Sept 9 - Seriously?

You are not going to believe this. We just got to Rome and had a prepaid reservation through expedia for the same hotel we stayed at four nights ago. As we walked up to the hotel, I actually walked passed it because it didn't look right. That's because the hotel is OUT OF BUSINESS. I mean gone - closed - not there anymore. The sign is gone, the doors are locked and the side door is even plastered over. Can you believe this - I mean seriously?

Don't worry about us, we were in a new hotel within 20 minutes just one block away, you know Jen and I - we are two very competent travelers. We actually found a better hotel, closer to the train station, for the same price. Perhaps it was fate - at least it makes for a great story.

:) Kristin

P.S. I'm finally able to upload our photos from Florence - enjoy the sideshows!

Sept 8 – Lazy Day

Today we slept in late (at least I did, poor Jen is having trouble finding a comfy position to sleep in) and hung out in the room for a while. Our plan was to head over to a lunch place Jen had read about and then get gelato at Per’s favorite place, then ride the double-decker tour bus to get a complete sense of Florence and Fiesole. This is not exactly how the day turned out. And the reason I think is wine.

We got to the lunch restaurant before they opened, so we started shopping in the area near the restaurant. Jen got more shoes (the ones I wanted but they didn’t have in my size – it’s okay cus in Florida I got the shirt she wanted so now we’re even).

We also went to the Farmacia. This is a fun experience in Italy. In Italy what you do is show the Pharmacist your malady and they pick out what you should use. In my case, it’s mosquito bites. Jen has none – I have about a dozen. I keep claiming it’s because I’m so sweet – she just rolls her eyes.

Lunch was pizza. Really really good pizza and wine – really really good wine. So as we left the restaurant the plan to ride the bus was scrapped in favor of the hotel room.

On the way back to the hotel we went into a paper store and met the nicest shop owner, turns out he was in San Diego when he was a student twenty years ago. He really liked us and insisted on us taking some notebooks as his gift. We also bought some beautiful paper we found in the store. (Yes mom, I bought more paper – but it’s from Italy!)

As you may have read on the way home Jen fell flat on her face. You may think that I’m being harsh in describing it. If she had gotten hurt I would be more sensitive, but the truth is, it was the funniest thing that has happened on our trip so far. Once we knew she was okay we both started laughing so hard and couldn’t stop. You know when you laugh so hard and for so long your abs start to hurt – that’s what this was like. You should have seen her laying on the ground – it was unreal.

The rest of the day has been a lazy siesta and a lovely dinner at an outdoor café down the street from our hotel (very yummy and we had the cutest waitress). We had our first tiramisu tonight - and yes more wine, but since the walk home was only 100’ I thought we could handle it.

I think we’re both starting to mentally shift into the process of going home – Jen’s actually packing right now. We’ve started talking about things we miss (mainly our dogs) and what we’re going to do when we first get home – and what we’re going to eat. We have a 1pm train to Rome tomorrow – the plan is to do a little (more) shopping before we go.

My next post will be from Rome – and hopefully I can finally upload all our photos.

Ciao,

☺ K

Falling for you

After laying in bed forever this morning trying to get motivated to drag my broken body out into the world, I discovered my ribs are actually bruised, and I was way more sore today than I was yesterday. New bruises popping up every so often, swelling in places that weren't swollen before... I wasn't moving too fast, and Kristin was worried so she wouldn't let me wear my slippahs. She insisted I should wear my running shoes because "they are more stable and would give better support." We headed out and walked a little ways across town and crossed the river - it did feel good to move once we got started. We had lunch at this great restaurant on the other side of the river, nice glass of wine, then enjoyed the creamiest gelato ever while sitting on a bridge over the Arno River. (Thanks Per, for the recommendation! Yum!)

Heading back to the hotel (cuz we were both starting to fade and I was hurtin' pretty bad), we had just gotten off the bridge when all of a sudden I tripped and was (once again) flat on my face! (This could only happen to me!) After a second of realizing I wasn't hurt any more than I already was, I just started laughing and said (out loud) "Seriously?!" Kristin started laughing too and within seconds we were laughing so hard we were crying - all while I'm still laying face down on the hot Italian bricks! Kristin somehow squeezed out a few words: "Can I take a picture?? Can I take a picture??" So we actually got documentation this time... The people working at the bank right next to us were looking out very concerned - until they saw we were hysterically laughing - it was by far one of the funniest moments of the entire trip! ...I really wish Kristin would stop shoving me to the ground just to get a photo opportunity.

We did make it back to our hotel room - where I will be protected from any further injury today. So much for my stable and supportive running shoes.

:) jen

Sept 7 – It’s not about the bike

Today we went on a bike tour and it was the very best day we’ve had in Italy so far. Probably after all the amazing things we’ve done that seems impossible or like an exaggeration. I assure you it’s not.

Note: Read Jen’s post “Crash Test Dummy” before you read the rest of this post.

