Florence & Tuscany

Greetings from Florence!! We have just spent the last two days exploring the areas of Florence and Tuscany. It is quite a different atmosphere from Venice. I do not, however, miss getting seasick on the hotel shuttle every morning! We saw the two major museums here (Accademia & Uffizi) which were amazing. The Lourve gets much more attention than either of these, but we thought they were even better! The statue of David was remarkable....I've seen photos many times, but I never imagined how large it is. The intricate details and size is truly astounding. Here are a few photos from our time here...

Another example of Andy mastering the camera hold and shoot technique....

The Ponte Vechio (my spellings could be way off by the way!!)

We chose to spend the day today on a tour of Tuscany that included horseback riding, a castle visit, and lunch with wine tasting. It seemed a little sketch at first (and I picked it, go figure) but it ended up being legit. However, in true Italian fashion we left much later than anticipated because the group was too large for one van and we had to wait for them to bring another. Andy and I got a driver/guide that was about our age, very nice, but quite possibly the last person that should be driving our full sized tour van.

I knew it would be quite the ride when she stalled the van just minutes from the garage. Soon thereafter, we approached a gas station and she appologized and explained that she needed to get some gas. She proceeded to get out of the van and pace around for a while.....it soon became evident that she could not find where she was supposed to put the gas in the van. In her defense, even a man who came over to help her struggled to find the hidden gas tank (right near the door of the driver....)Of course, she was pulled in on the wrong side of the gas tank so she needed to turn around. No problem.....unless..... A) you're driving in Italy B) you are sitting at a gas station off the side of a roundabout C) you're driving a full sized, manual shift van D) you are clueless about driving stick.....or E) ALL OF THE ABOVE! Needless to say, after two more stall outs she was able to turn the van around and fill with fuel. Andy pointed out a motorcycle that was headed our way during that process and she said, "He will wait" (which he didn't).

We ended up making it safely there and back...although Andy's right foot is sore from slamming his "brake" into the floor every minute or so. The total number of stalls for the drive (2 were in the middle of a roundabout, mind you) was about 10. Ahhhhh yes. Yet another funny European memory, involving vehicles.

On to the pictures from today.....

Andy didn't want to wear the recommended long pants, so we got to wear these awesome "shin guards..."

Do you need to guess who was in charge of the camera today??

Andy's camera skills were tested....to the max. One big horse+Andy with a camera=amazing pictures. I love this one!! :) By the way, I'm in the background in a coral colored tank top...my horse eventually moved his way up to 2 behind Andy.

This picture is where we ate amazing food for lunch.....

At lunch we sat with a couple from Canada (we've met many on this trip). After a few glasses of wine Andy asked the man what he does for work. He explained that he works for the Royal Mounted Police in Canada but that he specializes in white-collar crimes. As he continued to discuss his job he explained that he was actually in Europe for work...He was called to Rome to testify against a member of the Sicilian Mafia on a major trial. So major in fact that 2 of the judges for the case have ended up dead.....hmmmm....Another encounter with interesting people. You can't make this stuff up.....Sopranos anyone??


In the morning we are off to Cinque Terre......our last train/bus (we haven't decided yet) ride. When we're done there we will hope an Easyjet flight to Paris....

Love from Florence...

Venice

Greetings from Venice!!! I will have to say that our first day in Venice left me thinking....this place is slightly overrated. However, after experiencing Venice at night yesterday, the charm of this place was exemplified. To quote Andy, "Venice is Vegas.....without all the sleeze." :)

We are literally running out of the hotel in minutes to get on the water taxi and leave Venice.....I don't have much time but I wanted to throw some pictures of Venice up just in case we don't have internet on our last two stops.

We ended up on this dead end street while wandering the alleys of Venice....

I followed Dean's rule on this trip.....Order exotic foods, try new things, but if you don't like it, don't eat it! I ordered the black squid ink pasta......I tried it (multiple bites).....I didn't eat it.

But Andy.......did!

The birds here are crazy. No, Andy does not have anything in his hand to feed them. If you are not a fan of birds....you will have to mentally prepare yourself before coming to Venice!


A view down one of the canals......oh joy, Andy's Cobfest T-shirt makes another appearance.

WARNING: Kissing Photo below!! Cover the kids' eyes....

It's good luck to kiss under the bridges on a gondola ride......so we did just that. (Yes, under every bridge!! Olala!)

Many people say that the 100 Euro gondola ride is overpriced and not worth it, but we both disagreed with that. It was one of our favorite parts of Venice. It was dusk (and dark by the end of it) and we loved it. Our "driver" didn't sing though.....trust me, I asked if he would....

Our hotel is the tallest building here in Venice. Here is a view from the amazing rooftop pool!! :)

And one more.....the other side of the pool is infinity style, so it looks like it goes right over the edge of the building. If you come to Venice we highly recommend staying here at the Hilton. Amazing.

