Well, I had another wonderful trip back home. It was a quick ten days full of family, shopping, boxes, friends, lunches, shopping, pictures, boxes, dinners, Lowes, shopping, new homes, boxes, and good ole American customer service. So if you can't tell I saw lots of family, lots of friends, ate lots of meals out, did lots of shopping, lots of unpacking and was thoroughly impressed with the customer service in every store and restaurant I entered. I mean seriously, I walked in a store and the workers were HAPPY I was there and they told me that about four times by checking in on me and asking if I needed help with anything. And to top it off...they THANKED me when I left! Now maybe I have just forgotten what it feels like to enter a store and not feel like an inconvenience to the employees (which is fully possible) but I really think customer service has improved in the time since I've moved. I think it's something you take for granted being over in the States and maybe wouldn't notice when it improves...but coming from a place where they could care less to have your business or your money it is quite a nice change of pace.
Two quick examples...I was in an Italian store across the street from base with a co-worker purchasing $6000 dollars worth of furniture for the Youth Center, six THOUSAND dollars in one pop! And it took FIVE ladies 30 minutes of blatantly arguing with each other (though I could only understand bits of it) and speaking dramatically with their hand gestures and being visibly annoyed with us and expressing their frustration to us JUST to split the order on two separate credit cards. And I'd estimate we spent about $15000 dollars there over the course of the year. Man, really makes me want to go back again. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of selection and options over here...so inevitably we'll probably be back next time we need furniture as well.
And the second example has to do with our HUGE first annual Fall Fest event on base. For decorations and activities at the festival we were looking in the community for 200 hay bales and 500 pumpkins to purchase for this event happening tomorrow. Now, to give a little background, Italians do not celebrate Halloween as we know it in the States and it is a bit odd to them that we decorate with corn stalks, hay bales, and pumpkins. Corn and hay is for cow feed and pumpkins are in season for all the restaurants' menus: pumpkin soup, pumpkin pasta, pumpkin crepes, etc. but not for a good ole Jack-o-Lantern. So to go around asking for 200 RECTANGLE hay bales and 500 pumpkins brought a lot of puzzled looks. But may I also give an important detail that in Aviano we are surrounded by farm land on every side of the base and for miles and miles on three sides (the fourth side starts the mountains) I regularly get stuck behind tractors on my way to work as they are traveling between the fields. So as you can imagine...there are round hay bales everywhere. So we start asking around looking to buy 200 rectangle hay bales and 500 pumpkins...all in one pop. "No possible! DUE CENTO (200)!?!?!?! Ohhh nooo, nooo." Really people, you have someone willing to spend a lot of money on hay bales and pumpkins all at once approaching YOU...and you say it's not possible? You don't know ANYONE in this farming community that you could work a deal with to get these things? So finally I thought of the nursery where I go to buy my plants, because I really like the people there and they are so helpful. So I get the same shocked look, but instead of "No possible..." Paolo tells me he will make some calls and talk to his supplier in Holland and would get back to me the next day. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about.
And to bring us up to today...in major Fall Fest preparation mode as the event is taking place tomorrow, Paolo delivered 200 rectangle hay bales and 500 pumpkins on base to the Youth Center gym. Now there's a smart business man, because this event will be happening every year, and they now have a repeat customer just from making a few calls.
And speaking of Fall Fest happening TOMORROW, have I mentioned that yet? We've been in major prep mode and we're hoping and praying we can pull this whole thing off. So far so good, with only a few minor hiccups. One of which regarding the 200 hay bales unloaded in our gym. Somehow Fire got word of this happening and stopped by to let us know that it presented a fire hazard and would have to be moved 100 feet to sit directly next to the building...outside. We tried to bribe them with candy to let us keep it there 'til tomorrow morning when it will be transformed into a maze outside, but they were having nothing of it! So we made the minor placement adjustment, and by WE, I mean all the teens in the program along with a few of the staff! But along with the 200 hay bales and 500 pumpkins being dropped off, we had 60 tables, 60 benches, 25 canopies, 3 Alaskan tents, 3 Port-o-Potties, 3 generators, 3 Light All portable lights, 2 Gator tractors, a climbing wall, and about 2,000 bags of candy. All while planning this whole event with approximately 18 staff. If everything goes as planned we will have 18 volunteer Trick or Treat Stations, 6 carnival games, 4 sponsor booths, 3 arts and crafts booths, 2 bouncing castles, Child Development Center sensory tables, a pumpkin patch, an outdoor movie, flashlight tag, a hay bale maze, an outdoor climbing wall, a fire truck, a Security Forces humvee, a costume parade, 55 volunteers, and 3000-5000 participants.
Yeah, tomorrow is a big day. I am now off to bed!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Traveling Thoughts...
Just a few thoughts as I'm biding my time at the Washington Dulles airport hoping to get on the 955pm flight to Nashville:
1) The travel day started out great with my first time flying Swiss Air from Venice to Zurich. In fact, I may have found a new favorite airline as they give you two squares of Swiss chocolate when you get on the plane!! Ha, what a genious marketing idea...won me over! And to even make it better when I was waiting in Zurich for my next flight there was a massive marketing poster (that I took a picture of...but don't have the energy to bother uploading it to the blog right now) and it said: "Swiss chocoloate on every flight. Don't you just love cliches?" It made me chuckle becauase I had already decided I loved the airline for that reason alone!
