Back in the USA!

All has gone well thus far and we are back in the US, in Philadelphia. Everyone has found food locations and most have checked in with family. It's around midnight Italy time, but naps on the plane helped out. Hopefully everyone will be alive tomorrow morning!

Final night in Capri and Rome

Morning on Capri came grey, windy, and with a writhing sea. The wind and heavy whitecaps meant a boat tour was out of the question. We decided to pack up and head back to Rome on an earlier train to enjoy one last afternoon and it turned out even the medium-sized ferry was shut down due to the weather! Fortunately, the big ferry was still in operation and right on our schedule. Another Naples cab ride and a short wait for a delayed train brought us back to Hotel Piemonte around 3pm. The kid favorite Piazza Navona drew them in once more while St. Peters Square beckoned me for a quick sketch. We met up at Barbablu for one final, carefully planned, delicious dinner. Baylor wore his prized Barbablu shirt, much to the enjoyment of the staff. He says he "feels like part of the Barbablu family now". One last wandering around the area and everyone is already in bed, dreading a looong day of travel tomorrow. It's been a wonderful trip!

Another day in Capri

View from Marina Piccola









We started the day with hopes of heading out on a boat tour, but the choppy water prevented that. We woke up late and headed off to the Anacapri chairlift up to the very top of the island. The views are astounding, with full panorama. Back in the main piazza, Ms Vogt asked around and found the lone Capri penny machine!

We then proceeded down to Capri-town and on to Marina Piccola, the small harbor on the south side of the island. We grabbed lunch and ventured out onto a trail walk, only to be foiled by the windy conditions, forcing a closed trail. Instead, we climbed back to Capri-town, spending time to buy souvenirs. Ms Vogt and I decided to go find the lone soccer field we had noticed from the heights, spending an hour on the walk.

We came back to the B&B just in time for sunset, napped/rested, and then headed into town for dinner and the Napoli soccer game. Our first stop had no space in front of the TV (reserved) and only had lunch/bar food, so we moved on and found a much better option that had two TVs and "real food". Napoli is the "home team" around here, due to proximity, and they sounded stomped Cagliari 6-2. A brief night on the town followed, with an hour of live music, mostly disco hits. Sadly, Saturday night is disco-dancing night.

Now it's rest/bed time before a day of boating (hopefully) and travel back to Rome.

Above is a picture of Capri from the dock where we caught our ferry. The next picture is the amphitheater in Pompei. 

Here are a few pictures/views in Pompei. The sun finally came out and it was a beautiful site. 

 Here are tired kids after a tour and hike through Pompei. We learned a lot ! Below are the ruins when we first walked in.

YAY!

Update from Capri

Wireless Internet isn't functional at the moment in our bed and breakfast, so this update comes from the iPhone.

We woke around 9am, high on the Isle of Capri. It was another overcast day, with choppy seas, preventing us from taking a boat your around the island. We decided to head for Sorrento and then on to Pompei, planning out the careful ferry timing. A bus down the cliffs of the island, a ferry to Sorrento, and the Circumvesuvienza Train to Pompei Scavi took almost 2.5 hours all together. It's Festa Della Donna day in Italy, which turns out to be International Women's Day. This doesn't mean a whole lot other than lots of women with flowers, dinner gatherings, and most importantly, free entry for the ladies into the Pompei ruins! We also saved E$20 by starting just after 1:30, allowing our tour guide to give us a discount.

Lorenzo, our guide, was great. He has been giving tours of Pompei since he was 17, and is certified in English, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese. He is also working on Arabic, Japanese, and Hebrew! He lives 7 months of the year in New York City, married a girl from South Carolina, and asked if we are from Alabama when he noticed Baylor's Auburn hat. He definitely made a great tour. We learned lots of cool things about store fronts, the illumination, sanitation, drainage, home ownership, baths, brothels, and life in general at the time. Pompei is amazing. It's truly a step back in time and you can almost see life as it may have happened. The preserved buildings, furniture, pottery, mosaics, and frescoes tell stories. My favorite part was the theater, which probably fit 3000 or more people, as well as a half size theater next door.

