Thanksgiving 2011, Part II

Hope everyone had a happy Turkey Day! Justin and I burned up the road this Thanksgiving, driving almost 800 miles! First, we drove to Aiken and surprised my mom. She wasn't expecting us until the weekend. She was very surprised to see us and gave me the furrowed brow for not letting her know we were coming. She isn't a huge fan of surprises. Especially when they are for her ;o) We ate dinner at my grandmother's house (Nana) and had a great time catching up with family.

That night, we were crazy enough to battle the crowds for the Thanksgiving and black Friday sales. It was nice not to actually have any particular gift you HAD to get. We could just enjoy the people watching. And there was plenty of people watching to be had!

We got home around 4:30 and crashed. We were up by 11:00 and headed to Lowe's to pick out a Christmas tree with my parents. They get a fresh tree every year and decorate it with all the ornaments collected over the years. It is such a sweet tradition!

Then we were off to Raleigh to have Thanksgiving with Justin's family. Shannon had the cutest center pieces and window decorations made by the boys. Dinner was amazing! The Clemson game...not so much. The only thing that made the game worthwhile was being introduced to Pintrest during a commercial break. I am completely addicted to that website. It is such a great way to keep all your ideas (craft, gift, decorating) and recipes together! Just what I've always needed. Now I can start deleting some of those Ina Garten shows I've been hoarding on my DVR.

Next task on my list, decorating for Christmas. Typically, our decorations are up mid November. Crazy, I know, but we travel so much for the holidays that if we don't put them up early, we don't have long to enjoy them. Pictures to come!

Thanksgiving 2011, Part I

This weekend we went to Justin's grandmother's (Jojo's) house in Charlotte for her Thanksgiving get together. The food was delicious, as always, and it was so nice to visit with everyone. We can never stay as long as we'd like but I'm always reminded when I go there how grateful I am to have such a wonderful family. Jojo's Thanksgiving dinner really kicks off the holiday season.

And speaking of, the Christmas music has started on the local radio station. When I was a kid my dad used to listed to Christmas songs starting in November and I thought it was cruel and unusual punishment, especially since he didn't know the words so he'd make them up as he went along. Often times he would use our names in the song and carol about how bad we were or how we weren't getting anything for Christmas. He found it very amusing. My sister and I seriously considered throwing ourselves out of the moving car a time or two. I swore I'd never listen to Christmas music as an adult but look at me now! It just makes me happy. Who can be in a bad mood when there is Christmas music on??

The holidays really are in full swing...we had our office Thanksgiving Lunch Party today. I made Sherry's sweet potato dumplings and boy, we're they a hit! Everyone LOVED them! I had at least three people ask me for the recipe. Super yummy! I also brought pumpkin cupcakes. There was so much food and it was all delicious...seriously, everything I tasted was amazingly good. No one wanted dessert at the end. I brought home a plate for Justin. He was very happy. There's just something about the holiday favorites (mac n cheese, sweet potatoes, string beans, ham, pumpkin pie, potato salad) that is just so comforting. I am definitely looking forward to the holiday eats!

Still working on all these pictures. I'm looking for the best (and quickest) way to upload them to the internet. I'd like to do it in a creative way but we have almost 700 pictures! Holy smokes! This may take a while, or at least a backseat to friends and family for the next several weeks. One thing that I am focused on is our Christmas card. Justin and I look so forward to designing the card...picking out the theme, the pictures, etc. This year, we're definitely going to incorporate travel pictures! So fun!

I'm in the best mood ever! Delicious food, new Christmas candle, clean kitchen, seeing family all this month. Does it get any better? I think no! Happy Holidays! :o)

Home Sweet Home

I can't believe we have been home for a week today! It makes me so sad! But I have to say, there really is no place like home. Charleston is such a beautiful city and Justin and I missed the water. One reason we loved Venice so much. At work, I daydream about our trip and have fun planning the next ;o)

Sherry gave us the SWEETEST welcome home! At the airport she had balloons and the house was all decorated with welcome home banners. One even had a picture of the dogs! So cute!

Justin mentions something about the trip everyday. Earlier this week, we tried our hand at an apple tart. Sadly, nothing like the one we had in Paris but only because I forgot to take the skin off the apples first. It was still pretty darn good though. The picture below is of me at the Louvre with the delicious apple tart. The second is my attempt at making said tart.

I've promised myself that I'll make time to upload some pictures from the trip. I'd like to make a montage of pictures and video set to music to email to everyone. That is a lofty goal for such a busy month. I'll get there!

Justin and I are feeling much better but now poor Sherry isn't well. Don't worry! I'll send an excellent nurse your way! ;o) We're headed to Lancaster tomorrow for Jojo's Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday. Really looking forward to it!

