NYC to Milano

Two days in NYC aren't enough, and since we had such a limited time, we decided to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Having taught US history is probably reason enough to want to see these two famous historical places, but having had two grandparents who came by the statue and went through Ellis Island to be processed into the US meant that it was a priority for me. We had planned to see both in 2001 but were diverted because of 9/11. So, standing on the top deck of our ferry, we strained to get a first glimpse of this beacon. Sure enough, in the fog and mist that must be more typical than we who live in the NW would expect (having lots of it ourselves), her form appeared. I wondered what my grandparents, who each came separately from Poland in 1912, thought of her then copper-colored skin. It must have been absolutely thrilling to see her and know that the US was going to be their country, too, although early on Babu and Dziadzi may have entertained some thoughts of returning to Poland.

After hearing about all the travails these brave people mastered, I have even more regard for their courage. Ellis Island was certainly a test of patience with exhaustingly long lines and people who barked out orders in a strange sounding language. There were interpreters present for the most part, and these employees of the government had to know not 1 or 2 new tongues, but as many as 4 to be hired. The new arrivals were pushed and prodded and inspected and questioned for many hours until they came out on the other side of the huge hall in which they were sequestered and found themselves on an overpacked ferry bound for an enormous city filled with people who were trying to part them from their last few dollars. Amazing that they made it to their next destination at all!

Many of these brave travelers had endured this journey from places in Italy to where we are now bound. We, who have the great fortune to be able to get to our destination in a fraction of the time they needed, are doing the trip in reverse. So, the next blog will find us in Milano.

Tomorrow we fly!

Tomorrow is the day! We're off bright and early with Heather and Keith who are flying as far as NYC with us. They will continue on to Milan and rent a car to drive to the Alps for hiking and camping. We will stay in NY for 2 days to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and to be there when Mom flies in on Mon afternoon. Then the three of us will fly to Milan via Dublin. I'm taking our new mini laptop computer to see if I can do a better blog. Right now I'm practicing putting photos on, so I'll put on one of Stella during our recent camping trip. You can see how fast she has grown. Early next year we'll have another grandchild to send photos of; Heather and Keith are expecting their first baby. Everybody is really excited. I told Heather that she is pregnant in Italy and so was I (about 7 months with Holly). Will write after seeing the Statue of Liberty.

Getting ready to travel with the whole family

Mom broke the idea to me one afternoon last year while we were in Florida. It was about taking all of us (Terry, me, our daughters Holly and Heather, their husbands Aaron and Keith, and our granddaughter Stella to Europe. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go; that would be left up to us. Of course, we polled everyone, and we all had different ideas, but since this was especially for Mom, and we knew she liked mountains and water, we narrowed it down, after several weeks to northern Italy. Then we began the process of airline reservations, rental cars, hotel reservations, and renting a villa for 8. After much time on the computer mostly by Terry, we got the itinerary down with special regard for professional travel planners.
We will spend the first 5 days in and around Milan; then we'll move to Bellagio on Lake Como for a week. We hope to be able to make day trips to Verona, Bergamo, and the overlooked area of Emilia-Romagna which contains some familiar-sounding cities like Parma (Parmesan cheese), Bologna, and Moderna (balsamic vinegar). We expect to eat well.
So, I have been reading all the information I can find with suggestions from friends, imagining my suitcase with a minimum of clothing that hopefully can be interchanged with each other, thinking about what is necessary to ready the house for our absence, and getting mail and bills in order; Terry is taking the lead on the last two items. The two of us will stay on in Italy for another week then go to France for 3 more weeks.
So, one more week and we are off with all of us meeting in Milan. It will be an exciting adventure to travel with four generations, visit famous duomos, see fantastic art and architecture, and eat our way altogether through the smorgasbord that is Italy. Our mouths are watering already.