Today we began in Florence....well, we began with Leigh shutting our guide in the door of our revolving door of our hotel in Florence, but in Florence none-the-less! She recovered quickly, both the guide and Leigh, and we were on our way. Florence was much more crowded than we expected but still full of history and much architecture and beautiful statues throughout town. I think that is one of the most unexpected things is you will be walking down the street and an amazing statue sculpted by Michelangelo or Rafael is on the street of Florence in the middle of town. We did go in the Acadamie Museo (Academy Museum) which is the home of Michelangelo's "David" and some other unfinished works of his. Those literally stopped us in our tracks. So hard to believe these things we have seen in books and read about for all of the years were within feet of us. We could have reached out and touched them. That is another thing that is so different from the States, there are no alarms or guards watching your every move. You could touch his unfinished works, and while it is discouraged, there is noone there to stop you. Dad wouldn't have gotten thrown out like he did in the Guggenheim!
After our tour we walked around and looked in the shops for a bit before catching the train to Venice. We arrived here this evening, took a water taxi to our hotel (so cool), and immediately went to dinner. We were tired of forcing ourselves to wait until 9:00 to eat. It was 7:30 and we were hungry! So we were the only people in a restaurant but, we ate outside by ourselves in a garden of an old monastery and it was delicious. We are back at the hotel, ready for bed, and actually missing the good 'ol USA! Italy has so much history, art, and amazing food to offer, but it is missing the creature comforts of home that we have grown to love. I'm sure we will have a beautiful time in Venice tomorrow before we catch the train back to Rome. We will fill you in before our flight back on Thursday...don't get us wrong, we will be sad to leave Italy but will be kissing the American soil we land on as well.
Hope you all are doing well. We feel so out of touch with all but look forward to talking to you all soon! Much love...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Days 5 and 6 - Capri/Florence/Tuscany
Good Evening! This will be quick and I will definitely embellish more once we have more time to talk and/or write but we didn't want to get too far behind. I am going to make two lists by numbers of things that are important and not important...you can decide which is which! It has been a very busy two days!
List 1
1. The waters of Capri were still amazingly beautiful the day we left
2. Took the Eurostar on a 3 hour ride from Napoli to Florence where we found the taxi stand and got a ride to the hotel...side note, Leigh kept trying to make small talk with the driver who only spoke Italian so she broke out her best Spitalian (spanish and italian). He still didn't understand but appreciated the effort!
3. Met our new friend Alessio from Rome in Florence for dinner at an authentic local restaurant. We were glad to have someone with us who could speak the language again. The food was fantastic and the scenery breathtaking!
4. Today we had a tour to Tuscany and everything you see in the movies and pictures pales in comparison! We went to a vineyard and took a tour to learn about the process. So cool! We are really lucky because all of the vineyards here are only 2 weeks away from harvest so all of the grapes are still on the vines. We got lots of pics!
5. We also toured a lot of small villages in the Tuscan countryside. We had breakfast in one and lunch in another. Truly felt like a fairytale.
6. We finished the day at San Gimignamo on the top of the hill in Tuscany. It is like you are on the set of a movie. Shops and restaurants in the middle of the country with flowers and hills all around. And I did a little shopping too...but not for me: )
List 2
1. Met a guy from San Diego last night in our hotel who informed us there is a new movie out called Eat, Pray, Love by C.S. Lewis starring Sandra Bullock. And had we seen it? Yes, we know all of the mistakes in this.
2. We were also informed we embarassed ourselves at breakfast this morning as we ate pizza for breakfast and drank coffee with it. Showed no etiquette. This was told to us by our Albanian driver.
3. Also, you may be interested to know that grafitti in Italy was caused by the American music and shows that were shown in Italy such as "Happy Days" and "Magnum P. I."
4. Something we didn't mention before and weren't sure was on purpose or accidental was the fact that I was completely and utterly ignored in Capri. To the extent that waiters would not give me menus nor look at me to take my order. Still not sure why and this happened every time. Leigh had to truly be my handler there!
There are many other things to fill you all in on but alas, we must go get ready for dinner...Italians do not even begin to sit down to eat until 9:30pm. Restaurants are really empty until about 10. So different than home. We are exhausted but having a great time.
