The Italy Years

Christmas in Paris...

2009-01-11T04:38:00.000-08:00

So I'm a little behind, but here are some pictures from Christmas in Paris. We left on Christmas Eve and stayed only for a few days, and boy was it a whirlwind! We had a well planned itinerary and stuck to it, which enabled us to see all the main sights in Paris and then some. On Christmas Eve, we headed over to Notre Dame at 10:00 for midnight mass. We arrived and didn't have to stand in line at all, and walked right into the church. Of course it was packed, with standing room only. We found a little corner to hang out in and stayed for the three hour mass. I have to say, it was one of the most phenomenal things we've ever seen. The choir was beautiful and the service was very emotional. We were lucky to have gone when we did, because when we came out there were a million people waiting in line to get in! On Christmas day, we walked all around the city. The Eiffel tower was our first stop, and we waited in a short line and went right up. Even though it's touristy, I loved every minute of it! It really is an awe-inspiring sight to see, and the view from the top is breath-taking. The next day we headed over to the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay. I'll tell you, if you ever want to see Paris and bypass all the tourist crowds, bundle up and head over during Christmas! We got up early and headed over to the Louvre, and there wasn't a soul in sight. While there were plenty of people inside, we had free reign to roam around at our own leisure. The Musee d'Orsay was filled with wonderful art, especially impressionist pieces, which was our favorite. All in all, we had an amazing trip to Paris. The food and wine was excellent and the people were extremely friendly. We were a little nervous because we don't speak a single word of french, but were pleasantly surprised by the hospitality of the locals. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back one day! We hope you enjoy the pictures!

Notre Dame at Night, Christmas Eve

Inside the church, looking at the altar

It's hard to see in this picture, but this is the mass of people in line outside of Notre Dame

The Eiffel Tower at night, lit up in blue!

My personal favorite part of Paris...I dreamt about seeing the Eiffel tower since I was a little girl, and once I finally got to see it, I couldn't get enough!!

View from the top

Overlooking the city

Paris at night

Sacre Coeur

The back of Sacre Coeur

Arc De Triomphe

Quiet Paris streets on Christmas day

Along the Seine

Along the Jardin Des Tuileries, walking towards the Louvre

Christmas markets!

The Louvre

Jason and the Pyramids!

Not a soul in sight, in front of I.M. Pei's Masterpiece

Mona. Yes, she is small and a little overestimated, but still an amazing work of art

The Catacombs. Due to the overcrowding of Paris's cemeteries in the late 18th century, the bones of the dead were relocated to the underground abandoned quarries in the outer city. The path we walked was about a mile long and only about 5 ft tall. Skulls, tibias and femurs lined the limestone walls, in no particular organization. By the time the bones were all relocated in 1860, an estimated 5 to 6 million bones were moved underground. Talk about creepy.

The famous clock at the Musee d'Orsay

Inside the Musee. This art museum was a former railway station.

A walk in the park

Dublin!

2008-11-29T07:43:00.000-08:00

Here are our pictures from our recent trip to Dublin! We left on a Friday and stayed for 3 nights, and had the BEST time! Dublin is a huge, bustling city with tons to see and do. We spent all day and night touring around the sights, enjoying this lively city during the holiday season. Of course the weather was frigid and a little rainy, but that didn't stop us from roaming around. Being here reminded us of cold winters in Chicago, when we would bundle ourselves up with hot coffee in hand, and wander the city! The food here was great, the Guinness of course was the best, and the people were the friendliest I've ever met throughout Europe. We highly recommend making a trip here, and we definitely plan on coming back to Ireland to see the countryside!

This means "town of the hurdled ford." Not sure what that really means, but the sign is modern Irish for "Ireland"!!!

O'Connell street at night

The Liffey Bridge

Grafton Street

Dublin Castle...dates back to Medieval times

Christ Church

St. Ann's Parish. This is the church where Bram Stoker was baptized and married.

St. Patrick's cathedral

A part of Trinity College

The very famous statue of Molly Malone. "Molly Malone" is Dublin city's national anthem, and the song is about a girl who was a fishmonger by day and part-time prostitute by night. Although there is no proof of her existence, Molly has become the most photographed sight in Dublin.

The well known Temple Bar

Hanging out in the Temple Bar district

The coziest, cutest little French cafe we've ever been in. We warmed up in here after being out in the rain and helped ourselves to a few treats :)

Yum.

