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