We Open In Venice....

Buona Sera! We've arrived in Venice, where we are enjoying the rattle of the windows during this thunderstorm that rolled in while we wandered the streets. Fortunately, we made it back here before it started pouring. If you've been keeping up, you are probably waiting for some pictures from Florence, so I will try not to disappoint. I'm mostly posting images that Lauren mentioned in her earlier post yesterday. Hope you enjoy them!
 

The Duomo (Cathedral), complete with Brunelleschi's Dome design

A copy of Michelangelo's David in its original location

The Ponte Vecchio (behind me)

The view from the Ponte Vecchio

Can't beat Italian Leather!

Inside the chapel at the Monastery...the seats used by the monks...a few centuries old, all original work. in the background are beautiful paintings of St. Bruno, including work by Da Vinci

Further inside the monastery. We saw two of the four monks still at the monastery, including the oldest monk at 94....who looked like he was in his 70s...

We detoured to Pisa...

...but after about 6 or 7 hours in the bus, we were starting to lose it a little bit.

Hope you enjoyed our pictures! Tomorrow we head out for a tour of a Venetian glass factory, then a walking tour of the Islands of Venice, then a ride in a Gondola, accompanied by musicians and a glass or two of Prosecco. Tomorrow night, dinner will be on the Grand Canal....There is no place like Venice. So far it is one of my favorite places.

Hello from Venice.....
What a trip we have had so far! Today we had an early morning wake up call in Florence so that we could board our bus for our next city, Venice. We made two pit stops along our 6 hour drive. First we stopped to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa which was a cool sight to visit. The tower which was originally built to be the tallest tower in the city began leaning because the soil below the tower was too soft to hold the weight of the marble used to construct it. After spending some time sight seeing and shopping we again boarded our bus and headed to our next stop a winery in the Tuscan region. The food was great and I can't wait to try out some new recipes when we get home. We are now safely in Venice and looking forward to tomorrow. We have scheduled a gondola ride tomorrow afternoon and have a glass blowing demonstration tomorrow morning. Missing you all and can't wait to share photos and stories when I return!
Ciao from Brittany

Firenze

To the Americans, it's Florence. We had a short walking tour this morning to see the statue of David. Unfortunately you couldn't take any pictures in the gallery so you won't see any original pictures of the real David from me. The ones that you will see are of a replica that sits in the square of the Medici palace along with some other originals. We also went to see the Duomo, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fior, which is decorated in beautiful marble of three different colors. It is the third largest church in the world. You can see the top of the dome from almost anywhere if there is a fair amount of open sky. We've had to rely on it a few times to get us back to the hotel. We also went to another church, the Basilica di Santa Croce, or the church of the Holy Cross. This looks similar to the other church on the front side, but the other sides are plain in respect of the poverty that many saints lived in. Inside, there are many famous Italians buried. We saw the grave monuments for Machiavelli, Galileo, and Michelangelo. Each monument had a woman to represent the arts and sciences that each person was known for.

After our tour, we went in to a beautiful jewelry shop that sold gold jewelry that is so famous in Florence. It was gorgeous but a little too pricey for me. I found a beautiful ring that had gold flowers in three different colors of gold. Again, beautiful, but too expensive. One day I'll bring a rich man back to Florence with me to buy me that ring. For now, it stays in the shop. B, Leslie and I walked to a market. Many storefronts have small carts that they rent out in front of their store and we walked through many selling scarves, purses, shoes, trinkets, jackets, etc. Leslie found the perfect leather jacket for herself. When you see it, you will know. It fits her like a glove and is exactly her style. I'm glad she bought it because it would've been a shame otherwise.

We're planning on going to Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence. This was the only bridge that wasn't bombed during WWII in the city. We've got lots more to see and probably more shopping! Leslie is off to a monastery for a tour and then dinner, while B and I explore this city more. She will post more about that later! Ciao for now!

Capri, the Amalfi Coast, and Vietri Sul Mare...oh and also Pompeii

Ciao! Buona Sera! It's about 10:30 pm here in good ole Italia. Lauren, Brittany and I are settling into our hotel in Florence after a DELICIOUS dinner this evening. We did not have enough time or energy to blog and upload pictures at our last hotel, but finally we have a little end-of-the-evening wind-down time. SO, let's commence with catching you up.

