Max meets Rose, Mango, and 2 sea otters

As Bro soaks up the rays under the sweet Hawaiian sun with Dr. Cousin and Attorney Cousin, I started pet-sitting Max today.

Unfortunately, I picked him up a little late today. Thankfully, he didn't experience heat-stroke or anything. I brought him back to our place and this time, he didn't take any naps (that was a first). With every visit, he gets more and more comfortable.

Today, he crept into our bedroom several times. Unfortunately, our bedroom door doesn't stay tightly shut so with a little nudge from a moist nose, he can mosey on in. Earlier, I caught him staring at my Hello Kitty for like 2 minutes before I broke his focus. Another time, he got within a few inches of my sea turtle, Mango, before I caught him. The last time, he got to the other side of our bed and was about to pounce on my sea otters!

I guess it doesn't help that our mattress is on the floor right now so my stuffed animals are within his eye-level...(Note: I'm planning to buy a platform bed frame for our new mattress when I get my first paycheck in a few weeks!)

Before he left, he sat in my lap while I sat in a dining chair, and he stared at my turtle for practically 5 minutes. He was so intent on figuring out what she was that a few times, he almost fell out of my lap. My turtle was asleep so she didn't move at all. A few moments later, I got up so he was on the floor. Lil F started moving in her tank and Max kept getting on his hindlegs and scratching the tank stand to catch a glimpse of my 3-pound green mass.

We'll see what adventures he gets into tomorrow...!

Happy birthday, Kristin!

“The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.”

When I was (much) younger, this quote was forwarded to me. For whatever sentimental reason, I have kept it ever since and think of it often when I meet someone who is that “best kind of friend.”

I know I am blessed to have Kristin as this “best kind of friend.” Sometimes I think I am a broken record when I say this, but it just goes to show that I really mean it. She has always been and continues to be an inspiration to me. Today, I thought about how much has transpired since her last birthday, and I am again amazed by her strength, tenacity, wisdom, maturity, and genuine joie de vivre.

The best way that I can sum up how I feel about her is simply that I love her.

Happy birthday, BSILF. I wish you all the best.

Home Sweet Home from Europe

Throughout our entire trip, I have been paranoid about waking up late so every night before I went to bed, I checked my iPhone alarm obsessive-compulsively, counting and recounting the time difference to make sure that my alarm at 8:30 PM really meant I was waking up at 5:30 AM. (I am so glad I brought my iPhone because there were no alarm clocks in any of the hotels that we stayed at.)

Of course on the last day, I totally slacked off. Hubby woke up around 4 AM and couldn’t sleep but I dozed back asleep. Next thing I know, Hubby says, “Hunny, it’s 5:50! Weren’t you supposed to wake up at 5:30?” Good thing he woke up to wake me up otherwise we would have missed our shuttle and flight home!

We rushed to get ready and were downstairs by 6:30, waiting for our shuttle. I was really relieved because not only did we get to the lobby in time, I even had time to run into the breakfast room to grab a big slice of the delicious marble pound cake.

Our shuttle ride was about 20 minutes to the Rome Fiumicino Airport. Since we were about an hour and a half early, we walked around and checked out the duty-free shops. Since we all boarded a little late, our flight took off a little later than scheduled. We didn’t sweat it since we had a 2.5 hour layover in New York. However, we were anxious to get our 9 hour flight going.

The flight from Rome to New York wasn’t as bad as Los Angeles to London, but it was still bad enough for me to have to get up a few times to stretch out before my legs cramped up. We had our last taste of Italy for our meals – pasta and pizza.

We landed at JFK and immediately went through customs. When we got to the area, we saw a long line and both groaned. That's when we saw that the long line was for the first-class and business-class passengers...and the line for us regular passengers was super short! Customs was a breeze; it took between 5 - 10 minutes (waiting and being cleared). The bummer was that when we landed in JFK, we immediately found out that our flight home was delayed an hour and a half, so we now had about 3.5 hours to kill. Not enough time for us to head out and explore but too much time to sit around in an airport. We killed off almost an hour just making phone calls but after that we sat for a little bit. That's when we had this conversation:

Hubby: What snacks do you have?
Me: Toblerone, cookies, and this orange.
Hubby: Um...Where did you get that orange?
Me: At breakfast this morning...
Hubby: What? At the hotel?

(As in, the hotel in Rome?)

Me: Yup...[gasp] Oh no! I smuggled fruit in from a foreign country??
Hubby: Yes, you douche!
Me: What should I do? Can I eat it right now?
Hubby: No! Go throw it away right now!

So I sadly did.

