Home Again

We made it home.

But this little lady barely made it.  She may be an honorary westjetter.... but last night she was a super squirmy overtired westjetter.  yikes.  After an hour of squirming, screaming, and crying we arrived home-- and she had the beginnings of a black eye.  Guess that's what happens when you throw your body around violently in protest for an hour.  Needless to say, both kids were exhausted when we finally landed.  I ended up carrying BOTH of them off the plane-- apparently they were too exhausted to walk.

But would I do it again?  In a second.  Like tomorrow.  Getting out of town is SO WORTH an hour or torture.  Thank goodness for airplanes.

I arrived home to this... the beginnings of my new kitchen.  When I get home from a flight I usually like to unpack all my bags immediately-- doesn't matter how late.  Last night I just didn't have it in me.  The extent of my unpacking was to plop my purse on the makeshift counter and unzip it.  The end.  I went to bed.

So today I need to grocery shop, try to put my kitchen back together (everything's piled high on the dining room table), and figure out how I'm going to function in here-- dishwasher's not hooked up and I've got no hot water.  But, at least I have a sink and running water!!

But first,  I need to get me some coffee.  Stat.  If I can find it...

Outtatown

On Thursday I packed up the kids and left town.  I'm always a tiny bit nervous to fly solo with the 2 kids-- when you're outnumbered by children on a plane there's no telling what could happen.  But, the kids were great.  I was prepared with a TON of snacks.  Worked like a charm.

I won't be blogging a whole lot while I'm here-- we're having way too much fun... and my mom's pc is a real pain in the butt.  I sure do miss my mac.  And  I sure do miss Doug too :)

The Final Stop

The final stop on our trip was Venice.

Friends and family that have been to Venice before advised us not to spend too much time in this city-- most people we talked to actually said that you only needed a day in Venice.  And really, for us-- it was all we needed.  It's the most expensive city we stayed in-- by far-- and so we opted to only spend one night in Venice.  After a LONG train ride from Levanto (6 hours) we arrived in Venice just before 5 pm.  And we were feeling a little tired :)

But Venice in the evening is quite beautiful-- so after checking into our hotel we wandered around for a while and took in the sights...

We had dinner along one of the smaller canals-- it was a little bit chilly once the sun set-- but it was kind of fun to sit out along the water, under the lanterns all bundled up eating pasta after dark...

We were up bright and early the next morning ready to explore.  We had to catch the train back to Rome that night (our journey back to Vancouver would begin the next morning) so we left our bags at reception in our hotel and took off for the day.

If you think you can navigate your way around Venice without a map-- I'm going to tell you right now that your can't.  Even with a map you can expect to get lost at least twice.

I don't have much else to say about Venice-- other than I enjoyed the best pasta of our trip while we were there (ravioli in a tomato cream sauce-- yum) and the four cheese pizza was pretty amazing too.

Oh, and it's pretty picturesque too...

Loved watching these elderly guys rowing away-- some kind of gondola rowing team I guess...

Gondola repair shop... maybe?

St. Mark's Square-- crazy busy... crazy beautiful.

And after a day of sightseeing in Venice we started our trek back to Rome-- the craziest 3.5 hours of our entire trip.  I had reserved us seats on a train back to Rome-- it's about a 3 hour ride-- we were going to arrive at the Termini station at around 9 pm.  The problem was-- the hotel we were staying at was right beside the airport (since we were flying back the next morning we wanted to stay somewhere close) and the last shuttle from the airport to our hotel left at 10 pm.  If we made it there too late we'd left at the mercy of the Italian taxi drivers-- expensive and stressful :)  So, when we got to the main Venice train station I noticed that there was a earlier train leaving in a few minutes-- it would get us to Rome over half an hour ahead of schedule.  We ran to the ticket office and asked if we could switch our reservations to the earlier train-- they let us do it-- so we RAN like crazy for the train that was leaving in a few minutes.  We made it.