Well, we are off to Florence for 2 nights, then Cinque Terra for 2 nights, Paris for 1 night and then back home......I will most likely post again from Florence. I have some Venice and Munich stories I'd like to share, but I just don't have the time right now....

Love from Venice!!!

World Cup Games at the Beergarden in Munich

Andy wanted me to post this short video clip of the beergarden in Munich.....everyone was gathered to watch the Germany World Cup game. We thought a picture just wouldn't do it justice. Keep in mind, this is only one area of the beer garden. There were about 5,000 people there....

Munich

Oh Munich.......my first impression of Munich was not so great. No reason in particular, it was probably just a combination of the weather (cold), the streets where we got off of the subway (a little dirty), and the people (being snobby about shoes). However, that all changed when we went out to dinner the first night we were here.....

We entered a small pub/restaurant and found that there were not any empty tables. The waiter sat us at a table with two men. (One of the World Cup Games was on, so many people were there to watch it.) As we sat down we found out that they were two Englishmen (father and son) visiting Munich for a few days. I told Ian, the son, that I had lived in England for a short time when I was younger and he was familiar with the area.

The men were hilarious and when I said "It's so nice to have people to speak English with..." The dad responded without missing a beat "Yes, well you can almost speak English..." Turns out the previous night Ian had learned the affect his British accent can have on an American girl....while his dad returned to their hotel at 11pm, Ian didn't show up until 6am......hmmmmm. :)

Other highlights of dinner with the Englishmen:

• A shared dislike for the French.....
• Rugby = American football - armor
• The men recommended that we take a 3 hour walking tour surrounding the history of Nazi Germany....which lead to Andy questioning of they were Nazis.....or just interested in the history. Oh boy!! (Just interested in the history....)
• As I was finishing dinner I noticed that a man behind me (from New Zealand) was eyeing up the leftover sausage on my plate. He was making faces that could only be compared to that of a drunk person trying to make "bedroom eyes" at someone....instead this was at....the sausage. I jokingly asked if he wanted it and his whole face lit up. He ran over and grabbed the sausages, quickly eating them and thanking me. Andy and I were floored....Andy says he's thought of doing that before but never would actually do it!
• After leaving we were standing on the street watching a mass of rollerbladers led by police officers go by and ran into Ian again as he was outside a pub having a smoke break.

Ian and I...ah yes, gotta love the Englishmen!

The before shot our meals....notice the beloved sausages on my plate.

On our walking tour, which was AMAZING...our guide pointed out builidings like this one that still had the bolts where swastika signs would once hang.

Just a few weeks ago Munich decided that the man Meiserstrafe should no longer get a street named after him due to his anti-sematism thoughts....

We ran into a fashion shoot along our walking tour...notice the Dior sign in the background.

This is a giant cuckoo clock in the middle of the city center. It had a fifteen minute show that quite frankly was a combination between being amazing and being very creepy....

The inside of one of the cathedrals in Munich.....gorgeous.

Andy in front of another cathedral...

We are inside the walls of a building in the city center....you should have seen the position we were in to get this angle on our own. It may have looked like we were preparing to go to the bathroom....

I bought Birkenstocks here for about $45...at home they were $120 at home.....Greek goddess style. :)

Andy.....in heaven.........

Today we are off on a tour of the Neuschwanstein Castle (the castle that the DisneyWorld castle was based off of). Tonight we will board our second, and final, nighttrain to Venice. We will spend the rest of our trip in Italy......Weather.com says it should be nicer there..... :) Our hotel in Venice is by far, the nicest so I'm sure we will be able to update the blog regularly.

xxLove from Munichxx

Prague....and now Munich

Greetings from Munich!

We arrived via bus this afternoon. We had a few internet issues while staying in Prague, hence the lack of update from there. We are currently sitting at Starbucks (yes, Starbucks) because it is one of the few places here that offers free wi-fi. (Our hotel has it, but is charging for it, so we will sign up for internet tomorrow to update the blog and use skype.)

Since I don't have a lot of time, here are a few pictures from our time in Prague.....

Our hotel was located in Old Town Square, the central gathering place in Prague. It was by far the best hotel we've had yet with the added bonus of the perfect location!!

Andy was in heaven with the food.....I'll be okay if I don't even look at meat for a year or two....note the "McDonald's style hashbrowns...."

We took a romantic horse and carriage ride around Prague.....nothing like the ambiance of drunk Americans hollering at you as you gallop on by. :)

Minnesota nice! A Minnesotan took this amazing picture for us. This is Old Town Square....our hotel is located in the area behind us...

This is a view from one of the towers at the end of Charles Bridge....Andy's favorite spot in Prague.

Along the river......typical Prague....gorgeous.

The old Jewish cemetary....

If any of you can control the weather, we'd love some sunshine. In fact, the weather right now in Munich is the coldest we've had yet. No flip flops or cute dresses yet... More updates to come tomorrow once we get internet.