We have a museum tour here in Florence in the morning and hopefully we will get a chance to write you a bit more before we leave for Venice. Until then...Ciaò!
List 1
1. The waters of Capri were still amazingly beautiful the day we left
2. Took the Eurostar on a 3 hour ride from Napoli to Florence where we found the taxi stand and got a ride to the hotel...side note, Leigh kept trying to make small talk with the driver who only spoke Italian so she broke out her best Spitalian (spanish and italian). He still didn't understand but appreciated the effort!
3. Met our new friend Alessio from Rome in Florence for dinner at an authentic local restaurant. We were glad to have someone with us who could speak the language again. The food was fantastic and the scenery breathtaking!
4. Today we had a tour to Tuscany and everything you see in the movies and pictures pales in comparison! We went to a vineyard and took a tour to learn about the process. So cool! We are really lucky because all of the vineyards here are only 2 weeks away from harvest so all of the grapes are still on the vines. We got lots of pics!
5. We also toured a lot of small villages in the Tuscan countryside. We had breakfast in one and lunch in another. Truly felt like a fairytale.
6. We finished the day at San Gimignamo on the top of the hill in Tuscany. It is like you are on the set of a movie. Shops and restaurants in the middle of the country with flowers and hills all around. And I did a little shopping too...but not for me: )
List 2
1. Met a guy from San Diego last night in our hotel who informed us there is a new movie out called Eat, Pray, Love by C.S. Lewis starring Sandra Bullock. And had we seen it? Yes, we know all of the mistakes in this.
2. We were also informed we embarassed ourselves at breakfast this morning as we ate pizza for breakfast and drank coffee with it. Showed no etiquette. This was told to us by our Albanian driver.
3. Also, you may be interested to know that grafitti in Italy was caused by the American music and shows that were shown in Italy such as "Happy Days" and "Magnum P. I."
4. Something we didn't mention before and weren't sure was on purpose or accidental was the fact that I was completely and utterly ignored in Capri. To the extent that waiters would not give me menus nor look at me to take my order. Still not sure why and this happened every time. Leigh had to truly be my handler there!
There are many other things to fill you all in on but alas, we must go get ready for dinner...Italians do not even begin to sit down to eat until 9:30pm. Restaurants are really empty until about 10. So different than home. We are exhausted but having a great time.
We have a museum tour here in Florence in the morning and hopefully we will get a chance to write you a bit more before we leave for Venice. Until then...Ciaò!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Day 4 - Capri
It is 7:00 pm in Capri and we have just gotten back to the hotel after a full day. We hiked down to the beach, and when I say hiked, I mean HIKED! It it a 300 meter hike down a cliff to the beaches outside of our hotel. I wish I could tell you what that is in miles or feet but alas, my conversion chart is at home and my Italian is not good enough to ask! Ha! Not only did we hike down and up once but twice...we forgot our money for lunch the first time, whoops! The beach is nothing like a beach we have here. There is no sand anywhere. They set up chairs or matresses with towels on them on the rocks for you to sit and relax. We were in awe just to look at the water! So blue. When you're ready to swim, you climb down the steps carved out of the rocks to the water where there is a ladder that leads down into the Mediteranean Sea. Kinda crazy! They say the water is around 80 degrees...they lie. It is close to 70, maybe! But the sun is hot and you definitely get warm enough to want to brave to cool water temps. Outside of the water, we had some of the best people watching we have ever encountered!
This afternoon we took a boat tour around the entire island with quite possibly the most talented boat driver ever. We have some video to prove it. He could drive us right into a Grotto without hitting the sides of the boat so we could get pictures. Again, I could never imagine actually experiencing these things! Quite amazing. We stayed down on the beach until close to 6:00. The sun stays out until around 7:00 so it is easy to lose track of time.
Tonight we are planning to go back into the Square, which is where all of the shops and restaurants are, to eat dinner. It is more crowded today since it is the beginning of the weekend.
Tomorrow we will spend the morning here in Capri, probably at the beach again to get one more dose of paradise before we head back to Naples (Think Harlem on Crack...Yes, Chris, I get the irony) to catch the train to Florence. We hope to find a place to write there.
