Well folks, it seems that I have the formidable task of catching you up on our Roman Holiday. Rome is a wonderfully grandiose city, where it seems that around every corner you are stumbling across a statue, or fountain, or church, or staircase, or coliseum that has some sort historical significance.  It was truly awe inspiring walking around the metropolis that held the seat of power for over half the civilized world all those centuries ago.

To see the ruins of the roman forum and Palatine Hill and imagine Julius Caesar’s ascension to emperor, or what the Rome looked  like after it was burned to the ground only to be rebuilt…or to even try to picture what the city must have looked like back then from the ruins that remain today is almost impossible.  And Vatican City was a site to behold in itself…but let’s not jump ahead of ourselves.

We we’re in Rome for 3.5 days. But we are not counting the half day because all we did was to arrive from Florence and find our camp site. All that we learned that day was Roman buses crowded and the schedules for them have no bearing in the realm of time and space. The plus side of that day is that we could relax for half a day and not worry about having to see stuff…plus Liz got to shop in a mega-mart called Panorama (think baby Super Target), so she was happy.  Sorry no pictures from this day, but we made up for it on the following days. (I think that we took a total of around 1200 pictures in Rome, and that’s with Liz forgetting her camera for the Vatican visit.)

This was the day when we covered the most ground. After a restful evening, we started off bright and early with the Coliseum. We got ourselves a Roma pass which gave us unlimited public transportation for three days and free entry to 3 sites without having to stand in ticket lines (quite a deal). The Coliseum is big, and it is old. Fortunately, we got there before the crowds showed, because even something that big fills up fast. They have tried to restore some parts of it so that one can get an idea of how it actually looked, but I think it might be better just to watch of movie ‘Gladiator’ just because I was having trouble imagining it in all of it’s grandeur.

After the Coliseum we went to Palatine hill (where all the emperors and dignitaries lived), which is adjacent to the Roman Forum (where everything happened). It was beautiful, and one could feel the history and majesty trickling through the eons when looking at the ruins of the once massive palaces and temples. Alas, now there are only surviving remnants of a once epic civilization.

After that, we started walking around the area only to stumble across a massive gleaming white building which turned out to be the Complesso del Vittoriano. It is a palatial, statue-laden building which now serves as a sort of historical center, as well as, tomb of the unknown soldier. With all of the white marble and intricate statues, it’s what I think ancient Rome would have looked like, back then…only on a much larger scale.

Hiding behind the Complesso was yet another massive and free building, the Basilica of St. Mary of Aracoeli. By this time we realized why Rome was so big...it had all these buildings to fit inside it.

After this was the Trevi Fountain, where one is supposed to throw a coin or two to ensure there return to Rome. A  hand full of loose change says we are coming back!

On our way to the Pantheon we stumbled upon Gippetto/Pinocchio’s workshop.

Then we arrived at the Pantheon. By this time we were getting pretty tired…as I am of writing this post. So if you would like to learn more about the Pantheon and it’s history please consult your local library, or talk to a really old person.

After the Pantheon, we made one last stop at the Spanish stairs. We were not in any shape to actually climb the stairs so we decided to save that for another day and went back to camp. That was day 1…two more to go. Exhausting isn't it?

On the second day we went to Vatican City to see the Pope. Unfortunately, he takes summers off and goes on vacation so he wasn’t there. But we decided to take a stroll around his house anyway…nice house! On our way we were confronted by a tour guide expounding the benefits of having a guided tour (no lines, in-depth explanations, more access, etc.) we were sold…thinking that it was going to be a small group. It was at first, until we started combining with other groups, by the end we were around 50 people being herded through already packed corridors in a perpetual hurry; whenever we weren't waiting for other people to catch up. Never again will we take a guide unless it is one on one...it was supremely frustrating and one of the worst choices of my entire life:). We had to go through the entire museum a second time just to see what we missed…better to get a guide book instead and peruse at one’s leisure. That’s what we learned that day…here are some pictures. By the way the art and museums were amazing...rivalling even the Louvre...simply astounding. Of course I can't show even 0.2% of what was actually there, but I did take a lot of photos that day. I will try to get them on the Flicker account before we leave Jerusalem tomorrow. Be patient, or better yet...go see them for yourselves.

We ran out of battery by St. Peter’s Basilica, so we decided to come back the next day and record the spectacle for posterity. So we just walked around in the warm evening past more palaces and piazzas. We actually spent an hour in line for this famous gelato…it was pretty good. We returned home late that evening to sleep and start in all over again the next day.

We started out our day by going to the post office to mail back a big box of souvenirs which we have accumulated over the course of the past two + months. Unfortunately, we forgot that it was Sunday and had to take the package all the way back to camp before exploring…sigh. Then we had to hurry to our reservation at the “second best museum in Rome”, the Galleria Borghese. Photography wasn’t allowed, but just as well…compared to the Vatican this museum was like walking into a kindergarten class. Don’t get me wrong, there was some amazing art there, it just wasn’t worth the trouble.

Then we took a nap in the park…followed by a walk in the park.

A walk which led to the Spanish Stairs again…

And ultimately back to St. Peter’s Basilica (this time with two cameras and plenty of battery power).

Thus ending our Roman Holidaze.

Now we are having a great time travelling around Israel and Jordan…but that is another post. Stay tuned. Pace in the Middle Acest!

Tomorrow the Dead Sea...

Don't forget to wish Liz a Happy Birthday!

