October 9th - Venice - Day 1

So we started off the day by oversleeping in Florence and almost missing our train. Thanks to Fouad, we woke up and made it on time! Thank goodness, the next train didn't leave for three hours! Just like the last train from Rome to Florence, we had some issues with dragging and storing all of our luggage, but we made it fit and settled in for our trip to Venice.

Once we arrived at the train station, we headed to pick up a map. We found out quickly that Venice is not cheap. No free maps for tourists anywhere - so we payed for our map and went on our way. We stood in line to buy our tickets for the Vaporetto - the water bus that runs down the Grand Canal - so that we could get to our hotel. We were amazed - Venice is just so cool!

We checked into our hotel and dropped our luggage off so that we could start exploring. We stopped at a pastry shop around the corner from our B&B and picked up some yummy pastries to keep us from starving until lunch. We wandered around the nearby canals and found an outdoor cafe for lunch - Da Poggi. We split a delicious gnocci with cheese and then shrimp and zucchini pasta. After lunch, we started the Grand Canal audio tour by Vaporetto. It was so amazing to see this entire city on water that is slowly sinking. It was sad to hear that in a few decades, Venice will be uninhabited and people will only come in and out to tour.

We hopped off the Vaporetto at Piazza San Marco to look around a bit. It was too crowded and too close to closing time to go into St. Mark's Basilica. Fouad was a little freaked out by all of the pigeons too. We started to make our way back to the Vaporetto and noticed the gondolas nearby. We decided to ask how much a ride would be for the two of us. Mama mia! It was expensive. A 30 - 40 minute ride would be 120 - 150 euro (about $175 - $220). We said grazie, but no grazie and tried to make our way back over to the Vaporetto dock. Those gondoliers were tough! They hassled us all the way back to the dock. We decided to walk back to our hotel (it wasn't very far) and stopped on the Rialto Bridge to enjoy the best view on the Grand Canal.

Another thing we quickly learned about Venice is that our map was completely useless. We were able to navigate the streets and canals by using the signs posted on almost every corner that said "Per Rialto" to direct you to the Rialto Bridge and "Per San Marco" to direct you to Piazza San Marco. Once we figured that out, it was pretty easy to get around on foot. On our way back to the hotel we stopped and got a chocolate and banana crepe - yum! Then, look what I found! We got back to the room and got a recommendation on a casual pizza place that the locals frequent across the Rialto Bridge. We wandered around a bit more before dinner, and then headed over to grab some pizza.

When we got in the restaurant, we were ignored for the first five minutes - just because we didn't know the seating process (stupid tourists). We were the only people there that didn't speak Italian - always a good sign when it comes to food! Finally, we were able to stop someone and speak enough Italian to get a table. We were hungry!

We really wanted a salad with our pizza, (we had A LOT of meat, cheese, and carbs that week), so we ordered the insalta caprese. Well, just our luck - it was a traditional caprese salad - just fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. Delicious! We also saw all of the people around us toasting and drinking what looked like milky shots. We asked our waiter what they were. It ended up being something like lemoncello mixed with ice cream to make a sort of smoothie shot. Too bad we filled up on pizza and wine, we had no room left to try it. Well, there's always next time! ;-)

Sadly, we went back to our room for some rest before our last day in Italy. We definitely weren't ready to leave.

October 8th - Florence - Day 3

Sorry for the delay in updates...the past month has been really crazy! I have taken on a lot more at work, been traveling to my last shows for 2009, and wrapping up for the end of the year. Fouad has been just as busy at work, and has been taking care of an exhausted wife! We have lots of other exciting things that we'll be posting about soon, but we need to finish telling you about our trip to Italy!

Sooo...back to our last day in Florence!

This was going to be a busy day, but we were so excited! Fouad woke up early to run over to the Central Market to pick up some gifts, while I got ready in the room. We ate a quick breakfast and headed over to the train station to go on the Best of Tuscany Tour - which was going to take us all around Tuscany to see some of the most popular cities and sights. We arrived right on time (or what Fouad considers late...but we weren't last!) and we were off for an amazing day under the Tuscan sun!

Our first stop was in Siena. We started in the fan shaped Piazza del Campo where the Palio horse race takes place twice every year. Siena is divided into seventeen Contrade, each represented by a different animal - giraffes, caterpillars, dragons, etc. We thought it was very Legends of the Hidden Temple! In the most recent Palio, the Owl contrade won, and their flags and banners were displayed proudly. The whole tradition was really interesting! We then headed to the Duomo of Santa Maria to tour inside, and enjoyed a little free time (aka snacking on a panino) before heading to lunch.

Lunch was held on a wine estate where we toured the winery and farm. Everything we ate and drank at lunch was made on the farm. We sat next to really fun Australian couple, and they made sure our wine glasses were always full. After WAY too much wine at lunch, we headed over to San Gimignano to tour the city and grab some gelato from the world's best gelateria. We had to immediately find a restroom, but then we were on our way to see the medieval city and its amazing views of the Tuscan countryside.

After San Gimignano, we headed on back to our tour bus and napped on the ride to Pisa. Of course, we had to take a ton of touristy photos of us and the leaning tower. We walked around the rest of the Field of Miracles (where every structure is leaning) and headed back to our tour bus as the sun began to set.

We were exhausted when we got back to Florence, but we need to grab some dinner. We wandered around until we came upon a Trattoria where we could dine outside (the weather had been amazing!). Fouad got a seafood pasta dish, which included whole baby squid - heads and all - and I had a safe eggplant parm. Of course, we stopped by our favorite gelateria next to our B&B before calling it a night. It was a long but amazing way to end our time in Florence!

Tomorrow...off to VENICE!!!

October 7th - Florence - Day 2

First of all, I'd like to clear something up: While re-reading the blog posts and looking at the pictures we've taken, it occurred to me that one might think that all we did in Italy was eat. It seems like all we did was get breakfast, get a snack, get lunch, get a gelato, get dinner, get another gelato, etc. etc. Well, I'm hear to say that that is exactly what happened. Amanda tells me that we saw some old buildings or something too. Whateva.

