Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Landstuhl, Germany and Heidelburg Castle
Another great catch-up Post!
In November 2010, I had to go to what Cyn ironically calls 'the mothership', Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany. I was there for two great weeks for a training class on our new phone system.
It was November when we were there, and Germany hadn't had their first snows yet. All of the incredibly, fiery autmn leaves were still on the bough. We stayed at a little hotel called the Ohlmuhle (the Oil Mill), that had a long rich history, but it was at the end of the narrowest little street!
As it turns out Landstuhl, Germany is a pretty humdrum little town, although we did enjoy some REALLY good beer!
Just a 90 minute drive away from Landstuhl is Heidelburg, Germany and its beautiful castle ruins. We enjoyed the breathtaking views of the city and river, and I had never seen such brilliantly colored foliage.
Wanna check out more pics?
Go here!
Auf Wedersehn!
M
In November 2010, I had to go to what Cyn ironically calls 'the mothership', Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany. I was there for two great weeks for a training class on our new phone system.
It was November when we were there, and Germany hadn't had their first snows yet. All of the incredibly, fiery autmn leaves were still on the bough. We stayed at a little hotel called the Ohlmuhle (the Oil Mill), that had a long rich history, but it was at the end of the narrowest little street!
As it turns out Landstuhl, Germany is a pretty humdrum little town, although we did enjoy some REALLY good beer!
Just a 90 minute drive away from Landstuhl is Heidelburg, Germany and its beautiful castle ruins. We enjoyed the breathtaking views of the city and river, and I had never seen such brilliantly colored foliage.
Wanna check out more pics?
Go here!
Auf Wedersehn!
M
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Celebrating the New Health Center
The large crowd of over 100 Italian and U.S. military and civilian community members applauded as the yellow ribbon was snipped to mark the grand opening of the new US Army Health Center, Vicenza. The sunny October 7th morning was appreciated as the event was held outdoors in front of the new facility that consolidated both the medical and dental services that were previously housed on opposite sides of the army base in 1960’s era buildings. Several senior military officers were in attendance including General Carter Ham, US Army Europe commanding general. The health center is beautiful decorated in an Italian motif and is vastly larger and more modern than the previous clinics.
The building was completed after three years of construction from Italian and German companies. We were able to watch it evolve as we arrived May 2008.
What that day marked for me was that I would finally get my husband back after an exhausting 6 months of intense 12-14 hour days and working most weekends. One of his key duties in the Information Technology Department was to support the technology initiatives for the new clinic. He and his team did an outstanding job and Michael was acknowledged by his commander, COL Armstrong and other officers. The Commander called him her “rock star.” He made quite an impression with his leadership and effective delivery of all the complex and detailed projects involved with the implementation of the $52 million (your tax dollars) new clinic.
In honor of the grand opening I produced a 14 minute video on the history and the development of the new health center. It was a huge success and was played during the celebration. Commander Armstrong was thrilled and cries every time she watches it as she is filled with pride and with satisfaction as it will become her legacy. The video is also played during orientation for new employees at the clinic. Mr. Ornellas ain’t the only one that gots some game.
-Cynthia
Enjoy the video!
The building was completed after three years of construction from Italian and German companies. We were able to watch it evolve as we arrived May 2008.
What that day marked for me was that I would finally get my husband back after an exhausting 6 months of intense 12-14 hour days and working most weekends. One of his key duties in the Information Technology Department was to support the technology initiatives for the new clinic. He and his team did an outstanding job and Michael was acknowledged by his commander, COL Armstrong and other officers. The Commander called him her “rock star.” He made quite an impression with his leadership and effective delivery of all the complex and detailed projects involved with the implementation of the $52 million (your tax dollars) new clinic.
In honor of the grand opening I produced a 14 minute video on the history and the development of the new health center. It was a huge success and was played during the celebration. Commander Armstrong was thrilled and cries every time she watches it as she is filled with pride and with satisfaction as it will become her legacy. The video is also played during orientation for new employees at the clinic. Mr. Ornellas ain’t the only one that gots some game.
-Cynthia
Enjoy the video!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thiene Medieval Fair
It was a pretty tough September leading up to the big move to the new clinic, but the weekend right after we moved in we had accomplished enough that I felt comfortable actually taking a day off on Saturday. Luckily, that same weekend there was a Medieval Faire in the town of Thiene about 15 minutes north of our house.
It was a very cool event with all sorts of fun things to see and do. There was even an appearance of the "heterosexual men waving the pretty colored flags".
