TUSCANY

SPOUSAL COMMUNICATION

Part II

(Ladies, please skip to the next entry. This is for men only.)

 

Sure enough, in the morning it was raining. She arose around 9 and after having her coffee she said "lets go to the winery". I replied "sure" and we loaded into the car.

 

I must regress here a moment. While waiting for the rental car van at the airport in Rome, every time a limo would pull up she would say "is that for me". Remember, I had just chauffeured her for 3 weeks around Turkey. When we arrive at the rental car company and asked for her license to put her on the contract I am told, "I don't know why,you never let me drive". So, I decided she could chauffer my ass around Tuscany for two weeks.

 

Back to the moment.

 

We run through the rain and jump in the car. She starts the car and then says, "I don't want to go anywhere in this rain".

 

I think, but do not say, "any chance that could have been figured out before we ran through the rain."

 

"Ok honey" I reply "whatever you want."  And we dash back through the rain to the apartment.

 

The rain stopped about noon, the time we would have arrived in Chianti, and she says "lets go to town for pizza".  Ok and we jump in the car and she drives us away.

 

We find that, though the restaurants in Monte San Savino are open for lunch, you can not get pizza until after 5 PM this time of year. We tried every place including the truck stop and got the same reply. So we head back up the hill for home for plan C but, at the last minute, decided to try a restaurant close to home out in the country that we have never visited.  She goes in to see if they are open, comes back out and signals they are open.

 

It is a very nice place with a great view and we set down at a table. Only one other couple are in this rural restaurant. 

 

"Did you ask if they are serving pizza" I ask?  "Well she handed me the whole menu so they must be" she replies.

 

So I am thinking to myself, "we have been to every damn restaurant in town looking for pizza, they all say no, and you don't bother to ask if they are serving pizza." Which is all she wanted to eat.

 

When the waitress arrives I ask, "are you serving pizza"?  "No, not until after 5 PM." Why am I not surprised, but she is.

 

I see this all ending badly.  I am amazed that despite the fact I am yelling inside I say nothing. Men, you know what I am talking about.

 

This could have all ended on a very bad marital note. However, we ordered pasta, instead of pizza.  What saved the day was the service was impeccable, the view magnificent, and the pasta, some of the best either of us has ever tasted!!!!  All was forgotten when the meal was served.  Great pasta, good wine, sunshine and a wonderful view saved our marital bless one more time!

 

We left holding hands and me behind the wheel again.

 

Thank you Podere Pendolino, Ristorante-Pizzeria-B&B.

http://www.albatrosristorazione.it/pendolino.htm

 

 

Family & ITALY

Being in the Army my family did not have much money to go around with 5 children.  But our parents, especially my Mother, tried to expose us to as much of the world as they could.  We had many great camping trips around Europe during my Dad's second tour there in the 50's.  One of those was to Italy to all the historic sights.  Rome, Pisa, Venice1`, the Vatican and Lake Como. I have many great memories of those family trips. Looking back at the pictures, the main thing I notice now is the lack of traffic and people.

I blame my wanderlust on my mother. At the ripe age of 6 weeks, she put me in a straw basket like a puppy, and we traveled by train and troop ship from Germany to the U.S. Thus was the beginnings of my wanderings that continue to this day.
Thank you Mom.

TUSCANY

SPOUSAL COMMUNICATIONS

 Oct  26

You know, all those books they write about women and men communicating and how to do it and how one sex perceives things as opposed to the other sex.....send them to me.

 

For about six months, I have said, and believe it is even in print in this blog, that "I am going to Tuscany to pick olives for two weeks" . Simple, short, no misspelling or grammar errors in that quote. No hidden agenda, no maybes, nothing ambiguous, just a straight forward "I am going to Tuscany to pick olives for two weeks".

 

Obviously, I missed something.  Let me try this again, "I am going to Tuscany to pick olives for two weeks".  Ok, I have studied that in print and said it out loud several times and it seems pretty straight forward....to me.  I tried it on Daniel and he agrees. He speaks many languages and he interprets it to mean "from 9 to 6 you will be picking olives with me". I did not ask the "olive boss" as she might not understand it in English and besides she is always saying "poor Vicki...". The "olive supervisor", Spotty ,would be no help as he goes with whoever snuck him that last treat.

