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We had a very early wake up call yesterday – woke up around 4:30 AM for a 5:15 AM departure time. Thankfully, my body is so confused as to what time it is… it wasn’t that difficult to wake up.

It’s been hard to sleep in the car because I want to look at everything. I did take a small siesta – and after we woke up it was time to stop for a quick breakfast bite. The first stop was not quite what we were looking for – but then we found a small bakery.

(I went for sugary – mine are in the right side of the frame. The others had fish buns and another roll that was savory).

We got to Sigiriya – and found out that because we were foreigners there was a closer parking lot. (We pay significantly more than Sri Lankans – $30USD vs. a nominal fee). We started the hike – and it was already sweltering.

(Before the actual hiking began).

After this Sabrina mentioned that she had never actually seen a line to climb the rock. The line was long – and full of people trying to cut in front of you. Thankfully, Sabrina’s mum scolded them – since we didn’t speak the language!

(The long line waiting to go up to the frescoes).

The frescoes are an interesting part to this visit – they have been maintained very well. Some say that they are nymphs to shower Kings and Queens. Others say that they are Queens and/or concubines. They believe these paintings to be over 1,600 years old! Isn’t that shocking?

(You can see how crowded it really was – and also, how intact some of these images are).

After the frescoes – you make it to another flat area where there are plenty of monkeys and tourists. Not sure which ones were more wild?

(These two lion paws and a few steps are all that are left from the original structure – which is believed to have a lions mouth that visitors would enter through).

After waiting in line (impatiently – of course) – we made it to the top. And WOW! You could see for miles. It really felt like you were on top of the world – and you could absolutely see why someone would want to build on top of this giant rock.

After climbing down – we were absolutely famished. We got a few popsicles and drove to our hotel. We were able to drop our bags before we made our journey to Polonnaruwa.

We had a very eventful lunch – which, I don’t want to draw anymore attention to. But, if you end up in Sigiriya please don’t eat at Sam’s Sigiriya. Food was good – service was not.

We made it Polonnaruwa – another UNESCO site – an ancient city. This area reminded us of Chichen Itza in Mexico – where there are many structures across a sprawling area. This helped us understand how large this ancient city was.

Both locations were absolutely stunning and we are so glad we were able to squeeze both of them in. As we were leaving – they checked our tickets and recommended since we hadn’t stopped to see a series of four Buddhas to turn around and go view them. It was worth it. They reminded me of a small Mount Rushmore – except with Buddha.

We made a quick pit stop and tried a few coconuts. Super refreshing after a hot day of running around.

On the way back to our hotel – we had noticed a car flashing its lights at us. We come around a corner to find – nothing other than an ELEPHANT. Yes, a wild elephant! Yippee!

We also got to see a very beautiful sunset over one of the reservoirs. We had dinner at our hotel and turned in for the evening. It was a very full day. But well worth all of the steps and climbing!

Up Next:

• Golden Temple
• Kandy
• Temple of the Tooth
• Royal Palace
• Queen’s Hotel

We slept in a little bit this morning and after waking up we had porridge. When I think about porridge – I think about oatmeal. However, this morning I was delighted to find a more savory version of porridge (made with chicken). Today was not a day that we had a lot planned – other than visiting friends and family.

When we had visited the Mount Lavinia Hotel I had purchased a sapphire ring that was being custom made for me. We had requested to pick this up in Colombo vs. driving outside of town. We had a little bit of a language barrier when trying to figure out if it was ready – but after the third try we were told it was ready for pick up in their headquarters location.

Sabrina’s mum has caught on quickly to how much I love rings and costume jewelry – so she had recommended another store for us to check out. Sabrina and I both ended up leaving with a ring – this time I found a ruby! When we were in Thailand we had hoped for a lot of rings of different gems – but everything was too expensive. Whereas, in Sri Lanka everything was reasonably priced for both precious and semi-precious stones.

We were going to have our Christmas lunch at Sabrina’s friend’s house. (Annie – who we had met last night during the rain storm). We were originally going to have it at Annie’s house – but at the last minute the location changed to the hotel that Annie’s parents own. It was gorgeous!

