Trading the Colosseum for Dawn Departures

These pictures were taken on September 8, 2025.  Jay celebrated this birthday in the city of Rome, Italy.  Here's a peek at that day:

 

Jay and I always try to give ourselves the gift of travel whenever a birthday rolls around. Our recent Alaska cruise took care of my own 2026 milestone, but Jay’s upcoming celebration in September remains entirely unbooked. Our actual confidence in where or when we will fly is floating near rock bottom. Mexico City has surfaced as our primary idea for one simple reason: despite all our years of travel, Jay and I have never spent any time in the capital city. It remains a massive, unvisited five-century-deep megalopolis waiting on our map; it offers a full week of real exploration, provided we can accept the flight schedule.

A quick check of the flight options shows that the airlines make Vancouver-to-Mexico City travel feel like a test of patience. Reaching the city at a reasonable afternoon hour requires an 08:15 Aeroméxico departure, which demands a 05:30 alarm clock setting that borders on biological cruelty. The alternative is Air Canada, which burns an entire calendar day in transit only to deposit passengers at the terminal at 23:15. On top of that, even opting for budget carriers still guarantees a fairly expensive ticket for a trip that stays strictly within North America.

So our plans remain in limbo while Jay and I weigh the scheduling headaches against the thrill of brand new territory. Paying a hefty premium for terrible flight times rubs me the wrong way, yet staggering onto a tarmac before sunrise feels like the inevitable tax for diving headfirst into a premier cultural and culinary hub sitting practically in our continental backyard.

It'll Be Our Third Time in Venice

Today, we've checked for online info about an Edelweiss Air flight into and out of the Vancouver airport.  We looked a couple of times to see if the flight was on time.  This is because we'll be on the same flight to Zurich next Sunday.  We are taking the charter airline to Venice, Italy.

We've visited Italy on a number of occasions.  It is country with a whole lot to see.  This time though we're only there a few days.  We fly into Venice for a couple of nights and then continue to Trieste for several more.  That will be the extent of our time in Italy.  We will be going overland towards Bucharest, Romania.  Our return flights will be through Germany.

We will have a month to see some of the Balkans.

September 2017 

September 2008  

MasterCard Emailed a Large Purchase Warning

We went up to our Cruise Ship Center agent and paid for the Mediterranean / Adriatic cruise we'll take in August. There's now a confirmed stateroom on Holland America Lines for us.

I look forward to revisiting the city of Athens as I've not been in Greece for decades. In fact, I have no photographic evidence of ever having been. I do recall taking photographs of the Acropolis, and also a bus tour to Delphi. No Oracles made themselves available at the time, obviously, or I'd have made millions in the stock market. I have never been to any of the Greek Islands, so that'll be a new experience and Malta too. Additionally, the coastline of Croatia and Montenegro will include several first time stops.

We fly into and out of Rome. It's been nine whole years since Jay and I spent time in Italy. At the risk of sounding like an old coot, I have to ask where the time goes.

Our cruise embarks and disembarks in Rome. We will also spend an overnight in Venice and a single day in Naples. Personally, I think Italy is probably my favourite western European country. It has so many famous sites. I couldn't find any pictures from my first solo visit there, but remember some which I once had enlarged. I did, however, come across this PDF of a newspaper clipping. It was published in the, now defunct, Argus-Champion, thirty years ago!


Click this image to open an old PDF scanned copy with larger print.

Personal Quote #34

"A major problem with being a Renaissance man is realizing one must spend a lot of time with one-trick ponies."

Dennis Sylvester Hurd (1959- )

Piazza Navona - 2008 Italian Trip

Buon Natale!

I love using Google Maps or Google Earth on my Toshiba tablet. The value of using gestures rather than a mouse with that software alone makes the device a bargain. I do so enjoy dropping into Street View in areas where I've been as well as to places I have yet to visit.

Today, I was thinking about a science fiction type of technology. I was dreaming about being able to step into a booth and instantly beam myself anywhere on the surface of our globe. If it were possible, where would I like to spend Christmas Eve, I was wondering?




