FLORENCE (FIRENZE!) - (with Pisa stopover)

highlights -

Pisa stopover
Meeting Miray, couchsurfing host
wandering Florence
museums, paintings, chuches, oh my!

aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh......too many photos to choose from!!!....aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
ALSO, this post is very link heavy for the history-more info buffs!

DAY ONE - September 17

The image of Florence - the Duomo and it's
famous dome - the first of it's size,
that still amazes architects today

Well I am now sitting on a train on the way to Bolzano/Brixen (Italian and German name) to go do a bit of hiking in the Dolomites. I'm sure when this actually gets posted I'll already be off to something else, but right now I am thinking of my time I just had staying with couchsurfing host, Mariangela (post to come if it isn't already there) and a bit nervous for this next part of my adventure. I know that nervousness will pass as soon as I get in it, as it has been with each section of these travels. Nervous to arrive, nervous to figure out trains, nervous about arriving at at each new location - it's all part of the unknown and then you get in it and have a great time!

Leaving Cinque Terre on Saturday, I took the train to La Spezia where I changed trains to make a quick stop-over in Pisa on my way from Florence. Because of a regional train strike that was going to happen on Sunday, people were trying to get out and and I met a woman from Missouri who was trying to get to Florence as she was originally scheduled to get there on Sunday - no place to stay that night, so she couldn't stop in Pisa... I'm sure she figured something out!
Sitting next to me was an older, nice Italian gentleman who was eager to talk to me in English. He had been sailing all over the world, so we talked about where we had been (well mostly where he had been!). As we passed some mountains on the left, I asked him about them as they seemed to be covered in snow. He informed me that those were the mountains where they mined for marble, and along the way you could see places with huge marble slabs. He told me that even now working in those mines was very dangerous and many people were killed, something I thought a lot about when I arrived in Florence, as I took in the incredible Duomo and all of it's intricate detail. I'm glad he told me about those mountains and the mining there. It gave me another element to think about when looking at all the historic buildings. (left - Florence's Duomo. The Baptistrz, Cathedral, bell tower, and Dome)

PISA



And so we made it to Pisa and I immediately connected with a couple from Pennsylvania and two girls from Australia. All of us on the same mission to get a bus to the "Field of Miracles" to take our photo, walk around, and for me, stop and take it all in before rushing off to Florence! The leaning tower, which is actually the bell tower of the church, was shorter than I imagined but it sure was leaning! There's quite the history of trying to correct the lean, starting when it was first being build. You can read all about it here -
And so then I was off to Florence, where Miray, my couchsurfing host for the evening met me at the train station.


(which one do you think is straight!)


Meeting Miray

I met Miray, my couchsurfing host for the night, at the train station. And what a treat! She is from Turkey but is steadying graphic design here at the Florence Institute of Design. And even though she had only been in Florence a month, she had many recommendations of places for me to go and walked around with me a little in the afternoon before I went off on my own, pointing out some of the buildings and explaining how they were medieval, showing me how you could tell by the architecture and how the older family members would live on the bottom floor,and then on up to the top where the youngest in the family lived. Something I never would have known if I hadn't had someone to show me! And her place! It is right along the Arno, originally an old palace that has been turned into lots of little apartments. Her's was at the top, very attic-like but comfy, and an awesome top of the roof view!

Climbing the Dome and Piazza Michelangelo
I then went off to do a bit of exploring, going right to the Duomo, rounding the corner and then stopping in my tracks as it opened up to me. The symbol of Florence, 600 years to complete in it's entirety, and even though I saw it again and again many time over the next couple of days, it continued amaze me and present new details I hadn't seen each time I saw it.

Detail, detail, detail

Because it was already later in the afternoon, there wasn't much of a line, so I got in to climb the almost 500 steps to the top! I'll have to say that I've done a lot of hikes, and this climb was not a cake walk! But the views from the top were so worth it. What a way to be introduced to this city. From the very top! And down below I could hear the sounds of vendors, an occasional siren, church bells - and open air.


By the time I descended, it was early evening, so I made my way across the river to Piazza Michelangelo, where I climbed the hill to watch the sun set over the city, taking time to breath and transition from being on the coast in Cinque Terre to being in the city of Florence, ready to see the sites and museums!