2) It's remarkable the difference in efficiency, work ethic, and security between Italy and Switzerland. Two examples: As we were unloading the plane there was a bus awaiting us...we hopped on the bus and before the bus was jam packed, crowded, and people pushing...they closed the doors and transported us to the terminal. AND there was already a second bus waiting at the plane to transport the rest of the passengers...what a novel thought. This does not happen in Italy. Period. And second, as I was passing through security (at least 3 checkpoints) I was stopped, asked specific questions about my bags, my electronics, and I was even asked for my documentation to prove I am allowed to live in Italy. I always travel with it, but have only been asked for it one other time while traveling into the UK. On the other hand, Taylor traveled to Casablanca, Morocco last year and when he re-entered Italy through Rome...coming from NORTHERN AFRICA people, NORTHERN AFRICA, they sent him right through without even checking his passport. Yeah.
3) I clearly have the worst travel luck ever. My flight from Zurich to Washington was delayed 3 hours therefore I missed my connecting flight to Nashville. The next flight is at 955pm tonight, of course, it's booked. But I'm currently on stand by and I am the 4th on the list. Two ahead of me have been confirmed...fingers crossed two more seats are open. I mean really, who is traveling to Nashville at 955pm at night?
4) If I didn't love the States for so many reasons and firmly believe it is the greatest country in the world, I would have been quite turned off if I was entering the US of A for the first time through Washington Dulles airport. We walked about a half a mile through a little corridor big enough for two people to walk side by side while exiting the plane to arrive in customs. From there we collected bags, and re-checked bags, and waited in line to go through security AGAIN. After waiting for 35 minutes in line and having the TSA agents obnoxiously shouting, "Remove shoes, jackets, sweat shirts, scarves, watches, belts, computers, electronics, all items from your pockets...let's go people...you're holding up the line...let's go!!!" Which by the way, I've only had to remove my shoes at one security checkpoint in all my travels through Europe and it was going into the UK, Ireland I think. No one is quite as thorough as the States. They didn't allow any Duty Free liquids (wines, etc) purchased AFTER the security checkpoint at any overseas airport to be taken in carry on. Which is a huge miscommunication between airports...why sell that stuff past the security checkpoints if it's not allowed to be in carry ons once you enter the States? And to top it all off, a child is standing in front of me and pukes in a security bin as his mom is holding it for him. Welcome to America, folks!
5) On the plus side I am utilizing the airport's free Wi-Fi, props for that, and I even took advantage of the Five Guys that is located next door. Taylor raves about the place and I think I've had it once, and I will confirm it was pretty darn good. And the other positive that I am so very thankful for is my wonderful friends who are willing to help me out when I'm stranded in airports around the world. A big thank you to Becca Johnson and Rebecca Clinton for both offering to come pick me up at the airport if I get stuck tonight, I am lucky to have friends so generous to offer to do this. I hope I will not have to take them up on the offer, but it is comforting to know I have the option. So thank you.
Alright...that's all for now...I'm still awaiting confirmation of a seat, one person in front of me...currently listing 6 seats available for people who have not checked in...20 minutes til boarding. Hopefully I'm Nashville bound tonight!
Ciao!
1) The travel day started out great with my first time flying Swiss Air from Venice to Zurich. In fact, I may have found a new favorite airline as they give you two squares of Swiss chocolate when you get on the plane!! Ha, what a genious marketing idea...won me over! And to even make it better when I was waiting in Zurich for my next flight there was a massive marketing poster (that I took a picture of...but don't have the energy to bother uploading it to the blog right now) and it said: "Swiss chocoloate on every flight. Don't you just love cliches?" It made me chuckle becauase I had already decided I loved the airline for that reason alone!
2) It's remarkable the difference in efficiency, work ethic, and security between Italy and Switzerland. Two examples: As we were unloading the plane there was a bus awaiting us...we hopped on the bus and before the bus was jam packed, crowded, and people pushing...they closed the doors and transported us to the terminal. AND there was already a second bus waiting at the plane to transport the rest of the passengers...what a novel thought. This does not happen in Italy. Period. And second, as I was passing through security (at least 3 checkpoints) I was stopped, asked specific questions about my bags, my electronics, and I was even asked for my documentation to prove I am allowed to live in Italy. I always travel with it, but have only been asked for it one other time while traveling into the UK. On the other hand, Taylor traveled to Casablanca, Morocco last year and when he re-entered Italy through Rome...coming from NORTHERN AFRICA people, NORTHERN AFRICA, they sent him right through without even checking his passport. Yeah.
3) I clearly have the worst travel luck ever. My flight from Zurich to Washington was delayed 3 hours therefore I missed my connecting flight to Nashville. The next flight is at 955pm tonight, of course, it's booked. But I'm currently on stand by and I am the 4th on the list. Two ahead of me have been confirmed...fingers crossed two more seats are open. I mean really, who is traveling to Nashville at 955pm at night?
