Cindybelle's Bella Notte TR COMPLETE!! - UPDATED 10/19 With Prices! - Page 6 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
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Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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shame on me, just shame shame shame on me! i did not even realize you were already doing a TR before you left. guess i should check on you more often, my dear! i am glad you had a great trip, these photos are awesome, and i enjoyed your updates to me while you were on your trip. (what did we ever do before facebook????) keep it coming, i am loving it all...oh, and david is also very interested in the report...ha ha ha.....
Sheri, it's about darn time you weighed in. And tell David that he MUST take you to Italy. He absolutely must!
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I am so enjoying your TR Cindy. Your pictures are amazing - not even your second full day and what breathtaking sights you have already seen - words just do not describe. Can't wait to read more.
I looked through all my photos, and there are 10+ I want to share with you from St. Peter's Basilica. This is definitely one time when a picture is worth 10,000 words.
Photo Below: I wish I had someone standing near this wall so you could see the immensity of it. This head is probably five feet wide, and it's only part of a much larger mosaic masterpiece.
So who's ready for a PassPorter event in Italy? I'd go back today if I had a few dollars or Euros or gold teeth I could melt down.
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Wow! Everything looks so beautiful, & I can only imagine that the photos don't quite do the reality justice. Thanks so much for sharing. Sounds like you are having a wonderful trip so far!
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sign me up for the pp trip! these photos are definitely awe-inspiring. you do have more food to report on, right??? he he he.....
Sheri, we ate like pigs. In fact, we ate a lot of pig, mostly in the form of prosciutto. But I can't imagine how many miles we walked every day. When we got home, Rick had lost 5 pounds and I had lost 2. So maybe we can sell the PP trip to Italy as a weight-loss program. Hmm, I wonder if health insurance would pick up any of the expense.
Yes, I have photos of food. Let's see if I can find a few.
Here's a flan (custard) dessert Robbie enjoyed in Rome.
Now, at home I NEVER eat the ends off the pizza crusts. But when we ate at Gusto Leo's in Firenze, this delicious homemade crust was so good, not one crumb was left when we finished eating. We shared everything -- it was so great to get a couple appetizers and four main courses and then eat off each other's plates.
How about some delicious profiteroles for dessert? Paul ordered this at Gusto Leo's, and after I tried it, I ordered it the next time we ate there. (That place was wonderful, and just around the corner from our B&B in Firenze.)
Or maybe just a nice Caprese salad -- the sweetest tomatoes and the freshest mozzarella and basil leaves drizzled in the most wonderful, aromatic olive oil. I ordered this just about every time we dined, and we all enjoyed it as an appetizer. And who always got the 5th slice of tomato and mozzarella? Heck, yeah, you know I did!
Would you prefer a nice seafood risotto? I think Rick ordered this and then a night or two later, Paul ordered it. Once again, the dishes were pretty darn clean by the time dinner was over!
yum! thanks for the foodporn fix! ha ha ha...now i will just HAVE to go. hmmmm....maybe you can be the tour guide of the group....what a fun trip THAT would be!!!!
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As some of you have noted, our photos don't come close to capturing the magnificence of all we'd seen so far. They're merely a small fraction of what you can expect if you go there.
And yes, we're still talking about the day after we arrived in Rome! Hard to believe how much we packed into that Thursday and yet didn't feel rushed at all. When we were tired, we sat down -- preferably in the shade! And throughout Italy, we found fresh, delicious water in a variety of fountains. The Vatican has a few of those, which everybody uses to fill water bottles or to simply cup water in their hands. Truly refreshing, and quite safe to drink.
I think that's Robbie's arm, refilling her water bottle. (Just messing with you, Robbie -- now that I've got you on the PassPorterboards, feel free to "diss" me right back by clicking on "reply," in front of all my Disney pals -- it's all good. ) Actually, that arm belongs to Rick, who was my "pack mule" for the trip, carrying water and a shoulder bag for both of us through our many miles of walking.
We climbed St. Peter's Dome, because of course it was there. The view was well worth all the stairs necessary to reach the top.
Here's some pretty nice greenspace on the Vatican property, photographed by Rick.
And this is the "oh boy" shot you've simply got to get:
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indeed Cindy!!
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Heck, if there was a PassPorter trip to Italy, I'm sure we could pop down for a couple of days, as it's not far to go... 
) Actually, that arm belongs to Rick, who was my "pack mule" for the trip, carrying water and a shoulder bag for both of us through our many miles of walking.
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