To start the day we walked across the city to meet our group at the end of Ponte alle Grazie Bridge at 9:30am. We both thought we knew where we were going and so at 9:25 when we were standing at the edge of the wrong bridge we had a slight moment of panic thinking we might miss the tour. Thank goodness for the blackberry, we pulled up our email reservation, got on their website and quickly figured out we just need to go to the next bridge over.

The tour itself was really beautiful and fun. From Florence we drove about half an hour to a 13th century Monastery perched atop a “hill” at about 3000’ elevation. From there we rode (mostly downhill) twelve miles back to Florence. For our cyclist and triathlete friends, twelve miles is going to seem like less than an hour’s ride, but not the way we did it. This ride was about touring the Tuscan countryside; we took our time and enjoyed the sights.

As we road lazily downhill from the Monastery back to Florence we had unparalleled views of the Tuscan landscape. We stopped often to take in the breathtaking vistas and get some amazing photos. We ate wild blackberries that we found growing along the roadside. We stopped in an olive grove to learn how olive oil is made. Eventually we made it to the little town of Fiesole, where we parked our bikes and climbed up to a look out point (at the base of a church) to gaze out over Florence. I was the only one who climbed slightly higher to the church that was at the top of the hill (beautiful). Jen stayed at the bottom, first to assess her injuries in the bathroom, next bought orange sodas to share with Per, and then attended an Italian wedding (I’m not kidding).

After Fiesole we road down to a little restaurant and had an amazing lazy lunch (and yes I drank and rode). After lunch we road back into Florence, and had gelato, then wound our way back through the outskirts of town to our original starting point. The last part (riding through Florence) took us through parts of the city (we would have never visited on foot) that were so lovely and interesting – it was a perfect way to end the tour.

Okay, so that all sounds pretty great, right? Well, I haven’t even told you about the best part of the tour. It was the people we were with. To start off with the other four riders in our group were a Russian family from New Zealand (yes a Russian Family from New Zealand). Dimitri and Elena are the parents. The kids are Sasha (sweet, adventurous, daredevil, age 11) and Jessica (sassy, smart, adorable, age 7). They were instantly easy to be around, even in the van ride up to the monastery we were chatting and getting to know each other. According to Dimitri they moved to New Zealand “to get as far away from Russia as possible.” Spending the day with them was so much fun.

And then there is Per and Melissa, our tour guides, and I’m happy to say new friends. Melissa is originally from Southern California (now Napa is her American home) and Per grew up in Sweden (although from his English you would think he was from California too). We had so much fun spending the day with them – they run an amazing business, if you come to Italy you must let them design a bike tour for you. But more than that, they are just happy, wonderful people, we all just clicked right away. Oh and they handled Jen’s crash amazingly. I’m so happy they were our guides when that happened.

After the tour, Jen and I ambled through a few shops on our way back to the hotel. After assessing Jen’s injuries and experimenting with an Italian treatment called “Ice Spray” – Jen laid down and I went to do some laundry at the “laundrette” down the street. Can I tell you how excited we are to have clean clothes? You take certain things for granted until they are gone.

In the evening we met up with our new friends Per and Melissa for sushi (yes sushi in Italy). We had great food, great beer, and great conversation – it was the perfect end to the day!

Before I go I want to say a couple things about Jen’s crash. I was right behind her when it happened. It was really scary. Watching it, I honestly thought we were about to get a one-way trip to an Italian hospital – if not worse. The fact that she’s not more injured is a miracle. And she was such a trooper to get back on the bike (after a short rest) and finish the ride. She is pretty banged up, her bruises are scattered all over her body. She moves slowly and it clearly hurts her to move. She’s got a couple rough days ahead – but she’ll heal for sure. And she’s only milking it a little (j/k). And I promise I’m taking good care of her (although the experiment with the Ice Spray was a little rough).

Ciao-ciao,
:) Kristin

P.S. I was injured as well - untangling Jen from the mass of metal - I have a 1/2" papercut on my knee. I'll be okay - thanks for asking. LOL! :)

Crash Test Dummy

So some of you know that when I was 7 and 9 years old, I had two really bad bike crashes that ended up with severe injuries - which caused me to stay off the bike for 30+ years, until this past January. I have since gotten back on the bike, ridden a couple hundred miles of training and races, with no incidents. Until today.

Before I write another word, I should say: Mom, I'm fine. (Mom tends to freak out when injuries are involved.)

Long story short: A few days ago we decided to do a bike tour of the Tuscany hills - we were so excited about this and knew it would be one of the highlights of our trip. The people leading the ride were Per (pronounced "pear" - Swedish guy that looks like a hau'oli surfer dude from Hawaii, but you'd never know it with his American English) and Melissa (super nice girl who went to high school in Loma Linda, not far from where I grew up). (Check out their website!) We had joked at the top that my bike was special - not only did it have a bell, but it had just been serviced - so my brakes were good to go. Well... a little too good it turns out.

