This morning we enjoyed a drive along the Bay of Naples before we continued north to view the Abbey of Monte Castino, famous for it’s roll in the world war two battle in 1944 where many men lost their lives. From there we made our way back to Rome for last minute shopping or a visit to a museum.
In the evening we had our farewell dinner put on by the tour company. It was a fun night with music, singing and wine drinking. Our fellow tourist wished us well and sang happy birthday to Lorene. It was her 87th birthday. Dal and Jenny from South Africa sat by us and Joe and Theresa from Las Vegas next to them. We all new each other pretty well by now and there was much toasting. Two songs were composed to Tony, our guide and Eduardo, our bus driver, by members of our group. We sang patriotic and just fun songs. We drank just enough wine to loose our inhibitions and wandered off to our rooms with a happy glow on.
I would like to express my appreciation for the help and sympathy given to me by my fellow travelers on this trip. When ever I was having difficulty walking or couldn’t keep up, some one was there to lend a helping hand. My heavy back pack was hauled from place to place and at times the group slowed down to let me catch up. I thank all of you for your consideration.
9-27-09 Sunday Day 16
Final Day
In the morning we packed our bags and dragged them to the lobby. We ate an early breakfast and where on the way to the airport at 6:45 AM. It was time for the long flight home. We said our last goodbyes. Our wheelchairs attendants were waiting. They knew which way to go. Going though customs was no trouble because we were waved on through without opening our bags. We were in the front of the line boarding the plane and had a wheel chair waiting when the plane landed. The flight from Rome to New York was long and tiring but again we were wheeled to our next plane and on our way to Seattle. Lorene’s daughter, Deloris, meet us at baggage in the SeattleAirport and on the way home we stopped and ate at the Poodle Dog Restaurant. The trip was great but it was good to be home.
We drove through the lava flow and then to the church in Sicily where, in the movie, the Godfather, this church was used as a setting for the marriage of Michael to the daughter of the local Don.
The path up to the church was steep. I was having trouble trying to climb it on my own. Clive, from Australia, and John, from Arkansas, each took one of my arms and practically carried me to the church door. John and his wife, Barbara, had owned a hardware store which they sold to go into retirement. Barbara had been the pharmacist in their store. She went to work at another store and is still working. John said, “That’s the hillbilly way. When you retire, keep your wife working.”
The church was small but beautiful inside. There was very nice paintings and wood carvings. The ambiance was pleasant and restful. It was not as overpowering as some of the large cathedrals were. Coming down from the church was not as difficult as going up but the cobble stones were still hard to travel on.
In the evening we went to another fish dinner. There was very good entertainment consisting of a guitar player, an accordion player and a man with a tambourine-drum who was also the vocalist. They played Italian and Sicilian songs with great gusto. It was a pleasant, fun evening.
9-24-09 Thursday Day13
In the morning we packed our bags and left them in the hallway to be loaded on the bus. We were finished with Sicily and returning to Italy. On the way to the ferry the traffic slowed down and finally came to a stop. The reason for the stoppage was that the road had become impassable because a landslide had shut down the only road to the ferry. We sat there a half hour while Tony was on the phone exploring our options on ways to get back to Italy. He finally was able to book passage on an overnight ferry back to Italy. This ferry was newer. The cabins were larger with wider bunks on both sides. We each slept on a lower bunk.
9-25-09 Friday Day 14
Isle of Capri Excursion
We ate breakfast on the ferry and, after some sightseeing, we boarded another smaller ferry to the Isle of Capri. We walked from the ferry dock to an incline car that took us to the upper part of the city. An optional tour had been planned but we didn’t go because Tony thought the walking would be too difficult for me. Lorene and I walked through the shops and found a restaurant to have lunch. This was a popular destination for tourists so the sidewalks and streets were crowded. There was no evidence of a world economy slowdown here.
We road the incline car down to the lower level and found a place where we could get an ice cream cone and eat it at a table under an umbrella. Some of the members of our group who had not gone on the optional tour began collecting on the empty tables around us. The waiters let us sit there because it was late in the day and the crowd wads thinning.
By the time Tony showed up with the excursion group, we were all together and ready for the ferry ride back to the mainland. We rode the ferry and were driven to our hotel. We were given our room key but couldn’t find our room. The desk tour attendant gave us directions but we were still lost. With the help of John, from Arkansas, we finally found our room. We had time to take a nap before collecting in the hotel dinning room for our evening meal.