4) If I didn't love the States for so many reasons and firmly believe it is the greatest country in the world, I would have been quite turned off if I was entering the US of A for the first time through Washington Dulles airport. We walked about a half a mile through a little corridor big enough for two people to walk side by side while exiting the plane to arrive in customs. From there we collected bags, and re-checked bags, and waited in line to go through security AGAIN. After waiting for 35 minutes in line and having the TSA agents obnoxiously shouting, "Remove shoes, jackets, sweat shirts, scarves, watches, belts, computers, electronics, all items from your pockets...let's go people...you're holding up the line...let's go!!!" Which by the way, I've only had to remove my shoes at one security checkpoint in all my travels through Europe and it was going into the UK, Ireland I think. No one is quite as thorough as the States. They didn't allow any Duty Free liquids (wines, etc) purchased AFTER the security checkpoint at any overseas airport to be taken in carry on. Which is a huge miscommunication between airports...why sell that stuff past the security checkpoints if it's not allowed to be in carry ons once you enter the States? And to top it all off, a child is standing in front of me and pukes in a security bin as his mom is holding it for him. Welcome to America, folks!
5) On the plus side I am utilizing the airport's free Wi-Fi, props for that, and I even took advantage of the Five Guys that is located next door. Taylor raves about the place and I think I've had it once, and I will confirm it was pretty darn good. And the other positive that I am so very thankful for is my wonderful friends who are willing to help me out when I'm stranded in airports around the world. A big thank you to Becca Johnson and Rebecca Clinton for both offering to come pick me up at the airport if I get stuck tonight, I am lucky to have friends so generous to offer to do this. I hope I will not have to take them up on the offer, but it is comforting to know I have the option. So thank you.
Alright...that's all for now...I'm still awaiting confirmation of a seat, one person in front of me...currently listing 6 seats available for people who have not checked in...20 minutes til boarding. Hopefully I'm Nashville bound tonight!
Ciao!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Change
Interesting dynamics the military life brings...and now that I have been a part of it for three years I am beginning to understand and experience more and more. Aviano being my first official base (since Taylor was in Korea our first year of marriage) we have come to an interesting point. Within the group of officers in the Security Forces Squadron, the whole eight of them, we are now the couple who has been at Aviano the longest. What a bizarre thought to think that there is no one left here from when we first arrived, a mere two years ago. And for a girl who grew up in the same town from age 4 on...it's really a foreign concept, one that I honestly was not sure that I would be able to handle. But as our time left at Aviano gets shorter and shorter (less than one year, as of this month!) I find myself curious and excited to find out what is next. It's like anxiously awaiting a big present on Christmas...I just want to know now!
How has this change occurred you ask? Especially my family who likes to remind me of my minor freak out when there was talk about moving down the street within the SAME neighborhood when I was younger. I had big concerns at the time...my bus stop would have changed, my best friend, Diane, would have been a 2 minute bike ride away instead of a 30 second walk, and to be honest, our cul-de-sac was pretty darn cool! But I grew up in a world where everything stayed the same, at least to my young mind it stayed the same. My friends were there year to year, I stayed in the same school system from K-12 (different schools...I'm not that small town!!) and my routine at home never waivered much. So the thought of a move or a change when everyone I knew stayed in place was a scary thought! But now that I am surrounded by a culture of coming and going, in and out, here and there, it takes away the fear of being the one to move, being the one who has to adjust to the change, leaving everyone I know in one place with life going on without me. I already did that once in October of 2009 when we moved to Italy. I had those fears, those hesitations, leaving my constant world, my family an ocean away, my elementary and high school friends who became my roommates in college. Yeah, it was hard.
But here, I won't be leaving everyone I know in one place without me. The majority of my close friends here in Aviano will either have already moved on, or will be moving shortly after me. So my emotional ties to the base will have moved. Such a weird thought to wrap my mind around, but a concept that is almost comforting.
So what I'm coming to understand and slowly accept is the saying that "The only thing constant is change itself." And since that's my only guarantee, it is better I start adjusting or it will be a long road ahead of me! I've been on a Jason Aldean kick lately and he has a song that's perfectly appropriate, the opening verse says:
Let's don't say goodbye
I hate the way it sounds
So if you don't mind
Let's just say for now...
So friends, ciao for now...see you when I see you!
How has this change occurred you ask? Especially my family who likes to remind me of my minor freak out when there was talk about moving down the street within the SAME neighborhood when I was younger. I had big concerns at the time...my bus stop would have changed, my best friend, Diane, would have been a 2 minute bike ride away instead of a 30 second walk, and to be honest, our cul-de-sac was pretty darn cool! But I grew up in a world where everything stayed the same, at least to my young mind it stayed the same. My friends were there year to year, I stayed in the same school system from K-12 (different schools...I'm not that small town!!) and my routine at home never waivered much. So the thought of a move or a change when everyone I knew stayed in place was a scary thought! But now that I am surrounded by a culture of coming and going, in and out, here and there, it takes away the fear of being the one to move, being the one who has to adjust to the change, leaving everyone I know in one place with life going on without me. I already did that once in October of 2009 when we moved to Italy. I had those fears, those hesitations, leaving my constant world, my family an ocean away, my elementary and high school friends who became my roommates in college. Yeah, it was hard.
