Roman Holiday

There's far too much to say about our day in Rome so I can only give you a fraction of what it was really like.

On the list of what we saw today: Vatican museums, St. Peter's, the Sistine Chapel, the Coliseum, Roman Forum, Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and about 200 other monuments, obelisks, statues, and really old buildings that I have already forgotten the names of.

If that doesn't make you tired, add a steady rainfall into the mix. After 9 hours out and about, my pants are wet up to my knees and I am ready for an early night.

Rome is a dirty, crazy, graffiti-covered city. But If you can look past all the chaos, there are treasures around every corner. We saw lots of old things and then lots of ancient things. Buildings that are still standing after 2000 years made completely by hand with no computers or modern equipment. I am not sure we could do that today if we tried!

I am off to try to warm up and dry off. Tomorrow we head to Venice. Not sure what the Internet situation will be, but I will post again as soon as I can.

Pictures: inside and outside the Coliseum, the dome of St. Peter's and the canopy underneath. (My phone forgot to get off the bus when I did, so pics of other things will have to wait until I come home.)

Mamma Mia!

Apparently the Europeans don't believe in the Internet! I haven't had access for the part few days and am actually paying for some now do I can get caught up. There is so
Much to tell, I don't know where to start!

We took 2 gondolas and a cable car up Mt. Pilatus in Lucerne. The view was like nothing I have ever seen. I am not sure the pictures do it justice, but I am putting some in anyway. I enjoyed Lucerne. It is a town of only about 60,000. Very quaint. And we got coupons at the hotel for a free Rolex!! It is bright and shiny...and a spoon!

Lugano was not particularly beautiful, but we weren't there long enough for it to matter. Had a lake cruise and fabulous dinner at a lakeside restaurant. Then left early the next morning for Italy. I held up the Tower in Pisa and managed to avoid all the scary people who follow you around trying to sell you things! Yikes!

We had a traditional dinner in Florence. Man, the Italians like to eat! Last night was a 4 course dinner. Tonight in Rome we had a 5 course dinner. Of course it takes 2 hours to eat, and the food is good, bug I am glad for all the walking we do!

Florence is a beautiful city. Saw David. Wow. That's a must see. You can even see the veins in his hands! Had a local woman who toured us around. She had great stories about all the sculptures and artwork. I feel like I never get to see quite as much as I hope, but what we have seen is pretty amazing. Flavia, our guide, told us how new Florence is - dating only back to 50 BC. Just a spring chicken!

Had a lesson in leather and gold, both of which Florence is known for. Got to model a 1690€ leather jacket! It will not be coming home with me, but my credit card is tired and needs a break!

Got into Rome this evening and dic a driving tour and a huge dinner: prosciutto with melon and bruschetta, lasagna, rigatoni, chicken with potatoes, salad, and gelato. There were also musicians and a very Italian waiter who gave roses and kisses to all the girls - and some of the guys! I would post pictures of the food but it would fill up the whole blog!

Tomorrow we spend the day in Rome. Can't wait! I will post again tomorrow night. Then we head to Venice. I will post again as soon as I have access!

Pictures are of: top of Mt. Pilatus, the Italian waiter, Florence, and me with my rose.

Crossing the Border

We left Paris this morning just as it was starting to rain. I didn't get to see everything I wanted in Paris and wish I had another day or two. But I am also glad to have a day to rest and head to our next stop.

We spent most of the day on the bus traveling through France. The country side is just what I always pictured. It is very green and hilly with small towns nestled here and there. Except for the castles and vineyards that popped up in Burgundy, it looked a lot like Holmes County! Lots of sheep and cows and fields. We saw lots of canola fields - they are bright yellow and beautiful.

We crossed the Swiss border mid afternoon. It is like there is a wall between the two countries. As soon as you cross into Switzerland the landscape and people change drastically. It has it's own kind of beauty which is very different from France. The Alps are amazing! They are like no other mountains I have ever seen.

Lucerne is a very small town compared to Paris. It is quaint and quiet, surrounded by a lake and the Alps. Tomorrow we take the gondolas up to the top of Mount Pilatus (pee-la-toos). Then time to wander a bit more before we head to Lugano. I don't have Internet here so I will have to post this tomorrow. Until then...

