#398 When In Rome...

You made it, Italy lovers!  I have reached our final destination on our whirlwind Italian vacation. 

Tuesday morning Julie and I took a train to Rome, which is one-and-a-half hours from Florence.  I love to look out the window at the countryside and hate to miss anything, but I was so sleepy on this particular ride that I kept dozing off.  Sunny + warm = zzzzzzz.  

We arrived at our hotel just before Noon.  We got lost again trying to find the hotel.  I went into another hotel to ask directions and the man was on the phone so had to wait several minutes.  Julie was waiting on the street and thought someone had abducted me. 

We finally made it to Discover Roma.  The hotel manager was waiting for us and was incredibly nice.  He marked up a map to show us all the places to go.  He also told us where not to go after dark.  Our room was ok.  There was no breakfast included or available at the hotel so we grabbed stuff on the street (I think I ate Cliff Bars for breakfast).  Not too exciting.  We also were given a key to get in and out of the building on our own.  I had the man’s telephone number (he told us to take a photo of it with our cell phones) so we had it in case of emergency.

We took off wandering but had to be at the Colosseum by 2 p.m. for a three-hour tour, which included the Colosseum, the Forum, Palatine Hill, Piazza Novella and the Pantheon.  We walked the streets for a while and kept wondering, “Where is all the old stuff?”  We finally saw it.  Holy cow!  The Colosseum is enormous!  

Our tour guide was great – and looked like a young Billy Crystal.  

You look mahvelous!

We rested our tired feet while having dinner right outside the Pantheon.

Pantheon roof - made of concrete.  The hole in the ceiling is the only source of light.  

Later that night we had a free tour of just the Pantheon.  It was interesting to get a different perspective.

Wednesday morning we rode a bus to Vatican City.  Later we found out right after we got off the bus, the bus system went on strike.  Apparently they do this sometimes.  We’d just made it!  Luckily their strikes don’t last long and we were fine going back. 

We decided to tour the Vatican Wednesday.  The pope usually has his audience on Wednesday mornings so we figured we’d avoid the rush in the Vatican Museum.  I happened to see on Facebook that a friend of mine was in Rome at the same time and was seeing the pope the same day.  Neither Julie nor I are Catholic so we didn’t feel a strong urge to spend the time to see him.  We caught another tour to see the museum, St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel.  Our guide, Debra, was great! 

Side story – throughout our trip, in each city, we would see what appeared to be old ladies with headscarves and long skirts (I would call them gypsys) on the streets.  Most would be almost prostrate, with their faces bent toward the ground so you couldn’t see them.  They looked so uncomfortable.  I don’t usually give out money to those on the streets in the States, so did not in Italy.  As we walked along in Vatican City, we passed one of these gypsys on the tour.  After we passed her, Debra stopped and gave us some advice, telling us that when we see these women, “They walk like this” and she bent over, walking like a feeble old woman.  Then she wagged her finger and added, “No, they walk like this” and she proceeded to walk upright.  She warned us to never give money to them.  Heck, they may be around 25 years old for all we know! 

Once inside, we mostly saw the museum grounds and some of the inner gardens.  

Cortile della Pigna (courtyard of the pine cone)

Sphere in Cortile della Pigna

Laocoon and his sons in the Cortile Ottagano

We were more concerned with seeing the Sistine Chapel so didn’t take time to see the rest of the museum on our own.  We waited by the doors thinking we had to wait another hour or so, but they opened and there we were!  It was amazing!  I regret that I had forgotten my binoculars back in the room.  (I brought them just for this!)  The Sistine Chapel is small-ish but incredible.  We stood there for a long time bending our heads back looking up at the ceiling.  Even though photos are not allowed, we did see a few people sneaking photos when the guards weren’t looking.  I respected the rules and drank it all in.  Photos wouldn’t do it justice anyway. 

This was outside the chapel on the grounds

The hallway leading to the chapel with ancient maps on the walls

To the left, to the left...