And last but not least, the main reason for us going to Dublin. Seriously :)

CHEERS!!!

Happy Anniversary To Us!

2008-08-26T11:38:00.001-07:00

We survived 2 years! Here's a pic of us blowing out our "2" year candle on our anniversary doughnut. We are too cool :) Now we get to go to Tuscany this weekend to celebrate!

Lazy Sunday in Procida...

2008-08-24T04:42:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we spent a day with our friends and took a boat out to the island of Procida. M.T.'s parents were in visiting and they were nice enough to invite us along...we had a relaxing day cruising around and laying out in the sun. Here are some pics!

Mediterranean Cruise!

2008-08-10T02:57:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Here are the pictures from our Western Mediterranean cruise we took in July with our friend Matt from Arizona. It was a 10 day Holland America cruise that sailed to Livorno (Italy), Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Malta (South of Sicily), Tunisia (Northeast Africa), Palermo (Sicily) and back to Naples. Not only did we have a wonderful time seeing all the sites, but we had TONS of fun on the ship! The food was out of this world and the service was 1st class. There were always entertaining things to do, and we got plenty of sun laying out on deck. And of course, we spent every single night in the casino! While I am known for winning on cruises, I only won a little bit of money this time :) Jason and I had so much fun though playing poker, roulette and my new favorite game, black jack. We were so sad to leave the ship, and we are already planning our next cruise!

The Noordam

Jim and Marty, the wonderful couple at our dinner table

Jason holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa...its a good thing he works on those guns!

I love being a tourist!

Pisa

The tower was more impressive in person than I thought!

A Tunisian Marketplace

The Zooks on a tunisian rooftop

The Bardo Museum in La Goulette, Tunisia

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Monte Carlo, where the rich and famous live!

The church where Princess Grace is buried

Overlooking Monte Carlo

I should have a yacht here, don't you think??!!!

The famous casino in Monaco...it's a good thing Jason didn't let me get inside, I might never have left!

Barcelona, Spain!!!

La Rambla, the main street in Barcelona

Mi Amor!

Downtown Barcelona

The Gaudi Museum

We had heard that sailing into Malta was one of the most beautiful sights to see, and we were lucky enough to witness it. We woke up around 5:30 to get on deck and watch the ship pull in. Seeing Malta from this perspective was unbelievable...it is truly one of the most breathtaking sights.

The outer walls of Malta

The cathedral in Valletta, Malta. Without a doubt one of the most beautiful and impressive churches we've ever seen.

The lovebirds in Malta

Palermo! Here we took an organized tour of the Capuchin catacombs. The catacombs, which housed a few thousand corpses, was perhaps the most unique sight we've ever seen. The catacombs date back to 1599 and the mummified corpses are lined along the walls for all to see. Some of the corpses still have their flesh, hair and eyes, and are still wearing their own clothes! Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures, but here is a picture I found from another website. If you want to learn more about the crypts or see more photos, just google "Palermo catacombs!"

After the cruise, we spent a day in Rome before coming home...here's another pic of us lovebirds in front of Trevi fountain!

Piazza Navona...Ciao Tutti!

Venezia!

2008-07-28T04:54:00.001-07:00

So here are some pictures from our trip to Venice with our friends and neighbors, Jenny and Allen. Venice was absolutely beautiful and extremely hot...in fact, I think you can find me still complaining about how hot it was over there! Nonetheless, we had a great time in Venice and Murano! Enjoy the pics!

The lovebirds on the Rialto Bridge

The lovely Burketts on the Rialto Bridge, or as Allen calls it, the Risotto Bridge!

Jenny and Allen in the gondola

Us on our gondola ride!

The Grand Canal

Our view from the house we stayed in at night time

Saint Mark's Square

Jason's Promotion

2008-07-28T04:36:00.001-07:00

Here's a few pictures from Jason's promotion ceremony to Lieutenant Commander...I was so proud of him and even got to help pin on his bars! It was a great ceremony and I couldn't have been more happy for my adorable hubby :)

His partner, M.T., performing the ceremony

So exciting!

M.T. and Jason

Siena and Assisi with The Zooks!

