Comedy or tragedy?

This is the question we're asking ourselves at the moment. It is currently 10:48pm on New Year's Eve and we're settling in for our first night in Rome. Well, when I say 'settling', we're trying to at least. The last hour or so has been a series of unfortunate events - the likes of which will be retold for years, I'm sure.

We got home at about 9:45 and tried to let ourselves into the apartment, only to find that the key wouldn't turn in the front door lock. So we tried the other key. And the other lock. And turning it in the opposite direction. And every combination and permutation of the above. This continued rather un-humourously for around ten minutes until we finally gave in and called the accommodation contact who, despite saying she'd be there in 'a few minutes', arrived after about twenty minutes. She tried exactly what we'd been trying, and after a minute of this proved to her it wasn't just something we were doing wrong, she took both sets of keys, jumped in the elevator and left without any further explanation. Naturally we were a little perturbed by this, not knowing what she was doing, but she did appear again a couple of minutes later with a can of WD-40. Some spraying and jiggling of the door later and we were in. We WD-40ed the living daylights out of the bolts and established how to stop another lockout, and she was off again.

So we breathed a sigh of relief, turned the heaters on to warm the place up a bit and started making some coffee, glad those particular events of the evening were over. At which point, the power blew. We were plunged suddenly into darkness and having to delve through the metaphorical darkness of our collected memories to see if we could recall where the fuse box was. We found it, turned the power back on, and now I sit here relaying the story.

If this isn't an eventful end to 2012, I don't know what is. One hour to go.

Happy New Year!

Alison

Sicily to Rome

Many people had told us that Catania was a city with little going for it. To be honest, we did not give it full credit, deciding to stay near the airport and booking the night before via the Internet. It turned out to to resemble a ghost town as it was low season and everything seemed closed,derelict or seedy in a seaside area that obviously thrives at other times of the year. The accommodation was perfectly adequate and cost less than a third than other nights. It lived up the "near the airport" description as we could see the end of the runway from the window (Kerrigan like). We had hoped that we did not have to venture far for Dinner but the hotel restaurant was closed. To our surprise, we happened upon the Happy Wok, which despite looking derelict and dangerous from the outside supplied a very adequate dinner (even an opportunity for some stir fried vegetables which have been looked forward to). It did take a few moments to adjust to the Chinese staff speaking to us in Italian and then immediately dropping into English when they heard us speak.

This morning, we happily delivered the hire car and relinquished that responsibility and flew to Rome. Timing was perfect to wander to Terminal 3 to meet Alison's Nathan and we arrived at our apartment with time for an introductory wander through local streets.

Photos follow, we think it is the Vatican tomorrow, but first, where shall we have dinner? Such is life.... No wait, it is wine o'clock !
Happy New Year ... Although as I type it is still 2012 here !

Sicily .. a photo story

Only have a few photos available on the iPad, but here is a short photo summary of Sicily, excluding Ferla that had it's own story.

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Off to Rome tomorrow.

Farewell Sicilia

A bit emotional today saying farewell to Zia Salvina and Patrizia (having left Zio Santo in Ferla) they have been wonderful hosts and made our trip to Sicily very special. We also said our farewells to Ma And Pa Coffa, but we will see them again in Melbourne in not too long. It was wonderful to share the time together.

A short drive to San Cataldo, reputed to have significant mafia connections in times gone past, but today a town like many others we drive through. It was Sunday morning and the local men stand outside the bars, chatting whilst the women folk were unseen behind closed doors. I would love to be privy to the content of the conversations as they look so earnest, but I would probably be disappointed to hear them talking about their sore toes or other ailments.