I kid! While we do write about eating a lot (and I admit we did eat and drink a lot of deliciousness), we also walked around a ton, packed a lot of stuff into a short amount of time, and actually didn't gain any weight. All that being said, our 2nd day in Florence was the single best food day of the whole trip! But perhaps I should start from the beginning...

After grabbing breakfast at the hotel, we started the day at the Accademia Gallery, where we saw Michelangelo's Statue of David. We've seen it a hundred times in pictures, but it really was amazing in real-life. It was a lot bigger than we thought it would be, and it's crazy to think that it was carved out of one huge chunk of marble. Michelangelo also had a series of works that he didn't finish. These sculptures were called the Prisoners because they all look like they're breaking free from the marble. Just like at the Sistine Chapel, you can't take any pictures in the private museums in Italy, just because they want to make money off of selling you their pictures. Well, we didn't really think that was a good enough reason, so we took pictures every chance we got. After the Accademia, we went to check out the inside of Il Duomo, the magnificent dome in the center of Florence. We also spent some time checking out the giant bell tower next to it. Rick Steves told us to skip it, but we thought it was actually really cool. I should write guidebooks instead of him.

After the Accademia, we went to lunch at a small place recommended by one of the guidebooks called Trattoria de Mario, aka the best restaurant in Italy. We could barely find the place because the door was covered in magazine reviews! We went in, and it's so crowded every day that they just seat you with other people, wherever they have a place. They change their menu daily, so instead of giving us a menu, they just told us to go read the sign on the wall. I asked one of the waiters to help me and he pointed to 2 dishes and said "This is number 1, and this is number 1", so that's what we got! He brought out a fried veal cutlet in tomato sauce, and a rabbit pasta - just awesomely good. We also got some wine and cheese, and just enjoyed the crowded atmosphere. I'm planning another trip to Italy just for this restaurant.

After lunch, we went to the Uffizi Gallery and saw a lot of paintings, including the Birth of Venus. We had reservations, which was nice because the line to get in was over an hour. To get into the gallery, you have to go up 4 huge flights of stairs. The place was pretty crowded and NOT air conditioned so we were spent after a couple hours there. We grabbed a gelato when we got out at Gelato di Neri (famous for it's strawberry pie flavor), and went to the Central Market to do some souvenir shopping. While shopping, we heard one of the best quotes, a vendor yelled at me "Ciao, Ciao, what up homie!" Apparently, me and the cool guys in Italy all talk like the rest of America did in 1998.

After a nap, we walked around until we found a place for dinner, a place called ZaZa's. We had a great meal of brushettas, homemade pesto fettucini, steak with some secret oil and herb blend, apple tart, and our first taste of limoncello, an Italian lemon liquor that they drink after the meal to help them digest. During the meal, we realized that the street musicians, magicians, and flower salesman aren't stopped by the restaurants at all. They walked right up to our tables, and entertained whether we wanted them to or not. On the walk back to the hotel, we happened to stumble upon a gelato place selling cones for 1 euro. This ended up being one of our favorite gelato places, with flavors like rosewater and cheese and pears, it was quite a find. What a day!

October 6th - Florence - Day 1

Today, we said goodbye to Rome EARLY in the morning and headed to the Termini train station for the last time to catch our train to Florence. After a quick purchase of pastries for breakfast, we headed to our train's platform to find our car. This is when I realized we should have packed smaller bags...oh well. We lugged our giant suitcases on to the train, and squeezed them into the luggage bins above us. There were two cute Asian teenagers that were sitting next to us that didn't speak much English, but it seemed like they wanted to practice on us. They asked if we were going to Firenze (Florence) and we said yes. He was so excited, he shouted, "Same destination!!!". So cute.

We were both a little sleepy, and we took a nap on the train. We must have looked a little rough, because the other couple next to us asked if we had been on the train all night. This is why I have NO pictures of this part of the trip. I decided to stay awake after that and enjoy the Tuscan landscape that was passing us by as we got closer to Florence. Fouad slept until we arrived...

Immediately after leaving the train station we could sense that Florence had a much different feel than Rome. For lack of better words, to me it just felt smaller, and less rushed. It was a welcome change - Rome wore us out! We navigated the streets near the train station to find our hotel - the Hotel Belletini. I found this hotel online after doing a lot of research, and this one was highly recommended for budget travelers (i.e. the Jomaas). The rooms were a decent size, we had our own bathroom, and the staff at the front desk couldn't have been nicer. We would definitely recommend this hotel for anyone looking for a clean, comfortable place to stay in Florence that won't break the bank. That being said, it seems like there were a lot of places like this in Florence, so you probably can't go wrong.

We were there pretty early in the morning, so our room wasn't ready. They said that it would definitely be ready by noon, so we left our GIANT bags with them. This was after we had a *little* scare that we had left our passports in Rome. I swore that I gave them to Fouad, he swore that he gave them to me. After tearing through my luggage, it ended up that Fouad did have them. I win!

I was hungry after that, so we headed over to a restaurant that was in one of our guide books - Nerbone. This place was described as a spot for locals that served cucina povera ("poor people's food") and was famous for serving a boiled beef sandwich dipped in the meat juices. Sounded delicious to us! Little did we know that Nerbone was located in the Central Market - one of our favorite surprises of the trip. Outside the market, there were stalls set up with merchants selling everything from touristy trinkets to leather goods. Fouad loves to haggle, so he was going from stand to stand to see what they had, and what he could get a good price on.

We decided to come back to the outdoor portion of the market after our sandwiches, and entered the inside portion of the market. WOW! We were in heaven. All of these stands were set up much like the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. Each stand seemed to be bursting with local homemade products, and the people in the stands were so excited to show you what they were selling. We got our sandwiches at Nerbone, which ended up being VERY good but VERY spicy because we asked them to prepare it how the locals like it - with a pesto sauce and a spicy pepper sauce, and then we wandered around every inch of the market. There were stands with olive oils made on the merchant's farm, wines from local wineries, biscotti and pastries and everything in between. There were also stands that were set up to sell meats (including wild boar, hare, and tripe), fish, cheeses, and other items. Of course, Fouad had to try another sandwich before we left, and then we headed over to the Duomo to start another of our Rick Steves audio tours.

