Italy

The day we left Switzerland and headed into Italy was a bitter sweet day for Steve and I.  We were very sad to leave Brigit, Wolfgang, and Rayan but at the same time we were excited to go to Italy. Thank you Kim for giving us a place to stay for a week in Rome.  You have always been very supportive and encouraging to me and also of  Steve and my dreams.  Your kind heart and generosity is greatly appreciated. <3   Before we left on our trip, Italy was one of the places I was most excited to see in Europe. You all know how much I like Italian food, so I was extremely excited to indulge in the real thing--fresh pasta, pizza, and gelato, oh my!.  ;-) I was also looking forward the old architecture and romantic night life.

The day we traveled to Rome was not only emotional because we had to leave Brigit and her family, but it was just a hard day all around.  We made reservations for the two trains we needed to get to Rome.  It was a good thing we did too because that day was the first day of vacation for European students.  The trains were packed with rowdy college students who were excited to finally be out.  I totally get it!  Most of them had a 6 pack of beer with them to start celebrating their couple months of freedom, while traveling to their chosen vacation spot.  When we boarded the train we realized we had seats that were not together.  Usually this wouldn't be a problem because there would be enough seats to change or people would happily move.  This time it was a problem because there were more people on the train than the train had seats for and people were sitting in seats they did not reserve.  Long story, longer, we ended up sitting on the floor in the hallway of the dinning cart.  It was terrible!  I got really bad motion sickness and it was so stinking hot!  The air conditioning, if it was on, did not make a dent in the body heat of the over packed cars. To top everything off, our train was an hour late pulling  into the station and we missed our connecting train! The minute we got off we ran to the costumer service line and explained our situation and had them re-issue us tickets (seats next to each other) for the next train to Rome.  Although I was sick and tired, we were able to think fast and get our new tickets. Good thing we did too because in a matter of minutes the customer service line was so long and the trains were already packed we probably wouldn't have gotten available tickets until the next day.

The next train was nicer.  It definitely had air conditioning and was not overly packed to the point where people didn't have seats.  There was however another little snapfoo. Because the customer service office was working like crazy to re-book tickets for people, they double booked my seat.  This time I was not giving in and not budging.  I didn't care how mad the person got (and this lady was pretty irate).  She went and got the train stewardess and we had to give them our tickets.  Thankfully she escorted the lady to an open seat in another cart. After that happened the rest of the train ride was nice.  We watched a movie on our ipad and just relaxed until we arrived in Rome.  

When we got out of the train station we caught the underground and then needed to connect with a public bus to get to our Hotel.  It was dark when we got off the metro and there was no central bus station or area to catch the bus we needed.  We tried asking people but nobody knew where our bus was, not even the other bus drivers and they usually do.  It was so frustrating.  We did end up finding the bus stop and had to wait another hour for the bus to arrive.  Our directions said we needed to go 6 stops and then get off to walk to the hotel, but the driver did not stop at every stop. He just blew through them if no one was there and no one inside the bus pushed the stop button.  I am so glad I was looking out the window and caught that early on or we would have gone way past our stop. When we did get off, the directions did not really tell us how to get to the Hotel.  All it said was that we needed to walk 10 minutes.  With the travel day we already had, this was just the icing on the cake.  It was very late and no one was around to ask. Thankfully, I don't know how we found the little side street we needed, but we found it.  When we got to the Hotel, there was only a car gate entrance.  I tried pressing the button to talk to someone so they could let us in and no one answered.  I walked around a bit to see if there was another way to get in but there wasn't.  Finally I saw someone come out of a near by apartment building and they told us we had to push the button twice and the staff would unlock the door.  It would have been helpful had they mentioned that on their website or in their confirmation letter.  We got inside and thankfully the woman at the front desk was very nice or she would have dealt with the wrath of a very grumpy Jenn. (No one should have to endure that.  If you have, you know it is not the nicest experience.  lol)  The lady even called and made us a reservation at a nice restaurant down the street so we could get something to eat.  It was late but they would still take us.  We went upstairs put our things away and went to dinner.  When we got back our tummies were nice and full, we had calmed down, Steve sampled a bit of the red wine and we went right to sleep.  

