For Lo

A lady that I work with painted this. If you can see what I see in this picture then you will understand why this painting is Laura Nutter to me.

Someone called for an update!

Life is slowly but surely settling down stateside. My move went off without a hitch, and I got to spend a glorious weekend sharing some of Austin with my sister. Both luckily and unfortunately, I had the month of August off and to myself. This mini-vacation caused some draining of the monetary fundage, but allowed me some much appreciated downtime. I daily woke up at 11, played with my dogs, watched Divorce Court, maybe took shower (but not if I swam, right, B?), and just really enjoyed being able to see friends whenever and wherever I wanted to.

I got several visitors from out of town during that time:
First my sistercat, Becky, came to visit. She is refreshing, and breaths life back into me. We had a blasty blast playing with Joshua and some of his friends that were coming through Austin. We had a fun lunch at The Oasis on Saturday, and Sunday we went boating on Lake Travis. Not only can she drive a boat like a champ, but wakeboard, too (uhh, NOT at the same time)!

The next weekend, Sarah came to Austin to get a breath of fresh air. We never really lost touch or stopped seeing each other after high school, it just happened less and less as we got older. It was wonderful to reconnect. We shopped, we baked (sort of..chocolate covered pretzels), we worried, we talked, we ate. It was pretty great. We wrapped up the weekend with a trip to The Oasis (it's almost a rite of passage for spending some of your summer in Austin). And Ash came, too! My thoughts on this reunion are: high school wasn't a complete waste of my life. Haha, we look cute all wearing sunglasses. :)Then my dear, dear friend, Laura (aka Lo), came to Austin with her sister to house slash dog-sit. She wrangled our freshly engaged friend, Tori (aka T), into the mix, and it made for some good times. Think: lying in the pool for most of the day, tanning and talking about life, and making then consuming chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches! Yeah, I know what you're thinking: Heaven. It was. Joshua even made it out for a girls' night with us watching "Inside Man." Very good flick, if you're interested.

After they left, I started a job that isn't necessarily the love of my life, but it pays the bills and I work with nice people. Joshua and I celebrated 6 months of dating at PF Chang's. Lo left for Salamanca, Spain, yesterday. I already miss her, knowing that she isn't just a phone call or a short car drive away.

This coming weekend is Austin City Limits Music Festival. My Becky surprised me with weekend passes when I came home from Europe. I really am blessed with amazing loves, which I forget too too often. So, that's a quick summary of August. I promise the link for the Europe photos will come soon!!!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog

Our last day in Paris was so nice. For breakfast I had a peach mango smoothie with an iced tea base instead of a milk base. Anyway, a minor detail, but so good. We went up the Eiffel Tower. So great. It's one of those moments that I've always wished for, but never actually thought it would happen. I'd be perfectly okay with Mr. Right proposing to me at the top. ;) Whoever Mr. Right may be.
Next we visited the Musee d'Orsay. Absolutely one of my favorite museums. Who knew it used to be a train station? They kept the old train station clock inside even. I could never spend enough time in there. I may have found my favorite artist: Carriere. Monet is amazing, too. I just can't belive I saw those pieces of arts in their original forms!
Anyway, much much later... I'm now home in Texas. I'll have pictures up soon. Thanks for keeping up with my travels :)

