My Travel Journal

4:26AM - heading home :(

Well, my Roman holiday has come to an end. We’re in Heathrow now, about an hour before our flight leaves. Our layover is less than 2 hours, and security was super quick this time. Unlike last time when I accidentally left a 2-oz. liquid in my bag without putting it in a separate plastic bag, and when I then had to wait in line for them to take everything out of my bags. And they frisked Panda!

            Our morning was uneventful. We had a minibus to the airport with Sherry and Gene. It’s cool that we came in with them and left with them. We got their address to send them our pictures because Sherry’s camera got all messed up and she took all video rather than pictures in Venice!

9:25PM - Last night in Italy :(

Our plan for the night was to walk past the Spanish Steps to one of the restaurants Lenore recommended (She was on her honeymoon here about a month or two ago.), and then to see the Trevi at night, which she said was pretty. We wanted to make sure we got there late enough so it was actually dark, so we left just before 8 for dinner. Our dinner was pretty good in terms of the food. I had eggplant parm, which I’d place in my top 3 or 4 meals here. But the service wasn’t so hot. Our waiter was really rude. Though Lenore said she found some people to be rude here, I noticed the opposite for the most part. We had two dining experiences where they were the nicest of everywhere. But then there was this one far less.

Later that night we went back out for gelato, which was probably our worst in Italy. It wasn’t bad by any means. (Can gelato be bad?) But they gave you very little, and I’d had better.

At dinner we were talking about our trip overall and kind of recapping it with “best of” things like our best meals, best thing for each city, and our top 10 sites/experiences (since we use the Top 10 guidebooks). So here’s my top 10 (in no order except #1 is definitely #1).

1. seeing/being so close to the Pope
2. hearing Andrea Bocelli
3. St. Mark’s Square
4. St. Peter’s Square and Basilica
5. Duomo
6. gondola ride
7. Bocca della Verita
8. opera experience
9. Grand Canal and bridges
10. Colosseum

            And because I couldn’t pick just 10, I’ll add the Sistine Chapel. And if I had to put more I’d say the glass blowing demo and the Trevi . . . and having Marco as our tour guide! There, now it’s 14.

            Top 5 Foods (3 are in Rome!)

1. cannelloni con ricotta e spinachi in Venice
2. Capri pizza last night
3. cherry yogurt gelato 1^st night in Venice
4. cannelloni con ricotta e spinachi in Rome
5. eggplant parm tonight

            I’ve really enjoyed this trip. The Monograms tour was perfect for us without a doubt. I love Italy for so many reasons and even more than France now.

            I noted to Sheldon tonight how it’s funny how in Rome people walk so slow yet drive so impatiently. Seriously the driving is something else. It’s rivaled only by what I saw in Kenya.

3:23PM

Today was a crazy day, mostly in a good way. We took a crowded bus to just before St. Peter’s Square. It was a rough ride at first because I had to stand and hold an overhead handle, and I was falling all over the place. We got to St. Peter’s just after 8, and the line to get in was already quite long. Doors opened at 8:30, but the papal audience didn’t actually begin til 10:30.

Once the line started moving a bit, things were fine. But as we got closer to the metal detectors where things narrowed down, it took a turn for the worse. There was this group from Colombia that was incredibly pushy. A couple of the women had already pushed past us, and one guy was shoving into Sheldon’s back! They – especially the women – were going to do anything they could to get farther in line! The worst was as we got to a part where there was a wooden gate to our left, so no one could come around there. An Italian group led by some sisters was trying to squeeze through while staying together, but on the other side this big Colombian woman is literally pushing thru the crowd to get past everyone. I kind of got caught in the middle. A few of the Italians got thru, and I was going to save space for more, but then the line stopped and the Colombian woman kept pushing me from behind, so I ended up pressed against the wooden gate on the left and a German lady on the right with the Colombian woman continuing to press on me despite the line not moving! I honestly kept visualizing the headline “Woman squished to death in Vatican stampede.” Seriously it was like stories you hear about Black Friday. I mean, I know seeing the Pope is a big deal, but I’m sure he wouldn’t want people being rude and causing physical harm to others in order to see him.

The issue was everyone had a ticket, but not reserved seating. So there was a space for everyone, but the sooner you got in, the better your seat. It ended up that that group had a special green ticket that put them in the front section anyway!

But after all that we got inside and had front row seats! While we waited we talked to a couple from Chicago who were married a week before us and had been to Venice and Greece and were next going to Ireland. They’d originally been sitting on the other side, but were moved where we were because the people who actually had their wedding attire on were all together on the other side. (Of course we didn’t actually bring our clothes with us!)

So at 10:30, the pope came out to the stage, and I almost cried. My eyes got all teary. It was just so cool. I mean, he’s THE POPE, and we were about 50 feet from him! they did a Bible reading in a bunch of languages, the pope gave a homily-like speech, and then they (by language) introduced various special groups there, with the pope addressing them in their language after. Of course the Americans screamed obnoxiously like “Look at me!” There was this huge German group that did a brief song. Then when the Spanish groups were called, so many of them sang to the Pope. Some Polish groups tried to do it, too, but the Polish cardinal introducing them was all business and kept cutting them off. He looked like Dwight Schrute.

Then we sang Our Father in Latin, and Il Papa blessed any religious articles. Then he came down to greet the newly married couples. We originally thought we were good because they gave us a card saying where we could get pics printed of us with him, and we heard the security people telling a Spanish couple beside us that the Pope would come across the front to greet us. But he just stayed on the other side where the dressed up newlyweds were! So we couldn’t actually meet him, but it was still an amazing experience. I felt bad for the Chicago couple who’d originally been over there.

