What does Melissa Need?

(found on Kendra's and Amber's blogs...kinda funny!)

According to Google, if you type my name + needs, this is what we get (my comments in itals):

1. Melissa needs to board the blob ship that is hovering overhead...(too right! I just don't have nearly enough blob in my life!)

2. Melissa needs to plug the holes and climb the ladder quickly before the situation becomes to hot to handle...(apparently my deep-seated desire to dive into a leaky water tower has been discovered?)

3. Melissa needs some spaghetti sauce and always buys Ragu...(actually, I usually buy the 99¢ cans of Hunt's, but last time I bought Newman's Own)

4. Melissa needs at least 10 hours of sleep a day...(true that! And at least 8 at night, too!)

5. Melissa needs maintenance manuals...(Dave!? Have you been posting to a secret website again?)

6. Melissa needs blood will you help me?...(Or, being a vampire could explain why I also need 10 hours of sleep a day!)

7. Melissa needs to get on board with her new body...(apparently they cloned me and one of me is already on the blob ship and the other me needs to join me?)

8. Melissa needs a lot of cash, and fast...(well, I can always spend extra, but I don't know of any serious indebtedness)

9. Melissa needs hydration after the walk...(did they see me crouching with my face under the Coke-on-draught tap at the pub down the street this afternoon?)

...and the piece de resistance...

10. Melissa needs to be the stunt double on Smallville...(aw, they've discovered that I've always wanted a career in television)

I think some of these are pretty funny! Anyone want to try? You are welcome to add it to my comments if you find funny ones!

Grateful Fridays

...First Time 29...(Happy Burple Day Ju!)
...snuggly kitties...

...zoomy scooting...

...Gibbs, Ziva, Tony, Abbs, and McGeek...

...snot-free boys...

...good sniffs at Kew...

...other people's words...
...clotheslines...

Double Language Barrier Giggles

Had to share...
Today at the Oxfam (charity/thrift store), a non-English speaking lady came in with her toddler looking for videos. Another volunteer (Lucy) showed her all the children's videos and described them to her. But she only had £2, so she could only buy 2 movies (cuz they're 99p each). So she took Fantasia and The Jungle Book. Good choices, I must say!
About an hour later, after Lucy had gone, the lady came back for one more...
She told me (in her broken English) that she had exchanged some money and wanted to buy one more tape. She wanted the one about snow. White snow. And there are people in it. Men, she thinks. Little men. White snow. (she kept repeating that!)...I had NO clue! I was thinking White Fang wasn't the best movie for a 2-year-old, ya know? So I took her to the shelves of children's tapes, and she immediately pulled out...wait for it...

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

:o) hee hee!

Sadly, the lady did not understand why I was giggling to myself!

Boo Yay

Life is a give-and-take, right? Well, here's a little of the giving and taking going on in our world this week:

1. The scooter is finally running! (Yay)(photo deleted)
The washing machine is not. (Boo)

2. I found some Easter candy on clearance! (Yay)
They didn't have any more Robin Eggs. (Boo)

3. Scrubs, Series 5 is starting tonight! (Yay)
It's actually the 2005-2006 series. (Boo)

4. It finally feels like spring here! (Yay!)
Our sinuses are feeling the pain. (Boo)

5. The back garden (aka "yard") is very inviting! (Yay)
I have to clean house. (Boo)

It's almost Friday!

I'll be gone most of the day tomorrow, so I thought I'd take a minute to put up a few things I'm thankful for this week. I know I haven't done it in a couple of weeks, and this time, I have no excuse.

1. Tabbs is settling in fine. She likes her food, and her litter-box. She has played with me a teensy bit. She seems pretty relaxed around me and will let me pet her and brush her till my arms fall off! I tried to flip her over to prep her for her manicure, but she was not so keen! And until those razors are removed from her paws, she doesn't get to come out of her room!

