When In Rome...

We are very close to leaving lovely Belgie, so we decided to take advantage of the kids Spring Break from school and go on one last big European adventure. Jess has been asking to go to Rome, Italy, since we got orders over here, so this was her lucky break. Rome it is. We stayed at the lovely Hotel Della Torre Argentina, and couldn't have been happier. It was amazing. If you've never been to Europe, you will find that all hotel rooms are pretty small, and limit 3 people per room. Having two teenagers means having to book two rooms over here (double the expenses), and they are never beside each other. The Hotel Della Torre Argentina had a suite with two bedrooms and a large bathroom. We had plenty of space and all got to stay together. Not only that, but it also had it's own private balcony. How fantastic is this? I know what you're thinking, it must be pretty pricey, but it really wasn't. It was actually cheaper than booking two rooms at other hotels in the city. Another plus for this Hotel was it's location. It was right in the heart of Rome, and close to lots of historic sites and restaurants. We were only staying a few days, so we couldn't wait to get started on our adventure. As soon as we checked in that night, we took off to see the Piazza Navona. The fountains were gorgeous at night! This one is called the Fountain of the Four Rivers, and was designed by Bernini. Not too far from there is the Pantheon. It was designed in 118-25 AD. The fountain in front of the Pantheon was built in 1575. The pictures don't do it justice. It was beautiful. After a good nights sleep, we met in the breakfast room for some fantastic food to recharge our bodies, then took off once again. This intersection was the most entertaining (and perhaps scary) in all of Rome. When you hear that people in Italy drive like maniacs, it's an huge understatement. Lines on the road are a luxury. Rules are ignored. If you think you can fit two cars in one lane, then they will fit three. Maybe four. This intersection was complete chaos. Cars came from every direction, forced their way in and then sped around and out again. During morning and evening rush hour, a round column rises out of the road and a police officer stand on it and directs the cars. You couldn't pay me enough to do that job. What a beautiful day to check out Rome. We couldn't have asked for better weather the entire trip. It was amazing. On our first full day in the city, we had tickets to check out the Colosseum. You can't go to Rome and not do this. I think it's the law. It's totally worth it, too. It was breathtaking. It was hard to believe that we were really there. The Colosseum was originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater, and it's construction was started in 70 AD. It took 10 years to complete. It could hold around 70,000 people, who watched everything from gladiator combats to wild beast hunts. More than 100,000 cubic meters of travertine were used to build the Colosseum. Just beside the Colosseum is the Arch of Constantine. After touring the Colosseum and other neraby sites, we walked back to the Piazza Navona to check it out in the day time. It quickly became our favorite hang out spot. There are three fountains in the Piazza, and lots of restaurants (rather pricey) and shops. For cheap entertainment, we got some gelato and sat down to watch the painters and street performers do their thing. Occassionally someone played a saxaphone or guitar as well. But I liked listening to (and looking at) the fountains most of all.

Then we walked over to see the most famous fountain in all of Rome. Heck... all of Italy. Trevi Fountain. This is what I wanted to see most during our visit. The fountain was completed in 1762, and marks the end of an aqueduct. The aqueduct brings water from Salone Springs, and provides all of the water for the fountains in the historic center of Rome. Neptune, the God of the Sea, is at the center of the fountain. And it's gorgeous. And even more gorgeous at night. If you turn your back and toss a coin in the fountain, the legend says that you will return to Rome one day. Jess and I both tossed in a coin. The guys just relaxed and admired the view. We told them we'd send them a post card when we went back. This is the Piazza Venezia. It's also known as the Wedding Cake Building. Even I don't need to explain that one.

A new day brought more walking and exploring. This is the Castel Sant'Angelo. It was the papal castle for 1,000 years, and a viaduct connecting it to the Vatican lets the Pope head over here when things get a little crazy.

That's the Vatican in the background. This might be one of the most scenic spots in all of Rome.

And here's the Vatican up close. Is that the Pope? Everywhere you look is another beautiful building.

This is the site of the Circus Maximus. It was where they raced chariots.

*On a side note, while we were walking around Rome, we were looking for the pretty fountain that was in the movie When In Rome. Jess and I wanted to take pictures of it. We asked some locals, but no one knew where it was located. It turns out that it isn't located anywhere. It's all movie magic. Hundreds of statues and fountains in Rome, and they made one up for the movie. If you ever go to Rome, don't ask about the statue. They will just look at you like you are crazy. Trust me, we know.

Another famous site in Rome is the Spanish Steps. Apparently it is also a popular resting spot for tourists.

After exploring the city and enjoying the beautiful weather, we needed another gelato break. (OK, maybe we took a lot of gelato breaks during our Roman holiday, but who's counting.)