We were supposed to board at 4:20 PM to depart at 5 PM. We literally stood by the gate for more than an hour before they finally let us get on at 5:40 PM! By then, the majority of us passengers were in a real funk. Poor Hubby had to sit in the middle seat for both flights (he always gives me the aisle or window seat, even before he knew that I sometimes get claustrophobic). Instead of getting home at 7:15, we got home close to 10 PM.

We were especially excited to be greeted not just by my brother, but FBIL and Max, too! As a welcome home meal, we stopped by In-N-Out.

All in all, we had a wonderful trip but we were definitely glad to be home sweet home…with our turtle! 

Europe: Rome (Non-Tour Day)

Since our tour is officially over today, I told Hubby several times yesterday that 1) I was going to sleep in (for the first time on our trip) and 2) I was going to have a hearty continental buffet breakfast. I woke up earlier than Hubby so I quickly got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast to ensure I had enough time to enjoy my breakfast.

I didn’t want to wake Hubby but was secretly hoping he would join me for breakfast. He ended finding me in the middle of breakfast and said, "Gees, I went looking all over for you and then I remembered that you would probably still be eating. Next time, you have to leave me a note or something!" The thing is, he doesn't read my notes anyways and really, where else would I be when there is free yummy continental breakfast buffet?

(The marble cake on the top right of my plate got my favorite vote.)

Afterward, we went back upstairs to start packing and organizing our luggage before heading out to explore. All the stores that we were interested in visiting were still closed for Ferragosto. Since Hubby had been eyeing the McDonald's on the corner, we stopped in there. It was so crowded because it was lunchtime, so we walked next door to the gelateria that the funny Canadian couple had recommended (3 scoops for 2.5 Euros!). Right when we got there, the people were saying that it was closed and would re-open at 7 PM. Richard had told us that in Europe, places close down in the middle of the day because they can for no apparent rhyme or reason (to the public).

We went across the street to the patisserie that I had been eyeing, where I got a delicious cookie “sandwich” that had nutella or some chocolatey-goodness in the middle and dipped on the bottom of the top cookie.

(Top right corner, second cookie from the right on the top shelf.)

We went back to McDonald’s for lunch around noon or so. Christian ordered from the take-out window and got a Big Mac, criss-cut fries, and a Coca-Cola with the special Collector's Edition glass.

"Give me the #1 please...No curly fries right now? Okay, criss-cut fries."

I also got an ice-cream cone. I couldn’t help but laugh at myself while I alternated between eating my delicious cookie in my left hand and licking my refreshing ice-cream in my right hand, as we walked across busy intersections back to the hotel. I felt like a 5 year-old. A very happy 5 year-old.


When we got back to the hotel, we ate outside on their benches and walked to the end of the parking lot where there was a trail but decided that it was too warm/hot so we went inside, and I e-mailed our family some updates. After that, we went upstairs and took a nap.

For dinner, we ate at il Chiostro in the hotel, since we had 10% off the bill and two welcome drinks. We both ordered two pints of Kronen beer. Hubby ordered Pizza Margherita (tomato and mozzarella cheese pizza), I ordered, Ravioli ai Quattro Formaggi (ravioli with cheese sauce), and we shared Caprese Salad (tomatoes with mozzarella cheese and basil). Hubby's pizza had the most tomato sauce out of all the pizzas we have eaten. Afterward, we went back to the gelateria to get 3 scoops in a waffle cone each. The mint chocolate chip was delicious! Hubby's favorite was something called Skoky. We had no idea what it was when we ordered it, but it turned out to be something like vanilla, peanut butter, and fudge.


By then, I was full beyond comfort. We ended up going back to the hotel, e-mailing some more, and then turning in early since we were being picked up between 6:30 – 6:45 AM. All in all, we had a relaxing, peaceful last full day in Rome.

As they say, leave on a high note, right?

Europe: Rome (Ostia Antica, St. Peter's Basilica, & the Colosseum)

We started off the morning with a huge breakfast spread in the Ballroom of Palazzo Carpegna. Before we left for our morning tour, we asked to upgrade to the Superior Room for an additional 30 Euros per night. We figured, why not splurge for our last leg? (Not that we haven’t spent enough additional cash). The benefits are: a bigger room, extensive vanity kit stuff (lotion! No European hotel that we have been to offered lotion; some didn’t even give hair conditioner. In addition: shaver, toothbrush, nail file, Kenju spa collection shampoo and conditioner), free wifi, two welcome drink vouchers, and 10% off eating at the hotel restaurant.