Take a look for yourself! -Mike
Monday, September 20, 2010
Susan & Scott Visit Italia!
On this episode of Mike & Cyn's Italian Adventure, we have guest blogger, Susan Kriesel, sharing her favorite things about her trip to Italy! Enjoy! -M
After a year of talking about it, 9 months of planning it and 3 months of walking & walking to get in shape for it…Scott & I arrived in Venice on September 4th to begin our 2-week Italian Adventure. Our trip had started out with an unexpected bump up to First Class while waiting to board at the Seattle airport – Sweet! Cyn & Michael were at the Venice airport to greet us along with our friends, Wayne & Jonneke Moore, who had flown in from England just ahead of us. Wayne had been Scott’s plant manager at the Ball plant in Kent, WA before his relocation to England. Cyn & Michael had rented a big van and our plan was to spend our first week traveling through the Italian countryside together.
Our first stop was Pisa, where we all did our best to try to straighten out the Leaning Tower. Cyn told us the “cheesy” photo op was a must-do. Then it was on to our B&B in Tuscany, where we spent 3 days exploring San Gimignano, eating delicious meals under the Tuscan moon (they should make a movie about that!) and walking through the vineyards and olive trees. Cyn had also arranged for a private tour guide to show us the sites in Florence. The highlight of this day was seeing Michelangelo’s David – truly magnificent!
Then it was on to Rome where we marveled at ancient history brought to life for us through the amazing artwork, sculptures, fountains and architecture. We did a quick hop-on / hop-off bus tour upon arrival and then walked from the Spanish Steps to the Piazza Navano. I had my highlighted pages from my Rick Steves guide books with me so I knew what to look for including the Tartufo “death by chocolate” gelato.
The next day Giulia, our personal guide for the Vatican, got us to the front of the line for a tour, which included the museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Seeing Michelangelo’s painted Sistine ceiling along with his “Pieta” were dreams come true for me and the Basilica left us breathless with its size and beauty.
We ended our first week back in the Vicenza area just in time for our meal at “Trattoria dell’Angelo”, a restaurant high up in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains above Piovene Rocchette. Mauro & Bari treated us to stuffed figs, quail, risotto with truffles and quail egg, delicious pasta and more. We were the ones who were stuffed as we hurried to the town of Marostica to attend “La Partita a Scacchi”. It’s a reenactment of a human chess match from medieval times, which is done every other year on the piazza of the lower castle. There are 550 actors in gorgeous costumes, knights on horses, dancers, singers, flag tossing and archers with torched arrows who signal the final blaze of fireworks. We’d read about it on Cyn & Michael’s blog 2 years ago and knew that we had to make our trip in September of 2010 to see it and it was everything we had hoped to see and more!
As the 2nd week began, Wayne & Jonneke headed off to do some more exploring of western Italy while Cyn & I put together a good, old farm dinner complete with roast beef, potatoes, carrots, Grandma’s cucumber salad and fresh pie with gelato – delicious! Michael had to head back to work and put in some extremely long hours getting the new clinic up and running on time. We lounged around their lovely house, took meandering walks around their lovely town of Montecchio Precalcino and headed out for day trips to nearby Nove (for ceramic souvenirs), Asiago (where Scott his favorite olive pizza), Verona (where we saw Juliet’s balcony) and Venice (where we got a gondola ride and where we met my friend/co-worker Angie who was traveling in Italy with her friend at the exact same time as me!) We’d made arrangements to meet for lunch in front of St. Mark’s and then have a picture taken together to show everyone back at work! There was a final farewell dinner with Cyn & Michael’s friends and co-workers and then a very early morning flight back to Seattle. Although there was no first class bump on the way home, we had so many memories to review, remember and relish.
We enjoyed spending time with our friends, Wayne & Jonneke. Special thanks go to Cynthia and Michael for their amazing organizational skills, interpreter skills, remarkable driving skills and for everything they did to make our trip so special. Ciao Italia!
Wanna See More Pics? Check 'em out here:
Tuscany
Rome
Chess Match
Asiago
Verona
Venice
After a year of talking about it, 9 months of planning it and 3 months of walking & walking to get in shape for it…Scott & I arrived in Venice on September 4th to begin our 2-week Italian Adventure. Our trip had started out with an unexpected bump up to First Class while waiting to board at the Seattle airport – Sweet! Cyn & Michael were at the Venice airport to greet us along with our friends, Wayne & Jonneke Moore, who had flown in from England just ahead of us. Wayne had been Scott’s plant manager at the Ball plant in Kent, WA before his relocation to England. Cyn & Michael had rented a big van and our plan was to spend our first week traveling through the Italian countryside together.
