Sorry for the delay

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since our last update. Since we last blogged it's been tough to find an internet place that didn't charge an arm and a leg just to use a computer for an hour. We're back in North America now, enjoying the company of family but we're still determined to entertain you with the stories of our trip.

When we last left you we had just arrived in Firenze and were greeted with extremely hot and humid weather. Luckily the hotel we stayed at was only a few blocks from the train station so it wasn't long before we were inside it's air conditioned sanctuary. After settling in and doing some much needed laundry we decided to take our travel book's advice and tried out a restaurant in piazza Santo Spirito, situated in front of one of Florence's many churches. I must say the book had it right and we enjoyed a delicious meal with excellent service, even for North American standards.

The next day we went to the Uffizi art gallery which is a u-shaped building that has statues of famous Florentines lining the columns outside. Inside is just as impressive. The halls are lined with hundreds if not thousands of portraits and busts. The rooms are divided by subject and style and contain works by Titian, Rembrandt, and Michaelangelo, as well as many other famous Italian artists whose names I couldn't even begin to pronounce. After spending several hours in the Uffizi, we checked out the piazza next door filled which was filled with statues (& tourists) then the Duomo before deciding to head back to the hotel to escape the heat (I don't think it ever dropped below 30 degrees, even at night). As we sat in our room deciding what to do that evening my eye was drawn on the map to a large fortress-looking building which had no indications of being significant but I wanted to check it out anyways. It turned out to be a huge fair with candy and food stands, South American bars and restaurants, fair games, a ropes course, and a free concert which happened to be an Elvis impersonator who spoke to the crowd in Italian then switched to perfect Graceland English for the songs, pretty good.

Saturday's agenda started with the archeological museum (very disappointing). We then walked around the parts of the city we hadn't been, passing by the synagogue with it's huge turqoise domes then up the hill opposite the river to piazza Michaelangelo. Hot and completely drenched in sweat, we briefly looked at the replica of 'David' then took a nap on a bench in the shadow of San Miniato - a beautiful church at the top of the hill with sweeping views over the city and the surrounding Tuscan hills. That night we returned to the fair and enjoyed a huge Argentinian dinner of bbq'ed meat (at least I hope it was meat) of all varieties.

Sunday was a travel day but since the Italian train schedule on Sundays aren't posted and nearly all the trains are cancelled, we spent more time waiting in the train station than actually on the train. We finally arrived in Siena late in the afternoon and bussed to the campsite we were staying at. It turns out to be a very nice site and we have half a mobile home (not an RV but a house on wheels you see getting moved on the freeway). We enjoyed a nice dinner at the campsite restaurant with entertainment courtesy of the drunk American girls next to us trying to pick up the older restaurant manager.

The next 2 days we spent seeing the sites in Siena. The city is built over several hills but is easy to walk in. The streets are all narrow and paved with medieval stones and curve so that you can't see what lies around the corner yet you know it will be something that will catch your eye. The highlights were Il Campo - the shell-shaped square where they hold a big parade and horse race twice in the summer, the Duomo, several palaces and churches.

After Siena we spent a week in Rome in our own apartment which was an inner courtyard converted into an apartment. One of the luxuries of the place was that it came with a kitchen and Korinne was finally able to break out of her shell and cook for the first time in months. The first few days we spent walking around and getting our bearings. We were living only a few blocks from piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. We visited the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica twice, the second time with our friend Coy who was taking a break from law school in D.C. We also stopped by the spanish steps one night to be harassed by some rose "sellers" and serenaded by a couple guys singings and playing guitar.

Sunday, August 9th was Korinne's birthday and we spent the day in the park atop the spanish steps by villa Borghese. The park is very nice (& big) with dirt paths winding past fountains, ponds, and statues with amazing views over Rome and all it's sites. That night we ventured out in search of a bar/club to celebrate only to find that the golden triangle of clubs in piazza Navona were closed for August and the only night spot open was a small club filled with 16 year old tourists who were acting like they were away from their parents for the first time. Very good times people watching.

The next day we returned to the park and rented a side-by-side tandem electrical bicycle so we could explore all the spots we hadn't seen the day before. Avoiding some near crashes and overturns of the bike we managed to return the bike in 1 piece. Our friend Andrew was on his own european trip and met up with us the following day. We went to the colosseum and the Palatino - one of Rome's 7 hilltops where the emperors and elite of ancient Rome lived once upon a time ago.

That's it for my shpeel. Hope you enjoyed reading my riveting recounts of our daily doings (say that 5 times fast). Korinne will be posting soon on the final and action-packed part of our trip so whatever you do DON'T TURN OFF THE COMPUTER.

