March 17 - Daytrip to Orvieto

Today was another early morning full of walking.  We walked about 35 minutes to get to Termini Station to buy train tickets for our train ride to Orvieto.  We got there at 9:05 & our train options were for 9:13 or 10:36.  Obviously, we chose to purchase the latter tickets (especially since it took about 10 minutes to go through all the steps and finally purchase the tickets).  After purchasing the tickets, Steve attempted to contact the Colosseum to book a behind the scenes tour (his European phone skills are improving); however, the underground at the Colosseum is closed right now for renovations.

With 45 minutes until our train, we bought a muffin & Fanta and headed to see the Baths of Diocletian (located just a block away from Termini).  We finally found the entrance and marveled at the ancient baths turned modern day church.  We gazed quickly and then headed back to Termini.

(After soaking in hot spring tubs -- used to be in the entryway but no longer present -- naked Romans would meander into the great hall area where they would socialize with each other and cool off.)

(This portion of the baths -- which was basically a recreational area -- now houses the alter of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martir)

(Added to the church in 1702 is a meridian line.  It acts as a sort of sundial that monitors the Gregorian calendar and helps predict when Easter will fall.  There is a whole up in the corner of the church that allows the sun to come in and fall onto the line, marking the calendar.)

After returning to Termini, we assessed & deciphered our tickets (thanks to Rick Steve's guidebook).  We then figured out the departure signs and found the right train (we also properly validated our ticket like pros!  Thanks Rick Steves). Sadly, and especially for me, we had "reserved" seats in 2 separate adjacent cars. Steve tried to make it work and had hoped to find 2 seats together, or even 2 empty seats in the same car, but it did not work out.  Steve did make sure I was all settled into my seat (which was in a compartment with 5 other people, 4 of which were Americans) with my Kindle and then he found his seat in the adjacent car.  We didn't see each other for an hour, when Steve returned to my car for our departure at Orvieto. 

After leaving the train station, we bought a ticket for the Fornicular (a tram that goes up and down the side of the hill Orvieto sets upon) and rode it up the hillside.  The tourist information (located at the Fornicular's exit) was closed, but it had a sign stating there was another location near the Duomo (big cathedral).  However, we had banked on getting a map from the TI to be able to get to the Duomo.  Luckily, there were signs pointing the way to the Duomo.  After a brief uphill 10 min walk, we got to the main square in front of the Duomo.

We went into the TI & got a map of Orvieto.  We assessed the sites we wanted to hit, what order we had to do it in (according to their open times), and how much money the day would cost us.  There was an option to purchase an Orvieto card that got you into certain sites at reduced cost; however, it wouldn't have saved us any money so we just paid at each site.  We started by trying to find the underground Etruscan passages.  We got close to where we thought should be a path, and discovered a sign explaining you had to buy the tickets at the TI.  So we returned to eh TI to discover it was closed for the afternoon (we were literally gone maybe 10 min).  Oh well, we had to scratch off the Etruscan passages (which we were both looking forward to) from the day's itinerary.

We re-worked the plan and visited the Duomo.  We paid 6 euro to enter & wondered around aimlessly inside.  There were no brochures or descriptions of its inside.  We left the church and began to head down the street when I discovered a little stand with brochures for the Duomo!  We picked one up and it had detailed information of the pictures and statues on the outside as well as information on stuff on the inside.  We sat outside the Duomo and read through the pamphlet to take in what we had just seen.

(The Duomo is constructed very differently from the previous churches we visited in Rome.  It was more Gothic and less ornate, especially on the inside -- no pictures allowed inside.  You can see form the side that it is made up of white and black stone instead of marble like the Roman churches.

(The front facade decorated in mosaics about the Virgin Mary)

(There were different sections of carved marble that told stories from the Bible.  This section depicts stories from Genesis.  Notice the bottom right picture is God taking Eve out of Adam's side)

Next, we went to Torre del Moro where we walked up a tower that is 154 ft tall.  Here, we got a 360 degree view of Orvieto and its surrounding hills & farmland.  We left the tower and trekked towards the Necropolis (excavated Etruscan tombs).  We weren't exactly sure how to get down to the Necropolis, but found a pedestrian trail that led from the the top of the hillside down to where we needed to get.  With some friendly help, we were pointed in the right direction.  