We met up around 8 AM with our local tour guide, Amelia, to go to Ostia Antica, an optional tour that wasn’t on our original optional schedule. Richard put this tour together mainly because today is Ferragosto, an Italian holiday where everything is closed and Italians get some serious R&R. We really didn’t have much of a choice, unless we wanted to sleep in. We chose to go on it because Hubby is so fascinated by history and ancient ruins.

It’s ridiculous how quickly it heated up. We got to Ostia Antica around 8:30 AM and began our tour. We walked on cobblestones laid centuries ago. I was impressed that our tour guide, a lady probably in her 60s, led us through the 100 degree weather in 2.5 inch wedge sandals. Although the heat was brutal, it was neat to see the ancient ruins and just how advanced the Romans were centuries ago. We saw where saunas and bath houses were first created. We saw where business stores used to be and how they were distinguished. How you recognize what the store's specialty was by looking at the mosaics on the floor (that are still apparent today).

One mosaic we saw was of a whale...which meant that the business owner was in charge of the imports that came through the docks. It was both awe-inspiring yet surreal to imagine what took place right in front of us – bath houses, stores, condos, saunas, and even restrooms. We also walked onto the theatre stage for a brief minute before we had to walk “off stage” and go around (there was a concert that was being set up there so we had to move).

(Left top clockwise: ruins, mosaic "map," Hubby climbing the "seats" of the theatre, ancient restrooms, ancient sauna, the theatre stage.)

Our tour ended around 10 AM at the coffee shop, where there were also two doggies, but we weren’t allowed to touch them. Of course some of our tour mates didn't see the sign and tried to pet them anyways. Hubby, ever the rule-abider, made sure I wasn't even within a three yards of them, lest my self-control be recklessly uninhibited. (Hence my distant shot of one of them.)


After that, we went back to the hotel to pick up the rest of the group to continue on our regularly scheduled tour. We went to St. Peter’s Basilica, but before we went in, we had 45 minutes to shop and eat. Hubby went right to business shopping for rosaries in Savelli Mosaic Art Gallery. The really cool thing is that they were all “generally blessed,” but since we left them there to be delivered to our hotel, they were personally blessed by the Pope. While he was shopping, I went up to the second level to buy postage. The four postage stamps were of the Vatican (City). Although the Vatican City is its own city-state/nation, not all the other countries recognize it as its own country, so I had to be sure I mail it within Rome or else it would be null.

After lunch, we stood in the sweltering sun for about 20 minutes to get into St. Peters Basilica. I thought I was going to pass out since I was wearing jeans to cover my knees. We were told that people usually wait like 2 hours or more to get in so 20 minutes was really nothing. But for me, it was painful. I should have bought a fan and parasol days ago!


When we got inside, Mass was taking place. Service is sectioned off so that we could continue our tour without interrupting Mass.

(Left column: the Holy Doors; Michelangelo's Pieta
Middle: the Altar with Bernini's baldacchino
Right column: St. Peter by Cambio; tomb of Pope Alexander VII by Bernini)

We also saw Pope John Paul XXIII's preserved body. He has a white wax mask to cover his face.


While we toured, Hubby's Spidey-skills were on high-alert. He noticed that a guy seemed to be following our group. Of course I dismissed it and thought that Hubby was just being paranoid, but he later rationalized that 1) we were forewarned that pick-pocketers would dress like tourists to blend in and 2) the guy followed us from one corner to another and another and had a huge camera hanging around his neck...but took zero photos. Our group had been well-prepared for pick-pocketers so throughout our entire trip, no one lost anything. I was still pretty paranoid though.

After that, we went to the Colosseum...while the sun was still scorching. Poor Hubby was really looking to seeing the Colosseum but was disappointed. He said it was because he watched too many History Channel specials on it so when we got there, it was a bit anticlimactic for him. We ascended to the second level via lift and later climbed down the stairs. Again, it was hard for me to take in that we were standing in the Colosseum, where violent acts (for the purpose of entertainment) took place centuries ago. It’s surreal.

(See me wearing my Armani "underwear"?)

On our way there and when we left, we also passed by Circus Maximus, where the chariot races used to be held. All in all, our tours were really fascinating...just unbearably hot. All the history behind these ancient ruins was amazing. We got back to our hotel in the late afternoon to wash up and rest...in our upgraded room. Yayayay!

We also wrote thank you letters to both Gennaro and Richard and prepared tips since it was our last evening with the tour group. Our farewell dinner was at Casa Nova. We sat with our new friends.

