A Roman Birthday!!

Who doesn't want to celebrate their birthday in Rome?!  So that's just what I did! 
Meaghan and I took the slow train down to Rome in the morning and then spent the rest of the day walking around a good part of the city.  It's my first time back since high school (thanks to the coin thrown in the Trevi fountain, I'm sure)..and I forgot how beautiful it is.  Rome is full of things to see and do around every corner!

Can salami get any fresher?

It was a fantastic day!  We started out at the Piazza del Popolo, then took in the view from the Borghese gardens, the main shopping street Via del Corso (with the best candy store yet), the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, Piazza Navonna, and several churches and piazzas on the way.

I love the drinking fountains of Rome - "nasoni" they are called and I love that name.  First, because I am always thirsty and second, because they are all so unique and beautiful. I should have taken more pictures for you..Rome also has amazing decorative fountains.

Then we searched a long time for La Bocca Della Verita ("the mouth of truth") from Roman Holiday, which was especially frustrating since we walked all the way to the Piazza della bocca della verita and still couldn't find it..but thankfully we finally discovered it across the street.  Sadly, it was closed behind bars, but at least we found it..something to save for next time I go to Rome.

 

We ended the night with the beautiful St. Peter's and Castel S. Angelo..and a great pasta dinner.  Then I returned to the hotel to meet Tamarin and Lori..but sadly their flight was late and they missed their connecting flight.  So I had to keep myself busy for another day without them..luckily there is plenty to see in Rome!

Kind of strange..but the pope (the one in red) drove around in a car around the square after the singing and waving of palms.

Sunday was free Sunday at the Vatican so I visited the Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel in the morning.  It was also Palm Sunday and I got to see the pope give his address in front of St. Peter's with everybody waving their palms or olive branches and cheering.  It was pretty cool..

Meaghan and I visited the Castel and then I made my way over to S.Maria in Trastevere, the Isola Tiberina, the Palatine Hill, Roman Forum and Colosseum.  Then I went back to the hotel to finally meet up with Lori and Tamarin!  It was so great to see them!  We ventured out again to the Colosseum and the Pantheon (both closed) and to see St. Peter's at night.  The next morning they gave up on the line for the Sistine Chapel and we visited St. Peter's (amazing) and the tombs of the popes (I don't know why but that was also one of my favorite things). 

The Pieta in St. Peter's..and my favorite sign in Rome.  Apparently one-legged women, overalls and

swimsuits are not allowed in the church.

Then we hurried to get back to the hotel and grab our luggage to catch our train to Ancona, to catch the ferry to Croatia!!

Soccer and Spring!

Spring has officially arrived!!  I don't think I've looked forward to Spring this much in a long time..and we finally had some warmer temperatures befitting the weather.  It was amazing - the first day of Spring and a complete change of weather.  It's been cloudy and overcast but it has finally reached the low 70s in Florence!  We ate lunch today with the doors to our balcony open to let in some wonderful spring air (and so far the mosquitos haven't caught on yet, although it's only a matter of time..)  It was so nice to enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine..

I finally made it to a soccer game - the Fiorentina football game against Genova! It was so much fun!  The fans were just as fun to watch as the game. There is nothing quite like an Italian soccer fan.  They really get into the game..some awesome singing, flag waving, yelling and taunting of the other team's fans.  The Genova fans have to sit in their own cordoned off section and aren't allowed to leave the game until after the stadium is cleared for their own safety.  Pretty great, huh?  It was a blast and Fiorentina won 3-0.  Now I need to find another game to go to...

I can't believe that March is almost over!!  I'm excited for the next couple of weeks, although they'll be somewhat bittersweet because there will be a lot of good-byes at the end.  Saturday I meet Lori and Tamarin in Rome for some sightseeing there for a couple of days before we're off to Croatia for a week.  Should be great..

VENEZIA!! The City of Water

Saturday, we finally took our big trip to Venice!  I've been looking forward to going for a long time and was so excited and amazed that the middle of March has finally arrived..  And for all of you that have been blissfully oblivious like me for so many years - Venice is really a series of islands..Really..not even attached to Italy.  Amazing how I never knew that..

We left Really Early (7AM) Saturday morning to catch the train from Firenze Statuto station by my house (for the first time - it's kind of useless to live by a station that trains never use).  From there we changed in Prato and then a quick change in Bologna to our Venezia train.  So around 12 we arrived!  We met Christina at the station and proceeded to check in to our nice little hotel, eat a really expensive and not very good lunch and plan our day.  The weather was cold, but really nice!  Finallly a day without rain!  Everyone at work has been going stir crazy with the snow and the freezing cold and the 35 rainy days out of the last 40 before this weekend.  I think I was good up to about day 30 and then I started losing it..but anyways..

Jeremy, me, Christina and Meaghan

We made a grand tour of the city and saw as many sights as we could but left still more things to see for next time (a great excuse to come back someday!)

The canals were, of course, amazing!  There are little ones everywhere and we kept ending up on streets that dead-ended in water.  We weren't quite brave enough to try swimming, though..so you just have to wander until you find a bridge(or possibly look at map - maybe that would have been easier).  The first day we took the scenic walk from the station to San Marco..through the old gheto and stopping at every church on the way..    

The top one was my favorite..The pillars really made it look like heaven is right there within reaching distance.

The famous Piazza San Marco...

It wasn't my favorite place in Venice but it was nice. The basilica was beautiful and the Doge's Palace was amazing, the pigeons were awesome, we had 10 euro tea and gelato at the Caffe` Florian, and the clock tower was really cool (there are two huge bronze men that ring the clock tower bell with their hammers, amazingly constucted in 1499).

The next day we spent a lot of time on the ferries, travelling all around the islands.  It was a hazy day but still nice.  We learned that what looks like a short 30 minute ride around the main island really takes 3 hours when you make a lot of stops and circle around Murano.  But we circled around the entire island and got to go down the Grand Canal a couple of times as well.  It's still amazing how all of those buildings just come straight up out of the water - what they are built on you never get to see...and amazing to think that it's really wood that has been around for hundreds of years. 

We spent a lot of time wandering the streets, window shopping, eating gelato and just enjoying the city and the people.  The buildings were architecturally stunning, and some of them very ornate.  We made it to the Ca' Rezzonico, now an 18th centrury museum, and even more churches. 

Venice was beautiful and a very unique city - and definitely lived up to all of the high recommendations!  I most definitely will have to go back some day..

Ciao! Finalmente un nuovo post

Ciao!  I've been busy with life lately..and thus the lack of posts.  So I'm going to post a lot of travel updates all in a row.  Otherwise I will never remember what I have been up to..and I hope to make this blog some sort of book to look at and remember la vita Italia one day.  It's been mostly teaching and traveling and seeing as much of Tuscany and Florence as possible before Meaghan goes home to the US.  And cold, freezing weather here in Florence.  It snowed again today!!  Snow flurries for half of the day..it was pretty to watch from my window and then not so fun when I had to walk to and from school in it.. It better warm up before Venice this weekend!  My coat and gloves and scarfs and hat are really not my friends anymore, although they have served me well..
  My parents moved a few weeks ago as well..so I thought I would pay a little tribute to my old house that was part of a lot of happy memories over the past 26 years.  Sadly, I somehow have no pictures of the front of the house...someone needs to send me one!   So I guess I have no old home to return to..all the more reason to stay in Italy maybe?

Our backyard

     We used to spend hours in that pool!

Good-bye 4308 Derby Place!