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MassRoots Tech Integration with Flowhub and Headset Technology a Game Changer in New Green Rush
MassRoots, traded publicly under the ticker symbol MSRT, is an innovative company that is using technology solutions to merge the gap between cannabis product consumers and the dispensaries they love. The company has partnered with a new full seed-to-sale system known as Flowhub as well as Headset, a leader in business intelligence solutions for dispensaries. Flowhub and MassRoots are integrating technology systems to offer even more high-quality technological platform to dispensaries and cannabis users across the country. MassRoots CEO Isaac Dietrich predicts that his company will continue to dominate the market and use this new technology to offer more benefits to its user base of 900,000 and counting.
Flowhub Technology
Flowhub and MassRoots are poised to unseat MJ Freeway and BioTrackTHC, the two biggest players in the seed-to-sale market. MassRoots already has the user base in place to put Flowhub's streamlined seed-to-sale system to optimal use and help with distribution. With the new system, users will have access to live pricing updates, ensuring that they always receive the most up-to-date and competitive pricing on the market. Flowhub's inventory and order ahead systems make it easy to track a user's favorite dispensaries and past orders and increase repeat sales figures.
The way Flowhub works is as simple and streamlined as the services it provides to users. With an estimated 300 active dispensaries in its network, MassRoots is already able to engage both the consumer and producer sides of the industry. Flowhub will make this engagement even more intuitive. At its core, Flowhub is a point-of-sale system that is carefully crafted to meet the needs of the cannabis industry. This system reports to both METRC and CTS automatically, dramatically reducing the amount of work dispensaries have to put in when it comes to regulatory compliance. A live data stream offers automatic updates whenever a change is made to the software and allows users to access their inventory at any time. Because Flowhub lets dispensaries keep track of their live inventory as well as current market prices, it prevents overselling or undervaluing a product at any given time, eliminating waste.
Headset Technology
While Flowhub technology is changing the way MassRoots connects consumers with dispensaries in the cannabis industry, Headset helps companies optimize the metrics generated from those transactions. Headset is a leading business intelligence platform and its partnership with MassRoots will make it easier to catalog products and integrate live menu pricing. In October 2016, MassRoots will unveil its new product review system, made possible through Headset technology.
According to Headset CEO Cy Scott, the company and its team are excited by the prospect of partnering with the largest cannabis-based social network in the world. Headset provides actionable metrics to help cannabis-based businesses optimize their advertising and improve their relationships with consumers. Since its launch in 2015, Headset has taken pride in offering real-time insights into pricing and consumer behavior in the cannabis market. Headset users can easily track information such as changes in AIP and Unit Volume and average monthly sales. The system is designed to be used from any device, making it easy to check metrics on the go.
The partnership between MassRoots and Headset will not only give MassRoots dispensaries access to better metrics but help them put those metrics to better use as well. Mass Roots dispensaries can gain deeper insights into budtender performance and learn which brands their customers prefer. The new technology also helps dispensaries optimize their current inventory for maximum sales and identifies those product strains that aren't selling as well as they should be. With up-to-date metrics such as these, it is easier for dispensaries to tailor their future supply purchases and marketing campaigns to meet the actual needs of consumers rather than wasting time and money on campaigns that don't perform well.
Future Benefits of Flowhub and Headset Integration
While the integration of Flowhub and Headset technology into MassRoots' business model is still in its early stages, the promise is clear. MassRoots already has a pulse on the things that matter most to consumers in the cannabis industry. With Flowhub, the company will be able to offer a streamlined point-of-sale process that makes it even easier for customers to buy the products they love. Headset offers crucial insights into customer behavior and product performance. This valuable data will be used to build MassRoots' review platform, offering even more opportunities for connection between dispensaries and consumers.
As major retailers in any industry can attest to, reviews are the lifeblood of the consumer-producer relationship. Product reviews not only give brands insights into what does and doesn't work, but they give other consumers greater confidence when it comes to trying out new products. Because MassRoots has a large active user base and inspires consumer confidence, it is the ideal platform for a review system that could revolutionize the cannabis industry. Reviews offer a two-pronged approach to data aggregation since they feature a numbered rating as well as the chance for consumers to put their impressions of a product into their own words. With the advanced metrics software provided by Headset and Flowhub, MassRoots will be able to offer even greater utility to consumers and help its current dispensary partners streamline their sales and marketing efforts.
About the Author
Stuart Smith is the CEO and Founder of SmallCapVoice.com. SmallCapVoice.com. is a recognized corporate investor relations firm, with clients nationwide, known for its ability to help emerging growth companies build a following among retail and institutional investors. SmallCapVoice.com utilizes its stock newsletter to feature its daily stock picks, audio interviews, as well as its clients' financial news releases. SmallCapVoice.com also offers individual investors all the tools they need to make informed decisions about the stocks they are interested in. Tools like stock charts, stock alerts, and Company Information Sheets can assist with investing in stocks that are traded on the OTC BB and Pink Sheets. To learn more about SmallCapVoice.com and their services, please visit https://smallcapvoice.com/blog/the-small-cap-daily-small-cap-newsletter/


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Hart Main Street Mission
The mission of the Hart Main Street Program is to work with both the public and private sectors to restore the vitality once common in the downtown district by enhancing our community identity and heritage, fostering a center of activity, and ensuring economic stability through concentrated efforts in organization, promotion, design and business development.
Hart Main Street Vision
Hart Main Street partners with the community to fulfill its mission of creating an attractive downtown gathering place. We invite our community and visitors to experience the arts, music, restaurants, multi-cultural goods, and other services in the beautiful heart of Hart.
Hart Main Street Vision Description for Year 2020
(Visualize reading this in the year 2020.) The City of Hart was designated a Michigan Main Street Community on July 1, 2010. The Hart Main Street area has seen significant changes, not only to its physical characteristics but in the sense of pride of its people. Hart Main Street maintains a large and diverse group of volunteers that drive the organization to fulfill its mission.
The physical changes to the Hart Main Street area have been tremendous. Hart Main Street now has "Hart Commons" which was dedicated in 2012. The commons is situated overlooking beautiful Hart Lake and provides a place of gathering for all ages, used for purposes ranging from just relaxing with wireless internet access to active use as a group entertainment venue. The downtown streetscape is professionally designed to promote pedestrian traffic and a high level of community interaction in the downtown area. John Gurney Park has been re-established as a trailhead for the Hart-Montague Rail Trail, making these non-motorized trails an important tie among neighborhoods and downtown.
Facades in the Hart Main Street area have been improved with respect to their historic character, in part due to guidelines that have been developed and utilized to influence city zoning ordinances to promote historic preservation throughout the city. These buildings house not only thriving businesses but also affordable and modernized living spaces. Hart's vibrant and attractive downtown has become a backdrop for many annual events year round. Shop Local campaigns, cooperative advertising opportunities and other incentives are showing steady increases to business revenues. Locals, regional residents, and tourists view Hart as a destination due to well organized branding efforts.
Downtown economic development efforts support a strong agricultural community in addition to attracting retail and service businesses. Many small niche businesses continue to emerge through a strong business training and incubator program. The Business Development Team continuously works to retain and recruit new businesses through various business assistance and incentive programs.
The downtown developments, in combination with an annual public relations campaign, have spurred positive changes in surrounding communities. The Hart Main Street program is well known and respected by public officials, community organizations and key stakeholders across the county. Diverse revenue sources continue to fund the program, including strong fundraising efforts that generate 15% of the annual budget, as well as public, private and municipal support.

subset: commoncrawl


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Almost every commercial Bollywood film now-a-days has a recreated version of an old chartbuster, and the latest is 'Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast' from Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon-starrer 1994 film 'Mohra'. The song has been recreated for upcoming film 'Machine', which marks the Bollywoo
Players - Get Ready to Play (2nd Teaser 2011)
Players is an upcoming movie starring Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bobby Deol, Sikander Kher and Omi Vaidya. Its an official remake of Hollywood blockbuster "The Italian Job". Watch the reveal of the first look only on www.facebook.com at 9.00 pm on 3rd November 2011. Players is Directed by - Abbas Mustan. Music Director - Pritam Screenplay by - Rohit Jugraj, Sudip Sharma You can also follow us on Twitter: twitter.com Please do visit our website for the latest updates: www.playersgoforgold.in Release Date 06th Jan 2012 Subscribe to this channel for the latest exclusive videos of 'Players Go For Gold'.
Abbas Mustan
Stand up comedian Kapil Sharma's debut film 'Kis Kis Ko Pyar Karoon' hit theatres on September 25. Prior to the release a special screening of the romantic comedy was held in Hyderabad for Shah Rukh Khan and the entire team of 'Dilwale' recently. Shah Rukh who had visited Kapil's popular T
Comedian Kapil Sharma's popular show 'Comedy Nights with Kapil' is a major platform for filmmakers and stars to promote their film. Kapil in his trademark humour is often seen asking his guests if they have ever dreamt of being on his show. But, actress Sai Lokur has gone a step further and is ma
Latest Bollywood News
- Inside Pictures of Aaradhya Bachchan's lavish birthday party
- Alia Bhatt glows in Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla's outfit
- 'Padmavati' row: Deepika Padukone's security tightened after threat
- Here's how the birthday girl Aaradhya dressed up for the party
- Karni Sena threatens to chop off Deepika Padukone's nose


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GraphicRiver Electro House Party Flyer Vol 3 7052904
Photoshop \ Print Template \ Flyers \ Events
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Print Template - Electro House Party Flyer Vol 3 7052904 by Stormclub @ GraphicRiver
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text: Hi all So my phone has just updated to 2.10.405.2 and nearly given me a heart attack as i thought it was bricked. but apart from the mic on the keyboard, what else has changed? cant see anything different. With so many still waiting for 2.2, whats with the update to it?


