TV in Italia

While not traveling in Europe we end up having down time to kill. Most of the time in the morning or while Curls is making dinner we decide to watch tv.

Most of our favorite shows are only available in Italian. It is really fun to watch Phineas and Ferb, Kung Fu Panda, Johnny Test and many others in Italian. Most of the time we just try to use context clues to figure out what is going on, or if we have seen the episode in English, try to remember the plot.

There is one show we can watch in Italy that's still in English: Mr. Bean (the cartoon). Because Mr. Bean only mumbles, they don't bother to translate it. This means they also don't translate the other English speaking characters. It feels like a little slice of home! We love Mr. Bean.

We're also able to watch some shows online still. Our personal favorite is Studio C on BYUTV. Every week we look forward to a new set of skit comedy sketches.

Crazy Travel Weekend Day 2: Pisa and Lucca

After making the 4.5 hour drive to Siena the day before, we made our home base La Spezia which is only an hour from Pisa and Lucca, and is minutes from Cinqueterre. We started day two in Pisa. 

Over the course of our travels, we're always trying to see how much we can see in one day. We've proven big cities can be done in one day, but what about two cities? If you're seeing Pisa and Lucca, the answer is yes. In fact, the two cities are perfect for a one day visit. First, we started with Pisa. The nice thing about Pisa is that all there is to see is the Field of Miracles--the leaning tower and the adjoining buildings. It's also completely free, unless you actually want to go in the buildings, which we opted not to do. We had too much fun taking pictures around the buildings...including the must-do "holding the building up" shots (which pretty much everyone seems to do)

Then we took pics around the buildings. The thing about Pisa is that the sights in the Campo Di Milagros are simply breathtaking. We spent an hour just enjoying the 3 main buildings. In fact, they made a great place to sit and draw.

As a bonus, we found this cool fallen angel sculpture. Looks like The Doctor has been here...

To enjoy Pisa, you really only need an hour....unless you get stuck in the hoard of crowds and outdoor market vendors just outside the walled Field of Miracles area. After enjoying Pisa, we recommend heading over to Lucca. It's the typical Italian city, but with an added bonus: you can bike around the city on top of the ancient city walls. Bikes are relatively cheap to rent (about 3 euro), and the wall is an enjoyable sight-seeing tour. If you're looking to save money on bike riding, you can get around the city at a leisurely pace in about 30 minutes.

After biking the city, we followed Rick Steve's advice to get some Cecina in the city. We went to Rick's recommended location, and weren't the only ones. Much of the store was filled with Americans holding Rick Steve's books. The cecina, which is a garbonzo bean crepe, was as good as advertised...and it's a great deal. About 1.50 Euro a slice.  And in Lucca, Cecina isn't the only great food, they've got amazing Focaccia and other types of breads.

We also got to enjoy some of the sites in Lucca. Their churches are amazing, and we even got to enjoy a procession by youth in the city.

Overall, Lucca and Pisa make a great day of sight-seeing.

Our Crazy Italian Travel Weekend: Day 1 Siena Italy

 

After a month and a half in Europe, we kicked traveling up a notch and decided to see 4 big Italian heritage sites in 4 days: Siena, Lucca, Pisa, and Cinque Terre. Day 1 was Siena. 

From the moment we got to Siena, we were unanimously in awe of the amazing sites one Italian city could offer. Photo opp after photo opp--even the kids couldn't help themselves:

The nice thing about Siena is that it's a place you can see a lot in a short amount of time. Everything revolves around the central square. It's easy to grab a bite to eat and just sit and enjoy. 

A short walk from the clock tower and plaza is the main duomo of the city, a unique and enormous black and white striped cathedral with...you guessed it, loads of photo opps.

 

 

We spent the afternoon walking around the adjoining streets that surround this incredible cathedral. We probably spent more than our fair share of time simply taking photos...of every possible angle we could find.

   

Overall, Siena was incredible. A few notes if you're going to visit the city: there's no need to pay for parking. There's parking in the city streets behind some of the hotels, about a 10 minute walk from the center. Also, Siena has some amazing little food stores with some of the best deals on take-away pizza we've seen in Italy.

Bell Towers

Right outside the window of our apartment we have a big bell tower.  It is beautiful.  Each hour and half hour it rings.  And at 7 a.m. we get a full on song plus 7 rings--the Doctor counted, it rings 117 times.  At noon and six, we also get a full-on song.

Why don't we have more clock towers in America?   They simply are iconic of Europe.  I am going to miss bell towers.  I hardly ever have to wear a watch or wonder what time it is.

I Love Dogs!

I Love Dogs. They are so cute.  In Italy you can take dogs to restaurants with you.  Every time we go out to eat there is a dog.  At first this seemed weird because in America dogs are not allowed inside restaurants, store, or shopping malls.  I love dogs and I love seeing dogs everywhere.  Most people keep their dogs on a leash at all times in the restaurant, but they will let me pet the dogs if  I ask.  (My mom and dad learned the word in Italian: Accarezziare). I love dogs.

