Trip Wrap-up: The Trip by the Numbers

Well, Lindsay and I are back in the states finally and I thought it would be fun to analyze what we accomplished during this trip. So, here is a look at our trip by the numbers (mostly ballparked, but we did our best):

Trip length - 104 days
Number of cities/towns we stopped in - 60
Number of countries visited - 15
Number of countries visited, according to the Palin Rule including stopovers - 16, our train went through Bratislava)
Number of countries visited, according to the Palin Rule including countries you can see - 17, I think we could see Hungary from our train at one point
Number of different beds slept in - 54...that means we had 54 opportunities to bring bed bugs home
Number of different carriers we flew on - 12
Number of takeoffs and, thankfully, landings - 22
Number of days we rode on long-distance trains - 18
Number of different languages we spoke at one point - 9 (english, spanish, french, portuguese, italian, greek, czech, dutch, and german)
Number of days we took hikes - 14
Number of different forms of transportation taken - 13 (plane, train, car, bus, smartcar, scooter, chairlift, 2-person motorcycle taxi, 4-wheeler, tram, ferry, subway, bicycle)
Number of incidents involving a bird of some sort - 3 (one parrot attack, one given to a tailgater in France, one given to a tailgater in Italy)
Number of times we had to pack/unpack our bags - 47
Number of job occupations Conor considered - 7,160,943
Number of those job occupations Conor is actually going to pursue - 0
Number of Malaria-pill induced nightmares - 22
Number of Advil popped - 30
Number of Pepto-bismal tablets chewed in South America - 16
Number of countries we went for runs in (working off the vino) - 6
Number of ATM withdrawls - too many
Bodies of water we saw the sun rise or set over - 5 (Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Aegean Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea
Beaches blessed with our hard bodies - 12
Total distance traveled - approx. 34,500 miles
Number of times you will ever see me look like this again - 0














It was an amazing trip and thanks for tuning in and making comments, we really enjoyed reading them and keeping in touch with everyone that way. We cant wait to talk to you all about our trip and hopefully we can convince you to take your own someday too!

Love,
Lindsay and Conor

LAST STOP: Amsterdam

It's crazy, but true...we've reached the end of the 15 week journey. While this won't be the last post (conor has all these crazy ideas for a Final, Final post) this is it from abroad. We've been spending the last three days in the lap of luxury at Sarah's mom's apartment (palace) along the Prinsgracht canal in Amsterdam. We are being treated like a king and queen, so it's going to be hard to come back to reality. But, we know that our mom's will do a great job of spoiling us for a few days before it gets old (Conor just mumbled something about wanting his mother to make her famous chocolate chip cookies). While we are sadly sick of taking photos, we do have a few we'd like to share from the last two weeks.


Those this looks like it was taken from the summit of Mt. Everest, it was actually on the way up to Rigi Kulm. It looks like a blizzard, but it was just the cumulonimbus at the top of the mountain.



















On our anniversary outside our restaurant on Uto Kulm overlooking Zurich.
















Conor with his best friend, the Nightwatchmen from Rothenburg, who he was drawn to because, like Conor, he hasnt shaved or gotten his haircut in awhile and he wears the same outfit every day.






















Here is a picture from Bruges, very similar to Amsterdam, with less canals and no redlight district.

















Can't wait to see everyone in a couple days or weeks...and stay tuned for Conor's very business like wrap up report. Thanks for all of your comments, too. It's been a blast!

-lindsay and conor :)

Another country, another keyboard

Well, we made it to Brugge, Belgium yesterday for our 2nd to last stop before we head to Amsterdam and then home. Brugge is home to some of the best gothic architecture in Europe, two different estqblishments that serve over 300 brands of beer , beautiful cobblestone streets that weave in between the old buildings and over the many canals throughout the city, and yet another keyboard that i am unfamiliar with. Here is how the last 9 words of the last sentence would look if i typed them without looking at the keyboard: qnd yet qnother keyboqrd thqt i q, unfq,iliqr zith: Anyway, you can see how painful it is to make posts.

