Random

I found this sign in London. At first glance I thought WOW a shop with my name on it! Due to the unsual spelling of my name (thanks Dad!) it's not very often I see my own name, so when I do find it it makes me smile.

When I looked at it again it realized it had the right letters but not in the right order. Not my name at all! It's close. But no CIGAR!!!! hahahaha

*** I realize this fully demonstrates the extent of my dorkiness, but I don't care! I wanted to share the giggles! ***

Marco!... Polo!...

Landon man is back for the WHOLE month of June!!! Nick and I are very excited to have him with us and since I'm not taking summer school this semester I have some fun things planned! First up, swim lessons!!!

The first day of swim lessons did not go so well. Landon unfortunately fell asleep in the car on the way to his first lesson so when we got there he was a little crabby. He had a death grip on Nick and would not get in the water. After a few minutes when he saw how much fun the other kids were having he finally got in. But then the death grip was on the side of the pool. But again a few minutes later he was having fun and kicking up a storm with Nick's help.
The second day of swim class Landon didn't want Nick in the water at all and wanted to do it all by himself! He was a little distracted this time around (he's three! and let's face it, Nick's son!) but he listened pretty well. I think he actually likes it now. I am fully confident that Landon will pass his class and soon be swimming like the big boys all by himself. Next step is to buy a house with a pool!!!

When in Rome

On our last and final day in Rome we went for the trifecta. We saw Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, Pantheon, and Piazza Novana.

We started at the Spanish Steps.

Lots of tourists; basically it was a church at the top of a hill with lots of stairs leading up to it. Not very exciting. I’m sure with a guide telling us the history it would have been more interesting. However, it was just a bunch of steps to other church and another thing to mark off my bucket list.

(I am actually in this picture. Did anyone play "Where's Waldo"?)

Next we saw the Trevi Fountains. Although pictures and describing it to people who haven’t been there makes it seem very uneventful and just another fountain; it was my favorite of the ENTIRE trip! Still not sure why. It was beautiful, huge, and very peaceful. Ironic since there are tons of tourists taking pictures and throwing in coins. But still my favorite!

The Pantheon was awesome! Gianormous!! The outside was pillaged of all it’s splendor but the inside was mostly intact. The Catholics of course took it over and there are some popes and former monarchs buried there. But it gives you a glimpse of what Rome looked like in it’s pagan days and what the Colosseum coulda, woulda, shoulda looked like. AMAZING!!!

Last and certainly least was Piazza Novana. Our tour guide talked it up for the optional excursions like it was some big and great thing to see. We got there and it was two fountains on either side of the piazza (city square –or shopping area) flanked by cafés and pizzerias (restaurants) and people selling paintings in between.

We considered buying a painting for the house but soon realized that all of them were selling almost identical paintings. I really would have wanted an original –especially for the price they wanted – not a mass produced reproduction that I can find in the states! So we didn’t buy one and headed back toward the hotel to do some shopping. (I got me a pair of shoes –of course!)

Italy was definitely our favorite!!! We both agreed that we HAVE to come back some day! The food was fantastic. The sights were amazing. And the people were really nice!

(Nick's favorite restaurant!)

Ciao!! Arrivederci!! Au revoir!!! Cheerio!!!

Buen giorno!!

Our first morning in Rome we had breakfast at the hotel. We met a very nice older couple at breakfast that gave us a secret to getting into the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel. Go later in the day when the lines are not as long!!

Yummy donuts!

And then headed off to the included St Peter’s Basillica tour. The church was HUGE and amazing!! I think I enjoyed St Paul’s Cathedral a little more because it seemed more open had more light. St Peter’s was very beautiful and the largest of all the catholic churches in the world. On the floor they have stars showing the size of other famous churches around the world including St Paul’s. It’s interesting to see the size compared to other places we’ve already been.

Our next stop was to the Colosseum. This was Nick’s favorite place! We found out that all the marble, stone, and bronze that is in St Peter’s Basillica came from the Colosseum and other Roman ruins. The structures from ancient Rome are not falling down due to time or nature but by man. The Romans built their structures to last forever and the Catholic church came around hundreds of years later and pillaged the pagan temples for their own churches and temples.

We then headed back over to the Vatican Museum to find the Sistine Chapel. Our breakfast buddies were right! The museum stops accepting visitors at 4pm; so we got there at 3pm and walked right in!!! No lines at all!!

However, they don’t make the Sistine Chapel easy to find. You basically have to go through the entire museum to find it. It was not like the Louvre where we could get the Sistine Chapel (Mona Lisa) done and move on. Nope. Miles of hallways and thousands of paintings, carvings, and sculptures later we finally found it!

(Very blurry Creation of Adam)

Pardon the VERY blurry pictures; you’re not allowed to take photos in this room so all of these pictures are pirated. The guards were yelling (in a reverent whisper, of course) at everyone about not taking pictures or video. It was a little chaotic. It was also very beautiful! Amazing! I can now see why it would take Michelangelo 11 years to paint it.

I over heard a guide talking to some people and he said that Michelangelo originally painted everyone naked. The pope at the time didn’t like that everyone was naked and wanted him to cover all the genitals. Michelangelo refused to do it and told the pope to find someone else! The Pope called Michelangelo’s best friend and apprentice, Botticelli, to paint the fig leaves and robes to cover their private parts! Although I can’t find this lovely story on Wikipedia anywhere I still like the story!