Sun setting over Florence

Evening with Miray and Claudia and Couchsurfing
Making my way back over the river I met Miray at this bar (I don't know what to call these places! They aren't really like bars in our definition.) with her friend Claudia, who is from Switzerland and is studying interior design at the same school. We hung out, got to know each other and then made our way to the Florence Plus Hostel (woah, ritzy hostel!) to the top of roof for a couchsurfing gathering. A panoramic view of the city by night, hanging out and chatting with other couchsurfing members from Turkey, Spain, Japan, Italy!, Poland, and probably other places - all of them working or living in Florence for the time being. It was a real nice way to not be so much of a tourist in a town whose center is mainly made up of tourists! To feel like I was really a part of a group in a foreign place.
(picture on left - Miray, Me, Claudia)


DAY TWO - September 18

My own masterpiece?
I have no idea what setting I put on my camera,
but the result was pretty neat!

Museum day!! (sorry no pictures in the museums, but you can find all these things online) Today I had reservations for the two major museums - the Accademia (which houses maybe the most famous sculpture in the world - David by Michelangelo) and the Uffizi (considered one of the best art museums, housing paintings paintings such as The Birth of Venus by Boticelli)

Dante's house. The famous poet was Florentine,
so people here claim they speak the
best Italian!

I also managed to squeeze in seeing the Medici chapel, which is where many prominent members of Florence's most famous family are buried, plus some pretty amazing jewels etc... I keep thinking about a really excellent book I read for an Honors class at Western on the history of the printing press and bookmaking (an AWESOME class by the way). It was called "Out of the Flames." *MOM - this is the book I gave to you to read this summer and I know it is now lying around the house somewhere. Please keep it for me!* Anyway, it really went into the history of the Medici's and Florence's Renaissance and Savanorola's subsequent rise to power etc.... But now after seeing all the sites of Florence, I want to read more about the Medici's and the history of the Renaissance and how it all came to pass in Florence!

The Medici's church, San Lorenzo, the round dome area
is the Medici chapel where many of their treasures are housed
and is where many of the Medici's are buried.

But wow, the museums and artwork were just amazing. Of course, David was spectacular, and seeing The Birth of Venus and all the other paintings in the Uffizi were just beyond words. Just to think of all the masterpieces and time the painters and sculptors took with their art. It's unbelievable - and that some of these painting are over 800 years old and they have survived! But my surprise discovery was Lorenzo Bartolini's 'Faith in God' sculpture. Something about this sculpture was so beautiful and delicate, I can not explain it. The arts in school are so important! I want to go more into all of this, like seeing other sculptures of Michelangelo's where you could see his chisel marks, and getting close up to a painting and seeing the brush strokes - there is just so much, and words don't do it justice. You just have to go see for yourself!

I also want to thank my junior high and high school art teacher, Mrs. Ruth McDonald, for making us take those tests on the paintings in junior high that we all hated taking, but I was really able to appreciate everything I saw so much more because of those quizzes.

Lorenzo Ghiberti's famous bronze cast doors
on the Baptistry. 'The Gates of Paradise'
Actually this is a copy as the original is under restoration.

That evening it started to rain, so I made it back to the hostel, having an evening to myself in my single room and doing my laundry (I was so upset I waited to book until all the dorm rooms were taken up, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise to have that space for myself that night!) I feel fast asleep to the sound of rain and rolling thunder.

DAY THREE - September 19

Florida, Montana, and Illinois -
My buddies for the day!

.....Okay, let's talk about gelato for a second. I'll admit, I ate my share of gelato while in Florence. Afterall, it's supposed to be the best in the country! And there were two places that I went, that according to the books, and the guide I had this day, were the best in town: GROM and PERCHE NO. Both make it fresh, try to use organic and local ingrediants, and are AWESOME. Although I am going to have to say that I think I preferred Grom over Perche No, but I definitely am going to have a hard time eating regular ice cream the same way after those two places. (Well unless it is Mallard of course!)

