The Italian life.

Whew!!  We have been baking in the hot Italian sun since 8:00 this morning... I've seen the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Roman Forum today.  I learned so much, but my favorite part of this day has been this evening.  Ally and I decided that we've been running ourselves ragged since we came to this country.  So today, after our tour of ancient Rome, we decided to live like real Italians.  We found ourselves a cafe and sat there for hours, talking, laughing, drinking, eating and most of all...people watching!!  When we left the cafe we decided to go home and de-sweatify and in the fashion of my grandma Joyce...get all dolled up.  There's nothing that a shower, a dress, some makeup and some heels can't cure.

Now we're sitting here on the rooftop terrace of our hotel  drinking a bottle of wine in our finery, waiting for someone to ask us to dinner!...Just kidding...kind of...

Guess what!  Our fabulous coach driver, Richard, just asked us to accompany him to his favorite restaurant here.  The heels are working Grandma!!  So, buona serra signores e signoras, we're going out in Rome for a night on the town.  Ciao ciao!!

                                                                            Peace, Love, and Travel
                                                                            Reba

Cool subway graffiti.  It spanned the entire length of the train.

First glance at the monster.

All of the youngin's waiting in the shade for the tour to begin.

A masterpiece.

It's huge!

I wish I could have seen it in it's former glory.

Ruins at the Forum.

Constantine's Arch.

Inside the dome of the Pantheon.

This is how Italians do their iced coffee.

All dolled up!!

The Vatican.

Allyson and I may have been a teensy bit "dehydrated" on our drive into Rome this morning. Thankfully we had some time to sleep on the bus before a hot day in the city.

When we arrived we grabbed some lunch at a local joint where the owner sat with us and told us stories in his broken english as we tried out our laughable Italian on his ears. When we met back up with the group we got on the subway and headed towards the Vatican City.  The Vatican Museum, while filled with beautiful and ancient relics and artifacts, was not my cup of tea.  I'm used to the heat, but I am not used to the heat with no air conditioning and hundreds of sweaty, nasty tourists crammed up against one another trying to get a look at a statue with no arms or head...also...the pope closed the Sistine Chapel for the two days that we'll be in Rome...so...awesome...only got to see it in pictures...cool...why even go through the museum if you don't get to see the crowned jewel of the collection!?...*breathe* *breathe* *I'm a willow, moving in the breeze...*

My angst was heavily rewarded, however, when we left the museum to walk to St. Peter's Basilica.  I've never experienced anything like it.  I was moved from the very depths of my soul.  Now, I'm a cryer...as we all know very well.  I cry when confronted with the unmistakable and unmatched beauty and creativity of my God.  This place had his handprint all over it.  From the inscription on the inside of the dome, letting Peter know that he would build his church on the rock (Peter himself), to the rays of sun streaming in through the highest windows and onto the alter below...today, I saw God, and he saw me, and smiled back.

A vespers service was going on in the church this evening.  It's kind of like a concert prayer.  The choir was worshiping through music tonight and I got to sit through the service and listen to masterpieces like Handel's Messiah in St. Peter's church.  It was a religious experience. Robin, I don't know if you're reading but you were constantly on my mind tonight as I listened and watched.  I wished you could have been sitting next to me.

I left the Vatican City feeling full and light.  We got into a taxi and headed to dinner and then walked off our pizza and gelato by finding and making wishes in the Trevi Fountain!  I know my wish will come true.  I think it's already starting to.

                                                                         Peace, Love, and Travel,
                                                                         Reba

Just one of the beautiful hallways in the Vatican Museum.

HALLELUJAH!!  HALLELUJAH!!  HALLELUJAH!!

Just before the Vesper's Service, in front of St. Peter's alter.

I can't get enough of the God light!!

Standing in the courtyard of St. Peter's in front of the Obelisk.

Break dancer in the Piazza Della Rotunda.

Woo Hoo!!  Taking a drink from a public fountain in Rome!!! It's so cold and refreshing!

Oh. Dio. Mio.  I am really standing in front of the Trevi Fountain!!  It's more beautiful than I could have dreamed!

I made a big wish. Right hand over left shoulder.

Zwei Bruders making their wishes.

Florence at its finest.

We had a free day to explore Florence today, and explore we did!!  Ally and I pried ourselves out of bed at around 7:30, even though our alarms had been set for 7:00...it was difficult to wake up when we didn't have the threat of the bus leaving us...

However, we had our hearts set on climbing the dome of the duomo and then climbing the bell tower.  We aren't working out at all on this trip but we did climb over 1,000 steps today in the 96 degree Italian sun, so...I think we're doing okay.  What gorgeous views we breathed in today.  I took pictures, but it won't be the same for you.  There's no way to capture what we saw this morning on our climb.  Part of it was the climb itself.  At one point I let Ally know that my personal hell would be climbing down an endless set of spiral stairs in the dark with no railing...which was exactly what we did during part of  our climb today.