Just a few picture teasers. Justin in front of Notre Dome, my favorite church of all we saw on our trip (and trust me we saw a ton!)

And us in Rome the night of our BIG, rustic Italian dinner. The pasta was amazing!!

So much to look forward to as we get back into the swing of things. We have big plans for this condo! I'm so proud of us for saving for the trip. It is completely paid for (yeah us!) and since we put everything on our credit card, we racked up major points on Capital One and with Delta. Looking forward to using those miles in January to visit Britt at her new home in DC!

Gondolas and hot chocolate

11/9/11

I can't think of a better way to end our trip to Europe than a night in Venice. I wish we could stay longer but we definitely made the most of our evening here. After our last post, we walked to St. Mark's square and visited the bascillica. It was very different from St. Peter's. The design was more eastern European with large lanterns and mosaics. Still plenty of marble and frescos but you could definitely appreciate the eastern European and Byzantine influences.

The large square was lively and charming. It is enclosed with walls of shops, restaurants, and cafes. We went to the famous Florian for hot chocolate but decided we'd rather not spend so long drinking their hot chocolate (which happened to be 13 euros, I'm sure it was worth it). Instead, we went to another cafe and found hot chocolate to go. We listened to the bell towers and the classical music being played in the square before walking to the Rialto bridge.

On the way back we window shopped for murano glass, Burano lace, and high fashion...the closer you get to Milan the more beautiful the clothes. I love it! Then, the best part, we found a very nice gondolier who offererd us the lower price up front. It was a highlight of the trip. We took the ride just before 7pm (when the prices soar) so it was dark, the moon was full and the moonlight shimmered against the dark water. The gondolier took us under the bridge of sighs that is currently under construction, by several churches, and several palaces. He narrated our ride. It was a close favorite of mine, neck and neck with the Eiffel Tower. We almost didn't take it but Justin talked us into it and I am so glad he did.

For dinner we went to a hotel that is ranked very high on trip advisor and also recommended by our hotel. It was delicious. The first pasta was a spaghetti with crab, an odd combo but it worked very well and was the tastiest part of the mean. Justin had tuna and I had the sea bass. Venice offers a lot of local fish and is known for it's sparkling wine, prosecco, which we learned about at our wine tasting :) we were able to put our new skills to work. We finished with an apple tart that had a buttery rum taste with raisins and dates (yummy) and cappuccino.

Again, I can't think of a better way to end the trip. We did so much and enjoyed every minute of it. Well worth the planning stress and money very well spent. We're looking forward to coming home, and hopefully we can make good use of our time in Paris tomorrow. Arrivederci you beautiful sinking island!

Water, water everywhere...

11/9/11

Justin and I woke up this morning and began to wonder if cabbage soup was such a good idea for dinner last night. :) After a slow start to the morning, we got a yummy breakfast and headed to the street market one last time for peppers, spices, and a few other gifts. We went to a wine shop to inquire about shipping and it was going to cost 150 euros! The wine itself only cost about 10. I was a little bummed but definitely couldn't see spending that much. We'll just have to look for the wine back in the states.

When we checked out of our hotel, they gave us a calendar of Tuscany. And everyone came out to tell us bye! It was so cute. They really knew us. The lady (owner) that gave us planning advice yesterday asked us about the details of our side excursion to Pisa. It was a great stay.

On the fast train to Venice we sat across from an Italian girl that was studying philosophy. She had a delicious looking lunch of tomatoes and mozzarella. We hadn't had lunch yet and were starving! :) As soon as we got to Venice's train station, we got a slice of pizza. We were again attacked by the little headless fish, poor Justin was the victim this time ;) He got a new slice, "cheese only!"

After a brief ride down the central canal, we walked through a little maze of streets and arrived at our hotel. It is by far the largest, most luxurious hotel we've stayed at during our trip! The Aqua Palace is the name. We have three large rooms, a bathroom as large as our condo's guest room, and three windows with gorgeous views of the canals. There are gondoliers at every step. It's a good thing we didn't start at this hotel but it's a great place to finish!!

We're taking a few minutes to rest and then out to look for a Murano glass demonstration and maybe take a joyride on a gondola! Ciao!

When the moon hits your eye...

11/8/11

Well, we did everything we set out to do today. After getting back from Pisa, we went for a quick view of David at the Accademia gallery. David is such a beautiful sculpture, a second favorite to the Pieta in St. Peter's Bascillica. The details are just amazing. You could see the muscles in his neck and the veins in his hands. So incredibly beautiful! It's easy to see why Michaelangelo is considered the best. We saw several other unfinished sculptures of his and a collection of very old string instruments, some dating to the 1600s. The gallery had a very nice collection, again no pictures. I'm in love with busts now. I want one for our house. :) We've really enjoyed being in Michaelangelo's home town if Florence.

