The Bower Blog

Home is Where the Heart is

We arrived home from Europe very late on Saturday; I am still reeling from being in a different time zone.  As of this writing, it feels like 1:00 in the morning and it is only 7 p.m.

We had a good time, 5 countries, 10 ports that the ship docked in.  It was the experience of a lifetime for my mom....essentially I was along for the ride and to organize!  I have a deep love affair with Italy having been there for both my 50th birthday in 2007 and with my son in 2009.  This time we felt rushed going from Florence, to Rome, to Messina (Sicily) and then finally docking in Venice.  I fell in love with the Greek Islands, Corfu, Olympia and the other one (my favourite actually) that I still can't pronounce! I also just adored Dubrovnik, Croatia.  Twenty years ago, this beautiful country was at war; there are still remnants of it with graffiti and holes in tiled roofs, however it is the most beautiful setting I have ever experienced.  On water, grand hills and excellent sea food.  We took a cable car to the top of a mountain and the vistas were breathtaking.

At the end, we had 2 1/2 days in Venice; I fell in love with Venice but my mom didn't.  She found there to be too much walking and if it was necessary to take a water bus, the crowds were overwhelming.  We decided that if we ever did this again, it wouldn't be in August.  I tend to book that time of year because it is guaranteed good (albeit hot) weather and my business is usually a bit slower than the spring and fall.  Next time, I would park somewhere for a week at a cooler time of year.

Coming home though, there is nothing like your own bed plus we are entering my favourite time of year Fall, with the changing colours, the Fall fairs and art shows and busy fall market conditions.

Love to travel, but glad to be home where my heart strings are.  Missed my son and my dog.

Cheryl Bower

www.CherylBower.com

Europe Bound

My mom turned 77 this year.  She's a spry one, however one of her dreams was to see Europe, as she says "before she dies".  So, that's what we're doing.  We are booked on a flight to Barcelona, Spain tomorrow evening around 10:30, arriving in Europe around 12:30 p.m.  Then, we are embarking on a 2 week cruise to various ports of which I will describe. 

I must say that since I am a mosaic artist and belong to oodles of organizations pertaining to this art, Barcelona will certainly sing to me.  There is Parc Guell and Sagrada Famillia, both works of art by Antonio Gaudi.  Parc Guell is full of mosaic lizards and seats that are classic Gaudi.  The cathedral is spectacular.  Then there is the food!  Ahhh, tapas, seafood, great wine and the road called Ramblas, a colourful pedestrian thoroughfare which sells everything from fruit and vegetables to parrots and fish.  We are there 3 days before our ship leaves.

Next, we are off to Monte Carlo.  We arrive in the afternoon; I'm sure this is to facilitate those people that love to gamble.  Apparently the Casinos are magnificent!

The following day we arrive in Livorno; this is a port town and we take buses either to Pisa/Lucca or my favourite, Florence.  Since I have been to Florence numerous times, I know my way around a bit.  The best thing you can do when there and Rome, our next stop, is to get tickets to the hop on, hop off buses.  These bring you to all the major sites and you can stay as long as you wish at certain places.

Rome follows and then off to the Straits of Messina.  This is a port in Sicily; apparently the town nearby is fantastic and I look forward to that too.

We are at sea the 5th day, then arrive and port hop to 3 different Greek Islands, Corfu being the last one.  One of my clients gave me a primer to all the Greek Islands.  She suggested grabbing a cab and having the cabbie tour you around the places.  The economy is Greece is quite poor and they are grateful for the business.  We have enjoyed this way of exploration before and hope to do it often. 

Off to Croatia on the 9th day; apparently this is stunning and the "thing" to do is hop on a cab to the cable cars.  They take you up the mountain with the most amazing views. 

Finally, we arrive in Venice.  I have been (briefly) to Venice before, but we are able to luxuriate in 3 fulls days here before we come home.  I have booked tours of glass factories, mosaic factories and we intend to go to Murano as well.  I love the idea of hopping on water taxis to get everywhere.

