Rome
Florence and Pisa
Venice and the surrounding islands
Click below for all of the pictures taken by Amy's Mom.
There may be some duplicates from the sites above.
Anne's Pictures
Monday, June 13, 2005
All of the pictures
Here are the links to all of the pictures:
Rome
Florence and Pisa
Venice and the surrounding islands
Click below for all of the pictures taken by Amy's Mom.
There may be some duplicates from the sites above.
Anne's Pictures
Rome
Florence and Pisa
Venice and the surrounding islands
Click below for all of the pictures taken by Amy's Mom.
There may be some duplicates from the sites above.
Anne's Pictures
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Train Ride from Venice
Right now I am on a Eurostar train somewhere between Venice and Rome.
I'm trying to remember what all we've done but haven't written about. We have been getting home late and walking a lot - which makes Andy a sleepy boy...... Amy will be helping with this so some references are from her and some are from me.....
Thursday, we decided to get an early start and head off to the islands. As you probably know, Venice is a large island with water-ways in it and around it. But there are also several other islands that make up the 'Venice area'. Three of the more famous islands are Murano, Burano and Torcello. You would have been so proud - we actually figured out that we could buy a 24 hour 'bus' pass (vaporetto pass) and could go to all of the islands without buying separate tickets. First we headed to Murano which is famous for its glass-blowing. This very old art is usually passed on from family member to family member. Ed said that there were times when those who had been taught the art of glass blowing couldn't leave the Venice area. If they left more than twice, they were killed. I guess that Venetians were very protective of that craft!!! People today still go to Murano to learn that skill.
It took us probably about an hour to get to Murano. Once there, we watched a glass making/blowing demonstration and afterwards explored the small and very diverse island. We had lunch (yum) and then bought some glass souvenirs. Anne went crazy at the jewelry shop - she made many friends in that place!!!
After Murano, we caught another bus to Burano, which is known for its lace. None of our group had ever been there so this was an adventure for all us. This ride took us about 1/2 hour, but with few stops (as compared to Venice to Murano). The main street of this town is filled with shops selling lace of all sorts. We saw a lace-making demonstration which I think Anne and Amy found more interesting than the guys did. The houses reminded me (Amy) of New Orleans. They are all painted bright, vivacious colors of the rainbow - bright blue, pinks, yellows - very attractive and inviting! The canal that went through the city completed a perfect setting for an authentic Italian city on the water.
Our final stop was the island of Torcello. I had already read in Rick Steve's that the population of the island is 20 and that the only thing there is a church. But Ed really wanted to see it because he had read that the original Venice was here (I guess that it had started there and moved later to its current location...). The ride was only 5 minutes from Burano and Rick was right - there wasn't much to see, but what we did see was again authentic Italian. Dogs and their owners tending to fields. One hotel and two restaurants (wouldn't that be a cool place to go for some peace and quiet!?!?) and as Rick said - one church, basilica and bell tower. But we were all glad that we went to this island - definitely an experience that we will not forget.
We didn't get back to the hotel until 7:10 ish and immediately headed for dinner after dropping our packages off. We went back to the restaurant we had eaten in the night before and tried some new things. But we were all tired after our 'island' adventure and didn't have much patience for the 20+ group of college kids eating (and drinking!!) in "our" trattoria!! They were so loud and speaking so many obscenities. I know that I was not like that I was in school!! (this is Amy- can't say that much for Andy!!). :) Anyway - headed to Saint Mark's again after dinner and then to bed.
Yesterday (Friday), we started off at the Peggy Guggenheim museum. Amy and I were impressed with the amount of art that she had in her home. Quite an extensive collection of artists in her personal collection. Dali, lots of Pollock, Picasso, Miro, Klee and Man Ray (to name a few!). There was a Pollock exhibit with lots of his work on display. Jacob commented that he could do this kind of work. His grandmother pointed out that the reason his work is so famous is because he did it first. Just because you think you can paint like that doesn't mean your work will be famous.
Amy has decided that Peggy Guggenheim was her kind of lady. She had tons of dogs, eccentric and obviously great taste in art (and sunglasses if you have ever seen her picture!) and didn't care what others thought of her style or the way she lived her life. She also had quite a beautiful home right on the grand canal which I think most can appreciate!!
After seeing what looked like the same Pollock painting over and over (in the special exhibit), Jacob, Amy and myself made our way in search of lunch. Anne and Ed wanted to stay longer checking out the various paintings and artwork.
We didn't really have a plan after lunch. Our small group eventually made it to the Rialto Bridge and then wound our way back to Saint Mark's square (San Marco). We had to have one last opportunity to feed the pigeons. We then headed back towards the square that our hotel is off of and did some window shopping in the quaint stores around there. We bought a bottle of chianti and some fruit to celebrate our last day in Venice and when Anne and Ed returned from the museum, we enjoyed a little respite together. Nothing beats sitting in a little Italian hotel's sitting room and reminiscing about the past two weeks over a bottle of good, local wine.
We then headed out to dinner and wandered the streets until we found a restaurant by the water - some canal and area that we had never been in before, which made it even more special. Amy, Anne and I split a 1 1/2 kg flounder (which they de-boned right at our table - I had the cheek meat which is apparently a delicacy!) We thought we saw Kid Rock but I think it was some hairy Italian with a top-hat (like he wears). We slowly wandered our way through the winding streets back to the hotel. Back a little earlier than the nights before so that we could start the packing process.
Today we are headed to Rome and then tomorrow, home. This trip has in many ways gone by so quickly. But in other ways, it has been a while since we have been home (and every dog we see reminds us of Oscar and Willow). Will write more on the plane about our final day in Italy (Rome) and other final thoughts. Hope all is well with you our friends - we'll be home soon!! (That could be a good or bad thing.....). :) Love to you all......
Amy & Andy
I'm trying to remember what all we've done but haven't written about. We have been getting home late and walking a lot - which makes Andy a sleepy boy...... Amy will be helping with this so some references are from her and some are from me.....
Thursday, we decided to get an early start and head off to the islands. As you probably know, Venice is a large island with water-ways in it and around it. But there are also several other islands that make up the 'Venice area'. Three of the more famous islands are Murano, Burano and Torcello. You would have been so proud - we actually figured out that we could buy a 24 hour 'bus' pass (vaporetto pass) and could go to all of the islands without buying separate tickets. First we headed to Murano which is famous for its glass-blowing. This very old art is usually passed on from family member to family member. Ed said that there were times when those who had been taught the art of glass blowing couldn't leave the Venice area. If they left more than twice, they were killed. I guess that Venetians were very protective of that craft!!! People today still go to Murano to learn that skill.
It took us probably about an hour to get to Murano. Once there, we watched a glass making/blowing demonstration and afterwards explored the small and very diverse island. We had lunch (yum) and then bought some glass souvenirs. Anne went crazy at the jewelry shop - she made many friends in that place!!!
After Murano, we caught another bus to Burano, which is known for its lace. None of our group had ever been there so this was an adventure for all us. This ride took us about 1/2 hour, but with few stops (as compared to Venice to Murano). The main street of this town is filled with shops selling lace of all sorts. We saw a lace-making demonstration which I think Anne and Amy found more interesting than the guys did. The houses reminded me (Amy) of New Orleans. They are all painted bright, vivacious colors of the rainbow - bright blue, pinks, yellows - very attractive and inviting! The canal that went through the city completed a perfect setting for an authentic Italian city on the water.
