Holy Hell!!

So, this morning was the beginning of Catholicourista (my name for tourism of sacred Catholic sites in Rome).
It all started at the Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Church of Relics) which houses portions of what is believed to be part of the cross and a nail from the crucifixion of Jesus and also contains the index finger of Saint Thomas, why you ask? It is supposed to be incorruptible, meaning it has not decomposed. FYI the Catholics like to put on display in glass coffins their incorruptible saints and saint parts!!
Next was the Scala Santa (the holy staircase, the steps in which it is believed Jesus crawled to his sentence of crucifixion from Pontius Pilate) the only way allowed up these steps, which are marble covered by wood to protect them, is on ones knees. This is how the devout go, otherwise you may go up a two side staircases instead. Well, devout I am not and Ashley is not even Catholic but adventurous and curious we are!
Therefore, up the steps via our knees we went! I am here to tell you it was one of the most painful experiences in recent memory! I can only assume that is the point but dang!
All I could do was look next to me and see the 70 year old nun, children, handicapped person and lady who cried and prayed the entire way up (I wanted to cry but I do not think for the same reasons) and think what a wimp I am!
Note: below is a photo of me at the top, I know I look kinda spiritual but I was really just in pain!
However, I have to say that whenever I have visited religious sites and we have been to several around the world from Catholic, Buddhist to Hindu; I am always amazed and have great respect for those who can believe so much in their faith. I am sure it probably makes many things in life easier to handle or understand by having the ability to just let faith takeover.

Vatican City Bambino!

Today is ode to Pope day and we have made our annual contribution to one of the richest countries in the world...Vatican City. We have our tickets and our allotted time to visit, buy tickets online ahead or you will wait in line with every catholic who has come to make a pilgrimage.
The Sistine Chapel has been on my bucket list ever since my first art history class at OCCC. My instructor told a story how she "got in" after hours and laid on her back. Last night I was looking for a way in, Andrea was quick to veto that idea. I told her if I get caught I get to see the vatican jail and that's not on any tour.
later on:
I DID IT on my back in the Sistine chapel. Done. Some how we got in the line for strollers and wheelchair access for the chapel (this is Andrea now and I must interject a story about this line...as with everything in life Karma big and in this case small had to be paid for the fact that we did "knowingly " go in the back way and glommed onto some old ladies wheelchair as if she was our grandma and we were helping her in. However, in the line right in front of Ashley was a mom abd young child, mom put her baby on her shoulders and bam...baby ass crack, therefore Ashley did "sneak" in the Sistine Chapel but she did have that at eye level for a good 10 minutes) so we got in very quickly.
Note: the photo with the line is the line we should have been in.

Trains and my birthday!!

Let's just say that the Trains do not necessarily run on time or yours will not and your connection will; it is much like an airline in the US!
Our train from Orvieto was late to Torantlo and therefore the next train from a very small town like Torantlo wasn't for two more hours; therefore, our arrival in Assisi was just a bit later than planned.
So, what is one to do at a train station in a remote Umbrian town in Italy....

It's my birthday!

Signorelli's Fresco's

Luca Signorelli was contracted to paint the frescoes in April 1499 for the Duomo in Orvieto. The frescoes consist of "Deeds of the Antichrist, the End of World, The Resurrection of the Flesh, The Damned and Driving Out the Damned and Welcoming of the Elect into Heaven".
At this point in the trip these frescoes and this church are some of the most impressive pieces of art I have seen. The frescoes look as if they are climbing out of the walls and I am sure it will be equally impressive but at this point the Sistine Chapel has its work cut out for it!

Pozzo Di San Patrizio

St. Patrick's Well took 10 years 1527-1537 to complete and was commissioned by Pope Clement the VII while seeking refuge in Orvieto during the Sack of Rome. The water at the bottom is crystal clear and 200 feet in depth is 248 steps down and back up and has 70 windows.

Orvieto continued

Here are some pics of the day!!