After the gallery, we got dressed for dinner and went to buy a few things from a street vendor that I scouted out last night. I'm very happy with my purchases and we just barely caught him as he was packing up for the night. It was meant to be :)

Dinner was at a rustic "real" Italian restaurant that served bread with dinner. We love that practically each restaurant has their own house wine ("vino della casa"). The chianti we had at dinner was delicious. The Tuscany region of Italy, where Florence is located, is well known for their chianti. We had the full dinner, brucetta for an appetizer, followed by the most delicious cabbage soup (best thing I've eaten in our trip so far!), and eggplant parm for me, and meatballs and mashed potatoes for Justin. He really enjoyed his dinner as well. We skipped dessert since we were stuffed and made our way back the hotel. Packing with have to wait until the morning because we are beat.

Bruce Almighty starring Jim Carey, is in TV, in Italian. Still funny! Justin is already snorring and I hope to be in a minute. Good night all! Tomorrow we set our sights on Venice!

Leaning Tower of Pizza!

11/8/11

Just kidding! I mean Pisa! This morning we woke up early and had a delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel (really a B&B). It the best breakfast so far with very, very good cappuccino.

After breakfast, we spoke to a lady at the bed and breakfast. She said that we could easily do one of the galleries today and take a train to Pisa. It sounded great to me. We headed to the Uffizi gallery first, best known for the birth of Venus and the old home of David, before he was moved inside of the Accademia. There is another David replica out front of Uffizi. We saw paintings by all sorts of artists including Rembrant. Unfortunately, we couldn't use a camera (for understandable reasons) so no pictures but we enjoyed it.

After leaving the gallery,  getting lost and given directions by a nice waitress who took pity in us, we found a wood work shop that had lots of sweet wooden toys, clocks, growing charts, etc. I could have bought the whole store but most items were very large. And Pinocchio is HUGE over here. I would assume, from the name, that he is Italian. I'll have to confirm that later. Anywho, there is as much Pinocchio as there is leather here, and not just Disney although that is big too :)

We made it back to the hotel to drop off some purchases and made our way to the train station to buy tickets to Pisa. We took the fast train and were there in an hour. We walked maybe 20 minutes and we were there! The tower is open again for visitors to climb after being closed for years for renovations. It was somewhat straightened and is now only 15 feet off its vertical axis. 

The tower was built in stages, it took over 200 years to build because (for unknown reasons) construction stopped midway for 100 years. It had three major architects, each of whom tried to correct the lean. It began leaning very soon after construction. When you look at it, it is very apparent that there are three separate sections, each section an effort to straighten the tower by balancing the weight. To no avail.

Included in the field of miracles is the duomo and the baptistery. We were a little pressed for time so we didn't buy any tickets to climb the tower or enter anything. It is a little disappointing to know the tower is still leaning and aging very quickly as are the other structures in the field. No one is sure when it will finally collapse but since it is mostly limestone and only covered with marble, that could happen in the near future.

We're on our way back to Florence ( Firenze in Italian) and we have dinner reservations at 8pm. We ended up on the slow train so we won't likely be back until 5:30 or 6pm. The place that we have dinner reservations is the best restaraunt in Florence (according to Rick Steve's) lucky us! And we didn't know that at the time we booked, it was just recommended by our hotel.

More later, tomorrow we leave Florence and head for Venice. I'm looking forward to seeing the sinking city. Only a few more days before we're back in the good ol' US of A! We'll be traveling everyday until we get home so hopefully we won't be too travel weary. See you all soon!

Two by train

11/7/11

This morning we waved good-bye to Roma. We really did enjoy our stay. Our favorite parts were definitely the Collosseum/ruins and the real Italian dinner. Our room was comfy and the staff at the hotel was lovely. We got a picture with our favorite, Tiger, before we left. He is a Roman (born and bred) but his ethnicity is Asian and he speaks English with a British accent. Apparently, he went to college there. He is a very interesting person and very nice. He encouraged us to call if we had any trouble during the rest of our trip.

We waited for a bus for 30 minutes and almost gave up on the idea of not having to drag our luggage 25 minutes across Rome to the train station when a not-entirely full bus showed up. We had even stated walking away so we ran back and jumped aboard, shoving our luggage in before the doors shut. I'm sure it is very comical. At the train station, we met some very friendly Americans. We LOVE meeting American travelers! They we're from New Jersey and picked up in my accent right away :) well shucks y'all. She helped us figure out what train to take and which platform to wait on. The train was super fast! We were going 240+ km/hour...not sure how fast that is in miles per hour but when we went in and out of tunnels it made our ears pop.