In the morning we boarded the bus and were on our way to Assisi with a quick stop for lunch. The landscape varied between cultivated flat land to hilly and mountainous terrain. The lowlands appeared prosperous with many crops growing but the highlands had many buildings with half or all their roofs missing.
We reached Assisi in early afternoon and walked on the cobbled streets to the cathedral, the one Francis of Assisi made famous. A locale guide walked us around, explaining the many fresco wall murals. It was a beautiful building with high, domed ceilings all painted with fresco scenes. Many famous painters left their work on these walls and ceilings. By the time we left the church, we were ready for a nap and almost overslept and missed our supper.
9-19-09 Saturday Day 8
Assisi Pompeii Naples At sea
In the morning we drove towards Pompeii and arrived there in the middle of the afternoon. Pompeii had been buried in ash and hot lava because of its location at the foot of MountVicarious. Many people had been buried alive when in olden times, the mountain erupted. Today the city has been excavated of ash, and the original cobbled streets and buildings exposed. On the streets we walked on, about fourteen feet of ash had been remover. The buildings on both side of the street had been stores and places of business. At the time of the eruption, many of the occupants of Pompeii were suffocated and berried in the hot ash from the mountain. On display in glass cases were two petrified bodies caught by the ash. From their positions, it appeared that they had died in agony. In one area the diggers uncovered mosaic floors with detailed pictures of warriors on horse back that look as good as when they were first installed. The colors were bright and vivid.
The local guide told us that the worst problem the preservationist had was the unauthorized digging and selling on the black market of artifacts that are national Italian treasures. The government doesn’t have enough money to protect all the sights were the ground contains artifacts.
After our tour of Pompeii, we went back to the bus. Our driver, Eduardo, stood there next to his wife. He introduced us to her, She was a good looking Italian woman. We next drove to the ferry boat, which was the size of an ocean going ship. In order to board her, we had to climb many steps. Constance Sham, a young lady who lived in PenangMalaysia, grabbed my backpack and carried it up the steps to the hatch where we boarded the Ferry. She said it was heavy but that didn’t stop her from carrying it. Because I was walking with a cane and was limping, our fellow travelers were very concerned and helpful. It was time to eat. We found the ships restaurant on the fifth floor, had a good meal and proceeded to our cabins for our night at sea.
The cabins were small with a lower and upper bunk. The lower bunk was about two feet wide and the upper bunk a little wider. The aluminum ladder to get into the upper bunk was rickety. We puzzled over our sleeping arrangements. First I helped Lorene climb the ladder to the upper bunk. We could see that was too dangerous. Then I climbed the ladder. I thought of how many times I had to get up at night. It would be too much for me. Then we both tried laying on the narrow lower bunk. We would have to synchronize our breathing and not roll over to keep from falling out. Next, in desperation, we took the mattress and bedding off the upper bunk and put it on the floor. That worked. I slept on the bunk and Lorene slept on the floor.
9-20-09 Sunday Day 9
At sea Palermo
The ferry was an ocean going vessel set up to carry many passengers to and from Sicily. It was an overnight trip with enough cabins to take care of the local and tourist trade. It was a sturdy and well built ship that rolled very little when the water got rough. In the morning after breakfast, we prepared to board the bus for our tour of Sicily. Constance Sham, the girl from Malaysia, grabbed my back pack and carried it until we were off the boat and on the bus. I thanked her for her kindness. Most of our group was ready to help in any way if my bad knee held us up. It was comforting to be with congenial, helpful companions. We enjoyed their company. In the evening we went to an optional fish dinner. The waiters kept bringing out platters of shrimp, prawns, oysters, octopus and several types fish. With the meal we were served white of red wine. We became more congenial and drank a few toasts to each other. Sitting to our left were Barbara and John from Florida and Teresa and Joe from Las Vagas.
Lorene and I were the only couples not married in the group. Our table mates began teasing us about stopping the tour so we could have a wedding. Soon the word spread to the other tables and we all had a good laugh but no wedding. After a final toast, we climbed into the bus for a return to our hotel for a nights sleep.
9-21-09 Monday Day 10
Palermo Selinunte Agrigento
This day was spent mostly in traveling. We had lunch at a restaurant on the coast were we could walk on the sand at the waters edge. We stopped at another sight where we were given the choice of walking up hill to the ruins or staying with the bus. Most of our group elected to stay with the bus. One old lady said, “If you see one rock, you see them all.” My wife, Ronnie, used to say much the same thing
We traveled through the vineyards of the southern hills to enjoy a visit to see the colorful mosaics of the fourth century Roman Villa of Cosale. Then we were off to see the splendors of Piazza Armerina before stopping to view the fortress town of Enna. Next we arrived in the scenic resort of Taormina where we spent the next two nights.
