Swiss Guards at St Peters

Saint Peters Cathedral

Apollo

Stones Endure

In 1969 Clyde Foreman and I arrived in Rome, tired, hungry and hot.
It was July and we had spent the previous days in Switzerland where it
was cool and beautiful. We had a book Europe on $5 a Day and we
stayed on budget. Many a night Clyde complained that he was still
hungry, but we spent 14 weeks in Europe, saw 12 countries, learned a
lot about life including how to live on bread, cheese, salami and
little else. Life was pretty good if you could live within your
means. Now it costs $5, actually 4 Euros, for a cup of coffee. the
hotels are $400 per day and lunch costs $75 and dinner $130. America
is still fighting, Afghanistan not Vietnam. Greece is going broke,
Italy and Spain are close behind. But here the streets are full, the
restaurants still serve fabulous food and the art and museums are the
greatest. We see few American tourists compared to the old days.
There are many Germans, Russians, Chinese and Indians. We hear a lot
of French and the Scandinavian languages spoken. The world is
amazing, renewal as seasons change and civilizations rise and fall.
When I was here in 1969' the American century was in full swing. We
have been to many beautiful places in Europe in the intervening 43
years. I have the sense something major is happening here. The great
landmarks will remain, the fountains, the churches, the museums, the
Roman ruins, stones endure. But the systems made by man, the Euro,
the European Union, the web of banks and pension plans and
universities, NGO's and bureaucracies are running into economic
reality. Life could be pretty good if they could learn to live within
their means. Dale

pasta everywhere

Bruschetta

Fountain of Neptune

Drinking at the Spanish Steps

Fontana di Trevi

Roman parking

Welcome

Only the bravest of drivers would drive in Rome. This city is made for
walking. The Roman custom of double and triple parking is simply
unbelievable. There are mopeds, bicycles and motorcycles everywhere.
Our taxi ride from the airport to Hotel Dei Mellini was downright
thrilling, 15 miles but it took over an hour in traffic that was stop
and go and stop somemore. Our first morning in Rome we had tickets to
visit the Borghese Gallery. We were glad we purchased our tickets from
home on the internet because the museum was sold out for the entire
week. The art pieces gathered by Cardinal Scipione Borghese are
priceless. I am sure it is one of the most incredible art treasure
troves in the world. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside the
musuem.

There are piazzas everywhere in Rome but the Piazza Navona is a
personal favorite.

It is a lovely pedestrian zone and pleasant place to stroll or take
respite. There are three fountains in the center of the square by
Bernini and his students. The fountain of Neptune was
originally just a basin but had fish horses statues added later that
are larger than life. This piazza is huge with three lovely fountains.
On the other hand, the famous Fontana di Trevi is a huge fountain in a
small square that can hardly hold all the onlookers. This is not a
fountain, it is a FOUNTAIN, stunning and some people still see Anita
Ekberg splashing in it. (I am smiling and humming the tune Three Coins
in a Fountain as I write this blog) Dale would not let me throw a
coin in the fountain. You recall the tradition, if you throw a coin in
this particular fountain you are destined to return to Rome. He just
wants to get to Paris. Chaoi for now. Gail

On the road again!

I have been singing Willie Nelson's famous song "On the Road Again"
all day long. I wonder, why do I love to travel so much? These days
the airlines make travel so difficult. I particularly hate to go
through security. My recent knee replacement sets off every alarm
which undoubtedly ends up in a full body search. (Such a bother) Then
there is the dreaded jet lag. Travel through multiple time zones
leaves me feeling tired and edgy. Common wisdom says to eliminate
caffeine, sugar and alcohol and to eat light and drink lots of water.
Let's be honest, that is not a fun way to begin a vacation! It is also
difficult to leave Wenatchee this time of year. The valley is so
beautiful. I will miss my garden, my family and the fun we have
together. Yet, there is something exciting about the idea of "stepping
away". What a joy it is to travel with my soul mate. Dale and I will
celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary in June. In order to mark the
occasion, we plan to revisit a city we love (Paris) and experience a
few new cities (Rome, Florence and Aix en Provence). Over the past
forty years we have been fortunate enough to venture many places in the
world together. Mark Twain said it very well, "Twenty years from now
you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the
ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe
harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover." So, off we go on another adventure. I can hardly wait to
see Italy, eat gelato, visit historic churches, fountains, statues and
other works of art. Let the fun begin!