We’ve been up to quite a bit since the last post. After a full day of travel, we’ve made it to Israel and now are in transit to Jerusalem. But lets not get ahead of ourselves…

Last week we finished up our second WWOOFing experience. I don’t know if some of you follow European Football (I know I didn’t), but when you’re staying with an Italian, you don’t have an option. Italy made it to the Eurocup, so rather than watching the game on his computer, we went to a club on the other side of the mountain*. When Nicolo was telling us about this club, I was imagining the place was going to be jam packed, full of devoted fans ready to cheer on their team. Here’s what was actually the case…

So, unfortunately, Italy lost (badly) to Spain. It was a painful game to watch, but hilarious to hear a bunch of old Italian men and women cursing at the television. Similar to when my dad watches the Vikings or Gopher football I suppose, only Italian cursing sounds much more angry.

The next day, we said our goodbyes and caught a bus to Florence. We stayed on a campgrounds in Venice and discovered that they also had locations in Florence and Rome. Perfect! A cheap place to stay that’s somewhat close to the city, with the added bonus of a view of the city. I know I got a few emails from people talking about how hot it was in the States over the 4th of July, and unfortunately it was the same in Florence. Unbearably hot, in a small tent, with no air-conditioning or breeze. You get what you pay for… but the view was beautiful.

To beat the heat, we made gelato a daily plan instead of an occasional treat. My favorite was a place called Mordilatte, near the Duomo. They even had special “American” flavors to celebrate the 4th of July – Strawberry Cheesecake and Apple Pay (that’s not a spelling error; the flavor was actually called ‘pay’, not ‘pie’).

Overall, Florence was a great experience, though both Kevin and I can agree that we’ve seen enough Renaissance art for a while.

*Sidenote for my family members – remember when we were in Colorado and Jacob took us on a “shortcut” through the mountain… Our drive was similar to that, except we had the luxury of a 4x4 truck instead of a dark green minivan.

A sneak peak into our adventure so far... More pictures to come, stay tuned!

Not really. Portocomaro has been absolutely wonderful, but it is time to get moving again. I will forever remember and cherish the memories and the people...good times.

Liz is all better. Here’s to antibiotics they are extremely cheap ($5) here, and you don’t even need a prescription.

We’ve built a great shelf and bird house out of scrap wood using substandard tools and a lot of gumption. It should hold up for years to come. If it's not used as firewood. 

We’ve taken a couple winery tours and tastings where we have gotten the contact information for the American importers. In the Piedmont region, the three most prominent grape species are Barbera, Ruche, and Griniolino; which most of the wine of the region comes from.

Had a typical Peidmontese meal; complete with four plates of antipasta, one plate of pasta, and one meat plate. We still had at least two plates to go before dessert, but we couldn’t eat any more.

We’ve met our replacements. Rob and Polly…a couple Brits who have just begun a two year trip of vagabonding, hitchhiking, and Wwoofing with no real plan to speak of. Sounds like us...but with a British accent. Cherio!

So, now we are back on the train again. En route to Corniglia, one of the five villages which make up Cinque Terre. We are going to spend a couple of days there, one of which Is my 33rd birthday. Hopefully the weather will be as hot/nice as it has been in Portacomaro these past couple weeks and we can go swimming in the Mediterranean.

After a much deserved vacation of hiking and swimming in Cinque Terre we are off to explore the timelessness of Venetian canals, followed shortly by Florence, then to Tuscany to do another Wwoofing site. We’ll be sure to let you know how it went and have loads of pictures to share.

As you may have figured out, this post is a little dated. Due to time and internet access constraints, we cannot always update when we want. By the time that I send this I have already had an astounding birthday in paradise and we are just getting ready to leave Venice. We will update again as soon as we can. Our plan is to camp one night outside Venice then go to our next Wwoofing site. Talk at ya soon.

I think WWOOFing might be the only way I travel from now on, for multiple reasons actually. The most important to me though, were the relationships built over the last month.

It’s been wonderful getting to know Chiara and David, spending 2-3 hours every night sharing stories and learning about Italian culture, all while eating delicious food prepared by Chiara. I would never have had the chance to learn about how difficult it can be to have a small business in Italy, how the mafia is still a huge problem, how to cook traditional Piemontese food, or ride a horse! Sure, it wasn’t always easy. There were times when things got a little frustrating, but we worked through it together and learned a bit about ourselves in the process.

I was talking with Rob, one of the new WWOOFers that will be working at Asti Sport, and we started to discuss how difficult but rewarding it can be talking with someone who doesn’t speak the same language. Let me explain… When we first met Chiara, she kept apologizing for her “poor English” and she warned us that her husband’s vocabulary was even worse. But after a few days, we really got into a rhythm of what David’s phrases meant, and eventually were able to communicate rather easily. My favorite was when he’d say something like, “Contrary to fast,” when he wanted to say “slow”. Or when describing anything that he didn’t like, he’d say, “A bastard inside,” with a fantastic Italian accent. Kevin and I were trying to learn a bit of Italian, but let’s face it, learning a language is really hard. And the progress that both of them made with their English while we were there was remarkable.

This morning I felt like I was saying goodbye to family, not just a few people that we worked for. Just like when I say goodbye to my mom, both Chiara and I teared up a bit as we parted ways. A huge thank you Chiara, David, Samir and Oliver for sharing your life with us and giving us the opportunity to learn so many new things. Keep in touch, and we’ll do the same.