We had a quick stopover in Milan, highlighted by unexpectedly ending up at the finish line of the Giro d’Italia. We discovered that bike races are very fun.
It rained almost constantly for our two days in Firenze. The hour or so of sun we received was while we were at the top of the Duomo. Are we lucky or what?
We rented a car for two days. One day we explored north of Sienna, the other south. I’ve never loved driving so much.
Siena was my favorite city in Italy. Large enough to always have something to explore, yet not too large to be overwhelming.
Finally posting pictures from an incredible two weeks in Italy…
Savoring the afternoon sun on the deck in Guerneville.
Look really, really closely and you’ll see the top of the Golden Gate. Beyond the wall of glorious, chilling fog. My favorite part of leaving the city.
Eight Years Ago
I was very close friends with four other women. We had a tradition of indulgent birthday celebrations. Whatever the birthday gal wanted, the other four made happen. We took ski trips to Lake Tahoe, saw musicals, planned trips to Vegas, the sky was the limit. When my birthday came around, they asked me, “What do you want to do? Anything you want, we’ll do it.”
“I’ve always wanted to go kayaking on the Bay. Could we rent kayaks for the day?” They exchanged looks. Finally, one of them spoke. “Well, we’d prefer not to do that. What else would you like to do?” (To be fair, one of the gals had recently had surgery on her arm, so kayaking might have been difficult.) “How about if we hike to Point Bonita Lighthouse and have a picnic?” A few moments of silence passed. “I think that would be really windy. Do you have something else you’d like to do?” Feeling somewhat defeated, I suggested the back up option that always seemed to work. “Okay, how about we go wine tasting in Napa?” “Yeah, that would take all day. We don’t really want to do that. But let us know what you want to do, and we’ll plan it.”
Not wanting to be rejected again, I said, “What would you like to do? Why don’t you plan something and we’ll do that?” And we went to dinner and a movie. Which was perfectly lovely and we had a great time.
Earlier This Year
My dear friend Emily and I were hiking at Land’s End. As we walked along, admiring the Bay and reflecting on how lucky we are to live here, she noticed a lighthouse across the bay. “I wonder if we could hike there. It looks like there would be great views from there.” I stared at her, on the verge of laughing. “Emmy Lou Lou.” She looked at me. “That’s Point Bonita Lighthouse. I’ve been wanting to hike there for the past eight years.” She smiled. “Great! That’s what we’ll do for your birthday this year!”
Today
Ten of us met at a picnic area. I was shocked there weren’t more people there. It provided a perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay. After a glass of wine and some appetizers, we set out on the easy hike. We walked down a winding path, towards the point where the lighthouse stood. We walked across the suspension bridge, swaying with the wind. We reached the tip of the point, where the lighthouse still stood from 1855. We marveled at the beauty of the sea, the lighthouse, and the surrounding cliffs. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day. Usually enveloped by fog, today Point Bonita basked in rays of sun. We walked back to the picnic grounds and lazed the remainder of the afternoon, enjoying great food and even better company.
It may have taken eight years to execute, but it was well worth the wait. I couldn’t imagine a better birthday celebration.
We’re in love with our hotel in Siena, Palazzo Ravizza. We walk up four flights of stairs to our loft suite, which has a slanted roof, gigantic skylights and a dormer window overlooking the Tuscan countryside, as well as a huge bathroom decorated in white and crimson Italian tile. Our breakfast every morning includes fresh mozzarella and sliced tomatoes, drizzled with a hint of olive oil and a sprinkling of oregano, as well as freshly brewed cappuccinos. The front desk staff are incredibly friendly, especially Ario, who’s helped us rent a car, recommended restaurants, and suggested wine for us. I did the math. It would cost only slightly more for me to rent a room here on a monthly basis rather than to rent my apartment in San Francisco. Tempting.
The taxi dropped us off at a remote Tuscan bed and breakfast, weeds and wildflowers lining the driveway. As we got out of the car, we saw a tall woman in a pristine white chef’s jacket walking towards us, carrying handfuls of fresh herbs. She introduced herself as Gina and led us into an old mill which had been converted to a one room kitchen/rec room for the family that owned the bed and breakfast. Exposed stone and high ceilings greeted us. We introduced ourselves to the others: couples from Minneapolis, New York, and Austin.
We snacked on fresh lava beans and soft, fresh pecorino cheese while waiting for the class to begin.
Conversation flowed easily among us. We prepared dessert first, a “sweet salami” that contained crushed crackers (like animal crackers), sweet and unsweetened cocoa, butter, sugar, sweet wine, which we mixed all together and refrigerated. When we rolled it out, it looked like salami, though certainly didn’t taste like it. Each of us volunteered for tasks as we prepared what would turn out to be an amazingly delicious, yet simple, lunch.
Everyone had jobs –
There were enough tasks to keep people busy, but not too much work to prevent us from chatting and enjoying wine as we cooked. A few hours later, we sat beneath a covered picnic table and enjoyed the fruits of our labor.
LoriLoo 