On Tuesday, we spent the morning driving down to Napoli (Naples), where we caught a ferry for a 50 minute boat ride to the island of Capri. There, we spent about an hour touring the little shops at the main harbor, which is about the size of Porter Beach, probably smaller. Capri is well known for its Limoncella, which is a Lemon Liqueur. Boy is it tart! We met our guide, Fabiana, and she gave us a tour of Ana Capri, which is the town at the very top of the island. We reached the top of the island the modern way, by minibuses that drove around winding curves at the edges of the cliff. Awesome. I enjoyed my seat on the right hand window, where I could look straight down the 100+ foot drop... We had the most beautiful view of the coast and harbor from Ana Capri...but my camera battery died just as we boarded the buses, so you'll have to wait for Lauren or Brittany to post.

Wednesday, we woke up bright and early and headed out to a Cameo factory, more like a studio, where the artisans have handed down the tradition of carving cameos from seashells found in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. I bought myself a pretty little ring :) No one else is buying me jewelry, I might as well buy it myself :)

Next we headed to Pompeii, where we met up with our local guide, Pasqualle. I am not sure if that spelling is correct, but sound it out :). I was surprised to see him in pants and a long sleeved shirt, with nice leather shoes on. The men here in Italy dress well...everywhere. For the most part. Unless they are old and work in a fish market. You guys back home need to step up your game :)
Anyways, we toured Pompeii, which is literally a whole city, just very old, and many places are just without ceiling or doors. Some cool things about Pompeii: 1) it survived because it was covered in about 25 feet of Volcanic Ash. NOT lava. No lava touched Pompeii. 2) when Mount Vesuvius erupted, about 1/3 of the mountain actually blew off (I think...Lauren and B were sleeping on the bus when our tour guide told us the fact). What is there now, is only part of what WAS there. 3) The shops at Pompeii had sliding doors! Talk about advanced! There were also soup kitchens and wine bars. Pretty awesome.

That groove shows where the sliding door was...

The remains of the Men's Bath Houses...for the wealthy

The hot bath or Sauna....

One of the little men holding up the roof in the massage room (I think)

The Soup kitchen I was talking about....it was in the same room as the wine bar...

La and I with Pompeii and Vesuvius just barely visible in the background

A few more risque facts that I learned were that there was a red-light district (red lights excluded). We toured a "house of ill-repute", where the images above the door described what service was provided...I will leave it at that...come visit me if you want to see the pictures. I don't want to embarrass my mom by posting them here :-P Love ya, Mom! Also, the ancient Romans (and maybe the Greeks, too) valued the phallus as a symbol of good luck, so they had them as pendants, etc. Almost bought one of the key-chains for mom, but was too scared to buy it...haha.

Well, after the ruins of Pompeii, we said goodbye to Pasqualle and headed to a factory where beautiful furniture and other treasures featuring inlaid wood were created. They explained the process and then ushered us into the showroom. I am a big supporter of the arts, so I purchased a small box with a scene of Venice on it. We had a little time after the inlaid wood showroom, so we wandered down the street to the market and walked/browsed around.

After such a full day, we were ready for some food, so we headed into Sorrento for the best meal so far. We had an amuse-bouche, which ended up being a salad with salmon and a sardine or anchovy. I ate the salad and salmon, but only one bite of the little fish on top, because his poor tail was still attached, which kind of turn me off...sorry little guy. That course was followed by a grilled eggplant with tomato and cheese. YUM. After that was a Ricotta Crepe. I could have stopped eating there, but we still had the main course, which was, for us, Pork in a Hazelnut sauce. Last, we ended the evening with a chocolate mousse. Man, it was good. The pictures only show you the visual. The taste was even better.

We dressed up for dinner tonight....

Today, we got up early, and drove about 6 or 7 hours up to Firenze (Florence), where we will be touring the Duomo tomorrow and going to the Academy to see David. We've already seen the square where David was originally kept, but was moved from when he was damaged. We'll see the real deal tomorrow....oh the anticipation...will I be able to sleep tonight? Probably, because I had 2 full glasses of wine :-) Oh, and despite the fact that I got paid today, I resisted the temptation to buy a beautiful Italian leather coat straight from the factory we toured. SOOO tempting, but I am reminding myself to save for the BIG splurge, a true Venetian mask, or two...or three...we'll see what I can fit and transport safely home :)

I will try to upload some more pictures tomorrow, but you'll just have to come to lunch or dinner with me sometime when I am hope to see all the neat things I've been lucky enough to experience. Definitely worth all the hassle and stress of saving the money to come and even losing my luggage for two days :)

Well, thanks for reading my short novel that I just wrote. Probably not witty or charming, but that's what you get after two days, 8 hours of driving, and two glasses of wine....
Now that it's taken me an hour to write this, I am off to bed. Buona Notte!