Tata for now,

Kevin

Viva Italia!

Ciao Everyone!

Italy has been treating us so well that we have not been at a computer yet (that and the fact the internet cafes are charging a small fortune). It has been a busy 10 days since we arrived in Torino last Monday, so I will try to include some of the highlights here.

Milano was very beautiful with lots to see and do, and buy (if you are a millionaire). Our hotel was great, just about a 20 minute walk to the historic center of the city, through some nice residential parks, bars, and restaurants. The Duomo is wonderful during the day and even more beautiful lit up at night. We spent most of our time in Milano cruising around this historic area (although I was too chicken to go into most of the shops - I think you needed an appointment) and the nearby public gardens and parks where we actually got locked in one night and had several Italian couples asking us for directions out - like we knew! The social atmosphere of Milano as a whole is really exciting and unlike any other city we have travelled to: on any given night (not just the weekend) people of all ages spill out of the restaurants and bars into the streets chatting and laughing and dancing - children, couples with babies, people in their 20s, 80s, all together.

Minus the hookers, Venice reminded us both of Disneyland at first. With a little bit of effort however we were able to find some very beautiful off-the-beaten-track neighborhoods with some excellent galleries and exhibitions. We walked through the Jewish quarter of the city where we were very warmly welcomed, it turns out the small neighborhood is a very popular place of pilgrammage as we later learned. The small island of Murano to the northeast of Venice was wonderful and we ended up spending an entire day there watching glass being blown, looking at some amazing glass sculptures, and perusing the jewelery stores of the various local artists, which even the men on the island (Kevin included) seemed to be entertained by. The island of Burano was a bit smaller but just as beautiful (we decided it must be a rule that no two houses can be painted the same color) and was full of friendly locals, including an adorable 4 year old girl who found it hilarious to spray Kevin with water from the fountain outside her house.

After saying good-bye to Venice we took four trains to reach Cinque Terre, a national park comprised of 5 fishing villages built on the cliffs of the northwest coast of Italy. It was most definitely worth the effort, words cannot describe how beautiful this area is, and we tried hard to see as much of it as we could. We arrived in Vernazza, the second most northern village, and checked into a room on the top floor of a 13th century building, before spending the rest of the afternoon swimming and reading. That evening we set up shop with a bottle of wine and some plastic cups on the rocky cliffs near the sea and watched the water crash into the cliffs and the night fishers - I know it sounds too good to be true and that is exactly how it felt. We set off early the next morning to hike to Monterosso, the next village north, deciding to take the high routes because they were free and less crowded, soon discovering there is good reason for this. Lets just say we got good practice for Mantracker or Amazing Race because finding our way along the paths was more like a combination of bushwacking and treasure hunting. All was forgotten after climbing over 2,500 feet however, because the views from the top overlooking the villages were just spectacular. With the money we saved by hiking 8 hours over the mountain twice, we treated ourself to a very large and delicious meal by the sea.

Too sore to hike the third day, we opted for some beach lounging instead, before giving the mountain a try again the next day, this time attempting to reach Portovenere from Manarola. The hike started out very easy, our confidence was high as we were passing fellow hikers in our flip flops and we got some good Cranium Humdinger practice in. It didnt stay that way for long as we were soon lost (are you sensing a theme here yet) and climbing rocky stairs to the top of the mountain again in an attempt to meet up with the right path. We likely spent more time lost as opposed to on the right track over the following 6 hours, climbing down rocky cliffs, finding several dead ends, and avoiding the dangerous wild boar problem of the area, but the views from the top were absolutely worth all the scratches, burns, and bruises. We were definitely relieved to reach Portovenere, and opted to take a boat ride back to Manarola to hose off the layer of dirt we were covered in before finding a wine bar on the cliffs of Riomaggiore (next village over) where we watched the sunset and said good-bye to the Cinque Terre.

We arrived in Firenze this afternoon, and are happy to say have not gotten lost yet... although its not even 8 yet.

Ciao!

Korinne

xoxo

UK Farewell

Last time we left you we were just arriving in Edinburgh, Scotland. What a magnificent and beautiful city. Korinne and I arrived at the train station which is smack dab in the middle of the city around 9 am. With no place to stay we headed out in search of a hotel or hostel. After discovering that hotel rooms run upwards of $400 a night we decided on a nice five star hostel, a block from the Royal Mile. We dropped off our bags then took off to see the city. The castle is huge and on top of a hill right in the centre of town surrounded by cliffs. There are tons of monuments, statues, and churches in the city and all within walking distance of each other. Princes Street may be the most interesting street with modern shops, hotels, a beautiful city park, and The Scott Monument (a tall, black, gothic style tower). After napping and having a picnic in the park for lunch, we returned to the hostel for a drink and to check in to our room, which thankfully had its own shower. Later on we wandered back around the city streets in search of a pub with live music and found ourselves drawn back to the castle where live music was blaring from (we had seen them setting up for it right outside the castle gates). Unfortunately by the time we made it there, the concert (the band sounded very familiar but we couldn't hear the lyrics clearly) had ended so we followed the crowds of people down the Royal Mile until we found a pub with a 2-man band playing and suprisingly room to sit down. As the place started filling up, people (mostly our parents age) wearing t-shirts from the concert read 'Duran Duran'. It was too bad we missed that but it was a good night nontheless.

