When In Rome...

Once again, I am super sorry to my fans who count on me to post. My computer literally does not work, and I can't blog unless I steal Timothy's computer. I'll just have to do so more often. :)

Also, I am very excited to announce that I have 6000 page views. I don't know who is looking at my blog, but thanks, and I hope it's as enjoyable for you as it is for me to have these experiences. Moving on.



Beautiful

My weekend started on a high-speed train to Florence, Italy. This only took 5 hours, which is about 5 more hours than I can bear on a non-air conditioned vessel. But I digress.

A few words on Italian food: it is all the same in Italy. Just about every restaurant, whether 5 star or just some shack, has the same menu: pasta and pizza. It might have a different sauce, or a different meat, but it's all the same. After four days of straight pasta, I must admit, my belly needed some American food, also known as, Hard Rock Cafe Rome. Moving on.

So we arrive in Florence, and this church is the first thing I see. It really is amazing. We get there about 4, and there's only one thing to do, right? Go to the museums.

So we begin at the Uffizi. This is the huge Florence museum with the Ninja Turtle arists (jay kay) and The Birth of Venus. There is a strict "no photo" policy, but I risked getting thrown out of a world-famous museum to snap pictures for my memories and this blog.

The Birth of Venus. You're Welcome.

After we witness this marvel, I want to read about every sculptured philospher in the museum. That would literally take days, so two hours later, we were on our way to the Accademia.

The Accademia is a very small museum with one main piece: Michelangelo's David. Yes, there are other works, but probably the most looked-over works in the history of art. Why? There's a 20-foot naked man standing next to the other paintings with a huge marble stage.

I also risked getting kicked out of this museum for this picture, but I just had to. Timothy and I spent about 20 minutes looking at this work, wondering how he sculpted it, how much time it took, how does the museum avoid people going cray on it. It really was amazing, and I couldn't believe how lucky we were to see it.

After the two museums and traveling all day, I am exhausted. We take a cab to a hotel and along the way, Timothy talks about how awesome pictures in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa would be. And since I'm a sucker for a good photo shoot, 10 minutes later, we were at the train station, on our way to Pisa.

It was a short train ride, only about 30 minutes. On the way there, we went second class (no airconditioning) and had to spare the extra 20 euros on the way back for a little AC. That's a good suggestion.

Also, if these pictures seem blurry, it's because they are. I have no idea how to work Timothy's computer. When I get my fancy new computer, I'll try to re-upload.

Anyway, after Pisa, I put my foot down: I'm going to bed. Of course, I'm awoken early the next morning with more plans: Horseback riding through a Tuscan vineyard. I can handle that.

Now, I love riding horses. Wherever I go, I try to convince my parents to do some excursion with horseback riding. So when assigning horses to us, I'm not too worried. Timothy gets his; a huge stallion with no warning from the guides. I get mine, and of course, she (Violetina) comes with a warning: "She's feisty and sassy, and you can't go in front of other horses or she'll kick them." ...How did this happen to me?

Anyway, the ride was fine. Violetina only took off running twice because she saw some delicious grass she wanted to eat. She only tried to kick the guide's horse behind me once, which caused her horse to buck. Other than that, Violetina was fine. Of course, TImothy's horse was perfect. I was rolling my eyes the entire time during that trip.

Our horses didn't quite get along, and this picture was a real struggle for them.

After touring the vineyards via horseback, it was time for lunch and our wine tasting. We each got 2 glasses of their wine. We sat next to some awesome Australian girls who hated red wine, so that was 8 glasses for Timothy and myself.

 

After the wine tasting and lunch, it was time to go home. I was pretty tired; ordering around a fussy horse was not the easiest thing in the world.

The next morning was an early 30-minute train ride to Rome. After, we tried out the metro to a stop called "Colosseo." Walking out of the metro, this was my first sight:

It was truly remarkable.

Now let me give you the 411 on Rome. Since we drove the city constantly for a few days, we have a pretty good idea of it. From our hotel (Hotel Apollo, Via de Serpenti), every single monument was within 10 minutes via vespa. And yes, rent a vespa. That little gem got us around Rome so quickly and in style. It will be my first suggestion to anyone ever seeing Rome again.

