Venice

Once you see Venice you will never forget it.  This may sound obvious, but the first time I saw this beautiful city I  was only 8 years old...and the impression it made on me as a young girl remained with me until I saw it again this year.  I remember being in awe of the canals and the beautiful buildings.  I remember buying two little treasures... glass bluebird earrings, and a tiny mauve glass fawn.  They became my most precious possessions!  I always wanted to go back and visit the city as an adult, and so on this trip to Italy, I made sure we pencilled in a day to visit this city on water.

It was everything I remembered...but for two things.  There were way more tourists than I recalled...and not as many pigeons gathered in St. Mark's Square! 

It was a long day.  We left Florence first thing in the morning and took the train to the main terminal in Venice.  As soon as we got outside, the city spilled out in front of us and was dazzling right from the start.  We wanted to do a lot of walking, as opposed to travelling on water.  First thing in the morning it isin't so bad...but the later in the day it got, the more crowded it became.  I just do not like being in crowds. 15 million people a year come here... Venice is almost like an adult Disneyland!  No rides, but lots of people!  I just wanted to absorb the sights and sounds.

We walked around the entire city.  It is made up of 117 islands and has 150 canals connected by bridges.  We enjoyed the main thoroughfairs, but also got some respite by venturing off the main walkways and getting lost in the alleys.  The architecture really is magnificent, and the canals are so clean!  Surprising, since Venice has no sewer system.  Sewage flows from homes into the canals and is swept out to the ocean with the tides.  But don't get me wrong, you didn't see any waste in the water, and there was absolutely no litter.

Venice is slowly sinking.  The level of the land has lowered, and the sea levels have risen.  Major flooding regularly occurs now between November and March.

One of the most photographed images in Venice is that of the Gondolas and the gondoliers.  There are about 400 in use today to transport visitors back and forth along the many canals.  By law the gondolas are painted with black lacquer.  They are made of 8 different types of wood and are composed of 280 pieces.  To be a gondolier you need to obtain a special license issued by a guild.  Especially noteworthy...in 2010 the first woman was licensed to become a gondolier!

 

 

 

By the time we reached St. Mark's square we were exhausted.  We just did not have the appetite to stand in line to go inside the church...but we had worked up an appetite to eat!  We were starving and ended up sitting down at a little cafe for some delicious Calamari and a glass of white wine.  It was great fun to just sit back and people watch!

 

 

 

Later I did a little shopping.  I wanted to bring home some masks.  I found out there are three types of masks...the beautiful handmade masks that are worth a fortune...there are factory made masks made in Italy...and there are Venetian masks made in China!  I thought that was a joke when I was told that...but sure enough...many of the cheap ones are made in China.  It was very easy to tell the difference between the most expensive masks and the least expensive.  The handmade ones are simply stunning works of art.  I bought a few of the factory made in Italy masks.  They were just too fun to resist!

 

What I did not know about was the history of the mask that features the long beak.  It originated in the 17th Century.  A Doctor donned this mask to treat bubonic plague victims.  The mask was white and he wore a black cloak with it and a black hat.  He wore white gloves and carried a stick to move the bodies.  It was hoped all of this would help prevent him from catching the dreaded disease. Other Doctors followed suit.  This is a modern day version of the beaked mask...I love it!

At the end of the day we were ready to go home.  We had a little time to kill so we stopped to have a drink.  Our waiter asked if we wanted a small beer or a big beer.  Jim asked for a big glass of draft ... and this is what he got!!!  Luckily the train had restrooms...or we would have been in trouble! 

This was probably the last time I will see Venice...and I am so glad we spent the day here.  It truly is one of the most beautiful cities on earth...and it may not be around forever.  The ocean may claim this jewel one day...and only divers will be able to enjoy it.

Beautiful Florence, Italy!

Florence is the city of my dreams.  I love it here!  What stands out for me?  The food, the wine, the art and the architecture. 

