Forced Relaxation

Because of my little bout of illness this week (see previous post) we have had a couple of really lazy/relaxing/chillin’ days … which has been VERY nice, I have to admit, sometimes we go, go, go, a little too much. This forced us to slow down.

We’ve done a whole lot of reading, napping, playing cards and games (you know, practicing for retirement). We really are nerds and love cards and games (I am the current Gin Rummy champ, but that is subject to change on a daily basis.) And we have both read a bunch of good books on this trip.

Kent has been a real trooper and has been willing to chill with me ...




He did take one for the team and went to a wine tasting with some of the other guests here on Thursday. It was actually pretty funny . . . one of the staff guys came by our apartment and knocked on the door and then whispered to Kent that they were about to do a wine tasting, if he wanted to join them. I think it was their way of saying “if you want to get away from your sick wife for a while!”

Everyone here has been great (check it out – Massimago.com) . . . coming by to check on me, bringing food and tea, talking to us non-stop in Italian like we know what they are saying, etc. Seriously though, Camilla and her whole staff have been amazing. And the scenery is not too bad either ….







This is one of the "little" breakfast trays they bring us each morning ...




Last night was our first big outing … I was feeling better, so we went ahead with our plans to go into Verona and do a bit of sightseeing and then go to the Opera at the Verona Arena (built in 30 AD ) and see Verdi’s La Traviata.

Verona is a very pretty city and we did a quick walk around to see as much as we could in a few hours. Check out some of the sites below, including Juliet’s balcony.

































The bad news is that it was unbearable hot … we had taken a change of clothes and went to the car to change (yes, in a public parking garage) and were literally peeling our casual clothes off to change into the nicer things (quite a visual, huh?). No photos of that activity.

We had already grabbed a quick supper – my first real meal in days – and my stomach wasn’t feeling the best either. BUT, we made it to the opera and it was a pretty amazing adventure. Just seeing the arena alone is enough. Unbelievable. They rent cushions to sit on, since all the seats (except the floor chairs) are just stone benches. You have to go early to get a decent seat, so we sat there for a LONG time. Did I mention the extreme heat??? Wow.












Kent is rocking the vacation beard!













I would like to say we made it through the whole thing, but we didn’t. The seating, combined with the heat, combined with the fact that there AREN’T ANY BATHROOMS IN THE ARENA was just too much. But it was definitely an experience that I wouldn’t want to have missed, so I’m glad we got there.

Today we move on to our last stop . . . Emilia Reggio, between Parma and Bologna. We’ve been to this area once before and loved it. Here’s hoping that my system has recovered enough to eat all of the amazing food that comes from that area!

Ciao!

Location:Hanging in Verona area