Tucson

I spent the majority of this past week packing up the house, getting things situated to move, and saying bye to friends. Not exactly the best week of my life. Friday and Saturday we spent packing the pods and sweating our butts off. But now we are finally in Tucson.

Matt loves his new job and I feel like I'm going to have a great time at mine as well. Right now it's hard to adjust to being here though. Since our house won't be done for a month we have to stay in an extended stay hotel. Not exactly the best way to start somewhere new. Being in a small space like this with 2 dogs definitely has its disadvantages. Plus, there's no pool. -_-

I'm trying to be optimistic about this but it's kinda hard.

Planes, trains, and metro systems.

So I haven't blogged in a couple days because we were on our way back home. We had a flight from Rome to Belgium with a connection in Denmark with basically took up all day Tuesday. We did get to go out for one last beer in Brussels though. Then on Wednesday we were flying all day from Belgium to Phoenix with a 4 hour layover in Atlanta. It kicked our butts.

Finally we made it home last night and were surprised with hamburgers, some neat patriotic decorations, and a clean house! Compliments of my parents and sister. :)

It's so nice to be home! We've missed our house and pups and everything! Our next adventure begins in only one week as we move to Tucson...

Ciao!

Today was officially our last full day of vacation! We have like 2 days of travel until we're home. Sigh. Also I forgot to blog yesterday (oops!) so I'll do a review of what we did then.

Sooo yesterday we both decided we didn't want to spend the day sweating out our lives so we went to a museum. We saw an awesome exhibit of Dali who is a very fascinating man! We were there for like 2 hours just reading about him and looking at his work.

We then headed off in search of the Spanish steps (Treinta die Monti). As usual it was like a 30 minute walk. When we got there we took some photos and walked around the area. Every monument and piazza and fountain here is really beautiful. It's amazing how nice the whole city is.

Since we were both sweaty and gross, we got a couple Strongbow's and made our way to the apartment. We grabbed pizza and showered and then made our way back out for dessert! We had to see the city at night before we left! We're glad we did because it is even more neat at night! Everything seems to just shine more in the nighttime.

Okay so today we didn't know what exactly to do. We read up on an area called Ostia Antica which are old ruins from a Roman port city. Apparently they are extremely well preserved and there aren't many people that come out to the area do its not crowded. The trip only took a 35 minute metro ride (switched 2 times though). When we got there we walked to the area where the archeological site was. I almost got hit by a car and died. But the stinkin place is closed on Mondays!!! We were bummed. It is definitely worth looking up if you've never heard of it.

So instead of just going home we hopped back on the train and headed to the coast! In 15 minutes we were walking toward the beach. we didn't plan on going so we had no towels or swimsuits. We stopped in at a beach shop and bought a couple swimsuits then got some chairs at a private beach! The water was cool and salty so we stayed in for a while.

Before we headed out we stopped in at a bar for aperitif. It was a great way to end our time in Rome. :)

Hot hot hot!

The weather here is killer! It's so hot and sticky that by the noon all you want to do is jump in a pool. In the late afternoon everyone is searching for shade and water. We still did our sight seeing of course.
Started off the day going to Vatican City. We waiting in aline around the center and almost got in until we were informed you can't wear shorts. Like really? There is no way I am wearing anything more than shorts and a shirt here, it's just way too hot out. I would literally pass out if I had to wear pants all day. So, I guess we may not see the inside of the Sistine Chapel after all.

We walked east until we reached the Castel Sant'Angelo. That was pretty neat and had some great views of the city. After exploring the castle, we walked across the river to the Piazza Navona. That area is beautiful! There are cafe's and fountains and artists all around.

We left the piazza and searched for some gelato to eat on the way to Circo Massimo. On our way we walked by the Bocca Della Verita but just snapped a quick photo. The Circo Massimo is a little disappointing. It's just a track of rocks and trees now. Matt was excited to see it, until he did. No big deal though! We walked through the Roman Forum and didn't have to pay because you get entry with the ticket you use for the Colosseum! Good thing I kept them in my bag from yesterday. That was really cool. It was neat to see all of the ancient Roman architecture and learn about the history.

I can't believe how much we walk. Literally from the Vatican to our apartment and everywhere in between. It's fine except for the darn heat!

After realizing that we were getting tired and were starting to smell like gypsies... we ended the night with pizza, pasta, and a pitcher of Peroni. :)

When in Rome...

eat lots of gelato!!! That's what we do at least :)

We started off the day walking down to the Colosseum. We got in fairly quickly and did our first audio tour. (Yay tourists!) Roman history is very interesting to both of us so we took our time there. Afterwards, we walked around the Roman Forum and up to Vittoriano. All of the buildings in Rome are huge! We walked up to Quirinale but weren't allowed to go even in the parking lot. It is the residence of the President of the Italian Republic so we understood. Straight down the street from there we discovered the Trevi Fountain! It is so large and beautiful. The area around it is full of old buildings and shops. It's a nice area to walk around in.

