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Limerence Update #62September - November 2004Autumn in ItalyWe never got
to the Pontine Islands as planned. Once we decided to spend the winter in Roma, we got
refocused for city life. You get settled and comfy in the marina. . do a few boat jobs. .
. friends start arriving. . .and it’s easy to become a landlubber. In retrospect, we gave up over a month of cruising
because we enjoyed Roma so much. We had airline tickets to return to the States dated
November 10th so in the meantime toured Roma and took several side trips. In our last update, we mentioned our Brompton folding bikes. We have good news and bad news. The bad news is that they were stolen when locked up in front of the grocery store. The good news is we got them back when we offered a reward for their return. The marina office helped us create posters, and within nine days our bikes appeared in the office. Meanwhile, we bought full-sized city bikes, and thus stowed our precious folding bikes away for the season. We were thrilled when friends from Barcelona decided to sail to Roma. One by one, Nancy and John from Amor Fati, Pauline and Matthew from Pina Colada, and John and Karen from Windsong, surprised us when they cruised into the harbor. We hung out for a few weeks, did some exploring, and had a few cocktail parties before everyone took off in different directions.
Fortunately,
we have a storage garage in the marina so unloaded all our summer gear, the sails, the
anchor and chain, fuel jerry jugs, genneker sail, scuba gear, bicycles and plastic beach
chairs. Limerence now feels more spacious. We
installed a satellite television dish and get CNN, CNBC, the BBC, the Travel Channel, and
1000 other assorted channels. To get the Internet on the boat, we have Vodafone 3-G GPRS,
which we purchased in Barcelona. We bought a SIM card here in Roma so we don’t pay a
roaming charge. What convenience to have high speed Internet access from our boat. Moving from the tropics to a seasonal climate is a lesson on a 37-foot boat. Since arriving in Europe, we have to carry transitional clothes, city clothes, ski clothes, boots, hats and gloves, jackets and sweaters, plus a down comforter for our bed. We are constantly sorting and giving away clothing. The rule is – if you haven’t used it or worn it for a year. . . get rid of it. We simply don’t have the room for any superfluous stuff. Douglas carries a blazer on board, which he used twice last year. Within weeks, Limerence was settled and cozy in the marina. We used the time before going back to the States to be on “vacation”! We took a day-driving trip outside of Roma with John and Nancy from the sailboat Amor Fati. We stopped to inspect some Etruscan burial sites near Tarquinia. The Etruscan peoples lived in Roma before the creation of the Roman Republic. Some of the elaborate burial chambers have been excavated and can be seen through glass partitions. You approach what looks like a mound of dirt in a field, then descend through a small door, down a steep flight of steps to the chamber. Some are painted with scenes from Etruscan daily life and experiences. The tombs could make you feel claustrophobic – but are a fascinating peek at Etruscan customs from the 12th century BC.
Next stop
was Bomarzo. It’s a fantasyland of sorts, made in the days before Disneyland!! In the
17th century a wealthy landowner had sculptures, pools and fountains, and
fantasy attractions constructed on acres of parkland around his estate. His objective was
to entertain his pals in an unusual way. It
makes for a fun afternoon to wander around the estate and imagine the garden parties
several hundred years ago. The
following week we rented a car, and with John and Nancy, drove several hours south to the
harbor of Gaeta. Many of our sailing friends had wintered there and enjoyed the small
town. We had lunch, strolled around the picturesque beach resort, and marveled at the
duomo’s elegant Romanesque bell tower.
Later in
September we drove two hours north of Roma to Orvieto. This ancient town is perched on top
of a 1000-foot plateau with steep cliffs overlooking the vineyard-dotted plain. It’s
hard to imagine a more magnificent hill town from any angle. We’d been to Orvieto
before, so now it was like old-home week to go back. The duomo stands at the center of
town and is among the greatest of Italy’s Romanesque-Gothic cathedrals. As we entered
the church, there was sacred choral music playing. It created a reverent atmosphere, which
gave us goose bumps. Among all the Tuscan villages we have toured, Orvieto is one of our
favorites. Since October was so mild and sunny, we decided we must see Venice.
It is one of the most unique places in the world. The city survives against all odds,
built on a series of low mud banks amid the tidal waters of the Adriatic and regularly
floods. Venice looks like it must have 200 years ago. There aren’t any cars, trucks,
bicycles, or typical city noises. The only engine sounds are of the barges delivering
supplies, or the water taxis bringing some 12 million visitors a year to this place.
Venice is an aging dowager with encroaching mold and decay as the salt-water tides creep
higher every year. Yet, it looks like a Renaissance painting and is a “must-see”
on every tourist’s list.
While in
Venice for five days, we did all the typical tourist things. We climbed up into the
Basilica di San Marco, toured the Accademia art collection, strolled through charming
neighborhoods and peeked in some of the hundreds of shops, ogled at the Pescheria (fish
market), attended a chamber concert in the tiny church of San Giacomo di Rialto, took a
water taxi to Murano Island, and yes. . . we hired a gondola. The only disappointment was
Harry’s Bar, which is touted in the guidebooks for it’s famous cocktails. It is
non-descript and so ugly it was embarrassing to have fallen for the hype. We endured a
Scotch on the rocks for $15E per person!
Twice during
our week in Venice, the high-water sirens sounded in the morning as the tide slowly
engulfed the steps of ancient buildings, cobblestone alleys, and crept into Piazza San
Marco. It was shocking to us. The people of Venice quickly erect walking platforms that
create a maze of paths over the foot or so of water ebbing into the city. The tourists
roll up their slacks, don boots, and carry-on ignoring the creeping tide. Later in the
day, the tide recedes, the pigeons return, and all is normal for a few hours. Venice is
spending hundreds of millions of dollars struggling with damming projects and experiments
to try to divert nature. Whether it will work is a mystery.
Venice is a treasure and we hope it can be saved.
The days got shorter after we turned back the clocks at the end of October, and we looked forward to our trip back to the States. This year we have a new grand daughter, a Mother recovering from hip surgery, and a reunion with our sons and families planned for Thanksgiving. We miss everyone and can hardly wait to go home!! Fair winds
friends, Doug
and Judy
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We had a short list of jobs to do to prepare for our winter stay. The first
task was to put serious dock lines on Limerence. We are docked in typical Mediterranean
style with the bow facing the dock, the passerelle (gang plank) off the bow, and the boat
held in place by a harness in the back anchored to the sea floor. Oftentimes boats go aft
into the dock, but we like the privacy of bow-to. There can be considerable surge in the
marina during winter storms, so we bought all new dock lines with heavy steel coil
leaders. If you’ve ever been docked on a sailboat in surge, you know how
uncomfortable it is when the boat moves back away from the dock a foot or two, then slams
forward when the lines grab. The steel springs soften the sling shot effect. 
We took the EUR train from Roma just over four hours to Venice. Our hotel was
booked on-line and didn’t disappoint us. We like small European-style hotels and the
Lanterna di Marco Polo fit our bill. It only has eight rooms and is teensy. The staff is
over the top in customer service and the location near the Rialto Bridge is suburb. Just
make sure when you go to Venice, you are prepared for price shock! The first night we ate
in a typical tourist street café and had the worst meal we have ever been served in Italy
at $85.00 Our hotel manager came to our aid the next morning, circled our map, and steered
us to several wonderful authentic Venetian trattorias. Diners. . . when in Venice. . .
beware!!
