A Year Ago Today

A year ago today I was in Italy.  We woke up early to take the train out to Cinque Terre where I was determined to hike from one town to the next, setting foot in all five towns.  I had tried to do this once before but my (then) travel companions decided it was a much better idea to sit and have another glass of wine (or two or more) while overlooking the gorgeous view.  Okay, so the view was incredible (as was the wine).  And I never made it to all five towns.  But this was my second chance!

We arrived at the furthest town (Monterosso) and went to buy our hiking pass and were informed that the trails were closed.  What?  Really?  There had been a lot of rain and so they had decided to close the trails early.  But we didn't let that stop us!  (Although maybe we should have.)

Several other groups of tourists were of the same mind as us and we all set off on the "closed" trail.  Which meant there was a sign on the trail head saying it was closed.  We took off.  We had started off doing the most challenging of the hikes and they weren't kidding when they said it was challenging.  A lot of ups.  A lot of downs.  But the views were amazing!

We were almost to the next town when we came across a section of the trail that was washed out.  We knew there had been people in front of us and since we hadn't seen them turn back, they must have made it across.  There were people coming towards us, so we decided to go for it.  First Jessica, who had one hand on the handrail and one hand on the stone wall.  Next Nilufer, who had both hands on the stone wall.  And then it was my turn.

The voice in my head was saying "Dear Emily, please sit on your bottom and scoot across."  But did I listen to the little voice?  No, I did not.  My eyes had seen Jessica & Nilufer make it across, being very careful.  So I could do that too.  I had the foresight to 1) put my camera away in my bag and 2) toss my jacket over to Jessica to hold.  I should have given her my bag as well.

One very carefully placed step.  Two very carefully placed steps.  CRACK!  The handrail gave way and I went over the side.  I grabbed a tree/shrub and it came out.  And I kept going.  A very nice tree grabbed me and I stopped sliding.  For the moment.  I tried to stand up and immediately started sliding again.

I heard voices yelling down to me.  Nilufer, Jessica, and two other hikers who had been coming toward us.  "I'm okay.  I just need to sit for a minute."  I collected myself and was able to find my footing and clamber up and back onto the trail.  I knew immediately there was something wrong with my knee.  But there wasn't much to do except continue on.

For the rest of the trip I self-medicated with lots and lots of ibuprofen.  Little did I know that fall would end up impacting my life for a whole year.  I would say I'm basically 100% although it still acts up now and then (especially after sitting in a movie theater or a long plane ride!).

And while I complained a lot about my knee (and I mean A LOT) I think I learned a few things - patience, listening not only to my body but also to the little voice in my head, and I started walking again (which was really how I started on this whole racing journey of mine).  Patience was maybe the hardest thing.  I had come so far on my running journey and here I was forced to stop.  And while I'm looking forward to starting to run again, learning to appreciate the ability to run and re-discovering the joy of walking to a finish line were invaluable lessons.

Will I make it back to Cinque Terre?  Who knows?  I'd like to someday.

Looking back, (and in the spirit of Thanksgiving) I am extremely grateful for the tree that caught me, my guardian angel who was definitely watching over me, Jessica & Nilufer for being there and helping me, all of you who offered encouragement and support, and my chiropractor and my physical therapist for working with me to get me back to 100%.  I shudder sometimes thinking back at what could have been.  And one year later, I am honestly just thankful to be here.

And with that...

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The beginning of our hike

A long ways down

A sweaty mess, but enjoying the hike & views

And the cliff I fell off

The view that kept me going

Yummy in my tummy

I think I talked a lot about food in my reminiscing about my Italy vacation.  So I thought I would post a mosaic of some of my favorite dishes.  Anyone else hungry now?

When the Moon Hits Your Eye

Remember that time I went to Italy? It does seem like such a long time ago! But finally I am getting back to writing about the last leg of our trip, Rome. If you need to catch up, we first went to Venice which was quite wet and cold and then to Florence where I saw my statue boyfriend and fell off a cliff.

When we started looking for hotels in Rome, our first couple of choices were booked and we had to expand our search. We ended up at Albergo del Senato, which is literally right outside the Pantheon. As in, you step outside and there it is! Now that is location! We took a taxi from the train station to our hotel. I never know which drivers are more crazy - Roman or Parisian. We survived and checked into the hotel. And then stepped outside and there was the the Pantheon! We were starving by this time so we consulted Rick and found a little restaurant around the corner (Osteria da Mario). After lunch we went back and explored the Pantheon, and unfortunately the front half of the building was covered in scaffolding. But the inside was not under construction and it takes my breath away every time I step inside. With all that marvelling at the Pantheon, we were hungry. What better afternoon snack than gelato! It was probably the most expensive gelato we ate, as we ate it at a cafe facing the Pantheon. It was freezing! But there was a heated lamp to help warm us up. Gelato flavors: white chocolate, tiramisu

The Pantheon is really an ideal location. After we finished up our gelato we strolled over to the Trevi Fountain to throw our coins in the fountain, which according to legend will ensure our return to Rome. I think I've thrown a coin in the Trevi every time I've been to Rome and I've continued to come back so of course I was throwing another coin in! There was a ton of people at the fountain so we had to scooch our way into a spot up front to throw our coin in. We continued our stroll over to the Spanish Steps. If half of Rome was at the Trevi Fountain, the other half was at the Spanish Steps. Another set of stairs to climb? You know it. I didn't write down how many steps, but I think it was around 130 some odd steps. We retraced our steps back to the Pantheon and had dinner at another Rick recommendation, Le Coppelle Taverna. I had Pizza Fungi. Gasp! Once again I pass up Pizza Margherita? I really grew on this trip! We were eyeing their tiramisu all night but when we asked for it we were told they had no more. Oh well. They did have really good cappuccino though. And it had a flower in it. And no tiramisu just meant we had to get gelato! Gelato flavors: pistachio, strawberry, Bailey's (the Bailey's was extremely strong)

Today was ancient Rome day. Breakfast was at the hotel. They had stewed apples. I can't tell you the last time I had stewed apples but they were good! We started off towards the Colosseum, but the closer we got to the Victor Emmanuel monument we realized something was going on as there were tons of police around. It was some sort of demonstration. For the most part people were sitting in the streets, it didn't seem too organized. I am thinking this is why Victor Emmanuel was closed. But it did mean the street leading up to the Colosseum was basically closed to traffic so we were able to walk down the middle of the street! We got in line and 40 minutes later we were inside the Colosseum, imagining gladiators and the like fighting on the stage below. From there we walked over to the Forum, which has changed from the last time I was there. The entrance moved, the exit moved. But the ruins were the same. Inside the Senate House was an exhibit of Terracotta warriors. I've now seen Terracotta warriors in Epcot, in a mall in Krakow and now in the Forum in Rome.

After our fill of ancient Rome, we took the metro back over to the Trevi Fountain to see it in the daytime. It was still super crowded. We were starving by this time so grabbed a quick bite in a pizza place not far from the Trevi Fountain before retracing our steps from the night before and walking over to the Spanish Steps. We missed daylight, but caught the Steps as the daylight was fading. We did some glove shopping before heading back to the hotel. We had decided to have a "fancy" night out and tonight was it. We dressed up and walked to the restaurant near our hotel. I had gnocchi, which was okay. After dinner we strolled over to what had become our favorite gelato place for dessert. Gelato flavors: hazelnut, pistachio, walnut I was obviously feeling a bit nutty! :)

Our last day! It was free day at the Vatican Museums, so we walked over. I tell you, while I normally stay near the Colosseum, and I love that location, you can't beat the Pantheon location. It is basically in the middle of everything. We got in line for the Vatican Museum and I had never seen it that long! It was almost to St. Peter's! We waited for awhile but when the line didn't appear to be moving, we jumped out of line and joined a tour to make sure we got in. I wasn't sure about the tour guide at first, but on the tour she was fine. We walked through the museums and ended in the Sistine Chapel. Which was amazing!! But the secret exit to St. Peter's was closed. So we walked back through the museum and back towards St. Peters. We stopped at a little cafe for a late lunch. On the tour we had met Tessie from Colorado. She was on her own and so she joined our group for the afternoon.

