Ciao From Italy!
We arrived in Fabriano after a very long trip. I took a car, 4 planes, a bus, two trains and a taxi to get here. Robin's itinerary was as bad with only 3 planes but longer layovers.
Italy is really beautiful. I didn't even realize we were surrounded by mountains until the sun rose the next day. Does this look like Italy or what!
All of the photos in this post are taken from our hotel room window. As a side note to myself I really need to learn to hold the camera straight or at least spend more time in Photoshop.
We walked around a bit Sunday night and the weather was very pleasant. I took in the town Monday while Robin worked to pay our fare. Unfortunately Monday evening the weather took a turn for the worse.
The weather here is very dynamic. All morning and into the afternoon it alternated from sunny and almost warm to raining to hail to sunshine to snow and back again. The rain was great as it gave me a chance to duck into cafes for .80 Euro espressos.
The prices here are a lot better than I had feared. The only bad expense is lodging. I had a really great pizza-thing for lunch for 1.5 Euro and the bottled water cost .50 Euro. Espresso is .80 Euro and cross-country train rides are 40-60 Euros.
The food so far has been pretty simple but very delicious. Our hotel includes breakfast and it's not like those lousy continental breakfasts you usually get in the states. There was a spread of several different kinds of ham and cured meats, 4-5 different cheeses, a pile of fresh pastries, fresh fruits and cereals, and of course espresso!
I even got mistaken for a local today (that's always a good sign) when a driver stopped to ask for directions. I was able to proudly use the one phrase I've learned - Non capisco l'Italiano (I don't understand Italian). He laughed, waved and drove off. Actually, everyone here is very friendly. Since Italy is so overwhelmed by tourists most of the time I was surprised by that. People smile and say ciao or buon giorno as they walk by and complement our feeble attempts at Italian.
Yeah, it's a pretty good country so far.
Italy is really beautiful. I didn't even realize we were surrounded by mountains until the sun rose the next day. Does this look like Italy or what!
All of the photos in this post are taken from our hotel room window. As a side note to myself I really need to learn to hold the camera straight or at least spend more time in Photoshop.
We walked around a bit Sunday night and the weather was very pleasant. I took in the town Monday while Robin worked to pay our fare. Unfortunately Monday evening the weather took a turn for the worse.
The weather here is very dynamic. All morning and into the afternoon it alternated from sunny and almost warm to raining to hail to sunshine to snow and back again. The rain was great as it gave me a chance to duck into cafes for .80 Euro espressos.
The prices here are a lot better than I had feared. The only bad expense is lodging. I had a really great pizza-thing for lunch for 1.5 Euro and the bottled water cost .50 Euro. Espresso is .80 Euro and cross-country train rides are 40-60 Euros.
The food so far has been pretty simple but very delicious. Our hotel includes breakfast and it's not like those lousy continental breakfasts you usually get in the states. There was a spread of several different kinds of ham and cured meats, 4-5 different cheeses, a pile of fresh pastries, fresh fruits and cereals, and of course espresso!
I even got mistaken for a local today (that's always a good sign) when a driver stopped to ask for directions. I was able to proudly use the one phrase I've learned - Non capisco l'Italiano (I don't understand Italian). He laughed, waved and drove off. Actually, everyone here is very friendly. Since Italy is so overwhelmed by tourists most of the time I was surprised by that. People smile and say ciao or buon giorno as they walk by and complement our feeble attempts at Italian.
Yeah, it's a pretty good country so far.
posted by John at
11:07 AM
2 Comments:
John, Your photos are beautiful. Wow! I think your new goal should be for you and Robin to stay in a country until you are mistaken for a native and can give the directions in their language. You're already halfway there.
You can always teach computer and English-as-a-second-language classes if you run low on money.
Have fun.
Ginny
P.S. The aunt I mentioned you should contact for help is not so great after all, she's merely your great-aunt, and not your great-great.
Beautiful! I know about non-American food. When we were in Germany the food was plentiful and very well prepared, even from the street carts. Makes you feel cared about.
How did Robin's teaching go? You two must be excited to be there and now have time to explore.
We're all excited to hear and see your touring experience....and don't worry about the crooked pict. We just cock our heads a little and are happy to get to see them. Very quaint.
Love, sm
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