We sat with Millie and Ray from North Carolina who have been married for 51.5 years. They were champions through the whole tour. They went on almost every optional tour and dusted younger people! They said that two months before this trip, they walked on the treadmill everyday to prepare. We were so impressed, especially as they climbed up and down stairs with us. We also sat with Burt and Nancy from Arizona, a very sweet, nice, and lively couple. They have only been married for 7 years...but were dating for 16 years before then! Burt used to come out to Marina del Rey all the time, which is just a mile or two away from where we live. Small world! They were probably the only ones that didn't think the heat was a struggle. ;)

During dinner, there was an opera duet accompanied by a pianist...and seriously, the male opera singer looked like Pau Gasol. The singing was beautiful and really set the ambiance. Dinner consisted of antipasta, veal with what Hubby said is Dijon mustard, coconut milk, and meat gravy, and we ended with a delicious three-berry tart. I also ordered a Fanta for the first time, which turned out to be quite tasty.


Around 7:30 PM, we departed for our last excursion, which was to the Spanish steps. Amelia, our local guide for Ostia Antica, guided us again. We walked about 1.5 hours total (stop and go) so we were beat from all the walking we did today. When we arrived at the top of the Spanish steps, it was magnificent looking down and seeing how crowded it was. Amelia said that this is where all famous models pose for pictures.

(Many of us, including me, were so fascinated by the Louis Vuitton store on via Condotti; the LCD image of the hot air balloon is on a staircase. If you search Youtube "Louis Vuitton stairs Spanish steps," there are several videos, like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-2QY-85Xqc.)

When we were going down the famous Spanish steps, a man passed gas really loud right in front of us, and Hubby was sort of behind me and behind him. (I say he passed gas in front of Hubby but Hubby says vice-versa. Actually, Hubby embellishes and says that the man passed gas on me.) Hubby immediately said, “Oof! Move right, move right!” I was practically holding by breath for at least half a minute, making sure I didn’t laugh out loud. I know I can be so immature sometimes...and ever since I rendered Nacho Libre as a favorite movie, Hubby swears that I am always laughing at fart-jokes. I hope that's not true...only 10 year old boys laugh about that! After a few minutes, Hubby quietly said, “I’m so proud of you. You didn’t laugh at the joke.” That’s when I started laughing hysterically and had to wipe tears away.

We walked around that area, which is equivalent to Rodeo Drive – expensive stores: Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, etc. The “flower pimps” were all over the place! They are so sneaky. They go right up to women and hold out a beautiful rose and say, "take it, go ahead, take it," sometimes saying that it won't cost the women anything. Well, once the woman takes it, they hustle their man for money!

Our tour ended at Bar Tre Scalini, where Richard handed each of us a decadent tartufo. It was so rich and dreamy. Definitely can't find anything even close to this in the States.


When we got back to the hotel around 10 PM, we said good-bye to Richard, Gennaro, and our tour mates. All in all, we had a wonderful time with the group.

I don't think Hubby expected me to do a fake candid shot to correspond with his:


Finally, a real one!

Europe: Florence to Rome

We started off with the same wake-up/luggage/breakfast schedule again. The most spectacular thing about breakfast was that they had Nutella! It was my first time tasting it, and it was delicious. Why I haven’t had this before is beyond me. Then again, isn’t it like chocolate Yanyan? I put it on my croissant that had a tinge of orange marmalade flavoring.

At 7:30 AM, we went to Michelangelo Square to take a big group photo with the beautiful city of Florence as our backdrop. There was also a bronze copy of Michelangelo’s David so we got a few shots of that.

(Bottom right corner is us with our tour guide, Richard.)

From 9 – 11 AM, we were back where we were yesterday but we had a little free time for shopping. We started off at the Gold Factory, where the lady described how gold came into use in Florentine jewelry. She also showed us interesting pieces of jewelry such as a bracelet that an engineer designed for his mother. It can be worn two ways. One way was as straight strands. Once you let it go, it bunches up into clusters. Although the engineer designed it specifically for his mother, someone liked it so much that it was brought to some place and won four awards and produced for the general public. (Obviously, I can’t recall all the details/names/organizations.) Another designer created a necklace that is gold on one side and white gold on the other. We also saw gold “belts” to be worn as a lariat, necklace, or even a belt…and cost a fortune. All were so beautiful but none within our taste nor budget.

After the gold store, we went to Peruzzi, a leather factory. We saw a quick demonstration on how gold is embossed on a trash can. The craftsman took a ribbon of gold and used a tool with the leaf design that Florence is famous for, heated the tool up, and used the weight of his body to press down on the tool to transfer the gold. We looked around and I ended up getting an Armani “underwear” shirt to wear for the Vatican/Sistine Chapel tomorrow, since I ran out of t-shirts (I didn’t plan well because I didn’t know until it was too late). It came out to about $70. It has got to be the most expensive “underwear” I have ever owned. I kept telling Hubby that I was perfectly fine wearing an “I [heart] Italia” t-shirt, but he wasn’t hearing any of it.

