Yes, "the smallest things seem overly grand" because of your appreciation for them and you convey that to us very well. Thank you so much for sharing and please continue.

I don't care how you got your discounted student fare, but I just want you to know that I am continuing to enjoy every word of you report of your madcap adventure.

Saturday, December 17, 2005 - Day 9 - Vienna/Salzburg/Innsbruck

We slept in a little bit this morning after long day from the day before and awoke probably sometime around 9 o'clock and ran the gauntlet through Wolfie's ice-cold shower (or at least it became ice-cold after somebody had used up all the hot water in the first shower of the day, though I will not name names...Will, or Ryan, I do not know, I forget, but it was one of them) before helping ourselves to another of Woflie's unfancy, but tasty and effective Austrian breakfasts none the less, consisting as they do of rolls and bagles and other pastry delights.

It would be another final hour well spent with Woflie as we ate and conversed further on any number of subjects, but it was soon time for Wolfie to take us to the train station as were to depart on journey through Austria. Wolfie informed us that that our journey through Austria would be traped in snow as a giant blizzard had evidently swept over the whole of the country, though it had not really hit Vienna as of yet, or else if my memory fails, it just got a light dusting by comparison. It would not affect our rail travel, but it would make for numerous wondrous sights as we moved across the country. Before leaving, however, I had to help myself to one more look over the magnificent vista that were the Vienna Woods from Wolfie's back porch. I suppose they would not really appear to the common person to be anything that looks different than some heavily wooded hills, but they are the Vienna Woods and you just have to let yourself get soaked up in the romanticism of everything once in a while.

It was bittersweet to say goodbye to Wolfie as we had not idea when, or if we would see him again and we really could not thank him enough for all he and Felix had done for us and how grateful we were, but I suppose he has been accustomed to such treatment himself anytime he or his family travel to Chattanooga to visit with Ryan's uncle. Dutiful as we were, though, we pressed on and prepared to board our 12:00 or 12:30 train which was headed for Salzburg, where we would disembark for an hour or so for a quick peak into that city clothed in much beauty and splendor.

The train ride there was just beautiful as we took in the Winter Wonderland that the previous night's blizzard had left. I guess just west of Vienna we were traveling through the foothills of the Alps and they rolled along splendidly blanketed in a thick cover of snow as we traveled through them, passing by nearly frozen lakes along the way. It was a common sight all the way to Salzburg. Unfortunately this day, we also figured out that weekend train travel is not the same cup of tea that weekday travel is. We could be wrong, maybe trains in Austria are always crowded, but I think maybe not. We should have learned our lesson on the train from Vienna to Salzburg as we were able to get the first empty seats we wanted, but they soon filled out and there was not really an empty seat left on the train. We did not put these learned lessons into proper practice, however, when taking the train from Salzburg to Innsbruck, and after traveling cart by cart, we ended up having to settle for a smoking train cart, which could have been a lot worse, but still slightly unpleasant in the end.

I digress, I needn't discuss train rides any further when I must tell of blissful Salzburg. We probably arrived there around 14:30 or so and our train for Innsbruck was scheduled to leave a little after 16:00, so again we did not leave ourselves much time to toil in the city, but we were fine with it as we just wanted to get a peak of the city before we went on our way. In fact, I do not think in the initial stages of planning for this trip that we had planned to stop here at all, but I mentioned maybe we could stop there and thank God we did.

After a quick bite to eat at the only fast food establishment (Burger King in this case) we ate at in Europe other than the McDonald's in Zurich (which was simply due to time constraints here), it was up to me to find our way walking into the city from the train station. Dutifully I had us walking along a good track into the city, though at this point of the city, there is nothing incredibly distinguishing about the city (it was near the rail station after all) other than the immense amount of snow that had gathered there, but soon we started to head into the busy section of town and I felt that if Will and Ryan had been doubting the idea of stopping here to begin with, they would soon come around, we all would.

A small Christmas market hinted at something more than had been revealed to us at this point, and as we made our way towards towards the New Town (I always laughed at the expression New Town in Europe because in Europe is signifies that a 'New Town' area dates back to the 1600s or 1700s, which would pretty much make it an 'Old Town' or ancient history in America) of Salzburg we began to really enjoy our surroundings, but we made haste through this part of town because we had already caught a small glimpse of the Festung, or Hohensalzburg Fortress, as we wanted very much to see this fortress in all its grandeur as it hovered over the Old Town of Salzburg and kept watch over the surrounding countryside of the old city-state. It was amazing to look at in person as we came out the other side of the New Town (which anyone would do themselves good to spend hours upon hours in the section alone, assuming you bring some money with you to spend in all the shops). I remember thinking, though not instantly, that with the fortress tucked away on the hill dominating the city as it was and with the Alps hovering all around it in the distance that it could somewhat me considered an inspiration for Tolkien's Edoras. Certainly, the fortress was not an entire city on a hill stuck amongst a valley of cascading mountains, it was only a fortress, but it easily lent itself to a setting of some fantastical tale told over the ages.

The Old Town below the fortress, across the Salzach River from the New Town where we were standing, added to the majesty of it all with its baroque structures. It is a great sight to just stand at the main bridge connecting Old Town and New Town and just looking up and down the river bank at all the wonderful houses and buildings lining the opposite bank. We did not linger long before crossing over into the Old Town where we got lost in a maze of people and windy medieval streets before coming out into an open square that was punctuated by, you guessed it, a Christmas tree, and an overall good seasonal feel to it. We really could have spent hours here and days in the area given the overall scenery, which was beautiful from our view below though I can only imagine the veiw offered from the precipice of the Fortress which would of course warrant a closer inspection on a future visit.

Again, due to our time constraints, we only spent about an hour or hour and a half in Salzburg, so it was the proverbial tip of the iceberg for us, but I suppose it timed out pretty well for us, because as we were boarding our very crowded train headed for Innsbruck, the snow began to fall in heaps and blizzard was soon upon us. It was growing darker, but all the same, visibility was low as trekked along as the snow just fell relentlessly. Just picture one of those little glass ceremaic toys you see at Christmas all the time that is filled with water and when you shake it up the material inside makes it look like it is snowing in the little container and that is what it looked like to us as we left Salzburg.

Our wintry journey brought us into Innsbruck around 19:00 or so, and we would be here until about 1:30 the next morning when we were to catch a night train (Oh Boy! we thought) to Venice. If we had wished we had much more time to spend in Salzburg, we just wished we could have seen Innsbruck at night. As it was, it was quite beautiful cloaked in darkness, but it would have bee something to see more of the mountainous surroundings than just shadowy silhouettes dimly lit in the night sky.