2008-07-28T04:04:00.000-07:00

Ciao everyone! It's been a while since I posted new pictures on the blog, and now I've got some catching up to do. In May, Jason's parents and sister came to visit us and we spent some time traveling throughout Tuscany, which has now become our favorite place. We visited Siena, Florence and Assisi, and then they traveled to Venice on their own. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Siena's Piazza

Our favorite town, Assisi

The lovely Zook women in Venice

Mom and Dad living la dolce vita

Hmmm...I think Sara needs to consider a career change!

Dinner in Siena

Sara and Cindy with their new friend, Adamo

We just can't get enough of Adamo's vino!

La Mia Famiglia in Italia!

2008-05-25T03:21:00.000-07:00

Ciao Tutti! Here are some pictures from the recent trip my parents and aunt made to visit us here in beautiful Italy. This was my parents first trip overseas and I was so happy they were able to come visit and see the sights. They were here for 10 days, so we did a whirlwind tour of Rome, Naples and the Amalfi coast. Enjoy the pics!!!!

Rainy day in Rome

What a backdrop!

St. Peter's Basilica

Mia Famiglia e La Fontana di Trevi!

Lunch in Sorrento

Along the Coast

A long way from Chicago!

Me, Aunt Lydia and Mom

Sorelle! (Sisters!)

Mom and I in Baia

Napoli Soccer!

2008-04-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

Jason and I went to a Naples soccer game this past weekend for the first time and had a blast! They played Atalanta (a team from Northern Italy) and won 2-0!!! There was so much energy in the stadium and the crowd went absolutely WILD when we scored a goal! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The Crew

Go Napoli!

The Girls...Judy, Me, Virginie and Nancy

This is the "La Curva" section...basically where all the crazy fans sit! Aside from the usual screaming, whistling and hand clapping, they also start fires with flares in the stands! Fun and dangerous!

The Big 30!

2008-03-25T03:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I have officially said goodbye to my twenties this past Friday when I turned 30! I wasn't terribly sad about turning 30, just sad to know that the funnest decade of my life had come to an end. And I am confident though that the next 10 years of my life will be even better! That evening my wonderful husband took me out to dinner at what I thought was going to be a romantic dinner for two...little did I know he had planned a fabulous surprsie dinner party with all of our friends! I was so happy to have my husband and great friends share in that day with me. We ate and drank to our hearts content and laughed all night long...and I had the most delicious birthday cake ever! I only wish my family and friends back home could have been there to join in the fun :) Hope you enjoy the pics!

Our fabulous Italy friends!

My very delicious birthday cake!

Me and the gals...Nancy, Roxanna, Lourdes and Blanca!

Great friends...I am so lucky to know these lovely ladies!

Jason, Jeff and Eugene

Our D.C. Friends and Tunnelpalooza '08!

2008-03-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Here are some pictures from this past week when we had our friends Chris and Carrie visit us. We had such a wonderful time with them and were sad to see them go. We showed them the sights of Naples, spent a fabulous day cruising along the Amalfi coast and shared lots of laughs and drank lots of wine! Even though it rained almost the entire time they were here, we still managed to have a great time and take some pictures along the way. And, the best part of their trip was that Chris proposed to Carrie in Rome! We couldn't be happier for them and can't wait for the big day!

That's... not... ceramic!

Carrie and I at the piazza in Naples

All of us being silly in Pompeii

We're just lovin' those ancient ruins!

Chris and Carrie...the newly engaged couple!

Carrie and downtown Napoli

The best pizza in the world...Pizzeria da Michele

Strolling around Piazza Garibaldi

So sweet!

Along the Amalfi Coast

Beautiful Views!

Back to Chicago...

2008-02-17T06:31:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I am now back home in the states for a little more than a week! My flight here was surprisingly smooth and without incident, and I am happy to be back and well rested. It is great to see my family again, and I am so excited to see more friends and family this week. I do, however, miss Italy already, especially the weather :) I landed in Chicago and it was 12 degrees...needless to say I was not ready for winter weather! Here is a posting my friend back in Italy tagged me to do...lots of fun :)

