Well here we are in Todi where our villa is, but two days earlier than expected as we have come to get our car repaired. Why you ask ? - well here we go ...
...we had a wonderful trip up into Austria, Germany and Switzerland enjoying the wonderful alps with magical little wooden houses perched on the hill sides with green green paddocks and cows with bells on. The weather was great, but we headed back down into Italy a few days earlier, to visit Milan which at this stage we had not intended to do. Just as well we did head south as we missed the terrible thunderstorms and rain which created havoc and many deaths particularly in Germany. You may have seen this on the news.
Back into Italy the weather has been great, but on our second day in Milan, our car was broken into and all but three of our cases stolen !!!! We had parked in a carpark and arranged with the attendant to keep an eye on it for us. That he didn't and we think his "friends" were the ones who broke into the car. The Police took him away for questioning, so who knows. Peter lost his main suitcase with all his belongings and only had the clothes he stood up in and the items in his manbag. We each lost our small carrycases and 1 small backpack with all our personal items, two cameras, our Camera SD cards some of which had all our photos on them, Lizzy's Ipod, all our trinkets bought in each country we have visited, tickets, itinerary, notes, diaries, spare cash cards, copies of documents, our peugeot wallet with contact information (luckily not our car registration, insurance, spare key or transponder, or the GPS which were on Peter in his Manbag). At least Jenny, Lizzy and Anthony had their main cases with clothing and some toiletries. Anyway it was very upsetting and we have wasted a day in Milan and the next 4 days in Florence trying to sort out the insurance and repair to the car drivers door and lock where they forced entry and get replacement spare visa cards. We are told the car will take 20 days to get a new door lock and handle and be repaired, so have been directed to the Peugeot dealer down here in Todi. Upon arrival today, we find he can not do the repair and we have to drive back up to another Peugeot dealer in Perugia - talk about be given the run around!
Anyway enough of our troubles, back to the trip.
From Montegrotto the spa town nearVenice where we stayed, we drove up to Innsbruck in Austria and stayed in a beautiful little village in the mountains called Oberperfuss. The scenery was breathtaking and the village out of a storybook. We had a great few days exploring and visiting the lovely city of Innsbruck. Everything was so clean green and orderly. No one speeds on the roads and everyone is very polite on and off the road; very different to the Italian motorists! We drove west then headed north through the alps to Germany and stayed in Brienz on the lake. At this point, Austria is between Germany and Switzerland on a spit of land 15 km wide, on one side of the lake its Germany and the other Switzerland. We then stayed in Germany at the northern point of the lake at Bodman and explored the area from there. The lake was picturesque and the weather very fine and hot with no wind. We then drove further west and south to Interlaken in Switzerland, a small town between two lakes with the Alps towering above. The Jungfrau, the highest mountain in Europe stands over the town and we managed to get good views of it and the Eiger as the clouds and mist rose. Back into the alps the senery was spectacular and the fresh, clean, green environment was recharging. With the weather deteriorating in central europe with thunderstorms on the way, we headed south back to Italy earlier than planned. We decided to visit Milan now, rather than in a months time when we leave Todi. That way we would be able to head straight up and around the French Riviera into France, thereby saving 2 - 3 days.
We have spend 4 days, 3 nights in Florence sorting insurance and car matters out and have not had the chance to sightsee there. We will have to spend time there in a few weeks on our way north to France. So much for saving a few days.
We are all well and count our blessing that we are safe and that it was only our luggage taken. We are looking forward to life in a small Italian town for the next three weeks and also to not moving on every few days.
I am sorry that there are no photos to post on the blog for your enjoyment, but someone in Milan has them !!! Lizzy has her portable hard-drive to which she had downloaded photos from her camera, but all the others are gone. At least we have hers. Anthony is upset that he has lost his photos on SD card and trinkets he had purchased on the way. We have bought one replacement camera in Florence so we can begin taking photos again, so hope to upload some for you of Todi and our villa in a week or two.
Thanks to those of you who have kept in touch through comments on this site or emails. We appreciate them and are sorry if we have not replied as often as we should. Its always great to receive news and photos from good old NZ.
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3 comments:
We are so sorry about your troubles, but very glad you are safe! Now you can find more treasures, take new photos and keep your memories safe in your hearts.
Much love,
Collis lot.
HI guys, we just got back from our trip. soooooo sorry to hear of your horrid theft. we lost a camera in Singapore once so understand and your loss is far worse but as you say YOU are safe. my niece had all her stuff stolen from WEstern Springs when she returned from her OE and she and a friend just went for a walk straight off the plane! she lost ALL her ID as well though and had to prove who she was to the Bank, etc that was awful for her! we've had wonderful time but it's very hard with short cold days back here in Wellington and they've had loads of awful storms and rain, still like it! hear Ant is home next week but i think Al leaves the day he returns and has to as he is moving into self catering accommodation and needs to get down there for the office to be open and him to get his new key! he's very keen on cooking for himself as uni hall food has taken a big downtown this year. Ant and Lizzie do get in touch with us.lots of love and take care, Kim and Ian and Al xx
Kim here again; I've just realised you won't know what I'm on about "our trip". I did try and send an email before we left but it didn't go I remember now because I couldn't remember my password!
We had quite a time in latter half of April with my Dad very ill in Keneperu and he died on May 1. Perhaps Al told Ant but not sure. All the family were able to say "goodbye" to Dad and then they all came back for the funeral a week after he died. Mum (91)is being very brave but it's a complete change of lifestyle for her after almost 68 years of marriage to Dad. Al was a pallbearer at funeral on 9 May and did very well; Gemma played at the beginning of the service and it was all as we wanted it to be and Dad would have been proud - RSA tribute and all. We were very well taken care of by John Duncan (who we knew from Parent's Centre days!) at Kapiti Funeral Home so thanks Peter for that recommendation a few years ago. Tell you more about it later when you back. It was and still is all very sad even though Dad was 97 and death inevitable at some stage. We had our conference trip to Quebec City already booked (just 2 weeks after the funeral!)and tied in going to New York before the conference and Ontario (various parts (including Ottawa) visiting 2 lots of Ian's cousins and an old school friend I'd found on the internet and hadn't seen for 28 years) and San Francisco after the conference. We got back on Tuesday this week. Great trip apart from meeting up with wildfire smoke and haze in San Fran and couldn't do famous drive down Big Sur coast to LA so had to go inland but poor locals were losing their homes and being evacuated en masse. They've since announced a federal eergency (day after we left Carmel!). It was all hot and hazy south of there and we were relieved to get into the air conditioning of LA airport on Sunday afternoon - could retire to Santa Barbara or Malabu!! The air does actually feel very fresh back here although cold! So enjoy the rest of your travels. What is your ETA back here or is that still open? I'll be having something for my BIG birthday on Saturday 23rd August (as both Gem and Al should be home) and so hope you'll be around but understand if sunnier climes still beckon!
love Kim
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