4 weeks till italy

[figmentfan2009]

Anyone going on the July 23rd trip?

4 weeks from now, we should be settled into the hotel and setting out for our pre-day adventures...

Anyone else on here on the adventure?

 

[Tozzie]

Anyone going on the July 23rd trip?

4 weeks from now, we should be settled into the hotel and setting out for our pre-day adventures...

Anyone else on here on the adventure?

Have a Great Trip!!!

 

[sayhello]

Enjoy yourself! Italy was wonderful. Which trip are you taking? Viva or Bella?

Sayhello

 

[figmentfan2009]

Viva is the one we opted for.

Partly I figure it is better to limit the temptation that DD and I have for Wine tastings (I am on meds that don't like it so much... hers we have to check with the neurologist to see if Keppra and Right Temporal Lobe Complex Partial Seizures will be in any way affected by a little bit of wine) and... everyone was so incredibly excited about what Viva brings...

So... Viva it is.

Now we are hunting up what the cost will be for a side trip to Pisa... if it would be better to take a taxi back to Florence and back to the hotel to get one that leaves from Florence or if it would be better to hope Artimino can hook us up with something even if we don't have a dozen or so people wanting to do the tour with us...

Hope
Hope
Hope
Hope.....

Loading up my nook with books for the trip and hunting for a good electronic tour guide...

 

[Diskidatheart]

You're going to have a wonderful time on your trip. I think Pisa is much easier to do from Artimino. After pasta making, you have the entire day to yourself beginning around 1pm. In Florence, you are pretty busy until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon. There is more to see in Florence (since it is your only time there) than there is in Artimino. Mention to the guides that you are interested in going to Pisa. They will assist you with the staff at the hotel to try and set something up.

 

[monydave]

Hey figmentfan, I saw you are going to be on the Italy trip. After last year's China adventure we came back and spoke to my in-laws who will be taking our oldest DS on the Italy trip of July 26th. Is that the same one that you guys will be on? I know there is one leaving on the 25th as well.

 

[figmentfan2009]

ours technically starts on the 25th. We are doing a pre-day so we are leaving the states on the 23rd.

I couldn't believe that two trips are so close together and neither got canceled....

 

[glassslipper2004]

As for Pisa - I think that's a great option. You could even skip the pasta-making - it was very fun, but more of a fun for kids/adults activity than a sight-seeing or historical experience. I know previous posters have warned that it can take a little longer than you planned to get there and back. Even if you don't go, though, the afternoon relaxing at Artimino is wonderful!

 

[tigger_ttfn]

I agree with glassslipper2004, you could skip pasta making and go to Pisa. The pasta making was fun, but you are definitely not missing much if you really want to go to Pisa.

By that day, however, we really enjoyed relaxing at the villa. We originally had planned to go to Pisa. The countryside is gorgeous and we were exhausted from Rome. Pool was refreshing and hanging out with everyone was so much fun.

 

[figmentfan2009]

If pasta making resembles noddle making in china... maybe we will even leave earlier in the day than planned. I did so incredibly badly in china at noodles... and we make pasta at home anyway...
DD keeps saying she could use the down time she knows she could... but it is ITALY and I know I'm not likely to ever get back... and we are THAT close to Pisa...
since we are there and it is mostly down time... I figure early evening there would pay off at least once but, if we possibly can... I want to take everyone to Pisa...

 

[figmentfan2009]

Maps printed
batteries charged
suitcases packed
books dowloaded to the new nook
Two doctor appointments to go (the stress of worrying about epilepsy that is so newly diagnosed is causing enough stress that RA is kicking my butt right now...)


We went out and bought bug stuff for at least venice.
Trying to figure out how to order coffee without looking like a total tourist... and trying to convince dd that it doesn't have to be caramel macchiato frapachino to be good coffee...

looking back through history of trip reports to try to figure out what I'm missing...

 

[glassslipper2004]

Figmentfan -

I'm curious about how you deal with the RA - my husband has recently been diagnosed with it or something like it (still in the process of getting tests) and things are really difficult for him now, very different than we when did ABD's last summer and the one before. Any tips for trips/touring?

And - you will have a fantastic Italy trip no matter what you choose to do. I do think you can easily skip the pasta making if you want to; it is a nice down time activity, and fun to do with the other folks in the group, but it really isn't necessary. We LOVED the Viva Italia trip - I'm not sure that any other trip will ever seem as good!

