DVC in Florence, Italy -- Spring 2007

The Candy Aquamatic 3 Postings Just Keep on Coming...

2008-09-22T13:47:00.005-07:00

Yes, it's been over a year since I've returned home from Florence, yet I continue to receive postings about the Candy Aquamatic 3 washing machine that I had in my apartment in Florence. Some of you may recall the problems I had trying to figure out how to use this washer, and it turns out that I'm not alone. And the funny thing is that this one posting I made about my trials with the Candy Aquamatic has somehow made me the world's foremost expert in how she works! Here are a few messages I've received recently. Yes, she's a stubborn old girl!

Message left September 21, 2008:

Etienne has left a new comment on your post "Laundry Day!": Wow, I am renting an apartment in Paris with this very same Candy 3! Cycles 4 and 5 work fine, but can't figure out what the rest of it means (or how to do delicates). This has been the only helpful post I've found so far on the mysterious and enigmatic Candy 3, thanks so much!

Message sent to me via e-mail March 26, 2008:

I have read your mails and questions for instructions (I need it also), for this washmachine Candy Aquamatic 3.
I have found out the serviceadress and phonenumber and now I can send you this informationes. Perhaps someone needs it too...
Beste Grüße aus Österreich / Wien

NOTE: Grube was nice enough to send me the instruction manual for the Candy Aquamatic 3, so I'm going to make it available here. Just click this link:

Candy Aquamatic 3 Instruction Manual

Message left January 7, 2008:

Brooke has left a new comment on your post "Laundry Day!": Grrr!!! I'm in the french alps with the same washing machine!! I'm getting so aggravated I think I might go wash my clothes in a puddle outside!! :)Okay, I figured out the soap, the dial, the key, how to start it ....my question is though, what # should I start it on?? After washing for a long time, it stopped moving and so I thought it was done, however ...I opened the door and water spewed out so I shut it again very quickly. I can't seem to find a spin cycle?! Any suggestions?! This is crazy!!

Back in The Inquirer!

2007-12-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I received a voice-mail message from Athalia Nakula, a staff writer for DVC's student newspaper The Inquirer, asking me if she could interview me for an article she was writing about blogging. I told her I'd be happy to take part. She sent me a series of questions via e-mail, which I promptly answered. Then, a few days later, she wrote me another e-mail saying that the entire focus of the story had changed. Originally she was writing a general story about blogging. After learning about the DVC-in-Italy blog, she decided to change her story to an exclusive on this very blog. I was thrilled!

More questions and answers went back and forth, including a request for names of people who had read the blog regularly. A big thanks to all of you whose quotes appear in the article: Toni, Mallory, Richie (John's mom!), Krista, and my dad. And thanks to all of you who were interviewed but didn't make the cut (those darn space constraints!).

I know that Athalia worked hard on this article, and I really appreciate her efforts and professionalism. The story, which appeared in the November 30 issue, turned out great! Here it is:

***********************************************

Travel Blogs

Teacher's experiences online

By Athalia Nakula

Staff Writing

_________________________

Carolyn Seefer's blog was a "must-read" for anyone wondering what DVC students were up to in Florence last spring.

The business administration instructor started dvc-in-italy.blogspot.com in January to chronicle the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" of teaching and studying in Italy, from preparation to trip to homecoming.

"I wanted to create a permanent memory of the trip in a format that a variety of people could access," Seefer said.

She wrote about learning Italian, a class field trip to Milan, a day trip to Cinque Terre, and a student reunion in North Beach, among other entries.

"Now that we're home, the blog will remain available online so we can relive our experiences anytime we want," she said.

English instructor Antonia Fannin, who taught with Seefer in Florence, said "Carolyn really raised the bar with respect to communicating with the extended community of a study-abroad program."

Fannin, who was pictured with her father and her daughter in Seefer's blog, said she enjoyed reading about her trips and seeing pictures of their students.

Mallory Cotton, one of Seefer's study-abroad students, said she read the blog regularly while in Italy, as did her parents.

"I really liked the fact that my parents could see everything without me having to do the work," she said, "Carolyn did an amazing job and her efforts were well appreciated by all the students."

Richie Bologni, the mother of a student on the trip, said she read Seefer's blog every other day.

Besides e-mail and occasional phone calls, Bologni said, "The blog was essentially my only means of finding out what my son and the other students were up to in Italy."

Dean of Business Krista Johns said she also read Seefer's blog regularly.

"I liked Carolyn's mix of facts about study abroad and Florence, her inclusion of stories about her experience and that of her students and her pictures, Johns said.

The blog was also a hit with Seefer's family. Frank Brault, her father, said he read it every day.

Many of his friends were planning trips to Italy and used her blog as part of their research on what to do, see, and eat, Brault said.

Seefer said her blog stands out because it "contains lots of honest tips that you'd never find in a travel guide."

While keeping the blog up to date was time-consuming, she said it was worth the effort.

And she admits to being "hooked" on blogging.

Seefer discusses them in her classes, incorporated them into textbooks she recently wrote, and reads several daily on business and education issues.

Seefer's comments about Italy were published Oct. 21 in "Just Back From, " a regular column in the San Francisco Chronicle's Sunday Travel section.

"We made the big time," she wrote two days later on her blog.

Condé Nast Best in the World

2007-11-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

Each year Condé Nast Traveler pubishes its Readers' Choice Awards, which it calls "The Best In the World." From hotels, to resorts, to cruises, to islands, to airlines, to cities--it's all there.

This special issue, published in November 2007, arrived at my home this week, an issue I always look forward to reading.

I went through list after list until I came to the "Top Cities" page. Right there, at the top of the "Top 10 United States Cities" was San Francisco. No surprise there!

And then I read the "Top 10 Europe Cities":

1. Florence
2. Rome
3. Venice
4. Paris
5. Salzburg
6. Vienna
7. Barcelona
8. Bruges
9. Siena
10. Edinburgh

And suddenly it hit me--in the first half of this year alone, I had traveled to seven of these destinations (Florence, Rome, Venice, Paris, Salzburg, Vienna, and Siena). Prior to teaching abroad, I could claim one (Paris). But thanks to DVC and the opportunity to teach in the Study Abroad program in Florence, I was able to visit 70 percent of the top cities in the world, and, hey, I even lived in one of them! I can't believe how fortunate I am, and I will be forever grateful.

The Big Time--The San Francisco Chronicle!

2007-10-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Stories about the DVC Study Abroad program in Florence during the Spring 2007 semester have been printed in several small publications, including the DVC Inquirer (the student newspaper), the CBEA newsletter, and the Contra Costa Community College District newsletter, but this past Sunday, October 21, we made the big time: the San Francisco Chronicle!

The Sunday Travel section of this newspaper has a regular column called "Just Back From." People send in pictures and text about a vacation they've just returned from. I submitted my information online in June, shortly after I returned home from Florence. You have to meet specific guidelines, one of which is that the writer has to be in the photo submitted, and the photo must clearly show the place that's being discussed. That's why I chose to submit this photo; I'm standing on the Piazzale Michelangelo, with all of Florence spread out behind me.

In addition to a photo, you have to fill in predetermined sections, including "Why I went," "Don't miss," "Don't bother," "Coolest souvenir," "Worth the splurge," and more. In each section you have a limited number of words, so submission can be challenging. After all, there was so much I wanted to say about Florence!

Anyway, after I made my submission, I eagerly checked the Sunday Chronicle each week, going straight to the Travel section. And week after week, nothing appeared. After a while I figured that they weren't going to print my story. Florence, after all, is a fairly common destination, and many of the places they printed each week were much more exotic (Nepal; the Amazon; Didim, Turkey; Yunnen Province, China; Ghana; Cambodia; the Seychelles, etc.) .

And then the day it actually printed, I spent the day in San Cruz, coincidentally with two of my Florence colleagues, so I didn't read the Sunday paper as I normally do. I arrived home from Santa Cruz around 7 p.m. and immediately started checking e-mail, and here's a message I found that one of my DVC colleagues, James, had sent to the faculty listserv:

Subject: Seefer on Florence in this morning's Chronicle

"List member Carolyn Seefer (DVC/Business) is featured in the Chronicle Travel Section this morning, chatting about her time in Florence (where she was last spring with a horde of exchange students). Great stuff."

Thanks, James, for letting me know! I was so excited and couldn't wait to see it myself. So I rushed out to buy several copies (for my parents, my sister, etc.) (although it's available online, a hard copy is just so much more exciting!). I soon learned that finding a Sunday Chronicle at 8 p.m. is rather difficult, and I had to go to seven different stores before I found a few copies at a Chevron station.

So here's the link to the online article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/21/TR92RQA7P.DTL

And here's the text of the article. Enjoy!

JUST BACK FROM: Florence, Italy

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Traveler: Carolyn Seefer, San Francisco

I went because: I accompanied a group of 44 Diablo Valley College students on a study abroad trip for the spring 2007 semester.

Don't miss: Climbing the Duomo, Florence's cathedral. On the way up, you're taken right inside Brunelleschi's famous dome, where you can almost touch the frescos.

Don't bother: Casa di Dante is nothing more than a fabricated tourist trap. Instead, walk down the street to Beatrice's church, Chiesa di Santa Margherita.

Coolest souvenir: Prints of vintage photographs purchased at the Museo Nazionale Alinari della Fotografia, the same Alinari whose shop E.M. Forster mentions in A Room with a View.

Worth a splurge: Lunch at La Terrazza del Principe on the gorgeous terrace looking over the Boboli Gardens. The views and food are glorious.

I wish I'd packed: Even though I did pack these, I highly recommend bringing comfortable shoes. You'll be walking on lots of cobblestone streets and sidewalks.

Other comments: Hire a driver and spend a day in the Tuscan countryside. Your driver will arrange winery tours and tastings for you so that you can just enjoy.

This article appeared on page G - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle

We Made the News, Again!

2007-10-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

This time we made it into the California Business Education Association (CBEA) Fall 2007 newsletter, a great organization of which I am a member. Here's the article, which was written by Judy Foster, one of my colleagues at DVC:

Blogging Her Way Through Florence, Italy

Submitted by Judy S. Foster, Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill

How would you like to accompany your business to Firenze--as the Italians call Florence--while teaching your business courses? Well, that's exactly what Carolyn Seefer, a full-time business educator at Diablo Valley College and CBEA Bay Section member did last semester. Carolyn has the distinction of being the first Diablo Valley College business instructor to be selected to participate in the Study Abroad program.

DVC instructors have been offered opportunities to lead fall and spring semester student groups to London, England; Paris, France; and Florence, Italy; and summer language institute groups to Jinan, China, and to Salamanca, Spain.

Last semester Carolyn taught two 3-unit "off-campus" courses in Florence--Business Communications and International Business--January 28 through May 14. So that her colleagues could virtually share in her experiences, she created a blog, which she invites anyone to check out: http://www.dvc-in-italy.blogspot.com/.

If you would like to consider using blogs in your courses, you're limited only by your imagination. For articles, writing tools, and examples on how you and your students might use blogs, go to http://awd.cl.uh.edu/blog/, a page about Blogs in Education hosted by the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Haunted by the Candy Aquamatic 3!

2007-09-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember my early trials and tribulations with my Candy Aquamatic 3. Eventually, after much experimentation and the help of a flashlight, I mastered this ancient washing machine, and I actually grew to be quite fond of her!

Imagine my surprise to receive the following e-mail message yesterday:

"Hi,

I'm sorry to bother you with such a silly demand, you're probably a very busy person, being a professor and all, but do you remember writing this:

http://dvc-in-italy.blogspot.com/2007/02/laundry-day.html

This is the only instructions I could *ever* find about this washing machine in the entire Internet! I'm living in Italy (Trento, TN) and I got that machine in my appartment and I have no clue how to operate it!

Did you ever find a manual or instructions for it? Is there any clues you could give me? Anything at all, I'd appreciate it!

Thanks in advance and sorry again for bothering you about this.

Vítor Souza"

Well, I was more than happy to help Vitor out! After all, I too remember how temperamental this little machine can be! If you're interested in my reply, just click the link in Vitor's message above.

Vitor, I hope that you get your Candy Aquamatic 3 working, and I wish you the best of luck. By the way, I should also admit that I'm just a little envious that you're there in Italy, struggling with this machine. You've brought back such fond memories!

A North Beach Reunion

2007-09-12T13:58:00.003-07:00

On Sunday, August 26, 25 or so of us returned to where it all ended and where it all began. What? you might ask.

Well, here's what I mean by this seemingly contradictory statement. Last December my DVC study abroad preparatory class spent our last class meeting at Franchino Ristorante, a wonderful Italian restaurant in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. (Hint: if you hunt around in my January postings, you'll find photos from that fabulous night.) Franchino and his family treated us to an evening we'll never forget. It was the perfect way to end the class, and an even more perfect way to kick off our study abroad trip. After all, we would be heading to Florence in a little over a month. I'll never forget near the end of the evening when one student said, "Ms. Seefer, I'm ready to leave right now!" We could all relate.

And, suddenly, in the blink of an eye we were back home. And what better place for an end-of-summer reunion than to return to Franchino. And that's exactly what we did!

We had dinner reservations for 5 p.m. This time our arrangement was a little different, and even better. Franchino gave a fixed price for a three-course meal, but this time we were able to choose off the entire menu. Our only challenge was choosing among all of the wonderful dishes served at Franchino--chicken porcini, chicken amalfitano, chicken posillipo, chicken marsala, veal primavera, veal mustard, veal parmigiana, veal pizzaiola, veal saltinbocca, grilled New York steak, salmone e scampi piccata, sauteed large prawns, calamari, cioppino, and grilled salmon. Heaven!

After taking our orders, our first course was delivered: an amazing antipasti plate that contained mozzarella and tomatoes, grilled eggplant, bruschetta, and other delights. Next came a salad, followed by the entree.

And of course there was the wine! But not just any old wine. You see, Bruce brought bottles of a very special wine that is produced by one of our very own study abroad students, Jack Ballantine (visit Ballantine Vineyards at http://www.ballentinevineyards.com/). And even though Jack wasn't able to join us, he at least knew that he added the crowning touch to our meal!

And no meal at Franchino Ristorante would be complete without the singing! Once again Franchino entertained us with his delightful voice, and he, naturally, grabbed a few of the women for a quick spin around the restaurant. Something tells me that Franchino is quite enamored with our students!

After the meal we all hung out at our tables, enjoying good company and conversation. Some students had not seen each other since Florence, and others are now pretty much inseparable. Either way, it was wonderful to all be together again, enjoying an Italian feast. After all, we had gotten pretty used to that in Florence!

And, much too soon, we realized that it was time to go. We gathered one last time out front of the restaurant for a few group shots. Naturally, Franchino joined us!

It was a bittersweet night. Yes, it was fantastic seeing one another again. But we also knew that many of the students were heading off to four-year colleges and universities, where they will begin new lives.

In fact, Milli was leaving the very next week to continue her education at Columbia. There were hugs and cheers, with an undercurrent of excitement and anticipation for what the future holds. Milli, we are so proud of you! Buona Fortuna!

What I'll MIss

2007-07-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

In no particular order...

1. Waking to church bells in the morning instead of an alarm clock. Granted, I can hear the bells from Saints Peter and Paul Church on Washington Square in North Beach from our place in San Francisco, but they don’t start ringing until 9 a.m. In Florence the bells all over the city start ringing at 7 a.m., urging people to rise and beckoning them to a nearby church for worship.
2. My charming little apartment and the amazing views from my very own rooftop terrace. And the location just couldn’t be beat—on the cobblestoned street of Via dei Magazzini, right off the Piazza della Signoria in the historic heart of Florence, a street that is gorgeous both day and night.

3. My 90 cent perfect cappuccino every morning, served in a tiny china cup with a small silver demitasse spoon, often with the froth on top whirled into a design of a heart or an apple. I’ve been back now for exactly seven weeks, and I still haven’t found a coffee that can even come close.

