Tomorrow Is Another Day...

Positano, Pompeii, and Capri, Oh My!

At last, we have reached the final leg of our trip.  Our foray into the southern part of Italy was a much needed break from the endless duomos and museums of Rome and Florence.  Don't get me wrong, I get just about as geeked out as possible at the thought of museums filled to the brim with history and art, and just the first sighting of a Renaissance cathedral is enough to send me into raptures, but after nearly two weeks straight of the aforementioned, we were in desperate need of a break.  And five days in southern Italy gave us that perfect respite.

We woke up early in the morning on the 15th, and after checking out of our charming hotel, began our trip to Positano.  I mentioned previously that public transportation in Italy is very easy to use and will take you most anywhere you want to go with just a few exceptions.  Once you start traveling out into the farther reaches of the Italian countryside or into the smaller southern villages, your public transportation options become a bit more limited, and it may be necessary to either rent a car, or hire a driver.  In our case, we could have taken the train to Naples and then caught the Circumvesuviano to Positano, however, we opted to shave a couple of hours off the trip, and for a bit more money, hired a driver to take us from the Naples train station to Positano.

Tip #1:  Your hotel is more than just a place to stay at night--it is also a trip planning resource.  Most hotel owners or concierges are happy to assist you in organizing day trips, setting up transportation, and recommending the best restaurants.  In our case, I emailed our hotel in Positano and asked about our transportation possibilities, they replied promptly with our options, and then arranged our driver for us.  All we had to do was get to the proper train station and then take the escalator up the stairs to find our driver waiting for us with a smile on his face!

 Tip #2: There are actually 3 separate train stations in Naples--the central station is called Garibaldi and it will be the third stop in Naples if you are coming from the north.  Make sure you pay attention to the signs at the stops so that you'll know when you've arrived as quite frequently the announcements are either nonexistent or a bit garbled.  Naples was the trickiest station for us, just because we weren't aware in advance that there would be three stations to choose from.  Consider yourself warned!

The traffic in Naples was absolutely horrific and based on what we could see from the back seat of our car, the city has none of the historical impact of Rome or picturesque charm of Florence.  While graffiti was a constant plague everywhere we went in Italy, it was absolutely unavoidable in Naples.  On top of the graffiti and traffic, down just about every alley there were piles and piles of garbage due to the unfortunate rubbish crisis that has been going on for quite some time.  I try not to judge cities based on brief encounters, but after just 15 minutes in Naples, I can tell you that I have no desire to ever go back.

Aside from that experience, the ride to Positano was beautiful, and thank God I had Colby's hand to grip onto as we careened around bends in the road practically hovering in space over the beautiful Mediterranean along the Amalfi Coast.  We arrived at our hotel, the lovely Punta Regina a little after 1:30 pm, and after dropping off our bags and letting out a gasp upon seeing our gorgeous view, headed out in search of lunch.

Positano is a simple, stunning village.  It seems as though the brightly colored houses and shops have sprung out of the side of the cliff they cover, and when looking at it from the coastline, it seems impossible that the town manages to hang onto the rock.  When the sun is shining on the town it is as though you have never seen a brighter white than the white of the shop fronts or a bluer blue than the sparkling ocean.

It is difficult to recap this part of the trip in any detail because really so much of our experience in Positano was just sitting and watching.  Watching the waves lapping on the shore.  Watching the town dogs bounding and romping on the beach.  Watching the locals meet in the middle of streets to talk about their day and whisper town secrets.  For dinner we splurged a bit and decided to eat at one of the open air restaurants overlooking the beach.  Our dinners were amazing and dessert even better, but the best part was watching the waiters attempts at keeping the dogs that ruled the beach from encroaching onto restaurant territory.  It was like a cartoon--a dog would slyly slink over the top of the bench that enclosed the dining area and sneak across the floor to lie by a space heater, a waiter would spot him and with an outraged cry chase the dog out flapping a menu for added emphasis, and then the process would begin again.

The next morning dawned bright and clear, any chill from the day before chased away by the brightly burning sun.  We caught to 10 o'clock ferry to Capri, and after the one hour boat ride, my stomach had had all it could take and I practically ran onto shore when we docked.  We left our luggage with some porters at the Marina Grande and then caught the Funicular up to the main piazza of Capri.

Tip #3:  Capri is pronounced with an emphasis on the "Cap", rather than the "ri" as we tend to say in the states.  So it should be spoken, "CAPri" with a long "a".  We perplexed more than one Italian when we told them we were headed to CapRI, and were corrected with the proper pronunciation in short order.

We made our way through the town center and down Via Camarelle toward our hotel, taking in designer store after designer store.  D&G, Versace, Gucci, Fendi, Pucci, Ferragamo--anyone who is anyone as a designer has a store on Via Camerelle, and I was entranced by all of the beautiful clothes in the window displays that I will never be able to afford.

We checked into the Hotel La Minerva, and since the sun was shining, I immediately took up residence on the lounge on our private balcony.  After a short rest, we went in search of lunch and then began the search for Marina Piccolo.  We weren't entirely sure how to get there, and once again the maps were doing their best to outsmart us, but we trekked down a long and winding road in what seemed like the right direction, and eventually ended up on the small beach.

We collapsed onto the pebbly beach, exhausted after our long walk, and just stared, mesmerized by the ocean for nearly two hours.  Rather, I stared, mesmerized, while Colby hid his prized, alabaster skin beneath a sweater and bemoaned his lack of sunscreen.  He is such a Southern belle.  After Colby convinced me that he was about to break out into freckles on the spot, we began the climb back up to the top of Capri--this time taking the stairs straight up rather than the long and winding road (dun dun, that leads to your door).  I'm still not convinced it was any easier, but it was a bit quicker.

That night we had dinner at Faraglioni after a much needed nap.  One thing that took a bit of adjusting to, was how much more expensive Capri was than the rest of Italy.  We'd grown quite accustomed to our 30 to 40 Eur dinners that included an appetizer, two entrees, dessert, and wine, whereas in Capri the bill nearly doubled.

Tip #4:  In Italian restaurants there will almost always be a cover charge of 1-3 Eur per person (approximately), although some restaurants will advertise that they do not charge this cover or coperto in hopes of luring in more tourists.  Sometimes they will only charge it if you eat the bread that is placed on your table, but since we were never sure if we were going to be charged anyway, we generally just ate the bread and expected the charge (if you prefer, you can always just ask).  Also, from what we understood, a 15-20% tip that would be the norm in the states is not expected in the Italian restaurants--although I'm sure the waiters would love to accept it!  We typically would leave 1 or 2 Eur over our bill, depending on the service.<

Our next day in Capri we had another lie in, not getting out of bed until 9:30, and then pizza at the delicious Isodoro (we liked it so much, we went back for dinner the next night and I had the most amazing porcini mushroom risotto) when we finally made our way to the town center.  Following lunch we hiked up to the Belvedere Canon, getting only slightly lost on our way, for a beautiful view of the Faraglioni rocks (the cluster of three rocks pictured above).  Once we'd recuperated from that uphill climb, we began an even more exhausting one to Villa Jovis, Emperor Tiberius's retirement home.