Orvieto

Train success again! I will tell you the train system to smaller towns is not the easiest to figure out and austerity measures in Italy have seem to affected manning informational desks at the stations.
As I mentioned before the train only list the final destination city and not all the stops between. So, after research online I picked the train we needed and off we went to Orvieto. (I must admit that I had my doubts and was happy when it really did stop there)
Then up the funicular to the old city and then (Ashley will have her own version of this walk in which I said "its not far and I don't want to figure out the bus")
Funny, the bus really only runs up and down one maybe two streets!! :)
Anyway, luggage in tow uphill on old cobblestone streets for about what seemed forever to the Hotel Duomo.
Nice large rooms at the Hotel Duomo but not as friendly of staff as at David in Florence but I think this maybe due to the language barrier. In Orvieto knowing some Italian will be helpful but not a must you can still communicate with many to get what you need.
Orvieto is about the cutest town ever! It is beautiful and the Duomo facade is jaw dropping, pictures attached but do not do it justice.

Firenze Finito

We did Florence in one long day and a morning and are still in awe of what we have seen.
I think we saved the best for last, The Medici Family Chapel (Cappelle Medicee) the Dome was Built and Designed Buontalenti, the Sacristy was done by Brunelleschi and tombs and a staircase done by Michelangelo.
The works done by Michelangelo are works that were done later in his life and are considered some of his greatest. After seeing them one can see why, they are breathtaking!! The Medici is not one of the crazy crowded tourist sights (such as the Galleria dell Accademia where David resides) but should be on any art lovers bucket list.
Later we will post an entry about if you are limited on time and the things that are a must and those which you could skip if needed in Florence. Also, handy tips regarding tickets and lines to avoid and how to avoid them.
I just want to say Florence you were amazing!

Muses dell'accadia David

The Michelangelo's David and his slaves sculptures was on my bucket list. The slaves were so moving, it was as if they were breaking out of the marble bit by bit. No photos were allowed in the museum so I got creative and shot David In another way
FUN FACT: in 1544 a peasant lost his life when David's left shoulder came off and fell on top of him.

Hotel David

The hotel So cute and the staff is wonderful (they are trying so hard to teach me Italian) oh and they have happy hour (free wine and beer) also as one of the snacks was BBQ corn nuts... Not kidding

ATM

After intense currency exchange studies I discovered that using your own ATM card (of course check with your banking institution before you leave as they may have fees) gives the best exchange rate.
I had never done such a thing overseas before and therefore would be exiting the Andrea comfort zone! I then read that most Italian ATMs had English option. This is a lie or I picked the wrong ATM. Crap!! However, I figured it out in Italian, it worked and end result I received Euros.
I am glad I did it instead of backing out and bringing all cash. I thought what's the worst that could happen? I don't have any money for the trip....oh well it all works out somehow in the end. Right?!
The rate per ATM was 1.31 Euro per US dollar. The cash rate has been 1,41 to 1.46 plus fee (ranging from 12 to 19%).

Keys to your heart.

There are several spots along the river where people put a lock with their names on it and throw away the key into the Arno.

Uffizi

Sitting in the cafe at Galleria Uffizi and just admired some if the most famous art in the world including Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" and well what else needs to be said.

You say Florence I say Firenze!

Ciao. After quite a long trip by plane, train and automobile we made it last night about 6:45pm local time.
I have a story about Ashley not believing I got her to Florence.
So, I had studied up on how to get here and upon our arrival in Rome and the hours spent in Italian customs (the customs is literally a sign posted with no agent anywhere, just walk on by) we headed to the train from airport to the crazy Rome Termini station, at which Ashley stated "your driving" which means get us there or else because I am tired. I had luckily read somewhere that the trains only state the end point city and not necessarily the stops between and luckily I had read that the "Milan" line is the one to Florence. However, in Italy Florence is called "Firenze". I said here is where we get off the train (I could see the doubt) we go out into the station and she says "are you sure we are in Florence?" She did not believe until finally one sign said "Florence Taxis". Thank God for that as I was about to get a beat down!
FYI Hotel David is very cute and the folks here run a nice little place.