This is the restaurant that fed us even though it was late.  I love their logo.  Isn't it cute?

Appetizers mostly eaten.  One was fresh mozzarella and prosciutto and the other was bruschetta.  The appetizers in and of themselves were plenty of food.  I don't know how we fit the main course and dessert into our stomachs but we did :)  

Steve guarding his food with his life because he was so hungry.  lol

Sampling the local wine :)  Happy, Happy, Happy Steve

I was much happier after we ate but I was going to eat every last bite.  No sharing!  I know sharing is caring but I was not going to share this meal.  ;-)  There is nothing like comfort food after a stressful day. (I know that is bad but it is true)

Dessert

The next day was a new day and we were able to appreciate everything a lot more than the day before.  Our hotel was very nice and I just wanted to stay in and relax. I think we deserved a down day after the nightmare we had the day before.  We ate breakfast, walked around our neighborhood, enjoyed the pool, read and all in all just chilled the whole day.  It was the following day that we went out and explored Rome. We had a day of relaxation and then we had a long day out on the town.
When I said we explored Rome, we really did walk around the whole city in one day.  Did I mention we WALKED everywhere?  Well, in case you didn't catch it, we WALKED around the whole city!   In hind sight, maybe we could have done a little on both days verses saving it all for one day.  lol  Oh well.  :-)  We left the hotel about noon and we started our tour at the Basilica Papale Santa Maria Maggiore.  This is the largest church in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  Then we headed to the Basilica di San Giovanni In Laterano.  This was the first Christian Church in Rome and also the pope's residence until the 14th century.  Both Steve and I found this church to be very overwhelming.  There is so much going on that it was hard to really appreciate anything.   There were many paintings and statues and gold everywhere you turned. It was very cluttered and over stimulating.

Basilica Papale Santa Maria Maggiore : It is said that the Virgin Mary herself  appeared to Patrician John (Roman senator) and Pope Liberious, through a dream, and asked them to build a church in her honor in a location she would miraculously show them.  In the morning the Esquiline Hill was covered in snow.  They took this as their sign.  The pope drew the outline of the soon to be church in the snow and John financed the church's construction.

This church also contains part of the wood used in the manger Jesus slept in after he was born.  You can't see it but the well lit area that the praying figure is facing is where the remains of the manger is held.  

 Basilica di San Giovanni In Laterano

The entrance is on this side of the church.  Not as glorious as the first picture but still nice.  

See what I mean?  There is a lot going on in this church.  

On the way to Terme Di Caracalla we stopped at a little bakery that was recommended in the Lonely Planet book for having really good and cheap Neapolitan style pizza (thick crust).  It was a bit out of our way but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. We walked a ways to get there but we were happy when we finally arrived.  Their pizzas where pre-made in sheets with no sauce and very little if any cheese. They cut a piece off for you and you paid by weight.  It is not made for you whole and fresh to order like we are used to. Steve tried the potato pizza (just bread and potato and oil) and I had the veggie pizza with zucchini and carrots. The pizza, to me, was nothing to really write home about, but the shop itself was pretty amazing. They made amazing pieces of art with bread dough. :)

Lunch

Aren't these dough sculptures amazing??!!?!

 

 

After we ate our pizzas we went out and tried to find Terme Di Caracalla.  This was the second largest bathes in Rome, built to be a beautifully modern, it was a popular place to go in AD217. There was 25 hectare baths with decorated pools and could hold about 1,600 people.  There was also gymnasiums, libraries, shops and gardens. On our way there Steve and I got a bit frustrated at each other as we both tried to navigate. ;-) It felt like we were walking around in circles and we were getting lost with each turn.  It didn't help that it was boiling hot and I really had to use the bathroom.  (side note:  I don't think people in Rome ever use the bathroom.  There are no public bathrooms anywhere!!!!!  We came across a couple WC and when we got close we saw a sign saying they were closed.  I don't know what the locals do but it is pretty ridiculous.)  We did finally make it but we were so tired, it was getting late, and there were more things on our list we wanted to accomplish before dark, so we appreciated it from the outside as we walked by.
The next thing on the list for the day was the Basilica Di San Pietro in Vincoli. On our way there we were going to pass by the Colosseum.  We were reserving this landmark for a day in which we had more time, but that didn't stop us from taking a picture or two and stopping to use their restroom :)

Terme Di Caracalla

The Arch of Constantine:  This arch is a monument to remember Constaintine's victory over Maxentius at the battle of Milvian Bridge.

