That's the Bay of Silence on the left and the Bay of Fables on the right.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Every Bit as Picturesque as Advertised
No time for a blog entry right now -- they're keeping us busy with all this sightseeing! -- but here's a photo of Sestri Levante from our hotel.
That's the Bay of Silence on the left and the Bay of Fables on the right.
That's the Bay of Silence on the left and the Bay of Fables on the right.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
On Italian Soil
Buon giorno (or at least I think that's how you spell it) from the town of Sestri Levante, along the northwest coast of Italy. Right now it's not quite 7 a.m. local time and I can see a gorgeous orange-and-pink sunrise over the mountains out the window of our hotel lobby, where this computer terminal is located. Possibly before the day is over I will be able to tell you the name of those mountains, but right now all I know is that they are gorgeous.
We landed in Florence late yesterday afternoon, and the view of Tuscany from the plane was lovely -- rolling green hills, plus what I assume were vineyards and olive groves, and many villas and villages perched on the hilltops. (Marie Secor, one of the Penn State travelers, observed that around here they seem to put their communities on top of the hills, whereas in Pennsylvania we put them in the valleys below. Not sure why that is.)
Once we got our luggage -- and, to our delight, everybody's bags made it -- we boarded a motorcoach for the 2-1/2 hour ride northward and westward to Sestri Levante, our home base for the next week. It was already dark, as Europe ended Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, but our trip director, Umberto, still pointed out a few things along the ride: a castle from the 1100s, a lot of marble-working businesses (they looked like tombstone factories), the city of Lucca, and the town of Viareggio. The latter town is on the coast, and once we reached it, we turned north and drove up the coast to Sestri Levante -- or just "Sestri," as the locals seem to call it.
Dinner was at our hotel, which specializes, perhaps not surprisingly, in fresh seafood. Just to give you an idea: The appetizer was some sort of sea salad with fresh calamari and octopus. I must say that the thought of eating octopus scared me, but I ate it, and it was quite good. (It helped that it was just little bits of meat, not at all recognizable as octopus!) Can't wait to see what other weird foods await me.
We all headed to our rooms, happy at the prospect of sleeping in a bed for the first time in at least 36 hours, and happier still at the thought of seeing what this place will look like in the daylight.
We landed in Florence late yesterday afternoon, and the view of Tuscany from the plane was lovely -- rolling green hills, plus what I assume were vineyards and olive groves, and many villas and villages perched on the hilltops. (Marie Secor, one of the Penn State travelers, observed that around here they seem to put their communities on top of the hills, whereas in Pennsylvania we put them in the valleys below. Not sure why that is.)
Once we got our luggage -- and, to our delight, everybody's bags made it -- we boarded a motorcoach for the 2-1/2 hour ride northward and westward to Sestri Levante, our home base for the next week. It was already dark, as Europe ended Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, but our trip director, Umberto, still pointed out a few things along the ride: a castle from the 1100s, a lot of marble-working businesses (they looked like tombstone factories), the city of Lucca, and the town of Viareggio. The latter town is on the coast, and once we reached it, we turned north and drove up the coast to Sestri Levante -- or just "Sestri," as the locals seem to call it.
Dinner was at our hotel, which specializes, perhaps not surprisingly, in fresh seafood. Just to give you an idea: The appetizer was some sort of sea salad with fresh calamari and octopus. I must say that the thought of eating octopus scared me, but I ate it, and it was quite good. (It helped that it was just little bits of meat, not at all recognizable as octopus!) Can't wait to see what other weird foods await me.
We all headed to our rooms, happy at the prospect of sleeping in a bed for the first time in at least 36 hours, and happier still at the thought of seeing what this place will look like in the daylight.
We're Almost There!
Greetings from the Munich airport, where we have arrived safely after an overnight flight from Dulles and are now waiting for our flight to Florence. Our excitement at having the trip be underway is dampened a bit by having heard the outcome of last night's Penn State-Ohio State game. Right now one of the Penn State passengers is reading Neil Rudel's account of the game on my BlackBerry while I post this blog entry on my laptop.
Our flight left Dulles last night around 9:15, so we were able to follow the action of the first quarter while sitting at the gate and for a little while after we boarded the plane. A friend of mine was at the game, in the club seats section, and sending me updates from her BlackBerry to my BlackBerry, so I could pass them on to the other Penn Staters. A sampling of her e-mails to me:
--"The team just arrived at the stadium. Could not tell if #14 was the good Anthony or the bad Anthony."
--"OMG...there are 2 Buckeyes in the row in front of us. This is sacred ground for heaven's sake!"
--"Getting messages out of the stadium is impossible! Of course every student is text messaging..."
--"Good sign - the drum major landed both flips! They did a 2005 video of the OSU game that brought down the house."