Our first stop was Pisa, where we all did our best to try to straighten out the Leaning Tower. Cyn told us the “cheesy” photo op was a must-do. Then it was on to our B&B in Tuscany, where we spent 3 days exploring San Gimignano, eating delicious meals under the Tuscan moon (they should make a movie about that!) and walking through the vineyards and olive trees. Cyn had also arranged for a private tour guide to show us the sites in Florence. The highlight of this day was seeing Michelangelo’s David – truly magnificent!
Then it was on to Rome where we marveled at ancient history brought to life for us through the amazing artwork, sculptures, fountains and architecture. We did a quick hop-on / hop-off bus tour upon arrival and then walked from the Spanish Steps to the Piazza Navano. I had my highlighted pages from my Rick Steves guide books with me so I knew what to look for including the Tartufo “death by chocolate” gelato.
The next day Giulia, our personal guide for the Vatican, got us to the front of the line for a tour, which included the museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Seeing Michelangelo’s painted Sistine ceiling along with his “Pieta” were dreams come true for me and the Basilica left us breathless with its size and beauty.
We ended our first week back in the Vicenza area just in time for our meal at “Trattoria dell’Angelo”, a restaurant high up in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains above Piovene Rocchette. Mauro & Bari treated us to stuffed figs, quail, risotto with truffles and quail egg, delicious pasta and more. We were the ones who were stuffed as we hurried to the town of Marostica to attend “La Partita a Scacchi”. It’s a reenactment of a human chess match from medieval times, which is done every other year on the piazza of the lower castle. There are 550 actors in gorgeous costumes, knights on horses, dancers, singers, flag tossing and archers with torched arrows who signal the final blaze of fireworks. We’d read about it on Cyn & Michael’s blog 2 years ago and knew that we had to make our trip in September of 2010 to see it and it was everything we had hoped to see and more!
As the 2nd week began, Wayne & Jonneke headed off to do some more exploring of western Italy while Cyn & I put together a good, old farm dinner complete with roast beef, potatoes, carrots, Grandma’s cucumber salad and fresh pie with gelato – delicious! Michael had to head back to work and put in some extremely long hours getting the new clinic up and running on time. We lounged around their lovely house, took meandering walks around their lovely town of Montecchio Precalcino and headed out for day trips to nearby Nove (for ceramic souvenirs), Asiago (where Scott his favorite olive pizza), Verona (where we saw Juliet’s balcony) and Venice (where we got a gondola ride and where we met my friend/co-worker Angie who was traveling in Italy with her friend at the exact same time as me!) We’d made arrangements to meet for lunch in front of St. Mark’s and then have a picture taken together to show everyone back at work! There was a final farewell dinner with Cyn & Michael’s friends and co-workers and then a very early morning flight back to Seattle. Although there was no first class bump on the way home, we had so many memories to review, remember and relish.
We enjoyed spending time with our friends, Wayne & Jonneke. Special thanks go to Cynthia and Michael for their amazing organizational skills, interpreter skills, remarkable driving skills and for everything they did to make our trip so special. Ciao Italia!
Wanna See More Pics? Check 'em out here:
Tuscany
Rome
Chess Match
Asiago
Verona
Venice
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Lago di Garda
Despite my constant complaining this past summer that I was waaaaay to busy at work to do anything fun, we did manage to crawl out of the house every now and then and enjoy the breathtaking beauty that is Italia.
For the long 4th of July weekend, Cynthia booked us a room at the Astoria Park Hotel in the little town of Riva del Garda. And a little weekend getaway was just what the doctor ordered.
We enjoyed lunch next to the hotel pool the moment we arrived at the hotel. The best part was the view... of the topless sunbathers. I was gentlemanly enough not to take any photos of them. Well gentlemanly enough to not post said photos to my blog...
The hot, summer weather did not disappoint. It was sunny and clear the entire weekend. The town was quaint and full of interesting little shops and resaurants.
While enjoying the lakeshore itself, Cyn and took a speedboat out to a beautiful waterfall grotto.
We had a total blast, but alas the weekend proved too short. On the Sunday during checkout, I got a call from WORK!! It seems there was a problem, and they wanted me to come in and take a look at it. At least the base was on the way home.
