tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991864.post3305153552936289814..comments2023-08-10T05:24:20.775-04:00Comments on Razing the Bar: How I Spent My Fall VacationAndy Whitmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04010130934552315074noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991864.post-47643932360969147422007-10-19T09:31:00.000-04:002007-10-19T09:31:00.000-04:00Glad to hear you had what sounds like a wonderful ...Glad to hear you had what sounds like a wonderful and relavatory trip. It is world-changing to stand in the middle of a place with two-and-a-half millennia of human history on display all around you. Sorry the Euro and Delta had to bite you, but it sounds like you overcame all obstacles. Bravo, and Happy Anniversary!<BR/><BR/>- Paul and HeatherAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11935832563536968300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991864.post-6981883308942995842007-10-16T10:39:00.000-04:002007-10-16T10:39:00.000-04:00welcome back andyyour presence in blogland was mis...welcome back andy<BR/><BR/>your presence in blogland was missed. but i'm glad you were able to have some time off...mghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03996456590209005630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991864.post-52590731332742549722007-10-16T09:31:00.000-04:002007-10-16T09:31:00.000-04:00Thanks, Andy, it was great to meet you & Kate in F...Thanks, Andy, it was great to meet you & Kate in Florence after all these years.<BR/><BR/>I must highly recommend the pizza at Casini dei Nobili in Venice (west bank, near Rialto Bridge). Only 8 euros, and my wife says it's the best she's ever had (but she never ate at Piccolo's in Seattle back in the '80s). That and a place that served "mega kebabs" (east bank, somewhere close to Way of the Assassins) for about 5 euros were the big food bargains there. I'm just glad we managed to avoid the cuttlefish and tripe that are to Venetians what nachos and shrimp cocktail are to Yanks. Getting one's lunch from grocery stores is a great idea; we did this several times. The grocery store in Venice is the "Co-op" at Piazza le Roma. <BR/><BR/>Our way of sticking it to Venice's don't-sit-here, pay-toilet culture was to change Sebastian's diaper out in the open -- once near the train station and once in the middle of Piazza de Palo. Take that! And when we did sit down at a restaurant, we always made sure every member of the family visited the restroom ... whether or not they needed to.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, our sightseeing in Venice was curtailed by some kind of union strike that resulted in a rash of museum closures, but we did get to see some churches and do a lot of shopping. Now I have a $60 letter opener with a Murano glass handle. Yippee-ki-yay.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03147734669353799982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991864.post-60725063261068394892007-10-16T07:53:00.000-04:002007-10-16T07:53:00.000-04:00Andy,Glad you took in some Rick Steves before you ...Andy,<BR/><BR/>Glad you took in some Rick Steves before you went. I hope that means you went on a picnic while you were there. Enthralled by your words. I appreciate your vulnerability, honesty, and sense of humor.<BR/><BR/>-johnjohn r. williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17076935172264784720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991864.post-47275191195322381082007-10-15T23:41:00.000-04:002007-10-15T23:41:00.000-04:00Welcome back.Paul Thorn is playing The Blue Gator ...Welcome back.<BR/><BR/>Paul Thorn is playing The Blue Gator on the 27th.<BR/><BR/>With the band. Will be a great show.jackscrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16163915446151636189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991864.post-79502237062617169122007-10-15T18:09:00.000-04:002007-10-15T18:09:00.000-04:00Thanks for the trip report, Andy. One complaint a...Thanks for the trip report, Andy. One complaint about the pix, though. One can not see your beloved's wonderful eyes, hidden away behind those dark lenses.<BR/><BR/>Sorry about the tourist sticker-shock. SWMBO & I managed to avoid the price of sitting at a coffee bar and actually like both Roman and Neapolitan pizza; the cracker-thin crust is especially better if one's spouse is a carb-counting diabetic. Packing a sandwich and water & picking up some fruit at a grocery was our way of dealing with lunches, which we often ate in a spot of cathedral shade or in one of the many piazzas (<I>piazze</I>) around.<BR/><BR/>But then, we never made it north. Next trip. After the dollar stops its plummet.<BR/><BR/>IzzySt. Izzyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14491461444116895539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991864.post-90144866166568305542007-10-15T16:25:00.000-04:002007-10-15T16:25:00.000-04:00Welcome back state side Andy. I'm glad to see that...Welcome back state side Andy. I'm glad to see that you and Kate weren't eaten by a grue.<BR/><BR/>BTW, Southeast Engine is playing in Athens on Nov. 3rd for their CD release party.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9991864.post-10948731243151345252007-10-15T16:22:00.000-04:002007-10-15T16:22:00.000-04:00welcome back! it sounds like it was a wonderful va...welcome back! it sounds like it was a wonderful vacation. i'm so glad you guys were able to go!Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03873045531201669483noreply@blogger.com