The Hills are Alive with Sounds of Relaxation

This morning saw us up and at em early in the morning to catch a train on our way to the Cinque Terre. We planned to make a stop along the way in Pisa so that Susanne and Christyn could see the leaning tower there. So that they could move faster, and to save Michelle's legs, the plan was to drop her and the bags at a safe place with wifi so that she could work on booking the next hotel room. After the leaning tower we would then go to Vernazza to the rooms, drop our bags and then hike one of the open trails.

We got into Pisa around 9:30am and had Michelle settled by 10. Most major cities now have had free wifi in the public squares, so when we saw the wifi signs we chose a spot that showed a strong signal. Then Tim, Susanne and Christyn hit the road. Unfortunately, Pisa's free wifi is free, but they want you to sign in with information about yourself, including your mobile phone number. They will then send you a text with a code to use to log into the free wifi. The only problem is that in order for Michelle to get the text, she needs to be on a wifi connection. So she was stuck with nothing to do for about an hour, being caught in a frustrating catch-22.

She did attempt to ask a number of people for help. Those most willing to help didn't have mobile phones of their own, and those with mobile phones seemed to be having a bad day. She did have an absolutely lovely conversation with an older Italian couple who spoke no English. Using her 20 year old French skills, a bit of hand gesturing and a Google translate app, Michelle and the woman painstakingly conversed for about 20 minutes. She was delightful, and Michelle learned all about the woman's son, who she was visiting in Pisa, and her three grandsons. The woman seemed flustered that Michelle was left alone and wondered why she needed so many bags just for herself. The woman was very happy to hear that Michelle was traveling with a group of others. :)

Meanwhile, Tim, Susanne and Christyn made their way quickly to the tower. It was quite a hike through town, even without their packs. And with the heat of the day in full effect, it was a hot journey. Once there they spent some time enjoying the sheet engineering of the place. It looks as if the tower will topple at any moment! The obligatory photos were taken, especially the ones where it looks like the person is holding up the tower. On the way back to Michelle there was a quick stop for gelato, and they made sure to bring one back for her. :)

Once reunited Michelle broke the unhappy news that she was not able to make any calls on hotels. So we were going into a small mountain village blind, with no hotel rooms. Sounds like an adventure, yes? We hopped on the first of two trains we needed to get to Vernazza and hoped for the best.

The first train was packed. And by packet we mean packed. There were no seats available, so we had to stand in the covered spaces between the cars. And though the covered spaces are safe, they are not air conditioned. Mind you, we have our full packs on right now, so we are each 20-30lbs heavier than normal, this train ride is about an hour and it is already about 80 degrees outside. This all makes us a prime target for pick pockets. And as we were soon to learn, there were two in the covered space with us working as a team, one at each of the two platform exit doors from the compartment.

Once everyone was in the covered space and the train was moving the train then made its first stop. People got on, people got off, all appeared normal. As the doors closed, an older man walked into the compartment and stood by the exit as if he was getting off at the next stop. Suddenly, a man's wallet appears on the floor. We get the older mans attention, thinking that he dropped his wallet on accident. He turns around and says it isn't his. A man at one of the platform exit doors says it belongs to a man that just got off. This all sounds fishy that it would just appear on the floor, as we had left that train station over a minute ago. So the wallet just hung in the air out of the departing man's pocket for over a minute and dropped to the ground well after he was gone? Instantly we knew that at least one of the three locals in the compartment was a thief. The thief had taken the wallet from the man as he got off of the train, then pocketed whatever cash was there and used the presence of the older man as a distraction to throw the wallet on the floor. So we were fairly certain that at least one of the men by the two exit doors was the one who stole the wallet.

The woman picked up the wallet and seemed concerned, opened it and confirmed it was from a tourist. She put it in her pocket and indicated that she would give it to the local police when we got off of the train. Which also seemed suspicious, but perhaps this is what happens In these situations. We were on high alert though for the other two men to make sure they did not try to steal anything from us. We all breathed a sigh of relief when they exited the train.
   
We continued on in the hot compartment, not wanting to go into the Air Conditioned space as there was not enough room for the 4 of us to sit together. With this recent experience it seemed better to stay together than to split up and be more of a target. Finally we arrived in La Spezia and changed to another regional train. This one was bigger with more seats and fewer people. It was another moment to relax as we planned for our stay in Vernazza. We decided that Michelle and Susanne would stay with the bags and Tim and Christyn would walk around the town and ask at the local shops whether there were any rooms for rent for the night. In this small town there are few hotels but a number of private rooms and apartments that you can rent if you ask around or call ahead of time. They are run by locals, which also allows you to meet some interesting people. But there is also no guarantee that you will be able to find anything.

