Tuesday, October 2, 2012
God Has a Sense of Humor (or at least whimsy)
Today we were scheduled to take the train from Firenze to Rome, but could not because of my mom's hospitalization. Coincidentally (?) there is a transportation strike in Italy today. It's called a sciopero (pronounced SHO-per-o) and is planned and announced in advance. To me, that seems to lessen the impact of the strike when the public knows in advance and can work around it. What's the point?
Monday, October 1, 2012
My New Adventure
My original plan was to first write a blog post describing what my vacation with my mother will include, and how we were excited about having a wonderful time. For some reason, even though I allowed plenty of time to pack and prepare for three weeks abroad, I still found myself throwing things in the suitcase at the very last minute as our driver to the airport waited in the driveway. It was surreal. I honestly have had recurring dreams (semi-nightmares) for several years about nothing being packed and it's time to leave for the airport. Only this time it was real. I had a packing list and things set aside, of course, but I did not have the luxury of those last-minute packing debates (How many of something do I need? Do I really need to bring this or that?) Truth be told, my life was kind of a disaster at that point in general, so finding myself in that situation was not a complete surprise, just disappointment.... in myself. I needed this vacation to paste myself back together again.
So naturally, I'm starting to blog several days into the vacation. However, two days ago, something unexpected happened to force my attention elsewhere (more on that in a moment.)
The Planned Itinerary:
Our first full day in Firenze was wonderful. Then something happened:
My mother's new artificial hip popped out of the joint. This is something that hip replacement patients live in fear of. She bent over too far (beyond 90 degrees) to pick up a pill off the floor ("But it was one of the expensive ones," she said) and then BAM! she's on the floor and can't move the leg which is pointing in a strange direction. Mind you, this is at 2:30 AM. So the wonderful folks at the Misericordia di Firenze (which is literally around the corner from the hotel) gave us a free ride to the hospital. The emergency room doctor took x-rays, and in the process of manipulating her, the hip popped back in again without him having to anesthetize and manually move it back in. Still, he said she needed to stay overnight in the hospital for fear that it could pop back out again. He said she would be fitted with a hip brace to keep it in place until we could get home, and that our upcoming sightseeing activities would not be possible. Great...just great. Once in the room, we find she has no telephone to contact me and no TV or reading material to pass the time. Lovely....just lovely. Bear in mind this is occurring on a Friday night. The next morning (Saturday), the nurse told her that an orthopedist would come to evaluate her on MONDAY morning. So she lays there in the hospital bed all weekend.
So when I arrived at "visiting hours" (1:00 to 3:00 pm, strictly kept) on Monday, no doctor had seen her yet. When it was time for me to leave, the nurse had to find an English-speaking person to tell me this; fortunately it happened to be a doctor. I questioned him as to why a doctor had not seen her since FRIDAY, for pete's sake. I was miffed at this point. He gave me a song and dance about how there were other patients with more severe injuries, so the orthopedists were busy with these cases, and even though he himself was a doctor, he could not properly prescribe the best course of treatment because this was not his specialty. Yadda yadda yadda. (I had already Googled it and confirmed that the protocol for a dislocated hip prosthesis is the brace, rest, and physical therapy.) He said he would put in a doctor request for us, and if this person did not speak English, then he would be there to translate. Then he said that she should be evaluated by WEDNESDAY. I gave him my look of death and said she BETTER BE seen by then, that this is our "vacation," and everything is on hold until the doctor comes. It was all I could do to not be the Ugly American. I SOOO wanted to tell him that even though (or because) we pay a fortune for medical care in the U.S., when we need a doctor, we can see a doctor IMMEDIATELY, ANY day of the week. But I took the high road and kept my mouth shut. The whole taxi ride home (it costs me 15 euros each way), I wondered if we were receiving crappy treatment because we were American tourists or if everyone in Italy receives crappy treatment. When I explained the delay and excuses to the man at my hotel, he said, "Yes, that's Italy." Question answered.