We got over to the Duomo, and were amazed by the number of people there. There were giant tour groups, merchants, and gypsies begging for money. We listened as Rick described the outside of the cathedral as looking like a giant wedding cake with all of the white, red, and green marble. It was interesting to hear that the Duomo was started around 1300 and built with a big hole in the roof because they lacked the technology to build a dome, which wasn't started until 1400 by Brunelleschi. We were also able to see the "Gates of Paradise", which is said to be the start of the Renaissance characterized by the 3D work carved into bronze. We moved on to continue our guided tour by Rick, when he told us to stop and enjoy some gelato. Who could say no to that? We split a refreshing mixed berry and lemon cone and were on our way!

We then continued our walk over to view the statues outside the Oransanmichele Church and tabernacle inside, and headed over to the Palazzo Vecchio which has a courtyard full of amazing statues. There was a replica of the Statue of David (not nearly as awesome as the real one!) where the original statue once stood and the original statue of The Rape of the Sabines and the most photographed statue in Florence - Perseus, the Greek hero that decapitated Medusa. The weird thing about these last two statues was that the replicas were in the museum, and the originals were outside for the public to enjoy.

We passed by the Uffizi Gallery and made our way over to the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) to enjoy the view. We stopped to take some pictures, and and old couple offered to take one of both of us. We got this. It was just too cute and funny not to delete!

After our walk across Renaissance Florence, we were ready for a nap - it had been a long day already! On our way back to the hotel, we kept passing dessert shops with small waffle makers outside the stores and the delicious smell of the waffles got to Fouad. We had to stop and get a waffle, and then they asked if we would like gelato on top. Um...yeah! So we had the most awesome dessert - a warm waffle with Nutella gelato on top. YUM! We also passed some art students on the way back to the hotel that were doing some amazing chalk drawings on the street.

Our room was ready, and we kept our windows cracked open just a little to listen to the sounds of Florence while we napped. After we got a little rest, we decided to take the long walk up to Piazza Michalengelo. The hike up to the Piazza was all uphill, but when we got to the top, we both agreed that it was worth it. We had a breathtaking view of Florence below us, and we decided to relax and watch the sunset. There was also another Statue of David that was bronze, but it still wouldn't compare to the original. Afterwards, we walked back down to the city and had our first really good dinner at Trattoria La Mossacce. We were the only people in the restaurant that didn't speak Italian, and our waiter spoke just a little English. We both split Ribollita (Florentine bread soup), cannelloni, bisteca Fiorentina, and homemade trifle for dessert...YUM! Oh, and wine of course... What a perfect end to our first day in Florence!

October 5th - Rome - Day 3

Our last day in Rome! We spent the first part of the day buying our train tickets to get to Florence and Venice. This turned out to be a little trickier than expected. The directions were confusing, and we weren't really sure what we were getting. Then, when the ticket printed out, everything was in Italian. Where were we supposed to pick up the train? What car were we in? What seat? Well, with a little help from the guys at the hotel, we figured out where to go to catch our train the next day. Whew! Now, our last day in Rome could begin!

After getting our tickets and a quick breakfast (chocolate croissants, cappuchino, and orange juice - nummers!), we took the Metro to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum / Palatine Hill. Amanda, being the savvy traveler that she is, thought to download a bunch of Rick Steves's audio tours before we left. Using the audio tours, we were able to go through different places and museums, and we actually knew what we were looking at!

At Palatine Hill, we saw the Senate House (turned into a museum), which is where the Romans used to hold all their meetings and such. We also saw the actual grave of Julius Ceasar. People still come from around the world to pay their respects on the day he died, the Ides of March (March 15). With Rick Steves whispering in our ears, we moved onto the Colosseum. The Colosseum was huge, and still in really good shape. Before we went in, we took a second to admire the cheesy fake gladiators that were taking pictures with tourists in front of the Colosseum. Silly tourists! We went to the top tier and looked down at the arena. They've removed the sand where the gladiators used to do battle, and we could see all of the underground tunnels. The Colosseum was definitely my favorite attraction in Rome.

From the Colosseum, we took a bus to the Pantheon, and we actually went in this time, but not before grabbing our first cannolli! The Pantheon has a big opening in the dome, and a slanted floor to drain the water out when it rains. Raphael (the artist, not the ninja turtle) is buried in the Pantheon, and his tomb was really interesting. After the Pantheon, we grabbed some lunch (brushetta, pasta, and pizza -- nothing different but it was still gooood!)

After lunch, we went over to the Spanish Steps to just hang out. We climbed to the top (so many steps!) and sat around watching the locals go by. When night hit, we had some time to go back and hit our favorite spots in Rome. First, we went to the Trevi Fountain to throw another coin in. They say if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain, you're guaranteed to make a trip back to Rome. Amanda wanted to be absolutely sure that we'd be back to Rome, so she threw another coin in the fountain. Then, we went back to the Colosseum to check it out at night. Afterwards, we grabbed dinner (pizza and pasta again, so what? Who cares!?) at the Royale House, a restaurant overlooking the Colosseum. Even though this guy wasn't happy we were taking his picture, it was a pretty awesome way to end our last day in Rome!

October 4th - Rome - Day 2

Finally...DAY TWO!

We woke up refreshed for Day two of our vacation. We had overslept - so we missed our reserved time at the Borghese Gallery, but that was okay because we needed the sleep. New plan - we passed a beautiful fountain on our way to Trastevere the night before, so we headed that direction on the metro. First stop of the day was the Repubblica Fountain in the Piazza della Repubblica.

After relaxing by the fountain and gathering a plan for the day, we went over the the National Museum of Rome which houses ancient mosaics, sculptures, tombs, and artifacts. Oh, and this little gem. Yep, that's a Hidden Mickey! I thought we might be in Epcot for a second...

