Italy - Day 7

Riccione & Game 4
Today was a late morning in San Marino spent walking the stone streets, taking our time before heading off to the beaches once more. A courtyard just outside our hotel, the Hotel Titano, has a statue and a large building with guards posted outside. We aren’t sure what the building is, but the guards looked neat, and there was a changing every half-hour.

Courtyard outside the Hotel Titano

Guards outside courtyard building

We headed to the city of Riccione, which is near Rimini but just a tad further south on the Adriatic Sea. Much of the team chose to spend the day again lying in the sun with jaunts to the water for a refreshing swim. Dan and I chose to walk the streets filled with shops and have a memorable lunch. We found a small restaurant that fit the bill and had one of the best meals of our stay yet. We tried the piadina, a flat bread this area is known for, and found it was much like a tortilla, albeit slightly thicker. We finished our lunch by ordering Cafe’ Italiano, or espresso, and slowly sipped the strong beverage while enjoying small pieces of sweet cake for dessert. At first the drink was a bit strong, but as we slowly consumed the café’ and cakes, the taste began to wear on us and we really began to enjoy it, perhaps as much for the atmosphere as for the food and drink itself.

Afterwards, we continued to walk via Dante and take our time looking at the shops and sights around us. We stumbled upon a small wine and grocery market and entered to see if we could find a local Sangiovese to take back to the hotel. The owner of the shop did not speak much English, and of course we spoke no Italian beyond hello and thank you. After a few minutes, Dan began to speak in Spanish and it was enough for the two to communicate. We asked the owner if he could recommend a bottle of Sangiovese and he pointed to several bottles. Dan asked what he would drink and he pointed to a keg atop a small table next to us and then gave us each a sample. It was the “all day” wine that the people of this town drink, leaving the bottles for special occasions or as presents. The locals bring whatever bottles they have to fill with the wine (even water bottles). We selected a bottle (a regular wine bottle, not the two liter the gentleman first pointed to us) and took it home to enjoy. It cost 1.70 euros, about $2.45 US, and while not a superior wine, was good enough for us to enjoy as we relaxed for the evening.

The girls played their fourth and final game at 6:00 p.m. against an American team from the east coast, UK Elite. The girls played hard and began to really start to connect on their passes to each other on the turf. The opponent got a lucky goal just over the fingertips of our goalie, which was enough for them to hang on for a 1-0 win. It was a heart breaker, as the girls really did out play the other team, especially in the second half, and it was to be the girl’s last game. They have played well the whole tournament and represented not only the US, but the city of Longview and Timber Barons soccer as well. It has been a wonderful tournament and given everyone a new perspective on soccer in the world.

The Timber Barons 93 Select Soccer team in front of the Hotel Titano, The Republic of San Marino, 2009

After the game, we headed back to the hotel for the girls to shower and change for the dance that night. It was the goalie’s 15th birthday and Teri was able to find a store to buy a birthday cake. At dinner, the team sang happy birthday and the hotel staff wheeled in her cake, a happy surprise to her. She commented it was her best birthday ever.
As the girls prepared to leave for the dance all spruced up in their dresses and makeup, it caused me to pause and reflect on the past few years. It seems like just yesterday I was helping coach them in 4th grade basketball and it is hard to believe they have grown into beautiful young women already. It reminds us to cherish our time with our own beautiful daughters and to enjoy every moment.

The dads headed off to chaperone and the moms (and Dan) gathered in the sitting area to enjoy some wine and to share tales of the day, the trip and years past. It was a fitting end to a wonderful trip so far and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Tomorrow it is packing day and heading our separate ways. The team will head to Milan for their flight home, while we will begin the second half of our trip in Florence.

As we lay in bed resting for the day to come, we listened to the huge thunderstorm going on outside. It was a bit eerie yet enchanting to sit in a “castle” and watch the hillside and town of stone light up from the lightening, and was so intense it reminded me a little of Frankenstein. Quite the memorable night.

Italy - Day 6

Game 3 and Bologna
The day started even earlier with a game at 9:30 against a team from New Jersey, USA. Going into the game, the Timber Barons were in first place based on a tie in game one and a 4-0 win in game two. The team we played, however, is quite good and beat the girls 3-0. It was warm once again, but there was some relief playing in the morning. One of the girls blew out her cleats in the first game, and Dan wrapped her cleat to keep the heel on. In the warm up for this game, her other cleat separated at the heel as well, so again Dan stepped up to save the day. She looked more like a football linebacker than a soccer player, but it got her through until a new pair of boots could be obtained. We had a good view of the hillside where we are staying from the soccer field we played on. You can see the three castles in the distance perched atop the cliffs.

