Florence and Home

Hey everyone!

We are home safe and sound (and both back to work)! I have posted a lot of the pictures on Facebook and have the links to all the albums below. They are organized into each port of call. :)

Florence is still the beautiful city that I remembered. We took a walking tour of the city starting with the Accademia which housed Michelangelo's slaves (unfortunately we couldn't take pictures of any of this).  The reason they call them by that name is because Mike set the figures free from each (hand picked)  block of marble. I could literally see the way he "found" each person in the stone. Genius. No other word for it. You could see the chisel marks, the work still in progress, and the smooth parts where the body had already been realized. Then, there was the David. He was huge! I didn't realize how big 17 feet actually was. In the right hand, holding the stone, you can see the veins. Not because he's holding the stone, but because his right hand is below his heart. Alternately, the left hand holding the sling has no veins. You can tell by the muscular structure that he was very in tune with anatomy and learned a lot from the cadavers that he studied.

After the museum we walked to the Piazza del Duomo where we saw the dome designed by Brunelleschi on the Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto's Bell Tower, and the Baptistry of St. John. The Cathedral is immense and since the buildings are so close together you don't really see it until it's looking down on you. The Gates of Paradise are right across from it, which I don't really think is a coincidence. :)

After looking at the Cathedral we journeyed on to the Piazza della Signoria. This Plaza is the center of Florentine politics and houses some of the most beautiful outdoor statues: the fountain of Neptune, Judith and Holofernes by Donatello, the Rape of the Sabine Women, and Perseus with the Head of Medusa.

We got a little bit of free time after that… so we found a small (warm) cafe (that had gelato) and sat for a while. I had the best Tiramisu gelato in the whole world and Ron had a glass of Chianti. Then, we were off to Santa Croce, which is like the Westminster Abbey of Florence. Everyone that was anybody is buried (or memorialized) in that church.

The cruise was amazing and I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to go. 10 days was the perfect amount of time. Now it's just getting use to California time again. We have been waking up super early and falling asleep early (which isn't bad, we will get back on schedule soon).

Thank you all for helping us and contributing to this amazing adventure!

LOVE,
R+A

Here are some photos to enjoy, I tried to round it down to the best out of the plethora taken.

Barcelona:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100255646110140.2280204.19907510&type=1&l=bffa177920

Palma de Mallorca:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100256046677400.2280242.19907510&type=1&l=f236c09676

Malta:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100256068573520.2280245.19907510&type=1&l=7f9f554212

Sicily:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100256072869910.2280246.19907510&type=1&l=02a465d5ef

Naples:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100256808939820.2280297.19907510&type=1&l=7f354df0fa

Rome:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100257105585340.2280316.19907510&type=1&l=57d5663ce9

Orvieto:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100257635463460.2280366.19907510&type=1&l=9c7b153fa6

Florence:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100257655932440.2280371.19907510&type=1&l=22d764e355

Pompeii, Sorrento and Rome

Hello from Rome!

Before Rome we journeyed to Naples where we went to the cities of Pompeii and Sorrento. The coach ride from the pier to Pompeii was probably the ugliest drive we have had so far. The streets were riddled with liter and junkyards; not very pretty, but, well worth it to get to Sorrento. Pompeii, as expected, is a major tourist spot but actually wasn’t that crowded, compared to how crazy it can get during the summer months. Pompeii is massive and it is virtually impossible to see all of it in one day, let alone 3 or 4 hours.  It is unbelievable how much of this lost city is still intact. Almost every building still has walls and floors, but no ceilings. Every ceiling collapsed due to the weight of the ash, not the actual lava. You can actually see the tracks of rolling doors for the old shops that were once setup on the street and the marks from the wheels wearing on the stone walkways from the heavy horse drawn carts. We also saw one of civilization’s first fast food joints! They had about 30 places where you could grab cooked food and go. They must have always been super hungry (or super full).

After Pompeii we jumped back on the coach to head to Sorrento. When we first got to the city we had free time, so with maps in hand we got comfortably lost and wandered around the streets. Naples is said to have invented Pizza, the Margharita to be specific, and from that pizza the colors were taken for the Italian flag: red for the sauce, white for mozzarella, and green for the basil (or some people said oregano). DELICIOUS was what it was, delicious! The dough they use for the pizza is supposedly the same recipe they have been using for centuries (dating back to Pompeii’s demise even).  After we finished eating we ran across the street to have some Gelato and let me tell you, it was goooooood. J

Next, we met up with everyone to go to a farm in the city that makes Limoncello, oil, wine, and mozzarella. This place was amazing, they had lemons and oranges and olive trees all growing together. At one point the oranges and lemons had grafted together, and to save even more space they grow grape vines on trellises on top of the trees. The farm is really small, but they have tons of produce (and it’s good, too).  After the tour we saw a demonstration on how each type of mozzarella is made (ricotta is made from the water of the mozzarella, genius) then, we got to taste it. YUM! They had the all the fixings ready for us to eat and enjoy (and buy!).  On our way back to the ship we got some amazing views of the Sorrento coast.