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All the information you need in one place! Each Study Brief is a summary of one specific subject; facts, figures, and explanations to help you learn faster.
Copyright year: 2011Publisher: Duke University PressPublication date: 9/14/2011Binding: PaperbackPages: 232Size: 6.00" wide x 9.25" long x 0.75" tall Weight: 1.100Language: English
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Washington, D.C., Feb. 27 : Dressed in a slinky black, one-shoulder dress, Gigi Hadid recently had an embarrassing nip slip moment during Milan Fashion Week.
While walking with conviction, her right breast fell out. Handling the situation like a pro, the model did not show any signs of care or worry and continued her ramp walk, E! Online reports.
It is said that the model looked stunning in the black dress, which featured an asymmetric low-cut neckline with a cutaway section at the middle and had a bold pattern down the seams in sequins.
Later, Hadid took to her Twitter handle to inform her fans about the incident by writing, "Wadrobe malfunctions happen on the runway every day of fw & are...unfortunate,lol,but let's talk instead about the new VERSACE CHOKERS."(ANI)
Latest News
- Kim K claims hubby will stand against world for his creativity
- Gigi Hadid keeps calm amid runway nip slip
- J.J. Abrams may bring in gay `Star Wars` character soon
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- `Overwhelmed` Kesha thanks supporters with short music clip
- Caitlyn Jenner collaborates with MAC for finally free lipstick
- Blac Chyna's `irate` mom slams Kim K and Kylie
- Christian Slater sued by his father for $20m
- Ariel Winter underwent knife for her 'happiness'
- Jennifer Garner speaks up on split with Ben Affleck
- Kim Cattrall`s house 'plowed' by teenage driver
- Liam Payne secretly dating Cheryl Fernandez-Versini
News Update
- Squishiness of human embryo may provide clues about its viability
- Family, Including Ill Father, Removed From Plane As Passengers Applaud Action
- President Obama favors Individual's Right on Genetic Information
- International Health Officials Prematurely Declared link between Zika and Microcephaly: Report
- Jack & The Green Sprouts in Wisconsin linked to E. coli outbreak


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Pop music has created numerous unlikely pairings over the decades, be it James Brown duetting with Luciano Pavarotti, Liza Minnelli guesting with the guyliner rock band My Chemical Romance, or former San Diegan Tom Waits making an entire album with country-pop songstress Crystal Gayle.
But few pairings have seemed as unlikely as that of singer Josh Groban and superstar producer Rick Rubin, who teamed up for Groban's aptly titled new album, "Illuminations."
It is his first new studio release since his holiday album, "Noel," which sold 3.7 million copies in just 11 weeks in 2007 and was the top-selling album that year in the United States. It has now sold 10 million copies worldwide, an astonishing number in an era when many chart-topping albums struggle to break the 100,000 sales mark.
Groban, 29, is the unabashedly romantic pop vocal star with the near-operatic voice. An epic balladeer, he has sold more albums in the past decade than any currently active artist not named Eminem, Britney Spears or Linkin Park.
On Nov. 13 he concludes a four-city U.S. mini-tour , a prelude to an arena tour that will follow next year. The piano-playing singer-songwriter is being accompanied on the mini-tour only by guitarist Tariqh Akoni (whose previous credits include Aretha Franklin, Elton John and Christina Aguilera), not the large ensemble that has backed him on his previous concert treks.
Rubin, 47, rose to fame in the 1980s producing such budding hip-hop stars as LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys. He then branched out and produced hit albums by everyone from Slayer and Tom Petty to the Dixie Chicks and the late Johnny Cash. In 2007, he became the co-head of Columbia Records, one of the world's largest and most prestigious record labels.
Together, Groban and Rubin have crafted a 13-song album that finds Groban stretching beyond his comfort zone, often in ways he contends were completely alien to him.
"The process itself was very difficult," the Los Angeles-born singer-songwriter said, speaking by phone recently from London, where he was wrapping up three days of back-to-back interviews to promote his new album.
For "Illuminations," Rubin insisted that Groban strip his music down to the bare essentials, then organically rebuild from the bottom up. That meant no computer programming, drum sets, electric bass or (with one exception) electric guitar. While there are still some semi-operatic vocal flourishes on the album, the emphasis is on understatement and saying more with less.
The goal is to connect with Groban's listeners in a less glossy setting that emphasizes heart and soul over recording studio perfection. In short, Rubin wanted Groban to deviate from the winning formula that has made him the biggest pop-meets-light-classical vocal sensation of the past decade.
"I knew it was a risk for me," Groban said,
"I'd just come off the biggest-selling Christmas record in many years, and it was amazing to have that success. But there's nothing like that kind of an explosion to make you feel like: 'That chapter is done, what's next? I need to do something in a different way.' Rick had never recorded in this (pop-classical crossover) genre before, and I'd never recorded this way before."
Just how different making "Illuminations" was surprised Groban. His penchant for recording his albums fast collided head-on with Rubin's insistence they take things extra-slow.
"I'm used to (a recording) studio environment where things are done very quickly, Groban said. "But if the songs didn't speak to us with the intimacy Rick wanted — just a dry (sounding) vocal and a dry (sounding) piano — then they got put in the 'No' pile, and that's a pretty frustrating process for me."
Groban laughed.
"I've never done that before, where a year-and-a-half of preparation and work leads to five minutes of magic," he added. "I get it — now!"
Yet, while many of the songs on "Illuminations" are more subtle (and perhaps less radio-friendly) than Groban's previous musical fare, there's no mistaking who's singing them. Nor are the new songs such a departure that his fans will be shocked. Instead, the album is a refinement of what he's done in the past, not a reinvention, with different facets of his music emphasized than before.
"That would be completely accurate," agreed Groban, who originally planned to make an album of songs by other artists with Rubin before starting a composing spurt of his own.
"We knew from the get-go people might feel this (collaboration) was a gimmick. And the only response was to make the best record we could together. I wasn't in it to make a rock album, and he wasn't in it to change me. … So, after literally deconstructing every piece of what's made me successful and rebuilding from scratch, we actually ended up building the same thing, just a little bit smarter and better.
"Our biggest concerns were we didn't want anything to interrupt, exaggerate or distract from the purity of these instruments and the purity of the vocals. If anything, besides the quality of writing, the idea was to make songs that felt like they were coming from me, instead of being presented to me."
Like, perhaps, a chef showcasing the key ingredients of an entree, rather than the garnish?
"Yeah," Groban said. "If you don't overcook the chicken, you don't need to cover it in sauce!"


