Toilet Talk

Okay, so one of the strangest things we had to adjust to in Europe were the washrooms. Oh boy. That was a tricky adjustment. 

The majority of the issues went as follows: "I can't find a bathroom anywhere in this whole city. Oh I found one; what I have to pay almost a euro just to use it? I'll hold it. Okay, I can't hold it anymore, we have to find a McDonald's (they've always got one, and it's usually free). If we can't find a McDonald's we'll wait until dinner and take our chances at the state of that washroom."

Pretty much this happened on the daily (while we weren't at home). These are some of the most interesting we saw around.

Budapest, Hungary - Restaurant

Venice, Italy - McDonald's

Venice, Italy - Restaurant

Venice, Italy - Hotel Room (Eric loved it)

Verona, Italy - Restaurant (Katherine was not impressed)

Rome, Itally - Hotel Room (this was an interesting way to shower every morning)

Ckesy Krumlov, Czech Republic - on display in a Museum

21 Days

I think that orange trees are so pretty, and always associate them with really nice and peaceful places. It was really cool to see so many of them in Italy, right near our hotel in Rome. Today we bought clementine oranges at the super market, and they came from Italy. I guess Italy here is like our California back home.
Anyway, I am grateful for Italy's beautiful orange trees that give me clementines to say "Christmas is coming, it's practically here."

Florence - November 3-5

k:

I love Florence. I almost don't even want to talk about it, for fear that I might ruin it for all of you. I will talk about it though, and probably lots so that I can always remember how much I loved the short time I spent there. The days we spent there were great, and I really liked that it was the last place we went. In Florence there is so much to see, even though it's really small. The nice thing was though, that there is so much to enjoy just wandering, that you don't have to schedule your day so tight to get something out of your trip. 

By the end of our two week vacation I was ready just to relax and wander, and Florence was perfect for that. One sight we did see was the Duomo (the Dome). It was conveniently located about 50 steps away from our lovely hotel (which I'm sure that Eric will have lots to say about when he gets on here).

It was a bit of a climb. More than a bit actually, I think it was about 400 steps or so and they were steep skinny corridors, but what we saw at the top was so worth it. It was the most beautiful view in Italy that I saw. Possibly, one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Florence just looks like Italy. It's all old buildings, and they're all yellow and brown and have red roofs, just like I pictured. I didn't want to leave the top, and we didn't for probably about an hour. While we were up there a man told us about one of the churches across the river where the monks sing at 5:oopm. We headed over there, and we missed the monks, but we enjoyed a little snack at the second prettiest spot to see look at. It was gorgeous too. I wish we could have seen the sun set, but it was a hazy foggy day. It was cool to watch it slowly get dark though, and to watch the whole city light up bit by bit.

On Saturday we went first to the Ufizi Gallery. This museum is supposed to be a really big deal, with lots of famous art and enough of it to amuse you for a full day. After about three hours though Eric and I were just about done with that. We did see The Birth of Venus and La Premavera by Botticelli, and my favourite was Leonardo di Vinci's Adoration of the Magi. It was really cool to see the unfinished work because you could see a few of the steps he would take to finish one of his masterpieces. We had planned after that to go to a second museum, but after the bore of the first one, we decided against it. We decided our last few hours in Italy were better spent just wondering the streets of this beautiful city. Lucky for me we the smell of genuine Italian leather loured us right into a cute little market. I wanted to shop the whole time we were in Italy because it was so much cheaper and nicer than Vienna. We wondered the market for a very long time. At first Eric was really into it; seeing what bags everyone had and what price they would offer him because he's Canadian, or a student or whatever he could pull out. I could have wandered the market forever. I loved looking at and feeling all the beautiful leather creations. It was a shopping success for me, even though it took longer than Eric would have loved. I said to him just that morning that I wish there was something I needed so I could justify buying a leather version of it in Italy. While we wandered I saw and remembered two things I've actually been looking for for a long time: a really little pencil case for my scripture markers and pens, and a pair of slippers for the cold floors of our apartment. SUCCESS. I got them both, and they are both made in Italy, which makes them nice little souvenirs of this beautiful land as well.

e:

Florence was a fantastic finish to our trip. By far, I would say the Tuscan area of Italy (which includes Pisa) was the most enjoyable. It sure didn’t start out as the most enjoyable though.

Following the events of catching our train from Pisa, Katherine and I were upset at each other. Then to top off the night, when we got off the train and looked at the directions on Google maps, we found they were cut short. Discouraged, upset, and frustrated, we did manage to find the hotel after I suggested that we go as far as we could on the directions that we had. After that we wandered just a little further and Katherine spotted it.