Anyway, inbetween our time in Switzerland and Brugge, we made two stops in Germany. The first was in Frankfurt and was really just a stopover. However, for me, it was one of the highlights of the trip because I got to see Notre Dame play live for the first time this season. We stopped by a bar that was playing the ohio state game and after the game, it cut to the last 1:33 of the ND game where we did our best to hand Navy a win after what looked like it would be a blowout win for the Irish. Luckily, we prevailed and I was estatic for that reason and because I realized that I have probably saved myself 3 years of life by not watching the Irish play live this season -- what torture.

After Frankfurt, we took the train along the Romantic Road to Rothenburg, Germany. This town, which is completely enclosed by a wall, has no modern buildings in it. We went to Hell one night, a pub located in a building with a foundation that dates back to the 900s. Anyway, it was a very sleepy, very quaint, and very beautiful city that was spared a US bombing in WWII because the US general in charge of bombing the town had a mother that enjoyed vacationing there. Anyway, we were very happy it was spared because it was magnificient. It was the type of town that was straight out of a Thomas Kinkade painting, and I of course loved it because I am a sucker for all things cheezy.

That is all the time , see some of wou in a few days and talk to you hopefully one more time.

Switerland Wrap Up...

But first, a settle of the score. Minus 1 for Heidi. I´m keeping Conor warm on those "cold bavarian nights," thank you very much, Warner!

Now to Switzerland. While Conor entertained you with comparisons of heidi klum and our hikes, I´ll bore you with the gorey details of our travels. With our stay in interlaken we undertook the Harder Kulm hike and rewarded ourselves with Fondue, wine, bread, and Suisse Rosti (basically egge overeasy, bacon, chives, and cheese all mixed up with hash browns in a skillet...it was no three star diner, but I was in love.) After two nights in Interlaken, we headed for Lucerne. Which is in between Zurich and Interlaken and is the "in between" in location too...its got views of the sweeping Alps, big lakes, but its also a small, very cool, Suisse city with old wooden bridges criscrossing the river that flows through the center of the city, cobbled stone streets, and fantastic restaurants. On our first night there we were lucky enough to sample one of the best, the Rathaus Brewery, where we met up with another American ex-pat, Pat Capen, a friend from NYC by way of Shaun Horrigan. Pat works for J&J about 20 minutes outside Lucerne and agreed to meet us for dinner and drinks. We had a great time catching up, getting answers to some of our Suisse questions, and sampling various christmas brews from the brewery. The next day we dragged ourselves out of bed and boarded a boat that crossed Lake Lucerne for a small village of Vitznau which is at the foot of the large Rigi Kulm Mountain. The weather was pretty crummy, but we decided to give the hike a shot. So, in 3 short hours we hiked directly uphill through various small villages, by the time we got to the top it looked like we were in Siberia...blizzard contidions, whipping wind, and certainly no views to see. But thankfully we got plenty of the lake and towns below as we hiked up into the clouds. Lucky for us and our freezing butts, there was a cog railway we took back down instead of hiking again....With our serious hiking amibitions behind us, the next day we set off for Zurich to take a bit of a rest and stay in a nice hotel.

We did a little sightseeing but the real highlight of the stop was to venture to the top of Uto Kulm (by train this time!) for a special anniversary dinner overlooking all of Zurich and the lake below. That´s right...10 years, and Conor´s still got some good tricks up his sleeve, great restaurant choice, Conor! It was an awesome restaurant with great food and awesome views. Today we returned to die Deutschland for an overnight stop in Frankfurt before we head to Rothenburg tomorrow. Sadly our time is winding down very quickly....

Auf wiedersehen!