While the chapel is fairly small and simple, the basilica is huge and ornate.  We checked out the downstairs area where some cardinals and popes are buried, and stepped into the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.  

Basilica altar

Looking out the window from the basilica

Thank you, Jesus!

We were even able to climb to the top of the basilica dome.  More steps!  This wasn’t too bad though, because it was one way up and one way down.  The stairs were inside but we were able to step outside and walk around the top.  What a view!  And who did we meet up there?  A group of women (sisters/friends) from Marion, Indiana.  Howdy neighbors! 

Inside St. Peter's dome

View of Vatican City from the top of St. Peter's dome

Steps inside the basilica dome.  

As we exited the basilica we noticed the long line snaking around St. Peter’s Square, where we had once stood.  This was all the people from the pope’s audience now waiting to go through the museum.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Great decision.

you can see the line of people in the background

Later that evening we did Rick Steves’ “Heart of Rome Walk” from Campodi Fiore to the Spanish Steps.  Again, the night perspective was nice and less crowded.  We saw the Trevi Fountain, which was under construction.  We were very disappointed as it was covered with scaffolding.  They had a metal walkway so you could walk out over the actual fountain (with no water).  They reserved a small area of water where you could toss your coin over your shoulder.  It wasn’t the same.

Linda making her wish.  "I wish the Trevi Fountain was not covered in scaffolding!"

The rain started just as we walked across the Trevi walkway and they closed it right after we were done.  Good timing again!  The rain increased to a downpour so we decided it was time for dinner.  We were entertained by the other tourists outside the window that were drenched.  After the rain let up we continued our walk to finish at the Spanish Steps.  Due to the rain the area was mostly empty and quiet.  We had a nice view of the Fontana della Barcaccia, (the fountain of the ugly boat) at the base of the steps.

The next day we walked by the steps and found it much more crowded.

During our night walk we noticed several Madonnas on the street corners. Who knows how old they are?  They fascinate me.  I am intrigued not only by the religious meaning, but how beautiful and ornate they are. I feel like she is watching over everyone walking the streets of Rome.

On our last day in Rome we explored some of the parks.  We noticed that there is not much green space in the cities we visited.  If there is any green space, there are fences around it preventing anyone from walking on the grass.  We stumbled upon the Villa Borghese gardens and spent quite a bit of time in there.  Beautiful!

Our next stop was Palatine Hill, where we spent a couple of hours, and then the Forum  Lots of ruins.  It’s cool for a while and they all start to look the same.

Palatine Hill

Forum

We got stuck in another downpour and this time ducked into a bar to wait it out. We had dinner down the street from our hotel at the Historia de Vicenzo.  The area is filled with embassies and our hotel guy recommended it as a good place.  It was.  They charge extra for everything, but I enjoyed the meal and it was very nice inside. 

My first impression of Rome, which didn’t change much during our stay, was of it being a busy, noisy, spread out city.  It’s also more expensive than the other cities we visited.    I’m glad I saw the ruins, but I have to say that Vatican City was my favorite part.  And as cool as everything is there, I don’t know that I need to go back.  For first-timers, the capital city is an obvious must-see. 

The next morning we caught the train to the Rome airport.  We sat next to two women from Chicago.  We enjoyed chatting with them and listening to their stories.  They had been to Paris and Italy for two weeks. 

On the plane we in the middle section.  Thank goodness we had more legroom on this flight.  Julie and I were on either end, with an Italian man in between us (I later found out his name was Nino).  The in-flight movies were an X-Men movie (very confusing) and The Monuments Men (very good).  Our flight food was chicken, rice and salad and a roll for lunch, a snack consisting of a Kit Kat bar and cookies, and a deep dish pizza for dinner.  After two weeks of amazing Italian food, both Julie and I looked at our pizza with disdain.  I ate it of course (I was hungry!) but it just wasn’t the same. 

