Ciao from Italy,

Here are a couple of pictures from CInqueterre and the Aeolian Is. One shows the view from our Manarola hotel window of the farmed wall across the street.

Another is of Beth on the Via del Amore between Riomaggiore and Manarola.

Another is of a pretty flower by the trail from Vernazza to Corneglia.

Then there’s one of me quaffing a fine white Sicilian wine on a beach in Lipari in the Aeolian Islands.

Tomorrow we wing our way home from bella Sicily!

Arrividerci,

Ed & Beth

Peter, Diane and I returned to the Italian restaurant on the hill for our last dinner while Matt hung back and entered a Texas Hold’em tournament with eleven others at the casino next to our hotel. The game lasted about two and half hours and he won by knocking off people two and three times his age.

Tourist Attractions

Tourist Attractions

Last night after dinner at Hadicurari’s, Matt slipped away to head to the casino as Kathy joined Peter and me. Her blue eyes contrasted nicely with her dark tan, and she had brown hair pulled back in a faux pony tail – more of a wash and wear do than her permanent style. She carried a beer in an insulated holder and her voice was cigarette deep.

“You two are brothers, aren’t you?”

“We are, how did you know?” I asked.

“You have the same hair. I watched you from my room on the eighth floor.”

“You know, I meant to get mine cut so I’d look less like him, but I never got around to it.”

“I saw you and your wife too.”

“From the eighth floor? Up there?” I pointed.

Before she could say yes, Peter asked her her name and where she was from.

“Wisconsin. I own a bar. Thirty years, but I’m ready to retire.”

That led to why she was in Aruba – friends with a timeshare; her only trip to Indiana – the nose bleed seats at the Indy 500; and then back to her curious perch.

“Yeah, I saw you two from the eighth floor. I could tell you were brothers.

She knew we had the same parents, and I knew something too.

I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her ear close to my mouth. “Kathy,” I said, “That kinda creeps me out.”

Here’s the family pic, Adam.

Shot with my 135 with a 1.4 tele-extender.

***********

Peter and I did the tourist tour of the well known sites on the other side of the island. The one Adam pushed for. We could have followed the big yellow bus with the Bermuda clad because everywhere we went they went. I’ll post those later, in the meantime here are some shots from the town across the street from these “High Rise Hotels.”

Hey Travis,

Yesterday, I walked from my room (red arrow) to the frozen rum drink place (blue arrow), and then I zigzagged down the beach until I fell face first into the water (blue line). Then a St Bernard looking animal picked me up by the scruff of the neck (I wasn’t wearing a shirt but I didn’t feel a thing) and dragged me back to my room.

Top that,

Mike

Hey Mike,

Last weekend I climbed (red) to the top of a volcano and skied down (green).

More pictures

Last night we enjoyed dinner on the beach between our hotel and Peter’s as the sun set in front of us. The most prominent sign as you walk by the restaurant is in neon and says Fresh Fish. We assumed that to be its name until the waiter arrived wearing a shirt with the name Hadicurare. Makes you wonder why they don’t serve Fugu.

Matt ordered Filet Mignon with pepper cognac sauce, I had edge seared Tuna Takati and Peter grouper with key lime pie for dessert. Diane rested back at the Marriott so she’d be ready for the two hour plus showing of Iron Man. Three of us liked the movie, one of us thought the Globe’s Ty Burr might’a  oversold it.

The sun again set below a band of clouds.

Michael,

Sorry this is so long in coming. Here is a smattering of the 700 pictures of Hannah & Willie’s travels in Italy. They are in no particular order and she has not had time to comment on them. We need to find the time to sift through them and put them into recognizable albums to share, but I pulled my favorites. They visited Milan, Positano, Rome, Florence and Venice. She loved it so much that she has decided to attend Franklin College in Lugano Switzerland. Please share with the blog.

Jen