By the time of our arrival into Innsbruck, the the blizzard had let up, but ground was blanketed with a good few inches of snow as we wondered into the city from the train station. Initially, we had taken a wrong turn as we had planned to walk towards the city center, instead we headed towards I suppose the more residential or home of white collar professions part of Innsbruck, but we sooned learned our mistake and got headed into the right direction. It was fabulous to walk around with the whole city, even the roads, covered in snow and Christmas certainly did not seem far away in this place that could double as one of Jolly Old Saint Nick's favorite spots.

Our seasonal bliss soon took us into another Christmas market where I finally struck gold in my search for a present for my mother. I had been looking all over the Alpine region for a good Christmas glass ordament or decoration of some kind as my mother loves these things, but had been up to this point starved of success. Although I knew Venice's renowned glass industry awaited us the next day, I wanted something from the German speaking countries as I guess they always have the fantastic Christmas feel and spirit about them, but this was my last chance as starting tomorrow the rest of our trip would be spend in Italy. I do not feel as though I had to settle for anything, though, and I bought this lovely set all sorts of shape and designs in crystalized glass that turned out to be beyond just a Christmas decoration, but a seasonal one that my mom has draped along with strings upon her dining room decor. So all's well that ends well.

Following our brief interlude this Christmas market, we continued to stroll around the city as we walked towards the Inn River when it began snowing once again, though not quite of blizzard proportions. Now at this point, I must say I greatly regret that I do not know exactly where we were in Innsbruck other than to say that we were around the Inn River somewhere where a sort of mountain or high ridge was just across the river from us. I mention this great regret because it was around here that we probably have one of our happiest memories of our time in Europe. My interest peaked by the mountain/ridge across the river (I would call it a mountain, but it was not one of the high peaks that really surrounds the city, but rather a low lying mountain which I guess comparably looks more like a very high, steep ridge), we walked across the river towards it. It was here that Ryan and Will continued a little snowball fun that had begun earlier in Salzburg. Me being smart as I am, did not bring any gloves with me on the trip, and I am proud to say that I never really needed them, but it robbed me of the chance to more fully take part in the snowball goodness that would ensue.

Ryan and Will were now keen to take snowball potshots at each other at random intervals while I asked for my neutrality to be respected. It calmed down a little once we realized how weird it looked to everyone walking around, but hey, who are you if you cannot have a little fun throwing snowballs at each other. Anyway, we headed across the bridge and began to climb up this steep mountain (I have decided to go ahead and call it a mountain for dramatic purposes, because it goes pretty high and is pretty steep) to see if we would see anything of note while also hoping to maybe catch a nice view of the city below. When I say we climbed the mountain, I do not mean we held on to rocks as made our way of sharp crevices. It was another kind of residential area on the side of a mountain. I figured it was also a popular spot for lodging for skiing nearby, but there was a road and plenty of buildings, so it was not as though we became one with nature. Yet unfortunately, again, my great regret is that I could not really say where in Innsbruck this was except that it was near the river, because there are some great memories from that place.

It began innocently enough, just walking up the road up the mountain, trying to look for an overlook, but then the snow began to really pick up and it was coming down with great rapidity and volume now. Near enough to blizzard conditions that we felt like we were indeed walking in a winter wonderland. After climbing for a while, we came to this little part of the mountain where it kind of flattened out before rising again, and on this plain there was positioned this beautiful church. It was not a great big church, and not of the same nature of other places of worship we had seen on our trip thus far, but more like one of the those small town churches that seems like it has one big room and a couple of small rooms and the only thing that gives it any feel of enormity is its not huge, but large steeple that couples as a bell tower as well. Maybe picture a 2/3 size of St Martin-in-Fields in Trafalgar Square if you will.

But that is where the comparison ends. For one, the snow falling (in great amounts by this time) added wondrously to its beauty. And behind the church was a graveyard maybe 50 yards wide and 50 yards long, maybe longer, my dimensions may be well off, but it added to the very serene scene before us. And being a graveyard and demanding respect, the snow fallen from the previous day and now was left untouched by human footprints. Of course, there was no one really around us or no cars driving around, so it seemed as though we were all by ourselves, which added to the heightened feeling of serenity. It was, in a word, beautiful. To write more about it would be wasteful as no justice could be done to describe how peaceful and joyful a setting that was.

Yet, it was shortly after this that Ryan and Will continued snowball hostilities as the snow was too plentiful and fresh to just let lay there. It escalated from random potshots to an actual Southern-style duel to throw at will and hope to make a hit. I imagine it would have been fun for someone to walk by and see these three young twenty-somethings channeling their eight year old selves right then and there. Yet the childish fun did not end there.

We went a little higher up the mountain before realizing that unless we trespass onto someones private property we would probably not get the view we wished for without exerting ourselves further and climbing high up the mountain, so after I made one final check ahead for a precipice upon which to view the town below, I relented to their wishes and we began to descend back down the mountain to head back into town and grab a bite to eat. On the way down, I began to notice that the road which had accumulated snow also had become a little icy. I then begin to notice that my birkenstocks somehow doubled almost perfectly as ice skates and literally began to skate down the mountain. Well, maybe it was not quite that dramatic. It was not a downhill suicide skating or anything, but I could easily glide down the mountain on the ice ten to twenty yards at a time. Will soon found he could do the same and we both gleefully slid down the heart of the mountain, but sadly, Ryan found his shoes had too much traction, so he could only watch. Sadly, I think my sliding ruined what little traction I had on my birkenstocks to begin with and by the time we got to a steeper side of the mountain that was not made for this skating/gliding I found that it became incredibly hard to walk down, and no joke, in about a 100-200 yard span, I must have nearly fallen simply trying to walk down at least 15 times such was the slickness of the ice. It was a wonder that I did not fall at all, but Ryan and Will at least had great fun in watching me somehow maintain my balance, as I never seemed prepare for the slick spots and would always flail my arms about in a very humorous way as I tried not to fall. It was really great fun, and all I can say is that we just do not get near enough snow in Tennessee, but I do not think we could ask for a better snowy setting than the one received that night in Innsbruck.

Once back into the town, we looked for a place to sit down and eat as well as dry off as by this time we were covered in snow and me not wearing a tobgaggan I was sporting a white moptop haircut such was the thickness of the snow. After walking around a bit, we settled on a place not far from the station called Leonardo da Vinci's Pizzeria or Ristorante or something. It was legitimately Italian, as I guess were not far from Italy at this point and it seemed sensible enough that Italians would have a restaurant here. Believe me, it was not guido looking character with a bad accent trying to sell us noodles and tomato sauce, but full-blooded Italians as there dark, greasy hair, and olive skin would attest to, as well as the accent with which are immaculate server talked with. Again, memory fails me on what Ryan and Will ate, but I had some Pepperonni Pizza which did not bold ill for Italian pizza at all.

