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We had a hard time waking up again. It was nearly noon when we left our room. We set out to shop along our way to the Piazza di Michelangelo, which sits upon a hill on the south side of town across the Arno river. We stopped at innumerable stores, making several purchases along the way. We made the mistake of eating lunch in one of the main tourist areas, which proved to be both unsatisfying and expensive. Why does Italy have to be dominated by Italian food?

We got kicked out of a cool cooking store that was closing for lunch but not before seeing an awesome picnic backpack. Jenny made a note of the brand name, Concept Picnic Backpack, so we could try to find it cheaper in the States or online. We continued shopping stores that don’t or haven’t closed for lunch yet. We passed numerous leather goods stores. Florence is known for its leather, some stores have been around since the 16th century. There is no lack of leather boots, jackets, and gloves in this town. We found a unique leather shoe store and Jenny found a beautiful Italian leather jacket that was half-off since it is summer. I tried to haggle down even more but was unsuccessful. Still, she got a jacket and a cashmere scarf for 250 Euros.

We encountered an uphill climb after crossing the Arno river. The Piazza di Michelangelo sits on a tall hill south of town and offers a beautiful view of the entire city of Florence, complete with several renaissance structures scattered in the middle of a sea of terra cotta roofs. We took 4 hours to cover the 2 mile track because of our shopping adventure, and we were content to take another 4 hours to get back to our room via a different shopping route.

On the way back we stopped for dinner at a restaurant outside the Uffizi museum. Many restaurants offer outdoor seating, especially since floor space is so limited in ancient buildings. Jenny had tuna alfredo and I had a prosciutto/salami/german sausage/wurstel pizza. I knew what the first three meats were on my pizza, but I took an adventurous risk ordering wurstel on my pizza without knowing what it is. Turns out it’s hotdogs. I picked most of the hotdog slices off my pizza.

Upon returning to our room we settled in early. We have two large museums, two of the most popular in Italy, to see tomorrow by reservation - one in the AM and one in the PM. Along with our four mile shopping spree, we needed the sleep.

Ciao for now.

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We woke up by 8am and had our breakfast in our room. Breakfasts in Italy appear to consist mostly of bread and coffee. I have yet to see eggs or bacon offered anywhere. Our breakfast has two different types of breads, three different types of crackers, an assortment of fruit preserves, and cappuccino. After breakfast we went to the department stores through the main tourist shopping areas in Florence.

The clothes and fashion are incredible, if not stereotypically Italian. Even manikins are stick-like in form and have nipples that point out through their thin tops. The only fat people in this country are tourists and, rarely, old Italian men. Bra straps, or the visibility of such, must be in fashion because everyone has the back of their bras or one of their cups showing from under their shirt or dress. Over-sized, 80’s style sunglasses are also in. At one of the department stores we entered we found Georgio Armani t-shirts, void of any design, for around 90 Euros (about $125 US). After a few hours of looking around, we didn’t end up buying any clothes from this store.

For lunch we had a quick panini before a storm started to roll in. The temperature in Florence since we arrived has been in the low-70s for highs and low 60s for lows - very accommodating weather! We bought an umbrella from one of the many unscrupulous-looking street vendors and headed back to our room to do some much needed laundry while it stormed outside. We could have done some museums, but most museums are closed on Mondays in Italy. In addition, many shops were closing for the afternoon and wouldn’t be reopening for a few hours.

Back at our room, our hostess called and made reservations for me and Jenny to see the Statue of David and the Uffizi Museum for Wednesday. When I checked online both were sold out until July! Each museum only admits small groups at a time so you need to make reservations for your entrance time. We were planning on heading out to Venice on Wednesday, so we’ll postpone and leave for Venice on Thursday.

Another thing that Jenny and I noticed are how similar the menus are at many of the restaurants. We have tried to find restaurants outside of tourist areas in hopes of finding something different but haven’t succeeded. I suppose this is another way we’re spoiled to America: there is every culture of cuisine nearby, from Italian, Mexican, and so on. Right now I would KILL for some bratwurst.