In the morning after breakfast we left the hotel Diana and drove to Florence and Pisa. Our bus dropped us off at a terminal where we boarded a rubber tired train
The train took us to a station within walking distance of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. With my bad knee, the walking wasn't easy, but was the only way to the tower. When we finally came within sight of the tower, it was a beautiful sight. I began to take pictures. I had imagined the tower being separated from other buildings, but, although it is not attached, it appears to be apart of a large group of buildings of the same architectural design. The way it is leaning it’s amazing it doesn't fall down.
Our hotel for the night was the Grand Marquee, a much more modern hotel than the Diana. In the evening, we went to a monastery. Our meal and entertainment were served by the monks, who gave us a delicious meal including drinks and followed it up with wonderful entertainment. They played the violin and accordion and had a talented vocalist. They were the order of monks of the Henupitti Monastery and were a pleasant surprise, the young monks, in their twenties, were a fun bunch who left us laughing.
9-16-09 Wednesday Day 5
Florence sightseeing Venice
At 7:00 AM we ate breakfast at the hotel dining room. At 8:30 AM we climbed into our bus, greeted our bus driver, Eduardo, and drove to a part of Florence with many narrow one way streets lined with what she shops carrying all kinds of goods including jewelry, leather goods, rugs, tee shirts, and souviners to tempt the last dollar from the tourist My knee was hurting from all that walking from shop to shop. Lorene did what she could by holding my hand and Annie and Clive stayed with us to give a helping hand. They were on their second honeymoon after selling their 7000 acre station in Perth, Australia. We walked to a Plaza where we entered the Santa Cruz Cathedral. A local guide took over and told us about the many frescos. The most famous fresco was painted by Michael Angelo. Cabeling had been set around the outer walls because the plaster walls, painted with many frescos, were being renovated. The center section remained open and was crowded with tourists. Our guide stopped at the many objects of interest and talked about the artist and the marble carvers. The remains of many famous people, including Michael Angelo, were interred here. Their graves were marked with white marble slabs level with the floor and inscribed with their names. We walked on and over their graves. We looked through some more shops around the plaza before retuning to the hotel. In the afternoon we drove to the Laguna Palace Hotel in Venice, our best hotel yet. It was next to a marina with many expensive yachts. We were served a nice dinner in the hotel dining room. At the next table were Bob and Terry Dyer who had moved into their new home in Ocean Shores, Washington. My son, Ken’s old partner in the custom cabinet shop that they had operated in the Olympia area, Adolpho Capistani, had built cabinets in the Dyer home. Adolpho had became friends with the Dyers. Bob and Terry spoke well of Adolpho. Another couple [I don’t remember their names] sat across from us. He had been an optometrist. After retiring he became a forester because he loved the woods. He was a serious photographer and, with a quality camera, he took lots of pictures.
9-17-09 Thursday day 6
Venice sightseeing and at leisure
In the morning the bus took us to the Venice waterfront. We boarded a water taxi and sailed to the Isle of Capri which was very popular as a tourist attraction. Our first destination was a glass factory. In the lobby on display was a full size horse made of glass. The glass horse was the only full size glass horse in existence. Our group gathered in a room where there was a glass oven. A glass craftsman took a ball of glass heated it red hot and formed it into a vase with glass handles. We all admired the vase. Then he shocked us by purposely breaking the vase. He explained that, as the vase cooled too quickly it would have broken anyway. He said that the only way to keep it from breaking was to put it in a cooling oven that would cool it slowly.
On the shelves in the next room was a collection of beautiful colored glass goblets of many colors trimmed in gold. Some of the goblets that were real collectors pieces sold for thousand of dollars. The man explained the process of incorporating the rich blue and pink colors combined with gold leaf to create these perfect beautiful pieces. Some of our group bought goblets but not the ones that cost thousands.
Next Tony took us to a small square so we could have lunch on our own. Lorene and I choose an indoor outdoor restaurant that specialized in sea food. While we were eating, a pigeon flew in and walked around between the tables looking for scrapes. We dropped some of our lunch for him or her. He walked around as though he owned the place. It must have been its regular stopping place.
Two salesman came in and sat at the next table to us. The older of the two tried to talk to us but the language barrier was complete. When we finished eating and were ready to leave the, they shook hands my hand with such a firm grip that my fingers hurt. Salesmen the world over are good hand shakers.
