tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39464017222032562832024-02-19T18:00:52.101+01:00Everyday Adventures in Europe!Chris and I moved to Stuttgart, Germany on October 8th, 2011. To share the adventures we have every day in Germany and other parts of Europe, I created this blog. Enjoy!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-57323514989054823712012-02-26T18:02:00.000+01:002012-02-26T18:02:16.921+01:00What I'll miss, and what I won'tThis is our last week in Germany, and while I've been busy packing I have been thinking about all the things I will miss about Germany, and all the things I won't. I decided to sit down and make a list.<br />
<br />
<b>What I'll miss:</b><br />
<ul><li>"Hey honey want to go to Paris (or Amsterdam, London, Rome, Prague, etc) for the weekend?"</li>
</ul><ul><li>The desserts! (Although my waistline won't miss them!)</li>
</ul><ul><li>The markets</li>
</ul><ul><li>Made from scratch, whole grain bread </li>
</ul><ul><li>Burger King (okay I need to explain this one. The Burger Kings and McDonalds in Germany are immaculately clean, the workers are in clean uniforms, and they have the best salads I've ever had at a fast food restaurant. Also, McDonald's has a bistro section called The McCafe that sells awesome desserts and coffee.)</li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="st">Apfelschorle, it's a carbonated apple juice that is simply delicious! And it is not made/sold in the USA.</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="st"> Being able to find carbonated water literally everywhere. Drinking flat water is just so, well, flat.</span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps"> </span></span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps">Dogs are welcome everywhere except restaurants and grocery stores, and even then the businesses have little water dishes and food dishes set outside for the dogs.</span></span></li>
</ul><b><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps">What I will not miss about living in Germany:</span></span></b><br />
<ul><li><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps">Kehrwoche and Grosse Kehrwoche. It's the cleaning week that each household in the building share, in our case we have the Kehrwoche every 3 weeks and the Große Kehrwoche (large cleaning week in which you sweep the sidewalk, clean off the snow, and clean the entryway) every 8 weeks. For some reason we have had the </span></span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps">Große Kehrwoche six times since we've lived here. We have no idea why.</span></span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps">EVERYTHING is closed on Sunday.</span></span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps">People will just stare at you for no reason. On the train, in a restaurant or store, they just stare at you. </span></span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps">Driving on the Autobahn. Everyone thinks "0o0o0o0o no speed limit awesome!". No, not awesome. You'll be cruising along at a decent speed then... WHAM! traffic is at a standstill because some idiot lost control and caused a wreck. </span></span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps">Staus (traffic jams) I have been stuck in some ridiculous traffic jams in major cities, and the ones here are the worst I have ever seen. Chris works with a guy who lives only 20 minutes from work when there is little to no traffic, but when he leaves work it takes him 2 hours to get home!</span></span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps">The Germans are ridiculously anal about rules (this could also be a swabian thing too though). It borders on crazy. The best example I can think of are the crosswalks. </span></span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps">If the "don't walk" light is on, but there are absolutely no cars coming for 10 kilometers, they will stand there and wait for the "walk" light to change. If you walk when the light isn't telling you to, you will get looks of death from all those waiting.</span></span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps"> </span></span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps"> Not working! I am a workaholic, and I've been getting a little stir crazy not having a job these past 5 months. It will be great to get back to the daily grind, stress and coffee (I know, that probably borders on insane, but I love work stress).</span></span> </li>
</ul>Thanks for reading!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-84135390154681113642012-02-11T16:32:00.000+01:002012-02-11T16:32:55.735+01:00Müller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2D-PWdFTKUa0idv50uB6ETcELe8MAi0A5lgM_rXzXtnwXAcolAPkkaXPscu-T-JW0En679psexmWqFlDRBttjOnkA-fYCIhBYsR6UXuQ3dYf2IJ486hQti5FQJMnlXPM9F92ZzvAJ28/s1600/mueller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2D-PWdFTKUa0idv50uB6ETcELe8MAi0A5lgM_rXzXtnwXAcolAPkkaXPscu-T-JW0En679psexmWqFlDRBttjOnkA-fYCIhBYsR6UXuQ3dYf2IJ486hQti5FQJMnlXPM9F92ZzvAJ28/s1600/mueller.jpg" /></a></div>My favorite place to shop in Germany has to be Müller. This place is amazing! It's like a department store cosmetic counter, Target, and Dollar Store all rolled into one. The one near our place has three levels. The bottom floor has office/school supplies, pet food, candy, and toys. The next floor has all your personal hygiene stuff like shampoo, soaps, face wash and lotions, as well as make-up kiosks such as Chanel, Lancôme, Clinique, Shiseido, and Dior. The top floor is books and CDs. I think it's neat how I can buy Chanel lipstick, a Milka candy bar, Nivea lotion, and the latest music album all in one place! Sometimes when I get bored, I'll just wander around the store for a while. This store has filled the void from the lack of Target stores! <span class="st"><em></em></span>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-44695122297642836772012-02-10T16:59:00.001+01:002012-02-10T23:21:02.919+01:00New Year's in Paris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The New Year's holiday found us in Paris, France. Let me start off by saying that the French are not as "rude" as people always say. If you are nice, polite, and <u>attempt</u> to speak a little french (even if it just from your tourist phrase book) they will be nice to you. In fact, I thought that the Italians in Rome were more rude than the French. <br />
<br />
We took another bus trip, and aside from the group of Marines who thought it'd be fun to get wasted at 5:00 in the morning, it was a relatively enjoyable drive! We left Stuttgart at 5:00 am on New Year's Eve, and got to Paris around 3:00 pm. The tour company had planned a New Year's Eve dinner and cabaret show for us before heading down to the main New Year's celebrations.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiX-L7TTy53g-b1Sey9DFoxAeXolp2pd3q-pC8UDqsGVGdo_zwfdfJtdNIVeLcoPD8OlplpYHitvjXNm3rLHmZi0Cu15e4jjYuHsn2LjYPCnhNAJkyTNpBhUsB7PhYMzQ77z6xqrlp1nc/s1600/100_1568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiX-L7TTy53g-b1Sey9DFoxAeXolp2pd3q-pC8UDqsGVGdo_zwfdfJtdNIVeLcoPD8OlplpYHitvjXNm3rLHmZi0Cu15e4jjYuHsn2LjYPCnhNAJkyTNpBhUsB7PhYMzQ77z6xqrlp1nc/s200/100_1568.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Chris singing "New York, New York"</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The restaurant opened early at 6:00 pm (most dinners start around 8:00) for us. and we tightly squeezed two busloads of people in the small building. The meal was a four course meal with wine, it wasn't as phenomenal as the tour guide made it sound like it was going to be. I think the main reason for this was because we had so many people at one time. Afterwards, a cabaret singer did a little show for us. Chris and I were sitting at a table right by the stage, and he got picked to a little number with her! <br />
