More Euro-Trip

Friday, December 21, 2007
Kelsey related that Matt had remained out late last night after Greg had left him at Zuggys. Going out to the town of Garmisch to a bar after Zuggy’s had closed for the night, he lost his companions and had “run” back to the resort only to find out that his buddies had gone to the bathroom at the bar! Upon coming out of the bathrooms, they could not find Matt, so they came by taxi back to the resort. We asked Matt later why he had not had a taxi called by the bartender or just waited for a while.

As Kelsey was upset with Matt and I had been upset with Greg the night before, we told the guys to stay home so that we could have some “alone time” for going on the Swarovski Crystal Tour.

It was fun to get on the bus and our little Italian accented/German tour guide we nicknamed “Helga” indicated to us that Schwa-rouv-ski would be a ways off. The company runs a crystal-themed indoor theme park, Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds) at its original Wattens site (near Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria).

Our bus traveled through mountainous passes for 54 miles until we finally reached our destination about 1 hour later.

We piled out of the bus, with people lighting cigarettes all around us. Finally getting far enough away to catch a breathe of fresh air, we waited for the rest of the group. Looking around & taking pictures, we were eagerly looking forward to the tour. Helga passed out the tickets after she received them and we were OFF! But in the wrong direction. I had started to walk where the sign indicated Entrance 1; but obviously Helga wanted to go a different way. She yelled at us, and as we didn’t want her to yell at a us again, we stayed directly behind her for the rest of the tour!

Entering a dark room was disconcerting, but only until we saw the half dressed Indian dancing along with his back-up band. The tour reminded me of entering somebody’s brain that was on an acid trip. Lots of bizarre things made out of Swarovski crystals. After observing the rooms, we finally made our way to the showroom- Jackpot! I probably should have gotten more. I regret not spending more than the $250 that I did spend there. It just sounded like more because of the monetary exchange. Note to self-always buy more.

Kelsey and I both bought pearl necklaces. I bought earrings & writing pens to give away. While I wandered off to look at more things, a sales associate went over to Kelsey and whipped out a velvet covered drawer. Polishing and looking at all the pieces to ensure that they were not scratched, she put them in special little bags! What service. After we paid for our purchases, we went to the lunch room and indulged in the tiramisu that was calling our names!

Hopefully we will be back in Garmisch next winter as Kelsey has already reserved rooms for us. We can go to the Swarovski factory again and buy more!

After piling back into the bus, we continued on to a truck stop – which had to be the CLEANEST truck stop I have ever seen; we didn’t want to eat at the wonderful, delicious smelling buffet for lunch as we were going to eat again at Pullman Place in the Resort; we wandered through the truck stop & also made use of the clean WCs.

When we were crossing the parking lot, Helga the tour guide, warned us about the Hot&Heavies – cars that would come racing through the lot – which made Kelsey & I laugh. Helga also shouted out “Garmisch Group” in her sweet little Italian grandma German-accented voice. What a nice lady.

Our final tour stop was the town of Rattenberg, Austria which is a town on the Inn River, near Rattenberg mountain and Innsbruck. With a population of 440, it is the smallest town in the country. The buildings were literally built into the mountains; with the shops backing up to the mountains; complete with water dripping through them! We observed glass blowing in one of the shops; then were free to shop in the other 30 businesses whose main income seems to be crystal glass. My baby bought me a beautiful blue crystal angel. I will always treasure it.



When we first got off the bus in Rattenberg, a bad little boy named Peter almost jumped into the river as his mother was taking his picture. This led Kelsey & I to tease about this naughty little boy for the rest of the trip! Also, the parents of Lauren (the sick baby) were with us again on this trip. The father, seemingly to get in my way everytime I turned around. I was just about at the end of my rope and almost smacked him in the face once, but Kelsey held me back.

Returning to the resort, our bus managed to pass several cars which were all behind a large semi-truck going slowly up the narrow, mountainous road. Our bus driver exhibited balls-of-steel as he passed on a blind curve with oncoming traffic!

We got off the bus, but the boys were nowhere to be found. They were finally found in Kelsey’s room hanging out and watching sports on TV. Ooohing and Aaahing over our purchases that day, we related the events.

Dinner that night was a major disappointment as we did not have our usual waitress. The waiter seemed to fumble over everything; not even realizing what day it was. I received a raw filet and almost lost it at the amount of blood that was dripping out of the thing (I like my meat well-done!) Kelsey & I returned our meals, Matt left because he was sick at whatever he had ordered; the crème brulee was runny & watery! The manager comp’d our meals, so it was just a big waste of time.

Greg and I washed more clothes; resulting in the newest tease…a woman cut in front of us being quite huffy about having “opened” the dryer doors and they were hers. We had already loaded the money and our clothes! So when we returned to see if our clothes were dry, I teased Greg (in front of this woman…) that ‘the General is going to be very irritated that his clothes are not done on time’. This woman then nearly fell all over herself to offer us her dryers which still had time left on them!