Finally free of the heavy packs, Christyn and Tim set off to find a restaurant named Gianni Franzi and a travel agency per the instructions of a young local woman working inside the small store in the train station. The restaurant wasn't too difficult to find in the lovely little town, but inside it was packed with both tourists and locals crowded against the bar trying to order a cappuccino. When we were able to get her attention, she unfortunately shared that she had no available rooms. Beginning to worry, we rushed back to the travel agency we had passed. The kind lady working there did not know of any available rooms and neither did any of her contacts. She did inform us that this was a particularly busy time for all of the Cinque Terre due to a holiday weekend for Italy on top of the beginning of summer trips and the usual tourist season. She recommended traveling to farther cities that did not have agencies we could call ahead to talk to, or possibly traveling outside of the Cinque Terre. Not being comfortable with extra train rides and travel based solely on a "maybe," we decided to go around to various businesses to ask for rooms. We entered the little store directly across the street that sold local food items from the region for tourists. There was a little sign in the window that said rooms available. We talked to the store owner Francesca. Lucky for us they had a 2 room apartment available for one night and we didn't have to explore additional cities in search of a place to stay. She called her husband Franco to show us the room.

After about 30 minutes Christyn arrived back to share the happy news. Since we were not sure if we would stay one night or two, this was perfect. We dropped the bags at the apartment and prepared to head into town. Tim was falling asleep at the table in the apartment, so we opted to let him sleep for a few hours. The gals bought some take away food, brought some of it to Tim in the room in case he was hungry, and set off to see the town.

The town itself isn't very big, and you can walk the main road in about 5 minutes. We headed towards the water to get a better view of the harbor area. It was a hot day, so there were many children playing and swimming. One of them had a water polo ball, which made us think of the Jackson family. We decided that later we would need to go swimming.

We headed back up the main square and went into a few shops. In one of them Susanne and Michelle   bought items for some of the kids. We went back to the room to wake up Tim so that we could all go down to the beach to swim. The water was clear, but cold and before long Tim, Michelle and Susanne were all in. Since it was later in the day the swim didn't last long and we were back in the room to get ready for dinner. Christyn ended up falling asleep, and we opted to let her sleep instead of waking her up for dinner.

We were so used to having late dinners that when we stopped in at the harbor at 9:45pm we didn't even think about the time. We soon found that this might be an issue here, as the first restaurant we tried to stop in at said they were closed. The second one said they were open, but when we sat down it seemed like we were rushed though dinner. The waiter explained in 95% Italian that the kitchen was closing and he mentioned a train in the explanation as well. We were not quite sure what he was saying, but we tried to eat as fast as possible. It turns out, in one of the guidebooks they mentioned that a lot of the kitchen staff in the restaurants live in La Spezia, and the last train leaves at 10:00. The next train does not leave until 12:00. So the waiter was trying to explain that the kitchen was closing so that his staff could catch the train to go home. We wish we had known that before, and we were happy that we understood enough to eat as fast as possible!

After dinner Michelle went back to the room and also fell asleep. Susanne and Tim went out again and hiked around the city. The first stop was the castle, but we discovered the gate was closed to the top. We redirected out adventure to walking the labyrinth of pathways in the upper level. This took us to "Lovers Lookout," an opening overlooking the south side of the cliffs and since it was occupied we didn't stay long. We headed back down to the harbor and stood at the end of the point to visit a little longer. What a wonderful way to end the hustle of a travel day in the quietness and glow of Vernazza.

When In Rome . . .

Today was the first day in our trip where we planned to be in the same city for two nights in a row. Knowing that there was no rush to check out of our room and hop on another train we opted to sleep in a bit. Sleep has been a luxury in short supply so far. I think we are all averaging around 3-5 hours a night depending on the city. The idea of getting something close to a full eight hours sounded like heaven.

Breakfast was served at our little hotel from 7:45-9:30. We decided to meet in the breakfast room at 8:30. A typical European breakfast of meats (salami, prosciutto etc) with bread and cheese were served with some yogurt and coffees. The cappuccinos were also flowing if you wanted one made for you. It was a great way to start off the second day in Rome.