We visited the Cinque Terre three years ago in the fall, so I had to check on the Net to see what the weather might be like now on the Italian Mediterranean. Apparently, it is not a great deal different than right here, meaning it's about 7C (45F) today. That would be fine as it'd still be fun to find a warm restaurant on Christmas Eve for a little Italian food and the view.

I noticed that Street View had done just a little part of the cliff walking path near Manarola. Being able to virtually take the hike between the five cliff-side cities should be a priority for the Street View staff. Or better yet, we should go back and do it again ourselves in person!

3-Year Old Pizza!

It's the picture that's three years old, not the pizza itself. Sorry, but in the current, rough-and-tumble blogging world, the title alone has to capture the eye of the potential reader.

The pizza is on this page today as I finally got it online. It was a Napoli pizza baked in a wood-fire oven. We ate them at a small, family restaurant after visiting the city of Pompeii. When we got back from Italy I did a good job at getting the majority of the pictures uploaded to Flickr. Yet, more than 80 remained off-line after the 2008 trip. I simply ran out of steam at one point and the images sat languishing on my media server drive. Now, after three years in limbo, they are happily in the set called Italy 2008.

Of course, the original text from those days is on several pages here as well.

Meals on (Chariot) Wheels

We were savoring an especially nice lunch of rice and curry and I thought about how well we eat. Hardly anything in the way of processed food makes it into our regular diets. We eat lots of fresh and cooked vegetables.

From this idea came thoughts of how others eat. I was not thinking primarily of our neighbours or even those in other countries. I was struck with the desire to see how others ate at different times in history. After all, food is something we have in common with all of humanity, past and present.

I've always tried to consider history as the study of the lives of ordinary people and the push and pull of events on them. Memorizing simple dates doesn't help anyone understand how things all fit together. Yet, absent from my historical perspective, excepting perhaps England's King Henry VIII, was a focus on what they must have eaten. Wouldn't sitting down at a meal with ordinary folks from a different era be fun as well as revealing?



I had to scramble to find this picture to upload on Flickr. I never really got the photos from the second half of the 2008 trip online! I just assume the folks in ancient Pompeii must have had a very good diet. They were well-to-do, surrounded by excellent soil, and had a good climate. Goods crossing the Mediterranean were close at hand as well. I think it would have been a fine place to stop in and have dinner with an average citizen 1,950 years ago.

At Least It's Florence!

This is the second day without so much as a blogged mention of what's currently going on. It could be because little --- is --- going on. I almost skipped having an entry today. Imagine breaking such an enormous streak of consistent daily posts! Heaven forbid!

The weather is a little blah today. Unlike what I see in the news and on the net in other places, it's 50 degrees here. Yet, it's cloudy and threatening to rain later, so we don't even want to get out of the apartment. Maybe we'll just do a quick trip later to the Queensborough Walmart as I need to buy some goldfish food.

This lethargy extends right to today's blog entry too. Rather than think up something emotionally grand or philosophically deep, I'll just add more pictures. I know. I know. Yesterday all I managed was to post an old photograph. Today, I'll do a smidgen better.

My Images from Florence
Last fall we spent about three weeks running all over the country. Wait, I still think I have dozens of photos of the end of that trip which still haven't been uploaded to flickr! Too bad I'm in no mood to tackle anything like that today . . .

Dragging Heels

In the past two months, I've only taught classes for five weeks. So, I'm wondering why I procrastinate even on tasks I enjoy. For example, I still have not posted all the photos taken in Italy in the fall. This morning, I managed to put about two dozen more into my Italy 2008 album on Flickr.

In this particular case, there's at least one positive aspect to my habitual laziness. The weather here has been cold and snowy for days and days. It was nice tripping back, in my mind, to the warm days we spent beside the Mediterranean in the Cinque Terre. In the whole world, it's one of about only a dozen places of which I'm totally enamored.

Postage is Passé

It is quite rare when I send a letter through the post now. As I first worked overseas before email, I did quite get into the habit of correspondence through the mail. In the 80's and early 90's, putting greetings on paper and then into an envelope did not seem unusual. After the purchase of my first PC in 1985, all letters were typed. At first, they were produced on a dot-matrix printer. I fondly recall the noise all those little pins used to make when striking the ribbon and paper. Nowadays, of course, little personal correspondence takes place on paper. I can count the number of stamps I buy annually on my fingers.