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Before I let you go, make sure to check back tomorrow for the start of a new column, Trade Waiting. It's a trade review column that Eric will be heading up and he'll be covering Jonathan Hickman's The Nightly News in tomorrows review.
Hit the jump for this week's reviews!
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Eddy Barrows and Ruy José
Okay, colour me impressed. This was easily a book and event I was ready to skip not two weeks ago, but, after giving World of New Krypton a shot last week, I decided to test the waters with Action Comics this time around and Rucka did not disappoint. If you don't wish to be spoiled about the identities of Flamebird and Nightwing, I suggest you move along to the next review as I'll be discussing them and their implications throughout the review.
With little bit of spoiler warning out of the way, I'll get right to the big reveal of who Flamebird and Nightwing are. Flamebird is one Thara Ak-Var, Supergirl's friend, chief of security for Kandor and the person I had actually pegged as the new Superwoman. If you're still drawing a blank, she used to have short, black hair compared to her longer, brown hair when she has her mask off in this issue.
As for Nightwing, that's Dick Grayson. Oh, sorry, force of habit. Nightwing is actually one Lor-Zod, better known as Superman's adopted son, Christopher Kent. Yeahbuwha-, you say? Well, by issue's end, we're told that Thara had been hearing Chris' cries for help from the Phantom Zone and helped free him. We also learn that Chris is experience unexplained 'growth spurts', which are forcing him to age. It was hinted it may be due to his time in the Phantom Zone, which is probably related to his birth in that time bubble Zod and Ursa used to conceive and age him.
With the two big reveals out of the way, we can finally discuss just what the heck this storyline will be about. It seems that Chris has filled Thara in on just what kind of trouble Zod and his crew have been up to prior to Kandor's return and also reveals the existence of some Kryptonian spies planted in key locations around Earth by his father, Zod. These plants were the series of names Rucka and co rhymed off at the recent conventions, namely (details of who they were was not in the actual issue. Just adding that for those curious):
- Tor-An - Nightwing and Flamebird captured this issue
- Jax-Ur - a rocket & missile engineer who accidentally destroyed one of Krypton's two moons and a populated moon of millions and the only criminal ever sentenced to spend all existence within the Phantom Zone, without the possibility of any kind of parole and is considered Krypton's worst criminal.
- Nadira (last name obscured) - a petty criminal with telekinetic powers (oh the conversations she and Superboy would have had)
- Az-Rel - was a partner with Nadira and is a pyrokinetic
- Quex-Ul - the only innocent person ever sentenced to the Phantom Zone. Quex-Ul was put in the Phantom Zone for killing a herd of the sacred Rondors. Rondor horns had healing properties and were therefore sacred to Kryptonians. Quex-Ul was caught at the scene of the crime and was convicted and sentenced to 25 Sun Cycles in the Phantom Zone. Superman proved his innocence and released him and Quex-Ul in turn saved Superman from exposure to Gold Kryptonite. However, this information is obviously from the Silver Age and most likely his freedom will be ignored.
- Car-Vex - I actually know nothing about this Kryptonian. I imagine it's a new character created for this storyline.
Verdict - Must Read. While I found the reveal for the 'magically aging' Chris Kent to be a tad off putting, everything else about this issue and the plot Rucka has set up for future issues was more than enough for me to give this a Must Read rating.
Written by Tony Daniel
Art by Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea
I've been reading Batman comics for a good 10-15 years. I feel like I've seen a lot of different stories from various creative teams over the years, some new, some recycled, but most fairly decent.
The most common story that seems to come up is the missing-Batman or gang war stories. It's an easy way to instigate conflict and pretty hard to mess up. In the case of Battle for the Cowl, Tony Daniel recycles both of these plotpoints in the aftermath of Batman's "death" post-Final Crisis / Batman RIP and does an okay job with the basic plot. Like I said, it's hard to screw it up when you have so many examples of it in action, such as Knightfall, No Man's Land and even the most recent instance, War Games.
However, while the premise is sound and the basic plot points Daniel sets out to hit are fine, the actual characterization for the myriad cast of characters is amateur (queue Christian Bale Terminator set rant) at best. It's as if Daniel is living in his own bubble and hasn't been paying attention to any other Batman related titles over the past few months.
As Tony Daniel is headlining this minievent, the blame for the miscommunications, even if they were due to editorial mistakes, falls on his shoulders and there's no excuse for so many inconsistencies in simple things, such as Nightwing being the closed off and distant one here while Robin is the one reaching out and accepting Bruce's "death" when both were shown to have the exact opposite representations in both their titles as recently as their final issues. We even have the Birds of Prey, along with Oracle, operating in this issue when Oracle disbanded the group at the end of their series. While the Birds may have stuck together, what the heck is Oracle doing there and giving them orders when we're told the story picks up in the Oracle: The Cure mini?
Continuing with the trend, we have a Damian Wayne featured in this issue that is nothing like the one Morrison wrote. Damian is not the spoiled, petulant brat that was infatuated with his father and the Batman legacy nor is he the same kid that was leading the League of Assassins and defeated Tim Drake with ease. In fact, in this issue, he's featured as some teenager picking up what looked like a hooker for a joyride in the Batmobile before nearly wetting his pants as Croc and Poison Ivy attack him and, later, hiding in a corner while Nightwing gives himself up to the villains chasing the two of them. Was Daniel even reading any of the scripts he was given to draw over the past year?
Finally, all of the villains come off as flat, cardboard representations of their usually outlandish selves. These are merely the Batman rogues gallery in name and appearance only. There isn't a single sign of personality from any of them, even the new (there's no way he's back from the dead after what happened in Catwoman) Black Mask, who is as generic as they come.
However, I would be remiss to discuss any of the good points of the issue. As I said earlier, Daniel does hit the normal high points a Batman story of this type strives for. We have the big break out of the villains, which has story telling promise, if a tad lacking in character writing.
Then, we have the rather entertaining scenes of 'the Network', which is basically the Batman extended family, such as the Birds of Prey, Alfred, Nightwing and so on, along with some outsider friends, like Knight and Squire, among others. It was enjoyable watching them work together in a vain attempt at controlling an uncontrollable situation.
Next up is the new Batman imposter, who turns out to be the gun totting version seen on some covers. As solicits have already spoiled it, I'll point out that this is actually Jason Todd. However, I actually think the imposter Tim was looking for in the underground complex was a different Batman than the Jason Todd version that showed up at the end of the issue, but we'll probably find out if there is a second fake out there or not in the next issue.
Finally, the artwork from Daniel is probably the best he's done on the Bat titles, especially his work on faces and non-costumed characters. I imagine the break since Batman: RIP has given him more time to focus on this and that probably explains the increased quality.
Verdict - Check It. While I wasn't exactly thrilled with the characterization, the story does have promise and, as it's only three issues long, I'm going to stick with it for the duration.
Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Leonard Kirk
Captain Britain and MI13 continues to be one of the best books on the stands from Marvel. If you were late jumping on acclaimed runs from years past, such as Captain America or Immortal Iron Fist, do yourself a favour and grab the first trade of this book and get yourself caught up because this is the same deal and people will be talking about this title in the next few years when recommendation lists make their rounds.
Cornell wastes no time continuing with the Dracula storyline setup last issue. All of the cliffhangers we were left with were picked up with at the onset of this issue. While everyone survives these attacks, how our heroes get out of each was quite interesting.
The attack on Captain Britain and Pete Wisdom actually succeeded in going off, as was shown last issue, but was not enough to kill either character. However, Captain Britain broke up the spell halfway through, preventing a full on explosion. Cap's date didn't seem to fair too well, though, and the innocent civilians who happened to be passing by were also left littering the streets in pieces, literally.
Switching gears to the now free falling Faiza, who's codename was revealed as Excalibur this issue, and Black Knight, I was a little disappointed with the magic deus ex save for each of them as Faiza uses her healing powers to heal through their injuries as they slam into the ground without a parachute. It just sets a prescedent for some easy 'get out of jail free' cards with a character that can allow them to survive just about any situation. However, the writing of the scene did help make the moment more believable and it's just a small hang up on that one detail at this point.
Finally, Faiza's family were attacked by Dracula and her father was kidnapped, most likely as a tool to use against the holy sword wielding, Faiza. Dracula left a declaration of war, written in blood, of course, for Blade, the only person he chose not to attack in this opening salvo.
What was great about the follow up scene to the carnage was the fact the team acted like the government agency and trained group they are. They didn't just puff up their chests, stomp their feet and rush off to fight the bad guys like other team books. They rallied together, called a meeting with other government agencies and discussed their options while weeding out any traitors for this obvious setup. This didn't mean they ignored what happened or didn't express any emotions beause they definitely did, but that doesn't mean they have to be stupid either. Just a great and refreshing reaction to what happened and just one thing that makes this book great.
Finally, Spitfire, who went chasing after her brother, who's been turned into a vampire, last issue is shown being led to Dracula. Her brother had been attempting to get her to join them willingly while they walked, but, in the end, Spitfire outright refused him before being led into the waiting Dracula. Dracula, being the lord of vampires, used his will to subjucate Spitfire and force her to join him. I'm not sure on the exact powers of Dracula in the Marvel Universe, so I'm not sure how binding this servitude is, but I imagine she'll be freed by her new boyfriend, Blade, at some point during this arc.
Verdict - Must Read. Great follow up to Dracula's sneak attacks last issue make up the bulk of this issue. Add quality character moments and solid artwork and it's a Must Read all the way.
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Pat Gleason and Rebecca Buchman
While I was slightly disappointed last month when Tomasi had opted to push the Mongul vs Arkillo fight off until this month's issue, the wait was definitely worth it.
This fight was an epic clash of the titans that say both combatants left bloodied and hurting before ending in a very Nova vs Annihilus-like manner as Mongul ripped out Arkillo's tongue.
While the entire issue wasn't devoted to this fight, I thought it was the perfect length and if Tomasi had attempted to draw it out any further, he would have diluted the effort of each character and, in the end, downplayed the brutality of the fight. Was glad to see Arkillo wasn't killed off either. However, if he keeps losing body parts at the end of each fight (he lost a finger to Kilowog in their last meeting), he's going to be pretty hard up come Blackest Night.
The rest of the issue weaved through several plotpoints, most related to future storylines or the current troubles on Daxam. Sodam Yat's reunion with his mother made for some interesting reading as he verbally abuses her and practically forces her to beg for help, all the while mocking the rascist and xenophobic Daxam's plight, even going so far as to claim they deserved what they got after what they had done to him and the countless aliens they murdered to keep Daxam 'clean and pure'.
Continuing with Kyle and Natu's budding relationship, we saw more on Kyle's painting project from last issue and I enjoyed the discussions about the law forbidding their love and what they'd do about it if they get caught. However, with Kyle's track record for girlfriends ending up dead (usually stuffed in fridges, too), I'm not sure if I want one of my favourite non-Earth based Green Lantern being his girlfriend...
Another interesting subplot dealt with Scar and her machinations. Seems she's become more more overt and went so far as to engineer the release of a recently captured Red Lantern, who was freed of his restraints and let loose in the Sciencell area. I wonder if he'll simply kill a few Green Lanterns and escape or if he's going to cause a huge riot and the escape of the numerous Sinestro Corps members?
Finally, Guy Gardner had the line of the week as he makes light of the number of different coloured corps showing up lately, going so far as to claim it was like "Walt Disney threw up" in reference to the newest Blue Lantern corps and possibility of more to come.
Verdict - Must Read. This was worth it for the Arkillo vs Mongul fight alone. Add all the delicious subplots and Blackest Night related goodies and it's hard to go wrong with this book.
Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art by Wesley Craig
Ugh, there were so many things wrong with this issue, I don't know where to begin.
The most obvious place to start has to be the ridiculous amount of exposition. There are literally panels where the main characters of this issue, Drax and Quasar, are barely visible between the gaps of the seven or eight speech bubbles.
This wouldn't be so bad if the topic at hand was actually relevant to the readers, but I've never seen so much said about nothing before. We've got Drax spending a page or two on some existential nonsense about the concepts of Death and Limbo that immediately gets thrown out the window when they introduce the villain of the piece, Maelstrom, who explains the place our heroes ended up has nothing to do with any of that.
From there, it just goes downhill as we have to spend page after page, each littered with speech bubbles, basically recapping who the hell Maelstrom is and the history he has with Drax, all of which seems irrelevant to the actual story and could have been glossed over in favour of some more interesting dialogue.
After the exposition overload, the next biggest fualt in this issue comes in the form of the teased return of Captain Marvel, who is a mere ghost or apparition, preying on Phyla's fragile pysche. Included in this cheesy fake out was Genis-Vel and Annihilus, who isn't even dead after being reborn at the end of Annihilation. Where many (myself included) had hoped Genis might actually make a return to the Marvel Universe here, we were simply toyed with in a cheap one or two panel throw away scene.
Next up was the artwork from Wes Craig. While the characters look fine, he threw in several pages where the focus is zoomed way out, leaving non-descript blobs on the pages, which were then filled with a mountain of text boxes. If there were character actually drawn, then Craig simply threw them on a washed out background completely devoid of any details other than the occasional rock or hole in the ground or just a giant cloud of mysterious dust. I just feel ripped off when the artist can't take the time to draw a proper background.
Finally, the story, or lackthereof, consists of Drax and Phyla walking through this dreary limbo-like environment, meeting up with Maelstrom, having a small fight and then being escorted to the sleeping Moondragon, who's revealed to be possessed by the Dragon of the Moon entity. If you cut out the needless fight sequence and mountains of Wikipedia-like word balloons, this issue consists of maybe 2-3 pages of actual worthwhile story and we actually have to come back next month for the conclusion to it.
Verdict - Avoid It. Maybe Abnett and Lanning are stretched too thin with the War of Kings event and other books they write. It simply felt like they phoned in this story and stretched it out so they'd be able to focus on their other books for the next couple months. First Guardians of the Galaxy I've actually been disappointed with having purchased.