The Colosseum

You may be asking yourself,  "What is in the Basilica Di San Pietro in Vincoli that is so fascinating that we would rush by the Colosseum and not take time to appreciate the site?"  Well, this church has two memorable artifacts inside; the chains worn by St. Peter before his crucifixion but is most known for being the home of  Michelangelo's 'Moses' statue.  It was pretty impressive.  I don't know how they made such beautiful sculptures out of stone like they did back then.  Michelangelo had more talent in his little finger than most of our modern artists have in their whole body (don't hate me if you are an artist, it is just a personal opinion).

 This church seemed a bit darker than others we had visited.  Look at the pictures below.  They have the grim reaper and skeletons.  It was creepy and gave us the willys.

 

I liked this little angel lamp.  It made me feel peaceful after looking at the skeletons above.  :)

Peter's chains

Michelangelo's Moses

Close up of Moses

Moses was finally looking at us and we got a good picture.  Boy he is so distracted by all the tourists.    

After visiting with Moses, we started walking to the the Fontana Di Trevi.  Along the way we stumbled upon some other important places.  The first was a charming little cafe/bakery.  Well, you all know my weakness for baked goods and honestly, I was missing my chocolate cakes.  The sweets in Europe are good but I missed homemade cakes and chocolate chip cookies so much! Something caught my eye and I just wanted to peak in ;-)  As I was admiring the shelves lined with yummy goodies, the rich chocolatey brownie began jumping up and down, twirling in the air, and singing my name.  Well when that happens, you really can't ignore it, so it got to come with me when I left.  :)  Oh My Goodness!!!!!  This was the best brownie I have ever had!!!!!!!!!!  I honestly don't even know how to explain it and do it any type of justice.  I don't even know if I will ever be able to replicate it at home.  It was so exquisite.  Mmmmmmm, I wish I had one right now.  :)

 Okay, Okay, enough about that. We also walked by some ruins and gazed at their beauty.  We stopped and watched a street artist make some portraits of the Colosseum using spray paint as the medium. She was really good.  We were amazed at how fast she made each painting.  It was just layer upon layer of spay paint that didn't seem like it was going to turn out well until the last moment and then she pulled it all together.  I was totally fascinated.  When we rounded the corner we laid eyes upon Rome's Parliament Building.  This is a pretty extraordinary building.  Both Steve and I were in awe of the craftsmanship.  We weren't sure what it was at first because we didn't set out to see it and therefore it wasn't on our list, but we knew by the look of it, it was an important building.  Then we got closer and saw what it was.  I loved all the statues around this building.  It was beautiful.

This is what we saw as we rounded the corner

 Cool sculptures on the Parliament Building

Front of the Parliament Building

After a while we continued on and came across this street market.  We stopped at one of the little shops that sold silver jewelry.  The shop owner's name was Anne. She was so cute and a really good sales women.  We chatted with her for a while and in the end Steve bought me a lovely Amber bracelet.  He is so sweet.  <3

Anne in her shop.  Can't you just see how friendly and bubbly she was from this picture?

Turns out the Fontana Di Trevi was right down the street from Anne's little booth.  We headed over and fell in love.  It was glorious.  It was packed with people and surrounded by huge buildings so it looked a little out of place.  This fountain deserved its own garden where people could have relaxing and romantic picnics while enjoying the view.  It was pretty phenomenal during day light hours and it made me want to see it at night too, so we decided we would come back here for sure.  On the same street we also saw a sign that said "Happy Hour Lasagna" so maybe we could make it a dinner date  :)
Close by the fountain was a ice cream shop we read about that made homemade gelato.  Since that is Steve's weakness, and he indulged my chocolate brownie episode, we headed that way and I treated him to a nice cup of gelato.  He chose to get Banana flavor and it was heavenly.  He enjoyed every single bite (minus the small sampling I had. hehehehe).