We made it to Florence in the rain so decided to take a taxi since we weren't sure where we were headed. It was a good value at the time but we have a sneaky suspicion that he took the long way. Our hotel is in a perfect location. Katie would have loved the handsome Italian man who checked us in ;)

Our room is large and has a pretty window overlooking a courtyard. We walked to the Duomo, the huge dome atop the cathedral of Santa Maria. The cathedral has the third largest nave (center isle) of any church. St. Peter's had the longest and boasted it as well. Along St. Peter's nave, they marked where all other churches naves would end. I forgot to mention that earlier but it is interesting. 

The outside of St. Maria's is neo-gothic,  and covered in pink, green, and white Tuscan marble. Absolutely beautiful but the most impressive part was the Duomo. Created by Brunelleschi, it has large white marble ribs that are filled with bricks layered in a herringbone pattern atop of one another. One row of bricks supports the other and so on like an igloo. Hard to imagine but pictures to follow. It is very large and can be seen from almost anywhere so it is sort of our little landmark that we navigate around.

Our hotel is only minutes from the Uffizi Gallery (famous for the Birth of Venus) and the Accademia Gallery (famous for Michaelangelo's David). We spent all day traveling so we're relaxing for the evening. We found a gelato shop that's even (dare i say?) better than Roma! The chocolate has real chunks of chocolate! So yummy!

Another thing Florence is famous for is it's leather school (Katie stop reading here because all I can say is "honey, we're out numbered!") and everywhere you look is leather. Leather bags, luggage, purses, wallets, belts, coats, and I haven't seen the first shoe (besides my own) that aren't leather. The entire square near our hotel smells of leather. The closer we get to Milan, the more fashionable the people dress. Beautiful clothes and scarves, and yes, leather! I envy their boots!

Well that's all for our first night. Tomorrow, we're stuffing all the sights into one day. Wish us luck!

Justin is a Gladiator :)

11/6/11

I know I keep saying that "we had the best time" but, we had the BEST time at the Colloseum and Roman ruins today! We started at the arch of Constantine which is very cool since he is the dude who made Christianity legal in Rome. The Colloseum was built in 80 AD, it only took 4 years to bring all the stone to build it from Tivoli! Shows what slave labor can do!

The Colloseum (or Flavian amphitheater) could hold 50,000 people and was the location for the slaughter of thousands of Christians, animals, slaves, etc. There was an underground network of elevators and hallways so that the animals could be hoisted to the floor within moments. The gladiators above never knew what or from where the next attach would occur. Many slaves would fight one another for the promise of freedom. Under Nero's rule, Christians were devoured by animals or simply tarred and burned alive as human torches to light the games. Crazy! And we find it difficult to get up for church on Sunday! The workers had to spray perfume around the floor of the Colloseum to cover the stench of blood. Since I was there last, Rome has included very nice museums in the walls of the Colloseum to display bones, pottery, etc. I never knew that the entire Colloseum used to be glimmering white marble. The marble was later removed to build other roman structures, including St. Peter's bascillica.

Then we moved on to the Roman forum, the main square of ancient Rome. We saw the temple of Saturn built 500 years BEFORE Jesus's time. We saw the temple and beautiful house of the vestal virgins. We saw what was left of Constantine's bascillica, and let's just say it would make St. Peter's look like a broom closet. Then we saw Nero's house and gardens, gorgeous! We also saw Julius Caesar's home and temple. The Forum was a highlight of the trip for us.

After that, we went to the Circus Maximus, the chariot race tracks, and it was the 150th year anniversary of the Italian military or something. Every brach of the military was there with planes, choppers, tanks, bomb robots...super cool. I almost couldn't pull Justin away...to go to the Fountain of Truth. It is the large face with an open mouth. You put your hand in there and the legend goes that if you are a liar, your hand will get bitten off. We both left with both our hands ;)

Then we found a local farmers market! So cool! Absolutely NO English but you can get far with hand gestures, we've found. We got meats and cheeses, honey for Granny, and olive oils. So fun. Then we found out that we were very lost. A 20 minute walk up very steep hills later and we were back and late for the Borghese gallery. Long story short, we walked in the rain for 30 minutes and then gave up. There was no way we were going to make our reservations for the gallery. I was super bummed but I guess we'll just have to save that for next time.

We ducked into a tourist trap near the Spanish steps (which were beautiful) and had dinner. Justin and I have decided that Romans were pretty advanced in terms if architecture and engineering until about 500AD when they decided to stop. Apparently, Rome is a bring-your-own-toilet-seat city. Even the Vatican bathrooms were without toilet seats! :)

That's it for our last night in Rome. I was exhausted after our busy day, Justin could have kept walking all night. We're bummed that we missed the Borghese gallery and the Pantheon. They are both on the list for next time :) Caio Roma!

