On: Hang-Ups...

What travel wouldn"t be complete without a few minor set-backs? Some highlights:



Planes, Trains, and (eventually) Automobiles:

After getting a feel for Rome, Jon and I decided that we would attempt to book train tickets from Florence to Paris--an over-night experience. Unfortunately, upon reaching the ticket window, we were told that there was no way we were taking a train to Paris at any time of day, anywhere near the dates we needed. No local trains. Nothing. We knew that we would be able to work something out, although I admit I had unnerving visions of us flying above the French Alps in a cargo plane full of chickens and crates... Long story short, we were able to book tickets to Paris, but our travel will be longer than expected. We are leaving tonight (Dec. 28th) from Florence and we are taking an over-night train to Geneva. We should arrive around 9:30am and we will have a few hours to hang out before leaving for Paris. What a miserable detour, right? Oh well, I suppose we will survive in a country best known for it;s beauty and chocolate...:) Once we get to Paris, we will more-than-likely have to take a cab to our new hotel, since the one we had booked originally is closed for construction.

Afflictions:

I would love to say that I was able to keep my cold to myself, but unfortunately, I cannot. Jon came down with a massive head cold the day a day or two before we were supposed to leave for Florence. He has been a great sport about it, but no one likes to be sick, especially on their honeymoon, especially thousands of miles away from home. He is feeling better now though, so pray that his health continues to improve.

Why we Never Went Back to the Pharmacy in Rome:

Jon was having trouble sleeping because of his cold, so we decided to take a short walk to the pharmacy near our hotel to get some Nyquil or Tylenol PM in order to welcome some much needed Zs ( I honestly cannot find the apostrophe on this keyboard--so no possessives and no contractions). This particular pharmacy was not like one that you would find in the U.S. Everything was either behind the counter or behind glass, making it absolutely necessary for us to use our broken Italian/English to ask for what we wanted. (Sigh). So we tried to explain our request to the woman behind the counter, who pulled some Aleve off of a shelf, then some cough syrup, etc. until she had about 4-5 medicines on the counter for us. Since none of them were what we were looking for, we tried to politely thank her and leave, but she stopped us with a loud and abrupt, "You don't WANT?" Had there been a hole to crawl into, I think we would have... After leaving, we were convinced that we were surely black-listed, and we resolved never to return to that pharmacy, and Jon toughed out his cold symptoms without sleep aid.

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Considering the amount of time that we've spent here, our set backs have been few and far-between. The great thing about all of this is that nothing is familiar. Nothing. The lifestyles are different, the language is different, the food is different, transportation is different. When so much is unfamiliar, we tend to cling to things that are familiar. God is familiar--and He has really blessed us with hang-ups and gifts like brief interactions with familiar things. We have met some very friendly American, Canadian and Japanese tourists, and the language barrier really hasn't been insurmountable. The Italian people we have spoken with have been very friendly and helpful. We have definitely made some great memories here--and to think that we leave for home in just a few days!

On: Italy--Installment Due

*Pronounced "Doo-aye." Hahaha, love Italian:)



ROMA:



Where we stayed: The Welcome Residents Hotel. This was not actually a hotel, it was an apartment building. While we had all of the comforts and services of a hotel, the room we stayed in was like a very small studio apartment. It was nice to have stayed in a place so close to Termini Station (where you can find cheap food). It was clean and the staff was very friendly--they spoke English very well and weren't completely insulted by our broken Italian.



What we did/saw: I am convinced that Jon and I walked about 340689743068 miles--all entirely worth it for what we were able to see and experience:) First and foremost, we saw the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. After taking the advice of a 2006 tour book, we arrived outside the Vatican around 7am with the expectation that the doors opened at 8:45am. Were it not for a native that was kind enough to inform us that 1) we were in the tour group line and 2) that the doors didn't open to guests without reservations until 10am, we would have had a problem on our hands... So we killed some time at a cafe (where I had the BEST caffe con latte EVER) until we saw some tourists start to queue up. As it turns out, we were let in a little after nine since there weren't as many tour groups. Nice. The Vatican Museums were beautiful, but the coup-de-gras had to be the Sistine Chapel. Jon and I sat agape for quite a while staring up at the ceiling. It was absolutely breath-taking. We paused only to rest our necks and talk about how unbelievable it was that we were sitting IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL marveling at priceless beauty.