MY HUSBAND

What is his name? Jason David Zook
How long have you been married? A year and a half
How long did you date? about 4.5 years
How old is he? 31
How old are you? 29
Who eats more sweets? That would be me...I see no purpose in real food :)
Who said I love you first? We both said it at the same time
Who is taller? Jason. I'm 4'11 so everyone is taller than me
Who can sing better? Jason
Who is smarter? My husband is a surgeon...need I say more?! But I'm no dummy, either :)
Who does the laundry? Me
Who does the dishes? Mostly me
Who pays the bills? Jason pays his, I pay mine.
His guilty pleasure? Gummy bears and pumpkin pie
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Jason, but I usually invade his space too.
Who is his best friend? His dad. And me :)
Who cooks dinner? I do.
Who drives? Usually Jason
Who kissed who first? That would be Jason :)
Who asked who out first? I did!
What was your first date? Cafe Iberico for tapas and sangria :)
Who proposed? Jason...the happiest moment of my life.
Who has more siblings? Jason has 1 wonderful sister and I'm an only child.
Who wears the pants? Me, of course :)
What is your favorite thing about him? Everything! He is kind, smart, patient, loving, honest, hardworking, funny...and I think he's absolutely gorgeous! I honestly can't think of one thing I don't love about him. He's been my best friend and has always supported me in everything I do. He's my zookie!
I tag Judy next!

Skiing in Roccaraso...

2008-01-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics from our trip skiing in the Appenine mountains in Roccaraso. As my close friends and family know, I do not know how to ski. You just don't get to ski much growing up in the good old Midwest. I had been a handful of times before, but only on really easy hills. We were REALLY excited to ski, but I warned my husband that I was not a lifelong skier like he was, and I needed to start off on the bunny hill. So we arrive at the mountain and the minute we step on the snow he hauls me off to the chair lift and before I know it I'm on what I consider a huge hill. Looking down, I realize I am really nervous and have no idea how I'm going to end up at the bottom of the hill. My lesson from Jason went something like this: "Just turn your skis up into the hill to turn and snow plow to stop." Well, I didn't know what on earth that meant, and soon enough I was flying down the slope and landing on my you know what. After wiping out a handful of times, I decided I wanted off this crazy mountain. I had also decided that I wanted to divorce my husband and wanted real lessons from one of the nice Italian men working at the resort. In between these thoughts came lots of profanities and almost a nervous breakdown on the mountain. So long story short, I took my skis off and walked the rest of the way down. I proceeded to scare my husband away and took a break from all the chaos. Once I calmed myself down and Jason and I had made nice, he and our friend Karl showed me how to do basic ski steps on the small hill. After that, I managed to ski a lot better with fewer falls. Jason, of course, being good at everything he does, was skiing like a pro all day long. Despite all my tumbles I managed to have a blast and can't wait to go again! I've never been one of those people who has made a list of things I wanted to accomplish in life; usually I just take my life experiences as they come and appreciate them as they happen. However, I have been bitten by the skiing bug, and I am setting a goal to learn how to ski well, and even learn how to get on a snowboard. I'm sure I won't be in the winter olympics any time soon, but I refuse to sit on the bunny slopes watching 3 year olds ski past me! Wish me luck!

The happy couple on the bus to Roccaraso

Look at my cute snow bunny!

A loooong way down!

A moment of actual skiing...I look like I'm 5 years old! Ha!

I've made it down the hill!

Hallo!

2008-01-14T00:35:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share some pictures from our recent trip to Switzerland and Germany. Anxious to travel to somewhere other than Italy, Jason and I packed our bags this past weekend and headed to Basel, Switzerland. Basel is a beautiful city with great architecture, tons of museums and lots of shopping. We had a wonderful time roaming around the city, riding the tram around town and eating lots of chocolate and pretzels! (Swiss chocolate is to die for and their pretzels are unbelievably good!). The next day we decided to hop a train and spend some time in Freiburg, Germany, where we also did lots of sightseeing and eating. Jason once again impressed me by being able to speak German pretty fluently, which helped us get around very easily. Though we love Italy, I must say that Switzerland is our new favorite place. The air is clean, the people are friendly and their bus and train systems make it extremely easy to get around. We hope you enjoy the pictures and we hope all is well with our family and friends back home!

A view of the mountains from the plane

The markets in Basel

A view of the town overlooking the bridge

Town center in Freiburg

"Potato Market!"

