjoyed what I knew would be my last Italian Gelato.

Street Vendors~

Courtney found the last of her gifts for the kids & we went back to the train station to recover our bags.  We bought tickets, but nowhere did the ticket give a bin number or destination?  Courtney went to the Trenitalia booth twice.  Finally, scanning the departure boards, we thought we had the right train & boarded.  This commuter train was to cross the bridge over the waterway to the mainland..  People were getting on right up until the last minute before the train pulled out.  The train was so full all the seats were occupied & it was standing room only.  

We saw our stop coming up, the train slowed, but didn't stop!  We tried asking fellow commuters, who told us it would stop at the next station.  That would be one past where we'd wanted to disembark.  I was very glad I'd listened to my daughter & we'd stayed in town to eat & shop, rather than go to the hotel & try to return to town.  The area the train was traveling through became more industrial.

We made the decision to get off there.  After all, we could catch a train the other direction, but I was done with trains!  The Hilton assured us we were close, but they didn't have a shuttle available.  It was getting late in the day.  We walked the short distance to the nearest local hotel & caught a cab.

Hilton Gardens~

Checking into the Hilton Gardens, I was glad we'd spent our first days in the Italian hotels. Our room was spotless & comfortable.  Courtney went to do laundry.  David had called a couple times.  First to say my seat had been upgraded, then that the seats had remained the same, at the back of the plane.

I called Delta, determined to find a way to get seats that might be more comfortable.  I was dreading a repeat of the flight here. I spent over an hour on the phone. The Delta representative did her best, but explained, when they sell seats to Expedia, they are unable to make changes. I offered to pay more, but no luck, the plane was full.

Our last evening, still full from lunch, we nixed dinner. Both tired & anxious to get home!

Italy - Last Day in Cecina~

 Courtney & I were excited to tour Cecina.  We called the same taxi service & another driver appeared in minutes to pick us up.  We asked him to take us to the center of town.  Beautiful & low key - our first stop was a coffee shop with outside seating.

From in front of the church~

 Courtney ordered her coffee, I decided to try the fruit smoothie & my latest favorite, a chocolate croissant.  There was no yogurt in the smoothie, but it had a fresh, fruity taste.

Domenico Fountain~

 The town had such a nonchalant feel.  A lady was out in her robe hanging towels to dry right on the square.  A town with a more modern flare, yet with touches of it's ancient history & old world charm.

Store front~

We looked in several shops, I loved the depiction of two horses socializing over a bicycle.  I would have brought it home.

On our walk~

 Courtney had found an archeological dig that looked interesting to tour.  It was fun to walk through the neighborhoods & see the different housing styles, flowers & landscaping.  Pride of ownership was apparent & personal touches were everywhere.

A mail box cover~

 Notice a woman at the reins?  What a wonderful piece of art!  Crosswalks were sometimes in the middle of a block.  The intersections could be tricky with blind turns & underpasses.

Parco Archeologico

We arrived at our destination just before the opening time of 3 p.m.  Soon, the employees arrived & we paid three euros each as the entrance fee.  We were given a sheet with descriptions of the various locations on the property, where the archeologists were excavating the many different features.

Musical Instruments~

The latest of several imposing residences over many centuries, the Villa was probably the least prominent.  Built on a hill that originally overlooked the sea, there were views from the ancient pool.  The top floor open space was being set up for a child's birthday party.  Another source of revenue for the dig.

Back of the Villa~

We walked the entire grounds, such a feeling of history & of a time when the lifestyle here was opulent.

Unearthed plumbing for the ancient pool

As we continued our self-guided tour, we found an open area filled with aged olive trees.  Old, broken, split, cracked & twisted, they none-the-less were covered in olives!  The olive oil here is so very good & so different even from the best brand available at home.

Ripening Olives~

Again using Courtney's map program, we decided that we had time to walk back to the beach.  The goal was to arrive in time for sunset.  On our way, we passed a large old factory with an iron gate & the stone entry walls below.

To the right of the factory gate~

 There are big plans for the factory of weathered brick structures.  Courtney's map program wanted us to cut a block up, but I'd spotted a trail & wanted to see if we could get to it.  On our way - we again found the Terra Cotta factory that we'd passed on our way in yesterday.

Bitossi Terrecotte

The gates were still open & the selection of pottery was out of this world.  Absolutely, anything you could imagine, had to be here.  This business has been family owned & operated for over 100-years.

Acres of pottery~

 We took our time & looked through the yard before going inside.  Shipping anything would have been prohibitive, but I did find a running horse that came home with me.  Even though the shop owner didn't speak English, a picture of Farah told her what I was looking for :-)

From the bridge~

We had a long, straight stretch of road on our walk back.  After crossing the bridge, we came to a round-about where we took the street to the west.  In a short way, it became a trail leading to the trees.

Into the forest~

It was beautiful in the woods, a few trails broke off the main one.  We saw several families out walking & enjoying the warm, late afternoon.

The deep dark woods~

Soon, we turned west.  Taking a trail that lead to the beach - from there we would be able to get our bearings.  We came out just south of where we'd been the night before.

Sunset~

Tonight, there were more clouds & the colors seemed more varied.  The sound of the waves is deeper & of a lower tone than the Pacific.  Whether the salinity, or the warmth, the bubbles flowed in with the waves.

Bubbles~

 We couldn't identify the shore debris that was in spots down the beach.  It looked like chips of wood, with possibly some kind of palm tree bark mixed in.  The brushy material was definitely a plant of somekind.