4. Walking everywhere. Americans really are entirely too dependent on their cars and SUVs. It’s so refreshing and invigorating to get up each morning and walk to wherever you’re going—work, a caffé, the train station, a restaurant. And if you’re going farther afield, you simply hop on a train to reach your destination. Jane, Lanny’s wife, said that they also miss what they call “walking with a purpose.” That’s just a perfect way to describe it. By the way, I’ve tried to maintain my walking habits as much as possible since I’ve been home; I’ve been going grocery shopping and running other errands on foot and riding my bike longer distances. It’s possible if you really try.

5. Cobblestone streets. Oh, I just love the cobblestone streets and sidewalks of Florence, especially the way they shimmer when it's raining. They take you back to an earlier time. And the fact that the historic center of downtown is closed to all but official vehicles makes those streets even more special. People still walk those streets today as they’ve done for thousands of years. Every day I imagined whose footsteps I was walking in. And, as an added bonus, those cobblestone streets look even more enchanting in the rain, shimmering under the golden glow of the street lamps.

6. Gelato. I know, we have gelato shops in the U.S., and gelato is really just ice cream, right? Well, it might be the Italian version of ice cream, but it’s oh so different. So what makes gelato different from regular ice cream? For one thing, gelato actually has much less fat than regular premium ice cream, which is surprising given how rich it tastes. Interestingly, that higher fat content in regular ice cream actually masks the flavors, another reason gelato is so much more flavorful. Gelato is also frozen less deeply than ice cream, again making it more flavorful. Now you might be skeptical. After all, the texture of gelato is much creamier than regular ice cream. That’s because less air is used when making gelato. All of these reasons combined result in the rich, creamy delight that is Italian gelato. And to make it even more special, gelato is always exquisitely displayed in gelato shops, as if it is a work of art. Actually, I guess it is!

7. Train travel. Oh, how I love riding the train, whether it’s Italia Rail, Eurail, or a local train. There’s something so wildly magical and romantic about hopping a train, with your destination some exotic Italian or European city. And en route you can watch the countryside go by, making the trip itself as exciting as the destination.

8. Not having a television. I haven’t watched TV since January. Well, Chip and I did turn on the TV in our hotel in Rome for about five minutes. Karl Rove was rapping. ‘Nuff said!

9. Street vendors. I actually can’t believe I’m saying this. I mean, I wouldn’t dream of buying any of their knock-off handbags, cheap luggage, plastic camera tripods, or low-quality prints and posters, but there’s something oddly endearing about these vendors. They have an entrepreneurial spirit that you can’t help but admire. Just watch what happens when it starts raining—suddenly the streets are filled with vendors selling umbrellas. And I realize that what they’re doing is illegal, but at least they’re doing something. And there’s no better entertainment than to happen to be in the area when the police come around. You can’t believe how quickly they scoop their goods up in large sheets and then haul butt through the streets. Our U.S. Olympic team should be recruiting these guys!

10. Being able to walk in somewhere anytime you want, on a whim, to see a Michelangelo, a Botticelli, a Donatello, a Fra Angelico, a Uccello, a Lippi, or an Artemisia Gentileschi. As if that weren’t enough, we were all given a Uffizi Card, which got us into most of Florence’s museums for free.

11. My school. What can be better than teaching in a high-tech classroom with all the necessary tools, especially when that classroom is located in a 19th-century building? Now, place that building right in the center of Florence on the Piazza della Repubblica, with a large window overlooking the piazza, complete with outdoor caffés and a working carousel, and you’ve got perfection.

12. Playing the Medici treasure hunt game. Looking for what, you might ask. The Medici Coat of Arms, of course. Not only did the Medici run Florence from the 13th through the 17th century, but they had to prove their power every chance they could. One way they did this was by placing the famous Medici shield everywhere they could—in/on churches and public buildings, on street corners, in courtyards, in parks, and just about everywhere else. It’s really quite fun to walk around Florence on the hunt for the infamous shield, which is easily recognizable. Just look for the shield covered with balls. What these balls represent is still a question for some. Do they represent coins, since the Medici were famous bankers? Do they represent pills, since the Medici name comes from the Italian word for “doctor”? Do they represent oranges, long believed to hold healing and mystical powers? After all, the Medici also filled their grounds with orange trees. Whatever these balls represent, there’s no doubt that they’re plastered all over Florence, and have been for centuries. In fact, one person during Cosimo il Vecchio’s time was quoted as saying, “He has emblazoned even the monks’ privies with his balls.”

13. Hanging my laundry out to dry. I really grew to love this—the feel and fresh smell of clothes that have dried in the open air. I would love to continue this here, but I don’t think my Homeowners’ Association would ever allow it.

14. Using an ancient, heavy skeleton key to open my front door. Isn’t it beautiful?

15. Clean streets. I’ve mentioned this before, but Gavin Newsom could learn a lesson or two from the city leaders of Florence. These street sweepers come by several times each day, rain or shine, making the streets spotless.

16. Shopping at small corner shops. Yes, I went to Standa, the local supermarket, a few times, but what I did much more was purchase items from the small local shops. Yes, this takes more time because you have to visit numerous shops just to put a meal together, but it makes shopping so much more interesting and special. The good news, too, is that I can continue this process every time I stay at our place on Russian Hill. There’s not a single supermarket anywhere nearby!

17. The folks in my neighborhood and beyond. Because I frequented the local shops, caffés, and restaurants, I got to know the people in my neighborhood well. I also tend to be loyal, so I went back to the same places again and again. And over those three-and-a-half months, I grew to feel that I was part of the neighborhood. Ever since my first morning in Florence, for example, I had my morning coffee at the Bar le Logge on the Mercato Nuovo. After just a short time, the professionals behind the bar knew exactly what I wanted without my even asking for it. And Graziela, the kind woman behind the cash register, began to treat me like a daughter. If I was away for a while, her face would light up when I returned, and she would reach out and clasp my hands. I will miss her smile and her kindness so much. I will also miss Niccolo, the wonderfully professional and friendly manager of my favorite wine bar, Conquinarius. I’ll miss the wonderful tour guides we had for our excursions and museum visits. I wish I could remember all of their names, but I will always remember Angela, tour guide extraordinaire. Everyone loved her, especially the endearing habit she has of snorting when she laughs. The thought still puts a smile on my face. I will miss Todd, the owner of Tuscan Trails and wine aficionado. I will miss the old curmudgeon and his son who ran the small trattoria across the street from my apartment. I will miss Vanna and her family, who run the charming Casa Cheli in the Tuscan countryside. I will miss Chris and his darling dog Monty, who run (and guard) the Hotel Rugenpark in Interlaken, Switzerland. I’ll miss the personable tour guides I had during my travels throughout Switzerland and Austria. I will miss my Italian family, who so generously invited me to take part in their birthday celebration one special Sunday afternoon. I will miss Mario, the charming proprietor of the Ditta Umberto Dei optician and photography shop. I will miss Gina Poncini and Kim, who made my two trips to Milan with my students so delightful. And, most of all, I will miss Beppe, my driver and my friend. His humor, wit, and warmth perfectly exemplify the Italian spirit.

18. My colleagues and friends. First of all, I’ll miss the AIFS staff. Kirsty, Jed, Norma, Sofie, and Fabrizio couldn’t have done more to make our time in Italy run smoothly. I would give anything to have a staff like them available back in the States; their professionalism, organization skills, and good humor are all top-notch. And I will miss terribly my colleagues and their families: Toni, Molly, and Coley; Rebecca, Leia, and Kira; Lanny and Jane; Janet; and Bob. Over the three-and-a-half months we were in Florence, we became like a family. I loved our regular “faculty meetings,” which were really nothing more than an excuse to get together to eat good food and drink good wine. I truly couldn’t dream of better people to share this experience with.
19. The students. After all, this is the reason we were all in Florence. Thanks to all of you for making this the most memorable and rewarding teaching experience in my 20-year career. I wish I could picture all of you here, but there’s just not the space. Instead, I’ve selected a few of my favorite photos. But do know that I miss every one of you.

20. Sharing Florence with my family and friends. Having a steady stream of visitors made my time in Florence even more special than it already was because this gave me an opportunity to share my “home away from home” with the people who mean the most to me. My first visitors were my mom and dad. They haven’t been on a plane since 9/11, but somehow my being in Florence gave them incentive. And they did it! I also had some DVC colleagues who chose to spend their spring break in Florence: Charlie and his partner Tom, Laurie, and Kathleen. John’s parents Richie and John visited, as did Ben’s grandmother Pauline. And my last visitor was my lifelong friend Laurie and her husband Brad. And, of course, my husband somehow managed to get a month off from his law firm to spend in Florence, giving us lots of time to explore Italy together. I still can’t believe all we did together. In addition to Florence, we went to Venice, Verona, Lake Como, Siena, Rome, and the Tuscan wine country. And then we hopped on a plane to Paris, picked up our son Jake, and took a train to Germany, where we met up with his dad and brother so that the five of us could return to the Seefer roots. Chip and I took advantage of every second we had together in Italy and Germany, and we truly have memories that will last a lifetime. For this I am grateful.

The Final Goodbye

2007-05-13T03:15:00.003-07:00

Well, it had to happen eventually. On Monday, May 14, I woke for my last morning in my little apartment in the heart of Florence, gazing one last time out my window over the red tile rooftops of the adjacent buildings.

I took one last shower in my tiny bathroom, complete with a skylight over which birds flew and chirped each day. I then got dressed and ready for the last time in this place that had been my home for over three months. I tried not to think about it too much.

And there's no better way to fight sadness at leaving a place than to have the most wonderful person take you to the airport--my driver and friend, Beppe. Giuseppe Mirossi, better known as Beppe, is the absolute best driver in all of Italy, perhaps in all the world! He took my parents, Pauline, and me on a wonderful tour through Chianti; and later he took Laurie, Brad, Janet, and me on an unforgettable wine tasting excursion. I knew there was no other way that I wanted to get to the airport on my last day than in Beppe's trusty van.

I had arranged for Beppe to pick me up around 7:30 that morning so that I could get to the airport on time. And he was there right on the dot! I had already carried one of my four suitcases down the four flights of stairs when he arrived, an act he promptly scolded me for. "Carolina, you should not carry your bags down these stairs. I will do it for you." He then followed me up the stairs, insisting that he would bring the rest down. Yes, I let him! And as he went up and down the stairs, I took one last walk through my apartment, my home, taking it all in for a final time.

And then I placed my keys on the entryway shelf, where they would be waiting for the next person lucky enough to inhabit this perfect apartment, and I closed my door for the last time. And 54 steps later, I was down to ground level, and I exited Via dei Magazzini 6 for good.

And there was poor Beppe, struggling to load my extremely heavy luggage into the back of his van!

The ride to Amerigo Vespucci, Aeroporto di Firenze was uneventful. Excitement had now taken over sadness as I realized that that very night I would be sleeping in my own bed, next to my husband whom I've missed so much. I couldn't wait! Beppe and I talked about Florence and San Francisco, a place he would love to visit one day. And before we knew it, we were pulling up out front of the airport.

Again, the gentleman that he is, Beppe insisted on not only unloading my luggage and placing it on a cart, but on walking inside the airport with me. He said, "Carolina, I will be coming with you, into the airport, not to San Francisco. After all, you are married, so what would be the point?" Once again, Beppe used his considerable charm to put a huge smile on my face!

Once we were inside, I insisted that I was okay and that he could leave me. (He had another party to pick up soon.) We said our goodbyes, but I know I'll see him again. He's my driver for life!

Now it was time to check in, which didn't go as smoothly as planned. There was some confusion about my ticket, and I was instructed to stand in another line, one that was excruciatingly slow. It didn't help that there was an American couple in front of me whose flight to New York City had been canceled. They had been rebooked on another flight but weren't happy with it, and they refused to leave the window until the representative had checked probably every flight out of Florence, through every connecting city imaginable. Finally it was my turn, and my problem, thankfully, was solved right away. As instructed, I returned to the first counter, bypassing the line. As I approached the original agent who had helped me, and who had told me that I didn't have to wait in line again, there was an uproar in the line behind me. A large older man, another American at that, began yelling and cursing at me about "cutting in line." I tried to explain that I had already waited in line and was simply doing as the agent instructed. He wasn't buying any of it, keeping up his constant, loud yelling, much to the embarrassment of his wife, who was standing meekly beside him.

The agent did nothing to assist me; instead, she just looked at me and rolled her eyes at the absurdity of it all. There's no wonder that the "Ugly American" image persists! Finally, I was all checked in, my luggage was rolling down the conveyor belt, and I could leave my new American "friend" behind. I did, though, happen to hear the conversation as he went to the counter. "I'm sorry, sir, but it's too early for you to check in for your flight. You'll have to come back later." Was this the truth, or a sweet revenge tactic on the part of the agent? Either way, I walked away thinking, "There really is poetic justice in this world."

About an hour later I boarded my flight to Frankfurt, where I would transfer to another flight that would take me nonstop to San Francisco. I had about a three-hour layover in Frankfurt, so I decided to have an early lunch there, one last German meal of bratwurst and sauerkraut. Marvelous, even in an airport. I then made my way toward my gate, which was located in another terminal. When I entered that terminal, I turned a corner and there I was at a bank of windows, each one manned by a very serious looking customs agent. This was completely unexpected. You see, I was a little bit worried about going through customs because I had overstayed my 90-day limit in a Schengen State by 16 days. And suddenly here I was. There was no turning back now!

I approached one of the windows, hoping for a kind agent, and handed him my passport. He flipped through it, he studied it carefully, and a frown came over his face. "Where are you coming from?" he asked. "Florence." "How long were you there?" "A little over three months," I replied honestly. "Yes, I see that." He studied my passport some more, reached for his stamp, and brought it down on my passport. Thank, God! "Okay," he said as he handed my passport back to me. I was through!

Ahead of me was a seemingly endless corridor leading down the the gate area for international flights. Because I hadn't left the airport, I was surprised to come to another security check. I place my carryon bag and purse on the conveyor belt to be x-rayed, and and walked through the x-ray contraption myself. Of course, it went off madly! I was instructed to walk back through. Again, bells and red lights flashing. I was then told to step over to a special area, where an agent ran a wand up and down my body. It began beeping when it reached my feet. Oh, no, they probably thought they had another shoe bomber on their hands! I was then told to remove my boots (my hot new white cowboy boots that I had bought in Florence!). I did so readily. The boots were wanded and came through clean, but not so for my feet. Again, the beeping began. The agent looked puzzled, and then suddenly it hit me! "Toe rings," I exclaimed. The agent still looked puzzled and said, "I don't understand." So I removed one of my socks, showing her three silver toe rings I wear. "Oh," and she started laughing. Now she passed me through.

But I wasn't through yet. You see, I had forgotten that I had purchased a bottle of iced tea in Florence, which I had put in my carryon bag. And while all of the foot business was going on, the agent x-raying my bag had found it. I told her that I had forgotten about it and to just throw it away. "No problem," she said. Finally, finally I made it through. Well, almost... I had to go through one more security check at the gate, where my boarding pass and passport and were again scrutinized. I'll have to say that I was actually quite impressed with the level of security in Germany, something that's greatly appreciate when you're about to board a cross-Atlantic flight.

I settled into a seat in the waiting area and decided to kill my remaining cell phone minutes as they would be no good in the States. I then read until my flight started boarding. The plane had a 2-5-2 configuration, and I was seated by the window next to a woman from India, with her two young daughters in the seats in front of us. They had already been flying for over ten hours and were exhausted but looking forward to their first trip to San Francisco. I played tour guide for a while, tellling them about must-see spots, and her daughters wrote poems and drew pictures for me. They were delightful!

At one point during the trip I looked out my window to see an amazing sight--snow-covered Greenland, an expanse of frozen white. Wow!

And, before I knew it, we were making our approach to SFO. I was ecstatic beyond description. I collected my luggage, made it through customs, and walked down the long hallway out to the area where I knew my husband would be waiting for me. I was home...

