Cinque Terre - a little bit of Heaven on Earth
we've arrived at our 5th destination on our trip, Cinque Terre - Riomaggiore. It's amazingly beautiful here. we rented an apartment and it has a view overlooking the coast and a perfect view of the italian sunset. we've also met our first family from Vancouver here as well. They're a Chinese family of 5 and we invited them right into our apartment for an hour just to chat.
we had a great time in Florence as well. We ended up spending our first day going horsebacking riding in the tuscan countryside. we had a traditional tuscan dinner that night with a local family along with what seemed like the rest of that wine making community (even the family that brought us up on the horses were there). we had red wine made by the town's doctor (guarenteed for good health?). it's been really spectacular.
the next couple of days we spent going to the Uffizi gallery(awesome little gallery that has a collection of the most defing pieces from all the great masters), the Galleria dell'Accademia (which is highly over-rated), the Palace Pitti (a tourist trap, don't waste your time), the Duomo, the Piazza Michelangelo and finally bargaining at the leather markets.
we've got a few more days here until we move on to Venice. the seafood in Riomaggiore is great and the wine really fantastic but boy do I miss Vancouver's all you-can-eat sushi and Mom's Chinese soups and rice. (the Chinese food in Italy is a little scary looking)
Ciao until next time
I came, I saw, I sweated...alot
Hi everyone, in keeping with my promise of one email per country, here I go. we've been in Rome for only 2 days and it's felt like we've been here for weeks. The food is fabulous, Marg has practically been living off of mozerella cheese (they only seem to come in shapes of small bombs here). I unexpectedly, learned to love soft cheeses (yes, I actually had a whole thing of cheese for dinner!) Our hostel is a great place. It's a great price, right by the main train station but still walkable to everything in rome (it's www.hostelsalessandropalace.com) and it's got air conditioning,very very very clean and the bathroom comes with all kinds of handy appliances that you don't expect for a hostel. I'd highly recommend it if anyone is coming to Rome soon. We've been to the Vatican city (sistine chapel, st. peter's basillica and all the vatican museums), the Pantheon,a bunch of piazza, all kinds of fountains, and to the colosseum and the Roman forum. tomorrow is our day reserved strictly for SHOPPING! after that we'll be off to pompeii and then florence.
for some news in the personal growth department:
-Marg has learned that eating mozzorella everyday as a main course is not exactly being nice to your body
-I have learned how to eat my food faster and my gelato before it melts
-I yelled at young thieves near the train station
-Winston has learned to cut down his need for 5 meals a day down to 4 and that he's not 'starving' as he often claims
-Marg has learned to yell back at italian drivers who try to run her over in public
-Adrian now knows that a little heat is not going to kill you all in all
people in Italy are definately a bit more rude (we've been yelled at by people at train station booths and sent to wait in numerous lines that are wrong) but the food is really good and not everyone we've met has been mean. we've met loads of people from london and australia too. alright, on with the shopping!cheers, rosy
done with London...for now
so after 5 jam packed days in London, we're leaving for Rome in a few hours. Of course we're not leaving London with our bits of story to tell - some of our highlights include:
-getting stuck between floors in the underground elevator at the Covert Garden tube station
-Losing Winston and Adrian in Cambridge (Marg and I just left for London with out them)
-Winston getting the punting stick stuck in the mud and nearly falling off the boat while we were punting around the Cambridge campus
-Adrian literally saving Winston's life (prevented him from being hit by a truck...the 3rd time that day)-Margaret picking up a very strange wannabe British accent
-Hanging out and having pots of mussels for dinner with Darren, Fiona and Julie
-Winston being scared by the live man amongst the wax figures in Warwick Castle
-Adrian being 'hit' by British lady on a bike (but her injuries were far worse...adrian didn't really notice that he got hit)
-Seeing the Lion King, Chicago and Fame musicals
-the strange couple rolling around on the floor outside our room that I tripped on trying to go to the washroom
-Margaret taking photos of every meal before we're all allowed to eat
My favourite parts of this city:
-learning how to stop a bus (apparently being at a bus stop is not enough)
-TEA!
-Raspberry Beer!
-our hostel (it's literally right now to the British Museum)
-how everyone is a tourist here (I tried to ask someone for directions in Cambridge and everyone was not from there!)
-the flea markets
-how everyone is soooooo polite here
on my way...almost
so i've got 9 hours and 16 minutes before my plane takes me to europe on a month-long vacation. in light of my "abandoning ship" as my co-workers like to call it, mee-ying sends me this email: *warning: it's long but it's funny and no, i am not flying west jet to europe*
"West Jet is an Airline with head office situated in Calgary, Alberta. West Jet airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported: On a West Jet flight (There is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"
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On another West Jet Flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."
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On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."
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"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."
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"Thank you for flying West Jet Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
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As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at the Vancouver Airport, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"
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After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Ontario, a flight attendant on a West Jet flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."
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From a West Jet Airlines employee: "Welcome aboard West Jet Flight 245 to Calgary. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."
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"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."
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Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than West Jet Airlines."
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"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."
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"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants.. Please do not leave children or spouses."
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And from the pilot during his welcome message: "West Jet Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"
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Heard on West Jet Airlines just after a very hard landing in Edmonton : The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump, and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."
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Overheard on an West Jet Airlines flight into Regina, on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Regina. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"
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Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."
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An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the Passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline." He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why, no, Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?"
The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"
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After a real crusher of a landing in Halifax, the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal."
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Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of West Jet Airways."
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Heard on a West Jet Airline flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing. If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."
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A plane was taking off from the Winnipeg Airport. After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from Winnipeg to Montreal, The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax... OH, MY GOD!"
Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!"
A passenger in Coach yelled, "That's nothing. You should see the back of mine!"