We had such a fun time getting to know Sabrina’s friends – and their friends. (And some of their family!) It really felt like we had known some of these people for a while – it might be because I had heard some stories about Sabrina’s friends. But either way – it didn’t feel like we were out of place and we had such a good time.

They were serving mulled wine – which I’ve never had, but throughly enjoyed. They also had other beverages – I think Andy ended up drinking whiskey and I eventually switched to champagne.

There was the large table – and all of the different dishes were served off of this table. There was such a variety of food and I don’t think anyone could have left hungry.

After leaving Annie’s – we went back to Sabrina’s and played games with her aunts and cousins. We had a good time – we played Boys & Girls and Taboo. I forgot how bad I am at Taboo – but we had a great time.

We have to get up early tomorrow – so we will be heading off to bed shortly. We are heading out to Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya for some sight seeing.

Up Next:

• Sigiriya – Lion Rock
• Polonnaruwa

Our second day in Colombo began with a mix of a traditional English breakfast and Sri Lankan. I realized now that none of us took pictures – but we had fresh fruit, thin pancakes (basically crepes!) with Nutella, Bombay toast (eggy bread/French toast), and other regular breakfast items.

After breakfast, Sabrina took us to two different spas looking for massages. Would you believe there were two within two blocks of her house? The first one had openings – and we could get a 90 minute massage for 13USD, but we didn’t want to take up too much time – so we decided to check out the other spa. This one offered neck and shoulder massages and we could get them at the same time.

Before our trip I had been in extreme pain with the equivalent of lower back sciatic but in my upper back/shoulder/neck area. I had seen a chiropractor for the first time and he recommended getting a massage or two while we are in Sri Lanka – doctor’s orders!

After the massages we had lunch. We had a dish called Lamprais. Straight from Wikipedia – Lamprais is Sri Lankan dish that was introduced by the country’s Dutch Burgher population. Lamprais is derived from the Dutch word lomprijst, which loosely translated means a packet of food.

Ours was wrapped in banana leaf and contained rice, chicken, an egg, a fish cutlet, a ton of spices, and other veggies. It was really tasty! (I hope you’ve caught on that we’ve been eating like royalty while we’ve been here – it’s been a great food holiday!)

After lunch, we ventured out to do some shopping. Sabrina took us to a cute store called BareFoot where we were able to pick up some gifts for friends and also, for ourselves. The shop was super cute and very reasonably priced. After doing a little light shopping we went to two temples. The first was on Beira Lake – Seema Malakaya.

Just a few blocks away we ventured over to another – larger temple – Gangaramaya Temple. This one was much more elaborate and you could tell there was a lot more money associated with this one.

Our driver took us over to the Fort area – this was an old Dutch Hospital that was converted into a shopping and restaurant area. We found the equivalent of America’s Bath and Body works and bought a few more gifts for family and friends.

Then we wandered over to a tea lounge where we had iced tea to try to cool off after all of the heat.

After cooling off – we decided to go right back into the fire and head over to the Kingsbury Hotel and hung out at the Sky Lounge. Beautiful skyline view of Colombo – not so pretty view of an island that some Chinese businesses are building right in front of it.

For those of you who are wondering we did see the hotels were the bombings took place in April. The Kingsbury Hotel was one of the locations – there has been an increase in security. Some of the more popular hotels now have security checks as you walk in now.

After the Sky Lounge we ventured back to Sabrina’s. We rested and freshened up before dinner – where we had another traditional Sri Lankan dish – Haleesha. This kind of reminded me and Andy of a Minnesota casserole except with way more flavor. It was primarily chicken based – there was a chicken cream, large noodles, and huge chunks of chicken. Really delicious and tasty! We haven’t had a bad meal yet!

We then had the pleasure of meeting Sabrina’s old friend – Annie. We went out to a wine bar – and then the skies opened up. There’s nothing quite like a torrential downpour on Christmas Eve! We still had a great time and really enjoyed the time getting to know her.

