So, it turns out that driving is just like riding a bike, you don't forget. I drove around like crazy today picking up prescriptions, stopping by the drugstore (and yes, these were different places, sigh), and the funnest of all, taking miles to the vet. It seems that his rabies vaccine was due for a booster, and since our new home town requires it, it seemed easier to do it now than to add it to our list of things to do there.
I found out during our travels that indeed, you don't forget how to ride a bike. Twice during our trip we rented bicycles and did our sightseeing on wheels. Our first try was in Lucca (also the site of Peter's illness). Lucca still has its original city wall and it has been turned into a city park. You can rent bikes and ride them around the top of the walls, a 4 or 5 kilometer loop. I was a little nervous about the bikes because, well, I can't actually remember the last time I rode a bike. I'm pretty sure it was sometime BEFORE my freshman year of HIGH SCHOOL (for those doing the math, yes this means 16 years ago). So, I think I was a bit justified in my nervousness. It turns out that yes, I could still ride a bike, I just couldn't balance very well. Once I was up to speed, I was fine, but the slow part, particularly the starting and stopping parts (major parts of bike riding I understand) were a bit more tricky.
We also rented bikes in Munich, Germany through an outfit called Mike's Bike Tours. This time, we actually had a guide and were on city streets (a bit) instead of entirely on paths without cars. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous about my starting, stopping, and balancing abilities. Our trip was great, I didn't hit a car or person, and I even managed to stay on my bike after our stop to drink a half liter of beer. So, I'd say that my skills have even improved!
I guess this means that it's time for me to get a bike (I hear that the Middle is nice and flat, so it should be nice to ride around). There's no good reason why I hadn't ridden a bike in so long, it just worked out that way. Now that I've ridden in two foreign countries, I might as well ride in my own.
Showing posts with label lucca. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lucca. Show all posts
02 August 2007
02 July 2007
TMI and a little TLC
I've been fortunate to go on some extended holidays of 2+ months in my relatively short life.
Oddly, everytime it seems I get really sick around the 5th week. Of course, this trip is no different. In the middle of the Lucca time, right after climbing over 400 stairs to see a garden at the top of a tower, then riding 7 miles on a bike on the beautifully paved walls, I got sick. Really sick.
My temp was 39 celcius, which translates to about 102 F. I was hot. I had stomach problems. I think it probably had something to do with the extreme heat we had been experiencing, and the not sleeping so well because of it.
We ended up staying in Lucca an extra night - when Kimberly went to ask the hotel people if they could accomodate us, they got very worried and wanted to call a doctor. So cute.
Kimberly also went to the pharmacy all by herself and bought a thermometer and some medicine for the high temp. I wish I had been there to see those interactions. But she really came through.
I struggled with the sick off and on through our 3 night in Bologna, and am feeling pretty well now that we are in Milan.
It's been really hot here. Even when it's not too hot, I sweat alot. More so than at home. And I drink a lot of water, but maybe not enough. I know I don't drink this much water at home, but I also don't walk this much at home.
We'd like to do some hiking in the Alps and the Dolomites, so hopefully the sick is gone. We'll see.
Oddly, everytime it seems I get really sick around the 5th week. Of course, this trip is no different. In the middle of the Lucca time, right after climbing over 400 stairs to see a garden at the top of a tower, then riding 7 miles on a bike on the beautifully paved walls, I got sick. Really sick.
My temp was 39 celcius, which translates to about 102 F. I was hot. I had stomach problems. I think it probably had something to do with the extreme heat we had been experiencing, and the not sleeping so well because of it.
We ended up staying in Lucca an extra night - when Kimberly went to ask the hotel people if they could accomodate us, they got very worried and wanted to call a doctor. So cute.
Kimberly also went to the pharmacy all by herself and bought a thermometer and some medicine for the high temp. I wish I had been there to see those interactions. But she really came through.
I struggled with the sick off and on through our 3 night in Bologna, and am feeling pretty well now that we are in Milan.