Yesterday we docked in Rome and headed out to the Eternal City to see the Vatican City! We even got a surprise drive through the old city to see the coliseum and forum, it was from the coach, but at least we got to do a drive by. We started with the Vatican Museums and caught a glimpse of some famous statues, beautiful tapestries made by nuns, and maps of Italy.  At the end of the museum you go straight into the Sistine chapel. Michelangelo’s work is amazing (I can’t wait to see the David tomorrow in Florence) and flawless. I just kept staring, waiting for someone to move. We had a full 20 minutes there and it went by so fast. After the Sistine Chapel we walked over to St. Peter’s Basilica. This massive structure is the largest church in the world and houses my most favorite statue of all time- the pieta. An ambassador came to the basilica as we were leaving and made quite the entrance. The Swiss Guard was there in their tights alongside some Cardinals.  After St. Peters, we went over to San Giovanni in Laterano which is considered to be the most important church in Rome. It was were the papal seat was before St Peter’s Basilica and is also still a part of Vatican City. There is a line that you cross over that designates the border between Italy and the church. It was a gorgeous (and it had an amazing cloister).

And TODAY! We went to Orvieto, a small fortified medieval town. The duomo there is huge and daunting (you should google it to have a look, we couldn’t take pictures of the inside L) The inside and outside are striped horizontally with black and white stripes (a Moorish influence) the inside looks empty and plain until you get to the transept. When you turn left you enter a chapel that houses the miracle of the blood stained altar cloth housed in the tabernacle. The blood was tested and is type A--the same blood type as the Shroud of Turin. Then, to the right, is the Cappella di San Brizio which has walls that rival Michelangelo’s Sistine chapel. It’s said that this is where he got the inspiration for the ceiling, and I can totally see why. These walls. Holy cow. Luca Signorelli painted powerful images (in fresco) of the anti-Christ, the prophecies in Revelation coming to pass, demons flying, angels glowing, and Jesus watching it all come to pass. Amazing. Afterwards we had free time to go shopping and such, we enjoyed a latte (literally a latte, we didn’t realize that saying latte would only get us steamed milk. Don’t worry; we got an espresso to mix with it) and some amazing views with many stray cats.

Now, we are back on the ship excited for tomorrow! I, unfortunately, got a cold a couple days ago so I am using my time on the ship to sleep and Ron is dutifully taking care of me (and enjoying shows, too!). Here’s to a good night’s sleep and feeling better for Florence (or maybe at least being able to breathe through the nose, that would be nice).  

Love you guys!

R+A

Malta and Sicily

Hellooooo from Sicily!

 Yesterday we saw the independent nation of Malta, which is an island very close to Sicily. We docked in Valletta and took a land tour of the little island. We saw the fishing village of Marsaxlokk, churches (one built by fisherman), M’Dina, and the beautiful Blue Grotto. It was such a beautiful place to see! All of the places we have seen still have their Christmas decorations up, so I don’t feel so bad for not taking mine down.  Nearly every space is occupied by a building or a small farm, so it is a pretty jam packed place. The streets are narrow and you can tell that the Maltese use every square foot of their land wisely. However, each area was still sleepy and there weren’t very many people around, even before the siesta. The buildings all look very similar and are made of limestone. This is the same material used during construction thousands of years ago and today, so it is difficult to tell just how old each building actually was. There were ruins from 3000 BC, some of the oldest known in the world. This was definitely the best stop so far, besides beautiful and bustling Barcelona.

We just got back on the ship from our excursion to Tindari in Sicily. Tindari is a small hilltop town that houses the church dedicated to the Black Madonna. I can’t wait to post pictures of this statue and the surrounding altar, simply amazing. In the same area were some Roman ruins and baths (and a very cute stray dog that likes belly rubs). 

Talk soon!

Love,

R+A

Palma de Mallorca

Hey everyone! We have boarded the ship and said Bon Voyage to Barcelona. We miss it already.  Yesterday we walked the streets of Barcelona from La Rambla to the Gothic Quarter.

Today we got to see the island of Palma de Mallorca. Our tapas tour got canceled due to lack of interest (who doesn’t want tapas?!). So, we did the wine tasting and North Coast Tour instead. The tour started with a brief glimpse of the city Palma, we basically just drove by the cathedral (which was once a Turkish mosque) and then headed into the mountains to Valledemossa. This quaint little town is where Michael Douglas bought a house with his ex-wife. They each loved it so much that they amicably split it so that they could each have it 6 months out of the year.  Then- on to the winery! Wine at 11 am is the way to go! They had some fantastic wines; we got to try the Chardonnay and Moscato for the whites and a cabernet and a blend for the red. They also had some amazing flavored sea salt (who knew?).

I had a big case of jet lag and could barely keep my eyes open today. After the excursion I came back and slept for another 4 hours! Hopefully after good night’s sleep tonight we will be on track and ready to go! We have a day at sea and then Malta!

Hope all is well!

Barcelona!

Hey everyone!  We made it safe and sound! Everything went perfectly and without a hitch until we got to our hotel. Apparently, there was a hole floor where the lights weren't working so they didn't have a room for us. They gave us a room at a sister hotel at H10 Universitat, but unfortunately our ride had already left so we had to walk with all our luggage to the new hotel. Which probably wouldn't have been so bad if we had know where we were going and it wasn't over cobblestone streets. 20 minutes later we arrived at the hotel and then went to venture out to see the city!

Barcelona is simply amazing, people are supper nice, it's clean (minus graffitti), and the metro is better than Paris (I don't think anything compares to London)! Here are some pictures from our adventure yesterday. The pictures just don't capture how grand La Sagrada Familia actually is, though. Enjoy!