When in Rome

11/5/11

Eat a bowl of pasta as big as your head! That is exactly what we did today. We woke up and decided to go to St. Peter's Basilica (aka. huge church). The line wrapped around the entire square out front but moved very quickly. Once we were in, we were absolutely blown away at the size and opulence of the basilica. It would be difficult to even fathom without seeing it. The church takes up 6 acres and under Michaelangelo's duomo, you could fit a football field on end. There were at least 50 statues 15 foot high throughout the church. The floors, walls, and pillars were marble. The ceilings were painted with beautiful frescos and the scripture carved in the walls were backed with gold. The main alter used only by the pope was white marble sitting just above an ornate staircase that led down to Peter's grave...THE Peter! Several popes were buried in the church and some with glass tombs that you could look into, their faces and hands covered in bronze. We saw Michaelangelo's Pieta, probably my favorite sculpture. It was behind glass because some crazy guy took a hammer to it in the '70s.

After the church, we ate lunch at a tourist trap outside the Vatican. We hated to do it but we were in serious need of nourishment. We've learned that if we don't snack every 3-4 hours, we get incredibly cranky. I had pizza and Justin got a yummy salad. Unfortunately, the didn't take credit cards, which we are being told a good bit here. The more we travel, the better we get at it. We can zoom across town on a metro like nobody's business and I have never ridden on one before! It's travel by fire but the first time you do it, you've learned forever.

We got back to the hotel in time to go to our wine tasting, that is now a champagne tasting since we got lost last night. On our way, we passed the Colosseum. The champagne tasting was a lot of fun. The sommelier was a bit snotty but I expect that's in the job description. He kept fussing at this one girl to hold her glass by the stem. She was a british girl whose family owned a farm so she was able to nail all the smells of the champagne. I shouldn't call it champagne since that only comes from Champagne, France. It's really sparkling wine, we tried several and Justin really liked prosecco, a popular Italian sparkling wine. It was a bit too acidic for me, I liked the brut.

The best part of the tasting was that we were sitting next to a new sommelier what was an expert on Italian pastas! She even wrote an app! She made a recommendation to a rustic Italian restaurant and told us what to order. We almost didn't get in because we didn't have a reservation...well, they asked us if we could be out by 2115 and it was only 1930...Italians take a long time to eat. It was a perfect time for us. 

The pasta was so delicious! It was enough to feed a family. They brought the house wine that was also very good and bread. We learned in our wine tasting that if a restaurant doesn't bring bread to eat with your wine, then they aren't a "real" Italian restaurant. we ordered the best bruschetta I've ever had and some yummy fried mozzarella. We've seen a lot of fried olives here to, hopefully we can try them later. The waitress spoke no English and seemed a little grouchy but Justin was determined to win her over. He pulled out our travel book and figured out how to say a few phrases. By the end of the night, she was laughing and waving her hands in the air with excitement. It was a lot of fun. So far, the best meal we've had.

After cappuccino, we decided to call it a night. Tomorrow, we're going to the Colosseum, the Forum, and Palatine hill. Arrivederci!

Roman fever

11/4/11

We just got back from a busy day in Rome. Rome is huge! And we should know since we practically walked the entire city ;) we woke up late this morning but we really needed the sleep. So instead of the colosseum, we decided to go to the Vatican since Justin's surprise was in the area. We took the metro to the Vatican and had no trouble finding our way. Once inside, we decided to take the short tour of the museum since we didn't have much time. We went right for the Sistine Chapel. We passed through Raphael's rooms and a modern art exhibit (which was really cool) before stopping for cafe and a leg rest.

Upon entering the chapel, it was dark and the air was cool. There were guards everywhere telling visitors to be quiet, take off their hats, and not to sit on the steps of the alter. We grabbed a coveted bench seat near the wall and pulled out our tour book that described what we were seeing. At first, Michelangelo didn't want to paint the chapel but after being begged, bribed, and threatened by the pope, he reconsidered. The ceiling is almost 6,000 feet and 6 stories high! Can you imagine? He painted every square inch! Most painteres in the day would be commissioned to design someing but en let their students finish it. Michaelangelo did it all himself and it only took 4 years.

The last judgement over the alter was very inspiring. It would give you chills. While the ceiling was well balanced, the last judgement was a swirl of angles and demons pulling at men, Jesus and Mary are at the top center, Jesus raising his arm to punish the wicked. Michaelangelo is also in the painting. His skin is being held by a saint as if to suggest that he was unsure of his fate. Charon (Greek god that shuttled souls to hell) was also in the painting, odd considering it was a Christian painting. And Michaelangelo's main critic was in hell being squeezed to death (and bit strategically) by a large snake! It was a beautiful chapel that served as the pope's private chapel and is still used when the new pope is selected. All the Cardinals meet (conclave) and cast their ballets at the alter before the last judgement mural.