Then we took an incredibly crowded – beyond crowded – bus ride back, got some pizza to go, and have been hanging out at the hotel.

9:50PM

So many places we go are just packed with “carabinieri” because apparently the G8 summit is starting tomorrow in Italy. Kind of crazy.

            Today was a good day of sightseeing, but a long day. The 6 of us left the hotel at 7:20 and took a bus with our host to the Vatican. Then we met up with another Globus group so there were about 40 of us, and we had a lengthy tour of the Vatican with the guy who was the head of all the tour guides, Marco. He was awesome. He had so much info and so knowledgeable, and he explained it well and so it was interesting. We were very lucky.

            We started at the Vatican Museum, and we weren’t so early because we were in the first wave of tours of the day! It was several rooms with ancient statues or tapestries. The ceilings were cool because they looked 3D but were really just paintings. Marco explained a lot of cool stuff about the statues. Like how whenever they were found, people would just stick any head on any headless body, so you have a body 200 years older than the head! And how they were originally created in pieces, so that’s why a lot are now missing heads or limbs. Also, they weren’t originally white and in fact were very colorful. But when they were discovered all dirty centuries later, they were painted white because that was the trend at the time.

            Then we went into the Sistine Chapel. I expected to find it breathtaking right away, but I didn’t. Though as I thought more about Michelangelo had to paint that whole ceiling on his back and heard Marco’s info, I grew more and more impressed. It was interesting to hear about how some plasters had been glued up, which ultimately changed colors and had to be restored. There was a sample square of how dark it previously looked. Also he talked of how Michelangelo’s work there totally changed/influenced art at that time. And how the “Last Judgment” wall is the one thing all art people agree on – it’s the greatest artistic work. He went into detail about what was going on, how it presented a more Protestant view, how Mary looks kindly on the few going to heaven but Jesus is angry with the others, how it upset religious leaders because it indicated that even the saints (like one who had been skinned and was holding up his skin) weren’t guaranteed a place in heaven, how the face on that skin was Michelangelo’s, and how a cardinal who criticized it when it was a work in progress was then drawn in in a negative way.

            It’s cool to think that’s where they meet to select a new pope. Marco talked about where they burn the papers and stuff like that.

            Our next thing to see was St. Peter’s Basilica, which is apparently the largest in the world. Ila told us that there are four basilicas in Rome, each built over the places where the saints they’re named for were killed or are buried. The basilica was really amazing! First we saw the awesome Pieta, once again a work by Michelangelo. This whole building was really impressive, especially the altar over the tomb of Peter. St. Peter’s Square was also really cool. We saw the balcony from where the pope addresses people.

            That was basically our stay in the Vatican. Then we took a big tour bus to the ancient ruins. We started in the Roman Forum and then went to the Colosseum. I was glad to see it but got tired of it quickly. I guess I just wasn’t into Marco’s info and detail as much there as in the Vatican. I mean, it’s cool to see this and think of the history and how old it is, but I’m just not that into ancient Rome to enjoy such a lengthy time.

            We did go into the Colosseum, which was cool. Marco told us how the Romans called it an arena because they didn’t like the Greek word amphitheater, and arena came from the word for sand since there was sand there.

            That was it for the guided tour. It ended around 1. Then Sheldon and I grabbed a bite for lunch and went to the hotel to relax. Just past 3, we set out to get tickets for the papal audience tomorrow (if we could). There was one set of tickets left for a newly married couple to sit in the special section! So we’re going!!

            After that we headed back toward the ruins area to see Bocca della Verita, the Mouth of Truth. I mainly wanted to see it because of my favorite scene in Roman Holiday, where Gregory Peck really made Audrey Hepburn believe it bit off his hand when they were filming. If you tell a lie when you put your hand in, it’ll bite it off. J it was really cool. Quick, but a definite highlight.

            We had an interesting, mixed up time getting back to the hotel. It took over an hour, and a blister developed right beneath my sandal strap. But we found a really cheap market and loaded up on water plus a large “coca light” for me and Moretti for Sheldon and some cookies.

            Tonight we had an awesome dinner up the street at Ristorante Elettra. I had a really good Capri pizza with mozzarella and halves of cherry tomatoes. It was my second favorite meal in Italy, behind that fabulous cannelloni dish from Venice. But the whole dining experience there was awesome. The whole meal was just 20 euro. There was no cover charge, and we got free bread. And then more free bread when we ate the first basket. Plus when we sat, they gave us each a complimentary glass of champagne. The waiter was really sweet too, and the host guy was really funny (like giving a little boy his family’s bill and giving the dad the boy’s dessert!). We were really impressed with that place.

9:31PM

            We had a fun dinner just down the street. That’s one thing better about both our location and here and in Venice than in Florence – many restaurants and shops really close by. You don’t really have to go out searching too much. Anyway, dinner itself wasn’t all that special, but it was crazy how people would come in trying to sell things or get money. Two guys came in (separately) to sell people first roses and then jewelry! It’s one thing to have them come up to you in the street, but that was something new. Two musicians also came in, one on violin and one with a cello or some other large string instrument. At the end the guy had a had to put money in, but the great part was that there was a group of people eating at a table behind us, and the one guy just started belting out fake lyrics to the music opera-style. It was music from operas, including the already familiar opening song of La Traviata. I wish I could understand what the guy was saying. I mean, it could have been gibberish, but it was probably some really funny random stuff.

6:28PM - Roman Holiday

We are now relaxing in the Mediterraneo Hotel in Rome! Our train left Florence after being delayed about 10 minutes and us basically standing around waiting for an hour. It was a shorter trip than the last one, and I read most of the time.