Once we were all assembled for the day we hit the road. On the way we grabbed some take away pizza from the local shop. We tried a 4 cheese pizza and one with cheese and mushrooms. Both were delicious and hit the spot as we walked to the closest metro station. It turns out, the closest one involved a walk down a very large hill. Which is fine, if you are walking down the hill, but we were not so excited about the long walk back up the hill. We made a mental note to shoot for a different metro stop that may have been a little further away on the map, but would be more agreeable when returning from a long day of hiking around the city and sightseeing.

We headed first to the Colosseum. This is where the Roma passes we bought the day before came in handy. For a small extra fee (plus unlimited use of the metro for 48 hours) we were able to jump in front of the line and walk right in. When you get into the center part of the Colosseum you quickly realize how big the building is, and how many layers there are all folded into one space. Thankful for the Rick Steve's audio guide we began the tour into history while orienteering by means of the iron cross erected as a memorial. Being it was a hot day we were thankful for the shade we could rest in and the fountains we could refill our water bottles at. While waiting in line we observed a little boy trying to drink as the water poured down from the spout above his head. This is not an easy task at any age and the crowd chuckled. We needed this moment as the history of the Colosseum is filled with woes of death and unfortunate plundering through the ages.

Once finished with the Colosseum we headed over to the Palentine Hill. Tim and Michelle had tried to visit this before, but in some way turned the wrong way and could never quite find it. This time they were determined to at least find it and see a little bit on the way to the Roman Forum. There was a new security checkpoint added to the front of the entrance that had not been there in prior years. This meant that there were now a number of people that we could ask for directions to the entrance. It turns out that there was a small side door that you could enter if coming from the direction we took that would allow you a path to access Palentine Hill. We thought we would take a few moments to look around and then head out, but quickly realized that the Palentine Hill complex is very large. And descriptive signs were there giving information in Italian and English on the details of the site. We could have spent hours there trying to take it all in.

Wanting to be mindful of the time, we took a few pictures (This is Susanne and I must interject that a few pictures does not describe the true amount that I have taken! Tim and Michelle have been very patient as every where we go is another picture spot that must be treasured...click! Oh, and a must needed selfie that proves I was here...click! This usually means I walk behind and sprint to catch up. I believe this is called interval training to those that workout.) Then we headed to the Roman Forum. The Rick Steve's audio guide that we used was very helpful in understanding not only the buildings we were seeing but why they were important. It's challenging to convey the awe of being surrounded by the once was grandeur of an ancient civilization. The Roman Forum is a must see and definitely requires several visits to take in the amount of ruins there are to walk through.

After the Roman Forum we headed back to the Pantheon to see the inside. The Pantheon is a round shaped building whose purposes have shifted and changed over time. It has been used as the home of many religious at various times. The engineering within the building, to have such a high dome and an open rooftop was impressive given when it was designed and constructed. And the amount of marble, even precious purple colored marble, makes your jaw drop.

Back outside of the Pantheon we decided to stop off for a recommended drink from one of the Rick Steve's guides (are you seeing a theme in the planning for this trip?). Tazza d'Oro is one of the oldest coffee shops in Rome and is located in the Pantheon piazza. We dropped in for their afternoon/hot day special, a refreshing granita di caffe con panna. An espresso slushy and whipped cream that is delicious and gives you a nice caffeine boost. There must be some way we can recreate this at home. I'm sure Tim and Susanne will be working on this. From here we pick up the last part of the Rick Steve's walk that we had not finished the day before.

On the audio walk, we pass by the Trevi Fountain. A daytime visit to the Trevi fountain is much different, the mob of people fill every step and niche overflowing to the surrounding streets. We were thankful to have had a peaceful experience the night before, so this time we could stand back and watch the sea of humanity reach the waters of the fountain. With an eye out for a fun dinner restaurant, we strolled down the streets in the general direction of the Spanish steps. An alleyway had a few restaurants with the inside empty and the outside tables packed. With many miles under our belts, we decided to go in for a quiet dinner. The waitstaff soon became delightful jokers poking fun at each of us. One even shared a glass of wine with us and another posed for a picture with Susanne...and then much to her surprise kissed her cheek just before the camera went off. We had a great laugh. As the evening rolled on, the inside of the restaurant became as lively as the outside. An Australian family was seated next to us. The mother had three young kids - 7, 6 and a baby. Surprisingly (sarcasm), Susanne and Michelle were drawn to the young baby and a fun exchange of travel stories ensued.