The Fountain of Trevi 

Happy Happy Happy :)  (Look at the guy to our right, your left.  Isn't he funny looking? He doesn't look super happy to be there.  lol  He doesn't even know he is in our photo but his expression is classic.)

We found Pinocchio.  After all this time you would think he would have learned not to tell lies but I guess not.  Steve had to give him a firm talking to.

It was starting to get dark now and we still had two sites left on the list so we hurried on.  We walked over to the Pantheon but it was closed so we put that on our list for another day and headed over to the Spanish Steps.  I don't know why I wasn't as impressed by this site as I thought I would be.  It just wasn't what I was expecting I guess--it was a little bit of a let down.  I think the pictures they have available on postcards are much better than what is actually there. We had had a long day and we were both very tired so we headed back to the hotel.  I think we got home about 10pm.  I wasn't kidding when I told you we walked the whole city.  We walked for almost 10 hours straight minus the bus and metro ride to get into the city center and back to our hotel.  It was one very, Very  LONG day!  I am sure you are exhausted just reading about it  (I won't take it personally if you need a break too, I know we certainly did.)  . By the time we got back to the hotel, both of us could hardly walk.  lol  Needless to say, we slept really well this night.

Cool fountain outside the Pantheon.  

The Pantheon.

This is the Trinita dei Monti Church.  It is the building at the top of the Spanish Steps

The next day we decided to go to the Vatican.  We hadn't spent a lot of money going into museums in Europe because that would all add up to be a pretty penny.  Plus, if we can be honest, the money would be lost on us.  Steve and I like looking at pretty things but we don't really know how to appreciate art like an art lover would.  We would pay the money and be in and out within a mater of minutes and it would be a shame. All that being said, one of the main things I was really looking forward to seeing in Rome was the Vatican.  I have wanted to see it for a long time, so we splurged and went.  (Thank you Amelia for buying us these tickets!)  We pre-bought tickets at our hotel so we would not have to stand in the long line outside in the blazing sun.  They told us where to meet outside St. Peters at a certain corner and then the organization would take us around the back side to the Vatican entrance.  When we got there we could not find the meeting point.  I asked a police officer if he knew where the meeting point was because they said we couldn't miss it.  He directed us to a place down the street.  It seemed a bit odd because it was not where the map indicated but I thought maybe it had moved or I read the map wrong.  So we walked to the end of the street and asked again.  This time they pointed to a double-decker tour bus.  We went over and the lady a the door looked at our tickets, gave us head phones and told us to go in.  Now, my assumption was that she let us on the bus so we must have been in the right place.  I thought maybe the bus was talking us around to the back side of the Vatican.  If we weren't in the right place she would have said something right?WRONG!!!!!!!! The bus started out and took us further and further away  from the Vatican and toured us all around the city instead.  When we stopped at one of the bus stops, Steve asked the driver about this and he said we still had another 40 minutes drive around the city before the bus returned to the Vatican.  I was so irritated!  It was going to take us right back to the place we originally started.  The driver said the lady collecting tickets shouldn't have let us on board because we had a different ticket.  The good news was we got to listen to the tour and it was a nice explanation and history of everything we saw the day before.  When we returned to St. Peters square they told us to return the corner we were at before talking to the police. *Head shake of disappointment*  We did eventually find the place we needed to be and barely made it in with the last tour of the afternoon.  Thank God!  
The Vatican was pretty amazing!  It was worth every penny :)  The first room we walked through had a whole bunch of sculptures inside.  They definitely advanced in their technique as time went on.  We went through this room pretty fast because we had no idea who the people in these sculptures were. lol  In the next section there were a variety of sculpted bath tubs and different gods that used to be worshiped in the time they were made.  There were also beautiful paintings on the ceilings and mosaics on the floors. Everywhere you turned there was something new to see and appreciate.  After all the sculptures we went into the Egyptian exhibit.  Steve saw the first cell phone ever created in this room.  We also got to see mummies and different artifacts that were burred in the tombs of these late Egyptians.  The next room we came to was one of Steve's and my favorites.  This hallway really, was lined with rugs and tapestries.  They were phenomenal!  It took them a long time to make one of theses and I can understand why.  They truly are works of art.  (It is sad how we have lost some of these skill sets or they are not really valued in our culture anymore.  Everything is mass produced and machine made.  It is sad. Okay, I will get off my soap box now) There were a few of the tapestries that moved with you as you walked by.  I don't know how they did it but they did.  I will show some photos below but one of the scenes was of Jesus emerging from the tomb and as you walk by Jesus is coming out in your direction every time you look.  It felt like you could have been there watching him emerge.  It was crazy!  In another one Jesus is sitting at the head of a dinner table and as you walk by the table turns with you.  I am sure I am just confusing all of you with my description but it was indescribable unless you were there.  Even the pictures wont do it justice but at least you can get a sense of what I am talking about.  lol