It was another horrific line to get into St. Peter's. It was raining by now and so waiting in line was a bit miserable. Finally we got into St. Peter's and went to get in line to climb up to the top of the dome. We took the elevator up to the base of the dome before continuing to climb the 323 steps to the top. I never think the climb up to the top of St. Peter's is bad. Maybe it's because it is usually crowded so no one can go very fast? Who knows? We made it to the top where it was rainy and windy. We made our way back down and into St. Peter's where Mass was just starting. It was nice standing and listening to the first little bit. After that we walked over to Castel Sant'Angelo. And then it was time to say goodbye to Tessie as we parted ways. We walked back through Campo di Fiori and Piazza Navona, which had a mini carnival. It was pouring so we ended up at Le Coppelle Taverna again. And this time I had the pizza margherita! And they had a piece of tiramisu left so we split it. And since it was our last night, we had to stop by our favorite gelato place as well. Gelato flavors: walnut, hazelnut

We waded through the puddles back to the hotel and began the packing process. Ugh. So little space, and so much stuff.

One last breakfast, one last cappuccino with a heart on it. And then it was time to leave. We took a taxi over to the train station and said goodbye. Jessica & I left to go to the airport and Nilufer took a train to Naples to continue her vacation.

And that's that! Arrivederchi!!

I Heart David

Before we move on to Florence, I forgot my Venice funny!!  Or actually my overheard Venice funny.

High school kid #1: I'm so glad I found you!
High school kid #2: What, were you lost?
High school kid #1: No, I wasn't lost.  I just didn't know where I was.

Ha!  I was cracking up!  Because, really, isn't that the definition of being lost?  It is super easy to get completely lost in Venice, but the good thing is, it is an island, so you can't ever get too lost. 

Now, where was I?  Oh yes, on the train to Florence.  Jessica & Nilufer both conked out on the train (and yes, I have pictures, but I have promised they won't get posted).  We arrived and followed the directions from the website to the hotel.  Our hotel was on a somewhat busy street, but literally just down the street from the Duomo!  How's that for location?  We were checked in and ready to go in record time, probably because we were starving!  We got a recommendation for a nearby restaurant, Trattoria Za-Za, (which was also a Rick recommendation).  Surprisingly, I once again did NOT have pizza!  Instead I had gnocchi.  If you ask any of my previous travel companions, they will tell you in Italy I almost exclusively eat pizza, and margherita pizza at that.  So this was a big step for me.   

Since we were so close, we decided to go to the Duomo after lunch and work off all those calories by climbing to the top of the dome.  I have never climbed this dome, I've only climbed to the top of the campanile (i.e. bell tower, bu t it has great views of the dome itself).  I lost count both going up and coming down, so I will have to rely on the sign that said it was 463 steps.  The view was beautiful!  After pausing to admire the view from every angle and of course capturing those views in numerous photos, we walked down the stairs and visited the inside of the Duomo.

We walked over to the San Lorenzo market and did some shopping.  I love shopping in Florence!  It started raining and it was a little too early for dinner so we went back to the hotel for a bit.  Dinner was another Rick recommendation, Trattoria Nerone Pizzeria.  When we arrived at the restaurant, I realized I had eaten here before!  The decor was a dead giveaway.  I couldn't go two meals without pizza, so pizza it was.  I had every intention of ordering Pizza Funghi (mushroom pizza) but when the waitress came, Pizza Margherita popped out of my mouth.  Either way, the pizza was good. 

And then we went back to the hotel and to bed.  Wait!  No gelato?  Just kidding.  Of course we stopped and got gelato before going back to the hotel.  Gelato flavors: hazelnut, peanut butter, dolce latte. 

How did it get to be Tuesday already?  We had our first breakfast at our new hotel.  There wasn't freshly baked croissants.  Boo.  But there was cappuccino and hard boiled eggs!  Our first stop today was to visit my statue boyfriend, David.  Be still my heart.  While I enjoy paintings, I am blown away by sculptures.  The amount of emotion that can be portrayed by a hunk of stone is amazing to me.  We came, we saw, we drooled over David.  And after seeing the real David, we walked over to Piazza Della Signoria to see the fake David before continuing on to Ponte Vecchio (my favorite bridge in the world!).  A mini photo shoot ensued.  What can I say, Ponte Vecchio is very photogenic! 

Then it was time for, you guessed it, gelato!  Dessert before lunch?  You betcha!  The problem of telling you all the flavors I ate is that you see how much I ate!!  We sat at a cafe at the base of the bridge.  Gelato flavors: pistachio, strawberry, peanut butter. 

We did a little window shopping along Ponte Vecchio.  And since we had already had dessert, it must be time for have lunch.  We walked towards Santa Croche, and had lunch a block away from the church.  I had salmon gnocchi.  Interesting is all I have to say...

We visited the church and then walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo for a spectacular view over the city.  I didn't get an accurate step count, but around 160 some odd stairs.  We got up there just in time to catch some daylight before the sun set and the city was bathed in twilight, which I think is an even more magical view of Florence. 

We walked back down and did a little more shopping before heading to dinner.  I didn't write down the name of the restaurant.  We split soup for an appetizer - it was delicious!!  I had spaghetti for my main course, which was so-so.  But the soup was really good!  And of course we stopped for gelato on the way home.  Gelato flavor: nutella.

Had I been able to look into the future and see how today was going to end up, I might have slept in instead of getting up early to catch the train to Cinque Terre.  I won't dwell too much on the "fall" since I've already gone on and on about it.  Since we were up so early there was no breakfast, so we ate at, dare I say it, McDonalds.  Eh, you gotta do what you gotta do.  We caught our train and a few hours later we arrived at Monterosso, the town furthest north in Cinque Terre.  It was here we found out the trail had been closed due to excessive rains.  But we were here and others were on the trail, so we figured we'd go for it.  Lots and lots and lots of stairs, and beautiful views.  There were olive trees and lemon trees.  There was the washed out part of the trail which caused my downfall.  And there was the remaining hike to Vernazza.  In Vernazza, we had lunch.  Nilufer & I split gnocchi and Pizza Funghi.  Oh my word.  The gnocchi was so good!!  I also had a Diet Coke.  I gave up Diet Coke a long time ago, but will have it on vacation (or when I am desparate).  With my knee in pain and me hopped up on ibuprofen, wine was probably not a good idea.  Step up Diet Coke.  Or Coca Light as it is called over there.  I do love my Coca Light! 

It became pretty obvious we were not going to be able to hike through all 5 towns and so caught the train to the next town, Corniglia.  The town itself is high up from the train station.  My knee and the fact it started to absolute pour rain gave us good excuses to take the shuttle bus up to the main town.  We did a quick walk through before taking the shuttle back down to catch the train to the next town, Manarola.  It was now quite apparent I was once again not going to make it to all 5 towns.  While I need to put hiking to all 5 towns in the Cinque Terre on my Life List, I have this feeling it may not be in the cards for me.  We watched the sunset in Manarola before eating gelato.  It was not the best gelato, which is quite sad.  Gelato flavors: nutella, cappuccino, hazelnut.  And then it was time to head back to Florence.

We ended up having dinner at Trattoria Za-Za, since we knew where it was and it was close to the hotel.  Part of me wishes we had gotten pizza to go and eaten back in our room.  But then I wouldn't have had their soup appetizer, which was really good!  Somewhere along the way I became a soup person, especially in Tuscany.  And you might think that splitting soup would be hard, but it wasn't - the soup was really think and hearty.  My main course was Pizza Margherita.  We had no dessert - can you believe that?  But going back to the room and not walking was more important to me at that point.

