Europe 2011: Ferrara

On this morning, we were asked to pack up our belongings, leave our suitcases outside our hotel room doors, enjoy our last breakfast in the Una Cafe, and then meet outside in the courtyard to join with our waiting water-taxis. As there was a large group of us, we were divided into three different boats. Christina's family was the first to pull away from the hotel. Below are a couple of their parting shots.

Pulling away from the hotel.

Ciao!!

If we didn't have Ferrara and Florence to look forward to, I know we all would have been more sad to leave Venice. Venice had been charmed for us. I wouldn't have wanted to start our vacation in Italy anywhere else. Although, I must admit that I was excited to discover more of Italy!

Our chariot!

I didn't know much about the city of Ferrara, other than it was a walled city in northern Italy and that my parents thought it would be interesting for us to learn some of its history. Besides the walls being the best preserved Renaissance walls in Italy, they were gorgeous. The people of Ferrara have done a magnificent job of incorporating these walls from the 15th and 16th centuries into their daily, modern lives. They have created trails for walking, running and biking on both the top of the walls and on the perimeter of the walls. On the day we visited, it was gorgeous--not a cloud in the sky and sunny. The wall trails had loads of people walking their dogs, riding their bikes and eating their lunches. It looked so inviting that I wanted to join them!

Ferrara's city wall--amazing!

As our huge coach navigated the narrow streets of this old city, we were told about some of the historical sites from our local tour guide, Olivio. It was obvious listening to him talk that he really loved and admired his hometown. He had an extensive knowledge of Ferrara's past. He told us of the war with Venice which created the need for the fortification of the city, stories of the many families who ruled Ferrara, disagreements between the popes of Rome and the various overlords of Ferrara, and of the romantic scandals associated with many of the prominent families of the times.

Bikes are popular in Italy--especially in Ferrara!

As soon as we neared the Castle of Estense, he had us disembark from our bus to continue our tour on foot. Walking up to the Castle of Estense makes you feel like you're walking back in time. The moat surrounding the castle is surreal. I had always read in books about castle moats, and I've seen plenty of them while watching Scooby Doo, but to see one in person and know that they actually existed in a real place during a real time was crazy!

The castle and its moat.

Olivio took us over the drawbridge and into the castle. There were many architectural details built into the castle that I found very interesting. Of special interest to me was the existence of arrow loops (narrow vertical slits cut into the walls through which arrows could be fired from inside). A true testament to how times really have changed! Can you imagine having arrow loops in your current house??

Once inside the castle, we saw where the family lived, where they collected their water, where they stored their ammunition and many other castle-esque details. However, for most of the young men in our group, the true fascination was with the cannon and its cannonballs. How in the world did those soldiers get those heavy balls into the cannon? Umm, not sure!

On the drawbridge of Este Castle.

Miles threatening to pull-up the bridge!

In the courtyard located inside the castle.

Taking a rest on some leftover ammunition.

Figuring out how to load the cannon.

As my sister says, "even Italian port-a-potties are well-designed!"

After leaving the castle, we kept on foot and walked to Ferrara's cathedral which was just steps away. Once learning all about its history, we took off down the alley that you can see in the picture to the left of the church.

Ferrara's cathedral.

As soon as we entered the alley, we spotted our first Italian bike shop. I was excited that Bill was able to check out some Italian bikes as Italy produces some of the best bicycles in the world. But, seeing nothing that he wanted to purchase, we moved on.

Next door to the bike shop was the infamous al Brindisi--the oldest winebar in Europe. Not only is it famous for being the oldest European tavern, but for also having had Copernicus live upstairs while he was a student in Ferrara. Because of Coperinus and other notorious patrons (Benvenuto Cellini, Tiziano Vecellio, Ludovico Ariosto and Torquato Tasso), Pope John Paul II decided to visit and throw back a few in 1973. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to sample the extensive stock--something for next time!

Sara and I outside the al Brindisi.

Bill had to give Bob some assistance on the way out!

Olivio wanted to make sure that we didn't leave Ferrara before seeing the oldest and one of the best-preserved medieval streets in Europe, the Via delle Volte. Here's a little history: the series of ancient volte (arches) along the narrow cobblestone alley once joined the merchants' houses on the south side of the street to their warehouses on the north side. The street ran parallel to the banks of the Po River, which was home to Ferrara's busy port. You probably can't tell by the picture, but one side of the street is considered the old city (11th century), while the other side of the street is considered the new city (14th century).