Heidi Klum (the model) vs. Harder Kulm (the mountain) -- warning, this is a PG-13 post

Some of you (and most of you men) have heard of Heidi Klum, the German supermodel, but have you heard of Harder Kulm, the German Switzerland mountain overlooking Interlaken? Well, we had an encounter with the latter today and there are more similarities than you think. I will now compare them for you and try to decide which one is in fact better. First, the contestants, who you should be able to tell apart because one is human and one is not:

























Harder Kulm is the mountain behind me in the back picture, which took us 5 hours to walk up and down today. Here are some more views from our hike below...

Now here are 10 comparisons, lets see who wins -

1) Which one makes me weaker in the knees? Well, my knees are asleep right now from the hike and it is tough to get weak knees from someone who you dont see in person, so Harder wins this one.

2) Easier to reach? Took 4 trains and 7 hours to reach Harder Kulm. I can only imagine it takes a lot longer than that to get to Heidi, and once you do, you gotta deal with the big boy, Seal. Harder wins again.

(EARMUFFS for the next few)

3) Which one has nicer peaks? Well I saw Harder's peaks today and they were maginificient. I dont believe I will ever see Heidi`s plus Harder's will probably age better, so Harder wins and goes up 3-0.

4) Which has provided more wood to humankind? I believe that for both , we are talking in the high millions, so it is a toss up. 3-0 Harder still.

5) Which one would be more fun to mount? No question. 3-1, Harder still leads though.

6) Which one makes you want to take a cold shower more (good for the environment)? Well, I can imagine you get pretty hot hiking Harder in the summer, but it was cold today and we had to thaw out, so we ended up taking hot showers. Harder gives one away but is still up 3-2.

7) Better accent? Heidi`s is very sexy, but if she isnt talking, you cant experience it. Harder had accents ranging from colors to views that you could experience as long as the sun was out. I just realized that this was a really stupid comparison and am throwing it out, so Harder is still up 3-2.

8) Which is more attractive in autumn colors? Though the leaves were beautiful, I am actually not attracted to something that is not at least human, so Heidi wins and we are tied!!!

9) Better curves? Well, Harder's are hard, jagged, and full rocks, so Heidi wins this one and goes up 4-3

10) Which one would leave you more speechless? The views of the Jungfrau mountain range were absolutely amazing today, but I was still able to talk at the end of it. And I can only imagine how much of a bumbling idiot I would sound like if I met Heidi, so she wins this one 5-3 and takes the prize!

Well, there you have it from the perspective of a 15-year old inside a 26-year old's body. I hope everyone enjoyed those, which were just way to easy to think up. Does anybody have any other comparisons they can think of that I might be able to weigh in on?

pics: Wien & Munchen...die deutche is so fun

I mean honestly....there really are signs that say wiener, fhart, die, brau, frau...just to start. Conor´s having a field day acting like a 10 year old boy with a potty mouth. Not to mention the fun accents...



We spent the morning wandering through the Naschmarkt, which has been the best market we´ve seen all over Europe thus far. Probably becuase it has tons of prepared foods, like millions of stalls with little appetizers...stuff tomatoes, austiran cheese, meats, pickles, mmm delich.

After a trip to the market, we wandered along the Danube river and through a beautiful park...a nice way to recover from our all nighter watching the election....midnight for you is 6am for us....but it was worth it...things seem a little brighter, even over here we can feel it. Conor decided it was time to break out his hat with the american flag on it (he´s been hiding it in his pack since we left.)

Our trip through Bavaria continues to Munich.....where we got in late but still managed to hit our first beer hall: Augustinerkeller, which was HUGE, and the beers were even `huger`, as in one liter each. We also had dinner, which was a pig on a plate....another day when i consider being a vegan, but conor was in heaven...clearly.

Today we also visited Munich´s markets....enjoyed a lovely bratwurst with mustard and headed to the Science and Technology museum after wandering the streets. Care, we are usuing your suggested German....Gutten Tag!

Pics: Czech & Co...

One entrance to the Charles Bridge, which spans the Vltava River and contains elaborate statues every 50 feet or so. That creepy guy in dark is Conor. You can see how spooky and Halloweenish this city really is.