 

 

Ultramarathon running has taken me all over the world and allowed me to learn about other countries.  I love taking in the new sights and sounds.  I enjoy meeting the local people and learning about their customs.  I love running where no other tourists visit...and then pampering myself in the towns or cities close by.

I have actually been to Italy before this, but as a child.  My father was a fighter pilot for the Canadian forces and we were based for 2 years in Sardinia.  I think this is where I first fell in love with Italy, Italians and with the sand!  I remember playing in the sand on the beach and chasing around the beetles.  My parents took my brother and me along for a trip through Italy and we visited Venice...which I vividly remember as well.  How can the beauty of that city ever leave your memory once you have been there?

Growing up in Sardinia.  I am in the foreground...

So, I guess in a way, going to Italy was like going home!  We left Courmayeur in Northern Italy and took a bus to Aosta.  We then hopped on 2 different trains that took us from Aosta to Milan... and then transferred to a third train bound for Florence. 

Our hotel was about a 5 minute taxi ride from the train station....Hotel Kursaal & Ausonia.  We chose this place because it looked really quaint and was within a 20 minute walk of all the major sights.  Because we had moved up our dates to stay in the hotel, they had rebooked us to spend a few nights in a regular double room and then move and spend a few nights in a suite.  Once we arrived and chatted with the owner...he moved us into the suite for the entire week at the same price as a double room!

 

Our suite was beautiful.  After spending a week in Paris once in a teeny tiny room where we could barely walk around the bed without tripping over the luggage...this was luxury!  We had an entryway, a sitting room, a full kitchen (with everything needed to cook with) a huge bathroom with a jacuzzi tub, and a master bedroom.  Our kitchen window looked out into the neighborhood and we could see the Duomo in the distance.

Our first stop was the Duomo.  This is a huge gothic style structure that was completed in 1436.  It is very unusual in that the exterior of the basilica is covered in various shades of pink, green and white marble.  It features the largest brick dome ever built.  We climbed up the dome and the views of Florence were spectacular!  We could also go inside the dome and see the incredible mural painted on the ceiling.  Stunning!  I have included a picture of Jim standing in the stairwell.  Can you believe they actually have to put up signs asking people not to leave graffiti on the walls of the church?  It is revolting how people see nothing wrong about defacing a national treasure by inscribing their names.  I just don't get it.

Another incredible sight in Florence is the Statue of David which stands in the Galleria dell'Accademia.  It is the most beautiful piece of work I have ever seen.  This sculpture looks real, I mean it really looks like a living, breathing being.  The skin looks soft, the veins look like the blood is coursing through them...the muscles seem at rest, yet somehow ready and tensed to move at any moment.  It is really chilling how awesome it is.  It is 17 feet tall and weighs an incredible 6 tons.  This marble statue was sculpted by Italian artist Michelangelo in two years.  Two years!  I wonder at how an artist can see his form through the rock.

Every day we would try and take in a sight or two...but we also just enjoyed living there for a week.  Every morning we would head out to the Central Market to buy our food for the day.  Jim loves to cook and he is Italian...so this was his mecca if you will.  By the end of the week we had our favorite shops and vendors that we liked to visit and buy from. 

What can be better than wine, cheese and bread?  We shopped for olives, vegetables, pasta, herbs, fruit, mushrooms...it was absolute heaven!  There was one stand that selled Offal.  I'm sorry, but Offal to me is just awful...really.  It basically means the organs and entrails of butchered animals.  You could buy cow stomachs, brains, liver and bull penis.  Yes, if you look in the picture below those are bull penises in the top right hand corner.  Now I have eaten " prairie oysters" before (bull testicles breaded and fried) but I think I have to draw the line at penis.  I mean really, just looking at it....nope.

We would start our day off with Italian espresso along with a chocolate croissant.  We would sightsee for awhile, and then take a break and go home to have a little lunch.  We were bad!  We would have some white wine along with some tomatoes and fresh mozzarella tossed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh basil.  Decadent!  Then we would have a little afternoon nap.  Jim was still really sick with bronchitis and it didn't get any better until we got home to Florida.  Mine cleared up in a week.  We got lots of rest and ate really well to enable us to get healthy again!