So tour day!
In the morning I woke up unsure whether to take advantage of the free walking tour the hostel offered or just go out on my own. Oh by the way, Hostel Archi Rossi is great! Super cheap dinner (2 euro 50 for a big plate of spaghetti) and free, actually really good, breakfast!) So as I was pacing around in my quandary, there were two women sitting with their maps, obviously waiting for the tour. And so I just sat down. I guess I made my decision! And a good one it was! Our tour guide took us all over to all the churches and sites, explaining details and facts that I never would have known. Highly recommended to take a walking tour, especially if it is free!

Our tour guided pointed out that on the front of the Duomo cathedral
there are statues of all twelve disciples, which is abnormal because
usually depictions leave Judas out. Well, they needed things to be
symmetrical, so they put Judas in. Can you guess which one he is?

When it was over, the two women that I met initially and I decided to spend the rest of the day touring the town! "Florida" (I'm so bad with names) and "Illinois." All of us traveling on our own through Italy. We went to the church Santa Croce, where Galileo and Michaelangelo are buried. Amazing. We also got caught in a random HAIL STORM. Sunny one minute then hail the next.

The tomb of Michelangelo


Galileo's tomb

Then off to the Duomo (the word for church by the way) to see the inside cathedral, had a great sit-down lunch together (my first time in Italy!), walked the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge and along the water, and back to the hostel! We just had to stop sometimes, as I did all the time throughout my stay here in Florence, to take in all the detail, even of little random carving on the side of a building, something that must have taken so much time but probably barely gets looked at. There is just so much! It was then time for me to get ready to catch a train to Mariangela's, my couchsurfing host for the night. But what a great, unexpected day! Just another lesson that you never know who you will meet or what you will do, but just be open for everything and trust your intuition!

On the Ponte Vecchio bridge, historically and currently
a place for selling goods.


Found this random little church in an alley
near Dante's house.

Statue of San Giovanni Batista (John the Baptist),
pointing us in the right direction!

Random streets signs in Florence!


Rubbing the Bronze Boar is said
to bring you luck.

Goodbye to Florence

Italy!

Sitting here in the laundry room of Hostel Archi Rossi in Florence, where there is a plug for the computer, blissing out with digestive biscuits after just finishing taking a shower in the complete dark! Got in and then the automatic light turned off. I tried waving my hands around to no avail, so instead of getting the floor all wet I just took the shower in the dark! I can now add that to the list, along with riding in the back of the mail car, of unexpected things I have done!

The past few days have been full of adventure, new friends, exploring things I had no idea I would do, hiking a beautiful coast, and seeing a city full of marvels that I can barely wrap my head around. I'll keep you waiting in suspense about Florence, and instead backtrack to Wednesday, when I arrived in Torino (Turin) and on to Thursday and Friday in Cinque Terre. I've put highlights at the top of the post, so if you want to skip to a certain point scroll down till you see a bold title in all caps!

Arrival in Italy (a.k.a. Heritage Search #2 - Pratiglione))

** highlights**:

-the exhilerating experience of arriving in Italy and getting my bearings
-adventure to Pratigione, the town where my grandmother's father's family immigrated from
-meeting Atma, my couchsurfing host, poet, traveler, and amazing new friend


ARRIVAL! (September 14, 2011)

In retrospect, I am so glad I decided to go to Turin (Torino in Italian) first. Torino, while it does have some pretty cool sites, is a lot less touristy than other Italian cities (the Rickster doesn't even mention it once in his book --> by the way that is my new nickname for Rick Steves.... Now that I have been other places, where it is practically like I am back home there are so many English speakers, it was good for me having to immerse myself in the Italian language, being in a city where I had to rely more on Italian, not to mention then trying to venture out into the countryside to find the town, Pratiglione, where my Grandma Betty's father's side came from.

Off to Italy - flying over the French Alps

So arrival! I was so in my "Coty is on a mission" zone - this is what I must do: find out how to get into Torino. Is it by bus or train? Okay, bus. Find the bus. Get to Torino. Okay now figure out where the luggage storage is at in the train station. Find the TI (tourist information) to get a map. Okay. Now let's walk for a bit and see the downtown before I have to figure out where the bus stop is for the bus I need to take to get me to Pratiglione! The downtown part of Torino is closed to cars (it was one of the first cities to do so!), so when I hit the first piazza, all the sudden I stopped. Just people, bicycles, sun, Italy! I was in Italy! That was the first time it actually hit me, and I just sat down on a bench to relax and take it all in. Unwind from "Coty on a mission" and relax into "Coty enjoying Italy and being where I am."