But here, I won't be leaving everyone I know in one place without me. The majority of my close friends here in Aviano will either have already moved on, or will be moving shortly after me. So my emotional ties to the base will have moved. Such a weird thought to wrap my mind around, but a concept that is almost comforting.
So what I'm coming to understand and slowly accept is the saying that "The only thing constant is change itself." And since that's my only guarantee, it is better I start adjusting or it will be a long road ahead of me! I've been on a Jason Aldean kick lately and he has a song that's perfectly appropriate, the opening verse says:
Let's don't say goodbye
I hate the way it sounds
So if you don't mind
Let's just say for now...
So friends, ciao for now...see you when I see you!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Oktoberfest Year 2
To finish up my string of travels I took two trips to Germany. The first was a week long leadership conference at Ramstein Air Base. It was a great week, with some good information, great conversations, a little bit of relaxing, and some great traveling partners. I think we solved the Air Force budget issues in our nightly dinners. The best solutions always come over a few Appletinis :)
And the final trip was Oktoberfest with Taylor, Kika, and Greg. We made the trip last year and if you remember from my previous post, I graciously bought Taylor a tee shirt since he was unable to be with us due to his deployment. Well, I'm happy to report this time, Taylor was able to make the trip with us, and buy his own dang tee shirt this time!
Kika, my festive friend, bought herself a dirndl (the traditional German dress) after Oktoberfest last year so she would be ready this year. I was not quite as gung ho as she was, but I did borrow a dirndl from my friend, Jennifer. So I was ready in my outfit to match Kika during the festivities this year. We had a long, but great day in Munich. Went into a few tents, met a few new German friends who tried to teach us the drinking songs while standing on the benches, walked through the festival, ate some fair food...a half meter long hotdog, and a delicious rotisserie chicken, and had a great dinner at a German restaurant in the city. Here are a few pics:
I also finally got around to uploading pictures for all my catch up posts I've been writing the last few days. Please enjoy my whole Sunday...literally. I've been working on this for the better part of 9 hours. You can click on the below links to take you to the posts with the pictures added:
J'aime Paris!
Turn it On, Turn it Up...
Napoli, Sorrento, Capri, Oh My!
Luck o' the Irish!
And the final trip was Oktoberfest with Taylor, Kika, and Greg. We made the trip last year and if you remember from my previous post, I graciously bought Taylor a tee shirt since he was unable to be with us due to his deployment. Well, I'm happy to report this time, Taylor was able to make the trip with us, and buy his own dang tee shirt this time!
Kika, my festive friend, bought herself a dirndl (the traditional German dress) after Oktoberfest last year so she would be ready this year. I was not quite as gung ho as she was, but I did borrow a dirndl from my friend, Jennifer. So I was ready in my outfit to match Kika during the festivities this year. We had a long, but great day in Munich. Went into a few tents, met a few new German friends who tried to teach us the drinking songs while standing on the benches, walked through the festival, ate some fair food...a half meter long hotdog, and a delicious rotisserie chicken, and had a great dinner at a German restaurant in the city. Here are a few pics:
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| Celebrating in the tent with another few thousand people. |
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| My new German friend trying to teach me the words to the songs! |
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| LOVE the German pretzels...they sure do those right up there! |
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| In the Munich after dinner, making our way back to Oktoberfest. |
I also finally got around to uploading pictures for all my catch up posts I've been writing the last few days. Please enjoy my whole Sunday...literally. I've been working on this for the better part of 9 hours. You can click on the below links to take you to the posts with the pictures added:
J'aime Paris!
Turn it On, Turn it Up...
Napoli, Sorrento, Capri, Oh My!
Luck o' the Irish!
Luck o' the Irish!
A traveling fool, I tell ya! We just so happened to have two, three day weekends in a row and there is no use in letting one go to waste. So the next weekend after Capri, Kika and I, with husbands in tow this time, packed up again and headed up to Dublin, Ireland. We arrived Saturday morning and bought a 3 day pass for the "Hop On, Hop Off" bus to tour the city of Dublin. We used this same company in London and found it is quite a good way to see the city if you don't have a set itinerary. And as an added bonus there is live commentary which is usually quite comical sometimes more entertaining than the scenery itself. Aside from one driver who was so dull and boring, we decided he was called in as a last resort, the rest did an excellent job!
We hit all the main tourist attractions, the Christchurch Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Dublin Castle (though we didn't go in), the Kilmainham Jail, the Guinness Brewery, the Jameson Distillery, Phoenix Park, the Temple Bar, and of course some local pubs. I was a bit disappointed in the Guiness Brewery, for one the beer isn't even brewed in the building anymore, but rather it is located next door. And second, they have a beautiful old factory building and do a great introduction with a guide and then the rest is a SELF GUIDED museum up the 5 floors of the factory. And third, the self guided tour cost 14 Euros! At the top there is a cool bar with 360 degrees of windows that overlooks the city and you get your one free pint of Guinness. But that didn't improve the tour for me since I don't even like beer. I was comparing the tour to the one we did in Golden, Colorado of the Coors Brewery and I thought it was a much more informative and personal tour in Golden, and it was FREE! But I don't suppose they have quite the amount of visitors in Golden, Colorado as they do in Dublin.