Knowing that we had to be on our way, Olivio walked us up & down cobblestone streets until we reached our bus. After bidding him farewell, we all settled into the much welcomed air-conditioned, reclining seats of our coach--resting up until we reached our next destination--Florence!


TO BE CONTINUED...

Europe 2011: Venice to Verona

After a good and much needed sleep, we woke up and ate breakfast in the hotel. All the hotels on this trip served amazing breakfasts. There was everything you could think of and more! The kids (and some of the adults) discovered that the chocolate croissants were especially good, so every morning the hunt was on to locate the tasty pastries and compare them to what was eaten the day before. Not a bad job, I must say.

Cynthia, our guide.

When breakfast was over, we all gathered in the lobby of the hotel and began our walk over to St. Mark's Square to meet Cynthia (our local guide) for a tour of Doge's Palace. As you can probably guess, the history and stories of every building and piece of architecture was overwhelming. So much of what one has learned in school was right before our very eyes. It was mind-boggling for me to think that all these great figures in history had walked through doorways and corridors that we were parading through at that very moment. Especially cool, was walking across the bridge that Casanova reportedly walked over on his way to his prison cell which was located below the floor of Doge's Palace. It's been named "The Bridge of Sighs" because as Casanova was led across the bridge to be locked away for months, all the women sighed with their shared disappointment!

Casanova's view on his way to prison!

Casanova's Prison Cell

After touring the Palace, we walked over to visit the Murano Glass Factory. Children and adults alike were stunned with the skill of the craftsman who, before their very eyes and in only a matter of seconds, created an intricate glass statue.

Everyone had their cameras trained on the glassmaker!

After the glass making demonstration and a few minutes to tour and shop in the factory, we walked back to St. Mark's Square where we waited for some water taxi's to take us to the mainland. Even transportation was a treat in Venice! The private boats that Stefania had arranged to pick us up were spacious, plush and fast. The kids thoroughly loved having the choice between the open air seating or the comfy seats of the cabin--while the adults loved seeing some of Venice's sights from the water!

Inside the boat's cabin.

View of St. Mark's Square from the water.

Once on the mainland, we finally laid eyes on the coach Mom & Dad had reserved for us to drive through the various regions of Italy--and it was HUGE! I'm going to post a picture out of order (which I don't usually do), but I feel like I need to so you can see that I am not exaggerating. So...

Okay, so once we all decided where to sit on this colossal vehicle, our friendly, Italian bus driver (a.k.a. gladiator) pointed us in the direction of Verona. After passing through some lush country, we pulled up to Verona's city walls. Our gladiator navigated his way through the surprisingly modern city and dropped us off close to the Colosseum. From there, we set-off on foot to Juliet's home and her infamous balcony. (I must mention here that my mom, Sue, pretty severely injured her foot at this juncture. However, she didn't let that stop her and even though this was the very beginning of our trip, she soldiered on without complaining to any of her children once! I wish I was made a little more like her!)

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene...

Juliet's balcony.

Swope Family (minus my sweet sister) on Juliet's balcony.

After touring Juliet's house (and writing letters to Juliet), we were able to spend a little bit of time in the city of Verona. I loved it! I really did. I didn't think that anything was going to compare to Venice, but I found Verona to be a clean, young, modern, and enchanting city. So, of course, it's now been added to my list of places of where I'd like to live.

On our way out of the city, we stopped for a quick visit at the Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore which was built for Verona's patron saint, St. Zeno. Historically, it is believed that this was the place where Romeo and Juliet married.

Doors to Basilica--depictions from the
life of St. Zeno.

My favorite painting. Notice that there are nails embedded
on the canvas!

Inside--the level below the altar is where St. Zeno's body
is encased. He was the first bishop of Verona.

Relaxing in the Basilica's Courtyard.

We closed down the basilica and boarded the coach for our ride back to Venice. Upon our return to Venice, we headed straight to dinner at a quaint, quintessential Italian restaurant. As usual, there was more food, pasta and wine then we knew what to do with--but there was also some of the best strawberry gelato ever! In fact, no where else for the rest our travels in Italy did another place ever beat the scrumptious strawberry gelato as was served in this Venice bistro.