We saw a lot of blind people in the Vatican which given the crowds, I thought was just ludacris, especially if you couldn't see the beauty. But then we saw a replica of la pieta that the blind people could touch. It would almost bring you to tears. We went to find the Belvedere torso, the broken statue adored by Michaelangelo and often used as a reference for other works (including the body of Jesus in the last judgement). We went through several courtyards, saw the tapestry room and the animal room, they are exactly how they sound. All beautiful. Sometimes it is difficult to really take it all in. Everything in the Vatican and the city for that matter is opulent beyond description. There are beautiful statues and marble fountains and staircases everywhere! We didn't have time for St. Peter's bascillica but hope to go back.

To make a long post short, Justin's surprise was a bust. We walked for an hour to the "old location." It was a low point but thankfully the old location ended up being the owners address. She apologized and offered to reschedule until tomorrow. Unfortunately, tomorrow's tasting is only champagne, not all the wines we were signed up for, but it was so nice of her to offer that to us. I was super bummed. To easy my sorrows, we found an amazing decedent dessert bar and ate until we felt better. I had the best cannoli I've ever eaten!! I wish I could mail back a million for everyone to eat! We finished our long walk back and had pasta and brucetta at a local restaurant near the fountain. Then we got more pizza (from Justin's grouchy Italian) and gelato and headed back to the room to rest and blog our day.

Tomorrow is the colleseum and the new wine tasting. We're going to try not to plan out too much of our day. We end up overbooking ourselves. Buona Sera!

Trevi fountain + gelato

11/3/11

Well, on our first night in Roma, we found the best gelato in the world. Not bad huh? It's adjacent to  the Trevi fountain (first one on the left).  Now the secret is out but that's the risk I have to take. Florence boasts the best gelato in the world and they have stiff competition. Let's start this blog at the beginning...with the sardine sandwich.

Justin and I were up at 0630 to make sure we made it to the Orly airport on time. We had to take a bus and since we hadn't before, we we're a little worried. 0630 is early. Especially if you go to bed at 1:30. I was so proud of Justin, he found the bus stop, the right metro, etc. We got back, had breakfast at the hotel and bid au revoir to our city of lights.

After conquering the rubics cube that is Orly airport and a short, turbulent plane ride later, we were here. We stopped for lunch and I mistook moderella (or something like it) for mozzerella. Not the same...not at all. I kept thinking the weird taste was eggplant, until my second-to-last bite, when i opened the chibatta bread and saw a tiny little headless fish. I didn't barf but only because i didn't want to taste the fish again. 

Off we went, we hopped a train to downtown Rome. It was getting dark and we were a little nervous. The area surrounding the train tracks looked a bit like what we imagine the Gaza strip to look like. It was desolate and graffiti covered. We walked 20 minutes pulling all our luggage to our hotel. At that point, we were wanting to turn back for Paris :) but we finally made it. The hotel room is larger but more simplistic than our last. We do have a beautiful balcony overlooking the courtyard. 

We dumped our bags and made our way to the Trevi fountain. You could hear the water rushing before you see it. We rounded a corner and there is was. Just magnificent! We got real pizza from a real Roman and ate dinner in front of the fountain. Like every visitor should, we threw coins over our shoulder, into the fountain. It is good luck and is supposed to ensure you return to Rome on day. I did it once before and look...i'm back! Pictures and video to come. After pistachio and chocolate gelato, we decided to call this perfect evening a night. 

We're back in our hotel now. Going to rest up before the Colosseum and ancient Rome in the morning. Tomorrow afternoon is Justin's next surprise! Can't wait!

Cheers to Paris!

11/2/11

Justin and I relaxed at the room for about an hour before heading to the Eiffel Tower. Our entrance time was 1930 and we were just on time. We were directed to a lift that took us directly to the sommet, the very tip top of the tower. It was very exciting! We waiting in line for several minutes but once we were at the top, ooo, la, la! The view was breathtaking. You could see the river, Notre Dame, the arc de Triomphe, and the entire city! We walked around the sommet to the champagne bar and got a glass to toast. Champagne at the top of the Eiffel tower! You can't beat that! One side of the sommet was very windy and we had a lot of fun with that, pictures and video to come. ;)

On the second floor we enjoyed the view and picked up a few souvenirs and post cards. Post offices are not readily available so we haven't done a very good job mailing those off. We checked the time and realized we had 3 minutes before dinner. We ran down the east stairs and the light show started. The tower was shimmering, it was beautiful and so romantic!!

