Arriving in Florence

We left Rome and arrived in Florence on Friday. We stopped at a lovely Tuscan winery on our way - where we did a wine tasting and had lunch. The food is definitely better in Tuscany! 

After lunch we drove on to Florence and saw the Duomo for the first time.

After a walk to familiarize ourselves with the layout of Florence we stopped at Riviore, where I had wine and tiramisu for dessert. Forget eating dinner. Sitting in the square is a relaxing way to end a day.

Our hotel is just a few blocks from the Duomo. It has the best view from the bar on the roof! We even saw a rainbow on our first evening! 

More Rome

Days Three and Four in Rome were very busy! We started our day by touring the Forum. The remains of the various temples are still impressive even if incomplete. 

We saw the Temple of the Vestal Virgins and the area where these important women lived. 

The earliest remaining Roman door - the green door of the Temple of Romulus - is now the entry to a church. 

We viewed the Arch of Titus and the Palatine Hill and then walked down to the Colosseum.

We had a special entry that allowed us to stand on the floor of the Colosseum and look down into the area that housed the animals and gladiators. 

After our tour we walked to the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. I got my Steps in yesterday! 

Today we had a free morning - I even found a shop that sells Italian quilting fabric. We stopped for take out sandwiches from the fabulous Forno Campo de' Fiori, which we ate on the small balcony in our room. It overlooked churches and the residences behind the hotel. 

Then we met the group for our visit to the Galleria Borghese.  

The collection at the Borghese is an example of the Italian concept of paragone, or comparison. The art and poetry of this period of the Renaissance confronted the art of the ancients. The collection contains the sculpture of Bernini and paintings by many of the greatest artists of the period.  The sculpture of Pluto and Prosperina was probably my favorite!  

Tonight it was good-bye to Rome. We head to Florence next. 

First Day in Rome

First Day in Rome

Our first full day in Rome started with a fascinating lecture on Rome's history.  After the lecture we walked to the Capitoline Museum. This museum has some of the best of the ancient Roman art that has survived. It also has a great view of the Forum! 

The She-Wolf of Romulus and Remus fame, once thought to have originated around 200 BC, is in the museum.  

The bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, one of the few surviving from the age of the caesars, was once thought to be of Constantine. Because of this error it wasn't destroyed, and is housed in the new part of the museum. 

I am standing next to a foundation wall of a temple discovered while excavating for the museum. 

The highlight of our day was an after hours visit to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. 

I have visited here previously (along with thousands in attendance). Our group of twenty-something had the whole place to ourselves. Incredible! The guard in the Sistine Chapel even allowed us to take some photos. Michelangelo' ceiling is spectacular, along with his painting of the Judgement above the altar.

Photos 

My photos don't begin to do justice to these paintings. 

We visited the Gallery of Statues - usually closed to the general public- and the Papal quarters, with its Raphael frescoes. All in all, a very special day! 

Mike and I also bought our first gelato. It won't be our last. 

Hemet, California

We have spent the last week at Annette's in Southern California. The other day we drove Joshua Tree National Park from one end to the other. The diversity of the park was something I did not expect, from ocotillo to calla to the Joshua trees themselves. The topography with its varied rocks was beautiful.

Ocotillo - not in bloom yet though. 

Calla. Don't touch. 

A grove of Joshua Trees. 

This rock formation was called The Face. 

We drove up to Keys View, one of the highest points in the park.  The view was gorgeous, as the usual haze was gone. We saw San Jacinto to the south and San Gorgonio to the east, plus the Coachella Valley below. It was such a beautiful day to visit the park. 

Annette took us on a winery tour on Sunday, and even took me to quilt shops - my addiction.

Yesterday we drove up to Simpson Park here in Hemet. The Diamond Valley spread out below us, along with a closer view of San Jacinto. Tomorrow we head north. 

San Antonio

We arrived in San Antonio last evening with the sunset. Our first stop this morning was at the Alamo. My only memory of Alamo history comes from my childhood and consists of knowing that Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie died there. This visit taught me what I was missing. I was also pleased to see that the city takes good care of the site. 

As I like to visit quilt shops, it isn't surprising that before we stopped at the Alamo we visited a quilt shop that I heard carried Day of the Dead and Texas based fabrics. Las Colchas turned out to be a real delight! 

We spent a few hours on the Riverwalk after our Alamo visit. It certainly does wind through the city! The day also turned out to be the warmest day we have had so far, 86 degrees. But there was a nice breeze on the river. 

We stopped for lunch at a Tex-Mex restaurant called Rita's on the River. I couldn't resist! I told the hostess that my name was also Rita and they gave me a free t-shirt with the restaurant's name. The food was only okay, but the margarita was terrific! 

There were birds begging at every table, including three tiny ducklings without their mother. I hope she found them quickly. 

Baton Rouge

We spent the last two nights in Baton Rouge (Red Stick), Louisiana. Since it was Sunday and many places were closed, we drove the River Road and visited Houmas House Plantation. 

This plantation was once one of the largest in Louisiana, over 300,000 acres. The property is circled in the map above. 

All that is left today is 38 acres and a restored house. Houmas House is popular today as a wedding destination and also has three superior restaurants. We ate at the Burnside Pavilion Cafe, named for the owner who amassed the huge property. 

The current owner is an art collector, with an extensive collection - not always pertinent to the period of the house, but interesting anyway. His Chihuly is hidden in the gazebo at the top of the garden. 

We also stopped at the state capitol, the tallest in the country at 34 floors, built in the 1930's by Governor Huey Long. As it wasn't open, we walked the park. 

Huey Long is buried in the park, and was assassinated in the building. I don't know much about him. The description of him says he was a populist, a demagogue and a flamboyant national figure.