This is the courtyard you walk through to get to the beginning of the tour.  

One of these things is not like the other.

This is one of the bath tubs

This is a fountain with the river god (Arno) in a traditional reclining pose.  The battle scene depicted on the base of the fountain is between the Greeks and the Amazons

This is Laocoon, he was a priest of Apollo in the city of Troy. During the Trojan War he warned the Trojans not to take in the wooden horse left outside the gate by the Greeks.   Athena and Poseidon, in favor of the Greeks, sent two large snakes to kill Laocoon and his two sons (on either side).  To the Romans,  the death of the innocent influenced Aeneas to heed Laocoon's warning and flee and this led to the founding of Rome.   

This is the ceiling of one of the rooms.  I love these paintings.  The columns are not sculptures although they look like they could be. This is all a flat painting. 

Here is a close up of the columns.  Isn't the shadowing of this unreal?  Steve and I swore up and down these were sculptures until we took this picture and looked really close.

Beautiful mosaic flooring depicting the different stages of the moon.

The Belvedere Torso: This sculpture was made by Michelangelo.  He was asked by Pope Julius II to complete the statue by giving the figure arms, legs, head and face.  Michelangelo refused because he thought t was perfect the way it was and didn't want to alter it's beauty.  He used this sculpture to inspire many of his paintings inside the Sistine Chapel.

The beginning of the Egyptian exhibit

The first Cell Phone :-)

Mummy!

Loved the stars on the ceiling

The beginning of the beautiful tapestry room

 The following pictures are the tapestries I mentioned above, where the picture, woven into these curtains, follow you as you walk past them.   Crazy isn't it? (again, I don't think pictures can capture it all but I tried my best.)  This room blew us away!

Another amazing tapestry

As we continued to walk to the Sistine Chapel, there were a few rooms where the walls were covered with marvelous paintings.  I can't tell you how many photos we took.  This is just one of the ones I found interesting. I know this is a theological debate but, it makes me think and question 'why Mary is painted equal with the Trinity?' 

I'm thinking. . . I'm thinking. . .I'm thinking

YAY!!!!!! (I was doing a little happy tap dance in my head)  Come on, you know you are jealous.  :-)

After walking through room after room of exquisite art work, they save the best for last.  The final room we got to into was the Sistine Chapel.  WOW!!!!!  It was breathtaking! Unfortunately, it was very crowded but we still got to spend a decent amount of time there.  For the passer through, they had a walkway leading to outside and for those who wanted to stay in for a while, they designated the middle of the room and some benches for sitting areas on along the side walls. Before we went to the Vatican we downloaded Rick Steves' audio tour of the Sistine Chapel.  I am so glad we did because it was super informative and we learned a lot about Michelangelo and his work.  The whole tour was about 30 minutes and it was eye opening for sure.  It caused us to reflect a lot about our own faith.  I don't want to go into all the details because I want you to be able to go and experience it yourself without having my thoughts in your heads or expectations.  You can find pictures in books and listen to the audio tour or read about it but it is so much better it to go and see it in person. It definitely does not disappoint.