Some Random Thoughts VII

2007-05-13T03:14:00.003-07:00

1. Harry’s Bar. The very name conjures up images of expatriates, Bellinis, and hoards of artists and writers. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Florence has its own Harry’s Bar. I learned about it in the English-language newspaper The Florentine, which comes out every other week. This particular column recommends “Family Restaurants,” and the description for Harry’s read as follows: “Harry’s Bar is a very special place—an elegant American bar with an international crowd and a sophisticated menu.” I figured, though, since it was being touted as a family restaurant, that it would be affordable. So I headed over for lunch one day. And there I found on the menu a hamburger for 19 euros (approximately $25), not to mention the 5 euro coperto (cover charge) and the drink I would need to go along with it. Yikes! I walked right out and headed somewhere where I wouldn’t have to take out a loan to have a meal!

2. The first week I was in Florence, I spent a lot of time exploring the neighborhood. One day, on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio, I spotted a movie theatre on the other side of the street. I love a good movie, and this was the first theatre I had seen. So I dodged traffic to cross over to see what was playing. I guess I should have noticed that “X” on the sign out front, but I didn’t become aware of just what kind of theatre this was until I saw the billboard for the “film” that was showing. I glanced quickly around, hoping that some early arriving student wasn’t walking by at that moment (Ms. Seefer, what are YOU doing here?) and then I got the heck out of there!

3. I came upon this kebab shop near the San Lorenzo Market. Does the name of this kebab shop really tempt one to come inside? Think about it!

4. Billboards abound in Florence and other European cities, and often they contain subject matter that we just would never see in the United States. Take, for example, this one I spotted in Mittenwald, Germany.

5. Yes, Elvis is alive and well in Florence! I first spotted him on one of my treks to the Post Office to mail a package home. There he was, black pants, a black shirt covered with Elvis buttons, a pack of cigarettes peeking out of his pocket, large sunglasses, a black greased pompadour, a silk scarf around his neck, a big metal belt with chains, black boots, and a guitar case slung over his back. And here’s the kicker—he spoke Italian! I wanted so badly to take his picture, but it didn’t seem appropriate given the setting. But two days later, I spotted him walking right by my front door! I asked him if I could take his photo, and he agreed, giving me a big Elvis smile. And then, three days after that, I was attending the 155th anniversary celebration of the state police, being held in Piazza della Signoria. And who should I see in the crowd? You guessed it—Elvis!

6. And here she is, an English Bulldog hanging out in Florence! Maria is just three months old and absolutely adorable. Go Dawgs!

7. The first time (come to think of it, the only time) that Toni came to my apartment, we went right up to my rooftop terrace. I couldn’t wait to show off the views. Toni looked down over the Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria and immediately said, “You’ve got a great view of Neptune’s butt.” So, here's the view from my terrace. Now let's zoom in a bit. You know, she’s got a point!

Firenze Dopo Gli Studenti

2007-05-13T03:14:00.001-07:00

I stayed on in Florence for about a week after the students left, and things just weren’t the same. The streets, even though they were teeming with people, seemed somehow empty. Early in the week, the AIFS staff moved their offices out of the building on the Piazza della Repubblica, so even my home base was suddenly gone. I was alone.

I walked the streets of Florence a lot during that last week. Interestingly, new groups of students appeared, presumably to take part in summer study abroad programs. But they weren’t our students, and that made all the difference.

On Wednesday I was walking near the school and was overjoyed to run into one of our students, Maria Christina, who had stayed on in Florence for a few days. She too noted how empty the streets seemed without her friends and classmates around.

I figured that she would be the last student I would see in Florence, but I was wrong. On my last day in Florence, Sunday, May 13, I was walking in the Santa Spirito neighborhood, on the other side of the Arno. And on some back street, I just happened to run into Jason and Amelia. So it’s official—you two are the last students I saw in Florence. Enjoy your final days in our magical city!

Lifelong Friends

2007-05-11T06:27:00.001-07:00

There’s something about Laurie! Before I talk about all of the wonderful things we did when she visited me in Florence, I must first introduce you. Laurie and I first met in the first grade, when we were six years old. We were both in Miss Lafferty’s class at Lakeshore Elementary in Rochester, New York. From the moment we met, something clicked. We became inseparable! Kids had a lot more freedom in those carefree days of the 1960s, and we had the run of the neighborhood. We made countless treks between our two houses, where we played games, listened to music (favoring, at that time, Bobby Sherman and the Partridge Family), caused some mischief, and terrorized my little sister. We played in the snow, rode bikes, hiked along the local creek, and explored every nook and cranny of our neighborhood. Life was good! That is, until tragedy struck in the form of my father’s being transferred 3,000 mile away to San Francisco. We were to move in June 1972, at the end of our fourth grade year.

Laurie and I cried, we hugged, and we vowed to remain friends forever. And here we are, thirty-five years after my family moved cross country, still dear friends. And in those days, it was much harder to do. You see, these were the days before e-mail and cell phones. Calling long distance was so expensive that it was strictly prohibited by our parents. We had just one tool we could use to stay in touch: writing. And write we did; countless letters passed back and forth across the country, letters the two of us have saved. In them you see two girls growing up, from childhood, into adolescence, into those teenage years, and finally into adulthood. We followed each other's escapades through junior high, high school, and college, all in writing. We sent each other pictures so that we could see one another grow. We visited each other once or twice on trips with our parents, but that was rare since we were so far apart. It was the writing that kept our friendship going.

We saw each other, albeit at a distance, through good and bad. We supported one another always. And somehow we both turned out to be eerily alike. We are both teachers, and we both have an enormous enthusiasm for life and for getting all we can out of it. During the past several years, we have been fortunate enough to have seen each other a few times during Laurie’s work-related trips to San Francisco. And in between her visits, we have what we call “Wine Chats,” conversation over a glass from a bottle of the same wine, usually from Vin Nostro or Chateau Julien, two wine clubs we both belong to.

So during one of those wine chats, when I told Laurie that was going to be teaching in Florence, the first thing she said was, “I’m coming to visit you!” And a year and half later, she really made that happen!

Laurie and her husband Brad arrived in Florence on Thursday, May 3, the day before the students left. Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect as there’s no better cure for the sadness I was feeling about the program coming to an end than a dose of Laurie! The plan was that she was to call when she was boarding her train and I was to meet the two of them at the train station. I was at the school when my cell phone rang. Laurie said they were boarding a 15:30 train that would get them in around 17:00. She was in a big hurry to make this train, so we hung up quickly. And right away I thought she had the arrival time wrong. So I went on the Trenitalia site to check and, sure enough, found out that her train would get in at 18:30 instead. Or so I thought. You see, Laurie and Brad had been in Italy since Sunday and were traveling around before coming to Florence. I thought that they were coming directly from Venice, a three-hour train ride away, but instead they were coming from Rome, a one-and-a-half hour train ride away.

Imagine my surprise when my cell phone rang a little after 17:00 and it was Laurie calling from the Santa Maria Novella station, wondering where I was! I quickly figured out what had happened and rushed out the door. Luckily the train station is just a short walk from the school, so I arrived about 15 minutes later. Sorry, Laurie and Brad! Well, we just laughed about it, hoping that it wouldn’t foreshadow the rest of their time in Florence.

The first thing we did was walk to their hotel, the Globus Hotel, near San Lorenzo. They checked in, dropped their stuff off in their room, freshened up a bit, and we were off! We decided to have dinner at my favorite wine bar, Conquinarius. And what better way to begin our dinner than with a Bellini! We had fabulous food and wine, and after dinner we decided to walk around a bit.

I just knew I had to take them to the famous boar in Mercato Nuovo. Here they rubbed the boar’s nose in the hopes that they will return to Florence one day.

Our next stop was Caffé Rivoire in Piazza della Signoria. Our intention was to have a real Italian macchiato. The only macchiato that Laurie had ever had was a Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks, so she was in for a treat. But then we spotted the Absinthe behind the bar. Absinthe is a famous green-colored anise-flavored spirit that is derived from a plant called wormwood. Its greatest popularity was in Paris during the late 1900s and early 1900s when many writers and artists made it their drink of choice in cafes across the city. Hemingway was just one of those writers. This is also where absinthe got its bad reputation as an addictive, psychoactive drink, causing it to be banned in the United States. It’s still banned in the U.S. today, although it’s still served elsewhere in the world. Well, we just had to try it! And what better place than the famous Caffé Rivoire?

Well, it turned out to be the perfect place, and the bartender made quite a show of preparing the one absinthe that the three of us planned to share. He first laid a sugar cube on a silver contraption over the top of the class. He then poured the absinthe over the sugar cube, where it soaked the cube on the way into the class. And then, with a flourish he lit the cube on fire! What a spectacle! Everyone around the bar watched and enjoyed, as did we. Finally the drink was ready for consumption, served with a glass of cold water on the side to dilute it. The bartender, quite proud of himself at this point, used two hands to slide the still-flaming drink across the bar to us. We all tried a sip, and I must admit that none of us experienced a hallucination!

After our absinthe and macchiatos, we decided to go to my apartment, which is right around the corner. We ended our evening with Vin Santo (another first for Laurie) on my rooftop terrace. What a glorious first night in Florence for Laurie and Brad!

And the next day would be even better! I picked Laurie and Brad up at their hotel and we walked to the train station, where we were to meet Beppe, driver extraordinaire. Janet also joined us, and we all hopped in Beppe’s van for a trip to the wine country! (You might recall that Beppe also took my parents and I to the wine country when they were in Florence. He’s such a fantastic guy!) As we left Florence, it was pouring down rain. In fact, Beppe even asked us if we still wanted to go. Of course we did! In fact, we figured that the rain would make the wine country even more magical. And we were right! The leaves glimmered with wetness, the dark clouds added a haunting quality to the sky, and the sound of rain on the roof was like music.

Our first stop was Casa Emma, a winery in the Chianti region of Tuscany. This winery produces Chianti, Vin Santo, olive oil, and vinegars. We began with a tour of the winery, where our guide Laura walked us through the entire production process, answering all of our questions.

By the end of the tour, the rain had let up so that we were able to walk around the beautiful grounds. Terra cotta pots spilling over with flowers, acres of vineyards, and olive trees delighted us. But we were ready for some tasting!

So Laura led us into the tasting room where we were able to taste four of Casa Emma’s wines, as well as the olive oil. One thing that makes wine tasting in Italy so special is that all tastings are private. We’ve grown so used to fighting crowds in Napa and Sonoma. It’s not like that in Italy. You can’t just drive from winery to winery as you can at home; instead, you must be with a guide or driver, who arranges tastings ahead of time. And it’s considered uncouth to visit more than two wineries in a day. After all, how can you really appreciate a wine if you’ve already tasted at ten other wineries?

Anyway, we loved the wine at Casa Emma, and Laurie and Janet both purchased quite a bit to have shipped home. I, on the other hand, satisfied myself with a stopper and a plate. (Chip would be proud!) I did this because it’s very expensive to ship wine back to the U.S.: 150 euros a case, in addition to the cost of the wine. Yikes!

After leaving Casa Emma, Beppe drove us through the beautiful Chianti countryside toward our next destination: Tenuta Torciano. Along the way, Janet asked whether olive tree leaves have any scent. No sooner had she asked than Beppe pulled over, rolled down her window, and said, “Check for yourself.” (The answer is “not really.”)

Anyway, Tenuta Torciano is a winery near San Gimignano in the Chianti region that has been in operation since 1720. Here we were able to taste an amazing ten wines, accompanied by a light lunch of antipasti and lasagna. What a treat! The proprietor was a real character, cracking lots of jokes along the way, and even hitting on Laurie!

After tasting and enjoying our lunch, we walked the beautiful grounds, and we even made friends with a couple of cats! Laurie sort of summed it up here: “This is so perfect!”

Now it was time for some coffee. So Beppe took off down some back roads toward the town of Montefioralle in the Greve in Chianti region. Along the way that back road turned into an unpaved road, rewarding us with some of the most spectacular scenery we’d seen all day: remote villages, stone towers, acres of vineyards, stone walls, all framed with gorgeous cloud banks. And, yes, even a rainbow!

When we reached Montefioralle, Beppe parked right in front of a small artist gallery, Galleria Civetta, run by Khostow Salehi. We immediately fell in love with his work, watercolors of the area, and Laurie and I both gave him some business, right as he was getting ready to close up his shop!

We then walked next door to the Caffé le Logge (yes, the same name as the place I go every morning for my coffee!) and had some espresso, Beppe’s treat!

Well, you think that after such a long day that we’d be ready to go home and get some sleep, but not us! Instead, Beppe dropped us off at Janet’s apartment, the palazzo on Piazza Santa Croce, and we were both eager for Laurie and Brad to see it. When we left Casa Emma earlier that day, Laura had given us a free bottle of Chianti “to enjoy tonight.” So we opened it and toasted to a wonderful day!

And then it was time for dinner! Janet took us next door to one of her favorite restaurants, Enoteca Boccadama, where we proceeded to have a wonderful meal by candlelight. Somehow I think Laurie and Brad enjoyed their first full day in Florence!

The next day, Saturday, May 5, Laurie and Brad had a booked tour at the Accademia, so we arranged to meet at Janet’s apartment after it was over. Janet wasn’t able to join us for the day, so Laurie, Brad, and I set off. We cut over so that we could walk along the Arno. The sky was filled with the most beautiful fluffy white clouds I’ve ever seen, all against a backdrop of brilliant blue. Everything looked like a painting! We admired San Miniato, sitting high atop a high across the Arno as we made our way toward the Ponte Vecchio.

Once we hit the Ponte Vecchio, Laurie was in heaven. You see, she loves jewelry, especially gold jewelry, and there’s no better place for that than the shops lining the Ponte Vecchio. She selected a gorgeous gold cross inlaid with semiprecious stones, a piece that will always remind her of her time in Florence.

All that shopping worked up an appetite, so we headed across the bridge to the Golden View Open Bar, a place I’ve given quite a bit of business over the past three months! We were seated at a table right on the water, overlooking the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio, with geraniums bursting out of the window boxes, framing our views. And our meal was fabulous! Along with a bottle of Chianti, we had a pecorino plate, followed with pasta. Laurie had her first Italian gnocchi and loved it!

And Brad was in heaven! I mean, what’s not to love? A big piping hot bowl of ribollita, a tasty pizza, and a waitress who looks like Cameron Diaz! Life is good!

As we dined, the sky put on a show for us. Huge dark clouds began to roll in, making the buildings lining the Arno seem to glow. The winds grew stronger as the storm approached.

But somehow it held off, allowing us to enjoy our walk back over the Ponte Vecchio after lunch.

When we reached the other side, we took some time to enjoy Piazza della Signoria and the marvelous statues situated throughout: a copy of Michelangelo’s David, a bronze statue of Cosimo Medici by Giambologna, the Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati, a copy of Judith and Holofernes by Donatello, the Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, and Cellini’s Perseus With the Head of Medusa, among others.

We even found the exact spot where Savonarola was burned on May 23, 1498,, ironically after his Bonfire of the Vanities took place earlier in the same square. During the Bonfire of the Vanities, countless works of art, books, articles of clothing, and pieces of jewelry were burned, all in Savonarola’s attempt to clean up the decadence of Florence. I guess his followers finally wised up to how crazy he was, giving him a dose of his own medicine!

After exploring the piazza, it was time for one last visit to my rooftop terrace for a final look over the monuments of Florence. And then it was time to say goodbye. Laurie and Brad had a plane to London to catch early that evening. So I walked them back to their hotel, where they picked up their things. And we said our goodbyes out front. Oh, I hated to say goodbye. You see, Laurie and Brad live in Kentucky, so we don’t get to see each other much. But as Laurie and I said goodbye, with tears in our eyes, we did so with the knowledge that our friendship is one that will last a lifetime. And we’re so grateful that we were able to experience Florence together. We’ll be sharing our memories of these three days for a long, long time!

It's Not Over Yet...

2007-05-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be thinking, "She just posted 'Arrivederci, Firenze'," this must be her last entry. Not quite yet...

You see, I stayed on in Florence for a week after the the students left, along with another faculty member, Janet. I'll be posting more entries about our last week and what life is like in Florence now that the students have gone. One of my dearest friends, a girl I've known since we were in the first grade, also visited Florence with her husband, so I'll be sharing our adventures with you.