If I posted all 1,000 of the pictures I took in Rome, we'd be here all week, so I will stop at this point and just tell you... fly there and check it out yourself. It was amazing. Better yet, watch the movie When In Rome and see the sites virtually. It's a lot cheaper, but you don't get to eat the gelato. You choose. Personally, I think the gelato was worth the flight.

An Awesome Chick Trip...To Venice, Italy!

A funny thing happened in Bible Study the other day. (Don't the best stories always start with this phrase?) Anyhoo, we were chatting before we began, and Josie was telling us about her amazing trip to Venice, Italy, with some other ladies. I told her that if she ever went back, I wanted to go with her. Then Dawn added that she'd love to go before she moves next month. Later that day, I got a phone call. It was Dawn, and she said..."I looked at tickets to Venice on Ryanair, and they were only 18 euro if we buy them today, so I did." Um, are you saying you just bought tickets to Venice, Italy? Can we really do this? I'm going to Venice? Sure enough, 18 euro for a ticket. We checked with the husbands, and they all said "Go for it!", so our Chick Trip was born. After all the fees, I ended up paying around $35 for my ticket...to Venice, Italy!!!!!! (Can you tell that I'm more than a little excited about this?) Next thing I know, we're driving to Germany to get on the plane. Then we're flying over the Italian Alps at sunset!

As if it couldn't get more exciting, we were on the plane with a celebrity! If you watch Glee, I'm pretty sure this is the guy who works for Terry at Sheets & Things! He seems to have narcolepsy. He could not stay awake!

We didn't reach Italy until late Monday night. We arrived at the Treviso Airport, and then rode the bus for around 45 minutes to get to the outskirts of Venice. They don't allow any motor vehicles of any kind on the island, so you then get on a water taxi (sort of like a floating bus) and take that over to the island. We bought a 48 hour pass for the taxi, and it was the best money we spent on the whole trip. You just flash your card over the sensor each time you want to board the water taxi, and then jump on. (Individual tickets are really expensive, so this is the way to go. They sell them in several increments, so get the one best suited to the length of your trip and it will save you a lot of money!) The water taxi not only covers Venice, but it takes you to all of the neighboring islands as well. We were staying on Lido, a little island southeast of Venice, and our hotel was only about a 5 minute walk from the dock. We didn't get to our room until after 11:00 pm, so we went straight to sleep.
The next morning, the sun was shining, the skies were a brilliant blue, there wasn't a cloud in sight..and WE WERE IN VENICE, ITALY! (Yep, I know. Still a little excited about the whole thing.) We stayed at the Hotel Rigel in Lido, and I would definitely recommend it. The staff were really nice, everything was clean and well maintained, and they had a great buffet breakfast that is included in the price. The only drawback was that the beds (and pillows) were pretty hard. If you like firm mattresses, then this is the place for you. Hotel Rigel is on a quiet street, not too far from the center of town. Lido is a beautiful little Island, within sight of Venice, but nowhere near as crowded or "touristy". It felt more like we were staying with family than staying at a hotel.

When this is what you see while you walk around, you don't want to stop walking. This was just around the corner from our hotel. By the way, vehicles are allowed on Lido, but they still use the canals for a lot of their transportation.

After a great breakfast, we took a leisurely stroll down to the water taxi docks. Just like the bus, there are different taxis for different routes and locations. We decided to start the day on the island of Murano, north of Venice and famous for it's beautiful glass...

Along the way, we spotted this unusual sign. We thought that it was a memorial of some interesting historical event, but apparently not. From best I can find out, this sign was created by an artist, and it's supposed to make us "question the world we live in", or something along those lines. In case you want to "question" things at night, it also lights up in florescent blue.

Once in Murano, we went to a demonstration of glass blowing. It was really interesting. (Excuse the quality of this picture. They just wouldn't stand still.) I had to include it, though, because I wanted you to see the cigarette hanging out of the gentleman's mouth while he was working with the glass and furnaces. Apparently this is part of the job requirement. You don't see any glass blower there without a cigarette in his mouth. The man in the green shirt was in training. I'm sure that once he has perfected his craft, he too will get a cigarette.

This is Murano. If you aren't in the mood to look at hundreds of pictures of Italy today, you won't be pleased with me. I had a very hard time narrowing them down. Everywhere you looked, it was beautiful. Restaurants and glass shops lined the canals and alleys.

This huge glass sculpture is at the base of the clock tower. It lights up at night.

All of the glass stores had signs in them stating "No Photographs", but I did sneak this one in of a bead display outside a shop on the canal. They make everything from glass sculptures to extravagant chandeliers in Murano. It's amazing to just walk around and window shop here. At this point (our first morning there), we were thinking...do I have to go home, or can I just stay here?

I love that they aren't trying to impress you here. They just go about their daily life, and it's so peaceful.

