vatican city

Did you think we made a trip to Rome without a visit to Vatican City? We actually spent two days there.

We had a tour of the Vatican scheduled for 1:30 so we had time in the morning to climb to the top of Castel Sant'Angelo, initially built as a mausoleum for Roman Emperor Hadrian. Later it was used by the Popes as a fortress and castle. You could still see the Passetto di Borgo, an elevated escape route for the Popes linking Vatican City to the Castel.

Unfortunately, the Pope didn't pop out to say Buongiorno - he was out of town.

We missed the Queen in London and Pope... we really need to schedule these trips better!

Why did we spend two days here? After our tour of the Vatican, we were shot. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we wished we could appreciate the art more because she explained each painting very... very... thoroughly. The tour was supposed to last 2 hours and then leave time to see the Sistine Chapel. But after 3 hours we were still on the tour and our feet were tiiired so we decided to return in the morning to see St. Peter's Basilica. The picture below, on the right, is a view to the altar after you enter. I can really say this place was breathtaking; intricate and covered in marble.

Another huge highlight of the trip was that my randomly selected college roommate from freshman year (yeah, we are still friends) was on her honeymoon and happened to be in Rome for two of the nights we were there! We were able to meet up with her and her husband to eat at one of the best local Italian restaurants. No menu, no English, tons of food and wine - perfect! We stayed so long that we shut the place down! The restaurant was close to Vatican City so we were able to see it at night time. It was so strange to see it so peaceful after seeing it buzzing with people during the day.

 Back to St. Peter's in the morning dressed in covered knees and shoulders again!

Since we clearly hadn't had enough walking yet, we decided to climb the 551 steps to the top of the dome! The first 231 weren't so bad; a gradual upgrade in a wide (key word) spiral. You were able to take a rest at the roof before tackling the next 320. Holy claustrophobia! That stairway was TIGHT! And not only that but it was slanted inward as you moved further up. Memories of the Arnold's Park tipsy house were flashing through my mind. To make matters a little worse, it was pretty hot in there without any windows. There was no time for a mini-panic attack because there was a continuous line of people in front of you and behind you. No way out! My chest is getting tight right now as I type this. I think we'd pick a different 360 view if there was a next time. The space at the top of the dome was actually very small, but it's fun to say we did it! Now that it's over and done with!

Ciao Roma!

playing gladiator

An obvious must-see was the Coliseum. The line to enter was almost a third of the way around it, but thankfully we had heard about a Roma Pass and purchased one for each of us so we marched to the front of the line and they let us in! I couldn't believe it! Why wasn't everyone buying these? It got you reduced admission to a few things around the city, free admission to the first two of your choice, and free use of public transportation. Come on, isn't that a no brainer? Ok - so we didn't use it other than the Coliseum so I guess maybe people didn't want to spend the money. But immediate admission instead of waiting in line all day is worth a few extra dollars to me!

We purchased an audio guide, but to be honest it was too thorough to listen to. Mark agreed.

It was really crazy to think that this had been built 2000 years ago, especially while walking around inside. The engineer in Mark was telling me all about how it was done without mortar; just stones stacked together equally until one was left to hold it all together. Smart guy.

The Roman Ruins were nearby so we skipped (that's a lie - Mark skipped while I was dragging my feet) across the street to check them out. While strolling through, we wondered what this looked like in its prime.

 On our last night in town, we made our way back to the Coliseum at dusk...

 Overall, Rome was a great visit. We both agreed that it wouldn't be a place we'd return to; there are too many other cities we'd like to see.

roamin' roma

A couple weeks ago we hopped back on a flight and headed for Italy! Rome was a city Mark really wanted to visit and I can't say I minded. I didn't really know what to expect but colorful architecture, narrow streets and fantastic food were some of my favorites that we discovered.

The first night we headed out for dinner we ended up in a restaurant lined with wine! From front to back the restaurant looked like the picture above. The wine menu was the most overwhelming thing I'd ever seen - it was in a three ring binder and had to be at least 100 pages! We miraculously picked a good one, but can you really go wrong? After you made your selection, they grabbed the wine with a long claw-like thing and the nets at the bottom were in case it dropped because people were sitting below.

 Another great thing about the city is there were water fountains everywhere! In the middle of plazas, on the streets, everywhere... and it was drinkable! People flocked to fill water bottles or just cool off with a splash on their face. Somehow the one above wasn't too busy when we walked by.

If you didn't know, Mark is notorious for wanting to see as much as possible as soon as possible and I am still learning about this travel business so I like things a little laid back and slower paced. Did I ever mention he kept me up for 23 hours our first day in London? Why didn't anyone warn me about this? I made him promise we wouldn't see all the sites on day one, but by the end of the weekend, I think we saw everything. We stumbled upon the Pantheon first...

 stopped by Trevi Fountain...

and walked the Spanish Steps.

I think we ate enough pasta to feed an army and pizza too! The Italians eat a little differently than the French...
so... much... food... We kept our wallets close and managed to avoid any pick-pocket situations like we'd been warned about. By the end of the weekend, I did get pretty sick of the street vendors trying to get you to buy something though.
I was thankful to return to our peaceful, little, slow-paced city!

les vieilles charrues

Mark and I decided to act like we were still in college and attend the largest musical festival in France - Les Vieilles Charrues this past weekend. We were not the oldest, but we were definitely not the youngest! It seems French kids party just like American kids, but they have some weird obsession with giving each other tattoos with permanent markers? Maybe that's cool now in the states too and I'm just not aware. The big act on Friday was Elton John and I would have DIED to see him but he cancelled his tour two weeks ago - nooooo! I will see him someday, just in a field full of French people would have been a fantastic way! Enjoy a few snapshots!

 Mark finally got a hot dog!
He also must have looked extra French because he was like a magnet to anyone who had a question!
Désolé. Je parle un peu le français (Sorry. I speak a little French) was the phrase of the weekend.

 The festival attracts 200,000 people! On Friday night, there were 65,000 during this French pop act!

 Oh yeah, we camped! This was the only picture we got before the phone died. I have no idea how many tents there were, but we were in campsite 11 of 12 and we arrived on Friday afternoon! It took us at least 15 minutes just to walk to our tent from the start of the campground.

 Wonder why the French are healthy? Because they give hungover kids a box of fruit instead of donuts for breakfast WITH fresh squeezed orange juice! That whole box was only 6euro!

The French also like dressing up for anything... or so I'm told. There were a lot of really crazy costumes! Overall, it was a great time but we were both really looking forward to a shower and real bathroom yesterday when we returned!

bon mercredi

our July is so busy; it's nice to take time to relax and say goodnight to another day.

happy mid-week!