Our final stop was the island of Torcello. I had already read in Rick Steve's that the population of the island is 20 and that the only thing there is a church. But Ed really wanted to see it because he had read that the original Venice was here (I guess that it had started there and moved later to its current location...). The ride was only 5 minutes from Burano and Rick was right - there wasn't much to see, but what we did see was again authentic Italian. Dogs and their owners tending to fields. One hotel and two restaurants (wouldn't that be a cool place to go for some peace and quiet!?!?) and as Rick said - one church, basilica and bell tower. But we were all glad that we went to this island - definitely an experience that we will not forget.
We didn't get back to the hotel until 7:10 ish and immediately headed for dinner after dropping our packages off. We went back to the restaurant we had eaten in the night before and tried some new things. But we were all tired after our 'island' adventure and didn't have much patience for the 20+ group of college kids eating (and drinking!!) in "our" trattoria!! They were so loud and speaking so many obscenities. I know that I was not like that I was in school!! (this is Amy- can't say that much for Andy!!). :) Anyway - headed to Saint Mark's again after dinner and then to bed.
Yesterday (Friday), we started off at the Peggy Guggenheim museum. Amy and I were impressed with the amount of art that she had in her home. Quite an extensive collection of artists in her personal collection. Dali, lots of Pollock, Picasso, Miro, Klee and Man Ray (to name a few!). There was a Pollock exhibit with lots of his work on display. Jacob commented that he could do this kind of work. His grandmother pointed out that the reason his work is so famous is because he did it first. Just because you think you can paint like that doesn't mean your work will be famous.
Amy has decided that Peggy Guggenheim was her kind of lady. She had tons of dogs, eccentric and obviously great taste in art (and sunglasses if you have ever seen her picture!) and didn't care what others thought of her style or the way she lived her life. She also had quite a beautiful home right on the grand canal which I think most can appreciate!!
After seeing what looked like the same Pollock painting over and over (in the special exhibit), Jacob, Amy and myself made our way in search of lunch. Anne and Ed wanted to stay longer checking out the various paintings and artwork.
We didn't really have a plan after lunch. Our small group eventually made it to the Rialto Bridge and then wound our way back to Saint Mark's square (San Marco). We had to have one last opportunity to feed the pigeons. We then headed back towards the square that our hotel is off of and did some window shopping in the quaint stores around there. We bought a bottle of chianti and some fruit to celebrate our last day in Venice and when Anne and Ed returned from the museum, we enjoyed a little respite together. Nothing beats sitting in a little Italian hotel's sitting room and reminiscing about the past two weeks over a bottle of good, local wine.
We then headed out to dinner and wandered the streets until we found a restaurant by the water - some canal and area that we had never been in before, which made it even more special. Amy, Anne and I split a 1 1/2 kg flounder (which they de-boned right at our table - I had the cheek meat which is apparently a delicacy!) We thought we saw Kid Rock but I think it was some hairy Italian with a top-hat (like he wears). We slowly wandered our way through the winding streets back to the hotel. Back a little earlier than the nights before so that we could start the packing process.
Today we are headed to Rome and then tomorrow, home. This trip has in many ways gone by so quickly. But in other ways, it has been a while since we have been home (and every dog we see reminds us of Oscar and Willow). Will write more on the plane about our final day in Italy (Rome) and other final thoughts. Hope all is well with you our friends - we'll be home soon!! (That could be a good or bad thing.....). :) Love to you all......
Amy & Andy
Day 11 - Venice
What did we do yesterday? As I am one day (or more??) behind, I am trying to remember what all we did...
After breakfast, we went to St. Marks Square. There was a political/military something or other going on. Part of the square was blocked off. Many men with machine guns. Jacob (and I) thought it was cool.
We went into St. Marks Basicalla, and saw the inside of another church (they all look the same to me). The floor was marble but was also not very flat. I am assuming that because the city is built on water, the floor must of not stayed very level in all these years (plus the flooding from past years). We saw a golden altar piece that was from the Byzantine period. Very beautiful. We also saw some bronze horses from the 4th century. Napoleon took them to France when he conquered Venice a long time ago.
After St. Marks, we fed the birds. Jake was happy. Doge's palace was next (the Duke's Palace). Not the Dukes of Hazzard (just in case you were confused).
The Doge's Palace was a very large place where the rich folks would meet and discuss the future of Venice. It was where the laws were set but also where the judgments were passed on whether a person was guilty or not. Conveniently located in the bottom of the palace were the dungeons. Yikes!! Those dark, damp cells with writing of past prisoners made us all decide that we definitely did not want to get arrested (especially after our train incident!!).
After the palace, we headed towards the Rialto bridge and stopped for lunch en route. Lunch was in a small 'dive' of sorts - Anne and Ed had pasta but Amy and I saw them micro-waving what appeared to be a lean cuisine - which ended up being their pasta!! We didn't have the heart to tell them until they said that it tasted like it had been 'zapped'. I guess even in Italy they opt for convenience sometimes!
The Rialto bridge and market around the bridge was something to say you have seen but wasn't very impressive otherwise. Lots of tourists and lots of touristy 'crap'! One thing I learned about this famous bridge is that there have been two others before the current Rialto bridge. I did see some 'interesting' ties that had pictures on the inside of them. When I get home, I'll tell you more if you are interested. Let's just say that Amy wouldn't let me buy one to wear to work because she found them degrading to women.
We then headed back towards the hotel, took a small break and Anne and Ed headed to see a special exhibit on the artist Modigliani. Jacob, Amy and I went to laundry. After Amy's last experience, she had scoped this washeteria out more carefully, Not only was it close by, but there was an attendant and many machines! And Jacob has now learned how to separate his clothes and wash them in the appropriate temperature of water (he told me not to tell his mom though!). He even folded his clothes - impressive for a 10 year-old.
After all of this "excitement", we went to dinner at a local restaurant. The waitresses were very taken with Jacob - they gave him cookies and whatever else he asked for. Must be nice to 10.
We wondered around to Saint Mark's square and caught a little of the night life there (it is beautiful the way they light up the square at night - almost looks like candles). Then back to the hotel to bed.
After breakfast, we went to St. Marks Square. There was a political/military something or other going on. Part of the square was blocked off. Many men with machine guns. Jacob (and I) thought it was cool.
We went into St. Marks Basicalla, and saw the inside of another church (they all look the same to me). The floor was marble but was also not very flat. I am assuming that because the city is built on water, the floor must of not stayed very level in all these years (plus the flooding from past years). We saw a golden altar piece that was from the Byzantine period. Very beautiful. We also saw some bronze horses from the 4th century. Napoleon took them to France when he conquered Venice a long time ago.
After St. Marks, we fed the birds. Jake was happy. Doge's palace was next (the Duke's Palace). Not the Dukes of Hazzard (just in case you were confused).
The Doge's Palace was a very large place where the rich folks would meet and discuss the future of Venice. It was where the laws were set but also where the judgments were passed on whether a person was guilty or not. Conveniently located in the bottom of the palace were the dungeons. Yikes!! Those dark, damp cells with writing of past prisoners made us all decide that we definitely did not want to get arrested (especially after our train incident!!).