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Picking up all your favourite authentic Italian food and drink has become even easier with the arrival of Ciao Gusto at Ocado – www.ciaogusto.com – which has teamed up with the Sheffield Telegraph to offer a £100 hamper prize for one lucky reader.
For the first time, a simple tab brings together over 30 of Italy's most popular brands, so shoppers can find exactly what they are looking for – and discover new and exciting ingredients – in one click.
Readers can win this wonderful array of Italian goodies worth £100. The hamper consists of products from 30 Italian companies on the Ciao Gusto site.
Italian favourites such as pasta and coffee are packed into the tasty prize. By selecting the Ciao Gusto tab, shoppers can search recipes and add ingredients to their basket. Browse the delicious recipes according to ingredient, preparation time, course or occasion, and explore the joys of Italian cuisine through tips, advice and product information.
Shoppers will be familiar with many products, such as Riso Gallo, Filippo Berio, Giovanni Rana and Cirio who are joined by products new to the UK such as Auricchio cheese and Negroni charcuterie – but everything at Ciao Gusto has been specially selected for its reputation as an authentic Italian favourite.
To enter the competition, see details on page 33 of the December 22 edition of the Sheffield Telegraph.


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"Brilliant service"
About: Dewsbury & District Hospital Dewsbury & District Hospital Dewsbury WF13 4HS
Posted via NHS Choices
Anything else?
I visited the hospital in July 2013 when in labour with my first child. This was after being told that the closest hospital to me was full. I had never visited Dewsbury before that and was a little nervous. However I needn't have been from when I arrived ibwas seen to very quickly and moved straight into delivery suite. I met my midwife who was absolutely wonderful from start to finish, she was supportive, caring and professional and put me at complete ease making my first labour a far easier experience than I imagined. My husband and mum also commented on how good she was aswell as the hospital itself. I would not hesitate to return in the future
Response from Dewsbury & District Hospital 4 years ago
Thank you very much indeed for these kind comments. We are pleased that you had a good experience and wish you and your new arrival well.
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XML calendar
A simple, clean calendar. Background is gradient that you can modify via XML . Also you can change border�s width and color, amount of blur and color of �buttons� used for display of days. All colors can be changed so you can customize your calendar to your needs. Also some other parameters can be changed via XML : - font, size and color of text used for days - font, size and color of text used for text of month - font, size and color of text used for text of year - width, border color, gradient color 1, gradient color 2, blurx and blury of calendar background used - width and color of border used for current day - color of rollover effect of forward and backward buttons - color of buttons - size of �buttons� used for displaying daysVisit publisher site: XML calendar
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The Boghossian Foundation (previously Robert Boghossian and Sons Fund) was established in Beirut, Lebanon. The Foundation is headed by Jean Boghossian, based in Belgium and Albert Boghossian, based in Switzerland.
The Boghossian Foundation first started working in Armenia in 1994. It came to support the newly independent state of Armenia, breathing new life into educational and cultural institutions by paying particular attention to their infrastructures and leisure zones.
Working through the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund the Boghossian Foundation has to date invested more than two million US dollars in the economic and spiritual rebirth of the homeland.
In 2001, in collaboration with the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, the Boghossian Foundation established the annual "President of the Republic of Armenia Prize" to encourage the best specialists from different fields. These include people who have contributed to the development of Natural and Technical Sciences, Humanities, Physics, Information Technologies, Medical Sciences, Art, Literature and projects promoting the development and spreading of humanistic values.
In 2004 the "President of the Republic of Armenia Youth Prize" and "President Classical Music Youth Prize" were set up as well. The awards are aimed at encouraging talented and aspiring classical artists, writers and composers.
Also noteworthy is the Presidential Award for people who have made a valuable contribution to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by emphasizing the importance of the crimes committed against the Armenian nation at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the years following the catastrophic earthquake of 1988, the Boghossian Foundation has implemented over a dozen projects. Gyumri Our Lady of Armenia Convent Boghossian Educational Center, Spitak Cultural Palace, the music school and the construction of water supply system in the villages of Talin region are some of the most noteworthy projects implemented by the Boghossian Foundation.
Also, through direct efforts of Jean and Albert Boghossian Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art in Yerevan, which is one of the first homes of contemporary Armenian art, was fundamentally reconstructed and received financial assistance.
Between the years 2006 and 2008 the Boghossian Foundation took on the task of designing and renovating Lovers' Park Yerevan.
Today the Park is an exemplary model of public leisure areas in our city where people of all ages are able to fully relax and enjoy some peace. Lovers' Park Yerevan is the first and as yet the only Japanese garden in Armenia.
In 2007 Jean and Albert Boghossian were decorated with Anania Shirakatsi Medals in recognition of their great contribution to the Motherland.
In 2010 the Boghossian Foundation created a centre for art and dialogue between the cultures of the East and the West in the context of the famous Villa Empain in Brussels, which is destined to enrich and facilitate reciprocal discoveries between East and West, as well as fulfilling further ambitions: cultural, artistic, educational, scientific, as well as animating features highlighting the links that strengthen this dialogue.
For more information on Boghossian Foundation's activities visit: www.boghossian.am


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Thread: Date Query
03-17-04, 12:40 #1Registered User
- Join Date
- Jan 2004
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Unanswered: Date Query
I have a requirement like this.
I want to Insert records into the table.
If i have the date as today's date, then i want to delete all the existing records, and make a new Insert with the Current Timestamp.
Can someone give me a query for this
03-17-04, 13:24 #2Registered User
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- Jun 2002
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1. do the insert using a stored procedure.
2. Have trigger in background, that fires before every insert to check the sysdate....


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- Please select a date to see the proper prices!
- Meal can be requested on the spot
Best offer
40 € / person / night, no meal
Description of the Accommodation
Rooms, services Haus Dümling Braunlage is offering 20 comfortable rooms to guests looking for accommodation in Braunlage. Should you be arriving by car, parking will be available nearby. Minigolf opportunities will also be available nearby to help you spend your leisure time actively. In the safe your valuables may be the safely secured. To learn more about the exact range of services of Haus Dümling Braunlage (including services for an extra fee) and the exact equipment of the rooms, please check the information sheet below.
Payment Credit card guarantee or advance bank card payment may be necessary for finalizing your reservation, depending on the exact room, date and price.
Arrival, opening hours The earliest time to check in at the hotel is 11:00, the latest time to check out is 10:00. The personnel speaks English and German.
Haus Dümling Braunlage rooms Rooms
- Please select a date to see the proper prices!
Accommodation services
- Finnish sauna
Garden, Safe deposit box
Desk in the room


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While numerous passages in the Bible are ambiguous in meaning and can be validly interpreted in multiple ways, certain passages are so clear one would have to try very hard to get them wrong. One of those is Matthew 25:31-46, the separation of the sheep from the goats and Christ's judgment upon His return. The ethical imperatives that will form the basis of that judgment are the treatment of those people he regards as His "brothers". Identifying Jesus' brothers is the key to understanding the passage:
"'When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me'" (vv. 37-40).
Throughout Church history the "brothers" were primarily interpreted as referring to Christ's followers. More recently however, the modern concepts of social justice and universal brotherhood have influenced the way this text is read and most interpreters wrongly identify "brothers" as anyone who suffers hunger, thirst, etc. But that isn't what Matthew wrote or intended. Continue reading "A Costly Misinterpretation of Scripture"


text: Michele Robertson Company02.Feb 2017 (Last edit 09.Feb 2017) Employee Still Scares Me To Think About It 1.22 1.22 Suggestions for improvementHire someone else to run the company - work from a distance and change the name. Company Michele Robertson Company City Beverly Hills Are you a Current or Former Employee? Not specified Position Employee


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MOVIE SYNOPSIS [ General Audiences ] Movie of David Bonawits. Was premiered in 2011, with production teams of USA. You can watch Pleasant People online on TV cable or theaters with original audio in English at different dates. This film premiered in theaters in 2011.
Rating: 5 by 9 users./
Runtime: 69 minutes
Jiyoung Lee, Josh Hall, Dave Marder, Sarah Atchison, Paula Trude, Becca Cayce, Vanessa Palacios, Jason Kingsland, Drew Dominey, Chris 'Casper' Kelly, Jim Johnson, Jayme Lyles, Melinda Mondel Levandoski, Jessica Snipes and Merrill Hagan.
69-minute film (full movie) directed by David Bonawits.
The original audio of Pleasant People has dialogues in Dolby Digital, it was produced in USA.
It premiered in cinemas or television in 2011.
Screenplay written by David Bonawits.
David Bonawits.
This film was produced and / or financed by East Main Video.
Without commercial breaks, the full movie Pleasant People has a duration of 69 minutes; the official trailer can be watched in streaming on the Internet. You can watch this full movie free in EnglishDolby Digital in movie TV channels, renting the DVD or with VoD services (Video On Demand player, Hulu) and PPV (Pay Per View, Netflix).
See the page of this full movie, Pleasant People in FULLTV Movies.


