Venice

Wednesday: Today we left for Venice. Before Patrick and I left for Venice, we had one last stop in Florence, the Duomo. We didn’t get to check out the Duomo between all of our museums yesterday. The Florence Duomo was pretty, but was the least ornate of all of the Duomos that Patrick and I have visited in the past cities. After heading back to our hotel to grab our luggage, Patrick and I went to the train station to get out ticket to Venice. We got to Venice around 5 pm, checked in (our hotel was super close to the train station), and headed out. Venice is stunning--it is so different not seeing any cars. They don’t even have the little garbage trucks that the small Greek villages had (we saw those when we took our Island Hopping Cruise). We were wandering through the streets, heading for St. Mark’s Square, when we were stopped by a gondolier. After negotiating to a great price (as gondolas go), we went for our canal cruise of Venice. It was so peaceful because our gondolier took us through quiet little rivers (only the three largest rivers in Venice are properly called canals) and pointed out important sights. After our gondola ride, we continued walking to St. Mark’s Square and looking for some dinner. We ate a little café right off of the Square. I had some yummy tortellini with prosciutto and Patrick had a fish, which they wheeled out and took the head, tail and bones out in front of us--cool! After we ate our late dinner, we started wandering back through the little streets and over the bridges until we arrived back at our hotel.

Thursday: Today we were going to visit the main tourist sites. We started out at 8 with a cruise from the train station down the Grand Canal to St. Mark’s Square. We had an audio guide to point out the buildings and churches as we rode. We just hopped on the boat/bus with all of the people heading to work and rode for about 45 minutes. After our ride, we wandered around the Square and listened to another audio guide explaining all of the sights around the Square. We wandered over to the Bride of Sighs and then back to St. Mark's Square. The Square has a clock tower that fell down 100 years ago. The angel on top of the Square managed to land on its feet! After listening about the Square we bought tickets to go to the Doge's Palace and to Museum Correr (a museum of Venetian art and artifacts). We went through the Museum Correr first and then grabbed lunch. After lunch Patrick and I toured the Doge's Palace. It was very beautiful. The Palace is connected to the old prison next door by the Bridge of Sighs, so we go to go over the bridge just like the prisoners. After touring the Palace and prison we went through the Basilica; we paid to climb to the second story which gave a wonderful view of the Square. After touring the Basilica, we did some shopping. Venice is very close to the Island of Murano, so there is a lot of glass work in Venice. Patrick and I tried a creperie and had a crep with chocolate and banana. After wandering around Venice some more and admiring the pretty buildings, we had a lovely dinner. We had prosciutto and cantaloupe followed by crab pasta. After our dinner we wandered back to the hotel. It was a great last evening!

Friday: Today was my last day in Italy. I had a late flight back to the London Stansted airport. However, I didn't have to catch my bus to Treviso airport until the afternoon so Patrick and I walked around downtown. We managed to eat lots of Italian food so I wouldn't miss anything. We finally got to try some olive bread from the bakery we passed everyday. I didn't like it because they put cheese in the bread and made it taste weird. I also had my last gelato. It was green apple and passion fruit. I have to say green apple and passion fruit might be the best combination of gelato flavors ever. It was amazing. And for lunch we ate olive bread with salami--so good! So I managed to cram in the last bits of tastiness from Italy and admire Venice. What hit me today as we wandered down streets was that there were very few trees--no real parks either. However, it didn't feel like New York or anything because everyone has roof gardens and flower window boxes. Everything is very old because the building codes really prohibit anything new being built. I was very sad to leave but I had to catch my bus to the airport and Patrick had to catch his train to Milan.

Ciao Italy!

Ciao Florence!

Patrick and I spent the last three days in Florence, Italy. We are leaving for Venice tomorrow.

Sunday: Patrick and I headed to Florence. We caught a high-speed train (90 minutes versus over 4 hours) and walked to our hotel. The hotel is only about three blocks from the train station. And the train station is really close to the Duomo (Cathedral) and the center of town. The hotel is very much a European hotel--our room is very cute. After arriving to Florence, we set out to reserve tickets for the Accademia and Uffizi museums. After freaking out because there were no tickets left online Patrick and I went down to the concierge. The lady informed us that the man in the morning, if we came and talked to him, would be able to help us. After feeling frustrated about the difficultly of obtaining tickets, we left for some dinner. We went to a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves that was good, but I chose poorly. I usually like pesto sauce, but this pesto was not what I like. To make up for it Patrick and I kept eating. We started with some gelato and then Patrick spied a belgian waffle maker. He got it coated in Nutella which then proceeded to cover our own faces. We found this extremely funny and were shouting and making faces at each other to the amusement of everyone else. We then hit the hay for a busy day of walking in Pisa tomorrow.