And so I did! I walked all over the different parts, stumbling on the church that holds the Shroud of Turin, then rounding the corner to find Europe's largest open air market! Fruit, veggies, clothes, people, bustle, bustle, bustle... I decided to order a peach but when I went to pay an older Italian gentleman payed for me. Then either said something about keeping my money out of sight so no one would steal it, or maybe something about my green eyes. (He pointed to both things and rambled something...) I'm suspecting the message was closer to the first.

Europe's largest open air market


A traditional water fountain of Torino -
found all over the city and quite welcomed to the thirsty traveller!

By then it was about time for me to go to the bus stop to get the bus for Pratiglione. (Well actually there still was a lot of time, but me being me, I needed to get there very early just to make sure!) I had stumbled on what I thought was the right stop during my earler wanderings.

* *Okay, let's just take a moment to picture me with 50 million pieces of paper that I'm carrying around. All the possible train schedules, bus schedules, things to know about each city I'm going to, etc... etc.... This pile has decreased dramatically as I have gotten more comfortable with trains etc... but wow, I was something else in Torino, especially with this little adventure to the hills!

ADVENTURE INTO THE HILLS - FINDING PRATIGLIONE

So I waited and waited for the bus. According to my schedule, it was supposed to come at 1:45.... 2:00, no bus.... 2:10, no bus. My mind had started to wander to all the other things I could do in Torino to pass the day before meeting up with Atma, my couchsurfing host for the night. There was the Egyptian museum, which houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts other than Cairo. I love Egyptian history! Yeah, that would be great! And that whole section of the downtown I didn't get to! Yes, this is all sounding very good. I secretly started hoping that the bus wouldn't come. It would make things oh so much easier. I told myself I would wait till 2:15, and then I would go. And then, just when I was gathering my things, I saw the numbers 3092. I'll have to admit, I had a split second thought that maybe I wouldn't get on the bus. Maybe I would just let it pass me by. And then I snapped out of it, flagged the bus, and hopped on, telling the driver I needed to go to Forno. (from there I would have to walk to Pratiglione).

And off I went! So helpful hint: Number one useful phrase to know in Italian? Dove'e la fermata (insert where you want to go here)? Where is the stop for... Oh yes, and also your directions too. A sinistra, a destra, a dritto. - To the left, right, and straight ahead. I used this many a time my day in Torino, and it has been especially useful at the train stations, although Italian train stations has everything written in English as well as Italian, and it even has the announcements in English. But I try not to rely on that. I want to engage in Italian, so I can start to learn.

But it certainly has been strange coming from Belgium where I feel completely competant with my French, to then being here, in a language I have only the minimal knowledge of. Sitting on the bus, as I was the only one on it for the entire journey except right at the beginning!, I wanted to say something, "It's hot out isn't it?" How long have you been driving? Etc.. etc... Instead, I was a mute. Nothing. I really feel for immigrants coming to a country not knowing anything and trying to maneuver in their new world. At least I am priveledged to have English as my mother tongue, the language that is everywhere.

But I managed to tell the driver where I needed to get off. And then the bus was gone, and I was standing in the middle of Forno. According to what I remember from google maps (as out of all things, that was the one page I forgot to print!) I thought I should start walking up. But I had seen a sign to Pratiglione that we had just passed that said it was 4 km away. I was only supposed to have to walk 2 km, but my intuition told me to turn around and take the other route. Good thing too because on the way back I came down the way I could have gone, and I don't think there would have been any way I would have found the route!

I knew I could get there, and I drew a lot upon my walk across England. That experience made me feel like I really could do anything I could set my mind to, and It gave me confidence that I could find this town. I have drawn upon that travel experience a lot in this trip, whether it is venturing out into the rain or figuring out a train schedule. It was something that I will never forget, as I'm sure this own travel adventure will be the same.