The Outlet centre was a bit of a disappointment, many upmarket clothing stores, still out of our reach and nothing really captivating our attention. I did score a pair of Geox shoes for 38€ .. A steal for shoes I love to wear and generally pay much more for at home. Alas, still no formal dress for Anita.
Photos below : a covert picture of the packs of long coated gents in San Cataldo, a few from the shopping expedition and finally Serge on the beach at Catania (not quite warm enough for a dip)

Touring ... Taormina and Piazza Amerina

The past two days have been spent sightseeing. Yesterday, Taormina, a seaside resort city with splendid views and picturesque streets and alleys serving the tourist trade. (See previous post for pics). Today Piazza Amerina and the nearby "Villa del Casale ... a supreme example of a luxury Roman villa. The mosaics that decorate it are exceptional for their artistic quality and invention as well as their extent."
After days of unseasonably warm weather, it turned chilly today. An evening out to see the city streets of Caltanisetta and back to pack for the next leg.... Catania for a night on the way to Rome. The girls have spotted an 'outlet' centre on the highway http://siciliaoutletvillage.it/, so that may be a stop along the way. It has a unique position. ... The backdrop being Mt Etna.
During our stay in Sicily, we have felt that we have seen how the Sicilans live, unlike visiting big cities of Rome and Paris, we are mingling with the locals and it has been a wonderful taste of Italian culture.. the local guides ... Our relatives have been very generous and caring.
We have one more day with the car and I think Serge will not be sad to hand over the driving duties .. It has been interesting but challenging.

Taormina

Bit too tired to write much tonight so photo gallery can tell some of the story... Maybe words later..

Driving in Sicily

An awe inspiring and often mildly terrifying drive from Ferla to Caltanisetta today. At one stage a request from the back seat came "get the camera out and film this", however this was impossible as I could not combine panicking with managing the camera at the same time. Relying on the car GPS, we squeezed through some of the tiniest streets I have have seen, let alone driven through in a car. "Take the next left", " Really ????? You want us to get this car up that street?!!! Many sighs of relief as we emerged into a wide street almost as wide as Little Bourke Street (now seems like a boulevard.). "Who needs exercise, you can get your heart rate up just driving through Italy" was Alison's response.

We marveled at the other obstacles in our way, cyclists, packs of tramping scouts, tractors as well as the variety and quality of the roads. Perhaps next time we will not select the 'Alternative Route' thinking it will be fun to see the less trodden paths.

Anyway, due to the calm and dexterous management of the vehicle by Serge, we arrived at our next destination and home for a few days ... Caltanisetta.

Things we laughed at today (a lot)

... The pre-prepared plates of food that appear from cupboards when you visit Sicilian women
... Our great-aunt's silent laugh (which has occurred quite a bit over the last few days)
... Hearing a 'had to be there' sort of story and actually being there...but still not getting it
... Sicilian people talking more with their hands than their voices
... Roads that were clearly not built for two-way traffic
... Sound of Music reenactments in the hills of Sicily
... Sarcasm from our grandfather when he was interrupted whilst telling a story
... Sicilian 'parking' at 35degree angles to the curb
... The Angel in the nativity reenactment running away from the stable and dashing off for a toilet stop
... How nothing happens quickly in Sicily
... The crowds of gossiping men outside the bakery, who then disappear at lunch time and appear again in the evening
... The butcher leaving his shop unattended to visit us in the bakery and say ciao
... Collecting your one allocated piece of complimentary bread from the historical fair, then returning home to see your great-aunt produce a sack full from her handbag
... Goats posing for photos by crushing their faces against the fence
... Coffee shop owners who are simply confused by the idea of a mocha
... Following a Yaris full of senior citizens through the treacherous mountain roads of Sicily
... The total disregard for the concept of three square meals a day
... High-tech showers that look like time machines

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Things we appreciated today:
... The joy of seeing our grandfather share his memories of Sicily
... The beautiful sunshine and mediterranean blue sky
... The company, memory and knowledge of other older relatives
... The novelty of multilingual conversations
... The hospitality and warmth of those we visited
... The sights and nostalgia of rustic Ferla

Christmas in Sicily (part 2)

Christmas Eve dinner was a late affair (by our standards), arriving at 9pm, eating around 9.50, gift giving around 11, then playing bilingual Tombola till 1 am. Walking back to our flat through the streets as quiet as we have ever seen them.