Theoretically we were supposed to end the day early and catch up on more sleep. But the city is so magical at night when the Romans come out to play that we found ourselves staying out later than anticipated. These are the times where you really feel like you are a part of the city, not just a tourist passing through. We made it to the Spanish steps and spent some time taking pictures and soaking up the last bit of the city. In the morning we had a busy day planned. We would leave early in the morning in the direction of the Cinque Terre. There would be one small stop off on the way in Pisa, where Tim, Susanne and Christyn would leave Michelle with the bags to make a quick trip into town to see the leaning tower. Michelle would then access wifi and make some phone calls to secure a room for the night in Vernazza. There were no rooms left on the hotel booking website that we usually use, so we were leaving Rome with no lodging plans in the Cinque Terre. Apparently we decided to travel in Rome during the beginning of their holiday season, and on the weekend we would be in the Cinque Terre it is their Republic Holiday, kind of like our 4th of July. This means lots of Italians will be traveling and celebrating. So we were hoping that there would be a room for us somewhere once we arrived.

Off to bed now, more adventures to come!

Catching More Flies with Honey than with Vinegar

After the delays in London, we honestly thought going to Rome just wasn't going to happen. We lost a total of two days Just getting out of England. But with good timing and fast feet, we have been able to blast through moving from Milan to Florence and through out list of "must sees" in Florence. We now find ourselves in a position to try to squeeze in Rome.

They say Rome wasn't built in a day, but we can now say it was "sightseen" in a day and a half. Though certainly not as relaxing as we would like it to be, we saw as much as we wanted to see, and certainly enough to get a flavor of it and earn some blisters on our feet in the mean time.

So here we go recapping the day! We had reservations to see the statue of David in the Academica in Florence.  The original plan was to hang out in Florence after our tour. Instead, we saw David, got our fill of some of Michelangelo's other works, and then hustled over to the train station. We actually arrived early, so we had some time to watch the local pick-pockets and "very helpful locals" create some havoc. There was a heave police presence that would intercede each time they would get close to a another person. Susanne and Christyn quickly learned how to spot the people up to no good among the travelers.

We departed Florence on a high speed train which quickly wisped us along through the countryside. We arrived in Rome just about noon, at the very busy Rome Termini train station. We made a quick stop in the tourist information office to buy our Roma Pass (which allows free public transportation and one free entrance into a site). The main benefit to us was the ability to skip the lines and use our pass to move quickly about the city. We walked to our hotel, fully loaded with big backpacks in back and day packs in front. It would have been nice to hop on the metro, but the hotel was less than one stop away and we were as wide as we were tall. Loaded down it would be hard to maneuver through the metro turnstiles and escalators...and potentially an easy target for pickpockets.

From the street our hotel "door" was a non descript wooden door with lots of buttons to ring the residences scattered throughout the five story building. We were buzzed in, and the door opened into a beautiful inner courtyard. Up one flight of stairs and the Jacksons encounter their first small lift in Europe. So many of Europes older hotels have been retrofitted with smaller elevators in the center of their internal stairways. The only issue is, these stairways were not designed to have an elevator, so they are often tinny, sometimes just for single individuals. Regardless, they are a welcome site to some weary travelers who don't want to climb 4 flights of stairs to their hotel. Two of us with bags squeeze into the lift at a time and rise up the inner shaft of the building. The hotel is a delightful, cheerily painted place. Our rooms come with balconies that open up to the inner courtyard. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time to sit and enjoy, we have places to go!

We hopped off of the metro and moved towards the Vatican. Because of the British Airways issue, our tickets are three days expired, and we are going to try our luck pleading our way into seeing the Vatican Museums and the Sisteen Chapel. We arrive at the ticket booth and the first ticket person directs us to the supervisor at the end of the line. A positive step...until he tells us that if we were here yesterday they could have helped us, but it is too late and the computer will not let us use the tickets. We produce documentation of the airplane delays, the apology letter we got from British Airways, anything and everything we could to try to get him to be flexible. But atlas, the computer says no, our only option is to buy new tickets. Succumbing to the reality that he was not going to help us and was not going to let us talk to another supervisor, we finally said okay. We had come this far, we needed to go in. As he looks at the screen, he tells us that today is full and he cannot sell us tickets. "Fine, can we get tickets for tomorrow at the same time as our original tickets 9AM?" No. In fact all tickets are sold out for tomorrow too. With that answer the dejected looks come out and the pleading starts anew. This time, he is more receptive. He picks up the phone, in a blur of Italian rattled off faster that we can even think, he hangs up the phone, looks at us and says "ok". "Okay? We reply" "Yes, okay you can go in. Here are your tickets, no charge. Hurry, we close in two hours". He then lets us know that he loves Southern California, having traveled there many times himself. Triumphantly Michelle and Tim walk over to Susanne and Christyn with tickets in hand.

