Hi all, Spoke to Bill briefly (strangely disconnected) yesterday (Tuesday), to discover him allegedly on a train. He sounded well if a little disappointed that we won't be meeting up in Abruzzo -- I will be doing that by myself in May, shortly after I arrive.....now over to STGT.
Carole

Ciao a tutti! Bill have not the mobile on, I can't find it!!! è introvabile quest'uomo please Karen, give him my phone number!!! kisses,
Cristina

Dear Maria Christina,

This is very strange.....the phone must be broken. We were disconnected mid sentence and when I redialed it was answered by an Italian who promptly hung up on me.....weird. Anyway I concluded that it must have been a crossed line or some such, and as we had finished our travel talk and were heading for pleasantries I decided not to try again. I have never had that happen in six years of calling and receiving calls from a mobile (in Italy), to and from Australia. Next person to see him will no doubt pass on the message. Maybe James can help.
Carole.

Found!!! he's in a railway station, hoping to take the right train and crossing all fingers for tomorrow (sciopero here ).......he speaks an excellent italian (molto raffinato, perbacco) and has a beautyfull voice (may I can say this about a man's voice, or I have to say "handsome voice"??? )....luckly, Italy is so little

Question answered, thank you all.

He is on his way here to spend the weekend. Apparently the strike has not (as yet!) adversly affected his travels and is due in a couple of hours. Will report back - unless I can get him to log in and do so himself! Ahhhh, the pressure of celebrity.

Hi, people of and for Italy,

Just had a letter from Bill in which he speaks so glowingly of all of you and your generosity that I won't even give you the gist of it, for fear of embarrassing you. You'd probably break down and cry, unless you were busy separating the dog and cat, as I was.

So I'm going to use some of that generosity to ask any of you who talks to Bill or sees him to (1) call me. I can't get a decent connection to his telefonino. (2) Stop worrying about money. I'm going to deposit a couple of thousand dollars into his bank account tomorrow and he is to spend them. I got a much larger tax refund than I expected, so this is like free money. (3) All is well here. Crocuses in bloom, the dog eating them. Chicago in early spring.

With apologies for using you as messengers,
James

James, can we get you to join us more often? That was a great Friday evening chuckle! And re 3), is it only in Chicago that dogs eat crocuses? (or croci) I thought most bulbs were poisonous, but come to think of it, the skunks dig ours up; I thought it was to get at the slugs. Maybe he/she only eats the flowers? Since he/she's still fighting the cat, obviously they are sources of strength.

OK Folks, amazed and ego much gratified for everybody's kind wishes and/or curiosity, here's Boobykins himself, the guy with the elegant Italian, perbacco, the monastic tonsure, the frugal disposition and the erratic (tele)fonino....

Thanks first of all to several of you for relaying messages and making sure both Karen (in whose study I'm now typing away) and Maria-Cristina got in touch with me; wouldn't miss either one of you for anything.

Nor the massed hordes descending on Migianella de' Marchesi in May, brighter than yours truly: I was there no later than the 3rd of March or so and froze my butt off, walking several miles uphill into increasing snow flurries, muttering (mild) imprecations at Deborah half the time. It's a little remote.

Thanks also James; yet my phone works most of the time, except when I'm in some desolate hole of a place out of range -- much mystified by everybody's phone problems; especially Carole's, and my own cellphone refused to register the incoming number else I'd have called you right back. I myself had a weird one with the phone, dialing what I thought was the Segreteria, and somehow getting a hotel in Venice: Shannon playing some kind of joke on me I guess. Carole do write me (care of Mrs. James McGarrell, that's important, please, else it may not be delivered) or phone again as soon as you know when before May 15th or so you'll be in Italy.

Barb and Art know it's just a matter of time before I turn up a casa loro, and thanks. Maria-Cristina, in April in Gaiche? Hai il mio numero, 3 giorni di avviso prima mi basteranno.

I regret I had to back out of Jeanne's Spello (or somewhere) expedition: on closer study with the rail schedules, I'da been stuck three trains away from Umbertide and would almost certainly have been unable to get back home in the evening, thus involving an expensive night in a hotel in Perugia or somewhere.

If Ann reads this, one of the two cats is doing very well and likes his food inside, please (it's been raining off and on, now fortunately mostly off); the other much less so and I haven't seen her in two weeks.

Met Rebecca of Brigolante, we had an enjoyable coffee in S. Maria degli Angeli for a couple of hours last week, at a pastry shop known by that most Italian of names, "ex-Harry's Bar".

I'm OK and by Monday I should be back in Umbria; i.e. by Tuesday I haven't the faintest idea where I'll be. Now offline, might as well be frugal for Karen as well as for myself (if less os, thanks James).

See y'all in various places -- A big hug for Pliny.

Thanks, Carol M. Believe you me, you really don't want to get me started on such topics as the edibility of bulbs, corms and tubers. Walk into a party, see everyone bunched on one side of the room, and James and a glass-eyed victim on the other side.... But crocus (corms) and lily and tulip (bulbs) are quite edible. Crocus and cyclamen corms form the chief diet of some of the best future hams of Italy. Get Bill to tell you our story of The Crocuses and the Carnivorous Squirrel.

James

I just found James' posting so touching. We all miss Bill being on the board...so it helps when you post James...Can't wait to hear about Bill's trip!

What a treat to have Bill himself post!! Although, I agree with everyone - James, register for your own ID and join us here!!