The ruins were interesting enough, and it was horrible to imagine the insane Tiberius retiring here to lovely Capri and then when he would become bored, throwing his slaves off of the cliff upon which he built his villa.  However, the best part was the walk up to the ruins and seeing the beautiful gardens that the Caprese people cultivated.  Everything was in bloom and I have never seen or smelled so much wisteria.  It was an exhausting uphill trek, but the gorgeous fauna made it completely worth it.

Our last day in Capri we had hoped to do a boat trip around the island, visiting the various grottoes and soaking in a little more sunshine, however the rain clouds had other ideas in mind for us.  The boat tours were shut down due to the rough seas, so instead, we did a little souvenir shopping and then headed back to our hotel to take full advantage of the numerous English language television channels that Sky TV so generously provided.

The next day we rose bright and early and took a much larger, and therefore, much smoother ferry to Naples where we caught the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii for the day.  We arrived in Pompeii a little after noon and went on to spend the next 5 or 6 hours wandering through the remains of the city.  I was completely blown away by how different Pompeii was from what I'd expected.  Before, when I thought of Pompeii, all I imagined were those horrible plaster casts of dead people.  But what I didn't realize was that there was so much left of the city that once was.

I couldn't bring myself to even look at the plaster casts after seeing the agony on the face of the one that I did happen to see, but the villas were absolutely beautiful, though crumbling, and seeing the forums and temples and even a brothel, really brought the city back to life for me.  I would absolutely rank our trip to Pompeii among the top five experiences on our trip, and would really encourage everyone to try to fit it into their Italian vacation.

That night we caught the train from Naples back to Rome, arriving back at the Hotel Alimandi Vaticano a little after 10:30 and then making one last visit to the Gelateria Millennium for one last chocolate and Nutella gelato treat!  It was amazing how much we really felt as though we were coming home, and of course, when we woke up the next morning to leave for the airport, the sun was shining brightly and the temperatures were in the mid-70s.  Just in time for us to leave, Rome showed us how beautiful she could be!

And so ends my reminiscences on our trip to Italy.  Thank you so much for indulging me while I share all of my experiences with you.  I'm sad, writing these final lines, because now it really feels as though this trip is behind me.  A trip that I spent years dreaming about and a year and a half planning, already gone and in the past.  I still have a scrapbook to finish, and I know that between my handwritten journal, and these online entries, I'll never forget our trip, but still, I'll never again have that experience of stepping foot on Italian soil for the first time, and I really don't think it's possible to be quite the same again after experiencing Italy.  Fanny Burney said it best:  "Traveling is the ruin of all happiness!  There is no looking at a building after seeing Italy."

I don't know if I've been ruined, but I certainly have been spoiled.

Under the Tuscan Sun: Part Two

Since we returned home from our honeymoon, everywhere I look I see Italy.  The girls on America's Next Top Model are doing shoots in Rome on all of the crumbling rocks we leaned against to eat our sandwiches.  20/20 just had a special on "The Secrets of the Sistine Chapel" that we watched, squealing the entire time because, "Hey, that's our hotel!" "Look, we saw that statue!"  Even Dr. Who took his companion to Pompeii on volcano day, just so Colby and I could jump up and down in our seats when they showed the interiors of villas and made cheesy Ancient Rome jokes that we so totally get now!  I don't know if we're just more aware of all of these Italian connections that have always been around now, or if there's some kind of conspiracy at work to remind me of how much I miss Italy every single day.

On our third day in Florence, we woke up early and headed out into the cool, grey, rainy day to meet our winery tour guide at the Ponte alle Grazie.  Due to a combination of a miscommunication and the terrible Florentine traffic, we ended up shivering under our umbrellas for 45 minutes waiting for the silver van.  Gillian, our driver and guide for the tour was incredibly apologetic when she eventually arrived, and we happily climbed into the van to enjoy the beautiful 20 minute drive to Chianti.

We arrived at Castello di Verrazzano, and were absolutely blown away by the romantic beauty of the rolling mist cloaking the endless fields of grape vines dotted with towering ancient castles and tiny cottages.  We had selected the Executive Wine Tour (much like an Executive Transvestite) so we began our day with a tour of the grounds, and were then led through the interior of the winery where we heard about the history of the castel, the process of how one becomes certified as an official Chianti vintner, and then moved on to the highlight of the tour--lunch and the wine tasting!

Tip #1:  How to properly "taste" wine.  I've been to a number of wine tastings in my life, but never before have I been taught how to taste and really appreciate what I was drinking.  Gillian took a moment to explain the process, and it made a huge difference in our experience.  First, lift the glass using only the stem--don't allow your hand to cup the bowl!  Bring the lip of the glass to your face, and allow it to completely envelop your nose and then smell for a few seconds.  Then lower the glass, and swirl it vigorously, then repeat the smelling step.  Make a note of how drastically the scent changes--I was actually able to pick up on the fruity and spicy scents that I've never been able to detect in wines before.  Once you feel you have an appreciation for the scent, take a sip and then swish it around your mouth like a mouthwash, allowing yourself to taste the wine in all of the different areas of your mouth, front, back, sides, gums, and palate.  Then, if you're a professional, you should spit and rinse your mouth or eat some bread, and if you're me, you swallow and then eat some bread anyway because damn, you're hungry!

We were given a glass of their sparkling white wine to enjoy before the tasting began, and then were led through their different reds--their table wine, Chianti, and Chianti reserve.  Once the official tasting was over, the party began.  We had toasted bread with garlic and their amazing Castello di Verrazzano olive oil, a mixed salad, sliced meats, pasta, and grilled sausages.  The wine was flowing freely and the six of us on the tour began to really loosen up and have a good time getting to know each other.  Lunch ended with a block of deliciously sharp Parmesan chased with a spoonful of incredible balsamic vinegar and almond biscotto dipped into a glass of Vino Santo--a sweet white wine.  To wash down our meals, we were each given a glass of grappa and then grappa reserve.

Tip #2:  Really be prepared and understand what you're drinking when you take a sip of grappa.  I was just thinking that it was a kind of slightly stronger wine, and it was served in a shot glass, so I picked up that glass of grappa and shot it straight down.  Oh my God.  I don't remember anything after the grappa.  While the drink is made of grapes, it is essentially a legal moonshine--a liquid distilled from the skins of grapes leading to a drink that can be up to 160 proof.  It tastes like taking a sip of rubbing alcohol and feels like doing three shots of tequila.