When in Rome...

...don't wear yourself out! As you've already read, today was a long and full day. I took lots and lots and a few more pictures, but I'm only going to post as many as I can with this weak internet connection we've managed to find. Crossing my fingers, the airport called the hotel and told them my luggage would be here tonight...probably in the middle of the night, but I've been waking up regularly at about 4 AM anyways...wide awake! That explains the two hour naps I've been taking.

Well, my favorite thing today was probably either the Colosseum or the Trevi Fountain. It was huge! Also, not on our schedule, we were dropped off for dinner right by the Aura Paccis (sp?), a large Marble sculpture dedicated to Ceasar Augustus. I remember studying all of these things in Art History...

Anyways, yesterdays visit to the Vatican Museums was amazing, and I can't believe the amount of art that is there. I could spend 2 or 3 days in there alone and not see everything. Crazy!

The people here on the trip are a lot of fun and are just the nicest people. I feel very lucky to be sharing the experience with all of them.

Okay, enough talking...here are some pictures:

Handstands at the Colosseum 

 

Trevi Fountain

More pictures!

B and Leslie in front of some remaining columns.

B helped our guide, Gabriella, by holding the Collette flag. :-P

B enjoyed her pizza!

Leslie liked the pizza too!

The Trevi Fountain

Rome wasn't built in a day...

....but it felt like we saw it all in one day! Talk about a whirlwind day...we had a long one today. We started at the catacombs of St. Calisto and walked through the underground burial of thousands of early Christians. The tombs were pretty interesting, but a bit eerie knowing that so many people had been buried there. There are no longer remains in the part that is open to the public, but the holes still remain in the walls. I am very glad that there was electricity down there. It would have been extremely dark otherwise. Our guide underground gave us a quick speech before we went down. Leslie has that taped and might post it later.

After the catacombs, we went to see the Colosseum. It was AMAZING! Sorry I didn't have a picture of all three of us at the Colosseum, but I know that Leslie or B has one (we went picture crazy). I can't really put into words how unbelievably advanced the Romans were in their architecture. The floor of the Colosseum is no longer there because it was made of wood and covered in sand, but you can see what would be like under a stage. There are many rooms where gladiators prepared and animals were kept before their appearance in the arena. Also, this section was connected to the gladiator school outside of the Colosseum.

After that, we drove a bit and then got off the bus for a walking tour. We visited the Trevi Fountain and threw in our two coins each (to find true love - look out boys). Gabriella, our guide, said that we could get rid of our husbands if we threw 3 coins. Ha! We had a little bit of time to walk around and shop. I bought a jacket for myself that says ITALIA on it and one for my brother. Sorry Justin, it's not a soccer jersey, but I think you'll like it. If not, too bad...that's all you get. :-P We also stopped for some delicious authentic Italian pizza and Cokes. Yummy! After the Trevi Fountain, we walked through some more historic sites. We visited that and then the Piazza Navona. This is a huge plaza in the shape of a typical oblong stadium. Also, for those of you Dan Brown fans, this was the fountain that Tom Hanks jumped into to save the cardinal in Angels and Demons. Like the nerd I am, I was excited when I saw this fountain. We walked and walked and walked and walked around what seemed to be the whole city of Rome and we saw a lot of awesome sites. We're heading out for dinner shortly and then tomorrow we head to the Amalfi coast.

Ciao for now!

Its B Here-What a day it was! We visited some of the most famous spots in the World today as Lauren and Leslie have already told you. It was amazing to see what has lasted hundreds of years and all the history that goes with it. The Sistine chapel and St. Peters are beautiful. We have lots of pictures to share and some great pieces of information that our tour guide, Gabriella shared with us. Can you believe that there are 4 million people that live in Rome...and 1 million of them ride on scooters! We also got to do a little shopping and had a bite for lunch before we headed back to our hotel. We decided that tonight's dinner would be the famous Italian gelato and it was totally worth it. Were off to bed for the evening since its about 10:30 local time. Hopefully well share again tomorrow.

Leslie's Rome - Day 1

First of all, I am bummed that my luggage still isnt here. I packed my mom bags and I feel worthless without them. Fortunately, I have proved helpful, because I am able to give Lauren and B a little Art History about the places we have seen. I almost cried when I saw the Sistene Chapel today, and did a happy dance when I saw the Laocoon. Hooray :)

This internet connection is kind of slow, seeing as we are getting it for free with a weak signal..better than nothing! That means no pictures from me. Sorry 'bout your luck.