Tired, mad, frustrated, drained of patience and energy, we spitefully took the lift together, up to the small hotel located only on the second floor. No sooner than we opened the door, were we welcomed by a clean shaven version of an Italian specking Santa Claus. I found some relief in his warm welcome. We don’t know Italian and he didn’t know English, but I got the feeling that this gentleman had mistaken us for grandchildren. After a good sleep and a little heart to heart, we were off enjoying Florence.

I ate a great stake.

By far, the best part of Florence was our evening on Michael Angelo’s hill. Overlooking the beautiful city, we ate our loaf of French bread fixed with cheese, deli meat, jam and Nutella (not all together of course, but in combos that tasted good). We watched the sun set. As the sun gradually disappeared, the city gradually lit up with lights. It was a magnificent transformation from one beautiful scene to another. We took a short walk to a nearby monastery, and then came back to our view of the city to just sit and relax.

Pisa - November 3

k:
Pisa is a really small place. I never knew that until we read it in the Lonely Planet book, and never realised just how small we're talking until we were there. Our goal for Pisa was just to get in, see the tower and get out. Move on to bigger things. That's just what we did. We spent those extra couple of hours in Rome, and so Pisa really had to be just a quick stop for us. I was okay with that though. We got off the train, checked our bags and walked about 15 minutes and there it was. I thought the tower was beautiful, I did, but it was a little harder for me to enjoy it while I was worried about the time. The other buildings around it were beautiful too, but it was a little too dark to see as much detail as I would have liked. After a few goofy pictures and a couple of normal ones, I was ready to head back to the station to make extra sure we were there on time. Eric doesn't play it like that. 
I can say this stuff because we both know it's true. I am a map, schedule, "what time is it?" and "leave room for error" kind of person. Eric is an "enjoy every single second we have in this wonderful place", and a "I'm pretty sure it's this way" kind of person. Neither is worse or better than the other, I'm just saying that's the way it is. However, lucky for us, I am the "get every single picture you can before we have to leave" kind of person and he is the "language is no barrier, I'll stop and ask someone for directions" kind of person. So the two of them eventually balance out. I am willing to spend a few extra minutes somewhere while he enjoys it, because I know he's getting enough pictures to satisfy me when we look at them later. Then when we've spent a few minutes too long, I start to freak out because we are not following the schedule or the map, but Eric is willing to stop and talk to someone who knows very little English and ask for directions. Then he is also willing to run all the way to station and get our bags before the place closes, to make up for lost time.
Along with all the fun times, our trips are always rich with opportunities for both of us to learn patience. It always works out though. He always manages to get us there on time, and I eventually always forgive him for making me so stressed and tired in the process.


e:

I loved Pisa! The square where the tower is, is so clean and well kept. For the first time we saw nice grass around something historical. High quality, well manicured green. And there was no graphite. It was a short visit. Katherine already mentioned the adventure getting back to the train station. We cut it close, but pulled through. Every minute in Pisa was well worth it. I’ll go back again for a longer stay next time I’m in the neighborhood.

Rome - October 30-November 3

k:
Rome is magnificent. It is big. It is bold. It is beautiful. Before going, I was under the impression that we would see the Colosseum, we would see Vatican City, and maybe a few other really key things and I'd be satisfied. Unfortunately we could only fit 3 days of Rome into our trip schedule, so this was our plan of attack for the city. There is just so much though. The Colosseum was great, Vatican was beautiful, but there is so much more to Rome. I was especially grateful to Rome for the sunshine, warm temperatures and beautiful vegetation it provided us. Every morning we left the house I felt like I was on vacation. The sky was always blue, the sun was always bright and the little road from our hotel to the train station was a beautiful and peaceful way to start each exciting day. Our hotel was just outside of Rome and it took a 6 or 7 minute walk then a 20 minute train ride every morning to get to the city, but it wasn't a chore. The street was lined with orange trees, lime trees, palm trees, an olive tree or two, cacti; it was just beautiful. Then the train ride went through wide open fields and little towns that were also a site to see.
Then you get into Rome. Oh boy, what a site. The Colosseum really is huge. It's incredible. The day we went inside though was almost a let down. The one we saw in Verona still has all the stands and seats, which I didn't realise that this one wouldn't. We learned from our audio guide (among many things) that after the gladiator and hunting games were ended, Colosseum kind of went to pot. It became a dumping ground for materials used in other building projects, and then eventually was taken apart and any reusable materials from it were taken and used other places. It was still cool to see though. Just imagine what it could have been if people had taken care of it though. 

Vatican City was also really nice to see. St Peter's Basilica really is beautiful. The saddest thing was that we got inside and took maybe one or two pictures and the battery symbol on our camera started to flash; the second battery of the day. So the pictures we do have are a bit of a rush, and not very good quality anyway because the lighting is so low in there. But in reality, at the best of times our camera couldn't quite have captured what we saw in real life. That was the pitty of our trip: so much of what we saw we just couldn't capture on film. I wish you were all there with us to see it so that my poor writing and the disadvantages of a camera lens weren't an issue. But anyway, I am grateful for what we did get to see. 