            I liked Rome right away. I just got such a good vibe from it – beautiful buildings, big city atmosphere and plenty to do. Our hotel is the fanciest by far, though the elevator gives you quite a jolt. Our new host is Ila, and she’s cool because she had already mapped out a good walking tour route for us, and it was what we wanted to see today anyway.

            Around 2:15 we started our journey. We found a small panini/pizza place that also had pasta. I had more cannelloni with ricotta and spinach, which wasn’t as good as the dish in Venice but was good enough for me to claim it as my favorite Italian meal. The workers were super friendly, and I’d totally go back except it was a little pricier than other classier-looking places we saw (though those may also have a cover charge).

            So then we walked toward the Spanish steps. On the way we stopped into a few shops, and I tried on some ill-fitting outfits, including a really cute and very Italian purple dress. Then we came to this one intersection where they had a fountain on each of the four corners. The steps themselves weren’t all that impressive. I mean, it was nice, but nothing too great. Not really what I expected maybe. It sounded like the views were going to be better.

            After that we went over to the Trevi Fountain, which was probably the best thing we saw today. It’s quite extravagant. We each threw in a coin (only pennies).

            We then went to the Pantheon, which was cool because it was this ancient building surrounded by your typical modern ones, just in the middle of a regular metropolis. It was basically an in and out thing. (Dr. Rupp would be so ashamed!)

            On the way we stopped in a souvenir shop that was really reasonable despite being so close to the touristy Pantheon. Sheldon got 4 more Italian soccer scarves, and we found two magnets – a scene from Roman Holiday and one of that tiny cat on the giant statue foot that Sheldon always gets a kick out of at Buca’s.

            We then found the Piazza Navona, which had a bunch of fountains, one of which was apparently used in the movie Angels and Demons in the scene where they try to drown the Cardinal in the fountain. Though none of the fountains that we saw seemed deep enough for that, so maybe that wasn’t really accurate.

            I guess that’s about all we saw, but it was past 5:30 when we got to the hotel. And yet again I felt hot, sweaty, and gross. It was a rough walk back. Especially with the Seven Hills of Rome and all! J

            I like it here. It reminds me of Paris in some ways. It’s still no Venice, though!

            We have a really big day planned for tomorrow. And the day after we’re hoping to go to the Papal Audience. Apparently you can sit in a special area if you’re married for less than two months and show your marriage certificate. We tried to get tickets today, but we have to try back there (or at the Vatican) tomorrow.

8:23PM

The rest of our day was pretty uneventful. Mostly resting, reading, and relaxing. We had a nice pizza dinner this evening and got some stuff from a little market.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Rome and should arrive around 12:30. I’m really excited, especially to see the Vatican and possibly go to the Papal Audience!

12:20PM

So last night we had dinner at this place that was a little funky. That’s not really the right word. They played really loud music that ranged from Sheryl Crow to a bad techno version of an old Pink song to I’m Too Sexy and all kinds of stuff. The food was fine. I just had spaghetti, so nothing special.

Then we walked over to St. Mark’s Church for the opera. It’s an English church, and all the proceeds go to helping impoverished children in India. (Yay!) It was a really cool setting since it was in a church rather than a huge opera house. We sat in the third row on the side. At times a pole blocked my view, but I could still see enough. It’s cool being so close to really see the facial emotions and all.

It was a cool experience. I’m glad I did it, but it hasn’t turned me on to opera. I doubt I’d do it again. They gave you notes about what happened in each act, but I’d still like to see an actual translation. Of course I knew I couldn’t understand everything, but it is still cool to see the emotion. It was touching when Violetta had to give up Alfredo even though she loved him so much and had finally found happiness.

I was impressed by the singers. To sing like that song after song to be acting at the same time is impressive. I can’t even imagine studying to sing like that. The lead woman was quite god, and I really liked Alfredo’s father Giorgio. That guy had a really good voice. The music was also good. The guy playing the piano did a great job, and I was impressed by him too. I liked Verdi’s music, and the first son I actually was familiar with, though I can’t recall it now.

I can definitely see how Moulin Rouge was based off this opera. It’s pretty much the same just without the bohemians and the theatrical production and Ewan McGregor. And things are always better when Ewan McGregor is involved.

Well, this morning we did Sunday Mass back at Santa Maria Novella. It’s a nice church that reminded me of Santa Croce. There was a really beautiful Mary statue, and the altar was pretty. It was a surprisingly quick Mass – only 35 minutes since there was no music. We had a program with most of the words so we could mostly follow along. It was kind of cool to try to translate words and see what parts of Mass they were at. This was our first foreign county and foreign language Mass.

5:47PM - L'opera

 So it looks as if we are definitely on for La Traviata! We checked with Helma about dress code, and she thinks we’ll be fine because they understand tourists don’t always come prepared for that sort of thing. Then we booked tickets thru the hotel desk. It’s actually only 24 euro, which is really cool.

I’m looking forward to it. I love that two of my favorite movies are somewhat based on it. I knew Moulin Rouge was based on an opera, but I didn’t know about Pretty Woman. I’m figuring this must be the opera Vivien and Edward go see in the movie.

So we heard Andrea Bocelli in Venice, and now we’ll see La Traviata in Florence . . . this is an amazing life!

3:40PM - Michelangelo, Duomo, Opera...

Sheldon’s and my one-week anniversary!

This morning was our Florence group tour, and it actually ended up being an even larger group because we joined with some other Globus people. We took a van with our tour guide Lia over to the Accademia, where we saw a series of statues (several unfinished) by Michelangelo. The final one, at the end of the hall, was the David. It’s a lot larger than I expected – about 15 feet tall – and it’s very impressive with the detail in the muscles and veins. I’m not a huge sculpture fan, but I was definitely impressed. It’s also cool to think that Michelangelo was only about 25 when he did that! And to think about the breadth of his work since it’s not like he was just a sculptor!