One minute into the ride (literally!), going downhill at about 20mph - my bike stopped and I didn't. Totally my fault as I had reached to scratch an itch on my face, and my left hand was still on my front brakes, and apparently squeezed a little too hard. I flew over the handlebars, ending up face down, with the bike both under and over me - yeah, hard to picture I know, but it's amazing the things I can do... Kristin was lucky enough to witness the whole thing (see her Sept. 7 blog), and she got there in a matter of seconds, untangled me from the bike and got me to the side of the road. Melissa arrived a few minutes later in the van and took really good care of me, cleaning up the road rash and calming me down. I won't list all my injuries here (no broken ribs which was my first thought, but those of you on the island will get to see first hand cuz the rainbow of colors all over me will still be there when I get home on Thursday), but after a 10 minute break and regaining my composure in the van, I was actually able to get back on the bike and ended up riding all day and having a blast! Probably the best thing I ever did was get back on that bike - I was very shaky for the first hour or so, just cuz my adrenaline was pumpin' - but eventually calmed down and ended up having the most amazing time. Even with the crash, it was our best day in Italy so far - an unforgettable ride through the hills of Tuscany with 7 of the coolest people ever. I won't lie - I'm hurtin' bad now and more and more bruises are appearing all over me - in places I didn't think you could bruise! We had planned to have sushi tonight (hard to eat Italian every single day for every single meal!) - but I'm pretty banged up so the plan was that Kristin was going to get it and bring it back to the room for us. But Per just called and invited us to go with them so I'm actually gonna suck it up, pop some more Advil and go have fun with our new Florence friends!

Things I am thankful for:

• Big boobs. They hit the ground first and saved me from broken ribs. Dear big boobs, I'm really sorry about the bruises you are now sportin' but you saved me. Thank you big boobs!
• Thick waist. Hit the ground second. See big boobs above. If it weren't for you and big boobs, I'd have broken ribs. Thank you thick waist!
  
• Bike helmets. Hit the ground third. As I watched the pavement come at my face at 20mph, the front tip of my helmet very abruptly stopped me from a repeat performance of my last bad bike crash. (And no Dad, I do not have a concussion - I know what day it is and (unfortunately) I know who the President of the United States is... so I'm fine!) My face never touched the ground (but I did end up with dirt in my mouth!). Thank you bike helmet!
  
• Costco. Melissa had a Costco bottle of ibuprofen in the van, and hooked me up all day long. Thank you Costco - and thank you Melissa!
• Kristin. For taking really good care of me and monitoring every new bruise as it pops out. That can't be fun, especially considering the location of some of these bruises. Thank you Stin!
• Italian Farmacias. Bought some ice spray (since they don't believe in ice in Italy except for at McDonald's), so I could start gettin' all the swelling down. Thank you Italian farmacia!
• Per's new nickname for me. "Crash". Nuff said. Thank you Per!
• Chianti. I haven't had any wine yet today, but I think it may be a very good idea tonight... so thank you in advance Chianti!

:) jen

I'm off the market...

I have a new boyfriend. He stands just shy of 17' tall. Rock hard six-pak abs, big hands, nice eyes, thick curly hair, and he sports a really cool slingshot. His name is David. Michelangelo is my hero.

:) jen

Sept 6 - It's all about David

First I want to say that suffering through yesterday without a nap paid off. Both of us were asleep at a reasonable hour (I fell asleep in a chair even) and got about eight hours of sleep. Today we both feel well rested and I think finally on Italy time.

Here’s what we did today:

• Ufizi Gallery – huge collection, so many amazing things (my favorite was The Venus of Urbino by Titian, check out the little dog)
• Shopping – we went to the indoor portion of the San Lorenzo where they have food. It’s amazing. For example you can buy a whole pig’s head. The produce was colorful. We got some beautiful fruit.
• Academia – we saw David!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Saw La Traviata at the Opera – this production would be the equivalent of “regional” theater in the states. The performers were excellent, beautiful voices, but the rest of the production left something to be desired. Luckily in opera it’s all about the music.

Precious moments of the day:

• The campanile bells at Piaza del Duomo started ringing just as we walked into the square at 8am this morning. It felt like fated timing.
• Walking through the streets of Florence early in the morning before any of the shops are open, watching the vendors just starting to set-up and feeling like we had the place all to ourselves.
• Buying the handbag I’d been coveting at Mercato Nuovo.
• Did I mention we saw David? We saw David!!!!!!!!!!!!
• When I found a street sign for Via de Gori (the De Gori are my ancestors, my grandpa told me to look for signs of them in Florence)
• When I rubbed the head of Porcellino (a statue of a wild boar) to ensure my return to Florence. He is black except for where people rub his head (it’s so worn the metal doesn’t tarnish and it’s bright gold).

Funny moment of the day: We had reservations for the Accademia at 4pm, but both of us were so focused on our excitement about going to opera that we almost forgot about it. I was out for a walk around 1:30 and suddenly remembered, so I slipped into an internet café and emailed Jen to remind her and figure out when we would meet up.

It was a bellisimo day – and oh, by the way - we saw David!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ciao-ciao,
:) Kristin

P.S. Sorry we haven’t posted many pictures. We don’t have a powerful enough internet connection here to get them to upload most of the time. We’ll post them asap.

