Well, after a mad dash through the airport in LAX made it to my plane (given wrong terminal by flight attendant). The trip was good going from LA to Rome, I happened to be sitting in the aisle seat with an older couple on the inside seats. They had to go to the bathroom quite a few times during the trip which forced me to get up which was a really good thing for me.
Cassandra went to work on Friday so I pretty much just recuperated (little bit of jet lag) and was definitely ready for our trip to Marostica on Saturday. The bus left from Aviano Air Force Base and it was a quick 2 hour trip westward from here.
Marostica has two castles called Castile Superior and Inferior. The whole area is surrounded by a wall that goes way up the hill to Castle Superior and this includes the town also. We were there before 5pm and the chess game did not start until 9 p.m. There were brave ones that walked all the way up the hill but we started to go that direction also but only made it to the base of the church so we (should say I) decided not to go up that steep hill (knew I wouldn't be able to walk for about a week if I did that). We walked around and then went into a deli and purchased our food (pizza, eggplant pasta and a delicious green bean dish) and then went to the park and ate there. In Italy, if you choose to sit down to eat in most places you will need to pay extra for that and it is usually added to your bill so we opted for a free park bench (ala Rick Steves).
We finally were able to go into the area for the game and as we were going to the bathroom before it started we went down the steps to do so and my foot got stuck (think it's the shoes that I'm wearing and the only ones I brought with me) and I took another tumble! I just kept falling and falling and falling and it was all in slow motion too. Thank God nothing got sprained like my last fall but I did get some bruises especially with my knees, poor Cassandra(she didn't know what to do)).
Anyway, we got back to our seats and the evening had gotten a bit cold so we still got ready to see the show. It was surreal to see the castle as the background and the people reenacting a story in which two men were vying for the hand of Lianora. Her father, the nobleman, did not want them to have a deadly duel so he suggested for them to play a game of chess to determine who would get to marry her. I will try to download some of the pics and hope that you can see for yourselves.
The base has these types of trips that are more affordable than doing it on our own. We will be doing a quick trip to Switzerland for about 60 euros ($95) sometime in October. We will be taking an Italian cooking class here in the area which are put on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
My plan was to catch a bus which stops near Cassandra's house and go to Pordonne for the train to Venice but lo and behold there is a train station about 5 blocks from here!
Will close for now until my next adventure
Ciao
2 comments:
You two sound like you're having a great time & i'm glad. You, Tia Cathy, need to take it easy with your tumbles & freefalls though. I think the Santos women were meant to be stuntwomen the way they're always falling down all over the place! Ha Ha. Are you also going to Sicily?
Hola Hermana: Glad to hear that you made it OK and are now enjoying your time with Cassandra and enjoying the sights. I turned down the opportunity to attend a "All-Hands Meeting" with my counterparts in Zug (Switzerland) being held in November. Guess I am not ready to leave the good ole United States of America for more than a day. Post pictures soon. I can only imagine how awesome it is there. Enjoyed our trip to Yosemite where I took a couple of tumbles myself... but I love those damn crocs!!! I am getting feeling back in my right foot. Continue to enjoy yourself and be safe.
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