Several times per year though, I write the old-fashioned way to our sponsored kid. The World Vision folks translate and also pass along several photos which I put into each envelope.

---

December 16, 2008

Dear Isuru,

Although we are sending this letter in 2008, we’re pretty sure that it won’t actually get to you until after the new year. We hope that 2009 is a safe and happy one for you, your family, and friends.

In the last letter we sent pictures from a trip to the Grand Canyon. Since that time we have worked but also gone on other trips. Some people enjoy staying comfortably at home, while others like to see other places and things. We are the second type. We’re older now and work hard to make sure we have time to visit different parts of the world.

In the pictures this time, we went to Italy. We were there back for a part of September and October. The country has a lot of interesting cities to see. We ended up using train passes to see a great deal of the country. The picture of Jay shows the Tower of Pisa. It was built hundreds of years ago on ground that was not solid. So, it is not straight. It is a very famous symbol of Italy. Lots of people pretend that they are holding it up by taking a picture with their hands up in the air close to the camera. The other photo is Dennis near the famous Roman Coliseum. The big, round sports arena was built in ancient times.

On the day I am writing this, the temperature outside is -8 degrees Centigrade. If you could feel the cutting wind, you would think it is very, very cold. Usually the weather in this part of Canada stays a little warmer because we are next to the Pacific Ocean. The water usually keeps winter at least near +8 degrees Centigrade. Usually it rains during winters near our apartment. If one goes up into the high mountains that surround Vancouver, one can find snow all winter though. In fact, next year, in February of 2010 the international Winter Olympics will be held here.

Hopefully, everything is going well for you. Give our best wishes to all the people you know. You must have grown very much since we visited you so long ago. We may visit Sri Lanka again in 2009 but are not sure.

Be good and help your family.

Your friends,

As Slow as Molasses

Here it is nearly the end of October and, at this point, I've only got about half of the pictures from Italy posted on Flickr. I got back three weeks ago though. This type of situation has happened before. Perhaps I am not motivated because there are hundreds of them and the task seems too daunting. As my class meets only four days per week, I might find some time tomorrow to upload a few additional dozen.

I haven't even gotten to one of the areas I'd have to say was a favourite. Of course, seeing the popular tourist spots was fun. Rome, Florence, Piza, Venice, and Naples were the big cities which were worthy of making any list. Smaller places such as Turin, and Genoa were nice to have visited too. By far, a few of the most memorable days were spent in the Cinque Terre. At over ten minutes, the following clip is longer than I expected.

More Than 5,000 of My Images!

When I found Flickr in the summer of 2005, little did I know that it'd become so important to me. At that point, I had been hording digital photos for around three years. I would just tuck them neatly into hard disc folders and they'd nary see the light of day again. One of the first real Web 2.0 apps, Flickr, changed how I thought of photos. They suddenly became accessible from anywhere and free to bounce around on nearly anybody's computer monitor.



At the start of my membership, I had no idea that I would still be using the site in October 2008. I've been a tad slow in getting the recent pictures from three weeks in Italy uploaded. I am absolutely sure I couldn't have guessed picture that #5000 would have been taken on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy.

Easier than Tape

We watched the video taken on the trip the other night. We just put the SD cards into the slot on the PS3. Jay is always responsible for shooting the video. Not having to mess around with tapes has been a delight.

There are still some quirks to get used to with the high definition camera. Pressing the record button doesn't give enough tactile response. There were a few times when the camera started recording at the end of a session. Then it recorded the ground or his seat for a bit and then he lifted and stopped the recording when he wanted to begin a new scene. We're not very pleased with the Panasonic's ability to shoot in low light. Our very first 8-mm Sony Camcorder in the last 1980's did a much better job at night shots than this one. The HCD-SD9 does record in 5.1 sound but it extremely susceptible to wind noise. There's a setting to cut down on that, but that's a difficult thing to remember to do.