After the palace, we headed towards the Rialto bridge and stopped for lunch en route. Lunch was in a small 'dive' of sorts - Anne and Ed had pasta but Amy and I saw them micro-waving what appeared to be a lean cuisine - which ended up being their pasta!! We didn't have the heart to tell them until they said that it tasted like it had been 'zapped'. I guess even in Italy they opt for convenience sometimes!
The Rialto bridge and market around the bridge was something to say you have seen but wasn't very impressive otherwise. Lots of tourists and lots of touristy 'crap'! One thing I learned about this famous bridge is that there have been two others before the current Rialto bridge. I did see some 'interesting' ties that had pictures on the inside of them. When I get home, I'll tell you more if you are interested. Let's just say that Amy wouldn't let me buy one to wear to work because she found them degrading to women.
We then headed back towards the hotel, took a small break and Anne and Ed headed to see a special exhibit on the artist Modigliani. Jacob, Amy and I went to laundry. After Amy's last experience, she had scoped this washeteria out more carefully, Not only was it close by, but there was an attendant and many machines! And Jacob has now learned how to separate his clothes and wash them in the appropriate temperature of water (he told me not to tell his mom though!). He even folded his clothes - impressive for a 10 year-old.
After all of this "excitement", we went to dinner at a local restaurant. The waitresses were very taken with Jacob - they gave him cookies and whatever else he asked for. Must be nice to 10.
We wondered around to Saint Mark's square and caught a little of the night life there (it is beautiful the way they light up the square at night - almost looks like candles). Then back to the hotel to bed.
Friday, June 10, 2005
More Pictures
Here is the link for the Venice Pictures:
Venice, Murano, Burano and Torcello
The Florence and Pisa pictures (as well as more Roma pictures) will have to be posted when I get back.
I will try to write more for the blog on our train trip back to Rome.
Venice, Murano, Burano and Torcello
The Florence and Pisa pictures (as well as more Roma pictures) will have to be posted when I get back.
I will try to write more for the blog on our train trip back to Rome.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Day 10 - Florence to Venice
Today was our train ride from Firenze to Venezia. It took us about 3 hours and we made sure to ask (several times) if we needed to have our ticket stamped. We wanted to make sure we didn't break any laws this time!! It was a pretty uneventful train ride. Once in Venice, we took a vaporetto (water bus) to our stop (San Zaccaria which is right next to San Marco). We did not take the grand canal but instead went through the Canal of San Marco (little less pretty and more industrial). We did see the Octopus (Steve Allen's multi-million dollar boat with two helicopters and a submarine). Once off the vaporetto, we wandered the narrow streets of Venice pulling our luggage until we found our hotel - the Locanda al Leon.
Our rooms are nice - very Venetian in style with Murano glass chandeliers in each room. Location is also great - very close to San Marco. We are right off of a square as well which is really cool.
The remainder of our day was spent with a leisurely walk to San Marco past the Bridge of Sighs.
Feeding the pigeons is now one of Jacob's favorite things to do. At first he was hesitant, but once he knew that they wouldn't bite, he had them crawling all over him. At one point, everyone but Anne had joined the bird frenzy. But once we were done, we all used LOTS of the antibacterial hand stuff!!!
After feeding the birds, we went up the bell tower in Saint Mark's square. Thank goodness it has an elevator! The 360 degree view of Venice and San Giorgio (the church right across the water from San Marco square) was amazing!! Little chilly which is a nice change of pace from the hot and sticky Rome and Florence.
From there, we made our way back to the hotel and then to dinner. Nothing to really write about...... I think Venice is more known for its beauty than its food.
Sorry that we are a few days behind! As we get in later and later, it is hard to catch up - we will do our best to make up some time!! :)
Our rooms are nice - very Venetian in style with Murano glass chandeliers in each room. Location is also great - very close to San Marco. We are right off of a square as well which is really cool.
The remainder of our day was spent with a leisurely walk to San Marco past the Bridge of Sighs.
Feeding the pigeons is now one of Jacob's favorite things to do. At first he was hesitant, but once he knew that they wouldn't bite, he had them crawling all over him. At one point, everyone but Anne had joined the bird frenzy. But once we were done, we all used LOTS of the antibacterial hand stuff!!!
After feeding the birds, we went up the bell tower in Saint Mark's square. Thank goodness it has an elevator! The 360 degree view of Venice and San Giorgio (the church right across the water from San Marco square) was amazing!! Little chilly which is a nice change of pace from the hot and sticky Rome and Florence.
From there, we made our way back to the hotel and then to dinner. Nothing to really write about...... I think Venice is more known for its beauty than its food.
Sorry that we are a few days behind! As we get in later and later, it is hard to catch up - we will do our best to make up some time!! :)
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Hey, Pictures!
Found an internet cafe within walking distance that will allow me to connect my laptop.
Only had enough euros to upload this, but I should have most of the pictures up soon:
Go here ( http://italyjournal.andyc.com/day1rome/index.html ) to see Day 1 in Rome...
Andy
Only had enough euros to upload this, but I should have most of the pictures up soon:
Go here ( http://italyjournal.andyc.com/day1rome/index.html ) to see Day 1 in Rome...
Andy
Day 9 - "I didn't pay to get arrested!", Jacob
Our day started off just like the rest. We got up at around 7:30 and had breakfast at the hotel. Our plan for the day was to go to the train station and ride to Pisa to see the leaning bell tower.
The walk to the train station was not as bad as I thought it would be. It was much closer to our hotel than our original taxi ride had me believe. Our confidence in using the self service ticketing machines was still not high so we got in the ticket line like most of the other tourists did. Amy bought round trip tickets for herself and I. Ed bought the tickets for himself, Jacob and Anne.
The train ride was pretty uneventful. Just a couple of stops and we were there in about 1.5 hours. Because the bell tower is all the way across the city, we had to take a bus (about a 20 minute ride) to the Duomo, the Baptistry, and what Pisa is famous for, the leaning tower of Pisa.
It was probably the neatest thing i've seen so far. David was unbelievable, St, Peters and the view from its top was breathtaking, but the leaning tower was just plain cool. After wandering around the grounds for a bit and taking silly pictures just like everyone else (you know, acting like your holding up the tower), we found ourselves wanting lunch. It was pizza again for everyone.
After lunch, we decided to head back to Florence. We were still not sure if we were going to climb to the top of the Dome. We got to the train station just in time. A train for Florence was going to be there in 15 minutes. By luck, we got on a car with no one on it. We opened all of the windows and started our joy ride back to home base. The trouble didn't start until we almost arrived in Florence....
As usual, a person was coming around checking tickets. We took ours out just like our ride there. Expecting the ticket attendant to hole punch it as before, we were surprised when he said that they were not stamped and we had to pay 5 euro for each ticket. Huh? We tried to explain that we didn't get them stamped because we didn't see any signs and no one told us that we had to. That didn't fly with the ticket attendant. We told him that we were not going to pay. He took our tickets and said that we can talk to the polizia at the train station.
That is when Jacob said (from the mouths of children) "We didn't pay to get arrested!" At least that lightened the moment. When we got off the train, there was about 10 seconds when we thought we were home-free. The polizia passed us by - so we kept on walking. Then the attendant pointed to us. Sigh.....