After dinner, we walked decided to head back to the train station, in spite of the fact that our night train was probably a 3 hours away from making it to Innsbruck, partly because we did not feel there was much else better to do, and partly because the snow, which had slackened since we had come back into the town, was back with a vengeance. When we had entered the restaurant, there were foot prints and signs of life outside, but when we exited the restaurant roughly an hour later, all signs of life had been vanquished once again by probably a good 4-5 inches of accumalation. So it was that we headed back to the station to hang out in a little bar and watch highlights of German Bundesliga soccer games played earlier that day, which was fun, but odd considering we were in Austria and not Germany, but starved as we are of good soccer action in America, we enjoyed some fine play on TV on this the lasy day of the league season before they go out on winter break.

But that is neither here nor there and not much else noteworthy happened while waiting to catch our night train to Venice, except it was delayed a little bit due to the weather. But I would say by about 2:00 the next morning we were on our train to Venice and in for a different sense of things all together as while we had been playing in the snow that night, by the next morning we would be bathing in the sunshine of Italy the next day. As far as finances for this lovely day trip through Austria, I think I spent a total of about 43 Euros on meals and gifts and storage lockers for the day. A bargain by any account for the day we had enjoyed.

Phew! I'm exhausted just reading this.

Can I be a meany here? I know you were travelling on a budget but it's a bit naff to brag about your 'clever fare-dodging' in London.

Thank you for posting this wonderful trip report! I appreciate the time you've spent writing and sharing it.

Yeah, sorry about that nona1 with the 'clever-fare dodging' bit about London. I regret saying that as I guess at that point I was concentrating too much the budget part of the trip. I understand how that can seem a bit daft saying that. I guess part of the reason I included it was that I was so surprised, after the 7/7 bombings, to see I was able to do it. It was not as though I had staked this out and looked to do it, I just noticed after three months in London that they were lax on some things. Anyway, I do apologise for sounding like a little brat. Thank you very much for your feedback.

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - Day 10 - Venice

We had gotten onto our night train leaving from Innsbruck for Venice around 1:30 in the morning, and I am happy to report that we found this night train ride much more comfortable than our previous one from Munich to Vienna, probably not least because this time we were staying in 4 bed carts instead of 6 bed carts, leaving much more room to move around. We felt terrible when we got on the train when one of the staff led us to our car and had to wake up a young woman probably about our age to unlock the door and let us in. Her accent placed her anywhere from England to Australia, and as we taking our spots on the bed, she warned us to make sure and lock the door back because Italians like to get into the rooms and steal things. We thought this judgment a bit harsh, but I suspect she had been doing this traveling bit far longer than we had so we duly accomodated her. It felt a little awkward having three guys with a girl who was a complete stranger in our room with us, but she seemed quite refined for it and such is life of a young traveler I suppose.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Innsbruck had been a Winter Wonderland, and on top of that, our trip through Europe for the past week had led us to places where temperatures did not seem to rise above 35 or 40 degrees Farenheit accompanied by clouds blocking out any light (apart from that glorious moment in Switzerland), so imagine our surprise when we stepped off the train early in Venice to sunny blue skies and balmy temps (granted it was only about 50 degrees, but this seemed nearly tropical to us).

Once we got over the phenomenon that was the Sun, we first headed to the ticket office of the train station and reserved our tickets for tomorrows trip to Florence. Italy was a bit peculiar in regards to the rail system in that our Eurail passes worked fine on the trains, but you still had to buy tickets for a reserved seat on the train, which we did this day for 15 Euros. I guess trains in Italy are quite crowded a lot of the time. Perhaps. After this we headed down towards the Grand Canal to buy our a travelcard for the vaporettos, or waterbuses which cost another 10.50 Euros, and we found much to our chagrin, during our time in Venice not once were we checked for this card when boarding a vaporetto.

Of course, at that moment, who were we to question anything in Venice, as we were to enamoured of its beauty. As soon as you step out of the train station, there is a postcard image of Venice and the Grand Canal, and this is just a regular part of Venice, not something that is meant to blow you away, but my word, it is a city built on the water. Instead of roads there are canals, this city is the very definition of unique and original. I joked to Ryan that I did not think it was possible to take a bad picture while in Venice.

We soon boarded a vaporetto and headed towards Vaporetto stop Ca'Rezzonico, which was probably about halfway, maybe a little more, between the train station and area of Piazzo San Marco, in order to try and check in our hotel. The hotel was probably about a five minute walk from the Grand Canal, and is situated in this great local square of Venice that does not seemed to heavily touched by tourism, which made for a good local feel. The hotel we were staying at was called the Hotel Antico Capon (http://www.anticocapon.com/), but at this time of the day, which was probably around 9 in the morning, we were not able to check in yet, so we were only able to drop off our bags, though we badly needed a shower, especially after the previous nights snowy activities, but we pressed on anyway, feeling refreshed enough by the sunshine, and got back on the vaporetto and headed towards Piazza San Marco.

We disembarked around Piazza San Marco and instantly came upon mainstream Venice with crowds of people already gathered strongly this Sunday morning. We headed towards the Piazzetta dei Leoncini and quickly passed through the columns of Venice's two patrons, Marco and Todaro, and looked in wondrously into the Piazzetta and marveled at the simple, yet excuisite architecture of the Doge's Palace. It really frames the Piazzetta incredibly as you stare into it from the open ended area bordering the lagoon.

After a few moments of admiration, we did what anyone who visits Venice should do and headed towards one of the cafes opposite the Doge's Palace and treated ourselves to a lovely Italian breakfast of pasty delights that were so good we must have ordered seconds, and possibly thirds as my bill here ran to just a little over 11 Euros. The food was good of course, but it was nice for us to just sit there for a little while and take it easy, enjoying the beautiful view of the empty tables outside before us as we stared and people watched in the Piazzetta. Not to mention that were still coming to grips with the sun and just feeling amazed at how nice it felt to just sit in the sunshine and 50 degree weather. Parish the thought that this country would actually be holding the Winter Olympics in just a few months time.

After our lengthy breakfast, we walked over to the Piazza San Marco, though I really think that the Piazzetta is just an extension of the Piazza San Marco so we were basically already there. We walked over and looked at St Mark's Basilica with its guilded domes. Then of course you turn around and there is 'the drawing room of Europe' behind you as you look at what is more of a rectangle than square, but not matter, the perfectly symmetrical buildings that line its borders just add to the mystique and pristine feel of it all. We probably spent a good thirty minutes, maybe even an hour just sitting around. I ventured off shortly to find a local WC while Ryan and Will took the time to literally lay out in the sun on oa bench at the opposite end of the square from the Basilica. They also took this time for a great photo op of them with the St Mark's Basilica and its accompanying, yet separate campanile.