Two hours is a tight timeframe to see the entire Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. We use the Rick Steve's audio guide to walk us through the museum. And we even sneak in a side trip to see the Egyptian Collection that includes two mummies - a first for Michelle and Tim. We roll into the Sisteen Chapel and admire as the audio guide lays out the history of the work in front of us. It is still stunning every time we see it. We leave the Sisteen Chapel to head to St. Peter's Cathedral, but before we cross the security guard line we find out that we will not be able to re-enter the area once we leave. We quickly spin around and walk to the ticket line to buy a ticket to climb the cupola (the interior dome of St. Peter's).  We are told the stairs are closed, but we can take the elevator up (and miss about 200 of the 500+ stairs) and then we can hike the rest of the way. Within 13 minutes of us buying tickets, while we are still waiting in line for the elevator, the big iron gates to this part of the museum close behind us. No one else will be allowed up today, we had just timed our purchase perfectly. Within minutes we are crammed into the elevator with 15 of our closest friends and shot up to the roof of Saint Peters Basilica. From there the hike up the stairs to the top of the dome begins, We have fun with pictures as the walls started curving in on us. The last few steps are up a spiral staircase with a rope hanging in the middle as a handrail, and you are then ejected out of the tight quarters into stunning views of Rome from the highest point around. Tim captured the moment perfectly in pictures when Susanne and Christyn hit the last step and saw the view in front of them. It is a sight to behold, especially given the 300+ steps that you still have to climb to get to the top, even when you use the elevator.  

We returned to ground level about 15 minutes before St. Peter's basilica was about to close. Not wanting to miss the moment, we opted to go inside and see what we could see, knowing full well that we might not be able to come back that direction if there were other sights on the list that we wanted to see tomorrow.  Time seemed to stand still once we entered the church. . The sheer massiveness of the place is overwhelming, and then you realize how close the Pope is and what he represents to millions of people around the world, and it takes your breath away.

We were one of the last groups of people to leave the church that night. Back out on the street, we started to walk towards the metro stop we needed, and then Tim realized that we also wanted to complete the night walk that we downloaded from Rick Steves. These walks tend to give us a good overview of the city and the major landmarks We all enjoy the brief history as well, but the corneyness does get a bit overwhelming at times. In this one we were able to learn about and see the history of the Campo de Fiori, Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. Because there is a restaurant near the Pantheon that Tim and Michelle love, we opted to stop our tour there and have dinner. The plan was to pick the tour back up at the Pantheon the next day.

Dinner was delicious as always. We tried to eat as the locals do in multiple course and then remembered that we couldn't eat that much food! Between the appetizers, first course an second course we all felt like we rolled out of there. Since there was no metro stop close to the Pantheon we opted to walk the entire way home. And wouldn't ya know it, in between our hotel and the Pantheon was a little thing called the Trevi fountain. :) At this point it is about 1 in the morning, which is actually the perfect time to go and visit the fountain. Most of the tourists are long in bed and the locals are out enjoying their city squares for the hang out places they were designed to be. And on top of that, the vendors and (we hope!) the thieves are also long gone. We spent about 20 minutes taking pictures and enjoying the playfulness of the moment.

Back at the room we decided that the next day in Rome would include something we have never done before on this trip. Sleep in. :) We will catch you up on the second day of Rome's happenings soon! Ciao!

Florence and the Opera at Midnight

Since we are a few days behind in our postings we will try to catch you up on the latest from the trip for our day in Florence and our first day in Rome. The pace of the trip and trying to catch up with the original itinerary is leading to a number of late nights and early mornings, which by day 5 are finally catching up with us. Every morning we say "We need to get to bed at a decent hour tonight" and every night we find ourselves strolling the town until midnight and 1:00am. These are the hours were you see less tourists and more residents coming out to enjoy the best that their city has to offer. It is fun being a part of that mix and to share moments with locals outside of the hustle and bustle of the day. But I digress. :)

Day 3 found us taking the high speed train to Florence early in the morning. The trip taking only taking an hour and a half, we arrived in Florence at 8AM. We strapped on our bags and took the short walk to the hotel. We had previously let the hotel know that we would need baggage storage, a quick check-in at the hotel and we dropped the bags to start the days adventures. To orient ourselves to the city and see many of the main sites we opted to do a Rick Steves walk around town. Though slightly cheesy at times, they are great walks for seeing the true parts of the city and getting the brief history as to why the sites are important. His guides for specific museums have also saved quite a bit of money and time as we have not had to spend extra money to purchase audio tours.