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Bill and I have been full-time RVer's for almost 5 years now. We left Southern California January 2012 to travel the USA for a couple of years. Once we reached Florida, I got the bright idea to store the truck and trailer and fly to Italy for two months. So we stored our truck and trailer in Orlando, FL and flew to Rome on 5/13/2012. We returned to Orlando on 7/18/2012. I posted pictures and comments just about every day on Facebook. After the trip, I extracted the data into a file. Here is the chronology 'as is'. I planned the trip and booked 16 B&B's. We rented a Fiat and drove the entire two months from place to place. The two months cost us $15,000.00 (not including airfare) and we wouldn't change a thing! There definitely will be a 'next time'.
Lovely! I either have a stomach flu or something else. Playing the waiting game for the next couple of hours to see if I have to trot on over to urgent care....sigh. (turns out that I did go to urgent care and found out I had a bad case of diverticulitis). This was a result of an overdose of POPCORN! Pills in my purse, we're off to Italy on 5/13. Alas, I can have NO VINO for 10 days.
Today is THE day! We fly to JFK from Orlando around 11AM and then on to Rome, Italy. I'll be posting pix/status periodically. Ciao Bambino's! We boarded and were ready to be taken through the safety spiel and then an 'announcement!' "We're having a mechanical problem and need everyone to deplane". Now we're off the plane...waiting.
Finally arrived in Rome at 1:30PM Monday after a 3 hour delay at JFK Airport. We didn't sleep much on the stinky HOT plane but the agony was worth it. Bill is snoring and I'm about to crash (only had 6 hours sleep since the evening of 5/12). The Tuscan hills and valleys are lush and green. This B&B Casa Di Leo in Cortona, Italy is lovely and the host is very welcoming. I found them on booking.com. Now I wish we were staying at this B&B more than 3 nights. We had dinner in Cortona at a little pizza place.
Sleep glorious sleep! I got 8 solid hours last night and now have a good groggy feeling. Yesterday we drove to Castiglone Del Lago (picture attached) and Arezzo. They're both Tuscan walled cities. Dinner last night was at Ristorante Ambrosa in Cortona. Leo, who owns this B&B with his son, is one of the chefs. The Spinach Flan and the pasta with fresh anchovies were delish. We're leaving shortly to explore. We got a late start today. It actually rained a bit this A.M. That's okay. We were still tired so after breakfast we took a nap. We splurged and lunched in Cortona at Relais "Il Falconiere". Too gorgeous! I've been reading about this place for years in Frances Mayes' books. Bill had steak tartar, and ravioli. I had a platter of cheese and pici pasta while resting my feet on a little stool under the table. Our next stop was Frances Mayes' home (Bramasole). Sigh…she didn't invite me in. We then drove about 50 miles to Citta de Castello in the province of Perugia. On the way to and from we traveled through gorgeous scenery. We stopped by Borga di Vagli. Tomorrow, after 3 nights, we leave Cortona and head to Rimini for 5 nights.
We're having a gelato in lovely San Marino Italy. WIFI has been iffy. Long drive from Cortona to Rimini two days ago. On our way to Rimini, we stopped at Sansepulcro for lunch (wonderful lentil and faro soup). When we checked in at Residence Lugano, we SLEPT for 12 hours. Between my antibiotics and Bill's sinus issue, jet lag, etc. etc., we can't get enough sleep. We dragged ourselves out of bed, had a terrific lunch at a place down the street and drove around Rimini's beach town. There are hundreds of hotels and cafes. Since it's in the 50's and breezy we didn't feel like getting into the water. Besides that, all of the private beaches make it inconvenient to just plop down on the beach. Instead, we went to our first Italian Super Market. It was like Disneyland for me! I went right back to our studio apartment and made a pot of red sauce and a side of grilled veggies. Next, it was laundry time. The complex has only one washing machine and one dryer. Too late, I found out that the dryer was not working. So we have pants, tops and undies hanging around the apartment. Today the weather was beautiful. We spent the whole day at the beautiful walled hill town of San Marino. We felt a significant earthquake at 4AM back in Rimini...rolling, jerky...but so far, we can't find anything on the internet. It didn't wake me because I wasn't asleep. The Italian guys in the room next door were just finishing up their partying.
We drove to Castello Gradara (THE most charming small pristine walled city). We continued on to Pesaro. Tomorrow we leave Rimini and head to Bologna for 5 nights at Centro Turistico Citta di Bologna. It's in the country. We may not be online for a few days.
Our accommodation at Centro Turistico Citta di Bologna is wonderful! We're staying at a 5-star camping facility in a bungalow. Pristine room and grounds and the linens are NICE and are changed daily. There is a fridge so we eat breakfast in and our other meals out. When we arrived, I got into bed a slept. This was the last day of my antibiotics. I'm feeling much better.
We drove to Piazza Maggiore and visited the Museum of the History of Bologna and then had a terrific homey lunch.
We drove about 40 km to Castelfranco Emilio and other nearby cities. We also drove to Marandola (about km from North of Bologna. That city was hard hit by last week's earthquake. We saw a lot of falling brick and roped off areas. We had lunch while in the area and then visited San Prospero (lots of deserted charming buildings). Cherry (duroni) season has arrived so we bought giant ones and they are delish! One is not allowed to taste the fruit before purchasing. The fruits and vegies (and cookies) here are just too good!
We drove to Castel San Pietro Terme, Italy. Lovely little walled city. We bought local cheese, bread and pastries and had lunch in a park.
We returned to the Piazza Maggiore area of Bologna. We visited the Archaeological Museum of Bologna and then grabbed a huge piece of pizza. We encountered a wedding and a food/wine event. Like the locals, we sat on the steps in Piazza Maggiore people watching. Tomorrow we head to Venice for 4 nights.
Ciao from Venice! We arrived at San Marco Square at 3PM by water bus. We parked our rental car for the 4 nights we'll be here. No cars allowed on Vence! It's lovely just as I imagined only MORE of everything! It took us about an hour to find our hotel but even that was enjoyable! We had a drink in the Piazza San Marco accompanied by lovely music ...really FEELS like Italy. Later we ate Branzino (the whole fish was baked in a hard salt shell....looked like a mummy when it was brought to the table. (Ristorante La Nuova Grotta). Our hotel (Hotel Bel Sito e Berlno is charming....great detail in all ways. www.hotelbelsito.info
Lovely but tiring day. We hit the pavement at 9AM and didn't return to our room until 3PM! And we only sat down for a 45 min lunch. We took a long nap! We had dinner at a place along a canal and then returned to the hotel to play Spite and Malice. I won! Now it's just about time for bed. What sights and sounds. Love it all but we overdid the walking bit today. Tomorrow we'll return to the Piazza San Marco area and explore more in depth. We have tickets to a concert tomorrow for an evening of Vivaldi music. We'll reserve a gondola the night after tomorrow. It is WONDERFUL not having to hurry.
Yes we felt the earthquake this morning at 9AM. It was quite a shaker. We are fine. The center was again near Bologna...around Modena, etc. We got up early, had our free hotel breakfast which is plentiful and good! Then we went on another long trek, eventually ending up in Piazza San Marco. We toured Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) and The Basilica of San Marco. We walked through the Bridge of Sighs on our way to the prison area of Palazzo Ducale. This evening we attended a concert by Interpreti Veneziani. They played Vivaldi (heavenly!). www.interpretiveneziani.com
We rode a water bus to Murano…famous for glass pieces. I started my souvenir shopping. We had the BEST meal ever at Trattoria Al Corollo http://www.trattorialcorallo.com/ I raised my glass to my dad. (pasta with mussels and clams, fried squid and sardines...yum!) It would be his kind of place. When we returned to Venice, we hopped aboard a gondola and went for a smooth ride around the canals.
We left Venice around 11AM and are now in Verona at Park Hotel Elefante www.hotelelefante.it Quaint, clean, love it! Reminds of a place one would find in France. We will be here for 2 nights.
Verona is lovely. We liked it better than Bologna. I bought some gold-colored shoes. We found Giuletta's tomb and house. Bill was romantic and bought a lock. We wrote our name and date on it and locked it to the gate of locks in Giuletta's home entrance. It symbolizes eternal love. Yes ...awwwwwww......
Then the GPS found a fantastic trattoria for us to lunch.http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trattoria-da-Nat/194690403880942
Reasonable, friendly, and delicious. And then it was time for practicalities....time to find a laundromat and it FINALLY was not a traumatic experience. Tomorrow we head to Medesano (medi-zano) near Parma for a couple of nights.
Medesano is a lovely town and the hotel is pretty nice but it's located behind an abandoned hotel construction site. Unsightly! A Bill is having trouble with his netbook and until that is fixed, I can't easily upload pictures. In the meantime, I'll just take a few with my Android and post when I'm near a hot spot. Ciao!
Last night we followed a recommendation that turned into an adventure. While at a local pasticceria (pastry shop) in Medesano, we asked the owner about a suggestion for a place for dinner. Turns out that he wants to go to Seattle WA someday, and on, and on...and… finally he wrote down a place about 12 km away. Down the country road we drove looking for the little sign for La Collina Del Sole. Aha! We turned left and continued up a steep curvy one lane road for quite a distance. We almost gave up because we'd driven a distance and there it was! Are we happy we persisted and found this treasure. Dinner was terrific, the view amazing, friendly staff, the price reasonable. GO!!!!!!http://www.agriturismoparma-lacollinadelsole.it/
We're back at our hotel for a bit. We drove to the center of Parma today. It's okay. I prefer the smaller cities. Our hotel is about 20 km away and in a prettier area. On the way back we stopped in at a trattoria that was very busy. Dishes of food were flying out of the kitchen. We weren't starved but thought we'd have a lite bite. Bill wanted a dish of strawberries and cream and I wanted an antipasta. Well he ended up with a large bowl of fruit (delicious kiwi's, pineapple, strawberries, and cherries) and I was brought 3 small dishes of goodies. I thought "oh this is perfect...not too much"...THEN the waiter returned with 6 more small dishes! Then he brought thin pizza bread and later, lemoncello. All this for 24 Euro! No dinner tonight! After feasting, we stopped at Niceto, a neighboring town of Medesano. Staying in the rest of the evening....this is our 20th day in Italy; 44 more days to go. Loving every moment but right now we're tired. However, I think I have enough energy to beat Bill at Spite and Malice.