Writing to you from our room at 2:33 AM because I fell asleep for about 5 hours and woke up – ready to go for the day. Sigh – so I decided it will be as good as any of a time to get up and write the blog (and hopefully fall back asleep soon after I finish).

We had a wonderful first day in Sri Lanka. We arrived at Sabrina’s family home a little after 3:00 AM on 12/23. Sabrina and her mum were awake to greet us – and feed us. (Which I quickly caught on to that her family loves to feed guests – likely going to come back a few pounds heavier!)

(The airport all decked out in Christmas decorations).

We finally got some rest and were relieved to finally lay down horizontal after such a long travel day – 15 hour flight to Delhi and then a 5 hour connection – ending with a 3 hour 40 minute flight to Colombo!

When we woke up – we had brunch with her family and then decided to do a short walking tour to see Independence Memorial Hall and got to view one of our first Buddha statues (not nearly as many as we saw in Thailand – but I was assured there are plenty more to see!).

(Breakfast – fresh fruit and “milk rice.” You can have savory or sweet).

(The view from the main floor at Sabrina’s house – the house is centered around the garden and is very open air. It has a very nice indoor/outdoor feel to it).

We decided to head to the Mount Lavinia area – Sabrina had a favorite place – Sugar Beach. We ordered a bottle of wine and drank it on the beach and just reveled in the beauty of the Indian Ocean. From there – we made our way down to Mount Lavinia Hotel for high tea. The hotel had a romantic story attached to it – which you can read here.

I love collecting jewelry from places that we travel – and for a small price (around $110 USD) I was able to pick out a sapphire that I liked and a setting to be custom made for me to pick up on Christmas Day. I’d like to think of it as a gift to myself. Sri Lanka is known for their sapphires – and I couldn’t pass up such a good deal!

We saw the storm clouds rolling in – and sat inside just in case the skies opened up. (Which of course they did – even heard a clap of thunder!) The tea was amazing – and because we had already ate so much we barely made a dent in the food. (For Jon/Yvonne/Annika – of course I saved room for biscuits and clotted cream! YUM!)

At this point, Sabrina and I were absolutely exhausted (Andy was fine – years of overnights had taught him how to bounce back from an odd schedule). We made our way back – washed up and attempted to stay awake until 8 PM. I made it past 8:00 PM but due to the fact I’m up so early – I’d say I’m still operating on California time. I hope to fall asleep again soon!

(Hershey – one of Sabrina’s cat was modeling for us)

Up Next:

Try to find massages – they are supposed to be very cheap here just like Thailand

Do a little shopping and visit a few very special stores

Visit a few temples (not nearly as many as our Thailand trip)

Visit Beira Lake

View Christmas lights

It’s about that time! We are heading to Sri Lanka to visit my good friend, Sabrina! (And her family!)

We had learned our lesson with SFO – the last time we flew out of the International terminal we had gotten to the airport 2 hours early and ended up running to our gate. However, so far – we’ve had quite the opposite experience!

I had checked in ahead of time – and so because of that we were taken to a separate line for “Web Checkin.” This is where we met Fathima -who was a complete angel. She was from Kandy – one of the cities that we are visiting on this trip. She squealed with excitement when we told her where we were all visiting.

I had heard how bad Air India was – and we didn’t experience the extreme delays that others spoke about. We took off about 50 minutes late – but I had anticipated a small delay due to fog as we were driving in to the airport. However, Andy’s screen didn’t work – mine did, but my remote didn’t. What do you do on a 15 hour flight with no TV?

Just kidding – thankfully I had been warned (Thanks Neelima!) and had downloaded a few movies and Schitt’s Creek (Thanks Traci!) off of Netflix. I also brought Little Women along – the novel – because of course I need to read it before I watch the movie!

We had warned the girl that was in the aisle in our row that we like to get up and stretch – but she didn’t want to switch with us. (6-7 times later I’m sure she regretted that decision!)

I had also been warned that the service was bad on the flights – I can confirm this. Our flight attendant acted like she didn’t want to be there – however, I saw so many other flight attendants that were attentive. (Don’t rule Air India out!)