We started at the Duomo in the city center and learned a bit about the main church and its significance in the life of the city. It has been fun to watch the first reactions of Susanne and Christyn as we turn the corner from an small alley revealing the architectural masterpieces before us. The Duomo is large, the 4th largest in the world and is tightly surrounded by the city. So you really don't have a warning that you are approaching it, until wow there it is. The church is covered in pink and green marble which gives it a unique look when compared to other European churches. We walked down the main shopping street to another church (Orsanmichele), which we learned was originally a place where people could buy grain for their horses. Over time the real estate in the area made it too valuable to continue as a marketplace, and the arches leading to the streets were covered in to make the building a church. Each of the 14 archways were made into niches and local artists were hired to design statues to fill in the niches. As we admired and listened to the audio guide, an older Italian gentlemen relaxing on the nearby steps causally engaged Michelle in conversation. A quintessential Italian look to him, made for a great photo opt - Christyn got the best photo. We had to drag Michelle away to continue on our journey.

Popping in and out of various landmarks we pass works of art that continue to inspire awe in all of us...and it is all there for us to see. Reaching the Arno River, the views of the Ponte Vecchio with all of its buildings clinging to the bridge makes for a serene picture. As our audio guide tour ends, we pinch each other to remind us it is real and it is happening. The troubles of the airport quickly fading as new memories take hold. This is why we travel, to enjoy the beauty that unfolds around us with each new step. The Ponte Vecchio area is a tourist haven, but you cant help but get caught up in the sights and sounds as the beauty surrounds us. We drop into a few shops and start filling our bags with delightful reminders of where we are. One planned stop is a stationary store where they demonstrate how that make a unique oiled designed paper.

After a gelato stop and a infamous spoon incident, we start a stroll through the massive Boblini Gardens above the Pitti Palace. At the top of the gardens the views allow both great city views in one direction and in the other a hint of the Tuscan countryside. We wandered through the gardens for two hours and then strolled over to the Bardini Gardens, covered under the same ticket.

The early mornings and late evenings taking their toll, we stopped for take away Margarita Pizza and headed back to the hotel...it took longer than needed as Tim struggled to get his bearings. But as we wandered through the streets, Michelle stopped us and pointed down a street and said to Tim "Remember this place?" No he thought, I cant even remember if I had breakfast right now. Sleep deprivation was definitely hitting us hard. She pointed down a side street and reminded Tim of a restaurant that they had enjoyed in a previous trip. Once we verified that it was,  dinner plans were set. We then crashed at the hotel for a mid-afternoon nap.

 After a 5:30 alarm went off, we were back at it. We opted to let Christyn sleep while Susanne nod Tim went to the train station to secure tickets for the next day.  Michelle stayed behind to find a hotel. Within 20 minutes Susanne was back up and trying to wake Christyn up. I turns out, the market that we thought was open until 1pm actually closed at 6:00pm. Shopping at the market was the one thing Christyn really wanted to do, and we would be leaving too early in the morning for her to catch it on our way before the train. Michelle and Christyn then went to the market while Susanne rejoined Tim and headed to the train station.

It is amazing the kinds of deals you can get when you go right at closing time. Either that, or Christyn is a master negotiator. Or perhaps the retail prices are so inflated that everything looks like a steal. Or some combination of the three. Christyn bough scarves that were listed at 15 euros each for 3 for 20 euros and a purse originally listed at 35 euros for 15 euros. Within 20 minutes she had finished a good portion of her shopping list for friends and we were headed back to the room.

Once Tim and Susanne arrived from the train station we set out for dinner. The dinner was at a place called Osteria Zio Gigi where the owner is also the server and will bust out in very loud singing as he waits on the various tables. If he takes a liking to your table expect to be serenaded. If you can't make it to La Scalia in Milan, Zio Gigi is an excellent alternative. His wife is the perfect sarcastic foil to his over the top character. Our favorite line from her,  when we asked if he was going to be singing tonight was "If you call that loud noise singing!" That combined with good food makes for a memorable experience. With bellys full we headed back to the room. After a quick shower, the booking of a hotel room and packing up for the next morning we all crashed out in bed. Another full day, and tomorrow we will be in Rome!