2. The lilacs are blooming! The lilacs are blooming! I want to marry one and have its babies! Me loves the lilacs. I even wrote An Ode To The Lilacs. (photo deleted)


Me loves me loves the lilacs.
I want to lie on my back,
In a bed of fragrant lilacs.
It would be great to try that.

So happy and colorful lilacs.
If they climbed up my nose I would hide that.
I want to decorate my house with lilacs.
With candles and lotions and a bath mat.

I'm going to Kew,
and sniff till I'm blue,
and wallow in fields of lilacs.

(So, maybe not so much an "ode", but I think you know my true feelings!)

3. It's been a little warmer this week, definitely promising spring-time. I was even tempted to put clothes out on the line! But realized they would probably freeze before they dried, so I abstained. But soon!

So, there you have it. I'm a weirdo! :o) Have a great weekend!

Tabbs-a-rooni

Call me a "sucker", call me a "bleeding heart", whatever. Dave and I are the proud new (temporary) parents of a 9 yr old tabby cat.(photo deleted)


There is a wonderful charity here called The Cinnamon Trust which pledges to assist and/or find new homes for the pets of elderly or terminally ill people. My friend, Liz, walks a cute little terrier named Archie 3-days a week, and loves it. (Archie makes her a nicer person!) So, I signed up hoping to walk dogs, but have yet to be called for that! I have, however, been called to be a short-term foster to a few different cats.
Oddly, each time Julia called to ask, I said yes, but then, between the time I said yes and she called me back, she always found another permanent home for the cats. So, in that regard, I'm kind of like a lucky charm!! :o)
Well, this time, there wasn't a "lucky charm" solution for Tabbs...only coming to live with us! Tabbs has always been an out-door cat, but now, she's living in our guest bedroom! She's got lots of hiding places, lots of soft places to nap in the sunshine, and plenty of food and water (and chicken pieces!) She loves to snuggle and loves it when we pet her. Other than it being such a big change for her being 100% inside where she used to be able to come-and-go, she seems to be settling in well.
Our cats haven't "met" her yet, but Alley is very curious about the spare room. Gypsy seems to not care...yet.
We don't know how long Tabbs will live with us. Her mom is now in an Alzheimer's care home, and when she registered with CT, she hoped that Tabbs could go to their sanctuary in Cornwall. Now, however, CT is debating whether or not Tabbs can come. They say she's too young!(!)
For now, we sit with her when we can, and brush her as much as she'll let us (we are helping her get rid of her winter coat!). One other grooming procedure I would like to perform is to give her a manicure! Wow! She's making mince-meat of my legs whenever I am brushing her!
And, as far as I can tell, there isn't anything like CT in America. If you know of them, please please let me know! I think it's a great charity!

All Photos UP!

Now that we've been home a day or so, I've gone back through the Italy blogs and either fixed or added photos.
You should now be able to click on each photo, and a larger version of it will open in a separate window.
I would like to encourage you to do that...the pictures are so so so much better when you don't have to squint to see the detail!! :o)
Enjoy! Thanks for reading!
Also...stay tuned because I'm trying to work out a way to put all the pictures I took on the web for one and all to see. It may take a few days, so don't forget about me! :o)

Roma, then Homa -- Day 9 of Italy Trip (Thursday)

Well, Thursday marked our last day in Italy. While we were sad to see the end of our vacation, we were also glad to be heading home. Back to our soft, warm, squidgy kitties. Back to our soft, warm, squidgy bed. (I'm convinced that our bed in Rome was made from marble slabs leftover from renovations of a nearby piazza!) Back to closets and dressers and out of suitcases!

Thursday morning we took our time and packed our bags according to clean and dirty clothes (so one doesn't contaminate the other, of course!). We went down to the local Internet/Laundromat and spent an hour on the computers, then set out for one last shopping journey. I had read about two department stores, and I thought surely they would have more reasonable purchases! Dave had his book in hand, and we were off.

