116 replies to this topic

[flash]

I am going to take a long overdue break and disappear for about a month starting toward the end of June and running through most of July. I am going to take the wife back to Italy and try to have the honeymoon we cut short last time.

We will be starting off in Florence and spend a few days there. Then we are renting a car (looks like a Lotus Evora if I play my cards right) and heading down through Tuscany to stop in Siena to visit the 1200 year old book our wedding certificate is in, and be there for Palio where we have gone all out and rented a balcony overlooking the piazza and will be attending the big dinner. After that we head down toward Rome by way of Perugia and Orvieto. After being in Rome for a day, we will get on a 150 cabin power sailer for a wine cruise with the Tobin James Wine Club and cruise down around Italy via Sicily and Santorini, and finally end up in Athens for a couple of days.

Between now and then I am extremely busy getting the house ready for the house sitters and such, and won't be around much, but will continue to monitor things.

So, while I will have access some of the time I am gone, I will not be particularly active on the site, and really just making sure it doesn't blow up.

I will also be unable to fulfill any orders for products while I'm gone. If you plan to order anything, do so now, or wait until I get back. I am feverishly working to make sure I can fulfill orders already placed, as well as any that come in between now and then.

Chassis Braces will not be done before I leave.

All development of new projects is on hold until I get back. The only exceptions to these are the Clear Bra Kit and the Front Cover for the Supercharger. I hope to have these at least in production before I leave.

[apex]

Flash - fantastic. Everyone should get a month off in the summer and head off to - well - Italy will do in a pinch. Wishing you a wonderful and safe journey. The site will survive and limp along without you.

[gbarrier]

You're probably ready for a good vacation after the long ordeal of getting the S/C kits together this round. Thanks for making it happen. Hope to get mine up,running and all finished before I have to leave country. Will actully end up in Florence for part of July also but promise I'm not following you.

[968rz]

Have a great time Bob and don't worry to much about the kids, we'll behave.

[94SilverCab]

Can I have your phone numbers where I can reach you in case my temp gauge rises above 8:00? While you're there can you check out the Orange Cab for sale in the uk?

Please take lots of pics, and don't forget the Amarone...

Have a great trip,

Jay

[tamathumper]

Awesome! Have a great time. My wife and I honeymooned in Italy as well - very memorable.

Try not to get caught up in any of those austerity riots when you land in Athens!

[Rap]

Enjoy and keep your nose clean!

Bob

[Chris Vais]

Flash

I'm envious, and I have some restaurant suggestions for you:

En Roma

Ristorante Piperno - Located in the old Jewish Quarter of Rome. An old school white table cloth Roman restaurant. The baby artichokes, fried in the Jewish style, and the stuffed squash blossoms wonderful.

La Rosetta - Probably the best seafood restaurant I have ever eaten in anywhere in the world. Prices are not for the faint of heart, but if you like seafood this place is it.

En Firenze

Cantinetta Antinori - Located in the Headquarters of the Marchese Antinori wine company. The Cantinetta is a place to go and try some of the absolute best wines in the world including Tignanello, perhaps the best of the Super Tuscans and one of my favorite Italian white wines Quado al Tasso Vermantino.

Trattoria Mario - Two words Steak Florentine It may be open for dinner, but I had lunch here. Can be very crowded, communal seating, you order steak by the kilo, the guy behind the bar boost a side of beef up on the cutting block and cuts of a piece just as you ordered and sends it off to the kitchen. I had a great time sitting around with a bunch of locals eating and drinking the house red wine.

En Siena

Trattoria La Torre - Papperadelle con Cingiale Sugo - Papperadelle pasta with wild boar meat sauce. If I recall correctly, the Trattorria is located just off the palio. Worth searching for if you haven't been there before.

Have a safe and wonderful trip.

[flash]

cool! i love getting recommendations like that - thanks

[ds968]

In addition to wishing you and Ayn safe travels and hoping this turns out to be a flawless, highly enjoyable trip, I have just one more word to say : GRAPPA !

[rhudeboye]

Well deserved.
Man, saying "enjoy yourself" on a trip like that is quite unnecessary. If the Lotus works out I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on it.. From what i read it a great car.

Florence, Tuscany, a balcony overlooking the piazza, Rome by way of Perugia and Orvieto and a wine cruise. With an itinerary like that, it appears that the two of you are going to really enjoy each others company. "if you know what I mean" huh ... wink, nudge.. wink...

[flash]

i hope this turns out to be the trip we wanted to have 2 years ago - while we had a great time (there is no such thing as a bad time drinking italian wine), there was enough drama associated to the whole trip, from the day we landed until the day we left - they didn't have the car we reserved and tried to give us something too big to drive in italy, then ended up with a POS, the guest house at the villa we rented was not all it was cracked up to be so our guests were not all that well taken care of - the maid of honor turned out to be just plain nuts - the weather really didn't cooperate and we hit a typhoon in venice - anyway, we just decided to go home a week early

this trip, while likely to be very warm, should at least be a lot more relaxed as there is no wedding with with to contend, and pretty much nothing but eating, drinking and cruising around

[DaveN]

No mention of house sitting while I was there, I would have just stayed
I'm glad you have some good recommendations for meals, that means I can use them when we go back!
My son, the tall one you met, is off on a Euro tour for the month of June so hopefully he will report back that the weather is excellent in Italy.
I hope the heat, relaxation and wine lubrication will fix Ayn's pains.
JB Weld will be my friend while you are gone

[bombfactory]

My trip to Greece (Santorini, Mykonos, Athens) about ten years ago (two weeks after 9/11!) was the best I've ever taken - enjoy Bob! See you when you get back.

[flwbyu]

Flash,

I hope you have a great trip! Try not to think about anything else...it will all be waiting when you get back! ;-)D

[Monstrous4Banger]

Defintiely have to let us know your take on the Lotus. Ive been curious.

[craigawoodman]

Flash,

Have a great time. In the apartment I moved into a temporary accommodation, the guy who parks next to me and lives below me has an Evora - but his is turbo charged and runs Elise racing suspension. His son asked if his car would beat mine, but given it now has a vent in the bonnet - he wasn't too sure (I think it might on power to weight).

So no visiting the Ferrari factory for a change of perspective?

Craig

[tamathumper]

Our honeymoon in Venice was completely without luggage. They lost it on the first leg of our flights, and it didn't show up for a *month*. We had to purchase clothes there, so I was wearing eye-talian flip flops (very stylish) and my wife bought a bra with two left cups.

Edited by tamathumper, 07 June 2011 - 03:30 AM.

[flash]

lol - i've travelled like that deliberately ................................. and i've done it without luggage too

ba dump bum

[Torbjorn968]

And when you come back you have 2 jobs: a 968 forum and an Evora one.. :-).

Take care, have fun, enjoy! Honeymoons are a good thing. My wife took a raincheck when we got married and I finaly managed to do the honourable thing this spring.

All the best!

Torbjörn