  

We weren't supposed to take photos in the Sistine Chapel but we quickly sneaked one in on my iphone while we were listening to the pod cast. Shhhhhh!

After talking our time to walk through the museum and the Sistine Chapel, we went into St. Peter's Basilica. This is a HUGE church!   In fact, I think it is the biggest christian church there is. This church is full of beautiful works of art, 45 alters, and 11 chapels. The Pope teaches here every Wednesday.  We didn't go see him but I am sure for Catholics this would be an amazing thing to do while in Rome.  We had also downloaded an audio tour of the Basilica but we were exhausted and our eyes, minds, and hearts where full so we looked around and then went on our way.  We still had a few things to see and do before we headed back to the hotel.  We went to the Pantheon, passed by the Parliament building again and got another slice of chocolate heaven (brownie) on our way to the Colosseum. We spent a good amount of time here this time and listened to another one of Rick Steves' audio tours.  This city has so much history and I love it!  By the time we were done at the Colosseum, it was time for dinner.  We couldn't find the 'Happy Hour Lassagna' place but we did find a charming little restaurant by the Fontana Di Trevi. The top floor was full but they just opened the bottom level so we ate there.  They projected a Charlie Chaplin film on the back wall and it kept us quite entertained. :)  While we were there the power (in this room only) went off a few times.  It was a bit odd but we just enjoyed the romantic candle light until they were able to get the lights back on.  The food here was good and we enjoyed our little date night very much.  We ended it by going back to the fountain.  I wanted to see it at night and it really was remarkable and a great way to end our day.

St. Peter's Cathedral

Columned hallway around St. Peter's Square

Our first view inside the cathedral.  I love the sun beams coming down from the sky light

Mary holding Jesus' body.  Normally you see her holding baby Jesus but this time you see her holding a grown man.  I can't even imagine what she must have been going through after his crucifixion.  

There were many paintings in like this in the cathedral but the strange part to me was under each portrait there was a dead body of a previous pope.  

 I guess this church is home to many previous pope's tombs 

I don't know why but I really like this statue

I loved this stained glass picture!  It just inspires hope and peace in my heart.  I am not a big fan of all the gold cherubs and such surrounding it but the dove in the middle is magnificent.

Steve thought he saw the Pope but neither one of us was quite sure.  I have a feeling because the church was not packed, it wasn't him.  But for the sake of our memory, we are going to say it was.  lol ;-)

The top of the Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

You are what you eat :D

 Beautiful views on the way back to the Colosseum.  

Enjoying our time together at the Colosseum. 

This guy did beautiful work!

This lady was so lovely.  She stood outside the restaurant, chatted with us and invited us in.  

Charming little restaurant we ate at while enjoying a Charlie Chaplin movie.

Yummy dinner :)  I still got lasagna!

See how beautiful this fountain is at night too? 

Stunning

And very romantic <3

Ah Nuts!!!!

The next day we stayed in and relaxed again. We were both so tired from all the walking we did over the past two days.  My legs were so sore and I had a few delightful blisters so I definitely did not want to do much walking.  It was a nice day though.  We slept in, enjoyed the coolness of the swimming pool and slept.  lol  I wanted to have enough energy for the next day, as it was our anniversary and we were going to spend the day in Venice. :)

On our Way!  Happy Anniversary to us :)

The next morning we got up early and caught the train to Venice.  I was ecstatic!!! We had dreamt of going here for a long time.  I was also looking forward to leaving Rome.  It is nice, don't get me wrong, but I was ready for something quieter and more peaceful.  Venice did not disappoint.  It was absolutely lovely.  It was fun to get lost in this city.  We had a map but decided it was pretty useless and decided to just explore all the tunnels and streets, it was like a maze.

Fresh off the train and happy to be in Venice!