Our excursions took us past a few more monuments and churches, like this one:

Seriously, we were so very lucky with the weather. As you can see in this picture, I didn't get a single drop of sun on my legs (shame!), but it was gorgeous, and comfortable the entire trip. After my shopping failed me some more, we just wandered back to our hotel to pick up our bags before we left. I swear it was all uphill! Who knew a luxurious holiday to Italy would involve so much exercise!!

Stopping for one last gelato (part of which sadly ended up on my dress)...I decided to take Kelly's suggestion and try the hazelnut. It WAS very good! This was my first foray into gelato since the "motherload" incident from Florence, so I was skeptical, but sometimes you just have to trust the ice cream.

We got our bags, we got to the train station, we got on the train to the airport, we got to the airport, we got checked in, we read, we had a snack, we got on our plane, we flew, we got to Gatwick, we caught the train to Guildford, and we had trudged up one last hill with our luggage.

I think we got home around 9:30 or so, at night. Exhausted and sick of looking at bags, all we could handle was a little kitty-loving and sleep. The trip was over, but it was wonderful and worth it.

Roma - Day 8 of Italy Trip (Wednesday)

(It's all a distant blur! We're home now, all the Internet time a girl could want, and easy photo-uploading, too! So, I'll post about Wednesday then I'll put the pictures up.) (Sometime soon)
Wednesday morning we had breakfast, then caught the bus to the other side of Rome to the Vatican. We knew the Vatican Museum opened at 10:00, so we thought getting there then, we wouldn't have to stand in too horrendous of a line. Oh, boy, were we wrong! An hour and a half later, we were at least inside, but the journey to the Sistine Chapel was a long and snakey one. I'm not sure why they make you go to rooms and see strange paintings you don't want to see, but I suspect it's because they know that's the only way "cultural Philistines" like me would actually see famous and timeless works of art (like Raphael's School of Athens)! (photo deleted)

Dave thinks it's because they can get more people in the museum that way! :o)

Either way, 2 hours (and hundreds of sweaty, pushy people) later... we got to the Sistine Chapel. I took a few photos, but don't know how they turned out because it was dark-ish, and my zoom works better with light. Postcards and pictures on the Internet do it so much more justice! It's cool how, in a few panels, it tells the story of Christianity. (photo deleted)

(This is Michelangelo's Last Judgement) I left Dave in there and just started casually walking down the hallway. We were no longer crammed in like sardines, so it was a easy, breezy stroll. We finally made it back outside, to fresh air and nobody else's armpits! Yay!
After that, we charted our course back to our hotel. I had determined that if we walked along this major shopping thoroughfare, then turned right at that piazza, and stolled down that major shopping thoroughfare, and turned left at this national monument...we would be pretty close to our hotel (and about 30,000 steps lighter!) I'm not sure, but I think it was over 3 miles back to our hotel. Not much buying, but a lot of good window shopping! Dave was very patient (thanks to a good book!!) And as I was always on the lookout for another cute top or skirt, he was always on the lookout for a bench in the shade! :o) It's all about compromises!

One thing I determined is that class costs, and trash is cheap. I don't want a Gucci handbag...I'd rather pay my rent! I don't need (nor have the lifestyle for) an Armani suit...I'd rather have comfortable (yes, and flattering) jeans. But I've always been a conservative dresser, and the clothes that I could afford in Italy, well, I wouldn't be caught dead in them!! :o)
I also determined that clothes in Italy are not made to fit me. I'm too big! For those of you that haven't seen me in a while, I'm not much bigger than I was in high school. For those of you that haven't ever seen me...I wasn't very big in high school. Tall, yes. Not big around. But Still!! In Italy, you have to make a stick insect look obese to fit into a pair of jeans! Not so good for the ego of a 35-year-old, I must say!

So, that's Wednesday. We flew home on Thursday afternoon, so we wanted to have a quiet evening before the chaos of a travel day.