And then there will be the reunions. We have student and faculty reunions planned back in the States this summer. So keep checking in...

Arrivederci, Firenze!

2007-05-04T01:27:00.001-07:00

Really, we should say “Ciao, Firenze” instead. “Arrivederci” is formal; “Ciao” is informal, and believe me, we all know Florence intimately after three months. How can we ever say goodbye?

I went to the school the day after the leaving show to get some work done, and I was thrilled to have some students drop by. At the same time, though, it was so sad to realize that this is the last time we would see each other in Florence.

Were they sad too? Just take a look at this beautiful face with one perfect tear running down. I think this says it all.

It’s hard to describe what a program like this does to you. It’s funny, prior to coming on this trip, all of the information meetings and orientations focused on what a life-changing experience this would be for students. And there’s no doubt that it was. We had 170 students here in Florence with us, all with such diverse backgrounds. Some had substantial travel experience, both at home and internationally. Others had never been out of California, and others had never been out of the Bay Area.

When I took my preparation class to dinner in North Beach last December, some of the students were actually coming to San Francisco for the first time, and some had never ridden BART before. These are the students I’m the most proud of – those who just took that leap all at once. You did it!

Yes, there’s no doubt that this trip changed all of the students’ lives, no matter what their backgrounds were. But what was never mentioned the whole time was how a trip like this can change a teacher’s life too. For this is so much more than teaching. Sure, we saw these students in the classroom every day, just like home. But we also saw them everywhere else—at wine tasting classes, cooking classes, ILC lectures, walking tours, museum visits, soccer games, classical concerts, oil tasting classes, dinners, language exchanges, daytrips, and weekend trips. And because Florence really is such a small city, you would see them everywhere you went—walking along the streets, in restaurants, in shops. I even ran into two students at the train station in Como!

And throughout that time we became a family, complete with dysfunctionality at times, but always with unconditional love. We felt that bond, and it became stronger as the months went on. I think all of us kept hoping that that final day would never get here, but, of course, it had to.

On Friday, May 4, most of the students boarded a plane to take them back to the States. The night before, I was walking home after taking my friend and her husband back to their hotel. I was a few blocks from my apartment when I heard “Mrs. Seefer!” I looked back and up, and there were David, Kim, Maria, and Kevin, all hanging out of their upper floor apartment window, waving madly. They had just a few hours to go in Florence, and they were making every minute count. We talked a bit and then said our goodbyes, all promising to get together again in San Francisco.

And the next morning, while walking to pick up my friend and her husband, I happened to glance at their door as I walked by. Sitting outside were bags of things they had left behind, all neatly bundled. It hit me—this was all that was left of them. Our time in Florence was really over. A tear rolled down my face…

Student Leaving Show

2007-05-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

The students took their Italian finals on Wednesday, May 2, and that marked the official end of the semester. There was only one more thing left to do: the Student Leaving Show!

This is an AIFS tradition, a student talent show to mark the end of our time together. The AIFS staff members describe it best:

“Sunday 4 February, 2007, was the day when 170 students from Northern and Central California gathered together in Florence. Since that day several tons of pasta have been consumed along with gallons of Chianti. Film nights, cooking classes, Italian exchanges, US military exchanges, museums, galleries, swimming, hiking, muskrat spotting, fresco painting, daytrips, weekends away, and many other things that we don’t know about and don’t want to know about! All of these events have made the semester memorable and enjoyable for all involved. Tonight it’s time to celebrate the past three months as we gather for one last time…”

And gather we did, at Space Electronic, a discothèque just north of the school. I felt as if I were walking back into a 1970s’ nightmare when I entered the place—vinyl, mirror balls, neon, and a giant clown head. Huh?

Regardless of the interior design, the students were decked out for the event (well, most of them anyway!) There were gorgeous spring dresses, sequins, glitter, suits and ties, and fancy Italian shoes everywhere you looked. A perfect place to show off the results of those shopping sprees!

The show took place on the lower level, where we all sat on round orange vinyl cushions (I told you!). Large screens and television monitors were set up around the seats, all showing the AIFS logo and the symbol of Florence, the fleur-de-lys. Music was roaring out of the speakers (yes, many of it from the ‘70s) to get us pumped up.

And then Ged got up on stage, and the show began!

First on the ticket was Norma, AIFS staff member extraordinaire. She wanted to squelch those rumors about her and Ged and Fabrizio, two other AIFS staff, then and there. She did so by admitting that she was actually seeing both of them, and that she now had to make up her mind. She then broke into a wonderful rendition the Sarah Brightman song Make Up My Heart, complete with pictures of Ged and Fabrizio on the screen behind her. Hilarious! Near the end of her song, they naturally joined her on the stage. Boy, I wouldn’t want to have to make that decision if I were she. Good luck with that, Norma!

Angela was next with a poem she wrote about her experience in Florence. Let’s just say that I wish I had had this girl in some of my classes. What great fun she is!

Next was perhaps the most unique act: a poem called Cento written by Robert and Milli. Just what was this poem? Well, they delivered the numbers 1 through 100 to us. No, we couldn’t figure it out either! Some of the numbers were in English, some were in Italian, and some were written on cardboard, but they were all delivered with feeling. Leave it to Milli and Robert to make counting an art form!

Next, Sarah sang her rendition of the Neopolitan song Santa Lucia. That took guts – you go, girl!

The next act was a small “original music” group made up of Aaron, Gus, and Paul performing Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry. It ended up being a little impromptu as more and more people kept joining them, including two female vocalists (not sure what their names are) and a guy who felt the need to take off his shirt. Who is this guy, and whatever would compel him to remove his shirt in front of everyone?

George and Trevor got on stage next, even though they weren’t on the official program, to perform an Oasis song called Wonder Wall. Boy, did they have the audience going!

The last act before intermission was Zach, who sang an original song called I Love You (Ti Amo). He couldn’t be too serious here, so he took off his shirt before sitting down, but I must admit that the song was amazing and quite beautiful. I expect big things from this guy! Norma joined him on the stage to hold his music, and he seductively delivered some of his lyrics directed at her. Will she be adding a third name to her list?

It was time for intermission. Ged told us to watch the screens because we might just see ourselves. So watch the screens I did, and I soon realized that many of those pictures looked familiar. I was thinking to myself, “I took a picture just like that. Hey, that looks like one of the pictures I took. I KNOW I took that one!” Yes, it turned out that many of the pictures being shown had been taken from my blog. I went over to speak to Ged about royalties, and he offered to buy me a drink. Fair enough! Actually, I was flattered to see them up there.

The first act after intermission was John, another highly talented musician. He played guitar and sang a rap song by Dynamite Hack called Boys in the Hood. The crowd loved him! I predict a bright future for this one too!

Ben came up next to read a poem. This poem so inspired his girlfriend Julie that she couldn’t resist throwing a pair of red panties up on stage. I felt as if I were at a Tom Jones concert!

Angela returned to the stage next to sing the hauntingSarah MacLachlan ballad Angel, a song that had much of the crowd in tears. There were lighters and arm-swaying and hugs all around.

Next on the program was Geoff, who sang an Italian song by Kajiura Yuki entitled Canta Per Me. Very enjoyable!

And then was perhaps the highlight of the night, and it just happened to be the last act. Nick and Jason took the stage to deliver a short poem written by none other than Lorenzo de’Medici, a poem they had set to music. Let’s just say that Lorenzo was quite the party boy and loved to write suggestive, racy poems with which to entertain his friends. This poem, about a cucumber, was no exception. And to top it off, they found it in one of their required International Business books Medici Money. Oh, the things you learn in school! But it was such a hit that the crowd wanted more, and they delivered the poem two more times. I thought I would die laughing!

Once the students finished their performances, the AIFS staff took the stage to sing us a song about our experiences here and going back to California. Eventually karaoke words filled the screen so that we were able to sing along. Ged even donned a kilt for the occasion, which rumor has he lifted a little later. Just what’s under that thing, Ged?

After the sing-along, it was time to party. Dance music filled the room and the students got right down to it. I took a few more photos that show the joy and energy in that room far better than I could ever put into words.

But it was my cue to go. The rest of the night was for the students. I don’t know how late the party lasted, but I can say that they had earned it. I know that this is a night all of us will always remember.

The Final Celebration

2007-05-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it had to come to an end sometime. Our last classes met on Monday, April 30 (other than the Italian class, which would meet on May 2), and Tuesday, May 1, was yet another national holiday. Italians love their holidays! So we decided to use this holiday for our final faculty get-together at Toni’s villa. This would be the last chance for all of us to get together. Toni and Coley were leaving the next day for Prague. Rebecca and her girls were flying back with the students on Friday. And Bob and Joan and Lanny and Jane were going to continue touring through Europe, both couples also departing Friday.

Before we went to Toni's, though, Rebecca, Leia, Keira, and Janet came over to my apartment. Surprisingly, Rebecca and the girls had not yet seen it. It was about time! We went up to my rooftop terrace to enjoy the views and good conversation. At first the sun was shining brightly, so much that we kept trying to maneuver our chairs to get out of it. And then suddenly dark clouds started rolling in, making Florence’s monuments look even more impressive.

We eventually felt a few drops and headed inside, where Leia took up a regal perch on my stairs.

All of a sudden we realized that we were late to get to Toni’s. We were supposed to be there a 6:00, and it was already 6:10. How time flies! We grabbed our things—we had all been assigned a dish to bring to dinner—and went out to try to get a taxi, which is always a challenge in Florence. We finally found one, but he would take only four of us, so Janet, Keira, and I hopped in with all the food, and Rebecca and Leia walked.

When we arrived at Toni’s, Coley immediately offered us our choice of drink, which he had laid out on a big table next to the door to the terrace. Coley looks right at home on this terrace, doesn’t he? I have a feeling he’s going to miss his Florence home!

One of the highlights of the evening was meeting Bob’s wife, Joan Frank, for the first time. We had heard so much about here, and she had finally arrived. Bob looks quite happy, doesn’t he? Joan is a writer, and her most recent novel has just been published. Congratulations, Joan!

After our before-dinner drinks, we moved downstairs to the kitchen and dining area for dinner. Toni dished up big plates of mushroom risotto, and there were all kinds of other goodies to go along with it.

After the main course, it was time for salad. (We’ve learned to do this the Italian way!) Bob put on quite a show of tossing that salad, complete with a French accent, and it was divine!

After salad we had some dessert, Vin Santo, and Toni’s favorite, limoncello. (We hear that Danny DeVito loves this stuff too!)

And then it was time for Uno, and quite an exuberant game of Uno at that, complete with some card peeking, careful concentration, and raucous laughter. It seemed as if we played that one game for hours, and do you know that we never finished it. (I’m sure I would have won eventually!)

It was getting late, and people started to say their goodbyes. Coley went up to bed, and Lanny and Jane and Bob and Joan all headed off to their apartments. Those of us who remained, though, decided that we needed one last look of the Florence skyline at night from the hill on Toni’s property.

It was after midnight and pitch dark. Toni, Janet, Rebecca, Leia, Keira, and I made our way slowly up the hill, grabbing on to one another as needed. Toni led the way, the rest of feeling blind on the unfamiliar ground. We finally reached the clearing at the top of the old Roman road, and there was Florence, her lights twinkling against the dark sky, looking like a piece of heaven.

And if this weren’t magical enough—fireflies! Suddenly, the air was filled with fireflies! Leia and Keira went on a mission to capture a few, and some even crawled on their arms. I can’t recall the last time I saw fireflies, and I’ve never seen so many of them in one place. It was as if we had walked into some brilliant dream. Truly, there could have been no more miraculous ending for our final faculty celebration.

Last Day of Class!

2007-05-03T05:44:00.004-07:00

I made it safely back to Florence and couldn’t believe when I woke up the next morning and it was Monday, April 30. You see this was the last day that my two classes would meet. It seemed like only yesterday that we had all arrived in Florence to begin classes, and suddenly that last day had arrived. Unbelievable!

It occurred to me while walking to school that I hadn’t taken many pictures of the school itself, and my time was running out. So here’s a look at where we’ve been spending out time the past three months:

Our school was conveniently located in the center of town on the Piazza della Repubblica. This piazza is actually rather new by Florence standards, although the space itself dates back to Roman days. In fact, where this piazza is now was once a Roman forum. It’s hard to believe! Much later it became the site of the city’s main food market. However, when Italy was reunified in the 1860s, Florence was named as its first capital, a role is served from 1865-1871. The city leaders decided that Florence would need a nice, brand-new central location for all those visiting dignitaries that its new status was sure to attract.

The food market was moved north, to the Mercato Centrale, which was also built at this time. And, then, the impressive Piazza della Repubblica was constructed, with this grand Roman-style arch as its focal point.

The building in which our school was located was actually attached to the very arch. We shared the same building with Pensione Pendini, which coincidently is where Laurie Lema and Kathleen Costa stayed while they were here over spring break. Imagine their surprise to learn that we were in the same building!

If you look closely at the building, you’ll notice some balconies with tall windows behind them. My classroom was behind one of those very windows, and here’s my view out of the Piazza della Repubblica from my classroom window. Imagine having to compete with that while you're lecturing!

The ground floor of the entire building is a covered portico, which makes strolling along it feasible in any weather. Our immediate neighbor was Edison Books, which seems quite appropriate. This bookshop also had a nice café and a respectable English book section. The only problem with the shop is that every day, right out front, a man stood, cigarette in one hand, cup in another, aggressively begging for money. After a while, though, he learned to leave us alone.

Looking out from our school, to the right, was another grand building, its ground floor lined with cafes. This building was actually in the process of being renovated the entire time we were there. What you see behind the Guess sign is actually a cover that’s been placed over the scaffolding to hide it, giving us a sense of what the building will eventually look like. I wish they did this more often in the U.S.—much more attractive than raw scaffolding!

Now, let’s take a tour of the school. Here’s our front door—solid, heavy, and open most of the day. If not, we simply had to ring a bell to be buzzed in. I must also say that we didn’t have an actual school, per say. Instead, AIFS rented space from the Dante Alighieri Centro Linguistic Italian, a scuola per stranieri (school for foreigners). Within the building we had several classrooms, an administrative office, a faculty office, computer stations, and a large gathering place for studying and socializing.

The entryway to the building was impressive, with its warm colors and brightly tiled floors. Our school was located on the second floor, which is actually the third floor to Americans. Here’s a student, Mohammed, making his way to class that Monday morning; he’s even early!

At the bottom of the steps is a small reception office for the building manager. She always kept the lobby of the building so nice—fresh flowers and decorations for various holidays.

The stairway was gorgeous—wooden banisters with decorative wrought-iron. The steps were made from a special type of stone unique to Florence called pietra serena (serene stone). They’re pretty, but they’re pretty hard on your feet when you’re climbing so many steps, especially early in the morning!

My classroom was great! It sat close to 50 people, in rather narrow rows. In fact, if you were in the center of a row, you were pretty much stuck there until class was over! But I had all the equipment I needed. Every morning the AIFS staff would bring me a projector for showing PowerPoint slides. I also had VCR and DVD players, with the capability of playing both American and European videos. And the sound system was amazing. In fact, if I must say, my facilities were far superior here in the 19th-century building than they are in our brand-new building on the DVC campus. (Sorry, but it’s true!)

Here are some pictures of my Business Communications class, right after our very last class meeting came to an end. What an amazing group they were! And let me tell you, this was not the easiest class to get to. After all, this was an 8:30 class that met Mondays and Wednesday—the first class that met after each weekend. Given all the weekend trips these students took all over Europe, it’s surprising that anyone was there on Mondays at all. But they were. In fact, out of 21 students in the class, 3 had perfect attendance, and were recognized for it on our last day. Way to go, Meaghan, Jonathan, and Mohammed!

This group worked so hard this semester perfecting their professional communication skills, both oral and written. We worked on various writing styles: direct, bad news, and persuasive. We also discussed employment communication, including résumés, cover letters, interviewing, and salary negotiation. Emphasis throughout was placed on intercultural communication, nonverbal communication, and professionalism. And the highlight, of course, was preparing oral presentations and PowerPoint slides to deliver to students at the University of Milan. I don’t think any of us will ever forget that day. They really shone in their presentations and made me so proud of them!