Anyway, Rome, although a big city, is really not that big. It is SUPER easy to manuever, and all of the streets seem to run together. If you accidentally cross the river, no worries, you'll end up at the Vatican. If you accidentally take the wrong stop on the roundabout, you'll either end up at the Trevi Fountain or the Colosseum. Could be worse.

We rented a vespa, which is basically a mini scooter. I was so Lizzie McGuire up in Rome, it's not even funny. I sang the theme song quite often. The speed on that thing, mixed with the monuments and zooming life of Rome, was exhilirating. Yes, I was sure we'd die a few times, but hey, when in Rome.

Trevi Fountain

On that first day, I had a map of Rome, with 8 things listed for us to visit. Frommers suggested only 6 the first day, but since we're young, I decided on 8. With the vespa, we saw all 8 things, plus 3 more, within 5 hours. Well, Frommers, thanks for nothing.

When you throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, you will return to Rome one day.

After doing all the stereotypical touristy things that first day, we booked our tour for Sunday at the Vatican.

Not knowing what to expect, I dressed in comfortable attire, but brought along some capris and a conservative blouse. Thank goodness for that. To enter the Vatican, women cannot show their shoulders, upper arms, or knees. Whew.

Upon arrival, we're given a real treat: after the tour, we can attend mass. I literally swooned. Now, I'm not a Catholic, nor do I speak Italian, but this is seriously one of the most amazing things ever. Mass? At the Vatican? We got our praying knees ready and away we went.

The School of Athens, or, The Philosophers. Raphael.

The tour was super awesome. We saw so many  eautiful works of art, and I couldn't wait to see my man Mike's flagship. I saw works by Francis Bacon, Raphael, Salvador Dali, and others. It truly was amazing.



The Sistine Chapel

Upon entering the Sistine Chapel, I literally lost my breath. The time and effort spent in this room by Michelangelo was obviously apparent, and actually, we felt a tad sad for him. If you don't know much about this, well, you're in for a treat. Michelangelo first refused to paint the Sistine Chapel and fled to Florence. The Pope basically said, "Paint it, or else" and he was forced to come back. Michelangelo once wrote a letter to a friend, discussing his suffering during his time painting it. After the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo sculpted David. The way David stands (see above), his body is facing towards Rome. His eyes are glaring in the direction of Rome, as a warning to the city. Cool, huh?

Sistine Chapel with the marble and iron gates that separated the workers from the wealthy

Judgment Day. Michelangelo. Sistine Chapel.

The Creation of Adam.

When I objected over a guy taking our picture, he said, "How many more times will you be here?" Fair point well made.

After the Sistine Chapel, how could it get any better? I am then reminded we are attending mass. It got better. Mass was...huge. There was a lot of cheering, for what, I don't know because it was all in Italian. It was well rehearsed, like most Catholic masses I've attended. The crowd knows when to speak. We just sat there in awe. It seemed powerful and enlightening, and it is an experience I will never forget.

After mass, we had the option of going to one of the many small altars and praying. We chose St. Joseph's and stayed for about 15 minutes. I prayed at the Vatican. What an aweesome day.

This really was a day I'll never forget. I even got holy water!

Just grabbing some holy water before I go!

Now that mass was done, our day at the Vatican was over.



Family, friends, I hope you enjoyed re-visiting our trip to Rome. It really was such a magical experience. I cannot decide which I love more: Rome or Paris. I'll let you know after this weekend...because I'm going BACK to Paris. Booya.

Vineyards and catacombs and bulls, oh, my!

Warning: Only one picture on this blog post. I have to wait until I get back to Lyon to post more pictures.

I'm super sorry for not blogging before now. My computer (a 2009 Apple Macbook) recently crashed, taking along just about everything with it. Luckily, I've posted every picture ever to Facebook (on private, of course), so no pictures are missing. Thank goodness.

Last weekend was the most exciting (and exhausting) weekend of my life. We began on Thursday; an eight-hour drive to San Sebaastian, Spain. Upon arrival, we learn it gets dark there around 11:30. What do we do? Go surfing that night, of course.