When we had all finished our eating and drinking, we were each given a pot of the castle's honey and then loaded back into the van and brought back to our respective hotels.  I was completely toasted and filled to the brim with delicious fattening foods, so even though it was just a little past 2:30, we collapsed into bed and I didn't wake up until 6 o'clock the next morning.  I think it's safe to say that I don't handle my liquor as well as I once did!

 

Luckily I was refreshed and recovered by the next morning and we headed to the station to catch the train to Pisa for a half day.  Once more, it was raining for the duration of our train ride, but thankfully, once we arrived in Pisa, the skies cleared and the sun eventually began to peek through the clouds.  Pisa itself was not a terribly attractive city, we joked that it was a good thing their tower began to lean, because aside from that the town doesn't have much to recommend itself.  We made the 30 minute walk from the train station, and seeing that tower leaning crazily off kilter was one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen.

It's another one of those things where you can see all of the pictures in the world, hear about the tower as a cultural icon, and know in your head that it is a tower that is leaning 4 degrees off center and still standing, and still be absolutely blown away when you see it.  I just kept looking at Colby with surprise in my eyes repeating over and over, "It's leaning!  It's really leaning!"  We spent about an hour walking around the Campo dei Miracoli, entering the Duomo for a few minutes and gazing at the baptistery (we were to cheap to pay the money to go inside) and then most of our time gawking at that crazy leaning tower.

After we had our fill of the leaning tower, we wandered around the streets of Pisa in search of Galileo's house, and just when we were about to give up, we happened to glance upward, and there was the modest sign in Italian quietly proclaiming the birthplace of Galileo Galilei.  Once we'd taken a few pictures, we felt like we'd spent enough time in Pisa, so we stopped for lunch on the way back to the station and then took the train back to Florence.

Tip #3:  There are quite a few delis and cafes where you can buy simple but delicious sandwiches, pizzas and calzones for 2-6 Eur.  We almost exclusively ate those sandwiches and pizzas for lunch and I highly recommend finding one of these shops and then taking your lunch out to a piazza to eat.  In some of the shops you can eat inside, but you will be charged an additional 1-3 Eur for the privilege of sitting down.  If you want to eat inside, be sure to ask in advance if you'll be charged extra just so that you'll be prepared for your bill.

That afternoon we visited Santa Croce church, also called  "Westminster Abbey of Florence" as it is the final resting place of a number of prominent Italians including Machiavelli, Gailileo, and Michelangelo.  After our tour of the church I went in search of some leather to bring back home and found a beautiful red leather overnight bag marked down 50%, and when I still hesitated, the shopkeeper took off another 50 Eur.  We attempted to bring our laundry to a laundromat, but were completely stumped by the process, so instead we spent a romantic evening in our hotel room washing our socks and underwear in the bathroom sink.

Tip #4:  Buy your leather in Florence!  There's a leather school in Santa Croce, and while we were there on a day when they were closed, it is the best place in Florence to watch the leathermakers at work.  Outside of Santa Croce there is an endless sea of leather shops that come highly recommended, and be sure to ask if you can have the VAT removed from your total price if they don't automatically do so.  I found my bag at a shop called La Torre on Via Dei Cimatori 20/r (near the Duomo--heading back toward the river), and there were a number of comparable shops in that area.

The next day, was our fifth and last day in Florence and we decided to take it easy.  We didn't wake up until around 9 o'clock and then headed to the Science Museum tucked away between the Arno River and the Ufizzi.

Tip #5:  Unless you're extremely interested in exhibits about how light and telescopes work, I would skip the Science Museum.  Colby was mildly entertained, and seeing two of Galileo's own telescopes was fairly interesting, but neither of us felt that it was worth the 8 Eur entrance price.

After the Science Museum we walked over to San Lorenzo church to visit the Medici chapel, and shock of all shocks, the church was covered in scaffolding and surrounded by construction workers.  Still, the chapel turned out to be a very peaceful and beautiful retreat.  The best part was Michelangelo's New Sacristy, housing the tombs of Lorenzo the Magnificent, his brother Giuliano, and Lorenzo's two sons, all beautifully carved by Michelangelo just before he had to go into hiding.  The sacristy itself was architected by Michelangelo, and its design is so ethereal and beautiful.

The rain was beginning to fall again after we had finished at the chapel, so we got lunch and gelato and headed back to the hotel to wait for the rain to pass.  Later that afternoon we headed back out to try visiting the Boboli Gardens by the Pitti Palace, stopping off to pet the nose of a brass warthog to ensure that we would return to Florence someday.  Unfortunately, once we arrived at the gardens they had already stopped allowing people in, so we decided to wander back to Piazzale Michelangelo.

Tip #6: Keep in mind that although many sites and museums publish one closing time, they'll actually stop admitting people in up to 30 minutes or an hour prior to that time.  For example, we knew that the gardens closed at 6:30, so we thought we would just spend 30 or 40 minutes there before closing time, but they had already closed the gates.

We did have a wonderful walk to the Piazzale though, deciding to say on the Oltrarno side of the river and really seeing a beautiful, far less touristy side of Florence.  We saw some beautiful villas where the rich folk lived along the river and made fools of ourselves by the old city walls.  That night we ate at an absolutely amazing trattoria, Del Fagioli, where the menu was entirely in Italian and we basically threw our taste buds at the mercy of our waiter.

Florence was by far the hardest city to leave.  I think we stayed long enough that we began to feel like it was a little home away from home, and I loved the sort of small town feel to what was really a bustling, beautiful city.  It was the perfect way to recover from Rome before heading down to the south of Italy where we would spend the next few days desperately seeking sunshine!

Under the Tuscan Sun: Part One

By the time we packed our bags and caught the train up to Siena, we had really begun to hit our traveling stride.  We had developed a system wherein Colby would navigate from place to place, and then I would deal with buying tickets, checking in for reservations, or reading the background on whatever site we were getting ready to visit in our guidebook.  It wasn't until Siena that we really began to make full use of our guidebook though.

Tip #1:  If there is a Rick Steves guidebook for the city, region, or country to which you are traveling, BUY IT!  Lori loaned us their Rick Steves books for Tuscany and Rome, and we had our own Italy guidebook put out by Frommers.  Of course, a guidebook preference is going to depend a lot on what you want to get out of it, but we found the Frommers book to be less informative, a little stuffy, and more geared toward an older audience who was looking to spare no expense.  We weren't looking to blow all of our cash at every meal, and Rick Steves had fantastic suggestions on where to find really great food at really great prices.  There were also self guided tours for most of the sites we visited written in a very informative and humorous style.  By the end of our trip, we were on a first name basis with good old Rick and now we're hooked on his PBS travel show. 

     

So, we left Rome after a 4:45 am wake up call (UGH!) and caught an early train into Siena.  The process at the train station was extremely easy--we bought our tickets at a sort of ticket ATM and then found our train by checking the departure boards.  It was a little tricky at first, but we'd given ourselves plenty of time to figure it out.