All the complaints being said, it does take some glorious colour shots that can occasionally be stunning on a HD widescreen TV. Video really does have the ability to make a bigger impact than standard photographs. I think we'll be quite happy with the camera for a few years. I saved one of the two 8GB SD cards to a standard duel layer DVD. It is in ACHVD format which means it will only play on a Blu-ray compatible player.


Tossing a Coin: The water at the bottom of the Trevi Fountain
represents the sea. Legend has it you will return to Rome
if you throw a coin into the water. You should toss it
over your shoulder with your back to the fountain.

Just a Week Ago

I'm not really at a loss for words today. It's another beautiful Saturday in Metro Vancouver. Wait ... last Saturday we were in Rome!

I still find air travel amazing. It's like the feeling I used to get as a little kid in department store elevators. The doors would slowly close and after a few seconds of nearly imperceptible movement, the doors would open to a completely new environment, Likewise, air travel can offer a jarring substitution of location.



My carbon footprint be damned, I like how I can saunter through the streets of a far-away city one weekend, but be a world away the next. Here is an image from last week. These ladies are students who were visiting Saint Peter's Basilica. I took a picture with one of their cameras and promised to email this one which I took. I wish I'd used flash!

Safe & Sound

We're back to reality. Yesterday we saw dawn when heading to the Rome airport. We finished the trip back in New Westminster at 11:00 pm. It all happened in one day but that day was nine hours longer than usual.

The good thing about flying west is I think it's easier to adjust to the time zone. We had to pick up the pickup at the long-term parking in Seattle. We had flown directly from Rome to Los Angles. That was a 12-hour flight. After going through US Customs we changed terminals on an Alaskan Air to Seatac. I don't think I slept a half hour in total. I was so beyond tired that my eyes were wide open. Driving up I-5 was particularly difficult. My eyes were open but it was very hard to concentrate on the road. I was afraid I'd have a difficult time answering questions at the border and she'd think I was on drugs or something. Actually, we chatted about going to Italy.

It is nice to be home. It was nice to see the normal prices for things at the Superstore this morning when we went to restock the refrigerator.

Today, as well as cleaning up, unpacking, and sorting things out, I'll probably want to get some pictures on Flickr. There are over 500 images in my camera waiting to be set free! I'll back-add ones to the blog entries for the whole trip soon too.

In North America the Car is King

I patted myself on the back because I found relatively cheap tickets to Rome. Back in July, I mentioned about purchasing them online through Expedia. This was after becoming quite irritated that we could find no cheap flights from Vancouver. In fact, if we wanted to fly from Vancouver, a single ticket would've cost $1600! So, when I found round-trip tickets from Seattle for $820 per ticket, I snatched them up. Today on Expedia for the dates we chose, I found the cheapest tickets from Vancouver are now selling at $1820 each. Ouch!

I knew we would have additional expenses as well as inconvenience due to flying out of Seatac. Yet, we assumed even paying for Quick Shuttle bus tickets and hotel rooms, we'd still be saving hundreds of dollars.



I'd nearly made reservations at a cheap hotel adjoining the airport, when I decided to check out the availability of inexpensive, long-term parking near the airport. Wouldn't you know, it's cheaper to drive down and buy a month's parking at Seatac Park, than the bus tickets alone. Not to mention, the process is undoubtedly more convenient than crossing the border with a bus load of other passengers and not being able to stop to eat or shop.

I reserved a space for September 14th through October 5th. Driving down and parking is the easiest and cheapest way to get to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. That is a little ironic considering we're going to Europe where it's perfectly possible to get around on public transit.

Something for Nothing

I'm never one to follow my own advice; I only expect that from others! Although just yesterday I was saying how it'd be too easy to over-plan travels now due to the Internet, I suppose if it helps to promote independent travel, it's all right. We actually begin flying east one month from today.

Thanks, Rick. You've undoubtedly been helpful. We've seen every high-definition show you've ever made ... many twice or more! In fact, it is time for a few new ones, wouldn't you say?

