Here's the second half:
7-26-06
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This morning we set out from Austria. We zipped through Brenner Pass in the Alps. That was stunning! The road is really way up in the air supported by concrete columns! They actually have people who bungee jump off of it, it’s so tall.
We had a coffee break where I tried true Italian Espresso. I got a half-inch of blackened caffeine at the bottom of a cup. It was disgusting, but I’m glad I tried it!
We reached Venice where the local tour guide showed us around the city. The highlight of this was St. Mark’s Cathedral and Square. The whole square was full of lion monuments (the symbol of St. Mark). After St. Mark’s we visited a glass factory that Venice is so famous for.
We had decided to take a Gondola Ride, so we changed out of our church clothes (there’s a dress code for St. Mark’s) into regular dress more suitable for 35 degree Celsius weather!
We went to the docks and serenaded down the beautiful streets. There wasn’t a lot of action, but we had some great picture moments.
After the gondola ride, we took a boat back to the Parking Island, and met up with Pino. He drove us back to the hotel where we had dinner and went to bed.
7-27-06
An early start this morning. We left from Venice and headed to Rome! We drove most of the day, but stopped for morning caffe and for lunch.
At morning coffee I had the brilliant idea of buying the Da Vinci Code… in Italian. I know the plot well enough from the English version, and am good enough with cognates that I can figure out what most of the words are. I bought an English-Italian dictionary for the words that I couldn’t reason out.
We drove to lunch, which was some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. We continued our drive through the Chianti vineyards.
When we arrived at Rome where I made a mad dash to the pool to cool off. I played tag with four of my friends from the trip in the free time.
After that we went to a nice restaurant where we were, as Maria says, “wined, dined, and serenaded”.
Then we drove to Trevi Fountain. It was great! I tossed in three coins as the legend goes. Your first coin will bring you back to Rome, your second to have a happy life, and your third to marry an Italian. We’ll see how that works out – ha, ha…
We drove through the Roman night pas the Coliseums, theForum, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, and Sistine Chapel and Bridge.
7-28-06
The next morning we got up early to get in line to go into the Vatican. We waited for about an hour, but we got in an hour earlier than the public due to Maria’s connections. We saw the Swiss Guard, the galleries, and Sistine Chapel. Those were all great, but were put to shame by the square and basilica. The pope was in the palaces at the time, so we got pretty close to him, but didn’t see him in person.
After the Vatican we went off to the Coliseum. It was huge! We walked around it on the inside and saw how much was actually missing from it.
Then from the Coliseum we went to the Roman Forum. That was amazing as well.
After the morning tour we went back to the hotel for lunch and a swim.
After the afternoon break we went off on the optional excursion. We visited the Fountain of Four Rives in Piaza Navona, the Church of St. Agnes, and the Spanish Steps (which were built by the French).
Then we had another great dinner (all the dinners and lunches are good in Europe, but I’m not so sure about the breakfasts) .
7-29-06
This morning we departed from Rome. We drove. And drove. And drove…
Then we arrived in Florence, where we stopped at four ice cream (gelato) shops. Florentine gelato is my favorite food! But besides the ice cream, we visited the Cathedral of Mary of the Flower, the bell tower, and the baptistery with the most famous Gates of Paradise. We actually climbed up the bell tower and flew a paper airplane off the top. That was awesome.
We also visited the Art Gallery Academy and saw THE David and the prisoners! Both of which were great! I actually got a David Calendar and miniature statue of David. We went down to the square where the real David used to be. They now have a replacement there to protect it from the damaging environment.
After that we had free time, and I elected to go to Santa Croce (but Maria just refers to it as the Church of Famous Dead People). We saw the tombs of Michelangelo, Dante, Machiavelli, and Galileo.
Then we said ciao to Florence and drove an hour to our hotel where a welcoming dinner was waiting. It was great, especially after a long day of walking.
7-30-06
We woke up early to start our journey to Nice. We stopped for morning coffee at Pisa. At Pisa we saw their three famous buildings: the baptistery, the cathedral, and the Leaning Bell Tower. Our last stop in Italy was lunch.
After lunch we crossed the border into France. We looked over the cliffs of the French Alps and saw Monaco down below. You could almost smell the money radiating from the city…
After driving past Monaco we shortly arrived in Nice. It was very clean, and had a beautiful beach. Nice was definitely a highlight of our trip – very relaxing.
Then in the evening we drove back to Monaco. We visited Old Monaco and the royal palace.
Then we took a quick walk to Monte Carlo, famous for its casinos. I obviously couldn’t get in, but instead chose to sat on the terrace and chat with Maria. Then we went back to the hotel.
7-31-06
We slept in today (7:00)! We woke up and went swimming in the Mediterranean. Then breakfast and we left Nice.
Our lunch break was in Avignon. We walked along the Papal Palace wall, and saw their cathedral. We couldn’t resist more European ice cream there.
After Avignon we drove through the French countryside, and had a fairly quiet, steady drive. We arrived in Lyon in the evening where we had dinner and went to bed.
8-1-06
We woke up early this morning, had a quick breakfast, and started off to Paris! Morning coffee was a highway stop. We reviewed the trip on the road, and it was very sad to think that we would soon be returning to the house in Indiana. On a happier note, we finished the drive off and arrived in Paris!
We changed, showered, and prepared for what would be the best evening of the trip, and possibly my whole life. We wore our best clothes to the cabaret. THE cabaret. The Moulin Rouge.
Dinner was included, and because we were diners we had the best seats. It was spectacular. The lights, the colors, the excitement! It was like nothing I’d ever seen before, or even heard of for that matter. It was absolutely amazing. Everyone was in awe. Stepping out of it, was like leaving a dream.
8-2-06
Today there were no included tours, but there were three optional ones. I had to do all three!
Firstly, was the Palace of Versailles. We visited the King’s State Apartments and Chambers, the Queen’s State Apartments and Chambers, and the Hall of Mirriors among others. Then we went outside and strolled in the 250-acre garden. That was great!
Secondly was the Louvre Museum. No Paris trip could be complete without that! We did we most Parisians call the Louvre Express – The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. I slipped off sometimes to go see some others such as Virgin of Rocks, The Wedding Feast at Cana, and more… I couldn’t bear leaving without paying them respects.
We returned to the hotel to freshen up for our last dinner together, which was our third excursion along with a drive through Paris by night.
We arrived at the restaurant and were “wined, dined, and serenaded”. It was a great meal, and concluded with photos with all my friends. Even Pino joined us for this meal, which wasn’t usual.
We drove fairly quietly, but tried to make the most of it. Most memorably was the road by Ritz Hotel where Princess Diana was killed in the car crash.
8-3-06
Today consisted of only giving our goodbye hugs to our friends, and boarding the plane back to Ft. Wayne. There were a lot of things I didn’t get to see that I really wanted to, but those can wait. I have no doubt that I will one day return to Europe. After all I didn’t throw those coins in Trevi Fountain for nothing.
Hope you enjoyed them!
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