After the meal, we walked around Montmartre, which is a very artistic, Bohemian area. Many artists had studios in this community such as Salvador Dalí, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh to name a few.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chris and I were very determined to stray away from our tour group as much as possible, one thing we did learn in France, is they are not too keen on large groups of loud Americans. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G9ZTHTUBqBjmQyVp2UZ0vF78nwcdptjNxcIluW98gUUiKmk7ITkIaBL1mYUCB36JGZFAl6DF1VzNODJMCRPSs66hE2MZNEkKil3y8DbLR3s15vdwUFRwQl_B5mfGP627GbEBtnpvwqU/s1600/100_1669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G9ZTHTUBqBjmQyVp2UZ0vF78nwcdptjNxcIluW98gUUiKmk7ITkIaBL1mYUCB36JGZFAl6DF1VzNODJMCRPSs66hE2MZNEkKil3y8DbLR3s15vdwUFRwQl_B5mfGP627GbEBtnpvwqU/s200/100_1669.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Eiffel Tower Sparkling</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Just before midnight Chris and I ventured down by to the Eiffel Tower. At the beginning of each hour, the Eiffel Tower would "sparkle", thousands and thousands of lights on the Eiffel Tower blinked really fast to give it this effect, it was so beautiful! We were a little disappointed though, we thought they set off fireworks on the Eiffel Tower, but apparently that is only on Bastille Day (we were a little more disappointed when we saw London's amazing display on the news the next day!).<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fMoS6SZ7NR-Vxfbw1It-G2-xVvYeuK3IUN5se_L-47LtOZYPqnk3ID_erAkL9dVm0AJrqzAg1f6hR5lsvJRywcNqy06l8Ss70fh5ra2SkOzQTmN6YY6vMqTRXL_bDYw5dM95opi1-68/s1600/100_1674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fMoS6SZ7NR-Vxfbw1It-G2-xVvYeuK3IUN5se_L-47LtOZYPqnk3ID_erAkL9dVm0AJrqzAg1f6hR5lsvJRywcNqy06l8Ss70fh5ra2SkOzQTmN6YY6vMqTRXL_bDYw5dM95opi1-68/s200/100_1674.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bonne Année!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6U1UaCFIpN_HLkZ7ouFzJXtM_TyjCS28mSnT4UvhSinPWWrzWIThqUd6a5dIMp1o0DvJQrhK8WKkBcXtoaPl6Mrg796jaDetqavMrm2wgDzLsL5GY5QCsUi_AI3jJd2J2VJGz5bC7lY/s1600/100_1745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6U1UaCFIpN_HLkZ7ouFzJXtM_TyjCS28mSnT4UvhSinPWWrzWIThqUd6a5dIMp1o0DvJQrhK8WKkBcXtoaPl6Mrg796jaDetqavMrm2wgDzLsL5GY5QCsUi_AI3jJd2J2VJGz5bC7lY/s200/100_1745.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>My favorite picture I took</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The next day the tour bus took us to the Eiffel Tower, it really is an amazing sight! We rode in a little elevator to the second floor and were able to get some really amazing pictures. The only thing about the Eiffel Tower is, once you're up there for about 20 minutes, it starts to get a little boring! There were so many people too! After battling the crowd for 20 minutes, Chris and I went back down and explored the area a little. My favorite was watching the Turkish guys selling "illegal" Eiffel Towers running from the Police. The Police drive around in S.W.A.T. looking vehicles hop out really fast, and chase the guys!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dsfyaTw8anKz1_CTvcj0BSd6000T3dREwRjRCLkxOfHx330viZbQRRWY73da9Y2v8mANeRV03qO6PLrmZ25WGuIfdzaBl_yS6YwU3dk1iBhehERihzIM670bLqvG6rHoWjfzwq8YS0A/s1600/100_1703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dsfyaTw8anKz1_CTvcj0BSd6000T3dREwRjRCLkxOfHx330viZbQRRWY73da9Y2v8mANeRV03qO6PLrmZ25WGuIfdzaBl_yS6YwU3dk1iBhehERihzIM670bLqvG6rHoWjfzwq8YS0A/s200/100_1703.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Notre Dame de Paris</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We then took a city tour in the tour bus and saw some of the great attractions in Paris; the Arc de Triomphe, the Palais Garnier, and the Panthéon. We ended up at the Notre Dame de Paris. If you ever get the chance to see this, you must. It is such a beautiful piece of architectural artwork. You could stare at the outside for hours and still spot something you'd never seen before.<br />
<br />
That evening Chris and I broke away from the group again, and ate at an amazing restaurant. The French can take any boring piece of meat or vegetable and turn it into something simply amazing with the sauces they use. This was a three course meal. To start, we ordered mussels in a delicious garlic sauce. Chris got the beef for the main meal, and I got the salmon. We sampled each-others meals and both were to die for. Dessert was an amazing caramel crème brûlée, I don't think I've ever had anything so amazing!<br />
The last day of our trip we spent the morning at the Musée du Louvre. We arrived fairly early in the morning, so it wasn't too busy. That however, did not last. Soon throngs of Japanese tourists swarmed the place and made it difficult to enjoy any of the exhibits. In all our travels, the only time we've really ever dealt with rude people is from the Japanese tourists. They will walk right into you, push you, stand in front of you while you're trying to take a picture, it was ridiculous! Aside from that, the Louvre has some really amazing artwork and history and was very interesting to see.<br />
<br />
All in all Paris was an amazing city, and we had such a great time. I would love to go back again and spend more time at places we weren't able to during this trip (like Louis Vuitton... just off the top of my head).<br />
<br />
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">Au revoir!!</span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2AScJM78GW5x_FVD3XQk6ROcytcE-flDa8pP6ZmNBSVpm08D7_WncMi2ewR6FTdB9OD5anhELaTv5rF8vvutyNSnZiz8uiGK12Kv9Mo9jyW1Bn0auMlh2I03z8Ev4kLUt2F5ZynthTs/s1600/100_1812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2AScJM78GW5x_FVD3XQk6ROcytcE-flDa8pP6ZmNBSVpm08D7_WncMi2ewR6FTdB9OD5anhELaTv5rF8vvutyNSnZiz8uiGK12Kv9Mo9jyW1Bn0auMlh2I03z8Ev4kLUt2F5ZynthTs/s320/100_1812.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>In front of the Louvre</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaO6DFO75PGZ_W0g4M7Rj_OzhqsJfBxmRWA7Jw9ZYbFY8jsx7Nkld4Gade_P3bRrzFXyOPKzIdxTe26AYLebU5cBd5D5BGB96VlFcFdq6bUv_wqZ2JHPorzZegqz6a6S8Gd_ivvpA-tE/s1600/100_1724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaO6DFO75PGZ_W0g4M7Rj_OzhqsJfBxmRWA7Jw9ZYbFY8jsx7Nkld4Gade_P3bRrzFXyOPKzIdxTe26AYLebU5cBd5D5BGB96VlFcFdq6bUv_wqZ2JHPorzZegqz6a6S8Gd_ivvpA-tE/s320/100_1724.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Palais Garnier</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5tLpKsOiYZ9nNnResPf8YxZ1-89uQRn8TH8p9B6g_lnAr_A_UtQ6TpOU7KOspSVXQGbTCralUcHruHqm0u6QVZ3wYVzLpXwajTeYIDDZvOQ_7eD3hquqsiWzXBWJH7NO9QuL5OgbGl8/s1600/100_1722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5tLpKsOiYZ9nNnResPf8YxZ1-89uQRn8TH8p9B6g_lnAr_A_UtQ6TpOU7KOspSVXQGbTCralUcHruHqm0u6QVZ3wYVzLpXwajTeYIDDZvOQ_7eD3hquqsiWzXBWJH7NO9QuL5OgbGl8/s320/100_1722.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Panthéon</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivj7eNmHEJyIJ6BbRShz5sCl96mEaLbij1V0dITzc0TxHnjO_gjYWvBKO9fVw5uJTeDY9F34XXfSK43YBhK2EnNb92tVJq9nPXb9bDlSW-RJbK9uO-J3IHjeBQtC-DNx721H4Ad68vEhI/s1600/100_1797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivj7eNmHEJyIJ6BbRShz5sCl96mEaLbij1V0dITzc0TxHnjO_gjYWvBKO9fVw5uJTeDY9F34XXfSK43YBhK2EnNb92tVJq9nPXb9bDlSW-RJbK9uO-J3IHjeBQtC-DNx721H4Ad68vEhI/s320/100_1797.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Venus de Milo</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhishQuG-MKM44deLPdXEsChrTewRpgP6yhnC0AOssxThKKUHL5yXn8KV6EHZGm3C3IVRUdnhqtgjkKqWvvyFttR1_lsHjEInlZ4EAy8Jz1zgTcc8kHjaogBjz5ydfFLulCNBlVovS1RFY/s1600/100_1756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhishQuG-MKM44deLPdXEsChrTewRpgP6yhnC0AOssxThKKUHL5yXn8KV6EHZGm3C3IVRUdnhqtgjkKqWvvyFttR1_lsHjEInlZ4EAy8Jz1zgTcc8kHjaogBjz5ydfFLulCNBlVovS1RFY/s320/100_1756.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Second floor of the Eiffel Tower</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UutEUZz4LVhkS68Mf9Tjj4q-htxb45krLX8CfyHIwjX8RhJG9g03a97Au4vK-FrIcoQuyT33bufhy6j3S8kMtHh2yQrmxKYCa2Iq4muYb0k1PB25OKkwmTGGxwbSRHNfkzdWu64RzLg/s1600/100_1786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UutEUZz4LVhkS68Mf9Tjj4q-htxb45krLX8CfyHIwjX8RhJG9g03a97Au4vK-FrIcoQuyT33bufhy6j3S8kMtHh2yQrmxKYCa2Iq4muYb0k1PB25OKkwmTGGxwbSRHNfkzdWu64RzLg/s320/100_1786.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Mona Lisa</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps"> </span></span> <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-57688596135828559642012-01-30T15:08:00.000+01:002012-01-30T15:08:00.780+01:00When in Rome...We spent the Christmas holiday in Rome. As someone who longed to be an Archaeologist as a child (and still do), this was a dream come true!<br />