After doing this for a while, we then completely sold out to the Venice tourism industry and wondered off to one of the venders and bought some pigeon food. I know some people will be disgusted by this and note how the pigeons in the Piazza are incredibly dirty and disgusting, but hey, at this point, it had been since yesterday morning since we had showered, so why not have a little fun feeding the pigeons and snapping some photos of them crawling all over our arms and heads.

Tired of pigeon filth, we then made our way back towards the columns of the Piazzetta and took a left, walkings towards the lagoon side of the Doge's Palace, and we continued to walk on down this sort of boardwalk that was full of vendors selling souveniers as well as small sort of carnival, also passing by some of the many glass shops famed in Venice. We just walked down probably a good ways down the edge of the lagoon, until we got close to a wooded park, where we sat down again and just looked back towards central Venice where St Mark's Campanile stood out while also just looking out into the lagoon as we further bathed ourselves in the delightful sunlight.

After a short while, we finally headed back towards central Venice. We had not definite plans for the day other than to check out St Mark's cathedral and just take it easy, strolling around Venice. We figured the beauty of Venice itself was just to gawk at all the little canals and the fantasy world that you were seemingly walking through, and we had a grand old time believe me. Once back in the Piazzo, we finally figured out a complicated scheme for dropping off our bags since you are not allowed to take them into the Basilica, and then headed into the Basilica itself, which costs 5 Euros. Since there was an actual sort of service going on, all we got to was basically walk into the top of the Basilica and checking out some frescos and artifacts, before stepping outside on to the top and checking out another lovely view of the Piazza down below.

Content enough with what we had seen, we decided to get a late lunch (it was probably close to 15:00 by this time) and while it was great to see the sun, it had put us in a very leisurely mood as we stumbled along the Venetian streets. Sadly, I cannot remember where it was that we ate lunch, but it was at a ristorante in narrow street (more alleyway than street) that is just to the side of the Basilica, which is filled with places to eat and shop at. But we picked out a place and had our first great meal of many in Italy. I cannot remember what I had specifically other than that it was some incredible kind of pasta maybe top with some sort of vegetables and it seemed holy to me such was its incredible taste. I believe Ryan and Will were equally content, pardon me, to say 'content' would be a grave understatement, we were greatly enamoured of our meal for lunch and could not wait to eat as many meals as possible in this great country. 17 Euros very well spent I must say.

Our bellies full we began to head back towards our hotel, but not before I dropped 13 Euros on a nice little gondola outfit for my niece whom I had not yet seen as she was born while I was living in London. We quickly caught the vaporetto back towards our hotel where we found we could finally check in. Yet were in for a great surprise. If you click on the website that I had previously listed it will show you a quaint looking area. Indeed, as previously mentioned the place where our hotel was located was rather quant with a good local appeal, but it was the other side of the square that we were staying at, apparently there back-up hotel unit, which I go not too far in describing as an old rundown mansion of sorts.

It felt like being on that Disney ride, the Haunted House, upon entry. When you walk up the stairs, the lights only manage to stay on so long before they turn off by themselves, leaving you in complete darkness. Then we finally made it to our room, which was nothing more than an old bedroom of this mansion with a big bed and a couple of rollaways. Otherwise, it had the 1950s film noir look about it and we could swear that some young seductress was murdered here many years earlier. The place was cold and stuffy, and seemed shut out from the rest of the world. It was quite a large building with several floors, and we thought we could here people walking above us somewhere, but there was never any sign of life other than ourselves. You had to walk outside you room to get to the bathroom and everytime I did I thought I was going to have a Sixth Sense moment or something like it. The bathroom made for even more peculiarities as the the tub was position parallel to the wall that had a faucet and a shower hose next to it. Well, the shower hose seemed to spray water at a 180 degree angle and everytime you lifted above your head to wet your hair, it would turn cold, no matter how you tried to position yourself. As Ryan said, it was the most 'grit' bathroom he had ever experienced. And boy was it an experience.

I suppose you can only expect so much for 23.50 Euros, but if you do ever stay at the Hotel Antico Capon in Venice, make sure you get a room in the part where you actually check in as opposed to the spot across the square, because the other place looked rather nice, and as I said, the square at a lovely atmosphere to it. But I was convinced we would not get through the night without having a paranormal experience, which in the end I guess makes for a great memory, so I cannot be too bitter.

Our evening did not consist of anything too grand as after we recharged our batteries in the Haunted Mansion with a nap and a shower, we headed back out into the city, this time, determined to walk a bit more than we had instead of taking a vaporetto straight back towards the Piazza. This decision took us by some lovely, festively lit streets lined with empty shops and a few local markets. But we noticed one thing distinctly missing: people. Now we realize that Italy, like must of the rest of the Mediterranean World, lives on later time than we Americans and things generally get started later, but I do not believe that was the case in Venice that night. There just seemed to be nobody as we walked towards Piazzo San Marco, which had been lined with hundreds, thousands of people even just a few hours later, and was not bare, not even a pigeon in sight. We wondered if it was like this most nights or it was just because it was a Sunday night.

Not that it took away from anything, as it made for a nice serene feeling. And we soon found that the ristorantes were busy enough and we sooned helped ourselves to dinner not too far from where we had lunch that day, but the evening meal did not deliver as much as the afternoon meal had, at least for me and Will, who both ordered our own types of pizza, which was not bad, just a little strange tasting, but it is said that best Italian pizza comes from the South of Italy anyway, so it was no big deal. After dinner, we wondered back to our hotel, enjoying the night scenery of Venice, which was distinctively dark, as went, and we got back to our hotel around 22:00 or so where we called it a night and prepared for our trip to Florence on the morrow.

I think our time in Venice actually drew to a close with a definite underwhelming feeling. The city was beautiful, and I do not want underwhelming to translate into 'totally disappointing', because we still had a great time there, but maybe we had been spoiled by our local guide in Vienna and longed for the same in Venice, which is a city that definitely stands alone and where you do not feel as though you could understand all it has to offer unless you have a proud Venetian explaining things to you in their own way, which would have been fantastic. When I come back to the city, I need to commit myself more to the local scene than the touristy one, and I need also to commit myself to just putting myself in the middle of the city without a map, and just walk around in whatever direction meets my fancy and just explore the city and find out for myself what really lies beneath, because the city definitely seemed to have its own special vibe that breathes originality as its bends your perspective towards its own particular spirituality.

Yet with this uniqueness comes expenses as well, which ended up being about 115 Euros spent for the day. You have to love Italy.

