The Janssen Family World Travels

03 November 2011

Italy II

Our first train adventure was from Naples to Venice with a changeover in Rome. I thought trains had an impeccable record of running on time but ours departed Naples 90 minutes behind schedule. When we arrived in Rome we made a mad dash for any train headed to Venice and literally were the last ones on the last one out. Kids were great under pressure. Trains were a big hit with the family and we were all able to get caught up on a bit of work. Arriving in Venice we stepped off the train, walked about 100 meters and stepped into a water taxi to take us to our hotel. I had a surprise in store so we diverted to the other side of our hotel (on a small island called San Clemente) where old friend and seaplane pilot James Finson is now working. James used to work for Kenmore Air and taught me how to fly floatplanes. James took us up for a 30 minute scenic sunset flight on a beautiful, calm evening which was an incredible introduction to Venice.

Ah Venice. I visited for a few days before studying in Spain while in college, but I was able to learn much more this time. Either that or I forgot most of what I once learned (that is a good thing sorry mom) but I prefer to think that I keep getting wiser and more knowledgeable and that this will continue for my remaining years. A few things that I found particularly interesting:

ü Venice was established on an island in the lagoon to protect the inhabitants from the Germanic raiders from the north. The Venetians and all Italians prefer to use the term “barbarians” when describing those who lived north of the Alps. This is blatantly offensive to me as these were my ancestors, so I prefer to call them brave Germanic explorers. Apparently though my brave forbears didn’t like to swim so having the town on an island kept it safe.

ü Venice was not only its own city state, but was one of the greatest powers in the world. From a very simplistic view, the middle or dark ages were the period between the fall of Rome in the 5th century to the discovery of the new world in 1492 and the “Renaissance.” Venice was arguably the most powerful nation during much of this time, with an incredibly powerful navy and mercenary armies funded by a near monopoly on trade with Asia via their naval control of the Mediterranean.

ü Venice is still sinking. The buildings sit on mostly ancient pilings that are driven into the base of the silt island. The city is also subject to pretty severe flooding, mostly in the fall and spring when the tides are greatest. There is a massive project underway to minimize these incoming tides by putting building dams at the inlets to the Venetian lagoon.

ü There are exactly 430 gondoliers in Venice. No more, no less. At least this is what our gondolier told us but I couldn’t back it up through on-line research.

ü There were no visible phallic symbols and so I think the Venetians were much more civilized than their Pompeian brethren.

Our adventures here were pretty typical.…Exploring the Basilica of St. Mark and the Doges Palace, and just walking and walking around. We had a great gondola ride with a gondolier who had 47 years of experience. It was a great tour and with 3 kids and their sodas and sugar buzz it was incredibly romantic! The ride was far less cheesy and much cooler than I thought it would be, although for the price for 45 minutes you could take a family skiing for a day in Aspen, and have a nice lunch and dinner, and catch a movie afterwards. After exploring in the mornings we returned to our hotel in the afternoon and then were back in the evening search of a good restaurant (i.e. one that has pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, and a decent atmosphere) and gelato. 3 days was perfect.

The Janssen family pack mules loaded their treasures and set off from the water taxi to the rental car area bound for Tuscany. I use the word area because I had no specific idea where it was, it was incredibly crowded, and we were each heavily loaded. We finally found the office and were overjoyed to receive our station wagon. It is a Fiat (I love that name) and looks like a US postal delivery jeep. I have no idea why I have 18” of extra headroom but for some reason it must be en vogue. I’m still miffed at the Europeans for setting the tops of their bathroom mirrors at 5’6” but then the Italians build cars for the Harlem Globetrotters. So off we head to our next destination, the lovely medieval town of Siena in Tuscany. We rented a small house and it has been perfect with the exception that it is too late in the season and the pool is closed. The weather has been beautiful most days with the leaves on the trees and vineyards at their peak colors.

After 3 days cooped up in the house, we headed on our first major adventure which was Pisa. OK the town was pretty run down and we were accosted by a wide variety of street vendors but the leaning tower was very cool. Started in 1173, halted several times, then finally finished in 1373, there is a reason it is the world’s most famous tower and a wondrous engineering debacle. We purchased tickets for a climb to the top and after a quick lunch it was our turn. In the summer you need a few weeks advance booking but on a miserable, rainy day in late October we practically had the place to ourselves, along with maybe 10,000 tourist friends and merchants. The tower is solid marble and we ventured up the 300 or so steps to the top and the bell tower. Each of the steps has been worn down about 1”over the centuries from the foot traffic. Also the tower really, really leans. You climb in a circle inside the walls and you are seriously tilted. At the top the marble was wet and it was so off kilter that you needed to be careful not to slip. Worst case you would have slid into a railing but it was definitely a strange sensation. The kids thought it was cool, as did their parents.