Remember my post on Vicenzia and the relaxed Italian way of life? This became more evident when we flew into Rome and waited for our bags. We waited in the baggage claim area for over an hour and a half before we finally got our luggage!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKbarsG1wkFOe9LHwrnMawRalWn-bEmt1FjytDgKIz9rgf-B799OL_lEpzw2Rj_XtpVrTbgmEnz0BWMGPRuqzAJlG6APfzvecW-xzQZiEjhxznf9yDWOn3pLR8MCN3w7Wi9Y_PEBFLs4/s1600/100_1110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKbarsG1wkFOe9LHwrnMawRalWn-bEmt1FjytDgKIz9rgf-B799OL_lEpzw2Rj_XtpVrTbgmEnz0BWMGPRuqzAJlG6APfzvecW-xzQZiEjhxznf9yDWOn3pLR8MCN3w7Wi9Y_PEBFLs4/s200/100_1110.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Cristo dela Minerva</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmypWYXrIwChy1nNlLXSPXP5uR4pE_j_cA60pYdbV37H5zpoSn_JK6o9xY2BMQWMyE5BxUiDGhqrsUbcTOna3DXBSknET0ft1XF4P7AWPVQWagf4GZ6k04ROeCcxVcrRXQzpeexuwt8HY/s1600/100_1109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmypWYXrIwChy1nNlLXSPXP5uR4pE_j_cA60pYdbV37H5zpoSn_JK6o9xY2BMQWMyE5BxUiDGhqrsUbcTOna3DXBSknET0ft1XF4P7AWPVQWagf4GZ6k04ROeCcxVcrRXQzpeexuwt8HY/s200/100_1109.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The first day, we paid for an all day car escort of the city. Our driver took us on a very fast paced highlighted tour of the city. This was great because we got to see so much in such a small amount of time, and it allowed us to get our bearings around the city. It also allowed us to note the places we wanted to return to over the next couple of days. While driving us around, our driver would give us a little history lesson on the different areas we were going to. The first stop was the church of <a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-santa-maria-sopra-minerva" target="_blank">Santa Maria sopra Minerva</a>, this holds the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristo_della_Minerva" target="_blank">Cristo dela Minerva</a> </i>also known as <i>Christ the Redeemer</i> or <i>Christ Carrying the Cross</i> by the famous Michelangelo. The church alone was an amazing work of art, I was so distracted by its beauty I totally walked by the <i>Cristo dela Minerva</i> the first time, Chris had to point it out to me! <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Siena" target="_blank">Saint Catherine of Siena</a> is buried here (except her head, which is in the Basilica of San Domenico in Siena) as well as as is Pope Paul IV and the Medici popes Leo X and Clement VII.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPtUBsgYK8t2uvv34QB_q4PPClW5p_zI-TlicCJnpye5zLVMhVOIbCJDVyH3NcUnapOGTTBReUbUHo2K3fn2Npgl-YFYD8mYchjlKzbhj5wa7MWOhBAUefkPdaSnhJ3B9emFaASOnNSE/s1600/100_1118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPtUBsgYK8t2uvv34QB_q4PPClW5p_zI-TlicCJnpye5zLVMhVOIbCJDVyH3NcUnapOGTTBReUbUHo2K3fn2Npgl-YFYD8mYchjlKzbhj5wa7MWOhBAUefkPdaSnhJ3B9emFaASOnNSE/s200/100_1118.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Inside the Pantheon</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmN4mSNz8SBrLXVycRuWdz2zOACcE04K80Ic9fLQ162SS_zKrVnlSM_wbVULDyRCQ87_RT_R1UlZ9UdW-qucq3ijP8LTM4_BGXx90bxx7-0snmJ91clQ4QuF9GcHlARD3EftqtyY79io/s1600/100_1113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmN4mSNz8SBrLXVycRuWdz2zOACcE04K80Ic9fLQ162SS_zKrVnlSM_wbVULDyRCQ87_RT_R1UlZ9UdW-qucq3ijP8LTM4_BGXx90bxx7-0snmJ91clQ4QuF9GcHlARD3EftqtyY79io/s200/100_1113.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Pantheon</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Santa Maria sorpra is very close to the Pantheon, so this was our next stop. This was incredible, this massive structure is the best preserved of all the Roman buildings. To the right is an interior picture. I was in awe of its majestic beauty and stature, but imagine coming to this building in 250 A.D. It was simply amazing!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-K4UDDKg8bmooIH0nRd1glX6kZYKDghqSuZfhZ7KInMUCafmUjRnKNfXBGJr5oFzNUjLfxACGDKKBX4cTIfacRffNzH0TsQl7uQxg4nRsSPKyaVcf_4nfdF5vX0YjhiEbydwM6cNKhI/s1600/100_1160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-K4UDDKg8bmooIH0nRd1glX6kZYKDghqSuZfhZ7KInMUCafmUjRnKNfXBGJr5oFzNUjLfxACGDKKBX4cTIfacRffNzH0TsQl7uQxg4nRsSPKyaVcf_4nfdF5vX0YjhiEbydwM6cNKhI/s320/100_1160.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Inside the Colosseum</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We then went to the Colosseum. This massive structure was capable of seating 50,000 people, and was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx24_wKUS1bJonIWcRNvxacxO2Ds53wVv7DM1h7mcuVffmxc7spMT6dUHDB3XIg1xqNHBIwgKEBjVNkiaEEM7yN1dapkO6X10oUwShsK0CG7BhcJle7Upso2RMngJ0Ok4UFUEAYUzN3Y/s1600/100_1304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx24_wKUS1bJonIWcRNvxacxO2Ds53wVv7DM1h7mcuVffmxc7spMT6dUHDB3XIg1xqNHBIwgKEBjVNkiaEEM7yN1dapkO6X10oUwShsK0CG7BhcJle7Upso2RMngJ0Ok4UFUEAYUzN3Y/s200/100_1304.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Egyptian Obelisk with cross</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Obviously, Rome is a very religious city. All throughout the city is historical evidence of the Christian religion trumping Pagan religions; various leaders, and religious figureheads were certain to make this known. There are eight obelisks that were taken from Ancient Egypt<b>, </b>atop everyone of them is a Christian cross. We saw similiar things in ruins, artwork, and statues throughout the city.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhturv5_yTk6AWIRzqsl11re50Rt-AqtXiGZGyzU3OKm0yIBpdn0t41Sv7oYJla51jHOIdkrUqA5Ta5ySrxmdlPOwOdbWWapB1av8czWOWNk8zLYinX-Dr4mBCXLBXzgQEuHTCW3N5HaqY/s1600/100_1344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhturv5_yTk6AWIRzqsl11re50Rt-AqtXiGZGyzU3OKm0yIBpdn0t41Sv7oYJla51jHOIdkrUqA5Ta5ySrxmdlPOwOdbWWapB1av8czWOWNk8zLYinX-Dr4mBCXLBXzgQEuHTCW3N5HaqY/s200/100_1344.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ruins of the Roman Forum</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>One of my favorite stops was walking around the ruins of the Roman Forum. We got an audio guide, but it was useless. I recommend bringing a book that describes everything (you can also get one from the gift shop before you enter, I'm still kicking myself for not doing that). <br />
<br />
After we'd been driven around most of the city (my head was spinning at this point with all the history and sites that I'd just seen) we went to Vatican City. Here we met our personal tour guide. She was an Italian originally from Canada, and had gotten her Master's Degree on the Sistine Chapel. She was <b>very </b>knowledgeable about the history and artwork around the Vatican. The amount of artwork in the Vatican will blow your mind. There are statues, paintings, tapestries, mosaics, and frescoes that date back hundreds and hundreds of years! It really helped having our personal tour guide, I think it helped us appreciate everything we were seeing more than if we just walked through alone.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9mBMMANskMqYCLkuHalpQLf-kCthQ1jt1ZJqoOUBh-nCYHuU690FP5uyJnAPrvEV1NpdGrDCZ91yZLQMw105HrySzeZBtAJfsEy_N6cUUgq5x0cr7dU62yF2C_XfmzdF5dxBpmQsAO8/s1600/100_1213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9mBMMANskMqYCLkuHalpQLf-kCthQ1jt1ZJqoOUBh-nCYHuU690FP5uyJnAPrvEV1NpdGrDCZ91yZLQMw105HrySzeZBtAJfsEy_N6cUUgq5x0cr7dU62yF2C_XfmzdF5dxBpmQsAO8/s200/100_1213.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Belvedere Torso</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>To the left is the Belvedere Torso. It was originally thought to date back to the 1st century B.C., but is now believed to be a copy of an older statue, likely dating to the 2nd century B.C. It isn't clear who the statue is, but is most commonly thought to be Heracles sitting on an animal skin. The sculpture is significant in that it is the first example of a perfect human body, and it greatly influenced late Renaissance, Mannerist, and Baroque artists.<br />
