Author Archives: annie

Music in Vienna

Posted on August 19, 2011 by annie

For us Vienna was not as much about visiting the city but about visiting my brother. My brother, Steve, has lived in Vienna for almost 30 years. He is a violinist in the Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. His girlfriend, Yoshiko, … Continue reading →

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Schönbrunn Palace

Posted on August 3, 2011 by annie

Vienna is full of old stuff.  It was the capital of a major empire for centuries and has all of the trappings of royalty. The Hapsburgs who ruled from 1200 to the end of WWI built multiple stately and ostentatious … Continue reading →

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Südtirol – Part 2

Posted on July 31, 2011 by annie

Val Pusteria (or in German Pustertal) is full of hiking trails.  In the classic alpine manner there are huts along the trail to feed and shelter the hikers.  We were starting in Italy.  There was a hut in Austria.  We … Continue reading →

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Little Town – Amazing Food

Posted on July 21, 2011 by annie

I don’t know how the Italians do it.  How can such little towns have such amazing the restaurants?  Bagnolo in Piano has less than 10,000 people in the Po Valley.  It is a farming community with a parmesan factory.  Not … Continue reading →

Posted in Italy | 3 Comments

Südtirol – Part I

Posted on July 20, 2011 by annie

I should have guessed this wasn’t really Italy.  I mean, look at the name.  Südtirol.  There’s an umlaut.  And look at the map.  It’s as close as you can get to Austria in Italy.  There are Italians who live and die … Continue reading →

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Sentiero Azzurro – Cinque Terre part 2

Posted on July 19, 2011 by annie

A couple of years ago a colleague told me I had a torn meniscus in my knee. It hurts when I don’t take care of it, and before we left I was just too damn busy. I did nothing to … Continue reading →

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Cinque Terre

Posted on July 16, 2011 by annie

Cinque Terre is a beautiful area along the Italian coast as it heads west toward France. It is named for the five villages tucked into ravines: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.   On the map it looks like the … Continue reading →

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Fourth of July – Italian Style

Posted on July 9, 2011 by annie

When we arrived at the train station in Bologna on July 3, our hosts, Daniela, Paolo, and Gigi were there to meet us.  As we drove to their home in Bagnolo in Piano we were greeted by a large American … Continue reading →

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First Stop

Posted on June 29, 2011 by annie

In two days we fly to Italy.  We begin our trip in a little town called Bagnolo in Piano.  It’s in the Po valley, the farm belt of Italy, just north of Reggio.  My brother calls it the Iowa of … Continue reading →

Posted in Itinerary | 6 Comments

The Itinerary Part 1

Posted on June 19, 2011 by annie

Everyone asks where we’re going.  The answer is, we’re not really sure.  The rough plan is Europe, Africa, India, SE Asia, and Central America.   We’re trying to leave the schedule a bit open to be able to follow what inspires us. We do have some … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Ready, Itinerary | 2 Comments