Three hours later we arrived in Rome-- I checked the list of departures and saw that the train to the airport terminal was leaving in FIVE minutes.  Our Eurail passes didn't work on the regional trains so we RAN to the booth to buy tickets for the regional train and RAN (with all our bags) for the train that was about to leave.  We made it.

The train was going to arrive at the airport at 8:53.  The second last shuttle to our hotel was leaving the airport at 9.  We had NO idea where we were going to find this one little bus at the Rome airport so Doug called the hotel and asked if we were going to make it and how to find the shuttle.  The lady gave us directions and said that if we ran, and if we made no wrong turns, we MIGHT make it to the shuttle. Well, the train arrived and we took off-- running as fast as we could.  Keep in mind that I had knee surgery just a few months ago-- this was the first time that I had attempted to run since then so you can imagine that it wasn't pretty.  Well, we ran and ran and ran-- through the terminal to the airport, through the all the parking lots to the little parking spot where our bus would be waiting.  Well we made it.  With 2 minutes to spare.  We crawled into the bus-- sweaty and exhausted-- and pumped that we'd managed to make it from all the way from Venice to our hotel in Rome in 3.5 hours.

And that wasn't even half as exciting as what happened the next morning at the airport.  We had already done the online check in with our flights and only had carry on bags so we figured that arriving at the airport 3 hours before our flight was departing would be MORE than enough time.  Well people-- it sure wasn't.  Getting though security in Rome was an absolute nightmare.  An absolute gong show.  Everyone complains about Heathrow-- but Heathrow was an absolute dream in comparison.  There were thousands of people waiting to get though the most inefficient security screening process I've ever seen.  We waited and waited and the line was moving SO slow.  In our line there was ONE metal detector/screening area for hundreds of people.  Everyone was super worked up.  I saw all these teeny tiny little Italian grandmas get out of line, march up to these big security guards, and tear a strip out of them-- in Italian.  Well-- we made it through security in the nick of time, and started running (yes-- again) for our gate.  We made it there with 15 minutes to spare.  So if you're ever wondering how early you need to get to the airport to fly out of Rome on a Monday morning-- 3 hours is not enough!

Well-- our flights home were uneventful-- thank goodness.  We got bumped up to business class on our cross Atlantic flights to and from London so we were more than comfortable.  And flying without kids?  A dream.  I don't know-- Westjet's Kargo Kids idea seems pretty great to me :)  I'm joking.  Kind of :)

Anyhow-- that concludes the recap of our trip!  It was amazing-- and wonderful.  It was also wonderful to see our kids again after being away from them for 12 days!  And almost two weeks later-- it feels like it was just a dream...

Cinque Terre

After several busy (and fantastic) days running around Rome and Florence we took the train north to the Cinque Terre for a little relaxing.  The cities are busy-- the five towns that make up this region were quiet and peaceful.  The only people we saw were a few older retired couples and the locals.  It was perfect.

So many of our friends raved about the Cinque Terre-- telling us that we HAD to stop and experience it.  Honestly, after being there I would have to say that it's one of the most beautiful and charming places I've ever been.  If you ever have the chance-- you need to stop there!!

We didn't have a whole lot of time so we ended up only seeing two of the five towns that make up the Cinque Terre.  A few months ago there was a flood in two of the towns-- Vernazza and Monterosso-- so they weren't even really open to tourists anyways.  Our first stop was Riomaggiore.

We were quite excited to be there.

After lunch in a cute little cafe we set out for the hills to do a little exploring.  There are all these tiny little gardens/farms clinging to the side of the rocky cliffs that are carved out like steps all the way up to the top.  We walked some of the paths-- taking it all in.

Like the gardens and farms-- the towns are clinging to the side of the rocks.  Walking the streets can be quite the workout-- let me tell you.  Pizza and pasta for lunch?  Not a problem!  An hour later you've already worked it off after walking around the town!

We then walked to the next town-- Manarola.  There are walking/hiking paths that connect the towns-- many of them were closed while we were there but we were able to do the walk between Riomaggiore and Manarola.