Italian Shoes, Italian Bathrooms, Italian Men

So I’m not one of those that has to own a hundred pairs of shoes. I have a few favorites, and a few for special occasions only – but I don’t feel the need to own many styles and colors…. especially living in Hawaii since all we ever wear is “slippahs” and we very rarely get dressed up to go out. But then I came to Italy – aka shoe heaven! Shoe stores in Italy are more prevalent than Starbucks in the states or ABC stores in Waikiki. And the shoes are ridiculous – especially the Italian leather styles. Wow… I bought my first pair of Italian shoes the other day - - I HAD to buy them though, because we’re going to the opera and I couldn’t very well wear my slippahs or my Sauconys, now could I? But now I’m hooked… hope I can make extra room in my suitcase cuz I may be forced to buy another pair or two before we leave…

Thank you, Italy, for the bidet in our bathroom. I really appreciate the fact that you want me to have a clean ass. But I find it ironic that with all the fabulous bathroom fixtures I’ve seen here, Italians don’t seem to use them. The best example of this was a few days ago when Kristin and I took the metro (subway) on our way to the Vatican. It was rush hour so it was literally wall to wall people, standing room only – and Kristin got lucky enough to enjoy the armpit of a young Italian man. He would have been pretty hot – if it weren’t for the extremely disgusting odor emanating from his pits into Kristin’s nose. I had to laugh (at her expense), but I did feel bad for her. So thanks Italy, for providing me with so many nice fixtures in the bathroom… now can you please encourage your locals to use them?!

For months before I left for Italy, anytime I told anyone where I was going, I got the same warning: “watch out for those Italian men!” Rome was pretty uneventful - - no problems at all. Seemed like no one ever even noticed us (except for that one waiter that called Kristin “my love”), which was fine with us. Florence is a different story. Men here are more aggressive and definitely don’t hide the fact that they’re looking. The best so far was yesterday when we were walking down the middle of a tiny street past a café, while licking on our gelato cones. A waiter saw us licking around the edges of the cones (he was working in the crowded café) and called out to us, “Sweeties, how is your ice cream?” – I had a mouthful of gelato, so I just smiled and gave him the thumbs up. He replied in his thick Italian accent, “I wish I was your ice cream!” I had to laugh! Best pickup line I’ve heard in a long time… Now if only that guy would take a shower....

By the way, I just bought a villa in the Tuscan hills…

:) jen

Sept 5 - Florence is Hot!

We’ve had a great day transitioning to Florence. Here’s what we did today:

• Took the train from Rome to Florence, got into Florence at 11am. It was over 95 degrees here today – hot, hot, hot!
• Found our hotel (about a 4 block walk from train station)
• Lunch at an outdoor café followed by gelato of the day
• Rambled through San Lorenzo street market and nearby shops
• Visited the Piazza del Duomo - religious center of Florence includes the Baptistery, cathedral (aka Duomo), and the Duomo museum (the picture to the right is of the Duomo cathedral)
  
• Back to the hotel for a non-siesta - we decided we need to stay up to force ourselves to fall asleep later tonight at a reasonable hour
• Dinner at an outdoor café down the street from our hotel followed by gelato

Misadventures of the day:

• Communicating with the man who helped us get our luggage on the train - long-story…
• At lunch today we did not get anything we ordered, we got something else entirely – so we just ate it. Why not?

One thing we learned today is that when you try to enter the church and you are not appropriately dressed, they make you wear a blue paper poncho. We had read about this, but had never seen it (at the Vatican we saw one woman wearing a scarf for a long skirt).

Favorites of the day:

• Learning to say “ciao-ciao” – because one “ciao” is just not enough.
• First view of the buildings in the Piazza del Duomo - the facades of these building are unbelievable – really we can’t believe they are real even though we are standing in front of them.
• Viewing the mosaics that cover the interior of the Baptistery dome – insanely beautiful (see picture to the right).
• When the pipe organ started playing while we were in Duomo Cathedral - it was so moving.
• Standing inches away from Michelangelo’s Pieta - uh-maze-ing. This piece has a compelling story too (see picture to the right).
• Talking to the couple from New Zealand who had the table next to us at dinner.

Best fact of the day: When they built the cathedral they had so much faith that even though they didn’t know how to build the dome, they built it with a hole in the roof with the faith that eventually someone would come along who could build the dome. Isn’t that the coolest story?

Ciao-ciao

:) Kristin

Sept 4 - Accidental Tourists (and criminals)

Let me start by going to back to last night and telling you about dinner. We went to L'Orso 80 which was highly recommended to us. It was a small indoor restaurant in a tiny side street. It was beautiful and intimate. We had been told to have the house antipasti and that it would probably be enough food. It was crazy - so much food, tons of vegetables, cheese, meatballs, etc. We did decide to also get the seafood risotto which was delicioso as well. The waiter took a liking to us and gave us some compliemtnary limoncello (an Italian liquor) after dinner. The whole experience was delightful. After dinner we just started walking and ended up at Trevi Fountain by accident. It was a very charming evening (I need another word for "charming") - we love Rome at night - this city takes on a very special quality after dark. We took a taxi home from Trevi and as far as we can tell got totally taken advantage of by the driver, but we're not going to dwell on that and ruin our memories of the evening.