Anyway, will write about this upon my return.  Arrivederci!  Au Revoir! Ciao!  See ya!

Cheryl Bower

www.CherylBower.com

 

Arrivederci, Italia....Hello Toronto!

Well, we're back.  I'm happy to be here, settled in my home and back to a sense of routine.  Routine is an interesting phenomenum; under-rated when you've been on the train systems and the winding, trecherous roads of Italy.  The first fiasco of the trip was I took the wrong guys' luggage in Rome, hopped on a train to Florence and then 2 days later had to drive back to Rome to exchange the bags. 4 hour trip each way...not fun.  The second thing that happened was my son decided to take my cell phone out to the clubs instead of his own????? Why, you ask?  No one knows except that someone now has a nearly new I-phone in Florence and the bit of business I had leftover in Toronto had to be text messaged from his phone.  He will not like that bill, but I also did not like the 700$ bill I came home to for a new phone. 

I remember about 12 years ago ( I was 40-ish) going to a school reunion.  I asked my mom and dad (he was alive then) if I could stay overnight as we would likely have a few drinks and were meeting in Etobicoke, my stomping ground.  When I arrived home, my mom was up waiting for me.  I laughed and said "boy, ma, I'm a grown woman!"  Her reply was, "when you're under my roof, I worry until you're safely tucked in."  Who is laughing now?  My nephew,  20 and son, 26 were out until the wee hours for 7 days in Florence.  Each night I was waiting up for them and could not sleep until they had arrived home.  My son said I had reverted back to the mom of yesteryear when we lived under the same roof, about 9 years ago. 

Italy remains beautiful, despite crowds and crowds of tourists and 44 degree (C) record high heat.  Florence is a breathtaking city with wonderful restaurants and magnificent art.  The small town of Calci we stayed in before, for me, had lost its' magic. There simply was not enough for us to do in Calci, although I learned some interesting card games from my son.  Rome is a historically significant city; the area we were in was Trastevere, eclectic and marvelous eating and walking.

Anyway, back to the reality! 

Cheryl Bower

www.CherylBower.com

RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd.

Countdown to Italia!

We've been preparing for months; the trip of a lifetime to Italy. I'm taking my son and nephew and our first stop is a villa just outside of Florence town centre.  It's walkable (3K) but most likely we will take the city bus into town.  There is so much to see in Florence that I'm not sure whether one week will be enough.  I plan to deek over to Venice for one day and night-the boys have never been to Europe and I think they would like to see canals and gondolas as a replacement of cars and streets.  Personally, I'm fascinated by Italy for the historical implications; I think my boys want to meet girls and party all night.  Just have to make sure they know how to get home! 

The second week we are going to be in a small town called Calci, just outside of Pisa.  The boys will be really bored there, but we'll only stay for 5 days and then down to Rome for 2 more. Calci is an excellent jump point with a car to Pisa, Lucca the seaside, San Giamano..the list goes on.

We'll make it excellent for them.

We have done this treck before so, although no experts, we feel we can make our way around pretty easily as long as we have a Tom Tom GPS.  The streets and maps are brutal and we've been lost more than once.  Even with the Tom Tom a few years ago, we managed to plunk in Cinque Terre and instead of the seaside resort area, we ended up 5 hours onto a mountain top.  It's unlikely we will ever be there again, but it's the part we most remember.  No luggage, having to buy undergarments, buying the best 2 Euro bottle of wine I've ever had in my life, shared with friends, and finding a roadside deli with homemade thick bread, hand churned cheese and fresh meat-5 Euros, mouth-watering excellence.  The only bad meal we ever had in Italy was when we wanted a change one night and grabbed some Chinese food.  Bad idea in Italy; back to the fish, meat and divine pastas.

Anyway, Caio for now!  Don't be surprised if we stay there forever.....amore Italia!

Cheryl Bower

www.CherylBower.com

RE/MAX Halmark Realty Ltd.