Anyhow...we also did a tour of the Jameson Distillery, which is also no longer making the whiskey in the current building. The Jameson production has actually been moved to Cork, Ireland and no longer operates out of Dublin, but the old building has again been made into a museum. Props to Jameson though as you also pay approximately 14 Euros for the tour, but they give a full guided tour through the whole distillery process. And while I can't speak for all guides, ours was quite entertaining and very humorous...totally made the tour worth the money! At the end they offer a tasting of their whiskey and even select a few people to participate in a whiskey taste test between Jameson, Jack Daniels, and Johnny Walker. Well done, Jameson, but I still don't like whiskey!
The other tour we did that I thoroughly enjoyed was the tour of the Kilmainham jail. This was a jail opened in the 1800's and housed many of the leaders of the multiple rebellious uprisings in Ireland in the early 1900's. The jail closed its doors in the 60's and sat for 30 years before it was recently restored by over 400 volunteers working to bring back the historical site. It was quite a grim and depressing site, straight out of the a movie, in fact 8 movies have been filmed there, with the most recent being The Escapist in 2008. But they did an excellent job of telling the history of Ireland from the many uprisings to the Potato Famine and how and where the Kilmainham Jail played a part in history. Very interesting. They also had on display an open ledger where all the people were recorded when they were brought into the jail. It listed the name, age, sex, height, weight, and the crime they were jailed for, here are a few that were listed:
Stealing apples from a tree.
Gambling on the Sabbath.
About to commit a felony. (SERIOUSLY!!!)
Interesting little tour. My other favorite part of Ireland were the little local pubs that were all playing variations of live Irish music combined with the classic American bar songs as well. The scene was exactly how you would picture with the pints of beer and the old rustic bars with hanging lantern/chandeliers and old wood floors. And to make it even more perfect we had the colorful crowd to match! There was a large, loud Irishman drinking next to us at Fitzgerald's. He went through about 5 pints while Taylor and Greg were on their second. And he was singing along to the band, sometimes louder than the band, making friends with an older Irish gentleman next to him dressed in a nice suit. We have our suspicions the older gentleman was an ex-con as we were eyeing his arms and his homemade, jail tattoos when he rolled his sleeves up to dance! So funny...when we left the large, loud Irish gentleman was falling asleep at the bar and the older man was dancing away with new friends!
Dubliin was quite the lively town! I loved the atmosphere and the fun local scene. Great place to visit, next in Ireland I'd like to see the Cliffs of Moher, but that will have to be another trip as there was no time in our short three day weekend!
We hit all the main tourist attractions, the Christchurch Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Dublin Castle (though we didn't go in), the Kilmainham Jail, the Guinness Brewery, the Jameson Distillery, Phoenix Park, the Temple Bar, and of course some local pubs. I was a bit disappointed in the Guiness Brewery, for one the beer isn't even brewed in the building anymore, but rather it is located next door. And second, they have a beautiful old factory building and do a great introduction with a guide and then the rest is a SELF GUIDED museum up the 5 floors of the factory. And third, the self guided tour cost 14 Euros! At the top there is a cool bar with 360 degrees of windows that overlooks the city and you get your one free pint of Guinness. But that didn't improve the tour for me since I don't even like beer. I was comparing the tour to the one we did in Golden, Colorado of the Coors Brewery and I thought it was a much more informative and personal tour in Golden, and it was FREE! But I don't suppose they have quite the amount of visitors in Golden, Colorado as they do in Dublin.
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| Don't let that smile fool you, he doesn't like Guiness either...he just can't throw away a free beer! |
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| They make a perfect clover in the head of the beer. |
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| Christchurch Cathedral |
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| St. Patrick's Cathedral |
Anyhow...we also did a tour of the Jameson Distillery, which is also no longer making the whiskey in the current building. The Jameson production has actually been moved to Cork, Ireland and no longer operates out of Dublin, but the old building has again been made into a museum. Props to Jameson though as you also pay approximately 14 Euros for the tour, but they give a full guided tour through the whole distillery process. And while I can't speak for all guides, ours was quite entertaining and very humorous...totally made the tour worth the money! At the end they offer a tasting of their whiskey and even select a few people to participate in a whiskey taste test between Jameson, Jack Daniels, and Johnny Walker. Well done, Jameson, but I still don't like whiskey!
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| Had to post the pic even though it's blurry...just makes me laugh :) |
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| And we're back and composed... |
The other tour we did that I thoroughly enjoyed was the tour of the Kilmainham jail. This was a jail opened in the 1800's and housed many of the leaders of the multiple rebellious uprisings in Ireland in the early 1900's. The jail closed its doors in the 60's and sat for 30 years before it was recently restored by over 400 volunteers working to bring back the historical site. It was quite a grim and depressing site, straight out of the a movie, in fact 8 movies have been filmed there, with the most recent being The Escapist in 2008. But they did an excellent job of telling the history of Ireland from the many uprisings to the Potato Famine and how and where the Kilmainham Jail played a part in history. Very interesting. They also had on display an open ledger where all the people were recorded when they were brought into the jail. It listed the name, age, sex, height, weight, and the crime they were jailed for, here are a few that were listed:
Stealing apples from a tree.
