Roma!

After our Normandy adventure, Tom and Judy stayed with us a few days in our little town of Heinsberg.  They bought a German phrase book and explored the old town every day, making friends with all the Germans.  Our neighbors were also thrilled to meet them.

Then, we took off for a long weekend in Rome!  What an adventure.  From start to finish we were on our feet, going from site to site and taking in so much information... and Italian food and wine! 

First Glimpse of the Vatican from our tour bus

 Since I remember the crazy crowds in Rome from my college study abroad, Colin and I decided to do at least the Vatican with a guided tour.  We are so glad we did!  Our group tour got us into the Sistine Chapel at least a half hour before it opened to the public.  It was an incredible experience to be able to just sit in the Chapel, stare at the paintings in utter awe, and learn all the details behind Michelangelo's masterpiece.    It was quiet and peaceful inside with maybe just 2 other small tour groups - what a luxury!  After that, we toured the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's.

St. Peter's Basilica. 

 Meet Colin's friend "Emma".  Before our tour, I had not one, not two, but three different people approach me thinking I was the tour guide.  I must just scream nerdiness at first impression!  Even one of the other tour guides thought I was a tour guide.  Ayayay.  I guess now is the time to admit that I wear Colin's sport stop watch while traveling so I stay punctual.  Fortunately it is cut out of this pic!

The ceilings in the Vatican Museum are all incredible.  It was fun to see this after seeing a similar room in The Hermitage in St. Petersburg modeled after this ceiling.

I'm a huge nerd about maps.  So the ridiculously detailed and to-scale Map Gallery always gets my heart a flutter.

Raphael's School of Athens

Alter in St. Peter's Basilica

The Pieta.   I wish it did not have to be behind glass!

Pope John Paul II's tomb

Swiss Guards outside St. Peter's.

After every big site, the best way to unwind, we found, was to find some delicious Italian food.  So we headed over to my fav Roma neighborhood, the Trastevere, for some recommended pizza.  Called Dar Poeta, we agreed it was poetic pizza.

Then we walked back to our hotel to get ready for our next adventure.

We love the mini-cars!

Colin and I stopped for some wine at this mini-piazza near Campo Fiore.  A women was playing the cello so impeccably that we ended up staying for a few glasses.  She played the same beautiful piece that my Grandmother Marjorie and Uncle Bob played during our wedding ceremony: the Swan from Carnival of the Animals by Saint Saens. 

After a few glasses of wine I was of course misty-eyed with the fabulous memory.   What could be more romantic than hearing it again in a tiny square in Rome, Italy with my husband?  It was one of the many moments when I know Colin and I are so lucky to have each other and our charmed life. 

In addition to the Vatican, we toured numerous churches in Rome.  We toured St. Giovanni in Laterano, the first Christian Church in the city of Rome, opened in about A.D. 318, which is where the popes were "crowned" until 1870.  Even today it is considered the home church of the bishop of Rome (the Pope).

The Bishop's Chair - one month after the election of the pope, he must actually sit in the chair for it to be official.  Pope Benedict XVI took his seat on May 3, 2005.

The Temple of Jupiter - tradition says that pagan Rome's former holiest spot once stood here in the San Giovanni church.

Next to San Giovanni is a building that houses the Scala Santa (Holy Stairs).  In 326, Emporer Constantine's mother St. Helena brought home these 28 marble steps from Pontius Pilate's residence in Jerusalem. Jesus is said to have climbed these steps on the day he was sentenced to death, and the blood that fell is still marked on them.   Each day, hundreds of people climb these steps on their knees.  While we did not climb the steps, we appreciated the reverence of the scene.

After a day full of activities like these, we always looked forward to a delicious dinner of Italian food and wine, and usually ended the night with some gelato!  We saw the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps at nighttime after dinner.

Gelato Stop

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

We saved the ancient sites for a separate day, enjoying the Colosseum, Arch of Constantine and Roman Forum in the morning before the crowds were too terrible.

It was truly the trip of a lifetime - all in one weekend!  We were sad to have to say goodbye to Colin's parents at the end of the weekend, but so glad we were able to share such great memories together.

Normandy, France - Bayeux and Mont. St. Michel

Our next day in Normandy we checked out Mont St. Michel and the town of Bayeux.

Mont St. Michel is a fortified abbey that sits on an island-like town where the tides rise above 50 feet at certain hours.  The Abbey has been a pilgrimage center since AD 708, and today you still see guided tours of pilgrims headed through the causeway toward the abbey when the tides are low.

Outside the Abbey Church.  Monks built the church on the tip of the rock to be as close to heaven as possible.

Although most of the church is Romanesque (11th century), the apse behind the alter was built later with Gothic arches.

These cloisters were a peaceful zone for the monks.

In Bayeux, we enjoyed viewing the Cathedral and the Bayeux Tapestry, the 70 yard illustration of the story of William the Conqueror's rise from duke of Normandy to king of England.   

This is the entrance to the Bayeux Cathedral, which is as big as Paris' Notre Dame.  The Bayeux Tapestry used to hang in the nave of this Cathedral.

We posed for a few pics before dinner one night.  I love this pic of Colin's parents.

We were always ready for another delicious French meal!

