R O I S
TRAVEL MAPS
Take a photo, tell about the photo.You who will read what you read, but where is it?
Unpretentious, ready to read
and go, without navigator, just a pinch of adventure,and a splash of probable unexpected.This is traveling. One click, a Moleskine, and a map.
WRITE WHILE TRAVELING
Writing, imprinting on an moleskine an event, a sensation, a place.
I composed a diary for every trip,where I wrote down what I saw through writing.I have told the places with our eyes. I have written about particular places where you should go at least once.Of course they are only fragments of life, crumbs that can enrich a trip even just by reading.
TRAVEL IMAGES
.. that's right, it's a journey
made of images of our do you travel around for the world.The photo, for those who observe it for the first time,can give rise to curiosity, amazement, and much more.
For us who publish them are our memory,that memory that over the yearsit can fade it can blur.
Images are salvation,love of discovery.click on the camera
will take you to the photogallery.
Travel diary in the USA in 2000
OUR CREATIVE HOBBIES
Below is our showcase on the world. We liked being able to share our creations with the web objects, all completely handmade. For each object you will find a description and its use. It is obvious that being unique pieces, they cannot be identical, because precisely created one at a time, with patience and passion.if you have any ideasacome up when you see them, just contact us and your project will be carried out together.
THROW AN OKKIO
.... if you have come up to here, we thank you with this latest gem.Take a look inside this room and you will find little stories from our life.
INDEX
First day
Travel start: ITALY-SAN FRANCISCO
Second day
SAN FRANCISCO-SAUSALITO-ALCATRAZ
Third day
MONTEREY-CARMEL-SOLVANG
Fourth day
LOS ANGELES
Fifth day
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
LOS ANGELES BY NIGHT
Sixth day
SAN DIEGO
SEAWORLD
Seventh day
YUMA DESERT
PHOENIX
Eighth day
SOUND DESERT
KAYENTA
Ninth day
MONUMENT VALLEY
GRAND CANYON
Tenth day
LAS VEGAS
TO GO ROUND CASINO'BY NIGHT
Eleventh day
TRANSFER TO LOS ANGELES
DEPARTURE FOR ITALY
Twelfth day
ARRIVAL AT MALPENSA
SIGH !!! END OF DREAM
First day
The fateful day has arrived, we are at Malpensa airport and our dream is coming true, we are about to board the plane that will take us to the USA and precisely to California, the first leg after 14 hours of flight, deceiving time with two films crosswords and nap; finally we see the bay of S.Francisco from above, upon exiting the airport our escort makes the appeal, this torture will last for the whole tour for 3-4 times a day, but we return to San Francisco or Cisco as the residents call it, we are staying at the Travelodge hotel (one of those motels that you have undoubtedly seen in the American films) near the airport, tiredness and excitement are at their best but the adventure has just begun.
Second day
The alarm clock at 7.30 (dawn for someone who is on vacation) Breakfast is somewhat complicated, because unlike us who in the morning are sometimes satisfied with a simple coffee, they literally binge, so there we were found on the table with scrambled eggs with becon, sliced rosbeaf potatoes with blood, the inevitable orange juice in industrial quantities, there were piadine where above it was necessary to put currant or strawberry jams, liters of coffee (a clear soup with a hint of coffee) in a corner the milk, frozen, yes because as I will tell you later they drink all hyper frozen and therefore the drinks are generally served very cold. This is the first awakening of two San Giuliano villages in that of San Francisco, but now we visit the city. The weather is not pleasant with us because it rains heavily and we are without an umbrella the map is getting wet and we have reached the terminus of the famous Cable car the cogwheel tram that climbs up the steep streets of this city. that this particular type of tram was invented by a certain Hallidie around 1873 because in winter the carriages on these very steep roads slid backwards, in fact, the slope sometimes exceeded 21%. to invent a carriage pulled by buried steel cables, so since then this practical system was not abandoned, in fact there are more than 20 km of tramways. We go up to Hyde street, it is fascinating, looking at our behind we see the island of Alcatraz island, we visit the heart of the city Union Square, very high and modern buildings, in stark contrast to the rest of the city which is formed by houses of only 2 or 3 floors. we also noticed the contrast in this neighborhood finazia rio and commercial rather elegant the presence of very many homeless people who live in the street perfectly tolerated because Cisco is perhaps the most tolerant American city towards minorities. We continue and we find ourselves in front of the Asia Gate, a Chinese-style arch dominated by two huge green dragons, we pass under the door and we are in Chinatown. Shops and restaurants full of Chinese products, the architecture of many houses very reminiscent of their pagodas. Walk always walk under water we find ourselves on the top of Lombard Street (l 'you will certainly have seen in many films) it is a very steep road full of nine hairpin bends in a hundred meters surrounded by many flower beds. It is almost noon, we are late for the appointment at pier 39 where the bus awaits us with our