(View of the Duomo from Torre del Moro)

 (Walking down the stairs inside Torre del Moro)

(Walking down the pedestrian walkway towards the Necropolis.  We had to walk from the top of the hillside down to the bottom to reach it.  I am standing in front of the old walls of the city.)

(Here is a view of the hillside we walked down)

We got to the entrance of the Necropoli Crocifisso Del Tufo, but were denied the reduced price (ages 18-25), apparently it only works for EU citizens.  I didn't think quickly enough to fake a German accent.  Oh well, how many times can you say you've been inside a 1000+ year old tomb?!  After looking through the tombs, we both realized we had to walk back up to the top to continue our tour of Orvieto. Several stops & lots of water (p.s. We brought one of those Brita refillable bottles with us on the trip, which I would highly recommend), we were back to the top & continuing the loop back to the main entrance of Orvieto.

(Overview of of the Etruscan tombs in the Necropolis)

(Steve pondering about what the tomb would look like thousands of years ago.)

(Me reveling in the fact that I'm standing inside a thousands+ year old tomb.  Also note that in almost all the pictures of me, I am holding either a map or Rick Steve's book.  I was deemed navigator and I never allowed those items out of my sight.)

Once we got back to the top of the hillside, we completed the loop around Orvieto and found St. Patrick's Well.  The well is compromised of 2 spiraling staircases with 248 steps each.  One is for ascending, the other descending.  They are engineered separate of each other (don't touch or intersect) in order for them to walk donkeys down one set, and up the other set, without crossing paths.  Needless to say, the stairs were pretty tiring to get back up to the top.

(The outside of the well.  There were two doors on opposite sides-- one to enter, the other to exit.)

(Looking down into the well from inside the top.)

(Picture at the bottom of the well, where you crossed from the descending staircase, to the ascending staircase.  There was water in the bottom of the well, about 6 inches from the bottom of the platform I was standing on.  And of course, there were lots of coins and various items thrown into the water). 

After the well, we grabbed some sort of ham/cheese flat bread quesidilla & a coke and ate in the garden of Orvieto's old fortress's remnants.  We then took the Fornicular back down to the bottom & waited for the train.  We had an open return ticket (2 month time period where you can use the ticket on any train from Orvieto to Rome).  This train ride, we got to sit in the same car, but not next to each other.  I sat in a seat directly in front of Steve.  We got to Termini & bought a sandwich.  We ate it while walking towards our apartment.  We had hoped to visit a museum before it closed, but knew the time wasn't going to work out.

Along the return to the apartment, we walked through a section of Rome that was surrounded by flashing police cars & armored policemen.  There was a helicopter repeating the same grid section overhead.  The police were even diverting traffic in some sections.  We never figure out what was going on.

When we got to Largo Argentina, we decided to pass by our apartment and continue to Piazza Navona again.  Along the way, we witnessed a mom helping her child pee in a street grate by a busy street corner.  The piazza nightlife was dimming by the time we got there, so we just decided to return to our apartment via Campo di Fiori.  We stopped at a gelateria and split a gelato.

We got home and began to prep for the next day.  I took my shower while Steve set all the plans for our next day.  Steve decided to no longer attempt showering at night after me, since 1 shower would use up all the hot water.  

March 16 - Day 3

We were awake and out the door by 8:10.  With our pre-purchased Vatican Museum tickets in hand, we walked to Largo Argentina to pick up a taxi.  We arrived well before our 9 o'clock time slot, but they let us in early anyway.

We walked around the museum with our Rick Steve's guidebook in hand.  We navigated through all sorts of frescos, statues, & artifacts and into the Sistine Chapel.  Thanks to RoninRome.com & good ol' Rick Steves, we took the "secret shortcut" into St. Peter's Basilica.  There is the normal exit that most are herded towards, which leads to the front of the museum.  When we exit this way, you then have to walk 20 min around Vatican City to get to St. Peter's Basilica.  Instead, we had to blend in with a tour group to take the group exit, which drops you off right in front of the basilica.  