San Marino Castles, “Our hill” as one group member stated

After returning to our hotel to freshen up, we boarded the beloved tour bus once again and headed to the city of Bologna for a quick tour. Many of the guides we read stated that Bologna is an overlooked city, with Rome, Florence and Venice getting all the tourists. However, Bologna is noted for its good food, great wine and having the oldest college in Europe, the University of Bologna established in 1087.

We arrived at the bus station for our drop off and took a short walk to the Piazza Maggiore, the main square in town. Just outside the bus station are the remains from a wall from Roman times. It just amazes me how much from the Roman times remains within Europe. On the other side of the modern street the Roman wall continued, and the massive storm sewers, likely created at the same time as the wall, were continuing to be used today to collect and convey storm water.

Ancient Roman wall

We walked along the main street in Bologna, Independenzia, under a series of porticos in search of the leaning towers, the piazza Maggiore and some much needed food. The porticos were created by the decree of the city council of the time to provide refuge for visitors, and are wide enough to allow a man to lie down completely under shelter.

One of many porticos along the street Independenzia

As we reached the Piazza Maggiore we had views of the leaning towers, the half finished church and the statue of Neptune. In the mid-evil times the towers were build by wealthy families and the taller the tower, the more money you had. The two towers in Bologna are from two families trying to out do one another. The towers have leaned over the years, with one leaning about 3 feet.

Leaning towers of Bologna

Dan and Carol in front of the Statue of Neptune

The church in the square was built to be the largest in the world, larger than St. Peter’s in Rome, but the money ran out and/or the Pope did not want a church larger than St. Peter’s, and the building was stopped. It started again years later, but instead of marble the building was continued in brick. It is an interesting sight to see.

Unfinished church in Bologna

We wandered along the city streets in search of food, walking through portions of the University of Bologna, and sections off the beaten path and finally found a restaurant for the small group of us. We followed the advice of the waiter and had a typical Italian meal of an anti-pasta plate for starters followed by pasta. The anti-pasta plate had fresh, hot bread with a platter of meats (2 kinds of salami, mortadella and prosciutto) and a cheese spread. This was terrific, and if the meal had stopped there we would all have been happy. However, our second course was two dishes of pasta: an asparagus tortellona (a cross between tortellini and ravioli) and spaghetti Bolognese. This meal has been one of the best we have eaten so far, and seems typical that when you find small restaurants hidden within the city, they have some of the best food to enjoy. As we left the basement of the restaurant we noticed it had started to rain, and not just small drops like in Washington, but large buckets of rain that comes with thunderstorms. We all just shrugged our shoulders and made our way back to our starting point.

Dan and Carol after being drenched by the rain.

Alley in city of Bologna

Having spent just a small amount of time in the City of Bologna, it becomes apparent that the modern world must fit in with the ancient buildings of the city. It is fascinating to walk along the streets and see cars driving on cobblestone and brick roads, to use sidewalks and steps made with granite and marble, and to see ancient buildings and relics of the past melded with conveniences of today. As we passed another of the many churches in the city, we noticed an ATM machine cut into the wall of a building adjacent to the church. All around the city, artifacts from centuries ago are dotted with everyday articles of today. It was a short trip to Bologna and we could have spent several more hours exploring the many sights of Bologna.

Italy - Day 5

Game 2 and Rimini
The girls had an 11:00 a.m. game against Finland which had us leaving the hotel early for the game. The weather was hot and muggy even by 11:00 a.m. and it was tough on the girls, but they persevered for a 4-0 win against the Finnish team. It was exciting to get an international win.

After the game, the team headed to beaches of Rimini on the Adriatic Coast for some fun in the sun. The beaches in Europe are quite different than the beaches in the United States in that they are not free for anyone just to walk up and lay down a blanket. You must pay for the use of the beach by renting a beach chair, and an umbrella if desired. The beach in Rimini is 200 km long and divided into 120 separate sections. We were in section 41 and paid 18 euros (about $27) for two beach chairs and one umbrella for about 4 hours time on the beach. I suppose we could have used it all day but the bus was leaving at 6:00, so our fun was over.