A sidestreet in Germany

Beautiful Germany

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-03T03:33:00.000-08:00

Well, we hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday and a safe and happy New Year! Though we were sad we weren't home to spend the holidays with our families, we were thankful to have been able to spend it with our amazing Italy friends. Jason and I spent Christmas eve and day with our friends on base, and we hosted New Year's Eve at our house. Despite having tons of fun, I am glad it's over, at least for another year! (Though I did enjoy cooking and baking for all of the holiday parties!) Other than that, life has been pretty good over here. Jason is back to work, the weather hasn't been too bad, and we've been doing LOTS of bowling :) Soon we will be leaving for Switzerland, and I promise to post pics when we return. We are looking forward to all of our family and friends visiting us over this next year and can't wait to spend time with everyone. Ciao!

Louisville in 2009!!!

2007-12-19T05:32:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share the good news that Jason got selected to do his spine fellowship at the Leatherman Spine Institute in Louisville, Kentucky! After our 2 years in Italy, we will be off to Louisville for one year...we are thrilled that we will be close to our families and friends once again! So proud of my wonderful hubby :)

Tuscany and Rome With Friends...

2007-11-28T00:59:00.001-08:00

Ciao! Here are some pictures from when our friends from Kentucky, Danny and Laura, came to Italy to visit and spend some time with us. We picked them up from Rome and drove to Northern Tuscany and stayed in the region of Arezzo. Our days were filled with driving through tiny Tuscan towns, shopping, eating and drinking lots of cappucino's! After a couple days in Arezzo, we drove a little south and stayed in the town of Assisi, the home of St. Francis who is the patron saint of animals. One afternoon we drove to Montalcino and spent some time touring the Banfi winery, one of the largest wineries in the world. We even ran into our Chicago friends John and Kim, who were visiting Tuscany during their vacation. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! We then headed back to Rome and saw the sights and toured the city with our wonderful tour guide, Mr. Jason Zook :) We all had a great time and couldn't have had a better vacation. Hope you enjoy the pictures! We miss everyone back home and hope all is well!

Beautiful Florence

The massive Duomo in Florence

The dome of the church

Michelangelo's "The David"

The piazza in Montepulciano

Cantine Contucci Winery

The boys with Adamo, the wonderful owner

The girls with Adamo...what a ladies man!

A beautiful view of Assisi

The church that houses St. Francis's tomb. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures, but it was the most beautiful church I had ever seen.

Assisi at night

This was the view looking out from the top of our hotel

Danny and Laura in front of Castello Banfi

The Zooks sure do love their wine!

The Hutchersons

Time for a cappucino break...I believe that was Danny's third one that day!

Our Chicago friends, John and Kim

Rainy afternoon in Rome

The lovebirds in front of the coliseum!

This blog is dedicated to our sweet little friend, CeCe. This was the dog that belonged to the owner of our Agriturismo in Arezzo. Every day he would greet us and then sneak right past us and head upstairs to his favorite chair. CeCe was not allowed inside but always seemed to find a way past us and in the front door! Ciao CeCe!

Weekend in Tuscany...

2007-11-13T03:03:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from our romantic weekend in Montalcino, a small, beautiful town in southern Tuscany. Jason and I wanted a relaxing weekend away, so we rented a car and drove 4 hours north to Montalcino. For all you wine lovers, this is where the fabulous Brunello di Montalcino wine comes from! We stayed at a lovely B & B, met some wonderful people, drank lots of wine and spent hours strolling through the town. Our second day there we drove through the Tuscan countryside and stopped in a few towns along the way. Enjoy the pictures!

The duomo in the town of Pienza

The piazza in the town of Montepulciano

Sant' Antimo church.

This Romanesque church dates back to the 12th century. The Sunday morning mass that we attended was emotional and quite humbling.

One of the romantic little restaurants we ate at in Montalcino!

The Amalfi Coast!

2007-11-09T02:17:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to Sorrento and Capri during the Zook's visit to Italy. The drive along the Amalfi coast is amazing, and the views are stunning. We are lucky enough to live only about an hour and a half away, so hopefully these pictures will bribe some of our family and friends into coming to visit us! We stayed in Sorrento waaaay up in the mountains, and took the ferry over to Capri for a day trip. Sorrento is fun and lively, and Capri is absolutely beautiful. As we drove along the coast, we stopped in the little towns of Ravello, Positano and the actual town of Amalfi. We also took a very long, narrow, winding bus ride up into Anacapri and strolled around town. Having had the chance to see this area of Italy, I clearly see why this is the place to be! Hope you enjoy the pictures, speramo tutto bene con ognuno! Ciao!