Our next stop was the Duomo, which we saw from some other angles than yesterday and got to go inside the church part. The outside is definitely much more impressive. Then the tour continued to Signoria Square, which is the political center of Florence. This building was quite impressive, and outside there were more sculptures, including a replica of David.

Then we walked over to Santa Croce square. It was another nice church, and when the tour finished Sheldon and I paid to go inside (very pretty!) and see the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo and a memorial to Dante, who’s buried elsewhere. There was also Machiavelli’s tomb, but that and others were blocked by restoration scaffolding.

We walked back toward Signoria Square and past the Uffizi (where we saw a cool mime who was pretending to be a cupid statue) to access the Ponte Vecchio. It looked really cool – not your ordinary bridge. I was somewhat surprised by how short it was. There were all shops along it so it didn’t even feel like you were on a bridge at all until you go to the center openings.

We basically just walked around a little and crossed back over the Arno at the next bridge, and then went back to the hotel, stopping for a quick lunch where Sheldon had the best pasta dish and I had a slice of reheated margherita pizza.

I’m hoping tonight to see an opera. They’re doing La Traviata at St. Mark’s Church for only 29 euro, but we’ll see about getting tickets and the dress code. It’d definitely be cool to see an opera in Italy, and especially that one since both Moulin Rouge and Pretty Woman are based off it.

9:32PM - Firenze, Day One

We are now in Florence! Graziella took us to the train station just after 10, and we set off for Florence at 10:43. The train was kind of cool since it was my first real train ride, but not all that special. We sat in a four seat area with Wil and Beth across from us. There wasn’t really a lot of space there, but since it was first class we got a complimentary drink and cookies. Occasionally there were some good views of the mountains as we got far into our journey, but there wasn’t too much overall. I was able to sleep for a bit, and we got a cute picture of Panda peering out at the Bologna stop.

Once we got to Florence we met our local host Helma, who seems pleasant and organized. She gave us a whole sheet with suggestions of places to visit and descriptions, which already seems helpful. After meeting with her, searching for our hotel room (which ended up being the closest one to the lobby), and checking out the awesome views from our rooftop terrace, Sheldon and I walked over to a pretty church we saw on the way in called Santa Maria Novella. It was nice, but we didn’t go in. We’re planning on going to church there Sunday.

Then we started walking toward the Duomo and stopped for a so-so Panini. The Duomo, however, was anything but so-so. I couldn’t believe when I saw it in the distance. It almost looked fake, like it was the scenery backdrop for a play, just painted there! I’ve seen pictures of this place, but they honestly don’t do it justice! Pictures can’t give you the sense of the amazing intricacy and detail of every inch of this cathedral. It was quite possibly the most amazing building I’ve ever seen. We both found it so breathtaking.

Then we paid 8 euros apiece to walk up to the dome. All 463 steps! It wasn’t quite as bad as it sounds. Well . . . not til the end anyway! After awhile it was just one long narrow winding staircase, and then it was a few very steep sets of stairs. There was also an interior landing part about halfway up where you were behind a glass wall but could see the inside of the church from there. Unfortunately I didn’t see too much of it. You know me and the whole heights thing!

When we actually got to the top, I was a little freaked out at first but soon got used to it . . . but not enough to go to the edge! The views were beyond amazing. It was totally worth the climb and being all hot and sweaty. It was really cool to see all of Florence and the mountains beyond like that.

So far I like Florence, but it definitely compare to Venice. Venice is just so charming and more relaxed. I’m not used to cars and the threat of getting run over by a motorbike as I race across the road. I’m sure if we came here first, we’d like it more, but in comparison with Venice, it just doesn’t stack up!

After our Duomo adventure, we came back to our hotel, Hotel Kraft, for a lengthy nap. We’ve napped a lot on this trip, but our excursions have been exhausting, and that’s what a vacation is for anyway!

Then we had dinner in a small restaurant. My ravioli wasn’t so good, mainly because of the mushroom sauce. But we also had some authentic bruschetta! Since then we’ve hung out at the hotel, by the pool (or in it in Sheldon’s case), in our room, and now in the lobby sitting area.

It’s a great trip so far. I have a really nice tan on my arms, but unfortunately a bunch of bug bites! But, hey, as long as they’re not the malarial kind!

11:00PM - Last day in Venice :(

Our last full day in Venice is almost done. It’s been an exhausting one. We had to be up for 9 to get tomorrow’s train info from Graziella, then had some breakfast. Since we didn’t really have much planned for the day, we just rested after that and ending up sleeping til around 1! Our only real goal was to walk all the way to the eastern part of Venice to see the soccer stadium. It maybe wasn’t the best time of day to do this 3-4 mile trek since the sun was beating down and there wasn’t much shade. We decided to stop for some yummy gelato and much needed water on the way. I had a scoop of cherry with a scoop of cookie gelato. It wasn’t as good as the first gelato, but still good.

Anyway, our long journey took us past St. Mark’s Square, and then we walked along the water (Sheldon made a point to touch the Adriatic Sea.) about as far as we could. By this point I was so hot and disgustingly sweaty. And concerned about getting sunburned (I didn’t, but my arms do have a nice tan), plus just thinking how we’d still have to go all the way back! We ended up getting there after about an hour of walking! And it was closed! In a lot of ways it wasn’t worth it, but I know that if we didn’t give it a shot, Sheldon would be wishing we did. But I was pretty miserable at this point.

