In the picture above, you can see Kimberly Erin Forbes, sitting closest to the camera, on the right. This picture was taken on my 27th birthday when Lauren, Alicia. David and Kim met me at Shin's restaurant in Chicago for a celebratory brunch. Ten days ago, on February 15, less than a month after her 30th birthday, Kim was taken from this world - the sudden and unexpected result of a rapid onset of acute leukemia.
I want to share the story of this magical week that I was so fortunate experience in memory of this spirited, generous, ambitious and joyful friend who left us much much too soon.
So, with an abundance of gratitude here is my story of my "voyage en Italie":
There are advantages to living in inconvienent places - the need to travel further gives rise to opportunities to meet beautiful strangers, like the woman who sat next to me on the train from Clermont to Paris. We spent most of our three-and-a-half-hour journey chatting (in French!) about our lives and families, and I believe I now have a friend to explore more of the countryside with this sumer!
After this first leg, several more followed - bus to CDG, plane to Rome, a long customs line (intra EU? I still don't understand what that was about!) and finally a last train and a taxi to the hotel where I dropped my things and found my parents and Barb (Dad's cousin and one of my dearest friends in Chicago) at a wonderful little restaurant around the corner. Check out the delicious food (the first meal in a series of gluttonous goodness!). Throughout the trip, we concluded almost every evening with a three hour dinner that included many of life's most essential pleasures - satisfying, flavorful food, good wine and engaging conversation.
Our three days in Rome were just enough to begin to give us a sense of the enormous history that rests in this place. From the ruins where the ancient romans first dabbled in democracy to the catacombs where Christianity as a religion was born - we saw the first documented image of the madonna and child - to the opulence that developed as the Catholic Church gained power, Rome is a truly awe-inspiring place.
Florence was our next city, and, true to my memories from eight years ago, I believe it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. With its own history of intrigue and power, what remains today is the art of Botticelli, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, da Vinci - all the greats; the poetry of Dante (which, according to "Eat, Pray, Love" was the template for establishing Italian as it's spoken today); fine leathers, furs, and scarves, the peaceful, green hills of Tuscany, with its villas and vineyards and olive groves, and the palpable gratitude of the Florentine people for having all of this as their precious inheritance.
With our guide, Elisabetta, we explored the city and its museums - Botticelli's "Primavera" and Michaleangelo's "David" are particularly memorable. Dad and I took a side trip to a Chateau that produces fine Chiantis while Mom and Barb strolled through Sienna. Barb walked away with the souvenir of the trip - a gorgeous leather coat!
Our final stop was Venice - one of the most unique and sadly beautiful cities I've ever visited. The maze of canals and bridges, cloaked in mist and fog, lit by shops selling brightly colored glass and eerie masks, is a kind of strange wonderland. We walked the secret passages of the Dodge's palace - including the path that Casonova used to escape prison. We marveled at St. Mark's and took in more beautiful art at the Accademia before bidding eachother farewell at the airport.
In all, it truly was a magical trip. I am so grateful to my parents and Barb for sharing it with me!