<br />
The Sistine Chapel was simply amazing. When I walked in I gasped at the beauty and history that was surrounding me. Before we started our tour, our guide gave us a history lesson on what we were about to see, which made the experience even better.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWfjB7ClvoYbek5nvWj4EfnsoXxgwx4DJuqwnONa3Sdwca2AmkZVIkfa8vabgbAM6MctgEn6CPXIwChJUqOZe7TqQwyRosVhBZTNeZ967i4dHGXXE30Rj53OtEwCrHTpON0EKXO92A98/s1600/100_1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWfjB7ClvoYbek5nvWj4EfnsoXxgwx4DJuqwnONa3Sdwca2AmkZVIkfa8vabgbAM6MctgEn6CPXIwChJUqOZe7TqQwyRosVhBZTNeZ967i4dHGXXE30Rj53OtEwCrHTpON0EKXO92A98/s200/100_1292.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a class="internal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Interiorvaticano8.jpg" title="Enlarge"><img alt="" height="11" src="http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.18/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15" /></a></div><b> The altar with Bernini's baldacchino</b></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Saint Peter's Basilica was massive. When you see all these massive structures and beautiful works of art it is easy to see how Christianity has flourished so much in the past. Everything was intimidating for me, imagine what it must have been like living in that time. All you know is what the church tells you. You go from your small home to these massive beautiful places to worship. All the artwork and structures you see show Christianity as the dominating religion. It's all very interesting to me.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXZxtTUfHgL7AC_1EFRPz1aAZ_EzvHNh8D_ov6Y4gSdq0W5ASnQzACSaiq66UmPhapopv45ahvC0fTJIkZxwZiqnN5IUlWBUGH20nus4hyphenhyphenoXpC1VD0mMuVD0E6hrkI8fptWnCPJXAMgk/s1600/100_1280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXZxtTUfHgL7AC_1EFRPz1aAZ_EzvHNh8D_ov6Y4gSdq0W5ASnQzACSaiq66UmPhapopv45ahvC0fTJIkZxwZiqnN5IUlWBUGH20nus4hyphenhyphenoXpC1VD0mMuVD0E6hrkI8fptWnCPJXAMgk/s200/100_1280.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a class="internal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Michelangelo%27s_Pieta_5450_cropncleaned_edit.jpg" title="Enlarge"><img alt="" height="11" src="http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.18/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15" /></a></div><b> The <i>Pietà</i> sculpted by Michelangelo</b></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJa4BM2OCIysq5Etul2jecfSRAVqRuYKMdhKebCK3nWztNPtMj28Bq3iW3IjenaMmJ44P1SyOoavNvFdSYm_i6yJp6a-lNvt9Xlga4ogTvC19mcoVoVC_PL50KY-rFF-0MYmGfDov-AY/s1600/100_1237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJa4BM2OCIysq5Etul2jecfSRAVqRuYKMdhKebCK3nWztNPtMj28Bq3iW3IjenaMmJ44P1SyOoavNvFdSYm_i6yJp6a-lNvt9Xlga4ogTvC19mcoVoVC_PL50KY-rFF-0MYmGfDov-AY/s200/100_1237.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The nearly empty tour</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>For some reason (even our guide wasn't sure why) there were hardly any people at the Vatican on the day we went. She said people pay 400 Euro for the off hours tours to get the atmosphere we got! She said normally you have to fight the crowds to see everything.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BPqYfZWrcXYV7v0LyJE_1AJG9tf_hlnMpI6wx5creGiLGqE7yzsCVAiBrKX2_MYjcWXwgR229XUB9emReGJDrxwdLUZsM5X6dthP3iYpnNcbt3oVcOdikjbEv58A-S1RrSFuR61lI3Y/s1600/100_1518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BPqYfZWrcXYV7v0LyJE_1AJG9tf_hlnMpI6wx5creGiLGqE7yzsCVAiBrKX2_MYjcWXwgR229XUB9emReGJDrxwdLUZsM5X6dthP3iYpnNcbt3oVcOdikjbEv58A-S1RrSFuR61lI3Y/s320/100_1518.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Pope Benedict XVI</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The next day (Christmas Eve) Chris and I went back to Saint Peter's Square for Christmas Eve Mass. We didn't have tickets to go inside so we stood outside with thousands of other people and watched Mass on the jumbo screens. I am not Catholic, but my mother is, and I've gone to Catholic Mass with her a few times. It was really interesting to see the traditions and ceremonies that I'd seen so many times being performed by Pope Benedict XVI.<br />
Christmas Day, we went back to Saint Peter's Square to get the Christmas Blessing from Pope Benedict XVI. He gives the blessing in 32 languages. It was an incredible way to spend Christmas.<br />
<br />
I also got to do a little <i>Roman Holiday </i>tour. I absolutly LOVE that movie, so I was really excited when I got to see The Mouth of Truth (but it was closed so I couldn't get a picture with my hand in it). I also ate chocolate gelato on the Spanish Steps, walked around the ruins of the Roman Forum, and threw three coins into the Trevi Fountain! <br />
<br />
There is far too much information and sites to tell you about everything we saw; it is one of the birthplaces of Western civilization after all! I cannot recommend a trip to Rome highly enough. Also, whether or not you are a Catholic or any Christian faith, you must tour Vatican City <br />
<br />
<i>Ciao!</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil18nqcnV8baNkjdwH28oDKLENk4Q3PNSd7HABezdPynu5nkRuCj9k0P4PKrq5xB_Yx7s-SM0YIKKpp0TpGbc-fnonXoTe7s4Fs-LDuxs6uBqLqZY13JYqsXZq-Va-UXmEW4FuHgNRnOo/s1600/000_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil18nqcnV8baNkjdwH28oDKLENk4Q3PNSd7HABezdPynu5nkRuCj9k0P4PKrq5xB_Yx7s-SM0YIKKpp0TpGbc-fnonXoTe7s4Fs-LDuxs6uBqLqZY13JYqsXZq-Va-UXmEW4FuHgNRnOo/s200/000_0017.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Mouth of Truth</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5AwhQsfoOSfgGYnSzUZ7n3TGHVQ8-NIdOUAvq3mOf0e8uOM8pJ8Sb0OSCHKPFHYAYSF6pS_7GnNCqB2BCOoSY75hiKIC7_pBPxso3ZSztEuakMB-Znr2bgDxBeJ8njRksU76Pq4HYak/s1600/100_1169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5AwhQsfoOSfgGYnSzUZ7n3TGHVQ8-NIdOUAvq3mOf0e8uOM8pJ8Sb0OSCHKPFHYAYSF6pS_7GnNCqB2BCOoSY75hiKIC7_pBPxso3ZSztEuakMB-Znr2bgDxBeJ8njRksU76Pq4HYak/s200/100_1169.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Exterior of Colosseum</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhFvaPP7AaowTkeNGQhE1K5lt1-FXeGt-r1yhCtUA1mpOqlMkaFcG_x6ipk53VufuSXP9Wi1CJu8rJE5MjHQ76omhWXIb00myWqTxRMN6zsbucL8sNN6nlhhyphenhyphenjVNaYDgaxXPDT8BM2TU/s1600/100_1253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhFvaPP7AaowTkeNGQhE1K5lt1-FXeGt-r1yhCtUA1mpOqlMkaFcG_x6ipk53VufuSXP9Wi1CJu8rJE5MjHQ76omhWXIb00myWqTxRMN6zsbucL8sNN6nlhhyphenhyphenjVNaYDgaxXPDT8BM2TU/s200/100_1253.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>When these maps were referenced with Google Maps, they were over 80% accurate. Amazing when you think of the lack of technology of the era!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-55852120845420185682012-01-30T09:47:00.000+01:002012-01-30T09:47:49.407+01:00Venice, Italy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4kZBKkrwtvqBmeZyS8xEITK27eN1OIxH9g8mZKX3Wb1WKIKPyUqwo2RYaXWWlBbXF7_iIk-izYWkZ-4cJPAim2nNwexE0SFpob6_eSnzi4ll5-wvEJ8C8-hp5MjB8ETZg9ningk5xyo/s1600/100_0975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4kZBKkrwtvqBmeZyS8xEITK27eN1OIxH9g8mZKX3Wb1WKIKPyUqwo2RYaXWWlBbXF7_iIk-izYWkZ-4cJPAim2nNwexE0SFpob6_eSnzi4ll5-wvEJ8C8-hp5MjB8ETZg9ningk5xyo/s200/100_0975.JPG" width="200" /></a>Vicenza is only about an hour from Venice, so when Chris was done with his meetings, we decided to spend the day in Venice before we headed back to Stuttgart. We stayed in a hotel on the mainland, and took a bus into the city in the morning. Everyone always talks about how dirty Venice is, but I didn't think it was that dirty at all. In fact it was one of the cleanest European cities we have been too thus far. Granted, we didn't go during peak tourist time, which I am sure makes a big difference.<br />
