The Colosseum

After doing a few other sites in Rome (including the Sistine Chapel
and St. Peter's Basilica), we had our first glimpse of the Colosseum.
It is kind of fun taking a bus down the street to see what fun things
are on the way. We came around the corner and the Colosseum was
sitting there like we'd seen it in pictures and movies. Tomorrow we'll
do a tour of the full thing. Can't wait.

On to Rome

We finished our wonderful stay in Venice with a memorable moonlit ride
on a gondola. We departed from one of the small canals and snaked our
way along until we went under the Rialto bridge on the Grand Canal.
The water was perfectly smooth and most of the time we felt like the
only boat on the water. The gondolier guided the gondola very well.
Some of the corners we cut pretty closely, and yet we didn't once hit
a wall. Going along the canals was a lot like going along a street--
one narrow canal leading to another, doorways lining the canals with
boats parked in front, city walls going straight up from the water's
surface. It added even more to the surreal feeling of being in Venice.

One thing that was kind of funny is that lots of people took pictures
of us as we passed under bridges, almost as if we were celebrities.
Other than that, we were unknown in the dark canals of the City of
Masks.

Leaving on the train this morning was bittersweet. Hopefully we'll go
back to Venice. But we have more fun adventures in store in Rome.

Venice

We flew in to Venice yesterday and absolutely love it. The city is
absolutely surreal--tiny streets for walking interlaced with canals
filled with boat traffic. It's the perfect town to explore. We took
the water bus down the Grand Canal with an audio tour podcast. We saw
restaurants, churches, hotels, government buildings, and even a fire
station all with porches right to the water.

Our hotel is right near one of the last stops in the Grand Canal and
just a couple blocks from St. Mark's Square (in the picture above). On
the square in the evening, there are three live bands at different
cafes that compete for business. We just enjoyed the music in the
middle of the square and danced under the starlight. This has been a
great place to kick our feet up and relax (we definitely got our
walking in visiting all of the museums in Paris). We've also already
eaten out share of gelato.

The back side of Notre Dame

Enjoying crepes at Notre Dame

Here is Celeste enjoying a real French crepe at the foot of Notre
Dame. Very tasty!

Made it to Paris

We made it to Paris. We've decided that we really liked riding the
high speed train. Right on time, very fast, and dropped us off near a
major metro stop near Notre Dame. Plus it took us under the English
Channel--I think it took about 20 minutes to go through! I've always
heard about going through the tunnel but wasn't sure when (or if) I'd
go through it. A little culture shock in Paris with everything in
French (already one difficult conversation trying to get metro
tickets), but we're excited to be here!

Enjoyed London, Off to Paris

We really enjoyed London. It is amazing how much there is to do versus
what we did. We really enjoyed the British Museum, British Library,
V&A Museum, Westminster Abbey, and other amazing sites. Now our train
is about to leave for Paris. Lots of pictures to post when we get
back. Au revoir!

Our adventure in Europe begins

We started our adventure in Europe yesterday. Wait, it was two days
ago (it feels like we lost a day during our travels). We decided to
pack light using only one carry-on each. Amazingly, I still feel like
I overpacked. When you have the right equipment, it is amazing what
you can fit in your luggage. We got some Rick Steves packing cubes and
then I got the Rick Steves convertible carry-on backpack (Rick Steves
has been a great source for travel tips--he inspired us to do carry-on
only, and I'm glad he did. Travelling so far really has been much
easier). The combination gave me ample room for all of my needs, and a
few extras (like our new camera). Celeste used our roller-bag, and
actually asked to borrow some of my clothes to fill in the gaps (she
has an advantage being able to pack smaller clothes).

We made it to London in safety and have already enjoyed some of the
sights of the city, including Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster
Abbey, and Hyde park (including Speakers Corner where people stand on
boxes to preach, Pres. Hinckley being one years ago during his
mission). We've also enjoyed the double-decker red buses, hopping on
to random routes to see where it takes us. From the top deck, it
provides a fun tour and experience.

Here is a picture of us with our carry-ons only leaving from San
Francisco. We'll update the blog with higher quality pictures when we
get back. Cheers!