traveling companions. We descend headlong through the steep streets surrounded by buildings built entirely of wood; the houses of San Francisco are 80% built, internal and external entirely of wood and another feature that has struck us are the electrical cables for the streets, all dangling messy and soft and not as beautiful as we are, why and why It is said quickly, since this is a highly seismic area, they are left so because in the event of a shock they would not suffer serious damage. Way on the bus (not before being severely scolded for our delay) towards Sausalito and shrouded in fog we see him, the Golden gate the symbol of this city a masterpiece of engineering and modernity suspended at 67 meters in height, it is long 2 , 7km and here is Sausalito, a beautiful town of artists, full of nice shops it seems made for tourists and we do not miss to visit it. In the afternoon we take the ferry that takes us to Alcatraz Island famous federal prison from 1934 to 1963, we do not visit we pass only around in the meantime has the time faded further and the sight of that prison takes a bit of sadness. we disembark at the famous pier 39 commercial pier now in disuse but reconverted for use by shops and restaurants in a corner of the bay we are welcomed very loudly by about 600 sea lions who have been staying here for many years and who fight with each other to contend for a place on floating platforms in wood. After visiting these strange inhabitants, we go soaking water in a pretty and elegant restaurant in the port. After a splendid dinner we set off tired, but very satisfied towards the hotel not before the usual appeal and having planned the next day's program and the time of awakening.
third day
Monterey goal, 7 am wake up you start to get familiar with the American breakfast and we are traveling. We travel the famous Silicon Valley that leads from San Jose to Santa Clara, in this stretch of 5-lane highway the traffic is very intense during these peak hours and we meet the comiuters (commuters who work in the valley) .Thousands of small ones extend here and large high-tech companies and the Americans run it very disciplined, (also because the police don't joke here) with our bus we travel on a "Carpul" preferential lane and so we travel quickly, only buses can travel or cars with more of a person on board, curious note, the latter arriving on the Golden Gate since it is paid, they can pass for free. Let's go back to us, from the window and from the explanations of our escort, we see that inside the cars they do everything, from eating, calling, shaving, but they don't drink alcohol, these must be kept only in the trunk. We arrived in Monterey here we are in Baja California, we go down for a visit to the port, the pier, we see the Custom House, which in 1827 acted as Spanish customs, the new Maritime museum in the square we visit the Pacific House which at the time of the fever of the gold was a saloon. we cross the splendid coast bathed by the pacific ocean and we arrive to Pacific Grove and we enter the "17-mile drive" (27 km) an exclusive and supervised area with a paid entrance where there are huge golf courses and prestigious and luxurious sheer villas on the ocean, continuing we arrive in sight of a rocky peak where, defying the wind of the ocean, a centuries-old cypress stands out which is the symbol of this place. Continuing on interstate 1 which takes us to Carmel, a typically American elegant town also famous for having had Clint Eastwood as mayor for many years, and here we are on the Pacific coast. We pass San Simeon and arrive in Solvang a country built in a European and precisely Danish style, in fact it was founded by Danish colonists, beautiful characteristic shops with wooden storks, embroidery and Danish pastries "dear but good". Little out of this wonder we stay in a hotel with the agitation that we will visit Los Angeles the next day.
fourth day
Everyone in the bus first stop S.Barbara, the Spanish town with evident bright white buildings that carve themselves in a blue sky reflected by red tiles. We eat lunch in a restaurant on the mammoth wooden pier, we seem to be on the set of Bay Watch, we see boys and girls on rollers, policemen on bikes and after an excellent lunch Los Angeles awaits us, we realize from the skyscrapers, but Giuliana shows us the first civic number of that street n ° 11000; yes yes Los Angeles has a 120 km diameter. Where six-lane megastrades wind, we see the mythical hill where the Hollywood sign dominates, we are in the Downtowne we visit the Chinese theater "Chinese Theater" where the hand and footprints of Hollywood characters are imprinted on plates of concrete set like many mosaics in front of the theater and then we look for our idols, on the street you find everything from Stallone to Elvis of course they are impersonators and we no longer have eyes to look at and no n let us escape nothing.We go back to Rodeo Drive and the shops are almost all of Italian stylists, there are many limousines moored in front of the shops the prices here are inaccessible for us, let's look at the hotel where they filmed the film Pretty woman, continuing we see the Stars villas naturally hidden in the long tree-lined streets protected by private police. We are in Beverly Hills. To end the day we ski at the Sheraton for a very elegant dinner and overnight stay. Other wonders await us tomorrow.