Dinner was fabulous! It started with more champagne. :) We had a wonderful view of champ de mars. Justin tried foie gras for his appetizer, bream (white fish) in a butter and fig reduction, and a formage dessert that had the best blue cheese I've ever had. I had a prawn and avacado salad appetizer, salmon and sweet potato entree, and profiteroles with chocolate dessert. We also had wine and coffee. We shut the place down and left in time for another light show. It was such a fantastic night and one that we will remember forever. We left our tower and headed back to the hotel. We were almost sad to go and kept looking over our shoulders until it was out of sight. Highlight of the trip so far!

Tomorrow we're off to Roma!

We Louve Notre Dame

11/2/11

Today was our big sightseeing day in Paris. We slept in a little since we were still jet-lagged but then we took the metro and headed downtown to the Latin Quarter. First stop, breakfast. Since we slept in, it was almost lunch so we decided to get a few sandwiches. Justin got a prosciutto and mozzarella panini and I had a tomato, spinach, mozzarella, and Brie sandwich. They were delicious and completely filling. Just what we needed. After two coffees (this time American) and a macaroon, we headed towards Notre Dame.

Notre Dame was spectacular! We were in awe just looking at it from the outside. The door to the left was of St. Denis. He was beheaded so naturally he was depicted holding his own head. The middle door was the last judgement. Satan was shown cheating my pressing down on the scale to win the souls of lost men. Every square centimeter of church was carved with the most beautiful statues. The flying buttresses and gargoyles were gorgeous and practical, we learned.  The courtyard of the cathedral were lush gardens that were very symmetrical and, of course, the Seine River runs right next to it. The wind was blowing all the yellow leaves from the trees. It was magical.

We went inside Notre Dame and mass was being held. They let the tourists roam the church during the service. A pieta was in the back of the alter with a large golden cross. The stain glass windows were jaw-dropping. They illuminate the cathedral with dimly colored hues. We got a few pictures of the rose windows and a model of the cathedral being built. It took over 200 years to construct, which began in the 1160s, I think. I could go on and on about Notre Dame but the pictures will speak for themselves.

Next, we walked behind the cathedral and across the street to the French holocaust monument.  It was a very solemn monument. You walked down these stone steps. The city disappeared as you were right at the water's edge of the Seine. We stepped inside the narrow entryway of the monument and it felt like the walls were closing in on us. There, down a darkened corridor, was an eternal flame surrounded by  200,000 sparkling crystals, one for every French person that died in the Holocaust. 

Back outside , we had that much more appreciation for the beauty and life of the city. We walked across a bridge that was covered in locks...all shapes and sizes. Each lock seemed to have a "jack loves sophie" type message written on it. Justin is going to look up what it is all about and we may put our own lock on it when we go back through next week. 

Down the road a little ways was the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore. I loved this store. The layout was charming. Tons of new and used books stuffed in every corner of the two story shop. Nestled among the books we comfy chairs, a piano, letters, and historical memorabilia. I bought a few gifts and we were on our way. ..

...to the Louve! Now let me just say that the Louve is so much larger than anyone could ever imagine. Justin and I were there 3 hours and only saw ONE wing!! We took a wrong turn trying to get to Venus de Millo and somehow became lost in the Egypt exhibit. We were literally in BFE surrounded by mummies. To make matters worse, we were about to run late for our Eiffel tower tour. We made a mad dash out and promised to return one day. We did however see several of the greats including the Mona Lisa. Much smaller than expected, she was heavily concealed from the crowds and difficult to see. We circled around at the end to see her again. On the way out, we grabbed a blueberry and an apple tart. Quite possibly the best dessert I've ever eaten.

Then we were back to the hotel to change and head to my favorite tower in the world!

Crepes, the poor man's dinner :)

We woke up from our nap around 5:30 and decided to go exploring. We weren't quite sure where we were headed but then we saw the shimmering light show from the Eiffel tower and decided that was the place. I cannot even put into words how exciting it was to see it for the first time. It is by far the most beautiful man-made structure I think I've ever seen. In the dark, it had a golden appearance from all the lights. And you can see it from miles away, which is a little deceiving since you keep thinking "we're almost there," not so :) I'll have to email all the pictures. We can't figure out how to post them from our ipad so check your email if you can. Back to the most beautiful thing ever...the Eiffel tower at night. The base towers are marked north, south, east, and west. They have either stairs to the second floor or an elevator to the top. Justin really loved seeing it too. He said it is so large and almost makes you woozy to look up at it. While we were admiring it, he told me there are restaurants on the second floor and that's when I told him that we'll be eating there tomorrow!! His first surprise, he is very excited! I can't explain just how large this thing is...it takes up several large city blocks and you can see it from everywhere, Justin is very good at spotting it no matter where we are.