 

So, when I dragged myself home yesterday at after 6 PM expecting a nice hearty farmers meal on the table and a glass of the nice estate wine.  I was a little shocked when it was not there. Well, that doesn't happen on a regular day, so it was some of the imaginary gentleman farmer thing going on in my head and I should not have been shocked. Now don't get me wrong, Vicki cooks a fine meal, we just don't eat at 6 at our house unless I make a baloney sandwich.

 

I took a shower, after having literally worked my pants off, all day.

 

I came out of the shower and Vicki had a nice martini waiting for me. She is wonderful and I love her dearly. Best thing that ever happened to me. Well, after finding all that gold back in the 70's. A wonderful companion and life partner. I am a lucky man and sat down to enjoy a evening drink with my beautiful wife.

 

"I did not know that when you said you were coming to Tuscany to pick olives you meant everyday from 9 to 6". ZING!!! 

 

 I sat there looking into my vodka thinking "damn, that drink is talking to me".  I said "excuse me"? 

 

 "I did not know that when you said you were coming to Tuscany to pick olives you meant everyday from 9 to 6". POW!!!

 

Nope, not the vodka talking and I had just barely had a sip, so it wasn't drunkenness talking to me either. I took another sip and looked up. And there was the Princess smiling at me....sort of.

 

"When you said you were coming to Tuscany to pick olives I did not expect you to do it everyday all day."

 

Well, that was not a fair statement as we have only been here 3 days and I have only picked 2.5 days. I stared into the vodka. The vodka said "be real careful boy, you may be getting yourself into a dangerous place". I took a slow sip and thought quickly. Even though my body was tired from pulling olives all day, it is not mind numbing work, so the mindt helped figure out what to say.

 

"I'm sorry honey, what did you think that statement meant", I said in a very even quiet voice. Which was not easy as what little mind I have left was shouting it.

 

"Well, I don't know?"  A response I am sure will be explained by one of those many "relationship" books you are going to send me.

 

"Well honey, I have been saying for a long time 'I am going to Tuscany to pick olive'. I think that is what I am doing."

 

"Yes, but....." This response too I am sure will be explained in the books.

 

Men, you know how the rest of this goes.  You give in and move on or you don't and you move out.

 

So, I said "Ok honey, tomorrow I will take you up to that little winery in Chianti that we like so much."

 

She smiled real big, gave me a little kiss and said "that would be wonderful". Then got up to cook my hearty farmers dinner.

 

I never told her that is going to rain tomorrow so we can't pick olives anyway.

 

 

 

TUSCANY

TUSCANY

We arrived in Monte San Savino about 21:30 and met Daniel coming down the hill from his house. Our first few nights would be at Villa Manciano as the 3 apartments at Villa Ceppeto were occupied. After Daniel left,  we drank a little wine and called it a day about 23:00. (www,bestoftuscany.com)

As much as I loved Turkey, waking up in Tuscano was like being home again. I watched the sun come over the hills behind the town of Cortona.  A trip down the road to the bakery for fresh pastry and some coffee to begin the day. I left to pick olives and Vicki spent the day in leisure.

When we first started coming Tuscany, I was sure it would be awash in tourists and tourist traps. For us it is far from that. Yes, if you go to the places in the guide books you may be trampled by tourists. But again, just step off the beaten track, and you will be in the real Tuscany. No guide book says Monte San Savino is a must see place, thus making it and many, many more little towns just great places to be, if you can entertain yourself.

This is how I will be entertaining myself for the next 14 days. If it rains, I get the day off.

 My olive boss Manuela and my supervisor Spotty.

TURKEY TO ITALY

Oct 22

The plan had been to travel to Italy by ferry through Greece, but due to time constraints, we decided to fly.  We bought a real ticket from Bodrum to Istanbul, $50 and a meal, and then intended to fly on Alitalia to Rome on an airline pass. The first part worked out fine, but the Rome leg presented a few problems. Alitalia said we had to book two days in advance and would not waver on that. Ok, your flight is way late anyway, so we will try Turkish Airlines. Our first attempt at Turkish was a "no". It was looking like it might be a ferry ride after all. The "no" person did send us to some one else. The next person, at the "standby desk", did not bat an eye and gave us tickets with seat assignments 2 hours before the flight was to leave. Seat assignments seems a normal thing to non-airline people, but for us free loaders, it is a rare thing to get a seat assignment that far in advance. It pretty much means you will get on the flight. Thank you Turkish Airlines and again the kind Turkish people. (Two hour flight, free booze, and a choice of entrees. Beat that, USAir.)