Well to make a long story short, the police didn't even talk to us - they were just there to intimidate us as the attendant once again demanded the money. We tried to appeal logically (the tickets were purchased today - used today - we hadn't been trying to steal a free ride - we're not from here - we can't speak Italian.....). It was frustrating. We ended up just paying the penalty so that we wouldn't end up in jail or wasting any more time. Amy did file a complaint which was probably tossed the moment she walked away. Ed says that he is going to write the Italian embassy when we get home.
After our near run-in with the law, we decided to go shopping some more (made us all feel better). We ended the day back at Trattoria Nevella (our first favorite restaurant that I missed because I was sick). They were right - it was REALLY bad (yes, I am being sarcastic). Tomorrow is our train ride to Venezia. Hopefully we won't get arrested!!
The walk to the train station was not as bad as I thought it would be. It was much closer to our hotel than our original taxi ride had me believe. Our confidence in using the self service ticketing machines was still not high so we got in the ticket line like most of the other tourists did. Amy bought round trip tickets for herself and I. Ed bought the tickets for himself, Jacob and Anne.
The train ride was pretty uneventful. Just a couple of stops and we were there in about 1.5 hours. Because the bell tower is all the way across the city, we had to take a bus (about a 20 minute ride) to the Duomo, the Baptistry, and what Pisa is famous for, the leaning tower of Pisa.
It was probably the neatest thing i've seen so far. David was unbelievable, St, Peters and the view from its top was breathtaking, but the leaning tower was just plain cool. After wandering around the grounds for a bit and taking silly pictures just like everyone else (you know, acting like your holding up the tower), we found ourselves wanting lunch. It was pizza again for everyone.
After lunch, we decided to head back to Florence. We were still not sure if we were going to climb to the top of the Dome. We got to the train station just in time. A train for Florence was going to be there in 15 minutes. By luck, we got on a car with no one on it. We opened all of the windows and started our joy ride back to home base. The trouble didn't start until we almost arrived in Florence....
As usual, a person was coming around checking tickets. We took ours out just like our ride there. Expecting the ticket attendant to hole punch it as before, we were surprised when he said that they were not stamped and we had to pay 5 euro for each ticket. Huh? We tried to explain that we didn't get them stamped because we didn't see any signs and no one told us that we had to. That didn't fly with the ticket attendant. We told him that we were not going to pay. He took our tickets and said that we can talk to the polizia at the train station.
That is when Jacob said (from the mouths of children) "We didn't pay to get arrested!" At least that lightened the moment. When we got off the train, there was about 10 seconds when we thought we were home-free. The polizia passed us by - so we kept on walking. Then the attendant pointed to us. Sigh.....
Well to make a long story short, the police didn't even talk to us - they were just there to intimidate us as the attendant once again demanded the money. We tried to appeal logically (the tickets were purchased today - used today - we hadn't been trying to steal a free ride - we're not from here - we can't speak Italian.....). It was frustrating. We ended up just paying the penalty so that we wouldn't end up in jail or wasting any more time. Amy did file a complaint which was probably tossed the moment she walked away. Ed says that he is going to write the Italian embassy when we get home.
After our near run-in with the law, we decided to go shopping some more (made us all feel better). We ended the day back at Trattoria Nevella (our first favorite restaurant that I missed because I was sick). They were right - it was REALLY bad (yes, I am being sarcastic). Tomorrow is our train ride to Venezia. Hopefully we won't get arrested!!
Monday, June 06, 2005
Day 8 - Florence
Sorry that this is a day late - we were too tired last night......
Amy is the guest writer for today.....
Today we set off to the Duomo again so that we could go up the stairs to the top of the cathedral dome. We all had a good breakfast so to have plenty of energy to climb! When we arrived, there was no one in line- we thought we had gotten there at just the right time. But then we read in Rick Steve's guide (the bible) that the dome (and all 463 stairs!!!) was closed on Sundays. So - quick change of plans. We went to the Duomo museum instead and saw many statues that they have excavated and old statues that used to be on the Duomo Cathedral and Baptistry. We saw how the newest facade of the cathedral came about. There were also pieces called saint's relics and they looked like ornate gold and silver cases with glass (like something the Eucharist would be in if you are familiar with that). On closer inspection, you could see a very old and decaying finger, jaw bone, arm or whatever..... that was supposed to be from that particular saint (literally from them). Jacob and I thought that was cool but a little creepy!!! We also saw the original Baptistry doors which they removed in 1990 because of the pollution and acid rain that had been damaging it. Beautiful!!!!
After that, we went to the San Lorenzo square where there are hundreds and hundreds of booths set up for locals to sell their wares - most of it though is just the same stuff that vendors sell around town - leather products, t-shirts, hats, jewelry, and other 'touristy' paraphernalia. We were able to buy some spices there and Jacob picked up some new shoes. Surprisingly, my 'Emelda Marcos' husband did not get any shoes!! After that, we went to lunch over by the Duomo. The first (yes - first) restaurant we went to was the Cafe Duomo... not one of our favorites! Mostly because no one waited on us for a long time. So - we finally got up and left and went next door to Donatella's where we had been the day before. The waiter there had been so nice. I actually thought of coercing him into coming home with us so that I could set him up with my friends Anna or Christine. Very sweet and very cute!! Andy says not bald though - sorry Christine!!
After lunch, we headed back to the 'Mercato Nuovo' (the one with the bronze pig - if you rub his snout, you are supposed to come back to Firenze). We did some major damage shopping. Andy and Jacob headed back to the hotel to take a nap (what wimps!!!). Mom, dad and I went across the Ponte Vecchio to continue our shopping spree. After we all came back to the hotel, we laid down for a few minutes before heading to dinner - back to Donatellas (our other favorite restaurant Nevalla's is closed on Sundays). After a great dinner outside sitting next to the Duomo, we leisurely walked back towards our hotel - stopping in the main plaza for gelato (no comparison to the yummy gelato in Rome at Blue Ice). We also stopped and listened to a cellist play near the plaza (the Swan, unaccompanied Bach). Late night but definitely worth it!
Amy is the guest writer for today.....
Today we set off to the Duomo again so that we could go up the stairs to the top of the cathedral dome. We all had a good breakfast so to have plenty of energy to climb! When we arrived, there was no one in line- we thought we had gotten there at just the right time. But then we read in Rick Steve's guide (the bible) that the dome (and all 463 stairs!!!) was closed on Sundays. So - quick change of plans. We went to the Duomo museum instead and saw many statues that they have excavated and old statues that used to be on the Duomo Cathedral and Baptistry. We saw how the newest facade of the cathedral came about. There were also pieces called saint's relics and they looked like ornate gold and silver cases with glass (like something the Eucharist would be in if you are familiar with that). On closer inspection, you could see a very old and decaying finger, jaw bone, arm or whatever..... that was supposed to be from that particular saint (literally from them). Jacob and I thought that was cool but a little creepy!!! We also saw the original Baptistry doors which they removed in 1990 because of the pollution and acid rain that had been damaging it. Beautiful!!!!