It's been really hot here. Even when it's not too hot, I sweat alot. More so than at home. And I drink a lot of water, but maybe not enough. I know I don't drink this much water at home, but I also don't walk this much at home.
We'd like to do some hiking in the Alps and the Dolomites, so hopefully the sick is gone. We'll see.
26 June 2007
why?
So, lots of Italy makes perfect sense. The siesta is a fanstatic concept, and so what it every store closes from 2-4 every day. That just means you HAVE to take a nap. And the 2 hour lunch? Fantastic! Lunch should be the big meal of the day, and then you get to sleep it off with the siesta. So, in many ways, Italians have got it right.
However... there are a few things that puzzle me about Italy and Italians.
1. change
Apparently, there is some sort of change (ie coinage) shortage in Italy. When presented with a check for say, 13 euro and you try to pay with a 20, you will get a look. Then, they sigh, and ask if you have 3 euro. If not, they sigh again and then laboriously count out your 7 euro change. This is true EVERYWHERE, including the pharmacy, post office, and all manner of businesses. We've been hoarding change for this purpose.
2. "service"
Italians seem to have a different idea of what a job in the service industry requires. Peter and I went looking for a bus ticket to Lucca from Siena during the train sciopero. Seemingly, not a difficult task. We went to the bus station. As the bus systems are independent companies here, there are separate offices depending on where you are heading and which company runs there. We stopped at the first office. "autobus a Lucca?" "no" the woman scoffed. "office over there" So, we went to the second office. "no" the woman scoffed. "over there." "but but but" we protested that we had already been there and they didn't have the tickets. She sighed, and suggested that we try the travel agent office down the street. We wandered around looking for the travel agent. Found the travel agent. No, they were the airline agent, for the bus, we had to go downstairs. Down we go... only to be told by the downstairs agent that they only sold tickets for the train, that the train was on sciopero, and anyway, their computers were down so they couldn't sell us a ticket anyway.
It turns out that the entire time, we were asking the WRONG question. Instead of "bus to Lucca?" we should have asked "what city do I go to to get a bus to Lucca?" Because, there isn't a bus from Siena to Lucca. You have to take the bus to Florence and then change to go to Lucca. All with the same company, of course, and public info we found later online. But since we didn't ask the right question, we didn't get the answer.
So, this is my list in progress, I'm sure to be updated later. The thing that strikes me about this list is the odd similiarity with my experiences in less developed countries (Mexico, Thailand, Cambodia). Sometimes it feels like Italy isn't part of Europe after all.
However... there are a few things that puzzle me about Italy and Italians.
1. change
Apparently, there is some sort of change (ie coinage) shortage in Italy. When presented with a check for say, 13 euro and you try to pay with a 20, you will get a look. Then, they sigh, and ask if you have 3 euro. If not, they sigh again and then laboriously count out your 7 euro change. This is true EVERYWHERE, including the pharmacy, post office, and all manner of businesses. We've been hoarding change for this purpose.
2. "service"
Italians seem to have a different idea of what a job in the service industry requires. Peter and I went looking for a bus ticket to Lucca from Siena during the train sciopero. Seemingly, not a difficult task. We went to the bus station. As the bus systems are independent companies here, there are separate offices depending on where you are heading and which company runs there. We stopped at the first office. "autobus a Lucca?" "no" the woman scoffed. "office over there" So, we went to the second office. "no" the woman scoffed. "over there." "but but but" we protested that we had already been there and they didn't have the tickets. She sighed, and suggested that we try the travel agent office down the street. We wandered around looking for the travel agent. Found the travel agent. No, they were the airline agent, for the bus, we had to go downstairs. Down we go... only to be told by the downstairs agent that they only sold tickets for the train, that the train was on sciopero, and anyway, their computers were down so they couldn't sell us a ticket anyway.
