Rome to Home

It seems like Sarah and I were in Paris many weeks ago. Hard to believe that only two weeks has passed. Tomorrow we’ll fly from Rome to New York and then on to Raleigh-Durham. Our energy levels are still pretty high and we could keep travelling, given the option. I really wish we had the time to go further south–Pompei, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, etc. That said, it will be nice to sleep in our own bed.

I’ll post in much more detail about our experiences, people weìve met, places visited, and so on. Overall, it has been a wonderful trip. We kind of had one foot in the college backpacker scene and one foot in the luxuries only an adult could afford. In other words, we could occasionally splurge on a nice meal. For most of the trip we opted for renting apartments instead of hostel or hotel. This has worked out really nicely. There are tradeoffs: earplugs almost every night, no change of sheets, towels, or room service, etc. But they have full kitchens, and most importantly, a helpful occupant who could get us quickly oriented and recommend nearby supermarkets or laundromats.

Randomness…

  • Chuck Taylors are seemingly worn by every French, Swiss, or Italian teenager
  • Smart Cars are everywhere.
  • Never eat at a trattoria, cafe, bistro, ristorante, or gelateria near a major piazza or square
  • Lugano, Switzerland has been the surprise hit. Our $100/night hotel was unbelievable.
  • Florence is way, way more intense than Rome or Paris.
  • There really is porn on public TV in France.
  • As foolish as you may feel dropping French or Italian phrases at the restaurant, train station, or ticket office, I think it is generally appreciated.
  • From our experience, Americans were rarely the most obnoxious tourists. But there are still plenty of baseball caps and white sneakers out there.
  • Do the Canadians sport the large maple leafs on their backpacks out of national pride or to distinguish themselves from their neighbors to the south?
  • Surreal: the only–ONLY–full size pickup truck I saw (Sienna, Italy)had a “Texas A&M” sticker on the back.

Much more to come. Off to the Colliseum. In the meantime, click on a photo in “Recent Pics” to see some uploaded photos.

Off to Europe

After years of talking about going to Europe, Sarah and I are finally making it happen. We’ll fly to Paris on Sunday and our timing couldn’t be better. Passport We’ll spend 4 days in the City of Light ( must learn the magic phrase, “Excusez-moi de vous déranger“) and then take a train to Italy. Our first destination is Cinque Terre, a card-carrying UNESCO world heritage site (don’t worry if you don’t know what that is, yesterday I realized I didn’t know the name of the president of Mexico). The Italian rail workers have planned a strike beginning one hour after our scheduled arrival to the seaside village. Sweet. We’ll then meet my sister and her boyfriend in Florence, do a bike ride in the Tuscan hills, and then visit Sienna. We’ll conclude our trip in Rome and fly home on May 27. All of this is provided that Sarah’s passport arrives. They said it should be here by Saturday. :-|

Mario Rocks Out