After laundry and a nap we set out to find a non-Italian, non-McDonald’s restaurant. We found a Ristorante Cinese nearby and had noodles and sweet and sour chicken similar to the quality of P.F. Changs back home. The price however was even cheaper than McDonald’s! We grabbed some gelato and walked around the Duomo. Shopping was limited since most stores close around 8pm. However, we stumbled upon a wine store that was open and I bought souvenirs for friends and family back home. I hope we can get them shipped out tomorrow.

Ciao for now.

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Our first morning in Florence, Sunday morning, was used mostly for rest. We were so anxious to get out and do everything we can in Rome that we frequently went trekking all day on 4 hours of sleep, easily covering several miles on foot. Our B&B in Florence has a quiet, beautiful room with a MUCH better bed, so we slept in until nearly 5pm local time (10am Wichita time). It was WELL needed. When we finally got left our room our hostess seemed a little discouraged that we slept so long, but I assured her that her rooms offer much better rest than our hotel in Rome. That seemed to satisfy her with pride.

While exploring Florence in the evening I used the last of my cell phone minutes to call dad in Wichita and wish him happy Father’s Day. He was happy to talk to us and was genuinely impressed with how little it truly costs to explore Italy. I would definitely love to return someday with friends or family with us.

For dinner I was in the mood for Pizza and Jenny seemed content to eat anywhere. We found a pizzaria outside one of the several huge museums in Rome. We’ve got into a habit the last four days of ordering a half-liter of house white wine and a bottle of water with our meals. I’ve always been impressed with how inexpensive yet delicious such wine is. For dinner I was hungry for pepperoni pizza. We have seen pizzas from strange (chocolate, egg, or broccoli toppings) to somewhat typical US toppings - but never any pepperoni! However, I found a salami pizza which was incredibly delicious.

After roaming around a bit we returned back to our room. We’re happy that we finally got some much needed rest. Tomorrow: shopping.

Ciao for now.

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We woke up way too early this morning to make sure we had everything in order before departing for the train station. We grabbed a quick breakfast consisting of cappuccino and a small pastry topped with a slice of peach, kiwi, and strawberry. We then hit a candy store for souvenirs and headed back to the hotel to check out. Our feet have been killing us and our luggage was cumbersome so we opted for a bus to take us to the post office and then the train station although both are easily within walking distance. At the post office we mailed most of our purchases back home so we could continue to travel as light as possible. A 5Kg box and a shipping tube with some rolled up art cost less than 30 Euros to send.

At the train station we got tickets to Florence for 16 Euros each. The Eurostar train would have been about 40 Euros each, and only takes 2 hours to get from Rome to Florence. Our train stopped about a dozen times at various towns so it took about 4 hours to reach Florence. This small inconvenience was definitely worth the cheaper ticket price. I also noticed that the main train station in Rome, Termini Station, is more similar to our airports: tons of shopping, restaurants, and bookstands. The train station has about 24 tracks running electric trains to national and international destinations. It’s probably the biggest train station in Italy. We grabbed some paninis from a café then boarded our train. Along the way we saw beautiful little towns, clouds pouring over mountains, and vineyards as vast as wheat fields. The occasional castle on a hilltop also wasn’t too rare. We looked in our Rome-Florence-Venice travel book and found a few possible hotels to try. When we arrived at the train station we walked towards the tourist information counter but was stopped by a middle aged woman asking us if we are in need of accommodations. We said yes, and she showed us a brochure of her Bed and Breakfast.

The Bed and Breakfast is called “Soggiorno Panerai” (website - http://www.soggiornopanerai.it/enindex.htm), and exceeds our hotel in Rome in almost every way. The view out our window is to a beautiful and quiet courtyard, and the room is enormous! The air conditioner is a bit stronger as well. Plus, there is free – and fast – wifi! Upon checking in we are given a set of keys. One key gets us through the huge main doors from the street, the other opens the door to the B&B, and the last is for our particular room. This ensures no need for curfew like some other B&Bs in this town.