<br />
The only words to describe Venice, are beautiful, romantic, and amazing. I got so many pictures that look like we stepped back in time. And, since we went during an off season time, there were hardly any tourists ruining my pictures!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSlKYEb8PQJ4OqIFFNpCGOiFENuTiTdaSMxC1r2Qh5QjON0n5tcF9Uf6CMgBwaiAWBaMxnjT58JDMzn6ZGGt3Y-hNzLax9yDarIVZFa4LKm17ASfYjZm0Nr7d8emx5-s6G5ZGl3LslaE/s1600/100_1078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSlKYEb8PQJ4OqIFFNpCGOiFENuTiTdaSMxC1r2Qh5QjON0n5tcF9Uf6CMgBwaiAWBaMxnjT58JDMzn6ZGGt3Y-hNzLax9yDarIVZFa4LKm17ASfYjZm0Nr7d8emx5-s6G5ZGl3LslaE/s200/100_1078.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="text">Church of San Barnaba</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="text"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Does the building on the right look familiar? Indiana Jones fans will remember this as the library from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". In reality it is the <span class="text">Church of San Barnaba</span>. In the film, the inside of the library was actually shot in <span class="text"></span><span class="textitalic">Elstree Studios</span><span class="text"> in London, England. Venice is such an amazing city it's easy to understand why so many movies are filmed here (side note, it is also Julia Roberts favorite city. I was secretly wishing I would just happen to run into her while walking around the city).</span><br />
<span class="text"><br />
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVl_9JmrNjFyUNToZ4pOXE7gNlel_slzIzHwmJfVVTPVGgCbk-byDWKbcBDIgknmHzgHDu7oApA01_AP_p3zTctJjtzaELtWsWXqeXkwPGFIeYUfbZf7UBxq9oa5LGAs_06s7LavuNU64/s1600/100_1030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVl_9JmrNjFyUNToZ4pOXE7gNlel_slzIzHwmJfVVTPVGgCbk-byDWKbcBDIgknmHzgHDu7oApA01_AP_p3zTctJjtzaELtWsWXqeXkwPGFIeYUfbZf7UBxq9oa5LGAs_06s7LavuNU64/s200/100_1030.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piazza San Marco</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="text">Piazza San Marco was beautiful, and HUGE. The size of Venice and it's durability is an engineering feat in it's own. Something to really appriciate about Europe is the beautuy and durability of the architecture. They didn't just build a building, they put so many little details into the exterior that you could miss if you weren't paying attention. Once you notice these details, it's as if it changes the building from just a building to a massive piece of artwork.</span><br />
<span class="text"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="text">The people there were very nice (again, I think the fact that we went during an off season helped). The souvonier shops were very reasonably priced, and when paying with cash you could negotiate prices a little. We did read that many shops will up their prices during peak tourist seasons, so be aware if you visit during these times. </span><br />
<span class="text"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="text">Venice is a city I would love to return to, and highly recomend to anyone planning a vacation abroad. Its beauty and atmosphere is to amazing to put into words, it is simply something you have to experience. Enjoy the pictures below!</span><br />
<span class="st"><em>Ciao!</em></span><span class="text"></span><br />
<span class="text"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzxZcKVL3CRlD1PqruJYQ6t9W10ipKX6uoQs2WsKM7sA5NsTY4JIhA7RqQizCId-4PCWHS4InqlOsExqIWsDgFfGeE21ZntRh4NBm5955mKDiiuyvkmEuAU92wC8332JG4PgC_vuU-cs/s1600/Photo+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzxZcKVL3CRlD1PqruJYQ6t9W10ipKX6uoQs2WsKM7sA5NsTY4JIhA7RqQizCId-4PCWHS4InqlOsExqIWsDgFfGeE21ZntRh4NBm5955mKDiiuyvkmEuAU92wC8332JG4PgC_vuU-cs/s200/Photo+19.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A trip to Venice wouldn't be<br />
complete without a Venetian mask!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzcmzA3rS24dAzwCucf6pxAVr53wVbQY6nY_NWF4me5IdJUtyKWvGpKju0t61gkMgT9qF47yXGwCaDJG4aioGcJTVGuUl3i5HCa9-B2ZhA3L_GmWkls99RDlqZ6YKSNGoiaSh4cWXD7c/s1600/100_1006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzcmzA3rS24dAzwCucf6pxAVr53wVbQY6nY_NWF4me5IdJUtyKWvGpKju0t61gkMgT9qF47yXGwCaDJG4aioGcJTVGuUl3i5HCa9-B2ZhA3L_GmWkls99RDlqZ6YKSNGoiaSh4cWXD7c/s200/100_1006.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0rldD1J2BPMR4YVhPgv4d20RB3Y-6BPZmWx8cYupTUACC38AHFEd_n6REahlpUFD-FGq1PYWhm2nBb5U2fI69sHnJB7kCcltTYf8Qi9s-knexA44NzGceAIjauiPFei224BAZ7SSO5o/s1600/100_0989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0rldD1J2BPMR4YVhPgv4d20RB3Y-6BPZmWx8cYupTUACC38AHFEd_n6REahlpUFD-FGq1PYWhm2nBb5U2fI69sHnJB7kCcltTYf8Qi9s-knexA44NzGceAIjauiPFei224BAZ7SSO5o/s200/100_0989.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhAFAfVpVhdtjQfQ7d_bHISmmx0eDWwsvLXyT1zfcpxFMzS5Y7aeBeoK1rXYcRNovltEyyI3XWSrGJ16BGtx3-54TSA8hJuV2hZNxCK0FcTh2KjzL5-RaCWg6q_AhlU_xsDGZJxS07rY/s1600/100_0993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhAFAfVpVhdtjQfQ7d_bHISmmx0eDWwsvLXyT1zfcpxFMzS5Y7aeBeoK1rXYcRNovltEyyI3XWSrGJ16BGtx3-54TSA8hJuV2hZNxCK0FcTh2KjzL5-RaCWg6q_AhlU_xsDGZJxS07rY/s200/100_0993.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5BZTnFZLrldgVFbN_QPYXCJ5amLgTVosiTVZ6fouH452r7AgobI5qwv5OBVNbdrB_3XauUuqUIL9apnaWwcGVtbqVZYRPEHCFQ5zIZLW_MVqY_PpUVoJZkAwtDyN9DQIaJ0Gp3CrLJw/s1600/100_1011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5BZTnFZLrldgVFbN_QPYXCJ5amLgTVosiTVZ6fouH452r7AgobI5qwv5OBVNbdrB_3XauUuqUIL9apnaWwcGVtbqVZYRPEHCFQ5zIZLW_MVqY_PpUVoJZkAwtDyN9DQIaJ0Gp3CrLJw/s200/100_1011.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeGeBjO-M_C-Ah_TtIdnLV74rG4vSo7_8L9zAShaUyoAsjqnew7-gj3oniTInQqw4gs2Q3Wl2X5F4sb8dCpqVLQXSQt9WJgTnejpEOks6hD_52uEbFOnz5TdD3u53YxSjvpJOWdXkhs4/s1600/100_1027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeGeBjO-M_C-Ah_TtIdnLV74rG4vSo7_8L9zAShaUyoAsjqnew7-gj3oniTInQqw4gs2Q3Wl2X5F4sb8dCpqVLQXSQt9WJgTnejpEOks6hD_52uEbFOnz5TdD3u53YxSjvpJOWdXkhs4/s200/100_1027.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwq1eRpKDVUulRBVgcz5hriYd6L_dpDlERvv9knhEE0Ne6x5edmiav9rQA3R5vOHe8xjDz5JtlhOrW1vLsGhNAAbroFzi143aBSF79Yx18VXN8p1nAv8mQxH0sENL7ng3juZJuUrrKxk/s1600/100_1065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwq1eRpKDVUulRBVgcz5hriYd6L_dpDlERvv9knhEE0Ne6x5edmiav9rQA3R5vOHe8xjDz5JtlhOrW1vLsGhNAAbroFzi143aBSF79Yx18VXN8p1nAv8mQxH0sENL7ng3juZJuUrrKxk/s200/100_1065.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-48806514593658287932012-01-23T13:16:00.001+01:002012-01-23T13:18:11.216+01:00Vicenza, Italy One of the great things about being here with Chris, is I get to tag along when he goes somewhere for work. This adventure took us to Vicenza, Italy. We ended up driving, which was a great idea. Even though it was an eight hour drive, it was well worth it. We took a wrong turn somewhere along the way and ended up driving though Switzerland <i>and</i> Austria. Driving through the Alps was the most majestic experience I've had since coming to Europe. The sun was bright and the sky was so clear that it made the snow-capped mountains sparkle as we drove. I switched on the radio, and as we drove out of a tunnel, the sun hit our car and Enya began to flow out of the speakers. I felt like I was in a movie, it was almost too perfect to be true.<br />
<br />
We arrived in Vicenza late in the afternoon. We checked into our hotel and met one of Chris's work colleagues for dinner. One thing we didn't know at the time was the way the Italians do dinner. In Italy, dinner is not just <i>a meal</i>. it's an event in its own. Here is the structure of an Italian meal: <br />
1. <b>Aperitivo</b> - Typically an alcholoic beverage enjoyed as an appetizer usually before a large meal. This could be could be campari, cinzano, prosecco, aperol, spritz, or vermouth.<br />
2. <b>Antipasto</b> "before (the) meal" - a hot or cold appetizer.<br />
3. <b>Primo</b> "first course" - usually consists of a hot dish like pasta, risotto, gnocchi, or soup.<br />
