Blogs from Imperia, Liguria, Italy, Europe

Finally we are staying put in McKinney for a couple of weeks. Our trip to Indiana for most of August was wonderful. We enjoyed spending time with Regina (Terry's mom), Dolan and Mary Louise (Susan's parents). We especially loved being there for Dolan's 90th birthday. Dolan taught his dog, Tinker, to bark out "I Love You" and so his children - 6 of them - barked out I Love You to Dolan on his 90th. He threw us triskets for treats! Jennie, Martin & Elliot, along with Amanda & Hans Henry, spent a week at Lake James with us. We also loved spending time with Susan's cousins, Tutti (from Albuquerque) and Billy, at Lake James. We miss walking the hills with Tutti! Zesto and Ritters (frozen custard) called to us every day and we are having ... read more

Tomorrow we leave Italy to head back to the U.S. and the heat of Texas! What a treat it has been to be here in the mountains in this magical village of Triora! Traveling always creates change and I'm sure this journey will have a lasting impact on us. One thing for sure, we're concerned about the status of the church. It seems that only the older people attend services and many of the smaller churches are suffering from physical decay. The larger cities and more famous cathedrals can charge for tours which contributes to upkeep. I wish there would be something we could do! We've gone to the beach several times with Elliot (grandson) and we're having his fourth birthday party this afternoon in the piazza. He is very excited and many of the village ... read more

Yesterday was a special celebration at one of the churches in Triora, Sant Agostino. We walked from Jennie & Martins flat uphill to the church. Terry and I attended mass there, which was also first communion for 5 boys and 1 girl, so there were many young people in attendance. Many of the young people visited the bar on the street below the church while waiting for mass to end. We understood the creed, Lordàs Prayer and passing of the peace - pache. Some people review their grocery list during the sermon, I reviewed gelatto options because I couldnàt understand a word of the sermon. At the end of the service, the procession through the town with 16 men carrying the platform of Mary and St. Agustine. Luke Germann was one of the people carrying the ... read more

We have finally made it to Italy! What an adventure. We spent several hours in the Nice airport trying to sort out the credit card situation for Susan. I really don't like to use this credit card, and just wanted to be able to get cash, but can't get a phone number that works. We'll try again tomorrow. I do have a temporary credit card and was able to use it at the grocery store. If you are reading this blog and want a wonderful destination in Italy, we highly recommend the region of Liguria. If you want time for meditation and retreat, Triora is spectacular. Our daughter, Jennie, and her husband, Martin, have two flats in this small village, high in the mountains above the Italian Mediterranean. The views are amazing, temperature perfect, and 30 ... read more

Saturday 12th August Left Draguignan late. Knocked off disc antennae from roof of van only realising when stopping at supermarket. Spotted incredible clouds of smoke in distance which turned out to be forest fire in the direction we were travelling. Huge plumes of smoke. Stopped to take photos. Dramatic scenes as 4 planes swooped in to drop water in ‘bombing runs’. We could see raging flames and fire was spreading quickly. Eventually original site of flames died down but then new one was starting further down as we left. Ended up in Nice trying to find the start of the Corniche loads of diversions due to installation of what appeared to be train tracks. Eventually found the corniche which is an incredible route high along the mountains which border the Cote d’ Azur between Nice and ... read more