But oh my gosh, the sun was shining, I was walking up, up, up, in the beautiful hills, with these little villages popping up on the hillsides, all overlooking the valley. And then I could see the town! This was where the Buffo's (pronounced Boo-fo in Italian, but in America they were Buff-o) came from when they decided to take the ship over an move to the Oklahoma Territory. I wondered why they all went there.. who went first and wrote back, saying 'Come to America! Come to Oklahoma! ' This was a different experience than my trip to France (aaaaah, post is coming I swear), the town here was beautiful, but I wonder what people did/do for work, and it is small. I guess they needed a change and America was the fascination.

On the way, I asked an old man (in my very minimal Italian.."Pratiglione, a dritto?" (Oh by the way, they pronounce it Pra-tli-own-eh) He said yes, and then kindly helped me pronounce the town correctly! I then told him my grandmother's family came from there. He asked the named and I told him. And he nodded in recognition. He knew the name! He then rattled off a bunch of things that I didn't understand except for something about the center of town, which I now think he was telling me to go to the town hall.

I continued. And then I was there. Immediatly I was met by two enthusiastic young boys who knew that I was a foreigner, English speaking, and riding up on their bikes, said, "Hello!" I said "hello" back. "How are you?" they asked. I soon found out that those two phrases and 'goodbye' where the three things they could say! But boy, were they happy to have the opportunity to say them! I then told them I was here because it was where part of my family came from, Buffo. They nodded in recognition, like an "of course we know that name!' nod. I wanted to say more, but I didn't know how and so I kept going.

You may be wondering why I didn't actually try to find any Buffo's. And I guess the answer is, I just felt okay going and looking, seeing what the town was all about. And I didn't feel like I had enough information to do that. Maybe my loss, but I feel satisfied with just having gone to the town, knowing that my ancestors walked these streets, worked, lived, and played. Going to these towns has just added to my appreciation of the rich histories of our pasts, all the events and choices people made that resulted in me being here, living, traveling, sharing, and enjoying life. I'm so glad I have had the opportunity to explore two lines of that heritage.

Looking down at the village of Pratiglione

And then it was time to head back, catch the bus (crossed my fingers it would come since it was the last bus running for the evening), and figure out to get to Atma's house, my couchsurfing host for the night.

ATMA - poet, traveler, couchsurfing host, and new friend

Me and Atma before I left to catch the train

to Cinque Terre

So I made it back to Torino, asked the driver to make sure to drop me off at the Febbrio XI stop, and then asked people where the Piazza Margharitta stop was where I needed to catch the tram 16 to the piazza near Atma's house, where she would meet me. One thing I've learned with my travels is that people/things often present themselves to you when you are in need of aid. On the tram, there is no stop listing and there is no conductor to talk to, but fortunately a woman sitting right behind me was getting off at my stop and kindly told let me know exactly when it was coming up. And then sometimes, I've been that person that presents myself. Like on the way to Cinque Terre there was an Australian couple who were very frantic in trying to find what train to take and the man working couldn't speak English. Turns out, they were heading to Riomaggiore too, so we ended up having a great train ride together, and I now have a place to stay in Austrailia whenever I want! (hey Mom and Dad, did you hear that?!)

So the lesson to all this is don't be afraid to ask questions and seek help if you need it. Chances are pretty darn good someone will present themselves to you and you never know where that might lead!

And so Atma met me at the piazza, we walked to her place, chatting, getting to know each other. She has done a lot of traveling all over the world, speaks great English, Portuguese, some Greek, and probably some more languages I don't know about! We stopped to pick up a pizza (mmm... good!), ate, met her roommates who are from Colombia and Spain and studying engineering in Torino, took a shower, and then she took me out for a walk around her section of Torino (we were going to do a vespa ride, but out of all days, it got a flat tire!) going to a great gelato shop, and then to a cafe/bar place where a friend of hers works. It was officially closed, but some of the workers were hanging out back, so we sat and chatted (well I mostly just tried to catch a word here or there that I could understand!). And then it was time to go home where Atma shared with me some of her beautiful poems and I shared with her some of my music. And I now have a special, signed book of Atma poetry - something to strive for in learning Italian! It was my first time being hosted from a couchsurfer and what an amazing time. I'll take that over a hotel any day!