Great post Europhile23! Anytime you use the word "grit" in a post, you are in for a treat.

Monday, December 19, 2005 - Day 11 - Florence

Today we left the serene, laid back atomosphere of carless Venice for the comparative hustle and bustle of Florence, where we discovered Italian drivers are skilled if a bit ruthless. Even though we were only in Venice for a day, I think we were caught off guard by just how relaxed it had made us just simply walking around the city with the worry of everyday life moving around us. But it did not take long to adjust once again to this lifestyle, and we were soon on our merry way in Florence.

After sleeping in a little that morning in Venice and bidding a fond farewell to the city, we probably got into Florence around 14:00 or so, and after looking back into the city towards the beautiful Duomo, we soon headed off the other way from the train station to find our way to our hotel, which as luck would have it, was the Hilton compared to the previous night's digs. Our hotel was called the Bed & Bed Cassia (http://www.florenceby.com/cassia/index.html
), and it cost 22 Euros between us for the room for one night. It is in a residential area of Florence, though it is only about a ten minute walk from the railway station of S.M. Novella. If anybody is familiar with the football club Fiorentina, I do not think it is far from there.

Anyway, we happily lept into our room where we found the all the accomodations anybody born in the 20th century would truly appreciate, mainly a good running shower with hot water, though it shoud be noted that the sun was still shining brightly in Italy, and though this night was a little colder than the previous one, the weather was still divine as far as we were concerned.

Satisfied with our hotel, we soon determined to head back out the door as the day was fast fading and it would not be long before the sun set, and seeing as how we had less than 24 hours for the most part, we needed to get going to see as much as we could in daylight, which on this day in the way of seeing the sights of Florence, basically resulted in us just the Duomo with its famous basilica. We almost decided to hold off the Duomo until tomorrow, but thank God we did not, as by some great fortune we timed our visit to el Duomo perfectly with a Tuscan sunset.

We arrived at the Church and spent a few minutes just looking at the beautiful facade while taking in the seamless Florence architecture all around us, as a sort of clayish red is certainly the color of Florence. We did not linger long before paying our six Euros to climb up to the top of el Duomo and look out from the cupola atop the basilica onto the beautiful Tuscan countryside all around us. And what a climb up it was, even by the standards of all the cathedral hikes to the top we had done so far. Will and I feared for Ryan's life as pressed on ahead while he lingered in the rear, as we did not want to miss the sunset. We got there, exhausted ourselves, with enough to spare to take in the breathtaking beauty of it all. Ryan paused in the tower on the way up to snap a picture through an ancient window of the sunset as if to try and fool people into thinking he had seen the sun set in Tuscany, which in the end, he did, but just barely, and such was his physical condition when he reached the top that he instantly passed on his camera to Will to snap some pictures for him in case he could not ever move again.

My fatigue, and Will's, had been boosted by the magnificent view from the top of the surrounding Tuscan countryside. The setting sun set the sky aglow with its fire as it set over the mountains. I was also caught a little off guard by the mountainous terrain that surrounded the city. I expected more of just rolling hills, but there they were looming over the mountain, and even in this still comparatively warm climate we could spot snow-capped mountains in the distance. It was a beautiful scene and was certainly a piece of divine luck that led us to the top of el Duomo right around sunset. We could not have planned it any better had we tried, and I would strongly urge anyone in Florence to time a trip to the top of el Duomo with the sunset as it will not leave you wanting for inspiration as you look out at the beautiful landscape and admire the universal roof architecture (again with its sort of red clay look) of Florence.

As the sun finally crept behind the mountains, we descended back into the heart of the church to take in all it had to offer, but alas, our time atop of the cupola (which was totally worth it) meant that by the time we got back to the bottom, the moody church was closing down and we had to leave. We spent the next little while just walking around central Florence with its well-lit streets. We checked out yet another Christmas market, as well as a separate sort of market full of all sorts of nice leather accessories and other fashionable items you would expect to find in this city famous for its fashion heritage. We walked as far as the Arno River and took in the shops on the overpasssing bridge with their expensive jewelry that we could only wish about one day being able to afford.

Following a few moments allowing ourselves to take in thew cool brisk air of the darkening night and admire the lights along the river, we soon decided it was time to eat, and it is here that I sincerely hope that Will has the name of the small family run (aren't they all in Italy) ristorante that we ate it. Of course, in our American folley, even taking into account the Italian tradition of starting the night late, we got there before the place opened up and were told to come back around either 19:00 or 19:30, I forget.

So we spent this time walking some more around Florence and found our way into a whine shop as it had long been destined that we would buy a bottle of wine to take back home with us and share with our families. They do make fine Christmas gifts, and I am absolutely positive that my mother enjoyed her 45 Euros bottle of White Toscano whine. I am equally positive that Ryan's and Will's families greatly enjoyed their fine, Tuscan wine as well. From here, as it turned out, we ended up wandering towards the fine Uffizi Gallery and sat at the steps of the main entrance and collected our thoughts for another moment of European contemplation as we waited to go eat. While noting the Uffizi's popularity and overall prominence as the finest art gallery in Florence, indeed, one of the finest in the whole world, we did not in our time in Florence have a chance to stop in. Instead, we devoted all our art time to the Accademia dell' Arte del Disegno, and more specifically, Michelangelo's David, but that is for tomorrow's story.

We were soon on our way back to the ristorante, which again, I hope Will can share its name and location in another post, as it was simply fabulous. Once we had gotten back to the ristorante, we found people who I believe were a bit more prepared than us and aware of the opening time, as when we had been there earlier, we were the only ones inquiring about its opening time, but now, just minutes before it opened, the place was packed, and we had to stand and wait before eating. We thought it was a good sign that this small spot was rather popular. And it was as we helped ourselves to a true three course Italian meal. I believe it was here that Will discovered he loved Carbonera, and maybe Ryan too. I kept it simple after the first course appetizer with a spaggetti for the second course and roast chicken for the third course. This was easily the most tender chicken I had ever tasted in my life. My knife cut through the meat like it was mashed potatoes or some other delicacy such was the tenderness. I am fairly confident I could have taken a thin piece of paper and gone right through the toughest part of the meat.

To top it all off, we ordered a bottle of red wine called Santa Cristina, a local Toscano brand, and drank merrily as we ate, Ryan and Will a little too fast as they tried to warm themselves from the cool night that had descended upon us, but soon they recovered all their senses in enough time to not make fools of themselves. We were quite content, and I gather that for only a little over 14 Euros, perhaps is one of the finest deals you will find on Earth given the quality of the food and drink.