I learned a lot about the foods that are revered in Italy...like Balsamic Vinegar. The finest Balsamic comes from Modena and neighboring Reggio Emilia.  You can find cheap bottles with newer batches of vinegar...to the finest Balsamic which can be aged up to 100 years and cost a small fortune.  It is literally kept in special cases and is treated like the world's best champagnes!  We saw a 100 ml bottle that was going for the asking price of  $850!

Olive oil is another treasure.  Italy, Spain and Greece are the major olive oil producers in the world...supplying 75 percent of world production!  Extra Virgin olive oil is judged to have a superior taste.  There are actually allegations that producers in Spain and Italy are passing off olive oil as extra virgin...when it's not.  Fake oil!  And in 2008, Italian police conducted "Operation Golden Oil"...arresting 23 people involved in a scheme to take oil from other countries and relabel it Italian.  Corruption, food fraud, scheming and conniving all in the name of profit in the olive oil industry.  Who knew?!!!

We would work up an appetite with our walks...(we didn't go for any runs)  The Ponte Vecchio bridge was about a half hour stroll from our hotel.  It is a famous medieval stone bridge that used to have butcher shops on it.  The butchers would dump all of their waste from the bridge into the Arno river below.  Now the shops are all high-end gold, silver and gem stores.  I didn't even do any window shopping since the only jewelry that interests me are ethnic pieces from Africa and the Middle East. 

The Uffizi Gallery contains the greatest collection of Italian paintings anywhere, along with the star piece...The Birth of Venus by Italian artist Sandro Botticelli.  This painting is said to be one of the most recognizable images in art history.  It depicts the birth of the Goddess of Love.  The God of Winds is blowing her ashore in a floating seashell ... while another goddess awaits on land with a floral robe to cover her with.  Of course I had to go into the shops afterward and purchase my fridge magnet and eyeglass cleaning cloth and umbrella ... all with Venus on it!  I'm a sucker for some of the tourist crap!

I will always remember trying to get out of that museum.  I swear I spent more time wandering around trying to get out...than I did in looking at all of the art.  At every exit there were security people telling you that you can't go out this way...and pointing vaguely down the hall to another way of exiting.  And I wasn't the only one that appeared to be exasperated...there were dozens of people wandering around...looking for a way out!  I saw one person sleeping on a bench in there...and I guessed they probably just gave up.  Might as well wait until closing and get someone to show you the door! (They could use some race flags to show the way!)


So now it was time to eat again...I swear I don't know how much I would weigh if I didn't run, because I love to eat!!!  Time for some of that wine and cheese I was talking about!  Parmesiano Reggiano is the reigning cheese of Italy.  I have always loved to buy a block of aged Parmesan and then shred it over pasta or eat small chunks with wine.  Authentic versions carry a mark with the producers registration number, along with the year and month of production.  The older the cheese, the sharper the taste.  The oldest I could find was 8 years old.

As for wine...I had to drink Chianti.  It is usually thought of as the wine in a bottle enclosed by a staw basket, which is actually called "fiasco" or "flask".  But the straw covered bottles are only used by a few wine makers now.  Chianti is Italy's largest wine region and produces 8 million cases a year!  I think I should have shares in one of the vineyards!  We loved the Chianti over our many meals of pasta!

And what better to have after dinner than Italian gelato!  In Florence we tried out the sorbet, with strawberry and mango being our favorites! Italy is the only country in the world where there is more handmade ice cream consumed than factory produced!

  One night we made the mistake of deciding to have grappa instead of gelato.  Grappa is served as an after dinner drink.  It is an Italian brandy that can range from 70 to 120 proof.  Wow!  It reminded me of my days in University when we used to drink the odd shot of Everclear!  It goes down hot and then warms up and numbs the body.  One shot was enough!