Our flight was about 15 hours – and about 10 hours in to the flight they announced that most of their entertainment systems were down – well shoot! I had thought it was just us!

Everything went smoothly – and we are now waiting in New Delhi for the next leg of our flight. We will take off for Colombo a little after 10 PM. (Only about 4 more hours until we board).

Looking forward to spending time with Sabrina – and meeting her family. It’s going to be a great holiday!

As we wrapped up our last full day in Italy – it began with a car ride to Florence. And then a train ride to Rome. I absolutely love the trains here – they really make the BART look disgusting and unorganized in comparison.

We were able to sit together again – and the ride went by rather quickly. We checked back in to our hotel – Hotel Smeraldo. This time around we had a larger room – I was no longer feeling claustrophobic. It even had a window overlooking the street below.

We had lunch at one of the best bakeries in Rome – Forno Roscioli. The pizza was delicious – I would highly recommend this for a quick, casual place to grab a bite to eat.

We decided to walk over to the Spanish Steps – in recent months they have started to enforce a no sitting rule on them, which of course I had to break. (Just briefly!) The walk there took a little bit longer because there was a protest in Rome – something to do with the government. So some of the streets were blocked off or very congested.

We got gelato again at Giolitti’s – and it was perfect – again.

Since it was our last full day – we found a patio to have a few spritz drinks and to try to get a beer glass for Jon to take home (no such luck on that). Spent some time on our rooftop bar of our hotel – and then we freshened up before we went back to Osteria Barberini for my birthday meal.

We had the same waiter as last time – and it was a wonderful experience. The cacio e pepe was to die for – again. It was a great way to celebrate my birthday.

The next day we made our way to breakfast at our hotel – and then to the airport. We had some Euros to burn so we picked up a few more souvenirs at the airport – I was in shock that the airport actually had better prices on souvenirs then some of the shops we saw in Rome. (Just a tip! Buy your Limoncello at the airport vs. a liquor store!)

I fell in love with Italy – and I’m already trying to figure out how we can find our way back soon!

We were able to sleep in a little bit this day – we haven’t had too many opportunities because there has been so much to see and do. We had wanted to visit the hill town of San Gimignano – but we had trouble finding parking. Yvonne had just gotten out of the car when the skies opened up and it started pouring.

Unfortunately, we didn’t capture this on camera. Yvonne had been on her way to find disabled parking and sought refuge under an overhang. We decided that none of us were up for a walk in the rain – and started to make our way to a winery.

The winery was on the way between San Gimignano and Siena. When we pulled in we quickly realized that it would be a challenge for Jon to make it down to the tasting room – Yvonne spoke with one of the winery workers and found a back way to get there.

They made us a cheese plate – and we had bought a bottle of Chianti to have with our lunch. At this point, the rain clouds had scattered and it was starting to turn into a beautiful day.

We absolutely loved their wines – and we hadn’t intended on buying more wine. But all of us felt like it only made sense to purchase some and ship it home. There were also quite a few cute kitties at the winery – Italian cats love me. Maybe it’s because I finally got the scent of Corgi off of me? I’m not sure, either way – I’ve made a few feline friends on this trip.

We were starting to cut it close on timing with making it to Siena in time to see the Duomo. We believe it closed at 5 – but no one seemed in a real rush while we were walking through it.

I got yelled at again – this time we COULD take pictures. The lady thought I was talking on my phone – in reality I was listening to Rick Steves’ Siena City Walk tour.

This Duomo is quite beautiful with the black and white marble. It was Jon and Yvonne’s favorite – and I can see why.

After the tour we made our way down to the Piazza del Campo. This is a large public square in Siena – it is also used for horse races. This tradition dates as far back as the 6th century.

We had dinner in this area – I actually found Cacio E Pepe on the menu again! I hadn’t seen it on the menu since we left Rome.

On our way out of the Piazza we stopped for gelato (duh!) and they were a little stingy with their scoops – but the flavor I chose might have been the best one yet. It was strawberry mixed with two other flavors – one cream and another berry taste.