Back to Nino.  I noticed that he kept asking the flight attendant about the food.  I finally found out that he is allergic to dairy.  He hardly ate anything so I offered him some of my almonds.  He is from Salerno, Italy and was traveling with his daughter, who sat across the aisle from me.  They were headed to San Francisco.  He has an organic farm and was mainly going to attend a conference.  He attended college in California and was also visiting the woman who owned the house he used to live in.  He was really nice and gave me his name and email.  He said when we returned to Italy we could visit him in Salerno. 

We stopped in Chicago, did the customs thing, then had to re-check our bags.  The short flight to Indy had no legroom again.  Drat!  We landed at 8:15 p.m. and I was home by 9 p.m.  I unpacked a little and then got sucked into a Sex And The City marathon.  I finally went to bed at 11 p.m.  I was up for 24 hours! I woke up at 5 a.m. and thought it was 5 p.m. since it was dark.  I was very disoriented! 

In conclusion, this was an incredible trip.  I was super stressed at the beginning, hoping everything would go ok, thinking about catching trains, etc.  But everything turned out great.  And I have found that some of the hiccups along the way can provide the best experiences and stories.  (I'm just really glad my story didn't include losing my bag on a train going the opposite direction!)  

I am also thankful that I could take such a trip with one of my bestest friends - Julie!  We've known each other since the ninth grade and have traveled to New York and various Final Four cities, but this trip beats all of those hands down.  Where shall we go to next JO?  :-)

LG and JO at the Colosseum

Some of my observations and tips for traveling in Europe:

• Everyone wears skinny jeans!  Men, women, children, elderly.  I felt very self-conscious in Milan but then got over it.  I had only brought boot cut/flared jeans.  Quite honestly, I don’t like to wear skinny jeans when it’s hot.  My legs get suffocatingly hot. 
• Gap and Clarks are everywhere!  Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome.  Who knew! Venice had the best prices on leather.  Some of the purses I looked at in Venice were 18 euros and they were 25 euros in Florence.  Venice had more variety also. 
• Public toilets are usually pay toilets that cost around 1.50 euros.  We learned to use the toilets on the trains and in restaurants where we had dined.   
• Parking is very scarce and the streets very narrow, therefore many people ride bicycles or scooters.  I loved seeing nicely-dressed people riding around town.  Some ladies even ride in heels.     
• We both got AAA Visa cards with chips in them and they worked fine everywhere except the train station ticket machines.  Mystery!  I did go to an ATM once in Florence and it worked fine.  
• I brought a couple long skirts with me and found that they worked very well.  They were warm for the cool mornings, yet had great airflow during the hot days.  They also protected my legs from the sun and I didn’t have to wear as much sunscreen.  I felt a bit “nerdy” though, as I wore my walking shoes with my skirts.  I brought one pair of sandals but they were not conducive for walking all day.  After I got home, I researched sandals and found a pair of AEO B.I.O sandals – the Balboa Neutral.  I got a great deal on them and can’t wait to try them out this summer.  They will definitely accompany me on any other overseas trip.  I will be set with these and my walking shoes. 
• Be prepared to walk.  A LOT.   Julie wore a Fitbit during our trip.  We averaged 20,355 steps per day, with 284,970 total steps for two weeks.  Our high day was September 21 – 28,586 steps.  This was our day in Milan where we took a walking tour.  Yes, I wore my Clarks sandals that day.  (I had worn one of my long skirts and wanted to look cute in the fashion capital of the world.)  That was the only time I wore those sandals during the day.  Lesson learned. 

I have enjoyed writing about my travels.  I hope you have enjoyed reading it.  I also hope that you are able to travel to wherever it is your heart wants you to go.  You won’t regret it.  Happy traveling! 

#397 Letterman

Today marks David Letterman’s final show.  Growing up in Indianapolis, there have been two comedic constants in my life:  The Bob and Tom Show (I listen every morning), and David Letterman.  I have always thought about what life would be like without one or the other.  Now that day has come. 