fifth day
We do not move much, today we visit Universal Studios and here we spend the whole day.We start the tour on a train and visit the sheds and scenarios of the external film sets of the most famous Holliwudian films, we go up on bridges that after a moment collapses, we see a building in flames from the inside etc ... in short, the best of cinematographic tricks. We applaud the "Blues Brothers, we photograph the" Delor "the legendary car back to the future, we get on a shuttle that after a turbulent salt comes down with curves, makes us pass under a waterfall. Unfortunately the day is coming to an end, the icing on the cake awaits us is dinner at the famous "hard Rok Cafe" yes right there, we had dinner "(personal consideration today 10 May 2000 I am 20 years of marriage, what better way to celebrate). ”Tired but happy we move towards the hotel, not before looking at the skyscrapers of Los Angeles all magically illuminated.
sixth day
Today the program involves moving to S. Diego along the beautiful Californian coast, arriving towards the city you can breathe an air different from the chaotic Los Angeles, a ride to Downtown and then off to "Sea World" huge marine and amusement park, but the main attraction are the killer whales and the dolphins, the pools are huge and transparent and a giant screen shows the details of the show. But this park is also home to penguins, where visitors climbing on a treadmill have the opportunity to see these animals in their naturally artificial habitat.Always on a conveyor belt we pass in a very long crystal tunnel very often and huge and huge, pass on and around us. voracious sharks of all kinds. We then go up to a very high revolving terrace which dominates the whole park and appears very small from up here. tonight you are staying at the hollyday inn.
seventh day
Today the longest journey, 576 km, awaits us. We touch Phoenix in Arizona, the Yuma desert but in the bus we are not bored because Giuliana explains the life of an American from when she was born until her end, very interesting, it is a completely different way of life, organization and priorities. Phoenix is a modern city in the center of the desert, we stop right in the Yuma desert where snakes, pumas live and we know the various types of cacti, some tiny but dangerous because passing us at a certain distance they shoot their spines, others very high even five or six meters. along the "Gila Mountane" we are stopped by the police for a check of documents, but this is normal, since we are about ten kilometers from the Mexican borders and there are an infinite number of illegal immigrants who infiltrate mixing with tourists towards freedom. It starts again, the view is always that desert endlessly low bushes, cactus in a blue sky and with huge white clouds. The landscape suddenly changes the land turns red the show is beautiful we are in Sedona, this typically western city surrounded by red rocky mountains is a popular "new age" center precisely for this magical atmosphere, there are many jeps that bring tourists towards the "Monument Valley", complete with drivers dressed as vacheros and equipped with belts with pistols. Continuing we enter the "Navajo" reserve and we stay overnight in a hotel in the suburbs of Kajenta. Tomorrow, great day we go to see the Monument valley.
eighth day
This morning we leave for Kajenta towards the mythical Monument valley. The first stop is Tuba city, when we get off the bus we immediately notice something strange, the air is rarefied, the sheer sun and the people we meet are all cooked by the sun, in fact we are on a plateau (mesas) so long and wide that seems to be in the plain but we are at 2000 meters. and the ones we meet are the "Indians" the real, original ones, we are in the area of the Indian reserve of the Hopi. They are very poor, they live on crafts like the other reserves of Navajo or Apaches they work silver creating splendid necklaces or the famous " Kachinas "which are small dolls carved in wood which they then sell to tourists, women work on looms creating flashy but very original patterns they make rugs, table covers, etc. The reserve Indians manage themselves both as regards the law and the time zone, in fact it is one hour ahead of the rest of the area, it is called "Navajo time", all to save on electricity. As I said the feds they only intervene in rare cases. We spend the night at the Holliday Inn in Kajenta.