Dan and Carol in the Adriatic Sea, Rimini, Italy

We swam in the sea and then laid in the sun for a few hours just relaxing and soaking up the sun. It was a bit like Mexico in that there were a few vendors that came around, but not quite as prolific. A few of the girls paid for ½ hour massages, and most paid to have a henna tattoos. I think this was a good test run for the real thing because a few did not like their tattoo after it was completed. Good thing the tattos will be gone in a few weeks.

Italy - Days 3 and 4

Day 3 – Venice
We checked out of our hotel in Como and headed to Venice for a quick day of sight seeing in Venice (very quick – about 2 ½ hours in the city). The soccer girls opted for a gondola ride while Dan and I and another mom opted for a personal tour of the city. We entered the outskirts of the city on the bridge of freedom and then took a 20 minute boat ride to San Marco Square where we began our tour. Maggie and I read The Thief Load for her book club this year (and watched the movie) so seeing the sights in person was really neat.

Winged Lion, symbol of Venice

San Marco Square was an incredible sight to see, but was filled with so many tourists. We saw the bell tower, the pillars with the winged lion (symbol of Venice) and the city clock. The city clock was a marvel in its day, showing not only the time, but displaying the time in 5 minute increments, much like a digital clock. It also shows the zodiac sign (month) and the phases of the moon. It is a legend of the city that to walk between the two towers is bad luck, and if you wish bad luck on someone, you would day “I wish you to see the time” as the clock is opposite the towers from the water.

San Marco’s Square

Outside San Marco’s Basilica is a statue of four Roman lords carved in a dark red stone. This stone is not native to Venice and is actually from the Constantinople. It was carved in 600 A.D., before Venice was even a city, and was brought there at a later date.

Roman Statues

San Marco’s church is indescribable, with the ceiling, walls and floor covered with glass and gold leaf mosaics. The church was begun in the 1360’s and the structure completed in the 1390’s. However, it took 400 years to complete the interior decoration of the church. The floor was covered with many different mosaic patterns, and it was warped and undulating from the ground beneath it settling. Because we had a private tour (our guide was a native of Venice), we were able to walk into the church without waiting in line. The ceilings, walls and floors are covered with this incredible art work. Pictures are not permitted inside the church. It was, in one word, amazing.

We ventured away from San Marco’s Square and into the quieter section of Venice lined with small hotels and residences and a few shops here and there. Our guide took us to the houses of Casanova and Marco Polo, and then on to a local sandwich shop for a quick bit to eat while we walked. We then headed to the infamous Rialto Bridge, a marble bridge crossing the Grand Canal, before heading back to San Marco Square. On our walk back to the meeting point, we saw the Bridge of Sighs, a stone bridge leading from the court house to the prison on the opposite side of a small canal. It is named as such because the bridge would be the last place prisoners would see daylight before imprisonment and/or their execution. Finally, we finished our tour walking along the water front, passing in front of the building where Vivaldi gave violin lessons to orphan girls in Venice. We met our group for our return boat ride to our bus and eventual ride to the Republic of San Marino. It was a short trip to Venice, wetting our appetite for a return visit and longer stay in what is surely one of the most romantic cities in the world.

Gondolas on a canal

Bridge of Sighs (begin restored)

Day 4 – The Republic of San Marino
We arrived in San Marino, a small republic in Italy near the city of Rimini, on Monday night after a long day traveling and a short visit to Venice. Tuesday morning was free to explore this ancient medieval style town perched atop Titano Mountain. Our hotel is in the heart of this city not far from the castle towers. We spent the day exploring the city with its many shops and touring two of the castle towers (the third is not available to explore on the inside). The towers were started in the late 1200’s as watch towers over the valley below, but eventually became fortresses for the city, and even housed prisoners for a portion of the time. Sitting atop a sheer cliff, it is easy to see how the location of the castle was an advantage to any defenders.

Guaita and Cesta Castles

The views from just about anywhere in the city are amazing, with either the Adriatic Sea in the distance or the Italian countryside below. It feels so fairytale like to be staying in such a place like this with cobblestone streets and castle walls at every turn that sometimes it’s hard to remember where we are.

The girls played the first soccer game of the tournament today, tying a team from Italy 1-1. The game was well played on a hot day, and the opposing team did not get their goal until less than 5 minutes left in the game. It was a heartbreaker for them, but game two is tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m.