The hotel staff have been extremely kind, helpful, and gracious regarding this situation. I notified them that I cancelled our trip to Rome (including my PAPAL AUDIENCE TICKETS for Wednesday) and wished to extend our stay in Firenze probably to Friday. I apologized for the last-minute nature of the change in plans, and offered to move to a different room if this one had been booked for the day we originally planned to leave. So now there's a new wrinkle: The hotel is booked very tightly this week, and the man I am working with is working with the manager to keep me here. However, I need to have our bags packed by 11:00 am Tuesday morning in the event that my room will change (they will move them for me), but they're not sure yet, still juggling. There is also the possibility that they will have to move me to an APARTMENT they keep in the Piazza della Signoria, but they are dedicated to finding a solution. Good grief. I think I'm going to go to mass early tomorrow morning to pray for strength.
My mom and I are aiming for the following itinerary for the remainder of our vacation:
So naturally, I'm starting to blog several days into the vacation. However, two days ago, something unexpected happened to force my attention elsewhere (more on that in a moment.)
The Planned Itinerary:
- 5 nights in Firenze (Florence), Italy, at the Hotel Brunelleschi (my personal favorite)
- 5 nights in Rome at the Hotel Albergo (with a view of the Pantheon!)
- 1 night in Napoli (Naples) at the Starhotels Terminus
- 8-day cruise on MSC Fantasia of Western Mediterranean (tickets were BOGO!)
- 1 night in Napoli at same hotel (my birthday that day)
Our first full day in Firenze was wonderful. Then something happened:
My mother's new artificial hip popped out of the joint. This is something that hip replacement patients live in fear of. She bent over too far (beyond 90 degrees) to pick up a pill off the floor ("But it was one of the expensive ones," she said) and then BAM! she's on the floor and can't move the leg which is pointing in a strange direction. Mind you, this is at 2:30 AM. So the wonderful folks at the Misericordia di Firenze (which is literally around the corner from the hotel) gave us a free ride to the hospital. The emergency room doctor took x-rays, and in the process of manipulating her, the hip popped back in again without him having to anesthetize and manually move it back in. Still, he said she needed to stay overnight in the hospital for fear that it could pop back out again. He said she would be fitted with a hip brace to keep it in place until we could get home, and that our upcoming sightseeing activities would not be possible. Great...just great. Once in the room, we find she has no telephone to contact me and no TV or reading material to pass the time. Lovely....just lovely. Bear in mind this is occurring on a Friday night. The next morning (Saturday), the nurse told her that an orthopedist would come to evaluate her on MONDAY morning. So she lays there in the hospital bed all weekend.
So when I arrived at "visiting hours" (1:00 to 3:00 pm, strictly kept) on Monday, no doctor had seen her yet. When it was time for me to leave, the nurse had to find an English-speaking person to tell me this; fortunately it happened to be a doctor. I questioned him as to why a doctor had not seen her since FRIDAY, for pete's sake. I was miffed at this point. He gave me a song and dance about how there were other patients with more severe injuries, so the orthopedists were busy with these cases, and even though he himself was a doctor, he could not properly prescribe the best course of treatment because this was not his specialty. Yadda yadda yadda. (I had already Googled it and confirmed that the protocol for a dislocated hip prosthesis is the brace, rest, and physical therapy.) He said he would put in a doctor request for us, and if this person did not speak English, then he would be there to translate. Then he said that she should be evaluated by WEDNESDAY. I gave him my look of death and said she BETTER BE seen by then, that this is our "vacation," and everything is on hold until the doctor comes. It was all I could do to not be the Ugly American. I SOOO wanted to tell him that even though (or because) we pay a fortune for medical care in the U.S., when we need a doctor, we can see a doctor IMMEDIATELY, ANY day of the week. But I took the high road and kept my mouth shut. The whole taxi ride home (it costs me 15 euros each way), I wondered if we were receiving crappy treatment because we were American tourists or if everyone in Italy receives crappy treatment. When I explained the delay and excuses to the man at my hotel, he said, "Yes, that's Italy." Question answered.