Anticipating dinner!

The cousin table!

With a full day behind us, we all walked back to our hotel completely content. The next day promised to be as busy and as exciting as the last as we were going to Ferrara and then onto to Florence. La Vita e Bella!

TO BE CONTINUED...

Europe 2011: First Day in Venice

CONTINUED...

As soon as we arrived at the hotel in Venice, we were given two choices: we could go rest until dinner in our gorgeous rooms -or- we could change clothes and explore Venice. Even though we were tired from our long journey, we decided the best thing to do would be to put on some fresh attire and go enjoy the beautiful day! We all met in the courtyard outside our hotel and strolled off with our trusty leader, Stefania.

Dad setting the kids up with their treats.

Our first stop was to grab some gelato. Bill, the kids and I had never had true Italian gelato. In fact, the only time that I had ever sampled gelato was in the United States and it was very bad; so I was less than excited about trying it again. When we made it to the gelato store, my dad was taking orders for everyone. I hung back not wanting to try any until I saw what the kids reactions were to the ice cold treats. As you can guess, they LOVED it!! Those cones disappeared faster than you could say the word, "gelato." Figuring it was safe, Bill and I decided to partake and, wow, it was perfect! I am now CRAZY about gelato and wish that it was a staple of our diet here in America.

After finishing the delicious gelato (and bellini's for some), we set off for St. Mark's Square. In order to get to St. Mark's Square, we had to cross the Grand Canal over the famous Rialto Bridge. If taking the water taxis didn't make us feel like we were in Venice, then this view definitely did the trick!

Heading up the Rialto Bridge with
Stefania, William, Kelsey and Anna.

Stephen's Family, Mom & Dad, and
the Lummus Family on the Rialto Bridge.

William & Anna taking in the Grand Canal
from the Rialto Bridge.

The ever busy Grand Canal.

Check out the outdoor cafes on the right.

After the bridge and several twisting, gorgeous cobblestone streets, we finally arrived to the beautiful St. Mark's Square. Amazing! Wow! It was so cool, and so beautiful, and so absolutely everything that I wanted Italy to be at that moment. The music coming from the orchestra set-up at one of the outdoor cafes, the gentle breeze off the water, the pigeons flying to people for their crumbs, and the manificient buildings that Napoleon once inhabited and, of course, the great arches of the Byzantine cathedral of St. Mark's Basilica.

In St. Mark's Square

William chasing the birds!

William chilling with the birds.

One of the outdoor cafes.

Window shopping for souvenirs.

We walked around taking everything in, heard a little bit of the history from Stefania, and then headed off on our own agreeing to meet back at the hotel later. After making a purchase of some Venetian glass for the kids, we headed over to what was one of my favorite places in Europe--an outdoor cafe in the square. There was ethereal music playing, the sun was setting (my favorite time of day) and a gentle breeze was coming off the Bacino di San Marco. We found that my sister, Christina, and her family had already discovered this little piece of heaven and so we joined them immediately!

Ahhh! Italy...as it should be!!

Bob living the dream!

I wanted to stay there all night, but we all knew that our first Italian dinner waiting for us. So, the check was paid (oy!) and off we went back to meet at the hotel. We stopped for a quick group picture in the courtyard by our hotel, and then we were off on foot again to a true Venetian restaurant--one not known to many tourist, but because of Stefania, known to us!

On the way to dinner...

On the way to the restaurant--crossing over
yet another bridge!

The table for the "older" people...

The kids enjoying their tiramisu!

Melody & I goofing off after dinner in the lounge...

Striking a pose for Daddy Bill...

Now they're striking a pose...

Still posing...

The girls with Papa leaving the restaurant after dinner!
Bob is taking our picture!

The Italians know how to eat! They feed you, then they feed you some more, then they feed you some more after that, and then they feed you dessert. We were all stuffed by the time dinner ended! But, as you can tell by the pictures above, we weren't tired! Something about Italy gives a person energy! However, you know the saying, "All good things must come to an end." And so, even though our spirits were soaring with the excitement of being in Italy together as a family, we all decided to head back to the hotel to rest ourselves for our next day in Venice and Verona.

TO BE CONTINUED...