Viva Italia

On the heels of The Wedding Blog, and only 9 months after the actual trip, comes...The Honeymoon Blog!  Many people choose to go to a beach for their Honeymoon and just relax.  That sounded very nice, but it's been my dream since I was young to visit the land of (half of) my ancestors, and Mike is 100% Italiano, so he was down for a trip through Italy. We both had certain areas we wanted to visit, most of them being in the north.  So we flew into Milan, and took trains to Como, Venice, Florence, and Rome. I'll break this down like the last entry, due to issues of longness.

(Also, FYI, we literally ate gelato every single day of our trip.)

Lake Como
-We are extremely tired from our layover in (extremely cold) Dublin, so after traveling from the Milan airport to the Milan train station, we wander around in our sleep deprived state, trying to figure out which train would take us to Como.  Since Como isn't a huge city, it isn't clearly stated on any of the tickets.  We finally make it there safely, after falling asleep over and over in the train. 

Mike's Jet Lag Face

-We get to the amazingly gorgeous hotel, and basically drop dead for awhile.

-After our nap, we wander around in the small city area, then we eat what Mike calls "The Best Dinner Ever".

-The lake surrounds us on our wanderings and if we look really hard, we can see the Alps in the distance.

We have about 100 pictures that look like this.

-The next morning, we get up and take a "Battello" or Slow Boat around Lake Como, stopping at the town of Bellagio.  A nice leisurely boat ride around a beautiful lake is perfect for our jet lag. 

-In Bellagio we mistakenly think we see George Clooney's house, eat some prosciutto with melon, and take some inappropriate pictures outside a church.

Not George Clooney's house

Seriously, this is what Italians eat for EVERY MEAL.

Let's face it, a caption really is not necessary for this picture...

-Seeing all the steps leading directly to the lake, I bitterly regret not bringing my bathing suit to Bellagio. 

-We "Slow Boat" it back to our side of Como and buy some wine in a little shop. (If you go to Europe, go to the little shops, they sell such interesting things!)  We then proceed to our hotel room to get drunk on wine in plastic cups and pass out again.

Venice
-After getting semi-lost on the walk back to the Como train station, we finally make it onto a train to Venice.  Since Como is small, there is ample seating on the train.
-Even though I kinda want to nap, we inadvertently make friends with 4 Kiwis who are traveling around Europe.  They are super patient with me as I talk about everything I know about New Zealand, which includes Xena, Peter Jackson, and Flight of the Concords and nothing else.
-We arrive in Venice in about 2 hours and immediately see tons of people and water.  We figure out the Vaporetto (Water Bus) situation, and take a ride to our hotel, via the water!

 -I quickly realize I absolutely love this city.  No cars anywhere and the streets are small mazes that sometimes end in water.  I feel like I am transported into Medieval times, and it's awesome.

The majestic Grand Canal

-We find our hotel in a maze of Carnivale shops and church "campos".  It is small and smells a bit moldy, but we don't plan on spending much time there.  By this time our jet lag is nonexistent.

The view from our hotel

-Since we bought a 48 hour unlimited Vaporetto ticket, we decide to get back on and see the sights cheaply. It is basically like a subway with regular stops at certain parts of Venice, but along the way we can see all of the buildings along the Grand Canal.  The city is very small (due to the no-car thing), so we get off and wander around until we find the restaurant we picked out of our guidebook earlier.

This one was my favorite.

-It is closed, due to Siesta, so we wait on the street, wondering if this guy will fall:

He must have medical insurance.

Stupid Siesta

-When it opens, we go in and are placed next to nice French people, who we try to communicate with, but they don't speak English and we don't speak French.  We also stare at this guy a lot:

Look at that mustache!

-We eat a great meal and go back to our hotel, where we change for our outing to the Venice Casino.
-The casino has odd energy, like it's an exclusive club for old Italian men.  We don't feel welcome, so we take a few pictures and leave quickly.

We kept hearing music in this room but couldn't tell where it was coming from...

Curasi.  Michael Curasi.

-The next day, I am feeling extremely run down.  But we have plans to see Piazza San Marco, the most famous area of Venice, where all the museums are, so I suck it up and go.

The Campanile

-We sight see like crazy people, going inside The Correr Museum, The Doge's Palace, and St. Mark's Basilica.  By this time I realize I am actually sick, since I have to sit down every 2 minutes.  I also realize how much Mike appreciates art, which is much more than I do.  I like it!  But he LOVES it.

I was leaning on anything I could, as long as security wasn't watching.

-After our sightseeing adventures, we decide to try "Chicchetti" or finger foods for dinner.  The place we go has great reviews from our book, but it's dead inside.  Apparently there is some music festival over in the St. Mark's area, so nobody is around.  We get wonderful service, and after the owners find out we are from New York, they run around yelling "Sleepy Hollow" and then do Limoncello shots with us.  It is great.

-Now we are full and drunk, and decide to see what the fuss is about with the music scene at St. Mark's.  But since we are drunk, we try to get there without a map (the streets are a maze; you NEED a map in Venice). Instead of being frustrating, it was FUN.  I fell in love with a random church, and Mike had a great time himself.

I loved it for the lions.

-We finally get there and see live orchestras every 50 feet or so in the piazza area.  There are people dancing, singing, and throwing glowing things around, and it is beautiful.  We make our way to a cafe, order drinks, listen to a band play, then find our drunken way back to the hotel again. It is the best night of our whole trip.

He was so drunk he couldn't tell where the music was coming from.

-The next morning before we leave, I am determined to find a mask I want to buy.  I had been visiting every (reputable) mask shop in Venice, and I refused to leave the city without a genuine Venician Carnivale mask.  So I finally find the perfect one, and we buy it and head out towards Florence.

