I know these vanity entries of "my fabulous trip" can be a bit boring but for my soccer fans out there (and I know there are a few) I thought I'd post these two videos I took in Milan. There was some traveling soccer exhibit occurring in the square with lines of people waiting to enter the tent that was set up. I believe these boys had come out for it. They were fun to watch.
Cinque Terre
If I haven't put you to sleep yet, here's the next chapter in the book of My Italy trip 2009- Cinque Terre. The CT is on the northern Italian coast and is a cluster of 5 fishing villages. My understanding is that they were dying out but then were made into a national park. Money was sunk into an 11 mile trail along the mountain edge to connect the villages. It worked and the villages are again thriving. They've also been designated an UNESCO World Heritage Sight. Part of their charm is the slow development. The villages are not accessible by car; only by train, foot or boat.
I stayed in Manarola, the 2nd village (from south to north). My plan was to hike north, then take a boat to the most southern village and hike back to Manarola. Best laid plans.... while eating breakfast the morning of my hike, I looked out over the ocean just in time to see a beautiful lightening bolt flash over the water followed a few seconds later by an intense downpour. The result was a landslide that closed the trail just north of Manarola. Bummer.
Here's a picture of Manaroloa... picturesque isn't it!
While hiking the hills above Manarola, I met woman from New Jersey. We ran into each other again in town and ended up eating lunch together. We decided to take a dip in the ocean afterwards (no one hour waiting for us... what daredevils ;0) This is the "swimming hole" for Manarola. Lovely, isn't it? They have installed a ladder against the rocks so you can either slowly creep in vs. just jumping in. I opted for slow torture. Once in it was lovely!
The walk from the most southern village to Manarola is called Via Del' Amore (the Lovers Walk). What you see on the fence railings around the sculpture are padlocks. The concept is that you are securing your love forever by adding a lock. There are locks along the entire path. As you can see it's a whole lotta love goin' on here.
Florence, Italy
It's time I finish this posting. The steps above are part of the 463 steps that lead up to the Dome of the Cathedral (Duomo). The first morning in Florence, I woke up and ran to the cathedral and went up the stairs. Since it was early there wasn't a crowd or a line. I was impressed with the woman with a leg cast and using crutches starting to descend back down after I had made it to the top. There aren't any handrails on the initial flight down. She was brave... or stupid!
Anyhow, the frescoes on the ceilings just blew me away. They were so much more vibrant than I was anticipating. They were started in 1570 and represent Judgement Day. The lower portion seemed to display hell and damnation (all kinds of creepy creatures, flames, skeletons and people in agony) then got a little more "heavenly" as you worked up.
This is the Baptistry and is dedicated to John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence. It's the oldest building in Florence and is believed to have originally been built in the 5th century.... FIFTH CENTURY! It went under "renovation" in the 12-13th century. I can't get over how old these building are! 
This is the Santa Croce Church where many of the cities men of"great importance" are buried (300 of 'em). Men recognized in arts, letters, science, politics and music.
Below is the Palazzo Vecchio. Construction began in 1298 (can you believe that???). Members of the Medici family lived here from 1540-1550 before moving to their residence at the Palazzo Pitti after which the Palace was used as the center of government for Florence, which it still is today. We received a private tour of the Palace by Lorenzo Bello, who is deputy to the Mayor of Florence and was responsible for getting the amazing hotel room for us.
These are some of the frescoes that adorned the Medici rooms in the Palace. I can't imagine waking up to this on a regular basis!
This is the Ponte Vecchio bridge; construction started in 1345. Under the Medici's, it was reserved for goldsmith shops- something that still seems to be honored today- mostly jewelry stores. It's also the only bridge to survive the mines of the Nazi's in WWII.
Florence Italy and a Room With a View...
... and oh, what a view!!!! We scored a penthouse room adjacent to Santa Maria Novella church in Florence. This is the view from inside the room. The window above the bed perfectly framed Il Duomo. We had a 70 meter terrace that wrapped around the outside. We finished both nights sitting out on the terrace enjoying our private views.
