Italy – robodawno.com

May 20, 2023

European Vacation

After spending 2 weeks reading DawnO’s blogs and slaving away at home I decided to hop on a plane and meet her in Venice, Italy. We were not the only Olsons on the trip as we also met up with my parents and sister. This was originally planned as a happy-70th-birthday trip to both my parents that amalgamated into a happy 50th anniversary trip due to the world shutting down for 2 years. Though it wasn’t the best weather, we still managed to get a bit of sun while we wound through the skinny Venetian streets.

After spending a couple of days with the family, DawnO and I took a boat to a couple of nearby islands. Murano was our first stop. It is known for its beautiful glass work. We managed to tour one of the local artists and learned how he created his signature style of glassware. The next stop was the island of Burano which produces lace. It also has some charming houses all painted in vibrant colours which was ideal for taking pictures.

While we were on the islands, my parents checked something off their bucket list. They got to take a gondola ride through the canals of Venice:

One of the stops on our list was a canal where you could see a Banksy painting!

Tomorrow we will say “Ciao” to my parents and sister as they continued their travels through Italy for another 3 weeks.

Before we return to Canada we will get to say “Hoi” to our good friend Jente in Amsterdam as we spend one night in the Netherlands during our layover.

July 7, 2015July 3, 2018

High Five

Today I officially got to put a check mark beside the first item ever written on my bucket list! In fact, I’ve wanted to visit the Cinque Terre in Italy since before I had even written my list.

The Cinque Terre isn’t actually 1 place, but a series of 5 villages hanging off of the seaside cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. Pictures of these towns are iconic and I’ve seen them everywhere, including in the lobby of our favorite Indian restaurant in the Hat (The Mango Tree)! The draw is the beauty of the towns, but also that you can move between them by hiking or by train, bus, and boat. If you could hike straight from end to end I think it’s only 11 kilometres, though most of those direct, seaside trails are closed due to a horrible mudslide a couple of years ago. Now the hikes are a bit more challenging as you have to go up and down the mountain-like terrain to connect the villages.

Yesterday we did 2 different legs of hiking which were both incredible. It’s been over 30 degrees, which exponentially increased the difficulty of the already steep terrain. For one of us it was the perfect kind of exercise: the kind when you are having so much fun and loving it so much you don’t even really realize you’re exercising. That is, until you look down at your arms and each pore has released an individual bead of sweat! For the other one of us it was torturous, rubber leg, exercise the whole time. Who’s who? Here’s a hint:

Here are some pics of each town from east to west:

Monterosso (best beaches):

Vernazza:

Corniglia – This middle-child town is the only one where the whole town is up on a cliff so it has no beach access. If you take the train you have to climb 365 stairs to the town. I never did this because I hiked there so I approached the town from above. RobO met me there by train though. He said he wanted to show a shirtless twenty-something year old that he’s ‘still got it’ so he did the stairs 2 at a time, leaving the kid in the dust. Let’s hope he’s ‘still got’ working legs by the end of today!!

Manarola:

Riomaggiore (where we’re staying):

We’ve spent the ‘cooler’ mornings doing the more active stuff, then spent the afternoons swimming in the sea, paddle boarding, relaxing, and even had some piña coladas and Wimbledon at a pub. We’ve also been thoroughly enjoying the local specialties of fresh lemon slushes, pesto, focaccia, and farinata, which is a gluten free chick pea flour type of pizza.

We rounded out this great stop with an afternoon boat ride to all 5 towns followed by an awesome last dinner in Italy. Wow.

Best pizza I’ve ever eaten!

Next up is a flight to Barcelona. I don’t know how this holiday could possibly get any better, but if Barcelona lives up to what everyone says it is I might just have to move the bar higher. How much luckier can these Olsons get?

TTSOL

July 3, 2015July 3, 2018

ROMA AMOЯ

Since our last blog, DawnO and I have explored Rome and we have captured some pretty nice shots of the city.

Neither of us are very good at doing tours because we are either too cheap, or we are just not that interested. This time we downloaded some free audio tours on DawnO’s phone and it has helped our enjoyment level immensely. I think we must look like siamese twins because we can’t stray too far from each other or we’ll end up clothes-lining some unsuspecting tourist with our headphones.

We went to Vatican City, and I didn’t combust on entry as I thought I might. It was an interesting pageantry of wealth and power, I suppose. It’s still not my cup of Kool-Aid though. Highlights include the Raphael room, and the amazing Sistine Chapel. This made the crowds worth it.

We have been taking full advantage of the Italian cuisine. DawnO enjoys her nightly limoncello, and I have been spoiled with gluten free pasta, pizza, and the occasional beer.

We listened to audio tours of the colosseum and the forum which were both impressive.

We have one more day to enjoy the city before we leave for Cinque Terre. I’ll leave you with some parting shots.

Boom!

June 30, 2015July 3, 2018

When in Rome

RobO and DawnO have finally reunited! We are in Rome, Italy and we are taking full advantage of the jaw-dropping scenery and rich history by walking from site to site. I am continually amazed by how accessible all the ruins, fountains, cathedrals, and monuments are. We are staying in an apartment that’s close to the city centre, and have grown accustomed to our neighbourhood. We are finding it hard to get our brains out of Spanish mode though. DawnO received a confused look when she ordered a coffee in perfect Spanish. Luckily the customer next to her was there to translate it to something every barista at a Starbucks would understand.

We have been to a lot of the must see sites, as well as a few places that DawnO’s Roman friend, Marco has recommended. I got to meet Marco and a couple of other friends she made on the Camino. It was nice to know that she was surrounded by such amazing people during her trek.

Here are the highlight shots from the past few days:

All over the city there are fountains that continually pour out cold drinking water. According to our friend, the city may shut them down, since they are expensive to maintain and wasteful. I think they should just install taps on them all.

Tomorrow we head to Vatican City, the smallest country in the world! Look out, Pope Frank!