The second class of the day was International Business, which met Mondays and Wednesday from 10:30 to 12:20. Even though this class met on Mondays, it was probably a little easier to make it to. I had a whopping 44 students in this class (the largest class in study abroad history), and 12 of them had perfect attendance. They, too, were recognized on that last day. Congratulations, Frank, Kim, Aaron, Holly, Lauren, Lindsay, Charlie, Alyssa, Rebecca, Jonathan, Jason, and George!

Even with having such a large group in this class, we managed to do a lot. We took field trips to the Museum of the History of Science, the Santa Maria Novella perfume manufacturer, and the Alinari Photography Museum. They went on a walking tour entitled “In the Footsteps of the Medici,” during which they visited San Lorenzo, the Medici Chapels, the Medici-Riccardi Palace, San Marco, and the orphanage, Spedale degli Innocenti. In conjunction, they read Medici Money to learn more about the Medici from a business perspective. We also saw films about Luca Pacioli, the Father of Accounting, who first wrote about the double-entry system right here in Italy; Mussolini, who started the Fascist regime in Italy; and the evolution of corporations.

And we had some fabulous guest speakers. Lisa Spinali, the Executive Director of San Francisco School Volunteers and a leader in the field of volunteerism and civic engagement, spoke to the class early in the semester about communication and effective management. My husband, Chip Seefer (left), an attorney specializing in securities fraud, spoke to the class, very passionately I might add, about securities fraud and the global impact of cases such as Enron and Worldcom. Michael McIlwrath (right), senior counsel for General Electric Global, spoke about using effective negotiation and mediation to secure global contracts and to solve conflict. Judge Coleman Fannin, a mediation expert and founder of JAMS, spoke along with Michael about the value of using mediation to solve any disagreement.

Finally, we took a field trip to Milan, the financial center of Italy and one of the premier financial capitals in the world.

And even after all of that, here they are hard at work on their very last day, taking part in a negotiation exercise and completing their last quiz on Medici Money.

I just can’t say it enough—these students were exceptional, and I feel honored and grateful to have shared these two classes with them. They’re definitely ready to go out and take over the international business world!

From Innsbruck to Germany

2007-05-03T05:44:00.003-07:00

On Friday morning, April 27, it was alas time to leave Salzburg, a town I had grown to love in a very short time. I was headed next to Innsbruck, a train ride of about two hours.

When I arrived I walked to my hotel, the Hotel Weisses Kruez. I was thrilled! Not only was it in the pedestrian-only historic part of town, but there was no construction site across the street. In fact, my room was on the top floor at the back of the hotel with a gorgeous view over the rooftops of Innsbruck and the Alps beyond. Definitely the nicest room of my trip to Austria!

The hotel itself was built in 1465, and the building has tons of character. And the most interesting thing about it is that Mozart stayed there with his father Leopold in 1769 while on their first journey to Italy. Leopold wrote in a letter to his wife, “We are in good health, thank God. We are staying at the Weisses Kreuz.” Perhaps they were in my very room!

After checking in, it was time to start walking the same streets that Mozart and his father might have so long ago. My location was ideal for that. Right at the end of my street, which beautifully framed a view of the Alps, was the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof), a building many view as being the most important in Innsbruck. And it’s not really the building that’s famous so much as it’s that golden roof. Legend says that the house itself was built in the 1400s for Duke Friedrich, who was known around the neighborhood as Freidl the Penniless. He just had to prove that he really wasn’t poor, so he had his roof covered with gold, something that would occur to any of us, don’t you think? Regardless if this story is true or not, the golden roof really exists. In fact, its roof contains 31 pounds of gold. Imagine what it’s worth!

I next walked down to the river on which Innsbruck lies, the Inn River (Innsbruck actually means “Bridge Over the Inn,” referring to this river). It’s lined with beautiful Baroque-style homes with great views of the Alps beyond. It was here that I found a place for lunch, the Cammerlander. There’s no history to this particular restaurant that I could determine, but it’s the only one in Innsbruck actually out by the river, making a peaceful place to sit for a while.

After lunch I went to none other than Swarovski Crystal Gallery, a few shops down from my inn. The headquarters of this world-famous crystal maker is in the province of Tirol, of which Innsbruck serves as capital. They had a wonderful holiday-related exhibit, with everything made from tiny crystals. I didn’t buy anything, but I did find the exquisite little frog that my parents gave me to remind me of the tree frogs that used to sit on their windows at night in Venice, Florida.

I should also mention that right next to my hotel was, yes, you guessed it, McDonalds. However, with its quaint little wrought-iron sign, it’s hardly recognizable.

After further exploration of the streets of Innsbruck, my next stop was the Domkirche zu St. Jakob (St. Jacob’s Church), a Baroque-style cathedral built in 1722. There was music playing inside, creating a very peaceful setting. And outside, in a small garden across from the church, it was even more peaceful. I found a quiet place on a bench and read there until dark clouds started rolling in and I felt a few raindrops.

The timing was perfect. I had read on that bench for so long that it was now time for dinner! The place I chose for dinner that night was the Goldener Adler, the restaurant that’s a part of the most famous hotel in Innsbruck. Just look who has stayed here throughout its over 600-year history: Mozart, Maria von Trapp, John Glenn, John Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus. I guess I was in pretty good company!

I started out with what they call the Adler-Royal, a glass of Sekt (Austrian sparkling white wine) with a splash of blackberry liquer. Wonderful! For dinner I had fresh trout, caught that day in the Inn River. This turned out to be one of the best meals I’ve had my entire time in Europe.

As I was eating my trout, I noticed another woman on her own come in and take a seat near the window, across the dining room from me. Imagine my surprise when she pulled out a John Lescroart book to read! For those who don’t know him. Lescroart is a local Bay Area author who writes a series of books featuring the attorney Dismas Hardy. Chip and I just love these books and have read them all. Those of you from DVC might be interested to also know that John is married to Barbara Sawyer’s daughter Lisa. Although Lescroart is popular locally, you’d really never expect to see one of his books being read in a small restaurant in Innsbruck.

So, being the nosy person I am, when I got ready to leave, I walked over to her table, excused myself for interrupting, and told her that I noticed that she was reading Lescroart. I then asked if she was from San Francisco. It was at this moment that I realized that she wasn’t a she at all, but rather a man dressed up as a woman, complete with a dress and long blonde hair. I should also add that s/he didn’t make a very attractive woman at all! Well, it turned out that s/he wasn’t from San Francisco but was actually from Switzerland, on holiday in Innsbruck. S/he was also excited to know of my connection to Lescroart, and I promised to tell him that I saw his book being read in Innsbruck by a Swiss tourist. Barbara, if you could pass that on…

Anyway, I called it an early night, going back to my hotel to figure out what I was going to do the next day, Saturday. Quite frankly, I was stumped. You see, I had pretty much done it all in Innsbruck today. I was actually a little disappointed in the town and found that it didn’t have much to offer. Most people use it a base from which to go skiing or hiking, not as an actual destination. Oh well, the next day could just be a relaxing day…

I got up the next morning and had breakfast in the Mozart Stübe (Mozart Room). Sitting next to me were an older couple, Gill and Kalani, from Mississippi. We struck up a conversation, and I learned that they both worked for the University of Southern Mississippi, although he had retired a few years ago. In the course of our conversation, they asked if I had been to Mittenwald. Where? I had never heard of it. They went on to tell me what a charming town it was, and suddenly I knew exactly what I was going to do that day. After breakfast I walked right over to the train station and bought a ticket to Mittenwald.

Mittenwald in in Germany, right over the Austrian border. It’s about an hour away by train, and what a spectacular ride it is. To get there, the train winds its way up and up through the Alps, making its way through tunnels built directly through the rocks, with delightful Alpine villages in the valleys below along the way. After about an hour, the red train I was on pulled into Mittenwald, and suddenly I was in Germany again, my third time in less than a month!

What convinced me to come to this quaint little German town is when the couple from Mississippi told me that Mittenwald, located in the Bavarian Alps, is home to some of the premier violin makers in the world. I played a violin as a child, so this sounded divine. What I didn’t know, though, is how picturesque this town would me. I was immediately enchanted.

Mittenwald sits a little over 3,000 feet above sea level, completely surrounded by mountains. The town itself is tiny, making the mountains seem even more massive. In 1786 the German writer Goethe described Mittenwald as “A living picture-book.” Over 200 years later, this is still an apt description.

Quaint Alpine-style homes, shops, restaurants, and businesses line the streets, many of them pedestrian-only. And many of the buildings are adorned with delightful frescoes, enough to put a smile on anyone’s face.

Small canals line the streets, their running water making for a peaceful environment. Along these canals are tiny stepping bridges so that you can cross over at almost any point. Pedestrians make their way along these streets, most of them local, and some carrying wooden walking sticks.

Before I did anything else, though, I had to visit the Geigenbau Museum, Mittenwald’s violin museum, located in one of the oldest homes in town. In this delightful museum, I learned that Mittenwald is one of the most important centers of violin making in the world, along with Brescia, Cremona, Vienna, London, Paris, Mirecourt, Schönback/Luby, and Markneukirchen. Violin making in this town dates back to 1685, when the Klotz family established the first violin making workshop there. And the tradition continues today; if you look carefully, you can spot violin making shops on some of the side streets in town (called Geigen und Musik Maller).

On display in this two-story museum were a violin making workshop and many examples of violins that were made throughout the centuries. And it wasn’t just limited to violins. Also on display were violas, cellos, basses, guitars, and zithers. Charming music-related frescoes adorned the walls. I enjoyed the displays, watched a video about a violin making school that still operates in Mittenwald, and learned that even Mozart played a Mittenwalderin, which is the name given to the violins produced here. And to make it even better, I was the only one in the place. Heaven!

After leaving the museum, I walked to the Parish Church of SS Peter and Paul, considered one of the finest churches in the Bavarian Alps. It was built in 1749 in Baroque style, and this gorgeous exterior you see is actually painted. Amazing! Sitting outside the church is a sculpture that serves as a memorial to violin maker Matthias Klotz.

It was well past time for lunch at this point, so I headed to the main pedestrian-only street and had lunch at the restaurant at the Hotel Gasthof Alpenrofe. It was a gorgeous day, so I sat at an outside table next to one of the running canals, dining on rostbratwürste of course! And check out this guy sitting a table just a few away from me. Priceless!

After lunch it was time to head for the hills! I walked out of the business district of Mittenwald, through a pleasant residential section, to the Karwendel Bahn (cable car), which would whisk me up more than 4,000 feet to the very top of the mountain Karwendel.

On the way up I was the only one in the car, with the operator of course. All I can say is Wow! I think these pictures can describe what this ride was like much better than I can put it into words. But it was a thrill ride, to say the least!

When I got to the top, I immediately noticed that the temperature had dropped substantially, and the ground was covered with snow. There was a restaurant up there with a wooden deck, on which many people were sitting enjoying the sunshine and view. I walked along one of the paths, and here I am, up in the clouds with the birds, literally (look closely)! It was absolutely exhilarating!

Unfortunately I couldn’t stay long as I had to be sure to catch the last cable car down. As awe-inspiring as it was, I don’t think it would be much fun to be stuck up there overnight!

The ride back down was just as exciting, and soon we made our way safely back to Mittenwald.

From there it was just a short walk to the train station, and an hour later I was back in Innsbruck.

That night I had a fantastic dinner at Thai-Li. Yes, my first Thai food since January. Does this look good or what?

The next morning I couldn’t wait to have breakfast at the inn before flying back to Florence. I was praying that I would see that couple from Mississippi. And, sure enough, there they were. I thanked them profusely for telling me about Mittenwald. I never would have discovered this enchanting little town without them. Vielen Dank! (Thank you very much!)

The Hills Are Alive...

2007-05-03T05:44:00.001-07:00

I really had no problem leaving Vienna earlier than expected, even though I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. That’s because I was heading to the Austrian city to which I was most looking forward to: Salzburg. Yes, Salzburg, which is most known around the world for two things: Mozart and The Sound of Music. Now you might say, “How could one of the world’s greatest composers possibly be put into the same category as a Hollywood film?” But there’s no doubt that this particular film has won the hearts of people around the world, and has done so since it was first released in 1964. In fact, today more people probably visit Salzburg to see the movie locations than to hear the work of Mozart. It’s true.

I actually came for both, although I should probably admit right here that The Sound of Music is probably my favorite film of all time. There, I’ve said it. And anyone who knows me well is probably not surprised. I’m just an old sap after all!

But let’s back up, to the train ride from Vienna to Innsbruck, which takes about three hours. The 7:30 a.m. train I boarded was already crowded. It was one of those trains that has separate compartments that seat six, and it took me a while to find one that had an empty seat. In the train were two girls, probably college students, a businessman in a suit, and two guys, I guessed a father and son. And when I sat down the father immediately offered me some of his morning drink—a giant bottle of beer. I politely declined, actually cringing inside. But he didn’t seem to have any problem with it, and continued sipping from it throughout the ride. Would it surprise you to learn that he eventually passed out, snoring loudly all the way to Salzburg? But he didn’t seem like a bad guy, only a guy that liked his beer for breakfast, so I stayed put. And I’ll tell you one thing he missed during his slumber: field after field of carefully tended fields filled with brilliant yellow flowers. I have no idea what they were, but they were breathtaking.

We eventually made it to Salzburg, and I hopped in a taxi to take me to my hotel for the next two nights, Altstadthotel Weisse Taube, right in the heart of old town Salzburg. The building the hotel is in dates back to 1365. It was first built as a private residence and then passed hands many times over the centuries, belonging at times to a monastery, a carpenter, other Salzburg residents, and the tailor’s city guild, who remained the owners until 1809. In 1809 a surgeon bought the house at auction and opened it to the public as a guesthouse. Again, the guesthouse continued to change hands numerous times (why didn’t anyone want to hang onto it?). Finally, in 1904 it was purchased by the Haubner family and has stayed in the family ever since. The hotel was badly damaged during World War II and was not repaired until 1964, when it was completely renovated.

And, although the staff was very nice, I must say that this hotel desperately needs another renovation. My guess is that it hasn’t really been touched since 1964. I actually felt as if I was staying in a trailer. Not only was it tiny, but the furniture was plywood, the bed looked like a cot with a wooden frame, and the bathroom was completely vinyl from top to bottom, and you had to step up a little to get into it. But the place was clean, the bed was actually comfy, and the location was ideal, so who was I to complain? Oh, did I mention the great view I had? (What is this with me and construction sites on this trip?)

After checking in, I was ready to explore the quaint town of Salzburg. Count Ferdinand Czernin once said, “All Salzburg is a stage. Its beauty, its tradition, its history enshrined in the grey stone of which its buildings are made, its round [sic] of music, its crowd of fancy-dressed people, all combine to lift you out of everyday life, to make you forget that somewhere far off, life hides another, drearier, harder, and more unpleasant reality.” Now my life is far from dreary and unpleasant, but the rest of what the count said is still true today. Salzburg just oozes charm, and you really do hear music practically everywhere you go.

I explored the narrow streets for a while, all lined with regal looking buildings, each shop, restaurant, or business clearly identified with its uniquely designed wrought-iron sign. Yes, even McDonald’s has a gorgeous sign, so much so that it’s hard to identify it as a McDonald’s at all, thank goodness. Everywhere you go in town you catch glimpses of church towers, the Salzach River, the Alps, and the grand fortress that sits on a hill, keeping watch over the town. There were even dancing fountains, just like the ones in Olympic Park in Atlanta, and it was warm enough for people to actually use them.