Sight Seeing

This morning we got up for round two of crepes. We all ended up with orange marmalade on them, instead of the strawberry we requested. Oh well, c'est la vie!
I am becoming a super champion window shopper. We are here just in time for all the summer sales. Sadly, we haven't found anything that is exceptionally cheaper. Translation= no major shopping sprees. This is probably a good thing for my bank account. ;)
After breakfast we visited Versailles. That place is huge! I couldn't imagine calling it home. The ceilings are painted in every room, and there is all marble flooring. My favorite part is the Queen's Room. The information plaque said that 19 royal children were born in that room. It also shows the door that Marie-Antoinette fled through to escape the rioting crowds searching to behead her! Can you imagine how scary that time was??? (sidenote: I saw the ads for "Marie Antoinette" today at a French cinema, Joshua. We have to go see it.)
After Versailles, we went to Notre Dame. Fantastique, but hot and crowded. I was more moved by the people who seemed to be on a pilgrimage to the church, and sat outside praying or reciting a rosary.
We are pros at the RER and the Metro. I had my first real French conversation, and we found the Paris Aquarium this afternoon. The current exhibit is African fish and crocodiles, so that's what we saw. The crocs were cool... so were the big fish. There were even gold flecked piranas! INCONCEIVABLE
We walked down the Champs-Elysée in the late afternoon. Yes, it's just as beautiful as you'd imagine it to be. Lined with manicured trees, French flags flapping in the wind, sunny, bustling... We ended at the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed to the top and took a wonderful view of Paris.
To end our day we hurried over to the Eiffel Tower to make a trip to the top; we didn't go up tonight, though. We are going back tomorrow. It is very romantic at night, breath-taking really...and so much bigger than I ever thought it would be. I'm in love with Paris!
Hopefully we will have time to fit everything in tomorrow... later gators.

Day 1 in Paris

Today was a wonderful day. We slept in, and then leisurely made our way to the Louvre. It was absolutely amazing... we saw all the big pieces (Mona, Venus di Milo, Winged Victory, Napoleon III's apartment) and strolled through as much as we could see before a late lunch. Then we hit up H&M for lite shopping. We got our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower through the windows of the Louvre, so we will get a better look tonight on our boat tour and up close and personal tomorrow after Versailles. I could get used to living in Paris!

Taking Paris by Storm!

Bonjour tout les mondes! We are on the final leg of our journey in Paris. Smiles all around. I'm feeling a little loopy fro, our 12 hour train ride, though. Don't worry, the train definately took us through the Alps this morning! Some were snow capped, all were beautiful. :)
Our hotel is right by the Panthéon. Still no air-con, but I'll live. I had a wonderful (read: NOT PASTA FOR ONCE) salad with smoked sole and scampi for dinner tonight. After dinner, we walked to the GAP to compare styles and prices to the U.S., but none of us walked away with any goods. Some Euro-trendy styles, but prices are the same.
Tomorrow we are spending the day at the Louvre, seeing the Eiffel Tower, and taking a boat ride down the Seine. Saturday we are going out to Versailles, then shopping at H&M and a stop at Notre Dame in the afternoon. Sunday we want to see Musee d'Orsay and other stuff that I can't remember right now... Busy girls we are! Au revoir!

Getting Spoiled

Last night Amanda and the boys made us dinner! We are utilizing our little kitchen. It was good. Two bags of pasta, two loaves of bread, two bottles of wine, and one block of cheese later I had a restful, sleep. Here it's a little noisy, so I listen to Zoe Keating or Claude Debussy to put me to sleep. This morning we got up, a little late I must admit, put on swimsuits and tennis shoes and hiked across four of the five towns of Cinque Terre. It was really rough on my knee, but so worth it. Once we got to Vernazza we found the marina and rented a boat for two hours. We took it out and spent some time snorkeling and swimming. I had one of those "Am I Really Here Right Now?" moments. Kind of like my first date with Joshua. Haha! :)
This place is beautiful. I love the water. And looking up at the coast from the boat and knowing that I climbed all those mountains. Tonight James and Anan are taking us girls out for a group date. They're crashing with us in Cinque Terre and dinner tonight is their way of thanking us for taking them in. We've all had so much fun here. Tomorrow morning our train leaves at 4:30! Keep praying for our safety, please. Home in less than a week...

