As of yet I have not figured out how to upload photos to the net - so that I can access them here on this blog - but stay tuned. For now, I'll jot down a few impressions and hope they suffice to give you the flavor of this part of northeastern Italia.
Cinzia (the Italian version of Cindy and pronounced, CHIN-zee-uh) flew here first and had a pretty uncomplicated trip...other than the not-unexpected jet lag episode. She landed in Venice and was immediately picked up by a fellow co-worker (known as a MFLAC - get used to acronyms, the military is full of them) who drove her to the nearby city of Pordenone where she picked up her rental car...a Chevy, no less! Navigating the roads around here can be a tad perplexing but once she got the hang of it, she thoroughly enjoyed driving through the ancient farming villages that surround Aviano. Except for the tail-gaters, of course; no local seems to drive even close to the speed limit. Stereotype number one confirmed!
Michele (pronounced Mee-KAY-lay) flew later into Amsterdam, then to Milan where he caught a train to Venice where we met up for a wonderfully sunny weekend in La Citta Serenissima - the most serene city as it calls itself. My dear friend Henry told us of a very delightful hotel right in the middle of the action which we were lucky enough to stay for three lovely days.
I'll blog more on all these in the coming days but for now I'll finish this post by saying we 'trained' to Aviano Sunday afternoon, picked up her car and checked me into Hotel Oliva. (She has an apartment on the air base that I am not allowed to visit since I don't have the proper security clearance - no doubt due to the wild oats I sowed in my youth.)
Que sera, sera as they say here in the land of olives and grapes. Sterotype number two confirmed!
I do have images I can share with you of the view out the back of my hotel towards the Dolomites and an ancient church called Santuario di Madonna del Monte:
Chiao for now!
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