Bob Secor, one of the Penn State travelers, brought a portable satellite radio on the trip and was listening to the Steve Jones-Jack Ham broadcast on his headphones. So we'd get periodic updates from him as well: "Ohio State kicked off" ... "Ohio State has a third-and-five" ... "Ohio State, 3-0."
I think Penn State had just fallen behind 17-7 when the flight attendant announced that it was time for us to "turn off and stow all electronic devices." So we spent the entire overnight flight not knowing the outcome of the game. The minute we landed in Munich, I turned on my BlackBerry and found this e-mail from my friend at the stadium:
"Well, there's no way to put lipstick on this pig. It was OSU 37 PSU 17. We were badly outplayed. Wallace did have a KO return for our last TD.... It was not a good showing for PSU on national TV. You made a wise decision to go to Italy instead of to the game."
We're all disappointed, but we figure soon we'll be on the Italian Riviera, eating pesto, drinking Italian wine, and saying, "Football? What's that?"
Our flight left Dulles last night around 9:15, so we were able to follow the action of the first quarter while sitting at the gate and for a little while after we boarded the plane. A friend of mine was at the game, in the club seats section, and sending me updates from her BlackBerry to my BlackBerry, so I could pass them on to the other Penn Staters. A sampling of her e-mails to me:
--"The team just arrived at the stadium. Could not tell if #14 was the good Anthony or the bad Anthony."
--"OMG...there are 2 Buckeyes in the row in front of us. This is sacred ground for heaven's sake!"
--"Getting messages out of the stadium is impossible! Of course every student is text messaging..."
--"Good sign - the drum major landed both flips! They did a 2005 video of the OSU game that brought down the house."
Bob Secor, one of the Penn State travelers, brought a portable satellite radio on the trip and was listening to the Steve Jones-Jack Ham broadcast on his headphones. So we'd get periodic updates from him as well: "Ohio State kicked off" ... "Ohio State has a third-and-five" ... "Ohio State, 3-0."
I think Penn State had just fallen behind 17-7 when the flight attendant announced that it was time for us to "turn off and stow all electronic devices." So we spent the entire overnight flight not knowing the outcome of the game. The minute we landed in Munich, I turned on my BlackBerry and found this e-mail from my friend at the stadium:
"Well, there's no way to put lipstick on this pig. It was OSU 37 PSU 17. We were badly outplayed. Wallace did have a KO return for our last TD.... It was not a good showing for PSU on national TV. You made a wise decision to go to Italy instead of to the game."
We're all disappointed, but we figure soon we'll be on the Italian Riviera, eating pesto, drinking Italian wine, and saying, "Football? What's that?"
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Our Bags Are Packed—Or Soon Will Be
On Saturday night, right around the time the Penn State-Ohio State game kicks off in Beaver Stadium, nearly two dozen Penn Staters will board a plane at Dulles and set off on a redeye flight headed to Europe. It's the first leg of a week-long Penn State Alumni Association trip to the Italian Riviera—also known as Liguria—a colorful, historic region along the northwest coast of Italy.
Most of us will fly from Dulles to Munich, then from Munich to Florence. From there we'll board a motor coach and be driven to the coastal town of Sestri Levante, where we'll be based for the week. From Sestri Levante we'll head off on excursions every day. Here's a sampling of what's on our itinerary:
—Genoa, believed to be the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, and also home to a lovely cathedral (not to mention a cool aquarium);
—Portofino, a famous and romantic seaside town, and the neighboring town of Santa Margherita;
—The Cinque Terre, five picturesque hillside villages that are UNESCO World Heritage sites;
—Carrara, famous for its marble quarries; and
—Villa Torrigiana, a fabled country mansion and gardens.
Many mornings also feature an informal talk by a local guide about the region's history and culture.
I hope to post something nearly every day, Internet access permitting. Check back regularly and see what we're up to. In the meantime here's a stock photo from Manarola, one of the five villages of the Cinque Terre. We're all hoping to be taking photos of sights like this in just a few short days.
Most of us will fly from Dulles to Munich, then from Munich to Florence. From there we'll board a motor coach and be driven to the coastal town of Sestri Levante, where we'll be based for the week. From Sestri Levante we'll head off on excursions every day. Here's a sampling of what's on our itinerary:
—Genoa, believed to be the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, and also home to a lovely cathedral (not to mention a cool aquarium);
—Portofino, a famous and romantic seaside town, and the neighboring town of Santa Margherita;—The Cinque Terre, five picturesque hillside villages that are UNESCO World Heritage sites;
—Carrara, famous for its marble quarries; and
—Villa Torrigiana, a fabled country mansion and gardens.
Many mornings also feature an informal talk by a local guide about the region's history and culture.
I hope to post something nearly every day, Internet access permitting. Check back regularly and see what we're up to. In the meantime here's a stock photo from Manarola, one of the five villages of the Cinque Terre. We're all hoping to be taking photos of sights like this in just a few short days.
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