With a generous 6 weeks of vacation per year, we decided that it was time to take our first vacation! See more pictures on our photos page. We settled on a 1 week trip to Italy. The flight is under 2 hours, and we used Europe's favorite low cost carrier-- Ryan Air. Unfortunately, Ryan Air doesn't fly from Hannover, but from nearby Bremen (1 hour by regional train). So we decided to spend a quick night in our neighboring city on the way out, and we were quite impressed by the Altstadt area-- very quaint and well kept. Feels very old-German!
Fountain by a church!
The deal we got on Ryan Air was quite fantastic. We spent $250 round trip for 2 people to go to Italy, plus about $60 in checked bag fees. Ryan Air is set up as, you only get the seat, and one small bag with you (no large carry-ons like the USA, and exactly one bag, even small things like purses count!). And we found a super discount train between Rome and Pisa-- only $10! So, we were pretty excited about our travel costs and time to Italy.
Flying over the alps!
We arrived in Rome on Saturday, took a bus to the city center, and walked about a kilometer to our hotel. We originally had chosen a hotel that was cheaper, but decided to cancel that one and splurge on one that was in the city center-- that was a great choice. Our hotel was just a few minutes walk from all the famous landmarks. Rome had many many positives, and a few negatives. All of the sights are just amazing, and it is cool how they are integrated with the modern city. And the food was very very good. At first we were just stopping to eat anywhere, with mixed results. But then we started using the TripAdvisor app, and had only fantastic meals from then on out!
There are so many American tourists! Kevin didn't notice that when her was there 10 years ago coming from America, but coming there from Germany, wow what a difference. One of our favorite spots was Campo de' Fiori, a plaza with a monument to Bruno. Bruno was actually executed in this square for Heresy against the church. Now the square has a daily market, where Deanna bought a dress, Kevin bought some Pasta, and together we bought an oil/vinegar container than we have been searching for forever!
There are so many American tourists! Kevin didn't notice that when her was there 10 years ago coming from America, but coming there from Germany, wow what a difference. One of our favorite spots was Campo de' Fiori, a plaza with a monument to Bruno. Bruno was actually executed in this square for Heresy against the church. Now the square has a daily market, where Deanna bought a dress, Kevin bought some Pasta, and together we bought an oil/vinegar container than we have been searching for forever!
We pretty much hit all of the touristy spots-- Vatican, Trevi Fountain to Spanish Steps, Coliseum, Forum. But we did a few other not so touristy things too. Behind the Circus Maximus (where the chariot races used to be), we walked up the hill to a spot where you look through the keyhole of a green door, and you are presented with a perfect view of St. Peter's Basilica. Also, we went running twice down by the Tiber river, and then returned at night once we saw there is a street fair down there every night.
Street fair with restaurants, bars, shopping, and Fussball!
We departed Rome on Wednesday for Pisa. From Pisa, we were able to visit the nearby cities of Lucca and Siena. Each of the 3 cities has its own unique qualities. Lucca is the smallest, but it has an entirely intact city wall surrounding the city, which you can walk around in an hour or so. It of course has gorgeous churches and architecture, and it is not so crowded.
Can't break in there!
Siena is somewhat bigger, and is a very well preserved medieval city-- absolutely gorgeous. You can walk all day through the city streets and beautiful churches, and imagine what it was like hundreds of years ago. In the main plaza, they hold a semiannual horse race called the Palio. Each of the sections of the city, Contrade, have a horse in the race. People get very tribal during the race. The race itself is interesting, and dangerous. It is held in a very small area for a horse race, and the jockeys can use their whips on the other horses and riders!
Didn't see this live, but looks crazy!
Pisa is larger, and has the tower and the field of miracles, but that's the main attraction. It was pretty cool to see in person, and walking up it was very cool. There are steps that encircle the tower, and not many windows, so your body gets pretty confused about which way the tilt is going as you are climbing/descending. Fun fact about the tower-- there is actually a slight bend about half way up. That is because 5 years into the project, it was already leaning, so they fired the architect. When they eventually continued building, the new architect tried to slightly bend it back- but the whole building kept leaning more anyways.
Notice the slight bend after the first three sections?
And that's all, until our next travels! Stay tuned!