After renting our surf boards and buying our surf gear, I HAVE to ask the worker, "What aqua predators frequent these waters?" "Sharks," he said. "What kind?" I ask. This is an extremely relevant question. As an avid Shark Week-watcher, I need to know. He laughs and says JAY KAY, and I'm off to surf in potentially deadly waters.

Just being a diva/surfing.

Surfing class

Robb doesn't give us much instruction; just to "stand up" when it "feels right." Luckily, there's a beginner's surfing class right in front of us (see next picture), so we discreetly listen in on that.

Rules of surfing: Defeat the 4-foot tall waves that crash into your 8-foot-long surf board constantly to make it to the "chill zone". Here, there aren't many waves; you just wait for the perfect one. When you spot the perfect one about 30 feet away (Sidenote: what's the perfect one? It "looks" big. Yeah, great.), then you paddle as hard as possible toward the shore. The wave should lift you up on its white caps, then you stand, and keep your balance to ride the wave in. Sounds easy, right? False.

Just checking out the surf

High fives!

Just being adorable.

Expert?

I nosedived close to 5 times; "put more weigh on the back," I hear. Fine. Finally, I get up on the board. VICTORY, I think. Now, I have to keep balance, while avoiding the 1000 children playing in front of me. NOT an easy task. After about 10 wipeouts, the coast was clear.  The guys joked that everyone left the beach, afraid of me hitting them. I doubt this was a joke.

Timothy was awesome, of course. He stood up about 10 times and surfed his little heart out. It was really the most invigorating thing I've ever done. More so than any other athletic activity I've ever participated in. The RUSH you feel when you stand up on that board is unmatched. I can see why people risk getting their legs eaten off by Jaws to surf.

After surfing, we were exhausted. Plus, we had a LONG day of Running with the Bulls, so it was time to go home.

Hang ten!

The next morning, the four of us awoke around 4:30AM. We made the 1-hour drive to Pamplona to see the FAMOUS Running of the Bulls. Everywhere, people were dress in white pants, white shirt, with a red scarf and red belt. Everyone was hammered, as well. I mean, seriously intoxicated. It was 6:00am! So I had my cappucino and was just fine.

The actual running began at 8AM. Since none of the girls (plus Tim) were running, we purchased tickets into the stadium to check out the stadium events. Not having any real expectations, it was the most awesome thing ever.

Basically, people just run around and get mauled by bulls. Bulls buck and kick and run into people, and the crowd cheers with glee. I spent 1.5 hours dying laughing in that stadium. It was just about the best thing ever.

In the staidum

After the Running, there wasn't much to do. We forgot about "siestas" in Spain, which are their 5-hour naps from like 10am-3pm. So we left Pamplona and headed back to San Sebastien for more surfing.

After surfing a bit more, it was time for a night on the town with our group. About 12 of us clubbed around San Sebastien, to end our night semi-early for our 4-hour haul to Bordeaux in the morning.

Bordeaux, France, is the most famous red wine region in the entire world. As a recent red-wine-lover, this was a good thing. Also, it was Bastille Day, and everyone was partying.

The group with our flowers, and a random father and child.

On our tour of Bordeaux!

We enjoyed good food, good wine, and good people, for the entire weekend. On Sunday, we went to a Bordeaux wine tour in St. Emillion, which is a nearby wine region. The cellars were old and chilly, and the wine was fantastic. After purchasing a few bottles, it was time to head back to Lyon for class.

9 days and counting until I return to the United States. Do I HAVE to?!

Just being a slacker

Super sorry to my devout fans, again, for not posting. My ever-faithful MacBook crashed, taking with it hopes, dreams, and pictures. Luckily, Facebook provided me with a sweet backup system, so you have two killer blog posts coming your way shortly. We are currently in Florence, Italy, and will be leaving for Rome tomorrow. Our mission? Visit every famous artwork in this part of Italy. Get excited, readers.

"You guys just love enjoying other country's culture." True.

Hey, want to know everything I'm doing this weekend? Awesome. This post is for you!

I'm starting off in San Sebastian, Spain. Wikipedia it. Super legit tourist city about 20 km from the French border. A group of about 8 is traveling for fun, sightseeing, and surfing. Yes, surfing.

As a "I-will-only-swim-in-clear-water-to-avoid-aqua-predators" girl, surfing in cloudy water is a stretch for me. I've seen Lake Placid and Deep Blue Sea. I've also seen Jaws. Not my favorite movies. Cross your fingers for me.