We arrived in Siena after a 3 hour train ride, and caught a taxi to our absolutely lovely temporary residence, Villa Elda.  Charming doesn't even begin to describe this beautiful villa, and we were treated to the most beautiful view of the heart of Siena from our bedroom window.  Of course, the top of the Duomo was covered in scaffolding, but even with the cranes and construction equipment, I was immediately in love with Siena.

Tip #2: I don't know if this is true for all hotels in Italy, but we stayed in five separate hotels in three different regions, and none of the rooms came equipped with an alarm clock or a iron and ironing board.  In Florence, we were able to borrow an ironing board and iron from the owner, but we just used Colby's watch to tell time and wake up calls to get us up in the morning.  This isn't really a complaint, but it is something to be aware of, and I probably would have done more ironing before we left and brought along a travel alarm clock if I had known about this in advance.

 

We only had one day in Siena, so we immediately departed our hotel, and made the ten minute walk into the tiny center of Siena.  That was when the hills started--and they didn't stop for the rest of our trip!  I think it's safe to say that we walked a lot more in Rome, and covered a lot more ground, but what we didn't appreciate at the time, was how flat Rome was.  From Siena to Florence to Positano to Capri we did nothing but walk up and down hills.  Some were gently sloping, some were steep and exhausting, all of them contributed to my ability to eat gigantic servings of gelato and three or four course dinners without gaining a pound!

In Siena we visited the truly stunning Duomo, ate lunch on Il Campo, wandered through the maze of streets, and stopped into San Domenico church where I was utterly freaked out by the relics they had on display--namely St. Catherine's head in a small, gilded box.  That is one Catholic tradition that I just cannot get behind!  We had dinner at a sweet little trattoria called Il Tamburino where I ate the most amazing walnut and mushroom ravioli.  A ravioli that I still dream about at night...

Tip #3:  The basic 7 Eur for a liter house wines in Italy are simply amazing.  There is really no reason to spend that much on a glass of wine, or 15-20 Eur on a bottle.  Just as for the house wine and then use the money you save on an amazing dessert or delicious appetizer.  All we drank in Italy were the house wines, and we were never disappointed.

The next morning, we took an hour long bus ride to Florence, and arrived at our B&B, Casa del Garbo, right on Piazza della Signoria, right in the heart of historic Florence.  We took our time settling into our room, and then made our way to the meeting point for our ArtViva! tour of the Uffizi Gallery.  Like Angel Tours, ArtViva! is another tour group that I would recommend to anyone whole heartedly.  Our tour guide at the Uffizi was an American who had lived in Italy for seven years, and I would swear that she knew everything there was to know about Italian history and art.  For me, the highlights of the Uffizi were Botticelli's Venus and Primavera and Leonardo's Annunciation.

Tip #4:  It's true that you are not allowed to take photos in the Uffizi, but don't do like us and leave your camera at home.  There is a beautiful view of Ponte Vecchio on one end of the Uffizi, and on the other end a lovely view of the river with San Miniato in the distance.

We needed another break after hours on our feet in the Uffizi, so we made a gelato stop and then hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo to visit San Miniato Church and see the sunset over Florence.  We had hoped to see the vespers at San Miniato at 5:30, so we showed up a little early and entered the church to find seats.  To our surprise, the small church was already filled to capacity and it turned out that there was some kind of reading being given that night.  So, we stuck around for about an hour, hoping that the vespers would begin late, but when a group began performing Gregorian Chants we thought that the informal men's group in the Pantheon had far outperformed them, so we slipped out the back door and headed back over to the Piazzale.

Sunset was absolutely beautiful, even through the clouds that had begun following us around Italy, and Colby went crazy taking pictures.  Once dusk had fully set in, we walked back down toward our hotel and just opted for a sandwich in our room while watching some wild and crazy Italian Wheel of Fortune!

The next morning we met another ArtViva! tour group for a walking tour of Florence where we got a great overview of the history of the city and then ended up in the lovely Duomo.  The interior of Florence's Duomo was much simpler than Siena's, but still impressive in its own unique way.  We took a lunch break after the tour, at a very nice and inexpensive Italian restaurant--McDonald's, I think it was called?--and then went back to the Duomo to climb to the top of the dome for another view of Florence.

That afternoon we met up with ArtViva! for the last time to visit David at the Academia.  I think out of all the ancient buildings and beautiful art that we saw in Italy, my very favorite experience was walking up that hallway of Michelangelo's Prisoners and seeing the beautiful, fourteen foot tall David rising before us in all of his glory.  Even after seeing the copies in Piazza della Signoria and Piazzale Michelangelo, I wasn't prepared for how beautiful and elegant David would be.  Every vein was perfectly sculpted, the nostrils were flared delicately as though he were taking his last long breath before going off to face his foe, the fingers were curled tightly around his slingshot, and above all else, his ass was AMAZING!

There isn't much else to see in the Academia, a few paintings and some plaster models, but there was a nice exhibit on 15th and 16th century musical instruments, so we managed to fill the time before we were all kicked out at closing time.  We headed to dinner and then decided to take a walk through the statue filled loggia on the other side of the Piazza from our hotel.  Just at that point, the skies opened up and the rain began pouring down in sheets.  It was really beautiful, just sitting on a bench amongst all of that beautiful art and watching how the rain and light combined to turn the statues into haunting silhouettes.

And thus ends the first half of our time in Florence.  More pictures from the Tuscan leg of our trip can be found here, and I'll pick up next time with our day trips to Chianti and Pisa and our final day in Florence.

Roman Holiday

The first time I visited New York City, I couldn't get over how Manhattan really was everything I'd expected it to be.  I think I had seen so many movies and TV shows, postcards and snow globes, purses and t shirts with New York featured prominently, that it had kind of become unreal to me.  Like it was this very famous fictional character, a caricature of the "real" New York City.  But then I stepped out of the airport and our shuttle driver spent an hour screaming obscenities at cabbies, I was nearly run over by a flood of brightly colored yellow taxis when I crossed the street, the Empire State Building stood grey and imposing amongst a skyline of other grey buildings, and Times Square was just as bright and obnoxious as it had ever seemed to be.  It was almost disconcerting just how unreal the "real" New York City felt.

Rome was very similar to New York in that regard.  Just as expected, there were speeding scooters whizzing up and down every street, the cars all crowded onto the street with no regard for lanes or traffic direction, walking out of the Metro stop the Colosseum rose before us, towering and majestic behind a sea of parked cars and souvenir vendors.  The buildings were covered in the graffiti, the Italians were passionate and effusive in their speaking and gestures.  There were crumbling columns, statues and temples around every corner and beautiful, fading frescoes painted above glaring green pharmacia signs.  I spent our four days in Rome trying to wrap my mind around the fact that we weren't in a theme park, we weren't in a restaurant designed to look like an Italian trattoria, and yes, I really am standing inside of the Pantheon.