Chao! xx Love from Prague (and Munich too)xx

Cesky Krumlov

Greetings from the Czech Republic.....Cesky Krumlov.

Getting here was quite an experience (a completely different experience than the night train....) Andy booked a "shuttle bus" to drive us the 2 or 3 hour drive from Vienna to Cesky Krumlov. We called the shuttle bus driver this morning and he showed up at our hotel. As we stepped outside I saw a nicely dressed man and a car. Definitely no bus. Whatever, I'm thinking....maybe "shuttle bus" in Europe means "man with nice car". I didn't have too many alarms go off in my head, so I just went with it.

Turns out, the man (a citizen of Czech Republic that also holds residency in Washington DC, who works in international affairs for the UN...) was doing a favor for his sister who runs the shuttle bus company. So basically, we paid for a bus ride, but instead ended up with a driver and inside info about this little town. Anyhow, his English was flawless (he lived in the States for 15 years) and he gave us background and many tips throughout the 3 hour drive. His family owns the largest hostel and 2 restaurants here in Cesky. At the end of the drive we had to figure out how to pay for the ride. We only had Euros and credit card, so Mr. Vasek told us to just drop payment off at either the shuttle bus company office, his family's restaurants/hostel, or to just leave it at our hostel. He said that we "didn't look like the Russians who ripped him off earlier in the week and never paid..." Talk about the "honor system". (Yes, we dropped our payment off...)

Our hostel (the only hostel we are staying in on this trip) is really nice. We actually booked the "apartment" of the hostel. So we have our own room, kitchen, and bathroom, seperate from the hostel, but for really cheap!

Here is a picture of the outside of our charming little hostel....

The Czech Republic has only been free from Communism since 1989....Our driver told us stories of growing up here during that time on the drive......the architecture of the area is unlike anything we've ever seen. The picture below was taken from the top of the hill in the city where a castle sits.

Here is another view of the town, through one of the walls around the castle.

Here is the town square....notice the sunshine. Ahhh yes, the first sun that we've seen on our trip. Apparently European scientists have been doing research about the effect the large volcano explosion has had on the weather. There has been much more rain than usual and widespread flooding.

Okay.....if I had to start a "Top 10 Things We've Learned On Our Europe Trip" list number one would be....... 1) Andy demands perfection from the foreigners that are taking our picture for us. In fact, he has only approved of one of the pictures that other people have taken...(Scottish guy at Eiffel Tower, who apparently, I called British before....I guess I'm biased). He had 3 different people attempt to take this picture...none of them got the angle he wanted....

This picture was taken just a few moments away from our hostel....Gorgeous. The clouds almost look fake...

Andy is mastering the take the picture of us arm hold....I love this picture. :)

We spent the rest of the evening wandering around the town square. It just so happens that we were here during the town festival that happens once a year. The area was packed with people and we got to try all different kinds of food. (I had a few Mojitos as well...the people here are crazy for them!!!)

Final thought: we passed a group of people today on the street and as they walked by one of the ladies said "Minnesota..." I said "Hello" and Andy didn't say anything because they were already past us. Then I heard the man say, "I don't think they're really from Minnesota though, they don't speak English..." We are blending in with the locals. Sweet!! :) We were laughing pretty hard about that....

Tomorrow morning we will board a bus to Prague....we'll be there for two nights.

Love from Cesky Krumhoff :)

Love from VIENNA

Welcome to Vienna.....

We arrived in Vienna yesterday morning after a night train experience. (There were train problems and a 9 hour ride turned into a 13 hour journey.) We slept in a very very small room with four other people. (By slept, I mean....I laid there and dozed on and off, clutching my purse under the blanket.) Haha, well it wasn't that bad actually......

Our first day in Vienna was full of more rain....downpouring rain actually. Our umbrellas got quite a bit of use...

During the first day we found concert tickets to a Mozart performace. Here I am dressed up for that.
Pretty much the story of our trip....Andy looking closely at a map, while I take pictures! This is in one of the squares in Vienna.

This is a shopping district in the heart of the city.

Holy monstrosity of Wiener Schnitzel......

The restaurant Andy couldn't wait to go to....

A view from the top of the hill that was behind the Schonbrunn Palace (my home away from home)

Here is an artsy shot for you Steph

The rose gardens in the side yard of the palace.....loving it!

I don't know the square footage on this place, but I put in an offer today.....I'm sure I'll have plenty of space for all of you to come visit.....The tour of the inside of the palace was awesome.

Yummmmm breakfast in Vienna. (yes, Andy had coffee too)

Our seats for the Mozart concert were in the center of the second row with noone sitting in front of us. The sound quality was amazing and facial expressions of the performers priceless.

The American exchange students behind us at the Mozart show helped us out with this shot and gave us some tips for touring the city.

All in all, we LOVE Vienna. The city is gorgeous, the culture is intriguing, and the people are very welcoming.

We're off to grab a bite to eat and watch some of the World Cup games....