We decided to take the Vaporetto (water bus) back, but the first two stops we got to had their ticket offices closed. But at the third one, just before St. Mark’s, we got hour passes for 6.50 euros each, and rode all the way home. I don’t know what I would’ve done otherwise. I was just covered in sweat!

Back at the hotel, I showed immediately, we hung out, and then went to grab a bite at a self-service place just down the street that our guidebook put in the area’s top 10. Good value, but my spaghetti al pomodoro was nothing special and our wine sucked. Then it was back to the hotel for a little nap. (After that walk, we were beat.)

Then we went out again. I got a few cookies from a pastry shop. Everything there looks so good, but I got two of those little ones with the cherry thing in the middle, the kind I always loved as a kid but always look better than they taste. After that we went to a wine bar, where Sheldon had a sparkly white wine and I had merlot, which was significantly better than the white wine from dinner, which had made me shudder.

We then went back to the hotel and slept again! For about two hours or more! I’ve just been so exhausted. Then we were hungry and decided to split a margherita pizza at the first place we’d eaten in Venice. I was also so thirty that we ended up drinking two liters of water!

So that’s about it for our day and our stay in Venice. I’m thinking this will be my favorite city, but I’m sure each will have their special reasons to love them. It’s hard to believe it’s the end of our third day! It’s nice to become familiar with an area in a new city and to see all the same stuff again and again! I’m really in love with this city. I feel like Italy is one of the few foreign countries where I’d have no problem living!

8:40PM - Start of our Italian honeymoon recap!

            I have to recap the Venice trip so far! Our flight got into Venice early, and then we met our local host Graziella. We had to wait for another couple who’d missed their connecting flight and hadn’t arrived that morning. They’re a couple from Toronto celebrating their 25^th anniversary, and their names are Sherry and Gene. We took a really fun water taxi to Venice, which was amazing to see. I mean, it is truly breathtaking – just so unlike anything back home. And the Grand Canal is really cool. Our hotel (Hotel Principe) is right on the canal and just a bridge away from the Santa Croce area.

            At the hotel we met the guy from the only other couple on our tour. He’s Wil, and his wife is Beth, and they’re also from Toronto. After that, Sheldon and I took very much needed naps. (I almost fell asleep on the lobby couch while Graziella was talking to us.) Then it was off to explore the area. We found a little pizzeria for dinner and split a margherita pizza and another pizza with a half carafe of white wine. Then we had some gelato, my first authentic Italian gelato. I had one scoop of chocolate, which was very dark and super chocolaty, and one of a really yummy fruity one.

            We didn’t really have too much to see, but we ultimately ending up going to look for a cool bridge with no sides, and we got some cool pictures on the way.

            This morning started with our group water taxi ride over to the truly gorgeous Piazza San Marco. The buildings are just awesome! Our tour guide Diana took us into the Doge’s Palace (former home of Venetian presidents, or doges). I have to say I liked the outside better than the inside. Well, it was cool to see all the frescos dating back to the 16^th century or so, but after awhile her descriptions and discussion of them was too Origins of the West for me. I was really thirsty and could’ve gone to sleep! Plus, it was really hot in certain rooms. We did see the dungeons and also the Bridge of Sighs, which I believe once led people to be executed. Out in the square there are two pillars between which executions were held. Diana said Venetians never walk between them out of superstition.

            Our next thing was the Basilica San Marco, formerly the Doge’s church. It wasn’t what you’d expect of a Catholic basilica because of the Byzantine influence. It was more Greek Orthodox-looking. St. Mark’s remains are actually in the church, but we didn’t go see his tomb. It was a really quick tour, and again I thought the exterior was more impressive.

            But then we went to a glass blowing demonstration. On one hand it was a shame it didn’t take even 2 minutes, but then it was amazing how quickly the guy could do it. it was really impressive. He made this cute vase, and it was fun to watch.

            After that we were on our own. Sheldon and I headed over to Rialto to walk around and see the famous Rialto Market. There were all fruit and veggie stands down the middle and then some seafood shops that got to be a little gross after seeing and smelling too much. But I got a nectarine from the market, and we sat along the canal to eat it. Then we went in search of the oldest Venetian church, San Giacomo di Rialto, which dates to the 5^th century. Then it was back to the hotel for a nice nap!

            Around 6 or 7, we headed out again. Our evening started with a gondola ride. It was so cool, like something out of a storybook. This whole city really is. It’s so charming here!

            Oh I forgot . . . before the gondola ride we walked across a relatively new glass bridge over the canal and went to a cute garden. Then we did the gondola. Our gondolier was funny. He wasn’t singing other than a rare few notes of YMCA and “I love spaghetti.” At the end he took our picture. During the ride he had me pose for Sheldon and told me how to sit and where to look – right at our hotel! The ride started with the Grand Canal and then went thru smaller canals, which were actually more peaceful. It was a great, somewhat surreal experience.

            Then we had the best dinner at a nice trattoria. I had this cannelloni with ricotta and spinach, and it was to die for! I mean awesome! The sauce was great, the pasta was so soft and good, and the cheese was just unlike anything I’ve ever had. So good!

            After that, we went back to St. Mark’s Square. I wanted to see it at night, but the main reason was that in the piazza Andrea Bocelli was giving a concert that night! How unbelievable! The concert area was completely blocked off, so you couldn’t see a thing, but you could hear it all. Yes, we heard part of an Andrea Bocelli concert! Isn’t that amazing?

            Talk about surreal. This whole trip is just amazing. I love Venice. The canals and bridges, the food, the fact that there are no cars, the charm, the gorgeous lace and masks that seriously awe me . . . . I love it! and I love that I’m sharing it all with Sheldon and that he’s my husband.

