The ABC Tour

Mike has always joked that he is on the ABC Tour. That stands for, Another Blessed Cathedral. In many ways he is right. We have visited the main cathedral or church in every city we have traveled too. However, there are reasons other than my just wanting to light candles.

Many of the cathedrals or church’s we have entered have been around for hundreds of years, some going back as far as the 13^th Century. Many of these places of worship were sponsored by the wealthiest patrons of their time so no expense was spared in the decoration or the carvings that can be found inside their walls. These are not modern buildings with stucco drywalls and simple stained glass windows or paint by number paintings. Many of the places we have toured have sculptures and deities leaping from the walls, chiseled in their glory to make them feel like they are alive; they have medieval stained glass windows that tell a story or gives praise to the people who helped to protect the church; they are filled with wooden ceilings and golden altars and even in some cases scientific advancements.

 

This stained glass window in the Church of Perth, Scotland shows the legendary Black Watch regiment, Scotland’s elite military group whose history stretches back almost three centuries. © Photo by Florence Ricchiazzi Lince

In other words many of the churches and Cathedrals we have entered are really works of art unto themselves and they should be photographed and visited. I prefer visiting a city’s main Cathedral sometimes more than its main museum.

 

This is the ceiling in the Church of St. Francis in Sibenik, Croatia which dates back to the 13th Century. The ceiling is made of wood and the paintings date from 1674. © Photo by Florence Ricchiazzi Lince

Mike was raised Protestant, I was raised Roman Catholic. Mike wasn’t overly what you would call religious when we met so when I first told him that I wanted to visit the main Cathedral or Church in every city we visited he thought it was some sort of pilgrimage thing or something. Then he learned that I didn’t care if the church was Roman Catholic, Protestant, Episcopalian or a Mosque; church’s and religious houses of worship are really testaments to great art.

This mosque is located in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. It was the first time either of us had entered a Mosque and it was beautiful in its décor and simplicity. © Photo by Florence Ricchiazzi Lince

 

Sometimes the artwork begins well before you enter the church. This is one of the doors that enter The Vatican in Rome, Italy. © Photo by Florence Ricchiazzi Lince

 

The main altar in the Cathedral in Taxco, Mexico is covered in gold leaf and sculptures. © Photo by Florence Ricchiazzi Lince

 

At famous Rosslyn Chapel, Edinburgh, Scotland (of Da Vinci Code fame) the sculptures are part of the façade and leap out at you as you get close to the entrance of the chapel. © Photo by Florence Ricchiazzi Lince

 

Gold leaf fills this church, not just the main altar, in Monreale, Sicily. © Photo by Florence Ricchiazzi Lince

 

Sometimes the main church’s are used for ceremonies. Changing of the guard happens in the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina because the remains of Argentina’s most loved general resides here; General José de San Martín. © Photo by Florence Ricchiazzi Lince

 

After traveling for over three years and entering well over 100 church’s or Cathedrals he now has come to enjoy exploring them as much as I. In fact when we get to a new city one of the first places he pinpoints on a map is the nearest church and/or Cathedral. Maybe he can be a convert after all…

 

Florence Lince

http://www.about.me/florencelince

Tango the Night Away

In Montevideo, Uruguay

Travel to Latin America is hot.  All of the countries on this continent are being discovered by tourists, many for the first time.  In 2011 we spent 21 days exploring the beautiful country of Uruguay.

Cecilia Regules Viajes helped me plan our trip. Cecilia lives and works in Montevideo.  Lots of people sell travel to places they have never been. Since I used to sell travel I always look for a local agent to take care of my travel needs.  This cuts out the middle man and is usually cheaper since the agents who do not create these trips charge a service fee to do so.  Cecilia has been in business since 1981 and she took great care of us.  We went to the cities of Mercedes, Fray Bentos, Salto, Cabo Polonio, Colonial del Sacramento, Punta del Este and of course Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.

Because we were such good clients and open to going places that others might have found too rustic Cecilia offered to take us one night to a club where mostly locals go. Since Mike and I always look for these opportunities we jumped at the chance to go with her.  We meet Cecilia at 10:00pm at her office on a Saturday night and we walked to the building known as the Mercado de Los Artesanos.  The ground floor of this building is a huge souvenir shop selling items from all over Uruguay.  The magic happens on the second floor.