We told this story to Matt & Kelsey the next morning. Matt, from then on…was referred to as ‘the General’!Saturday,

ITALY
Saturday, December 22, 2007
We got up early and packed what little we had out. Settled the bill, and rode a taxi to the train station. I happened to lose my little black headband in the taxicab (Matt wasn’t looking out after mom-but he did happen to pick up my sunglasses). We got the train to Munich where we had a slight layover.

In Munich we put our luggage in the storage lockers, with everything fitting but Matt & Kelsey’s huge bag! Having a 2 hour wait, we found coffee & snacks. Matt surprised Kelsey by purchasing her beautiful red flowers. Sitting down to wait on a bench, I noticed Matt was tilting his coffee cup and did the same thing. As he was sitting down on the far end, I hadn’t seen him resting his elbow on the suitcase. So that was another thing we could tease ‘the general’ about.

We failed to reserve seats at the Munich train station; so we were booted out of our seats at the first stop in Italy.

This is the way it goes. Euro-Rail sells you a multi-country train pass. However, even if you PURCHASE a first-class train ticket, you still have to RESERVE the first-class train seats. Then…you have to reserve them in the COUNTRY that you are traveling within. So as we had no other stops after we left Germany until Italy, there was NO WAY we could reserve seats for Italy. When the Italian conductor came by, he was rude & would not explain the seating. Finally dragging us back to an “overage” car, we finally got seats after having to wait for others to leave the train. It was a 12+ hour journey to Rome. We also encountered an overtly friendly young Italian woman that tried to converse with us. She was friendly, but had to touch and put her hands on the guys TOO MANY TIMES! Dressed in expensive designer eyewear, designer handbag, and designer clothes, we came to learn that almost all Italians dress this way.

The train left the northern part of Italy which was somewhat pretty with the grapevines everywhere and beautiful hills; to come to the dirty, ugly, ghetto area of Italy. Garbage was spread everywhere-buildings were falling apart, homes were horrible. This went on for miles. We feared that we were stepping back into another century. The sun went down and the ride seemed to last too long. The train started going through endless tunnels as it picked up speed growing closer to our destination. We finally arrived in Rome late at night; about 9PM-the train came into the station and continued going about 3mph for about 20 minutes before we finally came to a halt. Exiting the train, we looked about us for an exit. And endless mall seemed to loom around us. Matt viewed an exit. Greg was the first one out and instead of going over to the taxi queue, he allowed a strange man to talk him into taking us to the hotel for 30Euro. Trying to catch up with the odd man, we all started running, Kelsey was shouting at Matt to catch up with him as the man had taken their bag!

Finally arriving across the road from the train station, we piled into the black illegal taxi which was just a car. Thoughts of the movie Hostel raged through my mind as I wondered what was going to happen. Our driver seemed to be lost as he hailed another cab about where to find the hotel. Trying to call on his cell phone, he finally got us there.

The hotel had a private entrance with a locked gate, and it actually didn’t look like a hotel. But once we had gotten up to the desk, we checked in and went to our rooms which were quite decent. The shower looked great and Greg marveled over the dual toilets.

We were all hungry, and found a very yummy pizza shop a few feet away. The pizza had no sauce on it; but with it was warm, and anything probably would have tasted like heaven then! We had our fill, then returned to the rooms for bed after warm showers.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

There are only 12 rooms in the whole hotel, so it is very private. Noise is kept to a minimum. We get a great night’s rest!

We awake to the sounds of trains coming into the station 11 blocks away, the cable cars, trolley cars, tramcars, city buses, taxis & vehicles. The hotel is touted on Expedia as a “boutique hotel situated in Rome’s Piazza di Portamaggiore, overlooking city walls dating back to the first century. The piazza is a sight to behold, cars going here & there and crossing everywhere. No lines on the road, but everybody seems to be doing ok.

Outside our large picture window, we can see remnants of the aqueducts still standing. We start our morning with a complimentary breakfast in the lobby.

Our impression is that Rome is a very dirty, stinky city.

Dirty as in, graffiti everywhere. On buildings, on monuments, on vans! We observed absolutely no garbage trucks or clean up crews the entire time we were there. There is garbage in the streets & everywhere else. Overflowing garbage in refuse containers.

Ancient buildings are everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. Even if they are not identified, there are ancient ruins all over the city.

Stiny as in…it smells. The city has a horrible smell. Toxic vehicles, refuse, mold, mildew, and metallic.

Everybody smokes. Smoking is allowed everywhere and anywhere. In taxis, buses, restaurants, hotels, bathrooms- Everywhere! And the cigarettes are not filtered- smoke is pungent & malodorous. The Italians that we encountered did not seem to believe in taking baths, but did douse themselves in copious amounts of perfume. Women are very fashionable and about 98% of the women wear their pants tucked into their boots. Must be a new fashion trend. But the men that are with the women are not usually dressed fashionably. A lot of them look like slobs. But when you see a man that is dressed up – wow. Gold rings, Gold necklaces, silk ties, custom leather shoes & designer outfit! Whew.