This morning we decided to check out the shops in Termini station. It was pretty overwhelming - totally crowded and the people smoking really got to me. We were on a hunt for real breakfast (our hotel is just pastries) and finally settled on McDonalds. I know, I know - but I think we were feeling a little homesick for something familiar. You have to see the pictures of this McDonald's though - it's fancy (very swanky decor).

After breakfast we just started walking (destination unknown) and ended up having the best day. We ambled down little streets (off the beaten path). We saw things we would have never seen if we stuck to the tourist spots, like an auto mechanic shop, a fabric store, and a nunnery. We wlaked through China town and an Indian neighborhood. Jen got some great photos of random things like a beautiful water facuet. Along the way we found the most amazing little market and bought some adorable little bottles of limoncello.

The only place I wanted to go today was The Forum and our rambling walk actually ended up taking us to The Forum (it was meant to be). The Forum is extraordinary - it's basically an active excavation site, so you can't get close, but it's so cool to see these ruins and imagine what used to be there.

The next part of our adventure I'm going to let Jen tell you about, but let's just say it involved criminal behavior (accidental criminal behavior - we're innocent I tell you). After that we found ourselves on Ave Nazionale (a main street that heads back toward our hotel). Nazionale is lined with shops, so we wandered in and out of the shops enjoying the day and the atmostphere of Rome. There was one great purchase (again I'll let Jen tell you).

We had a quiet lunch in a small cafe near our hotel (in the tea room because it was air conditioned) and then had our traditional afternoon siesta.

Tonight we had dinner at an outdoor cafe on the Pantheon square. Can I just say that the Pantheon is still my favorite site in Rome. Dinner was amazing. I think we both decided it was our best meal so far. The setting is incredibly romantic - the wine was phenomenal and when a man with a beautiful tenor voice started singing my favorite aria from La Traviata from the square...poor Jen was no longer the companion of my dreams. That the police quickly escorted our young performer away made for some drama, but it was memorable.

The evening was capped off with gelato of the day (of course) and a lovely taxi ride back to our hotel. Tonight we are packing up. It's our last night in Rome, we catch the train to Florence in the morning. Rome has been "magico" - unforgettable.

You can click here to view the Sept 4 slideshow.

Ciao,
:) Kristin

Italian Toilets

I have come to the conclusion that Italians are super geniuses. They have two separate buttons to flush the toilet - a big one and a little one. The little one does a quick flush and uses very little water - but it's a very strong flush and does the trick real quick. The bigger one does a longer flush and uses more water - you know what that's for! Water conservation at its best... Just an observation.... more to come...

:) jen

Missing Penises and Fig Leaves: an analysis of Roman Anatomy (please don't read this if penises offend you)

Have you ever really thought about what would happen if your penis fell off? I mean really, how embarrassing. As seen to the right, it really leaves you lacking when everything just falls off and you're left with nothing. As we walked through the Hall of Statues at the Vatican, we noticed a lot of missing penises. I started to feel really bad for these guys. How could you possibly sport a nice fig leaf when you have nothing to hold it up?

The guy above probably used to look something like this guy to the left. Circumcision wasn't a popular idea back in A.D. 10, but even a nice uncircumcised penis could sport a hefty fig leaf. This guy had a decent package, plenty to sustain a nice fresh fig leaf. But no. The guy above just lost it. Possibly in battle, or during a chariot race gone bad, or a fight to the death of his penis in the Colosseum. Poor guy.

Now some guys back in the day decided to opt for a replacement penis. There were a variety available, and as can be seen in this example, sometimes the color didn't quite match up right. But better to have an off-color penis, than no penis at all, right?

Finally, let's take a look at the varieties of fig leaves available (and while you're at it, ladies, take a look at those abs...). You could opt for a marble fig leaf like most of your fellow countrymen - - but why not just go all out and get that nice bronze one you've been eye-ing in the Roman Forum market?


I say if you're going to go with the fig leaf, go big.

:) jen

Sept 3 - Touring & Italian Shoes

As I've mentioned several times our hotel is just around the corner from Termini (the central train station for Rome). There are several bus tours of the city that start from Termini. These are the double-decker kind with the open top. We decided to take one today to get a total overview of the city.

It turned out to be a really great idea. There was an audio guide in English that played as we drove around the city. The weather was perfect - it was beautiful to enjoy the hot sun and blue skies while feeling the breeze. And driving through the city while someone explained the significance of the many sites was fabulous. There were buildings we had been past several times already but hadn't realized what they were.

Rome is magnificent - it's a combination of old, really old, and ancient, with a little modern mixed in. It's hard not to feel sad when they tell you that 15th century building you're staring at was built by demolishing the 3rd century one that stood there before it. Luckily in most cases the old and the new are built together. For example we saw four fountains that were built into the sides of buildings. One on each street corner at a four-way stop. Turns out the fountains were there first and the buildings were built around them in a way that preserved the fountains.