(Unfinished art piece by Leonardo De Vinci.  It's hard to see it in the picture, but there is a square cut out around the man's head that was used as a bar stool cover in a barbershop until it was returned to the painting.)

 (Famous statue: Laocoön and His Sons : Here you can see Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons being strangled by sea serpents.  This piece of artwork should the breakthrough in marble work where statues could portray emotion and movement.)

(On the ceiling in the Room of Constantine, you can see an homage to the new religion Constantine brought to Rome.  You can see a Christian crucifix has "defeated" a Roman pagan god.)

With Rick Steve's book in hand, we toured the basilica.  It's hard to grasp its size with all the ornate detail.  We left the basilica just as the Swiss Guard were changing.  Steve & I agreed they looked like a joke with their outlandish costumes & sloppy choreagraphy.  We then walked around St. Peter's Square.

(Michelangelo's Dome from St. Peter's Basilica)

(Michelangelo's Pieta, which is now behind bullet-proof glass after someone tried to destroy it some years back)

(Changing of the Swiss Guard)

(In front of St. Peter's Basilica in St. Peter's Square)

We got done with Vatican City at noon.  We took a Rick Steve's suggestion for a sandwich shop.  We got 2 paninis & a Fanta for 12 euro.  We ate our lunch out in an open area outside the Vatican city walls.

After eating, we meandered to Castel Sant'Angelol.  Built by Hadrian as a fortress in 138AD, it has become a symbol of Rome's security from barbarians.  It's high position near the Tiber River helped defend Rome from invaders.  There is even a secret passage that is connected from Vatican City into the Castel for Pope's to hide in case of an invasion.  We goofed & had forgotten our Roma Pass at the apartment, so we had to spend 20 euro to gain access.  There wasn't much to the Castel, but it was neat to see Rome & Vatican City from the fortress.  We tried to think about what it would have been like thousands of years ago when barbarians were trying to invade Rome, it's just hard to grasp all of Rome's history.  We enjoyed the experience but would not advise the site for that price. We exited the castle and strolled over its bridge across the Tiber River.  

(Castel Sant'Angelo & bridge)

(View of Vatican City & St. Peter's Basilica from the top of Castel Sant'Angelo)

(View of Tiber River from Castel Sant'Angelo)

(Me using our Rick Steve's book to navigate back to our apartment)

We returned to our apartment through Campo de Fiori.  The market was busy but we were too tired to browse.  Instead, headed straight to our apartment and took a nap!  

After our nap, we regrouped and set the plan for the rest of the day.  We decided on taking a Rick Steve's Heart of Rome tour.  It started just outside our apartment at Campo de Fiori.  From there, we walked to PIazza Navona and saw the Rome night life beginning.  The piazza was filling with people, street entertainers (like music, artists, magicians, live statues -- which got me every time, peddlers -- selling chotsky like "magic ball", laser pointers, & shooting lights).

(Statue in the center of Campo de Fiori)

(1 of 3 fountains in Piazza Navona)

From Navona, we venutred over to the Pantheon, as we approached the netrance, they stopped letting people in because they were preparing for mass.  So we detoured from the Heart of Rome tour and did Rick Steve's church tour.  We saw two churches -- Santa Maria Minerva & Church of the Gesu.  We then back tracked to the Pantheon, which was still closed.  So we continued on the Heart of Rome tour and headed towards Trevi Fountain.

(Santa Maria Minerva)

(Church of the Gesu)

(Fresco on the ceiling at Church of the Gesu)

En route to the fountain, we stopped at Giolitti's (a well known gelateria) and got some gelato.  We got to Trevi Fountain and it was packed with people.  We felt like we had to swim through a sea of people to get to the other side.  We didn't attempt to get close, but just gaze from afar. After the fountain, we trekked to the Spanish steps, completing the Heart of Rome tour.  Only, we still hadn't gotten to see inside the Pantheon.  We took a different route back through a shopping district and finally made it back to the Pantheon.  The Pantheon was opened & we were able to go inside.

(Trevi Fountain)

(Spanish Steps)

(Pantheon)

We returned to the apartment, but only to add layers, snack, and prep for another walk.  This walk was opposite Campo de Fior into the Jewish Ghetto.  This area is known as the Jewish Ghetto because in 1555 it all the Roman Jews were segregated into a gated area and kept separate from Christian Rome.  By the time we started this walk, it was after 8pm and things were pretty quiet in the area.  While there, we came upon some ancient ruins that really outlined how "tall Rome has grown (due to the many rebuilds on rubble).  