As the time came closer for our gondola ride, we walked down a narrow street to the gondola mooring sight. There were about twenty gondolas tied to poles sunk in the bottom. The gondolas bobbed in the water because of the waves. We were the only ones from our group but soon the others began showing up. We were helped aboard by the gondola man, four to a gondola. Our gondola mates were Annie and Clyve, the couple from Australia. The gondola man, with his long oar steered us into a narrow canal where buildings lined the canal waterway on both sides. Looking into the open doorways, we could see that at high ride the first floor would be covered with a foot of water so the first floors here useless. The second floors were occupied.
We floated under several arched bridges. I attempted to take pictures of the people on the bridges but mostly I took pictures of Clive’s hat because he was sitting in front of me. It was a pleasant, peaceful ride with many picture taking opportunities. Before the gondola ride, Tony had taken us to a plaza where the floor of the plaza was covered with water at high tide. A raised wooden walkway had been built so people could walk through the plaza without getting their feet wet. After the gondola ride we were driven to our hotel for a meal and a nights rest.
Lucy Renwick was our travel agent for the trip taken by Lorene and me to Italy. She did an efficient job including ordering wheel chairs at the airports.
My agent and good friend that I have been associated with for years, Barbara Collins, has moved to Montana. Barbara planned each of my trips day by day so that everything went smoothly with hotel reservations, plane flights, tour guides and all the small details that can make a trip a pleasant experience or a disaster. We worked closely together on planning my many trips. Barbara is a good friend and even though she now lives miles away, I hope to keep in contact with her and her husband, Bob, and get advice from her on any future trips I might take.
9-11-09 Friday We were driven to our overnight by Lorene’s daughter, Dolores. On the way we stopped to eat at the Poodle Dog restaurant in Fife. We had made our reservations at the Motel 8, across the street from the airport. Because our American Airline flight left at 7:30 AM. we had decided to spend the night before in the motel.
9-12-09 Saturday day 1 Our wake up call was for 3:30 AM. At 4:00 AM the motel shuttle bus dropped us off at the airport. After checking our bags and getting our American Airlines boarding pass, we were taken to our departure gate by wheelchair attendants. The wheel chair ride saved me from a long painful walk with my cane and arthritic knee. At the boarding gate we had time to get a sandwich and coffee. Our boarding time was 7:15 AM. We flew to Kennedy airport in New York. Again wheel chairs were provided to take us to our boarding gate for our flight to Rome. The flight over the Atlantic was tiresome. We were worn out from the many hours in the air. When we landed in Rome it was 7:30AM.
09-13-09 Sunday Day 2
Arrive Rome, Sightseeing The wheel chair attendants were waiting and took us through the baggage claim and customs much easier than if we had done it with out their assistance. After clearing customs, they left us with the large Trafalgar group with tours traveling in many directions. We had to make sure we boarded the right bus. The destination of our bus was an old hotel, the Adonis, in the center of Rome. A Trafalgar agent gathered our group in one area of the lobby. We were given a welcome drink. Then our tour guide, Tony, gave us room numbers, baggage tags, and an introductory talk on what we could expect to see and hear on our tour of Italy and Sicily. He sent us in the right direction to find our rooms. Our room was small and old but kept in good shape. It had a shower, toilet and, like most hotels in Italy and Europe, a bidet. Comparing to our American motels and hotels, the Adonis wouldn’t rate very high.
In the afternoon Tony took us on an optional tour at a reduced rate of 10 euros. We took it but my knee was hurting so I couldn’t keep up. Tony took us to a large plaza and said he would be back to pick Lorene and I up about 9:00 pm. We walked around the plaza, took pictures, watched a clown perform and had ice cream cones. The plaza was large with two fountains decorated with life sized hand carved marble statues. There were crowds of people of all ages. At one of the fountains a man offered to take our pictures. When Tony returned at 9:00, we were sitting on a bench eating our ice cream cones. We were soon on the bus and back in the hotel.
When we returned to the hotel, I told Tony I would use my cane on Monday when we went to the coliseum because I didn’t want to miss any more of the sights just because I had a sore knee.
9-14-09 Monday day 3 Rome sightseeing and at leisure
The 6:30 AM hotel breakfast was substantial with cold cereal, scrambled eggs, cold cuts, fresh fruit, toast, fruit juice and coffee. When the door to the breakfast room opened, people seemed to come from all directions and all the tables were soon occupied. One woman brought her thermos bottle which the waiter filled. It gave her enough coffee to last the day. We said good morning to some of our fellow travelers.