This is the port at Capri

This is a view of the tiny row boats hitching a ride with our boat to the Blue Grotto. The blue grotto is a sea cave that is carved into the coast of Capri. Roman emperors used this grotto as a private bath.

You see that tiny little opening?...that is the entrance into the grotto! In order to get inside, you have to lie completely flat in the row boat and then you are pushed on in! All you see is that amazing blue water. Our lovely Italian row boat man was nice enough to serenade us while inside!

Amore in Italia!

La dolcezza di fare non niente

Hey! Is that pasta I see!

Us Zook ladies sure do love to shop :)

Rome and The Vatican!

2007-10-31T03:13:00.000-07:00

Ciao everyone! Here are some more pictures from our trip to Rome and the Vatican with Jason's mom and dad. It was definitely nice to have family visit and we had a great time exploring Rome. This was our second time to Rome, and we loved walking around and seeing the sights of this amazing city. This was our first time visiting St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican, and let me tell you, what an amazing experience. The basilica is massive, and houses impressive artwork and sculptures by Raphael, Michaelangelo and Bernini. If there is one place to see in your lifetime, this is it! We also took an elevator and climbed 323 steps up the most narrow stairway on earth to get to the top of the basilica. As you can see, the view is well worth the effort. Enjoy!

The dome in St. Peter's Basilica

Looking down from the top of the basilica

The Sistine Chapel

The Vatican museum...four miles of artwork leading to Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel

Michaelangelo's "Pieta" in St. Peter's

Looking out from the top of St. Peter's Basilica...we took an elevator and climbed 323 stairs to get to the top. As you can see, the view is worth the climb!

View overlooking Rome

Cin cin! (Cheers! in Italian)

Buon appetito!

Jason's 31st Birthday Dinner!

2007-10-23T02:50:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple pictures from Jason's 31st birthday dinner...we were lucky enough to have our closest friends join us for a wonderful night at a great restaurant in Pozzuoli.

Enjoying Italy...

2007-09-24T02:15:00.000-07:00

Judy and Greg

Ciao everyone! Here are some more pictures from two places we have recently visited near Naples. Above are some pictures of us and our friends Judy and Greg at Caserta Vecchia (old Caserta). We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in this beautiful town situatued at the very top of a mountain. Once again, anywhere you go in Italy there are amazing views of the city! The pictures below are from Baia and Pozzuoli. Jason and I spent this past Saturday visiting an old castle and archaeological museum, and then had dinner with our friends in Pozzuoli. That night we also visited the church of San Gennaro. San Gennaro is the patron Saint of Naples, and every year the people of Napoli hold a week long festival in his honor. This church was not only where San Gennaro was beheaded in 305 A.D., but is also where a vial of his blood is kept. Every year the people of Naples watch to see if the blood liquefies. If this happens, it is said that the next year will be good! And lucky for us, it liquefied this past week!

Overlooking Baia

Our Pozzuoli pals, Laura and Karl

The Happiest Day Ever!

2007-09-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share the great news with all of our family and friends that Jason has passed his board exam! After 5 years of residency and many years of studying, he is now certified in Orthopedic surgery! Yeah!

When in Rome...

2007-09-13T00:34:00.001-07:00

Hello again! This past weekend Jason and I took a wonderful day tour to Rome. As you will see in the pictures below, this city is amazing. Bright and early Saturday morning we chartered a bus and headed on our way. The first stop was to the Vatican city for a guided tour of Saint Peter's tomb (St. Peter was one of the 12 Apostles chosen by Jesus to be his disciple). Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but it was amazing to see the actual tomb. After that we grabbed some lunch and then headed on to a walking tour through the streets of Rome to see the sights. The Spanish steps, Roman forum, and of course, the Colosseum were unbelievable! Every corner you turn you see some ancient building or artifact. Though we only visited for a day, we will definitely go back to wander around and see more. Other than that, we are thoroughly enjoying Italy. We just got a car (a 1993 BMW, pics soon to come) and have been out exploring and driving around. Our Italian class is also going well, our teacher is the best and we are slowly starting to learn the language. We miss all of you back home and can't wait to start getting some visitors out here! Until next time, take care and thanks for reading our blog! xoxo Jason and April

On our way to Rome!

