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.