We also self-guided our way through St. Peter's Basilica, where we saw the Pieta.... It was enough to draw the breath out of both of our lungs. The Pieta is probably the most beautiful sculpture the world has ever known. And we saw it. And photographed it. Although that proved to be a little difficult since it was encased in its own private room--dimly lit behind several inches of bullet-proof glass. None-the-less, we stood for as long as we could in front of it, then wandered around the rest of the interior. We also happened to meet some people from the states in our efforts to find english speaking tourists to take our picture. Very nice women from Tenessee.

Other sights included the Coloseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. We'll post pictures as soon as we can. We also decided that a trip to Rome wouldn't be complete without going to the Opera! Bravo!!! We sat in a box with two other women from London, and while we had no idea what the actors were saying, we had a great time watching the plot unfold and clapping enthusiastically with the rest of the audience at the encouragement of the Maestro. SO FUN!!!

How we got around: The subway system in Rome turned out to be a very convenient mode of transportation for us. The ticket machines were English-friendly, and it was fairly inexpensive to get around. Short of the metro, we walked everywhere. Great exercise, and probably one of the better ways to see Italy.

Favorite Quotes:

Jon: "Nobody sculpts anymore. Nobody takes a slab of marbel, a hammer and chisel, and makes it look like Jesus."

On: Italy--Installment One

(Jon and I will be sure to post pictures once we've arrived back home, but for now, we'll just give you the run down)

Italy. Is. Amazing.

As many of you may know, I managed to come down with a cold two days before our departure. However, I happen to be married to a saintly man who really stepped up to take care of some very necessary, last minute details.

Jeremy was kind enough to take us to the airport on the 19th. After getting turned around only once (had I been driving, it may have taken a little longer), we made it to SFO with plenty of time to spare. Overall, our flights went very well. All three of them:) San Francisco to New York (JFK)-- New York to London (Heathrow) and London to Rome. Unfortunately, colds put a bit of a damper on landings... I couldn't hear for about 24 hours and as you can imagine, congested ears are affected by changes in cabin pressure. The cold improved after landing though. Our luggage arrived safely and we had little trouble finding our hotel.

Adjusting to the change in time was another event:) I believe we woke up at 3:45 am on morning one... Yes! When we decided that we couldn't get back to sleep, we got up, showered, hung out, watched the same news stories loop on CNN for a few hours, then went down to breakfast.

As an aside, it became abundantly clear that you just can't eat pastries every morning and not expect to feel a little doughy. Even with all of the walking. Pastries are delicious, but not good to eat every morning...

Anyway, the following days were better in terms of our circadian rhythms synchronizing... On average, we've been waking up around 5am. This is an improvement!

On: Last minute surprises...

Right. Generally when you think "vacation" you think of relaxation and sight-seeing, etc. You do not usually think of Afrin and Kleenex...

As ridiculous as it sounds, I've actually managed to come down with a cold TWO DAYS before our 475670368420847502587 hour flight to Rome! Nooo!!!! Hahaha, and I think I've given it to poor Jon, who is doing a much better job of fighting it. It's been a very unusual cold--one day I was fine, a few sneezes (which is not unusual), and the next morning I was slugging down a cold buster and carrying a box of tissue everywhere.

To add to the excitement, we got an email at 7am this morning from Expedia telling us that the hotel we reserved in Paris would be closed for construction during our requested dates... After talking with the Expedia people, we discovered that the hotel had found us different accommodations (which will actually save us money), and that we will have a place to stay after all. It's a little further away from the original hotel, but it should be fine. The good news is that we have a place to stay, and that's the most important detail.

All evidence that God has a sense of humor and that He never gives us more than we can handle:) We'll have a great time, I'm sure, but please pray for our health!

On: Franciscan Benedictions...

I realize that this is a Franciscan benediction, but this is a beautiful image to accompany a beautiful prayer:

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths,
And superficial relationships
So that you may live deep
Within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression,
And exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice,
Freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain,
Rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your
Hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with
Enough foolishness
To believe that you can make
A difference in the world,
So that you can do what others
Claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to
All our children and the poor.

Amen

On: Fair Game...

In the Pagan household, November 1st marks the beginning of the Christmas season:) Or, at least the beginning of the season for listening to Christmas music... The day after Halloween, I stepped out of the shower to hear Stevie Wonder and India Arie singing "The Christmas Song." It got better... You know, Neil Diamond. The Statler Brothers. Josh Groban. LOVE IT!!! Ok, so Jon is a bigger Diamond fan, but I am learning to love it.