Florence is considered one of the worlds most beautiful cities and I can't argue with that! Eye candy every where you turn! In 1982 it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. I went for a morning run on both days. The first morning I ran to the Duomo and climbed the stairs to the top. The next day I ran east along the Arno river. My only regret is that I didn't take my camera. On the return trip there was a beautiful view of Florence with the Duomo reflecting off the water.. and not a crane or scaffold in sight! It's a memory that will just have to stay in my head.
Here's the view from the terrace at dawn. It's a little shakey because it was cold and a little windy so I couldn't hold the camera as steady as I'd have liked but you can see (what I think) is Venus in the upper left side of the picture. It was an image I couldn't ignore nor stay in a warm bed for!
The view from the west side of the terrace at dusk.
Here's the view from the east side of the terrace, the Santa Maria Novella church, during the day and again at night.
The Cherry on the Cake
My last 2 days were spent in Erie with Becky, John and Grandma (Grandma is still with Becky; I'll pick her up from the airport on Tuesday). Friday we went to see Niagra Falls. For some reason my pictures from Cave of the Winds tour didn't download. They seem to be lost... how does that happen? Eddie?? Jacob??? Beuller???? They were on the same memory card. Ah technology.
Anyhow, here are some shots from our Maid of the Mist boat ride.
SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS!
Okay - slackers - I don't think we did to well in getting ALL the August Birthdays up. Let's see if we can do better with September. Here's what I know...
5th John & Becky's anniversary (this is Sydney editing)
7th Bradley Newbold - the BIG 30! (Chelsea's significant other)
9th Emma Lisa Newbold (2 yrs.) [also Chelsea's]
9th Makenzie (Stephen Randall Fairbanks' stepdaughter)
12th Joey Bainbridge (Carlie Fairbanks Banbridge's hubby)
16th Adam Risser (We all know who Adam is:)
17th Carline Risser (Eddie Risser's sweetie)
23rd Sade Risser (Jeremy/Kristy's daugter)
26th Kristin Fairbanks (Stephen Randall's honey)
29th GORDON KEITH RISSER, SR. would have celebrated his 87th this month. Happy Birthday to the patriarch of us all. WE LOVE AND MISS YOU DADDY!
Facebook... what's it all about?
As most of you know I (and apparently Cherryl, Becky and Toni) have been dragged into the Facebook thing. I'm really not a big fan for a variety of reasons but I do appreciate that it allows me to keep track of you all. I am a stalker.
The other thing that I like (and find odd all at the same time) is hearing from high school, junior high school and elementary (yes, that's ELEMENTARY) school friends. I recently heard from Ginger Swartz. I think my siblings all remember the Swartz family... another Santa Clarita Valley original. They lived up Vasquez Canyon. Anyhow, she told me that they lost her brother Rob, who I think was Jeffs age. Here's what she wrote:
"We lost our brother Rob 2 1/2 years ago. He was 44 years. His fishing boat went
down with his 3 crewmen. He was just going out to sea on the first day of crabbing.
Two bodies washed shore but not Rob. I've learned some big life lessons and 50 years
of age I now have a relationship with my birth father and three half brothers. It's crazy
but many blessings at the same time."
I don't want to be Debbie Downer every time I post, but my point is, you NEVER KNOW. Appreciate the now, appreciate those important to you , and live in the moment. I know it's hard with all the demands of life but it goes fast (yes, I'm repeating myself) and every step is precious.
Now, that said, for those of you who are NOT on Facebook, it's official... I leave for Italy in 12 days. I'll arrive in Milan where I'll meet up with a friend for several days then on to Cinque Terre to hike; back to Milan where I'll meet up with my friend again then our plan (at least at this moment) is to rent a car and drive the lake district through the alps to Switzerland. Not the trip I always thought I'd do for my first time to Italy, but just the perfect trip I need now. On my way home I'll stop and visit with Becky for 2 days. I'm excited and looking forward to it. My only regret- and it's a big one- is that I won't be here to attend Kyland's blessing. I will be there in spirit however and look forward to blog posts from Gordon on the event (hint, hint, hint Gordon!!!).
Love to all!