After receiving a crash course on what to see, do, eat, and shop from our English-speaking B&B owner, we went to Zio Gigi (Uncle Gigi) for dinner. I had spaghetti with tomato sauce and Jenny had potato-stuffed tortellini. As the sun was going down we walked around and enjoyed seeing the Duomo and several stores and cafés. We stopped for gelato then returned to our room.

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We continued shopping after McDonald’s. Our meandering brought us back to the Fontana di Trevi and the Pantheon. Jenny made sure to toss a coin in the fountain after recently learning that doing so is thought to return one back to Rome someday. We stopped by a street vendor selling Prada and Gucci purses – clearly fakes. Jenny and I played good cop/bad cop and got the purse down to half of what he was asking. We all know that it is clearly a knock off, but Jenny thought the purse was cute despite this fact.

We then picked up a bus to the Vatican and were quickly swarmed by nuns, priests, and other officials in bright red and purple vestments. The entire area was busy with visitors and the line to enter the Vatican was wrapping around the enormous Pope building.

After leaving Vatican City we went back to the area near the Pantheon to find dinner. My mission was to find something predictable, yet still distinctly Italian. I wasn’t in the mood for any more octopus tentacles, complete with gritty purple suckers. We found Ristorante Il Miraggio and I asked for steak. After some communication issues, I got what I wanted: a deliciously tender sirloin steak laid on a layer of cut toast and dripped in a three-pepper wine sauce. Combined with grilled potatoes, it was by far the best meal (not the mention the service) since coming to Italy. We finished the meal with a glass of Lemincello – a distinctly Italian 70 proof lemon-based alcohol. We each got a single sip from the tall glass. Since the glass easily held about 3 or 4 shots worth of alcohol, we were nowhere near from completing the drink.

Ciao for now.

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We ate breakfast and then traveled towards the Capitolna Museum, shopping along the way. The amount of shopping we did can be depicted in the large amount of time it took to cover so little ground. We stopped along the way for lunch at some restaurant with the words “Food & Delicious” in the window. Jenny ordered fettuccini and I *thought* I ordered vegetable pasta salad. When our food arrived I found very little pasta a very much octopus tentacles, fish parts, shrimp, and other unappetizing items in my salad. I picked at a few noodles but was too disgusted to continue. Jenny was also grossed out by the sight of my meal, so we packed up and continued to the museum.

The museum looks over the Roman Fhouses ancient tombs and tombstones, statues, pottery, and frescos that cover rooms the size of my house. We spent hours taking pictures, but left prematurely due to exhaustion and hunger. Since I was still disgusted with my octopus pasta, I wasn’t feeling as adventurous as before. I gladly fled to a nearby McDonalds – even though I previously swore I would only eat authentic Italian for the entirety of my trip – and ordered a McRoyale. The McDonald’s has wifi so I used the opportunity to relax and upload more photos.

I found out why free internet is virtually impossible to find: it is illegal for non-nationals to access the Internet without producing a passport. The law is part of a 2005 anti-terrorism initiative, so any time I want to access the internet I have to show my passport.

Ciao for now.

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I don’t know if our old time zone crept up on us, or if the several miles of walking yesterday made us comatose. But somehow we didn’t leave our hotel room until about 4:30pm. I must admit that our aches and pains feel a lot better as compared to yesterday.

Seeing drivers in Rome makes me cringe. We saw a car slam into the back of a scooter yesterday evening. The scooter even had a little kid riding between the adult driver’s legs. Both the scooter and the car continued on their way, unfazed. Parking is rare, and cars are sometimes parked in two or three vehicles deep with bumpers touching. No one seems to mind.

Restaurants of all sizes don’t offer complementary water like they do back home. You have to ask for water, in which they will deliver bottled water to your table. Nicer restaurants have glass bottles instead of plastic.