One thing that was obvious on the tour is how built up Rome is - what I mean is that "street level" used to be a lot lower. Many of the excavations at the Forum show this well. They are 10-20 feet lower than the present day street level. It's hard to understand how that happens - I know that earthquakes are part of it...

We did get off the tour bus for a while to return to Piazza Campo di Fiori (where we had dinner last night). During the day it's a market that is amazing. Beautiful fruit, vegitables, cheese, spices, etc were in abundance and all were spectacular. We picked up a few nibbles that eventually became part of the "picnic" lunch we had back at the room. In particular the green grapes were delicious.

I don't think I've mentioned that the one thing I wanted to buy in Italy is shoes (hello, shoes from Italy is a no brainer). I had told Jen about the shoes I was looking for - so when we were walking up the little side alley street to Fiori we were both drawn to a little shoe boutique and quickly found just what I wanted. It was fate I think...so I'm coming home from Italy with my dream shoes, I know it's a little pathetic that this made my day, but it did. They are the best souvenir a girl could ask for.

It's 4:45pm and Jen is sleeping now. We are on totally different sleep cycles. She sleeps while I'm awake, I sleep while she's awake. Luckily it's working out so far. So far neither of us has slept more than a few hours straight but we're sleeping twice a day, so we're not feeling particularly tired. Maybe by the time we get to Florence on Friday we'll be in sync with local time.

Tonight we're going to dinner at a place that was highly recommended to us by Jen's friend "Little Michel" - we've been looking forward to it for months, will tell you all about it when we get back.

Ciao,
:) Kristin

Sept 3 - The Police & La Traviata

It's 10am and we're still at our hotel, but we've already had some activity this morning. When we went down to the lobby to go to breakfast we were stopped by the police who had set-up a station in our hotel's lobby where they were checking passports. There were three police officers, two men and a woman. They were in plain clothes, but they had badges handing from their necks. We didn't have our passports on us because we weren't planning to leave the building. Unfortunately when we tried to go back to our room, the elevator was broken. So I was the lucky one to climb to the 7th floor to get them for us.

When we got back to the lobby, all they did was write down our info on a log. It's weird - but someone told us it's really common.

Okay - now for the thing I'm most excited about today. Jen figured out that La Traviata (my favorite opera of all time) is being played in Florence when we are there. We just bought tickets. I can't hardly stand waiting - we're also going to see Tosca on Sunday night. Going to the opera was the one thing I wasn't sure we were going to get to do, and now we're going twice, and to see La Traviata. The opera gods are smiling on us.

We're off for another day of sightseeing.

:) Kristin

P.S. We decided we're not going to stay overnight in Siena, instead we're going to stay in Florence for four nights (once we get there) on Friday and use our hotel in Florence as the home base for day trips around Tuscany. Oh, I love that we are free to change our minds over and over - it's so great.

Sept 2 – Roman Nightlife

After our siesta this afternoon we waited for it to get dark and then headed to Campo di Fiori for a late dinner. Jen had figured out that we could catch the 116 bus from Termini (near our hotel) since the metro doesn’t serve Fiori, but when we got to Termini we could not find the 116 bus (there are like 30 bus routes that come to Termini and 116 was no where to be found) – we ended up taking a taxi with this adorable young driver who didn’t speak a word of English, his cab smelled like baby powder (I know that’s weird, but we liked it).

Jen had wanted to go to La Carbonara for dinner, but had read it was closed on Tuesdays. When we got to Fiori, we were delighted to find it open. It was packed but we chose to wait even though other restaurants had tables. We were seated about 9:15pm. It was totally worth the wait.

At a charming patio table right on the edge of the piazza we had our first real Italian meal – we shared everything rather than over doing it and it was perfect. The gnocchi was particularly memorable as were the roasted potatoes that came with our lamb. It reminded us both of a fabulous dinner we had atop Mount Hood together years ago. Jen and I have eaten in some amazing places together and this ranks among the best of all time.

After dinner we followed a walking route outlined in Jen’s favorite guidebook that was designed to show us the best of Rome at night. This walk included Campo di Fiori, Pantheon, Piazza Novano, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. Along the way we took a detour for our second gelato of the day. We finished our walking tour just after midnight and all of the areas were still bustling with people.

Rome at night is very busy and there are lots of vendors & panhandlers out (at Trevi they were especially pushy). Even with all that craziness, this city at night is so incredibly beautiful and romantic (no Jen didn’t hold my hand) – that we each threw a coin into Trevi and wished to return to Rome soon (a tourist’s tradition).

Today was remarkable – this place is so charming, I feel very blessed to be here.

(I added tonight’s photos to the Sept 2 slide show – click here to view them)

:) Kristin

Addendum: Jen reminded me I forgot to mention that at lunch today I experienced my first Roman flirtation. Our waiter touched me and then purred (he actually purred) and then called me “my love” – don’t worry I’m not giving my heart away to an Italian waiter (and for those who are wondering – I swear I’m still not moving to Italy).