- Amadeus

Gelato: The Best Ice Cream Ever

When we travel we usually stop at some of the gelaterias that we go to. We have found many flavors that we are wanting to try again and some, not so much. Here is a list of some of our favorite flavors and where we got them:

Cannela (Cinnamon) - Cinque Terre, Monterosso

Sicilian Wedding Cake - Crespano del Grappa

Fig with Cinnamon - Crespano del Grappa

Nocciola (Hazelnut) - Practically everywhere

Pistachio - Practically everywhere
Straciatella (Cookies and cream) - Most places

Banana - Rovinj, Croatia 

Fragola (Strawberry) - Everywhere (Amadeus gives two thumbs up)

Amarena (Cherry) - 

Cremino (Hazelnut with Cream and Chocolate) - Cinque Terre, Monterosso
Meringlase (Mering)-Crespano del Grappa

Our Favorite Gelato Place (so far)

Funny what you can find in your own backyard. After traveling every weekend to a new place, we found our favorite gelato place right around the corner from us in Crespano.

This little town also happens to be the place where we like to do our drawing lessons.

Sunday Excursions

With the plethora of cultural and historic experiences available here in Europe, one of our favorites has been attending Church on Sundays. In the last 6 weeks, not only have we attended a different Ward or Branch (LDS-lingo for a congregation) each week, but we've attended in a different country each week as well.

Despite the differences in culture, language, and history of each place we have visited, the gospel message in each congregation has been the same.

It has also been fun for the boys to see that it doesn't matter where you meet, the Gospel is still the same. Some branches have met in an apartment building, others in a  business building, and very few in a stand-alone chapel.

Salzburg, Austria

Paris, France

Rijeka, Croatia

Rijeka, Croatia

One of our favorite experiences was in Croatia, where we attended during a fast and testimony meeting--the LDS meeting where members share their beliefs. The Branch was extremely small, but it made for an even more intimate and enjoyable experience. When the meeting started, one of the missionaries said he would translate for us if we wanted to share our testimonies. So we did. After the meeting, the missionary told us that it was the longest testimony meeting they had ever had :)

We've also enjoyed the openness of the small branches we've visited. Coming in with our party of 6  can be a sight to behold, but every time we come to a new branch, we're welcomed with open arms and accepted as part of the branch almost immediately. In fact, today we went to church in La Spezia, Italy, and one of the leaders had Parker fulfill his Bishop's messenger duty as a Deacon.

La Spezia, Italy

Lord Byron's first trip in Italy

         Our first trip in Italy was Padua. Its over 500 years old! Did you know they have 2 cathedrals in Padua. My favorite is the St. Anthony's cathedral. It's so big and beautiful! I can't wait to go to Venice and Milan.
                       

Venice: Beautiful and Chaotic, the Disney World of Italy

We spent the day in Venice on Saturday, and when all was said and done, it lived up to its expectations, the good and the bad.

Is it crowded? Yes. On a day in the supposed “off-season” it was canal-to-canal tourists. Curls and I noted that it was much like a day at Disney World…you’re constantly surrounded by crowds of people from all different countries, and nearly all of them are carrying a camera.

The hardest part we found while spending the day in Venice wasn’t seeing everything we wanted to see, it was getting past the stress of getting there and getting around. For long periods of time, especially on the walk from the Santa Lucia train station to Saint Mark’s Square (which is a good 30-40 minute walk), you find yourself squeezing by tourists and in between narrow walk ways so much that you forget that you’re actually in Venice. Several times, I had to stop and remind myself that we had made it…we were walking the streets of Venice.

Incidentally, getting there can be a little stressful as well. We opted for the cheaper route, driving to the Venice-Mestre Train Station (not the Mestre Ospedale Station…we made that mistake). Parking across the street is 12 Euro/Day. Taking the train in is 1.25 Euro one-way. As you spill out onto the island from the train station, it’s a bit of a mess as well.  If you like wide-open spaces, you won’t find any in Venice.

We decided in our 6 hours touring around that the most important thing to do is to simply relax and take it all in. Drown out the constant noise of crowds and annoying tour groups and just enjoy the surroundings. Here were some of the sights that made us say, “Ahhhh, Venice”:

The Campanille

 

Piazza di San Marco

 

The Harbor

The Bridges (including the Bridge of Sighs)

Another great thing to do is to get away from the hustle of the crowd and enjoy some of the non-touristy areas. You’ll know you’ve found them when you find yourself among people without cameras around their necks. We found our slice of the real Venice by the Naval History museum. We even found a second hand store (a small corridor attached to a church where nice older Italian women are happy to give you a deal). Your money goes to the children the church supports...though I didn't get pictures of it, it's just down from the Naval History Museum in this area: 

by this Church

Overall, Venice is beautiful and chaotic, and definitely worth another visit!