I have always been a Letterman fan.  I did enjoy watching Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, but there was something I loved about Dave’s sarcasm, irreverence and pure genius that always held a soft spot in my heart.  Lots of people can be funny, tell a joke or hone a monologue.  But coming up with Stupid Pet Tricks, a suit made of Velcro and elevating Rupert Jee to “stardom”?  That’s once in-a-lifetime. 

During the Leno/Letterman days it was an easy choice for me.  When Jimmy Fallon took over The Tonight Show, my friends would ask if I had switched to Jimmy.  My answer?  “No.”  I like Jimmy and think he is very talented, but in a different way.  He’s a great impressionist and singer, and is very outgoing and social.  But my heart will always be with Dave.  I’m a sucker for sarcasm and smart stupidity.  Plus, I knew he wouldn't be on the air forever.  A time would come when he would retire.  I had to savor him while he lasted. 

While attending the 2014 Final Four in Houston, I had that same thought as I got ready for bed in my hotel room.  As customary when I’m at a hotel, I usually stay up a bit later to flip channels and, of course, turn on Letterman.  Then I heard the words I had dreaded for years – Dave was retiring in 2015.  What!?  I had been telling people that for years and now it was reality.  Dave really was going off the air!  Oh, the humanity! 

At first, you live in denial.  It won’t really happen.  Life goes on as usual.  Thanksgiving comes and you guess what pies Dave’s mom made.  Christmas is next and you watch Jay Thomas try to knock a meatball off of the top of a Christmas tree and listen, once again, to his Lone Ranger story, the greatest talk show story of all time.  In a later show you listen to Darlene Love sing, “Baby Please Come Home.”  All is as it should be. 

Time gets away from you and it’s April.  Oh no!  Only a month left!  I started taping him every night.  I did this several years ago and although it was quite entertaining, it was hard to keep up with every episode.  (As you know, I still use a VCR and the tapes pile up rather quickly.)  A month, I can do.  It’s been extra cool since all the guests have been so great.  And now the day has come.  I won’t tape the last show – I will watch it live, as it should be watched.  I will have tissues handy.  I will lose some sleep, but Dave is worth it. 

Thank you, Dave.  I have enjoyed watching you all of these years.  I will miss you and Paul.  I wish you happiness in your next endeavors and that you enjoy your time with your family.  I hope to see you at the track!  

#396 Florence (Finally!)

After a lengthy hiatus, I am finally back on track.  Julie even complained to me that she and one of her friends were re-living the trip with my blog.  Sorry!  So here we go.  This one is a bit longer, but we stayed in Florence longer so there is much more to write about.  Hopefully you remember where i left off...

Also, I will just touch on the highlights from now on and won't go day-by-day.  We arrived the evening of September 26 and left the morning of September 30.

We couldn’t leave Cinque Terre without some kind of drama, right?  We wanted to catch an early train out of Corniglia and no one came to get us at 8:30 a.m. as we had requested.  I saw an older man with an old, dirty jeep outside so I asked him for a ride.  Older Italians most likely equal “don’t speak much English.”  After much discussion between him and the woman who worked the breakfast area, he agreed to drive us.  It turns out he is the family patriarch, Carlos.  His son, Ivan, is the man who now runs the restaurant and the farm house.  Julie squeezed herself into the back of the jeep and later told me she almost passed out from lack of air back there.  Despite Carlos’ limited English, he turned out to be pleasant and even drove us right to the train station instead of dropping us off at the bus stop.  As we left him, we gave him money for petrol and I kissed him on both cheeks.  I think I shocked the heck out of him, but he seemed to like it. 

On our way to Florence we stopped in Lucca, thanks to a tip from a friend.  We stored our luggage at a tourist shop and rented bikes to ride around the top of the city wall (two miles – we rented them for an hour).  Very cool!  After that we walked around the city and had pizza for lunch.  I had to have Lucca Pizza (although the restaurant in the States spells it wrong).  Best pizza of the trip!  Lucca also has a nice market.  It's a lovely town.  I would love to come back and spend more time. 