We got home and had to start packing – as we are heading back to Rome for one last full day in Italy.

We left a little after 7:00 to make our 8:25 train for Venice. We had a few snafus on our way there – but thankfully we made it in time. And this time around – we actually got to sit next to one another. It turns out the train conductor was just a jerk on the first train – not on this trip.

We arrived in Venice – and Las Vegas cannot truly prepare you for how beautiful this city is. The city is slowly sinking – and also shrinking in population. Not to get on my global warming soap box – but when you have a city that is intertwined with the Adriatic Sea – and sea level is rising… There is bound to be a problem.

Our first stop was the Vaporetto – aka their version of a city bus. We took this down to St. Mark’s square.

The Grand Canal is chaotic with the gondolas, water taxis, vaporettos, and regular boats. It is also absolutely beautiful – and we couldn’t have asked for better weather while we were there.

We did a tour of the Doge’s Palace – which had plenty of fantastic art work. The piece that it was most known for was the largest oil painting – “Il Paradiso.” There are around 500 figures in this painting. Wow!

I also found the best view of the Bridge of Sighs – second floor bathroom if you’re looking for a close up shot without a crowd!

We had lunch after this – and then did some shopping. Most of Italy is known for its leather, Murano glass, etc. Yvonne and I wanted to pick up some souvenirs for our friends/family… and ourselves.

We visited St. Mark’s Basilica – which was a very beautiful church. The only difference with this one is there was no pictures allowed. Whoops. One of the workers scolded me – but let’s be real. Besides the Sistine Chapel – every other church we visited in Italy allowed pictures. Not sure why they were any different? Please see the evidence that I collected – I loved the blue and gold in this one. And all of the windows in the dome.

This church had a unique look from the outside too – and there were lions everywhere, which we quickly learned was St. Mark’s sigil.

We had to stop for gelato (naturally) – I got a cookies and cream flavored one. It was mainly cream flavored – not sure where the chocolate was? But you can’t win them all.

We rode the Vaporetto back to where we started – and wandered around looking for somewhere to sit down and have a drink. We found a quaint place next to a bridge – with barely anyone there! We soon found out that it’s because boats have to honk before they go under the bridge – which got loud rather quickly.

We grabbed a slice of pizza to go before we went back to the train station. We were able to ride in the same car again on the way back home – it was so much nicer being together than sitting in different train cars.

We had a long ride back to our agriturismo – after a few set backs. (Trying to get out the way came in – the gate was closed because were so late! Getting our car out of the parking structure. Taking two wrong turns. The agriturismo locking us out of our room… to name a few!)

We knew we would be able to sleep in the following day – but Venice had made for a long day, but it was totally worth it!

Today was a day dedicated to one of my favorite things: wine!

We had started off with breakfast at our agriturismo – only to realize that we were already running late for the day. Whoops. Jon had researched wineries to visit – and had made some appointments. Thankfully, they were not very busy and welcomed us in. Our first stop was Tricerchi – which was a little steep in pricing, but the wine was tasty. We also got to meet a few doggies while we were there – our favorite was Bibo. He was close the size of a small polar bear, but was a gentle giant.

We each left with a bottle – but we carried on to our next stop to make up for the time that we lost.

Our next stop was Banfi. Some of you may recognize the name – they have a large international presence. We hadn’t realized that they were a Tuscan wine, but this was the wine we actually purchased when we got engaged. We had to go visit.

The label has been updated – but this is the kind we had when we got engaged.

It wasn’t a very busy day there – nothing like we are used to in Napa, Sonoma, or Lodi. It was nice to have the place pretty much to ourselves. We didn’t pick up any wine here because we knew that some of it we could pick up back in the United States.

The last appointment of the day was one that we didn’t want to be late for – Nostra Vita. Jon and Yvonne had been here a few years ago – and it had really sounded like a special place. I was extremely excited to visit there (and I’m assuming Andy too). The family sounded wonderful – and the wine had been amazing.

Nostra Vita had exceeded any expectation that I had before visiting.

