Our day in Florence

Our day in Florence

We left a rainy Rome to a rainy Florence. It is still so beautiful though! Our hotel won't let us check in for another two hours so we are still in a cafe sipping cappuccino and eating croissants! And! Ryan is actually sipping the cappuccino haha! Normally he hates coffee! I swear I refuse to spend money on anything besides plain coffee unless I'm here, it is out of this world!

When we can finally go to our hotel, we can get all cute and explore...

After we checked in to this super cute B&B - Locanda die Ciompi (very nice, helpful, and so close to the main attractions) we set out and went right to the Piazzale Michaelangeo which is up on a hill and over looks the entire city! We were so lucky because as we left the hotel, the rain stopped so we got some amazing sunny pictures! A short walk to the ponte vecchio we got to see all of the jewelry shops and the gold! So much gold! Next was a stop at my favorite place, the plazzo vecchio where there are about 15 marble statues that are so massive they make people look about two feet tall. My favorite is one of the only bronze statues and shows Percious beheading Medusa. Most of the statues in this square have been there since the 1700's dating back to the 1500's. The last before our lunch break was the famous "Duomo" or Cantedral di Santa Maria die Fiore which is a huge white, pink, and green set of a bell tower, chapel, and Basilica.

Ryan needed a small nap due to head ache, so I watched real housewives. Gotta love my iPad! Ryan was good to go in about an hour so we got to see more sites like San Marco's square, Basilica di San Lorenzo, and the Palazzo Pitti. Dinner was so good, it was gone in 5 minutes, there is no picture evidence but let me tell you, to die for. We ate at Il Vegetariano, a small but intimate vegetarian/Italian place. We shared things like Brie and Spinach lasagna, rice and ricotta casserole, and some kind of fritata with broccoli and grains. It was gone before it even hit the plate! Now back in the hotel, we are relaxing and have barely unpacked because we leave again tomorrow morning for Venice!

Day 1 in Rome

Train to Rome/Rome day 1

After waiting in the train station for a few hours, we boarded our overnight train to Rome. I think Ryan was thinking we were going on some luxurious hotel/train so he was a little disappointed at the size but I was just happy not to deal with the snooty hotel clerk in Paris. She was just awful.

We are now here in Rome and our room is fantastic. It is a bed and breakfast with a balcony and a view of the Vatican. The owner gave us his cell number and a ton of maps to help us, he was so nice! Way different than Paris. Today we don't have anything planned until our ghost walk tour at 9pm so we will see some sights and have a nice hot lunch (finally).

12am: we're back from the most perfect day in Rome! We started our journey with gnocchi for Ryan and some fresh minestrone soup for me, so good! We had lunch right outside looking to the Vatican. We took the 64 bus straight to the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II which is this large, white building signifying the union of Italy, or at least from what I can remember. It is covered in statues and Italian flags. A short walk to the right and we found ourselves right outside the Foro Traiano and the Foro di Cesare. There must have been some kind of festival because the roads were clear and people were performing everywhere. We even got to sit and watch some tug of war. Once we made our way to the Colosseum, we noticed the line was pretty much wrapped around the entire thing. I guess on Thursday it rained so bad the whole Roman Forum was flooded and closed for three days which explains the line. So tomorrow it looks like we are going to pay for the tour which is three hours and takes us through the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palestine Hill. The Colosseum is to Ryan what the Eiffel Tower is to me.

About a twenty minute walk down the Via del Corso, you can find Trevi Fountain once you turn down Via Della Muratte. And those eggplant mozzarella paninis I once raved about? I sure did point out that cafe on the corner of villa c. Battisi and Via Della Corso. After making our wishes into the Trevi fountain, we walked to the Pantheon and making a pit stop at Tazza D'oro for a "cafe creme." A few blocks down we found the Piazza Navona which is so full of life and beautiful it's hard not to love it. The center has the beautiful and giant fountains of the four rivers which depicts the four large rivers of the world known at that time. Right behind it, tucked away is the best gelato ever. Coconut was the best but honorable mention was defiantly for the pistachio. So worth it. We kept walking down the Via di Ripetta to find the Piazza del Popolo and continued down to the Spanish steps and saw my favorite fountain which is said to have the sweetest water in Rome. It's a large boat with water overflowing, which of course I can't remember the name for at the moment.

