Sounds of the Season

To most people, the "sounds of the season" conjure up thoughts of Holiday music and the tinkle of the Salvation army bells....

Well, to folks who live in the snowbelt areas, the sound is that of the snowplows going down the street at 3:00 a.m.:) Not that I'm complaining......
better to have a little "night music" than to get stuck on your street if Mother Nature leaves a bunch of snow behind.

Snow is a funny thing: it looks soooo sparkly and pristine as it falls to the ground and gathers on the lawns..
it's easy to appreciate it while sitting in a hot tub and gazing out...

it's a bit of a different story if you have to get our of your driveway early in the morning ....you have to decide: should I try to gun it and see if my car
will make it through the snow ...or get out there and shovel...or hope for an early thaw?

Whatever you decide, be safe...and take a moment to enjoy the beauty of nature, even if you have to bundle up to do so!

Milan in all it's splendor!

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Milan is huge and so are some of the sights: The Duomo- very ornate architecture, filled with jaw-dropping stained glass, and sculptures.....have to see it to believe it...

Victor Emmanuel Arcade:  a covered promenade with ornate glass structure; it is now lined with upscale stores and restauraunts

La Scala Opera House: plain outside; not so plain inside...

View from observation tower- you can see how sprawling the city is.

Varenna, Lake Como- A magical place!

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Varenna, Lake Como is breath-taking in its beauty!!  This is the view from our private patio, which is accessed via 2 glass funiculars up the mountain + an elevator ride 6 more floors...not for those scared of heights:) 

quaint, cobblestone paths ....small restaurants and small boutique stores line the walkways..

Hillside houses ( and the funicular is up there somewhere) 

Steep stone stairs leading to the lake ( and the ferry to other towns- like Bellagio)

It was a lovely respite from the hustle and bustle of Florence and Venice; I didn't want to leave.

Venice and the island of Burano

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The Grand Canal of postcard fame

Waterway outside the grand canal ( near our apartment)

gondolier :  you can almost hear him singing:)

vaporetto ( no singing, just lots of folks)

Quintessential Venice!   Jan taking it all in....

Burano Island: lace artisans and colorful homes

Scenes of Siena, Italy

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Siena, down in "wine country" is serene and bucolic and filled with glimpses of life hundreds of years ago.

Our hotel: B & B Palazzo Bruchi ( a palace owned by very rich folks)...beautiful view; nice rooms; gorgeous breakfast room, complete with Venetian glass chandeliers.

The Square - center of town- and the palio race track.....the palio horse race is only a mile long ( 3 x around the square, but is a huge competition to see who gets the flag- palio; the contrade - "neighborhood" that wins is awarded the flag and much esteem.  "Our contrade" won it this year...yeah for us!!  Except that the party was the night before we arrived ; guess the invitation was lost in the mail:)

Toasting Siena..and the palio

And..David eating gelatto..yunmmy!  

 

A Glimpse of Chianti, Italy

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Lovely street scene

wine country and tour

enjoying the "fruit of the vine,"

The Vines,

wine cellar with lots of old,old wine,

good time tasting the wine

Chianti is beautiful and relaxing and filled with lots of delicious wine.

Our guide for the day, Todd, was fun and informative and brought us to the prime spots for tasting.

Smiles all around

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Our family was all in one spot to celebrate the unofficial end of summer and to celebrate good times:)
It was the nicest weekend, weather-wise, all summer...mid 70's; bright sunshine, calm winds...ahhh!
Kate and I had 2 beach days- heavenly!!  We put our beach chairs right in the water and cooled our tootsies, while the sun warmed our faces...very relaxing..
Megan's request was to go sailing- and Mother Nature provided a perfect day: steady breeze, fair skies.  Megan took the helm for most of the time, while the  rest of the crew enjoyed the scenery and lunch and a cold beer.
Finally, we had a family dinner one evening and gathered the aunts and uncles together..lots of laughs..
And, David celebrated a "special birthday" before everyone scattered to different parts of the country.

 

 


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Delta Airlines : Is a cheaper flight worth the bigger hassle?

I wish I could write a song, like the musician whose guitar was lost on a recent flight.

 Since I can't, let me open up a forum to comments on airline travel.
Does it seem that the fees increase, the flight selection narrows and the customer service is nearly non-existent?
I recently booked International flights on Delta and some of the flights use their subsidiaries: Air France and City Jet..all fine, so far.
Well, try to bring up your record or secure a seat assignment on the subsidiaries.....you get the run-around like you were asking to divulge top secrets...NO ONE can help!

 Several lengthy phone calls later ( to Delta and Air France- whose number we had to get ourselves) allowed us to at least get the AF locator number..ya hoo! Note: City Jet cannot be contacted in US...
There was much finger-pointing between Delta and Air France ( at least City Jet wasn't pointing:).

 Requests for a supervisor went unheeded. Two emails to Delta Corporate Headquarters went unanswered.

 Fingers crossed that the actual travel is timely and safe and that the flight staff shows some professionalism and courtesy.

 Delta people: feel free to respond!
Fellow travelers: share your stories- the good, the bad and the ugly.