Still, these little mp3 audio guides may, indeed, come in handy. I can pack 'em all on my Creative Zen at zero additional weight. Putting up with the American Airlines adverts is relatively painless considering it's their sponsorship which makes these files free.

Download Italy Audio Tours mp3 Files

Without Premeditation

I am sure I've hit on this topic before. Yet, when I found myself trying to find the location and photographs of specific hostels near the Roma Termini, I became acutely aware that I needed to create a reminder to myself.



Here goes.

I sort of wear the ability to travel without reservations as a badge of honour. I generally consider most Americans as travelling babies because they must plan out an itinerary down to the very last dot. Whereas, I have always assumed that all cities have people who are willing to feed and shelter me even if I show up unexpectly. If one travels in most of the old-world, it's easy to get to a main rail station. Generally, they're close to the centre of the cities. Around them, it's always possible to find the type of accommodation we prefer; namely, we're looking for cheap!

I'm beginning to realize my bravado has probably only come as a result of necessity. I first tasted international travel in the 1980's. Right out of college, I worked in Kuwait and began jetting about that decade. I don't think it was possible to plan out exact details even at a travel agent in those days. Some people joined tours when visiting. Yet, if one were on one's own there may not have been any other way to travel than by simply doing it.

Now that I've got the Internet at my disposal, I have to remember not to plan the spontaneity out of the travel. It's simply too easy to pre-book hostels and transportation reservations online. Then, one simply has no option but to follow the ill-conceived arrangements which were created prior to arrival.

No, it's much much better to play things by ear. I've got to remember that.

Plastic and a Net Connection

I love buying stuff online. The gratification for the purchase is so instantaneous. Type in the numbers, confirm the order, and click. You are now the proud owner of some product or service.

I just ordered two Italy Saverpass rail passes. They should show up in the post by early next week. As we are only going to be visiting the country for three weeks, we assumed eight days of second-class train travel would be sufficient.

(Click the graphic to the right to load an interactive Italian train map.)

Although there have been guide books lying around the house for a while, we've really just started talking about an itinerary. We don't leave for another five weeks. We'll explore Rome right off the bat (or plane). I think we'll go up to Florence first then head to Venice. Then, we'll probably head over to Milan or Genoa. We can slide back down the west coast stopping at Cinque Terra and Piza. From there perhaps we can go south to Naples spending a few days on the Amalfi Coast. Of course we fly out of Rome.

Can we squeeze all those kilometers into eight days on the trains? I think so.

Interstate 5 Leads to Rome

I don't know whether I want to focus on the fact we bought trip tickets for the fall, or the method of purchase. Shall I briefly mention both?

e-Tickets in Hand
It turns out that Italy is a go. We've shortened the planned stay to just three weeks. We'll leave in the middle of September and return during the first week of October.

Method of Purchase
Rome is one European city to which no charters fly from Vancouver. Whereas summer flights to London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and even Paris are cheap, we had to search through regularly-scheduled flights to Italy.

We called around to different travel agents and found nothing less than $1600 per ticket! If one has the time, it's easy to keep trying on Expedia. Over the course of many days, one just keeps plugging in different dates and times. Travel agents in this day and age may be able to only offer deals known to them. Unfortunately, for many itineraries, they are as nearly in the dark as a potential customer.

I found that it is generally four or five hundred dollars cheaper to leave from Seattle. By trying different days of the week, I hit upon a special deal. When clicking to price, a special notice popped up and advised, "We found a better price for your selected flights!" As it turns out, for a bit over $820 each, we can fly round-trip from Seattle to Rome. That's almost half the price quoted from YVR. Of course, there's the additional hassle of getting down there in time for the flight. Even after adding in hotels near Seatac for both the departing and arriving flight and the airport shuttle bus, we still come out saving hundreds of dollars. It showed a strange routing:

Going:
Seattle to New York on American Airlines
New York to Rome on Delta Airlines

Returning:
Rome to Los Angeles on Alitalia
Los Angeles to Seattle on Alaska Airlines

So, last night, when all travel agents around here were shut, I entered credit card and passport numbers, and voila! We are now confirmed to FCO and back. Don't tell me the Internet hasn't affected how we conduct business nowadays!