I took Ryan to this old crypt that I discovered on contiki, completely weirded him out and then had my first cappuccino for the trip while we rested our feet. I read once that Campo de Fioro comes alive at night and is a great place for dinner or drinks. We went and had the most romantic meal of the trip so far. This mixed with perfect sunny but not too hot weather made the perfect day. We ordered a smoked Gouda and honey bruschetta and a veggie pizza. Dinner was over with just enough time to meet our ghost walking tour group at the sant'Andrea Della Valle Church. The tour was put on by "the dark heart of Rome" and took us around all of these dark corners and random spots to tell stories of Rome that we have never heard before. Tales of popes, witches, and pointed out "little madonnas" all over. "Little Madonnas" are small paintings on certain corners which shows The Virgin Mary watching over the street. Legend says that because they are there, no one will try to harm you (back in the days before street lamps). The night ended with a super easy bus ride back and now we're back to relax and rest our feet! Tomorrow is the Vatican and our Gladiator tour. I just hope I can get Ryan not to yell "THIS IS SPARTA" every three seconds!

2 last minute purchases

So on our last Sunday before we leave, we were left with doing a lot of errands including buying new walking shoes and a new giant purse to use as a carry on with a zipper closure. I was so excited to get these errands over with that I completely forgot to write about the thing I'm excited for! Today is dedicated to the Vatican!

(Destination 360)

In a week from today, we will be in Rome and one thing I thought was so important was that we take enough time to actually see all there is to see. Since there is so much, we have a group tour of the Vatican for a couple of hours with a second tour of the Necropolis after. I can't wait to see all of the things I missed the first time!

Day 13 - coffee in Rome

If any of you know me well, you know I love my coffee. Noramlly, i don't really drink it for taste but for ritual. Unless of course, it's Christmas morning at my mom's and she has that french vanilla creamer I'm addicted to but won't ever let myself buy. When I went to Italy in 2008, I couldn't get over the hot and creamy cups they'd serve like it was just nothing out of the ordinary. They come in small white cups filled to the brim of the best coffee I have ever had. Bobbye Jo and I couldn't get enough. I think I still have some of the sweetener packages in a drawer to remember them by, just like a long lost friend...sigh.

The first thing that you should know is that the only thing Italy and Starbucks have in common is some of the names for the types or sizes of coffee. It ends there. Don't expect to get up to the counter and order a skinny vanilla soy latte. It won't happen. In fact, you'll be lucky to get a side of milk. That said, I urge you to just taste waht they have and enjoy it. Who wants fake sugar and nonfat milk on vacation anyway?

Here are the 5 most famous cafes in Rome:

- Caffe Grecco - Via Condotti 86
This is more historic over being the "best" in Rome, and if you sit down to order, you will be charged extra.

- Caffe S. Eustachio - Piazza S. Eustachio 82
The espresso and gran caffe speciale is known to be to die for! You will find this place by the Pantheon.

- Caffe della Pace - Piazza delle Pace 4
After you wander around the Piazza Navona, turn the corner and you'll find it!- Caffe Doney - Via V. Veneto 145
Cute little piano bar.

- Caffe Rosati - Piazza del Popolo 5A
Try a cappucino and one of their famous sandwiches!
(addresses taken from yourguidetoitaly.com)

(Dan Schneider)

 

20 days! When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie....

That's amore!

Can you smell it?

Can you smell the CHEESE?

One thing we both are looking forward to is getting in our fill of real pizza. The kind with a thin not overly doughy crust, small but good quality blobs of cheese, fresh basil, and fresh tomato-y sauce.

Due to my google facination, here are some places we plan on going:
Pizza Zaza Piazza Sant Eustachio, Rome
Monecarlo near the Piazza Navona, Rome
Anywhere in Trastevere
Da Baffeto, 114 Governo del Vecchio, Rome

I have also heard that anywhere near the squares and piazzas are the best place to find good and cheap pizza. I can smell it now!

27 days - Tribute to Trastevere

Trastevere is a little neighborhood in Rome, south of Vatician City loaded with pubs and restaurants. The cobbled filled streets are as charming as the Italian culture.

(http://www.abcroomsinrome.com/tag/santa-maria-in-trastevere/)

I have a small list of pubs and attractions I would like to see. For the most part, I'm just excited to sit in the  Santa Maria della Scala and soak up the Romain atmosphere.

(http://www.romanhomes.com/your_roman_vacation/quarters/trastevere-quarter.htm)

If you find yourself in this quaint little place, be sure to stop by and try the Roma Sparita for some pizza! Anywhere you wander, you're almost guaranteed to find an authentic, well cooked meal that will leave you full. It's what people say is the "true Rome."