Roma -- Day 7 (Tuesday)

Everything is open again, so we got up and out of our hotel early(ish). We decided to take a tour bus for our first morning so we could see all the great stuff and get a feel for the distances between things. And it was good to be able to hop-on and off at will.
We went first to the Fountain of Trevi, which has legends associated with throwing coins over your shoulder...but when we were there, they had drained it, and men in bright orange trousers were walking around it! I got a few water-free photos...and orange-pant-free, too! (photo deleted)

Next we walked to the Spanish Steps.

We took some pictures there, though. (photo deleted) It was a beautiful morning. We've been very fortunate with the weather. VERY! I didn't know (and I am deeply saddened) that there was great shopping around the Spanish Steps. I obviously had my History Radar going, and not my Shopping Radar. Darn!
After the Spanish Steps we walked to the Pantheon. Very simple, but considering that it has withstood the test of time, and remained standing since it was built in 125A.D. Yes, that's 1.2.5. That's 1882 years old! Gosh!
Then we walked through the Piazza Navonna...(photo deleted) and on our way to the Vatican. We got there about 12:30, and stood in line for 1.5 hours to see the top of href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Peter">St. Peter's Basilica.

I climbed about 300 stairs to the level that was 2nd-from-the top, and Dave climbed another 200 to get to the top. By the way, my calves were screaming after our Cinque Terre walk! Or maybe I should say they were shrieking! Maybe a little "hair of the dog that bit ya" for a cure?? Not so. Darn!
Anyways, we got to the top, saw the frescoes, which were beautiful. (photo deleted)

I guess the wait and the steps were worth it! When we went back down, we walked through St. Peter's Basilica, which is very ornate...which it should be, because this is where the Pope holds Mass!
On our way out, we asked how to get to the Sistine Chapel, and were disappointed to learn that it had just closed for the day. :o( Much disappointment! We knew we couldn't leave Rome without seeing it, so we agreed to come back the next day.
So, back to our bus, and back to more sights!! Our next stop was the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. We stopped at a vendor outside for an afternoon snack, and Dave wanted me to tell you that he had the very best pistachio gelato there that he's ever had. I have to tell you that I had a lovely frozen Coke! It had little ice chunks in it, and everything! Life is good!
Into the Colosseum. This time we bought tickets at a secret outside booth (the Palatino), and strolled casually past the huge line! Yay!

(photo deleted)
Again, it's hard for me to wrap my brain around the longevity of these structures! Construction started in 70AD. I know the history of this place isn't very humane, but it always amazes me that for thousands of years, these places have remained standing! Some of the columns have toppled (I'm glad I wasn't there for that!), but it's still amazing! (photo deleted)I plan to read more about it when we get home.

(photo deleted)
So, we finished there, and caught the bus back to our hotel for a fun, and crazy night of laundry and Internet and dinner!! Woo Hoo! We sure know how to live!
As they say, "When in Rome..."

From Cinque Terre to Pisa to Rome -- Day 6 (Monday)

Easter Monday was very very quiet all over Italy. It's a federal/national holiday, so all the stores were closed. Some restaurants were open, and thankfully the public transportation was working! There was no real reason to get up early, so we had a slow start, a lazy breakfast, and a lazy morning in La Spezia.
We took the noon train to Pisa, checked our bags at the train station baggage deposit, and walked the mile to the Leaning Tower.
We took the requisite photos, and stopped for lunch.
After lunch we went back to the train station to begin our 4-hour train ride to Rome. Dave finished his book pretty early, so we were left with Sudoku or a friendly game (or 6) of War with the cards I'd brought. I lost every single game. It was funny, though, because I could see we had a sneaky audience watching us from behind their books and sunglasses! I guess they don't play War in Italy? :o)
Once we got to Rome we found our hotel, which was near the train station. On the one hand, I'm glad we booked it that way because when you're tired and hungry and sick of lugging bags (and don't speak the language!) you don't want to have to navigate your way miles from the station. On the other hand, there is a lot of traffic, which brings with it a lot of noise! Either way, we had a good hotel, and I know it will come in handy on the day we leave.
So, we rested for a little bit, then left to wander around and find some dinner. We found a place that was Italian, but strongly (and strangely) Japanese. There were Japanese versions of Italian dishes (like tofu spaghetti??), and they served Saki (Japanese wine), and there were black-and-white photos on the wall of Japanese guests, and when we left, they said "arigato," which means Thank You in Japanese. BUT...I do have to say that Dave contends that was his best plate of pasta in all of Italy (no potatoes, though!).