After the museum we headed to the Piazza del Popolo, to walk around the car-free streets and grab a bite to eat. We saw the tall obleisk as soon as we entered the square, and this is where Fouad got sick of me taking so many pictures. We had lunch at a little restaurant off of the piazza where we had Pizza Napoli (w/anchovies...yum!) and ravioli stuffed with spinach, cheese, and topped off with a butter sauce. Mmmmm.... We also tried fried pumpkin flowers which were stuffed with cheese. They were pretty tasty! Our waitress (and the owner's wife) saw that I was cutting up the pizza when she delivered it to the table, and as soon as she did she whisked it back to the kitchen to have it cut Americano style. She didn't speak much English - so we didn't really know what she was doing until it came back. I thought it was sweet - it made it easier for us to split :-)

After I spilled my glass of water all over Fouad at lunch, we had a quickie gelato (not memorable...but gelato nonetheless) and headed to the Barberini metro station to get a peek of the Triton Fountain. Fouad dried off by then, and we headed back for a little nap - it had already been a long day of walking, eating, and sightseeing, and Foo was still getting over his jet lag.

After a little nap, we took our trusty Rick Steves guide book and tried to figure out how to get to the Pantheon on the bus because the metro didn't run in that directon. We finally found that the 116 bus at Barberini (which is where we were earlier) has a stop next to the Pantheon. Off we went in search of the 116. After getting a little turned around, we found our stop and waited...and waited...and waited. Another couple from the US was waiting with us - they were headed the same direction. Finally, we spotted the 116 - and it drove right past us. After waiting a few more minutes, we decided to try another route that required a little more walking, but it worked.

We finally arrived at the Pantheon just after 6:00 PM. It was amazing to see a building that is 2000 years old and that looks so good. We were quickly disappointed because it was closed - boo! So we decided to do the night walk across Rome described in Rick Steves book. We headed over to the nearby Campo Di Fiori to start. As soon as we entered the Campo we noticed a little panino shop that was packed! Of course, the Deli Man needed to try a sandwich to see what all the commotion was about. We had a delicious sandwich and also stopped by a nearby bakery to sample some pastries. Mmmm...snacking across Rome is fun!

From Campo di Fiori, we headed over to one of Fouad's favorite spots of the trip - Piazza Navonna. As we walked up, we came across the Fontana del Moro another of Rome's beautiful fountains. Also located in Piazza Navonna is my second favorite fountain in Rome - the Fountain of the Four Rivers. This place was definitely the place to be. There was a huge dance party on a large stage (hence all the crazy colors in our fountain pictures) and lots of artists and people hanging out. We also met the cutest dog in Rome - Luna. She was adorable. Luna knew all of the locals and artists and ran to greet everyone in the square. Even though most of them didn't speak much English (and we spoke very little Italian) they still were able to introduce us to Luna. She was the life of the party!

Next, we were on to seek out the famous Trevi Fountain so we could throw a couple of coins in! Along the way, we got sidetracked by Giolottis - which is apparently famous for their gelato. We had to stop...and it was worth it! Delicious! Then we were on our way. Fouad was the one keeping us from getting lost (if you can believe that!) and we finally heard the fountain and crowd from a distance. Then, BOOM there it was! It was so awesome - even though it was nearly midnight the Trevi Fountain was packed with people! I was in love :-) I made Fouad promise that we would come back to the Trevi Fountain again before we left, and he agreed.

After a long walking and snacking adventure, we found a bus that was on a night schedule that would return us back to the Termini station and our hotel. There were a lot of shady characters around, and Fouad swears that there was a pickpocket attempt on our backpack or possibly to get his wallet. We had been extra cautious, so we weren't worried at all. Fouad was actually excited that someone actually tried to pickpocket us, especially after all the hype about pickpockets in our guide books. He's crazy!

Next up...our last day in Rome :-(

Anne's Baby Shower, Pre-Halloween Party, & Andy's Birthday

Sorry to interrupt the vacation blogging (it's going a little slow - we've been so busy!), but we had some major events over the weekend!

I've been working with Katie and Mary over the past couple of months on Anne's baby shower. The shower took place on Saturday at the clubhouse in Mary's new neighborhood, which was a great location. It looked like everyone's hard work paid off - the shower was a huge success! The theme of the shower was Dr. Seuss, and crafty Katie was able to create all of the awesome Seuss decorations. We also got creative with the food, with name like One Shrimp, Two Shrimp (from One Fish, Two Fish) and The Lorax's Cheese Trees. Anne received lots of great gifts. Baby Aurand should be set!

After the shower, Foo and I headed to White, GA to hang out with Dawn & Michael and the gang for a pre-Halloween, non-costume party. We had a GREAT time! I wish I had some pictures, especially of their dog Bella in her bumble bee costume. It was adorable!

We also celebrated Andy's birthday this weekend. I was out of town (...and out of the country) for Andy's birthday, so Fouad and I decided to celebrate with him this weekend. Andy, Fouad, Greg, and I went to Medieval Times on Sunday for a feast and tournament. It was actually really fun. Naturally, we were seated in the section that everyone hated - the Green Knight's section. We had a good time cheering for the villain - and were sad that he lost. The Birthday King had a good time too - and got to meet his hero (the Green Knight) after the show was over. Andy cracked me up - he brought his own knife and fork because there are no utensils at Medieval Times. Happy Birthday Brother! :-)

Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging...

October 3rd - Rome - Day 1

I arrived in Rome the night before Fouad and checked into our hotel. I gave Fouad directions on how to get there from the train station (right across the street) and went to bed. I was really worried that he was going to miss his flight or get lost on his way, but I was so excited that he would be arriving in the morning! I hadn't seen him in a week!


Fouad arrived in Rome after his long flight, and went to get his bag at baggage claim...but it wasn't there :-(. Apparently, his bag wasn't loaded on his plane in Atlanta. After speaking with the people at the Luggage Assistance desk at the airport (who weren't very helpful...) Fouad made his way to the Radisson. I was so proud of him for navigating from Atlanta to Rome and from the airport to our hotel! We called the lost baggage hotline and checked online, but I still wasn't able to get confirmation that his bag was on the way. The staff at the front desk of our hotel assured me that they would track the bag and have it waiting for us before the morning.