With warm grub in our bellies, and further warmed from the wine, we set back into the decidedly less cool night once again and took to a little more street walking in Florence. I suppose we did nothing of note for the rest of the night, but we were happy to walk around the city a bit longer, take in the local air, and spend a little time at an internet cafe catching up with the world again, which though we had spent the last week and a half seeing it, we had lost touch of what was going on it while we were gone. So our only night in Florence came to a nice, low key end as we wandered back to the hotel to get some sleep in a nice warm, relaxing room, before we would head back into Florence tomorrow, and before the next day would end, we would be in the Eternal City. Italy was again an expensive place, though not quite on par with the previous day in Venice as my financial output for the day was about 91 Euros. More to come.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - Day 12 - Florence/Rome

Today we marveled at one of the true masterpieces of the world when we visited the Accademia dell' Arte del Disegno and saw Michelangelo's David in all its breathtaking beauty. We were not quite prepared for how awe-inspiring it would be. I know the Accademia is the lesser regarded of the art museums in Florence, but I doubt any of the other ones can top this masterpiece.

Knowing we would be covering some ground today, we got the morning started a solid hour and checked out of our hotel and headed for the train station to store our luggage and reserve our tickets for the afternoon train from Florence to Rome, as well as getting some breakfast of the pastry delight, which all costs about 23 Euros. From here we wondered towards the Accademia, which was not terribly easy to locate, but we soon did and paid our 6.50 Euros to, let's face it, basically just see David. That sounds disrespectful to the other works of art in there, though to be fair, we did spend time marveling at them as well, but again, we are not art scholars so we do not know how to properly appreciate what we are staring at, except for David of course. The man commands our respect, or rather Michelangelo does through him.

Even though we have seen his likeness probably hundreds of times purely through great exposure, we were greatly taken aback upon seeing the statue by the sheer size of the sculpture. He stands at 17 feet tall, even if some of that is counting the marble block he is situated on. None the less, quite a size for a human who slew a giant. How big much have Goliath been if Michelangelo had sculpted him? It was not the size of David that impressed us the most however. It was Micheangelo's attention to detail, from teh veins in his body from arms to legs, to the way his hands and fingers were place, to the way his turns were turned down towards the ground as he was not standing flat-footed. The tone in his muscle, every thing about it was just amazing, and when in Florence, do not miss the opportunity to take in this brilliant piece of work as even we three, who are usually unmoved when it comes to works of art were just in total awe.

After a little more wondering around in the museum, we soon left and made our way back towards the train station, stopping along the way to eat some lunch where we had some of the best pizza we tasted in all of Italy at a wonderful Pizzeria, where we succoured ourselves well for a little over ten Euros. Afterwards, we headed towards the train station to catch our train to Rome, the Eternal City, our last stop on this whirlwind European trip.

The train ride to Rome was lovely as the sun faded more and more into night as we traveled by the low mountainous terrain in between the two cities. You can't help but wonder at the history that this region has seen over thousands of years (or at least I could not seeing that I hold a B.A. in history, and Rome is the more or less the cradle of Western Civilization, or at the very least its surrogate).

We arrived into Rome just a little while after sunset and breathed in the ancient air before buying a three day metro pass for 11 Euros and catching a ride towards our hotel, which as it turned out, was only about three blocks away, but we would have used the metro passes anyway, so no harm no foul. We checked into our hotel, called the Des Artistes (http://www.hoteldesartistes.com/), a bohemian sounding name if there ever was one. To us it was comparative to The Hilton. This would be our first time staying a hotel for more than just a night and we were looking forward to just throwing our stuff into a corner and knowing it would be staying there for a few days.

The hotel, even without our modest standards, was quite lovely. It costs 62 Euros a piece for a two nights, and included a continental breakfast each day. The rooms were nice and cozy and modern enough, despite the master switch that turned everything in the room on and off regardless. It was just a nice, homey place to stay. A great deal as far as I am concerned.

Following a moments respite, we headed out into the city towards the area of the Trevi Fountain, which would be our main touristy event of the night. We ate a ristorante not far from the fountain whose name escapes me, but reminded us of some basement eatery that the Mafia probably frequents often enough (in our minds of course). It would be at this ristorante, not the one in Florence as I erroneously mentioned, that Ryan and Will discovered they loved the Carbonera pasta quite well. I loved my pasta dish quite well that night as well, though I am not entirely sure what it consisted of, but oh well, when in Rome. It was also here that I had answered a question that had been haunting me ever since we stepped foot in Italy. In my American ignorance and blissful commercialization from places like the Olive Garden and Maccerone Grill, I had grown quite fond of pasta dishes with chicken, but as of yet, had not come across one. Finally my curiousity got the better of me and I asked our waiter if he knew of any good chicken and pasta dishes to have. He looked at me with a quizical look and said, 'Chicken and Pasta? Not in Italy' in his best heavily accented English. My hopes were dashed immediately, though Ryan and Will took great delight in my misery, partly brought about by the 21 Euros I spent on my expensive, but thorougly delightful meal.

Our bellies full, we finally made our way towards the Trevi Fountain. You would do well to pick any flattering adjective to descirbe its beauty. Neptune, with trident in hand, does well to invoke the power and glory of Rome that the builders of this fountain must have been shooting for back in the 18th or 19th century. We took picture after picture here, ones of the fountain alone from several different angles. Others with us in front of the fountain and others with me and Ryan throwing our coins into Rome to assure ourselves of another visit to Rome in the future (do not worry, Will tossed his coin over his shoulder as well).

Rome was already proving itself quite handily to us, with the beautiful settings and mild weather playing its part. Even the curious Metro system, which to us, seemed to close down at a rediculously early hour good not drag our spirits down as our long walk home to the hotel from the Trevi Fountain allowed us to take in more of Rome than we would have otherwise. It is not often that you find yourself walking peacefully through one the greatest cities in the world in such a serene setting as there was that night. Romes. All and all, it was 135 Euros well spent for the day.

Just a note of encouragement to continue, europhile23 . . . I am really enjoying your appreciation for all you see!

Thank you LCBoniti, I realise I have slowed down a bit the past few weeks as I have grown busy, but I only have two days left to post about, so I should be wrapping it up in the next few weeks. Thank you for the kind words.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - Day 13 - Rome

Today we payed homage to Ancient Rome, the central point of the grandest civilization/empire the world has ever known. I suppose that last part is a bit subjective as I am sure the the Incas, the Mayas, the Persians, the Chinese might rightfully interject, but for those of us brought up in the Western culture, this is the premier point. While Greece may be the cradle of Western Civilization, Rome is certainly the nursery that nurtures its boom.

So with this grandiose notion, we left our hotel after a fine continental breakfast (included of course with the cost) and caught the Metro and headed towards the Colosseum to take in Ancient Rome.