Every decent parent in the modern era has watched the Shrek series with their children. In fact if you’re like us you’ve probably purchased the entire series and watched them dozens of times, perhaps repurchasing when one of the kids scratched a disk, lost one, and maybe even repurchased so it would work on your blu-ray or 3D tv? What good parents wouldn’t? With that in mind you know the scene in Shrek 2 where Donkey is making popping noises with his mouth and Shrek , incredibly annoyed keeps yelling “Are we there yet?” For some unknown reason I learned duck talk when I was a little kid. I don’t know how long it took or when I started but it’s a serious, yet largely hidden talent that I possess. The Donald has nothing on me and I digress but for some idiotic reason I took the kids to the grocery store (that shows a serious lack of judgment by itself with these mini pull carts and flat escalators that the kids liked to run on the wrong way) and on the way I tried to teach them how to duck talk. You pressurize air between the side of your tongue and between your molars and kind of hum. It was super cute for about 3 minutes. I’m not sure that the other people in the grocery store enjoyed it but on our 2 hour drive to Pisa the next day the duck talk lessons continued. I didn’t plan on that as part of their worldly education. Suffice it to say that Traci thought I have been more cool and suave for just about every one of the billion or so minutes we’ve been married. I mentioned to Traci that since we were in the area that this talent was really just another fine example of my being a true Renaissance Man. She didn’t agree. She put on a good face as the incoherent mumbling monsters mumbled, laughed and spit away. Are we there yet? You tried talking like a duck didn’t you?

Florence. As mentioned earlier, since the fall of the Roman Empire you had a bunch of city/states struggling through the middle or dark ages. After the fall of Rome, it was pretty much survival without celebration, writing, art, music, etc. that had made so much progress under the Greeks and Romans. Florence was a shining light out of the dark ages and in many ways led the way out and into the Renaissance. One example is the Duomo. At 30 stories tall, there hadn’t been anything built like that since the Pantheon in Rome in 200 BC! So 1500 years later they said “I think I can” and went to Rome to study and they got it done! The bankers of Florence, frowned upon for charging interest on loans, purged their guilty consciences (God forbid they make a profit and stay in business!) by devoting much of their wealth to the architecture, arts and sciences. So Florence was pretty much the epicenter of the Renaissance, permanent home to many of the most famous artists and temporary home to others as the commissions received were so important. Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rafael, Botticelli, etc. We spent 2 days in Florence which is about an hour north of Siena. Day one was spent touring as a family and climbing whichever tall buildings we could find including the Duomo and the Tower of the Opera Museum. Our kids are climbing machines. Halle and Hayden are fearless around heights, while Sydney and her father tend to stay far from the edges. I just can’t help but think about earthquakes or what I would do if I somehow “had” to be hanging from the edge of the tower. Our second day in we had a fabulous guide who led us through the Uffizi and the Academic Gallery. We did a decent job preparing the kids for what they would see through books and a great Ipad app and we had a great 4 hours in museums. A museum experience that was “super fun” seems to be a trip highlight for us as it defies all odds from what we’ve heard. So we saw masterpieces from Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rafael, Botticelli and as important gained a bit of insight into the Florentines who where their teachers and inspiration (I’d list them but I’ve forgotten but suffice it to say they were amazing). We saw the world’s first piano and just amazing works of art. Our last stop was to see Michelangelo’s “David”and despite numerous replicas, the real thing is well, unreal. The smallest details, the enormous size, the sheer beauty, the story. Super cool. And the most amazing thing is that David has a Morgan’s toe. The Morgan toe is the evolutionary blessing whereby the second toe is longer than the big toe. This is a very well-known sign of extraordinary intelligence (and thus bravery) and to see that Michelangelo had this (why else would he give it to David) made me really happy. I think I might be on to some type of super-secret of the Renaissance geniuses ala the da vinci code but need to do more research. Stay tuned.

Italy’s rich history is thousands of years old. I think about the US and fashion myself fairly well versed in our youthful history. I then honestly assess that I know more than most but almost nothing compared to many. Now multiply our documented history by 13 or 14, throw in countless invasions, different languages, competing religions, different cultures, many written records but countless tales, etc. Each European country and each area has a web of complex history that takes years to understand and perhaps even that is not possible. I thought that I’d come away from Italy (and this trip) with a deep understanding of European history. For sure I’ve learned a lot, but I kind of think my level of understanding is about the depth of the impact my soles had on the marble steps up the leaning tower of Pisa. Tiny indeed. Thank goodness our children will never forget the gelato, the pizza, climbing everything climbable, duck talk, learning to run the wrong way on an escalator and lessons in (particularly male) anatomy of a 16’ statue.

