Traveling With Judi . . . .

For t hose who haven't heard of "Le Cinque Terre" (or the five lands), they are these beautiful, quaint, traditional fishing villages on the Italian Riviera (about an hour southeast of Genoa). In Medieval times, this area was described as "the five castles" because each Village had a castle to protect them from possible attacks by Turkish pirates! They remained fairly isolated until the Italian government brought in the railroads (in 1870) to unify the country.... blasting their way through the mountains and connecting the five villages with the rest of the world. Until then, there was very limited transportation other than boats and walking along the mountain paths, so they were basically isolated from much of Italy. Thus, they have held onto their rustic charm and beauty....and are now mostly accessed by train and hiking! Le Cinque Terre are known for their beautiful pastel-colored houses which are regulated by a "Commissioner of Good Ta...

I can't believe it's been almost a week since I left Portland...time seems to be running in a very surreal way! It's been a more challenging adjustment than I expected because I was knocked over with the cold I thought I had left behind before boarding the plane (and my body STILL hasn't figured out what time I am supposed to be sleeping)! I shouldn't be surprised about the cold catching up with me again after wandering around in a sweatshirt in below-freezing weather in Venice after no sleep for 30 hours, but I was surprised when it found me again halfway around the world!! So between the cold and trying to recover from my long travel day and the time zone adjustment, it's been a challenge!  The first day after my arrival, Stefano (the dad) stayed home from work to show me the ropes and what they need me to do to help with their girls. Valentina (the 14 year old) comes home from  school around 1:00, and Beatrice (the 11 year old whose name I can't seem...

Early in the morning yesterday, I wrote this note on Facebook....  Woohooo!! Made it through immigration in Amsterdam without a glitch, and I think that's it for "official stuff"....whew!! It is now morning in Europe, but my body thinks it is midnight...ugh!! It's going to be a long day before I finally make it to Genoa (waiting for departure to Venice, then have 5 hours in Venice before I catch the train to Genoa)!! But it's all part of the journey, and I'm grateful for a quick and uneventful flight from PDX to Amsterdam!! I sailed through the Venice airport without a second immigration glance, caught the bus (which entailed dragging my bags from one end of the bus area to the other....then back again...trying to find the right bus!!) to Mestre train station (hoping they might let me take an earlier train to avoid the 5-hour layover)! Unfortunately, I would've had to buy a whole new ticket at double the price, so I decided to stick with the one I alre...