What can you say about the Colosseum? It is arguably one of the most well-known (if not the most well-known) structures in the world, so of course it was surreal when as soon as we got out of the Metro station, there it was it all its glorious beauty. Sure, it is only a portion of what it once was, but that probably just adds to the glory when you consider it is so after nearly 2,000 years. We quickly forked up out 10 Euros to go inside (also included as part of the Colisseum ticket was admittance into the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill) and walked inside and beheld the Colosseum.

Being of the generation we are, we of course harkened back to scenes of Gladiator, for better or worse to further envision what happened here. But what strikes me as peculiar for the Colosseum, as a person with a B.A. in History anyway, is that the structure itself holds no real historical value. It was built a good way into the actual Imperial era, long after some of the most famous figures of Rome (Caesar, Octavian, Antony, even Hannibal from the antagonistic point of view) as well as the infamous (Nero for instance). It is probably more significant from a sociological point of view just because it allowed us to look into the class structure a bit. You had the emperors who would sit in their clearly superior digs, and then you had 50,000 to 70,000 common people jamming into cramped quarters. And while the emperors themselves may have enjoyed the actual gladitorial games and battles re-enacted (or in some cases the slaughtering of Christians and other irregulars), the entertainment was to act as mass appeal to the loyal subjects in order to appease them. The structure was meant to honor them in a way, so as to keep them happy and forget about their hardships for a while and be happy that the Emperor has granted them this privilige. I suppose that is the biggest historical value of it, that and the fact that throughout the city of Rome's history, it had been ransacked a number of times for its stone to use in the building of other structures around the city. I believe the Vatican, for instance, did such things.

Yet, the more you think about it, the more you realize that the Colosseum does hold more value in present day than it should. In the present day, it honors the history of Rome in that it is the empire's greatest standing monument and testament to the might that it once wielded. You cannot help but to look at the Colosseum and wonder how great was the civilization that built such a structure with limited means. Further homage is paid to as well by the fact that present day sports stadiums are still basically modeled after it. But that is just one of thousands of tributes still paid to Rome, such is the greatness of it 2,000 years later.

And further did we see this when after leaving the Colosseum we wondered over the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. Personally, I could probably do with some markers or plaques of some sort telling more specifically about what everything is, especially as far as the Forum is concerned, but that is being nit-picky. I had to pinch myself (as I often did throughout the trip) as I realized I was standing there, just looking at the remains of Ancient Rome, the catalyst of so much culture and thought and signifigance throughout the history of Western Civilization. SPQR indeed. From Palatine, we could see over the city, and, Wow! is that St Peter's Basilica over. Oh how wondrous are the seven hills of Rome! And over there, it's the monument of Victor Emmanuel II with its winged chariots. How sad to think with a couple of days, a day and a half really, our sojourn through Western Europe would be at an end.

But not yet, and after walking through the Forum and grabbing some of the best pizza after for 5 Euros at a back alley pizzaria, we then headed for the Pantheon to take in its pluralism and mangnificently shaped dome with the Demon hole piercing through. How curious a design, yet how beautiful? Afterwards, we lingered in the area a bit longer, doing some shopping (I bought an Italia shirt with three stars representing the coutnry's World Cup victories which was to become obsolete after they triumphed again in the summer to add a fourth star).

After passing by the monument of Victor Emmanuel II and honoring the unification of Italy, we soon headed back to our hotel to regroup for the night's festivities, which in the end, amounted to very little, even for us. We had contemplated going to watch a soccer game between Roma and Chievo as Will is a huge Roma fan, but expenses and worriment over how to actually find our way there prompted to think otherwise. We had though we would at least catch the match on TV, but apparently Italy, like England I found, as a rediculous set-up where games are not always available to the public TV audience. While living in Europe I often wondered how the locals put with this as I scarcely think a Saturday or Sunday in the Autumn goes without showing the biggest football match-ups each and every weekend, and often the smallest ones, all the while attendance at games does not seem to suffer. So Europe could definitely do with this approach as I do not believe there is any true evil in it.

There was definitely no true evil in the meal we had that night, but by now our culinary delights, especially in Italy, will not come as of any surprise to us. I of course have forgotten what exactly I had, but it goes without saying that I was more than happy with this place which had been recommended by our hotel staff and was conveniently located just across the street. The 18 Euros did not seem a bad price either.

So it was with full bellies and great appreciation for the Eternal City that we went to bed that night. My 53 Euros spent for the day did not seem to bad. But now came that time to lament that we had but one day left to spend in Europe and so it was with heavy hearts that we would awake with on the morrow, but for now, sleep we must and sleep we did. Hopefully I will be a bit quicker posting my next day journal than I was with this one. Only time will tell, though.

Thursday/Friday, December 22-23, 2005 -Days14/15 - Rome/Home

We awoke today knowing that this would be our last real day in Europe. We would be catching 7:00 fligths out of Rome the next morning, and via some connecting flights, would be making our way back to the States. Because our flights were so early, we decided to forgo staying in a hotel that night and opted instead to hang out at the airport all night and try to sleep a little before heading home. So, to say the least, the whole day was a bit subdued and bittersweet because we were sad to soon be leaving. Now we have learned, however, to not worry about catching such an early flight out of Europe to head back home, because you do not want to take away from the previous day. So from now on, rest assured, we will be catching afternoon flights out of Europe to save ourselves some grieft.

All this, however, did not leave us bereft of joy on our final day in Europe. There was still the Vatican to see and one more amazing Italian meal to be had. We once again helped ourselves to the continental breakfast before formally checking out of the hotel, though we were lucky enough for the hotel staff to allow us to leave our bags in one of their storage rooms to pick up later that night when we left the city.

For now, however, we headed to the Metro to catch a ride to Vatican City where we were to take in all the splendours and treasures that the seat of the Catholic Church had to offer. We began by first heading to St Peter's Sqaure just take in all the magnifigance of the area. It is just so big and mammoth, leaving no doubt that this a place of great power. But we would save the depth of this area for later as we would first head to the Vatican Museum and pay our ten Euros to take in all the artifacts the Catholic Church has, hmm hmm, confiscated through questionable means, over the years. It is quite an amazing exhibit with with objects dating as far back as 5,000 BC. Then you run across the mummified bodies and you know are in for some amazing stuff.

But of course, the real payoff of the Vatican Museum was Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. The decorative halls of art leading up to the Sistine Chapel were amazing themselves, so imagine our awe once we stepped into the Chapel at what we saw. You walk in, and there are already hundreds of people just standing there with their jaws dropped, and then you look up and if you were wondering whether or not for sure you were actually in the Sistine Chapel, the original beauty directly above will leave you in no doubt. I shall say no further of the Chapel as justice would not be done, as anyone who has seen it or will see it in the future can attest to.