Even though we woke up to rain, we went out to explore the Parma area. First stop was to buy a hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano from Bertinelli Gianni E Nicola in Medesano. Then we decided to tour a couple of castles. First stop was The Sanvitale Castle of Fontanellato (16th century)http://www.castellidelducato.it/CastelliDelDucato/viewSingleCastle.action?typeReq=parmaCastlesW&id=42&codeLocale=UK&currField=homepage
and the second was in Salsomaggiore from the 11th century (no kidding!). That was The Scipione Castle of Marquis Pellavicino.http://www.castellidelducato.it/CastelliDelDucato/viewSingleCastle.action?typeReq=otherCastlesW&id=73&codeLocale=UK&currField=homepage
We also stopped for a light lunch (really) in Pellegrino Parmense. Mid-afternoon, the rain stopped and everything was clear as a bell. I loooooove these smaller towns. Salsomaggiore is absolutely gorgeous. Poppies everywhere!
What a busy day! The weather was warm and clear. I'm breaking each activity into a separate Facebook status because that's how much I have to post! First we drove 60 km to Piacenza. I like this city as much as Verona. Now usually I breeze into a cathedral, say "Beautiful" and exit. This cathedral wasn't highly decorated but it was huge and solid and very very old. Nearby in a grassy piazza, we chatted with Maria Grace, her friend Julio and her 2 year old grandson William. We managed to converse despite our language barriers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piacenza_Cathedral. The second item on our agenda
was to tour Castell'Arquato. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castell'Arquato. Again today, we had a private tour. This must be the perfect time to visit castles or not too many people are interested in them??? The town is pristine...reminds me a bit of San Gimignano (flower pots, well-kept structures). It's more affluent than most of these little cities. What we actually toured (basically climbed) was the Fortress and what a view! I'll post a video later. Then we drove 35 km from Castell'Arguato to Bardi. There we toured Fortezza di Bardi. This is the most rustic fortress we've seen. It's not all dusted off as most are. I loved the rustic look. It's complete with torture chambers ...that wasn't the highlight for me....kind of scary. But there were all kinds of mazes and stairwells…places to get lost. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardi,_Emilia-Romagna. The road to Bardi was winding and high in the mountains. The 25 km drive from Bardi back Medesano was therefore also just as curvy down the gorgeous mountain. You will see from the pics I post later that the mountains are lush with vegetation. Bill said he enjoyed driving but he's beat and is presently snoring. We stopped at a pizza place on the way home but were both going through the motions eating...tired and slap happy…and the pizza wasn't great. Tomorrow we leave Medesano and head to Arliano near Lucca. We'll stay at Villa Del Seminario for 7 nights. http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/villa-del-seminario.en.html?aid=311088%3Blabel%3Dvilla-del-seminario-riH_5uV_9qOv42oPTwJbhAS82811241
There will be a lot of site seeing to do in that area (Pisa, Montacatini, perhaps Florence (though we might save that for when we are in the Chianti region), Cinque Terre , Portofino. and more.
We arrived in Arliano, Italy around 4PM.
We spent about an hour today in Pisa (about 20 km from our hotel in Arliano) taking the usual pics of holding up the leaning tower. I loved the Tower but wasn't in love with the rest of the city. Then, because I was stupidly wearing my NEW Italian shoes, I developed blisters. This happened about the same time that we were going to have to feed the parking meter more coins so we decided to leave, buy some band-aids, and return in a couple of days. I changed shoes and we drove to Lido di Camaiore and had lunch at the Ligurian Sea. The water felt great on my feet. Tonight we drove 10 km to Lucca for dinner at Osteria Miranda. Tomorrow we plan to change rooms....we're upgrading only because we want a room with one of the new matresses. This one is lumpy! Other than that, our room is great and so is Villa Del Seminario. Until the 1980's it was a Catholic seminary. It and the grounds are pretty and peaceful.
We stayed around the hotel almost all day. Around 1:30PM we drove 19 km to have lunch at Antica Locanda di Sesto http://www.anticalocandadisesto.it/inglese/home.htm
Trip Advisor ranked it #1 as the best trattoria in Lucca. Bill chose the boar and I had the 'brick chicken'. Delicious! These late lunch/early dinners are really the way to go. Tomorrow we will drive to La Spezia, to catch the train to the Cinque Terra cities (on the Italian Riviera). We'll use a combination of travel options (train, ferry, and our feet) to get around. It will be another total adventure.
Wedding congrats to my niece Diana and her love Joe. They were married today in Cherry Valley Massachusetts. We wish you both only happiness and tons of patience to Joe. (Hey he is marrying a 'Maglietto' woman!). We would have been there if we weren't in Italy. The day Diana called to tell me about the wedding we were at the Houston airport purchasing our tickets to Rome! Change of plans. We didn't go to the Cinque Terra today. We'll wait until Monday to go when the weekend crowd is gone. Instead, we drove about 30 km to lovely Montecatini for lunch. On our return we stopped at Lucca. And, yay! I found a place to have a mani/pedi (not so easy). We also drove around Nozzano Castillo....tiny cute little town about 4 km from our hotel.
We drove to Marina di Pisa...needed some ocean air. The weather was gorgeous and there were lots of sunbathers lying on huge rocks (there is no sand). Lunch was just okay but only because I ordered poorly. After a long walk we drove to Livorno but wish we hadn't ....kind of a dirty city...mostly a harbor area. When we returned to the hotel, there was an elaborate children's birthday party starting on the hotel grounds. I'm talking champagne for the adults under umbrella'd tables, waiters, etc and in another garden area, the children are being entertained by hired sitters and a lot of activity. We may do Cinque Terra tomorrow.
What a fantastic day! We drove to La Spezia, parked, took the train to the first of the Cinque Terre...Riomaggiore. From there we walked to Manarola and had lunch at Marina Piccola. Then we took the train to Monterosso al Mare, then to Vernazza, then to Corniglia and finally returned to La Spezia around 10:15PM. It was exhausting but wonderful. Each town is very unique. The Italian Riveria is GORGEOUS. We must have climbed 1500 stairs and countless other steps and walkways.
I haven't posted a quarter of what we take with both of our cameras. We were dead last night when we returned. We had only enough energy for a shower and to close our eyes. We'd hoped to take a ferry rather than the train to/from a couple of the cities but the water was too rough so the ferries didn't run. Once the train let us off in Riomaggiore, it was a reasonable walk to Manarola. However part of the path was closed to Corniglia. We took the train from Manarola to the most northern Cinque Terre city (Monterossa) and then worked our way south. Corniglia was the last town we visited. We stayed too late and almost missed the last train back. When we return to Italy, we will definitely spend more time in the Italian Riviera. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/cinqueterre.htm.
Tomorrow we leave Arliano and head to Piombino for 3 nights. Lazed around the hotel half the day and then drove into Pisa for lunch and to say farewell to The Leaning Tower of Pisa. We're in horse meat eating country...it is used in their Bolognese sauce, so I steered clear. We took a slow drive back to the hotel taking snapshots along the road. I feel bad that I couldn't hook up with my cousin Al Misso who lives in the Lucca area but I had no way to reach him. Tomorrow we leave Arliano and head to Piombino for 3 nights http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/28755. While there one of the things we plan to do is to take a ferry to Elba Island. Thus far all our lodging were booked through booking.com. This will be our first stay in a private home and booked through airbnb.com.
Nice drive to Piombino! We stopped in Volterra for lunch (yes..THE Volterra . Scenes from the Steph Meyers Twilight sagas were filmed here.
We're back at the B&B after a full day. Drove to a mini-Volterra type walled city called Campiglia Maritima, followed by a beach town called Follonica, followed by a quick wine tasting at L' Etrusco. We bought a bottle of 2007 Cab Sauvignon. Then we drove to Barratti and had lunch at a place overlooking the gulf. We could have been in Maui by the look of it! Next stop a little Etruscan city called Populonia where they are still doing archeological digs and finding items that are 600 BC. We visited their small museum. It is the only Etruscan town built by the sea. What a view! Finally, we drove to the active city of Piombino. This town too is right on the Ligurian Sea. And did I forget to tell you about the fields of sunflowers! If you are looking for the pictures from our first month in Italy, they are now in a separate photo album called 'Davies Italy-Month 1 of 2'. Since we are now officially in our 2nd month here, today's and pictures following will be in 'Davies-Italy-Month 2 of 2'.
Heading to the ferry...we'll spend the day on Elba Island. Bill and I sure know how to use every minute of a day. It took 30 min for the ferry to take us and our car to Elba Island. We drove 3/4 of the perimeter of Elba (about 150 km using the main road). There were beautiful ocean views, gorgeous beaches, a couple of walled cities http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elba. Many areas of Italy resemble California...especially Elba. We could have been driving around San Diego, Santa Barbara, PCH, Palos Verdes, Agoura Hills, etc., etc. It's all lovely. We'll return to California but are not sure to which of the 'Italy looking areas of CA' though. Tomorrow we leave Piombino and head to Cerveteri for two nights at a B&B.
We drove 200 km from Piombino to Cerveteri (Chur-vet-eri). Delia and Guiliano's B&B is lovely and they are so gracious. We wish we'd planned a longer stay. Delia designed this 13 year old spacious home. We couldn't have been more content here. They invited us for dinner both evenings. They said "no cost" and we said "no way" and presented them with a very nice tip. The veggies were picked from their garden each morning and everything...the crostata, the bread, jam, is home-made. I don't know when I've had a more delicious apricot. The first evening Silvia and Guiseppe, a couple in their 30's from Rome, also dined with us. She is a singer and he is a musician. Delia and Guiliano retired from Alitalia Airlines. Our almost non-existent Italian and their limited English didn't prove to be much of a problem.
