Tropical Italy

We are leaving Sorrento and heading to Rome today. Sorrento was gorgeous and very different from the rest of the Italian country we have seen so far on our journies. Very tropical and warm.

The first day it rained, but we were so exhausted that it was nice to relax, get massages at the spa, read, and regroup. We were shocked at the immodesty of the women here, especially in the spa. Oh MY GOSH!!! It would have been uncomfortable, but wasnt because everyone else was naked too!!! Again, what happens in Sorrento, stays in Sorrento.

It was supposed to rain yesterday, but God heard our prayers and the sun was bright and shining when we woke up. We headed to Capri (CAP ri our pronounciations were corrected constantly) and hiked up the hill, took the chair rail to the very top of the island, and collected sea glass on the rocky coast.

At night we enjoyed the local lemoncello and Cuban cigars while Kara dominated Phase Ten.

Love, love, love it here. We are so sad to leave but are looking forward to Rome and the beauty and history it represents.

Ciao!!!

Madonna and Child over-kill....

Warning- this key board is strange in Sorrento, so forgive the horrible typing job! And the spell check isnt working!

People warned us that we will be eating tons of great food. We werent sure what to expect but let me tell you, the food has met and exceeded our expectations! Venice food was great although expensive- one dinner cost over $200 bucks...Florence food was OK, but Siena food is to DIE for. Pictures to come of each dish because I know you all want to see- cant find my camera cord!

Kara and I were glad to leave Florence behind in a way. We hit one too many museums in our 2 day trip in down town. We were quite in-appropriate towards the end of our tours- the boys were mega embarrassed at our 6th grade humor of the Statue of David. We enjoyed the historical aspects but after staring at the Madonna with Child in five million different poses, we were ready to move on. We were anticipating Tuscany to relax and drink lots of wine, specifically Chianti.

We arrived in Siena at our gorgeous villa. We shared an apartment with a kitchen in between us. Lovely setting up on a hill, will gorgeous grounds and to our surprise a fresh sea water infinity pool. We were starving when we arrived around 6 or so and headed out with our handy GPS- her name not disclosed- to find a restaurant that Antonio- the cute italian receptionist- recommended. After getting lost for an hour or so and sensing some frustration from Hayes who was driving, we stumbled upon a quaint restaurant in an alley. The menu was in all Italian with no English subtitles, so we knew were were in for a surprise when each dish arrived. This is were we all had the best meals of our lives. Seriously. We found out later that all the recipes are from the owners Grandmother.

The first full day in Siena we slept in. We enjoyed shopping for breakfast at a local grocery store. After gathering a few Italian goodies, we went back to enjoy our breakfast in our private courtyard. Then we were off to explore some castles and the gorgeous landscape of Tuscany. We felt like we were looking at the scenes from the Barnes and Noble calenders that they sell at Christmas every year. Stunning and almost emotional views. After exploring a few small villages and the town of Radda in Chianti, we again started the adventure of finding another resaturant to eat at. After many attempts, we went back to OUR restaurant that we ate at the previous night and were treated as regulars. Again, the food did not disappoint. Sat there for hours, with Kara and I sharing in-appropriate stories that the guys were shocked and embarrased about. Not sure why they are still shocked after all these years. Hmmm....

Arrived in Sorrento, our resort hotel on the southern coast. We are looking forward to some beach time and some sappy Nicholas Sparks love novels. Hopefully the sun will come out soon- rain is in the forecast. Boo.

We will post pics soon of our Siena adventures. There are plenty of good ones you will all enjoy.

Thanks for reading. We look forward to sharing our Italian stories with you. We will leave the in-appropriate details of those stories with Siena.

Caoi!

E and K

Shower caps and tubs....

We woke up yesterday morning refreshed and sad that our Venice (our fav and only part of Italy that we've visited thus far) part of the trip is over. Hayes is feeling better and was up for an early-morning gondola ride. Amazing. Whoever said that you could skip that part of Venice is crazy.