Our friends and neighbors, Jenny and Alan

The beautiful Vatican

Swiss guards (don't you love their outfits?!)

Outside the Vatican waiting to see St. Peter's tomb

Another beautiful view

This building is where the Pope lives!

Our eccentric tour guide, Alessandro

Jenny and I on the Spanish steps

Looking down from the top of the steps

A fountain!

The spectacular Trevi fountain!

I got to wave the tour guide's red and yellow flag!

Rome's political office

Roman Forum

More ancient Roman buildings

Every corner you turn, this is what you see

And finally, in all its glory, the Colosseum

The newlyweds in front of the Colosseum...we've waited our whole lives to experience this!

Our Week in Sicily...

2007-08-27T00:13:00.000-07:00

Hello again! Jason and I returned from our week in Sigonella, Sicily, and I must say I was sad to go! Sicily is absolutely beautiful...countryside landscapes, stunning views of Mount Etna, and the hottest weather you could ever imagine. We left last Friday and took an 8 hour train and ferry ride over to the island. As you can see in the photos below, we saw many amazing sites. Since we still don't have a car over in Naples, Jason and I wasted no time in hopping into our sporty little Alfa Romeo rental car and hit the road! With maps in hand, we set off on our 1st official Italian road trip. We got on the "tangenziale," which in Italian means "crazy highway," and drove an hour north to the town of Taormina (just kidding about the crazy highway, the "tang" is actually a 2 lane highway that can be pretty scary at times to drive on). Taormina was as beautiful as any town can get, and it's where the rich and famous hang out while in Sicily. My husband and I , neither rich nor famous, still managed to do a little window shopping and get some fabulous Italian food. We then drove for what seemed like forever to the top of the mountain and took some wonderful pictures of the scenery below. The next day we drove south to the towns of Siracusa and Ortygia, where again we saw some pretty amazing sites. For anyone wanting to visit Italy, I must say two things. If you have the time, try to head over to Sicily, because it truly has some amazing sites and stunning beaches. With that bit of advice, I highly recommend you never ever go in the dead of summertime! Southern Italy is hot. Not like Florida hot or Arizona hot, but like I-can't-breathe-and-I-can't-stop-sweating hot. Sightseeing in 104 degree heat just wasn't as fun as I'd hoped, so when visiting the South of Italy again, I will make sure to go in cooler weather (if that even exists down there!). All in all, we had a wonderful time and I must give my hubby credit for his great driving skills while visiting Sicily. He managed to get us where we needed to be safely and didn't run over any people on motorino's. Or sheep (see below). And I finally, after 13 years of driving, learned how to read a map! Anyways, we had tons of fun driving around the island and can't wait to go back. Hope you all enjoy the pictures! Ciao!!!

Looking down over Taormina from the top

How beautiful is this!

This ancient theater is still used today for concerts and plays...We just missed Liza Minelli!

Taormina's Duomo (Cathedral)

Me and a fruit stand

Amazing ruins of an ancient Greek theater in Siracusa

Ancient funeral temples

"Orrechio di Dionisio"-Ear of Dionysius
This is the cave where the ancient ruler Dionysius kept his political dissidents imprisoned and listened in on their conversations. It is legend that this artificial limestone cave was carved in the shape of an ear so it could amplify the screams of tortured prisoners. Don't you just love ancient history!

Beautiful Ortygia

Ortygia's Piazza

Ortygia's Duomo

A typical Italian sidestreet

Who's that hottie? Oh yeah, that's my hubby!

HOLY SHEEP!

Italian traffic jam

We were driving along the highway when a massive herd of sheep and goats decided to cross over to the other side of the road! They were so close to our car they could have climbed right in the passenger side!

Wonderful News!

2007-08-18T02:54:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone...Jason and I have arrived in Sigonella, Sicily and just this morning we received the good news that he has been promoted to Lieutenant Commander! We will be here for one week, so we will soon be posting another blog with pictures! Talk to you soon!