 

We were so grateful to be in Rome, in fact, that we extended our trip there. Only by the couple of hours of wiggle room that we had, but it was so worth it.
Original Plan: Get up early on the 3rd and catch a train to Pisa. Spend a couple of hours in Pisa just seeing the leaning tower and such. Then move on to Florence. 
New Plan: Spend another half day in Rome. See the tower for only 2 hours in the dark. Then make our way to Florence later at night. 
This plan was a success. With our extra 5 hours (9am-2pm on the 3rd), we saw the Vatican Museums (so worth it), and I think 3 other speed sites as well. 
We bought into one touristy souvenir in Rome. Two packages of 20 postcards each: one of Rome only, and one of all of Italy. They were 1euro each, and worth every penny. The Rome set is actually what guided our last couple of hours spent in this wonderful city. There were a couple of pictures that looked nice, so I mapped them out and we made it to 3 of the 4 that I liked. One of these was my favourite thing we saw in Rome. La Fontana di Trevi was so beautiful. I wish that it wasn't so covered in people trying to sell things, people getting in the way of pictures, and people begging for money, but that's what every place we saw in Italy was like so I was used to it by this point. Therefore still able to really enjoy looking at it. That Roman sun I was so grateful for eariler however, did not allow us to get a super great picture of the two of us in  front of the fountain, but I did get some really lovely ones of the building itself.

e:

I’m not a huge fan of the Italian restaurants. The waiters stand by the door or roam by their tables outside, and if you aren’t undetermined to get but them they’ll use all kinds of tactics to get you to stop and sit down or look at a menu. You might think, “This place looks nice and this waiter seems friendly and passionate; we might get some good service here.” Don’t be fooled typically the attention is only on the getting you seated and ordered, after that they’ve sold you and you become an attraction to entice other to come sit.

It’s been tricky to find a good restaurant. We’ve found some ok spots but they all seem over priced for average food. However, we did find one place that I would recommend everyone to go to. ‘Fabio’s’.  It’s a little sandwich place near the Vatican. Fa means to make and Bio means Organic. It was the best food yet that I’ve tasked in Italy, and it was only 4 Euros for a filling delightful lunch. I liked is so much that I insisted that we go back again. Katherine liked it enough that she seemed to be in favour of the idea. The second time back we stayed to eat and I ended up chatting with Fabio and Claudio for while. It was like catching up with old friend while they made another delicious sandwich.

I wasn’t impressed with the food in Rome but I was impressed with the sites. They were all so cool. Most were ruins. I was fascinated by how old the building and structures were and what it would have taken to build them back then. My favourite was the Vatican—beautiful architecture and art, and the place was so clean. Michael Angelo’s art work in the Vatican Museums and then inside the Sistine Chapel are incredible. Yep, I like Vatican cite a lot!

Our last day in Rome was the Vatican again, followed by a race to see all the other sites in Rome that we hadn’t the days before. You see, we missed lots from having to travel into Rome each  morning and then back out again to our hotel, and  our dang dirty clothes were begging to be sent through a washer, which we eventually caved to.

Laundry! It may be cheaper for us to purchase a washer and dryer than it is to do go to the mat each week. I think that I’ve decided my future profession. No, I’m not going to open a laundry mat, I’m going to become one of those accountants specialized in bankruptcy and open an office in Europe. In clear sight from a laundry mat big front window, my potential clients will read, “Spending the last of your life savings cleaning your clothes? Come file with us. We’ll clean your sleight before your clothes are dry.”

With the background knowledge on our experience with doing laundry in Europe (which is not positive if my illustration above was over your head), you can see why my new limit of what clothes smells pushes the line for what is publically acceptable. Yet, while my perception of dirty clothes has been adjusted to keep tension in my billfold, Katherine has not quite adjusted as much. She has adjusted and is very financially aware and careful, but I’m starting to see the value women place on being clean and having clean clothes. The need to do laundry kind of came up abruptly when I was thinking that we could go another week, and Katherine was thinking we’re coming up on recycling outfits for the third time. I also learned that it’s not ok to wear underwear for more than a day. I thought it was a luxury that we could only afford back home in Canada.