We took one day off from strolling through Florence and decided to head to Venice for the day!  What could be better than a nice leisurely day in Venice with supper at a restaurant next to one of the world-famous canals?!  That will be my next post...

TDG Race Report - Part Two

CROSSING THE DIVIDE...FROM RACING IN DESERTS AROUND THE WORLD TO TAKING ON THE ITALIAN ALPS...


So we left Valgrisenche at about 3 am which only gave us a 4 hour time cushion...and we were slowing down.  We headed up toward Col Fenetre which would pretty much take us the rest of the night. 

I tell you what...there are a lot of stone slabs set in the ground to hike up these mountains.  I really liked that, and was really grateful for all of the stair training that Coach Cal had me do.  Nicki Rehn told me before this race to do lots and lots of stairs and that is what I did.  Running stairs, walking stairs, wearing leg weights and a weight vest while doing stairs...it all helped!

As we hauled butt up the mountain in the dark...my headlamp picked up these unusual long, black, shiny things that looked like poop.  Turns out they were about 3 inch long slugs that were leaving a slimy trail behind them as they moved on the rock steps!  I avoided them ... but there were plenty of people who had not seen them and had stepped on them...leaving behind a black, gooey mess with what looked like white strings of guts.  Gross.

We arrived at a chalet and decided to take a brief nap, since I hadn't slept yet.  Rif chalet de l'epee was a great place to take a break.  Warm and inviting, it was a little piece of heaven in the cold darkness.  The volunteers took great care of us, and I lay down on the floor to take a 30 minute sleep.  I never have any trouble falling asleep anywhere, a gift during these types of races.  My alarm woke me up exactly 30 minutes later.  Refreshed, I had a quick cup of hot chocolate and we were off.

By now it was dawn...about 7 am.  We had to make our way up the rest of the way to the top of Col Fenetre...2854 meters.  There was a lot of scree as we headed up...and once again I was slowly picking my way up through the rocks.  Where to place this foot, where to place that foot.  I am just not a natural.  Jim was stopping and waiting for me at regular intervals. 

By now my chest was aching.  I was putting my hand on my chest plate and pressing in...almost feeling like I was trying to heal myself.  My head was plugged, my nose was running, I kept spitting up phlegm, my headache was constant...and Jim was worse.

We finally made it to the top and looked around...what a sight!  Behind us we could see a massive valley down below with the huge field of rocks we had just come through.  Ahead of us was my worst nightmare!  The steep downhill ascent on this mountain made me want to vomit.  I could not believe it.  I had a brief moment of panic.  I looked at Jim and I said..."There is no way I can get down this!"  I had never seen or done anything like it.

I had read a few books before leaving for this trip about the Navy Seals.  I am really fascinated with the Special Forces units around the world...and like to read about their training and missions.  One of the quotes that was inspiring me for this trip was from the Navy Seals...

                                                 "The only easy day was yesterday."


I had this in my head during my six months of training...and felt it would be great during this race as well. 

I may have read one too many books on this subject.  I was trying to think of an escape off the top of this pass, when I visualized a helicopter coming to my aid.  It hovered above me and a soldier dropped down a rope ladder.  It swung above my head and I reached up and grabbed the furst rung on the ladder.  The helicopted lifted up and pulled me off the ground, and I started to sway back and forth in the air.  I was afraid of letting go of the ladder, but it was better than trying to make my way down that pass!

Well, no such luck.  I was going to have to hoof it down the path...and I felt sick about it.  It was probably about 1000 meters of going straight down on narrow switchbacks.  What was amazing to me is that there was a trail here...meaning people regularly did this route.  Are you kidding me?!  Jim talked and walked me through it.  The only way I could keep going was to stare directly down at my feet and not look anywhere else.  This was pushing the envelope for me...which was sickening and exciting all at the same time.  This is what living on the edge means!

