Picking up from a couple of days ago, it was a beautiful morning waking up and seeing Lake Garda. We also got 15 minutes of extra sleep. Now I don't quite know what heaven is, or what love feels like, but those extra 15 minutes were as close as I'll ever get to knowing. We then packed everyone into the bus and headed towards Pisa, which was the king of all tourist traps. I mean this whole town is built off of the fact that someone screwed up the foundation of a building. Now as a budding civil engineer prodigy, I'd say that is not very good practice. I don't know, maybe my professors are teaching me the wrong thing, but just taking a wild guess. Anyways, all you need to know about Pisa is that the tower does in fact lean, and after you've stared it for 30 seconds, you should feel free to leave the city and go on with your tour of Italy. The next city on the hit list was Florence. We arrived in the city just in time for dinner and we headed out to Machiavelli's old residence in the Tuscan hills. We were greeted with champagne, which foreshadowed the events to come It was a fantastic dinner as we watched the sun set over the rolling hills of grape vines and old estates. Fast forward through the dinner and all of the people in our tour group had their fair share of wine to say the least. The bus ride back to the hotel was raukus as our tour guide blasted the Beatles and Australians and New Zealanders belted out all of the lyrics. It was a bus ride to remember.
The next morning we awoke early per usual and ventured out to see The David by Michelangelo and tour the downtown streets of Florence. The city had an amazing feel to it. It was not overly crowded with people like Rome or Venice, which alllowed us to walk the streets freely and check out some of the local shops and restaurants. One of the legends in our tour group, a young blonde girl from Wisconsin who was picture happy 24/7, managed to get lost. Our group was very torn up about it. Really deeply troubled about this young girl's well-being, and yet, for some reason not a single person left the spot they were sitting the entire 30 minutes that she was gone. After that minor setback, we shipped off towards Rome and our final dinner with the group (thank the lord the time had finally come).
Everyone ate their food, drank their wine, drank more of their wine, and then headed back to the hotel to socialize and say their last goodbyes to all of their deep and personal friends that they acquired throughout the trip.
THE NEXT MORNING WE SLEPT IN UNTIL 9. It was amazing. Pure bliss. I checked the clock, my heart fluttered, and I ripped the curtain open to see that the sun was actually in the sky before I was out of bed. The group had left for the airport and we were looking to enjoy our last day strolling around Rome. We took the metro into downtown Rome and headed to the Bourghese estate to walk through an amazing art gallery (well I'm sure it was amazing for those who were inside and understood the history of art). Then we headed to a local restaurant that was recommended by our tour guide and it turned out to be the best meal of the trip. My mom and dad were in heaven as this was the only thing on their Italian bucket list that hadn't yet been completed. For the sake of length, we had an interesting time getting back to the hotel, and Ethan basically spilled half of a bottle of ketchup all over his white shirt (typical). Tomorrow we head home after this amazing trip and it's back to reality. Arrivederci!

Venice to Lake Garda

After the 6 hour drive we arrived in Venice and quickly hopped on a motor boat to drive downtown. The quick drive on the grand canal seemed like we were thrown into a movie scene. All of the large pastel houses with water lapping against the foundations along with the narrow canals and teems of gondolas made for quite the entrance to the city. The quick nautical trip was followed by a stroll in St. Mark's square, which is surrounded with some of the most affluent shops I've stepped foot into.

We quickly made our way over to the gondolas and were serenaded by another Italian hero as we meandered our way in and out of the city. Just making mental notes of this trip for my future wife. It was an early night after that. The 6 am alarm the following day was certainly not a pleasant sound for Ethan or I, yet somehow our parents were knocking on the door 15 minutes later saying they had already packed their bags, eaten breakfast, showered, gone to Venice, and flown to Maine and back before we got out of bed. 

Venetians are known for their glass blowing ability, which we saw firsthand, but apparently this reputation has gone to their head because their glass objects are certainly not cheap. The next item on the agenda was to take a quick tour through St. Mark's basilica, which is the only building in the world that has a ceiling lined completely with 24k gold. It was an amazing sight and really brought together the true wealth of the Venetian province. The best part of the day was a quick stroll on our own as we got away from the throngs of tourists and wandered the true backstreets of the city towards some pastries, gelato, and a fantastic lunch. A private dinner at a major vineyard was up next, which turned into one of the best experiences of the trip. The food was excellent, some new Australian friends were made, and we all left feeling stuffed to the brim. 