I think part of what made it so difficult to fall instantly in love with Rome, was the highly surreal quality that those first four days took on.  Once I adjusted to the fact that I really was walking the streets of Italy, and not just a really great reproduction, it made it a little easier to truly appreciate all that we were seeing and experiencing each day.

Tip #1:  If you are planning a trip abroad and have little to no previous experience in that region, use the TripAdvisor forums.  I didn't post often, and I will warn that there are some cantankerous bastards that can attack at the most bizarre provocation, but use the search feature to find trip reviews, suggestions for things to pack, and absolutely, without a doubt, believe in the hotel reviews and rankings.  During the planning of our trip, I didn't use a single guidebook--just TripAdvisor and an Excel spreadsheet.  Our itinerary for each city turned out nearly perfect, and all of our hotels turned out to be even better than expected.

 

In Rome, we stayed at the Hotel Alimandi Vaticano, and fantastic doesn't even begin to cover it.  Our room was stunning--marble floors, a view of the entrance to the Vatican Museum, spacious bathroom, comfortable bed, and a bottle of wine welcoming us to Rome.  The breakfast buffet was by far the most impressive of all the hotels we stayed at on our trip.  There were multiple meat options, eggs, fruits, vegetables, breads, cheeses and a number of different juices and teas.  In a country of pastry and cereal hotel breakfasts, we really hit the jackpot.  The location was perfect for us, as I mentioned that it was across the street from the Vatican, where we were planning to spend two long mornings, and it was just two blocks from a metro line that ran almost everywhere else we needed to go.

Tip #2:  You DO NOT need to rent a car to get around Italy.  I'm sure there are benefits to having your own mode of transportation, but I honestly cannot even begin to imagine trying to navigate the nightmarish traffic amongst those death defying Italian drivers.  The public transportation is absolutely fantastic, and it really will get you everywhere you need to go (with a few exceptions that I'll talk about more when I get to our final leg of the trip).  The taxis are fairly cheap--on par with Manhattan prices--but if you are traveling to or from the train station or airport, be sure to ask the price in advance.  We got taken in on our first taxi to the hotel because we ended up with a "car and driver" rather than basic taxi and ended up paying 75 Eur for the 30 minute trip.  We learned out lesson pretty quickly after that.  The trains and metro are extremely punctual--we only had one delay the entire trip, and we used the trains every time we changed locations--are really remarkably clean and fairly easy to navigate even for a non-Italian speaker.

Our first morning out and about, we went to the Colosseum and The Forum, using a guide from Angel Tours.  I cannot recommend Angel Tours highly enough.  We used them three times in Rome, and each tour guide is guaranteed to be a native English speaker and all of them had extensive knowledge of their topics and a great deal of love for their beautiful country.  As I mentioned before, as soon as you step foot out of the Coloseo metro stop, there the Colosseum stands, towering above you in all of its glory, and it is quite an awe inspiring moment.  However, the Forum was hands down my favorite stop along the tour, as it is just packed with history.  From the place where Julius Caesar's body was buried and flowers are still placed each year on the Ides of March, to the Temple of the Vestal Virgins where the light of Rome was never allowed to expire, to the deep ridges left by the chariot wheels along the streets, the whole place was just teeming with history.

 

After our guided tour (which I highly recommend, the Forum being extremely overwhelming and meaningless otherwise as there are no explanatory placards, and all of the signs with the names of each ruin are in Italian), we wandered over to Palatine Hill which is where legend has it that the Romulus and Remus were discovered by the wolf who kept them alive so that Romulus could go on to found Rome, and where Caesars Augustus, Tiberius and Domitian built their palaces so that they would be in the center of Rome and have enviable seats to watch the games at races at Circus Maximus which basically comprised their front yard.  The ruins were interesting, and the flora was extremely beautiful, but I would only recommend Palatine Hill if you have time to spare after fitting in all of the other "must sees".  Otherwise, you can get a lovely photo op view of the ruins from Circus Maximus.

 

Tip #3:  If you only have time for one art museum, aside from the Vatican Museum, make it the Borghese Gallery.  Admittedly, it is a bit of a chore to visit the museum, as you MUST have your reservation in advance,  MUST show up 30 minutes early to pick up your tickets, MUST check all of your bags before entrance, and MUST be in and out of the Gallery in 2 hours, but it is so completely worth navigating all of that red tape and 2 hours is actually the perfect amount of time to take it all in.  The rooms are absolutely stunning, even if you took all of the statues away completely, and then when you add in all of the Berninis, Carravaggios, and Titians... it's just breathtaking.  I highly recommend renting an audio guide, as once again, most of the explanatory placards are in Italian, and it's always far more interesting to have a clue as to what you're looking at.

The next day, we showed up bright an early at the Vatican for the much anticipated Scavi Tour.  I had emailed the Scavi Office a few months earlier to make our reservation, and we showed up just in time, after having a little difficulty finding our way to the Holy Office Gate.  (How phenomenal is that name?)  If you have a few extra hours in your itinerary to fit in the Scavi Tour, you really must.  We went deep underneath St. Peter's Basilica and walked amongst mausoleums that were thousands of years old, and still in remarkable condition after being buried beneath the Vatican for all of those years.  I was also shocked at how moved I was to see what is thought to be the bones of St. Peter.  I'm not Catholic, but you really don't have to be to see those shreds of purple cloth, hear the soft strains of music playing, and really feel something while standing amongst the pilgrims who are kneeling to say a prayer with tears running down their cheeks.

We didn't want to Vatican ourselves out that day, so after a brief rest back at our hotel, we hauled ourselves over to Circus Maximus, the Santa Maria in Cosmedin to stick our hands into La Boca della Verite (or the Mouth of Truth to you English speakers!), and then ended up in Trastavere for lunch.

Tip #4:  Everywhere you travel, whether it's Italy, Germany, Tokyo, or Boise, Idaho, try to take a moment to get off the beaten path and not only see the sights and do the museums, but really experience the culture.  I've heard that the neighborhood of Trastavere can get a little touristy at peak season times, but when we were there, we felt like we'd taken a step back in time.  This is the Italy that restaurants try to recreate with the crumbling stucco, climbing vines, rusty bicycles leaning against the corner of a building, laundry hanging out on the balcony, little old women with the head scarfs on their way back from church or the market.  It was absolutely the definition of quaint, and even with Colby's stellar navigation skills, the narrow, winding streets were delightfully impossible to figure out.