On the walk back, we decided to try a crepe stand because they smelled so good! The man making the crepes was very nice. Everyone has been. Most everyone speaks some English and I find the locals are more helpful than the paid tourist information folks. The crepe man was trying so hard to talk to us in English and it was very appreciated! :)Justin got a ham and cheese and I had a mushroom and cheese. They were delicious and very filling, Justin had to help me finish mine. Two creeps, a bottled water, plus tip was 15 euros, very affordable!

Another thing I love about Paris, there is a bakery on every corner! They sell macaroons, tarts, croissants, tiramisu, breads, anything your heart could want. The smells pour out into the streets drawing in crowds. One bakery had a small Eiffel tower made out of colorful macaroons. It was almost too beautiful to eat. We also noticed that all the cafes have street tables and all the chairs point towards the street. It's as if your expected to people watch. We really like that.

Justin pointed out that the stereotype of French people dressed to the nines and smoking is very accurate. I have to agree. Everyone is so well dressed. You don't see anyone in tennis shoes. The women are in sky high heels and dressed so fashionably. One misconception is that the city smells. Everytime I pass someone on the street I want to stop and ask them what cologne they are wearing. Between that, the street cafes, crepe stands and bakeries, Paris just might be the best smelling city in the world. :) Another misconception about the city is that it is dirty. A lot of people smoke but I have only seen one cigarette butt on the ground. There are sanitation crews out at all hours sweeping the sidewalks and cleaning off curbs.

Well it think that's all for now. It is 10:50 and we need to get an early start tomorrow. We're going to the Louve, Notre Dome, and dinner at my favorite tower. ;) did you know someone married the Eiffel tower?!? More on that later. We'll send pics soon!

With love from Paris! Xoxo

Counting Baguettes

We finally made it to Paris! Out flight landed at 2:45 US time, around 7:30 or so in Paris. We had a pretty good flight. We didn't sleep much, not that we expected to. For dinner, Justin had a chicken and rice meal and I had a pasta florentine. It was pretty good. For breakfast, they served egg and cheese on an English muffin. After we landed, it was easy to find where we were headed. Everything was written in English. We stopped at the tourist info place and when we walked in the man said bonjour and even though we knew to say hello back, Justin and I must have had this look on our faces that said "please speak English." He sort of rolled his eyes and said "hello." it was really funny. He sold us tickets to the bus that would take us into Paris. We boarded the Roissy bus and in 50 minutes, we were downtown Paris, bumping around with a bunch of other tourists looking for the metro. We found it and after a lot of assistance, we were on our way. the city is beautiful. The leaves are golden and orange. The weather is low 50s. All the buildings have such ornate design and iron work. Absolutely gorgeous!

After getting of the metro, we got turned around and ended up dragging our suitcases for 20 or so minutes, before asking a police officer for directions. He pulled out a map and pointed us in the right direction. Or so he thought, he came running down the road after us, "excuse, excuse!" I'm so thankful he took the time to let us know he was mistaken or else we would have been really lost. We checked our bags into the hotel and went looking for food.

We found the cutest little street cafe and sat down. The tables were very close toegther. We were warm and cozy. We could see the top of the Eiffel tower from our table. It was starting to rain. The server came to get our drink order and we asked for coffee. "American coffee?" he asked. No, French! :) we joked that we were offended. He brought out two teeny-tiny espressos. The coffee was delicious but not for the faint of heart. It had the consistency of used motor oil. Yum! One cup of that will definitely do ya. 40 minutes later, the server still wasn't back. Justin and I had distracted ourselves by counting all the baguettes that passed us. Every other person was carrying a HUGE French baguette! No kidding, at least 30!

We eventually had to track down the server because I was getting a little hungry. He looked confused but then pointed us to an inside table. Within 10 minutes we had ordered, gotten wine, bread and our meal served. We still can't figure out if they forgot about us or if French people usually take that long to drink that little espresso. It will remain a mystery :) Justin ate croquet Monsieur and I at eggs Benedict with salmon. The food was amazing! But it came at a price...50 euros! That's like 70 bucks for breakfast. Tomorrow we're going to find that baguette place and buy bread, haha.

We're back in the room now. It is absolutely phenomenal. The view is breath-taking. I'll try to post picture later. It is decorated so beautifully and though small, is definitely spoiling us. I told Justin not to get too attached, the rest of the hotels aren't nearly this nice. It's 2pm and we're going to nap a bit. We were wanting to do a little more but with the rain and the sheer exhaustion, we decided to wait until tomorrow for the sight-seeing. We'll just stay close to the hotel tonight. We'll all you when we can!

With love from Paris!