Scenes from Verona

 

For our last adventure in this part of Italy, we got up early and traveled by train to Verona. The hour plus train ride provided views of the lush, green landscape and a respite from the heat. It was already almost 90 when we boarded the train at 9 am. The trains here are quiet, smooth and provide a tranquil experience. It has been so easy to get from point A to point B, via the railways.

Our destination, Verona, allowed us to do the tourist stop at Juliet's balcony. Apparently this casa was the inspiration for Romeo and Juliet. We have learned that the original story was not written by Shakespeare's but an Italian bloke, whom Shakespeare later took and made it was we know of today. The house was the setting for the original film so it was interesting to see some of the pieces. The house itself was the most fascinating part. Build over five hundred years ago, we got a glimpse of what the upper class's residences resembled. 

Because it was so hot and we were very hungry, it took a minute for us to settle and ground (aka grumpy moments had by all). But once we re-centered (i.e. ate and had lots of water), we found that just walking the alleys, streets and plazas provided us with another exceptional day. There is so much to see here. We could do tours and visit all the 'must see' sites. We have done quite a bit of that. Yet we have found that just walking and gazing, stopping in places that are intriguing, are providing us with the most special moments.

Of course, with two teenagers, shopping is involved in many outings. There was a Brandy Melville in Verona, which was a mandatory stop. The girls picked up a few items and while I am not a fan, I did find the building it was housed in quite charming.

As we made our way back to the train station, the handbags we saw in the shops kept calling our names. Amara and I already found some in Venice. Havana wanted a new bag but had not set her eyes upon 'the one' bag that called her name. She did so in Verona. While shopping is, well shopping, she will have the memories of where she got it and I hope it will transport her back to this lovely city and her time there.

We ended the day with, what else, gelato. We found a small shop, on a quiet street. We could see them making it it, which was interesting. Here in Italy, I have loved the small sizes (and small prices) of the gelato. We don't need much. But the refreshing lemon, raspberry and chocolate flavors we picked sure hit the spot of a the scorching day.

The train ride home found some of us taking a much needed nap! We made it back to Pauda, took the tram and then while walking, we found our way to the most awesome bookstore. We stocked up on reading material for the plane home and then back in our cozy place, we settled in for the night. We got around to packing, having a light dinner in our flat, enjoyed a visit from Vincenzo and the girls had some screen time. Our last full day was another charming day in Italy.

Scenes from Venice

Venice lives up to it's hype and more. There may be throngs of tourists. The temperatures may have been in the high 90's. We may have walked upwards of eight miles each of our two visits. Venice was worth all that and so much more. Venice, she is grand. She is glorious. She is stunning.

We visited one day with Vincenzo. We ran into his friend, who invited us to her apartment for cool drinks. When our bellies start to grumble, we moved to a more local place for pasta, spinach ravioli and pizza. The meal  was so divine that we  will be dreaming about for months to come. The gelato that followed was heavenly. But the time we were finished, the sun had set, allowing us to glimpse Venice under a nighttime scene that was almost ethereal. Venice has an energy unlike any other city. It felt magical and mystical, like there were hidden secrets beneath the surface. The only other city that has felt that way to me was NOLA.

The first day was long. The girls are not used to extended periods out in such crowded locations. But they mostly handled it in strides. Our train ride was delayed. We ended up on the midnight train back to Padua. The train was packed. We almost had to stand some folks moved from their seats (the seats are in groups of 4).  We realized why quickly (the one remaining gentleman did not seem to know how to bath). We were forced to move too. From our new seats, we watched several others sit down and then leave.  The girls were beyond tired and I was initially worried about a meltdown. But it was so funny watching this, we ended up laughing so hard, we had tears rolling down our faces.   

Our second visit to Venice, a few days later, got off to rather bumpy start. Travel can be like that. Delays, moods, 90 degree weather, they can all cause things to be a little rough. But we pulled it together and ended up having another magical day. Initially we thought we missed out on the palace visit and gondola ride (we were late), but it ended  up to all be perfect.  We decided to make our way and see if we could still make it. It was a long walk, so we got to wander through the city . We passed by buildings and alleys and saw things beyond description. The energy of that place, even in our focused walking to find our way, we were in awe of it all.

We ended up seeing the extravagant palace, when the ticket agent let us enter, five hours later. We were all gob smacked the magnificence of it all. We were delayed  on our gondola ride but that ticket agent was also kind enough to rebook us for a later departure.  We decided to look for food since we had time. We stopped in a shop along the way. The two Italian shopkeepers , who were kind and sweet, gave us a restaurant tip. "Go through the arch, turn down the next alley, go to the end. There you will see a restaurant. It is not as touristy."  Off we went and oh my, we had the scrumptious meal. We all knew then and there what all the hype about Italian food was about.  We made sure to return to thank these Italian fairy godmothers.  Before the gondola ride there more mouthwatering gelato and we did some shopping for friends and family (and ourselves) back home.

When we were finally able to do our gondola ride, we met a young pregnant couple who would be on the same ride. Not long into the journey, she asked if I was a healer. She was intuitive and sensed some things about me.  I ended up giving a spontaneous reading to them about their unborn baby. They were both thrilled to hear what I had to say and it confirmed what they had been feeling.  Having those experiences with the girls present is extremely important to me. I want them to be open to things unseen, to their own intuition and the magic of things unfolding in the moment. We also met a family from upstate New York, while waiting in line who, invited us for lunch when we next visit. It seems the one woman may have been the the teacher for my best friends son. Unbelievable how small the world is. Had we been on time, we'd of not had those experiences. Letting go of plans and going with the flow is not always easy but important to remember to try to do.

It was a long but special day; we got back to our place tired and hot but happy and grateful that we got to wander the streets of this extraordinary and memorable city.