Before we hopped on the bus, I got two scoops of gelato: one chocolate chip and one caramel. Both were delicious!

At 11 AM, we took off from Florence for Rome. We stopped at Autogrill again for lunch. We got to the Vatican Museum by 3 PM and met up with our local guide, Donatella. We walked for about two hours, looking at all kinds of sculptures/statues, frescoes, and mosaics. It was soOooOoO hot and unbearable due to the weather (hot and humid) and body heat.


After about an hour, we walked into the Sistine Chapel. It was absolutely breathtaking, surreal, and overwhelming. There is something so magical and holy about that place. I was practically moved to tears. Even though it was packed with hundreds of people (and guards shushing people every few seconds since we were not allowed to talk in there), it still felt like such a personal experience between me and God and His message through Michelangelo as His ambassador.

We were told of the history behind the Pope commissioning famous artists of the time to paint frescoes in the Sistine Chapel: Ghirlandaio, Botticelli, Perugino, and Roselli. In 1508, Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the ceiling. For four years, he painted frescoes every single day that began with Genesis' Adam and Eve and their Fall all the way to the famous Last Judgment. We were not allowed to take any pictures because all of the work in the Chapel is copyrighted. Of course people still did, but security was quick to run over to the person and rush him/her out. (Donatella said that it depends on the guards’ moods; sometimes, they are more relaxed and allow pictures without flash.)

Around 5 PM, we got picked up to go check in at Grand Hotel Palazzo Carpegna. We are in a standard double which was kind of small but nice. It is the nicest hotel we have stayed in.

Our optional dinner and tour began at 7:30 PM at Mangrovia. It was a 5-course meal! Our first dish was Caprese Salad with eggplant (fresh mozzarella on sliced tomatoes with a dab of olive oil, basil, and eggplant on the side). Our next dish was ravioli with ricotta and spinach. After that, we had fettucini alfredo. For our main entrée, we were given a choice between veal, sea bass, and chicken parmigiana. I originally ordered the sea bass and Hubby requested the chicken parmigiana, but we ended up switching because the sea bass was too fishy (and bland) for me. We were also served a side salad with our entrée. In the end, the chicken parmigiana was too salty for me, too. :( Our dessert was strawberry gelato on fresh fruit (orange, plum, kiwi). Yummy!

The drinks came literally nonstop and even before we were half finished with our current one! Hubby got started with 2 beers and then the waiter kept bringing the beers in twos. I just had Sprite. I also tried the red and white wine and spumanti. When dessert came, the little 9-year-old next to me got 5 scoops of gelato! I was so jealous!

During dinner, there were two musicians who entertained us (one guitarist and one flutist). Our head waiter was extremely entertaining, too. When he was serving the fettucini, he didn’t serve one person at each table (one older lady and then one father). He specially presented the dishes to a lady at each table– a red rose and “bocha”(?) (he kissed the ladies on the cheek and neck a few times). For the very last guest, it was a father from Hawaii. Ha! He made a big dramatic act by placing a blond, dreadlock wig on the father and pretending to kiss him.

At the end of dinner, all ladies received a rose and a kiss from the waiter. When it was my turn, I was so embarrassed. It was funny because the waiter looked at Hubby beforehand and said, “Don’t kill! Don’t kill, just one kiss.” Haha! When it was the little girl's turn, he didn’t kiss her, but he handed her a rose…and then another and another until she had half a dozen! That was cute.

Afterward, we took a nightly tour/walk to the Trevi Fountain. This was another highlight of mine. It was a little bit hectic because there were hundreds of people, all trying to get to the fountain to sit on the edge of the fountain to make a wish. Richard told us that in all its history, it has always been naturally powered. I’m not sure if we were supposed to throw one or three coins over our left shoulder, but Hubby and I both made a wish and threw a coin. Later on, xtn asked me what I wished for (just like when we were under the Sully bridge), but I didn’t tell him.

We also watched Richard stand, make a wish, and toss a coin over his left shoulder. He shared with us two that he has been doing this ever since 1950 something, when he was a little boy and went there for his first time. I think he was a bit embarrassed because he said, "It's a bit ridiculous that I have been doing this ever since I was a little boy, but I still do it every time I come to this fountain." I didn't think it was ridiculous at all. I did appreciate that he shared this personal statement with us.

Self-taken candid camera shot...