We miss you terribly and hope you all have a good weekend! (if anyone is reading this: ) -K&L
This afternoon we took a boat tour around the entire island with quite possibly the most talented boat driver ever. We have some video to prove it. He could drive us right into a Grotto without hitting the sides of the boat so we could get pictures. Again, I could never imagine actually experiencing these things! Quite amazing. We stayed down on the beach until close to 6:00. The sun stays out until around 7:00 so it is easy to lose track of time.
Tonight we are planning to go back into the Square, which is where all of the shops and restaurants are, to eat dinner. It is more crowded today since it is the beginning of the weekend.
Tomorrow we will spend the morning here in Capri, probably at the beach again to get one more dose of paradise before we head back to Naples (Think Harlem on Crack...Yes, Chris, I get the irony) to catch the train to Florence. We hope to find a place to write there.
We miss you terribly and hope you all have a good weekend! (if anyone is reading this: ) -K&L
Friday, September 3, 2010
Day 3 - Capri
Good Morning! First of all, we have tried to change the setting so you don't have to have a password to comment, etc. We're not sure how to make that happen.
But, we are now on the Isle of Capri! And it is absolutely beautiful. I can't even explain it. We got up this morning and took the EuroTrail high speed train to Napoli (Naples). Naples was shockingly crowded and dirty. We were a little nervous there but luckily had a driver who picked us up and took us directly to the port where we caught the "Hydro-Foil" or Ferry with about 200 of our closest friends from Tokyo. They were heading here for a day tour and some even donned their masks. I was tempted to pull one down and lick their face but Leigh said we might want to wait until we were closer to land. We were like giants next to the little ones! After an hour ferry ride, we disembarked in Capri and had to walk about 30 minutes to our hotel. There is no other way to access it. The streets are lined with every high-end shop you can imagine. We said it was like, 5th Ave., Rodeo Drive, and all the shops of Las Vegas converged on the streets of Capri. It is all cobblestone with flowers climbing the walls, again like something out of a movie or fairy tale.
We are now at our hotel which overlooks the water (pics to follow) and are waiting for our bags to arrive. Thankfully, the hotel meets you at the port and transports your bags so you don't have to drag them on your journey. The difference between the cities is vast thus far and we are excited to get in the blue waters here! The water is a deep aqua color. It had been raining earlier today but is beginning to clear and tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful.
OH, last night we ditched the party after about 10 minutes and joined our new friend Allesio for dinner at an amazing seafood restaurant in Rome. It is so nice to have an interpreter! We sat outside and ate and made friends with the owner's son, Lorenzo, thankfully since I left my jacket on my seat. He promised to have it there when we return to Rome next Wednesday.
All is well in Italy, and we are still adjustin to the time difference. We both woke up around 3:30am local time and were wide awake! Which we realized was only 9:30pm at home. We'll adjust about the time we need to head back home.
Until tomorrow, we're going shopping! Miss and love you all...
K&L
But, we are now on the Isle of Capri! And it is absolutely beautiful. I can't even explain it. We got up this morning and took the EuroTrail high speed train to Napoli (Naples). Naples was shockingly crowded and dirty. We were a little nervous there but luckily had a driver who picked us up and took us directly to the port where we caught the "Hydro-Foil" or Ferry with about 200 of our closest friends from Tokyo. They were heading here for a day tour and some even donned their masks. I was tempted to pull one down and lick their face but Leigh said we might want to wait until we were closer to land. We were like giants next to the little ones! After an hour ferry ride, we disembarked in Capri and had to walk about 30 minutes to our hotel. There is no other way to access it. The streets are lined with every high-end shop you can imagine. We said it was like, 5th Ave., Rodeo Drive, and all the shops of Las Vegas converged on the streets of Capri. It is all cobblestone with flowers climbing the walls, again like something out of a movie or fairy tale.
We are now at our hotel which overlooks the water (pics to follow) and are waiting for our bags to arrive. Thankfully, the hotel meets you at the port and transports your bags so you don't have to drag them on your journey. The difference between the cities is vast thus far and we are excited to get in the blue waters here! The water is a deep aqua color. It had been raining earlier today but is beginning to clear and tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful.
OH, last night we ditched the party after about 10 minutes and joined our new friend Allesio for dinner at an amazing seafood restaurant in Rome. It is so nice to have an interpreter! We sat outside and ate and made friends with the owner's son, Lorenzo, thankfully since I left my jacket on my seat. He promised to have it there when we return to Rome next Wednesday.