Day Trip to Aversa

2007-08-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

Buongiorno! Last week I took a day trip to the neighboring town of Aversa and was able to take only a few pictures. Aversa is a really unique, small town full of cute little stores and cafes, and it is the home to an 11th century cathedral, or "duomo". Though we weren't allowed to take pictures of the church, I just had to sneak one in. The picture posted is the section of new reconstruction, but the 11th century part was absolutely amazing to see. Inside the old section, elevated on two blocks of wood, was a marble sculpture dating back to the 11th century. As our tour guide informed us, only in Italy can you walk up to an ancient piece of art and be able to touch it. Anywhere else it would have been guarded in a museum only to look at from afar.

The Journey...

2007-08-15T01:50:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Jason and I have finally started an online journal where we will be sharing stories and pictures of our adventures here in Italy and throughout Europe. There isn't much to say about our departure from Chicago to Italy, except that everything went exceptionally smooth. We stayed overnight in Virginia to catch the AMC "military" flight the next morning to Italy. We had heard that these airplanes, although in size are like regular commercial airplanes, can be very cold and uncomfortable. Well, I suppose we got lucky. We ended up sitting in 1st class, and the flight couldn't have been better! Reclining seats, movies, frequent meals...I felt as if we were royalty! Aside from one short stop in Shannon, Ireland (where we passed on drinking a pint of Guiness at 5 a.m.), we arrived in Italy around 10:00 a.m. One of the orthopedic surgeons who had been here for the past couple years, Jorge, picked us up at the airport and drove us to our new home in the Navy lodge. We quickly dropped our luggage off and went to a local restaurant to try some authentic Italian food. After eating, we spent the rest of the day exploring the navy base and getting accustomed to our new home. As the days have passed I, being the new Navy wife that I now am, had come to learn a few things. I quickly learned that I would need to carry my military ID EVERYWHERE, because you need to show it before doing anything. Not a major deal, but it would be like having to show your drivers license before going grocery shopping. Some of the other interesting aspects of military life are the absence of normal, American commercials on TV! All the commercials are made by the military advertising about, you guessed it, the military! Oh, and we stand to say the pledge of allegiance prior to seeing any movie at the theater here on base. Need I say more?!!!
So now I will talk about the Italians. They are truly the most friendly and warm people you could ever meet. We have had nothing but good experiences in our interactions with them since our arrival. While we were out one day, exploring the city, we of course got lost and couldn't find our way to the funiculare (a cable car system that takes you from the ground to towns that are elevated up in the hills). This adorable, very elderly lady at the bus stop must have realized we didn't know where we were and began explaining to us in Italian where we needed to go. And, of course, we had no idea what the heck she was saying. So, she began walking and showed us the way. With her help, we got to where we were going. Aside from being very caring and hospitable, I have also learned many other major characteristics of the Italian people. The first is that they drive in a way you will never see anywhere else. Though they drive on the same side of the road as we do, if you are on the "autostrade", or highway, you had better stay out of the left lane. You will be doing maybe 60-70 miles an hour in the left lane, and before you can blink an eye, someone is flying up behind you at 90 miles and riding your tail with only about an inch between. Thats when you move over and stay over. Also, their streets are extremely narrow. Funny story. One day, we were riding with Jorge into town. He turns down what I believed was a tiny, one way street. Well, along comes a car speeding down the street opposite us. I closed my eyes because I knew that our car would collide with the other car as we passed one another. When I opened my eyes, we not only passed the other car without hitting it, but a man on a scooter actually came in between us. So, just when you think you are going to get ran over by a car or a "motorino", they come as close to you as possible and keep driving along. Oh, yeah, and another thing about Italian driving. Stop signs and rules of the road are completely optional. And while we don't yet have a car, we do have Italian drivers licenses and look forward to experiencing driving the Italian way very soon!
Okay, to make a very long, drawn out story short, we have had a great time here so far. We moved into our new house on base, which is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a whole lot bigger than our tiny, tiny place in Chi-town. We have made lots of friends and have hosted lots of barbeques, and even had time to lay out at the pool and perfect our tans. This Saturday we are leaving to take the train to Sigonella, Sicily for a week so Jason can relieve one of the Ortho surgeons at that hospital for vacation. Jason has also been enjoying working here, and just the other day he performed his first surgical case as an attending! I am so proud of my hubby! He has his own office and has become good friends with his new colleagues.
Well, thanks for taking the time to read this very long blog, and we assure you that there will be lots more to come along with pictures of our adventures! We miss all of our family and friends from back home, and we hope you continue to read about and share this experience with us along the way! Ciao!