Arrivederci Roma

We said goodbye to Rome and headed south to Napoli and Capri. Sorry that the blog has been so quiet but the long days, travel schedule, and lack of internet access has made posting a bit tough.

Sunshine greeted us in Naples, and we quickly boarded the ferry for a daytrip to Capri. If I just had a few extra one or two million dollars laying around, I could get used to life on this little island. Highlight of the day was a chairlift that Buddy and I took up to the top of the island (hence some of our photos). I must confess to being a bit tense on the ride up as flashes of the recent tourist cable car crashes in Europe flashed before my eyes. The trip was well worth it as you can see.

Arrival in Capri via ferry.

The view from the top of Capri.











"A long and winding road..." could the water be any bluer?



I kept expecting Graham Greene to come waltzing through the streets of Capri...







Next up...Pompeii and the Almafi Coast.

Three coins in a fountain...

You probably know the story....toss three coins with your right hand over your left shoulder into the Trevi fountain. I must confess that our tour guide said it was only two coins but sadly that does not foot with either the song, nor my recollections of the Louis Jordan film.

Either way, Buddy and I tossed 3 coins into the fountain for good measure so we are sure to return to Rome one day....

OK, so we technically violated the photography rule in the Sistine Chapel

Yes, we were not to be deterred by some little sign that suggested that photos were not allowed in the Sistine Chapel. I mean, this is THE SISTINE CHAPEL. So, Buddy and I along with the rest of the 300+ people packed inside the Sistine Chapel took photos to our heart's content, even thought the guards were "Ssshhhing" us and the recorded message said that no photos were allowed.

Photos enlarged to your viewing pleasure. All I can say, is that Michelangelo was quite a dude!



Paintings have recently been restored to their beautiful, original splendor....







and of course, one of the most popular parts of the ceiling.

All things "Vatican"

Day 3 in Rome found us in Rome seeing all things "Vatican". What can one say about seeing such places as St. Peter's Square, St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and Vatican City? Words fail me. Sadly, pictures must suffice, so I hope these do the experience justice.







The interior of St. Peter's Basilica...











Sistine Chapel...next blog posting.

OH...MY...WORD...It was a complete and total meltdown

I know Texas is rated #2 in the nation, but I was not prepared to read the score of the BU vs. UT game. Good grief...62-0? It is good to know that some things can be counted on: February ice storms in Texas, bluebonnets in bloom in Texas in the spring, heatwaves in the dead of Texas summers, and Baylor Bear football "crashing and burning" in November. It would be downright comforting if it wasn't so embarassing.

I'll leave you with this thought

Buddy and I are not only the youngest people in our tour group, we can single handedly bring the median age down by decades. What happened to all the fun, middle-aged people that were coming on this trip? (I was going to say 'young', but I realize that we are no longer in that demographic). And, being the Type A quintessential planners that we are, we could be the tour guides (no comments please, Stefan).

Still, we are in Rome and loving it, but we are already planning on "ditching" the tour group in Florence and Venice....

As long as the Colosseum stands...

Day 2 in Rome brought us tons of history and torrential downpours. Yes, it rained all day long, and well into the evening. While the rain did not dampen our sightseeing spirits, it did make for very soggy feet. Keep your fingers crossed that the rain lets up tomorrow....

As for the sights toured today, we began with the "mother of all Roman sites"...the Colosseum. Apparently, the expression is "As long as the Colosseum stands, then Rome will stand; as long as Rome exists, then the world will exist". Yea, well...so it does.









Sadly, the first sight on the "when we come back to Rome, we must see this in more detail" list, was the Roman Forum. We are only into Day 2 and we are already thinking of our return trips. Our tour group (fodder for another post...oh, my!) simply drove past the Roman Forum, rather than walking through it. Granted, it was really raining, but....

(this is only one small part of the Roman Forum on the east side).



Constantine's Arch.



Trajan's Forum and Market (no comments about the hair, please!).









Our afternoon took us to the Christian catacombs and San Paolo fuori le mira (St. Paul's Church), which is the built on the site where St. Paul is buried.







We'd had enough of the group by mid-day (Calgon, take us away!) and so Bud and I fled for some museum time at the Capotoline Museum (good rainy day past-time) and dinner on our own. Some night shots (in the rain) of Rome...

Arrival in Rome

Well, we've arrived in Rome. First things first. We headed to the Coliseum and Roman Forum and saw some incredible sights...lit for night.