Breathtaking views around the city:

I have such a handsome husband. He keeps getting better looking with age. How did I get so lucky?

Happy and in Love <3

Random bird.  I have never seen one lay down like this with it's wing out.

Steve's first Cannoli.  No better place to get this traditional Italian dessert than in Italy :-)

Yes, we found a Disney store in Venice.  lol

There were cute little shops tucked around every corner.  Many of them had the same types of souvenirs inside--mostly Venetian masks.  They were wonderfully made.  There were so many we saw that we would have loved to buy.  It is a good thing we are on a budget and don't have a lot of extra room in our bags.  lol

We eventually made over to St. Mark's Cathedral.  It was incredible. I believe this is the first church we have seen that hasn't been Classic Roman or Gothic architecture in Europe.  This church is Byzantine architecture, which is an extension of the classic Roman style.  The church has amazing mosaics as part of it's design. I took photos but you can't really tell they are mosaics, they look like paintings.  Parts of the outside and a lot of the inside is adorned with gold so the church is also called the Church of Gold.  In the 11th century this church was a symbol of Venetian wealth and power. After gawking at this church we walked along the Canale Grande and took pictures of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, the first monastery in Venice. 

The following three photos are the mosaics I was telling you about.  They were incredible!

Church of San Giorgio Maggiore

Before we headed back to the train station, there was only one more thing left to do—We needed to take a ride on a Gondola.  J  Is there anything more romantic to do on your 4 year anniversary thatn to go on a Gondola ride in Venice?  Incase you are being smart, the answer is ‘no’.  ;-)  It was an experience of a life time and a dream come true.  It was every bit as romantic as you could imagine it would be.  I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.  Thank you Maria for giving us this unforgettable gift! 

Our Gondolier :)  He was such a nice man (born and raised in Venice).

Every time we went under a bridge the reflection from the water made everything feel more magical.  

That's Amore :)

View from our ride

To top everything off, we had a glass of sparkling wine on the train ride back to Rome.  It was a very romantic day.  Every day I feel more blessed to be married to the perfect man (for me) and having all of our dreams come true.  <3  

Cheers!

Goodbye Venice!  You will always hold a place in our hearts.

Our last full day in Italy we spent visiting Pisa.  I remember learning about the leaning tower of Pisa in my 4th grade Italian class (Yes, I took Italian for a semester in elementary school.  I don't remember much but I remember this).  Of course you also have all the parodies such as 'the leaning tower of pizza' and so forth. Poor Pisa, he really does get a bad rap.  The tower is really a bell tower for the cathedral in Pisa and one of four buildings in the Piazza dei Miracoli (the Field of Miracles).  It is made of white marble  and is 8 stories high. Steve was very impressed with this structure and loved that it is made of marble (he has a thing for marble).  He wanted to go in it because you can walk to the top but sadly we did not have the time.  The tower was leaning pretty far but in pictures it doesn't look like it is leaning very much.  It was a bit of a disappointment because you wont be able to see how much it was actually leaning.  Oh well, we got to see it and that is good enough.  Nah Nah na nah nah ;-p  It took a while to get back to Rome and we got in late, but thankfully our local pizzaria was open so for our last meal in Rome, we at a big old pizza :)

First raviolis in Italy :-)

Steve and I wanted to help hold the tower up.  We are so thoughtful.  ;-)

On second thought. . .  push it over and start again.  We're gonna "Wreck It!!!!!!"  

(anyone?  anyone?  I know you Disney lovers got it.   Wreck It Ralph)

Before we left, I needed to give the tower a hug.


Oh  yeah, and there were these other buildings too.  lol  j/k they are important too.  

This is the Duomo di Pisa (the cathedral)

  The Baptistery 

Farewell Pisa!!!

Overall, we enjoyed our time in Italy and look forward to going back.  I think if we go back we will try to rent a car so we can drive around instead of relying on the trains.  There were so many more places we wanted to see and things we wanted to do but it is best to leave more for another time.  Until the next time we meet again, arrivederci Italy!