(Jewish Ghetto ancient ruins)

(Steve is located on the first part of the ramp, just to show scale.  Notice how "tall" Rome has grown.  The bottom of the walkway is dated from beginnings BC, where as the top is modern day Rome.  As Rome was conquered and destroyed throughout the years, it would be rebuilt upon layers of Rubble.)

(The alley ways in the ghetto were really slim.  This was due to the fact that they had lots of people and not a lot of room.  Even though Jews are no longer confined to this area, they still make up the majority of the neighborhood.)

We returned to the apartment and called it a night.  We set a strategy to shower back-to-back without losing hot water; however, I took too long (or set the wrong time), leaving Steve with only cold water again.  Oops.

March 15 - Arrival into Rome

How fitting to be arriving into Rome on the Ides of March.  Our flight was smooth and the crew worked hard to maintain a pleasant environment after the boarding fiasco.  They served dinner as soon as we were in the air around 12 am eastern standard time or 5 am Rome time.  Steve & I ate dinner while watching J. Edgar Hoover (we do not recommend the movie, very boring). After the movie, we both zonked, as much as one can zonk on an airplane.

Due to departing 5 hours late, our whole day was trhown off kilter.  Thanks to wifi at the Philly airport, we were able to send a quick email to our Rome apartment host (we stayed in people's apartments while in Rome, Barcelona & Madrid.  We found the accomodations through airbnb.com).  The original plan was to meet our host Fabio in front of a bookstore near the apartment at noon. However, we weren't scheduled to get into Rome until after noon thanks to the delay.  We sent the email asking to meet him around 2, but we never got a response, making for an interesting arrival into Rome.

We got off the plane and followed the herds to the passport check.  After getting our stamps we found the correct luggage carousel and waited.  We did bathroom stops and got Euros from an atm before the luggage showed up.  Both suitcases arrived without an issue.  We then went in search of the train.  We first purchased a Roma Pass (gives free bus/metro rides for 3 days as well as free entrance into 2 sites & a reduced ticket into a 3rd site) & our train tickets.  We validated our tickets (you have to do this at little stations BEFORE getting on the train), got on the train, and headed to Termini Station (train/bus transportation station in Rome).

The 30 minute trian ride into Rome was uneventful.  It was around 2:30 when we got into Rome and we needed to get ahold of Fabio.  We missed our new set time of 2 o'clock (which we never knew if that was ok with him).  We found phones (which took us awhile to find one that took coins and worked) and attempted to call him, but he didn't answer.  We decided to just try to find the bookstore and or the apartment and see if maybe we'd run into him (ya right).  We figured out where we were in location of the station and found the bus area.  Steve asked for help and we figured out to get onto bus 64 to get to the bookstore that we were to meet Fabio at (but we didn't know if he would still be there).

We got onto an already full bus & tried to figure ut how to validate our Roma Pass.  I attmeped to ask the bus driver but he didn't understand or care about my question (so we just rode the bus for free).  At each stop, the bus got fuller and fuller of people.  There were no names to the stops and we didn't really know where we were.  Finally, Steve decided we should just get off (we passed a landmark on the map and thought we could just navigate via walking).  However, we were like salmon swimming upstream trying to get off the bus.  By the time we got to the door, it closed and we couldn't get off.  At the next stop, we had to force our way off (which was a struggle with suitcases).

Suitcases in tow, we bgan our 3 hour trek around Rome.  We had no idea where we had gotten off of the bus and didn't even know what the name of the road was.  Street signs in Rome are unlike the U.S.  We didn't figure this out utnil later in the day, but road names are located on stone plaques on building sides.  We tried to navigate via our map by remembering we had passed that landmark, but really we were wandering blindly. We luckily found a "You Are Here" map, only there was no spotting saying "You Are Here".  We stared at the map awhile when another couple showed up.  They helped us get oriented with where we were (they had come in the opposite direction).  Now knowing where we were and which direction we were headed, we went in search of Campo De Fiori (our apartment was located in an alley just off of this square).  We headed back towards where we had gotten off the bus, but then realized we went to far.  We had to backtrack and walk back towards the sign we had found.  We finally had to make an educated guess (because we hadn't figured out yet where the street names were located), turned and walked through some back streets, and found Campo!