After spending some money on Rosary beads and other Vatican gifts, we wondered across the street to a pizzaria for a fine, 15 Euro lunch, though by this time it was actually mid-afternoon, leaving us only enough time in the day to head back over to St Peter's Square take in the Basilica and the setting sun. We wondered into the Basilica and took in its eloquent beauty as well as its just overall mass. It is such a huge place, doing a billion Catholics across the world proud no doubt. It would have been nice if we could have gone to the Pope museum, or the place where they honor past Popes, but we did not want to spend the money, nor did we want to miss out on one more climb to the top of a Basilica in Europe.

We were temporarily put off by the fact that you could take an elevator to the top of the Basilica as everywhere else, climbing steps had been the order of the day, but it would be cheaper just to climb the stairs here, plus after all the exertion we had put ourselves through at previous churches, we would have dishonored ourselves if we had taken an elevator at the final hurdle. So we payed our 4 Euros to climb to the top one more time.

And climb we did, and climbed and climbed, but finally we made it, and with plenty of time to spare before the sun sets, offering us a great view of the Eternal City and its environs. It was also interesting to be able to see down into the Vatican estates to see where his Holiness and his servants reside. Most of all, it was just fun to take in the city of Rome, knowing all that it represented and stood for. It was a nice way to cap off the trip as the sun faded on our time in Europe.

We soon headed down and a sort of crestfallen feeling was to fall on us the rest of the night as we wondered around St Peter's a bit after the sun went down to contemplate all we had just seen, watching the preparations ensue for the upcoming celebration of the birth of Christ. We then wondered around this area of Rome a bit and I ended up spending around 35 Euros on gifts and souveniers. We were all in transe at this point, like ghosts drifting about, finding our way soon back to the Spanish Steps, which I had forgotten to mention that we stopped by on the way into the Vatican that morning and feel wholly underwhelmed by them. They are lovely to look at, and even more lovely at night, but I suppose it is the surrounding area with its shopping boutiques that attracts the crowds, or maybe it is better to have the love of your life there with you instead. I do not know, and I will not completely give up on them being majestic.

Not wanting to go to dinner just quite yet, we toiled around a bit before deciding to head back towards the Colosseum for one last look, and it was nice that we did, because the Colosseum at night is a lot more serene, beautiful, and inspiring. It's as if the dispersed crowds allow you to better appreciate the majesty of it all. However it transformed itself, it offered a few more, final moments of contemplation and appreciation of the whirlwind pace at which we had just immersed ourselves into Western Europe and its culture. It was truly a life changing experience, one that definitely served as a sort of rite of passage. We took the time, spent the money (lots of it) to get over and see this side of the world, one different than our owns, but no less lovely, and often times more so. Too many Americans feel some sort of handicap towards leaving their own shores, but we did not, and we are better people for it. All these thoughts came rushing to me as we sat their under the beautifully lit Colosseum.

But enough thinking, we still had one great culinary experience left in is. Hopefully Will can help me out here and point out exactly where we ate, for all I remember is that it is not far from the Trevi Fountain. We had tried to eat there a few nights before, but found it was best to have reservations, so we did so and enjoyed the one more fine Italian meal. Ryan was feel bold enough to try some sort of Pumpkin ravioli or something of the sort, a truly unheard of dish for me, but one that Ryan savoured greatly. After elongating our meal as much as possible though, reality was soon setting in that our next task would be to get back to our hotel to collect our bags and catch a taxi out to the airport. But we were appropriated one last walk through the streets of Rome as once again the Metro seemingly closed much too early, so we walk in zig zags back to our place and got them to call a cab for us.

We probably caught a cab at about midnight and made it out to the airport around 12:30 or so, and sadly, our day was really just beginning, though it was an adventerous way to get things started as our 15 Euro taxi fair not only got us to the airport, but allowed us to experience the infamous Italian way of driving. They do not mess around, and I quite enjoyed in the same way one might enjoy a thrill ride at an amusement part, though I do not think Ryan and Will were as enamoured of it. For us, it was just one more European experience. A sidebar here as my total costs for this day came to something like 132 Euros, and anyone who wants to can go back and add up my total costs from the trip and convert them to dollars if they are really interested in how much exactly this trip cost me.

I will not bore you much with the details of the rest of the day. We all tried hard to get some sleep, but apparently our idea was not all that original and many, many travelers were sleeping in the airport comfy chairs waiting for their flights the next morning. We had to make to with a rather large window pane of sorts, but we never really got to sleep and felt pretty nasty the rest of the day. I was to catch a 7:30 flight to Amsterdamn where I would then get my connecting flight to Atlanta. Ryan and Will would be catching a slightly later flight to Frankfurt, Germany, there catching their connecting flight to Atlanta. So it felt a little surreal to say bye to each other in Rome, knowing the next time we would each other would be in about 12-13 hours in Atlanta, Georgia, but we were to go our separate continent hopping ways for a shortwhile.

My plane ride to Amsterdamn did afford one more grand European experience in that on my very last hours in Europe, I met a girl, and while I will not keep you holding your breath in thinking it led to something (it did not), it was great just talking to her for a few hours before exchanging hugs and kisses in Amsterdamn, never likely to see each other again. It seemed like something that could only happen on this trip, which gave it even more of a majestic feel. Also, it was nice, for how ever short, to say that I have at least visited the Netherlands, though I cannot claim to see much more than the marshlands outside of Amsterdam and an Airport terminal. Such is the traveler's life, and I cannot wait get back to it. That is it for me on this exceedingly long thread of posts on my time in Europe. I hope everyone who has suffered through it has enjoyed it at least a little bit. Hopefully it will inspire you do similar things, or at least give you some tips on some things. Hopefully sometime in the not too distant future I will be able to posts tales of other trips I have been on. Until then, au revoir.

Thank you for completing your trip report.

I had the same feeling about the Colosseum at night - very beautiful and serene. Quite different than in the daytime.

Travel is definitely addictive and I'm sure you will do much more of it.

Thanks again,
Linda

Europhile23,

VERY nice report - thanks for all the wonderful details.

I hope you have have a great life filled with many more adventures. It sounds like you are hooked.

The name of the place we ate at in Rome was called Colline Emiliane. Gotten very great reviews, and it is small family-run place (of course, you can say that for most places in Italia). Very cool and very good.

Bump

Europhile: You don't need to 'bump' your 4 yo trip report to find it again. See the symbols up at the top of the page? The yellow/gold star will add it to your favorites/bookmarks, and the envelope lets you e-mail it to yourself or someone else.