Since Hubby didn't want to look at the camera and smile, I went along with him, too.

Europe: Venice to Florence

Last night was probably the best sleep I have had yet, but I still woke up at 3 AM and was up for maybe 40-45 minutes, including a half hour of drafting an email update to Guh on my iPhone. I got up at 5:30 AM and we were down for breakfast by 6:45 AM. Breakfast consisted of more ham and cheese, marmalade-filled croissants, canned peaches, and deliciously bold coffee. It was the best coffee we have had yet (the same as last night’s post-dinner cup).

This morning, we departed at 7:30 AM for our excursion. Around 8 AM, we rode the Ducale water taxi back to where we were yesterday in Venice. When we ported, we went to our glass blowing factory demonstration at Vecia Murano.

(The green horse is made completely out of glass and is the factory's most expensive piece of work. They didn't mention the price but we definitely weren't allowed to touch it.)

We crammed into the furnace room and watched an expert take a bulb of heated glass, shape it, blow into it a few times to shape a pitcher, and then “cut” hot glass to delicately form two unique handles. Afterward, he dipped it in water and then shattered it (all dramatically…enough to draw a gasp from the crowd) so that it could be melted again to re-shape (for the next demonstration). In the next room, our local guide described what makes Murano Venetian glass so unique. Every piece is hand-crafted and they are never exported. Hence, every piece is unique…and the ones sold outside in the piazza for a fraction of the price are wholesale manufactured, therefore not authentic Murano glass.

He also described how they create colored glass. In general, they melt specific mineral compounds and add it into the glass. Red glass (from melted copper) and cranberry glass (from gold) are the most expensive. Blue glass is made cobalt, etc. Shortly after, the factory guide explained how the millefiori technique (“mosaic”) is done. This, too, is an extremely expensive process because each small piece of glass ranging in sizes (from a pen cap to about a 1 cent franc) is individually cut from thin glass canes and then all of the pieces are melted together to form a unique mosaic.

We weren’t allowed to take any pictures for fear of what would be considered copyright infringement. Afterward, Hubby and I looked around the shop rooms for an hour. We had decided yesterday that if we saw a turtle, we would get one. He spotted a mosaic (millefiori) turtle so I held onto it the whole time. It was 59 Euros so we figured if we didn’t see anything else, we would at least get it. We looked around at all the beautiful pieces of glassware but we couldn’t bring ourselves to spend like $50 for one shot glass (or $500 for a set of wine goblets). All the while, about 3 store people approached me (or hustled me?) about having the turtle wrapped. Hubby really liked the mosaic shell for the pure craftsmanship and uniqueness. I started eyeing a beautiful necklace and Hubby must have sensed how much I adored it. By the time we were ready to leave, he decided to get it for me…and then asked for a matching bracelet and earrings! I insisted I didn’t need a whole set; however, one of Hubby’s pet peeves is having incomplete sets or unmatching things – jewelry, clothes, food. When we go out, he even makes sure that we match in our outfits.


In the end, we got the millefiori turtle. I was about to put it back when Hubby said, “I kind of like it…We have a jade turtle from China so we should get a Murano turtle from Europe to add to our collection.” Our growing collection of two now. Besides, this millefiori turtle is truly unique; one of the floor guys said it must be new because he hasn’t seen it before, and it was the only mosaic one on the shelf, alongside 6 other turtles. This is also when we agreed that we should collect turtles as our souvenirs for when we travel abroad.

On our way back, we shopped some more. We got 5 silk ties for 8 Euros each from Trevizan (no discount; I tried but when the cashier turned to the store owner who promptly said no. Humph.). Hubby chose a black and red one for himself and a purple and blue one for Bro and FBIL. I found a dark gray one that he really liked so we ended up getting it, too. Before our meeting point, we stopped by a cart vendor, and he got a Duff t-shirt for 12 Euros and the guy threw in the 2 post cards that I chose (40 Euro cents each). I think the guy ripped Hubby off b/c a sign said 8 Euros for t-shirts. I didn’t know that xtn paid 12 Euros until we were on the bus. Oh well, he really wanted it and was so excited when he got it. The funny thing is that we ended up seeing many people wearing it through Italy, but not on black. (We saw people wearing red t-shirts.)


We left via water taxi again, got on our bus, and stopped by a pit stop again for lunch. Nothing looked appetizing to us so we snacked on baguette chips (pizza flavored), caramel popcorn, and Coca-Cola, and juice. Mmm, the lunch of champions. Come to find out later that the Italian food actually was delicious.