The Parisi family had recently lost one of their three daughters, Giudi. I hadn’t met her – but based on stories and email exchanges that Jon had shared with me. I felt a deep sense of loss for the family. We weren’t even sure if they would want to take us as visitors – seeing it had been exactly one month since she had passed away. She had tragically passed away in a mountaineering accident.

It doesn’t take long to tell that this family is something special. They are all very close, and once they meet you – they quickly welcome you to their family. There need to be more people in the world like the Parisi family.

Carlotta was the youngest daughter – and she spoke wonderful English. She took us on a tour of the property – they weren’t sure if Jon would be able to complete the whole tour due to the terrain. But with a little help from his friends – we were all able to complete the tour.

We learned about the history of the land, the family, and got to get a taste of the grapes. (Wonderful!) This family is also extremely crafty – we got to see the little workshop that Anibale had created that specialized in different artistic mediums. We also saw a collection of pipes that he had created and a book binding shop as well.

We got to see the room where he paints each of the Brunello by hand – each color representing something different: soil, passion, dirt on your hands, and sun. Absolutely beautiful – and a labor of love. In the cellar – there is a small gallery of different photos and drawings. All of this is incredibly touching – especially knowing that Giudi was lost so recently.

This family is incredibly talented and special. If you are in the Tuscany region – you must visit this winery. (Schedule a visit!)

Luna spent quite a bit of time with us while we were visiting

They had made a wonderful glass tasting room that overlooks the region. I cannot find the words to express how beautiful our time was. I left there feeling like I am wasting my gifts and I need to do more out there in the world (and for the world). They really are an inspiring group.

We shared a tear filled goodbye – but I know that we will be back. I can’t wait to see what art works pop up next – and how the family continues to thrive. I feel so fortunate that Jon and Yvonne had stumbled across their winery before.

Pisa

We made our way over to Pisa for a quick day trip. There wasn’t a lot on our list to see in Pisa – other than the famous Leaning Tower of PIsa. I had read a bit about the Duomo and Baptistry and those were right next to the Leaning Tower.

The thing that is interesting about some of these Italian cities is that there are frequently people in the side streets who try to “help” you out by pointing out the very same parking spot you had laid eyes on. They want you to repay them for their labor (aka standing in the parking spot to save it for you – or the other car behind you). We didn’t fall for that trap – although I’m sure other car fulls did.

The other scheme we’ve been noticing is that the same individuals referenced above will put a bracelet on your wrist as “free” and if you don’t pay them they will follow you whichever way you are walking to collect their money. (Basically when you get sick of them following you, you just give them the 5 euro to get off of your back). I haven’t bothered to even look at what they are trying to sell – but I can just about guarantee it’s junk.

The Leaning Tower is everything I expected and more. It is a beautiful gleaming white – and has the tell tale tilt. As soon as we got there – you can immediately see the crowd leaning with the tower – to push it over or hold it up. There wasn’t a lot of space to take pictures without getting at least one person in the background.

We had been there for roughly a few minutes when we heard Jon’s name. There was actually a group from San Diego that Jon and Yvonne knew from the restaurant scene there! What timing to run into them there.

We took our shots – and then made our way over to the Baptistry and Duomo. We didn’t actually want to pay for these – in my research there wasn’t too much significance. Jon and Andy went into the one – and took some pictures. Then all four of us went into the church – which was really cool to see a panel painting of the Madonna and baby Jesus from the early 1200s. It also appeared that there were one or two saints that were buried/on display there. (We saw a skull and then there was a casket – not near each other. Not entirely sure who they both were – one didn’t have a sign). One of them I believe was Saint Ranieri – who is the Patron Saint of Pisa. It is said that he performed miracles – however, I can’t find any stories on them.

Naturally, after picking up a few souvenirs we stopped for lunch and gelato. (Of course). This was some really good gelato – both Jon and I had read that if it’s good gelato the color is a little more dull.

We were pleased when we saw some dull colors coming from the freezer. Yvonne had previously bought a cute leather backpack when they had been here years ago – we were on the hunt for one for me – and an updated one for her. We were able to score a few items before we made our way to our first official wine tasting event.