It's a lovely morning here in Cerveteri. It's Father's Day. Sending hugs to our son-in-laws. Delia served us a huge breakfast including a newly made crostata. We spent half the day at the Necropoli della Banditaccia walking around and on Etruscan tombs and toured the Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1158 There are thousands of tombs in the area and we saw plenty. That's not something we get a chance to do ever! This second evening of dining at the B&B was even better than the first night. I watched and took pictures of Delia cooking dinner. She made stuffed zucchini flowers, fried fresh anchovies, spaghetti with chopped white fish, zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic. Then, there was a fresh-from-the-garden green salad. For dessert she brought out a dish of fresh fruit and a drink made from lemon sorbet, vodka, and prosecco. We were blown away by the whole experience. Later I taught Delia to play Spite and Malice. We found this B&B through www.airbnb.com and highly recommend it! Before we left Delia told me I was very "sympatico". When we return to Italy, we will definitely come back to this B&B.
We are heading to Sorrento for 7 nights. Wifi has been limited here in Cerveteri. Today was our longest drive between lodgings...a little over 300 km. Am I glad we are not staying in Naples. Just driving through it we could see how congested it is. We will however, visit the town in a few days. The Cassiopea B&B in Preazzano (Sorrento) is also lovely. It's a remodeled 17th century building. The drive up to the B&B prepared us for the narrow winding roads we'll soon be taking to Positano on the Amalfi Coast. As soon as we arrived, the host brought out a huge tray of fruit, cheese, juice, walnuts, etc, etc. and sat down with a map to explain how to get everywhere we wanted to see during our week in the area. We found this B&B through www.venere.com. Tonight we walked to a local pizzeria in town. We had spaghetti vongole (clams) and had the BEST pesto and swordfish pizza. We were beginning to think Italy couldn't make a good pizza because we haven't been happy with the ones we've had until tonight.
We're off to explore Sorrento...and to find a lavenderia (laundry).
Capri and Anacapri, Italy. Our adventures continue! Yes we arrived in Capri yesterday at 10:30AM but we didn't return to Sorrento last night because we MISSED THE BOAT! So we turned lemons into lemoncello, found a hotel, had a yummy dinner at Capricorno and hung around a piazza listening to fabulous music. The long story: Since we didn't want to ride on the typical tourist cattle boat, we hired a private boat for 4 hours so we could snorkle. When we returned, we took a bus to Anacapri and walked for about an hour. Then we got on the wrong return bus. Instead of it taking us to the marina, it took us to Capri (which is in between Anacapri (top of the island) and the marina), so we walked around Capri and then stopped for a glass of vino, chips, and olives and to gaze at the gorgeous view. At 7:15PM we decided we'd better head back to Sorrento so we checked the boat schedule. The last boat to Sorrento left at 6:30PM! Oh noooooo...We were stuck on Capri! We had a fabulous day (and night) on Capri. We snorkeled at four grottos. We saw the Blue Grotto but did not go in since we were able to see (and snorkle into) so many other grottos (plus EVERYONE told us waiting in the 'line' wasn't worth it for two minutes of viewing). After dinner at the active piazza, we met a couple; he is from Westlake Village and she is from San Diego. The piazza was alive with singing, dancing, and people enjoying a coffee or a wine. A funny while at Anacapri: I saw this cute little patio with a typical 'Nonna' sitting on her porch crocheting. I asked "Can I take a picture?" She said "Come come" and opened the gate and I'm thinking I wish she was my Nonna. Anyway, I'm getting ready for the photo shoot and she pulls out a cart and removes a cover. Turns out she's a vendor incognito selling crocheted baby hats and booties. Too funny! Yes, Diana I bought a pair of booties for your bambino!
Capri and Anacapri, Italy. This morning we beat the crowd and were the first on the chair lifts to Seggiovian Monte Solaro...spectacular views. We could point to everywhere we'd been the day before. When we came back 'down to earth', we rode the bus from Anacapri to Capri and took the Funicula (enclosed type of escalator/bus) down to the marina just in time for the 11:30AM boat to Sorrento. While waiting in line, we started talking to a couple from Liverpool. They were headed back to Sorrento after only two hours on Capri because they didn't think it had much to offer!!! Say what? Dinner tonight was at Preazzano, Italy at Frate Cosimo.
Well we were on our way to Pompei but we had to turn around because the "road was closed"....not sure why but we suspect road construction. We were informed that we could get to Pompei via Positano but decided to change our plans. Instead we took a ferry to Naples and spent the afternoon there. Sorrento and Naples are practically next door neighbors but as different from each other as New York City is from San Diego. Still Naples is interesting but I sure wouldn't want to wander around the back streets.
No road closure today so we drove to Pompei. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii. We found out that yesterday's closure was due to a protest. We were in awe of Pompeii and spent almost four hours there. It is so interesting to see how people live/lived. But it was HOT and we were absolutely filthy when we returned to the B&B. We immediately took showers. I fell today in the street of huge cobblestones...those stones are slippery. I was only concerned about my camera. At this point I don't think I hurt myself. I'm sure my body will let me know by morning. Bill is resting and I just finished uploading pictures and just finished a load of wash. Thank you Cassiopea B&B for letting me use your wash machine. The clothes are now outside on a drying rack. Ahhhh laundry in Italy! This evening we will continue searching for "the best pizzeria in town". "It has no sign and is just down from the church, near the market...you may have to ask someone to point it out." Okay? OKAY!
Drove through Vico Equense. Crowded cities today; returned to the B&B for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we leave Preazzano (Sorrento) and head to Positano for four nights at Colle dell'ara B&B. http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/italy-positano-colle-dell-ara-details.html
We left Preazzano (Sorrento) and moved to Positano where we will be for four nights. It was only 10km but was an hour's drive. So we are driving waaaaaay up to find Colle Dell'Ara B&B and there, as informed, is the buzzer…installed on the side of the mountain. We're told someone will be down in 5 minutes. You will see from the pictures that our luggage was put into a metal basket on a cable and pulled up the mountain side to the B&B. We parked our car below and walked up the mountain on crude inconsistent steps and paths straight up to the B&B! This took about 15 minutes. We were out of breath but also breathless. This place is sooo worth it! The view of the city of Positano is the best! The gardens are lovely. There are 4 bedrooms and a huge living area. We took the bus down into town and spent a few hours having lunch and browsing. Around 6:30PM we returned to the B&B (via bus) and again climbed the path. We are getting fantastic exercise.
Today we drove from Positano along the Amalfi Coast and to Ravello for lunch. Our turn around point was Salerno. We have heard horror stories from several people about the Amalfi Coast but we have to say that it REALLY wasn't THAT bad. Now I can see if you are on a tour bus, it could be scary. There are railings all along the road. We felt entirely safe and in control. The city of Amalfi is a larger, busier version of Positano. It was okay but we preferred and absolutely loved Ravello. It's a lovely, peaceful city with beautiful gardens. We drove as far as Salerno before heading back to Positano. Salerno is a typical beach town with hundreds of apartment buildings...NOT at all what I expected. I wouldn't return there.
We spent the morning hanging out at the B&B...reading...napping. We'll walk down the hill to a trattoria in about 2 hours for lunch. A couple just left the B&B to get married! AND YEP they have to climb down (and up again) the 160 steps plus paths connecting those steps. We returned from lunch just before they returned. The B&B host was running around trying to put together a quick wedding celebration for the couple. I helped with the champagne and rose petals. The five of us toasted the newlyweds. The wine is poured generously and FREELY at this place. On another note, I find it interesting that even after a substantial lunch I can still crave tortilla chips. And, on another note, Bill and I agree that one would think in Italy you would smell olive oil and garlic around every corner....not the case at all. In fact we never smell anything cooking.
We visited Nocello which is a short distance up the road from our B&B. Unbelievable ocean views. Then then we took the bus down to the center of Positano for lunch and to further explore. No matter which way you glance it's amazing. The weather has been HOT and sticky. Tomorrow we leave Positano and drive about 140 km to Bovino in Puglia. So the Italians beat the Germans tonight at soccer. You should hear the celebration. The whole B&B was watching! All of Positano was watching! All of Italy was watching! The internet was clogged for EVER! And the honking and fireworks continue. We are very high up the mountain above the colorful main town of Positano...you can hear the celebration all the way up here.
It was a very long drive from Positano to Bovino. We were starving and found a farmhouse with a rusty sign indicating that it was a restaurant though it didn't look like it was open. We parked, a barking dog came from somewhere, and a nonna-type lady came out of a small door in the back of the building. I asked "Mangia?" and she said "si, si". A man unlocked the main door and turned on the light. The place was clean and charming. The nonna-type woman came in and asked "Risotto?" and we said "si". Let me tell you, this was the BEST risotto we'd ever had! Then we ordered meat, wine, biscotti, etc, etc.