Campo de Fiori is a square (about 1/4 of a block in size) where people set up a market with street vendors in the morning.  When everything is sold or by late afternoon, all is packed up.  We arrived into the area (suitcases in tow) as stuff was being packed and cleaned up.  We followed the correct alley and found the apartment door entrance.  There was no sign of Fabio, and no way to enter the complex.  We decided to continue down the alley and find the bookstore we were to meet him in front of (even though we were hours late by now).  The bookstore was located at the far end of Largo Argentina (a busy area where you can get taxis, buses, and tram stops surrounding some ancient ruins).  We finally found the bookstore, but there was no Fabio.

Now that we knew locations better (the apartment and bookstore were 5 min walk from each other) we changed our focus into calling Fabio.  There were some phones located just outside the bookstore that took phone cards or coins.  We only had paper Euros.  I stayed in one location with the suitcases (completely breaking down as I imagined having to sleep on the street) while Steve went to change his paper money into coins.  He tried to the phones, but they wouldn't take the coins.  Steve was getting just as frustrated as I was, only my frustration comes out in tears and he just shuts up.

Steve decided that the coins were a no-go and went to a nearby vendor in search of a phone card.  She just pointed down the street (towards the apartment), so we both decided to head in that direction (suitcases in tow.  Oh and did I mention that there most walkways and the streets are made of cobble stone?!).  We found another little vendor with payphones on his building.  We tried them with coins, which didn't work.  We then asked him about phone cards but he just ignored us.  We decided to drag the suitcases back towards the apartment (who knows, maybe Fabio was checking the apartment randomly for us?).  Along the way, we stopped at all sorts of shops in search of a phone card, no luck.  We got to the apartment, and of course, no Fabio.  More tears and frustration ensued.

We decided to take a different alley in search of any sort of help.  I was to the point where I was going to stop anyone with a cell phone and ask them to make this call.  Steve wasn't to that point yet.  I saw a store owner helping direct someone and I told Steve to go ask that guy for help.  Steve returned shortly with a phone card in hand!!  This was the first glimmer of hope we'd had in the past 2.5 hours.  We then headed back towards the phones in Largo Argentina.  The first phone didn't work, so we found another.  Steve punched in all the numbers from the card and Fabio's number.  Fabio didn't answer, but a voicemail did.  Steve left a message and decided to try Fabio's wife's number.  We had to reenter all the numbers from the phone card again and finally someone answered!  It was Fabio!!  He said he'd meet us at the apartment in 10 minutes.  We joyously drug our suitcases back towards the apartment.

(Steve happily awaiting Fabio's arrival)

We were beyond pooped, hungry, and getting cold (the sun was going down).  I pulled myself together while we waited on Fabio.  He showed up as he said (it was going on 6pm) and took us into the apartment.  He showed us how everything worked in the apartment and had brought us some food to eat.  After Fabio left, we scarfed down the little pizzas he'd given us.  We took a moment to just relax and make a plan for the rest of the night (after all, we'd lost a complete whole day in Rome).  We headed towards Largo Argentina (a path well traveled) and headed West towards the Tiber River.  We stopped for some gelato first and then did a Rick Steve's walking tour of Trastevere area.  We backtracked the way we came and headed home after 45+ minutes.  Upon returning to the apartment, Steve discovered he had been pooped on by a bird -ha ha ha.

(Bridge crossing the Tiber River and connecting to Tiber Island.  The building is a maternity hospital.)

(A fountain on a stop of the Trastevere walking tour.  Notice, Rick Steve's book is in hand)

Steve then took some time planning out our next day while I unpacked and took a shower.  Steve was planning on showering after me, but I had used up all the hot water -- oops :).  We then went to bed where we crashed!

March 14 - Travel Day 1

Today was a terrible start to what should be an amazing vacation.  Steve had finally completed our intense itinerary and we were packed & on the road on schedule.

We made great time to the Columbus airport.  Check-in & security were a breeze.  We got to the gate with about 1.5 hours until departure.  Our plane was late arriving into Ohio, delaying our departure by 20 minutes.  We had a built-in layover of 3 hours at our Philly connection, so we weren't worried about the first delay.

We grabbed our last American meal for awhile (Japanese, go figure) and then began the wait to board our flight to Rome.  About the time we should have began boarding, there was an announcement explaining the plane had an issue on its previous leg & mechanics were working on it.  Our flight was originally supposed to leave Philly at 6:10.  Instead, we got to board the plane about 6:20.  We were finally loaded and began to taxi to the runway, when the pilot announced the issue had reoccurred and that we had to head back to the gate to have it looked at.

We waited for 30+ minutes while the flight crew passed out pretzels & water and the mechanics worked on the issue.  Apparently, a computer had malfunctioned and wasn't running at 100%.  However, after a diagnostic check was run, the mechanics declared the computer was fine. The pilot decided to go ahead and refuel the plane before leaving.  We began to taxi towards the runway for a second time, when we paused.  The pilot then announced that the issue was still occurring and we had to return to the gate, already 2.5 hours late.

We waited another 30-45 min when it was finally announced we would be switching planes.  We stayed on plane #1 for awhile while they were preparing the new plane.  Eventually, we were unloaded and herded into the gate area where we waited another 45+ minutes.  The aiport was pretty dead and we were going on 4.5 hours delayed.  They set up some water coolers and passed out snack boxes (had crackers, chicken salad, potato chips, cookies, almonds, craisins) to all the passengers.

(Airport was empty and all the shops and restaurants were closed)

(I wasn't bothered by the delay.  I saw it as a positive because we'd actually be tired enough to sleep on the plane.  Although, at this point, I didn't realize the full impact of how the delay would affect our arrival.)

(Steve took the extra time to do more research for the trip and re-work the itinerary since we'd be losing a good chunk of the next day in Rome.)

Even though they said the new plane would arrive to the gate ready, they lied.  It still had to be cleaned up a little bit before they could reload the catering service (as well as reload the luggage).  Finally we boarded the new plane and departed for Rome (there were cheers as the plane took off) 5 hours behind schedule.

We're Back!

Steve and I returned from our European Vacation and are still adjusting to being home.  We got in late Monday night.  Steve came back from Europe with another cold (or allergy attack, according to him).  He took Tuesday off to recuperate (because our vacation wasn't relaxing, it was pretty intense and busy).  I spent yesterday getting the house back in order (like an intense grocery shopping because there was no food in the house, laundry, and cleaning up the basement (we're having issues with debris falling form the rafters).

Okay, back to the trip. . .

We had a very memorable time while we were in Europe.  I don't think either of us were totally prepared for what to expect.  Some days, things didn't go to plan both in our favor and not in our favor.  These moments seem to stick out most.  I kept a very intense journal (thanks to my Mother-in -Law!!  She got me a wonderful journal called a "Smash" book.  I absolutely loved it!) and will be posting my daily entries on the blog.  We also took lots of pictures.  Steve bought a new camera before the trip and he was in charge of most of the photography, taking just over 500 pictures!

I would have to say that Rome was probably our favorite location on the trip.  Maybe we were just burnt out by the time we got to Barcelona & Madrid, or maybe it was due to the fact that Rome has ancient history surrounding it.  Either way, we would both go back to Rome again (although, if you asked me if I'd want to return to Rome while we were there, my answer would have been no.  But my answer changed when we went to Spain.  I actually missed being in Rome).

The hardest thing for me about the trip was the language and culture barriers.  I am a control freak and like to know what to expect at all times.  Unfortunately, a trip like this does not allow one to maintain constant control.  When I don't know what to expect or can't control situations, I sort of break down.  There were a couple times that I had full blown meltdowns, but you will have to wait for those stories in future posts.

We are both so very thankful for the trip and the opportunity we had to go on it.  The trip definitely brought us closer and taught us things about each other that we didn't know.  As much fun and memories that we made on the trip, we are even more thankful to be home, able to transport ourselves when we want via car, and able to speak to anyone and know that we will be understood.

Stay tuned for lots of posts, stories and pictures about the trip!

Europe or Bust!

It is the eve of our trip, and I'm already pooped :).  I've been pretty busy today trying to get everything printed, organized, packed, and ready to go!  I spent a lot of my day contacting various banks/credit card companies to notify of out trip (which sounds easy, but can be time consuming going through all those customer service menus).

I actually had most of our stuff packed yesterday, but I had to do some shuffling around and repacking this evening.  My hope was to be done with everything by 11, and I'm a half hour ahead (which is why I'm doing this crazy post!).

I'll try to do some blog entries while we're overseas, but we aren't sure what access we'll have to the internet.  Plus, our itinerary is pretty packed, so who knows if I'll be mentally able to write a post by the end of the day, but I will give it my best effort!

Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts as we head to Europe.  I'm pretty nervous about the language barrier and getting from point A to point B.  Steve, however, has done an awesome job planning everything and I am sure we will do just fine (I am just a control freak who doesn't have control at the moment).  I know we'll have a good time regardless of how the plans go.  Steve is just excited for the break from work & I am excited to have him 24 hrs/day.  Rome, Barcelona, & Madrid --- HERE WE COME!

Church Search

When Steve and I first moved to Lima, we immediately started looking for a church.  We know that if you put this off, it just gets harder and harder to look later on.  Since moving in December, we have visited over 6 different churches.  Since we've done lots of Indiana visits as well as hosting visitors on the weekends, we haven't been consistent with church searching.

In our Lima church experiences, we have discovered that there are soooo many options!  Lima offers many different denominations and styles.  But because there are so many churches, the size of the churches tend to be small.  For instance, two of the churches we went to had less than 50 people in the service.  On first visits, I don't like to fill out the "visitor" cards; however, in smaller churches, you get pegged as new right away.  In a couple of them, we were cornered and had to fill out the cards.  One of the churches (which the average age in the room was 55+) sent us a letter the week of our visit.  A few weeks later, the pastor even stopped by our house to offer any help (he new we were new to the area) and invite us to visit again.  Due to the age of the church members, we can't really see ourselves returning; however, God is the driver in this search and we don't know yet where we'll end up.

Steve and I tend to line up with a Baptist/Presbyterian denomination due to our upbringings.  The church we joined in TN was non-denominational (even though it would have been labeled as Baptist/Presbyterian by it's constitution).  It was also big, involving 2 services and a separate buildings for children ministries and youth ministries.  The size of the church is not a high criteria on our search list; however, we are hoping to find a church were we can make friends and find people that understand our stage in life.

There were a few weeks in the beginning of February that we were pretty down on the process.  It just seemed like the churches we were picking tended to be really small, consist of older people, or have a worship service lacking in, well, worship.  We would visit the churches and feel out of place.  We kept reminiscing on our first experience at Fellowship Jackson.  On our first visit, we just felt at home.  Previous to finding the church there, I had thought it would be easy to leave TN; however, it's hard to leave a church like that.  In the short time we were there, we got involved in different ministries and Bible studies and just felt like part of the family.  Fellowship Jackson set a pretty high bar for our new church, which makes the church search process here in Lima all the harder.

However, there was a change in events in the middle of February!  During our sicknesses, we decided to stay home on a Sunday and came across a church broadcast on the television (remember, we no longer have cable or satellite and only get local channels + basic networks like ABC, CBS. . . ).  We watched the pastor speak and could see the church was bigger than what we had been visiting.  On our next Sunday, we were able to visit the church.  We didn't have the same "home-feeling" experience we had in TN, but it definitely refreshed us in the search.  We could see ourselves in the church and want to visit it some more.

After our Europe trip, the church search will continue.  The plan for now is just to return to the last church and see how things go.  On our first visit there, they had guest music visiting and we were unable to get a feel for their worship set.  We appreciate all the prayer and thoughts as we continue to find a church family and friends in Lima.

Not Again

We thought we'd turned the corner with Ramses break-outs; however, he outsmarted us again!  As Steve went to work this morning, he went to step down out of the kitchen, when all of a sudden -- Ramses scurried around. That darn hamster got out of his cage again!