It is not a rumor. Italian men STARE. Matt almost got into a couple fights because the guys would stare so much. After a while, Kelsey & I ignored it. But they seemed to like us better because of our hair coloring. Must not see very many true redheads!

I noticed the women here use henna. A lot. Note to Italian women. Not everybody with black hair looks good with henna in their hair. I was amazed.

Kelsey and I also noticed that the women walk “hard”. In other words, they have a very definitive, loud, hard walk. Even in boots, you can’t hear me walk. I walk softly. Kelsey & I would often laugh because we heard these women coming before we even saw them!

Most of the people are loud talkers, too. They throw their hands around expressively, talking loudly with everyone. One such woman at the mall was yelling so loudly to her companion a short distance away that it echoed throughout the mall! Amazing.

Italians seem to be very short. My husband is only 6’3” and he towered over everybody there. I got the impression that if they conquered so much of Europe, that they would be taller.

I'm not being prejudicial here, just relating our impressions. It was different from the norm to get out and meet other people. Even if the other people don't like Americans too much-

Our little group walked down to the Roma Termini which is the main train station of the city. The daily walk to and from our hotel will keep us all in good shape. The ‘general’ sets a fast pace. We hopped on a double-decker tour bus when we got to the terminal; The temperature is high 50F.

Lots of pigeons. Lots of pigeon poop.

Getting off the bus at the Spanish Steps, Greg has to purchase a horrible panini & pop for 13 Euros as he needs sustenance; Matt is confronted by a strange hawker trying to sell him a friendship bracelet that he is weaving on Matt’s finger. I tell Greg to go help him out as Kelsey & I walk along looking at the beautiful paintings. We go to the Hard Rock Café so that Greg can buy a pin for his hat. Matt & Kelsey have hyped him into getting the various pins to decorate his German chapeau. On the way, we find a wonderful bakery, but find out that they only sell the baked goods in large trays. Boo hoo. Those treats would have made nice Christmas day munchies. I am wistful about no cookies, candies or the delicious buffet we make annually for Christmas.

A slight misty rain starts as we dodge between buildings. Hawkers are pushing umbrellas in our faces, but we march on regardless.

Greg and I are amazed to see orange trees & palm trees. It had never occurred to us that it is balmy enough in this area.

We get back on the bus to Vatican City and get in line for the Vatican. It is a short line and we get right up to the security area. Security is relatively easy to get through. As we walk through, there are lots of interesting things to see, but Kelsey wants to find the Vatican Museum. After wandering around for quite a while, Greg finds out that the museum is closed for the holiday.

Disappointed, we hop on the bus again to head back to the Termini, and have dinner at Bobbio’s which was a recommendation from our hotel concierage. We dine on pasta & calzones with wine. Kelsey has become quite the wine connoisseur. I am shocked. But the meal is bland and does not have the spices that one would expect from Italian food.

Returning to our hotel which is just a few blocks away, we are exhausted. Falling into bed, we sleep deeply.

Monday, December 24, 2007 CHRISTMAS EVE

We eat a great breakfast at the hotel again. I find I like yogurt. Greg is shocked as I have sworn in the past never to let rotted milk products beyond my lips. Matt chooses a chocolate filled croissant and shares it with me. What a nice boy. Cheese & meat, bread & hot coffee. I am ready to go again.

After a quick walk to the Termini, following ‘the general’, we take the bus tour to the Colosseum- aka The Flavian Amphitheatre. This is an awesome structure. Immense, it looms out of the skyline and one can hardly believe that you are walking in the same area that of one of the greatest works of roman engineering & architecture. To imagine that this structure was started in 70A.D. is impossible to grasp! We walk along the side of the Colosseum on the cobblestones.

Several photo ops, and Matt even takes pics using Kelsey’s camera. We dash & dodge to avoid all the hawkers selling various & sundry gifts.

We then venture over to the Palatine hills to see the ruins there. Even though there are signs everywhere NOT to sit on anything, people sit down on the ruins. Finding a bookstore, I purchase a book that explains what can be seen of ancient Rome.

Discussing the various things in the book, we ride atop the bus with the wind blowing in our faces. Dinner is at a pizza restaurant directly across from the Termini; the meat is spicy and there is actual sauce on the pizza!

Kelsey & I get gelati on the way back to the hotel. Tiramisu for me and strawberry for Kelsey. Yum. I think I need to open a gelati stand back in the US.

When we get back to the hotel, the kids come into the room with us and we all listen to Christmas songs I downloaded on my computer. Greg & I had packed a tiny Christmas tree, so Kelsey does the decorating from the meager items we have in the room. There were decorative red & green candies in a Santa plate when we returned to the room that the housekeeping had set out. So she uses those and some pretty paper. The tree looks small and lonely, but the feeling is there!

The guys go over to the Hotel Portamaggiore to reserve Christmas dinner for us on the following day. This will be special as we did not expect anything on Christmas day.

Bedtime at 10PM and we are exhausted again. Watching the traffic out our window, Greg comes up behind me and hugs me. We are amazed that we are actually here. In Rome. For Christmas! I take a quick shower & barely make it to the bed because I am so tired!