Gambling on the Sabbath.
About to commit a felony. (SERIOUSLY!!!)
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| Creepy...right? |
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| The cells inside the jail. |
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| The newer portion of the jail focused around a communal setting with plenty of sunlight. Think the Green Mile...that's what it reminded me of. |
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| Me inside one of the jail rooms. |
Interesting little tour. My other favorite part of Ireland were the little local pubs that were all playing variations of live Irish music combined with the classic American bar songs as well. The scene was exactly how you would picture with the pints of beer and the old rustic bars with hanging lantern/chandeliers and old wood floors. And to make it even more perfect we had the colorful crowd to match! There was a large, loud Irishman drinking next to us at Fitzgerald's. He went through about 5 pints while Taylor and Greg were on their second. And he was singing along to the band, sometimes louder than the band, making friends with an older Irish gentleman next to him dressed in a nice suit. We have our suspicions the older gentleman was an ex-con as we were eyeing his arms and his homemade, jail tattoos when he rolled his sleeves up to dance! So funny...when we left the large, loud Irish gentleman was falling asleep at the bar and the older man was dancing away with new friends!
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| Meet my new friends :) |
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| Famous bar for which the district was named. Our hotel was in the Temple Bar District. |
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| Add caption |
Dubliin was quite the lively town! I loved the atmosphere and the fun local scene. Great place to visit, next in Ireland I'd like to see the Cliffs of Moher, but that will have to be another trip as there was no time in our short three day weekend!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Napoli, Sorrento, Capri, Oh My!!
Research done, hotels investigated, Trip Advisor checked, tickets bought, rooms booked, bags packed, Kika and I took off on our adventure to Southern Italy. Thursday night I raced home from work and we hopped on a plane to arrive in the "beautiful" city of Napoli. For the two years I've lived in Italy, I've heard nothing but bad things about Naples. The city is full of trash, it's dirty, it's controlled by the Mafia, it's full of corruption, etc. So you can imagine there was a bit of apprehension as we were arriving in the city at 9pm at night. But we put on our big girl panties and caught the Alibus that was to drop us off at Piazza Garibaldi where our hotel was located.
We stepped off the bus into the exact picture painted by all the warnings I've received over the last two years. There was graffiti on every door, window, and wall. The TRASH was piled everywhere. We have been told the trash workers have been on strike for years and the city is so controled by the mafia it has been unable to get anyone in to take the place of the workers and do the job. It looked as if a big festival had just taken place and they forgot to clean it up. We immediately began the search for our hotel, amid the hundreds of people wandering, sitting, and loitering around the piazza. This was not the loitering and wandering that goes on in San Marco's Square in Venice where people are strolling and taking in the moment as a string band is playing a romantic melody. These were locals sitting, congregating, just hanging out on a Thursday at 10pm, for no reason. As soon as we spotted the hotel, my bag tucked tight under my arms, my head up and alert, I took offrunning power walking to safety! The place gave me the heebie jeebies!
But we made it safely to our hotel. We stayed in a chain that I had previously stayed at in Florence that was gorgeous. The hotel in Naples didn't quite live up to the standard in Florence (shocking) but it was doable for the night. We did our sightseeing of Naples from our balcony that night and considered the city seen. We took off bright and early Friday morning to start our trek south. We hopped on the train in Naples and made our way down to the Ercolano ruins and Pompeii ruins. These are ancient cities from the first century that were "destroyed" when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. But instead of total destruction the volcanic ash actually preserved the cities in a better state than most ruins ever hold up. It almost left the city "frozen". There are people and pets completely preserved as they were when the volcanic ash covered them...kind of morbid, but an amazing discovery for the archaeologists who dug out the city. We had to opportunity to wander the city and look in the various homes, buildings, and churches. Some of the marble and wall paintings were still in tact. Despite the grueling heat of Southern Italy in mid August, it was quite a neat experience.
After withstanding all the heat and sunshine we could bear while carrying our belongings on our backs, we headed back to the train and took it down to the beautiful city of Sorrento. It was like traveling to a different country from Naples/Pompeii area to Sorrento (30 minutes away). We stepped off the train in this city to walk into a tropical paradise with beautifully landscaped parks, palm trees, unique shops selling limoncello and homemade sandals, and glimpses of the ocean below the cliffs of the city. This was how we pictured Southern Italy!
We wandered to our hotel to check in and clean up before exploring the city and looking for some food. As we approached our hotel we were becoming a bit concerned because it was not looking ANYTHING like the pictures...hmmm. We all know how this ends up...and it did. The gentleman at the desk walked us up to ourdorm room and wished us a pleasant stay. He left us with our jaws open as we took in our cell block. Literally there was dorm room wood furniture in the room with one sky blue wall, not a picture on the wall, and a window that looked into the interior stairwell of the hotel. Sweet. Our twin beds were separated by a night stand and the armoire was unable to open as Kika's bed was pushed against it. My backside hit the wall of our alley way bathroom every time I bent over to wash my face...yes, we were living in luxury.