Train school Naples to Venice

I love this picture

Cap'n James Finson and our welcoming surprise tour

Venice from 1,500 feet

Narrow alleyway of Venice

"Dad, what does 'Acqua Non Potable Mean?'" "It means drink up as bottled water costs $5"

Such great parenting...in the revolving doors at our hotel. perhaps it was the Venitian equivalent of mad cow disease from drinking from the fountains?

Thankfully we weren't the worst parents at the hotel. We tried finding the parents of these wrestling hooligans, to no avail, and had to alert hotel security.

Note the cold weather gear which hides the clothing that we've been wearing all summer and fall

They wanted to jump into a gondola

This Venetian artist wasn't fond of the influence of American culture

Hayden really fancied P-dog's clothing

Venice from the deck of St. Mark's Basilica

Imprisoned in the dungeons. Unfortunately we couldn't lock the door behind them

That's Amore! One big happy family

View of the Tuscan countryside from Brolio Castle

Looking down on the Piazza del Campo in Siena (from the belltower)

Looking up at said belltower

Siena from the top of the museum, looking back towards previously mentioned belltower. You've probably guessed by now that it is an oft-photographed landmark

"I said to line up and look like you're soaking up the magnificent view from Montepulciano!"

That's better. Good dutiful kids!

Halle the mighty

At the top of the leaning tower, on the leaning side. Notice Sydney is close to the wall.

Not happy about this!

Young lad attempting to scale the castle wall. Fortunately he was brought down by a fusillade of chestnuts from the castle's defenders

Castle at Brolio. Incredibly cool place.

Representative of 99% of photos that don't make it to the blog. "You want me to sit there next to HER!" Brolio Castle in the distance.

Ponte Vecchio in Florence. 500 year old bridge that the Nazis left in place after their withdrawal in 1944

Florence's Cathedral and Duomo (Dome)

Sydney climbing the 469 steps stairs inside the Duomo. 500 years old engineering marvel. double walled dome with stairs in the middle

Top of the cathedral dome. Where is Sydney?

The modern David lacks the six-pack abs, wavy locks and the deadly sling but he carries a backpack full of Ipads, pringles, toblerone, water and tourist guides, not to mention shopping bags of fresh socks and leggings. He also has 6 large functional pockets in his khakis. Call it a toss up. Lady in the backgound is obviously in awe.

19 October 2011

Italy I

Let me say upfront that I by and large intensely dislike large cities. I like space, no crowds, no secondhand smoke, and no rude people. I’m claustrophobic and it was with some dread that I prepared for a large city experience. Rome has shocked me. There are ruins and monuments everywhere and for the most part they are surrounded by parks or are integrated into the working landscape. Our hotel sits by an old theater and now on top of the ruins of this theater there are apartments. It is just so different from anything I’ve seen. Any other major city has been constantly or newly renovated but Rome has these amazing grand monuments and spaces and many of them are thousands of years old. In Athens there are a couple of monuments/ruins that are well preserved but it is as if 1% of the city is ancient and 99% modern. In Rome reminders are everywhere of how grand the city was at the height of its dominance, and much of that grandness has been retained. Maybe it was because Athens and the Greeks were pretty much a pillaged punching bag for thousands of years and the Romans gave out more punishment than they received. I was going to say the Romans didn’t get their butt’s kicked as often but then thought better of it as this is a family blog. I’m sure that Rome is different outside of the city walls, but the heart of the ancient city is remarkably open and inviting.

Our first day adventures were focused on the Colosseum and the Forum. Finished in about 80 AD after 8 years, the Colosseum remains an amazing spectacle of engineering. Nearby we saw a 3D movie about ancient Rome and life wouldn’t be complete without the amazing Ipad App that our guide had which allowed you to stand and turn in any direction and see what Rome was like now and what it was like “then.”

