Roma: Day 3

So today was an absolute blast!! We woke up (semi-early) after having a night of almost no sleep. Funny, we thought our bodies were adjusted to the time change. Def NOT! Anyway, we had a great breakfast at the hotel; then we were off to see Ancient Rome. 

This was the part of our time here that I just couldn't wait to experience. Ever since 6th grade history with Mrs. Fogle, I've wanted to see the Coliseum. And ever since watching my girl Audrey in "Roman Holiday," I've wanted to see everything else :) LOL. 

We hopped on a tour bus and were off!! 

We started by St. Peter's Basilica which we had already seen, but today there were SO many people outside. We kept hearing people on our bus say "is he up there yet?" and Momma was like "Oh! I bet the Pope is going to come out and speak." Well folks, I got a pic of him on my camera. He's the blurry, white dot. LOL. Hey, it's the best I could do from FAR away and driving by. 

Our first stop was the Spanish Steps. While my goal was to eat gelato like Audrey, it was 10:30 am and it was simply too early for me to indulge. However, I did take a pic where Audrey stood. 

  

Next on our list was the Trevi Fountain. You know how you see places in movies and then you visit them. They are never as pretty as you think/hope. Well not true my friends for the Trevi Fountain. As you walked down towards the piazza, you can hear the rushing water. The anticipation builds! As we turned the corner, there it was. Simply GORGEOUS!!

We then hopped back on the bus, we were off to the Colosseum! Like O-M-G folks, this was the big one I had been waiting for. It was so cool!!! 

The Arch of Constantine was pretty cool as well. It reminded me of the Arch di Triumph in Paris. 

After we got back on the bus, we drove by a strip of land where they held chariot races. How cool?!

As we were driving along, I heard our tour guide say "Hop off here if you want to visit: blah-blah, something, or the mouth of truth." WHAT?!?! Okay, another Audrey moment. This was another "Roman Holiday" spot I wanted to hit, but it looked like it'd be too far away. I popped out of my seat and was like "Momma! We have to get off NOW!!" Needless to say, I got to put my hand the same place Gregory Peck and Miss Audrey did !!! So exciting!!

  

Our last stop on the bus tour was the Pantheon. Not much to look at from the outside (other than its sheer beauty and size) but the inside was a beautiful church. 

I've always wanted columns on my house... these should do just fine :)

Dinner was at Harry's Bar... and YUM-O!! Our pasta was homemade and it was delish. We also had tiramisu. It was my first time trying the dessert, and what better place than in ITALY?! yummy, yummy :)

P.S. Today's gelato flavors were peach and mixed berry. Man, I'm gonna miss this stuff! 

(okay, so we have it at the grocery at home, but still!)

Off to Florence tomorrow! Ciao! -E

Roma: Day 2

Well, we moved to our new hotel in Roma today (we flew over a day early so the other hotel was a last minute booking) and this hotel is AH-mazing. It's all about location, location, location... Don't be jealous, but we are literally 5 steps away from St. Peter's Basilica and Vatican City, but more on that later.

First, we had a delicious breakfast at the Yellow Bar and hopped in a cab to head to our aforementioned hotel. 

I was so excited when we walked into our room! It is much roomier (that's not saying much by European standards) and the bathroom is bright and the shower has a door!!! (rather than the curtain that stuck to you while you showered at the previous hotel) We unpacked a bit and then headed off to the Vatican Museums. 

As we walked I kept thinking, "We have nothing else on the agenda today, if we have to stand in line for a long time it'll be okay..." I am a worrier by nature (not a surprise to anyone that knows me) and I want everything to be perfect on this trip. As we entered the museum, and went through security, I noticed the museum was busy but not crowded. We went upstairs to purchase our tickets and walked right up to the ticket counter. No lines!! The tickets weren't too expensive, and because I'm a student, I got a discount... Thanks OCU!! What a pleasant surprise! Once we entered, there were quite a few people, but it was not cramped by any means. 

Our first destination was to B-line it to the Sistine Chapel. In case we ran out of time or any other unforseen issue should arise, we had to see Michelangelo's paintings. 

I was so enraptured by the artwork along the way; I will try not to overwhelm you will my photo-happy tendencies. I am so grateful for the emphasis on art in my World Civ class because I appreciated the art so much more. 

