Club News

Bev Crandall was hostess to Fleur-de-Lis Club members and guest, Ken Wulf, on Thursday, June 23, at 1:30 p.m. at the Central Park Community Center on the square in Washington.

A short business meeting was conducted by president Nancy Kimmel. Roll call was answered with members and guest telling of their vacation plans. The secretary and treasurer?s reports were given by Linda Birney. She also reported that a list of email addresses and cellphone numbers had been sent out or given to members.

Following the meeting, Ken Wulf gave a very informative and interesting talk on his 12-day trip to Italy in May. This trip was scheduled through Indian Hills Community College, where he had previously traveled with the group to Germany. He had a notebook of pictures, a few souvenirs and a map of Italy showing the various cities they visited by bus. It was noted, their buses have no bathrooms, but had two exits to quickly empty the bus at the various stops on their tour. A bilingual guide was provided on their tour. Among the cities they visited were Venice, Florence, Pisa, Assisi, Isle of Capri, Naples, Rome and Milano. Of course, at these places, they had the options of side tours or shopping. He opted for the side tours for the most part. They were cautioned against pick pockets, so they kept their important papers such as passport, driver?s license, keys, etc. close in a pouch many carried under their shirts or tops. He enjoyed his three full days in Rome including a trip to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel where it took Michelangelo four years (1508 ? 1512) to paint the intricate ceiling in biblical scenes. He also enjoyed a gondola ride on the river. Italy uses euros for their money and enjoyed their pasta and gelato, which is ice cream. There is some Muslim influence in their architecture with two types of arches, Gothic or Romanesque. He saw many cathedrals, statues, the Coliseum which held 50,000 people on three levels. With so many openings, it could be emptied in 20 minutes. His least favorite part was the long plane ride over and back. But, the travel bug has caught on with him.

The group will not meet during the months of July and August. The next meeting will be Sept. 22, at 1:30 p.m. with Pat Stout serving as hostess.