Verona - October 28-30

k:
Verona is a very cute little place. I'm not sure that I loved it as much as the Lonely Planet book told me I should. I really did love it, and it's not that there was really much wrong with it, just that it wasn't my favourite we saw on our trip. I enjoyed the sites more than I expected to though. 
We read some reviews online before going that told us that Julliet's house was a waste of time. This made me sad. That (and the fact that we have a niece named Verona) was the main reason I wanted to go. I love Shakespeare, and while I think that Romeo and Julliet might be one of the sillier and less enjoyable of his plays, I still really wanted to see his inspiration for it. So we made the trip anyway, and I did not regret it. Some of the things in the reviews we read turned out to be true, but I loved it anyway. It was like Disney Land for me. I had so much fun seeing the costumes and bed from the movie (the old one, not that really random one with Leonardo), and reading the stories and letters, and all of that stuff. I was disappointed to see that the wall no longer has letters stuck on it, as it's portrayed in the movie Letters to Juilliet, and how it used to be. It is actually just a wall completely full of graffiti. Cute graffiti, as far as I can see; but just so much of it that it's a little overwhelming. I still enjoyed writing my own tiny contribution on it though. And Eric did too.
Even though it's become completely commercialized and bombarded with tourists, I still managed to think some romantic thoughts, and enjoy the atmosphere. I felt a little goofy getting so wrapped up in the idea, but hey that's what love does to you sometimes.


e:

It’s outstanding how connected all of the countries are by rail. Since Katherine and I got Eurail passes, giving us unlimited access to all regional trains in Europe (except for England) for two months, we are becoming rather familiar with these chew chew train. At times, however, mastering transportation on tracks is a challenge rivaling the hunt of finding solutions to global warming. Starting our stay in Verona was less than romantic or inspiring. We got to the station that we needed to get to and then we had no idea how to get to our hotel. We have a map and direction complementary of Google maps, but we lost it when we tried to zoom in. It was the start of a long a hopeless search for our hotel.

I tried asking for direction from some two locals. I’d bet they gave near perfect direction in Italian. I almost understood with the amount of hand gestures these strangers gave. I’m a man and thought that I could figure it out, but my eager search was more like wandering in an intentional direction. Eventually I was had to resort to another attempt at translating hand gestures and I asked a couple in a car if they knew where our hotel was. Again they knew no English. As I struggled to communicate, a man walked by who knew English. He stopped and then offered to drive us to the hotel. What a good guy. At one point we were eyeing comfy spots on the street and the next we were rolling right up to the hotel’s front door.

The rest of Verona was a piece of cake… or a scoop of gelato. I thoroughly enjoyed Verona. I think the highlight was the winding stone roads, and their mini version of the Roman’s Colosseum.

Venice - October 25-28

k:

Venice is a place I’ve always dreamed of seeing. Actually, all of Italy is a place I’ve always dreamt of seeing. Just the whole country seems like a dream. Venice really is that.
A girl in Eric’s class told him not to plan to stay long in Venice because there isn’t much to see. Well, the truth is there is so much to see; the whole city is spectacle on it’s own! But what is also true, is that it doesn’t take long to see it. Last night was our last night in Venice and Eric and I sat on the front steps of the main train station looking at the water and thinking, “did we see all we wanted to?” and the truth is, we did. It was wonderful, and it was beautiful. It was just interesting for me to think that this is a famous city, and one I’ve always dreamed of seeing, and I feel satisfied with what I’ve seen in just 3 days.
There are other places in Italy that will be different I think. Rome will have lots of museums. Verona will have Shakespeare sites to see. Pisa has it’s tower. But the city of Venice is the attraction itself. We went into a couple of cathedrals, and they were gorgeous, but similar to what we’ve seen before. If you ever go to Venice, take the time you are blessed to have there to wonder just the city. Don’t worry about following the signs, or the crowds or the vendors, just get lost. You actually won’t believe how much culture, how much romance, and how much water is around every single corner you turn.  

e:

We’re sitting at a train station waiting for the train heading to Venice. Today is the last day in Venice. It was never my dream to go to Venice like it was Katherine’s, but it’s likely to be in my dreams after having seen it. There are numberless canals, filled with the traffic of small man propelled gondolas and large water busses. The only spot on the island that has any road vehicles is where the land busses, cars, and trains come into, or leave from. It’s like a negative port: for land vehicles instead of boats and ships.

My favorite part of Venice was how we could just get lost in it and just wander around. Between the cool window shopping and the interesting buskers the streets were rather entreating.

A Little More Happily Ever After...

Real life posts are very important. They are important journal entries that we will enjoy looking back on, and it's important to include them. 

But this isn't normal real life for us. This is Europe. So enough real life for a little while. We're headed to Italy! Tonight we leave on an overnight train to Venice. Then we hit Verona, Rome, Pisa and Florence. 12 Days of Europe adventures, in the country Katherine is most excited for. Eric is excited too, but it's all Katherine has talked about since we got here and especially since we started planning last week. We are excited! Here's a glimpse of what we hope to see, to hold you over til we can update you on what actually goes on. A little more to add to our European fairytale, to give it a real good Happily Ever After. 

VENICE

 VERONA

ROME 

 PISA

FLORENCE

 

What a wonderful part of the world to celebrate Eric's birthday and our 6 month wedding anniversary. (Both coming up next week. Mark them on your calendars if you'd like.)