In all the crowd and hustle & bustle of finding and being herded out of the Sistine Chapel we missed the painting of The Last Supper. ;( I guess that will just give me a reason to come back again!

On the road again....

The next day we were headed to Rome. Originally when we booked this particular tour it was because our journey from Paris to Rome was on an overnight train. Two weeks before we left on our trip (when all balances were paid –sneaky little so-and-sos) I got an email saying that the train was canceled and instead we would be flying to Rome and have an extra day there! Our flight was to leave Paris at 11:05am. We left for the airport around 8:45am and while standing in line to get through security we were informed that the flight was delayed about 1 ½ - 2 hours! So they told us to go get something to eat and hang out (in that airport there are no restaurants past security. If you want something to eat do before going through security!) Nick and I headed to a café for a beverage and while Nick was in line the security guy came by and said that the flight was going to be on time and start going through security! YEAH!!!

Nick and I headed to security, got our luggage checked in, received our boarding pass that said our gate was 10! YEAH! We might just be in Rome by 1pm and get a little bit of sightseeing in! Past security we attempted to find gate 10. But wait… all the gates had letters behind this glorious number 10 that would lead us to Rome and out of the hell of Paris!

Long boring story short the flight from Paris to Rome was DELAYED!! FOUR!!! HOURS!!!! They claim it was due to an air traffic controllers strike! WHATEVER!!!

We finally arrive in Rome, everyone (30 people in our tour group) got their luggage and we head to the bus. Of course we are not all staying at the same hotel –why make it easy?! And to make it worse there was an optional excursion for that night. Dinner, wine, and music for the low low price of 46 euros per person!!! (Eye-roll please!) So, half the bus still wanted to do the dinner (crazy people!). We had to stop at the restaurant to drop of the crazies, and then to the first hotel (ours was second of course!), and FINALLY we made it to our final destination at 10 PM!!!!!!

On the plus side, the room was huge compared to the last two we stayed in, had air conditioning and a KING sized bed, and a refrigerator!!!!! SCORE! We got our luggage to our room, headed back down stairs and asked the front desk for the closest restaurant that was still open. (I had my map of course!)

The concierge directed us across the street to Ciro, Ciro. Nick and I both ordered a pizza and it quickly became not only Nick’s favorite restaurant in the whole world but his favorite country too! Not only does Rome have a pizzeria on every corner but also a gelateria (Italy's own ice cream shops)! I think Nick has found heaven on Earth!

Moulin Rouge

Nick and I decided to do a big splurge and actually go on one of the optional excursions that the tour company provided. We had dinner and a show at the Moulin Rouge!! Under normal circumstances there would be NO WAY I would pay 140 euros EACH for dinner (in a completely crowded dinning area) and a show (the girls are topless!!). But, when in (Rome) Paris!



The Moulin Rouge, which translated means the “Red Mill” is located in a rather shaddy part of town in the red light district of Paris. It was built in 1889 and is the founder of the can-can dance.

You are not allowed to take photos inside (for obvious reasons –echum half naked girls!). So that was a bummer! The food was pretty good and show was kinda cool too. They sang and danced and thank goodness it was all in English. In between wardrobe changes they had little acts, like a juggler, ventriloquist, and a lady that swam with snakes. I can’t make these things up people!

Bon Jour Part Deux!!

For our second day in Paris the morning should have included an included tour of a perfume factory. However Nick and I REALLY wanted to see the Louvre museum, and we had heard that the lines and the amount of people would be huge. So, we decided to forgo the (supper fun) perfume factory and head straight to the Louvre (pronounced loov-ra, by the locals..)! We got there before it opened and the line was a bit long but once the museum opened their doors it when VERY fast and we went right in.

Our first stop (as was everyone else’s) was for the Mona Lisa. Surveying the amount of people that entered the Louvre (and the many more still waiting outside to get in) we wanted to check this off our list and move on to the more interesting things! I grabbed a map (I love me a MAP!) and found out where the Mona Lisa was while Nick bought tickets! We met in the forey under the giant weird glass pyramid in the middle of the courtyard (still can’t figure that one out!) and made a bee line to the most famous woman in the world!

THE Mona Lisa

She’s really not all that exciting… I’m not really sure why she’s so popular? She’s in a maze of rooms on a wall with about 15 other paints. Those poor other paintings; nobody comes to see them nor do they stay to see them. Most tour groups stop at her and about 10 others and leave. It’s very sad.

So, now we’ve seen it! Let’s move on!

Our next stop was Venus de Milo. She was found in Greece around 1820 and is believed to have been carved between 130 and 100 BC and depicts Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love and beauty. When she was found she had no arms and was in two pieces; the upper torso and lower draped legs. She is held together by metal rods. She’s a beautiful sculpture. But again not sure what makes her so much more famous than the thousands of other beautiful sculptures?




Venus de Milo

After these two famous women we wondered around. Our tour guide the morning before told us that it would take you 4 months to see every piece of art in the Louvre; and I believe him! There is A LOT to see; almost too much. But here are a few of our favorites or at least the ones worth showing/mentioning…

The Louvre itself is quite beautiful and interesting.

It was originally built in the 12th century as a fortress by Phillip II. In 1672 King Louis XIV left the palace and built a new one now known as the Palace of Versailles, leaving the Louvre to display the royal collection.

It has been added onto by almost every French monarch that has resided there since. It is currently has 652,000 square feet devoted to the permanent collection, contains 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings. The museum averages 15,000 visitors per day! At 9.50 euros, you do the math!!!

Who needs a tour guide!!!