Under the Influence

This is a little long. And a little boring. And it's taken with Taylor's iPhone, so the quality is not great.

But Jamie + Ambien + Airplane food = Hilarious

highights and lowpoints

in no particular order

• drinking hot chocolate in San Marco Square
• trying to make an authentic Italian meal, only to realize that you do not have salt, and it's Sunday so everything is closed and you can't get salt. 
• waiting in 5 different long, barely moving, lines in the Rome airport
• traveling with the Wrides {this is a highlight, just in case you wondered. they were our perfect travel companions}
• paying $5 for peanuts and water on EasyJet
• Communist training camps
• Jamie's bug bites that nearly turned to cellulitis
• 
• the haze over Umbria and Tuscany. We still aren't sure what it was
• Nadia and her pastries
• running into a friend from residency in Vernazza
• all the buildings that were painted to look like decorative stonework
• finding the perfect souvenir/thank you gift at a little booth in Rome {vintage postcards from the early 1900s}
• running/sprinting 2 grueling miles in the Cinque Terre to catch the perfect light for the perfect shot
• Jill, our garmin guide. we loved her. we hated her. we all agreed her navigation skills were far superior to mine
• Perugian driving
• the white church in Todi, with the sermon on hearing vs listening
• my tour of the chapel in Sienna that got Jamie in trouble. she was not pleased.
• Assisi
• rick steves {highlight or lowpoint, depending on who you talk to}
• Taylor mistaking me for Jamie and putting his arms around my waist. the "You're not Jamie!!!" was priceless
• gelato and amazing food
• declining Fabius' coffee laden Tirimisu , only to be given liquor laced Panna Cotta
• riding bikes in Lucca

• drying our clothes in the sauna, nearly starting a fire
• our selection of TV channels in our villa. we had Arab sports. Arab news. Arab porn. But very few English or Italian channels. Were we really in an Arab safe house?
• waking up at 6 am to get the perfect shot in Venice, only to find a gray and foggy morning
• all those pictures where you look like a "tool"

so, there you have it. italy 2009. we had a wonderful time. again, thank you, thank you, thank you to the grandmas, grandpas and aunts. couldn't have done it without you.

Civita

Definitely the smallest of the hilltop towns. Our good friend Rick tipped us off on this tiny village. The woman above, Maria, is the last of Civita's native residents. She lets you see her garden with it's spectacular view for a small donation. If you ever go to Orvieto {key music} make your way over to Civita.


p.s. I added some pictures to earlier posts. Thanks to Jamie and Ryan for taking them, and to Taylor for carrying around the camera bag.

dear noelle...

thank you for your insider information on this place



the food was wonderful and the ambiance...unparalleled.


as for this place,



we are not sure that it is the one you recommended, as there were two with similar names.


never mind, we found this guy



who, instead of giving us menus just told us what we wanted to eat that night.

and he was right.

yum.


as way of thanks, may we recommend this place




no name, but you can find it here



if you ever want an amazing salad in rome, and who doesn't after all those carbs, look no further.


much love,
the packers and wrides

Venice

Venice at night. It doesn't get much better. My favorite evening of the trip. Venice during the day...let's just say we wandered, and decided that perhaps the locals have it figured out: a siesta is the perfect way to avoid the hoards of tourists. Plus, you're nice and rested to live it up again come nightfall.

Those Europeans. So smart.

Trevi

The Trevi Training Camp














yeah, I've got serious guns.




the zip line






love the cheeks...not sure what was going on there









quiet hilltop town

Domenica

Umbria. Beautiful hilltop towns, rolling fields, and the Cottage of the Olive, our home away from home. Due to our lack of planning we ended up with only one option for lodging in Umbria, the Olive Cottage. This place is slightly bigger than we needed (lets just say we each have our own bedroom and bathroom, and there are still empty rooms) but it is amazing. And after our one room + curtain = 2 rooms in the Cinque Terre, it is nice to have a little more space.

Today we went to church in Terni, in a branch where Ryan spent a part of his mission. Even though we didn't understand a word you could tell that the talks were good and the people were very kind. The branch has grown since Ryan's time--there is a new building and more members. From there we went to Spoletto, a beautiful hilltop town (I think this may become a theme). Jamie had what was perhaps her favorite meal of the trip: a spinich ravioli with a sage and tomato cream sauce and for dessert: panna cotta and berry gelato. Yum.

Tonight the Packers showed the Wrides how to rock Scopa. Taylor is still reeling. Better luck tomorrow.

**Special thanks to the grandmas taking care of Ella. Knowing she is in such good hands makes this trip a million times easier**

Lucca

{yes, Jamie, I realize this is out of focus. Sorry.}

On our way out of the Cinque Terre we stopped in Lucca. Lucca is a nothern Tuscan village surrounded by a wall that wraps 2.5 k around the city. We rented bicycles and rode atop the wall and within the city. It was wonderful. There are very few cars, so we wandered through the streets and window shopped, took pictures, and marveled at how much ground you can cover on a bike.

I don't know when I've had so much fun. Ryan and I may move there. There are plenty of locals and I'm sure they need a pediatrician and a...um, whatever it is that Ryan does.

Cinque Terre

I don't think I'm going to get pictures for a while, but I decided to do our travel log while it's still fresh in my memory. So check back around October 5th for the pictures (and they are going to be good--between Jamie and Ryan we've taken about 1000 already).

The Cinque Terre was both fantastic and a little disappointing. The Cinque Terre consists of 5 villages connected by trails (although these days you can get around via train, bus or boat). We stayed in Vernazza, a picturesque little village on the harbor. Before 10 am and after about 7 pm we loved our little town. But during the day hoards of tourists overtook the winding streets and it lost much of its charm. 10 years ago it would have been an amazing place. Darn you, Rick Steves!

But still, the trails were spectacular. 7 miles of sometimes paved but mostly rugged cliff-side trail. We also enjoyed the most rich, thick hot chocolate you can imagine. It was literally thicker than a melted chocolate bar. I could only drink about 1/4th of mine, which is saying something because we all know how I feel about sweets.

CT summary: there were parts that we loved, loved, loved, but we could do without the crowds.

slc-jfk-psa

We made it. No major problems on the flight over. Read, slept, woke up in Pisa. We took a quick jaunt to the leaning tower, and then off to the Cinque Terre. I will post some pictures later, when I have better internet access (and a non-international keyboard that I can work a little easier...). Hope Ella is having fun with Grandma! We miss her but are having a great time.

italia

If you don't have a place to stay for your upcoming Italy trip (and you leave in 3 days) does that mean you are adventurous or just foolish?