Soon it was time for lunch. Choosing restaurants when you’re in a place for such a short period of time is an art. I always try to find something that has a long tradition and a sense of history. That made my choice for lunch, the Zum Eulenspiegel, perfect. The restaurant is located in a building that dates back to 1713, and it gets its name from the 14th-century jester from Germany’s Braunschweig. It still maintains it 18th-century appeal, with lots of dark wood, nooks and crannies, open fireplaces, and antique weapons on the walls. But it was much too lovely to sit inside, so I opted to sit on the patio, complete with a view of Mozarts Geburtshaus (Mozart’s Birthplace), where the great composer was born in 1756 and lived until he was seventeen. He composed many of his early pieces in this home, and his first, very tiny, violin is still on display. And I read all about this while enjoying a wonderful salad under my bright umbrella overlooking the home.

After lunch I crossed over the river, and it seemed only fitting that I should now visit the Mozart Wohnhaus (Mozart Residence). Mozart moved to this house with his family when he was seventeen, and he lived there for seven years. He also composed many of his great pieces here, including the Salzburg Symphonies. The items on display here include instruments, autographed letters, books, and music. Many had been translated into English, so you got a really good sense of the relationships in the Mozart family.

I couldn’t stay too long though because I had a bus to catch! I had booked a tour of the Bavarian Alps and a salt mine that left promptly at 2 p.m. It was a small group—eight of us—and we boarded a van to embark on our tour, skillfully led by our guide Walter.

The van crept along narrow roads toward the German border. Along the way, Walter regaled us with stories of the area. At one point he turned off the main road and headed up a steep, twisting road so that he could show us Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s former conference center that sits perched high on a hill, which is ironic given that Hitler had a fear of heights. That’s probably why he built a massive elevator through the mountain to take him up there, so that he wouldn’t have to see how high he was actually going. Although the road leading up to Eagle’s Nest was closed, we were able to see it from afar. If you look closely at this picture, you might be able to do the same. Looking at the landscape though, it becomes obvious why the Third Reich would want to set up residence here. The mountains are spectacular!

After our stop, we headed to our primary destination, salt mines that have been in operation for over 450 years, and are still active today. (Did you know that Salz means “salt”?) Before entering the mines, we were required to put on traditional miners clothing—loose white pants, a loose long-sleeved black shirt, and a leather belt with a leather padded cushion. We learned why we needed this later! I look like I’m ready for karate, don’t I?

After putting on the appropriate attire, we waited for our train, which would take us deep into the mines. The tunnels were long and dark, and the air grew cooler as we went deeper and deeper. We eventually reached the end of the line for the train, but we still had to go even deeper. How? On our bottoms, of course! Yes, we had to slide down a massive wooden slide, deep into the grottos of the salt mine, a thrilling ride that no amusement park could hope to recreate. Now we knew why those leather cushions were needed!

Once in the depths of the salt mines, we were taken to rooms with names like “Rock Salt Grotto,” Salt Lab,” “Blind Shaft,” and “Treasure Vault.” Along the way we saw mining equipment, we learned about the mining process, and we even saw a few true miners hard at work. We also had a chance to taste pure salt water, fresh from the earth. And then we came upon an underwater salt lake, over which we took a mystical boat ride.

Finally we boarded the train again, which took us back out into the sunlight, our eyes blinking in surprise and discomfort. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to work in those mines day after day, so far from the light of day.

After our mining adventure, Walter took us to the German town of Berchtesgaden. Yes, I was suddenly in Germany again, and seeing a biergarten was a good clue! We had about 45 minutes in this town. Walter suggested going for a coffee, but I wanted to explore instead.

I soon discovered the Nationalpark Berchtesgaden, which is located in the German state of Bavaria. The views over the Bavarian Alps and the tiny towns nestled in the foothills from this park were stunning.

A little further in my explorations I discovered the Kurgarten, a serene garden with row after row of trees, all in full bloom with gorgeous pink buds. I sat here reading, enjoying the peacefulness, until our van was ready to depart.

Once back in Salzburg, I learned that the Museum der Moderne Salzburg (Salzburg Museum of Modern Art) stays open late one night a week, and it just happened to be Wednesday. What luck! This is a relatively new museum; it opened in October 2004. It’s a minimalist modern (of course!) building that sits high on a hill overlooking Salzburg. In fact, to get to it, you have to take the Mönchsberg Elevator, which takes you straight through solid rock up to it.

Many people like to come up here, not necessarily for the museum, but to see the terrace outside it, known as the Café Winkler terrace. This is where Maria and the children start to sing “Doe, a deer, a female deer…” Although that song continues on and on, taking the group all over Salzburg, this is where it began, making this terrace legendary. And the views are legendary too, overlooking all of Salzburg and the Salzach River. Gorgeous!

And I thoroughly enjoyed the museum also. I’m really into photography, so I was thrilled to learn that the museum had two special exhibits, both of work by Joel Meyerowitz, an American photographer. The first was entitled “Out of the Ordinary” and consisted of photos he took in the U.S. between 1970 and 1980. Whereas many professional photographers prefer black and white, Joel Meyerowitz uses color, and with this film he captured the everyday, often absurd, during the decade of the ‘70s. Although the photos were taken all over the U.S., many were taken in Cape Cod, which made it even more meaningful to me. (Chip and I hope to own a home on the Cape one day.)

The second exhibit, also by Meyerowitz, was much more emotional. This was called “Aftermath” and was made up of photos he took in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. What makes this exhibit so special is that he was the only photographer who was given official authorization to make a photographic record of the aftermath of this tragedy. His work will be shown throughout the world, and I encourage you to see it if possible. It’s extremely moving.

Well, it was time for dinner, so I came back down the elevator and headed to the Zipfer Bierstuben, one of Salzburg’s oldest Gasthäuser (guesthouse) serving authentic Austrian food. It was a warm and cozy place for dinner.

After dinner I went to Café Tomaselli for an after-dinner coffee. This coffeehouse has been operating since 1705 and was one of the first coffeehouses in the area, opening its doors shortly after Austrians forced the Turks out and they left their coffee behind. Austrians have loved that coffee ever since! The Tomasellis began running the coffeehouse in 1753 and are still in charge today. The concoction they’re most known for is called the “Tomaselliums Café,” which is made with mocca, Mozart liqueur, and whipped cream. That’s naturally what I had, making a very nice ending to the day!

The next morning I was woken up early, once again, to the lovely sound of construction workers arriving for the day. No worry though because I had another bus to catch!

After having breakfast at my inn, I walked across the river toward the bus station. Because I had woken early, I even had time to visit Mirabellgarten (Mirabell Garden) before my tour departed. Anyone who has seen The Sound of Music will immediately recognize this gorgeous garden which is considered to be one of the most beautiful in all of Europe. It is here where Maria and the children continued on for most of the Do Re Mi song, creating probably the most delightful scenes in the entire film.

Everywhere I looked I spotted something from the film: a fountain, a statue, steps, and, of course, the Zwerglgarten (Dwarfs’ Garden). In this garden are 12 marble statues of “Danubian” dwarfs, which were designed for the bishop at the time. The models displayed here were actually the models for the final versions that were given to the bishop. Each dwarf has its own personality, with the most famous one being the one with the spectacles. If you’re familiar with The Sound of Music, you’ll know why!

I could have stayed here all day, but my, appropriately enough, Sound of Music tour was about to begin. Now I’ve long been a critic of bus tours. Whenever I see a tour bus making its way through San Francisco, I always feel so sorry for the people on board. How can they really see anything from that cramped space? How can they get a feel for the neighborhoods of the city? And now here I was, ready to get on one of those buses I’ve so despised. But if you want to see the film locations, there’s really no other way. That’s because filming did not take place just in Salzburg but all over the area. Without a car these locations would be impossible to see. So I figured I’d make the best of it!

I certainly wasn’t alone! Every seat in this massive bus was filled, and we departed right on time at 9:30 a.m. for our four-hour tour. Our guide was Peter and our driver was Marcus; they made quite an entertaining Rowan and Martin kind of team. In fact, Peter was quite theatrical throughout, as you’ll see in a later photo. As the bus made its way out of town, Peter told us some trivia about the film.

The von Trapps were a real family in Salzburg, although much of their reality was altered for the Rodgers and Hammerstein film. In fact, prior to the 1964 film there was a German version and a Broadway version, which starred Mary Martin. It was the Germans who gave Maria $9,000 for the rights to her story. She gladly took this payment and relinquished all rights. Oh, if she only knew…

Eventually 20th Century Fox bought the rights to the story, and the rest is history. Maria von Trapp actually didn’t like this version and threatened to sue. She settled for $900,000 in compensation. Interestingly, the Austrians didn’t like the film either, and many have still not seen it to this day. There are still dark rumors today that the Austrians did not approve of the anti-Nazi von Trapps, which must mean…(I’ll let you fill this in). Regardless, the rest of the world loves the von Trapps, and attendance on this tour was proof.

We also learned something that I found fascinating. It took them a lot longer to film The Sound of Music than was originally anticipated, 11 months to be exact. Filming took place not only in Austria but in Hollywood, so there was a lot of back and forth. And the closing scenes were actually filmed first. So if you watch the film closely, you’ll notice that the children get smaller as the film goes on!

Our first stop was at the Leopoldskron Palace, which was used as the back exterior of the von Trapp family home (another palace down the road served as the front). It sits on a beautiful lake, and it was here that Captain von Trapp first saw the children in the play clothes that Maria had made for them. You might recall that they came along in a boat, which capsized in this lake in their excitement to see their father again. This was also when the Baroness saw the children for the first time. The palace now serves as a conference center. The famous gazebo from the film actually sat on the property for quite some time, but some many people tried to sneak in to see it that the owners finally had it removed.

And that was our next stop: the gazebo’s new home on the grounds of the Schoss Hellbrunn (Hellbrunnn Palace). This palace was built in the 17th century by Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus, who had quite a sense of humor. He installed what is known as Wasserspiele (trick fountains) throughout his gardens and even in his formal dining room, on the guests’ seats of course. He had them shoot water at unexpected times, often dousing his guests in the process. He would laugh and laugh, and what were the guests to do? After all, you couldn’t yell at a prince-archbishop now, could you?

But we weren’t there to see the castle or the trick fountains; we were there to see the gazebo. After the film was made, 20th Century Fox presented the gazebo to the City of Salzburg as a gift. It remained in its original location at Leopoldskron Palace until 1991, when it was moved here to the grounds of the Hellbrunn Palace. It really is amazing to think that this was the exact gazebo in which Leisl sings “I am sixteen, going on seventeen...,” as she jumps from bench to bench. In fact, this is precisely why the gazebo is locked today. Some woman on the tour a few years ago thought that she could do just what Leisl did. Not even close. And to prevent further injury (and presumably lawsuits), the gazebo not stays locked to the public.

This is also where Maria and Captain von Trapp kiss for the first time (“Somewhere in my childhood, I must have done something good…”), another classic scene. And to make the scene we were seeing today even more magical, the gardens were abloom with bright pink flowers.

Next we drove by the Schloss Frohnburg, the palace that was used as the front of the von Trapp home (confusing, huh?). This is a private residence now, so we weren’t able to stop, but we did see the row of trees from which the children hung like monkeys in their new play clothes. My, what would the Baroness think?

Next Peter and Marcus took us to a surprise destination, one that has nothing at all to do with The Sound of Music: the rodelbahn! No, I had never heard of a rodelbahn either. The best way to describe it is like the luge, but on grass rather than snow, and down the foothills of the Alps.

Here’s how it works: You get on a little cart, made either for one or two people. The cart is hooked to what looks like a type of ski lift, which pulls you backwards up the hill (that’s me going up!). When you get to the top, your cart is transferred to the rodelbahn, a metal shoot in which you ride down the hill, at times extremely fast. There are even turns to bank. Now I might have had a skirt on, but there was no way I was missing out on the rodelbahn! What a blast!

Once we all had a chance to ride the rodelbahn, if we chose to (some were too chicken!), we got back on the bus and rode to a scenic overlook so that we could see one of the lakes that is featured in the aerial shots at the beginning of The Sound of Music. This particular lake is Lake Fuschl.

After the lake we drove on to the town of Mondsee, a quaint little town that is most known for the Basilika Mondsee, the cathedral that served as the location of Captain and Maria von Trapp’s wedding. Even though the wedding took place in the film in the Abbey, the filming actually took place here in Mondsee. My guess is that the filmmakers found this a brighter place in which to film. I must admit though that they made the church seem much larger and the aisle much longer in the film, but it was still beautiful to see.

We had a little time in Mondsee to grab some lunch. What did I have? “Warm apple strudel” of course! After all, it’s one of “my favorite things”!

This was the last stop on our tour before heading back to Salzburg, but I wasn’t ready for my Sound of Music experience to end quite yet. Next stop? The Festspielhaus (Festival Hall Complex). They give one tour a day there at 2 p.m., and this is the only way you can see the complex if you’re not attending a performance. Luckily, I just made it! In fact, the tour was already heading out, but the guide let me join.

The Festival Hall Complex is actually made up of three separate theatres, the Haus für Mozart (House for Mozart), the Grosses Festspeilhaus (Great Festival Hall), and the Felsenreitschule (the Rocky Riding School).

But we actually started out in the Faistauer Foyer, a beautifully frescoed room, with all frescoes having something to do with performing arts. Beautiful!

Next we entered the Karl Böhm Saal. Although once a theatre, this room is now used primarily to serve refreshments at intermissions. It’s a glorious space nonetheless, which one wall actually built right out of the solid rock into which the theatre complex is built. It also has a wonderful frescoed ceiling depicting a fight scene. Our guide, who is a dancer at the complex herself, looked as if she were on stage as she was showing it to us.

By the way, our guide was quite impressive. We were a mix of German- and English-speaking tourists, and our guide was able to move flawlessly form one language to the other. At one point she realized that one of the group spoke Italian. No problem! She simply delivered part of the tour in Italian too. The Europeans and their language abilities really put Americans to shame!

Anyway, our next stop, and the one I had been waiting for, was the Great Festival Hall. No one who has seen The Sound of Music can ever forget the von Trapps performing in the Salzburg Festival in this very theatre. (If you don’t get a tear in your eye when Captain von Trapp sings Edelweiss, well, you’re simply not human.) It was also through these archways that the von Trapps escaped as they sang So Long, Farewell to the crowd, right before the eyes of the Nazi soldiers. What a thrill to actually be here!

What a fantastic tour! And I still had a few things I wanted to see. So I walked toward the funicular that would take me up to the fortress. Along the way I stopped at Museum der Moderne Rupertinum, another modern art museum, this one on lower ground. The special exhibit here was in honor of Igor Stravinsky, the great Russian composer. The exhibit was a collection of black-and-white photographs taken throughout his life by such great photographers as Richard Avedon, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Platt Lynes, Arnold Newman, and Antony Armstrong Jones. I don’t know how I lucked out with all of these great photography exhibits in Salzburg’s modern art museums!

Next I made a stop at Stiftkirche St. Peter (Collegiate Church of St. Peter), the most famous church in Salzburg (and there are many!). It is in this church where Mozart’s famous composition Mass in C Minor premiered in 1783, with his wife Constanze singing the lead soprano role. Imagine being there! This same piece is still performed in this church every August during the summer music festival.

Outside the church is Petersfriedhof (St. Peter’s Cemetery), the oldest Christian graveyard in Salzburg. The graves are beautifully decorated with flowers, and most interesting of all is to look up to the rockface, which contains very early Christian tombs.

After walking through the cemetery, I boarded the Festungsbahn (funicular railway) to take me to the Fortress Hohensalzburg, the largest preserved medieval fortress in Central Europe. You can see this fortress, built in 1077, from anywhere you happen to be in Salzburg, and it’s really quite magnificent.

Many of the rooms in the fortress contain displays of weaponry, armor, medieval art, musical instruments, costumes, and torture instruments (you really can’t get away from this in Europe!). There’s even a Welt der Marionetten (World of Marionettes), which seems oddly out of place up here. But the exhibit is devoted the Marionettentheatre (Marionette Theatre), the world’s greatest marionette theater, located right in Salzburg. Yes, this was the theatre that assisted with the marionette scene in The Sound of Music (remember the lonely goatherd?).

Better than the exhibits, though, were the views from up here, across lovely Salzburg to the dramatic Alps. And here’s a view of Salzburg from the funicular on the way back down.