Of course, I was really mostly worried about Fouad's bag, but I was also worried about our tour of the Vatican scheduled for the afternoon. You see, Fouad was wearing shorts and that's not allowed in the Vatican - you must wear pants. After speaking again with the staff at the front desk, we went over to the market next door and picked up a pair of track pants for 6 euro - not too shabby, but not exactly what Fouad was hoping to wear. Oh well...


We were then off to the Vatican area after buying our Roma Passes and hopping on the Metro. Fouad needed some caffeine, so we stopped to get an espresso. Then we were off to search for lunch. Our tour started at 1:00 PM, so we were in a hurry. We decided to get a quick bite, and pizza sounded great! We split two slices of margherita pizza and porcini mushroom pizza. It was delicious.


After lunch, we hurried over to the Vatican to start our tour. It was a "quick" three hour tour through the Vatican museums, St. Peter's basicillca, and the Sistine Chapel. We could have spent eight hours had we stopped to look at everything in the museums, but our tour guide gave us the highlights before heading over to the Sistine Chapel. No photos or videos were to be taken in the Sistine Chapel, and there was also supposed to be no talking. We were told to keep quiet several times, and yelled at for taking photos (even though we weren't). Well, that just made me want to take photos even more - which we did. After the chapel, we headed over to St. Peter's, and then the tombs of the Popes. This tour was really amazing - but our feet were killing us at the end!



Tired feet called for our first gelato in Italy! We took a little break over at Old Bridge Gelato near the Vatican. I was in love! I had pistachio, amaretto, and nutella gelato, while Fouad had chocolate, nutella, and pineapple. Mmmmm! It had been a long day already, so we headed back to the hotel for a quick nap before our first night out in Rome. Guess what was waiting for us when we arrived...Fouad's bag! Hooray!


After a little rest, we headed over to Trastevere to get dinner. This neighborhood across the Tiber River is the hot spot in Rome for restaurants. We had our first crazy experience with Rome transportation - the bus to Trastevere was jammed packed! We kept squeezing more and more people on the bus, and it was HOT. After a sweaty ride and getting too close to some strangers (deodorant really wasn't popular with them), we finally made it over to Trastevere.

After getting a little lost (which we would do frequently on this trip), we found the restaurant that Rick Steve's had recommended - Osteria da Olinda. It was a wonderful little mom & pop type place where it seemed that the whole family was in the kitchen working on your dinner. We waited a few minutes for a table outside, and then we ordered. We got a veggie appetizer, pasta with cheese & pepper, veal with potatoes, and wine of course. It was simple, but delicious! We also had our first experience with street performers and salesmen during our dinner outside. First, we had a few people stop by to offer roses for sale (this happened EVERY night in EVERY city), and then we had a "magician" stop by for a performance. His grand finale involved taking off his toupee and collecting tips from the diners outside. Pretty funny :-)


After dinner, we found another recommended gelateria - Gelato de la Scalla. We split a cup with chocolate, cinnamon (awesome!), and pear. We were able to navigate ourselves back to the bus stop - but we noticed a HUGE crowd. Apparently, the buses had been running a little slowly. After waiting 45 minutes, a bus finally showed up and everyone squeezed on and made the hot and sweaty journey back to the train station. We finally made it back to the room and passed out after our long first day!

Sorry about the lack of pictures on this day...we were still trying to figure out a good picture to video camera ratio. It gets better...I promise.

Painting Project Complete!

We've finished the rest of the painting! Here are pictures of the finished house:


Foyer


Guestroom


Master Bedroom


Bedroom #3


Guest Bathroom - master bath is the same color


Office - bonus room is the same color


Powder Room

Stay tuned!

Soooo...

We were too busy in Italy to blog while we were there, and we've been getting adjusted to our routine back in the real world this week, but we did make a journal and we'll be posting it soon so you can see how much fun we had in Italia!

Also, I came home to a completely painted house - so we have pictures to post of that too. ;-)

Hang in there...we'll be filling you in on all the details soon!

Goodbye Vienna! Hello Rome!

Vienna has been nice, but my vacation in Italy officially starts this afternoon! Woohoo, I'm so excited!

This trip has been interesting so far. I actually had a lot of free time (VERY unusual for when I travel with work!) and I was able to see a lot of Vienna. Lucky for me, the city is really walkable and the weather has been good. Here are some things that will always come to mind when I think about Vienna:

*St. Stephens Cathedral - it was truly amazing.

*The view of the city from above - the skyline with the cathedral and domes was an awesome sight when I arrived.

*Everyone rides bicycles here. The sidewalks are mostly split in two - one side for pedestrians, one for those on their bikes. It didn't take me long to figure out which side I needed to be on!

*It can be so quiet! If you go just a block or two away from the main roads it is extremely quiet - you could hear a pin drop!

*Street musicians playing accordions - it always seemed that I had background music at the perfect times.

Well, that's all for this leg of the trip! I head to the airport this afternoon and before I know it, Fouad will be with me in Rome. I can't wait!

Vienna is Beautiful

Trying to stay positive through the busy week of work in Vienna. Here are a few things that I love so far:

*The weather has been pretty wonderful - chilly in the morning but gorgeous the rest of the day.

*The view from my room is amazing (which is good, because this is my base for work at the moment). I have an awesome view of the skyline on both sides of my corner room!

*My windows open up just a bit to let in the cool air and I get to listen to the sounds of the city - church bells ringing, the clacking of hooves on the pavement from the carriages, and the people in the park across the street.

*The staff at the Hilton Vienna have been so kind. It's been difficult anywhere else to find English-speaking people (cabs, shops, restaurants) but they have been able to understand me perfectly at the hotel - which is sooo important!

That's pretty much it so far. Sometime this week I plan to take the 10 - 15 minute walk down to St. Stephen's Cathedral which is the main thing to see downtown. I can see the top of it from my window and it is beautiful!