You can take Tango lessons in the restaurant

Uruguay is one of those Latin American countries where they eat dinner late.  It is normal to see people eating dinner at 10:00 or 11:00pm.  When the shop on the first floor closes at 9:00pm the restaurant upstairs begins to cook, which is why so many tourists do not know about it.  You can take tango lessons here and there is even a market to buy fresh cut meats and cheeses.  The restaurants serve local Uruguayan food but people are not coming here for the food, they are coming for the floor show.  Around 11:00pm a singer takes the stage and he sings a couple of favorite songs.  He then walks from table to table and asks everyone where they are from and a round of applause ensues when you say you are from someplace outside of Uruguay.  This night there are a lot of people from Argentina and Germany in the audience.  Since the emcee is just getting warmed up this becomes open mike time and everyone and anyone can get up to sing or perform.  There are a few takers and several of them have wonderful singing voices.  Sitting and eating good food, drinking good wine, having wonderful company and enjoying the show makes the time fly by and soon it is close to 2:00am and no one is leaving, these Uruguayo really know how to party!

The Mercado de Los Artesanos is not in the best section of town and if you plan to have dinner and attend the show make sure to take a taxi so you are not wandering around the city streets at such a late hour.  Montevideo is pretty safe during the day but nighttime can be another matter.

The people of Uruguay are incredibly warm and friendly.  They are also one of the most progressive Latin American countries we visited.  They have legalized marijuana, abortions and gay marriage.

Uruguay should be on everyone’s list of places to visit and I’m glad it was one of the countries we explored.  Mike and I both agree that the cities of Mercedes and Fray Bentos are still on our list of places to perhaps live one day.  The country of Uruguay reminds me of the old saying, “special things come in small packages”.

Cecilia and Mike enjoying good food, good wine and good company

Florence Lince

www.6monthers.com

Family, Family Everywhere

Or Fancy Meeting You Here

When I first met my husband Mike in 2005 I jokingly told him that I have family everywhere.  You see I am Italian and I do come from an incredibly large family.  I always thought everyone grew up with that many cousins.

The first generation of my family to be born here were my grandparents.  My great-grandparents were from Sicily.  They had 10 children.  Those 10 turned around and gave them 24 grand-children, and you see where this is going.

My first Thanksgiving with Mike I had 45 people for dinner.  He had to fly in from Seattle to my home in Las Vegas four days before Thanksgiving to help me cook all the food and the pies.  He was overwhelmed but this was just how I grew up.

Before we headed for Argentina in 2011 I had found out that, low and behold, I really did have family everywhere.  There are about 100 family members living in cities throughout Argentina and I connected via facebook with my cousin Claudia in Cordoba.  She speaks pretty good English.

We chatted back and forth and we gave her our itinerary for our time in Argentina and what cities we would be in and what dates.  Then I lost contact with her and didn’t hear back.

Mike and I left on our four month exploration of Latin America in June of that year.  When we made it to Argentina I simply sent Claudia one last message letting here know that we were in the country and again what our dates were and where we were going.

At 6:00am one beautiful day while we were getting ready to explore the city of Mendoza, Argentina the front desk called our room and told me that I had company.  Being it was 6:00am and I was in a foreign country I thought the front bellman had gone daft.  After asking me again if I was Florence Ricchiazzi Lince he confirmed that I indeed did have company.  Walking to the lobby the morning fog lifted and the only person I could even fathom was waiting for me was Claudia.  And there she was, in the lobby, with her husband and three of her children!  After seeing my note that we were in town they had driven over 6 hours to get from their home in Cordoba to Mendoza to spend the day with us. It was the first time we had ever met but we talked and talked and talked the day away.  What an incredibly warm and sweet family.  We had breakfast together and then spent the day at the Mendoza Zoo.  The kids had a wonderful time and by the end of the day they were calling Mike Uncle.  Our day in Mendoza, with family, is still one of the memories we cherish most from our many travels.

Me and my cousin Claudia. Can you tell we are related?

By the end of the day he was Uncle Mike!

A family reunion in Argentina

Mike no longer doubts me when I say I have family everywhere.  He just smiles and shakes his head and waits for the next 6:00am call.

Florence Lince

http://www.6monthers.com