We went to the Colosseum this afternoon and I was truly humbled by the experience. They say that Rome stands as long as the Colosseum still stands, and that when Rome falls so does the world. After seeing the Colosseum I have to agree. My entire life - no matter how well spent or what achievements I can ever make - will ever come close to the 2500 years of history of Rome.

We were literally the last people to leave the Colosseum as Jenny made the staff angry as she paused to take numerous photos as they shuffled us to the exit. Very cool. Most stores close at 7:30pm, so we spend the remainder of the evening at the Piazza di Spagna. The sun was going down so the entire area was flooded with tourists like ourselves. We then walked past the Gucci, Louis Vitton, and other designer shops. We took a bus back to our hotel, then went to eat at “Est! Est! Est!” The pizzeria claims to be one of the first in Italy and boasts several of the original wooden furniture since it opened nearly 100 years ago.

Now we’re finally winding down back in our hotel. We have asked for another night because there is simply too much we haven’t done in Rome. Tomorrow is shopping and probably a few museums. Internet here is downright terrible. I’m having a hard time finding open or free wifi spots and those are near dialup speeds. I finally broke down and paid 9 Euros for 2 hours of Internet from our hotel’s wifi - and it is still pretty crappy. Therefore, I’m uploading pictures to Flickr as best as I can and not spending valuable internet time adding descriptions or flipping pictures around. I’ll do that once I get home. Ciao!

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We woke up at 9am, which is 2am local time. We have adjusted to the new time pretty well. We found breakfast across the street and had delicious cappuccino and unique breakfast biscuits. We stopped at a tourist information kiosk around the corner then and realized we are within walking distance to nearly everything we wanted to see in Rome: the Colosseum, Fontana di Trevi, Pantheon, Campo De’ Fiori, etc.

We have been walking and landed in a small sandwich shop called Bar Brasile which is right outside the magnificent Piazza Venezia. Everywhere seems to have Gilato, and Jenny seems tempted to try it all. We had an amazing Gelato that tasted like melon and wine called Zabaione.

After visiting the Fontana di Trevi, we stopped at Locanda Del Tempi for lunch. I had a salad and Jenny the spaghetti. We noticed that ice in drinks seem hard to come by and we learned the lesson that our cab driver told us when traveling from the airport yesterday: avoid ristorantes in the larger tourist areas. They are expensive and poorer quality than many of the restaurants off roads most traveled.

After visiting the Pantheon and several other historic sites, we decided to walk back to one of the more popular museums. We have stopped several times for small breaks because we know we will kill ourselves if we don’t. One places we stopped at was called Rossopomodoro. They have fantastic looking wood oven pizzas, but at 3:15pm in the afternoon it is too hot outside for such food. Instead, we ordered fresh fruit from the dessert menu and water. It was only 8:15am in Wichita, but I’m already well adjusted to our new timezone.

I have been looking for open wifi places frequently but found poor or costly service. Jenny and I stopped for a rest outside an unapologetically historic church - one of many such churches - and I just now discovered decent wifi coming from somewhere nearby. Ciao for now.

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We landed into Rome’s airport and found it is almost like a 3rd world country. The airport terminal is in need of simple maintenance. We didn’t have a hotel or transportation – the next two weeks will be played by ear – so we stumbled around the airport trying to think of what to do next.

We found a hotel/transportation service in the airport that found us an amazing hotel in central Rome for 100 Euros a night. They also drove us there for 40 Euros, which was a little too expensive but worth the convenience.

The hotel is AMAZING. It’s got a perfect view and is within walking distance to many things.

We slept when we checked in, however, because the 17 hour trip from Wichita beat out any chance of exploring Rome. We woke up in the mid-afternoon local time, about 10am Wichita time, and explored for almost 5 hours.

Legs, feet, and back achy, we returned to our hotel for a small, one hour break. We then walked around the corner to New Mary Meeting Ristorante. The food so far has been as predictably stereotypical as the drivers. The pasta, pizza, and gelato cannot be found anywhere in Wichita; the crazy drivers are also beyond compare. And so far, the house wine has always been most exceptional.

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