What a trip so far!

Well, everything started off great...

Fouad and I had a farewell lunch at The Flying Biscuit in Midtown. I had packed the weekend before and re-checked everything Friday night. I even told Fouad that I felt really good about not leaving anything behind. BIG MISTAKE. I had to go and open my big mouth...

As soon as I got to my gate, I went to put my passport up and noticed it was missing. My ATM card. I had transferred everything in my smaller wallet to a larger on that can hold my passport. I have EVERYTHING else. Need to rent a movie from Blockbuster? I'm on it. Want to get some Marriott points? No problem. What about that Georgia State ID that you don't even need in Atlanta? You betcha. How about some cash in Europe - nope, I'm outta luck. So, after worrying about it on the entire flight to Paris, I figured there wasn't much I could do, and that I would take care of it when I got to Vienna.

Then I got to Paris with an hour to spare before my connecting flight took off. Perfect, right? Wrong....

We arrived in Gate E and my connecting flight was in Gate D. Now, if I were planning an airport, Gate D would be pretty close to Gate E. This isn't the case at this particular airport. So, I went through customs and still had 30 minutes left to make it to my flight before it took off. I started walking, and walking, and walking...you get the idea. It wasn't as close as I had hoped. This was also made worse by my genious idea to cary on the welcome packet materials for the conference so that they wouldn't get messed up by being checked - or worse - not even arrive in Vienna. Did I put them in a rolling suitcase? Nope. A duffle bag. These things are HEAVY. So now I'm sweating. I finally get to Gate D, and there is a HUGE line to check my luggage - again. Now I have ten minutes until my plane leaves, and this line looks like it might take all day. I found an Air France agent who was able to sneak me through so I could get my luggage checked and RUN to my gate. I got on my flight and everything was fine. A little sweaty...but fine.

Got to Vienna, met up with my client (who saw just how sweaty I was when I boarded the plane, I'm sure...), got my checked luggage (woohoo!) and got to my room. The poor lady at the front desk asked for my passport like five times...I thought she was saying password. Wow. After a shower and a small breakdown over my missing piece to my adapter (it ended up I was already using it...darn jetlag) I am ready for the conference. Oh - and that pesky detail with the no cash situation? My awesome transportation contact for the group gave me a cash advance - thank goodness! I'm set until Foo arrives :-)



So, hopefully the rest of this week will be uneventful. The view from my room is amazing, but I won't be able to upload any pictures until Fouad gets here with the camera cord. Yeah, I forgot to pack that too...oh well...

Painting Project

Well folks, the painting project has begun. Stay tuned for pictures of our newly painted house...

In the meantime, here's a few teaser pictures:

Living Room

Kitchen

Dining Room

I'm back, baby!

No, you're not dreaming, it's Fouad (you can tell because it's blue!) After a long hiatus, I have returned! I have a lot to tell you people, so sit back and relax. You might want to go to the restroom first. Back yet? Good, let's get this started...

First, let me explain the reasons for my not posting in awhile. The reasons are twofold: One, I'm lazy. All the typing and adding pictures, it's just too much work. Two, and better sounding, I feel like I have to have something to say when I post a blog. This is mainly because I think that Amanda would get on here and censor my mindless ramblings. I have no concrete evidence that she would do this, but it definitely seems realistic. Regardless of this fear, I've decided to blog anyway! I shall not live in fear! I will blog with nothing to say! She's looking at me right now, and I can picture her hitting the backspace button over all of these wor

Just kidding! Still here! So to summarize, I'm going to try to post more often, but probably with less pictures. Now I'd like to tell you about the loves of my life. One is Amanda. She's good looking and cool. Another is fantasy football. I'm obsessed. I love any sort of gambling anyway (moundball, throw a penny at a wall, etc.), so of course this would appeal to me. If you're not into fantasy football, you wouldn't understand, but it's just terrific. I talk like I OWN these players and I play and bench them as I please. It physically pains me when someone on my bench has a huge week, and I may cry if one of them goes down with an injury. I've put a lot of time into this and the season hasn't even started. Don't worry, I'll keep you updated regardless of your interest level. The Foo-Tang Clan shall win it all!

Well, time to wrap it up. Have no fear, though, I'm here to stay.

And Mohamad's birthday was yesterday. Happy birthday brother. You rock like a scissors-beater.

Labor Day Weekend

What a fun-filled Labor Day weekend! It was all started off on Thursday with the Taylor Swift concert with Alison and her family. Taylor put on an adorably awesome show, and sang all of my favorites! Thank you Alison for getting us great tickets :-)

On Saturday, Fouad and I headed to White Water with Mary and Matt to play in the park. (No pictures...sorry!) Fouad and I haven't been back to the park in quite some time, and it was a blast seeing old friends and the little changes in the place where we used to work (and where we first met). Andy was working and made sure we were well looked after. He got us a cabana by the wave pool which was really great, even though the sun didn't come out for most of the day.

So...I knew that the food was pricey, and that parking wasn't cheap, but what I couldn't believe was the price for LOCKERS. It was $13 for a SMALL locker - no refund for a key at the end of the day. We probably would have needed a large locker, which would have set us back $19. Crazy! Good thing the cabana came with a storage unit to put all of our stuff in.

It was a great day. There were short lines for everything, and Foo and I finally got to ride the Tornado! We were both working when it originally opened, and during the employee ride night we both were caught up with closing duties and missed out on our chance to ride. Thanks to Mary for suggesting we go!

On Sunday, we went to Thrasher Park to attend sweet baby Avery's 1st birthday party. The theme for the party was Avery in Wonderland, complete with Avery's big brother Jackson as the Mad Hatter. What a perfect day for a party in the park! While all of the kids went to play on the playground, all of the adults played the Best Game Ever. This game involves a Nerf football, two teams, intentionally pelting the other team with the ball, and no flinching if the ball is headed toward your face. We are definitely stealing this game for our next get-together.