Five Little Fishing Villages

We got off the train yesterday and a friend of Laura's (name= Andy) from A&M met us at the station because he was in town! He spent the afternoon with us yesterday showing us around Riomaggiore, the town we are staying in, and Corniglia. Last night we had a good, somewhat more expensive than we wanted, dinner. This is the place where pesto sauce was invented, so you can count on it being in 95% of their dishes. It's good though. After dinner, the four of us went to the marina where there is a rocky jetty, and climbed out to the end of the rocks. We passed slash broke up some Kissyface McGees as clambered around like the crabs that were clinging to the rocks. I couldn't summon up the courage to get into the water yesterday because the beach was a little boulder-y and hard to manuever. My past beach and lake experiences kept me on the rocks as an on-looker.
Today was different though! Andy left early this morning, and we met up with another of Laura's friends from childhood (name= James) and his friend from college (name= Anan). We went to lunch, and then headed out to Manorossa for a long day at the beach. I swam in the Mediterranean Sea today! The water is very clear. It's an immediate drop-off almost as soon as you are in. This is also a rocky beach, but manageable. More like pebbley. We swam all the way out to a set of underwater boulders, stacked up from the bottom of the sea, and took turns balancing on them. Only one of our group of five cut himself on the rocks. The water feels so good. I'm a beach girl!!! This trip is giving me the most expensive tan of my life. Tonight the boys are talking about cooking a traditional Italian dinner for us in our apartment, but more than likely we'll end up in Vernazza for dinner. We take the train easily between the villages. It's time for my shower. The salt water cakes on you and dries if you don't rinse off as soon as you get out of the sea.
We're taking Paris by storm on Thursday! I can't wait. We bought our train tickets today and they were not as expensive as we thought they'd be. That was good news. I miss everyone so much, and I really am eager to get home even though I'm cherishing my time here. I know I'll be back!

On the Road Again

My time in Florence is coming to an end. This place has such a Western influence that I don't really mind picking up and heading out. There is lots of high-end shopping, American tourists, tourists in general...you get the displeasing drift. We took in lots of art, inventions, and instruments yesterday. I even saw some old old old trombones. ;) I was somewhat disappointed in the Ufizzi and Accademia. Santa Croce lifted my spirits today, though. It was very peaceful and not crowded. I even lit a candle and prayed for my family. Tonight, Italy and France play each other in the World Cup. I suspect if it's a win for Italy we won't be able to sleep all night. They are already gearing up this evening for the game that airs at 9pm. It's exciting and reminds Laura and me of College Station before our game against Texas. :)
Today we went into a caffe to see if lunch was still being served and we were mistaken for French girls. We're still glad we don't look so American. We leave for Cinque Terre (say chink-weh ter-ah) at 9:30 tomorrow morning. It's pretty rural, so I may not be back at a computer until Paris. All my love...Ciao!

Back in Italy

I can say and think nothing more than Split is wonderful. I think I want to move there! I'm a little woozy today from all the travel boats, trains, cars, buses... In Split we spent lots of time at the beach. The sea is soooo cold! Yesterday we sailed to Brac to spend time at a beach called "The Tongue." It's called that b/c the beach comes to a point and the current moves the tip back and forth. You could go one day, and a few days later it will be in a different place! This place is a topless beach. Oh my. Consider me awkwarded out. We kept playing in the sea all day. It is very very salty. And clear as glass. The beach was rocky and not sandy. I definitely got a little bronze. Luckily I didn't sunburn. We got to our b&b this afternoon in Florence. We didn't oversleep on the boat today, which was really nice. This afternoon we are exploring downtown Florence. Tomorrow we are going to the science museum in the morning and we have reservations at Ufizzi Gallery and Accademia in the afternoon. We still haven't missed a day of gelato eating, but I'm pretty sure my body is starting to look like I eat gelato everyday. :(
Off I go to explore a new city... Bok... Ciao... pick your poison ;)

