Stop the plane! It's Spain!

Checking in from Madrid here... Meg and I finished our whirlwind tour of Italy in Roma the past couple days. We discovered some new and interesting sights:

- San Clemente church, a church from the 1200s built on top (literally!) of a church from the 400s built on top (again, literally!) of section of ancient Rome dating about 100AD, including a pagan cult ritual room and a house church and various winding alleys and little rooms. Going down into this vast chamber completely below ground level, and then down again into dark, ancient Rome... cool! It was fabulous!

- Capuchin Crypt, a burial location (sort of?) for monks underneath a church, complete with patterns and art on the ceilings and walls completely done in - get this - HUMAN BONES!!! The idea behind it is, don't think you're so special! You're mortal too and will someday end up like this...

- Saint Paul outside the Walls church. A VAST church - the largest in Rome until St Peters was built - practically EMPTY of tourists. Both facts made it one of my new top favorites! Complete with a beautifully geometric welcoming courtyard and four palm trees... I do love palm trees!

- San Giovanni, another large church, technically the Pope's home church, apparently. I don't know if he makes much of a practice to preach there on Sundays! Large, again. It wasn't my favorite, but the largeness never ceases to amaze me!

- We were also blessed by the Pope on Sunday, after going through the Vatican on free day... We like free!

I'm off to bed now, planning to catch a plane for Morocco a domani!

Off to Naples we go

After Venice, we spent a night in Rome and then went to visit some friends in Naples...


Herculaneum was a resort town that was destroyed at the same time as Pompeii with the explosion of Vesuvius. It was buried under a lot of lava. Apartment buildings are built on and around the dig for the ruins.


Meg and I heading down to the ruins


Some cool old columns


I dropped my map and a whole bunch of tour groups laughed at me as I dug it out... Americans, French, and Brits.


The frescos were incredible, considering they were over 2000 years old!


Poppies among the ruins


Moi! In front of the old city. It looks like I could squish those people with my thumb if I wanted!


The beautiful like that Dante claimed is the gateway to hell, thanks to the sulfer and heat that killed all the birds in his day.


With Debbie, our delighful hostess, at one of the most beautiful scenes in Italy!



And then you have the trash... which was FINALLY being cleaned up in parts of Naples while we were here!


Very typical scene in downtown Naples... the Italian city were people just keep building up!


Meg in the Piazza di Publicito


both of us in the Public Piazza.


The medieval castle that was built around an old Roman structure


Debbie and Steve, the people who gracious let us crash in their spare room!

Venice with my sis!

My big sister came in last weekend and off we went to Venice for a couple days!

Megan, ready to head to Italia!


Welcome to Venice. It's a good thing I'm American, because if I speak loud enough, everyone understands English... NOT! Actually, this trekking around with Megan has been really good for my Italian!


Consulting with the map... Megan was worried.


I [heart] Rick Steves!


Self portrait time!


Rain, rain, go away!


Dinner! Little lasagna, little fruit salad, and how about some squid and octapus? I had a hard time choking down the tentacles...


San Marco by night


Romantic Venice


Gondola parking lot


Megan in this awesome town on the island of Burano in the Venice lagoon. GO THERE if you have the chance!


Clean swept streets, bright houses, and sunshine... Relaxing!


Meg hides under some lion wings to enjoy her pizza for the road


Striking a pose in our hotel lobby


Megan with the fake David during our 90 minute stop over in Florence


Lots and lots of train time...


Taking photos, my new favorite pasttime


Even I got bored eventually... "Are we THERE yet???"

Post finals trip - Prague

Sunset in Prague


Vintage Praha


Jewish Cemetary, as seen from a museum's bathroom


Jewish quarter


Public park


A pretty graveyard


Bell tower


The musicians at a string concert I attended


A random water wheel by night


The Castle, as seen from the River

Post finals trip - Salzburg

4AM Arrival in Salzburg
7AM Check into hostel
8:30AM Meet Martina and June
9:30AM tour the castle
1:30PM Sound of Music Tour
2:30PM Sights from the Sound of Music
4:30PM Strudel in a little Austrian village
6PM Picture taking around Salzburg
8PM Start watching Sound of Music
10PM Give up on Sound of Music to go to bed

I found my friends June and Martina - I think I'm in the right spot!


A very cool Austrian door

Springtime in the Alps

Martina and another cool door

I won't quit my day job - my yodeling needs some work!

That house in the middle of the field? It was the executioners house... nobody wanted to be his neighbor.


THE gazebo...


Pensive moment in the fresh Austrian air


Maria's wedding chapel


The Aussie, Mardi, Martina, and me with the pretty pink ceiling


"Doe, a deer, a female deer..."


Tulips in the park


Too bad I wasn't cast for the Prince Caspian movie...


A lovely garden in Salzburg