Happy Thanksgiving!!  Several people throughout the day wished us Happy Thanksgiving.  We had breakfast at the hotel before setting off to find the bus station.  I have been wanting to go to Siena for awhile now but it never worked out - until now!  (Check #11 off my 33 Things list.)  The countryside out the window of the bus was so picturesque and almost stereotypical Tuscany. 

We arrived in Siena and our "luck" continued.  The bank ATM machine ate Jessica's card.  At least the ATM was attached to a bank and we were able to get her card back.  Whew!

The streets in Siena were narrow and windy and eventually let out into Il Campo, an absolutely gorgeous square!  There was a tower to climb, and I was game even with my knee.  After all, when is the next time I'll be in Siena?  Unfortunately the tower was closed due to "security issues".  We think the issues were related to the student demonstrations.  A wedding had just finished and the bride & groom were taking pictures in the square.  The bride was beautiful. From there we walked over to the Duomo, which was absolutely beautiful with white and green stripes. 

Lunch was at Locando Garibaldi, a tiny little restaurant not far from Il Campo.  I had lasagna, which was probably the best lasagna I had the entire trip.  I also had some vegetable soup - see I told you I am turning into a soup person! :)

After lunch we did some shopping and wandering before stopping for our favorite pastime, gelato of couse!  Gelato Flavors: mango, strawberry, and banana

It was then time to leave Siena and head back to Florence for a little more shopping and then dinner.  We had dinner at Trattoria la Burrasca.  They had pumpkin soup and turkey!!  I think just for the Americans! :)  In any case, we ate it up.  It wasn't quite your average Thanksgiving turkey, but it was still nice to eat on actual Thanksgiving.

And then it was back to the hotel to pack.  Ugh!  Why did I buy so much?

To be continued in Roma...



Fake David (but still beautiful)




Emily, Jessica & Nilufer on Ponte Vecchio



Overlooking Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo

Emily in Cinque Terre



Emily & Nilufer pretending to be scared of the washed out trail



Aftermath of Emily vs the cliff

The "cliff"

Il Campo in Siena

Turkey & pumpkin soup on Thanksgiving

Ah, Venice

I am feeling slightly overwhelmed with writing up my entire trip so I thought I would piecemeal it, starting with Venice.

It is interesting to reflect back on a trip once it is over. All the planning and anticipation compressed into a short time span. So let's reflect, shall we?

Jessica & I flew out very early Thursday morning (Nilufer was staying a few extra days and so was flying a different airline). I once again found myself in the position of needed a few more miles to earn elite status on Continental so Jessica & I flew US Airways due to their partnership with Continental.  (Sound familiar?  Yup - I will be elite on both Continental & Alaska next year.  Woohoo!!) Slight mistake. I have a new rule for myself - only fly non-US based airlines to Europe. Seriously you are going to charge $5 for a headset to watch movies on a trans-atlantic flight? And no socks or toothbrush? Besides my complaining about the airline itself, our flights were fine, if a little bumpy.  I don't like it when it's really bumpy on the big planes, but we landed safely! (On a complete side note, I don't think the United / Continental merger will be good. The little things that made Continental stand out in my mind are starting to slowly go by the wayside.)

We met up with Nilufer at the Venice airport (our flights landed within 30 minutes of each other) and it was time for vacation to start! A ride on a bus, followed by a ride on a water bus and then we were at our hotel. We checked in, freshened up a little and were off to explore. It had been a long flight and a long couple of days leading up to vacation so it ended up being an early night.  But not before gelato!  Gelato flavors: tiramisu, hazelnut, pistachio

We woke up and headed over to the main hotel (we were staying in the annex) for breakfast. Yum! Fresh baked rolls & croissants and delicious cappuccinos! With our tummies full we set off to catch the vaperetto (water bus) to cruise the Venetian lagoon. First stop was Torcello, reputedly the birthplace of Venice but now mostly uninhabited. We walked along the canal to see the church and amazing mosaics!!

Our next stop was Burano, known for its colorful houses and lace. We didn't end up seeing much lace, but we had fun with all the colorful houses. There was a lace store with the name Emilia, so of course I had to go in there! We had lunch at a little restaurant, my first pizza margherita of the trip. After lunch we caught the boat to Murano, known for its blown glass. It was getting dark by the time we arrived, but we still had plenty of time to shop and shop we did. We took the boat back to our hotel and dropped off our packages before heading out to find dinner.  Dinner was a Rick recommendation (after the first Rick recommendation had no availability).  Lasagna - can you believe it?  Well, their pizza cook called in sick so pizza wasn't even an option.  Gelato flavors: coffee & hazelnut

Today, it was time to explore Venice. Sirens had gone off in the morning, which we found out meant there was flooding. Flooding added another element to our (my) navigation. One wrong turn and detour and we finally made it to Ca' Rezzonico, a former palace, but now a museum. The ballroom was beautiful!! After the museum, we took the boat around Venice. It was definitely a rainy & windy boat ride, but finally we arrived at St. Mark's Square. We were hungry and Jessica & Nilufer saw Ristarante Principessa (with pink decorations) and thought we should eat there.  After all, it was a restaurant for Princesses, right?  Besides, we were cold & wet.  It was going to be iffy given it's location but thought it wouldn't be that bad. Well, it was. But at least we had a respite from the rain.

I love St. Mark's, it is one of my favorite churches. I really like the Byzantine influence. We walked up to the roof and tried to avoid the rain drops.  I really enjoyed the view, gazing out of St. Mark's Square.  Next was the Doge's Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs was open!  Last time I was there it was closed for renovations.  We walked over the Bridge of Sighs to see the prisons.  But unlike the prisoners, we were able to walk back across the bridge.  Whew!  One of these days I am going to do the Secret Itineraries tour at the Doge's Palace!  The palace is beautiful by itself, but walking through the secret passageways and hidden doors would be so cool I think.

It was growing dark so we walked around and did some shopping.  Dinner was at a restaurant near the hotel, which was quite good!  I wish we had found it earlier.  Gelato flavors: hazelnut, tiramisu, strawberry, banana, pistachio.  Um, yes that would be 5 flavors, but not at all at once.  We went to a gelato place more than once today.  Hello, my name is Emily & I love gelato.  Besides, it's vacation, right?

Our last morning in Venice - we were up early and finished packing in record time.  Which meant we were able to walk back over to the Rialto Bridge one last time before eating one last breakfast at our hotel and catching the water bus to the train station.

Farewell Venice!  On to Florence...

Roma, Venezia, Firenze, & London

Day 0/1
Wow! November 14th already? Diane met me at my house and my mom drove us down to SeaTac. I had used miles to upgrade to business (so worth it on long flights!) and so we enjoyed the amenities of the lounge while waiting for our flight. British Airways is in the process of upgrading their cabins and we were on one of upgraded planes. It was nice!! The beds fully reclined, we had a library of movies to choose from, and a warm comfy blanket. The flight was fairly uneventful. After landing, we walked around Heathrow to pass the time until our next flight to Rome. I ended up with the dreaded middle seat, but I was so tired I was still able to fall asleep. It wasn't long and we had landed in Rome and I got the first stamp in my new passport! We arrived at the train station just in time for the next train into Rome. Because we were both tired and I wasn't sure exactly where our hotel was we decided the easiest way would be to take a taxi from the train station to our hotel. Before this I can say I've never really worried too much about a taxi ripping me off - I always make sure to get an official taxi and I've never had problems. We got into the official taxi line and took the next official taxi, or at least the next "official-looking" taxi. We got to our hotel, well across the street and down a little from our hotel and the driver said the cost was €20! I was expecting €10 not €20!! But I was tired and I hate confrontation so I didn't say anything and we paid him. I looked up taxis in Rick's book and sure enough, it should have been around €10. Oh well - it's only money.

