Endings and souvenirs of the past year

We travelled this year to Europe twice, once in May at Pentecost to the Salzburg Festival and then in November to Italy, Spain and England.
We were lucky weather wise, with lots of sunshine and only minimal bad weather.
In Canada we travelled to the theatre Festival at Stratford, Ontario and met with our new friends,
D and M of Phoenix.

Our old home but still our home

Me and our dear friend D. at dinner at friends on Via Tronto

The Christmas Italian Puppies

They will be 5 years old in February 2014. Strange to think that five years ago we were meeting them in Capena just outside Rome at the farm. 

Salzburg Festival, May 2013

Hellbrun Palace gardens outside Salzburg

Having a glass of bubbles at Café Bazar in Salzburg.

 Stratford street 

Donation by Will to the Stratford Theatre archive collection

Travelling with my own physician nowadays 

Will with Will in the background

Then when we renewed our lease here on McLeod street we decided to ask our landlord to replace the broadloom with hardwood, he agreed readily and it only took 3 days to do two rooms, very happy with the results.

In November our cruise on Azamara Quest from Rome to Seville, 23 days of pleasure in many lovely ports.

London street decorations for Christmas enjoyed the shopping and food. London has quite a few very good restaurants nowadays.

On 28 September by mother died after a 14 year battle with Alzheimer. 

A sad moment but for her it was a deliverance from a terrible disease which is little understood.

It was a very full year with many events.

Erik Satie, Gnosienne no.5 and travel

I really like this quiet piano music by Erik Satie.




In ten days, just a few days away, we will be flying to Rome, Eternal beauty, for a few days to visit with friends. Then we board our cruise to the Amalfi Coast unto Sicily and then Spain. We will continue our trip via an hotel-train from Seville to Paris and then on the EuroStar to London to see friends.

We have tickets to see the new exhibit on the life of Emperor Augustus, Pater Patriae, who died on 19 August 14 AD some 2000 years ago. Much of our traditions and laws in the Western World we owe to him.  On his death he became a god by a vote of the Senate of Rome. http://english.scuderiequirinale.it/categorie/exhibition-augusto-rome

There is also a new exhibit on Cleopatra who visited Rome but was never allowed to enter the City itself and lived in Trastevere, Romans did not like foreign potentates much and she was said to have bad morals, thus offending the matrons of Rome. There are many more wonderful exhibits, will see how many we can see while in the Citta Aeterna.
http://chiostrodelbramante.it/en/info/cleopatra_roma_e_lincantesimo_dellegitto/

Rome's seaport is at Civitavecchia some 50 km away the old port of Ostia is no more since the airport is now located in that vicinity at Fiumicino. It takes about one hour to get there, so we will be staying in Trastevere which is closest to the exit out of Rome without having to cross the city.

We have not been to the Amalfi Coast so our first stop is Sorrento, then across to Trapani on the western tip of Sicily where they make excellent wines. A city we know well and where we have bought much wine in the past. Then we will sail for Barcelona, another city we know well and we wish to visit again the famous cathedral still under construction of Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926), La Sagrada Familia, it is spectacular architecture. http://www.sagradafamilia.cat

We will then sail down to the home town of the Borgia Family, Valencia then to Gibraltar and up the Guadalqivir River to Seville. We will leave the cruise at that point and proceed to Granada to see by night the Alhambra and its gardens. http://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/

Our hotel-train will take us to Madrid and on to Paris. Hotel-trains offer the same luxury as an hotel with full dining car and multi-course gourmet meals and wines. We will change in Paris for the Euro-Star which will take us to London via the Chunnel. http://www.chunnel.com

Looking forward to this wonderful trip and seeing so many friends in the process.