Sept 2 - Vatican

The morning started out with a bit of a mishap. I tried to use my flat iron (using the power converter) and nearly started a fire. First there was a pop and flash, then smoke started coming out of the iron. Very exciting and a little scary.

We headed out for the Vatican bright and early. Jen had ordered our tickets in advance which helped us skip many of the lines. Still it was very crowded and hot!!!! The first order of the day was to find the Vatican post office and mail some postcards (postage was .85 euro per postcard).

For those who haven't visited, the majority of the Vatican is basically a giant art museum. The collections are vast and cover pretty much all time. We saw items from b.c. all the way to paintings from some well known artists from the 1970s. The variety is phenomenal. But more than that the setting itself if breathtaking. In most rooms the ceilings are stunning, the architecture is extraordinary, and the floors are a work of art themselves.

Here are my favorite memories of the Vatican Museum:

• The giant pine cone in the Cortile dell Pigna - it's just bizaar to see a giant pine cone.
  
• Laughing with Jen about anatomy (yes we act like we are about 12 years-old at times).
  
• The statue of "Julia" in the Braccio Nuovo that looks a lot like my sister Erin (see photo to right)
• The violent nature of the art in the Animal Room (not for animal lovers)
• The giant bath tub (see the photo in my slide show)
  
• The ceiling in the round room (there's a picture in my Sept 2 slide show)
• The Gallery of Tapestries - the photos didn't come out from there (no flash allowed) but it was amazing. These tapestries are unbelievable. Huge is putting it mild and so much detail. Hard to believe they were sewn by hand.
• The Gallery of Maps - this room was really crowded, but it was the ceiling which really caught my attention. The frescos looked three dimensional.
• Collection of Modern Religious Art - some of the modern pieces from the 1960s and 1970s actually stand out in memory, partly because I didn't expect them to be there.

The Sistine Chapel was not what we expected (the curse of expectations). It's smaller and higher up in the building - it was also very crowded and unfortunately noisy, despite guards constantly shushing the crowd. The extreme height of the room and the vibrance of the colors are what struck me most. It's amazing to think Michelangelo painted all of that on scaffolding and that's it's fresco (colored wet plaster). I'm so glad I've seen it and will always remember it. We decided not to take photos in the chapel, it didn't seem right.

The most significant experience of the morning was St. Peter's Basilica. I don't even know how to explain what it was like to experience it. For one thing is was somewhat emotional for me, which I didn't expect. I was rushed with really strong feelings as soon as we entered the doors. I can't imagine how someone who is Catholic would feel because it was very profound to me and I have no religious attachment to it. The sheer magnitude of St. Peter's is part of what makes it so amazing. It's 5.7 acres and 132 feet high. I don't think you can understand how high that is until you see it. And every inch of it is a significant experience (history, spirituality, art, architecture, reverence, celebration, beauty - it's all there). I'm not even going to try to describe it, just promise me you'll try to see it in your life-time. Coming away from it, I honestly don't think my brain has integrated it, it didn't seem real - how can human beings have constructed this?

We were exhausted after the Vatican and unfortunately the metro broke down on our ride back to the hotel, so we had to find alternate transport. It was an adventure. Once back to Termini we found a cafe for lunch (we had beer, salad and french fries, a little odd I know). After that our first gelato of the day and back to the room for a siesta.

Click here to view entire slideshow

:) Kristin

Sept 1- Rome

We got into Rome at 7:30am and were surprisingly awake (I wouldn't go so far as refreshed). Our first misadventure started when our train from the airport reached the Termini train station in the heart of Rome. We knew our hotel was really close to the train station, but could not find it. Our solution: ask a taxi driver. His solution: drive us what turned out to be barely more than one block (and yes that cost 7 euro).

After ditching our bags at the hotel we started our Roman explorations with the Colosseum and The Palatine. Which were both amazing. I wish we could see the Colosseum the way it was during its use, because of the deterioration it's hard to imagine how the seating worked and where the "stadium" floor was, but the fact that so much of it is still standing is amazing.

When we exited the Colosseum, we got a panini from a street vendor for lunch (this was our second misadventure because it cost a fortune), but it was a learning experience. We ate it sitting beneath the Arch of Constantine.

The Palatine was something I didn't know much about. It's basically ruins of a huge area that used to be filled with palaces. Every time a new emperor reined they would build another palace so the area kept expanding. The ruins are extraordinary and the views of the city from this site are breathtaking. It's a huge area and pretty hilly. We had a lot of fun poking around fallen columns and exploring what was left of these extraordinary buildings.

After a brief siesta back at the hotel we headed out again and enjoyed a slice of pizza while sitting on the Spanish Steps. They give you the pizza folded up in paper, so you eat it more like a sandwich than how we usually eat it at home. The steps were beautiful but watching the panhandlers work the tourists was the most fun part of sitting there. I don't get how they get anyone to buy the crap they are selling - it's bazaar.

From there we walked to Piazza Navona. During our walk we window shopped in the high end stores (Gucci, Prada, etc.) and enjoyed views of beautiful side streets with tiny cafes and shops. We also stopped for a little romp in a fountain near the Tiger River. Once at the Piazza Novona the best delights were the fountains, a little more people watching, and our first Italian bire (beer). We saw several interesting performers including someone dressed as a cowboy and someone as the Statue of Liberty. There was a wedding going on in the church, weird for a Monday night at 6pm.