            Another note – I tried Spritz today. Apparently one of the most popular drinks in Venice. Not really my cup of tea, but I’m glad I tried something like that.

9:30PM

Newport was so nice! Yesterday morning before we left, we took tours of 2 mansions – The Breakers and Rosecliff. The Breakers was built in 1895 and was the home of Cornelius Vanderbilt and his family. The mansion has 70 rooms. Some of them were really over-the-top ornate and Versailles-ish, but others were classy and simpler with really nice furniture. It was an interested tour because we learned some cool stuff about the Vanderbilts (and I had known very little) – like how Anderson Cooper is Gloria Vanderbilt’s son and how the Vanderbilt Univ. teams are called the Commodores because “the Commodore” was the nickname of Cornelius’ grandfather, who gave a bunch of money to found the school.

Then we went over to Rosecliff. We picked this mansion, which had belonged to a family that made their money in silver, because the exterior was used for the film The Great Gatsby. It wasn’t quite as magnificent as the Breakers, which got its name from the way the waves break on the rocks outside, but it was really nice.

Our tour guide showed us the lower level, which had a 400-foot long ballroom that is the largest of all the Newport mansions and has been featured in movies like True Lies and 27 Dresses. Then we went up the really cool heart-shaped staircase to the second floor, where we could go through the rooms on our own. They also had a display going on there featuring contemporary Pierre Cardin designs – nothing overly exciting but cool nonetheless.

Afterwards we quickly headed downtown to see St. Mary’s Church, where John and Jackie Kennedy had gotten married. And that was about it for Newport.

9:28PM

I am having the best weekend ever. OK, maybe not ever, but pretty good. Sheldon and I are in Newport, R.I., and I really like it here.

            Yesterday – our first full day since we got here around 11:30 Friday night – we drove around on this scenic ocean drive and got some great pictures along the ocean. Then we stopped at the Yacht Museum and didn’t go though it but did see them building a boat. Then we headed to downtown Newport for some lunch and walked around the Tennis Hall of Fame, which has some tennis courts.

            Then we drove to nearby Quonset to catch a ferry out to Martha’s Vineyard – only to find that our trip plan wasn’t going to work. So we decided to spend all day today there instead.

            Saturday evening we wanted to do a nice dinner out, and I had my little black dress. We found a place online that seemed to have potential, but we ended up alone in the room with a group with a bunch of excited, screaming kids in casual attire, and half the menu from online wasn’t there. Plus, they weren’t going to validate our $20 parking ticket. We ended up finding another place, which was good and where I got a Caribbean champagne and we both had fish.

            Today, we woke early to get the Martha’s Vineyard ferry. It took 1 ½ hours. When we docked, we went right to the shore off Nantucket Sound and picked up cool shells and rocks. Then we walked to Main St. of the Oak Bluffs area, and to a “gingerbread house village,” which was actually just a bunch of cute, colorful houses.

            Then we took the bus to the Edgartown area and had lunch at a place the guy at the ferry place recommended. It was nice and overlooked Chappaquiddick. Then we went into some shops, saw a cute old church, and headed to the bus stop with the intent of getting a bus to Aquinnah to see a lighthouse. As we waited, I checked the bus schedule to see about all our stops and when we’d get to Aquinnah and back to Oak Bluffs to leave. At first I thought we’d be back at 4:30 – perfect considering our ferry left at 5. Then we realized it was an hour later than we thought, and we wouldn’t be back on tiem (and had wasted money on all-day passes). So instead, we hopped the bus back to OB and then up to Vineyard Haven, where there was another lighthouse. Unfortunately the buses to it only left every 1 ½ hours, but the info lady said it was in walking distance – 1 to 1 ½ miles. I was thirsty and Sheldon thought he could use a beer, so we looked for a place. Just as we got there I remembered how the guy said one of the towns he pointed out to us was a dry town and how I’d read that Edgartown was one of the only TWO on the island that weren’t. Sure enough, Vineyard Haven is dry, so I just got a bottled soda and we did a bit of shopping, finally finding some stuff.

            Then we walked toward the lighthouse. But we seemed to be walking more than a mile, and there was no sign of a lighthouse. So we asked someone walking and found it was still a mile away and clearly the info lady had been wrong. By this time, we couldn’t walk there and balk with enough time to get back to OB in time for our ferry. So that was the end of Martha’s Vineyard.

            After an interesting ferry ride back with a couple making out across from us, we headed back to Newport for dinner and ended up at a cool lounge-y place with fun décor and great white zinfandel. Not to mention confusing bathrooms marked simply “us” and “them.” The “us” one was pink, so I figured I was OK, but S later asked and found they were both unisex.

            Tomorrow we shall see some mansions. Barb told me to wear my bling. And if I don’t have any, to make S buy me some.

            I don’t know how I almost forgot, but at Oak Bluffs, we also rode America’s oldest carousel – very cool!

10:50AM

Yesterday was a pretty low-key day. Beach in the morning, hanging out in the hotel and napping in the afternoon, the pool, and then Palos Verdes at night. The views there were nice, but nothing compared to La Jolla Cove. That was pretty much our last day. Nice and relaxing.

Our flight heads out today at 3, so we’re just hanging out for awhile. I don’t want to go home. L

4:48PM

Yesterday was kind of a crazy day. Sheldon went to the SS office for about two hours, and afterwards we started heading toward San Diego. Dad and Janet were also there with Johnny’s family, and we were considering meeting up if possible. I called him and left a message when we neared SD, but he didn’t call back until we were just passing the exit for where they were – La Jolla Cove. Til we got directions (twice) and almost got there, it took awhile. Then we missed the street we needed to get to them and had to drive around and do some U-turns. Of course, Dad was all stressed by the whole mess. I was a little, too, but Sheldon was just like, “Whatever. No big deal.” (I love him.)