After a delicious lunch of bruschetta, pizza, and tiramisu, we began the walk back to the heart of Rome when we just happened to run into the Pope.  No, really!  Well, it didn't quite work out that way, but when we were walking along the river, we began to see a large number of polizia in their fancy dress, and then a group of people hovering behind barricades next to one of the larger bridges.  Being the sheep that we are, Colby and I decided to hover around for a bit to find out what was going on, and come to find out, Pope Benedict XVI was on his way over to give a talk at the church on the opposite side of the river.  So, of course, since we weren't on a tight time line, we decided to stick around and wave at the Pope.  Sure enough, about an hour later the streets were cleared, a motorcade began passing by, and then in a shiny black sedan, the Pope sat in the backseat, windows down with a pleasant smile on his face and a graceful, pope-like wave for everyone.  Unfortunately, my designated cameraman got some spectacular photos of the top of the car, but if you look very carefully at the one below, you can just make out the Pope in his bright whites waving from the backseat.

Eventually we made our way over to the Trevi Fountain, where we tossed our obligatory coins and then wandered over to the Pantheon for our second Angel Tour.

Tip #5:  Angel Tours offers a free 30 minute tour of the Pantheon every night during the peak season (check their website for more details), and you do not have to sign up in advance.  We just showed up at 7:00 pm, looked for a tour guide holding up an Angel umbrella, and then got a nice little overview of the Pantheon.  The coolest part of the experience happened when we were inside the church and a men's choral group just randomly showed up, assembled around the center of the circular building and began singing.  The acoustics were amazing, and it was really the perfect way to cap off our day of sightseeing.  Or so we thought.

 

After our tour, we walked over to the Piazza Navona where we discovered the main Four Rivers Fountain covered in scaffolding (a theme for our trip--it seems that all of Italy is under scaffolding for repairs during the off season), so after just a quick walk around, we decided on dinner in one of the streets off of the Piazza.

Tips #6 and #7 go kind of hand in hand here:  In Italy, you must ASK for the check when you are ready to leave.  We thought that when we finished dessert and then refused coffee, the bill would just show up as it does here in the states.  Well, we thought wrong.  In Italy, it is considered very rude to rush customers out, and most waiters will not bring you the check until you ask for it.  Easy enough once you know this, but if you don't, it is highly possible that you will spend 45 minutes at your table, wondering why you're being ignored.  Once we got the hang of it and asked for il conto, per favore, it was quite late and we were more than ready for bed.  But tip #7 is that the metro shuts down at 11 pm.

Surprise!  And so we walked from Piazza Navona, over to the Spanish Steps (the obelisk at the top of the steps in front of the church was under scaffolding--of course) to catch the metro at the Spagna stop, but it was closed.  Thinking it was a fluke we walked back to the Barberini stop, catching a nighttime view of the Trevi along the way.  When we found out that it too was closed, we took the hint and just made the hour long walk back to our hotel with much grumbling and wincing with each painful footstep.  In retrospect, it really was a beautiful moonlit, nighttime walk of Rome, almost romantic if it hadn't been for our limping gait and constant yawns.

 

We woke up the next morning, still exhausted and sore from the night before, but we had to meet our Angel tour guide at the Vatican.  The Angel tour was perfect for our needs--if you want to spend more time leisurely exploring all that the Museum has to offer, you may want to do the Vatican on your own with the audio guide.  But our tour was a little over 3 hours and we had a nice overview of St. Peter's Square, got to stand in a much shorter line for the Vatican Museum, a great tour of the museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica.  At that point, we were completely worn down, and the weather had taken a turn for the worse, so any longer than that and I probably would have broken down in tears.

 

That afternoon we went to Castel San Angelo, the round fortress that is now used by the Pope for safety in case of emergency.

Tip #8: Don't go to Castel San Angelo.  Seriously, don't waste your time.  Particularly on a day when you've just seen the Laocoon, the Colossal Head of Augustus, and the freaking Sistine Chapel.  Nothing will be able to compare to that, particularly a crumbly old fortress with a terrible audio guide and reproduction furniture from the 18th century.  It's possible that halfway through the tour, when you see that there are still 17 more points of interest on your audio guide tour map, you will look at your husband, try not to cry and whimper, "Fuck this."  Instead, just head back to your hotel, elevate your throbbing, abused feet, eat some gelato and fall asleep to the soothing tones of BBC World News anchors.

And that brings us to the end of my time in Rome.  I know this was incredibly long, so I really do commend you if you made it all the way through.   Just think of it this way:  When you do get to go to Rome some day, you will know not to waste your time at Castel San Angelo, and all the rest of those slackers that gave up halfway through will be sitting in a corner of the Pope's chambers, crying into their guidebook because they can't handle looking at one more crap fresco.

 

And you'll also know that by far the tastiest and most reasonably priced gelato in Rome, actually the best we found in Italy, can be found at the Gelateria Millennium on Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie 2/a, about a 10 minute walk from the Vatican Museum entrance, on your way to the Cipro metro station.  A huge array of flavors, a delightfully creamy consistency, and incredibly generous portions.  Go to Rome, go to the Gelateria Millennium, and then love me forever.  You will not be sorry.

If you still haven't had enough pictures, a few more can be found here.

Italy Is A Dream That Keeps Returning For the Rest of Your Life

So, something which hasn't been discussed at much length on this website is the fact that I recently took a two week trip to Italy.  I know you've all probably been wondering where I've been and what I've been doing what with all the lack of any reference to this very sudden, spontaneous trip.  You see, I just didn't want it to look as though I was rubbing it all in your faces what with constant fretting over packing lists, my lack of knowledge of the Italian language, and how I would ever manage to eat gelato seven times a day and still manage to fit into my pants.

Although, upon further perusal of recent blog entries, it does seem as though I've mentioned Italy once or twice.  Or seventeen trillion times.  In which case, I suppose it would be remiss of me to not bring you up to speed on whether or not I managed to properly communicate my desire for frozen Italian dairy products while wearing the very same pants I remembered to pack before midnight on the evening prior to our departure.  I wouldn't want you to lose sleep at night wondering.

A general overview of my trip might be a good way to start, and over the next week, I'll go into more detail on our daily adventures with my own personal do's and don'ts and nifty tips (pirated from Rick Steves) that may or may not be interesting to anyone aside from my mother.  Because it's her job to be interested.  Or, at the very least, to convincingly feign interest.

I'm finding that the more time that passes since our time in Italy, the more fondly I remember our time there.  It's not that I was utterly miserable for the duration of the trip, but there was definitely a level of adjustment that I felt it was necessary to make that I'd never noticed on any of my other trips outside of the United States.  The one key difference between this and my other trips abroad was that Italy was the first non-English speaking country I've visited.  I did find that most Italians, even in the smaller towns we visited, did speak English, but it was the first time I'd ever been completely surrounded by a country full of people speaking a foreign language.  Although I will say that I had almost as much trouble comprehending a Scottish accent as I did the Italian language.