Then our journey to Ferla gave us the first views of the amazing geography of Sicily. We also noticed that the busiest place to be in Christmas mornings was the cemetery with hundreds showing their respects to their family members before goings and enjoying the rest of the day. Our convoy of three cars was separated in the chaos that is parking Sicilian style outside one if these cemeteries, We are driving our hire car here and Serge has adapted excellently to the wrong side of the road. The streets in this little village were not built for the traffic that currently uses them and it makes for some interesting moments.

Alison has described lunch and the days events and after tomorrow we shall have many anecdotes to share . It has been lovely to witness the pride of the grandfather whilst he shares his home with his grand daughters .... More to come.

Christmas in Sicily

8:00-9:00: Family stirred gradually, dozed until we decided as a group that it was an appropriate time to rise.
9:00-10:15: Dressed in our specially designated 'nice' Christmas outfits, packed up room and headed to meet with relatives around the corner. (Note: this portion of the day's activities was accompanied by a soundtrack of 80s pop music, as this was the only English language we could find on the TV.)
10:30: Checked out of B&B and arrived at designated meeting point at the agreed hour of half past ten.
10:30-11:15: Sat in the car waiting for the rest of our traveling party to arrive. When we went to Vanuatu we learned about the idea of 'island time'; slightly more relaxed and less strict on deadlines. It appears Sicilian time is fairly similar.
11:30-12:30: Drove from Syracuse to the restaurant and hotel where we would be having lunch and staying for two nights. Lovely location in the hills just north of Ferla, the hometown of our grandfather and his family. Beautiful views. It is immediately startling obvious that Sicily has amazingly different geological features than we are accustomed too.
1:00-3:30: Lunch. More courses than you can imagine consisting of: antipasto, penne al forno, ricotta ravioli with hazelnut and mushroom, crumbed ham involtini, veal scallopine, ricotta tartlettes and cannoli, topped off with birthday cake for our great aunt whose 80th birthday was in the last couple of weeks. Much food was eaten, much conversation was held and much fun was had.
3:30-4:30: Departed from family for a short time to check into hotel and change, then met the clan back in Ferla at the old family house. Our grandfather and his siblings were all born in the same bed, in the same room which both still exist, and spent much of their childhoods playing in the surrounding streets.
(Sidebar: 'Stories from Salvatore' - tales told by our grandfather. When he was a child, the streets were occupied mainly by horses and donkeys. The donkeys in particular would become familiar with where their home was, and their owners could often fall asleep whilst riding them back froma long day in the fields, confident the donkey would just continue until it reached its destination. Our grandfather and his friends learned that if they made a certain sound, the donkeys would stop abruptly. So this became a game; wait until the riders fell asleep, stop the donkeys by making the sound and watch as the passengers went flying forward.)
4:30-7:30: Explored the house, wandered the local streets and chatted with the family. Saw more Christmas lights which seem to be a compulsory feature of European streets but which are always beautiful.
7:30-9:00: Said our goodbyes to the family (some of whom are returning home to Greece tonight and so we won't be seeing them again) and headed back to the room for some bread and cannoli for a makeshift dinner. Looking forward to a full day of exploring the sights and learning the stories of Ferla tomorrow.


Alison

Siracusa

Our tour guides for today were Serge's cousins Nella and Patrizia, accompanied by Nella's husband Nestore, son Alessandro and their mother Zia Salvina. We wandered from the new city t othe old, across to a market place and then into Ortiga. A most beautiful place, such history and atmosphere and at this time of the year, very quiet. Unseasonably warm weather made for very pleasant conditions. Samples of cannoli, arancini, gelato just to add to the Sicilian ambience.

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Paris to Sicily

I'm tired. As I write this, it is nearing fifteen hours since we woke up, jumped in a car, headed to the airport and flew from Paris to Sicily. Home to Dad's aunt, uncle and cousin; and another of his cousins is also here for a while with her family.