Our morning tour included the Coliseum, where we walked over the tourist designated paths outside and inside. Clive and Annie, the couple from Australia, helped me from our tour bus to the entrance to the Coliseum. With my right hand I held my cane and Clive took my left hand to steady me. I was much impressed with the size of the Coliseum. It was designed to hold thousands of spectators. The arches were beautiful. Even though the marble facing had been stripped off through the years to be used in newer buildings, the area below the main floor was exposed and showed the many passageways and rooms where the gladiators, Christians, and man eating animals were kept in readiness for their appearance before the blood thirsty spectators seated on the marble seats of the arena.
Next we visited the Basilica. Lorene was a big help. She held my hand as we walked from one place to another and on the many steps we had to climb. We also visited The Sistine Chapel and some fountains. The paintings by Michael Angelo and many other famous painters were beautifully done and well worth the pain in our necks from looking up at the vaulted ceilings where the paintings were done.
I used my cane and walked slowly. Our fellow tourists were sympathetic and an to help. Annie and Clive were especially help full. Tony was a little doubtful at first, but finally decided that as long as I was determined, he could work around the problem of my holding up the group. This was our last day in Rome. In the evening we went on an optional tour which included a dinner and entertainment. It included a lot of walking whichI was able to handle with the help of my cane and Lorene holding my hand. The evening was a pleasant success.
It was a tragedy that my grandson, Martin Maxwell Schnarrs , who was in the prime of his young life, at the age 27 years, had his life ended by a job accident. He was working alone repairing an end loader at his job with AAA Bark when the scoop came down on him and crushed him.
Marty was born on April 12, 1978 in Olympia, Washington. He passed away on June 1, 2005. He is survived by his Mother, Alaine Schumann, Sister, Jenise (Schnarrs) Gogan, Father, Father, Frank Schnarrs.
As Marty grew up from a babe in arms he had an engaging laugh and smile and was a joy to be around. He also showed a strong sense of curiosity and independence. As his grandparents, we loved having him around even though he needed constant watching because he was into everything within reach. He wasn’t destructive, just curious.
When he was old enough, I took him fishing. He liked to fish and got excited when he felt the pull on his line and landed a fish, but he didn’t like to sit quiet in the boat waiting for the fish to bite. He would rather start the motor and steer the boat.
One day we drove to the Black River and put the boat in the water. The fish weren’t biting so I turned the oars over to Marty. He rowed around in the quiet water and was getting pretty good at rowing. I said to him, “This is a good place to practice rowing.”He said, “Grandpa, I’m not practicing. I’m really rowing.”
In school Marty was not the best student, but had an engaging personality and was well liked by his fellow class mates, both boys and girls and by the teachers. When Marty was in middle school, I got a call one day. The voice said, “Is Max there?” I ask, “Who is Max?” After some confusion, I discovered that among his friends, our Marty was known by his middle name Maxwell shortened to Max. His family still calls him Marty but his friends outside the family call him Max. Marty preferred to be called Max But answered to the name Marty when he was with any member of the family. When Marty was born his parents wanted to name him after their fathers. My middle name is Martin and Grandfather’s middle name is Maxwell so they decided to name him using our middle names. His Dad started calling him Max when he was about 10 years old.
He worked for a time at his father’s hot tub store, behind the counter, dealing with customers and trouble shooting hot tub problems. He proved to be very good at it and showed his ability to be good at handling himself as an adult. He was likable and good at his relationship with people. He was able to sell hot tubs by the age of 12 years old.
Max went to work for AAA Bark. He soon showed his ability at adjusting to a new job. Soon his boss had him repairing machinery and was sending him to manage jobs all over the country. I talked to his boss, Chris. He told me that he had complete confidence that Max could handle any job he was sent on. He was a natural leader and well liked by everyone around him.
Max told his mother, Alaine, that he was afraid of high places. For that reason he took jobs where he had to climb to try to overcome his fear. He was also very competitive so the high canvas structures that were to be dismantled were a challenge he couldn’t pass up. With him and his helpers on the roof, they dropped the roof about three feet with him and his helpers riding it down. It was the fast way but dangerous. His mother and all of us worried about him.
Max always had a girl friend. His latest and last was a nice young lady named Katie Caulfield. What ever he said was alright with her. One day on the golf course she was carrying a golf bag which was much two heavy for her. I suggested that she use a hand pulled golf cart but she said, “No. Max told me to carry the bag.”
His untimely death has been a shock to all of us, especially to his sister Jenise and his mother, Alaine, who still has a difficult time, especially on holidays.We all miss Marty.
Dal and Jenny from 
