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!