All is well in Italy, and we are still adjustin to the time difference. We both woke up around 3:30am local time and were wide awake! Which we realized was only 9:30pm at home. We'll adjust about the time we need to head back home.
Until tomorrow, we're going shopping! Miss and love you all...
K&L
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Day 2 in Rome
Whew! Where to start...we landed yesterday morning at 7am in Rome (1am EST) and haven't looked back. We met Carlo, our guide, and started the day at a couple of Basilicas, or Churches. Everywhere you turn there are ancient ruins just in the middle of town! Inside the walls of Rome, you are no longer allowed to build anything new, things can only be restored as to preserve the history so everything looks like you are walking through the streets of Epcot or some other recreated city. Hard to comprehend.
We also went to the Forum, Coliseum, Pantheon, a Crypt (creepiest thing we've ever seen), and several Piazzo's (plazas). Pictures will follow when we get home as we forgot our cord to connect and send them now. We took an hour nap before dinner which easily could have turned into our night's rest, but we forced ourselves awake and went to dinner at a local Trattoria. The food is so rich and wonderful! Almost as good as the gellato, I don't know how to spell it but I sure can eat it!
This morning we woke early to meet our guide Elissaio at the Vatican Museum to begin our tour around 7:30am. We saw the Sistine Chapel and there are no words to describe the magnificence of the art and architecture within. I could have sat there all day and just stared at the ceiling. Michelangelo was definitely brilliant. We then went through parts of the Vatican and ended in St. Peter's Basilica where a Red-Neck American promptly made us all proud by using his video camera to film the statue of "St. Peter" and say, "Here's a Statue of Jesus! I'm gonna go rub it and get my picture made" as loud as he possibly could. He then cut the line of people waiting to touch the feet of St. Peter and rubbed his feet so his daughter could take his picture. Leigh and I just looked at Elissaio and said, "sorry". Then we sang "Proud to be an American" just to round out the mood (ha!).
You truly cannot comprehend the feelings you get while you are here. It doesn't feel real at all! We were invited by our guide to a birthday party tonight at his friend's restaurant close by so, we are going there for dinner. We are excited to have actual plans in Rome! Much to Leigh's disappointment, we have yet to be groped or acosted by any men...but I'm sure mom and the rest of you reading this will feel at ease; ) We have felt very safe and are looking forward to see what the rest of the trip brings! Love to you all and Until later...
Ciaò! K&L
We also went to the Forum, Coliseum, Pantheon, a Crypt (creepiest thing we've ever seen), and several Piazzo's (plazas). Pictures will follow when we get home as we forgot our cord to connect and send them now. We took an hour nap before dinner which easily could have turned into our night's rest, but we forced ourselves awake and went to dinner at a local Trattoria. The food is so rich and wonderful! Almost as good as the gellato, I don't know how to spell it but I sure can eat it!
This morning we woke early to meet our guide Elissaio at the Vatican Museum to begin our tour around 7:30am. We saw the Sistine Chapel and there are no words to describe the magnificence of the art and architecture within. I could have sat there all day and just stared at the ceiling. Michelangelo was definitely brilliant. We then went through parts of the Vatican and ended in St. Peter's Basilica where a Red-Neck American promptly made us all proud by using his video camera to film the statue of "St. Peter" and say, "Here's a Statue of Jesus! I'm gonna go rub it and get my picture made" as loud as he possibly could. He then cut the line of people waiting to touch the feet of St. Peter and rubbed his feet so his daughter could take his picture. Leigh and I just looked at Elissaio and said, "sorry". Then we sang "Proud to be an American" just to round out the mood (ha!).
You truly cannot comprehend the feelings you get while you are here. It doesn't feel real at all! We were invited by our guide to a birthday party tonight at his friend's restaurant close by so, we are going there for dinner. We are excited to have actual plans in Rome! Much to Leigh's disappointment, we have yet to be groped or acosted by any men...but I'm sure mom and the rest of you reading this will feel at ease; ) We have felt very safe and are looking forward to see what the rest of the trip brings! Love to you all and Until later...
Ciaò! K&L
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)