It turns out that the entire time, we were asking the WRONG question. Instead of "bus to Lucca?" we should have asked "what city do I go to to get a bus to Lucca?" Because, there isn't a bus from Siena to Lucca. You have to take the bus to Florence and then change to go to Lucca. All with the same company, of course, and public info we found later online. But since we didn't ask the right question, we didn't get the answer.
So, this is my list in progress, I'm sure to be updated later. The thing that strikes me about this list is the odd similiarity with my experiences in less developed countries (Mexico, Thailand, Cambodia). Sometimes it feels like Italy isn't part of Europe after all.
Held Prisoner in an Italian Restaurant
Eating in Italy is one of the better things you can do in life, as we've reported on several occassions in the past. We hear people over here complaining about the food all the time, saying they get better food in San Francisco or New York. These people are idiots and don't know what they're doing. Ordering polenta in Naploli, or Eggplant in Milan probably isn't going to work out well, since most of Italian cuisine in regional. Do some research, eat the local specialties and you'll be fine.
Italian restaurants move at their own pace, often very slow. In this regard, I can understand the frustration with travellers, especially ones with a tight schedule. Fortunately, we have no schedule, so a 2 hour lunch is fine with us.
But there have been 2 notable exceptions.
In our firt go around in Siena, we went to a little hole in the wall place (in Italy, they're all holes in the walls). After getting screwed out an outdoor seat by the hot guy, we got stuck in the back of the restaurant with the other Americans. No big deal. We were hungry and wanted to eat.
So we perused the menu and choose our food. Some rabbit, some pasta, some veal. Then we waited for the waitress to come.
And we waited.
And we waited.
Since Italian service i slow, I didn't want to look like some American who couldn't deal. So we waited some more. It was an on-going discussion as to how long we should wait. We decided 30 minutes was enough.
When I went to talk to the bar, they were shocked, SHOCKED, that we hadn't been helped and he would help us personally. They then proceeded to tell us that half the menu was no longer available.
In the end, the food was good and I got a free glass of Vin Santo (sweet dessert wine) out of it, but it was annoying none the less.
The second instance happened just the other night here in Lucca. We had a great meal, including raviolli, papparadalle, and cutlets milanese.
Once we finished, we asked for the check. And waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
At this point, we were trying to do everything we could to get the waitress' attention, including staring, waiving money, etc. She obviously thought it was someone else's reponsibility to get us the check, you know, like the fairy godmother.
After 20 minutes (I learned a little bit from the first time), we finally asked for the check again. The waitres acted like it was the first time we asked and promptly brought the check over.
The problem in both these situations is you can't do anything. We could have left the restaurant without ordering, but on a sleepy Sunday evening, we ran the chance of there being no other available retaurants. And we could have walked out on the check, but really, we couldn't.
We're learning the Italian way, but it has its limits. Next time, maybe we'll only wait 15 minutes.
Italian restaurants move at their own pace, often very slow. In this regard, I can understand the frustration with travellers, especially ones with a tight schedule. Fortunately, we have no schedule, so a 2 hour lunch is fine with us.
But there have been 2 notable exceptions.
In our firt go around in Siena, we went to a little hole in the wall place (in Italy, they're all holes in the walls). After getting screwed out an outdoor seat by the hot guy, we got stuck in the back of the restaurant with the other Americans. No big deal. We were hungry and wanted to eat.
So we perused the menu and choose our food. Some rabbit, some pasta, some veal. Then we waited for the waitress to come.
And we waited.
And we waited.
Since Italian service i slow, I didn't want to look like some American who couldn't deal. So we waited some more. It was an on-going discussion as to how long we should wait. We decided 30 minutes was enough.
When I went to talk to the bar, they were shocked, SHOCKED, that we hadn't been helped and he would help us personally. They then proceeded to tell us that half the menu was no longer available.
In the end, the food was good and I got a free glass of Vin Santo (sweet dessert wine) out of it, but it was annoying none the less.
The second instance happened just the other night here in Lucca. We had a great meal, including raviolli, papparadalle, and cutlets milanese.