Cinque Terre - Day 5 of Italy Trip (Easter Sunday)

Surprisingly, Easter Sunday was very quiet in the little town where our hotel was (La Spezia). I didn't hear any church bells going...or celebrations of any kind! Happy Easter anyways!
Sunday we got up early, had breakfast in the hotel, and took the train to the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre is made up of 5 little towns that have carved their existence out of the sides of the hills that touch the Mediterranean sea. The Wikipedia link above tells a much better story of the Cinque Terre than I am going to write here...so check it out. :o)
Our train stopped at the first town of Riomaggiore, and, along with what seemed like millions of other people, we stepped off the train and started what would prove to be a very very very long walk.
I have to say that the walking path had miles of beautiful views of the sea and the coastline...but the walk was not for the faint of heart, or faint of leg, or if heights make you faint. There were steep sides, and narrow paths, and not much to protect one from the other. I took lots of pictures so I could go back later and see what I couldn't look down and see!! :o)
The second town along the path of 5 cities was Manarola, and that was just a blip on the radar in comparison to what was to come! The third town was Corniglia, and it was a bit of a steep walk to our lunch destination. We stopped and had a nice little lunch. Dave had salmon and bacon pasta for lunch, and I ordered a simple pasta with pesto sauce, and, while it tasted fine, I was very surprised to see chunks of potato and also chunks of green beans!! Now, for those of you trying to get your family to eat more green beans...this might just be the trick!
After lunch we started the hottest, and longest, leg of the journey. It was a beautiful day, and for that we are grateful -- I can't imagine if it had been rainy! Or windy!! I couldn't have finished! The walk between Corniglia and Vernazza had quite a few steps, and quite a few "steeps"...and by the time we got there my legs were shaking...just a little, but shaking nonetheless!

Dave had a gelato (I'm still abstaining) and I had a nice bottle of water before we started the final leg of our journey.

Honestly, I think if I knew the truth behind the lies ("Oh, it's not too bad. The path is well paved the whole way, and there is a barrier or fence the entire time. You won't be scared at all.") I wouldn't have completed the entire walk!
So, there was just one leg left. Home-free! Monterosso! I saw the sign, but, unfortunately, it didn't give me a distance or ETA from Vernazza. So I blindly walked on. I knew if I stopped for much longer I wouldn't be able to go on at all! :o) Again, the views were gorgeous, and the trail wound through some little plots of land owned by local farmers (olive, lemon, wine), which was quaint. (photo deleted)

That was a nice touch to the final steps of the day. (photo deleted) (Monterossa in the background)

By the time we hit Monterosso, my legs were seriously shaking! I could walk okay, and I could sit down, but I couldn't stand! (Little did I know the pain I would suffer the next day and beyond!!) We stopped at the first bar and had a glass of wine, then proceeded down the hill some more to the beach (for dips in the Mediterranean), and for dinner.
We made last minute reservations for a patio dinner, and then went down to the beach. Dave actually took his shoes off (photo deleted), but I didn't want to get too cold...I put my hands in, though! (photo deleted) Does that count? We also collected some sea glass and some little rocks before the sun set.

After dinner we caught the train all the way back to La Spezia and crashed! We were worn out!
I was really surprised at the shoe choices some of the women made that day. I saw heels, I saw boots, I saw slip-on (backless) mules, and I saw flip-flops. I had on good walking shoes, and my feet were hurting! I can't imagine what their feet felt like after one leg of the journey...much less 4!