Adios Santiago

  The snow and the clouds crown this beautiful city.  Hope you can come visit Chile.

Hot in Santiago

It is our last day in South America.  We spent the night at the Santiago Marriott and this morning walked to the huge mall for some coffee.  There is no pollution, the air is clear, the sky blue and the snow capped Andes are just outside our hotel window.  It is going to be 88 degrees and it is hot here.  At the mall a fantastic red race car is on display, complete with two beautiful girls.  We laughed outloud as one car enthusiast asked the girls to move so he could take a photo of the car.  He did not want the girls to be in the photo.  A purist.

We have loved our time here.  A wonderful trip in every way.  But it will be great to be home again.

Cherries for sale

 

Casablanca Valley

Casablanca - Casas del Bosque

  There is a beautiful valley midway between Santiago and the ocean.  It is a cool climate vineyard area that produces world quality Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.  They also grow Pinot Noir and Syrah and bring in other varieties from the central valley, two hours drive to the south.  We visited a wonderful new winery, Casas del Bosque.   The vines were planted in 1998 and the winery built in 2000 but they are already winning awards.  Their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was fantastic and the Sauvignon Blanc won best of Chile in 2010.

  The tour was delightful.  They have 23 wind machines on their 245 hectares to protect from the spring frosts.  But at this point there are plenty of small grapes growing so they have succeeded in protecting the 2012 crop.  This is a beautiful land for both fruit and grapes..

Valpariso street art

More street art

Street art in Valpo

Valparaiso has fantastic street art and graffiti everywhere you turn.  Here is a sample of some of the best we saw, some real quality art and also some of the meaningless scrawls that cover most walls.  Art must be in the eye of the beholder.

The old man and the sea

We wanted to cross South America, from Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay to Valparaiso, Chile, from the Atlantic to the Pacific on this trip, and we made it.  A great journey.

The Casino and the Clock in Vina

Vina del Mar - Presidential Palace

About 11 miles north of Valparaiso is the beach resort of of Vina del Mar.  The two cities actually have melded together and over 1.6 million people live here.  While Valparaiso is old and a world heritage site, Vina is new and beautiful.  A beachfront condo here costs over $4.5 million US, more than an equivalent condo in Miami.  The president of the country has a second residence here, called the Palace as contrasted to La Moneda, his home in Santiago.  In order to divide the power, the Congress is located here on the ocean and the main offices of the government is in Santiago, about 90 minutes drive up the hills and into the inland valley.  The beach is beautiful, but the water is cold thanks to the Humboldt current that brings cold water from Antarctica up the western coastline. 

The port at work

Valpariso - the Stock Market

  In Valpariso there are 16 elevators or funiculars built in the 1800's.  Only six are still working but we rode up the hill on the big one overlooking the port.  From the top we took a video of the bustling port.  At ground level there is a stock exchange, the Bolsa.  As the stocks go up and down, so do the elevators.  While some things are very expensive here, these elevator rides only cost 300 pesos, or about .60 cents each so they are a bargain.

Templeman Street, Valpariso

Washington Red Delicious apples in Chile

Chile is a land of plenty.  They grow wonderful fruits of all kinds.  They are a tough competitor for our Washington apples, pears and cherries.  You can imagine our surprise and delight to find Washington red delicious apples in our hotel fruit basket.  They have fresh nectarines from Chile, bananas from Ecuador and apples from Washington state.  Great work by the Washington Apple Commission and whichever sales organization sold them.  Not quite like selling ice to Eskimos, but pretty close. :)

Art galleries and gourmet seafood

It is a little disconcerting to get the bill for lunch and see it is $34,500.  I handed the waiter $40,000 in beautiful blue paper money and thought back to my reading list on inflation and the perils of too much money chasing too few goods.  Even at 511 pesos to the dollar, this is a very expensive country.  The taxi drivers tell us a few people make all the money and the college students are protesting for fee tuition.  Yesterday we saw a banner at the university:  Education is a Right, it Must be Free.  Is there a connection between a $10,000 peso note being worth $20 USD and demonstrators demanding everything be provided free by the government? 