I know - no helmet.  When in Lucca!  

We arrived in Florence around 6 p.m.  Hotel Monica was clean, but otherwise ok.  We laughed because the neon sign outside the door listed it as two stars.  Only the best!  It did have a nice rooftop patio where we ate breakfast.  We basically could look into other people’s windows, but it had nice plants and the sun was out each morning, so was a nice way to start the day.  Breakfast did not have the variety of the others but was still good.  I settled on rolls with sliced ham and cheese, and cereal. 

After reading some of the touring books, we noticed that they all recommended “doing as the Italians do” and ordering a first and second course. Apparently it would be frowned upon if you didn’t.  In Florence I succumbed to the pressure at our first dinner.  My first course was spaghetti with oil and chili spice, and my second course was chicken and mashed potatoes.  The first course was the size of a main course.  I ate every bite of everything and didn't even feel full!  What I did feel was a lighter pocketbook - I spent close to $30 on dinner.  Enough of that!  My next dinner in Florence was lasagna and a salad.  Still tasty but a more manageable size and price. 

Florence has markets and street vendors everywhere.  Purses, scarves, leather coats.  I’m glad I got Megan’s purse in Venice as things are more expensive here.  They did have good deals on silk ties so we both bought ties for the men in our families.  We also found an inside market - Mercato Centrale Firenze.  Amazing!  We spent about two hours wandering around looking at all the meats, cheeses, vegetables, etc.  I highly recommend a stop at this market. 

I took so many pictures of the market.  One doesn't do it justice!

The Duomo here looks like a mirage.  Or a pencil sketch.  The exterior is made up of pink, green and white marble.  It’s massive.  We stood in line to get in and Julie was initially denied because her shorts were too…well, short.  Other women wearing skirts shorter than her shorts were let in so it made no sense.  She finally unrolled the cuffs of her shorts so they were close to her knees and they let her in. 

The inside of the Duomo dome.  

After the Duomo itself, we walked up the 414 steps of the campanille (tower) next to the Duomo.  People go up and down the same, narrow, winding staircase.  It was not fun, but we were rewarded with a wonderful view of the city.  It usually costs extra to walk up these towers.  I felt like it was worth it.  Plus it was good cardio! 

Yes, we walked up to the top of this!  

And got to see this!

And this!

Ponte Vecchio is a famous bridge filled with high end jewelry shops.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  So much sparkle!  The bridge is so jam-packed with people you feel like a herd of cattle crossing it.  I found a shop just off of the bridge that had a tiny silver fleur-de-lis necklace charm for six euros.  I can afford that!  We did come back at night and all was quiet.  The shops have heavy wood doors/walls that cover all the glass for protection.

The outside of the bridge seen from the river.  

So shiny!

Ponte Vecchio at night.  Locked tight.  

While crossing the bridge I saw a man out of the corner of my eye – he pulled down the pants of his young daughter (maybe 3 or 4 years old), lifted her legs up so her behind was away from him (and she was partly upside down), and she started to pee.  A nice, steady stream came out of her.  Wow.  I have never seen that before! 

Before seeing the real Michelangelo, we took a long walk to the outskirts of town to the Piazza di Michelangelo to see the fake one.  Lots more steps, but again, the view was worth it and we got to see some other cool things along the way, like a gelato shop where Paul Newman had visited (Gelateria Vivaldi – they had photos on the wall), and a German Lutheran church (my mother would be so happy!).  We sat on a bench enjoying our gelato and looking across the Arno River.    

One of my fav photos of the trip.  This was on the way up to the Piazza di Michelangelo.  

Florence was the only place we really did the museum thing.  The first museum was the Accademia, which is where the “real” David lives.  What an amazing statue!  