They Came By Air, Land, and Sea

Hello from beautiful Split, Croatia. No vacation is complete without a trip to the beach, so here we are! We got to port early this morning, and were awakened by the cleaning maids rapping at our cabin door at 5.30am. We didn't expect to dock until 7 or 8, so we to wake up that early was a shock! We threw on some clothes and met Danjiel and Ava at the port. We are so fortunate to have them! They took us for a seaside breakfast of croissants, Croatian donuts, and I had fresh squeezed orange juice. Then we drove out to our pension. It's right on the beach. We took naps this afternoon with the doors to our balcony open to listen to the waves lapping at the shore. Tomorrow we are going out to a mountain to bike and swim with two girls that go to church with Danijel and Ava. This evening they are showing us around...the highlights of Split. Thursday we will go to Brach, one of the islands of Croatia. Sorry to cut this short, but we are in a hurry and we don't want to keep Dina and Ivana waiting. Happy Independence Day...we're in a city that's 2000 years old. America's a baby compared to that! Ciao.

On the Coast and Headed to the Beach :)

Perugia was so restful, especially after our busy days in Roma. We slowly walked around and window shopped on Sunday. There was also a farmer's market in a piazza that we visited, but none of us were compelled to buy any homemade soap or bread or hammered jewelry. I sent out my first round of postcards today, so watch your mailboxes. :)
Today we took the train out of Perugia to the beautiful port city of Ancona. The sea is AMAZING! It's very breezy here, a welcome change to the humidity of Rome and the heat of Perugia. While waiting at the port, we met a man who lives on one of the islands of Croatia. He claims they are more beautiful than the Greek isles and recommended that we find sunscreen. We are actually still waiting at the port. We can't board our boat to Split until 7pm, and then we'll sail at 9pm. Until then we are using internet and getting some lunch.
Something we noticed in Perugia is that Italian dishes don't have much meat, and the three of us started craving steak. We caved this morning on the way out of town because McDonald's was right across the street from the train station. One large yummy McRoyal (a burger we don't have stateside) to go!! Hehe :)
Everyone in Italy has dogs. Not only do they have them, they bring them everywhere and often times not on a leash. I even saw a bichon yesterday. I miss Paisley and Kai more than anything. Hopefully one day I'll have the chance to bring them to Italy with me. I will be coming back.
We also haven't had any trouble getting attention from the boys in Italy... between Amanda's red hair and my blue eyes, there's always a guy willing to give us directions or translate for us. Don't worry, we're being very safe. I can't wait to get a Croatian suntan (you'll be jealous, B!) Oh, and I want everyone to know that Joshua was offered a position with Round Rock ISD on the spot at his interview, and he took it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy for him.
Sooooo, I'll be home in two weeks... See you soon

We're Here!

Hello Everyone!!!!! I am alive and well! We are loving Italy with all of our hearts. Our first day in Rome we had a little trouble getting to our hotel, but nothing that took more than an hour to overcome. The jet lag and serious heat was more than we expected. After a nap and delicious lunch in the afternoon we toured the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. Everything was so awe-inspiring. The grandeur, the size, the history. ::swoon:: Inside the Coliseum I managed to set off an alarm after I touched a marble statue of Caliope, but it apparently was just a warning buzzer. We heard and saw them go off many more times for other tourists. On our way home, we stopped at a "cremeria" for really great gelato. My favorite so far is fragala (strawberry). We also like caffe and cinnamon. They even have Nutella gelato. We'll get the guts to try it before we leave.
Yesterday morning we got up bright and early and navigated the Metro like pros to wait in line for almost 3 hours to get into the Vatican. What an experience. All the art and architecture. It's unbelievable that all of it is man-made! We saw the Sistine Chapel, the Dome and even climbed the 320 steps to the top of the Dome. It was amazing view...seeing all of Rome. And of course we saw St. Peter's. "To say it is vast is like saying that God is smart."
We've made lots of friends. Last night we met some Brits who bought us beer at the bar below our b&b. Then we all went to dinner together at a pizzeria. Last night, Italia won their game in the World Cup, and everytime they made a goal you could hear people cheering in their houses. This is because there is no air con, so everyone has their windows open all the time to catch a breeze. After their win, while we and our newly acquired friends went to see the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, young Italians were rioting in the street over the win. Blow horns, scooter horns, car horns, drums, singing, Italian flags waving everywhere. A little much, but we enjoyed the excitement and even cheered a little ourselves. Lo, Man, and I threw coins in Trevi Fountain together...hopefully we'll get to come back. We loved Rome!!!! Italians are so helpful and nice. The language barrier hasn't been a problem at all.
Some of the differencesç Lots of boys here wear capri pants and trendy European mullets. We love it! Also, LOTS of people drive scooters. There are women who don't shave anything, but not all of them are like that. Romans wear amazing shoes! Don't worry, I didn't buy any. :)
We walk everywhere and Amanda thinks we've walked at least 20 miles in the past 2-3 days. I think she's right.
We're in Perugia now, and it's much different than Rome. Slower paced. Lots of expensive little boutiques. We window shop, and are looking forward to salmon and bellinis for dinner tonight! Love and miss you all!!!! I can't wait to share all of our pictures.