It is really great that Bill is getting to meet so many other people from the message board - what fun for everyone. I know that since I started this message board, my trips to Italy have changed because we know a few people over there and are able to GTG with other travelers. Makes the world seem a smaller, more friendly, place.

Thanks for posting Bill!! But what about that cat you haven't seen for two weeks??

Really enjoyed the Bill Thayer sightings entries. Have gone to Bill's site to read his diary entries from years past and leaned so much about places I ride my bike thru almost daily(Pistrino). We leave for our house in Citta di Castello April 14 for 6 weeks and would love to bump into the elusive Bill. When and where is the Umbria GTG in May? We want to make sure to attend. Please advise.

Citta Castello, you will find lots about the Slow Travelers GTG on May 9th on this thread about Migianella dei Marchesi. Hope you can come!

A fine time was had by....well, myself and my BF, for sure! We’ll have to read Bill’s diary to see if it was, indeed, one and all! Seriously, though we had a great weekend, enjoyed having him – and, he didn’t break anything! We ate lots, drank more than a bit, toured a few towns, talked non stop, giggled some, made a few discoveries, had a ‘moment’, met an €800 Border Collie puppy, and so on.

We went to a salt pan in Cervia in the 60,000 hectare Parco Regionale del Delta del Po (4 diary pages, I’m told), visited Marco Pantani’s grave (the ‘moment’), saw THE bridge in Savignano sul Rubicone, had a Piadina in Cesenatico, walked around Santarcangelo a couple of times, went to Brisigella and climbed to the clock tower, stopped in Faenza (nice enough town, but it leaves me a little cold and the church is rather ugly), had dinner at La Sangiovesa for Romagnola food.

As you would imagine, he is a bright, adventurous, engaging, affable man. It was our pleasure. Never did drink that Naturalis Historia (or eat that darn agretti - a spring green whose other name I can not remember), though. Maybe next time.

P.S. I have camera envy. Look forward to some beautiful pictures on his site. Ohhhhh, speaking of his site, he asked me to relay that his site may be off in the near future which will result in many broken links from ST and ST. If anyone needs anything there, I suggest you get it now. It will eventually be back, I'm told

Carol, We know where MdM is, just never driven all the way up there. Is there a time we meet in Umbertide on May 9, or do we meet at MdM?

Peter and Marsha Clifford

Did I give you the wrong link? The information about time and meeting place are in the Slow Travelers' Get Together forum.

Found it. Looks like GTG meet at noon May 9 in front of octagonal chiesa/rocca in Umbertide, bring pranzo fresco, caravan to MdM. Have room for 2 more if needed.

Peter and Marsha

I believe it, Bill: if you need Gaiche, please call me!!!! (e anche se passi da queste padane parti, ovviamente!!!!!) buon divertimento e a presto!

Hi everyone. It is with trepidation that I compose this post. Especially after Bill posted that he was "blessing" me as he walked up to MdiM.
After having suggested and then encouraged this meet and greet on May 9th, I find that I will be unable to leave the USA at ALL!!!!
No Italy, no Germany, no MdiM.
Both my mother and my mother-in-law are experiencing medical situations. Not life threatening, but serious enough that for me to trot off to Europe for a month would be out of the question. I'm now regrouping and looking at July (one of my two LEAST favorite months to go).
Forgive me for whinning here. And especially forgive me for abandoning the MdiM get together! I know that you don't need me there to have a great time. But I hope you will miss me desperately!
I want to see LOTS of pictures, and please raise a toast to your "absent" participant!
I'm posting this on the GTG board as well, but wanted to put it here since the discussion is along those lines.
You know the Leanne Rhimes song "Blue"? That is what is running through my head right now!

Bill --- Wherever you are --- Will you meet us in Umbertide and lead the way please?

Bill will be in Apecchio Saturday 3rd April, and then Pergola to see the bronzi d'orati. Hang along the road with signs, will ya?
I've even found a restaurant along the way that serves guts, which Bill claims to love, and especially a local dish of guts with chocolate. A local policewoman raved about this place. Wonder what I will eat?
Next week he will be at supper casa mia with my own 'rack and ruin' lovers and their SOs.

PS/ his telefonino just doesn't work half the time, although he told me no one else was having trouble reaching him on it. Three calls, one connection, and it was on everyday.

Decobabe - Good to see you posting again, it seems like a long time since I've seen you on the boards. Hope all is well with you. Please pass along to Bill that the meeting place of the Umbertide STGTG has been changed. Thanks in advance. Will you be there by any chance?

Guts and chocolate, Judith! This sounds fascinating: do tell us more. We've got a week booked, just N of Cagli this time (just above Smirra), 7-14 Aug, so if the guts are tasty...

Jonathan

Colleen, I just don't know. With the dollar in the toilet and gas near $6 a gallon, I am more restricted than I used to be and try to make my trips extremely useful. You may never have met anyone before who has to buy manure, get a pedicure and have her hair done all in one trip---then perhaps also pick up the groceries for the week.
Jonathan, you will have to ask Bill, because you don't think I am going to eat guts, do you? I'm American!
The policewoman was rapturous over them, explaining that this dish is rarely made even at home anymore, and it was only one of 12 dishes served on a one price Euro 20 meal. You eat guts and have to pay for them, too? Maybe if someone bet me 100 euros I couldn't, I could.
It is called Franchino and is up in the hills over Apecchio, she said just ask anyone in Apecchio.