We're Back.

Oh. My. Gosh. I love Amsterdam.

More tomorrow.

Zoo D'Amneville

This zoo was pretty amazing. Honestly, it kinda kicked The Woodland Park Zoo's butt. The first thing we noticed about the Zoo D'Amneville was that we could actually see the animals. They were either sleeping in clear view or strolling around their habitat where we could easily see them. There was none of the usual post zoo discussion about what was out that day.

We were also blown away by the variety of animals that were at the zoo. There were lots of animals that Bryce and I had never seen at a zoo before (I don't know why I find this so notable as I've only ever been to 2 zoos, both in Washington State.) They must have had every kind of cat on earth, including a black panther. There was also an enormous variety of monkeys and raptors.

The animal habitats were, in most cases, enormous and elaborate. The orangutans had a play area the size of a small arena. The concession and eating areas were also strategically placed next to the animal habitats. We had lunch in the middle of the African Safari habitat. It was really fun to see giraffes and ostriches pass by as we munched on our pommes frites.

The zoo is known for its animal shows. There must have been 6 different shows that you could watch throughout the day. We saw the Medieval Raptor show. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen. As we sat in an arena, birds of prey would fly by and over us. We saw falcons, owls (my favorite. watching them fly is so interesting to see) vultures, hawks.

I was surprised to see popcorn being sold so visitors could feed the animals. Not sure how I feel about this. Our zoo in Seattle has signs all over the place reminding visitors NOT to feed the animals. Maybe this popcorn feeding is what made the animals so social at this zoo. It certainly made the monkeys very interactive with the people. But something about it just didn't seem right. People were throwing popcorn at these gibbons who would then reach down and scoop it out of the water to eat. I don't know . . . what do you think about this?

There was only one sign I saw telling visitors to refrain from feeding these animals popcorn. It was at these strange looking wild boars. The sign said that that these animals were very rare and fragile. Is this popcorn feeding common place at big zoos?

I love these new experiences. This was a sunny, cheerful day that I'll remember for a long time.
More pictures here.

Italy - Day 4

Our last full day in Itay - we headed out to the coast to visit our Seattle neighbors. This drive was longer, about 3.5 hours, but again, it was incredibly beautiful. We arrived in Trani at 1:00 and were greeted with a magnificent sit down lunch. The main course was a regional pasta dish with veal meat balls and lots of Pecorino cheese. It was a wonderful way to unwind after the long drive.Our hosts' apartment was amazing - high, vaulted almost dome like ceilings, a large welcoming kitchen with a small fire place and balconies that opened to a view of the main piazza. Simply beautiful. We visited, toured the apartment and it's roof, then set out on foot to see a bit of Trani. We stopped at a playground, walked along the Adriatic and ended up at their favorite gelateria. We were told about the importance of vitamin G and did not want to risk a deficiency. It was there that I had the best gelato of our trip - the flavor was called Biscotto and it was delish!


We returned to the apartment and played a fun and educational game of Italian word bingo, made by their oldest son. The girls and I are set to make our own French version of the game. Dinner was pizza from the local pizzeria. We even learned how to eat it properly - folded in half of course. The girls pretty much passed out from exhaustion after dinner. Bryce and I then spent a very pleasant evening chatting with our hosts about expat life, children, and Italy. It was a great visit. We left early the next morning and drove across the boot to Naples and then up to Rome. Our flight back to Lux was at 3:15.

Italy - Day 3

I think it would have been criminal not to visit the inside of the Colosseum while we were in Rome. So we headed back as early as we could the next morning. The Colosseum is almost indescribable. Massive. Imposing. Beautiful. It could hold 50,000 spectators. The inside was nothing like I expected. The floor only covers about 1/3 of the basement. The basement, called the hypogeum (meaning underground) is a labyrinth of tunnels and rooms. This is where gladiators trained and wild animals were held. Impossible to imagine.

It was such a beautiful day we casually roamed around taking in all the views the Colosseum had to offer. It was there that we finally met one of Rome's feral cats face to face. He was sitting in the sun against a massive chunk of stone, looking almost planted for tourists to stumble upon. I happily snapped his picture.

Next was Rome's Children's Museum, Il Museo dei Bambini di Roma. Eva was so excited for this visit. The girls had walked, been carried and pushed all over Rome. They were very much in need of some kid time. The museum was light filled and welcoming. The best part was that the girls had they place to themselves. They spent the most time in the grocery store area. Unlike the same area of the Seattle Children's Museum, they were able to weigh their produce on scales that spit out bar code stickers. Imagine the joy!

All that and it was only lunch time. As I write this, I'm kind of shocked at how much we did this day. You'll see. After lunch, packing and much stress and chaos we then headed out of Rome (in a rental car) to L'Aquila. Our ultimate destination was a small city on Italy's east coast named, Trani. There we would visit some friends from Seattle, more accurately some neighbors who lived 2 doors down from us in Seattle.

We got into L'Aquila about 3:30. It was an 1.5 hour drive from Rome. And it was an incredibly beautiful drive. Who knew there were so many hill top towns out of Tuscany? Bryce and I lost count. Bryce was delighted to discover we were driving through snow covered moutains of the Apennines range. If you look closely in the photo above you can see snowy mountains in the distance.