4. <b>Secondo</b> "second course" - the main dish, usually fish or meat.<br />
5. <b>Contorno</b> "side dish" - may be a salad or cooked vegetable, this is served with the Secondo course.<br />
6. <b>Formaggio e frutta</b> "cheese and fruits" - the first dessert.<br />
7. <b>Dolce</b> "sweet" - such as cakes and cookies.<br />
8. <b>Caffè</b> "coffee" - typically a shot of espresso.<br />
9. <b>Digestivo</b> "digestives" - liquors/liqueurs, also known as "coffee killers"<br />
<br />
Dinners typically start at 8:00 in the evening and get over around 10:30-11:00. When we ate out we didn't go for the full traditional meal, we typically just ordered an antipasto and secondo course.<br />
<br />
One day I was on Facebook, and noticed a friend from my old Army Reserves unit in Minnesota was now active duty Army and stationed in Vicenzia! We met up and he showed me around town. He laughed when he saw me with my gold framed aviator sunglasses, "going local eh?" he then pulled out his aviators. It was great to see an old friend!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Italians have a very leisure-like attitude about everything. Buses were <i>never </i>on time, we waited for a bus for over an hour before it came. After living in Germany and using the punctual German public transit, this drove me crazy. When eating out (even though we never did the full courses) would take at least two hours. These are just a few reasons why I think Italy is one of those places that is great to visit on vacation, but would be difficult to live there!<br />
<br />
From Vicenzia, Chris and I headed to Venice before going back to Germany. More on that next time!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-85019494376481639462012-01-10T15:19:00.001+01:002012-01-10T18:27:05.386+01:00Please Mind the GapThe title of this post serves two purposes. One, this post is about our trip to London, England and "Please mind the gap" is something you will here quite frequently if you travel the city via Tube. Two, we went to London over Thanksgiving...<br />
<br />
London was a spectacular trip. We booked our trip through a travel agency that works with the USO (United Service Organization). Had we done a little research before booking the trip we would have gone to London on our own. The bus trip took over 15 hours. To make matters even better, there was a baby aboard and the only way to make her be quiet was if the parents played one of her musical toys. I still can't get "Wheels on the Bus" out of my head.<br />
<br />
We drove through the night and boarded a ferry to get over the English Channel. This was my first ride on a ferry (Riverboat Days in Yankton, SD doesn't count). The trip was really smooth and within about an hour and a half we could see the cliffs of Dover. Dover is a really beautiful little English town.<br />
<br />
Finally, after a couple more hours on the road we arrived in London! We met up with our local tour guide Reginald. He was <i>exactly </i>what I have always pictured an older local Brit would look, talk and act like. He gave us a brief history and explanation of various London landmarks such as the Tower of London, Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and (my personal favorite) Westminster Abbey, where Prince William and Catherine Middleton were married.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38boDSVPu12sfk6beGZicpPhC3C9UQnzq_anxwKWxNktTxyPLQ3ULjE4R87fiSLaOj1_FloYNywEpBWCYU9aUCtDceHSatxZa_KQg8Fr70oybPybwf8gr_38NghAZa4qnISZ2jKWQBMo/s1600/100_0668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38boDSVPu12sfk6beGZicpPhC3C9UQnzq_anxwKWxNktTxyPLQ3ULjE4R87fiSLaOj1_FloYNywEpBWCYU9aUCtDceHSatxZa_KQg8Fr70oybPybwf8gr_38NghAZa4qnISZ2jKWQBMo/s200/100_0668.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me & Boomer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>When we were walking through the park to Buckingham Palace, I saw someone walking around in a mascot costume. When I looked closer I realized it was Boomer Sooner! In case you don't know, I am a BIG Oklahoma Sooner fan. I had to go all the way to London to finally get a picture with Boomer!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTP-U9gBeYyESC-5JVT3nn7eG8cbpJe6dPzx46nPnBvZjQckLDnKMlOQW_86vvQQiM4oeibDVS4f4epIcWlMLpQIttCJ-NyRMyZXvJ9jm9fkPNmCbEchtH-_nQV8t6ZXF_5ud3BGpmMQ/s1600/100_0677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTP-U9gBeYyESC-5JVT3nn7eG8cbpJe6dPzx46nPnBvZjQckLDnKMlOQW_86vvQQiM4oeibDVS4f4epIcWlMLpQIttCJ-NyRMyZXvJ9jm9fkPNmCbEchtH-_nQV8t6ZXF_5ud3BGpmMQ/s200/100_0677.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>We visited London when the Turkish Prime Minister was visiting the Queen, so the street leading up to Buckingham Palace were lined with huge Union Flags and Turkish Flags. The Queen was home, we knew this because her personal flag was flying above Buckingham palace. We didn't see her though, and I made Chris go back to the palace twice with me, hoping I might be in the right place at the right time!<br />
<br />
We ended up ditching the tour group and did our own thing. Our hotel was pretty far from London proper, but the Tube (London Underground, the train system) was great. for about £7 you can get an all day pass and ride the Tube as much as you want. I believe it also worked on the buses, but we didn't go on any buses.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pF50bnaUJ_q24bCRAK3jffEfKzeYGuaQSBKCI7N6YVhx0DGMJpvKiLPHGcAJs642sokRX777O315a-_OokDT_7HeGBWSFsXEIbVAc4q163S6xAioFXDw3vzd3Ez7BGf1Us7DX9upGDs/s1600/100_0733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pF50bnaUJ_q24bCRAK3jffEfKzeYGuaQSBKCI7N6YVhx0DGMJpvKiLPHGcAJs642sokRX777O315a-_OokDT_7HeGBWSFsXEIbVAc4q163S6xAioFXDw3vzd3Ez7BGf1Us7DX9upGDs/s200/100_0733.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>For those of you who don't know, I am a pretty big nerd. I kept it in the closet so to speak for quite a while, then I met Chris and it all came out. With that said, Chris and I did the coolest thing in London... we went to the <a href="http://www.doctorwhoexperience.com/" target="_blank">Doctor Who Experience</a>!!! It was SO fun! I am a huge <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who" target="_blank">Doctor Who</a> fan. We went on an "adventure" with the 11th Doctor, took a "ride" in the TARDIS, almost get exterminated by a Dalek, and almost attacked by Weeping Angels. At the end of the adventure we walked through a museum of props, costumes, and bits of various sets from the show. It was great!<br />
<br />
After the Doctor Who Experience, we walked to Knightsbridge and checked out all the shops. We took a walk through <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrods" target="_blank">Harrods</a>, which was madness with people Christmas shopping. Downstairs there is a Diana and Dodi memorial that Dodi's father, Mohamed Al-Fayed had commissioned. <br />
<br />
Something that I thought was really neat was most museums in London are free. They do have a sign suggesting a freewill donation of around £5. We walked through the National Gallery and the British Museum during our visit to London.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeFuIuGc61Jh89oiNyezKJ_V9wBcqewyTRaIUNlqBxkdUjECHHv1J0nNP6IQHgWXpFjKjfo8EdxKND-I0u9bGZQEPhPs0fktZWBBd_5OS8s9z9nTbFhtWbQ3gb9LRyXHkoD6SMe3v9sE/s1600/100_0804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeFuIuGc61Jh89oiNyezKJ_V9wBcqewyTRaIUNlqBxkdUjECHHv1J0nNP6IQHgWXpFjKjfo8EdxKND-I0u9bGZQEPhPs0fktZWBBd_5OS8s9z9nTbFhtWbQ3gb9LRyXHkoD6SMe3v9sE/s200/100_0804.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
We also went to Platform 9¾ at Knights Cross Station. I didn't believe Chris that it actually existed, silly me! We had a hard time finding it at first, so Chris went up to a station worker to ask. I thought to myself "oh this is a little embarrassing" but the station worker didn't even blink an eye and directed us right to it! I guess I forgot how popular Harry Potter was!<br />
<br />