A video of one of Atma reading one of her poems about chocolate
with pictures from her own travels
(poem starts about halfway through)

Cinque Terre (September 15 & 16)

**highlights**: (going to be all mixed up in this post)
- hiking between all the villages, kayaking, swimming in the Mediterranean
-bonding with fellow travelers
- staying at hostel Mar-Mar - Oliver the painter, French night and concert

--> my favorite photo - a magical moment while walking up to the Madonna di Montenero church.

What can I say about this place? I had read about it in The Rickster's guide book, heard about it from friends Linda and Jen, and seen pictures of it, but did I really know what I was about to experience? Not in a million years! I thought I would arrive in Riomaggiore and kick back, catch up on some sleep, do some writing, but when I got there, those thoughts quickly were pushed out of the picture! Cinque Terre is made up of five towns all along the Meditteranean coast, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso.

Now Linda, I know you recommended I stay in Manarola (pictured on left), but I went with the first town to, Riomaggiore, do hostel prices and reviews, and I'm going to have to say that it was absolutely 100% my town! Kind of like a personality test - which Cinque Terre town are you? Well I am Riomaggiore - not so touristy, still retaining a local feel, but also has that exciting atmosphere of people coming in and discovering something new with swimming access, kayaking rentals, and an out of this world hostel experience at Hostel Mar-Mar.

DAY ONE
When I arrived I said goodbye to the Australian couple (read about in Torino post), but then quickly met other travelers I would see again through the next couple days. Actually, after my immersion experience in Torino, Riomaggiore was a bit of a shock! It was like 'welcome to English speaking Italy.' Oh yes, a good bit of German and French thrown in. Oh yeah, and Italian too! Most Americans could be seen toting what we would call our bible, Rick's guide book, but it served as a good conversation starter. "Oh I see you have THE book!" "Ah yes, where have you been?" We would all see each other the next few days, our new names being the state where we were from. "Hello Montana!" "Hello Iowa! Hello Massachusetts!"

Barry and Robyn from Australia

Anyway, back to when I got there. The Mar-Mar office was closed for Siesta - mustn't forget about this here in Italy. There is usually a good two hours in the afternoon where things will be closed. And as my couchsurfing host here in Florence explained to me, banks will close from 1-3 and then only open up again for an hour and close for the evening at 4! So waiting for them to open back up at 2:00, I went down to the water, taking in the scenery, meeting a couple who just got back from kayaking, and that officially did in me wanting any sort of rest. As soon as I could check in I went, put down my things and got myself a kayak!

Me out on the kayak with
Riomaggiore in the background

Now here is a classic example of a culture difference. The kayak was only five euro, there were no papers to sign, a life vest was not even offered, no time limit, and when I asked where I could go, the guy kind of looked at me funny and then said I could go anywhere I wanted. Ha! And so I did. And so I did, paddling down to the next town and back, taking in SUMMER. Because, frankly, this year it didn't really happen. Long underwear through June, pants in California, rain and/or cold in Washington. So being in Cinque Terre (and Italy up to this point for that matter) was two days of soaking up summer!

Then, when I was done there, I went back to the room and met Oliver - my Croatian dormmate who has been living in Cinque Terre off and on since the '90's, working as a painter along the first section of the walk. (got two nice paintings to take home with me!). He told me about a great hike up to the top of the hill where there was an old church, Madonna di Montenero. Got there just as sunset was happening. Just me and the view. I just sat up there and took it all in.

View from the top

Got back from the soul-filling hike up to the church, to find Oliver had made this huge tomato, better than mozzerlla cheese, balsamic, salad with bread and frech pesto (supposed to be the best in the world here in this region!) and since he had so much invited me to eat some. SSSoooo good! Then, being late, after a little stroll around (or should I say up and down, there is no such thing as flat here), it was time for bed.

DAY TWO

Woke up to a rooster crowing and the sounds of the town slowly waking up and getting ready for another day of tourist-haven! Got myself to get going on the walk (although it was a pretty darn good hike in some sections!). I'm not going to write much about walking, except that it was an amazing day full of beautiful sea views; vineyards, wonderful different smells of rosemary, flowers, the sea, vineyards, moments of being overheated, moments of being in perfect happiness, bonding momentarily as you walked for a bit with different people from all over, and then finishing in Monterosso - where I immediately caught the train as it was a bit too much like a resort for me and I was ready to get back "home" to soak in the water and take a shower! I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Vinyards, vegetation, houses, sun, and sea

Lift to transport grape harvest....