Monday: Patrick and I headed to Pisa. We had four things to see: the Leaning Tower (Belfry of the Cathedral), the Duomo (the Cathedral), the Baptistery (where you get Baptized), and the Duomo museum. Before setting off on our adventure, we had the concierge look for time slots for the museums for us. He was able to get the last slots available for both the Uffizi and Accademia. I was super glad! Then we caught a train from Florence to Pisa and took a self-guided walking tour (about an hour) through New Pisa, across the bridge, through Old Pisa, and ending at the Field of Miracles (the grassy lawn that houses the Duomo, Belfry and Baptistery). Pisa is beautiful and very old-Italian picturesque--there are lots of old men meeting in the streets and most people are either riding a bike or a scooter. When we got to the Field of Miracles we first got our time slot to go up in the tower. Then we headed into the Baptistery. The acoustics in the Baptistery are amazing. The echo of one person makes them sounds like a whole chorus singing. They demonstrate this every half hour. After the Bapistery we got some lunch and then we took some more tower pictures. We then got to go up! That tower is a trip. Because it leans, it is so weird to walk up. You can feel the leaning as you walk up. After the tower we took our final tourist pictures and wandered through the Duomo, which had another Saint's body in full view. This body had a silver mask and shoes though; it reminded me of an Eyptian sarcophagus. After the Duomo, we went through the Duomo museum, which had lovely old priests' robes. They were so ornate and beautiful. After the museum, we headed back to the train station, but first we stopped for gelato at a gelateria that Rick Steves recommended--it was the best gelato I've had so far! A great berry and yogurt flavor. When we got back from Pisa we gathered up our laundry and headed to the laundry mat. We took turns watching the machines and someone else went out to grab a slice of pizza. By the time the laundry was done, it was bed time.

Tuesday: Today was museum day in Florence. We had a 1:30 slot for the Accademia and a 4:45 slot for the Uffizi, so to fill our morning we went to the Galileo Science Museum (we needed a break from the art). The museum was really interesting. It just reopened this month and you can see how much work they put into it. It was great and all of the equipment was beautifully decorated. We also got to see Galileo's thumb and index from his left hand, his middle finger of his right hand and a tooth. After the museum, we ate a lunch at a place Rick Steves recommended--so good! It was a tiny place with a fresh menu for every day. When we walked in carrying our guidebook, two other groups laughed and commented that that's how they found the place too. And as we ate, another large group with Rick Steves wandered in! After lunch we went to the Accademia, and saw Michangelo's David. It is amazing. 14 feet tall and so magnificent. We wandered through the rest of the museum, but my favorite pieces were the unfinished statues by Michangelo--you could really see his process. Unlike other artists he didn't sketch out his design on the stone, he just started chipping away. He thought a sculptor was supposed to find God's design in the stone. After the Accademia, we wandered down to the Uffizi and stopped for (what else) gelato--we still testing the claim that Florence has the best gelato. I still think that place in Pisa was better. There is a replica of the David outside the Uffizi and some actual sculptures by prestigious Renaissance artists under a covering--it's nice they let the world enjoy some art all of the time for free. The Uffizi houses works by Renaissance painters like da Vinci, Raphael, Michangelo,  Botticelli, and Tizano (Titian). I loved all of the paintings, especially Botticelli's, but I think I may be art-ed out now. After this last museum, we grabbed dinner and came back for an earlier night.

When in Rome

Wow! Rome has been amazing. It is a much prettier city than Athens and more vibrant too. Here's a rundown on the past couple of days.

Thursday: Patrick and I flew to Rome. It was a short flight--around two hours. After we got back through the airport we took an airport shuttle train to the main train terminal where we caught the metro to near our hotel. After a grueling 15 minute walk (carrying 20 lbs of luggage is awful in the heat) we made to Hotel American Palace. I took a quick shower and then Patrick and I headed out for some traditional Italian food near our hotel. We found a wonderful pizza place with a gelateria right next door. I had a piece of pizza with prosciutto ham and Patrick tried different flavors. He tried an anchovy piece but found it too fishy. Afterwards we tried some yummy gelato. They let you combine flavors so I tried nutella and tiramisu--it was a chocolate explosion of deliciousness!

Friday: Today was the Ancient Roman Empire site-seeing day! We started off at the Colosseum in the morning. It was magnificent. We had an audio tour and stayed in there for almost 2 hours. Then we headed to the Roman Forum. We also went into two churches before heading into the Forum. We kept trying to get to the entrance, but running into a dead end at a church so we just went in them. One of them had a saint in a glass box. Patrick was shocked when he saw it (he went down the stairs before me). I warned him it was a saint's crypt, but we didn't know the body would be visible--with its shoes still on. After finding that shock, we finally made it to the Forum. We saw Julius Caesar's burning pyre (people still leave flowers there today) and many temples and basilicas (the law courts--how our churches are built today). We also saw the Arch of Constantine (the one he forced Jewish slaves to build to commemorate their defeat) and the Arch of Titus. We walked around the outside of the Palatine Hill. After the Forum we went to Capital Hill and into a museum there. We were able to see the original wolf guarding Romulus and Remus (the founders of Rome) statue. After Capital Hill it was past lunch time so we found a place for some pasta. We had delicious spaghetti carbonara. And then we started heading towards the Pantheon. The Pantheon is the oldest building in Rome still in use (because after the Romans started using it for a church). It was amazing! Raphael is actually buried in the Pantheon. After the Pantheon we walked some more around Rome. We went to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. We also managed to found Augustus' Altar of Peace (an altar than introduced the idea of Pax Romanus). We had some gelato, watched the Portugal v Brazil football match, and found some dinner. I had a yummy sandwich with stacchino cheese (I had never tried it before). Finally we came back to the hotel after walking around for almost 13 hours--we were beat!