We spent much of our time in Manarola sitting along the water staring into the sea, watching the fishermen come in and out with their boats, and taking in the sites of the town.  It's so beautiful.

It was warm while we were there (well-- warm for spring) and by the middle of the afternoon it got nice and sunny.  I can only imagine how fabulous it would be to spend time there during the summer.

Every street is picturesque and perfect.

If only my laundry looked this cute.

The colors are so incredible.  Each building is a different bright color.  Each one is perfect.

We had dinner sitting in a little restaurant in an outdoor patio-- we were the only ones there.  I had the best pesto ever.  EVER.  If you go to the Cinque Terre you must try the pesto!

Eventually the sun began to set and it was time to take the train back to the town we were staying in.

It can be difficult to find good accommodations in the five small towns that make up the Cinque Terre-- so we opted to stay in Levanto.  Levanto is a 2 minute train ride north of Monterosso and any of the 5 towns can be reached by train in less than 15 minutes from this location.  Levanto is a bigger community that has lots of shops and restaurants, a big sandy beach, and tons of different hotels, B&B's, and hostels.  Out of any of the towns in the area we thought it would be the most kid friendly (if we ever decided to back with the kids) with it's big sandy beaches complete with parks and stuff to entertain the kiddos. We found the best B&B that was really affordable, a five minute walk from the train station (needed when you've been lugging your bags all over the country), had the best view, the most amazing breakfasts, and was terribly cute.

I mean seriously, this was the door to our room.  So cute!  From our room we could walk out onto this gorgeous patio that looked out over the town.

This was our view from the front door.  Come on now... it doesn't get much better than this :)

So in summary-- the Cinque Terre is beautiful.

You should go there.

And consider staying in Levanto.

Next up... Venice!!

Florence

I always knew Florence would not disappoint.  It didn't.

After three days in Rome, we hopped on the train and made our way to Florence.

We found our train!!!  How exciting!!

Florence was warm, sunny, and gorgeous.

The exterior of Santa Maria del Fiore (or the Duomo) is gorgeous.  I could have sat and stared at it all day long.

Florence isn't the most colorful city (it was known for it's development of innovative architectural design principles during the Renaissance-- not for being overly decorative) -- so this basilica with it's colorful and decorative exterior is a dramatic contrast to the other plainer buildings in Florence.

Caleb's favorite pictures from our trip...

He likes this little bird coming to help me read my map.  He also likes a picture of me in Rome-- there's a bird that looks like it's about to fly straight into my head.  Apparently that one's pretty "hilarious" too.

Caleb was SO fascinated by this bridge-- lined with shops and stores.  It totally cracks him up.  Our hotel was actually a 2 minute walk from this bridge-- it was a great place that was super central and within walking distance of everything.  They also served the most amazing breakfasts-- mouth watering pastries and all the freshly brewed espresso and cappuccinos a person could want-- served in a beautiful BEAUTIFUL room complete with pretty table cloths and dishes-- even cloth napkins... my kind of breakfast!!

Right in front of the Duomo is the Baptistry.  We didn't go inside-- but I was pretty fascinated by the doors.  I remembered studying them in Art History-- beautiful.

Santa Maria Novella-- houses Masaccio's painting Holy Trinity-- Another painting I studied back in the day.  Wow-- can't believe it was that long ago that I was a student in Art History.  Actually-- thinking about school-- just yesterday I was at the dentist getting a filling (boo!!) and the dental assistant thought that I was a college student.  When I told her I am actually a mom with kids she seemed a little shocked-- that's gotta be a good thing... right?

Back to Florence...

We also visited the Brancacci Chapel to see Masaccio's Tribute Money-- I wrote a paper on this painting years ago.  It was very cool to see it in person.  It is forbidden to take pictures in most museums and churches that house famous works of art-- but in this chapel they allowed you to take pictures without a flash.