Once we finished, we asked for the check. And waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
At this point, we were trying to do everything we could to get the waitress' attention, including staring, waiving money, etc. She obviously thought it was someone else's reponsibility to get us the check, you know, like the fairy godmother.
After 20 minutes (I learned a little bit from the first time), we finally asked for the check again. The waitres acted like it was the first time we asked and promptly brought the check over.
The problem in both these situations is you can't do anything. We could have left the restaurant without ordering, but on a sleepy Sunday evening, we ran the chance of there being no other available retaurants. And we could have walked out on the check, but really, we couldn't.
We're learning the Italian way, but it has its limits. Next time, maybe we'll only wait 15 minutes.
24 June 2007
Vacation in Lucca
The title of this post is both a command and an apt description of what we're up to. YOU should come to Lucca. We are here now, and it's a relaxing, lovely, peaceful place. In fact, we are headed out here in a minute it sit and read on top of the old city wall, from the Roman era.
Lucca is a sleepy, tourist town that seems to have a heavy German tourist popualtion (we seem to find these for some reason). Not too many Americans around. The BEST thing we've done so far is to visit the Museum for the History of the Immigration of Italians. It's a small, free museum, not in any of our travel books that documents the historoy of the Italians leaving Italy starting around 1870 until recently. There are pictures, postcards, old menus from the ships, and other small mementos that show what life was like for these immigrants. And, interestingly enough, the museum ends with a display showing the new immigrants, Asians, Africans, and Latinos and cautions us that °They aren't a problem, they have a problem" which is a nice thing to see.
Well, the sunshine and my book beckon to me. Enjoy your sleepy Sunday, I sure will!
Lucca is a sleepy, tourist town that seems to have a heavy German tourist popualtion (we seem to find these for some reason). Not too many Americans around. The BEST thing we've done so far is to visit the Museum for the History of the Immigration of Italians. It's a small, free museum, not in any of our travel books that documents the historoy of the Italians leaving Italy starting around 1870 until recently. There are pictures, postcards, old menus from the ships, and other small mementos that show what life was like for these immigrants. And, interestingly enough, the museum ends with a display showing the new immigrants, Asians, Africans, and Latinos and cautions us that °They aren't a problem, they have a problem" which is a nice thing to see.
Well, the sunshine and my book beckon to me. Enjoy your sleepy Sunday, I sure will!
22 June 2007
It Happened Again
If you ever decide to come to Italy, you should learn this word: sciopero. It means strike. I've written about it before, regarding the air traffic controllers and then the gas stations.
Well, they've done it again. Starting at 9 pm last night and lasting until 9 tonight (10, depending on what news you read), the trains are on strike.
We were supposed to move on to Lucca today from Siena. But yesterday when we went to the station to look at tickets, we found out about the strike. After frantically trying to get bus reservations, and running straight into the wall that is Italian bureacuracy, we had to change our plans. One extra night here in Siena, the trip to Lucca pushed back a day.
It's a good thing we have flexible plans, otherwise, the Italian train people would be getting one nasty letter.
[We were just checking the national strike website (yes, they have a website devoted solely to strikes) and couldn't find the train strike. Apparently, there are some rumors that the strike didn't happen. Apparently, you can't win with these things.]
Well, they've done it again. Starting at 9 pm last night and lasting until 9 tonight (10, depending on what news you read), the trains are on strike.
We were supposed to move on to Lucca today from Siena. But yesterday when we went to the station to look at tickets, we found out about the strike. After frantically trying to get bus reservations, and running straight into the wall that is Italian bureacuracy, we had to change our plans. One extra night here in Siena, the trip to Lucca pushed back a day.
It's a good thing we have flexible plans, otherwise, the Italian train people would be getting one nasty letter.
[We were just checking the national strike website (yes, they have a website devoted solely to strikes) and couldn't find the train strike. Apparently, there are some rumors that the strike didn't happen. Apparently, you can't win with these things.]
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