I'll tell you one thing: if you ever want to feel like an absolute celebrity, arrive in an airport to a reception of Italian relatives. The smiles and waves we received were something else. And it didn't take long until Anita and I were being told how "bella" we were. So we grabbed our hire car and headed from Catania airport into Syracuse. A quick drop in at the B&B where we'd arranged to stay and then off to see the rest of the relatives.

What met us at Dad's cousin's house was a table set for twelve and a four course meal at three in the afternoon. There was lots of it, and it was all good. We ate more than we had in our entire time in Paris, and then sat around and caught up with relatives that Mum and Dad haven't seen for thirty years - Anita and I never having met them before. It was loud and happy and fun. Most of the conversation happening was in Italian (which none of us speak well enough to keep up, Dad has some knowledge but isn't fluent) but there were enough English speakers to keep us interested and entertained all afternoon.

A quick walk through the surrounding streets and we said our goodbyes for the night - already exhausted as of about 6pm. Lots of walking and eating planned for tomorrow.


Alison

Paris

Our last day in Paris was a wet one.  Cannot complain as it is winter and we had all the other days dry.  We ventured out via the Metro to Sacre Couer and fairly soon realized that it may have not been the best idea.  Sacre Couer is on a hill and as such fairly exposed to the elements, the wind and the rain.   Negotiating the many stairs, the puddles and the rain made for a less then pleasant ascent.  The magnificent views we may have expected on other days stayed in our imaginations.   Cheap fold up umbrellas soon turning inside out and resembling some of the art we see in the Dali exhibition.   Nevertheless  it was another Parisen experience and I am sure the re-telling will make it quite exotic.  Sacre Couer was magnificent and the experience deepened by the sound of the ethereal voice of the nun speaking and singing.   I know many of you reading this will be familiar with these sites but we wondered how many of you know that the street vendors swap their merchandise from Eiffel towers to umbrellas on days like these !

After an escape into a cafe for brunch, we ventured back up the hill to find the Dali Museum -  quite different to the art in the Louvre !   Back via a patisserie and up to the apartment for afternoon tea/coffee with a taster of delectables.  Time to pack and organise for very early start tomorrow ...  Next stop Sicily.

Found this cute App to include pics that works on the iPad too .  First effort below.

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Getting familiar

Our Paris Pass included two days use of the tourist bus system which proved an easy way to get familiar with the lay of the land. We are now making the most of the Metro pass that was also included and moving around the city with great ease. Today saw us back at the Tower as the weather was more conducive for the ascent than the first day we were here. I do not live by the theory, "It is there so I have to climb it" so I happily wandered the local streets whilst my three companions ventured to the top. (OK that is code for ... I do not handle high elevations with elegance or grace)

We then wandered our way through back streets to the Musee D'Orsay. Viewed Monet, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Renoir : okay enough name dropping. Monet had painted a scene in the street near our apartment that we fell in love with the first night, Rue Montorgueil. Seems like we are in good company.

Coffee and millefeuille in the beautiful cafe at the museum (behind the clock) then refueled for a leisurely wander back to the apartment for a rest before a dinner . What will it be tonight ? And then to decide about tomorrow our last day .... What have we missed ? Lots and lots, but what shall we see this time?

Celia.

Pics are from both angles

Ali's interjection: Mum is under qualified to discuss the Tower climb so I'll jump in here. I am not the greatest fan of great heights either but I'm not too bad, so I packed into the lift with the others and made it to the top. It is a LONG way up. LONG. But I will state categorically that the view is worth the slight vertigo issues. I did have a bit of a blonde moment when we first got up there, thinking "Right, which way do I look to see the Eiffel Tower?" but once I got over that, we could see Notre Dame, the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon's tomb etc etc etc. Basically, everything. 'twas quite something.

What we have learnt ...

