All good things must come to an end…

Our last day in Rome. 

In 34 degree temperatures, we marched over to the Vatican museum to see the Sistine Chapel.  Things are far more organized than they were when we were last here.  It’s all set up  so that you end up doing a self guided tour rather than wandering aimlessly.  Much better, as you see alot more.  We actually found that most of the museums are set up this way now. 

Inside the Sistine Chapel - the last judgement

 

Inside the Sistine Chapel - creation of man

 

It’s been a great trip, a wonderful experience for our family.  None of can believe that we’ve been away for 3 weeks – it went by so quickly! 

Like all good things, this too must come to an end.  We’ll be back….

Something happened on the way to the forum…

We’re off to the colliseum and forum today. 

I woke up early to go out to get some things for lunches and dinner (we’re eating in tonight).  The market was in full swing in Campo dei Fiori!  Vendors were selling everything from fresh vegetables, cheese, meat, oils and vinegars, to spices and national drinks (aka limoncella).  Will insert pic later today.

Came back to the apartment (just 200 mt) from the square in a building built in 1700′s.  We would definitely rent this one again!  It’s a bit bigger than our place in Mexico, with one master bedroom, a small single bedroom, queensize pullout couch, a dining table for six, and a separate kitchen area.  I’ll take pics before we leave.  This is our front door from the inside!

More to come after our treks through the streets today…..

We walked for 5 hours in total in 30 degree temperatures.  It is hot but the trip to the colliseum and the forum were amazing.  They’ve done alot of excavation work on both since Iwas here 16  years ago.  The colliseum now has alot of documentation posted describing roman life and identifying different parts of the colliseum.  The forum has gone through a 20 ft excavation exposing much more than what I remember.  Mike was really taken with the sites and wants to come back again! 

guess what this is...

inside the colliseum

view of the forum from the colliseum

inside the forum

inside the forum

inside the forum

Last time I was here (16 yrs ago) the ground was at the bottom of the pillars.  They have excavated about 20 ft since then to uncover a ton of ruins!

We’re off for the nightly Ranfam stroll – like we don’t already do enough walking???

• 

  Piazza Navona at night

Ciao Bella

When in Rome, do as the Romans do…

It’s Sunday morning, and the Ranfam is off to church – at the Vatican!   The pictures really don’t do it justice, but I’ll give it a try.

St. Peters square and the Vatican

 

INSIDE THE VATICAN

 

light shining through the Vatican roof - divine intervention???

 

Pope John 23 - yes, he's real, but the face is a mask

 

St. Peter

 

Sunday Service at the Vatican

 

Unfortunately the Sistine Chapel is not open on Sundays, so we’ll have to plan that for another day. 

Instead, we decided to go to the Castel Sant’Angelo.  This is the castle where the Popes go when the country is at war, and where the book Angels and Demons (Dan Brown – really good book if you haven’t read it) takes place.

There is a private walkway that provides a direct link between the Vatican and the castle.  Unfortunately we had to walk around the Vatican to get to the castle….they didn’t think we were important enough to provide direct access!

Castel Sant'Angelo

 

View of the Vatican from the top of Castel Sant'Angelo

 

she's not bored yet!

 

Enough churches and castles, it was gelato time!  We walked back to Campo dei Fiori (close to the apartment).  I had white chocolate and strawberry.  I’m sure I’ve gained about 10 pounds.  We’ve had gelato every day since our first day in Paris! 

After a much needed nap, we headed over to Piazza Navona, the Trevi fountain, and the Pantheon.

Piazza Navona

 

Trevi fountain

 

Pantheon

We finally sat down to dinner at  a restaurant in Campo di Fiori.  The food here is sooooo good. 

Off to the forum and the colliseum tomorrow!

Arrivaderci Fierenza, Buon Giorno Pisa!

We woke up early because we had a 10:00 reservation at the Academia museum where we saw Michaelangelo’s David.  We also saw a photographic exhibit by a famous New York photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe (www.mapplethorpe.org. )  He gained much of his inspiration through Michaelangelo’s works.  Many of his photos are of nude African American males, usually body builders, and one of the first female body builders, Lisa Lyon.  If we had more time, I could have spent hours trying to sketch one of his models.  His work is truly beautiful, he has a unique ability to capture the human form in all It’s glory!

Michaelangelo's David

The Firenze Duomo, and view from the top!

 

LAST LUNCH IN FIRENZE

Will she finish?

He da man, aka 'cool dude in new white linen shirt!'

Now, she was cute!

Our train to Pisa was once again through beautiful countryside.  Huge fields of sunflowers and rolling hill lined with terra cotta houses. 

 

I would love to rent a villa in Tuscany some day – Lizzy, are you reading this?

Pisa, in comparison to the other cities we have toured is pretty small.  We went to check in to our hotel, and they had no record of our reservation, so we ended up with a family room at a hotel down the road.  It was a great room with a bedroom with 2 single beds for the kids, and a separate bedroom with a queensize bed for us.  We had a window right in front of our bed that overlooked a beautiful garden!

view from my bed

Like all good tourists, we took pictures of the kids holding up the leaning tower, as we strolled through the gardens and market stalls.