Florence - Day 4 of Italy Trip (Saturday)

After our shower/baths, we had a quick breakfast at the hotel and then walked to the Piazza del Duomo. Along the way, we passed what I, at first, called The Motherload. It was a huge gelateria with tons of flavors. It took me a few minutes to decide, there were so many options! I finally chose one (I think it was caramel cake with a fudge ribbon in vanilla ice cream). The server pulled out what was nothing less than a shovel, and piled the gelato on a cone! I was shocked!! Dave started drooling!! I was shocked a second time when she told me our total was €17! For gelato!! Holy Smokes! But, they were huge, and it tasted good. So I got a photo to commemorate the day we paid way too much for good gelato.

About 10 minutes into my gelato (Dave finished his in about 5!), my stomach started to hurt. Surely the gelato couldn't be to blame...so I kept eating. And my little tum tum kept hurting. :( After about 20 minutes of trying to finish it, I decided to throw the remains away. Not only was it melting on my cute skirt, I knew I would be paying the price for days to come if I forced myself to finish it! I couldn't look at gelato for days! And I regretted calling it The Motherload!

The Duomo was worth it, though. The façades were gorgeous! Green and pink marble, very clean, very huge, very beautiful!

The weather was beautiful, too, so we found a farmacia, and bought some sunscreen. Sunscreen was the last thing on my mind while I was packing in cold England!! We went around the Duomo, and the cathedral, and commenced to wandering again. We got turned the wrong way, and after a few blocks consulted the map and found out we had to go the exact opposite direction! So we passed the Duomo again, and found our way to the Piazza de Republicca, where there are lots of copies of some really famous statues. They want the statues to be available for anyone to see, but don't want them exposed to the elements. There was the fountain of Neptune, and a copy of the David, and some others. Down a long corridor of tourists, and statues of famous Renaissance artists and scientists and politicians, we found the River Arno. It was such a beautiful day, we would have loved to sit by the river for a while, but we couldn't figure out how to get there, so we just walked along the bridge for a while.

We found a little café for lunch, and after lunch, I dropped Dave off at a park so he could read while I shopped. Life is about compromises, you know. :o) I found a couple of nice things, and found my way back to Dave. Walking around Florence is like walking in circles!! Twice I came back to the street market from yesterday! Or, maybe it's not circles, it's just a conspiracy by the street market vendors, and they have a huge magnet and wherever you go or whatever you do, you somehow get pulled back to the street market! :o)

After that, we found our way back to the train station, and caught our train to the Cinque Terre. We had to run through the train station in Pisa to catch our connection, but we got there (and I didn't slip this time!) Once we got to La Spezia, we found our hotel -- although it was up a long hill, and through a very dodgy neighborhood! After we found the hotel, Dave admitted that he was a little unsure of it along the way! But somewhere between Pisa and our hotel, I had found a sharp headache, and other than sunscreen, the thing I didn't pack was aspirin! So, at about 10:00 on a Saturday night, in a small town in Italy, we set out to find a farmacia and find some aspirin. Thankfully there was one open, and I paid €4.30 for 6 ibuprofen tablets! Now that is highway robbery, my friend!

After a quick stop off for some doner kebabs (like Greek gyros), we went back to the hotel, and crashed. We knew we had a long day ahead on Sunday.

To Florence by Train -- Day 3 of Italy Trip (Friday)