Tomorrow is the big tour of all the other sights. We did things a little out of order, because tomorrow is a Catholic holiday, and the Pope will be giving a service at the Vatican. Therefore, we went today since it will be closed to tourists and crowded with people for services. I am going to log off so B can post and/or check her email, and hopefully when I go down to the front desk, there will be a suitcase waiting for me. Ciao! Arrivederci!

ROMA!

Lauren here - We're here in Rome on our second night in the hotel. Yesterday was a whirl wind travel experience. It took us an hour to get our luggage and then Leslie's never came. She's still without her suitcase tonight. Hopefully she'll get it soon (prayers are welcome!) - I know she's a bit upset that she has to borrow clothes. Thankfully I'm not the size of a gorilla, and she can wear some of my clothes. B is also sharing some things, since she's like our sister and all. Last night was a little meet and greet at the hotel and then we boarded a HUGE bus that took us to dinner near Rome's version of the Supreme Court. We enjoyed a 4 course meal which included an appetizer plate, pasta plate, main entree, and dessert. Plus we had wine and champagne and we were serenaded by an Italian man on his keyboard. He sang some classics and we sang along after a few glasses of wine. It was a nice dinner and a great chance to share some stories with fellow tour goers. We found a group of teachers (a few retired) from Dallas and obviously we are the troublemakers. Leslie, B, and I are clearly the youngest on the tour, with the exception of a girl who is here as a college graduation gift.

Today, we went to Vatican City (the smallest country in the world) and toured with our Rome guide, Gabriella. She was very good and funny also. We went through the Vatican museum and saw hundreds of marble sculptures. Leslie was giddy the whole time with excitement over the sculptures. We saw a few famous pieces like the Pieta, the Laocoon, the Torso, a large bronze statue of Hercules. There was also a large stone basin that was found in Emperor Nero's home that was a fountain. It was ridiculously huge (probably the size of our little swimming pool). We also walked through the Sistine Chapel. Of course, you can't take pictures of the ceiling or anything, and they really want you to be silent as you walk through. The guards kept shushing the crowds. It was pretty busy today because everything was closed yesterday (Sunday) and tomorrow is a holiday so it will be closed tomorrow also. The pope will be presiding over a service.

Tomorrow we're off to see the historic sites of ancient Rome. Hopefully we'll be able to blog some more. I found a wireless connection that goes in and out so posts may be few and far between but we will do our best. Ciao!

In less than 48 hours....

...we will be in Italy! Okay, so we'll be Italy-bound....en route...in the plane...but, I can't believe it! That is craziness you're talking!

I don't know about Lauren and Brittany, but I am starting to get the nervous-excited-can't believe its almost here jitters....I can't imagine what will happen if I ever get married, this excitement over Italy is almost too much to handle...HA!

Today I finished up my final purchases of anything I might need while I am there. You need it, I'll have it...in my mom bag. Well more like, mom luggage. But thats okay, I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it :) To quote Scar, "Be prepared!!!"

I also have located Gerome...he's easy to pack for...as in...he's easy to pack. He'll be making the trip comfortable in my purse or backpack, or whatever carry-on I choose. Be on the lookout for his pictures :) I hope to get him with a handsome friend we like to call Michelangelo's David... as well as all the other major sites we're going to be seeing (that I am allowed to photograph - sorry, no Sistine chapel pictures...major No-No)

Here's hoping that the next time I post, I will either be en-route OR already in Italy! Ciao for now! Bella Notte!

Packin Rules

As we are packing, or were planning to pack, we had to keep in mind some certain guidelines...

Less than a week....

Happy Father's Day! Lauren, Brittany and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Saturday! Our adventures begin at 7:20 PM when we take off for Zurich, then Rome. Brittany is flying in around 1:15 and then we'll kill some time with my parents in Chicago before we head off.

Lauren and I have already packed...for the most part. I have some laundry left to do and then I will unpack and repack like the OCD traveler that I am. Lauren will be bringing her little Netbook along with us on the trip, so hopefully it will cooperate and allow us to update daily with pictures and (hopefully) entertaining stories for you all back here in the states.

Until then, CIAO!

Counting Down....

Its just over a month until we leave. Lauren, Brittany and I are spending the weekend in Texas for a friend's wedding. BUT! We are also planning out things we need for our Italian trip...any suggestions? We can't wait, and hope you'll join us for the ride :) 34 days and counting!