We kept up our little walking self tour to the Colonna Marco Aurelio and the Pantheon. It's so strange to see such old historic things in the middle of homes and restaurants. We could've walked around all afternoon but dang it was hot today! We decided to make our long journal back to the apartment... which led us to get lost in the Jewish Ghetto. Lucky for us we have awesome map skills and found our way out.

I've never been so glad to shower. It seriously was like Arizona hot. Right now we're deciding on whether we want to go out to a restaurant or just go to a small pizza place. I personally don't want to do hair/makeup again. I think pizza will win. :)

Florence to Rome

We have made it through three countries alive and we are on our way to Rome, the final city! We are in desperate need of a laundromat! I hate to admit it but we have had to re-wear an outfit or two... and we bought Matt 2 new shirts while here. No problem though. :)

We enjoyed our last half day in Florence walking around the city and grabbing some fresh salami sandwiches. The train ride is quick this time, only about 2 hours. The apartment we're staying at is close to the train station. We didn't get lost this time! It's like the one in Paris with a kitchen and full bathroom but bigger!

After checking in we dropped off our laundry (so Jersey Shore) and went grocery shopping. Then we brought everything back to the apartment and headed out to find a bar near the Colosseum to watch Croatia vs Italy. What's cooler than watching a Euro 2012 game in Rome?! We ended up just walking to a place near our apartment for dinner. It ended up being good and we met a really fun Australian couple. We seem to get along nicely with Australians and their culture is a lot like ours. Looks like we'll be visiting the outback next!

Things we miss...

(in no specific order)
1. Our big house
2. Clean shower
3. Comfy bed
4. More clothing options
5. Cooking
6. Our pups Laika & Max
7. Driving
8. Mexican food
9. Friends/family
10. TV (morning news and a few shows we like)
11. Saving money
12. Ice and water from the fridge
13. Time apart (we love each other but geez)
14. American food (such as burgers)
15. English

Florence

Today we got an early start and went into Accademia. I felt dumb when I learned that the statue of David is of the David and Goliath David. That explains the stone and sling... Made it more interesting though and it's much bigger than I thought!

Then we walked across the Ponte Vecchio and found some delicious pizza for lunch. We ate as we made our way to Piazzale Michelangilio where we got a beautiful view of the whole city.
Afterwards, we headed back up to the Duomo and waited in line to go in. We got to go up to the very top. It was a long climb up but it's so neat to get a 360 view of Florence!

There are so many tourists here too. We've seen so much that it all jumbled up a bit. Also we've walked up and down more stairs than I can count. A lot of the history and art revolves around the Roman Catholic teachings. Some of it's a little graphic. Like the mural on the dome in the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore).

Since most museums/churches close at 5 we're going out for aperitif and then dinner.

Venice to Florence

This morning we walked around Venice before our train left. As we were walking, it started sprinkling... then it started pouring.... then hailing! We both were soaked from head to toe. We ducked into a restaurant close to our hotel and had a drink then picked up our luggage. By about noon the rain had stopped and it was hot/humid again.

We got to Florence in about 2 hours. Then got lost for like 30 minutes. It sucked and our backpacks are getting pretty full so now my shoulders hurt. We are staying at a B&B directly in the center of Piazza de San Lorenzo which is perfect for sight seeing.

We walked around to the Duomo, a few piazzas and Accademia but everything was closed or closing (between 5-6pm). So we got gelato, walked some more, then had dinner!

We're going to get a head start tomorrow so we see everything we want to.

PS. The food and gelato here are molto bene!

Venice

Last night we learned that 1. we are getting old and 2. college backpackers are the reason people hate tourists. Matt summed it us as "Damn kids can't handle their liquor.". Us old folks wanted to sleep at 10:30 cause we had a train to catch at 7:30. We were set back by yelling (very loud talking), broken bottles, and obnoxious backpackers.

Well we made it on the train at least and had 3 stops til Venice. Our first train was late so we missed the connection to the next. We waited for a later one which came in 5 minutes before our next train left. We ran to the platform and made it with 2 minutes to spare.

We're only staying in Venice until tomorrow afternoon so we have a lot of sight seeing to do in a short amount of time.

So, Venice is also kinda meh. It's really confusing to get around cause the streets twist and turn. There isn't free public information, you even have to pay for maps. Everything is expensive and it's pretty much like a big high end outdoor mall.

The architecture is beautiful, the food is good... and I did get gelato (twice).

Cinque Terre

We basically spent more than half the day in the train. We went from Nice to La Spezia and had 2 stops and train changes in between. We got to La Spezia at about 1:15 and had to be on another train to Riomaggiore (which is the first town in Cinque Terre) by 2. So we crossed our fingers and hoped for a room to be open.

We were lucky because we found a pretty cheap room overlooking the city! It's a decent hike up though. Our legs are a bit stronger because of all the walking we do. So we dropped off our bags and headed out! The walk between Riomaggiore and Manarola is called Via dell' Amore. It's beautiful and follows right along the coastline. After the first two cities we skipped to the fifth which is called Monterosso and were going to walk backwards but it started pouring rain! We grabbed some drinks and watched the first 30 minutes of the Italy/Spain soccer match.