David stands 14’3”.  (Definitely meets my height requirement!)  I read in a Rick Steves book that the statue was made disproportionate on purpose.  The upper body and head are larger than the bottom.  It was originally made to be seen from far away and from below (it was supposed to be on top of a cathedral).  And I read that his right hand is larger than his left because in the Middle Ages David was said to be of “manu fortis” – strong of hand.  Regardless, it’s just an amazing piece of art.  We looked at him for quite a while.  “That’s David!”  The rest of the museum was a lot of plaster casts, other statues and some other art.

"That's David! "

While standing in line to see David, we did see some amusing souvenirs for sale that related to him.  It’s all about the penis!  Penis calendars, boxers and aprons.  I was tempted to buy the boxers but didn’t really have anyone to give them to.  I certainly wouldn’t wear them!

The next museum we hit was the Uffizi Gallery, which is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of Europe and the world.  It’s really big and has lots of statues.  We were in there around 1 ½ hours but it felt like longer.  I do appreciate looking at all of the amazing art but I can only take so much at one time.   I do have to show one (two, really) paintings from the Uffizi.  The one is the front of a dwarf named Morgante.  The other is the backside.  Too funny!  

Our last museum in Florence was the Ferragamo Museum.  As in Salvatore Ferragamo, the famous shoe designer.  Actually, he was more than just a designer.  He studied human anatomy, chemical engineering and mathematics, all to make the most comfortable shoe possible.  The museum was downstairs from the actual store so we took some time to browse the store afterward.  I was tempted to buy a pair of shoes, but with them starting at 350 euros (over $400), I decided not to splurge.  This time.  Julie could afford to buy a postcard for one euro but was “shamed”.  She went to one counter to pay, but was told it was a special shoe counter.  She went to the other counter to pay with a 5, and the woman didn’t have any change in her drawer.  I had some change and helped her out, then we got out. 

Again, too many photos of this museum!  All the shoes on the back wall are from celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, etc.  

After Ferragamo we happened to go into the Fendi store.  I loved the little “keychain" hanging in the window.  Julie told me it looked like me at night when I have my sleep mask on.  The saleswoman was very friendly and walked with us upstairs, where she promptly put a coat on Julie.  (People were always putting coats on Julie.  Probably because they knew they wouldn’t fit me.)  It was a beautiful winter coat and fit her perfectly.  It was also 3,500 euros (around $4,300).  Yowza!  We got out of there fast too.

This was not the coat Julie tried on.  This is my little mini me with the sleep mask.  

As we walked down the street we saw two men talking.  One was dressed all in white, with an off-white scarf.  Very stylish!  When he saw us he said he loved tall people and that he was a designer.  His name was Fillipo and his friend was Nicholas.  Nicholas turned out to be an American who now lives in Florence.  Fillipo told us we looked European, which by his definition meant that we were not fat.  He invited us to his store, so, of course, we followed him.  Along the way I told Julie that if we turned into an alley we would run away from them!  We walked and talked – his shop was along the river.  It was very nice and after we arrived he offered us wine.  Sure!  Fillipo disappeared into the back of the store so Nicholas turned on his sales charm.  (He was very cute and fairly tall, but married.)  Of course, he brought out a leather coat for Julie to try on.  It was lightweight, reversible leather.  Beautiful!  It was also over 2,000 euros.  Gulp.  He offered a discount but it was still pricey.  We finally had to tell him that we couldn’t afford anything in the store.  Goodbye Fillipo and Nicholas.  And goodbye wine. 

