Angels and Demons

I just got home from my sister's house near Indy. We held our Mother's Day a week later than normal due to our trip to Italy to celebrate my sister's 50th birthday. You don't turn a half-century more than once, and we did it in style We flew to Venice where we were wonderfully surprised by my Indian son Saumil. After staying three nights, we took trains to Cinque Terre for another three nights. Then a train or two to Pisa to pick up a rental car so we could travel to Volterra in Tuscany for three nights. After that, we drove back to Pisa to turn in the car and catch a train to Rome for six nights.

It was an amazing adventure for my son, my sister, and me.

Today we held an Italian Mother's Day, complete with spaghetti and meatballs made by my brother Mark and spaghetti carbonara made by me. After lunch, we doled out the gifts we got for everyone. Necklaces made of art glass for our nieces...Hard Rock T-shirts from Rome for our nephews. My brother Mark, spaghetti-maker extraordinaire, received an Italian spaghetti apron and chef hat. Mom got a rosary, and my brother Mike received a Fiat shirt. And my great-nephew Kyle was given a "cut-away" book on Rome that illustrated how the buildings probably looked when they were in their heyday.

On the way home, my son decided we'd stop in at Bloomington and watch "Angels and Demons". We saw it advertised in Rome like crazy. My friend Rick said I have to go see it, after just getting back from Rome. I must admit...I'm not a movie watcher. I fall asleep nearly 99 percent of the time, and that tends to make any movie boring. But not this one. It was a great movie and I recommend that everyone go see it.

I also recommend that everyone take that one adventurous vacation before something happens that makes it impossible. I couldn't tell you my favorite place of all we saw--I loved them all. And don't go to a country merely to stay in some chain motel, or a fancy five-star place. If you do that, you might as well stay in the states. To get a more realistic "flavor" of a country and its people, stay where they stay. In Venice we stayed in an apartment on one of the canals where we were serenaded awake about 9:30 every morning by Italian musicians on gondolas passing in the canal we were located.

We stayed in Manarola in Cinque Terre in a studio apartment. It was quite a climb to get to our apartment, which was located near the top of a cliff on the ocean. Hauling two heavy suitcases didn't help matters any. But we made it, and the view alone made it worth the dozen rest stops we had to take to catch our breath.

In Tuscany, we stayed at an agriturismo--which was a 1,000-tree olive farm. The food, cooked by our hostess, was out of this world. Volterra was wonderful too. I can't wait to return.

We stayed at a B&B near the top of the Spanish Steps, and Anna's place was not only gorgeous, but comfortable. Anna made us a really nice breakfast every morning. We sure hated leaving there.

Details later...I just needed to touch base for now.