British Airways Finally Gets It Right

Hi all! Sorry for the delay in a post, it has been a whirlwind of a few days. We are all well, safe, and exhausted from all of the adventures of the last few days.

The last we left you was on Monday and we were still unsure on whether we would make it out of London on the flight we had rebooked to Milan. Originally we were set to fly into Rome, but British Airways was not sure if they would have the Rome flights moving until Tuesday or Wednesday. Not wanting to delay our trip any more, we looked for any flights flying into any cities that we were semi familiar with. It turns out it is pretty difficult to book 4 people on the same flight after a global outage of an airline. We managed to get a flight for Monday to Milan instead and figured we could train it into Florence or Rome depending on where we could pick up the original itinerary. As it is, we are out the tickets we bought for the Vatican and the Borguese. But the more we can salvage the better!

Prior to our flight we spent the day working through some of the sites we wanted to see on our London city guides. Christyn really wanted to go to the Camden Market, so we took the metro out in that direction. On the metro a cute family of four sat next to us, and of course we go to chatting. They were on their way to see the Platform 9 3/4 a one of the train stations from the Harry Potter movies. Since Christyn is a huge fan, and it was in the general direction we wanted to go, we tagged along. We then made our way up to the Camden Market. This is an open air market with hundreds of permanent vendors selling all sorts of things. And it was hopping. We bought some Hungarian take-away food and walked around the market for a few hours. Then it was back to the hotel to collect our bags and make our way to the airport.

As it was, with the rebooked flight to Milan, we still had the worry that even if the flight took off we had no idea how we would get from the Linate airport to the city center, as the metro does not run out to Linate. And we didn't want to book a hotel for Milan until we were sure the plane would be taking off. So many ifs, and all hanging on one itty bitty little flight off of an island to the main land. :)

As it turns out, the flight did take off, we were on it, and we booked a hotel for Milan abut 5 minutes before we boarded the plane. Whew! We figured we could always get a taxi, but where is the adventure in that? After exiting the airport and collecting our luggage we learned that there was a #73 bus that could take you into the Duomo (the main church area) and then on the same tickets (they are good for 90 minutes of travel) we could metro to the hotel from there. We spent 20 minutes or so in the big piazza in front of the Duomo and walked through the galleria. Mind you we have our full packs still on. We seriously think that we should all earn at least one college PE credit by the time we are done with this entire trip! By the time we reached our hotel it was around 1am. We were hot and tired. We opted to plan for an early departure so that we could catch an early train out to Florence in the morning. By 5:45am we were out the door and back at the train station again. A bit of a brutal turn around, but we made it.

It is now 2:30am our time, so I will update you more on our Tuesday adventures in Florence and our Wednesday plans for Rome. Ciao!

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make English Tea

So if American news is covering any of the British Airlines mess you likely all know now that our worries about our British Airways flight to Rome were valid. Once we landed we made our way from Termnal 2 to Terminal 5. On the way we were looking for signs of hope that things had returned to normal in the 10 hours that we were in the air. The flight attendants and pilots on the first flight were even calling into Heathrow to check the status of our flight. One thing we have learned through this, if we ever have the chance to fly on Air New Zealand again we will. They were amazing. The seats were comfortable with enough room, the video screens near each seat actually worked, included in the fare were amenities like blankets and pillows, and they even fed us two decent meals in flight. They also had touch screen ordering of drinks at any time so that you didn't have to get up or try to hail a flight attendant. Interestingly enough, their drink selection was quite robust, including the traditional options and quite a number of adult options. It made us wonder if part of the training to be a flight attendant included bar tender school.

On our way to the terminal we saw a number of British Airways flights leaving the tarmac and had renewed hope that we might actually make it out on a flight. Unfortunately, as we were headed to check in a BA crew member verified that our flight was indeed cancelled. We were told to exit the airport through customs and go back into the airport on the arrivals side to rebook our flight with the BA side on arrivals. When we got down to the ground floor and were about to exit the airport we learned that they were not letting anyone up to the arrivals to rebook unless they were on a confirmed flight and had checked in. We also saw that if you left the airport they would not let you back in unless you were on a confirmed flight. We opted to stay in the airport until we could sort everything out. All passengers on cancelled flights were told to rebook with BA.com. Which was ironic, because it was IT issues that prevented flights from going, and now we had to rely on BA.com in order to get a new flight. 

