Monday, September 15 Our first day trip. We could have taken a 120 euro, 12-hour tour to Siena and surrounding Tuscany, but we didn’t. Instead, we took the 6-euro Rapido bus to Siena. Just past the Firenze train station, I saw the Deanna pasticceria that I took Deanne’s picture in front of 24 years ago. … Continue reading Charlie’s Angels, Siena, and laundry night →

Sunday, September 14 Up early to get to our Michelangelo’s David reservation by 9. Our hotel breakfast wasn’t prepared, so we ate at a piazza restaurant, and made the mistake of sitting outside as they suggested rather than standing at the bar like the locals. Very expensive coffee, tea, and omelette mozzarella paninis. David was … Continue reading The big David and a slow day →

Saturday, September 13, 2008 A rainy morning, a taxi ride, and the train station. We’re leaving Rome. A super speedy train took us north to Firenze in less than two hours. We shared the train ride with a couple from North Carolina. He’s a retired Viet Nam vet – he used to dye socks and … Continue reading Roma to Firenze →

Today we took it easy – we only walked about four hours. We walked across a bridge toward our Internet café and into the Jewish Ghetto. The buildings were ancient and remarkably, in great condition and still serving as homes. Ancient Roman ruins dotted the area. I ate a falafel and Shelly had a chicken … Continue reading Our last day in Rome →

I love the water fountains located all over Rome. It's really hot here, I drink a lot of water, and bottled water costs a lot of Euros. But for the Rome leg of our trip, all you need is a water bottle and the luck to run into one of these free water stations, and … Continue reading Ode to the Roma water fountain →

The metro took us to Piazza del Popolo. Shelly’s list included a bunch of restaurants my mom gave us. Naturally, we couldn’t find any of them. And the deli she told us about was back by the Vatican. No way. We settled on a place that had a bunch of salads on the menu – … Continue reading After the Vatican, it’s a long way home →

Wednesday, September 10 Tuesday night, arrival night was a blur. Met the owner of our apartment, gave him some euros, and in return got keys, the instructions for the washer (no dryer), the air conditioner, and the gas stove.  Fair trade.  Oh, and he told us to put out the trash every night, in plastic … Continue reading Our first full, very full day in Roma →

Monday September, 8 “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” just so happened to be the best part of the British Airways flight from SFO to Heathrow. I’d wanted to see the movie, Shelly didn’t, so personal screens on the plane made this a reality. We got the edited version, no full frontal shots, but the setup still worked. … Continue reading SFO to Heathrow to Roma →