We arrived in Florence around 4 PM and our local tour guide, Louisa, took us through Saint Marcos’ Square. We did a walking tour of Florence that lasted for about 1.5 hours. We started at Santa Croce Cathedral. Since I was wearing shorts and a wifebeater, they gave me a blue gauze robe to cover up.

(Left corner: Michelangelo's memorial
Middle: Santa Croce Cathedral

Right top corner: Galileo's memorial
Bottom right corner: Galileo's Tomb)

Inside, there were memorials for Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo, and Dante (which was covered up). On Galileo's memorial, there were two ladies beneath them. It is said that they represent Science and Math. On Michelangelo’s memorial, the three ladies represent sculpture, architecture, and painting. In a piazza (square), there was also a replica of da Vinci’s David. In the cathedral were also many tombs. It was truly an amazing place. Santa Croce was another one of my favorite visits.


We walked through many squares and heard lots of history behind buildings, famous family homes, sculptures, and churches. One of the most impressive sites was what used to be the largest church with the unfinished dome, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. We heard about the amazing history behind Brunelleschi and his bold statement of finishing the dome. When the Basilica was completed, the only thing remaining was the dome. It was to be the largest dome in history at that time, even larger than the Pantheon's. However, no dome had ever been created at such a large scale and all the architects had no idea how to do it without glaring supports (which was a prerequisite). Brunelleschi boldly stated that he could build the dome without any supports. As an architect and brilliant mathematician, he calculated precise measurements and formulas and was the first to use the "fish-bone" structure so that no supports were needed. It is said that before he passed away, he burned all of his papers with the mathematical calculations so to this day, mathematicians and architects are still baffled by how he completed his dome.

(Brunelleschi's Dome)

This Basilica is still considered the third largest church, after the Vatican and St. Paul’s Basilica. We heard lots of history that was so interesting, but it was so hot! We walked by a lot more interesting and famous statues.

(Perseus with Medusa's head by Cellini)

("Rape of the Sabine Women" by Giambologna. Giambologna was one of Michelangelo's apprentices. This work is considered a Florentine masterpiece because of the composition of intertwining three bodies; nothing like that had been done at that time and with such emotion and action. No one thought he could do it so he bought the huge slab of marble with his own commission and went about creating this piece.)

We also saw some scary beggar gypsies. They were dressed completely in white with white paint on their faces and holding red roses that looked so crimson next to their whiteness. They didn't say anything (like, "do you speak English?") but made loud kissing sounds and got right up in men’s faces. So creepy that I couldn't bear to look at them...and neither could the men in our group!

We got to Hotel Raffaello around dinnertime. We started with delicious tortellini but the main course was disappointing, despite it being veal. One thing we noticed is that potatoes are really popular in Italy, but at every meal, they are way too salty. Dessert was a frozen ice-cream cup with black cherry sauce. The hardest part about eating these meals at the hotel dining establishments is that I never know how much of my antipasta to eat. If it's really yummy, I risk eating it all and being too full for what could be a delicious entree. I usually took the risk, let my unfinished antipasta be taken away, and was rather disappointed with the main course. The funny thing about this meal is that I sat next to Rich, an Italian who said the tortellini wasn't very good...but then he later admitted that when he was growing up, his family didn't eat tortellini very often. (Rich and his wife Christina are from Canada. They were such a funny couple. Rich often left his wife behind...like once or twice, our bus started taking off and Richard would start counting heads to make sure everyone was on board. He'd get to Rich and the empty seat next to him and be like, "um, where's your wife?" Gennaro would quickly stop the bus and soon after, we'd see Christina running for us.)

Afterward, xtn and I hung out on the patio of the hotel for a few minutes. As he had his after-dinner nicotine fix, I sat on the swing (not pictured). We went for a walk down the street in search of any open clothing store and cigarettes but didn’t find anything (open). (Our tour guide didn't tell us until yesterday that we would need to cover up for two days, instead of one...and I already ran through my t-shirts!)

Despite everyone's forewarnings of overpacking, I regret underpacking instead of overpacking!

Europe: Lucerne to Venice

Breakfast today was a real treat. I had yogurt like Yoplait and the most delicious mini-baguette rolls!

By 7:30 AM, we were on the bus for our optional excursion to see the Swiss Alps. After about half an hour, we arrived at Mount Stanserhorn. We rode two different cable cars up. The first one was made out of wood.

Our ride was about 20 minutes and we passed by so many cows, each one wearing cow bells ranging in size. One cow wore one that looked like the size of a baby's head. It was huge and loud!


For the second cable ride, 30-40 of us crammed into it and had to stand for about 7 minutes. I held onto Hubby since there were no rails for me to hold onto.