 

 

 We didn’t know that Pisa was originally a walled city!

Dinner was at a small restaurant with pasta, salads and veal, and then off to bed so that we could catch the 11:00 am train to Rome tomorrow.  We’ve taken over 1000 pictures so far, and Rome will be chapter 6 in our European vacation story.

We love hearing from everyone back home in your comments.  Keep them coming!!

Ciao, Ciao

We’re off to the Uffizi….

We chatted with a Mom (aka Melissa) and her two boys over breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to the Uffizi museum to see Botticelli and other famous italian artists.  We spent about 2 hours touring the museum, and then stopped for lunch at one of the many restaurants in the square. 

Breakfast at hotel Bavaria

Boticelli's Venus

After lunch, we strolled through the streets and met up with the friends from yesterdays train ride.  Michael and Colin are touring Europe with their grandmother, and then Michael will head back to Utah, and Colin will spend another two weeks with his grandmother who lives in Helsinki, Finland.  It is a right of passage in their family when they turn 13 to visit grandma. 

 Our afternoon stroll took us to the market where we made some purchases.  Becky bought a cotton/silk blend dress, Rob bought some linen shirts and a leather briefcase, and I bought a small purse. 

With tired feet, we decided to head back to the hotel for some r&r before dinner.

Leaving Venezia, hello Firenza!

Mike and I woke up early to tour the Doges Palace (home to the elected leaders of the former Venetian Republic) before hopping on the 11:43 train to Florence, and I have to say, it was well worth it! 

The Doges Palace houses the worlds largest oil painting, stretching 27 meters across one whole wall. 

The palace ceilings are covered in bright coloured frescoes that are framed by hand carved guilded frames.  They are truly beautiful, unlike anything I have ever seen. 

We also toured the dungeons in the basement.  Many of the cells had the prisoners names (self carved) into the stone.  Unfortunately, we could not take pictures, so to see it, you will have to travel to Venice yourself! 

 

The train ride from Venice to Florence gave us a chance to sit back and enjoy the rolling hills of Tuscany.  We met a family Michael (17), Colin (13)  from Utah, and their grandmother from Finland.  They have been doing a whirlwind tour of Europe.

Michael, Colin, Becky and Mike

We felt like we were truly experiencing the countryside, as the air conditioning in our train car was broken, and the temperature hit 32 degrees celcius, although we got some relief when we used the washroom in the car next to us! 

The good news is, when we reached Florence, we felt cool, because the outside air temperature was only 29! 

 

We took a cab to our hotel,  dumped our bags, and proceeded to walk the streets, check out Del Signora square and the Ponto Vecchia.  Becky found a pair of gladiator sandals (the real reason she traveled to Italy)!

Arno River, Firenze

 

The Duomo

Starving Artist

 

Dinner was at a great restaurant with delicious salads and assorted pasta dishes, and then home to bed to rest our weary feet.

dinner in Firenze

 

Second day in Venice

Today we set out to Piazza San Marco, to see the Basillica, the bell tower and the Doges Palace.  We all agree that Venice is our favourite city so far.  We haven’t seen a car since we arrived.  We’ve fallen love with the canals and the narrow streets (4 feet, more like alleyways.)  The city is very old with a lot of charm and rustic beauty. 

 

They even captured the bubbles!

This one is for Jan, Tara, Lindz, and Alex

Murano glass

Piazza San Marco

Basillica San Marco is stunning.  I think the most impressive site within the church is the golden alter screen.  It houses hundreds of rubies, emeralds, garnets, amethysts and pearls.  The floors and ceilings are all done with intricate mosaic tiling, and lots of gold.  Unfortunately we cannot take pictures inside.   Mike and Becky are really taken with the churches due to their size, stature, and artwork.

 

Basillica San Marco

Our next stop was the bell tower in Piazza San Marco.  It  is the red brick tower next to the Basillica and stands 80 meters high.  The view of Venice from the top is breathtaking.  The photos don’t even begin to describe it.  We got up to the top of the tower just as a storm was rolling in and watched it as it descended upon the city. 

Bell Tower, Piazza San Marco

Becky at the bell tower

 

Mike at the bell tower

Veiw from the bell tower

Our first rain since we arrived on June 25!

 We ended up getting caught in the rain at the bottom of the tower, and ran for cover (it was  lunch time anyway).  By the time we got to a covered restaurant, we were drenched, but didn’t mind because it was a relief from the heat and humidity.

 After lunch, we walked over to the Museum Academia where we spent a couple of hours viewing period works of art by the masters of Venice.

 Out last stop for the day was the Doges Palace, but by then it was 6:00 and it required 3 hours to go through it properly.  We decided to get up early the next morning and tour it then.

 

Our Italian relative....This is where Mike got his passion for music!