Not relevant to the story, but I do have to make a comment about Rome Funcianno Airport. It is the most un-user friendly airport with the most unfriendly personnal I have ever been to. That is probably why I try to avoid it. Ok, got that off my chest - lets move on.

GOODBYE TURKEY

Oct 22

TURKEY

WOW!  What a country! I have visited and lived in many countries and this is one of the most fascinating I have been to.  If you are a history buff, there is so much history, it will make your head spin. I am not a big history buff and my head is spinning. How can it not when there is history going back thousands and thousands of years. It is home to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the silk road, ancient wonders of the world and much much more. And it is all there for you to see and touch.

It is a big country that we only saw a small portion of,  but more than most tourists. From the Black, Mediterranean, and Aegean seas, to the high mountains and plains. There is something here for everyone. With most of the country in the modern world, there is still a lot from the past in real life today. People doing things just like they have for centuries.

 This lady is making grape syrup. 

 When these students saw us taking pictures and talking to the elderly lady and her friends they came over to take pictures.  They begged Vicki to be in the picture.

But, by far, their biggest asset is their people. I have found people all over the world to be kind and helpful. But in Turkey, they take it to another level. In most countries if you ask for help, people will do their best to help. The difference in Turkey is, you do not even have to ask. Many times we were confused about something, like buying tickets for the ferry in Istanbul, and people would walk up and ask to help. They would patiently show us how to do whatever we were doing or explain something that we were curious about. If there was a line involved the people behind us, usually, would wait patiently for us to accomplish whatever it was we were doing. Many people gave us a gift if we stopped to visit them. From the restaurant owner who gave us free coffee and internet to the shepards, almost all gave us something to take away.

 Home of the shepard and his wife and their gift of an egg from their chicken

I encourage you, if you have ever had any desire to visit Turkey, do so now!

Thank you Turkey.

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Notes

1. The tourist information is correct. Fly from point to point and rent a car at your destination. Tickets are cheap and flying saves you a lot of time.  Unless you are wanderers like us.

2. About those drivers. The tourist information is correct. They have an excess of stupid drivers. We did not notice it much at first. I have spent a lot a of time in countries where the guy driving the donkey today is a bus driver tomorrow and I take a lot of this for granted and don't even think about it. If you have never had that experience then you will be using a lot of "expletives deleted" language as you drive around.  We really noticed it in the Bodrum area. Passing in a no- passing area against oncoming traffic, the driver expects, since he is so stupid, you will get out of his way and as soon as he gets around he will slam on brakes and turn right.  Signs and stop lights are something left by those Ottoman people and they do not understand them. Just be forewarned, it can be exciting out there. This does not mean everyone drives with a death wish, but enough that you will notice.

 It is hard to capture pictures that tell the story of bad drivers on the road. Fortunateley, this gentleman supplied us with the photo in a parking lot. The lot was just about empty but he chose to park right next to this scooter. His friend stood and shook his head as the driver tried to squeeze out the door that he could barely open.

3. It has been a while since I visited a country that is predominately Muslim. So, when you pick your overnight facility, if you can, make it away from the Mosque. No matter where you are, you will hear the call to prayer at 5 AM, you just don't want the speakers outside your window.

Especially if you are a Princess and demand your sleep.

BODRUM

BODRUM PENINSULA

Oct 15-22

I honestly thought the report for this week would be "we rented a nice little village cottage with a sea view and just drank wine and read books". That did not happen.

The cottage, though lovely, overlooked the major highway and the village was behind it.  Not exactly what I envisioned. We cancelled that. Fortunately, Frank, a Italian from the Bronx, had another offer. Next to his house, way up on top of the hill was another apartment, so we went for that.

Frank is an old SouthEast Asia hand and he and I were in the same areas at the same time, but we never knew each other. He is a regular ex-pat, 65+, 41 year old wife, and 9 month old daughter. He left us to go to Istanbul to get his daughter registered at the U.S. Embassy and we had the place to ourselves. We did have to share it with 2 dogs and the caretakers family. Not a big problem.  We thought.

Then one of the dogs started to bark. I don't mean," I see something I will bark at", type bark. I mean this damn dog barked for 5 hours straight the second night without stopping. It had started the first night and got progressively worse. We sent a message to Frank- it was either us or the dog.