 

[figmentfan2009]

How do I deal with it... one day at a time.
I found out in November than I had had it for about 18 months... that means I had it in China, just not as in your face... that explains the way that a lot of days I hurt really bad and I really shouldn't have.
Germany in December... I had my diagnosis, I was on prednisone but not methotrexate so I was bringing down the inflamation but not pushing it back to where it belongs.
Now... I'm off the steroids and on the chemo therapy drugs (joy... I "get" to take them on the plane trip out... ). I will feel crappy on the plane, no doubt...

My tips... be realistic with yourself... you know how you feel... (rather... he knows how he feels). My best advice to you... believe him and understand that he is going to be a crabby SOB some times and there isn't anything you can do to fix it. My family is STARTING to understand this but it is hard to take sometimes...
If he needs to lean on a cane... he needs a cane. If he needs to take aleve (I LOVE aleve) he needs to suck it up and understand that he needs to rely on meds.
Take more than one pair of shoes. Don't care what they look like, as long as they are comfortable. I have fallen in love with my Nikes... they are boxy across the toes which means that when my feet get puffy they are roomy enough... my Tevas are similar... I can just unzip the Velcro on them and loosen them until they don't hurt any more. there comes a point (and I am SO not the one to preach this... because I wear a Figment hat to Disney World ALL THE TIME... I could be on What not to wear on a good day...) fashion needs to take a back seat to being comfortable.
One that guys don't seem to have trouble with as much as i do... travel light so you don't tax yourself carrying stuff... I bought a nook (1 book weighs what 100 books weighs... and ti weighs less than a good hefty paper back... and you can buy a lot of the travel books in epub format and those are WAY heavy in analog format) and a netbook. The one thing (and anyone who has traveled with us can attest to) that I haven't cut back on is my DSLR camera... I'm going to do these trips once and I'm not missing a single picture... I can always delete garbage when I get home, I can never go back and capture it again... I am learning to travel very minimally and save my resources for what I want to have my resources wasted on...
Does it sound like I'm preaching? I'm really not... I'm just in the middle of learning these lessons myself... these and how to travel with a beautiful little epileptic... so I tend to ramble...
I will probably have totally more lessons learned in a couple weeks...
If you have any questions... don't hesitate to ask. You guys have to be so in the freaking out phase right now... don't do nearly as much research as I did on the internet... there is stuff out there that can scare the crap out of you. Find a good doctor that you like and trust (is he dealing with a rheumatologist... )
OH... and... there are a lot of good blogs out there (cough cough.... yeah, i have one too) that you-all can read through... it is neat what a family RA and RA like conditions really has... there are some great people who can be an awesome support system for him AND for you.

 

[glassslipper2004]

FigmentFan - Thanks so much for your reply. I will definitely look up your blog and search for others as well - it didn't even occur to me to look for support that way, don't know why... You are right, the internet stuff is scary. We don't know much yet, and don't have another chance to learn more from the doctors for another 2 weeks, but it seems just from watching him that he is having a harder and harder time getting around. Hopefully there might be some relief in the future.

Funny that you mention that about your camera - DH is very into photography, and on our last trip carted around a big backpack full of long lenses and other equipment; maybe next time he will have to adjust to just taking the camera itself along.

Thanks again - and have a fabulous trip! (And make sure you have your camera ready when the bus leaves Florence and then makes a stop at an overlook - we got amazing pictures there!)

 

[sayhello]

Maps printed
batteries charged
suitcases packed
books dowloaded to the new nook
Two doctor appointments to go (the stress of worrying about epilepsy that is so newly diagnosed is causing enough stress that RA is kicking my butt right now...)


We went out and bought bug stuff for at least venice.
Trying to figure out how to order coffee without looking like a total tourist... and trying to convince dd that it doesn't have to be caramel macchiato frapachino to be good coffee...

looking back through history of trip reports to try to figure out what I'm missing...

Wow, ff, you *are* dealing with a lot! I'm so glad that you're traveling anyways; all you need is for this stuff to make you feel like it's limiting your life. Best of luck to you, and ENJOY.

If you want normal, good coffee in Italy, ask for Cafe' Americano. I learned to ask for that in Spain and Italy, and nobody blinked at it, and I got a cup of coffee, rather than an incredibly strong cup of double espresso. If you *want* the incredibly strong cup of double espresso, just ask for Cafe'. I didn't see anyone drinking latte's or machiattos.... (Oh, and it's pronounced "Caw" like paw and "Fey" like Hey, with the emphasis on the second syllable...)

Sayhello

 

[LTFrench]

A cappuccino is readily available, most everywhere, too.