....going down, down, down...


random siting on the trail
There was a cute little kitty that was
quite the beggar when I sat down to
eat my sandwich






Grapes!

That night a girl from France and another couple from France were in the dorm, so, along with our other New Zealand roommates, we stopped English and turned on French (which it turns out Oliver speaks that as well as Croatian, German, English, and Spanish!), put on some Edith Piaf on our beautiful balcony, ate dinner, sipped some wine, and watched the sun go down.

View from our balcony.
That little white spot on top of the hill is
where I hiked to the first day.

And that would have been the conclusion of a perfect stay, but then music started wafting up from the harbor, so Oliver and I went down to check it out. And awesome Italian band playing all the hits, English and Italian. I went to bed content and full - what a place!

Heritage Search #1

My visit to the towns of Barlin and Noeux-Les-Mines, France

(September 8, 2011)

Jean-Baptiste and Sophie Dupire,with their not even a year old daughter, also named Sophie, boarded a ship in Cherbourg, France and landed in America, Ellis Island, on August 13, 1901. From there they traveled to Oklahoma, Indian Territory, where I assume Jean-Baptiste worked in the mines. Other Dupire's had already come to the area, and JB and Sophie had an uncle they knew in Oklahoma. This is the immigration story of my great-great grandparents on my biological father's side deciphered through their Ellis Island record.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am finally posting this! Mostly taken directly from my journal, because I'm realizing I will never get this posted if I try to write it again while also trying to process Italy experiences!

Thursday (Well now it has been about a week and a half since then although it feels like a million years ago I have done so much.) I took a trip to the towns of Barlin and Noeux-Les-Mines in France (region: Pas-de-Calais). These towns are very close to the Belgian border, and only the last couple of years talking with my grandmother and doing research on my biological father's side, have I found that this is where they came from. My Grandma Betty is half French and half Italian heritage. Both sides of her family immigrated to Oklahoma (Indian Territory at the time) to work in the mines.

Train taking me to the towns

Barlin: Cold, young kids without much hope sitting outside the laundry mat singing to their French rap music, broken windows, closed stores. The first glance I had of this environment change was actually on the train passing into France. More graffiti on the walls. And then stepping out in Hazebrook, where I had to change trains, I immediately felt the change in people's dispositions. And then again in Bethune, where I caught the bus to Barlin. Lots of rough looking people and missing teeth.

And so I took the 66 bus to Barlin, the last French residence of Jean-Baptiste and Sophie Dupire. I wish I had known their address. I really wish I had stopped at the cemetery, but I didn't and so I will never know if Dupire names are there. But I did walk towards the center, encountering a precious jewel in a lot of drab. A mural dedicated to the miners of the past who lived in Barlin. A miner is what Jean-Baptiste was, and it was moving to think that my ancestors were there and part of that history.

MINERS
It has been a long time since since we have seen the miners (leaving for work) in the dark mornings. The bridges are gone, the wheels no longer turn, A few slag heaps still stand lonely on the horizon.

It has been a longtime since we have eaten your "pain d'aloutte" (a special bread specifically connected with the miners in this region)

MINERS, what have you become in our minds?

You came from Poland and elsewhere to go down in a cage every day in what would be a prison for us today, just to make a living. You were taken between coat and anvil in every danger. (sorry, not sure of translation there)

Now we can only wonder how you could have been so strong.

You are the symbol of human effort, not in a legend, but in our history.

You are one of the lights of our past, our roots.

The veins of the earth (the ground), in the shadows, are still ringing the sound of your footsteps.

The mural
These are worth clicking on to get a better view!

But for the rest of the town, there honestly wasn't a whole lot to connect to. I wish it had been sunny, but maybe it was better to be dreary, to maybe feel like they felt when they decided to leave everything for the United States. How strong those immigrants had to have been. I know they must have felt the 'out of theis world' feeling for so long, coming to the United States, not knowing a language (presumably). The feeling I have in French land, even though I can understand and can talk; I still don't quite feel totally connected.