We concluded our day of sightseeing at the Panthenon which just stunned me. I wasn't prepared for the inside. The dome is magnificent and it's impossible to capture in a photo because it's just too big. This is the oldest building that is still intact inside and out and we're lucky it is. It is stunning - I want to go back there before we leave. Defntely my favorite site of the day.

While in the Panthenon square we bought some stuff for a picnic tomorrow at a Salumeria. The owner was really nice and got really emotional when she showed us the letter she got from her nephew in the US. Lastly we found our first gelatto just across the square and sat on the steps facing the Panthenon while we ate.

It was a great first day!!! View the full slide show

:) Kristin

Gelato of the Day

The plan is to eat a lot of gelato in Italy (at least every day) and to chronicle our gelato experiences here. After all, half the reason to come to Italy is for the food.

Sept 8 – Florence: Per told us about his favorite place and practically made us promise to try the flavor “cookies.” When we found this place we knew it was a real gem. The gelato is creamier than any we’ve had so far and the choice of flavors was excellent. Jen ordered Cookies and After Eight (mint chocolate). I got Peach and Ricotta with Fig. And the winner is….it’s a tie between Peach and After Eight with Cookies getting an honorable mention (this is a scientific process after all). So now we have a problem – a tie is not in the spirit of our competition – we’ve got to find some gelato even better than these two now. Perhaps tomorrow when we sample Melissa’s favorite place - Grom.

Sept 7 – Florence: Today we saw the biggest collection of gelato flavors ever. Per & Melissa took us to this place after lunch. It was so hard to pick. Jen had Torone and Whipped Cream (it’s a flavor). I had marmalade and Zuppa de Inglese (English soup, more like cake and ice cream). The marmalade was the big winner – although the English soup was a tough competitor. We’re starting to think about how to pick the gelato of the trip. Per suggested we have we hold a tournament like the NCAA. First round is Cinnamon vs. Tiramisu – who will be the winner?

Sept 6 – Florence: The gelato today was sub-par all around. We had it twice, but both times at the same place (a small café on the corner by our hotel). For one their policy is “no tastes” – so we should have known. We would not have gone back except they were the only open place the second time we got gelato. The flavor of the day is Rum. Amaretto was a close second (it was the day of liqueurs).

Sept 5 - Florence: This is going to seem really strange, but today's flavor of the day is vanilla. Kristin picked it, with no expectations that it would compete, but just in the mood for some good vanilla. Today we also tried banana, pineapple, and mint chip, but it was the vanilla that stood out. This was no ordinary vanilla. Rich and creamy for sure, but it also had little bits of something yummy in it, we think maybe pieces of waffle cone. This is maybe the best vanilla ice cream ever - it's the best gelato of the trip so far. We also did something new today, got our gelato in cones - yum!


Sept 4 - Rome: We had gelato twice today, but it was the second time that was really good. It was after dinner near the Pantheon. And the flavor is Cinnamon (manela). It was so yummy and creamy that we both got it. Jen was in search of pineapple (aranas) but didn't really find a good one, so it took us three tries to pick this gelateria. Then we both samples a ton of flavors before finding Cinnamon (yum). When we went to pay we found out they gave you a free bottle of water with your gelato (that's worth 1-2 euro) so it made it even more worth it.

Sept 3 - Rome: It's hard to find a good gelato in the city.... just kidding! There are gelato bars every 200 feet or so - kind of like the ABC stores of Waikiki. We only had gelato once today (I know, we're lagging...) but it was soooo good. Even though Il Gelato had some very unique flavors (we tasted white fig!), Kristin went with a standard Chocolate and Hazelnut - which was pretty tasty; but my out-of-the-ordinary Ginger and Cinnamon was the winner of the day (with Hazelnut a close second, taking the Honorable Mention category). We'll try to get in at least two gelato contests tomorrow - stay tuned!

Sept 2 - Rome: Today's gelato of the day was had at a little cafe just around the corner from our hotel. We stopped there for lunch and then got gelato for the walk back to the room. Jen got coconut which put my lemon to shame (and the lemon was really good).

Our second gelato of the day was at Giolitti (a really famous place near Parliament) and it was great, they had two huge coolers of flavors, many we could not decipher, but although we had four flavors between us (pistachio, chocolate, torone, and cheescake), none could beat the coconut gelatto from earlier today. This place was unusual because you paid first and then took your receipt to the gelato counter to order. Also you could not eat there unless you got table service which cost twice as much for the same thing.

Sept 1 - Rome: We had our first Roman gelato at Gelato Piu, just outside the Pantheon. Kristin picked the tiramisu flavor which edged out Jen's pistachio for the win.

Aug 31 - Chicago: We knew we needed to start the trip off right, so the first "gelato" was Hagan Daas in the O'hare Airport. Jen picked the "Vanilla Honey Bee" which was awesome.