Our one extra “excursion” while in Florence was a Tuscany wine tour.  We walked to the train station and had to meet our tour bus at 2:30 p.m.  We got there at 1:45 p.m.  Always the planner, I wanted to get our train tickets for the next day ahead of time.  I tried to buy them at the kiosk but the machine wouldn’t take our credit cards.  I took a ticket at the window to buy from a person – No. 898.  They were only on a number in the 700s.  Agh!! We found out where to meet our bus and Julie stood there to make sure they didn’t leave me.  I decided to stay at the ticket area to see if I could beat the clock.  My eyes darted constantly from Julie at the bus (I could see her through the glass doors) to the clock on the wall, then to the scrolling ticket numbers.  I felt like I was gambling!  “C’mon No. 898!”  What seemed impossible at first then started to get exciting.  The numbers started flipping faster.  Here we go!  C’mon 898!  At around 2:25 p.m. my number came up!  YESSS!  I ran to the window and blurted out my ticket request.  I did it!  Julie just shook her head when I got to the bus.  We got on and sat next to a side door.  The seat in front of us was pushed up so people could get on.  We didn’t push it back and had so much leg room.  Awesome!  Hey, it's all about the legroom people.    

Our first stop on the wine tour was the Poggio Amorelli Winery.  We had a full wine tasting of Sangiovese grapes (one white and three reds), olive oil, 12-to 20-year-old balsamic vinegar and truffle oil.  We also had some bread and cheese.  The wine was very good.  I usually don’t like wine and therefore, rarely drink it.  With the amount I drank in a short period of time I felt a little happy when we left!  We had sat outside in a covered area with our group of about 30 people.  We chatted with two ladies from New York, a couple from New Jersey and another couple from Napa who were on their honeymoon.  Before we boarded the bus we were able to take photos of the countryside.  Amazing!!!  I would definitely like to come back and spend more time in Tuscany. 

Next stop was the small, walled town of Monteriggioni.  How small?  Approximately 600 people live here.  The winery here was Vino Arte Artigiamato.  This one was a quicker tasting.  We stood in the cellar-type lower level and listened to the woman talk – she was very entertaining and interacted well with the group. 

Our last stop on the Tuscany tour was Siena, a much larger town.  We walked through town to the Piazza del Campo, where they hold a horse race, the Palio di Siena, around the edges of the piazza twice a year.  It is enormous!  I’ve never seen anything like it.  We had dinner at a restaurant in the piazza – meats, bruschetta, a huge pizza and gelato.  So much food!  We sat next to a couple from Quebec who are hot-spring hunters.  They go around the world to sit in natural hot springs.  We’ve met so many interesting people!  Our fabulous day ended back at the Florence train station at 10 p.m.  The next day we were off to Rome.  

When we first arrived in Florence I wasn't sure what I thought of it.  We had been in mostly small towns before this, and it was an adjustment to figure out where everything was.  Once we got the hang of it, it was much more enjoyable.  There's so much to do here!  I would definitely like to come back. 

#395 Basketball/Nyquil Hangover

I have tried to be somewhat consistent in my posts, especially those related to Italy.  Unfortunately I hit a slight slump the past two weeks and am just now recovering.  Each year around this time I succumb to a basketball "hangover".  I watch too many basketball games that go late into the night. Sometimes I attend such games.  This year was the same story, but throw in a youth clinic the morning of semi-final Saturday.  I was up at 5 a.m. to be there by 6 a.m., left the place around 1 p.m. Headed downtown to walk around (you gotta walk around!  Even saw Shaq!).  Games at 6 p.m.  In bed by 1 a.m.  On top of that I contracted my second sinus infection in the past month.  Nice!  I hacked into my lucky red "Wisconsin" scarf Saturday night so did not wear it Monday.  I rallied for the final game (I think I even had a slight fever, which kept me warm in chilly Lucas Oil so that was a bonus) and even made it to work on time Tuesday morning (thanks a lot swimming meeting).

During my sicknesses my meds of choice have been Sinex by day and Nyquil at night.  Sniff and swallow.  I feel like an episode of Laverne and Shirley ("Sip, swirl, suck, swallow.")  I have slept great with the Nyquil but have also slept through my alarm several mornings.  That stuff works!

I am not seeking sympathy, just laying out the facts.  I actually didn't feel too bad, just lethargic and a bit crabby now and then.  I will be fine.  Hopefully I can get back on track to tell you all about Florence next week!  Thanks for hanging in!