Airport Bars

I love airport and hotels bars. Best places to people watch and engage in conversation; always interesting stories to be found.

Some of the things Andrea wants to do in Italy!

1. Drink VINO
2. The Uffizi
3. St. Patrick's Well
4. Assisi
5. Pantheon
6. Drink the water in Rome
7. Run Circus Maximus.
8. Vatican City
9. Sacred Steps
10. Turn 40.

Welcome

"The world is only a book and those who do not travel only read one page" - St. Augustine

I believe this probably sums up how our feeling about traveling and why this blog has been created by us (Ashley and Andrea) as a virtual diary of our adventures big and small, past, present and future. 

We had discussed creating a version of the "Mudflap Girls" for quite some time; of course we decided that if we could not afford to produce, shoot and star in our own travel show (which included tasting and listing the best Margaritas in the world) this blog would be a good start (however, we will still have the Margarita list and tastings).....so here we are!!

Ashley and I each have our own personal stories of what, when and where we were bit by the "bug" and mine started with early memories of the family road trip each year to Greenfield, Missouri for the annual "Buffalo Days" celebration. Why Greenfield Missouri you ask?  Of course like all good mid-western families you have family that lives in some great old small town that has changed little in 50 years.  My maternal great grandparents lived in Greenfield and I loved going to see them and the "Buffalo Days" celebration every year. 

Later, there was the big family road trip to Washington D.C. hitting historical sites all along the way from Oklahoma City to D.C. and it was the grand learning experience  (mind you that in my family going to Gettysburg, Philadelphia, Smithsonian Museums, The U.S. Capital etc...is mixed with historical sites such as the Jack Daniels/Jim Beam Distillery and the R.J. Reynolds factory) the "American Experience" as I call it!

Finally, when I was 15 my mother was asked to teach as part of an exchange program with Oklahoma City University and Bunka Women's College in Tokyo, Japan; as a part of that trip we also went to Hong Kong and Bangkok, Thailand.  This was the first time I had been on a plane and from the moment it took off and thru the next 24 hours of planes and airports finally landing in Tokyo, I was hooked.  I don't think I slept the whole time!  It was this trip that opened my mind and challenged all my assumptions, perceptions and beliefs not only about the world but about myself. 

I believe that travel teaches us something about ourselves like nothing else can, it forces us to often see things outside what is shown by media and politics and most often forces us out of our own comfort zones, I usually learn something about myself, though not always something flattering. 

This blog is my virtual diary to these past adventures, what I can recall of them and to those adventures to come. 

"Like all great travelers I have seen more than I remember and remember more than I have seen"-Benjamin Disraeli


Andrea

Some of the things Ashley wants to do in Italy

 

The Sistine Chapel

This is on my bucket list to see.  My goal is to lay down and look at it, I have been told that is frowned on. So I will do it on my way out of Vatican...

Grave of St. Rita

She died on  May 22, 1457 and she is in a glass coffin. 

In a nut shell: She was married against her will when twelve, to a husband who was both cruel and negligent. After her  husband was murdered Rita then found that her two sons were entertaining thoughts of avenging their father's murder; she feared they would put their desires into effect in accord with the evil custom of the Vendetta. With heroic love for their souls, she begged God to take them from this life rather than allow them to commit this great sin. Not long afterward they both died.  She applied for admittance to the Augustinian Convent in Cascia. She was refused three times. But she got in... Long story later (to late I know) On death bed she asked a friend to get her a rose from her family's estate. In the depths of the January winter, the friend found a single rose on a bush at the estate. Innumerable miracles took place through her intercession, and devotion to her spread far and wide. St. Rita's body in the shrine at Cascia, was preserved perfectly incorrupt for several centuries, and at times it gave off a sweet fragrance. At the beatification ceremony, the body of the Saint raised itself up and opened its eyes. We got to see this however if she dose sit up and open her eyes, I think I might freak out (to say the least)

Florence Cathedral

The Duomo, as it is ordinarily called, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi.