I'm HOME, and I'm exhausted (slight update, Sat AM)
Sorry for the teaser, but I will post about my trip and pics as soon as I can see straight! The time difference is already killing me
I HAVE to go back to Rome again. It's right up there with NYC as one of my favorite places on earth. Florence, Siena, Venice were all beautiful too - we totally lucked out w/ the weather - it only rained last night, as we were in our hotel, packing.
MISSED YOU ALL!!!!
Glad to be home
Will post more soon.
UPDATE:
(just cut an pasted from LIF 'cause I'm lazy and tired.)
Went to sleep last night at 2am (I was trying to kill the jet lag by staying up really late so I could sleep late this morning), and I was WIDE awake at 6:30am.
I'm unpacking and going for a pedi this morning (I feel like I have skanky feet from alllllll the walking in sandals - it's super gross.) It was the most exhausting trip I've ever taken in my life. We'd leave the hotel room at 8am, walk until about 6 (YES, 10 hours of walking - I actually LOST weight on this trip!), then we'd head out again for dinner around 7-8, and walk around some more to get a feel for Italy at night.
I loved Rome (I was there 5 years ago, and feel like I missed SO much then - I saw much more this time). We saw all the major sites, most of the lesser known historic sites, and we stayed right by the Trevi Fountain. That was an incredible place to be at night.
Florence was gorgeous (but slightly boring if you can't take too many museums) - the market there was sooo much fun. We took a 1.5 hr bus ride to Siena (although there was a creepy, CREEPY man on that bus - think of the guy on the train in the movie EuroTrip- he actually ASKED every woman if she was married, 'cause he wants a wife), a small town outside Florence (still in Tuscany), and it was my absolute favorite. The locals were all going about their business, there was clothing hanging out to dry from all the homes, every shop sells homemade Tuscan wine for $2-3 a bottle- there are cute little outdoor eateries that serve the freshest, most incredible homemade pastas - I had a spinish ravioli there that was OUT of this world.
Overall (with the 1 exception of Siena), we found Rome to have the best food. It was consistently amazing. We ate in the little back alley places that the tourists never find - we were often the only english speaking diners, surrounded by locals. Food in Rome was SO cheap too - my family of 5 had dinner every night - by dinner I mean, 2 courses per person, liter of house red, bottled water, and coffee, for 58 euros (about $72), service (tip) included. UNREAL!
Venice was much more touristy and dirtier than I ever imagined. When I thought of Venice, I always pictured singing gondoliers, lit up canals, etc., when in reality, we saw 1 singer (probably because it was 100 euros to take a ride, and another 80 euros for the guy to sing - about $225 U.S.), and the canals are greenish black and murky. On several occaisions, we saw local workers relieving themselves into the canals. Now I know why touching the water is STRICTLY prohibited!
When we went to check into our hotel in Venice (all suites), we were told that they overbooked (although we had confirmed TWICE), and that they weren't able to give us the 2 suites that were already paid for, but that they'd upgrade us to the executive suite for no charge. BEAUTIFUL room with a fabulous terrace, a kitchen, 5 beds, etc., but 1 BATHROOM with minimal hot water!!! 2 people got cold showers everyday, 'cause the water heater took 24 hours to make more hot water. We saw Murano, Burano, and Lido here also. Lido is another island of Venice, and very much like Key West. Its absolutely beautiful, and muchhhh more serene than the rest of Venice.
OH, and converters are crap. The first day we got there (Rome), I wanted to fix my hair for dinner, so I plugged in my Chi hair straightener, and within 5 seconds, it was smoking, and the glue that holds the ceramic plates to the handles actually melted off. It's COMPLETELY shot - I feel like crying. It was a frizzy, frizzy, vacation after that.
We had very good luck with the hotels (ignoring the Venice situation) - they were all beautiful, and in great locations. All the hotels were formerly palaces, converted to hotels in the 1800s or early 1900s. On a slightly creepy note, we had a plaque outside our room in Florence, stating that our room was the room Hitler preferred to stay in while visiting and meeting with Mussolini and others during several stays in 1938. My sister was freaked out, 'cause it looked like the hotel from 'The Shining'. It was just old, and beautiful.
It was an incredible, unforgettable trip - we have SOOOO many pictures, and my brother took it upon himself to do all the uploading, so when he's done, I'll post plenty for you!!!
After seeing Rome again, I realized how much Rich (FH) would love it. We've always said that we wanted to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon, but we may have to rethink that. FH is NOT a beach person, and while I know there are other things to do in Hawaii, I think we'd have the time of our lives in Rome. (And a resort type place after visiting the city.)
No one in my family speaks any Italian, but we understand some, and were generally very well received everywhere we went. We found that young people (teens, 20s, 30s) were the most helpful, and women of all ages were willing to help as well. However, I was very upset by the DISGUSTING men of Italy. We were actually spit on and called stupid Americans by an older man (in his 50s) when we were lost in Venice and asked for help. Women are treated like GARBAGE over there. We witnessed husbands slapping wives, we were in a family restaurant, and saw the father hit his daughter in the head with a pizza board, yelling at her to hurry up. Walking the streets of Florence last saturday, we saw a wedding. We were walking alongside some wedding guests, and there was a VERY pregnant woman, carrying a large package, struggling in her high heels on the cobblestones. Where was her husband? 10 steps ahead of her, emptyhanded, calling her fat, lazy and slow. I loved and appreciated everything about this trip, but I was happy to land at JFK, and VERY grateful to be an American woman.
Will post pics tonight!!!
p.s. Gelato EVERYDAY!!!! Best thing EVER- Mint, with NO CHIPS!!!!! (I hate chunks in my ice cream)