The hotel was located on the second floor and the elevator looked a little intimidating (at least to me) so we drug our suitcases up the two flights of stairs. The hotel room was large, and directly off the reception desk. The bathroom, the shower in particular, was tiny! But it was clean and in a good area. We rested for a little bit before deciding to explore. Our hotel wasn’t too far from the Colosseum so we walked towards the Colosseum before continuing on to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain where we threw our coins in the fountain to ensure our return to Rome. We were hungry by this point and tired so we walked back toward our hotel. We ate at a restaurant I'd eaten at before. Their margherita pizza was just as good as I remembered! At this point we were exhausted and so went back to the hotel.

Day 2
During the night I discovered the beds at the hotel were heat-sucking beds! It's as if the bed sucks all the heat from your body into the mattress then radiates it back - the mattress gets really warm. Heat-sucking bed aside, the rest of the night passed peacefully and before I knew it was time to get up. The tiny shower proved interesting but mangeable. Breakfast was served in our room and consisted of various rolls, yogurt, and a cappuccino. We finished breakfast and stepped outside to discover it was raining. We made our way to the Colosseum. It really is amazing to me how much of that structure is still intact. Next was Palatine Hill. We walked around looking at the ruins and avoiding the puddles that were quickly forming. At the back of the Palatine Hill area we were able to see Circus Maximus in the distance. There is really only a well worn track left of what used to be an impressive arena that held chariot races. We made our way back to the Forum and walked through what used to be the center of Roman living. We visited the Mamertine prison, where legend has it both St. Peter & St. Paul were held prisoners. It was really interesting to visit, plus it was indoors which allowed us to get out of the rain. The rain was really coming down so we ran up the stairs through the back entrance to the top of the Victor Emmanuel monument and stopped in the café to take a break from the rain and rethink the plan for the day. Granted, we are two Seattle girls and should be used to the rain but it was coming down pretty hard at this point and with the wind an umbrella would be useless. Where was the guy selling ponchos? The rain had abated when we finished our drinks and we decided to head back to the hotel to dry off. When we left the hotel the rain was still at a little drizzle so we decided to keep with our original plan, with a slight deviation. St. Peter in Chains was fairly close to our hotel so we walked up the stairs to the church. As we are walking up we were saying we’ve done pretty well avoiding the puddles. And with excellent timing we step into a huge puddle!! Oh no. So much for avoiding puddles. We reach the top of the stairs only to find the church was closed for lunch. We continued on to the Pantheon where I was happy to discover there was no construction. The last few times I’ve been there scaffolding has been up. We went over to Piazza Navona before stopping for gelato! Yum! It was on to the Trevi Fountain where we again threw a coin in to the fountain. We walked up to the Spanish Steps and debated walking up to the top, in case we decided to come back at night. We decided to walk halfway up the stairs. We walked up to the Piazza del Popolo. From there we took the metro over to Santa Maria della Vittoria to see Bernini’s sculpture of St. Teresa in Ecstasy. We then took the metro back over to St. Peter in Chains which was open this time! There was a mass going on in the corner while we were there. It’s funny but it took me a second to realize it was in English (as opposed to Italian or Latin). We walked back over to the Spanish Steps and this time climbed all the way to the top (135 stairs). It was when we paused to take in the view we realized exactly how tired we were. We took the metro back to our hotel and had dinner at the restaurant near our hotel. We topped it off with gelato (yes, that would be the second time we had gelato today – I’m on vacation!!).

Stair count: 60+ x 2 up to St. Peter in Chains and 135 up to top of Spanish Steps (not to mention climbing halfway up earlier in the day)

Day 3
It was still on the chilly side today, but at least no rain! First stop was the Vatican Museums. I figured there would be a line, but as it was in the middle of November, I didn't expect a long line. Boy was I wrong! When we joined the line it was almost back to the entrance to St. Peter's! Guides were offering tours which would let us bypass the line and were warning that at this point the line was around 2 hours long. We decided to stick it out in line and fortunately the line moved along. We only ended up being in line for a little over an hour. We were probably about halfway through the line when this couple cut in line in front of us! As previously mentioned, I hate confrontation, but I also hate "cheating" which is basically what they were trying to do. What to do? I'm also passive aggressive, which showed when I told Diane to follow me and we basically cut in line in front of them. So while they did cut - at least it wasn't in front of us!

Finally inside we got in line to buy tickets. Diane was in front of me and the cashier asked if she was a student. She said no, but he replied yes and gave her the discounted student rate. I step up thinking he might do the same for me. Yeah, no. I paid full price. We made our way through the museum until finally we reached the Sistine Chapel. Stepping inside, it takes a minute for the grandness of it all to sink in. We stand around gazing up before taking the "secret" exit which opens out right near the actual entrance to St. Peter's instead of winding your way back through the museum and then walking all the way back to St. Peter's.

Stepping inside of St. Peter’s I am overwhelmed at the sheer grandness of the basilica. We toured the basilica before sitting down to rest. Feeling rested, we began the climb up to the top of the dome, taking the elevator to the base. The climb wasn’t actually too bad, I think partly because there were so many people in front of us it was slow going with frequent stops. We reached the top and were trying to take a Diane & Emily self portrait when a guy comes up to us and says he’ll take our picture. Diane gives him her camera and he decides where we are isn’t going to make a good shot so he starts walking back and climbs up on a post to get a better angle. He has us move around until he is satisfied with the shot and finally takes the picture. We thank him and then look at the picture. I’m not sure what he was looking at when he took the picture but he just barely got us in the picture. Oh well!

Not sure what to do after St. Peter’s we decide to make our way to Ostia Antica (ancient Ostia). Ostia was a port city which was abandoned when Rome fell and was covered up over time by mud and silt. I really enjoyed Ostia because you can really explore and climb all over and imagine what life would have been like once upon a time. We were almost through to the end when the guides told us it was closing and we had to leave. We turned around and headed back to the entrance, stopping off at the theater to “take a bow”.

Back in Rome, we decided to try a restaurant in Diane’s book. We took the metro over to Piazza del Popolo and found the restaurant. Unfortunately it was closed. We walked over to the metro near the Spanish Steps and went back to the hotel. We walked around and found a restaurant nearby. There was only one other couple there when we got there which was a little worrisome but by the end it had filled up. The food was good! We finished up the day with a gelato.

Stair count: 323 to the top of St. Peter’s

Day 4
It was our last morning in Rome. After breakfast we took the metro to the train station and picked up our tickets to Venice. A little background on Venice, or my feelings on Venice: I don’t like Venice. The last and only time I was there it was super hot and crowded. While that wasn’t fun, it wasn’t enough to turn me off Venice. What did that was the smell and the garbage. Venice is very smelly and dirty. Diane really wanted to go to Venice and I decided to give it another chance. When we got there I was happy to find it wasn’t as dirty or as smelly as I remembered it. We took the water bus to our hotel, which was down the tiniest street! We were shown up to our hotel room, which was very red. We got a map and directions from the hotel clerk and started off towards the Rialto Bridge. Venice is very picturesque with all the canals and bridges. We found our way to Rialto Bridge, doing a little shopping on the way. We twisted and turned along the little streets over to St. Mark’s Square. After doing a little more shopping we wandered back over to the Rialto Bridge and had dinner outside along the Grand Canal. Yes, outside even though it was really cold! We had tiramisu for dessert (instead of gelato). We started off back to the hotel and got lost. Backtracking we ran into a couple who was also lost. A couple streets down we found where we had made the wrong turn and continued on to our hotel. We ran into the lost couple again – it looked as if they were still lost. We finally reached our hotel. It was so hot in our room! We couldn’t get the air conditioning to work and I broke down and opened the window. But thankfully it wasn’t too smelly! It was after I had been in bed for a little while I realized my skin was still so cold! The side of my body that had been closest to the water at dinner was the coldest. Where is the heat sucking bed when you need it?

Day 5
When we first had looked around the hotel room, we had noticed we didn’t have a traditional hair dryer but we figured it would work. It did work – sort of. It was more of a hair blower than a hair dryer but it was better than nothing.