Awwww...see how happy I am? See that bag in my hand? Well, there's a little story behind that. When you fly Ryanair, you are only allowed one small carry on bag on your flight. You have to pay extra to check a bigger bag. I had forgotten about this when I bought a souvenir. I picked out a gorgeous stainless steel pizza cutter with a stunning blue and green glass handle, made in Murano. What a perfect souvenir from Italy, right? Apparently it's also considered a weapon, and can not be carried on a plane. Somewhere in the Treviso Airport, there is a young lady who is now the proud owner of a free pizza cutter. Sadness.

After exploring Murano, we hopped back on the water taxi, passed by Lido (in the picture) and took off to Venice!

This was out first view of the city, heading up the Canale Di San Marco, and headed to the mouth of the Grand Canal that cuts through the middle of the island. Venice is shaped like a fish that is facing left. The Grand Canal sort of looks like the gills of the fish, and Lido is off of it's tail.

The entrance of St. Marco (St. Mark's) Square from the port of Venice. The building on the far left is the Sansovino Library. The Ducal Palace is on the right.

No vehicles are allowed in Venice, so you either travel along the canals, or you walk. I would suggest you get in good shape before visiting the island. There is a lot of walking involved if you really want to explore. (It's worth it, though.)

Around every corner is another beautiful surprise. This place is amazing.

Now do you understand why I posted so many pictures? Beautiful...

This tiny restaurant is one of the hidden treasures of Venice. In a little alley way not too far from St. Marks' Square, hides Anima Bella. Translated, it means Beautiful Soul. There is only room for about a dozen diners in this place, and it was a tad expensive (75 euro for 3 of us), but it's worth it. It's delicious.

I had a house salad and Pesto Lasagna, and it was everything I had expected real Italian food to taste like. Heaven.

After a delicious lunch at Anima Bella, we waddled off to explore once again. We soon found ourselves in St. Marks Square.

The artwork on St.. Mark's Basilica was stunning!

After walking around for quite some time, we decided to head back to the water taxi and explore Venice from the Grand Canal. I think this is my favorite way to travel, and the views can't be beat!

Gondoliers were everywhere!

This is the Palazzo Barbarigo, and the paintings on the front were done by Giulio Carlini in 1887.

This is the Palazzo Loredan dell' Ambasciatore, a 15th century gothic styled building.

This is the Rialto Bridge. The origional bridge was built between 1588 and 1591, and it was a draw bridge. Now, it houses tiny shops.

This is a view up the center of the bridge. And the view back down from the center.

The view from the top of the bridge over the Grand Canal is the best of all, though. We stopped at that restaurant with the maroon awnings on the right, and relaxed with a Bellini. A Bellini is a coctail made with sparkling wine and peach puree, and not only was it created in Venice, it's one of Italy's most popular drinks.

After relaxing and people watching for a while, we were off to explore again. We eventually returned to Lido for a delicious dinner at a local restaurant (with an excellent house wine and entertaining conversations...Plucking? Seriously?), and then off to our hotel for some much needed sleep. Did I mention that exploring Venice means a lot of walking? The wine probably helped, too. We woke up on Wednesday morning to more perfect weather and a delicious breakfast on the hotel's covered patio. Does life get any better than this? I don't think so.

We decided that we wanted to relax a little bit after yesterdays vigorous exploring, so we walked to the back side of Lido and hung out at the beach. We also discovered it was a topless beach. And most of the occupants were of the grandmotherly sort, so I'll spare you more of the details. Still, the sun was warm, the drinks were cold, and the conversation was lively. What more can you ask for? (Other than speedo's being outlawed. I'm serious. No one looks good in a speedo. Just Say No!) We went back to the docks on the other side of Lido, sat down on the retaining wall, and watch the ships go by. This was a huge cruise ship coming out of the harbor with Venice in the background. It's amazing how something that big can fit in there!

Soon, it was time to pack up and head back to the airport. We could only stay a couple of days, and the time flew by. We decided to take the taxi ride through the Grand Canal once more on the way out. This is the Basilica de la Salute, built between 1631 and 1681 to implement the decree issued by the Senate to free the city from the plague.

If you're a Johny Depp fan, you'll recognize this building. In a scene from The Tourist, Johnny jumped from that balcony on the right, ripped right through the tent covering the outdoor market, and landed on a police officer, knocking him into the canal. In case you were wondering, the hotel he and Angelina Jolie stayed at is no where near this building, so his jumping out the window and hopping from roof to roof to reach this building was nothing more than movie magic. We soon found ourselves back at the bus station, and then the airport, and then flying back to Germany. Then it was a long drive through the Netherlands and back into our lovely Belgium. Wow. Being an International explorer is exhausting. I do have four words to share with you, though. Best. Chick. Trip. Ever.