We also visited the Uffizi Gallery to see many many other famous works of art and the Galleria dell Accademia to see the famous statue of David.  Since we were there in March and not during the summer we didn't have to wait in massive lines to get in-- definitely nice.  If you're planning to visit these places during the busy months of summer I'd recommend paying a little bit extra for an entrance reservation.  When you only have a day or two to see everything you can't afford to stand in lines for hours!!

Florence was all about the art and museums for me-- Doug was a real trooper... he was willing to see everything that I wanted to see and he let me "teach" him all about the artists and stories behind the works of art we viewed :)  He says that he actually really enjoyed it-- when you have some background info it can make the experience that much more amazing.

So if you ever visit Florence... my advice is to do a little bit of studying and read up on some of the famous paintings and sculptures-- if you're going to take the time to see them-- take the time to know something about it!  That makes the experience so much more fascinating.

So that was Florence! 

Next stop... the Cinque Terre!

It's Picture Time...

I'm back!  Well, kind of.  Jet lag is a funny thing-- one minute I'm hanging out at home feeling all normal and the next minute I can't remember what day it is, what time it is... or where I am.  But the last time I checked I'm sitting in my living room and the kids are resting...

Anyways... it's time to start recapping the trip-- because as you can imagine I have SO many pictures!!

Here we go...

We began our trip in Rome.  There is SO much to see and do so we opted to spend 3 full days taking it all in.  As you can imagine-- it was incredible.  Basically, our days consisted of pizza and pasta...

...carting around our bags... 

(sidenote-- it's funny how the cobblestone streets begin to lose their charm after rolling your suitcase down them for a few blocks--- thump thump thump thump...)

... attempting to figure out the metro system... (although I usually looked a lot more confused than I do in this picture)

... studying the map...

... and sunshine!!!  Long time no see...

Along the way we managed to see a lot of pretty amazing things too.  On our first day in Rome we walked and walked and walked... and saw a few of the sites.

One of our first stops was the Pantheon.  The Pantheon was built (the second time around) in 125 AD and out of all the ancient buildings in Rome it is the most complete and well preserved.  The entrance is impressive...

But the inside is unbelievable.  I studied the Pantheon in Art History years and years ago... and it was incredible to see and experience it in person.  I think it was one of Doug's favorite stops too... the architectural design of the dome is amazing-- especially when you consider how long ago it was constructed.

We also took in Piazza Navona--- one of the most beautiful squares in the world.  Honestly-- so beautiful.  I can only imagine how much more incredible it would be in the summer-- I would probably never want to leave.  I could happily spend my entire summer in that square-- all I would require is an unlimited supply of gelato.

And of course we stopped at the Trevi Fountain.  It was crowded-- of course-- but fantastic.

Day two was all about the Coliseum.  This was also one of Doug's favorite sites-- I have a feeling we're going to be watching Gladiator again sometime real soon...

Since it was Sunday, many of the main streets in Rome by the Coliseum were closed down... so it was the perfect day to stroll through the city and take in the sights.  Everything is picture worthy...

We eventually made our way to the Santa Maria Maggiore-- a Basillica originally constructed in the 5th century.  It is as beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside...

We saw many many beautiful Basilicas in Italy and I'd say it's the only one that comes close to being as impressive as St. Peter's.

And we took in a few more sites... 21 degrees and sunny?  I could have strolled through those streets all day.  Actually, we did.

Day three was spent at the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica.  I saw the Sistine Chapel-- a major highlight for an Art History geek such as myself.  Taking pictures in the Sistine Chapel is a major no no... hence the reason for no pictures.  But you all know what it looks like. If not-- google it.

St. Peter's... so incredible.

Michelangelo's Pieta is one of the most beautiful statues I've ever seen.  

And apparently I wore the same sweater every day I was in Rome.  We only brought carry on bags people-- outfit capabilities were limited.

And that was our first stop on the trip.  Rome is a busy, fascinating, eclectic city with tons to see and observe.  I loved every minute of it... especially since I got to see it all with this guy...

And that was stop number one!!  More to come...