Ice Ice Baby

We are back. Back to the land of dollars, free bathrooms, pepperoni, traffic laws, and free refills. We are also back to a place where the standard-sized coffee no longer looks like this:



And then there is ice. Glorious ice. Europeans have no caught on to the idea, much to Josh's chagrin.

Weird what you miss, isn't it?

We are also back to our house and our beloved dog, and it feels good.

Our trip was fabulous, but there is truly no place like home.

Our Favorite Travelling Companion

Rick Steves.


In my experience on this trip, having a good travel guide is priceless. It has to have the right amount of all kinds of different information - practical things, history, architecture, where to eat, where to walk, etc. I don't just want summaries of all of the different sights, hotels, and restaurants. That is boring and overwhelming. What I need when I travel is for someone to be very unbiased and tell me what is REALLY important/exciting/interesting about an area. Oh, and lead me to some good eats.

We've decided that Rick's books are excellent take-along guides. We've now used his books in Holland, Rome, and now Florence, and are always whipping it out of our bag to find a restaurant, learn more about a church, or read up on the history of the area.

Also, prior to this trip, Josh downloaded all kinds of free audio guide podcasts to our ipods. We've enjoyed using them in the Lourve, The Pantheon, St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistene Chapel, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and today in a walk through Florence. Very informative, not too long, not too short, and only slighly cheesy. It was nice to see all of these things and learn a bit more about what we were seeing without having to pay for audio guides at every stop.

When In Rome

Do as the Romans do, right?

And the second night we were in town we discovered that Romans like to take a night time stroll.

The first night we got there I had an ugly cold and dropped by achy, sniffly, sneezy body into bed as soon as I possibly could. But with the help of an Italian pharmacist who could make out my hand gestures to mean I wanted a nasal decongestant, I was mostly good to go by the second evening.

I've never seen so many people - of all ages and classes - out at all hours of the night. Walking.



So that is what we did, and I'm so thankful. The city is beautiful and interesting by day, but at night it takes on a different sort of glow.

The Forum of Julius Ceasar

Nearby Trajan's Column

Victor Emmanuel II (first king of Italy) Monument, with the worldk's largest equestrian monument there in front.

My favorite, the Trevi Fountain. In general, I loved the fountains we came across all around Rome.

Buongiorno di Roma!

Hello from Rome! My history buff husband is loving this place, and I'm learning all about various Ceasars, The Republic, and the architecture of The Roman Forum as we go along.

What started out as a trip to a small Dutch town...

...ended up as an attempt to purchase and consume as many treats as possible in a one hour window.




Our first stop of the day was in Alkmaar, which is known for a popular cheese market. The travel guide called this town the "Wisconsin of Holland," because they're passionate about both beer and cheese there. I can attest to the cheese part. And what's cheese without bread? And why not throw in an apple tart? And they were selling REALLY BIG stroop waffles on our way out of town. Oh, and we had to try authentic boterkoek, right?





But let me just tell you, I'm in love with small town Holland. I want to move here, ride a bike, and eat lots of cheese forever and ever. Oh, and live in a house that looks like this:



Or this:



Yup, I like it here.

New Sunglasses

Dad: You look like my aunt. (This wasn't a compliment - she is old and rather heavy)
Ben: No, you look like an ant. Like - the bug.

The Infamous Eiffel Tower Pose

Anyone remember playing charades in college, when Josh performed this one?

And this was the scene when we were there:

Me: C'mon Josh, do the pose for me.
Josh: Oooooookaay. Just this once.
Me: C'mon Dad and Ben, you're in this picture too.
Dad & Ben: [groan]
[I quick snap the picture]
Ben: That's the worst thing I've ever done.