Italy was also just as dirty as I've always heard.  Everywhere you look there's an ancient Roman ruin or priceless piece of art, and everywhere you look there's graffiti and black streaks from the heavy pollution.  Luckily, we weren't there during peak tourist season, so, with the exception of Naples (where there is currently a rubbish crisis) trash wasn't a huge problem.  The final element that led to my initial disenchantment was the fact that we were stalked across the country by a rain cloud and a cool front.  Every single time we arrived in a city, the previously lovely, sunny skies were overtaken by clouds, and on the day of our departure the sun would be back in full force with promises for beautiful spring weather over the course of the next week.  It got to be a bit discouraging after the first week.

But even with all of those hurdles to overcome, Italy still managed to weasel its way into my heart.  I can't deny that the fact that we ate three filling, starch filled meals a day, along with a heaping serving of gelato each afternoon, and dessert every night without gaining a pound may have contributed just a smidge to this ever growing affection.  But damn, we walked our asses off.  If I maintained my current eating habits and just walked half as much as we did every day while we were in Italy, I'd easily lose five pounds in a week. 

And that lifestyle showed on those skinny minnie Italians.  I will admit, I expected the people to be a bit more glamorous after all the talk I'd heard about how painfully stylish Italian men and women are.  We saw a lot of horrible 80s fashions, clunky white tennis shoes, and puffy, androgynous winter coats, so I would say that while Italians are certainly fashionable, there is a lot to be desired in the glamour department.  The one trend that did start to grow on me was the boots over jeans look.  All of the young women in Italy spent their mornings tucking their pants into their boots--some a little more successfully than others.  At the beginning of the trip, I was still firmly anti-boots over jeans, but by the end of two weeks, I've got to tell you, I was digging it!  If you want to blend in, that's the way to go.  Just don't come crying to me when your feet are utterly destroyed after two hours on those brutal cobblestones.

I was also surprised at how quickly I began picking up on the language.  On our first day in Rome, I was joking with Colby about how when I got home I would write a book entitled, How to Get By in Italy Using Only Four Words, but by the end of the trip we were deciphering menus and signs and I was learning to form semi-coherent sentences.  We still couldn't understand a thing anyone was saying, but every now and then we picked up a "Ciao" or "l'ora".

But even more than the endless gelato, mozzarella, and decent red house wine, I loved the endless history.  You couldn't swing a cat without hitting a crumbling marble column or ancient Roman statue.  Art or architectural elements that would have been under lock and key, protected by state of the art security systems here in America were displayed on open air patios in random piazzas.  I spent nearly two weeks straight with a pain in the back of my throat, in constant awe of the history that surrounded me.  Names that had before just been words in textbooks suddenly sprang to life as I gazed at Michelangelos, Donatellos, Raffaelos, DaVincis--the whole Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle contingent was out in full force.

I swallowed tears of awe as I leaned against a fallen pillar in the forum that Julius Caesar may well have brushed against in his lifetime, tears of sadness as I crossed the threshold into a home that had once been owned by a wealthy Pompeiian whose money couldn't save him from his tragic fate, tears of gratefulness as I gazed out across the landscape of Florence, taking in all of it's glorious Renaissance beauty.

Would I want to live there?  No, probably not.  Although I might consider it if the scooters were outlawed.  But was it an absolutely magical place to visit?  A place that I could happily return to time and time again?  Absolutely, definitely, without a doubt

.

"For us to go to Italy, and to penetrate into Italy, is like a most fascinating act of self-discovery--back, back down the old ways of time.  Strange and wonderful chords awake in us, and vibrate again after many hundreds of years of complete forgetfulness."  D.H. Lawrence

(title quote by Anna Akhmatova)

A Multiple Choice Quiz

I returned home from Italy on Sunday evening, alive and relatively unscathed, but it has taken me this long to get around to posting because:

A) I am recovering from the trauma of nearly being crushed beneath the leaning tower of Pisa.
     

B) My fingers were bruised after a run in with a speeding Vespa, so typing is just too much exertion.
   

C) I'm just too depressed to function because when I look out the window I see rain, snow, hail and grey skies instead of the Mediterranean.
   

D) I gave myself permanent brain freeze.
   

E) I'm still exhausted from 14 hours of airplane travel, dealing with the airline only sending one of our three bags, realizing that our house keys were in one of the bags still in Copenhagen, and having to pay a locksmith over $300 to break into our house.
   

F) None of the above.

G) All of the above.

Let the Meltdown Begin!!

I'm starting to get a little panic attacky about this whole packing and leaving for Italy for two weeks thing I've got going on here for the next few days.  I'm not worried about Italy--in fact, if I could fast forward in time to Saturday evening Rome time, that would be just fine.

No, I'm worried because we are leaving in 57 hours and I have to do laundry, clean the house, pack two weeks of clothes into a suitcase that was too small for 3 days in San Francisco, print out our itinerary, confirmations, and important phone numbers, make copies of our passports, credit cards and id cards, and at some point decide what I'm going to do about a hair dryer.  (Current thought process, just buy one there.)  Oh, and become fluent in Italian.

Oh, and then there's Google Reader, which I have so far resisted marking all as read, because I HATE to do that, but I'm trying so hard to keep up and there are still 73 unread items in there--that's down from over 200 yesterday, but I'm pretty sure by the end of the day it will be back up again.  And I haven't responded to comments this week, because I SUCK.  I know.  I know.

Work is INSANE right now, only because I'm trying to wrap up all of these loose ends (that, quite frankly, I didn't realize were loose, but hey, I'm not in charge here), which means that I have spent the last day and a half pulling out a file folder, making sure it's in order, and refiling it.  Over, and over, and over again.  I'm on my last drawer this morning.  Hallelujah.

And then there is The Hills recap, which I am determined to fit in tonight, because holy crap was that fun last week.  Priorities.  I know I've got them somewhere around here...

Anyway, I thought I would just take today to introduce the lovely guest bloggers who have agreed to keep the dust of this old blog o' mine while I'm off sipping on Chianti and stuffing my face with mozzarella.  I really hope that you'll be very nice to them while they're here, mind your manners, and brush your teeth before you go to bed.  I'm also a little worried that when I come back, I will have no readers left, because you will have all suddenly realized how frightfully boring I am and will have abandoned me for these far more witty, interesting, and charming bloggers.

But that's a risk I am willing to take, so without further preamble, let's meet our cast of characters!

(In order of appearance)

TasterSpoon: I am always guaranteed one of those fantastic bursts of snorting laughter when she posts, and even her comments here make me laugh.  She's one of those "runners" that populate our planet, and she's always got a great story to tell about her latest race and the cool swag she gets to take home.

La: This girl is one of the absolute sweetest bloggers I've ever had the pleasure of "meeting".  We found each other through the 20 Something Bloggers, and she just has the biggest heart and three of the most adorable puppies I've ever seen.  (Not to mention a pretty fantastic new boyfriend!)