A Sound of Music-related trip wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Stift Nonnberg (Nonnberg Convent), so that was my next stop. This was the abbey made famous in the film. It was founded by St. Rupert in 700, and his niece was the first abbess. Even though the film took some liberties with the story, Maria really in this convent prior to meeting Captain von Trapp. What surprised me is that I was able to walk around the grounds and enter the chapel. I first came to an iron gate and saw a nun on the other side. I asked, “Permesso?” and she smiled and waved me in. The peacefulness here was beyond words. I almost felt as if I was intruding, although no nun made me feel that way. They also had a gorgeous view from up here, which somehow doesn’t surprise me. This was really a spiritual experience.

After leaving the abbey, I walked down a flight of stone steps (the same steps that the von Trapp children used when they visited the abbey to try to see Maria?) back into Salzburg. I went back to the hotel to change for dinner and then set off for a little more exploration.

I first went to the Panorama Museum, which is part of the Salzburg Museum (scheduled to open this summer). The Panorama Museum is home to one of the only remaining 360 paintings in the world. This painting by Johann Michael Sattler depicts Salzburg in the 19th century, 1829 to be exact. In addition to his Salzburg panorama, the museum also has other Sattler panoramic paintings of other cities in the world, including Vienna, Boston, Edinburgh, Geneva, Havana, Lisbon, London, Mexico City, Paris, Rome, Venice, and New York City.

This museum was so interesting that I could have stayed a lot longer, but I had to be back outside by 6 p.m. That’s because this is the time that the Glockenspiel (Carillon) plays. Every day, three times a day (7 a.m., 11 a.m., and 6 p.m.) the 35 bells in this tower play classical songs, mostly by Mozart. At the end of the song, a 200-pipe “Bull” organ at the Fortress Hohelsalzburg answers back with a loud retort. I just had to see this! It really was enchanting!

I then continued my walk, past St. Florian’s Fountain, which was built in 1734 to honor the patron saint of firefighters. You might remember this from one of the early scenes in The Sound of Music, when Maria was on her way to the von Trapp home for the first time (“I have confidence in me…”).

I had a little time before dinner for an aperitif, so I headed to the Goldener Hirsch (Golden Stag), probably the most famous hotel in Salzburg. Who has stayed here? Well, Picasso, Pavarotti, the Rothschilds, the Gettys, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and Queen Elizabeth, just to name a few. Surprisingly, it doesn’t look very sumptuous inside; instead, it feels more like a hunting lodge. I settled into a seat in the bar, and the bartender suggested their special cocktail. Well, why not? I’m not sure what was in it, but it was good! As I was sitting there enjoying my cocktail and the snacks he also brought to my table, three couples sat at the table next to me and struck up a conversation. Right away I noticed their Southern accent. Sure enough, they were all from Atlanta. Small world! And they were quite excited to learn that I was a Georgia Bulldog! Go Dawgs! (And I swear, as I write this, Ray Charles’s Georgia on My Mind just came on the radio, all the way here in Florence. Amazing!)

All too soon I had to leave for dinner, but that was okay with me. You see, I had reservations for a very special dinner, the Mozart Dinner Concert in the Baroque Hall of Stiftskeller St. Peter, the restaurant at St. Peter’s Church, a restaurant since 803. Extraordinary!

What a magical night this was! I was seated at an “English-speaking table” and was charmed by my seatmates: two couples from Scotland, and the gentleman next to me was a retired English teacher. On my other side were two high school students from Venice, traveling on their own. (I’m not sure I would let Jake do that!)

Sitting in the Baroque Hall really did make me feel as if I had been transported back to the days of Mozart. By candlelight we dined on a three-course meal that would have been typical during Mozart’s time:

Cream soup flavored with lemon, wine, and a hint of cinnamon

Roasted capon breast on a bed of polenta with a truffle-sage-cream sauce

Potatoes and vegetable from Father Prior’s garden on the church grounds

Semi-freddo honey parfait with fruit and sauces

And before we began and between each course a five-piece orchestra played, accompanied by two very talented singers, one male and one female. All were in typical period dress. The singers had this incredible chemistry that made the music magical. (On one of their breaks I happened to see them together in another room, and she was sitting on his lap. Hmmm, maybe that explains it!)

We heard music from Mozart’s most famous operas: Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), and Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute). It truly was a night I’ll never forget.

Oh, by the way, Salzburg is a candidate for the 2014 Olympics. They've got my vote!

Waltzing to Vienna

2007-05-03T04:46:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 25, was a national holiday in Italy, so the school was closed. This day is known as Liberation Day, and it commemorates the liberation of Italy by Allied troops during World War II. Because I teach only on Mondays and Wednesdays, I decided to take full advantage of this holiday. This is only doing things the Italian way. You see, the Italians love their holidays, and they’re famous for creating what are known as “bridge” holidays. Is there a holiday on a Tuesday? Well, let’s stretch it to include Monday. The same holds true for a Wednesday holiday, and I created quite my own bridge!

Here it is: on Tuesday, April 24, I caught a 7 a.m. flight to Vienna to begin a five-day journey across Austria, a country I’ve long dreamed of visiting.

From the moment my trip began, one thought popped into my mind about Austria, and it remained the recurring theme throughout my trip: civilized.

Yes, there is no doubt that the Austrians are civilized, and it comes out in everything they do, including how they run their airline. I flew Austrian Air from Florence to Vienna, a flight that takes about two-and-a-half hours, including an odd short stop in Bologna to pick up additional passengers.

As soon as I boarded the plane, I noticed strains of classical music coming out through the speaker system. And when I sat down, I immediately noticed how comfortable my seat was, with plenty of leg room, even for a much taller person! As soon as we all boarded, the flight attendant came down the aisle wheeling a rack filled with newspapers in different languages, and I helped myself to an International Times Herald. I felt as if I were in first class! On top of all this, we actually got food on the flight, even though it was so short, and decent food at that, including fresh fruit and warm freshly baked rolls. I plan to fly Austrian Air every chance I get!

We landed in Vienna at 9:20 a.m., right on time; of course, I didn’t expect anything less! I then took the train from the airport into the city and walked to my hotel, the Hotel Savoy, very close to the Museum Quarter. My room wasn’t quite ready, so the man at the desk suggested that I get a coffee in a cute pedestrian-only neighborhood right down the street known as the Spittleberg Quarter, a real slice of Old Vienna with cobblestone streets lined with Baroque-style homes. A wonderful introduction to Vienna!

I found a coffee shop and ordered a cappuccino, and when it was served to me, there was that civilized thing again. You see, this wasn’t a fancy coffee shop, just a small corner café. Yet my cappuccino was served in a beautiful china cup on a silver tray with a small glass of water beside it. Impressive! And it cost me all of 1 euro!

After enjoying my morning coffee, I went back to my hotel, and my room was ready, just as promised. The room itself was nice, although I must admit that the view left a little to be desired (I don't know, constructions sites have never really been my thing--more on that later)!

I was now ready to start exploring Vienna. Now, here I was in one of the world’s great cities, with the Kunsthistorisches Museum, what some consider to be one of the most important museums in the world, just a few blocks away, not to mention many other famous attractions. So what’s the first thing I did? Well, I headed to the Prater Amusement Park, across the Danube Canal, to ride the giant Ferris wheel, of course!

The amusement park on this site dates back to 1766 when Emperor Joseph II declared that the land known as the Prater would be open to the public. It really is a step back in time, although not quite that far back. Most of the surviving rides along the 3-mile promenade date back no later than the 1920s and 1930s. That’s because much of the park was destroyed by fire during World War II in 1945.

The most famous ride of all, and one that survived the fire, although it was badly damaged during the war, is the Riesenrad, a giant Ferris wheel that stands 200 feet. Now this is no thrill ride; rather, it’s a nice leisurely ride in large cars that allow expansive views of Vienna. But that’s not why I wanted to ride this Ferris wheel so badly. No, I wanted to ride it because I’m a film noir buff, and this is the very Ferris wheel that Orson Wells rode near the end of the classic 1949 film noir The Third Man, based on a novel by Graham Greene and set in post-war Vienna. In addition to its film notoriety, this Ferris wheel was one of only three built in Europe in the late 1800s, and it’s the only one that hasn’t since been dismantled. And to top that, it’s still fully functional!

I couldn’t wait to ride it myself! So I boarded Car No. 2, along with four other people, and up we went! The views were indeed spectacular, not only of Vienna but also of Prater itself. And on the way down I noticed that Car No. 30 was made up for a special wedding dinner. Imagine doing that!

After riding the Ferris wheel, I toured the Prater Museum, which had many displays documenting the long history of the park, including a fairly disturbing display of photos of the “freaks.” I wonder if they do that any more at amusement parks.

Well, my trip to the park gave me an appetite, and it was definitely time for lunch. So I took the train back to downtown Vienna. I knew exactly where I was going: Griechenbeisl (Greek’s Tavern), located on the Fleischmarkt (Meat Market) street, one of the oldest in the city. This restaurant has been operating in this same location since 1447. Incredible! There’s a wooden sign at the front of the restaurant commemorating a man named Max Augustin, a musician who performed at this restaurant during the plague of 1679. Legend has it that Max somehow managed to fall into a pit filled with plague victims, spent the night there, and was rescued the next morning, fully intact and healthy. Those who knew him well say that he managed to not contract the plague because his bloodstream was so full of alcohol that it could fight off anything. You gotta love old Max!

And what a wonderful place the Griechenbeisl was for lunch! The tavern is divided up into numerous rooms, each with its own name and distinct character. I dined in the Zitherstüberln room, at the actual table where during the evening the zither player sits to entertain guests. (Thank goodness they didn’t ask me to fill in for him during lunch!)

I had the most delicious meal. I started with a bowl of cream leek soup served with a fried quail egg. My entrée was beef carpaccio (Mom, you don't want to know!) with leek pesto and pecorino. Divine! At the end of the meal, my waiter asked if I wanted dessert. Although I ordered a caffé macchiato, I declined dessert. Imagine my surprise when the waiter returned and placed a plate down in front of me, saying, “I cannot let you go without having something sweet at all.” And sweet it was! The dessert he gave me was their famous Apricot Dumplings: apricot ice cream in a dumpling with raspberry drizzle and a side of fresh whipped cream. Heaven!

After enjoying this unexpected treat, I asked my waiter where the Mark Twain room was located. He called the busboy over immediately and said, “Please show this lady the Mark Twain room.” This is the room I had been dying to see. Over the years the Griechenbeisl has attracted many famous patrons, and somewhere along the line it became tradition to sign their names on the ceiling of this room. All of these signatures have been beautiful preserved, and the busboy pointed out some of the more famous ones: Mark Twain, Beethoven, Pavarotti, Mozart, and, yes, even Johnny Cash. I also spotted Phil Collins’s signature, which proves that this tradition is alive and well today.

I hated to leave this special place, but it was time to continue my explorations. Upon exiting the tavern, I headed to Schönlaterngasse (Street of the Beautiful Lantern). (Don’t you just love that name?) This picturesque street was once the heart of Vienna’s medieval Latin Quarter and was named for the wrought-iron lantern that hangs at No. 6. But the most famous home on this street is No. 7. The home located here was built for a baker. Legend has it that on June 26, 1212, a foul-smelling creature (half rooster, half toad) decided to make its home in the courtyard well. In addition to smelling bad, it could also kill you just by glancing at you, and it poisoned the water in the well. Definitely not something you’d want as a housemate! So how do you get rid of such a creature? Well, an apprentice to the baker decided to climb down the well (a brave lad!) with a mirror. The idea was that when the creature saw its own reflection, it would turn to stone. And it evidently worked! The petrified creature is now proudly displayed in a niche on the upper level of the house, along with frescoes telling the tale. And what a tale it is!

After all this tale-telling, it was time to go to church! So I walked over to Vienna’s most famous church, Stephansdom (St. Stephan’s Church). This is the church that stands at the heart of the city and towers over all of Vienna. The traditional Viennese horse and carriages line up outside the walls of the church, ready to whisk people off for a romantic ride over the cobblestones.

The church was first built between 1144-47, and the Viennese people love its lack of symmetry, which is caused by additions being added on over the centuries, with no real plan. That’s why part of the church Gothic, some is Baroque, and some is Romanesque. No matter, somehow it works! And even though the church was badly damaged during World War II, the residents of this city made sure that it was rebuilt from the rubble. They love this church. This is where Mozart was married in 1782, where his funeral was held in 1791, and where he is buried.

The inside of the church is immense, but I was more intrigued by the outside. That’s why I was happy to discover that there’s an elevator that can take you to the top, so off I went. I have really grown to love the views from rooftops! From here I could see all over Vienna, including that famous Ferris wheel! And I just loved the roof, made of thousands of wooden disks in an array of colors, some forming phoenixes to symbolize how the church rose after the damage during the war. And down below that line of horse and carriages kept moving along. People seem to love this traditional ride!

After leaving Stephansdom, I soon discovered another church, Peterskirche (St. Peter’s Church), a Baroque church built between 1702 and 1708 on the site of another church that was said to have been built by Charlemagne in 792. A plaque on the side of the church notes this. The most beautiful thing about this church is its cupola through which a dove appears to be flying to the heavens.

As luck would have it, I arrived just in time for a concert! A four-piece orchestra, with a conductor and vocalist, was performing classical music. I took a seat and took in this beautiful concert. Another unexpected and delightful surprise in Vienna!

After the concert, I headed over to the Uhrenmuseum (Clock Museum). This museum is located in the top three floors of a beautiful 18th-century home on a cobbled side street. The museum’s collection is made up of over 3,000 timepieces that are arranged chronologically (of course!) from the 15th century to the present. Grandfather clocks, cuckoo clocks, wall clocks, miniature clocks, pocket watches, wrist watches—they were all represented. And I just happened to be there at 4:30, when they all went off in some way. Miraculous! (I would have loved to have been there at noon!)

Well, my time in Vienna was passing quickly (no pun intended!), and it was time to continue on with The Third Man, and where else would that take me but to the “Third Man Portal.” In the film Orson Welles plays a man named Harry Lime. Joseph Cotton plays Holly Martins, a pulp-fiction writer who comes to Vienna in search of his friend Harry. Harry doesn’t actually appear on film until about an hour into it, where we finally see him in the doorway of his girlfriend’s house at No. 8 Shreyvogelgasse. He was hiding in the dark there, not wanting to be seen, when a light goes on in a window across the way, revealing him to his friend. That’s all I’ll say about the film for now, but you can bet that it will be the first one I watch when I return home!

Now, after tracking Harry, it was time to become a part of Vienna’s Café Society! A famous saying goes that there were once more cafés in Vienna than there were banks in Switzerland. Now I’m not sure who actually counted, but many of those famous cafés still exist today. And the Viennese still come to these cafés starting at around 4 p.m. to read, chat, gossip, do business, meet with friends, and maybe, just maybe, even actually have a cup of coffee! My task was to pick the perfect one as this would be my only chance to experience this part of Vienna’s culture. Naturally I chose Café Central, the granddaddy of them all. Many consider this the second-most-famous coffeehouse in the world, right behind Caffé Florian in Venice, which of course you know I also visited if you’ve been keeping up with this blog!

Café Central is where Lev Bronstein, better known as Leon Trotsky, used to play chess. Now this may sound rather dull, but the story goes that Trotsky just happened to map out the entire Russian Revolution right here over some of those chess games! I couldn’t wait to see it for myself, so I pulled out my trusty map and headed that way.

I found it on Herrengasse, a beautiful café with domed ceilings, marble floors, glass chandeliers, and soft lighting. To make it even better, Frank Sinatra was playing on the sound system. I ordered a Viennese favorite, Kaffee mit Schlag (coffee with whipped cream), delivered to me, of course, on a silver tray with a glass of water and a piece of chocolate. While enjoying my coffee, I pulled out my Fodor’s guide to make sure that I didn’t miss any special that I should see in the café. As I read further, I realized that I wasn’t in the Café Central at all! Rather, I was in an offshoot of the café, a “baby” Café Central if you will, on the same street but not the real thing. Well, at least I found out then!