This building in Old Town Square in Prague has an astronomical clock on the left side that people gather to watch every hour. On the hour, it ´´releases a procession of apostles accompanied by a skeleton symbolizing death.´´

After our days in Prague we took day trip into the original land of Budwieser and their beer, Budvar to a picturesque town called Cesky Krumlov, this is the castle that looms over the town from a hill. Obama won, so I no longer feel the need to look for real estate in this town.

After Praha, we headed to Vienna....This back side of the Hofburg Palace. Like my last trip to Vienna, this trip involved mostly walking around buildings rather than walking within them. Last time, it was because me and the Eastern European Wrecking Crew were a little too partied out to do any real siteseeing. This time, it was because Lindsay and I were too partied out from staying up til 6:30 am watching G-Obama usher in a new era.

Pics: Athens & Prague

The Parthenon getting a facelift...it actually is in pretty bad shape, but you would be too if you were 2,440 years old...

View overlooking Dionysius´theater... sort of looks like we superimposed Lindsay in this photo, but we didnt, WE WERE ACTUALLY THERE!

View of Prague from the Wencelas vineyards up on the hill outside of Prazky Hrad. This was the last stop on our tour of the castle grounds and was the best view by far. We got to soak in the view over some local Moravian wines, which we purchased with some crazy money that they gave us as we entered the grounds. From the vineyards, we walked down the side of the vineyard and across the bridge, where we.....

...were able to take this picture. This view is from across the Vltava River and is of Prazky Hrad (even if it was light out, you wouldnt be able to see the vineyard we were in because it is to the right of where this picture ends). Some of the best sightseeing we did was after sunset because so many of the gothic structures are lit up at night. After taking this picture, we actually walked down the river and crossed back over to go to a local pub and soak up some of the Prague atmosphere.

Picture Time: Paros & Athens

Conor in his element enjoying some cobblestones and archway flowers in the back streets of Paros...















Sunset in Paros...This picture looks like it belongs in a magazine...I think Lindsay did a perfect job of following hte rule of 3rds (I think that is a rule in photography, right Mike?)















Just after sunset in Paros. We had to scooter up a rocky dirt rode to get this pic...it is like riding over small rocks when you are bicycling, where you temporarily loose your balance...only you are traveling at much faster speeds...terrifying

View of the acropolis from our private terrace in Athens. If you look closely, Aristotle is trying to give us the bunny ears.

Prague, Round 2 for Conor, Round 1 for Lindsay (and congrats Warndog and Kelly!)

So, we have spent the last 4 days in Prague and it didnt take Lindsay long to understand why I fell in love with it the first time I came here back in 2003. Prague was the 3rd stop on what a group of 9 of us (all guys) called the Eastern European Wrecking Tour. Some comparisons that bear mentioning...

2003 - got lost in the woods up near Prazky Hrad (the Prague castle), ended up stumbling upon a pack of german sheperds and machine gun-carrying guards outside the US Embassy
2008 - got lost in the streets of Jewish Town and stumbled upon some beautiful and quiet streets and shops and warm pubs

2003 - drank flaming absinthe incorrectly due to a problem with a language barrier, received some nasty burns
2008 - drank some of the best beer out there, (budvar and pilsner urquell) and something that rivaled absinthe in taste (Slivovice, could barely get it down). Only burned the throat this time.

2003 - Ate at McDonalds most meals
2008 - Ate at many different restaurants and pubs and have enjoyed some amazing food, in particular, the beef goulash and the pancakes

2003 - advised by a neighbor to stop banging on our door so loudly (after being locked out) because "the people that live in this area still operate like they did before the Iron curtain came down...they will sit there listening to you, they will get upset, let there blood boil, and then they will kill you." We stopped banging on the door.
2008 - not really fully understanding what that guy meant back in 2003 but still terrified, I advised Lindsay to get up from her bus seat that was next to a woman who was incoherently whimpering something at Lindsay from the moment Lindsay sat down next to her. I think I told Lindsay something to the effect of, "if you dont get up now, she might go iron curtain on you and kill you." Lindsay stood up.