When we got out, it was really cold and cloudy so we couldn’t see anything…like the Alps.


Where Hubby is standing, we were supposed to see each Swiss mountain. Clearly the fog was so dense and it was completely overcast. That was a real bummer.

We lounged around outside for a little bit and then we went into the gift shop so we missed Richard’s guide up to see the marmonts. Hubby saw this and insisted that I get it since he is really into getting me stuffed animals when we/he travels and also because I love dogs. (It's a small St. Bernard.)


Afterward, we ventured out on the trails on our own. I was so disgusted by these slugs…yet so fascinated by how long they were.

When we got back to the common area, we actually saw a real St. Bernard! I got to take a pix with the dog’s butt (he was camera shy). See how small my St. Bernard is compared to the real one? The dog is huge! I was excited because it was my first time seeing one in real life.

We met up again at 9:30 AM and descended down. While we waited to go down, we goofed off a little bit.

Down at street-level was a fountain where we filled up our water bottles with the freshest cold water.

We eventually arrived in Venice in the late afternoon. We stopped before our destination to use the restroom for one euro; definitely wasn't even close to the pointwc in the Louvre. At 5 PM, we arrived at Venice port (or beach?) and went on our gondola ride. We had to break up into groups so we got lucky and sat with Burt and Nancy, the couple from Arizona. We also got lucky because our group was broken up into 2 fleets of 6 gondolas and our gondola was the only one with musicians on board! The other gondolas around us had to get near enough for the live entertainment. We opened up a delicious bottle of champagne and celebrated health, wealth, and happiness as we rode through the Grand Canal, listening to songs in Italian accompanied by an accordion.

After our half hour ride, we did our walking tour of Saint Marcus’ Square (San Marco Piazza). On the way, we saw the St. Mark’s Basilica, monuments, and shops. Prior to our walking tour, Richard told us about Venice and how he believes that Venice won’t be around forever. The salt water is naturally eroding the sand-base that these beautiful buildings are built on. Some of the many bell towers are already leaning from the erosion (like the one below).


There are many cathedrals because each parish had their own and when the Black Plague hit, all of these churches were built to thank God for those that survived. Currently, no one has the money to maintain these ancient buildings any more, though. When the government can afford it, they will restore it, but they have to prioritize. They try to get corporations to sponsor the restorations. It’s weird to think that this city may not be around any more in our lifetime. To say that we were once here is amazing.

(If you look closely, the bottom half of this building is a facade/billboard to cover up the renovation taking place behind.)

For an hour, Hubby and I window shopped. We both had to use the wash room so we spent 1.50 Euro each! The hour passed by so quickly so we didn’t get anything. We passed many high-end stores: Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel, etc. The only thing I got was tiramisu ice-cream for 1.50 Euro. It was delicious! Richard recommended us having fresh bellini (fresh peaches with champagne). It sounded delicious but I knew I couldn’t handle it, especially after the gondola champagne. We eventually met the group and got on a private water taxi...where we subsequently saw this:


When we got on the bus, we realized that the couple that sits behind us (that jacked the mother-daughter's seats) were missing. Richard had us leave for the Antony Hotel first and go straight to dinner. At dinner, we sat with the couple from Anaheim, Nancy and Burt, and Pat and Mary, the two ladies from Maryland. Bread was passed around and then we had a pasta dish. We wolfed it down so fast, but when the waiters came to pick up the dishes, they had us keep our knives. Next thing we know, we’re being served the real entrée! We were laughing so hard; some were admitting they eat 2 huge rolls to fill up. That’s when I realized that the rigatoni with red sauce…was our “antipasta.” Our entrée was two slices of veal, green beans, and potatoes. I only ate half since I was already full. Dessert was tiramisu (finally!) and I had a sip of very bold coffee. Best coffee we had on our entire trip. I was expecting nothing less considering Italy is known for their espresso consumption and aficionados.

The couple made it back on their own after our antipasta…but we didn’t know that they hadn’t contacted Richard so when Richard got back, he was not the happiest camper. I overheard him saying he was checking with the police, hospitals, etc. That especially sucked for Richard since everyday, he reminds us to keep his cell phone number on us just in case.

After, we finally checked into our room. We are staying at Antony Hotel, the biggest room yet and with A/C. (Maybe it's big b/c they gave us a room with two doubles.)


Our day was amazing, going from Stanserhorn to Venice Canal (20 degree weather to 90 degrees). Two beautiful cities so rich with culture and history yet so different. If we come back to Venice, I definitely want to do the gondola ride again, have a fresh bellini, and indulge in a gourmet cup of coffee at a cafe overlooking the Venice Canal.