Paris - Third Time is the Charm

Well, today I fell in love with Paris! It really is an amazing city. We spent the morning touring around on the bus with a local guide. He was VERY French! We didn't get to get off the bus much this morning, but we did see pretty much everything!

We got to go up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. (Carrie - no, I didn't lick it!). Pretty cool view from up there. Check out the picture of the bathroom - you knew I would know where to find one! Have made friends with a girl from Australia who is traveling alone as well. Met more people today. Some really great people from all over the world.

I skipped the expensive trip to Versailles so I could go to the Louvre. Wow. What a place. I even took the Metro all by myself and didn't get lost. Well, I sort of got lost once but I was still underground at the time so I decided it doesn't count. It turns out when there is a down arrow, it means go up. Do you have any idea how long I looked for another staircase?!?! By the way, these guys in uniform are everywhere. With big automatic weapons. Can't decide if that makes me feel more or less safe!

Walked to Notre Dame but decided I didn't want to stand in line anymore. So I took a few pics and came home. Ready to veg then find some supper.

Tomorrow we head to Switzerland and will be on the bus most of the day. Not sure if I will have much to say or not, but I am sure I will think of something!

Paris, Take Two

After I enjoyed a quick nap in the hotel, I did a little more wandering. Then came back to meet the group. Our tour guide, Kees, is from the Netherlands and is fabulous! He has a great sense of humor. There are actually more people my age on this trip than I expected. I would guess at least half are under 45. There are people from the US, Canada, Phillipines, New Zealand, Australia, and Hong Kong. It seems to be a nice mix.

We had dinner on a boat (that didn't move unless other boats bumped it - which happened a LOT!).

Thought I should throw in an Eiffel Tower pic, too. Its actually the view from the front door of our hotel. We just got back from a night drive to see the lights. Paris is already growing on me! Wish I had more time!

Bonjour!

After a bit of an adventure at the Dulles airport (stuck on the plane at the gate for over an hour so they could remove "suspicious" luggage from the plane), I arrived in Paris this moning around 7am. I was promply stuck in the back of a cab and rushed (and I do mean rushed!) to the hotel. I am so glad I am not responsible for driving around here. I don't know how anyone survives! I don't know what the conversion rate of miles and kilometers is, but we hit 180!


I dropped off my luggage at the hotel and headed out. Our hotel is about a block from the Eiffel Tower! I strolled along the Seine for a few miles just looking around. Paris is an interesting city. You walk past a 400 year old buiding and run into graffiti stained sculptures and trash piles. The architecture is amazing! The trash and dirt is not. I wish I could just wander into all the buildings and poke around. I didn't have my phone on me so I don't have any pictures to post at the moment. But, I will - I promise!

It was a bit chilly, so I stopped in for a tour of the Musee D'Orsay to warm up and rest my legs. If you are into Impressionism, this is the place to be. Lots of Degas and Monet, Pisarro and Surrat. I was most impressed by the number of Rodin sculptures. Plus the building is amazing! It is an old train station and worth the cost of admission just to see the building.

I am back at the hotel for now. I was planning on staying up until bedtime, but I am caving. If I can just sleep for an hour, I will be good to go. That still gives me time to hit the streets again and meet up with my tour group for dinner.
More later - with pictures!

The Trip of a Lifetime - April 2012

Well, I won't really be seeing London this time around.  But I will be seeing a lot of other amazing places for the first time - six countries in two weeks!  Holy cow!!!!!!  You can see the full itinreray here if you are curious: Globus Journeys.

The planning process has been going on for months.  Even though most of the trip is planned for me, I have tried to do a little light reading to prepare myself.  I love to know the history of things, and I admit my European history knowledge is a bit lacking.  I also have a free day in Paris before the tour officially starts, and I sure don't want to waste it in the hotel!  Check out the pile (some from the library & some from friends and colleagues who have been there):

 I hope this blog will make staying in touch easier while I am on my trip.  I will try to update it every night - assuming I am not out enjoying wine with my (hopefully) new friends!