We were running behind – and we missed our appointment. However, we stumbled across another beautiful winery called Fontodi. The grounds were beautiful – and our server was studying languages in her undergraduate degree. She was interested in studying wine for her Master’s program though. She knew 3.5 languages – the half language was Chinese. Impressive.

Our first wine stop

We were off to the next location – Riseccoli. This property had a beautiful outdoor area. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting outside and trying a wide selection of wines. We purchased a few bottles there – but we will be drinking one of them here.

Jon had made reservations at another agriturismo near ours. It was absolutely stunning – we made it there for sunset. The food was phenomenal. Overall, it was another wonderful day in Italy.

Up next: Wine tasting in Tuscany

We got up bright and early so we could catch our fantastic free breakfast at our hotel before we caught the train to Florence (Firenze). Thankfully, we were able to get one last espresso drink and some of the most amazing eggs ever (what DO they put in there anyway?!).

The train to Florence is a high speed one – it took over an hour – but much different than our experience from London to Edinburgh last year. (Trains had been cancelled due to high wind – lines on the tracks – and overcrowding on our particular route). We were told that we might be able to sit next to Jon and Yvonne in business class if the conductor let us – well, it’s safe to say that was a hard no. However, we did enjoy our short lived experience in business class. (Although I don’t think I would ever pay for the upgrade!)

Once we made it to Florence we had to stow our bags – which was an adventure in itself. Jon had paid for these prior to the trip – but unfortunately the lockers we were assigned were on the top row. Poor Andy had to lift with his legs (not with his back!) to get them up there – but thankfully everything fit. We started our route to get our rental car – which was supposed to have been a small SUV. However, we got a Jeep Renegade. This normally would have been fine – but between our luggage and Jon’s chair it was going to be tight quarters. We tried to see if they had anything larger – but that was it! The Renegade was now part of our trip.

After picking it up – we made our way to the Ponte Vecchio area. We knew this would be a central hub for everywhere that we wanted to go. We had trouble locating where we could park – but thankfully we noticed a few police officers talking in a lot. They guided us to a spot in the lot we had been driving through. And then we were off!

We found a cute restaurant in a little side alley. We had some delicious pizza and the house red.

(Not an ad – Andy and Yvonne enjoying lunch).

After finishing our lunch we made our way to the Duomo. And you could see that structure from so far away. It was one of the most beautiful buildings I had seen yet. It was made of beautiful white, green, and pink marble. The dome was stunning (as per usual!) and it looked like the people in the painting were 3D looking down at us. This was an impressive area – the Baptistry and the Gates of Paradise were stunning too.

Jon had researched two gelato places – and we actually ended up with the second choice. However, it was some of the best gelato we’ve had so far! We even met a woman there that had studied at a culinary school in the San Francisco area – and she had said this was the best gelato place in Florence!

Next we ventured over to the Accademia to see David. Wow! Honestly, it’s amazing what Michelangelo was able to do with stone in order to make a work of art! Poor David had been through a lot – he had some small weathering on his shoulders (we really weren’t able to see this from our vantage point) and his left arm had been broken off during a riot and previously attached. I couldn’t see it – but apparently another lunatic had attacked David’s toes with a hammer. I thought it was amazing. The rest of the museum had plenty of religious paintings dating back to the 1200-1300s.

We bid farewell to Florence and made our way to Tuscany – to stay in our agriturismo (basically a B&B). We arrived shortly before sunset – and we were greeted by a very friendly kitty. We could tell right away we would already like this place more – mainly because there was a lot more space to spread out in our room!

We had dinner at our place – and that was our first night in Tuscany!

September 3, 2019

After we had made it to all 50 states we had set our sights on something much more grand – the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Our first Wonder of the World that we made it to together was Chichen Itza in Mexico for my 30th birthday. Earlier this year for our 5th wedding anniversary we went to Thailand – and on the way home we made a quick pit stop in China to see the Great Wall.