After that, we went to the San Lorenzo square where there are hundreds and hundreds of booths set up for locals to sell their wares - most of it though is just the same stuff that vendors sell around town - leather products, t-shirts, hats, jewelry, and other 'touristy' paraphernalia. We were able to buy some spices there and Jacob picked up some new shoes. Surprisingly, my 'Emelda Marcos' husband did not get any shoes!! After that, we went to lunch over by the Duomo. The first (yes - first) restaurant we went to was the Cafe Duomo... not one of our favorites! Mostly because no one waited on us for a long time. So - we finally got up and left and went next door to Donatella's where we had been the day before. The waiter there had been so nice. I actually thought of coercing him into coming home with us so that I could set him up with my friends Anna or Christine. Very sweet and very cute!! Andy says not bald though - sorry Christine!!
After lunch, we headed back to the 'Mercato Nuovo' (the one with the bronze pig - if you rub his snout, you are supposed to come back to Firenze). We did some major damage shopping. Andy and Jacob headed back to the hotel to take a nap (what wimps!!!). Mom, dad and I went across the Ponte Vecchio to continue our shopping spree. After we all came back to the hotel, we laid down for a few minutes before heading to dinner - back to Donatellas (our other favorite restaurant Nevalla's is closed on Sundays). After a great dinner outside sitting next to the Duomo, we leisurely walked back towards our hotel - stopping in the main plaza for gelato (no comparison to the yummy gelato in Rome at Blue Ice). We also stopped and listened to a cellist play near the plaza (the Swan, unaccompanied Bach). Late night but definitely worth it!
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Day 6 - Florence
Hey everyone!
I'm BAAACCKKKK!! This is Andy. After a slow start this morning (still feeling a little green) I started feeling back to my old self this afternoon.
Today, we started to search Firenze (Florence). First, we went to the Duomo and tried to go into the church, but the line was very long. We found out that there was a mass going on and no one could enter the church for almost an hour. So we then decided to come back to the church later and instead headed off to see David (Michelangelo).
After another short walk, we got into a long line to enter the Academia (where the sculpture is housed). There were actually two lines - one with reservations and one without (unfortunately, we were in the one without). So we were able to do a little 'shopping' from the street vendors (Jacob bought a VERY interesting postcard of David - and if his parents are reading this, his Uncle Andy and Aunt Amy did NOT give him permission to buy it). Anyway - the wait was definitely worth it. What an awesome piece of art. I didn't expect it to be as large has he was. I also didn't realize that he was commissioned to be the 'mascot' of the city of Florence.
From there, we found ourselves walking again. Ed pointed out the Innocenti. It was a place where children could be dropped off if they were not wanted. The nuns would raise the children. Ed explained that there was this wheel where a mother could place their child. The mother would then spin the wheel around and this is how the mother would stay unknown. This is why some italian families have the last name of Innocenti.
By now, I was feeling almost 100% better. We stopped for lunch at a place that was right across the street from the Duomo. I ordered spaghetti with tomato sauce and everyone else got a pizza. I don't think i've ever tasted spaghetti like this before. It was almost as good as Amy's. It felt good to get some food. Twenty-four hours is a long time to go without something to eat. At least for me.
After lunch, we were able to get into the Duomo. What a massive building. I really wish I could go into each of these large churches one after another. Can't remember the name, but the one in London, St. Peters in Rome and now the Duomo, its hard to gauge the size when you don't really have anything to compare it to. We also made our way into the Baptistry. It's a separate building from the Duomo. Long time ago, you wouldn't be allowed into the church unless you were baptized.
Lastly, we finally made our way over the Ponte Vecchio towards our final destination, dinner. This is the place to shop for jewelry if you've got the euros. Borgo Antico was the name of the place. We figured that it means no americans welcome in italian. To make a long story short, it took forever to order. Our appetizers came out with our main courses. Two of the main courses came after everyone finished eating. And finally, my mixed fried fish were actually whole fried fish (with heads and all). They were only about 4-5 inches long. Luckily, the appetizers were enough to fill me up.
More tomorrow...
SPQR
I'm BAAACCKKKK!! This is Andy. After a slow start this morning (still feeling a little green) I started feeling back to my old self this afternoon.
Today, we started to search Firenze (Florence). First, we went to the Duomo and tried to go into the church, but the line was very long. We found out that there was a mass going on and no one could enter the church for almost an hour. So we then decided to come back to the church later and instead headed off to see David (Michelangelo).
After another short walk, we got into a long line to enter the Academia (where the sculpture is housed). There were actually two lines - one with reservations and one without (unfortunately, we were in the one without). So we were able to do a little 'shopping' from the street vendors (Jacob bought a VERY interesting postcard of David - and if his parents are reading this, his Uncle Andy and Aunt Amy did NOT give him permission to buy it). Anyway - the wait was definitely worth it. What an awesome piece of art. I didn't expect it to be as large has he was. I also didn't realize that he was commissioned to be the 'mascot' of the city of Florence.
From there, we found ourselves walking again. Ed pointed out the Innocenti. It was a place where children could be dropped off if they were not wanted. The nuns would raise the children. Ed explained that there was this wheel where a mother could place their child. The mother would then spin the wheel around and this is how the mother would stay unknown. This is why some italian families have the last name of Innocenti.
By now, I was feeling almost 100% better. We stopped for lunch at a place that was right across the street from the Duomo. I ordered spaghetti with tomato sauce and everyone else got a pizza. I don't think i've ever tasted spaghetti like this before. It was almost as good as Amy's. It felt good to get some food. Twenty-four hours is a long time to go without something to eat. At least for me.
After lunch, we were able to get into the Duomo. What a massive building. I really wish I could go into each of these large churches one after another. Can't remember the name, but the one in London, St. Peters in Rome and now the Duomo, its hard to gauge the size when you don't really have anything to compare it to. We also made our way into the Baptistry. It's a separate building from the Duomo. Long time ago, you wouldn't be allowed into the church unless you were baptized.
Lastly, we finally made our way over the Ponte Vecchio towards our final destination, dinner. This is the place to shop for jewelry if you've got the euros. Borgo Antico was the name of the place. We figured that it means no americans welcome in italian. To make a long story short, it took forever to order. Our appetizers came out with our main courses. Two of the main courses came after everyone finished eating. And finally, my mixed fried fish were actually whole fried fish (with heads and all). They were only about 4-5 inches long. Luckily, the appetizers were enough to fill me up.
More tomorrow...
SPQR
Day 5 - Rome to Florence
I feel like crap. Something I ate last night isn't sitting well with me. No more beefa-steaka for me-a.
We are currently on a train going from Rome to Florence. The cab ride from the hotel was pretty uneventful, except that I had luggage in my lap. Two garment bags plus my laptop bag (or as amy calls it, my manbag). The limo service sent over a car for 5 people. It just didn't have enough room for 5 people and their luggage.
Amy is now taking over the blog - I am feeling even worse now.....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So - since I am taking over, I will tell you what I experienced on day 5. After the 1 and 1/2 hour train ride, we arrived in the beautiful city of Florence. Much different than Rome - smaller, less fast paced and definitely less traffic!! Our hotel is located right by the Ponte Vecchio (the bridge with all of the shops - especially jewelry!). The hotel is not bad except for the stairs - you have to go up 25 to get to the elevator which can only hold one or two people at a time. So if you get inpatient waiting for the lift (like me) then you end up walking up the rest of the stairs (which is a lot). Our room is BIG (unlike Roma) and pretty nice.