2003 - spent our extra day splitting it among an internet cafe, a casino, and a couple different bars
2008 - spent our extra day in Cesky Krumlov, a beautiful European village set on a winding river with a big castle that makes you quickly forget the Iron Curtain/Cold War feel of parts of Prague. If McCain/Palin wins and no houses are for sale in Villeneuve Lez Avignon, we are going to be looking for property there.

Anyway, as you can see, this time around, things were much different and much better. We got to watch the sunset over Prague while sipping wine up in the Wencelas Vineyard overlooking the city, we went on a great pub crawl one night that took us over the statue-laden Charles Bridge and allowed us to snap some amazing night shots, I dragged Lindsay around to all of the places that I visited my first time there (4 places in total) and made her take photos of me standing in front of them (Shaun and Tom, I cant wait to show you guys...), we actually ate Sushi for the first time in months and it was amazing, and we had a blast getting creeped out while walking amongst the buildings with roofs that resembled witches hats on Halloween night. Prague was way more amazing than it was the first time around and I only wish we could stay one more night. However, we have to move along to Vienna, where we will rest up before the all-nighter that we plan on pulling to watch the election tomorrow night. So go vote for Obama tomorrow, or else we might have to go Iron Curtain on you!

Back on the Mainland

We've returned to the mainland in Athens, after 5 very relaxing days in the Cyclades. We had a great time braving the winds along the beaches with our ATV. We also had a great night out with our fellow hostel guests, Ryan from Australia and Amir from Israel, who were probably the only other tourists on the island, and thankfully ones that wanted to talk politics and american sentiment over pool and beers (please vote for obama so our reputation doesn't precede us...shameless plug, sorry) After Naxos, we made a last minute decision and cut our stay at the lovely Hotel Soula short and hopped a ferry to nearby island of Paros on Monday morning. Lucky for us Paros was even better than Naxos, mostly becuase the weather picked up, and the hospitality at Anna's Pension was even better. On thursday we got to experience a National Greek Holiday, Feast of St. Demetrius, as the local children paraded throughout the main street in Parikia and the locals all celebrated at the cafes and bars. After enjoying the white washed buildings and blue shutters we rented a scooter and took off for some of the sights around the island. We stumbled upon a private beach sheltered from the wind by the rocks and the bay and laid out for while before driving around the rest of the island and experiencing an amazing sunset along the water. Sadly on Wednesday we returned to Athens for some sightseeing. Our hostel is in the Monstiraki section of the city, which is the eqivilent to the lower east side of NYC....super cool, looks rough around the edges, but has all sorts of awesome grafiti, hipsters galore (authentic ones that is), neat shops, and awesome bars. From the balcony of our room we have a perfect view of the Acropolis lit up at night. Yesterday afternoon we explored the Agora...as in the actual agora, not BC's super-fangled-web-meeting place-technology (but you can see where it gets it's name.) Conor noted that he felt like he was arriving just a few minutes late and missed one of Socrates great orations.....if only! Then we had another amazing Greek Dinner....and fresh huumus and tzitziki.

Today we hit the biggies...first a strenous hike up to the Acropolis we saw the Temple of Athena Nike, The Parthenon and the great views of Athens below. From up on the hill you can see the entire landscape. NExt we ventured down the south slope down to Hadrian's Arch, and the Temple of Zeus...which is HUGE. Hard to imagine how big it must of been, but the Corinthian Columns give a pretty good indication. From there we walked to the first Olympic Stadium. In the 04' Games the Marathon Finished inside the stadium, and held the archery games...since it's not that big, but does have amazing white marbles for all the seating. Then we wandered the rest of the streets, checking out the Syndagma and Plaka neighborhoods.

Sadly Greece must come to an end as we head to Prague tommorrow and finally say good bye to mild weather....although from the sounds of it we're getting a good deal compared to the weather back home. Ya Mas!