Update

The itenerary posted below is correct now.

Everything's Changing

It looks like our lodging still isn't set in stone. I will be updating my itenerary in the next week to reflect our changes in Rome and Perugia.

Itenerary

This post is a schedule of events for those who want to keep up with my wherabouts:
Wednesday 28 June: Fly out of Houston, TX, at 7:45am.
Thursday 29 June: Arrive in Rome, Italy, at 7:50am. Visit Vatican City. Lodging- Anifiteatro Castrense Bed & Breakfast in Rome.
Friday 30 June: Rome (Pantheon, Forum, Colosseum, etc.). Lodging- Anifiteatro Castrense B&B in Rome.
Saturday 1 July: Travel from Rome to Perugia, Italy. Lodging- Hotel S.Ercolano (http://www.perugiaonline.com/santercolano/) in Perugia.
Sunday 2 July: Perugia (tour chocolate factory, shop in street shops, and shop at the Antiques Market that is held once a month). Lodging- Hotel S.Ercolano in Perugia.
Monday 3 July: Travel from Perugia to Ancona, Italy and from Ancona to Split, Croatia (9:00pm boat ride across the Adriatic Sea).
Tuesday 4 July (U.S.A. Independance Day): Arrive in Split. Picked up from port by Eva and Danijel (Nutter family friends). Lodging- Alba Pension Bed and Breakfast in Split.
Wednesday 5 July: Split. Lodging- Pension B&B in Split.
Thursday 6 July: Split. Catch 9:00pm boat ride back to Ancona, Italy.
Friday 7 July: Ancona to Florence, Italy. Lodging- Residenza Giula in Florence.
Saturday 8 July: Florence. Lodging- Residenza Giula in Florence.
Sunday 9 July: Florence. Lodging- Residenza Giula in Florence.
Monday 10 July: Travel from Florence to Cinque Terre, Italy. Lodging- Albergo Barbara in Cinque Terre (Vernazza).
Tuesday 11 July (my grandmother's birthday): Cinque Terre. Lodging- Albergo Barbara in Cinque Terre (Vernazza).
Wednesday 12 July (my mom's birthday): Travel from Cinque Terre to Paris, France via overnight train.
Thursday 13 July (France's Bastille Day): Paris! Lodging- Hotel de Senlis (www.hoteldesenlis.fr) in Paris.
Friday 14 July: Paris! Lodging- Hotel de Senlis in Paris.
Saturday 15 July: Paris! Lodging- Hotel de Senlis in Paris.
Sunday 16 July: Paris! Lodging- Hotel de Senlis in Paris.
Monday 17 July: Fly out of Paris at 11:15am. Arrive in Houston,TX, at 7:00pm.

Passport action means the journey begins

I got my passport in the mail today!!! This means that I can legally leave the country, and leave I will. Euro-Trip 2006 commences in approximately 3 weeks.
Along with vacation planning, I'm job and house hunting in Austin. All things considered, I'm in a pretty good place. I have a job interview coming up and we've narrowed our housing choices down to 3 for now. I'm hoping for continued success.
Tomorrow we make reservations for our lodging in Italy and France. TGIF, y'all!