Dan and Carol at the top of Mount Titano with Rimini and the Adriatic Sea in the back ground

We also managed to get in some geocaching while in San Marino and left a Washington State Cougar Geocoin near another tower perched atop the mountain. It took a while to find it but we were eventually successful. Here is a picture of the coin with San Marino and Rimini in the back ground.

Italy - Days 1-2

Day 0 – Travel Day – Seattle-Chicago-Madrid-Milan
We started our day in Seattle leaving at 8:50 a.m. for a 3 ½ hour flight to Chicago, where we then boarded for an 8 hour trans-Atlantic flight through the night to Madrid, Spain. We flew Iberia Airlines, which is a Spanish company, and although they provided meals (unlike their American counterparts) the hospitality left something to be desired. There were many scowling looks from the flight attendants when passengers got up to use the restroom, as this interfered with food service. We landed in Madrid at 7:45 a.m. (about 11:45 p.m. Washington time) and then set off to Milan, Italy. All totaled, we traveled for 17:30 hours! We got a passport stamp in Madrid, but not in Milan, so we felt a little cheated.

Shilah, Maddie, Shawn and Haley riding train to another terminal

Dan and Carol in Madrid airport

Day 1 – Lake Como and Bellagio
After arriving in Milan, our tour bus took us to the city of Como on Lake Como in northern Italy, where we are to spend two nights. How nice it is not to have to worry about traveling accommodations! We boarded a private boat and had a tour of the lake as we headed to the small town of Bellagio. One thing we noticed as we took in the beautiful surroundings is that the houses are all very similar and made of stone, not wood. It is so picturesque and charming. Our guide pointed out many notable sights, such as George Clooney’s houses, Richard Branson’s villa estate (Virgin Airlines) and an old stone bridge in one of the small towns that dates from the Roman times that school children would cross to get to school. In the back drop is a beautiful waterfall.

Roman bridge and waterfall, children from Roman times walked across

One of George Clooney's houses on Lake Como

Bellagio is a quaint town with old cobbled streets and small shops all around. We spent an hour touring the city and shops before our return trip to the city of Como. The beauty of the lake and the small villages surrounding the lake is indescribable. We enjoyed our return ride just soaking up the sights around us. We checked into our hotel and finally had a chance to take a long awaited shower and change of clothes! After dinner, we sat in our room and watched the lightening strike the hillsides just outside our room. It was a spectacular display and a fitting substitute to the 4th of July celebrations we were not able to see at home. We retired quite early around 9 p.m. Italian time (12:00 a.m. Pacific coast) in preparation for tomorrow’s adventures.

One of the quant streets of Bellagio

Day 2 – Milan and Friendly Game
After much needed rest, we headed off to Milan to have a tour of the city and to play a friendly game with a team from Como. It took just less than an hour to drive to the outskirts of Milan, but just as long to drive into the city center. Our first stop was the duomo, or church, a massive gothic style Catholic church that dominates the surroundings. Construction was started in 1386 and completed sometime in the 18th Century, approximately 400 years in the making. It is the largest gothic and 3rd largest Catholic church in the world. It is quite impressive and hard to imagine how it was built without the conveniences of the modern world. We hiked to the top of the church for a splendid view of the city and the duomo square.

Gothic church in Milan

Carol on roof of Gothic church

Milan is the fashion center of the world (as most of you already know), and there were ample opportunities for shopping at high end stores. Somehow we managed to stay out of them, likely because we weren’t willing to pay the astronomical prices of the merchandise inside. Next to the cathedral was a covered area with many shops and even one of two seven star hotels in the world. All rooms are penthouses and go for 4,000 to 5,000 euros per night. That’s about $6,000 to $7,500 per night American. The area was created in the 1700’s when the separate lands of Italy became one nation. There are four beautiful mosaics on the walls surrounding the center of the mall, one for each of the 4 continents that were believe to exist at the time (Europe, Asia, Africa and North America). On the ground are four more mosaics, one for Milan (the financial center), one for Rome (spiritual center), one for Florence (cultural center) and one for Turin (the home of the king). The symbol of the Turin family was the bull, and we were informed of a good luck ritual by our guide which involves placing your heel on the balls of the bull and turning clockwise three times. Since we were playing a friendly later that day, Teri took honors to perform the ritual for the team. Earlier in the day, as Dan and I were walking around this same area and heard music playing, only to realize it was four young men performing a live version of Canon in D with two violins and two accordions. It was so incredible and mesmerizing to listen to inside this area that we sat and listened for over five minutes before we finally broke away.

