Europe 2010

Sometime in January or February we decided to go ahead with the Europe trip we'd wanted to take for a while. Lynn had been a couple of times, but I'd never been. Everything worked out for a dash across the pond the day after the semester ended and the day that Lynn finished organizing the Pittsburgh Walk for Life. So, for twelve days in May we visited London, Florence, the Chianti wine region in Tuscany, and Rome. Here’s an outline of the trip. You’ll get a sense of the many highlights and while it may seem like a whirlwind of events, it had a beautifully measured pace and important downtimes. I realize that this is probably more detail than anyone would want to read, but skim if you like; it’s a good journal for Lynn, Grace, and me.

Day One:·

• Arrival in London.
• Train to Paddington Station where we buy Grace a Paddington Bear and some PB books.
• Walk through the West End theatre district.
• Lunch at Konditor and Cook: a great place Lynn found before leaving the Burgh.
• Nap.
• Dinner at a Pub.

Day Two:

• Breakfast at The Flat White, an out of the way place frequented by locals and discovered by Lynn before we left Pgh.
• Trafalgar Square, St. Martin in the Fields, the National Gallery
• Whittards Tea Shop: Lynn had been mourning the reported closing of the shops for about a year. When she spotted two Asian women toting a Whittard’s bag, she accosted them for directions.
• Mexican restaurant Wahaca—another one of Lynn’s pre-departure finds. Brilliant or what?
• Covent Garden.

Day Three:

• Boat Ride down the Thames.
• The Tower of London.
• Tea at the Wolseley.
• David sees Macbeth at the Globe. L and G go to Fortnum- Mason and buy delicious handmade Belgian Chocolates.

Day Four:

• Breakfast at Baker and Spice, another fabulous place Lynn found before leaving Pgh. We sit across from a German couple and their young son who have been on business in London but will be returning to Germany soon.
• Changing of the Guard, Buckingham Palace.
• Walk through the park with lunch at the Orangery.
• Grace plays at the Princess Diana memorial garden.
• Churchill’s War Rooms.
• Tour of Westminster Abby.

Day Five:

• Travel to Florence.
• Don and Margaret also arrive in Florence; they watch Grace while Lynn and I tour the Uffizi Gallery.
• Dinner: Fussy Munchie is carried of the restaurant screaming…David and G find gelato…all is well.

Day Six:

• David and Grace find café latte and pastry in the misty morning at the piazza dela republica.
• David and Lynn tour Dante’s Duomo and baptistery while Don and Margaret lunch with Grace.
• Search for artwork and walk over the Ponte Vecchio (Bridge of Gold)
• See Michelangelo’s David.
• Hors d’oeuvres on the top of the tower that is our hotel (a 12th century tower in the center of Florence).
• Three-hour dinner at Il Latini, a place Don and Margaret had found on a previous trip. One amazing course after another—family style.

Day Seven:

• David and Lynn head back to the Duomo early to climb up the cupola.
• David takes one last dash into the city in search of Italian coffee and a David statue. Coffee found. No affordable, quality statue found, but he does find some great antique shops.
• Drive to Chianti region in Tuscany. We stay at the 19th century Villa Rosa a place with an aura that nearly compels one to yell out the window, “Hey Armando, are the grapes ready yet?”
• Day drive to the town of Volpaia.

Day Eight (Mother’s Day):

• Continental breakfast at the villa. Grace’s appetite for croissants, acquired when she began breakfasting with the grandparents in Florence, has not diminished.
• Drive to Radda, a small little village on a hill that still features medieval architecture. We spend most of the day browsing shops, tasting wine, having the best pasta we’ve found in Italy. Definitely a highlight of the trip.
• Tour Castello di Meleto

Day Nine:

• Drive back to Florence and catch a train to Rome. On the train Jason Bourne runs through the car chased by three assassins. David takes them out. Jason asks David to meet him at the Spanish Steps in Rome before disappearing.
• Don and Margaret take Grace while David and Lynn have a hot date in Rome: Trevi Fountain (tossed coins for a return to Rome), The Spanish Steps, dinner and gelato.

Day Ten:

• The Pantheon.
• The Vatican museums (particularly the Sistine Chapel and Raphel’s The School of Athens) and St. Peter’s Basilica.
• Grace enjoys more Gelato with Papa and Nana.
• David and Lynn tour the Colosseum while Don and Margaret entertain Grace.

Day Eleven:

• Early flight home becomes later flight home due to Iceland’s conspiracy to cover the world in ash.
• Missed connection at JFK makes for an overnight in New York. Grace sleeps like a log while David and Lynn enjoy some pretty good Indian take-out.

Day Twelve:

• Home! (The grass seriously needs a mowing.)
• Package arrives. No return address. Inside: the head of The David and a note, “Thought you might like it. Thanks, J.B.”

The attentive reader will know that a very hearty Thank You! goes to Don and Margaret. We had a whole lot of fun traveling with them and their willingness to take the little girl while Lynn and I took off into this or that city made for a lot of fun. Their generous gift of first rate accommodations right in the center of all the action enabled us to see so many things we wouldn’t have otherwise seen, while also allowing for the occasional quick jaunt back to the room for Grace’s nap. The food, travel, and so many other gifts made for a host of fabulous memories. Thank you!

And now, the picts:

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More picts here.