On Friday, we're making the 1-hour tread to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. I will have my fully-charged camera and document every moment of me and the others girls standing on the sidelines. Lacking athleticism in just about every way, running from 1000 lb. bulls is just not my thing. Remember the mishap in Interlaken? Yup, not happening.

On Saturday, we're heading to Bordeaux, France, for Bastille Day. Bastille Day is basically like France's Fourth of July, but way less awesome. We're doing a winery tour, since Bordeaux is apparently the most famous red wine region in the world. After, we'll scope out the streets of Bordeaux for French fun.

Stay tuned for the most culturally-fueled post ever.

When I see any interstate sign in Italian or Spanish and I can read it, I'm like:

When I decide I want anything to eat, I'm like:

Three nights in Venice...

To treat ourselves before we ventured to Italy, we decided to try Le Sud (Paul Bocuse) once more. Things did not go as planned.

My salad

Chicken curry anyone?

I ordered the special, which was a delicious melon salad, chicken curry, a special cheese, and a strawberry cake. Everything went perfectly...until my cheese. 

Did I mention the most awkward things happen to me? Well, good. There were bugs in my cheese. At a world-renowned restaurant, I had bugs. Typical. Of course, the waitress didn't speak English. So there I was, sitting at Le Sud, making "Buzzzzzzz" noises and moving my hands around to tell the waitress there were bugs in my cheese. I died a little on the inside. 

This cheese looks mighty appetizing to me...and bugs. 

At least the restaurant was fantastic! 

Anyway, she removed the cheese, and brought my dessert instead. No apology, no nothing. Great. Now I'll never go back to Le Sud.  Whatevs.

Oh, did I mention our finals were on Friday? Oh. Our finals were on Friday. Two up, two down. I'd say they were easy peasy, but I haven't received my grades yet, so I'm not jinxing anything yet. 

After finals, we jetted to the train station to pick up our car. Ten minutes later and ZERO getting lost in Lyon, and we were on our way to Italy. Yes, we decided to drive again. Tim and I are professional European drivers these days. 

This was a simple, straight-forward, 7-hour drive. Does this ever happen? Nope. Our first stop was at a gas station to refuel in Italy, and I needed my first Italian meal. It was a focaccia sandwich for like 3 euros. Was I expecting anything awesome? Of course not. Was it awesome? YES. 

It was legitimately the most delicious sandwich I have ever consumed. As a non-sandwich-eater, this was literally heaven in my mouth. Italian gas stations: 1. My pretentiousness: 0. 

DELICIOSO! 

So with a full belly and a happy heart, we're on our way to Venice. About an hour outside of Milan, all hell breaks loose. A hail storm.

Now, I've never been in a real hail storm. Yes, I've looked outside my window and witnessed dancing balls of ice, but that's the extent of it. Nothing prepared me for this fire-and-brimstone thunderstorm.

WORST. STORM. EVER. 

There was hail the size of baseballs, beating down on our Mini Fiat 500. Know why it's called "500"? Because it weighs no more than 500 pounds. The wind was blowing us all over the road, and aside from the 18-wheelers, we were the ONLY people on the interstate. We laughed off the Italians who took cover under the interstates...bad move to begin with.

30 minutes, 1 video, 200 pictures, and 2 potential heart attacks later, we were out of the storm. Tim and I finally admitted, hey, we should NOT have driven through that. But we're divas (and Americans) and we prevailed.

We get to Milan and I'm expecting to see Paris Hilton strolling the streets. False. In Italy, the driving is even more different than France. In Italy, if there is a shiny object on the side of the road, everyone stops to see. Look below; see that traffic? There was a car, who had a flat tire, on the other side of the road. We sat in Milan traffic for THREE HOURS for this. Well, all part of the experience, right?

FINALLY! A Venice sign!

We make it to Venice at about midnight. When you drive to Venice, you must park your car at the Marco Polo airport, for about 15 euros a day. Then, you take this DINGY across the sea to actual Venice. Timothy claims this was a yacht, but I was basically covered in bugs and spiderwebs; total dingy. Agree to disagree.

Tim loves public transportation. 