Stepping out of our hotel room we could smell breakfast wafting up the stairs! They had rolls and yogurt, but also fruit and cereal. After breakfast we checked out and left our bags and started walking towards St. Mark’s Square. The basilica was first on our list. I really like the Byzantine influence evident in St. Mark’s. From there we went to the Doge’s Palace, a very interesting mix of Gothic and Eastern styles. Unfortunately the Bridge of Sighs and the prisons were closed for renovations so we weren’t able to see them. Next up was the Campanile, which had an elevator. Hooray! No stairs! The ticket we bought for the Doge’s Palace allowed us to visit the Correr Museum, across the square. This museum has a lot of Venetian history and art. The exciting moment came when Diane leant a little too close to a sculpture and set off the alarm! Oh no! She stepped back and the alarm shut off. We took a makeshift “tour” of Venice via the water bus from St. Mark’s Square to the Rialto Bridge. We stopped for gelato and then for a late lunch. A little backwards to have dessert before lunch but again I’m on vacation! We did a little more shopping before heading back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and head to the train station to catch a train to Florence.

My verdict on Venice? I would visit again, always in the off-season! It’s not in my top 10 and it’ll probably be awhile before I would visit again but I would visit again. And I’d definitely stay in the hotel again! It was my favorite of this trip.

We arrived in Florence and walked to the hotel. It was late by this point so we called it a day.

Day 6
Our breakfasts continued to get better. This morning we had the normal rolls, yogurt, fruit & cereal, plus meats and cheeses! After breakfast we started off towards the Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David. Every time I see David, I get a little ga-ga. I’m so impressed with all the details, especially the hands! The Duomo was next and then we climbed the bell tower, instead of the dome. It was 50 steps shorter, less crowded and gave us a great view of the dome. About halfway up the bells rang which was pretty cool and very loud! We continued on to Santa Croche and then on to Palazzo Vecchio, once home to the powerful Medici family. The original David used to stand outside this palace but now there is a fake David in its place. The next stop was Ponte Vecchio which was not Diane’s favorite ponte! I really like Ponte Vecchio (it is one of my favorite pontes) so it became a joke that Diane was not as impressed with it. After doing a bit more shopping we took the bus up to Piazzale Michelangelo for a view of the city and a view of another fake David. I’m always nervous about taking a bus but I feel so accomplished when I arrive at my destination. I don’t know what it is about a bus that makes it different than the metro. We got back down and found a restaurant near our hotel, recommended by Rick. We realized after a bit they stuck us in the back with all the other tourists. The food was good and the cappuccino had a heart in the foam. According to Rick, Florence has the best gelato in Italy so after dinner we started hunting for gelato. We finally found a spot open which was more expensive but it was our last night in Italy and we had to have gelato!! And what’s better than gelato and tiramisu? Tiramisu flavored gelato!!

Stair count: 414 up to the top of the Bell Tower

Day 7
We had breakfast before heading over to the train station to catch the train to the Pisa Airport where we caught a plane to London. We took the train into London and got a taxi over to our hotel. We relaxed and watched television for a bit before heading out to find a pub for dinner. We got directions from the concierge but didn’t find the one he directed us to but found another one. I had fish and chips and split a stick toffee pudding with custard for dessert. It was really yummy! We realized after we had started eating it we hadn’t taken a picture of the dessert. It had started pouring outside so we ran for it. We reached our hotel and called it a night.

Day 8
We took the train out to Leeds Castle. On the train we noticed the weather was fairly gloomy and it looked as if it could rain. We got to the castle and in the gift shop they were selling ponchos. Knowing if we bought one we probably wouldn’t need it, but if we didn’t we probably would, we erred on the side of buying the poncho. We walked up to the castle, which is extremely picturesque. We toured the castle which is still in use today. We had lunch at the castle restaurant. Diane had pork & apple cutlet with potatoes and I had a lamb & apricot dish, also with potatoes. Halfway through our meal we realized today was Thanksgiving and both of our dishes were appropriate with the side of potatoes! Unfortunately I didn't think about taking a picture of our food until after we had already eaten.

The castle also had a maze. We did okay at the beginning but then got off track. Who knows how long we would have wandered around in there if we hadn’t overheard the guide telling someone else the secret of the maze? We didn’t quite hear the whole secret so instead we followed the ones that had heard the secret and soon we were at the middle!

We made it back to London and took the tube over to Westminster Abbey thinking it would still be open but it wasn’t. We walked across the bridge and went on the London Eye. Before we bought our ticket we used the restroom at the London Eye - they have the coolest hand dryers ever! You put your hands all the way in and slowly draw them out and your hands are completely dry! They need more of these hand dryers!! We were the only people in line and a pod was coming up so we thought for a second we'd get a pod to ourselves but they wouldn't let us on saying they needed at least three people. So the pod went by - empty. A few more people came and we were able to get on the next one. I love the view from the London Eye – it reminds me of Peter Pan.

When we finished at the London Eye, we took the tube over to Harrods to do a little shopping.

Day 9
Last February, when Jana and I were in London, we found this cute little restaurant near our hotel - The Muffin Man. I think we ended up eating there just about everyday! Some point later in time (I forget when) I was reading Something Blue by Emily Giffin and to my surprise she also mentions The Muffin Man and from what I could tell it was the same restaurant. How does this all tie in? Well, our hotel this time was in the same neighborhood (and by in the neighborhood I mean a brisk 10 minute walk down the road). I had talked it up to Diane and so we trekked over there for breakfast. I remembered they had great paninis but wasn't sure about having one for breakfast. But one of the other customers was having a panini when we arrived so I figured I should go ahead and have one as well. And my excuse? I'm on vacation, of course! Good choice - it was yummy!

After breakfast, we took the tube to Westminster Abbey so we could actually go inside this time! Touring the Abbey we saw the oldest door in Britain, dating back to the time of Edward the Confessor. Making my way through the church I overheard two kids complaining that they couldn’t read anything because it was all in Latin. Part of me completely sympathized with them, but part of me was thinking your parents took you to England – enjoy it! Later I overheard another kid (different family) talking about what he was seeing. Two very different attitudes – I’d like to think I would have been more like the second kid but I’m not so sure.

We walked over to Buckingham Palace just in time for the changing of the guards. We took the tube over to St. Paul’s. There was a teacher there with her class touring the church. She was really good! Her explanations were really interesting and entertaining. We wanted to join her group! We thought about doing the stairs at St. Paul’s but decided against it. We took the tube over to the Tower of London where we found out we had just missed the last Yeoman warder tour so we decided to wait and do the Tower of London the next morning before we had to leave. We took the tube over to Piccadilly Circus where we did some shopping and had our first eggnog latte of the season. We were going to try and find a different pub for dinner but couldn’t so we ended up at the pub we ate at the first night.

Our friend Jamie had been in Barcelona for work and was spending a few days in London and we met up with her and a few of her co-workers and their friends for a drink at a pub just a few streets over. It was on the other side of the street where we had been looking! I guess we should have looked on the other side of the street!

Day 10
Last day! We ended up deciding to see how we felt in the morning whether or not we wanted to hike over to the Tower of London or not. It ended up being not. We finished packing and checked and made our way over to The Muffin Man for our last breakfast on vacation.

In a lot of ways the best part about a vacation, for me anyway, is the planning and the anticipation. The vacation itself is always great but once it starts I know it will end. Which is probably why I take so many trips! :) I need something else to look forward to! So until next time….

Ciao!!

Paris & Rome 2006

Finally!! I'm posting my trip report from November. Enjoy!!