Day 2 in Edinburgh was a lot greyer and a lot wetter, it never quite poured but it was constantly drizzling. After wandering through the east part of the city the day before, Friday was dedicated to the west part which is totally different yet equally as insteresting. We stopped and had lunch at this tiny tea house (delicious) then continued on to the Palace of Hollyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament, which is one of the coolest buildings I've ever seen. It's got concrete, brick, wood, and glass making up the outer walls which stick out at various angles and different geometries. Afterwards, with quite a bit of persuasion by myself, we set off to hike the Salisbury Crags (in our flip-flops of course). The crags are literally right next to the palace and are these brilliant green, gradually sloping hills with steep cliffs on the other side. It was definitely worth the climb as the landscape and views of the city are amazing. We then hiked down and ventured back into the city where we made our way up Calton Hill, which has an unfinished Parthenon and other national monuments, as well as more sweeping views over the city. After being in the rain all day we decided to take it easy the rest of the evening. We went to see Harry Potter 6 (best Harry Potter movie yet), ate some dinner, picked up our train tickets for the overnight train we were taking to London, then returned to the hostel to collect our bags.

Day 3 began with a 7 hour train ride to London in "reclining" seats. I managed to sleep a few hours but Korinne wasn't as lucky. We arrived in London at 6:30 AM and not being able to check into our hostel until 10, went in search of a park to pass the time. There we both were, tired, dirty, carrying everything we owned around the streets of London, if I had seen us walking around I would've thought we were a couple of bums. We eventually navigated our way to Regent's Park where we found a nice grassy spot in the sun to make up for our REM sleep deprivation. Around 11 we picked up our stuff and headed to the hostel which was nearby. We checked in to our 6-bed mixed room to discover we were the only ones and hoped it'd stay that way (very wishful thinking). The rest of the day was spent walking around the different areas of London, we started back at Regent's Park where the Queen Mary's Garden has, no joke, over 60 types of roses in huge plots. It was Saturday so we walked down to Notting Hill and through the market on Portobello Road (queue the music from Bedknobs and Broomsticks) where we saw (queue drumroll)... Mickey Rourke looking at antique clocks. After all that excitement we continued on our way to Kensington Gardens where Kensington Palace is (Princess Diana's home) then had a picnic dinner next door in Hyde Park. Having had little sleep the night before we began the long trek back to our hostel, walking up Baker Street (ridiculous amount of clothing stores) and finally down Great Portland Street. We arrived back at our hostel to find we were still the only ones in our room, so we hopped into our bunk bed enthusiastically, preparing for a good nights sleep. At around 2 AM, the door flies open and in walks 4 of what have to be the loudest, most inconsiderate French people ever. I'm not sure if they were drunk or just plain dumb, but they spent no joke 45 minutes unpacking their stuff and getting into bed knowing full well we were trying to sleep.

We woke up the next morning and came face to face with the French invaders. After faking a few smiles (and throwing in a few scowls) we took off to King's Cross Station to catch the tube for Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard at 11. We got there just in time to find that 100,000 other people were running fashionably late as well. We managed to find an okay spot and watched most of the ceremony (not that great but worth seeing once). We wandered over to Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey was closed (Sunday = church day, wtf I'm Jewish). Crossed over Westminster Bridge, walked along the south bank of the Thames until we discovered a Colombian festival where we stopped to watch a 7-man, grammy-nominated band, Cimarron play for about an hour. After lunch we continued east past the Tate museum to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. We were both pretty pooped so we made our way back to the hostel via Victoria Station so we could buy our tickets for the Gatwick Express train for the following morning. After showering and changing in the hostel, we went in search of a local place to eat and found a small Thai restaurant which looked good (best Pad Thai I've ever had, no exaggeration). After dinner we called it a night and went to sleep in preparation for another French onslaught.

The next morning around 6 am we caught the train to the airport then flew to Torino, Italy. Stay tuned next time for part 1 of our Italian adventure.

Love to all,

Kevin