In our heads we were going on a beach vacation to southern Italy so after we got over the fact that 1) there were not beaches, but cliffs in Sorrento and 2) our hotel was not anything close to our "Florida" beach hotel we had in our heads, we found the humor in the fact that we could sleep in our own beds, but still hold hands in our cozy, tight little space. So we showered, became beautiful, and hit the town. We were both thoroughly impressed with the town and the cute little shops and restaurants that kept the town busy until late at night. We had dinner at a restaurant on the cliff overlooking the ocean where we were treated like royalty and had about 5 different waiters welcoming us and helping us. I'd like to think it's because we were two cute girls out to dinner, but it might have been because we were the only ones in the restaurant when we arrived!
The next morning we took a cute little train ride around the city...as the train filled up we realized we were the youngest participants by about 40 years, but we enjoyed the ride before we made our way to the port to catch the ferry to Capri. We boarded our boat to head over to the Island of Capri. We were met at the port by the lady who ran the hotel we were staying at with her mother. She picked us up and drove us up the terrifyingly narrow and steep road to the town of Anacapri. This island was again, mostly one large rock with cliffs down to the ocean. The road is so narrow about every 200 yards you have to pull over to let the oncoming traffic go by. Multiple times while we were on city buses we had stand offs with other vehicles where the whole line of traffic had to back up to let the vehicle through. All the while we are overlooking steep cliffs over the ocean...beautifully terrifying! But I'm happy to announce our hotel was much, much better than our previous ones from the trip. We walked in and met the lady's mother, and the lady who would be preparing breakfast and cleaning our room, it was a tiny little 7 room place, but very clean and cute.
We took off exploring the island by foot. We hiked our way down to the Blue Grotto. It was about a 45 minute walk along the water the whole way. We climbed down to the cave in the water and took the ride on the little row boat to enter the cave. I have to give major props to Kika here as she conquered her fear of not only the ocean, but boats as well to see the Blue Grotto. We layed down in the floor of the boat as we went in the entrance that was only about 3 feet high. After you enter the cave when you look down at the water it is an exquisite glowing blue from the sun shining outside the cave. It was so gorgeous and well worth the little trip. Loved it!
We then hiked BACK up to our hotel which was quite a feat as we were down at the sea level and our hotel was up the cliff...45 minutes UP the cliffs. Props to Kika who was determined for us to hike it. It was quite the hike, but who needs a bus when you have legs, right? So we cleaned up at the hotel, made ourselves to be what we THOUGHT was beautiful and headed into town for dinner. We had a delicious dinner in Anacapri and finished early enough with time to visit the city of Capri (the only other city on the island). So we took the bus to Capri and stepped out into the world of the rich and famous...literally. We start walking and passing these ladies dressed to the tens, walking gracefully down the cobblestone streets with their stilettos, designer handbags, and men in their high end suits. We start passing Versace, Gucci, Prada, stores I can't afford to look through the window of, let alone walk in! The crowd there was quite impressive and it was totally unexpected. We felt a bit out of place, but we got over it as we admired the scenery and imagined us vacationing there one day when we make our millions!
Our final day consisted of me taking a boat tour around the island while Kika visited Capri again. I got some beautiful pictures and enjoyed the time on the water. We met up again in Capri at our favorite ice cream shop that made homemade waffle cones while you waited in line! Yummm...We then took the ferry back up to Naples and made our way back to the Naples airport. We had a fabulous trip and thoroughly enjoyed Southern Italy, but agreed we are thankful we live in Northern Italy. Another good trip on the books :)
We stepped off the bus into the exact picture painted by all the warnings I've received over the last two years. There was graffiti on every door, window, and wall. The TRASH was piled everywhere. We have been told the trash workers have been on strike for years and the city is so controled by the mafia it has been unable to get anyone in to take the place of the workers and do the job. It looked as if a big festival had just taken place and they forgot to clean it up. We immediately began the search for our hotel, amid the hundreds of people wandering, sitting, and loitering around the piazza. This was not the loitering and wandering that goes on in San Marco's Square in Venice where people are strolling and taking in the moment as a string band is playing a romantic melody. These were locals sitting, congregating, just hanging out on a Thursday at 10pm, for no reason. As soon as we spotted the hotel, my bag tucked tight under my arms, my head up and alert, I took off
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| Beautiful...makes you want to visit, huh? |
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| And the trash is piling up... |
But we made it safely to our hotel. We stayed in a chain that I had previously stayed at in Florence that was gorgeous. The hotel in Naples didn't quite live up to the standard in Florence (shocking) but it was doable for the night. We did our sightseeing of Naples from our balcony that night and considered the city seen. We took off bright and early Friday morning to start our trek south. We hopped on the train in Naples and made our way down to the Ercolano ruins and Pompeii ruins. These are ancient cities from the first century that were "destroyed" when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. But instead of total destruction the volcanic ash actually preserved the cities in a better state than most ruins ever hold up. It almost left the city "frozen". There are people and pets completely preserved as they were when the volcanic ash covered them...kind of morbid, but an amazing discovery for the archaeologists who dug out the city. We had to opportunity to wander the city and look in the various homes, buildings, and churches. Some of the marble and wall paintings were still in tact. Despite the grueling heat of Southern Italy in mid August, it was quite a neat experience.