Arriving at the hotel near Lake Garda, we were able to see the sun set over the mountains and cast a light orange over the canyon and the lake below. It is now time to head to bed and another early morning awaits us tomorrow.

The first night out in Rome was a great way to start the trip off. Wine was served like water, food seemed to be endless, and we were serenaded by some local Italian heroes, too bad I didn't bring a date on this trip. We then headed back to the hotel and collapsed into our beds for what seemed like a matter of seconds before we were up and at it again. The buffet breakfast was a quick one as we put back some coffee and headed towards the Vatican. The lead up to the Sistine chapel was magnificent as we walked through old sculptures and tapestries that seemingly illustrated every page of the bible. The chapel itself was remarkable, and with camera nazis everywhere, Ethan managed to snap a picture of the ceiling. Typical rebellious behavior for him. Nothing out of the ordinary, just Ethan doing Ethan things. Risking the family's livelihood just for some quick fun, not complaining, just pointing out a fact.
Then we took the quick walk to St. Peter's Basilica, which was much needed. I needed some holiness in my life after seeing gorgeous Italian girl after gorgeous Italian girl. I mean, it's just simply radar overload out here. It is hard to describe the grandness and beauty of the sculptures and the intricate designs that seemed to cover every inch of the walls. Simply one of the best places we've ever been. All of the Italian shops that surround the Basilica talk about sending items to the Basilica to have them blessed and then brought back to your hotel. I tried to see if they could do that with Ethan... Sadly, the shop owners all said that it would take more than a blessing to fix him.
The colosseum was up next. Our trip advisor managed to get us on to the actual floor of the colosseum, where one of the most legendary battles in its 2,000 year history was fought. Derek vs. Ethan. It was simply a blowout. I ended him in the first round practically 15 seconds in. The crowd was booing because it happened so quickly. It was like Ali vs. Liston. Complete obliteration. In all seriousness though, it was hard to grasp the true age of this huge stadium. Maybe it was because the general design of stadiums hasn't changed since then, or maybe it was because the relative completeness that still stands after 2 millennia. After the colosseum, it was time for a much needed nap.
The afternoon consisted of touring all of the major fountains and squares in Rome, which were all magnificent. Again, radar overload. I can't describe them accurately in words so hopefully a few pictures will do them justice. We ended the night by devouring some pizza and taking a nice stroll through the tight back streets as the sun set over the pastel buildings and turned the sky a soft pink. It was a fantastic second night and sleep was welcomed quickly.
It was another early morning and we are now off on a 6 hour bus ride towards Venice. Hopefully I manage not to throw Ethan out the window before we get there.

Great start

In an effort to break up the drive to Montreal, we utilized my hotel points to stay in Littleton, NH and spend a night there. We made the trip up through the notch at dusk and had the rare occasion of seeing a mother black bear and her two cubs right on the side of the road. After a good night sleep, we stocked up on snacks and goodies to help us through the 8 hrs direct flight. We headed for Canada  and crossed the border around 1:00 and headed for Montreal. I had booked a park and fly online that worked out great and soon we were on the shuttle to the airport. We got settled and soon became familiar with our surroundings, and picked out a spot for dinner. As we were eating, the entire Roma soccer team went by and Ethan was calling off their names as they strolled by. We boarded the big jet and settled in for the flight. It turned out to be a great experience with Air Canada, and glad we had done it this way. We all tried to sleep on and off with little success, left at 9pm est and landed at 5am est in Rome where the local time was 11:00am. We are staying at our first hotel in Rome and we walked down to see the Vatican City. What a grand sight to see as you are walking down the busy streets of Rome. On our way back we stopped at a little shop selling gelatin and enjoyed some Italian ice cream. Resting up for welcome gathering tonight  followed by a little tour of Rome.

Picked up packets on Friday and we are all real excited to go. Read over itinerary and can't believe how fast this has come together.