Capri

This shot, taken by a wily old German fellow who was hysterical even though we dont speak German, is from on top of Anacapri, which is only reachable by the chairlift.







Shot from a cove named Marina Picola. We enjoyed a frothy libation right under that umbrella in the center, after a swim in the lovely mediterranean.










The view from the terrace of our B&B. You probably cant tell the difference between the sky and the sea...that is just how blue the water was...

A little Rome and a little Capri

In Capri, before our off-trail hike...and a vicious case of backsweat








The alleyway up to our B&B in Anacapri....yes, that is an extra human i am carrying on my back Watch out Dad, my calf muscles will be the size of yours in no time!!









At the winebar with Maggie and her friend Stacy. As I mentiond a few days ago, Quadruple T was long gone at this point










My 200th helping of gelato on this trip, this one enjoyed on the Spanish Steps in Rome

Roma Sights

Outside the Colesseum, site of Russell Crowe being one of the toughest dudes ever and also where one king sent 9,000 gladiators and 11,000 animals to fight/die over a 117-day period. Not kidding.










Centro Storico, looking down from Palatine Hill....Lindsay was in heaven (in her 4th grade "what do i want to be when I grow up" report for Mr. Salvastrini, Lindsay insisted she would grow up to be an archeologist and actress...wow)










Saint Peters Basilica.....









The Trevi Fountain at night, where you throw a coin in order to assure yourself a return trip. We threw three (the 1-eurocent ones, of course. The dollar aint doing that well)

Naxos Part Two

Our transportation for the day, perfect for off-roading, which we did plenty of. And if anyone has ever ridden a water tube on Tyler Lake when Ted is at the helm, you can understand what it is like to ride shotgun on this with Lindsay at the helm...t-t-t-terrifying...











There were hundreds of these churches all over Naxos that looked like they could only fit one family.










After a major offroading extravaganza, we found ourselves up in what seemed to be an abandoned work site up on the mountain and were able to get this view....

Welcome to the Cyclades, Naxos Part One

After Italy we arrived in Athens on Friday and immediately set out for the islands VERY early Saturday morning. Here is sunrise over the Aegean, taken from our boat on our way from Athens out to Naxos...











Getting up early wasn't fun, but the sunrise made it worth it!










Just a little windy! Here we are looking out from Mikra Viglia a great surfing beach on Naxos.










Obvisouly a very beautiful place, especially if you visit it before October, when the weather is warmer...we were dying to go swimming but it was just too cold.

Pictures from our drive along the Amalfi Coast

We set out on a day trip along the terrifying roads of the Almalfi Coast....in our SMART CAR!

Overlooking the bay between Almafi and Ravello where we ate lunch.










A great view overlooking Positano. The only problem with it is that we thought we might somehow add to the beauty of this picture by inserting ourselves in the photo.










Can you tell how sick we were of taking the same picture of us with a beautiful landscape in the background? We decided to jazz it up for this one...










Sunset in Sorrento. We almost missed this photo because it took me about 20 tries to parallel park a SmartCar. I think that might make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Home a month from tomorrow...

Exciting and depressing at the same time. Exciting because we finally get to see everyone again, finally get to eat homemade food, hang out on the internet without worrying about time running out or time adding up, get to watch DVDs, hell get to watch anything other than CNN International or BBC news (which are rife with ads to visit any country other than the US, I am so sick of falling asleep to the ''incredible india'' ad - they just made it into space, we did that decades ago!), and get to sit on a couch. However, it is depressing because I havent been stressed out since mid-March, for a whole bunch of reasons, and pretty soon we will have to figure out what to do with our lifes post-trip.