After Pompei, we grabbed a quick bite outside (not TOO terribly priced) and reversed our train, ferry, bus process back to Anacapri. We stopped in Sorrento for an hour to wander town. We were all pretty exhausted from the travel today! Fortunately, dinner was solid and settled us all down for a while.

Currently, the kids are watching Borat (she has quite a movie collection here) while the adults read and update journals. Tomorrow has been decreed a "late day", probably followed by a lazy day on Capri. Saturday morning looks like the best boat tour time, so we may do that before heading back to Rome.

Today was filled with both very intense moments and very relaxing moments. We started off early to catch a train toward Napoli (Naples). We had to ride backwards on the train but it didn't seem to bother anyone. Once there, Mr. Schaffer decided that we would have time to fine the lone penny machine. We sent the kids on a taxi towards the ferry port (Molo Beverello). This left us 45 minutes to collect the pennies and meet the kids at the port. Mr. Schaffer got out his map and we were on our way. Naples is a very busy and crazy place. I am glad we did not walk (with our luggage) the entire way to the port-- this was the original plan. The streets are very small and it can be difficult to tell where you are. We went a bit too far and had to head back the way we came (30 mins to go). We finally arrived at the street where the machine was suppose to be located (25 mins to go).We were surrounded by souvenirs of all kinds. About half way down the road, my keen penny machine senses KICKED IN and I spotted the machine. Luckily, the owner of the shop closest to the machine was standing at his door and gladly exchanged 10 cents for five 2 cent coins (20 mins to go). It was the quickest smushing event in history!!!! We were quickly on our way to hunt for a cab. After walking a quarter mile (or so) we found one (15 mins to go). He had to pull off the main street to pick us up and it took him a while to get back to the main street (11 mins to go). Once he made it back on the main street it went pretty smoothly. We could see the port but he had to go past it and do a U-turn because we couldn't pull in from our side of the road (7 mins to go). We shoved money his way, jumped out and ran to the ticket area (5 mins to go). We saw the kids waiting at port 7- the one our ferry was to leave from. We bought tickets, got our luggage and loaded it on.. (whewwww 4 mins to go). We found seats and rested as we journeyed across to Capri!

Once on Capri, things began to slow down : D. We collected our bags and took a taxi up to Anacapri, where we would be staying. Roads here are scaaary, and we all panicked at oncoming traffic, looming cliffs, crazy scooter drivers, and ridiculous U-turns several times. We met the owner of the bed and breakfast- Luciana. She was very welcoming, offering us peanuts, drinks (her own freshly made lemonade), and a list of things to do while staying. We rested there for a while, enjoying the nice balcony and fresh air. Once we had a plan we set out towards Capri. Buses are much easier here than Rome, but much scarier because of the extremely narrow roads. In Capri we did a long hike around one side of the island. We saw these amazing rock structures, mountains in the distance, and the sun setting behind the city.  The pictures throughout this post are just a few of the fabulous views. Shops close early here-- sometimes 3:30 but at least by 5:00. We had some time to spare between our hike and dinner (which begins promptly at 7:00) so we just walked around Capri and Anacapri to fill time. Right at 7:00 the restaurants opened back up so we ventured in to one for dinner. We all enjoyed our dinner--- nothing like Barbablu but still excellent food.

 We enjoyed another adventurous day in Rome. We explored Vatican city- where we ate the best gelato yet- and more of Rome. I (with the help of Mr. Schaffer) was able to collect 9 more pennies today! Here are some pictures from today.

Saint Peter's at twilight from the Ponte Umberto.

 Looking out over the city after a 500 step climb to the top of Saint Peter's Basilica! Mr Schaffer always knows where everything is, pointing out the Colosseum in the distance or a hill we climbed by bike.

Best crepes in town! We had two of the meat/cheese/tomato types, plus a Nutella and strawberry jam.