We are staying two nights at Casa Del Borgo in Bovino (Puglia) http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/la-casa-del-borgo.en.html. I knew the B&B was near the main piazza but didn't realize we'd be practically on top of it. Oh if only you could have been in the car as Bill drove up the narrow, cobbled streets to get to our B&B. These streets were not designed for cars…even a tiny Fiat. At a couple points we had to put in the side mirrors. The B&B was charming and the building was from some very old century that we haven't figured out yet. The B&B host took us on a tour of the town introducing us to people and setting us up for dinner. Bovino is darned OLD and they don't get many tourists but our B&B host is trying to get it going. I picked Bovino because it was near Accadia and Foggia (Grandfather Maglietto's area) and driveable to Potenza and San Fele (Grandmother Maglietto's area). I couldn't believe I was actually walking around San Fele and Accadia yesterday. San Fele is another of those walled cities very high on a mountain top, no one speaks English, and they also do not see many tourists. We met a Pasquale Papa (Grandma's maiden name was Papa) but since we couldn't communicate, I couldn't confirm him as a cousin. We really didn't have time to hunt down cemeteries. Accadia is a bit sad. It seems something happened in 2000 to cause the older section of the city to be evacuated. That area is a ghost town. We'll research. There were however, Italian flags flying everywhere in support of the Italian soccer team. ITALY'S SUPPORTING NATIONAL TEAM - TUTTA ITALIA FA IL TIFO PER LA NAZIONALE. Countless Italian flags can be seen outside every home, balcony or windows throughout Italy, supporting "gli Azzurri" for tomorrow Eurocup final. Did you take out your flag already? FORZA ITALIA!
The long drive from Bovino to Teramo took us along the Adriatic coastline which was lovely. We are staying one night at the Hotel Gran Sasso. The town was excited for the soccer game to begin. Businesses closed early. We finally found a sport's bar and ordered an 'interesting' hamburger. The bar moved a large TV outside onto the piazza to watch the big game. Tomorrow we'll drive to Figline Valdarno in Toscana for 7 nights. While there, we will the Chianti Wine Country, Florence, and more hill towns.
On our way from Teramo to Figline Valdarno we stopped in Deruta for lunch and to shop. I was very excited about being there. I already own a few larger pieces of Deruta and now I've added about 6 smaller pieces. Lovely! We are staying 7 nights at Norcenni Girasole Club. We'll just hang around the resort for a couple of days...laundry, swim, wine taste, etc. We might even relax.
We took the bus into Florence to spend the day. When we first arrived I thought "how are we going to see all of this city in one day." By 5, Bill and I were done (babbling, complaining about sore ankles and knees...AND it was so blasted hot!). But, yes, we loved the city. We saw a lot but not all by far. There were several tour groups and we just didn't feel like standing in line. Actually we don't feel deprived by doing that. There were plenty of statues to go around. My favorite part of the city is Ponte Vecchio. We did tour Santa Maria Novella as well. The area around La Cupola Del Duomo and Piazza Della Signoria is simply amazing. Who knows...perhaps we'll return in a couple of days. Some of you have asked about the resort we are staying at in Figline Valdarno. First off the city is in Chianti country and very near Florence. Norcenni Girasole Club is a 'Camping Village and Villa Resort'. When I booked it, I didn't know about the camping part. We have a chalet. Hundreds of people are here staying in the tent area, the camper/trailer area, chalets of all sizes, apartments, and huge villas. It's like a Club Med. We're in the hills on a huge property. There are two pool areas that each have 4 pools some of which are basically 'water worlds'. There are 6 restaurants. There are events, bars, music, tennis courts, etc. I could go on and on. Evidently there are several of these type resorts all over Italy. http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/norcenni-girasole.en.html?aid=311984%3Blabel%3Dnorcenni-girasole-Ktylpj5n25dknJjKbgkxaAS4915214533%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg%3Bws%3D&gclid=CPv9-_PNgLECFQRJ3wodfCE7AQ
It was pool day yesterday. Wine tasting today! We drove through some of the 'Chianti Classico' Region and stopped at 5 wineries. The winery I was MOST looking forward to visiting was Ruffino because we have always loved their Chianti's. They are a giant here but do not have a tasting room! We bought a bottle of wine from two of the wineries" Castello Di Querceto Winery (Querceto means "Oak Forest" so of course we had to visit) and Casaloste Winery. No tasting fees, decent pours, individual attention...LOVE it! However, we still love our California wines best. At 8:30 tonight we attended a wine tasting and 'discussion' at the villa. There were 20 of us at a long table in the wine cellar. Il Colombaio di Cencio Winery talked about their winery in the Chianti Classico region and we tasted 3 of their wines. http://www.winesandwine.com/winery/il-colombaio-di-cencio-4803.html. Our table mates to our right were from Holland and to our left were from Ireland. After the tasting we all went upstairs to the patio for a couple of hours...under the stars...listening to a guitar player. He played Oh Solo Mia to me.
Relaxing day...slept in, missed breakfast (on purpose....getting kind of tired of "Italian breakfasts), made coffee, went to lunch overlooking one of the pools, played Spite and Malice (I won), came back to the room, I read, Bill played Sudoku, showered, and in a bit we will take the trolley to the upper area of this resort and have some dinner. Tomorrow should be more of the same but we will try to actually make it into the pool.
We arrived in Montepulciano around 10:30AM today and will be here at Albergo La Terrazza for 4 nights www.laterrazzadimontepulciano.it Eccentric host! Pristine lovely room right IN the walled city!!!
Bill was pampered at an old fashioned barbershop when we visited San Quirico D'Orcia. He looks dapper. Then we drove to the city of Montalcino for lunch. On the return to Montepulciano we stopped at St. Biago Church. We'd been in Tuscany in 2005 and remembered it well. Tomorrow at 11AM we'll visit a nearby spa and slip into their grotto for a couple of hours....healing power in them there waters. 7/11
Leaving now for The Moon Cave at Terme di Montepulciano Spa http://www.termedimontepulciano.it/
After our grotto soak at the spa, we drove to Monticchiello, then Pienza for lunch and then we returned to Montepulciano to continue our exploration of this fabulous city. Now it's dinner time....
I'm up too late....WIFI is a 'little' better here but still a struggle. I'm hoping we'll have a better connection/access when we are in Rome. We have tonight and tomorrow night here in Montepulciano and then 4 nights in Rome before flying back to Orlando on 7/17.
We spent most of the day in Cortona. Now we've come full circle. May 13th we arrived in Rome and drove directly to Cortona for 4 nights. Today is our last day in Tuscany so we spent it in Cortona, my favorite Tuscan city. Tomorrow we leave for Rome and will spend our last 4 nights there. When we returned late day to Montepulciano, we did one last load of laundry, and then found Tolosa Winery where they let us tour their wine cave/Etruscan tomb. It boggles my mind to know that I'm in a tomb that dates BC! Then we had a not so great dinner at Enoteca Bruschetteria. Chaos!
Arrived in Rome at Hotel Navona around 1PM. We turned in the rental car and will taxi it (and hoof it) our remaining days here.
Walked our feet off and now we are resting. We toured The Colosseum and surrounding area. Tonight we'll hang around The Spanish Steps area. We skipped dinner...too full from lunch but not too full for Badington's Tea Room. Then we walked up and down and around the Spanish Steps and then WALKED from there to the Trevi, then to Piazza Navona for a nightcap.
Rest time again after a busy afternoon. After breakfast in Campo Fiori, we walked along the Tiber River to St. Peter's Basilica. Then we had lunch and walked back towards our hotel. Of course we stopped along the way to oooh and awww at everything. No plans yet for this evening but I'm sure we'll come up with something.
I keep telling Bill that "today, we'll just take a short walk" but it never happens...we just keep going and going. Today we took a taxi to Piazza Del Popolo. Chiesa Di Santa Maria Del Popolo is gorgeous. It was built in the early 15th century and was renovated and rebuilt etc into the 17th centruy. Then we walked all (I mean ALL) around Villa Borghese. It reminded us of NY's Central Park and LA's Griffith Park with a bit of the Getty Museum all in one. After lunch at La Casina dell' Orologic, we walked to The Spanish Steps and by then our feet were killing us so we sat and had refreshments. Then we took a taxi to Piazza Navona to say farewell.
Our flight from Rome leaves at 3PM. We have connections at Heathrow in London and in New York before our final landing in Orlando on 7/18. Since this was basically a free flight for us (vouchers), we had to take what we could get. No problemo since we have all the time in the world! And you better believe if we have a chance to volunteer our seats, we definitely WILL. Anyway, Bill and I want to tell you all that it was a pleasure having you as travel mates during the two months we spent in Italy. You were really no trouble at all. In fact, when we return to the states to continue our USA traveling, we would like you to hitch a ride with us again.
Back in Orlando, just picked up the truck and we are now on our way to Tampa for a week with the Broes.
What a disorienting day...gotta get back in the swing of it. I booked RV parks through 8/8.. Bill and I went for a pedicure! It's wine time!
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Davies' 2nd Italy Adventure - May 13, 2012 - July 19, 2012 - Revision 1
Bill and I have been full-time RVer's for almost 5 years now. We left Southern California January 2012 to travel the USA for a couple of years. Once we reached Florida, I got the bright idea to store the truck and trailer and fly to Italy for two months. So we stored our truck and trailer in Orlando, FL and flew to Rome on 5/13/2012. We returned to Orlando on 7/18/2012. I posted pictures and comments just about every day on Facebook. After the trip, I extracted the data into a file. Here is the chronology 'as is'. I planned the trip and booked 16 B&B's. We rented a Fiat and drove the entire two months from place to place. The two months cost us $15,000.00 (not including airfare) and we wouldn't change a thing! There definitely will be a 'next time'.
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What a fantastic trip report! What a great adventure you had and loved your reports of the gorgeous scenery, food you ate, etc. Thanks for sharing! I would like to hitch a ride! LOL I'm always ready to travel.
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What a great trip that sounds like! Thank you.
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Amazing trip! Thanks for a very concise, but information-packed report!
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Wonderful trip report! Thank you.
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While we were on that vacation I posted to Facebook almost everyday. When we returned from vacation, I downloaded all that data from Facebook to create this concise report.
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Enjoyed your TR! I empathized with you when you fell and your first thought was for your camera. It is always mine too.
Thanks for sharing!
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PBS Series Frontline: Objective journalism or biased?
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