Anyway, a lot has happened since Tommy ''the toolbag'' Tourist graced us with his presence. We left Tommy in Rome with my parents, and both departures were very sad. Not only did my parents provide us with our very own economic stimulus package (Sports Illustrated, meals, cocktails, accomodations, drinks, car rentals, you name it and it was subsidized in some way shape or form - thank you again so much!!), but they also provided us with our very own emotional stimulus package. After about 1,500 hours of one-on-one conversation, it was nice for Lindsay and I to rave about Obama\Biden and bash McCain\Palin with someone else, to discuss the second coming of the Man himself in the form of Jimmy Clausen (and Sean, he's from California so he's definitely supporting Obama, not McCain like Mr. Quinn), to discuss the animals from home that we love (and some that we sort of love\loathe) so much, to exchange tips on where to go in Greece (and which beaches to avoid in Paros, did we decide on avoiding the nude beach or not?), to opine on the best gelato to get... among many other topics of conversation. It was so great to see familiar faces and we miss you both so much. We miss our traveling buddies!!!

And that includes Meg, who I never got to write a post about. We had such a great time with Meg, even though it was very short. We did manage to pack plenty of food, tourist sites, wine, an argument (that lasted all of 2 minutes and was forgot in 3), gawking over the Michaelangelos David and various things about him, cliff-noting our way through the Uffizi art museum, and a hangover all into a few days. Our only regret is that you couldn't tag along for the rest of the trip!

As for Tommy, he has undergone a bit of a transformation. We had some visitors in Rome, Maggie Moore and her friend from work, Stacy, and Lindsay wouldnt allow Tommy to hang out, especially since we were going to be going to some nice dinners. After pleading with Lindsay that a techwick shirt, cargo shorts, and hiking boots should be standard dress for any restaurant and losing the argument, Quadruple T (or ''QT'', nice) decided to retire his wardrobe for an indefinite period. A freshly showered, khaki pants and sweatered QT (that really doesnt work, lets stick with Quadruple T) joined the party for a great dinner in the hip Trastevere area at a restaurant where Maggie got to drop a name of someone she worked with. We thought that the combination of the instant credibility associated with a name drop and Lindsay's perfectly spoken ''That was heavenly'' in Italian (unavera bonte i think) would be enough for a free dinner, but unfortunately it wasnt. It was still an incredible meal though and we enjoyed a great time catching up with Maggie and getting to know her friend Stacy over the meal and some wine at a cool wine bar afterward. Hope you guys had a great Sunday in Rome and if for some reason you dont survive the Goldman job cuts that were just announced, come back and join us!!! Cuz unemployment rocks!!!

After leaving Maggie and Stacy, we took off for Capri, a small island just an hour ferry ride off the coast of Italy. What a nice change from the chaotic Rome! We enjoyed a few days of relaxation on the patio of our B&B, where we could watch a beautiful sunset over the sea. We also did quite a bit of hiking along the coast and actually explored the ruins of Tiberius' home, that was on cliff overlooking a part of the sea where Tiberius would toss guests that he didnt like very much. Luckily, we received far better treatment and wish we had more time there. Most of our exploring took us along small walkways in between different vineyards and houses that were scattered all over the small island. It was the perfect place to get lost for a few days and I can see why these people never want to leave. Oh, i almost forgot to mention that we took singleperson chairlifts up to the highest point of the island that gave a jawdropping panoramic view of the island, my first chairlift in shorts and a tshirt. What an experience!

From Capri, we boarded a ferry to Sorrento. The highlight of our trip in Sorrento was our trip today, that involved renting a SmartCar (which is really a toy plastic car with a lawnmower engine) and driving along the Amalfi Coast with stops in Positano, Praiano, Almalfi and Ravello. Breathtaking, exhilirating, and terrifying describes it best. Breathtaking and exhilirating views of the mountains, coastline, and cliffs plunging to the sea. Terrifying hairpin turns along 2-meter wide roads packed with buses along cliffs plunging to the sea. And, of course, the scooterists (or ''nats'' as my Dad liked to referred to them) loved to pass whenever they felt with no warning, of course. I found myself looking in my rearview mirrors almost as much as I found myself looking straight ahead at the road in front of me. I even dished out my second bird of the trip to a Mafia-type who couldnt understand why I wouldnt take a 90-degree turn at 90kmh like he wanted me to. Yes, Quadruple T has made the transition from Tommy ''The Toolbag'' Tourist to Tommy ''The Timid'' Tourist (because of his driving) to Tommy ''The Should Have Looked Before Bird-Dishing'' Tourist. Lets just say that I plan on changing our hotel reservation tonight just to be safe.