My day was spent trying to do laundry. My mom and I went in search of a self-service laundromat with all of the dirty clothes (I was pulling a medium sized suitcase with all of ours.....). The hotel gave us a map and we decided to walk (didn't look too bad on the map). Boy was that the wrong idea!! Imagine if you can me with the big suitcase pulling it down the narrow stone streets (or even narrower stone walkways) dodging cars and people. Behind me is my 66 year old mother (don't tell her I told you that!) with her bad hip carrying her bag of dirty laundry. And what looked to be close took us at least 25 minutes to get there. Relieved, sweaty but proud of ourselves for finding the laundromat, we put all of our clothes in washers and tried to buy tokens for the washing machines. None of the token machines worked....... and there was no attendant there and no other customers. So - we had to pack up everything and go back to the hotel. Needless to say, I insisted that we get a taxi!!!! (I SO felt like cussing at that point!).
Once back at the hotel, we found another laundromat through the front desk and went in search of it (this time with a taxi). We finally ended up at a cleaners that also had self-service...... but this place only had four machines (which were all full) and two dryers. My mom and I were determined to wash our clothes - it was now not only a necessity, but it was also an adventure. So - we sat there for about three hours in the heat of the dryers waiting for our d#@^ laundry to finish. I felt like I had won a gold medal at the olympics when we had finally finished. But the cool thing was that we met several interesting Americans at the cleaners. And my mom and I both agree that it is one experience on this trip we will never forget. It does make you appreciate what you have at home - I think I'll kiss my washer and dryer when I get back!
As for Andy - he was sick the whole day. I felt so sorry for him. He slept, drank sprite, or jumped out of bed to run to the restroom. He is definitely enjoying the bidet!! (hope that doesn't gross too may of you out!). Hopefully he will be better tomorrow.
My parents and I and Jacob went out for dinner. We have found a local place that is AWESOME!! But we had to tell Andy that it was really bad since we didn't want him to feel like he missed something really great. We had bruschetta (I think I am spelling that right?), antipasti, chicken, pork, garlic veggies, tuscan beans, panna cotta with chocolate sauce (an 'oh my god' dessert), tiramisu and of course - limoncello!! All in all, a great meal that made up for the crappy day that my mom and I experienced! Hope all is well. We miss you all - we are getting a little homesick!!
We are currently on a train going from Rome to Florence. The cab ride from the hotel was pretty uneventful, except that I had luggage in my lap. Two garment bags plus my laptop bag (or as amy calls it, my manbag). The limo service sent over a car for 5 people. It just didn't have enough room for 5 people and their luggage.
Amy is now taking over the blog - I am feeling even worse now.....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So - since I am taking over, I will tell you what I experienced on day 5. After the 1 and 1/2 hour train ride, we arrived in the beautiful city of Florence. Much different than Rome - smaller, less fast paced and definitely less traffic!! Our hotel is located right by the Ponte Vecchio (the bridge with all of the shops - especially jewelry!). The hotel is not bad except for the stairs - you have to go up 25 to get to the elevator which can only hold one or two people at a time. So if you get inpatient waiting for the lift (like me) then you end up walking up the rest of the stairs (which is a lot). Our room is BIG (unlike Roma) and pretty nice.
My day was spent trying to do laundry. My mom and I went in search of a self-service laundromat with all of the dirty clothes (I was pulling a medium sized suitcase with all of ours.....). The hotel gave us a map and we decided to walk (didn't look too bad on the map). Boy was that the wrong idea!! Imagine if you can me with the big suitcase pulling it down the narrow stone streets (or even narrower stone walkways) dodging cars and people. Behind me is my 66 year old mother (don't tell her I told you that!) with her bad hip carrying her bag of dirty laundry. And what looked to be close took us at least 25 minutes to get there. Relieved, sweaty but proud of ourselves for finding the laundromat, we put all of our clothes in washers and tried to buy tokens for the washing machines. None of the token machines worked....... and there was no attendant there and no other customers. So - we had to pack up everything and go back to the hotel. Needless to say, I insisted that we get a taxi!!!! (I SO felt like cussing at that point!).
Once back at the hotel, we found another laundromat through the front desk and went in search of it (this time with a taxi). We finally ended up at a cleaners that also had self-service...... but this place only had four machines (which were all full) and two dryers. My mom and I were determined to wash our clothes - it was now not only a necessity, but it was also an adventure. So - we sat there for about three hours in the heat of the dryers waiting for our d#@^ laundry to finish. I felt like I had won a gold medal at the olympics when we had finally finished. But the cool thing was that we met several interesting Americans at the cleaners. And my mom and I both agree that it is one experience on this trip we will never forget. It does make you appreciate what you have at home - I think I'll kiss my washer and dryer when I get back!
As for Andy - he was sick the whole day. I felt so sorry for him. He slept, drank sprite, or jumped out of bed to run to the restroom. He is definitely enjoying the bidet!! (hope that doesn't gross too may of you out!). Hopefully he will be better tomorrow.
My parents and I and Jacob went out for dinner. We have found a local place that is AWESOME!! But we had to tell Andy that it was really bad since we didn't want him to feel like he missed something really great. We had bruschetta (I think I am spelling that right?), antipasti, chicken, pork, garlic veggies, tuscan beans, panna cotta with chocolate sauce (an 'oh my god' dessert), tiramisu and of course - limoncello!! All in all, a great meal that made up for the crappy day that my mom and I experienced! Hope all is well. We miss you all - we are getting a little homesick!!
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Day 4 - Rome
Places visited:
Vatican Museum
Sistine Chapel
Mouth of Truth
Gelato store
The Rooster Resturant (2nd time)
What can I say about today. Crowds I guess would be the word.
Today was the start of a 4 day holiday. June 2nd is Italy's 4th of July. Something about the founding of the republic. Most shops were closed and hardly any mopeds.
After breakfast and a quick run back to the hotel room for a restroom break, we started walking towards the country of Vatican City where the Vatican Museum is located. Finding the entrance was not that hard. We only needed to find the line that started about 1/2 mile away. The line outside the Vatican Museum lasted a good 30-40 minutes. This is with it moving forward 1-2 feet every minute. Once we got in, it was time for another bathroom break for Amy (sort of like going to the movies, Christine knows about this too).
The only real thing we wanted to see was the Sistine Chapel. But getting there was awful. Lots of tour groups, blocking our path. The wait was well worth it though. Slowly, we made our way into the chapel and found a seat on one side. Seeing Michelangelo's work was awe inspiring. And seeing it restored was that much better. We probably spent about 35 minutes just looking at his work.
From there we made our way to an exit that only Rick Steve knows about. There is a tour group only exit that takes you back out to St. Peters Basilica, removing the 15 minute walk from the main exit. This is a short cut that Rick Steve mentions in his Italy 2005 book.
Our next stop was the Mouth of Truth. Its a 1.2 ton face of a god carved out of marble. The story goes that if you tell lies, you will lose your hand if you place it in its mouth. Its located in, you guessed it, a church. The walk to the Mouth was shady and was along the Tiber river. We saw several men fishing and a couple actually catching some. I don't think you would want to eat them though. There was a park nearby that had newlyweds getting pictures taken and couples just milling about. We hung out at the park just to take a break and to decide what else we wanted to do.
By now, it was late afternoon. The walk back to the hotel was not so bad because there was a cool wind blowing and the tall buildings kept the sun off our heads. A couple of nights before, Amy and Ed bought a bottle of red wine and we thought that the roof top terrace was probably the best place to relax and to drink our bottle of wine.
