Category Archives: Just For Fun

Florence!

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We rode the train from Rome to Florence. The hardest part was figuring out how to read the kiosk so that we went to the correct train. It was simple once we did sort it out. It’s nice that Karen is a good and willing subject in so many of my photos :-).

I did sew on the train. My Block 1 of the Hand Sewing Adventure is nearly done!

Our hotel, Hotel Centrale, is near the Duomo, which is in the city center.

After a bit of unpacking we headed out. It didn’t take long for us to be happily surprised by the view.

I did a search for gluten free food in Florence and there is a lot of it. Honestly, it may be easier to find good GF here than it is in the US. The pizza for lunch was great (as with the Florentine steak for dinner).

After lunch we followed Rick Steves’ walking tour of the city. We decided to go ahead and climb the Campanile, which is next to and sort of part of the Duomo complex.

The view was spectacular!

Florence is a very walkable city and it is lovely. We strolled to the Piazza Della Repubblica. The arch was triumphal, the carousel was pretty…

.,, port a potty was in the way of my very fine photo.

We went into the Orsanmichele (a church with many famous statues). I climbed more steps for more views of the city.

I may not love the stairs but I do love looking at a city from high up.

The Uffizi Gallery was closed today so we headed to the Galileo science museum. It was interesting, and hard to take good photos of

Then we walked to the river…

Here we are doing the Charlie’s Angels pose 🙂

We headed back to the hotel as the sun was going down and golden light bathed the dome. Not bad for a first half-day!

Rome, day 2…

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My first adventure of the day was shared with two of Hunt’s students, Clint and Cole. We walked to the American embassy, a block from our hotel.

I have never to one of our embassies when I’ve been out of the US. I thought it might be interesting to go inside for a quick visit.

The Italian guards outside were perplexed, but nice, as they said we could not go in. Only employees and probably those with appointments could go in. I’m sure there are many, many reasons why drop-ins are not welcome, plus today was Sunday. That said, I hope it’s easier for an American citizen to get in if help was really needed.

Next Hunt, Karen, and I went to the Colosseum. Imagine a football stadium that seats 80,000 people and you get an idea of the scale involved. It’s a well-maintained ruin. `

Notice the people in the photos and it puts the scale in perspective.

There’s a lot to be said for visiting Rome at this time of year. The crowds are much smaller and it’s not hot.

Hunt, a historian, shared the backstory of many of the places we went. I wish I remembered more but the biggest takeaway for me is that as the city evolved, new structures were built on top of older structures. Dig down, and there’s likely something built by man below.

The Romans knew how to move and manage the flow of water which was a key part of their empire building. They built sewers, aqueducts, baths, and lots of fountains!

We ended the day at the Spanish Steps. It was more crowded today, which made the people watching more interesting. Looking up the steps…

Looking down at the crowd coming our way…

Tomorrow Karen and I head to Florence on the train. Hunt and his class are flying to Tunis. Adventure awaits!

(That’s me, below, tempting fate by standing on a travertine post to get higher for the photo.)

I’m really not sure how Karen got me in a photo with no one else around because there really were a lot of people there.

Merry Christmas to me!

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A little while back I posted pictures on instagram and Facebook from the Sherman Altrusa home tour. One home on the tour had a Sputnik chandelier that I loved.

Two days ago I found the same one on Houzz and Steve said ‘Merry Christmas’! Not one to let grass grow under my feet, I ordered it immediately. It came today! Amazing!

It was well-packed.

Chris helped Steve hang it. First they took down the older fixture. Lorna wants it, so I suspect the guys will touch be touching it again after Christmas.

Then up went the new one!

And, boom! We have a wonderful, mid century modern style light!!!

Steve loves it too, which is very nice. We are both grinning at it :-).

Crochet Art, made just for me!

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Sarah Meyers is an artist (and young mother of 3) who makes all sorts of things, including crocheted mandalas. She made one for Lorna and I loved it so much that I commissioned one for myself! FYI: she is willing to more commissions—if you are interested you can email me (becky.pieceocake@gmail.com) and I will give her your email address.

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I chose acrylic yarn because I expect to wash and dry it in the dryer. I chose a color palette and OK’d the yarn choices and it’s a kick to see how well it turned out! It’s colorful in a way that is so different from the quilts I make. It is going to be wonderful to cuddle with when the weather turns cooler.

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It’s really tactile, and 3-dimensional…

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Again, if you are interested in commissioning a crochet mandala, email me (becky.pieceocake@gmail.com) and I will give Sarah your email address.

Up with the sun…

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You know, we are surprisingly busy for four people on vacation. We are in bed around 11:00pm and up at 6:30am, and we have been doing a whole lot of stuff in between. I would not change a single thing! That said, I am way behind on downloading photos so today I’m going to share this morning’s sunrise view from our front porch.

We are staying at Mas Blanc, a holiday apartment. Our lovely 2 bedroom, 2 bath space is part of a remodeled farm building. It is so very lovely and you can see photos here: https://www.instagram.com/masblancc/ and here at booking.com

There are ruins on the hill in the distance that we’re going to visit on Saturday.

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As busy as we are, we took time to watch the light change and that is wonderful all by itself.

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And then the sun was up, we saw balloons flying over the fields, and we headed out!

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Palau De la Musica Catalana

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After our food tour, we went to the Palau De la Musica Catalana. It is a beautiful space where choirs sing. Not just any choirs… magnificent choirs. And not just classical music, but all kinds of amazing music.

I wish I knew more about music, but I don’t. We are here because it is a famous, wonderful space. I want to come back to hear choirs sing right here.

Side note: Since I’ve been in Spain, when I google something, it is in Spanish. I don’t want to link to a site you may not be able to read so, if you want to know more, google Palau De la Musica Catalana. You’ll be glad you did.

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Mosaics are everywhere. This space was designed by a contemporary of Gaudi, Lluís Domènech i Montaner,

There are muses that surround the stage, to inspire the musicians. Honestly, doesn’t that sound wonderful? To be surrounded by muses?

And then there is the stained glass, on the outside of the building…

But the best piece is inside, above the stage. It is not flat, but dips down in the center. The space if lit by lovely, colored light…

After this, we went to see the inside of the Sagrada Familia. That visit deserves its very own post!