So we ultimately got to the cove, which was really gorgeous, and saw Dad, Janet, Johnny, Jill, and Colin (who wasn’t in a good mood). The baby was sleeping in the van they’d rented to drive from Arizona, so I didn’t see him. We only hung out for ten minutes, if even! But it was a really cool area and definitely worth seeing.

Then, they headed off to Sea World and we went into downtown SD for lunch at Buca’s (that had been the first one Sheldon ever ate at a few years ago). Then we decided to head down to the Mexican border, which is really close. Sheldon’s cousin Todd (who is ultra California laidback and so funny) said we should park at the last exit and walk across. So we did. It’s kind of crazy. You just walk thru these turnstile-like switchbacks that you can only go one way thru. So we walked into Tijuana, looked around, and sat at a little restaurant, where Sheldon got a 99 cent beer and I ordered a coconut margarita and ended up with two because it was 2 for $4.99. They weren’t that good, though. To be silly, I took a sip from both glasses at once. Then we went into a little store and that was about it. It was pretty much what I expected of TJ – dirty, smelly, and prescription drugs available at every other store. We didn’t really go too far into the city, though.

Then we walked back and the guy gave us crap about not having our passports, but it wasn’t a problem. Sheldon called Todd and said we were stuck there. Todd totally believed it and laughed like crazy when Sheldon said he was kidding. Then we went up to Todd’s place to see him, his wife Jill and their kids Sam (16) and Sarah (14). They’re all so nice, and I had a lot of fun. Sam was telling us about his ska-punk band and played his bass guitar for us.

Today we went to the beach. I really like Manhattan Beach. We went into the water for awhile. First time in the Pacific! It was freezing at first, but I got used to it fairly quickly. We found a really awesome shell that I’ve never found one like before. Then we just laid on the beach for awhile, and now we’re at the hotel.

I’ve really loved this trip. It’s lived up to my high expectations. I’ve seen so much cool stuff. And I actually have a tan. Kind of. Much more than I usually get anyway.

Oh, my thoughts on San Diego. It seemed nice, but nothing spectacular. I’m sure there are some really great views, but I don’t know what all there is to do that makes it unique. I mean, we didn’t see much so I don’t know, but it also seemed like, “What is there to do?”

11:30AM

Yesterday was our last Hollywood day. We started at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which was so large we had to buy a map of the famous graves. We saw graves of Bugsy Siegel (apparently the guy who either killed him or put the hit on him is buried nearby him, too!), Mel Blanc, Valentino, Peter Lorre, Jayne Mansfield, Hattie McDaniel, and one of the Ramones. There was a really big marble area for Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and Jr., and while we were taking a picture we stumbled upon an on-location TV shoot for the show Dirty Sexy Money. One of the guys called us over as we were walking away and told us what was going on. Apparently a security guy was supposed to have stopped it, but it wasn’t really a problem. The guy was cool and told us what was going on and what the episode and scene was about, and even pointed out the actress Lucy Liu!

Afterwards we drove to Culver City for our tour of Sony Studios. Very cool to see the studio lots and park area where they filmed scenes in King of Queens and 13 Going on 30. We saw the building they used for the high school in Spiderman, too. We walked down “Main Street,” which has facades of all types of buildings (shops, businesses, cafés) that they change around for different scenes. There was a façade of a clothing store that they used as an outdoor café in The Holiday. We saw different production offices, including Adam Sandler’s.

We also saw a street that our guide explained they’d made into a NYC street for Something’s Gotta Give. It was cool to hear the techniques they use for that. We went into the sets for Til Death and Rules of Engagement, which were being set up for filing the upcoming seasons. We went inside a studio where they’d filmed the indoor house scenes in Step Brothers.

Then we saw the biggest stage lot, where they’d filmed the Munchkinland scene in The Wizard of Oz, and the tallest, where they’d filmed the Emerald City and Witch’s Castle.

At the time, they were filming one movie there at Sony – Angels and Demons with Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor (only my two favorite actors!!). I guess it’s something to do with DaVinci Code. I know the book is by the same guy. We did see about three guys dressed as cardinals for it. And . . . I saw . . . Ewan McGregor!

We were just finishing our tour, and Sheldon and I were at the back of the group. We saw two guys in suits getting a drink or something. They just glanced over. Sheldon said the blond guy looked familiar, but I’m almost positive the other was Ewan! They were both wearing black suits with ties, and Ewan had his jacket slung over his shoulder. Now I feel I have to see that movie.

10:05AM

            I am in California! I love it! It’s as wonderful as I’d imagined, though a little colder at night than I’d expected.

Right now, I’m at the Student Sports office with Sheldon, who is on his conference call. Here’s a brief recap of our first 3 ½ days. When we got to L.A. on Friday, we met up with Andy, who runs SS and is Chris Farley’s cousin. He’s a really nice guy, and I liked meeting him, even if they did mostly just talk about SS. Then we went to our hotel in Manhattan Beach, swam in the pool, and hung out. I fell asleep pretty early with the Olympics on because I hadn’t slept much the previous two nights.