After the bell tower we set out for the market, where you can buy fresh food for your lunch.  We purchased a pesto cheese and some focaccia bread, along with some cherries, strawberries, and raspberries.  It was the best lunch we've had!  Then we went out to the market square.  You can buy anything there, from scarves to bags, to t-shirts, to jewelry!!  I purchased two pairs of FABULOUS Italian shoes, and a long flowy skirt that I'll be able to wear at the Vatican.

We went to the Uffizi Museum this afternoon and saw many of the great Renaissance master pieces of art.  It was awe inspiring and I wished I could have taken pictures!!  Unfortunately...this tour was guided and I couldn't sneak any good pics like I normally do!!  We saw original Botticelli's, works from Michelangelo, and Leonardo Davinci!  It was a very impressive museum.

On our way home Ally and I stopped to rest our poor feet and have some dinner.  We may or may not have polished off two bottles of wine in the process.  When we arrived back at our room we threw open the windows and sang out the window to the streets below, then we gathered some of our family members at the rooftop terrace and shared another bottle of wine on our last night in Florence.  It was a magical evening that I'll not soon forget.  I'm so looking forward to Rome tomorrow...and also wearing my new, hot pink, Italian leather heels at some point!

                                                                           Peace, Love, and Travel,
                                                                           Reba

This fountain sits in the Piazza Della Signoria.  I'm giving the Italian hand gesture for "watch your back," because Neptune looks like he's about to kick some ass.

Waiting in line to climb the dome!

The homestretch...by this point we had already climbed about 450 stairs.

MADE IT!!

Next, we set out to climb this beauty!  The bell tower.

View of where we had just been (the balcony at the top of the dome) from the top of the bell tower.

Jesus, sitting in the final judgement.  This is the fresco on the underside of the dome.

It's a beautiful yet terrifying scene complete with the devil eating a small child and someone in hell getting their spinal cord ripped out...yikes!

Just one of the many veggie stands at the market.

Mmm mmm mmm!

Farm fresh lunch.

Ally bought this beautiful leather jacket!  The owner of the shop took us all the way back to the stock room so she could hand pick the exact one she wanted!!

Big bill...big pen...

We got Lemonchello for free after dinner!  People keep doing that to us...

Gorgeous view of the Duomo as the sun sets in Florence. 

Singing out of the hotel window to the passer-byes below!

Free concert for the plebeians!!

New boots!!  Rodeo, here we come.

New heels!! Jessica will be so happy!!

Family time!

David, David, David!!!

Oh, my ya'll!  I'm in Florence and I can NOT stop singing "Light in the Piazza" at the top of my lungs!!  It's hot here.  Just as hot as Texas.  I love it!  Too much…the other tour members are getting a little worried.  They think it's dehydration that I'm suffering from as I sing loudly in the street squares, but I know it's just this place.  I love Italy.  So much more than I ever thought I could.  I feel at home.

When we arrived we went out to see the Baptistry doors and the Duomo (Cathedral - literally, dome in Italian).  Tomorrow, Ally and I plan on waking up early and climbing to the top of the Duomo on our free morning!  

Then we walked over to the The Accedemia to see none other than the man himself!  Oh, David!!!  Oh, David, David, David!!  

Michaelangelo's, David stands an impressive 17 feet tall in the middle of Florence's Academy of Fine Arts.  You are not supposed to take pictures of him…at all.  How else would the gift shop make its money!?  However, I knew from the start that David's perfection would be my most favorite thing about this city and I was not disappointed…at all.  I stood gap jawed and in total awe of his beautiful form.  I fell in love for what seems like the 18th time on this trip and knew that, at all costs, I had to have a picture of my own to take home…it just so happens that I got one…a couple actually…before I was caught by a rowdy old Italian woman and almost had my camera confiscated!!  "Mi dispiace, mi dispiace!! (I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!)"  I yelled back at her as I ran away…I had been hiding behind a column to take the shots so they're not that great…but I got them!  I should really think about applying for a position at the C.I.A.

After The Accedemia we took a lovely stroll down to a local restaurant to have a family dinner.  Ally and I split a liter of wine…dio mio... which caused me to sing even louder than I had been earlier in the day.  We're staying at a beautiful, and very centrally located hotel in Florence called Hotel California, and yes, we all sang a very rousing rendition of the Eagles famous hit by the same name before disembarking from our coach.  

A cold shower is in order.  It's been a very hot and adrenaline filled day!  Ciao ciao!!

                                                                                             Peace, Love and Travel,

                                                                                             Reba

The Duomo.  I should have better pics of her tomorrow.

The doors to the baptistry.  A feat of Renaissance artistry.

A different vantage point of the Duomo.  You can see just a bit of the dome that Ally and I will climb tomorrow morning!!

My man, David.

Little closer...incase you didn't get it the first time...perfection.

The Last Supper, according to Andy Warhol.

David's modern and slightly more...ahem...colorful brother...David.

The liter!

Family time.  With Lawrence and our real life David in the background.

Ally enjoying dessert.

It was good to the last bite!