And that was Barlin. I then caught the bus to Noeux-les-Mines. This was also where Dupire's lived, and my grandmother has a letter written from a relative here to Jean-Baptiste (I think it's to him).


Noeux-les-Mines: Things here were a little better. It's much larger and has converted done a better drop in converting their mining heritage to benefit the town economically. They have converted an old mining ramp into an all year round ski hill that is essentially a velcro like surface that you can ski on. (BTW the only one that exists in the United States is in Lynchburg, Virginia which ironically I visited with my friend Rhae)

They also have a big man-made lake that I think was on an old mining pit. Take those two things and a mining museum and walking tour and Noeux-Les-Mines is not doing so bad!

The ski area and lake

My first mission was to track down the address of the letter my grandmother has. If I indeed wrote it down right it was Coron 2 Rue Bethune. What I read was this district was indeed a coron district (the rows of houses set up for miners) but has been renovated.... Still it retains that row-like feel. If that was the address - here is the house! - although no great Dupire spotting.

I had daydreamed of having some sort of Dupire find, but alas mostly drear dominated the day, which in it's own way, was something I appreciated and took in as part of the exploration of my roots.

I then went to the center of town, which I wish I had had more time to explore, but I needed to catch the train, and so I was there and gone. So there I was walking the churches which my ancestors must have went to, and I just tried to think of them there. And then glad that they had decided to leave for America, so I could be standing there discovering it all for myself.

So that was my heritage trip number one. A lot of work, but I am glad I did it. I'm glad to have a visual place and feeling to know about part of my heritage. and next - hopefully Pratiglione! I can do it! (*I did!)

Now that I have done it and really navigated on my own, I know I can do it in Italy (*Hey I am!)

off to italy

Tomorrow I head to Italy, flying into Torino. I have spent the last couple of days checking, re-checking, printing and printing and printing! all the various train schedules, hostel reservations, phone numbers etc.. etc.. of everything possible. Of course about a half hour ago I realized I forgot to check on how to get from the Torino airport to the downtown train station! I now have a confidence in traveling by bus and train in Belgium and France, but Italy is going to be a whole other story! We shall see. Torino will be my first challenge as I am right off the bat going to try to take (find!) a bus that will take me to the little town where my Italian ancestors came from. Probably the most challenging transportation adventure right off the bat!

The first two weeks of my trip are going to be tourist mania. While trying to figure out just what to do and when, I have come up with this motto:

Accept that I am not going to do everything I want to do! Know that I am going to do things and meet that weren't even on my radar and that those will trump not doing things that I wanted to do but didn't!

So my schedule for the next two weeks:
14th: Fly to Turin, go to Pratiglione (the town where my Italian ancestors came from), stay in Turin
15th: Travel to Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre!)
16th: do the Cinque Terre coastal walk
17th: go to Florence via Pisa
18th: explore Florence or go to Sienna or hill town like San Gimignano
19th: explore Florence or go to Sienna or hill town like San Gimignano
20th: explore Florence or go to Sienna or hill town like San Gimignano
21st: book it up to Bolzano (where the Ice man is) to get ready to hike in Dolomites
22nd: hike in Dolomites stay in place up in mountains
23rd: hike around and descend, stay in Brissanone
24th: side trip to Munich to visit Devan Wardrop-Saxton!
25th: Munich! Devan!
26th: leave Munich to Bologna (tentatively stay in Bologna)
27th: arrive at first help x site near Cita di Castello - stay for two weeks!

Blatently missing: Venice ---- aaahh, kept getting bumped down on my list. Dolomite hiking officially trumped it. And I wasn't even originally planning on going to the Dolomites, but then I started reading about hiking, and of course that's where I went. I *must* make time for Venice, but I'm going to be okay if I don't make it there.

not-so blatently missing but still missing: Milan - would love to see the Duomo there, and I actually pondered a side trip, but then came to my senses and realized a six hour round-trip train ride to see a church (and if really lucky see the painting of the Last Supper) was kind of silly

Things I have not posted yet that I still need to

My trip to Barlin and Noeux-Les-Mines, France (where my French great-great grandparents came from)

Also, I my posts my decrease in frequency, as I don't know when and where I will post. I may have to let go off having so many pictures included!