Friday morning we stopped and got another couple of pastries from the corner shop and dragged our bags down to the boat dock (wishing for another Tesco cart...). We caught the boat that would take us to the train station, found a good seat and waved good-bye (for now?) to Venice. I really liked that city.
We got to the train station in plenty of time, but there was some last minute confusion about our train, and Dave found out that rather than getting on a train and going directly to Florence, we would have to get on a different train, go to Mestre, and then get on some other train to Florence. It seemed easy enough...except no one told us which train to get on in Mestre! That was very confusing! (Not to mention frustrating!) We figured it out, though, and ran like crazy to get there! Dave and I had seats on different cars, and rather than try to maneuver through the cars to mine, I knew it would be easier to get off the train, go to my car, and get back on...until I heard the whistle signalling the closing of the doors! I threw my bag and myself at the closing door, and even though I got on the train, I am wearing a wound on my shin. It has lots of pretty colors!
There was no one assigned to the seat next to me, so I got up, limped to Dave's car, and told him that he could come back and sit with me for the 2 hour journey. It was much more fun that way! The weather was gorgeous, and the views of the Tuscan countryside on the way to Florence were gorgeous! This is the stuff that dreams and movies are made of!
So, after all that kerfuffle, we got into Florence, and made our way to our hotel...only to find out that they had changed our reservation (over-booked, I guess?). Our new hotel was around the corner, and it was a nice hotel, so we can't really complain -- it could have been a lot worse! We weren't in an attic this time, but the room still seemed very old. So old, in fact, that there was a bathtub, but no shower! There was a shower hose, but not a stand-up-and-take-it kind of shower! We made it work, though. I think I got about 2 gallons of water in my ear on accident, and Dave got about a gallon of water on the floor...but we were clean, and that's all that counts, right?
We had made a reservation at the Galleria del'Accademia, where the original David statue is kept (by Michelangelo), so we started the journey to the museum. It was only about a 1/2 mile walk, but there are lots and lots of buildings and little alleyways to confuse, and street markets to distract, but we got there in plenty of time.

I'm so glad we made reservations, though, because the walk-up line was really really long! (this is Dave in the Reservation line). I would definitely have passed if I'd had to stand in that line! But the statue was really cool to see. It was a lot taller than I expected! When I think of David and Goliath, I don't imagine that David to be 17 feet tall! But Michelangelo was only 20 when he started it, and I certainly didn't accomplish anything like that when I was 20!
It's such a stretch for my American brain to think of something still standing that is over 500 years old. And to walk on streets, and eat dinner in buildings that are centuries old. Our history is nothing like this! There isn't much "spanning" of time in American history...but Italian? Lots of spanning! And we haven't even visited Rome, yet!
So, after the museum, we wandered some through the street markets. Much like in Venice, there are loads of knock-off vendors, and cut-price goods. I thought it would be nice to have an Italian purse, and a marathon shopping excursion commenced! (Dave was such a champ!) After about 2 laps around the entire (h-u-g-e) street market, I settled on a very nice purse, and I paid less than $50 for it! Yay me! For a bonus, it's actually big enough to hold my camera!
Dave wanted a nap after that (can you blame him?) and my feet (and shin) were screaming at me...so we went back to the hotel for a little nap.
We woke up and went down the street for a pizza (of course!)
Then it was back to turn in for the night. Many miles today.
...more Florence pictures in tomorrow's post.

Venice - Day 2 of Italy Trip (Thursday)

Thursday we rose early-ish, and got ready for a day of walking (oh, little did we know!). We stopped at the little coffee shop at the end of the block for a pastry and a cup of coffee (yum!) Then we boarded the water-taxi from our little island across the lagoon to the actual city of Venice. We stopped first at the Piazza San Marco, which is huge, and famous across the centuries for it's beauty and Basilica. There were vendors every 10 feet...which was enchanting at first, but really gets old! We were tempted to buy Dave a striped shirt and a little straw hat so he could impersonate a gondola driver, but we decided to save our pennies and feed the pigeons instead!
For €1, we each got a handful of dried corn and more than a handful of fun! (And I'm into cheap fun!)
I think Dave enjoyed feeding the pigeons the most of everything we did that day!

Then we started the real walking. And walking. And walking. I had read that it is easy to get lost in Venice, and I had no idea how true those words were!! We had a good time wandering, though. We passed through the Designer district, passing the Versace, Prada, Gucci, Ferrogamo, Louis Vitton and Dolce & Gabbana stores.
I drooled.
We stopped for lunch at a little sandwich shop, and ate while sitting on a bridge over one of the many many small canals that make up Venice. After lunch we splurged and took a gondola ride. It was more expensive than I wanted to spend, but it was a great experience! I'm glad we did it.