 |
| Kika and I at Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background. |
After withstanding all the heat and sunshine we could bear while carrying our belongings on our backs, we headed back to the train and took it down to the beautiful city of Sorrento. It was like traveling to a different country from Naples/Pompeii area to Sorrento (30 minutes away). We stepped off the train in this city to walk into a tropical paradise with beautifully landscaped parks, palm trees, unique shops selling limoncello and homemade sandals, and glimpses of the ocean below the cliffs of the city. This was how we pictured Southern Italy!
 |
| Beautiful Sorrento |
We wandered to our hotel to check in and clean up before exploring the city and looking for some food. As we approached our hotel we were becoming a bit concerned because it was not looking ANYTHING like the pictures...hmmm. We all know how this ends up...and it did. The gentleman at the desk walked us up to our
In our heads we were going on a beach vacation to southern Italy so after we got over the fact that 1) there were not beaches, but cliffs in Sorrento and 2) our hotel was not anything close to our "Florida" beach hotel we had in our heads, we found the humor in the fact that we could sleep in our own beds, but still hold hands in our cozy, tight little space. So we showered, became beautiful, and hit the town. We were both thoroughly impressed with the town and the cute little shops and restaurants that kept the town busy until late at night. We had dinner at a restaurant on the cliff overlooking the ocean where we were treated like royalty and had about 5 different waiters welcoming us and helping us. I'd like to think it's because we were two cute girls out to dinner, but it might have been because we were the only ones in the restaurant when we arrived!
 |
| Our view from dinner. |
The next morning we took a cute little train ride around the city...as the train filled up we realized we were the youngest participants by about 40 years, but we enjoyed the ride before we made our way to the port to catch the ferry to Capri. We boarded our boat to head over to the Island of Capri. We were met at the port by the lady who ran the hotel we were staying at with her mother. She picked us up and drove us up the terrifyingly narrow and steep road to the town of Anacapri. This island was again, mostly one large rock with cliffs down to the ocean. The road is so narrow about every 200 yards you have to pull over to let the oncoming traffic go by. Multiple times while we were on city buses we had stand offs with other vehicles where the whole line of traffic had to back up to let the vehicle through. All the while we are overlooking steep cliffs over the ocean...beautifully terrifying! But I'm happy to announce our hotel was much, much better than our previous ones from the trip. We walked in and met the lady's mother, and the lady who would be preparing breakfast and cleaning our room, it was a tiny little 7 room place, but very clean and cute.
 |
| These were all the taxis on the island...a modified convertible! How cute is that? |
We took off exploring the island by foot. We hiked our way down to the Blue Grotto. It was about a 45 minute walk along the water the whole way. We climbed down to the cave in the water and took the ride on the little row boat to enter the cave. I have to give major props to Kika here as she conquered her fear of not only the ocean, but boats as well to see the Blue Grotto. We layed down in the floor of the boat as we went in the entrance that was only about 3 feet high. After you enter the cave when you look down at the water it is an exquisite glowing blue from the sun shining outside the cave. It was so gorgeous and well worth the little trip. Loved it!
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| Hiking down the stairs...all the way to the water. |
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| Our view during our hike to the Blue Grotto. |
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| Stopped for lunch at a cute little restaurant on the water. |
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| It's a small little world, we ran into Scott and Lindsey at the Blue Grotto, some friends from the Logistics squadron on base. They are in the little row boat on their way into the cave. |
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| Kika and I in our little row boat. |
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| Inside the Blue Grotto. The picture hardly does the scene justice, but you can get an idea of how beautiful it was! |
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| Check out the entrance to the Blue Grotto...pretty small! |
We then hiked BACK up to our hotel which was quite a feat as we were down at the sea level and our hotel was up the cliff...45 minutes UP the cliffs. Props to Kika who was determined for us to hike it. It was quite the hike, but who needs a bus when you have legs, right? So we cleaned up at the hotel, made ourselves to be what we THOUGHT was beautiful and headed into town for dinner. We had a delicious dinner in Anacapri and finished early enough with time to visit the city of Capri (the only other city on the island). So we took the bus to Capri and stepped out into the world of the rich and famous...literally. We start walking and passing these ladies dressed to the tens, walking gracefully down the cobblestone streets with their stilettos, designer handbags, and men in their high end suits. We start passing Versace, Gucci, Prada, stores I can't afford to look through the window of, let alone walk in! The crowd there was quite impressive and it was totally unexpected. We felt a bit out of place, but we got over it as we admired the scenery and imagined us vacationing there one day when we make our millions!
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| The scenery from the boat tour around the island. |
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| Orange coral living on the walls of the cave. |
Our final day consisted of me taking a boat tour around the island while Kika visited Capri again. I got some beautiful pictures and enjoyed the time on the water. We met up again in Capri at our favorite ice cream shop that made homemade waffle cones while you waited in line! Yummm...We then took the ferry back up to Naples and made our way back to the Naples airport. We had a fabulous trip and thoroughly enjoyed Southern Italy, but agreed we are thankful we live in Northern Italy. Another good trip on the books :)
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