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!