  

  

(Mere, I saw the aldergator and thought of YOU!!)

Inside the Sistine Chapel was absolutely astounding. No pictures were allowed, but honestly, it was unbelievable. To picture the time and energy spent on those paintings; the images are so detailed and to think he was on his back for majority of the time he spent working on the ceiling. Unreal. 

I  love Egyptian art, and would L-O-V-E to go to the Cairo Museum. There was some Egyptian art in the Vatican museums so we moseyed on over. There was a mummy in its sarcophagus. Gross, I know, but SO cool!!! There were also jars on display which stored the brain, lungs, stomach, and hmmm something else, maybe liver? after they were removed from the dead body. 

  

Oh, and we also found some hot men in Italy :)

Finally!! Someone tall enough!!

...She goes for the older men, 

he played a little hard to get, stone cold...

After we left the museum we were thirsty so we picked up a Coke Zero outside. Ugggh, they were $5 a piece. Becca, I promise I remembered your note about not buying anything near the Vatican because of the price, but girl I was parched!! 

Next, we went to "Old Bridge Gelateria." As if Becs' advice wasn't a good enough reason to go (which it was), the line sure did persuade us. Today, I got Nutella and Banana and Momma got Nutella and Pineapple. Mmmmmm, so good!!

  

We then walked to St. Peter's Basilica and went inside the mansion... I'm sorry, did I say mansion? I mean church. It was GI-NORMOUS!!! Now, I realize that's not a word, but it was THAT big. I literally cannot even describe all of the statues, paintings, etc., etc., etc. that were inside the church. Unreal. This is probably no big deal to some people, but we saw some nuns and monks outside the church as well. Pretty cool.

  

Oh, and we saw this hot Italian stud outside the church. Mama G, want me to bring him home for you?? :) LOL

Next, we walked around a market and did a little bit of cart-shopping (window-shopping in a market). 

What a great day! I took a 112 pics so feel blessed that you are not having to look at them all :)

Ciao! -E

Roma: Day 1

Okay, so I realize this is the second post in one day, but I just had to update the pics from tonight's walk around Roma. 

Well to start, I was taking pics outside our hotel and the guys at the restaurant started posting like high fashion models so I indulged them and became their personal paparazzi :)

Next, we happened upon the Piazza della Repubblica. The buildings were gorgeous and the fountain was breathtaking. 

The churches in Italy are beautiful. They are so ornate and the attention to detail is unbelievable. 

The Palazzo delle Esposizioni is a museum, we think, and check out the current exhibit BVLGARI... YES please!

Oh! And we tried authentic Italian Gelato!! YUM-O!! We got Melone and Nutella Creme. Like O-M-G. So good!!

  

Hold the phone, I thought I left California on Wednesday! Palm trees in the middle of Rome?

Little Miss Navigator... funny enough, this picture was not staged.

My sweet, sweet, beautiful Momma at dinner. And oh the dinner, may I please say YUM-O again?!

  

Ciao! -E

The start of our trip!!

Ciao fellow Americans! Our hotel in Roma has free internet access so I thought I would update with our travels thus far. We went to Barnes & Nobles and bought a few books of what to see and what to do in Rome, Florence, and Venice since we will be spending majority of our time in those 3 cities. (oh, and of course we got a book about shopping for good measure lol) Well, after packing way too much I'm sure, we were ready to head to Philadelphia!!

Quick side note, I have flown alot in my life. It comes with the territory, and luxury, of being a PK (pilot's kid) and I know how to pack so that I don't get stopped in security. I wear minimal layers, easy to slip-off shoes, and I don't even bother carrying liquids in my bag. So imagine my surprise when they say they have to search my bag. What in the world is in there?! The guy pulls out my computer outlet plug... seriously dude? But then, grr to give him credit, I already had the Italian adapter on it and it does kind of look like a weapon. And of course, my Momma found this to be the perfect time to whip out the camera and take a pic... using my own words against me "We have to document everything!!"

Once we arrived in Phili we had about 4 hours to kill so we walked around the terminal. If you have to spend a lot of time in an airport, it's a good one. 

And funny enough, we saw the Carolina Panthers' plane outside one of the windows. 

Pretty soon it was time to board the plane for Roma!! Wahhh!!! Momma got me a book while in Phili (Shoe Addicts Anonymous) and I love it. I read over half of it in like 3 hours on the plane. 