Day 1

The flight into London was uneventful. I was able to fall asleep fairly soon after dinner and snooze off and on. Arriving in Heathrow, I made my way to the departures area (my bags were checked all the way to Paris). But to get to departures, I had to go through security again. No problem, I thought, after all I didn’t even have to switch terminals, it is only security. Boy was I wrong! The security line was enormous! Good thing my flight into London had landed early as I had a feeling I might need the extra time. The line stretched around the corner and down the corridor as far as I could see. I got in line and finally turned the first corner and then when I turned the second corner I began to feel hope the end of the line was near. But around the second corner my hopes were slightly dashed as the line didn’t end there but zig-zagged (think Disneyland). The harried airport staff was trying to keep the line moving and allowed several people to branch into another line. Several women who were not allowed to branch off started arguing with the airport staff saying it wasn’t fair those others got to change lines. The staff person let them through so they would stop arguing. However the line they argued to be in was longer than their original line and I felt a perverse pleasure in the fact they were still in line when the people behind them in their original line made it through security. Seeing that, one of the women re-cut back into the original line. Apparently there is no way to make some people happy. Finally I made it through security and to departures. To stay awake I walked up and down the terminal. My flight was called and I boarded the plane. My eyes were closed and I was dozing as soon as I sat down. Thinking we were sitting an awful long time after everyone had boarded, I dismissed this thought due to my half-awake state. But as it turned out, we were sitting. One passenger did not show up for the flight so they had to find their bag and take it off the plane. Once the bag was off we were further delayed as we had missed our chance to go and had to wait for air traffic control to assign us a new time. All in all, we were probably delayed about 30 minutes in taking off. However we landed nearly right on time so we must have made up time in the air, or they build a lot more time into those flying estimates in case things like this happen!

After clearing passport control and collecting my bag it was time to head for the hotel. I figured the easiest way would be either by bus or train and then by metro. I found the train first and bought my ticket. When I realized I would have to switch metro lines twice, I decided to get off at the first major train station and take a taxi the rest of the way. The taxi line was almost as long as the security line at Heathrow! But I wasn’t about to get on the metro so I stood in line. Finally it was my turn and I gave the address of the hotel to the taxi driver and we were off. After we turned the corner the taxi driver pulled over to look at a map. I was torn between being glad at least she was looking at a map and being dismayed she was looking at a map. She found it on the map and maneuvered back into traffic. I had forgotten how crazy Paris drivers can be! I reached the hotel and Jana was waiting in the room. We walked around the neighborhood and found a restaurant for dinner. Our waiter was very odd and there was a dog under the table next to us. After dinner we walked around a bit more and discovered how close the Eiffel Tower was as we looked up and there it was right in front of us.

Day 2

We decided that today we were going to take a train somewhere - either Reims (pronounced Rance, like France) or Troyez. We got to the train station and found out we couldn't use our credit cards in the machine. It has to have a special chip in it to be used to buy tickets, so we got in line to buy tickets. The ticket agent discouraged us from going to Troyez and suggested Reims, except the train to Reims wasn’t leaving until 11 (it was 9). We didn't want to wait around so we said we'd go to Troyez. But before we could buy tickets he again discouraged us and gave us another medieval town to visit but we couldn't buy the tickets from him - we had to buy them from another ticket counter across the train station. We walk over to the other counter and try to find the other city mentioned in Rick Steve's book but it wasn't there and since we really did want to Reims we decide to go have breakfast and then buy tickets for the 11 o'clock train to Reims. We went to a little cafe near the train station for breakfast and once again we got a weird waiter. Back at the train station we get in line to buy the Reims tickets. Our first ticket agent sees us and looks at us questioningly to which we reply we decided we wanted to go to Reims after all. Ticket in hand we validated them and climbed aboard the train and 90 minutes later we were in Reims.

I had used our time on the train to consult with Rick to figure out what to see and how to get there. Our first stop was the cathedral, which looked a lot like the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. In fact it was also called Notre Dame, complete with gargoyles. After the cathedral we started walking towards the champagne house we had decided to tour (there were several in the town). We figured on the way there we would find a restaurant to stop in for lunch. However, it was not to be as it was later in the afternoon and most of the restaurants were closed until dinner. We did find a little bakery which was still open and got a sandwich and a soda and found a bench nearby where we had our first lunch in France.

The champagne house was not much further up from where we had lunch. We arrived just in time for the tour in English. The champagne house used to be an abbey and the abbey was founded on ruins left by the Romans. We walked down 70+ stairs into the caves where the champagne bottles are stored. The guide explained how they make the champagne and then insert the carbonation to make it fizzy. After the tour we got to walk back up the stairs (our first stair of the trip) but the reward at the top was a taste of the champagne and it was good! After we finished our sample we headed back into town.

We had already bought our tickets home and still had time before the train came so we decided to visit the Museum of the Surrender. This was Eisenhower's headquarters and where the Allied forces accepted Germany's surrender in World War II. On the map it didn't look to far away from the train station or too far away from where we were at the moment. We made our way back to the train station, passing by a scrapbook store! It is always good to know where the nearest scrapbook store is, in case I wanted to start on my trip book a little early! :) The museum was close to the train station, if you were a bird and could fly over the fence and the train tracks. We had to go up the street, over the bridge and back down the street to reach it. Inside was the actual table where the surrender was signed. It was really dark by the time we left the museum and we made our way to the train station and back to Paris.

Stair count - 70+ up from the champagne caves

Day 3

I have wanted to go to Versailles ever since I can remember but each time something has happened each time that has prevented me from going. Last time I made it all the way out there to find out there was a strike and it wasn’t open. I was determined to make it there this time. The train left from the metro/train station near our hotel. After breakfast of croissants (yum!) we made our way to the train. We arrived in Versailles and stopped in the tourist information office to make one of the most important purchases you can make in Paris - a Paris Museum Card. This pass not only gets you into a lot of museums for free or a reduced rate, it also lets you skip entrance lines! It would come in handy many times on our trip. With our Museum Pass in our hand we walked into Versailles. What an incredible place! Unfortunately, the hall of mirrors was under renovation and so we weren’t able to see it. Oh well, it just means I’ll have to make another trip there.

We ate lunch in the café and then started exploring the gardens. Given that it was the end of November, most of the trees and plants were bare, but you could imagine the gardens in all their splendor during the summer. It was a very nice day out and the sky was very blue and the clouds looked like clouds in a painting. We walked along the path to the Grand Trianon, a smaller palace on the grounds. Apparently, as the popularity and fame of Versailles grew, the royal family tried to get away and continued to build further out from the main palace. From the Grand Trianon we went to the Petit Trianon, which as the name suggests, was a yet even smaller palace. Give me the Petit Trianon any day!

The last thing on the map we wanted to visit was called the Queen’s Hamlet. We weren’t sure exactly what this was but since we were there we wanted to visit. It turns out this was a model village Marie Antoinette had built so she could have a village of her own. It seems that France wasn’t enough for her! It was a very cute village and had lots of animals around.

We walked back through the gardens and to the train station and headed back to Paris. We decided since we had bought the 2 day Museum Pass and as the Louvre was open late tonight we would head directly over to the Louvre. It was still crowded even though it was in the evening. We hit the high points (Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa) as well as the foundations of the Louvre (it used to be a palace) before deciding to find dinner. We had originally thought to eat in the café but the choices weren’t all that great. Trying to find the metro to head back towards our hotel and find a restaurant there, we came across a food court! I don’t know if it was we because we were hungry but that dinner was one of the best dinners I’ve had!

Stair count – No official count today, but both Versailles and the Louvre had a lot of them!

Day 4

We started off early Saturday morning with a list of places we were going to go to that day. The first stop was the Rodin Museum, not far from our hotel. The museum had just opened in the morning and already there was a line. One of the staff came out and asked if anyone had a Museum Card, which we did, and so we were able to jump the queue and go right in. The first thing we came across was probably one of his most famous pieces, if not the most famous, The Thinker. It is always amazing to me how much detail they can portray in what started out as a hunk of stone.