... The metro is as easy as people told us it would be (helped by adventurous spirit of our younger team)
... The Champs-Élysées at night at Christmas is spectacular
... Paris weather is as variable as Melbourne's
... There is another entrance at the Louvre, which they also use when Greenpeace activists decide to adorn the pyramid with a protest banner
... The pictures in the school art books we studied don't do the originals justice
... We are grateful that the artefacts of history are stored and cared for in such magnificent environments
... While wandering the Louvre, you need to use total peripheral vision to take it all in, including the ceilings
... The Arc de Triomphe has a LOT of stairs but the view is worth the climb
... Sainte-Chapelle is a hidden treasure you would miss if you weren't looking for it (thanks Marg!)
... Not all French people are rude, but some bus drivers are
... French kids iceskating in winter gear are some of the cutest things you'll see
... Even in Paris you will find an Asian tourist armed with a camera and a lack of spatial awareness
... Les chocolats chauds at the Champs-Élysées night markets are everything they're cracked up to be
... It's easy to get lost in the Latin Quarter but you'll find some adorable streets
... There's no doubting the beauty of a 1969 Toyota Corona in mint condition (Dad's contribution)
... There's a reason there's an underpass to the Arc de Triomphe, eight lanes of traffic are a little intimidating
... There are benefits to being here in the off season - no queues for the Mona Lisa, Notre Dame or Sainte-Chapelle
... Ten hour days of walking tend to lead to tired feet

Everyone contributed to this post.

What I noticed ..

... Thermal underwear is wonderful (is that in the too much information category for a blog?)
... Pain au chocolat tastes just the way it did when the French baker Patrick made them in 1980 in Heidelberg. Isn't it amazing how tastes can trigger memories?
... The winter weather paints a monotone on the city, but the splashes of color stand out. The green trees are gone, but the red awnings contrast beautifully.
... You can walk a long way without your feet noticing it as your eyes are captivated at every corner
... Parisiens queue to gain access to Chanel to make their Christmas purchases. Did not see Serge in the queue - he must have bought mine duty free :)
... The little old ladies coming out of the gorgeous apartment buildings with their shopping bags. Would love to hear their stories about life in central Paris.
... I am painfully ill informed on my European history, but I can still appreciate beauty in architectural forms from different ages.
... Christmas lights are spectacular especially on French boulevards.

Celia

And so it begins

Well, we're here. After being collected from the airport, we arrived at our home for the next week - a gorgeous apartment about a five minute walk from the Louvre. The place is much larger than we were expecting and is VERY French. Though having seen the roads in Paris, we were surprised we even made it here at all!

I practiced one of my French phrases on the guy who let us into the apartment and was very chuffed to have my French accent complimented by a real French person. A quick walk down the street found us in a beautiful shopping street adorned with Christmas decorations and lights, and we wandered up and down for a while taking it all in. Dinner at a local restaurant and home in bed by eight o'clock, four very tired travellers grateful for real beds to sleep in.


This morning I woke after around twelve hours sleep and watched the sun rise outside my bedroom window. After we had all surfaced, we got ourselves ready and set off on foot to explore Paris. We walked to the Louvre, which is fairly close to our apartment and from there decided to delay our plans to jump on the tourist bus, instead continuing to see what we could get to by walking. About five kilometres later we found ourselves standing underneath none other than the Eiffel Tower.

We found some market stalls nearby and wandered for a while, picking up some lunch and then getting on the bus and completing part of a loop of Paris sights, before jumping off at the Galleries Lafayette and spending some time browsing the shops. Back on the bus to complete the loop and finishing again at the Louvre, we walked home again via another restaurant for dinner.

The short winter days here are messing us around a bit - the sun sets at about 4:30 or 5 and doesn't rise again until after 8am so we're finding ourselves getting tired and hungry earlier in the day than we normally would. So now we're hanging around in the apartment until we finally succumb to sleep again.