Saturday: Today was the Vatican City day. We had to get up early to get in line to enter the Vatican Museum. We paid extra for a guided tour and it was worth it. That museum is so crowded I don't think Patrick and I would have ever made it through to the Sistine Chapel without a guide leading the way and describing the important pieces. The Sistine Chapel is breathtaking--Patrick and I spent an hour just sitting in there (along with a billion of out closest friends). After wandering around the Vatican Museum (largest catalog in the world, but the third busiest after the Louvre and the British Museum) we headed towards St. Peter's Basilica. This church is the largest church in the world. It covers six acres! We marched around that church with our audio guides, climbed to the top of the tower and went into the crypts. We even had some ice cream on the top of the church! We were able to see La Pieta in the Basilica--so beautiful. We spent over six hours wandering around this tiny country, so by 3:30 we decided we needed some lunch. We got some italian pizza (very thin crispy crust) and started wandering around Rome some more. We got back to the hotel kinda early (7:30) so we could watch USA play Ghana. We were going to watch it downtown in Rome, but it threatened to pour (and did) so we headed to the metro since we didn't have any coats. The game was good, but we lost. Patrick ran out and picked up some food during halftime so we could continue to watch the game in the hotel's garden. It was a very good day, but my feet were dead by the end of it.

Tomorrow we head to Florence. It should be fun!

Hello From The Original Athens

Whew! Patrick and I have been busy these past few days: site-seeing, eating good foods, and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea.

Monday: Patrick and I did most of the major ancient sites today. We started off early at the Acropolis--we were so early the Acropolis wasn't open yet! We also learned that the Acropolis Museum is not open on Mondays (which the guide book did not tell us), but we waited around and climbed a small hill to admire the city. Luckily, the Acropolis was open and at 9 we could wander up. It was amazing. Everything was gorgeous--even with all of the construction equipment lying around (they are working on a major preservation effort). Patrick and I took tons of pictures and I geeked out and ran everywhere to look at all of the old rocks. After the Acropolis, Patrick and I headed to other sites that we could visit on our ticket (great deal!). We saw the Ancient Agora (marketplace), Hadrian's Library, Theatre of Dionysus, Temple of Hephaestus in the Agora, and Karameikos (an old grave yard that has some of the best sculptures found from the grave offerings) with its museum. We ate lunch while overlooking the Agora. In the late afternoon we put off two sites for Wednesday because it was siesta time and they were closed. We wandered through Plaka instead; Plaka is the touristy area of Athens where we tried some baklava. There, we were able to buy tickets for an island hopping cruise for Tuesday. We ate some gyros and gelato later in the evening before collapsing in our beds.

Tuesday: Today was the island hopping cruise day. Everyone whom I told that I was going to Athens asked if I was going to visit the Greek islands, I always replied no, but it turns out I got to visit three! The cruise was all day. The bus picked us up at 7 am and dropped us off at 9 pm. We were exhausted by that time. We visited Hydra, Paros, and Aegina. On Hydra, Patrick and I went swimming--it was cold! After Hydra, we got to eat lunch on the mini-cruise ship. We sat with retired couples from Valencia and Australia. I practiced my spanish which was very rusty. Then on Paros we just wandered around until we spotted lambs' heads roasting on spits. Patrick just had to try it. From the heads, you can eat the brain, eyes and tongues. I tried tongue and brain and Patrick ate all three. The tongue was actually tasty, but the brain was nasty. It tasted like the green stuff in crabs that you aren't supposed to eat--it was warm and mushy. They gave us fries with it which helped us cleanse our palate (those were the best fries Patrick and I have had in a while). Patrick said the eyeball was somewhere in-between the tongue and brain. After Paros, Patrick and I paid for the swimming tour excursion which took us to this island off of Aegina to swim. The little island had peacocks wandering around, goats, and deer. The deer came right up and waited until the weight staff put out some corn for them. The peacocks would just wander right by where you were sitting--amazing! After Aegina, we headed back the the hotel and grabbed some more gyro meat and pita in small restaurant near our hotel. I had sea legs the entire night though--everything kept swaying.

Wednesday: Today Patrick and I finished up site-seeing. We saw the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Arch. Then we spent more than two hours wandering around the brand new Acropolis Museum, which is lovely. After twelve, we started heading towards the beach. Patrick read about some nice beaches so we decided to try them. After an adventure of two hours we finally made it there. By 2:30 we were also ready for lunch; we ate lunch in the little restaurant at the resort. At 5, we left the beach and headed to a cafe to watch USA beat Algeria in football. It was very exciting because we won in the overtime. After the game, we headed back into Athens and towards Plaka so Patrick could buy a souvenir. Then, we headed to the hotel were we ate dinner Sunday night. We watched the Acropolis light up at night--beautiful! After that we headed back to the hotel to get ready for Rome tomorrow!