This morning, after a run past the Coliseum (yes, Roman soldiers were there to greet me) and through Circus Maximus, Bud and I spent a full day roaming the streets of Rome. Sights included the Pantheon (sight of the best preserved ancient building in Rome),



the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II,



as well as Piazza Navona, numerous churches, and lots of cafes....it doesn't get much better than this...well, there was the granny at dinner tonight that was dancing with the waiter.

Living life on the edge

Yes, it is only 3 1/2 hours before we have to depart for the airport, and I am still not packed for our 2 week trip. I always say I am going to plan better for each vacation and get this chore cranked out well in advance of the trip. I never do. Why am I not more panicked?

L'Italia... qui veniamo

Italy vacation countdown: T Day – vacation commences.

Well, the long awaited Italian vacation is finally here. Over the next 2 weeks, we will be seeing the fabulous cities of Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan, with a few sidetrips to Naples and Capri thrown in for good measure. Since this is the first trip to Italy for either the Budman or I, it is what we are calling “Italy 101” or “Italy’s Greatest Hits”. We feel certain that we will not get to see everything that we will want to see nor in the depth that we would like, but we can always return for a later visit…one of the joys of living in Europe.

The plan is to continue to post to the blog throughout the trip, including photos. Of course, that will be totally dependent on how accessible internet connections will be during our trip. So, if the postings are not daily, hopefully, you’ll understand why.

Ciao L'Italia – Hello Italy….

An Autumn Visual

Italy vacation countdown: T minus 1 day.

One day it’s summer...the next day, it’s autumn and there are leaves everywhere. Leaves, leaves, and more leaves. Sadly, we’ve not seen the full range of autumnal color that we often see throughout the US North and Northeast. Still, it is more than we would normally see in Texas and the crisp fall weather, cool breeze, and turning of the leaves is a nice change of pace.

For your viewing pleasure…

Strolling along the Ko (the main shopping drag) in Dusseldorf.









Autumn’s display in the park across from the apartment.



Our neighborhood.



The view of our backyard from the balcony.

A Matter of Matisse

Italy vacation countdown: T minus 2 days.

A great exhibit on Matisse, and a perfect way to spend an afternoon off. I wish I could tell you all the things I learned about Matisse and his artistic style as I actually did learn a quite a bit.

Overall, thumbs up for (1) the variety of paintings, sculptures, and drawings represented in the exhibit, (2) price of admission - 10 euros, what a deal, (3) the method and ease in which the artwork was displayed, and (4) quite a bit of the exhibition's written narration was in a language other than German. Thumbs down on the audio guide being only in German…I know, but one can hope, can’t she????

Allerheiligen

Italy vacation countdown: T minus 3 days.

Normally, I am not lured to these types of evening events, such as the Altstadt Halloween Night Tour, on a “school night”, but since is Tuesday is a public holiday, I said, “Sure, what the heck!” Yes, November 1st is known as Allerheiligen (see 10/31 blog for details or the following URL: http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/allsaint.htm for further details).

Excerpt as follows:

In Germany, Allerheiligen/All Saint's Day on November 1 is an official holiday. People visit and spruce up the graves of their loved ones, bringing a flower arrangement, a heart, wreath or cross made of evergreens and pines. German graves are planted with evergreens and flowers all year round. Family members living out of town return to the villages of the family to attend church services. In the "Allerheiligen Gottesdienst" (church service), the sermon deals with "all saints," all those, past and present, who live a godly life. At noon a family dinner ensues, followed by a procession to the cemetery. In the afternoons, another family gathering takes place at home for "Kaffee und Kuchen." The following morning, All Souls' Day, there is a church service and prayers for the dead.

On my day off, I am headed to see a dead guy of sorts....the new Matisse exhibit in Düsseldorf.

Bat bun or pumpkin muffin?

Italy vacation countdown: T minus 3 days.

Last evening, I ventured out on a spur-of-the moment Halloween happening in the Düsseldorf Altstadt area. Just as the bewitching hour of 7:30 pm drew near, several ghouls, goblins, witches, and various and sundry costumed Halloween revelers took an evening tour of old town, in English no less. Corny but cute…and no, I was not in costume, although I was a bit bummed when others turned out in the “ghastly” apparel and I was simply sporting jeans and a sweater.





Highlight of the evening was a steaming cup of witches brew (coffee) or a glass of executioner’s ale (beer) and choice of a bat bun (sugared donut in the shape of a bat) or a pumpkin muffin (in shape and color).

As for me, I am apparently a “bat bun” gal.