Since we can't get Jammie Dodgers in Germany (or back home in the States for that matter) Chris bought 10 or 12 packages of Jammie Dodgers at a shop. You may think that's overkill, but we've had to ration them out since we got back to Germany!<br />
<br />
<br />
Chris and I agreed we have to go back, there was just too much to see in such a little amount of time!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-21249078437719399382011-11-20T17:19:00.000+01:002011-11-20T17:19:59.590+01:00Dogs, Dogs, Everywhere! Europeans love their dogs. It isn't uncommon to walk through a department store and see someone toting a dog. Dogs of all sizes are allowed in pretty much any public area except grocery stores or indoor markets where food is sitting out. <br />
<br />
Yesterday, Chris and I went into Louis Vuitton, and one of the women shopping had her Yellow Labrador with her. I found this very amusing. This woman was dressed <i>very</i> chic, and here she had this big clumsy looking Yellow Lab instead of your typical little designer dog. He was so cute, but he did look a little out of place among the €1.500<i> </i>handbags and shoes <i>(<b>side note:</b> </i><i>Europeans use a . instead of a , to separate the thousands, and a , as a . such as €39,99. It can get confusing)</i>. Every time his owner would stop to look at something, he would sit down and scratch his ear with his back paw, I think he was a bit bored with shopping. I tried to imagine bringing my Chocolate Lab, Zoe, into Louis Vuitton. I don't think my hyper farm dog would have been as well behaved!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-23855365046006254412011-11-17T10:08:00.029+01:002011-11-18T21:31:05.288+01:00Strasbourg, France Last weekend Chris and I took the (what was supposed to be) hour and forty-five minute drive to Strasbourg, France, but the Autobahn was one big stau (traffic jam). I think it ended up taking three hours just to get to the French border, but it was worth it. France is such a beautiful country.<span class="st"> The first thing we saw were rows of picturesque cottages in many colors, but they all seemed to coordinate with each other. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="st"> It's really odd when traveling within the European Union, we thought we would get passport stamps with every country we'd go to, but there is no checkpoint of any sort at the country borders. We've been to three countries and still don't have a single stamp from this journey in our passports!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="st"> France, like every other European country has <i>very</i> narrow city streets. Sometimes I wish we would have gotten a Smart car instead of our BMW. The BMW is shorter than my Dodge Stratus back home, but sometimes it feels like we are driving around in a Suburban!</span><br />
<span class="st">When we finally found our hotel for the night, we had to park in an eight floor parking ramp. Each floor had only enough space for six or seven cars, and there was only one lane to use for cars leaving and entering the parking ramp; it was madness. I held my breath the whole time.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QlQ2pmflZPu_3muWUe4MvS9KopnoJx5dLRuoxMNlm_hQsb-Q7XrBSn4lgLQfaIjiNS7hrDC6UEH3JHtqRTubHjckAd9UhgbkDaYMkFvGoHeQGHgidUtH2kVWt_QCPeiRWW06LyFYSPs/s1600/100_0531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QlQ2pmflZPu_3muWUe4MvS9KopnoJx5dLRuoxMNlm_hQsb-Q7XrBSn4lgLQfaIjiNS7hrDC6UEH3JHtqRTubHjckAd9UhgbkDaYMkFvGoHeQGHgidUtH2kVWt_QCPeiRWW06LyFYSPs/s200/100_0531.JPG" width="150" /></a><span class="st"> The hotel's website made the rooms look really chic and modern... not exactly the case when we actually arrived. The room was tiny, had two twin beds, a 13 inch television mounted in the corner of the room like a hospital waiting room, and bathroom/shower that was the size of my closet back home. It was GREAT! Chris and I couldn't stop laughing for about a half hour! I was actually happy it wasn't a perfect room, it was more fun this way! </span><br />
<br />
<span class="st"> Since we got to Strasbourg on </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_Day" target="_blank">Armistice Day</a>, pretty much everything was closed. There were a few department stores open and dining places, so we wandered around a bit, bought roasted chestnuts (amazing by the way), and found a place to eat dinner. The waiter talked Chris into getting this stew that was something they were well known for and I got roast beef with potatoes (very French, I know, but it was recommended). We also order escargot as an appetizer. The escargot was delicious! Chris kept second guessing his choice of stew the entire time we were waiting for our meal, but when it finally came he realized it wasn't like stew back home. It was a huge bowl of meat and vegetables with a little broth. They cooked the stew with the bone in to add to the flavor. He couldn't finish it! My meal was great too, the beef was tender and had this amazing sauce drizzled all over it, I can't even begin to describe it.<br />
<br />
Soon after our meal we went back to the hotel to get some rest. The next day we woke up fairly early and went downstairs for breakfast. It was so cute how the hotel had breakfast set up, there was a fresh squeezed orange juice (yes you read that right, fresh squeezed, no Tropicana here!), baguette and croissant at every setting. The French know how to do breakfast, it was so delicious.<br />
<br />
We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city. There was a huge flea market going on, so we checked that out and got a little Christmas shopping out of the way. Strasbourg is such a pretty place, and the people there were very warm and welcoming. I took only one year of French in college, but I was surprised at how much I could remember. Most people there spoke French and German, but we got along just fine with our French phrase book. When people realized we weren't fluent in French, they would try to communicate in any English they knew, while we would try in the little French we knew, and the combo worked.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCWegml-dYdVqCGW7fYTTiOUibjWD6Dzq8Yf6xmHBXQHernm7gljzhxABbGpX2cuKfYatOQkftyB9I7BwQNk_XdMHuIIihzaNPoYzFIgYZq3rr8-qzPhdalL1YCPeWR_jbl6-gvEmBYE/s1600/100_0554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EVQmpkWwyVejxB9-D92Y96Ul1s1h6wg84LHCk35nhkTlJuc0uaqCmw_Utao9f179KRN5mlBjo8UEkAdgwzyUfWtwZ-y5Zg8aI4FKBz-xO6jrypN4GIK1Xrg9x10zuuiOFu6W2VN_6pY/s1600/100_0543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EVQmpkWwyVejxB9-D92Y96Ul1s1h6wg84LHCk35nhkTlJuc0uaqCmw_Utao9f179KRN5mlBjo8UEkAdgwzyUfWtwZ-y5Zg8aI4FKBz-xO6jrypN4GIK1Xrg9x10zuuiOFu6W2VN_6pY/s200/100_0543.JPG" width="150" /></a><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCWegml-dYdVqCGW7fYTTiOUibjWD6Dzq8Yf6xmHBXQHernm7gljzhxABbGpX2cuKfYatOQkftyB9I7BwQNk_XdMHuIIihzaNPoYzFIgYZq3rr8-qzPhdalL1YCPeWR_jbl6-gvEmBYE/s200/100_0554.JPG" width="150" /></div> The <a href="http://www.strasbourg.com/content.php?id_content=78&type=0:monuments:" target="_blank">Strasbourg Cathedral</a> is a beautiful piece of architectural art. You could stare at the intricate exterior for hours and still find something new. Majestic is the only word I can think of to describe it. I got chills every time we would walk by it or hear the bells in distance.<br />
<br />
Since we are only about two hours (if we leave at the right time of day to avoid the staus!) we will definitely be returning to Strasbourg. It's a nice little vacation at the end of a long week! It would also be a great place to take any visitors (hint hint)!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-38621837315141594042011-11-09T12:34:00.000+01:002011-11-09T12:34:57.834+01:00AmsterdamOn Saturday November 5th, Chris and I went on a USO (<a href="http://www.uso.org/">United Service Organizations</a>) tour to Amsterdam, Netherlands. The bus left Saturday at 12:30 AM and we arrived around 8:00 AM. Our tour guide took us through a quick walking tour of a part of the city, then we went to the <span id="goog_567273348"></span><a href="http://www.annefrank.org/" target="_blank">Anne Frank Museum</a><span id="goog_567273349"> . We actually walked through the building where the Frank family, the van Pels family, and Fritz Pfeffer, lived while in hiding. As I walked through the hiding place, I was suprised at the size of it. While it was definitely small for the number of people living together, it was bigger than I had pictured in my mind. Throughout the building there were quotes from Anne's diary, some were happy, some sad, and some were so insightful for a young girl to write. I had an enormous lump in my throat throughout the tour. When you stop and thin about what these people went through for so long, what awaited them in the end, I can't imagine living that way. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="goog_567273349">After the Anne Frank House, we had the rest of the day to explore Amsterdam. It is such a neat city! Cobblestone streets, the department stores in 200 year old buildings, the crazy bicyclists, everything had so much character.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="goog_567273349">We made it to the <a href="http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?page=101&lang=en" target="_blank">Vincent Van Gogh Museum</a>. I have loved Van Gogh </span>for as long as I can remember. I still remember the first time I saw "Starry Night". The way Van Gogh uses colors and shapes is so interesting and beautiful, he could make the most usual object come to life and move you in a way you never thought possible (my personal favorite is "<a href="http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?page=1576&collection=1297&lang=en" target="_blank">A Pair of Shoes</a>").<br />
<br />
As soon as we made it into the museum (tip: go to the Diamond Museum across the street and get the prepaid tickets for the Van Gogh museum, it will save you a good 45 minutes to an hour of waiting in line), I got that lump in my throat again. Here I was, standing inches from works of art I thought I would only ever dream about seeing. It was incredible. I could get right up to the painting and see the strokes Van Gogh had painted. I could have spent hours in there.<br />
<br />
After the Van Gogh Museum, Chris and I wandered around the rest of the city, we found an art school that was having an exhibit on the art of computer hacking, so of course Chris went through that! I personally didn't understand most of it, but he really enjoyed it.<br />
<br />
We had a really great trip, and I would love to see more of the Netherlands!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-47300391013759970472011-11-07T12:13:00.000+01:002011-11-07T12:13:25.091+01:00Laundry Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1MOQzJz9TTbaTYwMJ4hg5h4riu-EeU489HYXDgsDwcAz9T18FuW810V6JJ27IJlC7HgYhOpUcjliNpaDnBjCw21IML8ZIp_8i2xTLyOjy8kiI48ZtkYMVOMrzuk8x_-XXR4huePviSE/s1600/100_0419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTMJEuYj22j71JP-XQVPVu7Ges6LaTQRSLeATBx62JcdzgieX21AVhQ1pB4YM_gRABkyQcQd2e3VfAVevE9Zy94pJGppG-w7tKokjrayrzsQHleYmbPgeHChZUmSMXADQSMlhDusXmDM/s1600/100_0422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTMJEuYj22j71JP-XQVPVu7Ges6LaTQRSLeATBx62JcdzgieX21AVhQ1pB4YM_gRABkyQcQd2e3VfAVevE9Zy94pJGppG-w7tKokjrayrzsQHleYmbPgeHChZUmSMXADQSMlhDusXmDM/s200/100_0422.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKUHN8dZLStbwdGgpffzupcxhlHyGywcstVviNXu3V4FnBTjt3kCLoHhZueJu8ICONfWqTurbhCideAtaYjBOfbyGLaG-HZGUlw25uh2a8qo8MLD6tg89sRE1rUSCUjXaZObTl-SrES8/s1600/100_0424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKUHN8dZLStbwdGgpffzupcxhlHyGywcstVviNXu3V4FnBTjt3kCLoHhZueJu8ICONfWqTurbhCideAtaYjBOfbyGLaG-HZGUlw25uh2a8qo8MLD6tg89sRE1rUSCUjXaZObTl-SrES8/s200/100_0424.JPG" width="200" /></a>Today my big adventure was doing laundry. How difficult could that be you ask? Well I spent a good chunk of my morning with Google Translate and pictures of the of the washing machine/dryer trying to figure out what cycles were what. I finally get it figured out, wrote it down everything, and think I'm ready. But when I get there, I can't find the start button! I started pushing random buttons and eventually the water started running. I probably shouldn't have used Chris's dress shirts for my trial run. Oh I hope this turns out!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-67719505694869240902011-11-01T23:37:00.000+01:002011-11-01T23:37:29.371+01:00Driving<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvfogYA54JK9ZrviplpJS5_gETtohx9firOiyttFfxFzNQKusCZeKVedScwzBsGOut7rUlkmgl_YOBqxzyUgmjiwVw_hUGdvtgpnheKl_PnCAFE9Pw4tiA5-8i_UNEnsBB77v-0O2Yh4/s1600/priority-road-traffic-sign-clip-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvfogYA54JK9ZrviplpJS5_gETtohx9firOiyttFfxFzNQKusCZeKVedScwzBsGOut7rUlkmgl_YOBqxzyUgmjiwVw_hUGdvtgpnheKl_PnCAFE9Pw4tiA5-8i_UNEnsBB77v-0O2Yh4/s200/priority-road-traffic-sign-clip-art.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Priority Road Sign</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Not too much happened today, I drove to the commissary to get a few groceries. I am still a little ify about driving here, especially with a manual car. Also, Germany has so many signs! And the right-of-way seems a little odd to me sometimes.You <b>really</b> have to pay attention to all the signs. The one that always gets me is the Priority Road sign (see left). It makes sense, the sign helps people know who has the right-of-way when coming up to a main road (hence, Priority), but when you're already a bit nervous about driving in a foreign country it doesn't seem to be that easy! The stoplights seem to be in odd places too, I am stopped at a red light (behind the line) I have to twist my head around to so I can see the light. Also, there is no right-on-red. It is a green arrow light instead. Every time I get in the car to drive somewhere I say a little prayer to get there safely! I'm sure in no time I will be driving like one of the crazy Europeans here, I guess that is kind of a warning to my friends back home!<br />
<br />
<b>Auf Wiedersehen!</b>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-75262247209301776742011-10-31T15:36:00.000+01:002011-10-31T21:42:41.625+01:00Different Little ObservationsHere is a little list of things that I've noticed about German culture:<br />
<ul><li>Elderly people (like 75+) riding bicycles all over the city.</li>
<li>Cloth seats in BMWs and Mercedes.</li>
<li>No matter what age, people are generally very tidy.</li>
<li>When at a cafe, people clean up after themselves by sweeping the crumbs that may have fallen on the table on to their saucers and bring their dirty dishes to the counter.</li>
<li>Separate duvet covers. I guess this is so no one is stealing the blankets from the other person!</li>
<li>Traffic lights go to yellow at any change. Yellow to red, and yellow to green. When driving a manual car, I have noticed that this transition really helps!</li>
<li>Much of Germany was destroyed during WWII. When they rebuilt the cities, they kept the original look instead of tearing it all down and making all buildings look more "modern".</li>
<li>And of course, the narrow streets!</li>
</ul>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3946401722203256283.post-56103306444065065692011-10-31T15:09:00.000+01:002011-10-31T15:09:57.641+01:0017 October 2011 - I'm really in Europe!I had just off the U-Bahn (one of the German public transportation trains), and decided to get a cup of coffee. I stood outside enjoying my cup (German coffee is amazing, no need to get espresso) I could hear a faint accordion in the background, I almost didn't hear it. It was as if it was a song playing the soundtrack of my day in my head. When I finished my coffee, I headed to my destination. As I walked down the steps to the underground walkway, the accordion music slowly got louder and louder. There was the musician, he was playing to a nearly empty arena, with a smile on his face.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016548420696340861noreply@blogger.com0