That brings us to current day – yesterday we got to see the Roman Colosseum. The Colosseum was built in 72 AD – it only took 10 years to construct. WOW! Once you see it – it takes a lot of imagination to really wrap your arms around how many people that took to build it. Most of the people who built it were Jewish slaves.

We got there shortly after opening – and again, if you are following this blog and thinking about planning a trip to Rome I would highly recommend getting reservations or getting there early. On our walk to the Colosseum we walked past the Roman Forum – and until we visited it – we really didn’t understand how large the area was. (But I’ll save that for later).

The Colosseum is so large – it is said that it could hold up to 50,000 visitors and that they could all exit within 10-15 minutes. Most of the seats are gone – they did recreate one small area to help visitors help imagine what it looked like in its prime. Additionally, we used the Rick Steves audio tour again – and learned a lot about the history. One of the things that stood out to us was that they used to actually have workers spray perfume to mask the smell of blood and death for spectators.

They got unique with the games that were played there – they would transform the floor of the Colosseum to fit the theme of the event. They could even flood it! They brought in exotic animals that they had brought in from all over the world – lions, tigers, bears, hippos, etc. The crowd was relentless and wanted to see the gladiators die. It was free for all – but depending on your class you were ale to sit in different seats and parts of the Colosseum.

We were there for roughly 2 hours and then we departed for the Roman Forum. Now this, this was exceptional as well. There were so many different buildings that had been there for so many centuries. It was unbelievable. There were parts that had been restored or recreated – and others that were still the originals. We probably spent about an hour and a half here – but I think we could have spent more time there if it hadn’t been so hot and the terrain so hard to navigate.

At the top of Palatine Hill – we were given another fantastic treat when we got to see all of the Roman Forum from above. Rick Steves had another walking tour of this one too – and it was great to learn about the different buildings and structures in the area. We learned about the Vestal Virgins – and had to use our imagination trying to envision their home – and where they tended to the eternal flame of the city.

Courtyard of the Vestal Virgins

We also saw the Temple of Romulus – the door was an original (built in the 4th century) – and it still works! (Not that we were allowed to touch – I’m just referring to the sign that I read).

Temple of Romulus

At this point we were dripping in sweat and had worked up an appetite. We decided to walk a bit away from the Colosseum/Forum to try to get out of the deeply touristy area. We found a place where we could get a quick bite and something more refreshing to drink.

Jon had found a place for us to get gelato – Giolitti. It was so good! I had learned my lesson from the day before and had decided that I would indeed stick to the more fruity flavors. I got raspberry and watermelon. Delicious!

On the way back to our hotel – we stopped to visit the Pantheon. This is a 2,000 year old temple that now functions as a church. The original temple had burnt down – and when it was rebuilt it was destroyed again after a lightning strike. The temple that stands today was built between 118-125 AD.

The dome in this building was amazing. It has an oculus which is the only source of light. It was stunning. Thankfully – the rain that was forecasted stayed away – because if it had rained it would have fallen into the building. The dome is very symmetrical it is as wide as it is tall. It makes for a wonderful visual impact.

We decided we were all pretty tired – so we went back to the hotel for a quick rest. After we rested we went back to our hotel’s rooftop bar. We discussed what we had wanted to do for dinner – we decided we wanted to stay local. The bakery across the road did not have great seating options – so we asked the gentleman at the front desk for recommendations. He told us about Emma. They didn’t open until 7 – and another couple had shared with us that they went last night and didn’t have reservations. They got turned away. We walked over there and realized that next door they had a wine shop.

The lovely gentleman there recommended a bottle for us – we were able to sit in this tiny wine shop and have a glass of wine. He brought out a plate of cheese and balsamic oil. It was so delicious. We told him our woes about not having reservations – and he walked over to the restaurant and arranged for us to get a table right when it opened. Italians don’t like to eat that earlier – but of course we were hungry. He got us right in – which we were really grateful for. The food was fantastic – we finally had our first couple of pizzas.

We went back to the room to pack up – we are taking the high speed train on Wednesday up to Florence for the next leg of the trip.

Up next: Florence