We also made a BIG project purchase this weekend. Paint was on sale at Home Depot, and we couldn't think of a better time to go ahead and bite the bullet. We bought enough paint for the entire interior painting project - no more (off)white walls! Several people at Home Depot thought we were crazy - they just couldn't believe we were buying so much paint...hopefully this isn't a sign of what we've gotten ourselves into...eek!

Fouad's Birthday - Part Two

Better late than never, right?

Well, Fouad's actual birthday was spent seeing District 9 and eating at Stoney River...mmmm. We had a great date night - great movie and delicious food. Both of us were beyond stuffed after dinner, but it was worth it!

Then, we got the family together later in the week to go to Flip Burger Boutique - which is the restaurant of Chef Richard Blais from one of Fouad's favorite shows - Top Chef. Blais is from Atlanta and was the runner up on the Chicago season. The restaurant has gourmet burgers ranging from a the plain Flip burger to some crazier concoctions such as a steak tartare burger or lamburger. Perhaps the best part of the meal was the delicious milkshakes. We tried the Krispy Kreme and Nutella with Burnt Marshmallow. Nutella won...hands down.

That concludes Fouad's birthday celebration for 2009. Personally, I think we overdid it just a bit...how about you?

Fouad's Birthday - Part One

Fouad's birthday is on Monday, but we decided to celebrate a little early this weekend. I planned a couple of surprises for him, and we've had a blast so far!

On Friday, Fouad, Michael, Dawn, and I went to Atlantic Station to see Bodies and Dialogue in the Dark. Both were really great experiences! We went through the Bodies expo first, and it was amazing to see and learn so much about how the human body looks and works. After going through the exhibit, you really want to take better care of yourself :-)

Next, we went to Dialogue in the Dark. This was everyone's favorite part. Dialogue takes you through everyday scenarios in a visually impaired person's life. You start in a room where they slowly dim the lights, and the rest of the experience is completely in the dark. You have a cane and a guide who is blind that leads you through each room. After feeling your way around, you realize where you are (grocery store, park, etc.) and begin to recognize things in those environments. Dawn was definitely our star student - guessing almost everything right away!

After going through each of the rooms, you also have a chance to ask your guide questions about their own journey. Our guide, Willard, has only been blind for about a year and a half. He told us all about his experience and how he has adjusted. It was very enlightening.

On Saturday, Dawn and Michael joined us again. This time it was to go tubing down the Chattahoochee! We started at Abbott's Bridge and floated all the way down to Medlock Bridge, which is about a four hour trip. It was an adventure...and we had so much fun. I think we'll definitely be doing this again!

Tomorrow is Fouad's actual birthday, and I'm taking him out to dinner and a movie. On Tuesday, we're getting together with the fam for dinner at a surprise location - somewhere Fouad's been dying to try for awhile!

Happy Birthday Foo! I hope you enjoy being spoiled this weekend!

Italy's Statue of David - MAJOR CHANGE!

So, I thought this was interesting...

Did you know they changed the FACE on the Statue of David??? Crazy!

:-)

We're going to ITALY!!!

So, for those of you who don't know, I am going to be in Europe with work at the end of September / beginning of October. My client has a conference in Vienna for a week, and I have the pleasure of tagging along and doing my usual job abroad for the entire week. So exciting!

Fouad and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to schedule a vacation in Europe, especially since we have been dying to go back again since our study abroad in the summer of 2005. Then came the challenge of where to visit...

Should we go somewhere that we've already visited when we were there in 2005? Should we see Vienna and the rest of Austria because I will already be there? We decided on Italy because it was a short plane ride to Rome for me from Vienna AND it's the next place on our list of places we have to see. (and no...there's not an actual list, thank you very much.)

As you can tell from the photo above, I'm in full-on crazy planning mode. We are both over-the-top excited. I'm getting a little stressed because it's coming up soon and I feel like I'm being rushed. Good news is that our flights are booked, our hotels are booked, and now I get to plan all the fun stuff! We'll be in Rome for three days (four for me - I'll get in a day early), Florence for three days, and two days in Venice. There's LOTS to see in that little amount of time, but hopefully we'll see as much as we can, and I'll just have to convince Fouad to plan another trip in the future if we miss anything ;-)

I can't wait!!!

Beach Weekend!

Last weekend we went down to Panama City Beach for a little fun in the sun! It was really nice to get some relaxing beach time. Fouad and I were joined by Dawn and Michael and Matt and Mariana. We had so much fun with everyone - I wish we could have stayed longer :-)


After the early AM wake-up and 6 hour drive, we were all really anxious to get to the beach. We had to make a quick stop at Wally World to get some umbrellas and snacks, and of course some reading material. Thank goodness for that umbrella - finally a beach trip for me with no sunburn! As soon as we were done there, we checked in, packed up the cooler, and got down to the beach as fast as we could. The rest of the day was spent goofing around, swimming, sunning, and relaxing. After a long day on the beach, we all watched the sunset from the balcony and headed out to dinner. We couldn't have asked for a better day!

Saturday the storms were a brewin' and it gave us some brutal waves and overcast skies - but no rain (thank goodness!). So we decided to head over to Pier Park down the road from our hotel to check out the bars and get lunch. This place was really cute! After another beautiful sunset, we ended up going to a few of the places at Pier Park that night - it was a good time.

We headed home Sunday rested and relaxed - and wishing we were there a few more days!

Summer Fun!

Well, we haven't been keeping up with the blog as much as I would like to, but that doesn't mean we don't stuff to talk about. Here are some of the fun things that have happened over the past few weeks:



No More Travel! (For a little while...)



My travel schedule has slowed down significantly. In fact, I'm not going to be out of town on business at all until the END of September! I'm excited to have so much time to spend at home with Foo and our friends and family! We have some projects coming up for the house (like painting and possibly a fence to put in) so all of this time at home will be put to good use!


Gwinnett Braves

Fouad and I were given some tickets to a Gwinnett Braves game at the end of last month. We had a great time! The stadium is really cool, and they have all of these crazy games and activities between each of the innings - more so than any major league game I have ever been to. By far my favorite part of the Gwinnett Braves experience was Chopper, the mascot. I don't care who you are, you have to admit he's adorable...