While awaiting a reply I went shopping for a new home.  There were a lot of hotel deals that were much cheaper than where we were. Blogay, General Manager, of the 5 star Delta Resort really wanted us to stay at his resort. Americans never come here and he had spent 15 years on Captiva Island in Florida. The whole management staff came out to get us to stay.  They close for the season on Thursday but would let us stay until our flight on Saturday. It was a great place with a great price right on the water .  I think he would have even let us stay for free if we wanted it.  Sadly, Frank shipped the barking dog off to the vet and we had no excuse to leave his apartment on the hill, for the nice view of the ocean, for the luxury resort with a balcony right on the water.

Remember the car problems?  Well, after driving over god forsaken roads not much wider than the car with no guard rails and 2000 foot drop offs, the left front tire got a little low on air. We pulled into the gas station and the attendants rushed over and put air in all the tires.  I know they  put in the proper amount as they have these huge gauges that show the psi in inches and mb. As I backed the car up there was a huge bang. Everyone came running over to see what happened.  The rim on the front tire actually split off and the tire popped.

I thought this would be a real problem with the rental car company. The main office for the company was just 10 km from where we were and we drove to the office and they gave us new car.  The company owner said in 25 years of owning the rental company he had never seen that happen.  Fortunately I was holding Vicki's hands or she would have cold cocked him. All she could see was that dam thing blowing out on one of those roads.

The car story does not end there. That afternoon we were back because of a low tire. "No problem, just needs air".  Two days later we were back again and I said "fix it our I will make you drink plain tea and eat with your left hand." In less than 20 minutes the valve stem was replaced and away we went.

Bodrum city, we were actually on a hill over Yalikavak, is a mid-sized town of of 30,000 that swells to over 100,000 during the summer. The ever dreaded cruise ship was in, so it seemed like there were a 100,000 people in town but parking was easy and in Europe that is a plus.

 I am not the only one that can't spell.

 I did not want a coffee cup but the young sales lady talked me into it.

 No, the picture is not of the boys, but the windmills on top of the hill.

We were contemplating coming home on a cruise ship. We found a 15 day transatlantic trip for $499. That does not include the $11 a day "tip" that is added to your bill automatically. Anyway, I had blown out my best pair of cheap trousers and needed more. So we stopped in the bazaar and bought some "Hugo Boss" or so the packaging and label said.  Why do I think Hugo Boss has never made a size 6X in his life! Anyway they fit, I got to negotiate and now I am "stylin'".

Again we met and talked to a lot of people. The restaurants in Yalikavak were empty and the owners would sit and chat with us.  Cumbali owner, Gurkan Gumus, and I bonded as he is a Che Guevara fan also. He told us next year he was going to have Che tattooed on his heart.  "But what about your girlfriend?" I asked. "Girlfriends are nice and I love them but they come and go, Che Guevara is in my heart forever."

Tameros owner, Tamer Sagisman, sat and drank Raki with us after dinner as we were his only customers of the evening. We talked about everything from cats to politics, "our president has been in too long"  he said. "Ten years. He is a DH. You know what is DH? Excuse me lady, but a d..k head." Most of the restaurant and hotel owners in the tourist areas say the Turkish tourist is the worst to deal with.  He talked a lot about the Russians and told several stories. "These are the most no class people I see. You try to give them good service and anticipate what they want, but they have no class!! so you cannot. They start with desert and whiskey and then want a pizza but I don't even have pizza on the menu, but I go next door and get pizza and then they want this and that and they may order from the menu, but maybe not. Yes, I make money from them but at what cost? They come in the busy season and while I take care of their no class the other customers suffer." We hear this same story all over Europe

 Tamor is tending these kittens that showed up and paying out of his own pocket to have them fixed. I would have stayed and drank Raki a little longer but I was afraid Vicki would come home with one.

The boat races, as highlighted in another entry, were the big hit of the week.

We, of course, had to see OS. Here in Bodrum is one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world. The tomb/Mausoleum built hundreds of years BC. Like a lot of things in this part of the world, you really have to go to London to see the real stuff.

 Didn't want that stiff to go hungry

 Very important information to know.

 This is what they "think" it looked like

Our last day we located the one little flock of remaining pink flamingos. That always thrills Vicki and with the list complete we can move on now.