We checked into our hotel and then set out to see what we could of L'Aquila. Guess what I saw? A horse butcher shop - carne equina. I should have taken a picture, but it only occured to me after we'd long walked past. For dinner that night we had a picnic in our hotel room. In keeping with Southern Italian cutlure, restaurants there didn't open until 8:00 for dinner. Too late for our tired kiddos. Too late for 2 tired adults too. Day 4 - Trani!!

Italy - Day 2

Refreshed, dressed and properly caffeinated (ooo, the Italian coffee!!) we steped out once again onto the busy streets of Rome. We took the Metro to The Spanish Steps where we planned to walk down to the Pantheon. Since it was early and technically off season, the Steps were not very crowded. We stopped for a snack at a fountain near the bottom of the Steps, watched the peeps and then climbed the stairs.

After about a 20 minute walk through construction, traffic and narrow Roman streets we arrived at the Pantheon. The Pantheon sits in a beautiful little Piazza with a fountain in the center and plenty of touristy cafes. We eagerly dropped into the closest cafe for a much needed rest and refuel. 2 coffees, 2 juices, 1 fruit salad and 28 euros (!!) later we were ready to explore the Pantheon.

The Pantheon is Ancient Rome's best preserved building. It was used as a Christian church from 608 on but was originally dedicated to the Classical Gods. This is reflected in its name~ pan (all) & theos (gods.) The entry way of the Pantheon is constructed with 16 Corinthian columns. Each one is made from a single block of stone. They are massive. The picture of Eva amongst the columns gives a little perspective as to their huge size.

The magnificent dome portion of the Pantheon has a 9 meter hole or oculus in its center. There are tiny holes in the marble floor to allow the rain to drain away. Eva was fascinated with the oculus.

After the Pantheon we ate lunch and headed home for a little rest time. We'd need it as our afternoon adventure was to the Colosseum. We woke Audrey up from her nap and walked to the Colosseum. According to our map it closed at 5:00 and we figured we'd arrive around 4:00.

Well, we were not so lucky. Apparently the last tickets are sold at 4:00 and everyone must be out by 5:00. We were terribly disappointed to arrive at 4:05 and find that we couldn't get in. Huge sigh. We strolled around the grounds, walked up to see some other ruins and looked for some of Rome's famous feral cats. Bryce snapped this gorgeous picture of the Colosseum as we walked away. Would we try to return the next day to see the inside? We just couldn't decide.

My favorite part of the day was sitting in front of the Pantheon, feeling the sunshine warm my face, literally feeling my body soak up the vitamin D and watching the scene. At that moment, I was actually in Italy.

More pictures here.

Italy - Day 1

We arrived at Leonardo da Vinci Airport (also known as Fiumicino Airport) in Rome after a quick 1.5 hour flight from Lux. We took a train, The Leonardo Express, from the airport into the city of Rome. With the girls, all of our luggage, including 2 car seats (for our post Rome travels), this was no graceful act. But we muscled through and arrived in Rome at the train station. You don't need nor want a rental car in Rome. Parking is difficult, traffic is insane, there is road construction all over, many roads are only open to cars at certain times and, supposedly, it is easy to get around in the city without a car. You wouldn't rent a car to see New York City, the same applies in Rome.

Our next task was to get the keys to our rental apartment. After weighing our options - Bryce ran to the rental office and I stayed with the girls and our pile of stuff. Bryce returned about 45 minutes later with the keys. The 4 of us then set out on the crazy streets of Rome to our apartment. Again, nothing graceful or pleasant about this, but again we muscled through and after a short walk we made it to our apartment. Thankfully it was close to the train station.

We unloaded, the kids rejoiced and ran around. Whew! As soon as it was humanly possible, we headed out to see our first sight - The Trevi Fountain. After 1 trip on the Metro and lots of walking we made it. It was massive and beautiful. The girls were eager to throw in their coins.

The fountain dicpicts Neptune, the Roman God of the sea, being lead in his chariot by Tritons. The theme of the fountain is Taming of the Waters. The fountain was designed by Nicola Salvi in 1732 and finished in 1762. The fountain sits where 3 streets converge. This is reflected in its name - tri vie meaing 3 roads.

After throwing our coins in to assure our return to Rome we had some pizza at a touristy place next to the fountain. We then got some gelato and enjoyed it in front of the fountain. It was the best part of the day. Eating gelato by the Trevi Fountain with the people I love most in the world. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end our first night in Rome.

More pictures here.

Spanish Steppin'

The girls posing on the Spanish Steps.
A full report of our trip is coming. I swear.

Buon Giorno

We're back. Tales from The Eternal City coming soon . . .

We're off!

All posts need a picture, so in the spirit of vacation here is Eva in Hawaii.

When you read this, we'll be enroute to Rome! I'm so very excited. I've been reading about the Colosseum and The Trevi Fountain to the girls. We've been practicing the proper way to throw a coin into the fountain. Back toward the fountain, coin in your right hand, tossed over your left shoulder. The spirit of the fountain will then see to it that you return to Rome one day.

Listening to Eva as we packed this afternoon was hilarious. We couldn't locate her suitcase (only in our house could something like this be lost) and in half a state of panic she said "But I NEED my suitcase for Italy." Later, she grabbed her Fisher Price camera, plopped it in her backpack and stated, "I MUST take pictures in Italy." It was one of those moments that brought me back to how cool our Luxembourg adventure is. Really, my 5 year old is taking about going to Italy like it's as common place as going to the park?

I have a few posts (like this one) scheduled while I'm gone. Italian updates when I return! Ciao!