Valpariso, Chile

Fresh fruits, vegetable and flowers fill the streets.  Art galleries and gourmet seafood restaurants compete for travelers.  We heard many people speaking French and there are tourists from the Eurozone and South America.  We even met a man travelling from New Jersey.

Valpariso, Chile

Valpariso, Chile

High on a hill overlooking a huge bay, the port city of Valpariso spreads a colorful quilt over the surrounding countryside.  This is another World Heritage Site, the gateway from Chile's mines, vineyards and orchards to the world.  Cargo ships fill the harbor and crowds of people swarm the steep hills.  Funiculars and elevators lift people from sea level up to the dizzying heights where they live in polychrome houses.  But pictures are worth many words and here are some of our best.

Santiago, growing in every direction

National symbol of Chile - the crane

Santiago, Chile

   On  December 13 we flew from Mendoza to Santiago, a short 75 minutes in the air.  You may recall we planned to take the bus all the way across Argentina and then through the Andes mountains to Valparaiso, Chile on the Pacific Ocean.  We did bus half way across the Pampas, but by the time we hit Cordoba, we were exhausted and it was very hot and so we stayed there for five days.  We chose to reboot and are glad we did.  We spent the last two days in Santiago and had some great experiences.

   The Museum of History of the Nation is in the Plaza de Armas, right across from the Cathedral. Both places are beautiful and worth a visit.  The history museum begins with the pre Colubian period and goes up through the colonial period, the expulsion of the Jesuits by Carlos (he was worried they had become too rich and powerful and could subvert his empire) and the development post the 1810 revolution, ending in 1973.  Why end in 1973 when Chile has had such remarkable economic growth and success in the last 38 years?

   In 1973 Salvador Allende, the Marxist president, was overthown by a military coup led by Augusto Pinochet.  About half of the people loved Allende and the other half preferred the military.  During the military period there were abuses of human rights and the nation was very much divided.  The curator told us that the history is too painful and recent to be treated adequately in the museum so they have decided to wait until some future date to tell the tale.  Meawhile the museum is full of furniture, painting, cannons, guns, uniforms, displays, maps and utensils from a rich history.  It is a very nice museum to visit.  But when you arrive at the final room and it ends with the shattered eye glasses of President Allende, for he committed suicide in the Presidential palace as the soldiers were coming to arrest him in 1973, it does give you an impression that the museum has already decided whose side they are planning to take when they bring the story up to date.

   Next we walked several miles to the Museum of Pablo Neruda, the Nobel Prize winning poet.  He was a good friend of President Allende, who appointed him Ambassador to France.  He also was friends with Pablo Picasso, Fernand Leger, Diego Rivera, the Mexican muralist, and all the left winged artists and intellectual crowd of the 1950s through the 1970s.  His home is fascinating, built of three structures on the hillside of the Cerro San Cristobal in the Bellavista neighborhood.  He was a collector of things and has great paintings, glasses, furniture and objects throughout the three houses.  The tourguide was excellent, and we had an English woman, a couple fro Brazil and the two of us on the tour.  We see very few Americans here, but quite a few Chinese and Japanese businessmen hard at work doing deals to obtain copper, and other industrial materials. 

   The view from our hotel, the excellent Four Points by Sheraton, is amazing. They are building a skyscraper that is 300 meters tall, nearly 1000 feet.  It is the Costanero Center.  Construction began in March 2006 and they are getting close to the top now.  With all the earthquakes in this country, their engineers have plenty of experience and are building dozens of new tall and magnificent buildings.  This is a national capital of a great nation with a fantastic future ahead of it.  It should name the "crane" as its official symbol as the sky is full of huge yellow cranes building for the future.