 So I wake up in Venice. It's beautiful, of course. The streets are VERY narrow, and sometimes, you'll be strolling along only to come to a dead end- a canal. Yes, there are canals EVERYWHERE. Your map might say you can walk one direction, but you can't, because there's 10 feet of water in front of you.

For those New Orleanians: remember after Katrina, when every street was totally flooded? That's what Venice reminds me of. The canals almost look...out-of-place. I realize they are not, in fact, out of place...but whatevs.

Timothy, exhibiting how narrow the streets in Venice are.  

We strolled and we strolled through Venice. Museums, palaces, churches- we saw it all. It's not a big town, actually. You can cover the entire city in a day or two. It was VERY warm; almost 100 degrees F. But luckily, Venice has air conditioning. Hallelujah. 

Venetian canal

An island outside of Venice where they make silk. 

Sidenote: I apologize for all of the lonely pictures. I'm hesitant to pass my camera to just anyone to take a picture of both Timothy and myself. Why? Gypsies, of course. Tim assured me there were no gypsies in Venice, so I took this chance.

In Venice, the canals are filled with gondolas. Singing Italian men serenade men and women of all ages, after you wait about an hour in the gondola line. Worth it? Of course.

Upon arrival, I quickly googled "Things to do in Venice." Aside from gondola rides and church visits, tripadvisor.com told me to visit their markets. That's just what we did.

Every fruit, veggie, drink, fish, and unknown animal was found at this market. IN HUGE quantities and at great prices.

A fruit market

 At the fish market, we saw a few guys drag in this fish, and cut it in half. It. Was. Awesome.

Boo ya!

The Doge's Palace

 After the market, we strolled a bit more. We saw beautiful paintings atop beautiful churches. We saw just about everything San Marcos Square in Venice had to offer.

Just when I was feeling a bit tired, we stumbled upon this gem: THE SALVADOR DALI MUSEUM! For those who don't know my obsession with surrealist art, Dali is my favorite artist/sculpturer/mindfreak ever. His art and mind captivates me; I've spend YEARS researching this man and his art. And here I am, in Venice, stumbling upon his museum.

One of Dali's famous sculptures 

 Now, I've never seen the Persistence of Memory in person (bucket list: NEW YORK), but I've studied this picture way too often. When I saw a sculpture of his melting clocks in person, I almost fainted.

Exquisite. 

After the most exciting 2 hours of my life, we left the museum. I was fulfilled. Not only did I venture into the mind and art of my favorite genius of all time, but I did it in ITALY! What an awesome find. Bug-infested dingy forgotten, I was a very happy girl.

While walking home, some kids in costumes assaulted us with a pamphlet: The Story of Venice. It was a play at a nearby theater, done entirely in English. Of course we had to go. After a quick shower, we were on our way to dinner and the theater.

Pretty, pretty at night!

After dinner but before the theater, we saw a gelato place. Now, I've had all sorts of gelato in the states; but NEVER real, Italian gelato.

Gelato...

 It was...so delicious. Light, fluffy, flavorful. Italian gelato....they know what's up.

VERY happy with his gelato!

Arriving at the theater, we needed a glass (or two) of wine. The bartender was hilarious, from England, and very insistent on Timothy and I getting married. All sorts of advice came our way, which was interesting and enlightening.

Italian wine

The theater

 The show was hilarious and I recommend anyone in Venice to see it. It started with the finding of Venice (two merchants stole the body of some Saint and brought it there) to some recent Mistress' parties in the square. The actors were amazing, with awesome Italian puns that kept me laughing

Story time: On the dingy over, we met this couple. They were older, but kind of fun and silly. I liked them immediately, and enjoyed their company for the ride over. Anyway, we see them again at this show. Half way through, Timothy drops his wine glass and it shatters all over their feet. Awkward moments aside, they were understanding, and luckily, not hurt. Remember this couple for later.

The theater

  After the show, we explored Venice a bit more, only to find this AWESOME pizzeria for a late dinner.

Timsiez, my model

Our pizza place 

We started with an awesome caprese salad and a few glasses of wine. Totally. delicious. 

Our main course was a pizza. In Italy (and in France), they cut their pizza with a fork and knife. It was late, and Tim got tired of this REAL fast. 