And now it floats around our apartment, frightening us.

Bologna
 -Our train to Florence has an hour stop in Bologna, home to some of the best food in Italy. (And also home to dead bodies that Michaelangelo and DaVinci experimented with...but that's a different story) So we leave the train station and walk along until we find a cute piazza to eat lunch in.  We don't get to see much of the city, but my lunch is amazing and Mike gets to tell off a couple of rude gypsy bums.

I kinda look like a gypsy bum, myself.

Florence
-We finally get to Florence, after a quite awkward crowded train ride.  The city is beautiful, and I'm happy to be in the home of the Renaissance Period.

-We get to our hotel, and I, almost immediately, hit my head on a window.  This is documented with great precision by my new husband.  I am still sick at this point, so I'll blame that.

He took like 5 pictures of this from different angles...

-I am greatly relieved by the non moldy smell of the hotel.  Regardless, we force the desk clerk to make reservations for us at a great restaurant (Quattro Leone, I believe) and we head out.
-We get some gelato, turn a corner, and a live orchestra is suddenly standing there in front of the Medici Palazzo, playing this song, which makes us feel very important.  There is a lot of live music in Florence.

-We get to the restaurant, and promptly meet an older couple from Long Island.  We talk to them for most of the night.  I also order extremely rare Bistecca alla Fiorentino, which is AMAZING:

Over 2lbs of white chianina ox meat

-After the restaurant, we walk along the Arno and Mike spikes my fear of heights when he jumps onto one of the pillars along the side.  By doing that, he also befriended a bunch of British girls sitting on the pillar.

Not pictured: 4 British girls ducking out of the way at Mike's crotch-height

-The next morning, we set out for more museums.  Since it is a Monday, the most famous museums, the Accedmiea Galleria and the Uffizi Gallery, are closed.  Mike is disappointed, but we got to go into the Duomo and it's Museo, as well as the Bapistry, and there are famous statues all over that damn city anyway.

One of my favorite random statues.

-I really want to visit Dante's home, so we head there.  It is disappointing, but I like the artwork:

 -Mike finds great strength within himself to try a tripe sandwich on the street near Dante's house.  It is fitting, because it was probably the most hellish thing he has ever eaten.  I tried a tiny piece, but I couldn't handle it.

Hell in a hand basket.

-We hear a rumor about a wonderous view atop a giant hillside at the further end of the city.  We attempt to take a bus there, but even though I am now speaking marvelous Italian "Mi scuzi, dove comprare battaglio de autobus?" we can't seem to find the bus.  So we walk allll the way up the hill. Mike is acting like a drill sergeant with me, since I can barely make it.  He seems to forget that I am STILL SICK, but he forced me onward to the top.

You try walking up this hill in 90 degree weather with a cold.

-It is worth it.  The view is beautiful, and we get to see (another) statue of David.  But I can't walk allll the way back to the city.  Luckily there are cabbies waiting there, and we get one back to the hotel.

The Duomo in the distance makes a great hat.

David is always watching.

-Mike is raring for more historical monument action, but I am completely wiped out, so I stay at the hotel while he climbs the Duomo.

Bose's new earbud ad campaign.

-We go out for a truffled pasta dinner, and then call it a night.

Rome
-The next morning, we get up early and head to the train station for our last destination.  We take a non-memorable train ride to Rome, the biggest city on our tour.
-We get to the city, and it reminds us both of NYC.  Lots of traffic, people, and buildings right next to each other.  But it has one thing NYC does not have: ancient ruins.  Everywhere.

And horses.

-We get to our tiny hotel with no AC, set our stuff down, and pretty much head right out to the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill.
-After figuring out the 2 subway lines in Rome, we arrive at one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

I love playing in ancient ruins

-I fall in love with the Colosseum, even though I run into actress Erika Christensen and a bunch of view hogging model wannabes there.  We don't actually get to go to the Forum, but we can see it from the Colosseum and Palatine Hill.

That's Erika in the purple shirt.

-The trees are spectacular.  I feel vaguely like I am in Africa for a minute.

- We head over to the oldest "church" ever, the Pantheon.  Mike loves it due to the oldness.  I love it due to the giant "oculus" in the ceiling, which is completely open.

 -We wander some more, eat some pizza, and then go to the Spanish Steps/Trevi Fountain area.  I try to find the "monster house" that can be seen from the Spanish Steps, but I just end up taking pictures of some random ugly house.

Not the "Monster House".

-Exhausted, we go back to our hotel for the night.
-The next day, we decide to take a subway to the "Boca De Veritas" (Mouth of Truth), which can be seen in a variety of films.  The church next to it is creepy, and across the way there is a beautiful random columned building.

Insert your favorite "Roman Holiday" quote here.

-From there, we walk (I am feeling much better at this time) alllll the way across the Tiber River, through Trastavere, through some park with badass statues, to Vatican City.

Yes, she is holding a gun AND a baby.

St. Peter's Basilica

-We are tired of doing this whole sight seeing thing on our own by this time, so we pay a very chipper British woman to join her tour group.  Which is a good idea, since the Vatican Museum is HUGE, and we would never be able to see everything.

-We see a good deal of the Vatican Museum, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel.  No pictures are allowed in the Sistine Chapel, but it was a one of a kind experience that we'll never forget.

Another one of my favorite statues.

Mike went insane over seeing The Pieta.

 -We go back to Rome, eat some really bad gnocchi (it's apparently hard to find good Roman food), buy cannoli, and call it a night.

-The next morning we fly back to Dublin, then on to NYC to live normal lives again.