We had dinner just around the corner at a place called The Rooster. This was our second time visiting the place so far. The food was just as good and we made reservations for our last night in Rome just before leaving for home.
Because of the holiday, there was much going on in the square Campo di Fiori near our hotel. There was live music and lots of people just hanging out.
Tomorrow will involve a train ride to Florence. Not sure what is planned for the day, but I do know that we will be visiting a laundry...
SPQR
Vatican Museum
Sistine Chapel
Mouth of Truth
Gelato store
The Rooster Resturant (2nd time)
What can I say about today. Crowds I guess would be the word.
Today was the start of a 4 day holiday. June 2nd is Italy's 4th of July. Something about the founding of the republic. Most shops were closed and hardly any mopeds.
After breakfast and a quick run back to the hotel room for a restroom break, we started walking towards the country of Vatican City where the Vatican Museum is located. Finding the entrance was not that hard. We only needed to find the line that started about 1/2 mile away. The line outside the Vatican Museum lasted a good 30-40 minutes. This is with it moving forward 1-2 feet every minute. Once we got in, it was time for another bathroom break for Amy (sort of like going to the movies, Christine knows about this too).
The only real thing we wanted to see was the Sistine Chapel. But getting there was awful. Lots of tour groups, blocking our path. The wait was well worth it though. Slowly, we made our way into the chapel and found a seat on one side. Seeing Michelangelo's work was awe inspiring. And seeing it restored was that much better. We probably spent about 35 minutes just looking at his work.
From there we made our way to an exit that only Rick Steve knows about. There is a tour group only exit that takes you back out to St. Peters Basilica, removing the 15 minute walk from the main exit. This is a short cut that Rick Steve mentions in his Italy 2005 book.
Our next stop was the Mouth of Truth. Its a 1.2 ton face of a god carved out of marble. The story goes that if you tell lies, you will lose your hand if you place it in its mouth. Its located in, you guessed it, a church. The walk to the Mouth was shady and was along the Tiber river. We saw several men fishing and a couple actually catching some. I don't think you would want to eat them though. There was a park nearby that had newlyweds getting pictures taken and couples just milling about. We hung out at the park just to take a break and to decide what else we wanted to do.
By now, it was late afternoon. The walk back to the hotel was not so bad because there was a cool wind blowing and the tall buildings kept the sun off our heads. A couple of nights before, Amy and Ed bought a bottle of red wine and we thought that the roof top terrace was probably the best place to relax and to drink our bottle of wine.
We had dinner just around the corner at a place called The Rooster. This was our second time visiting the place so far. The food was just as good and we made reservations for our last night in Rome just before leaving for home.
Because of the holiday, there was much going on in the square Campo di Fiori near our hotel. There was live music and lots of people just hanging out.
Tomorrow will involve a train ride to Florence. Not sure what is planned for the day, but I do know that we will be visiting a laundry...
SPQR
Day 3 - Rome cont.
After renting the boat for 20 minutes, we made our way back to the bike rental place to return the Thing.
Now we wanted to make our way back to the Spanish Steps. This required a walk across the massive park. Just before the Spanish Steps, and right outside the park, we stopped at a small restaurant that sat on the side of the hill looking down onto Rome. It was very nice and quiet. In the center of the seating area, they had a 10 by 2 ft pool that was filled with water, rocks and turtles. Jacob thought it was really neat and it took all he had to keep from keeping his fingers out of it. We ordered a bottle of red wine and an appetizer plate. There were shrimp, grilled peppers, mushrooms, sliced oranges, tomatoes, and a variety of other vegetables. It was probably the best snack we have had so far. There was a couple two tables away that just couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Too bad it was behind me. Ed and Amy had the best view and they kept saying, "Ohh, look at that, hot stuff". Ed though that it might be someone having an affair, because it was an older man and a younger woman.
After about an hour or so of relaxing, Jacob and Ed both made phone calls back to the US, and we then made our way back to the Spanish Steps. From there, we walked down the most fashionable street in Rome, the Via del Corso. There were lots of people window shopping and just walking about. Ed bought a bow tie at one of the most fashionable tie shops.
One thing I noticed about about Rome on this day was that there were a lot of Clement's written on many of the buildings and monuments. We guessed that they must of been built during the time when a Pope was a Clement. Half way up the Spanish Steps, there is a very large plaque with Clemente written on it (as well as some other italian words that I didn't know). My last name is practically written all over the city. Even in the Borgese gallery there was a bust of a Pope Clement. Pretty cool eh?
Anyway, back to day 3....
I just remembered about this. On our way to the park and the Borgese Gallery, someone waved us down, mainly Ed. The guy apparently wanted directions. An italian couple was passing by exactly as this was happening and laughed, asking if we were american. They thought it was funny that anyone would be would be asking an american for directions. The guy waved Ed almost into the car. We were not exactly sure what was going on. The guy was apparently french, and also asked for some money as well as directions. Ed pointed the guy in the direction of the French Embassy and said that they would be able to help him. The frenchman then motioned for Anne to come over to the car. He also waved her almost into the automobile. It looked as though the guy was going to give Ed and Anne something for helping him, but he started selling some 900 euro jacket for 40-50 euro. Right when that started Ed and Anne backed away from the car and the guy sped off. Thinking about it later, some tourist keep their money and passports hanging around their neck. I believe that the frenchman expected one of these two americans to have their money hanging around the neck and was wanting to take off with it. Scary if you think about it.
We then walked thru the Pantheon area and checked out a few more tie shops.... And then we walked some more, big surprise huh? We ended up in the Piazza Navoa for dinner. There was quite a showing going on in the square. Armani was putting on a fashion show and had half the square closed off with a stage and several hundred chairs. There were security guards everywhere. We couldn't really see the stage from where we were, but we could see all of the behind the scenes work going on. We could easily point out who had tickets for the show. Every so often, a couple would walk by dressed in their finest. At first we thought that they might be the models, but after dinner, we saw that most every one we saw was sitting in the audience. Amy almost got into a fist fight with the waiter because he said that service was not included. After checking with the cashier, we found out that he was lying. It was kind of reminiscent of our movie experience (Christine knows what we are talking about, except with no police!).
Oh yeah, we got Gelato... Jacob gets at least 3 cones a day..
After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel for a deserved nights sleep.
SPQR
Now we wanted to make our way back to the Spanish Steps. This required a walk across the massive park. Just before the Spanish Steps, and right outside the park, we stopped at a small restaurant that sat on the side of the hill looking down onto Rome. It was very nice and quiet. In the center of the seating area, they had a 10 by 2 ft pool that was filled with water, rocks and turtles. Jacob thought it was really neat and it took all he had to keep from keeping his fingers out of it. We ordered a bottle of red wine and an appetizer plate. There were shrimp, grilled peppers, mushrooms, sliced oranges, tomatoes, and a variety of other vegetables. It was probably the best snack we have had so far. There was a couple two tables away that just couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Too bad it was behind me. Ed and Amy had the best view and they kept saying, "Ohh, look at that, hot stuff". Ed though that it might be someone having an affair, because it was an older man and a younger woman.
After about an hour or so of relaxing, Jacob and Ed both made phone calls back to the US, and we then made our way back to the Spanish Steps. From there, we walked down the most fashionable street in Rome, the Via del Corso. There were lots of people window shopping and just walking about. Ed bought a bow tie at one of the most fashionable tie shops.