Covered shopping area in Milan

Our guide took us out to the Scala Square where the famous Scala Opera House is located. It is reported that the people that watch opera in this house expect perfection and Pavarati himself was once booed off stage. In the square is a statue of DaVinci, in tribute to his many contributions to the land of Italy. Our last stop was an old castle that still remains in the city today. It is quite large (larger than I could get with our camera) and looks to be in very good condition. A fountain in front provided not only a wonderful picture forefront, but a place for all of us to cool our legs after walking all day in the hot sun.

Dan and Carol in Scala square in front of Da Vinci statue

From here we headed off to the suburbs of Como for a practice game with a local girls football club. On the way, our bus driver got lost and we had the good fortune to be driven around the magnificent country side of Italy. I really had no idea they grew so much corn, I thought that was just in Iowa. Hmmm. Anyways, we finally made it to our game, albeit about 30 minutes later than planned for warm-up. We had two girls hurt, so only two substitutions for the whole game. The girls lost to the host team 4-0, but put up a good effort after traveling for 18 hours the previous day and then having spent this day sight seeing in Milan. The host team was quite impressive and put on a good display of skills. One thing is for sure, they play a different style of soccer in Europe, and their balls skills are incredible. Our girls gave each girl from the other team a t-shirt that listed our team and tournament on the front and had a picture of the US with Washington and Longview magnified on the back, so they had an idea where we are from. They really seemed to like the shirts and were eager for the translator to explain to them what the shirts meant.

It was back to the Como hotel for showers, more thunderstorms and rest before heading to Venice in the morning.

Pre-Italy Update

Day -1, Seattle

The day is almost here, we are less than a day away from flying to Italy and a two week vacation. We headed up to Seattle this afternoon with childhood friends (second parents) of mine, Danny and Janet, braving the traffic and eventually enjoying a nice dinner at The Olde Spaghetti Factory near the Seattle water front. Riding with Danny and Janet reminded me of my teen years traveling on various vacations with them and their daughter, and of course, Danny making "the kids" drive. It was like a long test drive in a Honda Pilot, a car we may be looking at in the near future. It was a nice visit with two people we feel lucky to have as a part of our life, and we thank them much for their generosity in delivering us to our hotel before our trip. Of course, I did not think to get a picture until after they left, but here is one of us in our hotel before Thursday night. We had a glass of wine to unwind and then headed back to our room to wind down and get some sleep before the LONG trans-Atlantic trip. More updates to come. Ciao.

Summer 2009 is here!

Last Day of School & Lanna's B-Day Party

On June 12th school was finally out here in Longview and 3 out of 4 people in our house were beside themselves with excitement. We celebrated Lanna's birthday by having five 8 year old girls over for a barbeque, trip to the movies to see Up followed by a sleep over. (Lanna's birthday is not until July 2nd, but since it is so close to the 4th holiday and she'll be out of town on July 2nd, we decided to celebrate early.) Lanna had a great time, as did the girls, and they all enjoyed playing with her birthday gift of Bendaroos, making all kinds of shapes, sticking them to the wall, and even using them as hair accessories! Happy birthday Lanna.

Birthday cake and bend-a-roos

Timber Barons Select Soccer

Maggie was recently selected as a member of the girls U-11 Timber Barons Select soccer team. We are now officially "Soccer Parents" and will have plenty of weekend trips to various games and tournaments. Their team recently had two friendly games against two teams from the Vancouver area. These teams had been practicing for several weeks, while our team had two practices prior to playing the games. The team didn't even have uniforms yet, just white t-shirts and black shorts. The team did great and managed to win the first game and tie the second game. So far Maggie is really enjoying playing and looking forward to the time when she will get to stay in a hotel for tournaments (hopefully not too soon.)

Maggie showing her soccer stuff

Summer Vacation

Maggie and Lanna left Thursday morning for Indianapolis, IN with Nanny and Grandpa, Aunt Jill and Cousin Jo. They were very excited to be heading out in the truck pulling the 5th wheel and all the adventures that await them. Dan and Carol leave in a few days for Italy and are getting excited themselves. We hope each of you has exciting summer plans of your own.

The Ruiz Family pre-vacation 2009