LAKE MAGGIORE, ITALY

well I arrived and 30 minuted later came INGO!!! Having not seen eachother for 7 years!! It was like we were never apart. Immediately we opened a bottle of fine german red wine on my hotel balcony, and started talking and laughing just as if I saw him yesterday---- We went for pasta and more wine on the lake---and then stayed up most the night catching up on everything in our lives! The next day we sat by the lake drinking cappuccino and relaxing..... time went too fast and before knew it he was off again---back to Germany----of course the bus people saw us all over town together and wanted to know all about him. They grilled him with questions ----making sure he was good enough to spend the day with me :) He passed the test----more because he could not understand most of what they said and he just smiled and nodded.....they thought although he was shy he was really sweet.....

ALL A BORED....

ALL A- BORED
Ok lets be honest getting thrown together with 42 strangers isn't easy for anyone, but we are all troupers, and when you are drinking red wine enjoying the Italian landscape, somehow the bonding happens and I forget that I am with a bus full of people my parents age. Maybe its the magic of Italy, but I seem to be actually falling in love with some of my fellow travelers-----
They are so interesting, full of life, have so many stories, and have been through enough that I feel as if I am learning from their experience as I creating my own.....it is nice to be with older people since in L.A. all my friends are my age.
I find myself laughing and feeling happy to see their familiar faces as we all take in the Italian sites. As boring as bus rides can be, we all seem to make the miles pass quickly and it's fun to have a whole bus excited for me to see my old German friend INGO who will be meeting me at the hotel tonight-----of course I will be the gossip of the bus and they will be watching my every move, so I better make it interesting!

these are a few of my favorite things.....

All I can say is this man on the tour is one of my favorites. He lost his wife of 48 years a few months ago and went on this trip to help him heal. He still gets sad every day so when I make him laugh really hard my day feels complete. I know he has not laughed like this for a while, so these are the moments I love.

FLORENCE

Well, lets just say if I have any chance of seeing a naked italian man, I might as well start with the best one of all-----DAVID. WOW -you have to see this in person to really comprehend its magnificence.
I have a new appreciation for Michael Angelo. Not only is this a statue of perfection----but he was 26 when he did it, it took him 2 years, and he never even got paid for it. It was originally supposed to be on the top of a cathedral--but the pope changed his mind when he realized that a statue of a naked man associated with the church might not be such a good idea.
So DAVID went in front of the government building to represent Florence strength and beauty. A man in all his glory, yet the church wanted nothing to do with it.
Michael Angelo was smart----although he did not get paid for this, everyone then saw his work, and his reputation won him plenty of recognition, and PAID work from that point on.
Now as far as me in Florence, well this is my favorite town so far----cobblestone streets, cafe's and gelado everywhere- and everyone gets around on little mopeds with their cigarette sticking out of their mouth saying "chow chow"
---it is the only way to travel through the romantic alley ways. The town squares with fountains and marble statues, the old man selling his paintings, the incredible views of the city from the mountain side----the leather and jewelry stores, the red wine, the pasta......I fell in love with this city----not to mention the beauty of the italians here-
OH and I Bought this green leather coat that I can now say
"WHERE DID I GET THIS COAT? OH JUST A LITTLE TOWN IN ITALY, IN FACT THAT IS WHY I DO NOT CARRY CREDIT CARDS ANYMORE"
Now it's off to Milan, then Switzerland and then will end up in Lake Maggiore( a magical resort town on the water in Italy)--where I will be leaving the tour for a few days and be spending time with an old german friend I have not seen in YEARS!! It has been 18 years I have known him and 10 years since I have seen him!!! I am SO very glad we have still kept in touch. My x wondered why I had to keep in touch with so many people from my past---the answer is easy- because when I connect deeply with someone special--years can go by and the love still remains.....
We will sit by the lake, catch up on the last 10 years--and look into his eyes and say "I'm sorry, could you speak english?"