One thing I noticed about about Rome on this day was that there were a lot of Clement's written on many of the buildings and monuments. We guessed that they must of been built during the time when a Pope was a Clement. Half way up the Spanish Steps, there is a very large plaque with Clemente written on it (as well as some other italian words that I didn't know). My last name is practically written all over the city. Even in the Borgese gallery there was a bust of a Pope Clement. Pretty cool eh?
Anyway, back to day 3....
I just remembered about this. On our way to the park and the Borgese Gallery, someone waved us down, mainly Ed. The guy apparently wanted directions. An italian couple was passing by exactly as this was happening and laughed, asking if we were american. They thought it was funny that anyone would be would be asking an american for directions. The guy waved Ed almost into the car. We were not exactly sure what was going on. The guy was apparently french, and also asked for some money as well as directions. Ed pointed the guy in the direction of the French Embassy and said that they would be able to help him. The frenchman then motioned for Anne to come over to the car. He also waved her almost into the automobile. It looked as though the guy was going to give Ed and Anne something for helping him, but he started selling some 900 euro jacket for 40-50 euro. Right when that started Ed and Anne backed away from the car and the guy sped off. Thinking about it later, some tourist keep their money and passports hanging around their neck. I believe that the frenchman expected one of these two americans to have their money hanging around the neck and was wanting to take off with it. Scary if you think about it.
We then walked thru the Pantheon area and checked out a few more tie shops.... And then we walked some more, big surprise huh? We ended up in the Piazza Navoa for dinner. There was quite a showing going on in the square. Armani was putting on a fashion show and had half the square closed off with a stage and several hundred chairs. There were security guards everywhere. We couldn't really see the stage from where we were, but we could see all of the behind the scenes work going on. We could easily point out who had tickets for the show. Every so often, a couple would walk by dressed in their finest. At first we thought that they might be the models, but after dinner, we saw that most every one we saw was sitting in the audience. Amy almost got into a fist fight with the waiter because he said that service was not included. After checking with the cashier, we found out that he was lying. It was kind of reminiscent of our movie experience (Christine knows what we are talking about, except with no police!).
Oh yeah, we got Gelato... Jacob gets at least 3 cones a day..
After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel for a deserved nights sleep.
SPQR
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Day 3 - Rome
Places Visited:
Spanish Steps
Villa Borghese
Borghese Gallery
Via del Corso
Today started off much like the rest. Breakfast at 9 and then off to the sights.
I wish I thought to bring one of those pedometers. Today, we must of walked 10 miles.
The places we visited today were probably the furthest distance from our hotel. At times, we thought we may have been lost, because of the constant turns and tiny alley ways we had to navigate. But Ed kept us on course and we made it to our first stop, the Spanish Steps. It was before noon and wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. From there, we made our way to a park called Villa Borghese.
Inside the park was our second stop of the day, the Borghese Gallery. Its a reservation only gallery and you must make your reservation at least 2 days in advance. We didn't have any problem getting in because Amy's mom made the reservations before we even left the US. They only give you 2 hours to browse and after that, they clear the place out for the next group. It was ok, I guess. As nice as any museum can get. I was amazed at how difficult it must of been carving out of marble the many different sculptures that were on display. My favorite was Bernini's Apollo Chasing Daphne. The place was originally a villa built by a Cardinal Borghese, a great art collector. The second floor of the gallery are mostly paintings, something that Jacob, Amy and myself made a quick run thru.
On our way into the park, we saw a place where you can rent bikes. This is where we stopped after visiting the gallery. We ended up renting a thing with four wheels, four sets of pedals, two steering wheels (one didn't work), and two batteries. The Thing allowed us to explore the park with ease. It was like the movie, Driving Ms. Amy, Ms. Anne, Mr. Ed and Mr. Jacob, and I played Morgan Freeman. It wasn't all that hard to pedal. Once you got going, the batteries would kick in and it was like coasting on a bike. It actually got going at a pretty good clip when going downhill. All I heard was, "You need to slow down Andy". The break was located next and underneath the steering wheel. Sort of like where the stick on a 70's automatic american car. When you pulled down on it to stop, it made a really loud screech. It defiantly let someone know that you wanted to pass.
After about 20 minutes into our hour long rental, we found a pond in what looked like Monet painting. There were geese, ducks and very large goldfish. There were also boats that you could rent. Jacob was all over that and another movie was made, Rowing Mr. Jacob. For 3 euros each you could rent a small row boat for 20 minutes. Jacob and I were off while Amy, Anne and Ed stayed on shore. It took about 5 minutes to get the boat going in the right direction and probably another 5 to get use to turning. Jacob and I posed for a couple of pictures and I then let Jacob row for the rest of our time...
Gotta end this now, its getting late. I'll finish this in the morning...
SPQR
Spanish Steps
Villa Borghese
Borghese Gallery
Via del Corso
Today started off much like the rest. Breakfast at 9 and then off to the sights.
I wish I thought to bring one of those pedometers. Today, we must of walked 10 miles.
The places we visited today were probably the furthest distance from our hotel. At times, we thought we may have been lost, because of the constant turns and tiny alley ways we had to navigate. But Ed kept us on course and we made it to our first stop, the Spanish Steps. It was before noon and wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. From there, we made our way to a park called Villa Borghese.
Inside the park was our second stop of the day, the Borghese Gallery. Its a reservation only gallery and you must make your reservation at least 2 days in advance. We didn't have any problem getting in because Amy's mom made the reservations before we even left the US. They only give you 2 hours to browse and after that, they clear the place out for the next group. It was ok, I guess. As nice as any museum can get. I was amazed at how difficult it must of been carving out of marble the many different sculptures that were on display. My favorite was Bernini's Apollo Chasing Daphne. The place was originally a villa built by a Cardinal Borghese, a great art collector. The second floor of the gallery are mostly paintings, something that Jacob, Amy and myself made a quick run thru.
On our way into the park, we saw a place where you can rent bikes. This is where we stopped after visiting the gallery. We ended up renting a thing with four wheels, four sets of pedals, two steering wheels (one didn't work), and two batteries. The Thing allowed us to explore the park with ease. It was like the movie, Driving Ms. Amy, Ms. Anne, Mr. Ed and Mr. Jacob, and I played Morgan Freeman. It wasn't all that hard to pedal. Once you got going, the batteries would kick in and it was like coasting on a bike. It actually got going at a pretty good clip when going downhill. All I heard was, "You need to slow down Andy". The break was located next and underneath the steering wheel. Sort of like where the stick on a 70's automatic american car. When you pulled down on it to stop, it made a really loud screech. It defiantly let someone know that you wanted to pass.
After about 20 minutes into our hour long rental, we found a pond in what looked like Monet painting. There were geese, ducks and very large goldfish. There were also boats that you could rent. Jacob was all over that and another movie was made, Rowing Mr. Jacob. For 3 euros each you could rent a small row boat for 20 minutes. Jacob and I were off while Amy, Anne and Ed stayed on shore. It took about 5 minutes to get the boat going in the right direction and probably another 5 to get use to turning. Jacob and I posed for a couple of pictures and I then let Jacob row for the rest of our time...
Gotta end this now, its getting late. I'll finish this in the morning...
SPQR
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