For the past few weeks, he's been a little on the miffed side.  It may be my fault because I haven't been letting him run in his ball enough.  Although, the last 2 times I put him in the ball, he just martyred in it by sitting in the corner of the dining room.  I knew he had been working on some master plan because this is how I found his cage yesterday morning:

Notice: His wheel as been unmounted from the wire side.  There is a clip that slides in between the bars, then you turn the clip perpendicular to the bars and the wheel is secured.  Somehow, he managed to undo the clip and knock the wheel off.  

Here's another view of the wheel unhinged.  Notice, it is slightly buried under his bedding.  

When Steve caught him this morning, and put him back in the cage, he saw that the wheel had been undone again last night!  We own a crazy hamster!!  

So back to last night's adventure.  Ashley (Steve's sis) has been staying with us again this week.  Ramses perch is located just at the base of the stairs (right below the guest bedroom).  Since he goes crazy on his wheel at night, we move the whole cage to the floor in the living room.  So now we know he doesn't take a bee-line to his little alcove.  Apparently he runs all around the house until he either finds or gets stuck in his alcove by the door.

Ashley shared with Steve that she saw Ramses running around the kitchen this morning while she was preparing to leave for work.  First she thought it was a mouse and freaked, but then quickly caught on to Ramses.  When it was time to actually leave, he had gotten himself stuck in the alcove.  She didn't want him to escape via the door, so she used her suitcase to box him into the corner while she got outside.  Oh Ramses, what are we going to do with you?!

So now we're back to square one.  He is again home in the bathtub.  We thought we had this problem solved with the paper clips closing the door.  Although, with him knocking the wheel off the wire, I wonder if he's stretched out that space and is now able to squeeze through.  We thought we would be able to leave him home (with our neighbor checking on him) while we're in Europe.  However, now we're in search of someone with a sealed room created for crazy hamsters.  Short of buying a glass cage, I don't know what we're going to do.  Problem is, he's just so stinking cute when his not all huffed up with anger and being a trickster (okay, maybe he's cute then, too).

Any advice?!

2 Weeks

2 weeks from today, Steve and I will be spending 2 weeks in Europe!  We've been talking about a big Europe trip when we first got married.  For awhile, it seemed to be one of those conversations that would never take place.

Initially we were thinking about doing it a year ago.  Steve decided that the best time to go (off season) would be in either March or November.  Last March, instead of going on a trip, we were searching for a house in the Jackson area.  Then when P&G announced the sale of Pringles, we decided we wouldn't be able to go in November due to the iffiness of our moving situation.  Once we moved this past December, we decided that this March would be perfect timing.

You might think it's crazy that Steve just started a new job and is already taking 2 weeks off.  It ends up working really nicely.  He now works for Tide, and as many know, Tide just released a new product -- Tide Pods.  His past couple months have been spent learning about the Pods, how they're created, and the process of creation to store.  Because the Pods were just released, there will be a little downtime at the plant as they see the Pods effect on Tide.  Steve will be returning back to work right as they begin expanding Pods development -- perfect timing!

Back to the trip.  The first part of our trip will lead us to Rome, Italy.  We will be there for 5 days, then headed via plane to Barcelona, Spain.  We'll be in Barcelona for 3 days and end our trip via train to Madrid, Spain for another 3 days.  We choose these locations just because it's where we wanted to go!  I have always had a desire to see Rome.  Being a history buff, I'm very excited to see the ancient structures like the Colosseum and Forum.  Steve has always had a desire to go to Spain.  I guess you could say this is kind of a "his & hers" trip since we're both getting to see our desired locations.

Steve is the mastermind behind 92% of the planning.  Researching and planning for trips is just not my thing, but luckily it is right up Steve's alley.  He has piles of travel books on our coffee table as well as very extensive spread sheets mapping out all the details.  I've thrown in some help here and there by expressing what I want to see and what's important to me.  I will be the mastermind behind the packing, transitions from each lodging, and most of the food.  We are staying in apartments while we're in Europe.  That way, we'll be able to buy some groceries and potentially save money buy packing meals.

While we're gone, I'll try to write some quick posts, but no promises!  I know I will not be able to post pictures, but we should be able to get on the internet.  And of course, when we get back, there will be lots of pictures and stories to fill the blog for awhile!