I saw a metal fence line set up in the boulders off to the side...they sort of looked like snow fences that we had up in Canada to prevent avalanches.  These were meant to do the same I guess (landslides), but I initially thought they were there to block the falls of people like me...I could just see myself bouncing off the rocks and smashing up against the fence...arms and legs everywhere at odd angles.  (I think I am going to be sick)

We made it down through the tough part and we stopped in a grassy area to eat.  I am always starving.  I dug out some chips and we started to talk about what we were up against.  Jim was sick and I was sick...and we were getting sicker.  We were also getting slower.  I told Jim he had to go on ahead.  He refused...saying that although he was faster than me right now...he was also in a lot of pain.  He felt like he had fractured a bone in his right foot.  He could barely walk on it and was on some pretty major pain killers.

We worked our way down the mountain to another really picturesque Alpine village...the location of the next checkpoint...Rhemes n.d.  It is so beautiful here, so green and so clean.  We made our way up the street through town to the CP building.  Once inside they scanned our race bands and we sat down to eat.  We had gone 64.5 kilometers now and it had taken us 24 hours!!!!  Crazy. 

Jim did not think that we were going to make it to the next lifebase before the cutoff.  We still had to make it up and down two more passes...including Col Loson.  I really wanted to make it up to Col Loson because it was the highest pass on the course and it would put us at about 1/3 of the way into the race...about 100 km. 

At a certain age, at least as it applies to us...you begin to become practical.  Over the years you push yourself hard...and you know what you have inside of you.  I know when I can push forward...and I can accept when it just is not going to come together for a given race.  This race was over for us before we left Florida.  Jim got terribly sick...and then I became sick.  Not only that, but for me, I was just too cautious, and therefore slow in this terrain.

This race had been fantastic...it was everything everyone said it was and more!  I loved it...but I was not going to be able to finish it.  It sucks...but c'est la vie.  If I were to move to a place where I had mountains in my backyard I would come back and compete in this race again and finish it with surer footing.  I would also make sure that I was topped up with Vitamin C a month before the event!  But that isin't going to happen.  And besides, I am a desert runner and love being in the desert.  It is time to go back to the sand and the sun!!!

We approached the front desk and told them we were not going to be able to continue.  They sympathised with us and then proceeded to cut off our wrist bands.  A shuttle bus was going to be by in an hour to come and pick us up, and until then we decided to head down the street and get a soda.

We arrived back in Courmayeur late afternoon, picked up our race bags, had a nice bath and went to the market to pick up some things for supper. The owner of the Hotel we were staying at had a gift for us...she had gift wrapped some massage cream for us.  She had done this for every athlete staying at her hotel.  Can you believe it?!  Josey, you are a doll!!!

 The following morning (Tuesday) we spent the day making arrangements to head to Florence on Wednesday.  We weren't supposed to head there until Sunday.  But there was no sense killing time in Courmayeur.  We had already spent a few days here before the race.  But there was some business to take care of.  Which flavor of Gelato should we try?  We couldn't make up our minds on just one or two flavors....so we ended up getting two dishes with 6 flavors in all!

Vanilla, Italian Vanilla, Pistachio, Hazelnut, Dark Chocolate and Banana.The Gelato, along with a strong cup of Italian coffee, and we were jacked!  Onward to Florence!!!

As it turned out, the race provided some extreme challenges for organizers and competitors alike this year.  The race had to be stopped once due to a landslide.  And then mother nature struck with howling winds and snow, preventing runners from climbing up to the last pass of the course.  Organizers had to stop the race again, and then ended up cutting the course short by 30 kilometers.  The race ended this year in St. Rhemy.

Congratulations to all of the competitors...and to all of my new friends who all did so well!!!!  It was so much fun...and I really hope I will see you all again one day....but you will have to come to the desert to find me!!!!  Hugs from Florida!!!!!

 My next blog is going to be about the time I spent in Florence and Venice...healing, resting, eating, and sunning in beautiful Italy!!!  And let's not forget the wine!