On the Shore~

The incoming tide made it interesting to experiment with Courtney's crystal photo ball.

The crystal photo ball~

We had to watch that it didn't get washed away.  I loved the way it reflected the bubbles into a rainbow of colors.

Rainbow colors~

An incredible stunning sunset!  Reds & oranges over a blue/black sea.  

Sunset~

 We stood & watched our last sunset over the Tyrrhenian Sea~  Walking back to the little restaurant where we'd had dinner last evening, we were welcomed as old friends.  Dinner was again amazing!

Our route~

As we'd left in the morning, I hadn't turned on my Garmin until we were half-way to town.  At the museum I forgot to turn it back on until we'd crossed the bridge.  Even so, we walked several miles & enjoyed every minute.

Tomorrow, we'd be up early & taking the train back to Venice~

Italy - To Cecina!

We were up & packed early.  The rest of the group had plans to visit a winery & with only one car - we were dropped at the train station first.  The wait was only about 20-min. until we caught a train to Pisa.  There, after an hours wait - we transferred to another train that took us on into Cecina.

From the Train Station~

The ride down had been wonderful, with the train traveling right along the coast in several places.  Walking out onto the quiet street, it was obvious we had arrived in a seaside town. Our total travel time was around 4-hours.  It was past mid-day, we hailed a taxi to find our Air B&B.  Courtney - turned on her GPS & our driver did take a direct route.

Entry gate~

We went through the downtown area & past.  Going over a wide water causeway.  Another mile or so & we turned into a quiet little community of condominium type, residential mid-rise buildings.  Pulling up on the street side of the gate above, we paid the driver & Courtney found keys where they were supposed to be - all good!

Our patio area~

At the far end from the gate, was our unit.  A connecting covered passageway - led to a second small building where we found a washing machine & day bed.

#51 - Our bungalow~

Everything outside looked neat & tidy, we unlocked the door to find the interior just as nice.  A complete kitchen, queen bed & daybed.  The private bathroom was so welcome!  I'd brought two apples & some crackers, that was our lunch.

View from our patio~

We sat out to look through the maps & brochures that we'd found on the kitchen table.  The temperatures were much cooler here than they'd been at the Villa & there was a nice breeze.   Saving town for tomorrow, we decided to take a walk-a-bout & check out our new neighborhood.

We came to the amazing ancient bridge~

We were pretty much the only ones around.  One lady was watering her flowers & exchanged greetings.  At the end of the road, was this bridge.  There was just a trickle of water running under it   - but such a sturdy bridge had to have been used often in the past.

Crossing a plaza area, we passed a closed restaurant.  As we looked at the sign out front, a gentleman stepped out to greet us.  The restaurant would open at 7 p.m. & there was no need for a reservation.  The neighborhood had beautiful private homes, condominiums & lush landscaping that included huge palm trees.  

Trail through the trees~

Ahead, we could  see a forested area ahead & followed the trail. I had my Garmin on - so of course we couldn't get lost :-)  The view was opening up - we were walking on fine, white sand!  We'd found the Tyrrhenian Sea.  Named for the Tyrrhenian people, identified since the 6th century BCE with the Etruscans of Italy.

Standing at the shore of the sea~

I couldn't help but take my sandals off & wade in!  One of those moments when time stands still...  Savoring a view I never thought I'd see, in a place I never thought I'd be; the Mediterranean Sea.  

The first wave~

Just the name had always had a somewhat mythical connotation for me.  I loved studying mythology in school & so many of those stories were written here.  I couldn't' believe how warm the water was!  76 degrees in August & September, but an average year-round temperature of 66. 

Soaking my feet~

Courtney disappeared from my view.  I found her out near the end of one of the jetty's - rock hunting.  Thankfully, the rock she wanted the most - was Way too big to bring home!

Italy's flag flying~

We walked the beach until we realized we were thirsty!  There was a little resort area to the north.  We ordered two big bottles of cold water & snacked on popcorn.  Back at the bungalow, we used the outdoor hose bib to clean the sand off our shoes & feet.  It was a very fine, sticky sand, so different from the Pacific NW.  We realized that if we wanted to go back for sunset, we'd better be on our way.

Sunset over the Tyrrhenian Sea~

Walking through the woods was a little eerie.  It was so very quiet & still mild, too. The few people who had been there earlier were gone. It was only us, the sun & the sea.

Lighthouse & sunset~

We stayed until well after the sun had set.  As we turned to leave, the moon made it's appearance over the trees behind us.

Moonrise~

Almost full, the last of the day's glow still in the air.  Our apples had long worn off.  Dinner would be our first real meal of a long day.  We returned to the plaza to find all the lights on at the little restaurant.

La Vita~

With only one other family there, we had no way of knowing if our only choice for a meal, would be the right one?  Silly us - to have any doubts!  We were so very hungry for salad.  Our waitress spoke broken English & between us, we hoped the translation was accurate.

Spritz & salad!

When the salads arrived, they were wonderful!  Ripe tomatoes, black olives, fresh greens.  Dinner was just as good.  Courtney ordered Calamari as an appetizer.  We expected it to be the breaded, fried dish we're used to...  But no...  It came unfried, maybe steamed?  Small curls on a bed of greens with large, thin flakes of cheese on top.  I took the first bite - so tender & flavorful - the best ever.

Dinner, as usual in Italy, is a long, relaxing affair.  We paid the bill & were leaving when the owner came out to offer us a complimentary dessert!  We had to decline.  The walk back was beautiful, small street lamps glowing, against a dark, velvety, star filled sky~