After the gondola ride, we walked some more. This time we were in search of a special promenade where the gelato is supposed to be magnificent. Along the way we passed the first of many street vendors selling anything from knock-off purses to sunglasses to belts. They were pretty ruthless! And quick! At the first sign of the Policia, they would fold up their "shop" and disappear! Like magic! Still searching, I think we turned the wrong way, and ended up getting very turned around. We found our way out, but sadly, did not find the renowned gelato. We decided to head back to our hotel to rest a little before dinner.
We ate on the Lido island again, but at a different restaurant. All they served was seafood...which was great for Dave, but not so great for me. The owner talked me into Scampi, and I think it was as good as seafood can be. He was really nice, though, and I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I ate it all.

With full bellies and tired legs, we walked back to our hotel to crash. We had an early rise the next morning, and we didn't want to oversleep.

Venice - Day 1 of Italy Trip (Wednesday)

Wednesday morning we woke up too early, and moved too slowly. We left the house about 10 minutes after we should have, and ended up rushing to the train station. About 2/10 of a mile down the road, I saw a grocery cart...and was very tempted to toss our bags in and run down the middle of the road with it! That would have been a funny sight! Worthwhile, too, since we missed our train to Gatwick!! It was okay, though, because there was another train a little later, so we sat around till the next train came. We arrived safely at the airport, checked in, stood in line at Security (I think we stood longer than our actual flight!), got to our gate, and sat. Then we got on the plane, and sat on the tarmac. Seriously - we sat a lot that day!
Once we arrived at the Venice airport, we took the Alilaguna boat (shot of Murano Island from the boat)from the airport to our hotel, which was on the Lido island, not on Venice itself.

Lido is kind of a barrier island. I'm glad we stayed there! It was remote, and quiet, and there was a nice beach along the Adriatic sea (Venice is on the eastern side of Italy), Dave even dipped his toes in the water!

The weather was gorgeous, and we even got a little sunburn on our faces!
After we left the beach, we were walking a little slower, and thought how nice it would be to rent bicycles...well, lo and behold, we found a place, and they had "family bicycles" to rent! There are 2 bike chassis, and a bench across the two seats. Sadly for me, there was only one steering wheel, and Dave was in charge. He only knocked me off once! :o) Along the way we found a nice gelateria, so Dave pulled the brake, and we parked it. He had his first (of many) pistacio gelati, and I am still searching for my favorite flavor. :o)

We turned in our bike, and Dave walked back to the hotel to change from his shorts into jeans while I shopped along the main route on the Lido. I was only mildly shocked at the €115 pair of jeans for my 5-year old niece, Aubrey. Yes, that's a 1 and a 1 and a 5. :o) It would convert to about $158. I love her, but not THAT much! So, needless to say, the only thing we bought that night was dinner.

We found a ristorante with an open table, and had a nice, simple dinner. We went back to the hotel early, and fell asleep early. It was a loooooong day!

Our hotel room was really unique. I think the hotel chain must have acquired a house next to the original site, or something, because our room was on the 3rd floor, but there were no windows, only sky-lights...so I think we were in the attic! It was really big, and very art-deco, and very comfortable. No complaints.

If you ever go to Venice, let me know and I'll recommend that hotel to you. Definitely stay out of the city. It was much nicer.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

...tomorrow...early...we're off to Italy.

Dave is currently practicing his Italian. He's pretty sure that "spaghetti", "parmigiano", and "gelato" is all he really needs to know! He's been to Italy before, so I should probably trust him on this one, ya think? :o)

I'll try to update the blog when I can -- I'll put pictures up if I can!

Have a happy Easter!

Jumping JehosaBeans!!

Have you seen these in a store near you?

They are made by Jelly Belly, and supposedly give you energy. I guess like GatorGum from the makers of Gatorade? Hopefully they taste good!

I haven't tried them yet, but for the low, low price of 99¢, I thought I'd buy a few packs and see if they work! Here's hoping...