In the afternoon we drove a few miles out of town on the Appian Way and the kids settled into “Gladiator School” in celebration of Sydney’s birthday. A very tough looking yet kind and hilarious guy ran the place. He looked like the diabolical marine sergeant in Avatar. After learning about all of the weapons used by the gladiators, it was time for the makeshift arena. Armed with wooden swords, the kids learned five offensive moves, followed by 5 defensive moves. The instructor would then shout out the number of the move and the kids had to perform it. It took a few minutes for the kids to get used to his sense of humor as he shouted “I own you now, not your parents!” and “Pay attention!” Traci and I were dying laughing as he tried to get 3 hysterically laughing kids to focus and engage him and each other in mock combat. After he sparred with them, he turned them loose on each other and refereed as they went at it with foam swords. Halle is a demon with a sword. Hayden and Sydney were so shocked and were laughing so hard at her aggressiveness that she whipped them both. The kids absolutely loved the experience. Gladiator training was followed by a birthday dinner for Sydney. I can’t believe our baby girl is 12.

Our second day involved a walking tour to discover Rome. I can’t remember all of the places we walked other than the Spanish steps, the Trevi fountain and the Pantheon. What the kids will mostly remember was the few hours in the afternoon they spent learning to make gelato at the famous Giolitti Gelateria. This is the most popular gelateria in Rome, renowned for their use of fresh and natural ingredients. Back in the kitchen the kids scrubbed down, put on hair nets and gloves, and helped prepare batches of banana and chocolate ice cream. The hard work done, the gracious owner Nazzareno seated us and forced us to choose whatever we wanted from the opulent menu. Talk about kids in a candy shop. Halle led the charge and insisted on 3 scoops and of course whipped cream. Pure delight Outside of the ice cream, the kids most enjoyed splashing each other in the fountains, climbing anything within reach, jumping off anything climbable, and trying to decipher many of the inappropriate adult messages on the various postcards and t-shirts. Quality time.

Day 3 was an unforgettable visit to the Vatican and its museums. Our tour guide has worked for the Vatican museums for 25 years and in our case it was good to know “the man.” He gave us tickets to see Pope Benedict XVI give his weekly morning address in St. Peter’s Square. We were 4 rows back and about 25 yards from “El Papa”. There were probably 80-100,000 people packed in the square, with the loudest being the Chinese delegation seated in front of us. Perhaps ignorantly l assumed that most Chinese were Buddhist but these folks must not have qualified for Buddhism as they were too obnoxious. Standing in their seats, answering loud cell phone rings and talking loudly on their phones when the pope was speaking. I’m confident that based solely on my etiquette that I’ll reach the pearly gates well before these people even though they were wearing garments which must hold them in high regard in front of their flock. So in addition to the 24 Catholics from China, there were pilgrims from every continent in what was a huge pep rally. The pope gave an address (I think it was on the Middle East but it was spoken in Italian) for about 30 minutes, followed by welcoming, in at least 6 different languages, many of the various groups from around the world. As he called out the name of the country and parish, that group would stand, scream, maybe sing a little song they made for the pope, and he’d acknowledge them with a wave. This went on for several hours while we cooked in the sun. The whole spectacle was really interesting for me, the history of the papacy, the power and influence of the pope, and the sheer awe of sitting in front of the towering basilica.Kids were unbelievably good and thought the pope was cool, especially with his red shoes, when he kissed babies offered by the crowd, and lest I forget, the Pope Mobile. At 87 years old, Benedict XVI was really impressive. After the ceremony we were lead past the throngs with our guide Luciano. Again, he was the man. We were like a hot knife through the butter of the crowds. We visited the collection of pope mobiles, from chariot to modern day. The Vatican museums are extraordinary. They are enormous. I won’t bore you with the details but with the access that our guide had, we were able to see many cool places that were off limits to the general public: Pope Leo’s private prayer room, where the walls are decorated with gold paint, the gold coming as a gift from the queen of Spain (Isabella), who got the gold from the ships of Christopher Columbus on his return from the new world. The room of tears off the Sistine chapel where the newly elected Pope is first dressed and prepares for his first address. Huge frescoes by Raphael and Michelangelo. The Sistine Chapel, full of tourists then waiting with our guide until it emptied and being in there alone for a few minutes. It was an incredible, wonderful , educational experience for each of us.

Our final day in Rome was spent an hour south of the city enjoying the ancient Roman sport of Gocarticus. Invented in 347 BC, these machines are largely unchanged since their conception, with the only significant change being the addition of safety helmets in the 2007. After a couple of rounds of high speed fun, we visited a small town called Albano in the “Roman Castle” country southeast of Rome. Romulus and Remus were born in Albano before being abandoned, saved, suckled and founding the town of Rome. Again our guide Luciano was able to show us some really interesting sites such as one of the first churches in Italy. Christianity was forbidden in Rome until the 4^th century AD but it secretly thrived in many areas, including this summer home of the emperor Augustus. While he was in Rome in the first century AD, enforcing the rule which forbade Christianity, Christians were secretly holding services in his summer palace. Our guide Luciano took us to his home in Albano and his wife and daughters treated us to home-made Tiramisu. Wonderful family of a kind man with a seemingly endless knowledge and love of Rome. When I asked them where they liked to vacation most, instead of the nearby wonders of Rome his daughter replied: “Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, New York, anywhere in America!” The grass is always greener.