Dear Florence, you stole my heart. Love, Kristin

Hello 3 people who are actually reading this! Hope every one is enjoying their Friday. Mine will be filled with blueberry tea, work, more work, a little school, and hopefully a date night! I'm sitting here flipping through pictures of Florence and getting lost all over again in this romantic city. What I liked about my trip to Europe for the first time was the fact that I really hadn't done any research on any of the places. Sure I knew Venice had gondulas and Germany had beer but I went in with a completly blank slate of what to expect. Florence is jaw dropping. I remember running down an alley in the rain and saying to Bobbye Jo "I was born to love Paris but made to live in Florence!" I remember how the rain smelt, my red polka dot dress, the taste of esspresso gelato, and the wonder of the city.

Always order tea in France and coffee in Italy!

The fountain of Neptune

Palazzo Vecchio

Florence is littered with copies of Michelangeo's "David" to find the real one, you'll have to go inside the Accademia Gallery. If you don't want to spend the money to get in, at least walk through it to see the statues of Da Vinci and Galileo.

Piazza Michaelangelo as you can see, is covered in sculpture and I highly reccomend a tour guide to explain all of them.

(my favorite: Medusa)

This is Ponte Veccio, one of the 6 bridges that the Nazis did not destroy during World War 2 (August of 1944). This bridge is still in tact today regaurdless of it being 700 years old! On the bridge you can find a lot of jewlery stores and other luxuries.

Touching the boar on the nose will grant you another trip to Florence!

The famous Cathedral. And please, Jersey shore (even though I love you), understand that this is NOT the Vatican. Ugh.

Florence is a wonderful place to invest in leather and silver. If you plan on going here, I highly reccomend saving a little extra spending money. I absolutley fell in love with this ring that I had to part with becasue I didn't plan for it! Maybe it's still waiting for me...

My first time in Italy/What I'm doing differently

The first time I went to Italy was in June of 2008. I was on a drunk fest, I mean contiki tour with a bunch of silly drunk Australians and my friend BobbyeJo. We basically had a road trip trhough Europe hitting France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Holland, Belguim, and England. It was wonderful for what it was, a sampler for all of the countries I've always dreamed about.

By the time we arrived in Rome, I was exhaused. In fact, I remember falling in and out of sleep right around here...

Once this was over, I saw the usual tourist spots like the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, and ate a yummy panini with eggplant and fresh mozarella. Two. Ok! I ate two. But they were fresh, hot, delicious and just what I needed with my esspresso.

We did get the chance to see the Vatician which I loved. I am Catholic and I do beleive in God, but it's not something I think about every day. When I stepped foot into Vatician city, I couldn't help but think "How do you deny this? How do you deny a God when things like this were built out of faith?" Truly incredible.

I don't feel as if I really learned as much as I'd like to due to being well, hung over and very tired. This time though, I've planned a tour as well as a very cool tour of under ground the Vatician to see St. Peter's tomb. I'm really excited because I love learning new things about places I love! It's almost as if you're let in to a secret that no one else knows about.

I definatly plan on eating a lot more than a few sandwiches this time. I want to eat pasta, pastry, bread, sip esspresso, snack on fresh fruit and cheese. This is making me way too hungry!

Ryan and I plan on 4 days in Rome, one in Pompeii, one in Florence, one in Venice before heading off to Barcelona. I have addresses for the best delis and pizza places marked on a few of my several maps. We of course, have some walking and biking tours planned as well since we will be 17 days with out the gym!

What to wear, what to bring

From Oct 18th-Nov 5th I will be embarking on my second European vacation. I plan on traveling through France, Italy, Spain, England and Ireland. This trip will be a first for me for Spain and Ireland and a second for the rest. Since I am an extreme over planner, I've been coming up with day by day itineraries and places to see and eat for a couple of months now. I think I mostly do it as motivation to make more money at work in order to afford all of these things. Along with planning things to do, I also want to plan what to wear. My frist time in Europe I was thirty five pounds heavier and without the help of a curling iron. I'd like to get some nice pictures this time, ones I can actually display and hopefully blow up to frame.

My favorite pictures I took the last time:

Now looking back my favorite one has to be the mime in Rome. There's something about his expression and the fact that I caught him and he looked right at me. This picture was actually taken very far away while standing by the Pantheon. I love it.

Back to planning my outfits, I'll let you know how it goes...