    

Well, we landed this morning and it was pouring rain. boo. But we made our way to the train and boarded. 30 minutes later we arrived at Roma Termini. The rain had stopped mostly, but there are definitely no ADA regulations here. Our hotel was only 300 metres from the station so we walked, but there are no ramps on the sidewalks. Nope, you have to lift (in our case, it's heave) your suitcase from the road level, over the curb, to reach the sidewalk. Whew. But we arrived at our hotel in no time. In order to get to the lobby, you have to go up a flight of stairs. That's right, I said it stairs. Oh, thank goodness there was no video camera around, I cannot imagine watching that sight. After we checked in, I asked about using the lift to go up to our room. The sweet front-desk attendant said "well you can use it if you want, it's on the first level." Now, their first level and our first level are different, clearly. The first level was up another flight of stairs. GIRL! Did you not hear us coming?! Of course we are taking that lift.

I must digress here for a moment and describe this lift to you. It is literally wide enough for my suitcase to fit "skinny" and me to slide in. It reminds me of the elevator Audrey (I know, I  know, Audrey again?!) uses in Charade. Real old-timey but cool :) And the view from our room is so pretty. It looks just like I thought Rome would :)

Anyway, that's pretty much all the updates for now :) 

About to shower and  head out for our first meal in ROMA!! 

Arrivederci! -E

Off to ITALY

Well the time has finally come! We leave tomorrow and are off to Italy for two weeks!! I cannot even wait! One of my goals is to eat gelato on the spanish steps, just like my girl Audrey in Roman Holiday. Don't forget me while I'm gone... Ciao! -E

Home Sweet Happiness

"Honey, I'm Hooooome!!" 

Well, I'm back on the East Coast and so happy to be home. It was a rough journey to get here. I took the red eye out of LAX on Wednesday night to Pittsburgh. Because of Papas' job as a pilot and all my experiences flying, I do not have any trouble hopping on a plane. That being said, I knew something was wrong when after an hour into the flight I had the urge to check the seat pocket in front of me for a sick sack. I'll spare you the details but let's just say that for two hours the lavatory was my BFF. 

I arrived in Pittsburgh at 5:40 am and my flight to Charlotte was at 7:23 am. I did not think I was going to get on that flight b/c the flight was oversold and I fly space available. At this point I was so weak and exhausted, all I wanted to do was curl up in the airport or snap my fingers and be home. All this in-between stuff was no bueno. Momma was strongly urging me, via text message, to drink some sprite so that I would not become dehydrated, but let me tell ya the thought of food or drink made my stomach whirl, and it didn't need ANY help with that!! "Newton, please see the agent at the counter." What?! I'm getting on the flight?! Score!! I heaved my bags onto my shoulder and trudged over to the  agent (mind you, I had to pretend everything was hunky dory b/c otherwise they would not have let me on the plane...) and looked at my seat assignment 18F, the window... As I walked down the jetway I started round 86 of my "please Lord" praying, "Lord, please please please please help me get through this flight without getting sick." 

When I got on the plane, the sweetest couple was sitting next to me. I stuffed my two bags under the seat and snuggled up to fall asleep, praying all the while. I was sandwiched into my seat and there was no getting out. "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport." What?! I made it!!

I walked into the terminal and broke down in tears for the first time when I saw my Daddy (papas in other references here... a story for another time, lol). I immediately buried my face in his chest and started sobbing. As we walked to baggage claim, we stopped to buy me a Sprite. When we got home, Momma tucked me into bed and I slept for 12 hours.

I finally woke up when Daddy came to check on me and I told him how nice it was to be sick when you're home... you know you have people that will take care of you. Sometimes it's nice to be a kid again and truly need your parents' love and care. 

Friday Update: Well after a few more hours of sleep, I am feeling  much better... almost myself again. Off to a fabulous Friday in Charlotte! It's good to be home!!

-E

I'm on an art kick...

Last night... after FAR too many hours of blog-surfing... I found this site. These posters are AH-mazing, and I really want to order a couple for my abode :)

LA: To represent my current home

NYC: To represent the hopes of my future home

DC: To represent my love for this city and the memories made their.

And the best part?! They are affordable! Other cities include: Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, the Great Lakes, Phili, San Francisco, Seattle, and a few more... check it out!! -E