Next stop was Pompeii (about one hundred miles south of Rome).The forecast called for clear and 75 so we donned shorts and light clothes (Halle in a beautiful dress of course). We experienced a few small thundershowers in Africa but for the most part for the last 3 months we have been enjoying an endless summer of dry weather and temperatures in the 80’s or 90’s. Until today that is. What started as a few sprinkles turned into a deluge. We had a wonderful guide who was super engaging but we were drenched and freezing. I took about 5 pictures and didn’t dare take another for fear of ruining my camera. Oh that’s another thing. Digital cameras are wonderful but fragile. Mine has survived unscathed but Traci’s got something inside the lens which is kind of like having a flat Stanley in each picture. Hayden’s got dust in it and the shutter won’t fully open. Traci somehow lost Halle’s in her helping Halle carry a few things. Sydney had her first camera stolen in Africa and then spent about $130 of her own money on a new one only to have the shutter dented beyond repair during travel the next week. Guess what she got for her birthday? Third time is the charm. So back to Pompeii .A few things we learned:

ü Pompeii was a city of about 15,000 and was a port. It was established around 700 BC, similar to Rome and became part of the Roman Empire in the first century BC

ü Pompeii was buried in about 20-30 feet of ash by a huge eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D., and was excavated in the 18^th century.

ü Sidewalks were raised above the sloping streets so the occasional rain would wash away all of the animal feces. Crosswalks were raised stepping stones. We were almost swept away by some of the torrents in the streets and can attest to the effectiveness of their engineering.

ü Many sailors would come from far away lands to enjoy Pompeii’s brothels. There were penises carved into the stones of the street that served as directional arrows to point the way to the brothels. Much like the current day barber poles, brothels were identified by a penis figurine about the door. Since many customers didn’t speak Latin they had lovely frescos painted with various sexual acts that were used to help communicate intent or desire. Now I know where McDonalds got the idea for the #5 Sausage McMuffin combo meal.

After about an hour in the storm, completely soaked despite raincoats and umbrellas, we retreated to the warmth of our minivan and headed to Naples for dinner. While flat bread was prepared similarly for thousands of years, it wasn’t until 1872 in Naples that Neopolitan Something Something made a tribute to the Italian flag for Queen Marguerite by combining Red (tomato sauce), White (mozzarella) and Green (Basil leaf) on pizza bread. Little trivial fact that like corn, tomatoes originated in the Americas. At a local pizzeria the kids learned how to make pizza the original way, and we were able to enjoy the fruits of each of their labors.

From Naples we ventured further south for 2 days to the picturesque cliff-side town of Positano on the Amalfi Coast. We visited the Isle of Capri and did some fabulous hiking both there and around Positano. Huge cliffs, spectacular blue seas, impossibly narrow streets and alleys. Here, as we watched the kids squeal with delight as they were pounded by the cold surf into the pebble beach, we came to the firm conclusion that after skiing in the Alps this winter, our future destinations should revolve largely around ocean beaches with a nearby places to hike, bike or run. Kind of like what we left in Seattle and Idaho…just kidding. No serious homesickness yet and yesterday marked the completion of 3 months on the road.

We’ve had the kids learn Roman numerals, introduced Hayden and Halle to Latin, read books on Roman history, visited incredible archeological wonders and the indelible impression left on them is that they want to be professional go cart drivers or gladiator trainers when they grow up. They’ll get busy training for those careers as soon as they are done swimming.

The Colosseum

Syd overlooking the Forum

Recent excavations have uncovered a new homo sapiens sub-species "Romanicus Onerius"

Full-belly laugh

"Why won't he listen?"

"Just a spoonful of sugar..."

Pope Benedict XVI

Sistine Chapel to ourselves and Michaelangelo's "last judgement" and of course no pictures allowed

Halle enjoying the ancient sport

Looking for a good time in Pompeii? Head that way!

With our guide Luciano...on the balcony of the brick building behind them is where Mussolini announced to the crowd that Italy would be joining with Hitler's forces in WWII. Bad choice.