Timothy, being an American and eating his pizza with his hands. 

Me, being Italian and judging Timothy, the American.

The pizza was awesome, and I was in early. We had a FULL day in Venice the next day, and who KNEW what Timothy would get me into...

The next morning, it's walking time. All. Around. Venice. It was a bitttt early (8am?), but that's how Timothy rolls.

Sidenote: Remember that couple we met? The one I obsessively chatted with on the boat to Venice and Timothy basically broke a wine glass over their heads? Well, after waking up on this particular morning, I strolled over to the window to check the weather. I open the curtain, slowly, and look out. Who do I see? The couple. Awkwardly walking past my window, that I'm creepily out of. They are obviously SHOCKED to see me, look at me like I'm insane, then quickly walk away. This is my life.

After this mishap, it's time to go. We walk past the Doge's Palace, and he decides we HAVE to wait in the 300-person line to go in.

Background: Back in the day, the Doge was like, the MAN of Venice. He was super rich, super awesome, and super not-in-charge of anyone. He had this amazing house for him and his...friends, and we just had to see it.

Timothy's "sassy" look. 

Oh, just waiting in line.

 While waiting in line, I asked a lady behind us if she'd ever seen the palace. She just happened to speak only Spanish. Now, it's been 2 years since I've had a fluent conversation in Spanish with an only-Spanish speaker. I just had to try. She was from Venezuela, an accent I am not totally comfortable with. After about 5 minutes, I finally got the hang of it, and even told a JOKE in Spanish. Hey, Professor Bena, remember that B you gave me in Spanish Conversation? BOO-YA!

Just hanging out at the Doge's Palace

The Palace was AMAZING. We bought these sweet speaker things that gave us a tour of the place in English. Totally worth it, and awesome. The palace was also HUGE. It took us about 3 hours to go through the entire thing, that had zero air conditioning.

Timothy, just pointing at sculptures.

 Everything was marble; the walls, the floors, and the seats. It. Was. Beautiful. The ceiling? Pure gold. Literally.

The Doge's walkway

 We saw many Doge's artwork and preferences. It was not furnished, because whenever a new Doge would come in, he would bring his own furniture. What a downside!

While hanging in one of the rooms, we overheard the name of one familiar painting: The Rape of Europa. In our Stolen Art class this summer, we spent about 4 days watching a movie about this particular painting, and other paintings, that were stolen by Napoleon during the wars. The film's name was The Rape of Europa. Anyway, it was cool to actually see this painting returned in its proper position.

The Rape of Europa

Also, kings were short. Here is King Henry's armor. He was like 5'4.

You weren't allowed to take pictures in here, so I had Timothy discreetly stand next to King Henry's armor and look like he's contemplating the world. 

 After we saw the Doge's Palace, we went to the prisons. They were so creepy. We went over the famous "Bridge of the Sighs". This bridge is where prisoners would cross right before they went to jail. The bridge has small openings, and this would be the LAST light of day these prisoners would see. It's called the "Bridge of the Sighs" because hundreds of thousands of prisoners would take their last sigh on this bridge before they sunk deep into the prison chambers for the rest of their lives. MORBID.

The view from the opening of the Bridge of the Sighs. 

Sighing...on the bridge of the sighs. 

After the Palace, we were again, assaulted by another pamphlet. This one was an Italian opera. Sensing an awesome blog post, we went in to check it out. Prices ranged from 300 euros to about 400 euros. Perfect, I thought, all a part of the experience. After asking for tickets, we're informed we will receive "last minute tickets" for the show in an hour...at the whopping price of 20 euros. We're in.

We went for a quick dinner at an adorable Italian restaurant nearby. We got "the special", of course. Now, the specials in Italy are different than those in France.

My second course, meatballs. 

In France, there is an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. There is your special.

In Italy, there is a first course (a pasta), a second course (a meat), and then a dessert. That's the Italian special.

Also in Italy, everything has fleur de lis on it. Weird, as I've seen nothing in France with fleur de lis. 

Nom nom water

 My dessert? Chocolate mousse, of course. And, MAN, is it good!!!

After dinner, it's opera time. We arrive early (not early enough for wine, sadly), and are escorted by a BUTLER to our seats. He opens this door (see next picture) to our seats, which are amazing.