From there, we made our way to the D’Orsay Museum where once again the Museum Card let us right in ahead of the line. And the line to get in was quite long. We made our way through the museum up to the top floor which is the Impressionist floor. The impressionist style of painting is my favorite. I just love Monet, Manet, Degas, and Renoir so I was happy as a clam strolling through the rooms filled with their paintings. We had lunch at the café and finished our tour.
Leaving the D’Orsay, we strolled along the Seine. The streets along the river are filled with booksellers and souvenir stands selling just about anything you could want. We passed by Pont Neuf (the New Bridge), which is my favorite bridge in Paris. I don’t know why I like that bridge, but whenever I think of Paris I think of the Eiffel Tower and that bridge.

We crossed over another bridge to the island where the ancient city of Paris originated. Our first stop was Sainte-Chapelle which has amazing stained glass panels. It was remarkable with only a little daylight - on a sunny day it must be breathtaking. A little ways down the street from Sainte-Chapelle is the Conciergerie, a former prison. Many of the prisoners in the French Revolution were kept here, including Marie-Antoinette, before being carted off to the guillotine. From there we continued on to Notre Dame Cathedral and were able to hear the bells.

By this time it had gotten dark. We took the metro over to the Arc de Triomphe. A military ceremony was taking place when we got there - we were there near Armistice Day (Veteran’s Day in the US) and the Arc houses the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. We couldn’t find the elevator and so we started up the winding staircase up to the top. 284 steps later we emerged at the top and gazed at the view. At night you can really see why Paris is called the City of Lights - it was all lit up. The Eiffel Tower was easy to spot as was Napoleon’s Tomb. I looked down the Champs Elysees toward the Place du Concorde and the Lourve.

We headed back down the stairs started towards the Eiffel Tower, looking for a place to eat dinner on the way. We ended up at a pizza place recommended by Rick. The waiter saw my Rick Steves book and pointed out the poster he had in the window of Rick’s book. When we looked above our table we saw several postcards - one from Texas and one from Seattle - very appropriate for one Houstonian and one Seattleite. After dinner we walked a couple more blocks and looked up and there was the Eiffel Tower! It had just started to sparkle! I’m not sure when the twinkle/sparkle lights were put on the Eiffel Tower but I love it. It’s magical to see those lights twinkling. There was only one elevator working so the line was long. We went all the way up to the top and saw Paris from another viewpoint, again, all lit up. The Arc de Triomphe was visible and finally I found Notre Dame in the distance.

Stair count - 283 up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe

Day 5

This was our last day in Paris. We started off the day trying to find the Harley Davidson store. We were successful, except for the fact the store was closed. Oh well, on to the next thing which happened to be the Catacombs. These underground tunnels became an official ossuary. Bones are stacked high for miles in the tunnels. These tunnels were used in Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables, as well as by the French Resistance in WW2. Apparently they’ve had problems with people stealing bones. What I want to know is, what would you do with a stolen ancient bone?

Sacre Coeur was next. One of my favorite words to say is funicular (a cable railway) so what better way to visit Sacre Coeur but to take the funicular up the hill? However, we approached Sacre Coeur from the wrong side and so we climbed up to the top via the stairs. Mass was being held inside the church as we entered so we sat and listened for awhile.

We went back down the stairs and made our way toward the metro stop only to find the nearest stop closed. We walked toward the next stop, which was on the border of the red light district.

For dinner I had heard about an American ex-pat who held Sunday dinners at his Paris apartment and we had decided to try it out. We got off at what we thought was the closest metro stop. Emerging from the metro station, the age old question arose - right or left? Getting to the right street wasn’t a problem, it was what to do after we got to that street - did we go up it or go down it? Inevitably, I would choose the wrong way and we’d go a block before realizing it was back down the other way. Trying to prevent it from happening again, we stood off to the side and looked at the map to orient ourselves. A very nice old French man came up to us to ask if we needed help and I showed him on the map where we needed to go. He started looking for his glasses so I asked in which direction the church was and he said it was up the street. We thanked him and continued on our way. We found his apartment and punched in the code and were again faced with a right or left decision. Fortunately for us, a resident came in (who was also American) and asked us who we were looking for and took us to the right apartment. There were a lot of people there!! There were not a lot of seats so we ended up standing in a corner that wasn’t occupied. We had a glass of wine and an appetizer and talked with a Frenchman before deciding it really wasn’t our cup of tea and headed back to our apartment. Besides which, we needed to pack for our flight to Rome the next day.

Stair count - 80+ up from the catacombs, 150+ up to Sacre Couer

Day 6

The next morning came to early and we were off to the airport. We said au revoir to Paris and Buon giorno to Roma! The taxi dropped us off right in front of our hotel which was on a little side street down from the Colosseum. The room in Paris was on the small side, but it was extremely roomy compared to this hotel room! One of the comments on Trip Advisor had warned off the Tiny Tim rooms but we had liked the location and the price and decided to go ahead and book it. The hotel itself was nice, the location was great and we survived the tiny room.

After freshening up, we ventured outside and found a café for lunch. I love Italian food in Italy. Italian food in the US is good, but it doesn’t compare to a nice pizza margherita in Italy. Granted pizza margherita is your average cheese pizza, but it tastes so much better in Italy. We finished lunch and walked down the street to the Colosseum and up towards the Forum. To our surprise, there was a gate in front of the entrance to the Forum and the guard was not letting people in, which was not how either of us remembered it, and certainly not what Rick had in his guide book. Nevertheless, the Forum closed at 4:30 and you could not enter after 3:30. Before we figured this out we walked up the hill to see if we could enter up there. It ended up being a dead end, but at the top of the hill was a picturesque little church which we stopped to admire before climbing back down. From there we walked over to the Pantheon and then stopped for gelato. Yum, gelato!

To make sure this would not be our last trip to Rome our next stop was the Trevi Fountain. Legend says if you throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, you ensure a return trip to Rome. I’m not sure why you throw the coin standing backwards - if it was part of the original legend, or if it was added after the movie “Three Coins in the Fountain”. We sat at the base of the fountain for awhile people watching and taking numerous pictures for ourselves as well as for others. It was starting to get cold so we headed back towards our hotel. We stopped at a restaurant up the block from our hotel. The waiter greeted us with a friendly “Hello ladies”. This would become our “place” as we ate dinner here several times.

Stair count - You know I don't think we climbed anything big today. It was just a normal stair day.

Day 7

The theme for today ended up being St. Peter. We started off the day visiting St. Peter in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains). This church was built to house the chains that held St. Peter. It also holds Michelangelo’s Moses statue.

Continuing with the St. Peter theme, we made our way over to St. Peter’s Basilica. I’m always in awe of St. Peter’s, and there is this sense of peace there. Prior to visiting St. Peter’s both of us said we were tired of stairs and that we didn’t want to climb up to the top of the dome. However it was such a nice day that both of us thought why not climb to the top. After all we were there, the dome was there, and it would be a nice view. There are two options to climb to the top of the dome, you can take the stairs all the way up, or you can take the elevator to the base and then climb 320 stairs to the top. We opted for the elevator and then the stairs. After the elevator you walk through the church and can look down on the altar. It’s amazing the amount of detail in the mosaics on the wall! We started up the stairs. About halfway up you really start to notice you are climbing stairs inside of a dome as the walls are really tilted. That was the most difficult part for me because I started feeling a little dizzy and walking while slanting sideways did not help the situation. Pretty soon it was back to normal stairs, and then another spiral staircase and then daylight! The view was incredible and well worth the climb! It was very crowded at the top and hard to maneuver around but after circling the top we decided to head down. We exited and looked back up at the imposing dome. And then I made a discovery!! There is a gift shop at the base of the dome! Now I have, in the past, had problems with finding the actual Vatican gift shop and so to turn around and find one at the top was a great discovery! We decided against waiting for the elevator to take us back down and instead took the stairs. They weren’t stairs as much as a big hill with little stairs every couple of feet, but in any case I was still glad we took the elevator on our way up.