Ashley: Ashley and I began reading each other's blogs during NaBloPoMo (I think?) and were apparently just fated to become friends after a chance encounter in a FedEx/Kinko's and multiple run-ins in the lobby of our office building!  I love her posts about her latest craft project or recipe attempt and can't wait to see what she has in store for y'all!

Kate: Kate is a more recent find, but oh my heck, do I LOVE her blog!  She's hilarious, she's thought provoking, and she's a fantastic storyteller.  Anyone that can make me cry laughing on my first visit is guaranteed to become a fixture on my blog roll.

Risible Girl: Lori is another dear internet friend that I've been lucky enough to bond with in real life, and she's been mentioned a few times on this site, most notably for hosting a super fun wine shower for Colby and me last summer.  We actually "met" years ago online, and were able to keep in touch through our blogs.  When I moved up here, it was just a big duh that I would force her to be my pal whether she wanted to or not!

Girl, Dislocated: Girl, Dislocated is by far one of the more fascinating blogs I read, not only for her amazing spirit and strength, but also for her honest thoughts on her exciting, and sometimes tumultuous life.  She can always find a way to laugh in the face of adversity, and I hold her in extremely high regard.

Fraulein N: Fraulein N and I have bonded over pretty much everything... our love for Wicked (she sent me her extra copy of The Grimmerie, therefore earning my love and devotion forever) and Lost and our similar fears and thoughts about this whole "baby" thing.  I really think that if you enjoy what you read here, you'll love what she has to say as well since we seem to be basically the same person.

Michelle: That just doesn't look right--I have to call her Michelle & the City!   (The ampersand is crucial!)  Michelle was one of the first 20 Something Bloggers that I began reading, and her blog opened up this whole world of other bloggers out there that are my age, going through many of the same ups and downs as me.

Brittany: Aw, it's my little sister!!  This is actually a sneaky ploy on my part to try to get her hooked on blogging, so that maybe I'll hear more about her fascinating life firsthand rather than through my parents or Facebook status updates.  She's well on her way to becoming a Broadway Baby and of course I fully expect her to introduce me to Idina Menzel in about five years or so when they're costarring in Broadway's latest hit.

Mighty Maggie:  Maggie!!  Maggie was one of the first bloggers I ever read, and it's been so long now, that I don't even remember how I found her.  She has the most hilarious, dry humor, and just about the cutest most squishable baby I've ever seen with another on the way.  I fully blame her and her blog for making me want a baby desperately every few weeks.

So, that's it!  I happen to think that you will be VERY well taken care of and highly entertained over the next few weeks, and I'll admit, I'm so curious to see what they come up with, that it's distinctly possible that I'll be checking in from internet cafes all over Italy.

A List of Things

Thing the First:
My sister expressed heartbroken disappointment that when she visited my new digs on the internet, they looked exactly like my old digs on the internet.  Because I am nothing if not a people pleaser (and I've been procrastinating about this for months now), I spruced things up a bit over the weekend.  A little "Spring Cleaning" if you will.  I brightened up the decor and cleaned up the side bars by creating a separate page for all of those fantastic blogs that I fully endorse.  I even added a 100 things about me list over there to the left--except mine is 101 things about me, because I will not be restricted by convention!

Thing the Second:

Over the weekend I was honored to discover that one of my very favoritest recently discovered bloggers, Tipp, had bestowed the honor of naming Tomorrow is Another Day an Excellent Blog.  This was really more exciting than I would have expected, and I've got to tell you, this is the first blog award of any kind that I've ever been given.  It took almost three years, but I've finally made it!  I'm the damn Susan Lucci of the internet!  Anyway, the idea is to now pass it on to those bloggers whom I happen to find excellent.  And this is where I'm stuck, because I made a list, and it was about fifteen thousand miles long.  So, my solution is to give it to everyone on my blog roll.  Some of you read here, others of you don't, but every single one of you makes my day a little brighter every time you post, and I couldn't possibly choose favorites.  So there you go, you gorgeous, Excellent Bloggers!  Be proud!

Thing the Third:
I'm leaving for Italy in four days--our flight takes off on Friday evening, and we'll be touching down in Rome on Saturday.  I really feel like somehow we made the leap from four months to go to four days to go at an alarmingly hasty speed, and I still have about a bajillion things that need to be done.  And so of course, I'm freaking out just a tad.  Here is a random sampling of my to do list for this week:

1)  Contact Our Lord in Heaven, and find out his weather plans for Italy from April 5th-20th.

     a)  At least see if He will narrow it down to sweater weather or tank top weather.

     b)  If He is not available, leave a message and then check weather.com obsessively for the next four days.

2)  Learn to speak Italian

     a)  If not fluent by Wednesday, at least learn basic conversational phrases.

     b)  If still not able to carry on a conversation by Thursday, focus effort on numbers, bargaining terms, and "more wine/gelato, please".

3)  Lose 15 pounds so that the 20 pounds I am liable to gain by eating a steady diet of gelato, parmesan, and wine for the next two weeks will not be so visible.

Of course, there are many other things on the list--packing for example--so I'll be pretty busy for the next few days.  But I figure we've got our passports, we've got our plane tickets, and we've got our hotel reservations, at this point, everything else is just extra.  (Although if you have a spare Italian tutor lying around, please feel free to send him/her in our direction.)

Coming Soon

Okay, I promise that I'll post some pictures tomorrow night when we get back home to the land of laptops and Internet connections.  Right now all I have is whatever pictures Carolyn took on her camera, but they're on my computer and I have to post from my phone, so there's a disconnect there.

Anyway, our wedding photographer offered us a free photo shoot in the French Quarter today, so we got to get all gussied up in our wedding finery again and I think we got some really amazing shots.  I'll definitely share when we get them from the photographer.  Tonight we had a good dinner at Nola.  It really couldn't compete with the deliciousness that was Restaurant August, but it definitely was nothing to sneeze at.

Tomorrow we're flying back home and it's back to real life and the old grind, so I'll catch ya on the flip side!

Argh!

I just typed a whole post about our Chef John Besh sighting at Restaurant August and our photo shoot in the French Quarter tomorrow and then Colby bumped my arm and the whole thing vanished.  So on that note I'm going to go eat leftover wedding cake and finish watching Cold Case.

So Much To Say So Little Time

Okay, well it's not so much time that's the problem so much as lack of a free Internet connection in our hotel room.   Thank goodness for my iPhone or NaBloPoMo would be a total bust.  Speaking of which, how adorable are Brittany and Caro for hacking into Typepad and posting for me last night after they got home from the reception?  And how much of a dork am I for posting first thing on my honeymoon?

Anyway we're in New Orleans now, after an amazingly wonderful wedding day and I can't wait to fill you in in on the details, but for now I'm going to go hang out with my hot husband for the rest of the evening.

November 24, 2007

I'M MARRIED!!!