Oh, goodness

The theater...is breathtaking. It's huge, with bright golds and reds everywhere. The lights are old-fashioned and dim, but there are enough lights to give the theater a very dim ambiance. It smells vintage in the theater. That sounds strange, but that's the only way to describe it. Like an old book that you found in the public library. When you open that book for the first time in, perhaps years, that's what this theater smelled like.

The Doge's seats, now just regular seats

The opera was..interesting. Totally in Italian, we understood nothing. I was thinking it'd be a Julia Roberts/Pretty Woman thing and we'd understand the story by the powerful music. False. I thought the main characters were father and daughter until right before intermission, when they started kissing. On the lips. Awk.

Intermission, with my mind rocked.

The music was powerful, incidentally. The actors sang from their diaphragms so they did not need to be microphoned. I've never seen or heard anything like it. Italian is such a beautiful language..perhaps one that can only be appreciated through opera.

You know I love artsy pictures.

 The opera was titled L'Elisir D'Amore. I recommend this to anyone who visits Venice, as well. Or Italy, for that matter. See an Italian opera.

The opera sign

After the opera, we wanted to grab a quick dinner before our gondola ride. This "quick dinner" turned into, wait for it, another awkward experience.

We (Timothy) chose this place because apparently, it's famous. Great, I think, I love good food. We stroll in to waiters dressed in tuxedos, and the typical bright red Italian seats that we're getting so used to. We're seated, and immediately suggested the new Italian prosecco. Two, please.

The menus

 While deciding what to eat, the sommelier comes over to help us pair our wines. We don't need his help, of course, as we're professionals.

The restaurant's award-winning wine list

 During this conversation, our waiter returns with our water. Somehow, tripadvisor.com comes up. Apparently, they don't speak the best English, because when I jokingly mentioned how I love writing reviews on the website, they understood it as, "I'm a food critic".

Awkward experience #38439853 for me in Europe.

To begin the meal, they brought us a pre-appetizer. No one else got these, but since I'm a food critic, hel-lo 10-course meals. Before I took my first bite, 3-4 waiters and maybe a chef stood around the corner, leaning over and watching my every move. They held their breaths while I cut this divine treat with my fork, waiting for my reaction to their culinary masterpiece. Now, Timothy thinks this is great, but it might be the most awkward 10 seconds of my life.

I smile after my first bite, and the waiters/chef sigh with relief. WHEW! Dodged that bullet.

I spent the next three hours sighing, smiling, and talking about how delicious the food was. How awkward it will be for this restaurant when they realize I am not, in fact, a food critic.

My risotto...amazing.

Look! A Chablis! We SAW the rows of grapes for this wine! 

 After dinner, we were given a pre-dessert. No one else received this either, of course. Amazing.

Delicious. 

 My dessert was FANTASTIC. Timothy ate ONLY about 1/2 this time; he saved me some. :)

Crunchy, yet satisfying.

I'm glad we "did it big" our last dinner in Venice. It was an experience, not only a dinner. I was a food critic for a few hours...what a great evening.

We left early this morning, so last night, we knew what we had to do: go on a Gondola ride.

After finding a gondolier that sang in Italian, we finally got on a boat.

Our gondolier 

The gondola ride at night is a must-do in Venice. Venice has cool night air, with less people flooding the canals (pun. intended.) The air is totally still at night, with no noise. It is peaceful, yet eerie. Our gondolier sang softly in Italian the entire time, which would have totally been romantic if not for those 3-4 glasses of wine we had at dinner.

The Venetian court house

We went under the most romantic bridge in Europe, and were basically forced to take a kissing picture. I won't post that here; no worries.

Pre-Kissing Picture

 The gondola ride was definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done. The night was perfect, the vacation was perfect, and the company was perfect. Could I be any luckier?

I woke up early this morning to talks of walking throughout Venice, again. After a HUGE meal, Timothy decides it's time to go home. Neither supporting nor rejecting this suggestion, I just go with it.

The ride home is much less eventful that the ride there. It was sunny and clear the entire way home. We saw mountains, vineyards, and more barnyards friends than I knew existed. Northern Italy, I'm in love.