Bonne nuit, Alison

First impressions

An uneventful journey. Smooth transfer at Doha, due to our slightly late arrival and their need to clear airspace for a military airshow llater in the day, we were off on plane, on a bus, through the terminal, on another bus and on the next plane without stopping. ! My, that is one big airport. Arrived at CDG to be met by a welcome sign and friendly and rather good looking driver. Another lovely Frenchman then met us and introduced us to our apartment. The 90 Sq m apartment is located in the sixth floor of a beautiful building, a mixture of offices and apartments. Quaint French style throughout with the style of the past and the modern features of WIFI.
A quick walk down the street put us straight in to a Parisien dream : cheese, fruit, wine, bakeries. Even the sounds of school children being dismissed from school, then wandering in to the patisserie for their pain au chocolat. Memories of my days working at the French Bakehouse in Heidelberg, when we spotted Buche de Noel in the windows. Thinking that Christmas will add another flavor to the scenery here.
Short message tonight ...off to dream land in a horizontal position. More later after much needed sleep.

Celia

Up, up and away

So we're now sitting in a gate lounge at International Departures, Melbourne Airport. This trip looks me it should be sponsored by Apple as we all sit here like a very happy iFamily with an assortment of iPads, iPods and iPhones. We've still got at least another hour to kill as we've been told the flight may be delayed - but at this stage none of the signage is saying that.

Our family is renowned for being over-organised, over prepared and always early, so it is rather a foreign concept to us to hear people being paged to "proceed immediately to the gate", as they're holding up an entire flight. I think even if we tried to move slowly, we'd still manage to be the first ones in line.

Our first flight is around 14 hours to a stopover in Doha, Qatar. After that it's the home stretch; about 7 hours on to Paris, where we've indulged in the little luxury of a car and driver to meet us at the airport. I'm a little too excited by the concept of a man at the arrival gate holding a sign with our name on it. It feels kind of posh, even though it really isn't.

Right now we all just want to be there. The prospect of the flight isn't all that appealing and we're all wishing it over as soon as possible so we can just start our holiday. Best case scenario is that we all get some sleep.

See you on the other side!

In 1986

...I wasn't born yet. But I've heard tell of Dad's trip to Europe with his father. And now in 2012/13, at only a few years younger than Dad was then, I'm getting ready to take the trip myself with not only my father but his father too. Studying French all through high school has made me very eager to see the sights of Paris for myself, and I'm looking forward to finally seeing the little village of Ferla that I've heard referenced for as long as I can remember. Although visiting "the village" sounds like something straight out of The Godfather, I'm hoping there'll be slightly fewer guns and significantly more cannoli. The proper ricotta ones, not that custard stuff.

Whilst VCE French prepared me well to discuss important topics including how I get to school each day, what my favourite colours are and how many pets I have, I'm a little apprehensive as to how my second language skills will hold up in Paris. I know most people speak English anyway apparently, but I've heard that any attempt to speak French to them first will put you in good stead to be treated more kindly. So I've perfected the phrase; "I'm sorry, I'm Australian and I don't speak French very well. Do you speak English?" as well as; "I'm sorry sir, they're not my family".

In Italy, it's anyone's guess how we'll go. I'll be of no use but if we need someone to incorrectly pronounce something vulgar or offensive, we've got Dad.

Alison

In 1986

In 1986, Serge was lucky enough to accompany his Dad on a trip to Bulgaria and then on to Italy.  Serge greatly appreciated the experience of visiting Sicily along with his dad - seeing he sites, hearing the history, meeting the people.  

This trip is the opportunity for Alison and Anita to have the same experience - see Sicily along with their grandfather, hear the stories, meet the people and learn about their heritage first hand.  We will meet aunties and uncles and cousins and hear stories, see sites, and create new memories. 
So of course, we could not leave it at that, so we are going to pop in to Paris and Rome as well.   So Christmas in Sicily here we come ......... (with a Parisien prequel and a Roman sequel). 
The odds are, it will be cold, but we are going prepared and will make the most of it .... so stay tuned for instalments as the inspiration or internet access allows - whichever comes first. 

Celia