Afterwards, we walked through Vernazza and had dinner. The food is phenomenal! And might I add that we finished a liter of wine, Farva. Because of the rain, we couldn't go to the middle city Corniglia.
The trains run at random times in between the cities. We had an hour wait until the train would take us through to our stop. To pass he time we talked with a group of 4 from Australia. Apparently they're are not kangaroos running around and it's a lot like the US! Except our summer/winter are flip flopped. They were very nice people and we ended up passing the time quickly.

We both wish we had more time here (and sunnier skies). There are lots of hiking trails, beaches, and cities in the mountains. It's definitely worth the stop!

Swim in the Mediterranean. Check.

This morning Matt and I went to the market for some rum, juice and snacks. Our mission for the day: relax on the beach. Despite how cold the water is, we still took a swim! It's best to just jump right in. We stayed there almost all day and then went back to the hotel to get ready to go out.

We went shopping for sunglasses for Matt. Then had apertif (which is like happy hour but with coffee - we definitely have the better idea and ordered beers like Americans) and ate dinner and watched more Euro 2012.

That's it!

Tomorrow we have to get up t 6:30 to get to the train station on time to La Spezia (Cinque Terre).

Nice is nice!

We left Marseille at around noon and arrived in Nice at 3. The train ride was nice along the French Riviera. We wish we had skipped Marseille and went to Cannes! It's beauuuuutiful there!!!

We got off the train in Nice and were at our hotel in about 15 minutes. We rushed upstairs, put in our swimsuits and walked across the street to the beach. It's a pebble beach so it's kinda weird to lay on at first but at least you don't get all sandy. after laying out we took a short walk along the beach up to Castle Hill. There are ruins of an old castle/fort there. It was beautiful because you could see the whole city.

We love it here! It's a little more expensive but man is it worth it. We stopped for happy hour, European soccer, and live music around 7 and have been taking it easy since then.

Meh

Yes! I found Arizona Iced Tea!!!

For the record, Americans are much nicer than Europeans. They are pushy and snobby. They've been nice up until we got here. Marseille is not somewhere we'd recommend... at least not until 2013 when all the construction and renovations are done.

The Chateau D'If is really pretty and the views are nice as well. There isn't much exciting history about it. It was a prison for a while and a fortress. They focus a lot in how it was the setting of the book The Count of Monte Cristo. Also they kept a rhino here. It was so windy that we could only stay an hour. At least we bought tickets to the other island.

The other island is called Ile De Frioul. The water is clear and turquoise like the Bahamas except not as warm! We found a little cove to eat lunch and relax in. It's a nice break from rushing around to see things.

We then walked up to some old remains of a fort. Not quite sure what it was for though. Then we walked down to another cove area. The weather and views are nice but it's really rocky and again kinda dirty. While we were laying out we saw a couple kids get in trouble for stealing bottles of Coca Cola. Nothing happened though, just an old guy chewed em out in French and took the bottles back.
We really don't know what else to do. It's about 5:30 and we're just walking around (while there's sunlight).

Needless to say, we are ready for Nice where we can lay out in the sand at the beach across the street from the hotel.

Paris to Marseille

This morning we packed up and headed off to catch a train to Marseilles. We stopped at a cafe before the train ride for some yummy crepes and lattes.

We jumped on a metro to a train station and ended up getting there early. Better safe than sorry though. The train ride was almost 4 hours long! I read a book and Matt pretty much slept! It was boring but we finally made it!

It's a lot different than Paris. It's way cheaper! But older. I don't know how I feel about it here. They're doing construction right on the port so that sucks. It makes it impossible to walk along the bay. On the flip side, the weather is so much nicer! Like San Diego.

Now dinner was delicious!!! We both had fish. Matt had salmon and I had bass. Mine had a face. It was the best food we've had the whole trip by far! We're going to walk around a bit then tomorrow go to a chateau on an island.

Versailles

Today we caught a metro out to see the Chateau de Versailles. When we got to the station the train was pulling in and everyone was running to catch it. I wasn't about to look like a crazy person like everyone else pushing people out of the way. So we waited for the next one.

Word of advice. If you're coming to Europe bring a warm coat. Don't pay attention to what the weather report says because it's probably wrong. We looked the day before we left and not one rain storm or dreary day was reported. But of course it's been freezing cold for more than half the trip! So learn from our mistake. Bring jeans, flats (cause your feet get dirty in sandals) and a warm jacket.

We got off the train and are now in a line to buy tickets. It's about an hour long. Then we need to go into another line that looks to be at least an hour as well. Good thing we packed sandwiches and chips! Being a part of the European Union definitely has its advantages. You get in for free at a lot of places. It's kinda irritating after you pay 50 euro. -_-

Walking through the actual chateau was neat. There were far too many people in there at ones though. We did have some time to read about each room and look at the extravagant decor. The gardens are a sight to see! They are massive! There are gardens within gardens and fountains in the center of each. We also went to Marie Antoinette's estate and her hamlet. Which is like a little village. After 5 hours here we are both super hungry and tired. Plus also we are craving In-N-Out.

We're gonna find some food and head back into Paris.