Jomaa 3rd of July Party

We had a small party of friends and family on the 3rd of July to celebrate Independence Day. We had an awesome time with everyone. Fouad got to show off his mad bean bag toss skills and we even had fireworks compliments of cousin Sal. It was a great night of food and fun!

Where has this year gone???

Well, here we are in June! I can't believe the first half of the year has flown by as fast as it has. I just have a few updates for everyone - my work/travel schedule has been keeping me way too busy! Fouad has been picking up the pieces as I travel in and out. I'm lucky to have such a great husband to take care of everything while I'm doing all of this traveling. He's been really awesome lately ;-)

Speaking of awesome...I celebrated a birthday last week - the big 26! Unfortunately, it had to fall during one of the busiest weeks I could have had at work. So Fouad, being the wonderful man that he is, planned my birthday celebration a week early so that I would actually get to enjoy it. Isn't he great? He deemed me Queen for a weekend, so I didn't have to do any of my usual chores or make any decisions for the entire weekend! It was so nice to be able to relax and not have to think about anything! I even got to take a nice long nap in the afternoon - and woke up to a shiny, sparkling clean car with presents inside! Woohoo!

Fouad also planned a surprise trip to Chastain Park to see Zac Brown Band on Memorial Day for the big present. He also surprised me with our friends Michael and Dawn there too! The four of us had a great time! I'll add pictures to this post as soon as I have time to download them off of my camera - so stay tuned!

Lately, it's been pretty insane with work. I was in New Orleans last Wednesday through Saturday, and I just got into Washington DC today. I'll be here until Wednesday, and then I'm done with traveling until July - yay!

Dunwoody Beer Festival

Last weekend Fouad and I joined our friends Jackie and Derek at the Dunwoody Beer Festival near Perimeter Mall. It was a really awesome day of catching up with friends, trying different beer, and having fun. It was raining when we got there at 2:30 pm, but the sun broke through and it was a beautiful day for the rest of the Fest. I can't honestly say that I remember too much of what happened after the Beer Fest...I know we went to the mall and had dinner...anyway, it was a great time! Not too sure that I'll be participating again next year, but very glad that we went once!

Work, Work, Work...

We haven't updated the blog in a little while due to our hectic work schedules. I was in Anaheim last week for work and I leave for Houston tomorrow morning. I'll be back in Atlanta for two weeks after that, but then it's New Orleans and Washington DC (back to back) the first week in June. Then I'll have a break for a little while...whew! Now if I just had time to use these SkyMiles that I'm racking up...

Fouad has been doing his work travel around my schedule, so he's been gone the days I'm in town. May has been a lonely month! We're making it through, and we'll be able to enjoy a relaxing (fingers crossed!) summer.

Zoo Date & Walk In The Park

Last weekend, Fouad and I were given a couple of Zoo Atlanta tickets so we decided to make a date of it! We had a great time! Fouad planned the whole day, starting with lunch at a little hawaiian restaurant that reminded us both of the honeymoon. How sweet :-) We saw a lot of animals - the otters were playing, the orangutans were being curiously cute, and the snakes were scary as usual. We even got to take a peek at the pandas, and the adorable new baby panda. On our way home, we even stopped at my favorite ice cream shop - Jake's! It was an awesome day.

On Sunday, we headed over to Six Flags to participate in the Walk in the Park to raise funds for childrens cancer research. We walked on the White Water team with Alli, Trevor, and my dad. The walk was three laps around the park (about a mile total) and an awards ceremony. We had a lot of fun and agreed that we'll be doing it again next year! Oh, Mr. Six was there too...he kinda gave me the creeps. Afterwards, we had a relaxing brunch at the Flying Biscuit and our weekend of fun came to an end.

This past weekend we did yard work ALL weekend. We planted some new plants out in the front of the house and put down pinestraw in the flower beds and in the natural areas in the back yard. It wasn't nearly as fun as the previous weekend, but both of us are glad that we finally got the bulk of the yard work done in one weekend. No pictures to post from this - trust me we looked disgusting after it was all over...

Philadelphia

Well, I'm in Philadelphia this week for work. As you can see, I was able to visit the Liberty Bell (briefly) this morning. It was only a six block walk from the Loews Philadelphia where I am staying. It was nice to actually see something on this trip!

I've also found a new love - the Reading Terminal Market. It's absolutely amazing, and right across the street from my hotel! You can find almost anything there - and the food is awesome! I had some great mediterranean food on my first day in, and I finally got my authentic Phily cheesesteak today! Here are the pics from the market:

Also, I bumped into a sorority sister while I was here - crazy! I knew she was going to be in town for business also, but definitely didn't expect to see her or expect her to be staying at the Loews as well. It was a brief, but fun encounter :-). I'm headed back to Atlanta tomorrow morning!

PS - It's not always sunny in Philadelphia. It's been raining...boo.

Our house...in the middle of our street...

So this post is mostly for my parents, or anyone else who lives far away and wants to know what the inside of our house looks like. My folks were in town while the house was being built, but I've been telling them I would send pictures of the house now that it's done and furnished. So, mom and dad and everyone, please enjoy the Casa de Jomaa...

Our house is 5 bedrooms, 2 and a half baths. In case you haven't figured out (mom, Randy, I'm looking at you), you can click on the bold, underlined words and a picture will pop up. So, here's the living room, dining room, formal living room, the kitchen, and the stairs.

Upstairs, here's our bedroom, our bathroom, the master bathtub, the guest rooom, the guest bathroom, the game / funtime room, and an empty room--that can be used later on. For something. Or someone. In the FUTURE.

As Amanda was taking pictures of the house, it kind of turned into a doggy photo shoot instead. So here, here, here, and here, are some pictures of the rascals. So now, even if you haven't ever been here, it's just like you have. I feel like you've come over, hung out, overstayed your welcome, and forced me to fake-yawn to get you to leave. Thanks for stopping by!