So! If you have any suggestions, do let us know! Our play-list is always growing!

On: Dieting...

I don't normally bake. Baking requires measuring things. Usually, the things you measure are quite messy. Or spilly. Sometimes, you realize that you don't have a sifter, so you resort to MacGyver-like baking tactics. Inevitably, this means a bigger mess...

However! This weekend, Jon and I caught the baking bug and made some spectacular creations! Last night, I felt that if I didn't make almond biscotti, I wouldn't be able to sleep. So I did. It was only a minor disaster... My dough was very wet... It wouldn't roll into logs... So I mushed it into (what looked like) hillsides, baked them, then sliced them into rectangles (instead of fans). Then baked them again. They actually came out looking and tasting very biscotti like! A success!

Then, this morning, Jon decided that we should make chocolate-chip cookies. He is an expert:) We did try a secret ingredient though, which, actually, made for VERY tasty cookies! We both decided that we would adhere to healthful diets after the cookies are gone. Incidentally, this is also what we said a few weeks ago when we made cake... But we had such a good time hanging out, making amazing cookies and listening to Christmas music:) What a great weekend--Grammy, you would be very proud.

On: Move over Jazzercise...

In honor of the upcoming holiday? Or a tribute to Michael Jackson, we'll let you decide. These are Filipino inmates (all of them) dancing to a classic:)

On: MCAT

Jon is in the process of studying for the MCAT in January. In addition to his solid work day, he studies about 3 hours before and in between work. I am very proud.

This is all in preparation for Med School. Prior to that, however, is the Special Masters Program (SMP). Recently, Jon submitted an application to the SMP at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). EVMS is in Norfolk Virginia, and while it has a rigorous curriculum, it is very service oriented. This is very appealing to us. There are a few other med schools back east that are also attractive, although their application acceptance period for next fall hasn't arrived yet.

Indeed! So until January, it's all MCAT books and flashcards! YES! We love flashcards!

On: Jelly Fish and Pumpkin Patches...

This past weekend, Jon and I took in the sights of Monterey, in honor of his birthday. I was exceptionally proud that I was able to keep this excursion a secret until the morning of our departure:). To those of you who also knew, thank you for being such great secret squirrels. (This picture was taken just before we left).




Monterey is a fairly magical place. I can say this with confidence because you can't just park your car anywhere and be greeted by both a wailing KEYtarist and a giant otter all in the same day.


Since Jon (who almost majored in Marine Biology) and I enjoy aquariums, we spent Saturday doing just that. If you haven't been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we highly recommend it! While the "great" white shark that is on display is actually smaller than his name would suggest, we had a great time "oohing" and "aahing" at some of God's most beautiful work:

Ha. You see what I did there?

After the aquarium, we had an amazing dinner at the Chart House. Again, another place we highly recommend! The food was delicious, the ambiance was nice, we had a lovely ocean view and the service was fantastic. Overall, we had a wonderful stay.

On Sunday we drove back to Davis and decided to end our weekend with a trip to "Bobby Dazzler's" pumpkin patch. Admittedly, we thought, "what if this place really isn't a pumpkin patch? What if it's just a garden box in the back of some crazy guy's house?"

Fortunately, the pumpkin patch was legit and we found the perfect pumpkins for our porch (ahh! too many P's!!!).

Yes!

On: Track Suits and Tandem Bikes...

When Jon and I are old, we shall wear matching track suits
With reflective tape, which doesn't go and doesn't suit our tandem bike.
We shall spend our retirement on travel and box sets of our favorite TV medical dramas
And kitchen gadgets and say we've no money for floss.
We shall make loud noises to clear paths when youth monopolize aisle-ways.
And gobble up samples at farmers markets
And learn to fence
And make up for the sobriety of our youth.
We shall go out in our bath robes to fetch the morning paper.
And sneak into other people's swimming pools when they are on vacation.
And learn to spit.

We could wear socks with sandals and grow pudgy.
And eat an entire cake between the two of us
Or only gold fish and cranberry juice for a week
And hoard clicky-top pens and text books and dinner mints and things in space bags.

But now we must have clothes that are suitable for work
And pay our bills and not swear in public
And set a good example for the children.
We must go out with friends and watch the news.

But maybe we ought to practice a little now?
So people who know us are not too surprised
When suddenly we are old, and start to wear track suits.

(A tribute to another Jennifer)