The climb up to the top. One lady had some serious issues at the top, asking for a doctor. Fortunately, we are young (other than Mr Schaffer!) and in shape.

Best Night Yet!

Tonight we went to Barbablu for yet another fantastic meal of gnocchi, bruschette, lasagna, steak, etc. It was great to connect with the owner, our favorite member of the Barbablu staff, Giorgio. The past two nights we have joked about how much I love the Barbablu waiter shirts that feature the restauraunt's emblem, a ship. After finishing off our tiramisu and our lemon-strawberry italian ice desserts, I posed for a picture with Giorgio. Meanwhile, without my noticing, Tschaffe asked the waiter about bringing me a shirt. After I sat back down, the waiters seemed to be whispering about something and next thing I knew they were bringing me a shirt! I was extremely surprised and even more excited about getting it and wearing it makes me feel like even more of a part of the Barbablu family. (It's even more appreciated due to the minimal amount of clothing at my disposal) Everything here is fantastic, other highlights include a great tour guide taking us through the Vatican, the view from the top of the Vatican, and a relaxing late lunch in piazza Navona. This is the trip of a lifetime.

-Baylor

Pictures from today

After a long nap, we ventured off to Barbablu in the rain. A 40 minute wait left us starving. It was unusual because no one else was in line, and not a single group came after us!

We gorged ourselves, and it was completely worth it!

Attached are some pictures of St Peters during the bike tour and on top of the Circus Maximus.

Exhausted again, but in a great way

Wakeup came at 7:15 and everyone was ready for breakfast by 7:45. Standard fare of assorted breads, meat/cheese, yogurt, nutella, hot tea or juice. Baylor was skeptical of his yogurt at first, but then declared it the best he'd ever had.

We hit the road and walked south to reach our bike tour meeting point. Once everyone was given a bike and a helmet, we got a quick rule session and then rode off into Rome. We followed an almost identical path as last year: Trajan Baths, Domus Aurea, Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Aventine Hill, Tiberina, Trastavere, Gianiculum Hill, Saint Peter's Square/Vatican, Castel Sant'Angelo, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Campidoglio, the ancient theater, Colosseum again, and a return to the start. Some good hills and a solid workout all around. We stopped for gelato an hour in, then a quick bite of lunch at the Pantheon. This didn't stop us from a second round of munching and gelato later as well!

After the bike tour, we found a bus back to Piazza Navona and spent an hour or so. Baylor and Sarah Ashleigh purchased paintings, KVogt bought some small pictures, and TSchaff attempted some sketches. Then we moved on to the Trevi Fountain, and then to the Spanish Steps. Sarah Ashleigh was looking like she would barely make it the last leg. After some time at the Steps, we sent the kids on the 175 bus back to Termini where they headed to the hotel. Where did the adults go?!

Penny Collecting
As some may know, Ms Vogt is an avid crushed-penny collector. Before the trip, we mapped out all the penny crushing stations in Rome. During the bike tour, we found her first Rome penny machine at the Pantheon (complete with video!). We found another at Piazza Navona on our second stop. This inspired us to search for other convenient ones! There were two between Trevi and the Steps. Some have repeat prints, but most are unique. Thus far, all have been outside the green-topped newstands. We heard (online) that a machine near the Colosseum had a penny collecting book as well, so with the kids on a direct route home, we found an alternate route to the Colosseum to track it down. We found the machine, but no book nearby (says the grumpy vendor who wouldn't give us change). In fact, there were TWO machines at this location, so we scrounged up some change to make it happen. That late in the day, everyone seems grumpier and reluctant to give change, so it was awkward. Another bus ride back to the main road, then some stair climbing, a race to keep up with a bus stopping ahead that would take us home, and another walk from Termini to the hotel have left us worn out too.

Wesley and Baylor are currently sleeping. Sarah Ashleigh hooked into the wifi to chat with her mom. Barbablu round 2 is up next, followed by who knows what after! Time for me to catch a nap also.

Keep your fingers crossed that our lost luggage appears. I bought a t-shirt today. No Targets or Walmarts around to find socks and underwear- just fancy designer stores in this town!

Exhausted and ready for tomorrow

What a day. I don't fully know what day of the week it really is. After a shuttle to our hotel, we moved into our rooms for a little while and then headed out to Barbablu, the restaurant of choice from Spring Break 2011. Baylor still had their business card from last year and we remembered exactly how to get there. Gnocchi, pasta, veal, steak, pizza, and of course tiramisu! We shall return there again.

We hauled our leftover pizza back to the rooms, attempted to find a karaoke joint (they are closed on Sunday, "because everyone is sad the weekend is over" says our host), and ended up taking a bus down to Campo di Fiori. Gelato, a long walk through the night including the Tiber, a race up the south steps of the monument to Vittorio Emmanuel (won by the old guy!), the Ancient Forum and Colosseum by night, and a long walk home (with another gelato stop for Baylor on the way). We are winding down and ready to get some sleep before the bike tour tomorrow!

Baylor's gelato list:
1. Banana, Nutella, and Tiramisu
2. Banana, Mango, Lemon

Please, no more airports, ever again!

Well, everyone is here and alive. But Baylor's and my bags are lost in the world somewhere. I suspect they got to Amsterdam, but didn't make the final step since we weren't on the flight. Sigh. We missed the soccer game, but we are all at least happy to be here. Currently, we are waiting (again!) for our car driver to take us into town.

Ah! Two more passengers and off we go! Barbablu and bed are on the agenda.

Waiting game

Baylor and I arrived in Rome with no problems recently. Heathrow is a mess of lines and security and walking and changing terminals, but we got to our gate midway through boarding. Arrival in Rome was easy, and customs was 3 seconds and a stamp. We got excited to see an arrival from Amsterdam 40 minutes early, but it wasn't our crew. We had to change terminals and are now waiting outside their baggage claim. I have already arranged a van to take us to the hotel and then on to the Stadio. I fear the soccer game starts in 10 minutes, but hopefully will get to see some!

All 5 on board!

After some more (short) delays with plane #2, Baylor and I are mounted up. Next stop for us- London. A new country for Baylor! We are getting there, slowly but surely.

Three on board

KVogt, Sarah Asleigh, and Wesley are on board their flight to Amsterdam. No physical tickets for the third leg, but we have assurances they have confirmed seats that USAir isn't able to print.

Baylor and I await our flight to Heathrow, leaving in 25 minutes.

What's an adventure without some hiccups?

One flight down, two to go

We have arrived in Philadelphia. Not 2 minutes after we touched down and I got a phone call from USAir working on our flight plans. The Amsterdam flight is overbooked, so Baylor and I are headed to London-Heathrow, while SarahA, Wesley, and KVogt are going to Amsterdam. Fortunately, the London route gets in almost the same time and we should be ok to make soccer on time!

Hurray for adventures.

I love airports!

And it's a good thing, because it looks like we will be spending plenty of time in them! Our flight to Philadelphia is significantly delayed, enough so that we will miss our flight to Rome. We have spent an hour at the Nashville counter as they try to find us a path to Rome. It looks like we will go through Amsterdam, but we don't have guaranteed seats, or even boarding passes for the third leg!

Hopefully we will arrive in Rome in time for the soccer game.

Spring Break 2012!

After drama at nearly every turn, Spring Break 2012 is almost upon us! We have three students and two faculty going this year. We will be flying to Rome on March 3 and staying in Rome for three days. On the agenda is a Roma-Lazio soccer game (I'm hoping tickets go as planned, since they are being delivered to the hotel!), a bike tour, time at the Vatican, plenty of wandering the piazzas, and dinner(s) at Barbablu! On March 7 we will head to Naples and a ferry to Capri for 3 nights. One day will be a boat tour of the island, and the second day will be an excursion back to Naples, Pompeii, and Vesuvius. One final night in Rome before the return trip on March 11. Here we go!