Saturday was our first full day, and it was awesome. We woke early and headed to Hollywood to start off with all the things I really wanted to see. We parked near Hollywood Blvd. and went there to see everything like the Roosevelt Hotel (site of the first Oscars in 1929) and Mann’s Chinese Theatre. It was amazing and surreal. I’ve wanted to go there forever, and even though I was seeing it, it didn’t seem possible that I could actually, finally be there! I could’ve stayed all day. I could go back and just marvel at it again. I tried my hands in the prints of Elizabeth Taylor, Jean Harlow, Judy Garland, Olivia De Havilland, and Natalie Wood! It was so cool. Unfortunately no Audrey print or Vivien Leigh! I was surprised by all the prints of current actors like Matt Damon, Bruce Willis, and the Harry Potter teens. I also made Sheldon try his hands in Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Tom Hanks, and Humphrey Bogart’s. Definitely the highlight of the trip.

After that we walked down part of the Walk of Fame (thought to see it all would take forever), stopping at the Kodak Theatre, current home of the Academy Awards. One odd thing about the Walk of Fame is that we saw duplicate names on stars! Oh, we did see Mabel Normand’s star! She’s the old ‘20s actress who Pete says I look like. (I kind of do.)

Then we saw the Hollywood Museum, with costumes and props from tons of movies from Rocky to Moulin Rouge, Hannibal Lector’s jail cell, and a whole room dedicated to Marilyn. They had dresses from her films, coroner’s report of her death, pill bottle found in her room when she died and a ton of other things.

Then we went back to the Kodak for a tour, which was awesome. We got a lot of behind-the-scenes Oscar info, which I always love. We sat in the room where they hold the ceremony.

Also, forgot to mention my first sighting of the Hollywood sign. I wasn’t expecting it, and happened to see it in the distance when we were driving. I just yelled, “I saw the sign!!” I think I got chills. After Hollywood Blvd., we drove down Sunset Blvd. and up closer to the sign. We got as close as you can pretty much. We tried to hike near it, but we were too far east and couldn’t see anything.

After that, we drove to see the Brady house. The house used for exterior shots on The Brady Bunch. They never filmed inside though. After taking two pictures, we saw the owner going in. Sheldon wanted me to yell, “Mrs. Brady!” or “Florence!”

Then we drove to Mulholland Drive (apparently the street where Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson live). Driving along there, we saw some truly great views over the city. And some fabulous houses.

Day two started out with a “tour of stars homes” I found in a guide book. It wasn’t current homes. We saw homes of Jimmy Stewart, Lucy, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, and more. We saw Lana Turner’s house where her daughter killed Lana’s mobster boyfriend Johnny Stompanato, and the home where Bugsy Siegel was gunned down!

Then we went in search of Marilyn’s grave. We had the address, but when we got to the area, it seemed like no way was there a cemetery around. Turns out, it’s just tucked away off a normal street and behind a library! We had no idea where she was buried, and as we were walking around we saw the graves of Rodney Dangerfield, Walter Matthau, Dean Martin, the guy from Hogan’s Heroes, and Natalie Wood. I was standing at Natalie’s grave, and it was just so . . . chilling. The day before I’d seen her hand and footprints in cement, and now I was at her grave. It was just such a chilling feeling to really consider it all. People had left coins and stuff on her gravestone. I wish I’d had flowers or something. We finally found Marilyn’s grave. People had left lipstick kisses on it, coins, and a photo. Again it was pretty surreal.

After that, we went and saw the La Brea tar pits, which took about 30 seconds. There’s a museum there, but we didn’t care to see a bunch of fossils.

Both nights we went down to the beach and walked down the pier. It was pretty cool to be out over the ocean and look back at the beach, and also to watch the sunset on the water. The Pacific is gorgeous. Manhattan Beach is a million times better than the Jersey shore, that’s for sure! I think tomorrow we’ll spend some time at the beach/in the water during the day.

12:59PM - Chicago

I just got back yesterday from my trip to Chicago with Annie. It was a lot of fun. She did really well on the flight. Well, when we first sat, she got really nervous and teared up, but then she took an anxiety pill and was pretty much OK. She said she didn’t like it, but she could tolerate it. And she was even talking about where else we could go. The one thing that sucked about the airport was that she had a large bottle of lotion in her carry on that they took because it was too big. At least her knitting needles were OK.

So we got to Chicago on Tuesday and took a cab ride (my first ever) to our hotel. Then we went to downtown Chicago, crossing over the Chicago River, and saw the Sears Tower. Then we walked over to Lake Michigan and walked along the water for a little. By this point, we were both tired and our feet were sore. Though we didn’t see much, we had walked A LOT, and it was really hot and sunny. So we made our way back to the hotel, and it was quite the walk back. We got back around 4 or 5 and were so tired. We just ordered food in and hung out there watching TV and goofing around.

On Wednesday, we walked down the Magnificent Mile, which has lots of cool buildings and ritzy shops. We saw and went up the John Hancock Building. There was only about a two minute wait, and the views were awesome. Annie said it was so much better than the Sears Tower, which is also what the guidebook said. On the Magnificent Mile, we also saw the water tower, which survived the Chicago Fire, and the Tribune Tower. Then we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was a waste of $10. We walked through it in about 15 minutes, and most of what we saw was beyond weird and unexciting. After that, we walked over to the Navy Pier, which is along the water and has a bunch of attractions like rides and stuff. We didn’t really do anything other than walk around. Then we walked back to the hotel (not as far as the previous day, but our feet were killing us. Mine feels [still] bruised on the side, but it’s not. It kills when I walk.) We relaxed for a little and then took the El out to Oak Park, a really cute suburb where Frank Lloyd Wright lived. We saw his house and studio and some home he’d designed.

It was a really fun trip overall. I like Chicago, but I pretty much saw all I cared about seeing.

Now, a day after getting home, I’m back on a plane. This time Sheldon and I are heading to Hollywood! Finally, I’m going there. We’re on the first of our stops – in Birmingham. We didn’t have to switch planes. We also stop in Vegas. And then . . . L.A.!!