Musings after being Home. July 20th

So I am home. The first months mail has been sorted, gas and water heater turned back on, and first newspaper read.  Not much has changed. So what did I get out of 6+ weeks in Italy.  Not real sure. I know I like the small towns more than the big ones. Probably never have to go back to Rome again.Might go for Italy too, never say never. The Italians were as I expected. Fun loving, friendly and love to eat. All laws and rules have a flexibility about them.I loved the people meeting in the piazzas on Sundays with the family in tow.

The Food. Such variety for a country the size of California. And all of it good. The abundance of seafood everywhere. And oh yes some of my favorite times were spend in the cheese and meat shops just smelling and sampling all they had to offer.  If I could have I would have brought back a couple of suitcases of various cheeses and hams.  And then some restaurant introduced me to Octopus Carpaccio, or pressed Octopus as I call it. Will I ever be able to recreate it here. You know several octopus will die with me trying.
And I learnt that you can never truly go home again. When we went back to our favorite Cinque Terra restaurant, it was one of the least appetizing meals of the trip.
And Halstatt, Austria had changed to. Maybe because we were younger, or our eyes weren't as open, but it had changed. More likely we had.  We blamed it on too many tourists and rude waitresses and just as I am ready to write Halstatt off, they stage a grand party just outside my hotel window with fireworks to say goodbye.

Prague. Grand old city that we only saw part of. But my favorite place was Pilzen and the Pilsner Urquell Brewery tour.

Munich. Much as I expected. Good German food and beer. Lots of Dirndls and lederhosen. Trip to the Eagle's Nest was right up my alley.

Salzberg. Again, not as grand as I remembered, or as quaint.  But a very good meal and the trip in the countryside was grand. Guess I need to stick to the country more.

Venice. Much more fun than I had expected. But then with Jack and Carolyn, a trip to Mt Vernon, Ohio would be fun.

The Austrians probably aren't as abrupt as I thought. Hopefully.
The Family. How great was it to see these places with family. Undescribable. `Best part of the trip.
So now I am home and this blog must come to an end. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I did remembering each day. It wasn't always easy to do but somehow I managed to keep up with it and for that I am happy.

Ciao

Chickens in disbelief that the blog has ended.