There are secret tunnels that run between St. Peter’s and Castel Sant’Angelo, but we had to go the normal route and walk down the street. We walked through the castle which has had many uses over the years. It was first built by Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum. It was used as a mausoleum, holding the ashes of several Roman emperors. It was later a military fortress before being converted into a castle. By the time we got to the top, it was dark so we could see St. Peter’s in the distance all lit up.

We debated going back to the same restaurant for dinner but decided to try someplace new. Too bad for us, we chose a restaurant close to our hotel which catered mainly to tourists. The food wasn’t bad, but the service was horrible. We asked for the bill and after 30 minutes it still hadn’t come so we asked again. When it still hadn’t arrived and it looked like we would be waiting for another 30 minutes we added up what we thought the bill would be and left the money on the table before walking out. One of the waiters saw us leaving, glanced at our table and saw that we had left money and went about his business. I have threatened to do that before but never actually done it!

Stair count - 320 up to the top of St. Peter's Basilica, but the view was worth it!! Not to mention all the stairs in Castel Sant’Angelo and the stairs up to St. Peter in Vincoli!

Day 8

We decided to take a day trip to Florence. It’s only an hour and a half train ride on the Eurostar. We ended up just missing the 9:30 train as the ticket machine wouldn’t issue tickets for that departure time as it was too close. So we bought tickets for the 10:30 train and arrived in Florence a little after noon. We made our way toward the center of town and had lunch. After lunch we visited the Duomo before heading towards the Accademia to visit David. I don’t think I will ever get tired of seeing David. I think his hands impress me the most – all the tendons and lines of his hands. Michelangelo was an amazing, amazing artist. We meandered back through the city over to Ponte Vecchio. From there we wandered through the market, buying all sorts of treasures. After our pocketbooks were significantly empty we decided to go visit Santa Croche as we still had time before our train. Santa Croche is the finally resting place for the who’s who of Italy – Michelangelo, Galileo, Dante and Machiavelli are all buried there. It was starting to get late so headed back to the train station.

We arrived back in Rome and got a call from Jana’s friend Fabrizio. Arrangements were made to meet later for a drink. After last night’s dinner disaster we decide to go back to our restaurant. We were again greeted by a friendly “Hello ladies” by the same waiter. We finished dinner and Fabrizio picked us up. He had brought a couple of friends along – Mateo and Massimo. We went to Trastevere, an up and coming neighborhood across the Tiber River.

Stair count - Another normal stair day!

Day 9

I woke up the next morning and decided to visit the Forum since it was so close. On my way over I saw a group of gypsies attacking a tourist. I had never seen it that blatant before. He got away and I went the long way to avoid them. It’s so horrible that they live this way and then they bring their children with them who learn the same behavior. Talk about a vicious circle!
The gate was no longer up in front of the Forum and I was able to walk right in. I always think of Rome as this giant onion. Peel back a layer and you find another element of history. Walking through the Forum is like stepping through the pages of a history book. My active imagination can hear the sounds of the Forum in its heyday.

Walking up from the Forum to the Capital Hill area I pass by a souvenir stand. In this age of digital cameras I thought to myself I wonder how much film they sell when I noticed they now sell both film and memory cards!

At the top of the Capital Hill I debated walking down and then walking back up to the Victor Emmanuel II monument. However, Rick described a short cut through the church that led right onto the top of the monument. Hooray! I don’t think I’ve ever been at the top of the monument. I’ve walked by it enough, but I’ve never walked to the top. Fabrizio later told us that after the statue was finished 12 people had dinner inside the horse’s stomach. It was a large statue up close so it was certainly possible – but why would you want to?

After lunch we got on board the metro and headed for Ostia Antica, the ancient town of Ostia. Ostia used to be a bustling port city but with the fall of the Roman Empire, it was abandoned. Silt from the river eventually buried the city, protecting it throughout the years. Walking down the main street it could be Any City, USA, except for the fact it is in ruins and of course in Italy – maybe a better description is Any City, Italy. There was the business district, the theater, the health club, the local bar, apartment complexes and the government buildings.

Fabrizio picked us up at our hotel. We then picked up his friend, Bruno, who was joining us for dinner. So now we have met a Mateo, a Massimo and a Bruno, and of course Fabrizio. How much more Italian can you get than Massimo and Bruno? We went again to Trastevere for dinner. The restaurant was a bright, cheery place with maps on the wall. The menu was mainly in Italian so Bruno asked "Do you trust me?" When in Rome, right? "Yes, I trust you." He ordered dinner and we split 2 pasta dishes. Both were really good. However, my trust was a bit shaken when later he ordered broccoli, which didn't look (or taste) like broccoli at all but rather spinach, and ate that for dessert. It was funny to watch Fabrizio and Bruno talk as they were so Italian – always using their hands.

Stair count - Ah who know?! There were a lot of them!!!!

Day 10

Last day in Roma! I wandered aimlessly for awhile before meeting up with Jana for lunch. I passed by part of the construction taking place for the 3rd metro line. But in true Italian fashion, no one is certain when construction will be finished.

At lunch there were a couple of Asian girls sitting near our table and in stereotypical Asian fashion they were taking pictures of everything. When their cappuccinos were brought out we both said “I’ll bet they’ll take a picture of their cappuccinos” which they did. However, we had to eat our words when our cappuccinos were brought out and we saw the foam had two hearts in it. So of course, we had to take pictures of our cappuccinos as well! Hello, pot? It’s the kettle calling. With our bill the waiter also brought us two roses, which we took pictures of as well.

We were visiting the Cappuccin Monks and their ossuary today. We visited the church upstairs before heading down to the crypt. Standing in line, waiting to enter, a pushy American came in behind us and started making a fuss that we weren’t moving. I’m not sure if he didn’t see the line or was just cranky or what. The line started moving and he moved ahead of us and was stopped again as the line wasn’t moving all that fast. I’m not sure why he was frustrated but we were all waiting in line. Fortunately he was really the only “ugly” tourist we ran into and he was really only ugly to other tourists, that we knew of anyway.

The bones in the ossuary were artfully arranged, much different than the catacombs we had visited in Paris. Written in the crypt was this warning “We were what you are…you will become what we are now.”

Up the street from the Cappuccin crypt was Santa Maria della Vittoria which houses Bernini’s St. Teresa in Ecstasy. Unfortunately the sun wasn’t shining so we didn’t get the full effect of the statue’s placement. Across the street was Santa Susanna, the American church in Rome. After admiring the artwork in Santa Susanna we walked toward the Baths of Diocletian. Only a few buildings are open, one being the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. We walked in and I was surprised at how big it was - it didn’t look that big from the outside.

For our last dinner we again went to our restaurant. The waiter again greeted us with a friendly “Hello ladies” and seated us next to a table with a couple of priests, as well as a lay person. The waiter had by this time remembered our drink order, which wasn’t that hard – still water and red wine. Halfway through our meal the one of the priests breaks out into the Hallelujah chorus. Jana and I just looked at each other and tried not to burst out laughing. Only in Rome…

After dinner Fabrizio picked us up and we went to Trastevere. It was Friday night, so cars were not allowed into areas of Trastevere and we drove around for awhile trying to find parking. We did finally find parking – which was near the top of a hill. While driving around we got several fantastic views of Rome. We walked down the hill into Trastevere and ended up at the bar we had been to a few nights ago. After we finished we began the climb back up to the car. After all, we hadn’t climbed nearly enough stairs that day!

Stair count - Once again, not sure on the actual number but there were a few going down to Trastevere and of course climbing back up.

Day 11

Fabrizio dropped me off at the airport the next morning. I flew into Heathrow but this time I had to actually transfer terminals and I think actually transferring terminals, which involved taking a bus, took less time than moving within the same terminal at the beginning of the trip. Go figure! Before I knew it, it was time to board and it did not take long before I was asleep. I arrived back safely in Seattle, ready to start planning my next trip!!