We caught the 1:00 train to Florence and were introduced to the horribly organized public transportation system. Our Phase Ten game was rudely interrupted by Italians whose seats we had mistakenly taken over. Whoops! We then had to find new seats as ours were being taken and felt it too rude to do the same to someone else. Ahhh...we've learned our lesson.

We arrived at our hotel around 4:30. No siesta that day (sad!). Matt and Emily love their bathroom (sense the sarcasm) because there is no shower...just a giant tub with a spicket. Hilarious. Kara offered to switch, Hayes vetoed that decision. Kara now understands why she belongs here: there are shower caps available, just like shampoo for everyone else!!! No hair washing needed.

Today we've been exploring Florence. Hiked up Mt. Michelangelo to see the view of the entire city. Breath-taking. Going to the must-see basilica's and to the much-anticipated market as the boys go enjoy "Beer and Books". They are very excited.

We leave for Sienna tomorrow evening (Hayes and Matt are discussing which one of them will be driving and putting our lives at risk) and can't wait for the wine tastings and relaxing siestas once we arrive there. Ciao ya'll!

The most romantic moment...lunch for breakfast...and a visit from the doctor...

On day two in Italy we've decided that we should have named our blog "I like SIESTA'S and I cannot lie" because today we did as the Venetians do: started with an Italian breakfast feast with salami, prosciutto and cappuccinos (Emily had scrambled eggs and banana yogurt - so adventurous of her!). Next we toured the Doge Palace, which was the highlight of Venice so far. We also took advantage of our 24 hour water taxi passes and branched out past St. Mark's and really got lost (on purpose). We pretended that we were locals, calling out "Graci!" and "Bounjurno!" every chance we got...I highly doubt that we fooled anyone. Came back to the hotel for a 3 hour siesta, and went back out exploring for the perfect dinner.

Hayes unfortunately did not join us on our travels today. He woke up with a 101 fever and was visited by the local doctor who gave him medicine for his "tonsillitis". Poor Hayes slept the day away, but is starting to feel better now. Only Hayes would this happen to (hasn't been sick in over a year). Please pray for his recovery and that he doesn't contaminate the rest of us. In an attempt to liven his spirits, we came home and told him that the Palace was dumpy, the gelato freezer-burnt and the weather horridly cold and snowy. (See photo below of Hayes' appearance during our dinner)

Our plan for tomorrow is to squeeze in a gondola ride and head to Tuscany on a 3-hour train ride. We were thinking how sad it was that the minute we began to feel comfortable here, we have to move on. Maybe we should just stay permanently.

Much love to you all! Thanks for following, we feel mucho amore (whatever that means...)

E & K

P.S. We came across the most romantic moment of our lives tonight and have to share. This is what Diane Lane movies are made for: We were crossing a bridge after dinner (they eat dinner here at 8) and hear this beautiful live music coming from below us. There was a perfect-looking couple being serenaded by a singer and his guitarist while being whisked away in a gondola (and yes, they were making out as all Italians do). Love it here!!!!

Getting lost IS fun...

We arrived in Venice this morning at 9:30 and lost Wednesday's night sleep, but have had no time to think about our sleep deprevation because it is TRUE: Italy is better than the movies, (minus Diane Lane's gorgeous hair and hot boyfriend). We spent our first few hours touring the Grande Canal and getting lost in the maze that they call Venice. Loved the live Frank Sinatra music in St. Mark's square, feeding the pigeons, sharing gelatos, and fighting over bills. We are thrilled to be here as we keep reminding ourselves that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's time for bed (8:30 here...2:30 in New England) and we're exhausted! Please stay tuned through our journeys. We're continuing our tours of the historic museums and palaces, and then finishing with a sunset gondola ride tomorrow!!! We leave for Tuscany on Sunday. Love to you all! Ciao!

Em & Kara