 

One of the best parts of our Normandy visit was our accommodations.  Colin found an awesome farm/B&B "La Ferme du Pressoir" to stay at in a very small village in the countryside near Bayeux.  For breakfast, we were served delicious omelets and the most incredible spread of French pastries I've ever seen.  It was like a scene out of a Williams-Sonoma cataloge and really just a slice of heaven.  When Colin mentioned to our host Odile that he liked the pears, she got him right out of his seat and into the orchard picking pears to bring home with us.  When he came back to his seat, they had poured him a shot of "Calvados" - a sort of apple brandy - that they wanted him to have at the end of his breakfast!  I have a feeling we'll be back there someday...

 

Normandy, France - Honfleur and D-Day Beaches

After our cruise, Colin deployed and I visited the States for a bit.  Then, a day after he returned from his deployment, his parents came to visit us!  We had so much fun traveling with them to Normandy, France and Rome, Italy.  

On our way to the Normandy beaches, we stayed in the lovely harbor village of Honfleur, France.    We visited its unique church (looks like an upside-down boat) and had a delicious dinner - one of many amazing French meals to come!

Colin and Tom standing in front of Honfleur's St. Catherine Church ...There's no resemblance at all between these two handsome guys, is there?  ; )

Colin and Judy catching up on Rick Steves outside of St. Catherine's Church

The next day, we visited the Caen Memorial Museum, where we learned or refreshed our memories on all WWII history, as well as the specific events leading up to D-Day.

Then we went out to the D-Day beaches, beginning with Arromanches.  At Arromanches, we stood on the cliffs and looked out of the the remains of the Port Winston Artificial Harbor.  We watched the 360 degree movie that fades back and forth between the calm, gorgeous beaches of today to the calamity of the war-torn times. 

These remains of the Port Winston Artificial Harbor don't look that big, but they are actually the size of a football field.  500 tugboats towed 115 of those cement blocks across the English Channel to help form the harbor.

Our next stop was the Longues-sur-Mer Gun Battery at Omaha Beach.  At this stop we saw four German casemates (3 with guns intact) built to guard against seaborne attacks.

Observation Bunker

Colin in the observation bunker at the edge of the coast.  Field telephones connected this bunker to the gun batteries by underground wires.

Finally, we went to the WWII Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.   At this beautiful and touching site, we saw the 9,387 white marble crosses and Stars of David that memorialize the Americans who gave their lives to free Europe. 

 

We walked down to the beaches below, which are absolutely pristine.  Its hard to believe that it was once the site of so many deaths.  It is a beautiful tribute to the Americans who lost their lives in battle.

Fifth Stop: Stockholm, Sweden

Our final stop on the cruise was the fastest - a quick day trip into Stockholm, Sweden.  We made the most of our time though - touring the Gamla Stan (Stockholm's charming "old town"), seeing the awesome sunken ship Vasa, catching the Changing of the Guard outside the Royal Palace, and touring the City Hall, the site of the annual Nobel Prize Banquet.

Of all the cities we saw on the cruise, I'd love to go back to Stockholm.  We had gorgeous weather when we were there, and the city itself is beautiful and surrounded by a lot of water.  I also enjoyed when I was approached by a lady asking me for directions, thinking I was a local.  Gotta love those Scandanavian genes!  We are going to have to get to the real homeland of Norway at some point.

The warship Vasa sank in 1628 in Stockholm's harbor on its first voyage, was rediscovered in 1956, and raised in 1961.

Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace

The troops played a jazzy rendition of "Amazing Grace"

Standing in front of City Hall, where the Nobel Prize Banquet occurs each year

Inside City Hall's Courtyard

Fourth Stop: Tallinn, Estonia

Our fourth stop was to the lovely town of Tallinn, Estonia.

What I remember most about this cute old walled town is (1) running into life size Matryoshka dolls!!!!!!

(2) leaving the guys so us girls could shop all the beautiful handmade wool clothing at the "sweater wall" and

(3) reuniting with the guys to find that they had spent literally the entire afternoon not touring the town but touring the types of Estonian beers in a certain pub...

Before the guys and girls split paths, however, we did do the classic Rick Steves' walking tour of the town.  And we grabbed lunch at a festive German beer hall!  Tallinn was a nice relaxing break from the crazy amount of sightseeing in St. Petersburg.

Tallinn's old city walls reminded us a bit of Rothenberg, Germany

Russian Cathedral

Excuses excuses

So I am months behind on our travel blog... 

I could list a series of excuses, or I could just start posting pics and trying to get up to date ASAP while we have a mini break from traveling during Colin's current deployment.

I think the more productive is the latter so... now I need to reach back into my memory for the next stop on our Baltic Cruise: Talinn, Estonia

Oh wait...

Did I not mention that we actually had a decent amount of time to shop in St. Petersburg too??

Well, we did.  And I rekindled a girlhood love for Matryoshka dolls.  I really do remember playing with a doll my grandpa gave me, and I guess that love still exists because I just could not get enough of them.

And they also served complimentary vodka and coffee in all the souvenir shops.... so maybe that had something to do with it?

Colin was over the Matryoshka doll obsession really fast.  But he cheered up when he used all our remaining rubles on Russian chocolate!!