I still thoroughly enjoyed my coffee, paid my bill, and set off in search of the real thing. It turned out that the café was located just across the street, part of the Palais Ferstel complex, a glass-roofed shopping arcade.

I searched around and finally found the real Café Central! Inside it was even larger and more elegant than the “baby” café I had just visited. Artwork lined the walls, a rack was filled with newspapers from all over the world (even Russia!), and an elderly gentleman was playing a grand piano. Since I had just had a coffee, I decided to go with Prosecco instead! I lingered over that small glass of sparkling wine for over an hour, enjoying the music, my book, and some great people watching. I could get used to this!

And then it was time to head back to my hotel. I was exhausted after a very full day in Vienna. My lunch had been large enough that I didn’t feel the need for dinner. Instead, sleep beckoned me. And it’s a good thing I got to bed early, because I was woken up very early (around 5 a.m.) to the sound of construction trucks entering the work site right across from my hotel. And I thought the view was bad! Well, I took this as a sign that it was time to get up earlier than I had planned to leave Vienna and to catch an early train to Salzburg. Auf Wiedersehen, Wien! (Goodbye, Vienna!)

We Made the DVC Newsletter!

2007-05-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

Well, actually we made the newsletter for the whole district (Contra Costa Community College District). Appearing in the April 2007 newsletter is an article about this very blog, complete with quotes from some of its readers.

Here's a link to the entire newsletter: "The News" for April 2007 (.pdf file)

And here's the text from article:

Study Abroad Program Blog a First

Carolyn Seefer is a full-time faculty member in the Business Division at DVC and is teaching in Florence, Italy, this semester for the DVC Study Abroad program.

Seefer is excited about the blog she is keeping of the experiences: preparing for the trip, arriving in Florence, orientation, the start of classes, class activities, special excursions and classes, etc., which began in the Fall 2006 semester. The blog is filled with descriptions and photos and will serve as a complete chronology of the trip.

Recommendations on related books, films, and websites appear on the blog. As readership has grown to include students’ families, who were among Seefer’s original target, comments give important feedback to the blog’s effectiveness.

Below are recent comments from parents of two current program students:

“Your blog is fantastic! My husband and I have been enjoying reading it and of course seeing photos of our son and the other students. It is very reassuring for a mother to see her ‘baby.’ We have all been so busy we have not communicated much by phone. I try to e-mail every other day and write cards when I travel so your blog really fills those gaps.”

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to see pics of my daughter and her best friend. Wow, an opportunity of a lifetime! We appreciate your passion and feel comforted knowing that you are there to help them navigate their way through this journey. You appear to be wasting little time; what a schedule of activities. Seeing the girls brought tears of joy to my eyes.”

Visit the Study Abroad program blog at http://www.dvc-in-italy.blogspot.com.

Some Random Thoughts VI

2007-05-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

1. All over Rome you’ll find fountains through which fresh, drinkable water is constantly flowing. Many people drink from these freely, and others even use them to wash up for the day!

2. I haven’t driven since January, and I don’t miss my car one bit!

3. But now I must fess up. My Italian was far better back in December, when I had been attending Italian class five days a week, than it is now that I’m living in Florence. You see, there’s just not much opportunity to speak Italian here, even if you try. Everyone seems to speak (and wants to speak) English. I know Franco, my Italian teacher, will be very upset with me!

4. One thing you must learn when visiting food markets and shops in Italy is that you should never, never touch the products, especially fresh foods. When you want to buy something, you politely tell the proprietor what you want and how much of it, and he or she will get it for you. And here, just in case, a sign has been placed on a stand in Venice as a reminder. It appears that only tourists make this faux pas!

5. In Heidelberg, restaurant owners have a unique way of keeping their outside dining areas open, even when it’s cold outside. They simply hang thick wool blankets over the backs of chairs to encourage customers to wrap up and settle in. And it works!

6. My apartment in Florence backs up to a courtyard, around which are other apartment buildings. Directly across from me is an apartment with four young girls, all studying fashion design. So here’s what I’ve noticed: almost every night, as I’m getting ready to go to bed, I look across the courtyard and notice that they’re just getting ready to go out. Boy, if that doesn’t make you feel old…

7. At the same time, the last two times I’ve reloaded my Internet Train card, I’ve been charged the student price (for age 26 or younger), even though I was fully prepared to pay the “adult” price. Boy, I love the Internet Train!

A Tourist in Florence

2007-05-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, it hit us all during Picture Day: our time in Florence is rapidly coming to an end. So I decided to get out my guidebooks so that I could list all of the things that I haven’t had a chance to do yet, and then to make my way through the list. And it’s a pretty long one:

1. Salvatore Ferragamo Museum
2. Bargello Museum
3. Casa Guidi
4. Alinari Photography Museum (Cézanne exhibit)
5. Palazzo Davanzati
6. Museo dell’Opera del Duomo
7. Museo di Firenze Comèra
8. Museo Horne
9. Palazzo Vecchio
10. Giardino dei Semplici
11. Opificio delle Pietre Dure
12. Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi
13. Museo Marino Marini
14. Santa Trinità Church
15. Santi Apostoli Church
16. Ognissanti Church
17. Santa Spirito Church
18. Palazzo Pitti
19. Museo Bardini
20. Museo La Specola
22. Odean Theatre (Cézanne film)
22. Biblioteca Nazionale (“Grand Tour” exhibit)
23. Anthropology Museum
24. Fort Belvedere (modern art exhibit)
25. Baptistry

Boy, I’d better get busy! So I set out on Friday, April 20, to see how many I could check off. And that weekend I did pretty well, visiting five places on Friday and one on Saturday.

My first stop on Friday was Palazzo Davanzati, which is right down the street from my apartment. This palace is also known as Museo dell’Antica Casa Fiorentina, which is a perfect name because this museum gives you a wonderful glimpse of how wealthy Florentines lived in the 14th century. You first walk into a courtyard that was specially designed to ward off unwanted visitors. You see, the courtyard had mechanisms for first trapping the visitors, then pelting them with missiles. I guess you would have really wanted to be on the good side of the Davanzatis!

It appears, too, that the Davanzatis were ahead of their time. Many of the rooms had attached bathrooms, which was quite uncommon in those days. They had also had their own well and had devised a unique pulley system to lug buckets of water to the upper floors. This in a time when most Florentines had to get their water from a local fountain!

The ceilings had sturdy wood beams, and the walls were completely covered with vibrant frescoes, some showing scenes from a French romance. Oh, those racy Davanzatis!

Next I walked by the Baptistery, which is right next to the Duomo. I’ve come by here so many times, and never has it been open. Today was no exception. But I did have a chance to admire the East Doors of the Baptistery, which were created by Lorenzo Ghiberti after winning a competition in 1401. In fact, he beat out Brunelleschi in this competition; you might remember that Brunelleschi went on to construct the famous dome, so he didn’t end up doing too badly! The bronze door, which took Ghiberti 28 years to complete, is made up of ten panels, each depicting a scene from the bible. They include:

1. Adam and Eve being expelled from Eden
2. Cain murdering his brother Abel
3. The drunkenness of Noah and his sacrifice
4. Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac
5. Esau and Jacob
6. Joseph sold into slavery
7. Moses receiving the Ten Commandments
8. The Fall of Jericho
9. The battle with the Philistines
10. Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

The panels are so detailed and striking that Michelangelo, upon seeing the door for the first time, referred to it at the “Gate of Paradise.” I was so excited to finally see this door. You see, ever since I’ve been in Florence, it’s been covered by a plywood wall for cleaning. Only one problem though—the door I was looking at was only a copy. So, where might the original be? Would you believe Atlanta, Georgia? I actually already knew this as my dad had sent me an article from The Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

So how in the world would Ghiberti’s famous door end up in Atlanta? Well, it’s only there on loan temporarily, and what an amazing coup for the High Museum. They did it by an arrangement with Florence whereby the High Museum financed 40 percent of the cost to perform badly needed restoration on the door. In exchange, the door will be on display in the High Museum from April 28 through July 15. As you can imagine, this is highly controversial to the Florentines!

After admiring this copy (and knowing that my parents will ironically be able to see the original), I walked past the Duomo to get to the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, a museum dedicated to the history of the Duomo. As I was walking through admiring the displays, I kept asking myself, “Why haven’t I been here before?” It was that interesting. The newly remodeled museum begins with large open spaces filled with Etruscan and Roman reliefs. There is also a side room with 14th- and 15th-century religious paintings. There’s also a reliquary containing the finger of San Giovanni. (Even after all this time in Florence I still don’t get this relic thing!)

But these are the things I really wanted to see. I had to head to the second floor for those. And right there, at the top of the stairs, is Michelangelo’s Florence Pietà. What makes this particular sculpture so unique is that many believe that Michelangelo has placed himself into the work. If you look closely at the face of Nicodemus, standing behind Mary, you’ll notice that it looks remarkably like Michelangelo himself. And this makes sense. You see, although the sculpture is unfinished, Michelangelo originally planned that it would be his own funeral monument. It’s too bad it never served this purpose as it’s really quite stunning.

The next room I entered was sheer delight! It was a room filled with children, all sculpted into choir lofts and reliefs. And these children were enjoying themselves—singing, playing instruments, and dancing, all with jubilance. The first set of reliefs was created by Luca della Bobbio in the 1430s. The choir stall was designed by Donatello in the same year. I especially enjoyed reading a description of these two in my Fodor’s guide: “But while della Bobbia’s figures seem innocent, Donatello’s look like frenzied participants in some primitive ritual.” And that’s exactly what they look like in comparison. See whether you agree.

There must be something about Donatello, for in the next room I discovered his wooden statue of Mary Magdalene, which he completed in 1455. Now I’ve seen all forms of Mary Magdalene, in both paintings and sculptures, but never have I seen one quite so scary. Let’s just say that I wouldn’t want to come upon this thing alone in the dark!

Luckily the next room was a little more uplifting, literally. Here on display are examples of the tools and pulleys that Brunelleschi used to create one of the most important architectural works in the world: the campanile (dome) of the Florence Duomo. Fascinating!

Finally, near the exit, I discovered a few of the restored original panels of Ghiberti’s “Gate of Paradise.” I guess I just made it before they’re shipped off to Atlanta!

Next it was time to see another home, so I walked down the street a short way to Museo Horne, which displays a small collection of paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts that Herbert Percy Horne left to the city of Florence upon his death in 1916. What I enjoyed better than the art, though, was seeing the house itself, which is a well-maintained example of a Renaissance palazzino (small town house). (If this is small…) It was built in 1489 for the Albertis, a wealthy Florentine family involved in the cloth trade.

After a quick lunch, I was ready to see some shoes! My next stop was the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, a private museum dedicated to the life of Salvatore Ferragamo, probably the most famous shoe designer who ever lived. The collection of shoes on display spans his career from 1927 until he died in 1960. And what a remarkable career it was! Ferragamo was known for his creative designs, unique colors, and innovative materials. And because of the beauty of his designed, stars all over the world have long been attracted to his shoes. On display were shoes he had designed for Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Eva Perón, Sophia Loren, Bridget Bardot, Loretta Young, Lana Turner, Carmen Miranda, Greta Garbo, Lauren Bacall, Gene Tierney, Rita Hayworth, and my favorite, Audrey Hepburn. In addition to the shoes, the walls were lined with black-and-white photos depicting Ferragamo with a variety of stars. And there was a wonderful film that showed how often Ferragamo shoes have been used in films, and still are today. Yes, his legacy lives on, and the company continues to be hugely successful today.

The museum itself is located in the Palazzo Spini Feroni, a medieval palace built in 1289. Ferragamo purchased the building in 1938 to serve as the headquarters for his company and his own workshop. Although I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of the shoes inside, I did capture a few of the building itself. I must also admit that this was possibly the most interesting museum I’ve visited in Florence, which is probably blasphemy but it’s true. At least I found myself smiling more than I have in any other museum I’ve visited!

My last stop for the day was one that I’d been looking forward to the entire time I’ve been in Florence: Casa Guidi. Just what is Casa Guidi, you might ask. This is the home on the south side of the Arno in which the poets Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning lived from April 1847 until Elizabeth’s death in June 1861.

Perhaps it’s the love story I’m so attracted to. Elizabeth and Robert fell passionately in love when they met in May 1845, but Elizabeth’s father, who was a religious fanatic, vigorously opposed the relationship. So in September 1846, Elizabeth and Robert were secretly married in London and snuck off to Italy. They lived in Pisa for six months and then settled in Florence, a city they both instantly fell in love with. Elizabeth once wrote to a friend, “When all’s said and signed, I love Italy. I love my Florence…Florence is my chimney-corner, where I can sulk and be happy.”

The building they moved into is Palazzo Guidi, which Elizabeth nicknamed Casa Guidi, a palace built in fifteenth century. It was such a pleasure to walk through the rooms where the Browning spent so many happy moments. The home consists of six furnished rooms, a kitchen, and an entrance hall. Elizabeth wrote her letters and poetry in the home, and she and Robert entertained many visitors, including John Ruskin, William Westmore Story, and Anthony Trollope.

After Elizabeth died, Robert, heartbroken, moved to Venice where he later died. The building remained in the possession of the Guidi family until 1893, when Pen Browning, Elizabeth and Robert’s son who had been born in the house, purchased it. Unfortunately, he died before he was able to restore it, and the home was sold to a couple from Georgia. Fortunately, they also had plans to preserve it as a memorial, and in 1916 they created the Browning Foundation. Finally, in 1992 Eton College took ownership of the home and, with the help of the Landmark Trust, opened it to the public in July 1995. Thank goodness there are people and organizations out there who realize the importance of keeping a place like this alive.

On Saturday, April 21, I had a lot of errands to run and chores to do, so I managed to check just one thing off my list: the Biblioteca Nazionale. I wanted to visit the library to see an exhibit called “Il Viaggio in Toscano,” which was about the Grand Tour, that obligatory trip that students from wealthy families took as part of their cultured upbringing. The exhibit ran through today, so I made it just in time.

But getting into the exhibit wasn’t as easy as I thought. I entered the library and had to pass through a metal detector; however, there was no one at the security desk, so I just walked on through. I had about ten minutes before the exhibit opened, so I decided to explore the library. As I walked around the building, admiring various display cases, I came upon some stairs with signs telling me that various rooms were located up there, including the Rare Books Room. That sounded interesting, so I started up. I was about halfway up the stairs, when I heard shouting. I turned around and realized that the man at the bottom of the stairs was yelling at me. In Italian he was saying something like, “What are you doing?” I explained that I was touring the library. He, in no nice terms, informed me that the library was for members only. Now, this is Florence’s main library, but unlike our public libraries in the U.S., you must be a member. Who would have thought? I apologized profusely (Mi dispiace!). This guy was angry, and I didn’t want to make him even angrier. I explained that I didn’t know (Non lo so!), and then he suddenly became apologetic to me! After all, he had been pretty darn rude!

Anyway, after I explained that I had really come to the library to see the exhibit, he allowed me to go back upstairs where it was located. And it was really interesting—a collection of maps and books related to the Grand Tour. Some were even in English, and I loved being able to read about how Florence was described to these student tourists in the 18th and 19th centuries. But I didn’t linger long—I knew that guy would be watching the stairwell closely until I came back down!

I ended this wonderful weekend by meeting Toni, Coley, and Janet for lunch at La Terrazza del Principe, the delightful restaurant on the other side of the Arno that Chip and I had stumbled upon a few weeks previously. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. We sat on the terrace, overlooking the Boboli Gardens, Janet looking pretty in her new spring hat. Even the chef was enchanted by her!

We dined over a three-course meal: pasta, meat dishes, and dessert. Everything was exquisite! Afterwards, Janet and I walked home along a cobbled, walled lane, brilliant yellow flowers in bloom everywhere. We stopped by Fort Belvedere to enjoy the spectacular views over the city.

And because we weren’t quite ready for this incredible day to end. Janet and I met later at Caffe Rivoire for a cocktail, my first-ever Brandy Alexander. A toast to spring weekends in Firenze!