Anyway, tomorrow, it is off to Athens. We are sad to see Italy go but cant wait to start eating like regular humans again. We will share pictures as soon as we can...hope everyone is doing well!!!

Analysis of Tommy ''the Toolbag'' Tourist - by Tommy himself

Seeing as I have been doing the tourist thing for awhile, I thought I would let you in on a couple of secrets that help me be the best tourist I can be. A visual first...


And now an explanation, from the bottom up...

1) proper footwear - given that these are both literally and figuratively your wheels, proper stability and tread is required or else you will be risking an accident.
2) socks pulled up to the midcalf area - let's face it, lower shin sunburn is a b!tch. Plus, these also serve as your splashguard, keeping your lower leg protected any dirty water you may powerwalk through
3) 2-in-1 convertible and breathable pant - reduces swampy conditions and allows you to take on sites with multiple climates without having to return home to change. Lower pant legs can fit in your hand (as shown) or zip into side cargo pockets, making it look like you have an extra set of kneecaps
4) water - the 3 cardinal rules of effective touristing are ''(1) locate, (2) eyes straight, (3) hydrate.'' Locate the site, keep your eyes straight ahead and dont get distracted on your way to the site, and hydrate so you dont peter out. A bottle that holds at least 1.5 liters is recommended.
5) rainproof/windproof parka tied around the waist - I am not God and cannot predict the weather. I can also not predict when someone might try to snatch my cool gear off my waist, so I always tie it using a reef knot.
6) Guide book - contains important maps and allows you to learn a lot about a site by reading it rather than hearing it told to you by someone with a British accent. A helluva lot cheaper than renting audioguides too.
7) Watch with stopwatch function - allows you to efficiently chart your time at each site so you will be able to see the maximum amount of sites. It also helps you prevent yourself from getting museum legs, a condition with symptoms involving an increasing amount of irritability, baby-esque moans, locked knees, and tunnel vision that only allows you to see benches and not artwork.
8) T-shirt - never use a long-sleeve tee because you never know when you are going to be hiking 500 steps and will need to air yourself out. Wicking shirts are recommended. Also, only wear white because everything else guarantees a pit-out. Tommy screwed that one up here.
9) Sunglasses with a lanyard - again, I am not God, so I cant predict when the sun is going to show up. Also, you never know when you are going to stumble upon that perfect picture and need to press your eye up to the viewfinder. Rather than flipping the glasses up onto your head (which could result in them flying off), the lanyard allows you to use a quick downward tug to get the glasses off your face.
10) A good attitude - because tourists are just SO ANNOYING!

scenes from tuscany part 2

And here are some more....

Enjoying another beverage (make like the locals do, right??) on a lovely evening in Florence.

Sadly, on Monday we had to say goodbye to Meg, and the rest of us headed north of the city toward the Apennine mountains. We twisted around, and around, and around the windiest (is that a word) bends, through the steepest (this either?) mountains, until we reached Riva Ridge, a WWII site......it was a long day for me (see below: my penchant for car sickness) but well worth it for the stunning views and small town italy feel away from the heaps of tourists in Florence.

Next it was an early morning climb up teh 473 steps of the Duomo...fantastic, here's a shot of the painted ceiling. The view from the top had gorgeous views of the city that pictures couldn't do justice of.

And, finally we reached Siena...all museum'd out, but we still made time for Siena's Cathedral. Which, in my limited opinion, was actually more intersting than Florence's Duomo, thanks to the black and white, Conor termed "beetlejuice" columns and facade. Conor also had time to get back to his days of speaking with stone animals. Enjoy!