The hotel staff have been extremely kind, helpful, and gracious regarding this situation. I notified them that I cancelled our trip to Rome (including my PAPAL AUDIENCE TICKETS for Wednesday) and wished to extend our stay in Firenze probably to Friday. I apologized for the last-minute nature of the change in plans, and offered to move to a different room if this one had been booked for the day we originally planned to leave. So now there's a new wrinkle: The hotel is booked very tightly this week, and the man I am working with is working with the manager to keep me here. However, I need to have our bags packed by 11:00 am Tuesday morning in the event that my room will change (they will move them for me), but they're not sure yet, still juggling. There is also the possibility that they will have to move me to an APARTMENT they keep in the Piazza della Signoria, but they are dedicated to finding a solution. Good grief. I think I'm going to go to mass early tomorrow morning to pray for strength.
My mom and I are aiming for the following itinerary for the remainder of our vacation:
- Mom gets the hip brace this week and we rent or buy a wheelchair to keep her walking to an absolute minimum.
- We stay in Firenze until Friday.
- Fly (with wheelchair service) to Napoli on Friday.
- Take the cruise as planned Oct 8-15.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Getting Back In Touch
Irene's travel blog has been dusted off and resurrected!
I regret not keeping this blog up to date. Since last year's big trip, I have travelled very little, but my adventures were meaningful nonetheless.
Last June, my mother and I drove to Wildwood, Florida to visit my father's grave for the first time since his burial. The Greenwood Cemetery is a very old, peaceful resting place in rural Sumter County in central Florida.
My father's family settled in Wildwood when he was a child in the 1930s. They were the token immigrant family in this small town, but they were well-liked by their neighbors. The patriarch, Basil, ran a restaurant and rooming house. Basil's wife, Harritamany, who only spoke Greek, was a fastidious (likely OCD) housekeeper who ran a tight ship. She died an early death in 1939 at the age of 36. She had some kind of heart condition, but many in the family still joke that she worked herself to death, scrubbing the wooden floors of their tiny house until it had splinters. It was also said that she died of a broken heart......
Decades ago, Wildwood was a busy railroad hub, and the proximity of the family's house to the railroad tracks was a major influence in their lives. In fact, Uncle Mike became a railroad engineer in his adult life because of his love for trains. Tragically, their brother Nick, who sold sandwiches at the railroad as a mere child, was violently struck by a train and died at the age of six. As family members have told the story, my grandfather took a large straw basket and gathered up the pieces of his young son that were scattered around the tracks. What a strong man. This was only two months after the death from natural causes of their two-year-old child, Mary.
Eighty years later, my father was the final sibling of seven to pass. He was his father's "favored child." Yes, Basil was strong and wise.
I regret not keeping this blog up to date. Since last year's big trip, I have travelled very little, but my adventures were meaningful nonetheless.
My father's family settled in Wildwood when he was a child in the 1930s. They were the token immigrant family in this small town, but they were well-liked by their neighbors. The patriarch, Basil, ran a restaurant and rooming house. Basil's wife, Harritamany, who only spoke Greek, was a fastidious (likely OCD) housekeeper who ran a tight ship. She died an early death in 1939 at the age of 36. She had some kind of heart condition, but many in the family still joke that she worked herself to death, scrubbing the wooden floors of their tiny house until it had splinters. It was also said that she died of a broken heart......
Eighty years later, my father was the final sibling of seven to pass. He was his father's "favored child." Yes, Basil was strong and wise.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Terra Firma
We have disembarked the ship and are staying one night in Venice before flying home. Today we walked around Venice and got lost for a while. Venice has a million nooks and crannies with surprises at every turn.
The ship docked in Venice at sunrise. I shot this from my balcony as we approached Venice at dawn.
We skipped the walking tour of the city and, because this is Sunday, attended mass instead in St Mark's Basilica. How very, very cool and beautiful. I unobtrusively sneaked a few forbidden photos before the service started.
The ship docked in Venice at sunrise. I shot this from my balcony as we approached Venice at dawn.
We skipped the walking tour of the city and, because this is Sunday, attended mass instead in St Mark's Basilica. How very, very cool and beautiful. I unobtrusively sneaked a few forbidden photos before the service started.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Beautiful Haifa Bay
Shot from the top of Mount Carmel.
Our ship is the big one in the lower right corner.
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