ninth day
The alarm clock is at six o'clock, today is a big day because Monument Valley which is Navajo reserve awaits us and we go there with four off-road vehicles and the drivers are Indian, better to use them because in case of rain the roads become muddy and you risk staying inpantanati. This rock formation, and 'the most filmed in the world as regards film and advertising, is an immense expanse (to give an idea it has the size of our Lombardy) with these red rock formations, the silence seems unnatural, it seems to be in a western film, two centimeters goosebumps not because of the cold but because of the wonder that you have in front of you. The photos and shots are wasted, it's incredible and we understand why for the Indians this place is sacred. driver explains that each formation has a name usually linked to the shape, for example there is the owl, the elephant, the three sisters etc ... between one jolt and the other we see low buildings are the "Hogan" houses made of mud and stones with the use of these materials makes it warm in winter and cool in summer. We travel only a small part of this immense territory and return to Kajenta, to then continue to visit the Grand Canyon. Traveling to Meron we have lunch based on Indian cuisine, very spicy but good; we return to the normal time but we are always at the top of 2000 meters. Before visiting this other wonder we make three stages to be able to see the depth of the canyon and to buy souvenirs. From some natural terraces you can see endless cliffs in this area more than 60 species of animals live and a particularity, 14 specimens have recently been reinserted the condor, we super-injured have seen one that carried the number under the wing, to end the visit to the Grand Canyon we took a regenerating walk along a path that runs along the canyon, some trees due to the wind have taken on very strange serpentine shapes or exposed towards the abyss, arrived at the bottom after about 3km. of walk we go to the Grand Canyon Lodge where we stay overnight. ps the Grand Canyon is 6km wide and 450km long.
tenth day
This morning we leave for Las Vegas and then we leave Arizona and we enter Nevada, in fact after a long road here is the dam that separates Arizona from Nevada to realize the size of the artificial lake to fill it took seven years, in fact a plane to fly over it all takes 40 minutes. We are in Nevada in front of us desert on the right, desert on the left, desert, everywhere desert, but it is a rich state because they have rented a large part to the army to carry out experiments, both underground and planes and then because there are casinos already they begin to see left and right. Las Vegas today is mainly managed by a well-defined triad, Italian Americans, Jews and Irish who manage the big revenues of the gambling houses. In any case, the city during the day is a little insignificant, each hotel has no less than 15,000 rooms, perhaps with 15 restaurants and, of course, plenty of gambling halls inside them. We went down to the Stratosphere tower a mega hotel with a 350m high panoramic tower .it is late afternoon, a refreshing shower gives us the opportunity to face the night walk through the city, beginning at 9 pm. the center is chaotic as ever, megawatts of light everywhere, (unreal), we witness a wonderful show in a via surrounded by casinos, a very high tunnel and all along the way, this tunnel is made up of millions of pixels that a computer operates by creating light shows or cartoon films, all accompanied by deafening music, the show lasts for a good in the meantime many in the meantime are with their noses upwards but many continue to play undaunted inside the casinos that have windows open towards the street but there are also those for a few dollars gives you relaxing massages, those who sell souvenirs, beautiful and statuesque Brazilians who equipped with a microphone invite you to enter the casinos offering a free game. Now the tour begins inside the casinos, one inside the other from MGM with a tapis roulan you get to BELLAGGIO with Bocelli's background that I sing will win; then a jog and in front of a mega hotel that has a mound we see that from the top of it flows a waterfall and suddenly turns into an erupting volcano with lots of explosions and ranges of incandescent lava, finished this show there we move across the perfect copy of the Brooklin bridge we are at the CAESAR PALACE where the big boxing matches were held, in front there is PARIS with a reconstruction of the Eifel tower, the lights blind us, people run left and right and the music changes with each step, it depends on the area where you are, we enter NEW YORK and you find yourself walking down the fifth street, there are even the manholes that smoke; a separate speech deserves VENICE, which at the its interior offers a very faithful reproduction of the city, with its canals, calle, bridges, but what struck us most is the reproduction of the blue sky with some clouds and a soft light as there is at sunset, we see the bridge de the sighs, Piazza S.Marco with bars and shops around and as background music of course Rondò Veneziano.We can guarantee that if we hadn't seen it we wouldn't believe that such a faithful reproduction of a city could be achieved (almost better than the original ) It is now 24 and we are heading to our hotel but we wanted to see Las Vegas from 350m in height and then go up to the Stratosphere tower. The lift in 8 seconds takes us to the 108th floor where from a covered terrace we witness a unique panorama, from here everything is dominated but upstairs, if one likes strong emotions, there is a carousel where you can experience the thrill of turning dizzily at 350mt. Harness yourself in the void To end the unforgettable night, a few games at the hotel casino.
eleventh day
7 o'clock wake up, maybe for a good night, maybe because the journey is coming to the end but we are a bit down. Today, no visits, only transfer from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to resume the return flight.
twelfth day
After thirteen long hours of flight we arrive in Malpensa, the end of the dream. We hope to have satisfied your curiosity, (and if you have come here you have had a lot of patience) the things to describe are many, but these are the most significant, we thank you for being with us until the 12th day, now if you want you can view the photos which are also only a small part. Finally, we thank Saiwa for everything, the organization, the taste and the choice of our escort (Ms. Giuliana) who has pleasantly accompanied us in these unforgettable twelve days.
SARTISA
R O I S