Determined to make the most of it, we grabbed a piece of cold floor with about 2,000 of our closest friends to figure out what we would do. Thankfully Heathrow has free wifi and with that we could use to actually make a call. After about 3 hours on the phone with reps from both British Airways and Air New Zealand we were rebooked on a flight to Milan (not Rome) on Monday. We cancelled our original Rome hotel (thank you Booking.com for allowing us to do that for free) and then tried to figure out how and when we could rejoin with our original itinerary. At this point we are going to miss our reservations for the Vatican museaum and the Borguese gallery (which has Michelle's favorite statue), but we should be able to catch up in time for our reservation to the Academia in Florence for the statue of David. Fingers crossed, as BA is focused on getting their long haul flights back up first and their short hall flights up next. 

After securing a flight Tim and Susanne went to see if they could get our bags, which were tagged to go to Rome so we did not pick them up after our flight landed in London. At that moment, we were worried that they would end up in the big pile of bags that were left unclaimed. BA was assuring passengers that they would be reunited with their bags as soon as possible. We had two days of clothes and essentials in our packs, so we were not worried in the short term. But the idea of relying on an airline to properly forward baggage around the world when they can't manage getting people around the world seemed a bit of a stretch. Michelle and Christyn worked on local transport information and finding a hotel for the night. With BA reimbursing 200 British pounds for a hotel for 2 each night and 25 British pounds for food per person, there were a number of options available to us. We had fun looking for the best deals in some swanky places. :) 

Tim and Susanne had their own adventures in baggage. There were a number of lines they had to be in, each with frustrated passengers and little information. The one they finally landed in allowed 5 people at a time in to search for luggage, and this included the BA workers. So if a crew member went in, that was one person of the five and the rest of the line had to wait. After an extended search of a few hours they finally managed to locate all of our bags and were able to take them out of the baggage handling area. There is no sight sweeter after all that the day held then your husband and sister-in-law walking up with big smiles and 4 bags on their arms. 

All told, we were in the airport for 6 hours to rebook flights, find bags and get to our hotel. Thankfully we arrived at 11:00am London time, so we departed at 5:00pm and were at our hotel by 5:45pm. Since we are (hopefully!) only in town for one night, we decided to work on our list of sights to see in London a little earlier than planned. First up, a traditional London pub for dinner. We bought two different local brews and a number of dishes to share. Fish and chips, shepherds pie, traditional English breakfast plate and a fish plate filled out the table. After dinner was a short walk to Buckingham Palace. We walked through St. James park at dusk, which was a very serene experience after a hectic day of airplanes, air ports and rescheduled plans. The slowly setting sun, the various birds and the beautiful scenery all combined to remind us of the bigger picture of what we were doing and why we are here. 

Our walk continued with the ultimate goal being to see the River Thames. Along the way we marveled at Trafalgar Square and bumped into a small pastry shop. Since we all had a hankering for something sweet, we purchased four different options and made our way to the Jubilie bridge. It has a beautiful nighttime skyline view of the city and of the Parliment buildings (including Big Ben). We ate the pastry's in a small park overlooking the same city view and marveled over the days challenges and blessings. A quick walk past the London Eye brought us to the tube station and then back to our rooms.

Today was fill of blessings and adventures, and we are grateful for things like free wifi almost everywhere that made the day so much better. We can't image how difficult this would have been had it happened even 10 years ago. Tomorrow will be another adventure, but we are together and we are safe and we are still excited for what God has planned.

And Away We Go Again . . . . Hopefully!

So today begins our next European adventure, this time with Tim's sister Susanne and our niece Christyn. We are looking forward to another 20+ fun filled days exploring the European landscape.

For months we have been excited about the great airline deal we scored on tickets (about $500 less per person than our first trip in 2007) and the fact that we have a direct flight from LAX to London. Knowing that when we get off of the first plane we will at least be in Europe was an exciting proposition. Then we have a small flight from London to Rome to start our trip.

That was until this morning of course. Our connecting carrier for the London to Rome flight is British Airways. If you have not seen the headlines, they are having massive IT issues and have cancelled all flights for today. Our flight that we have for tomorrow is still on, but we anticipate it being cancelled as well unless they are able to recover their systems quickly. The pictures of frustrated and angry passengers at the airport is not exciting! So we may begin our trip in London, and then have to get creative on how we actually get down to Rome. Never a dull moment when you are traveling! So for those of you who are reading this, just know it may be a few days until we are able to post again on this blog pending travel arrangements.

We are T minus 45 minutes before we leave for the airport, so we will sign off now so that we can get in a few last minute snuggles with all of the kiddos. Much love to you all and we will update soon!