What a great weekend!
Wanna see more pics? Check 'em out here!
For the long 4th of July weekend, Cynthia booked us a room at the Astoria Park Hotel in the little town of Riva del Garda. And a little weekend getaway was just what the doctor ordered.
We enjoyed lunch next to the hotel pool the moment we arrived at the hotel. The best part was the view... of the topless sunbathers. I was gentlemanly enough not to take any photos of them. Well gentlemanly enough to not post said photos to my blog...
The hot, summer weather did not disappoint. It was sunny and clear the entire weekend. The town was quaint and full of interesting little shops and resaurants.
While enjoying the lakeshore itself, Cyn and took a speedboat out to a beautiful waterfall grotto.
We had a total blast, but alas the weekend proved too short. On the Sunday during checkout, I got a call from WORK!! It seems there was a problem, and they wanted me to come in and take a look at it. At least the base was on the way home.
What a great weekend!
Wanna see more pics? Check 'em out here!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Real Italian Wedding - Nelson & Stefania
It was an incredibly beautiful ceremony, but it was entirely in Italian! At least they had a nice program that allowed us to follow along with the ceremony. It went on for a little over an hour (catholics... oh sorry dad!) But they both looked great.
After the ceremony we drove about 30 minutes to a nearby town called Tezze sul Brenta. Well it took us about 40 minutes because the "Nigel Carruthers, GPS" got us a little lost. However what we found at the end of the ride was wonderful. The hotel had catered an extravagant reception that began with drinks and pupus by the pool and went on and on for an endless number of courses... I can't be more exact than that because we never even made it to the end. We had made it through the appetizers, and 2 pasta dishes, and a salad, and 2 meat dishes including, get this, Fireworks Pork! Then the dinner took a break at about midnight for sorbetto and dancing. I've never been to a meal that had a 45 minute break in the middle of it!! As much as I wanted to stay for the next few courses and the cutting of the cake, the redhead had had just about enough. The next day we heard that the hardcore party-goers had made it all the way to 3 in the morning. Che Festa!!
Best Wishes to Nelson & Stefania for a long and happy life together!
Ciao,
M
Best Wishes to Nelson & Stefania for a long and happy life together!
Ciao,
M
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tuscany with the Aylwards
On June 9th we met Patti & Tim Aylward, our good friends from Hawaii, and their extended family in Tuscany. Patti, Tim, their son Phillip and Patti’s sister Joyce her husband Tim and their delightful son, 4 year old Gavin were on a cruise around Europe.
I had arranged for a personal tour with tour guide and friend Maria D’Arrigo who runs her company A Touch of Tuscany Tours (www.tuscanyitalytours.com) in the beautiful region of Tuscany. Maria is American, married to an Italian and is passionate about the history and art of Italy. She has a fun sense of humor and truly enjoys her job.
Since the ship at the last moment decided to dock in La Spezia instead of Livorno, we started of the day with a few challenges to find every one but we did and the “Hawaii” connection was made in Pisa. After a quick tour of the old crooked tower and the well maintained Campo we were off to Florence to be bedazzled with all the history and art one could shove into an afternoon. One of the highlights was seeing Michelangelo’s David at the Academia. It was great to see Patti and Tim and spend some time catching up with their busy lives and showing off a little of our adopted country.
Maria got the Alywards back to the port on time to board their ship and with a fond “Ciao” to Maria, Michael and I were on our way driving north through the mountains back up to our home in Vicenza. La dolce vita!
I had arranged for a personal tour with tour guide and friend Maria D’Arrigo who runs her company A Touch of Tuscany Tours (www.tuscanyitalytours.com) in the beautiful region of Tuscany. Maria is American, married to an Italian and is passionate about the history and art of Italy. She has a fun sense of humor and truly enjoys her job.
Since the ship at the last moment decided to dock in La Spezia instead of Livorno, we started of the day with a few challenges to find every one but we did and the “Hawaii” connection was made in Pisa. After a quick tour of the old crooked tower and the well maintained Campo we were off to Florence to be bedazzled with all the history and art one could shove into an afternoon. One of the highlights was seeing Michelangelo’s David at the Academia. It was great to see Patti and Tim and spend some time catching up with their busy lives and showing off a little of our adopted country.
Maria got the Alywards back to the port on time to board their ship and with a fond “Ciao” to Maria, Michael and I were on our way driving north through the mountains back up to our home in Vicenza. La dolce vita!
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