All About Jennifer McKenzie

I am generally not a nervous driver but driving along the coast to La Spezia was petrifying. The roads again were super skinny and all that separated you from going over the cliff was a small guard rail. Not my idea of fun. I think I might have driven 20km's an hour until we headed inland away from the coast. Other than that, the drive to Venice was pretty painless. We didn't get lost once! Susan was way better with directions than me! I think it took us about 4 1/2 hours to get there. Except for the part from Vernazza to La Spezia, it was pretty much all highway.

We dropped off the rental car without issues but forgot to put gas in it. Luckily the Avis guy told us not to worry about it and wouldn't charge us! Yah! We did a lot of driving and only had to fill the car up the once for 50 euros! Not bad!

The vaporetto was just across the street so we were able to get on one right away to take us to Lido. We decided to stay on Lido on a recommendation. The Lido is an 11km sandbar located in Venice. Most of the Adratic Sea side of Lido is a sandy beach where a lot of Italians tend to summer. It took about 20 minutes on the vaporetto to get to Lido and then had to find our hotel which was about a 20 min walk. When we got there, they looked at us blankly because although we had a reservation and I an email confirmation from them (which I was happy to provide), they did not have a reservation for us and nor did they have any room. She asked us what we would like her to do? Um, find us another room perhaps? Same price? Same star level? So she got on the phone and started calling hotels. All full! But finally came to one that was only 1 euro more a night. So if you are going to the Lido, my recommendation is to not book with Villa Stella or at the very least triple confirm your reservation.

The hotel that had room for us was back towards the vaporetto station so we dragged our suitcase once again back toward where we came from and easily found our hotel. Much to our surprise and delight, this new hotel was even closer to the beach and all the restaurants etc. So really, them not finding our reservation was a win!

Sue and I weren't planning on heading into Venice that night so we hit the beach and went for a swim (grabbing beers on the way). I seriously love how there is no law against drinking in public in Italy!

By this time, it was around 6pm so we went back to our hotel and got ready for dinner. We walked to the main strip on Lido and settled in for our meal. Wine? Of course!! And pasta! A wonderful salmon pasta. And this time we switched it up a little and went for the mussels appy instead of something with tomatoes and cheese! All so good! and filling!

 As we walked back to the hotel (while getting eaten alive by mosquitos) we saw a beautiful sunset!

In the morning, we got up bright and early and made our way to the vaporetto and to Venice's, Piazza San Marco, where we immediately got in line for Saint Mark's Basilica. It was still early enough that the crowds weren't too big so we were still able to get some good pictures of the square without too many people.

It took us no time at all, once the cathedral was open, to make our way inside. You can tell why it is called "The church of gold"!

Another stunning church. The last one we would see in Italy. I really did enjoy each and everyone we saw. All so different and so beautiful!

We then headed straight to the Ponte di Rialto. I think that was the moment that my mouth dropped wide open and I realized I really was in Venice!

It pretty much was the coolest thing I had ever seen! I had to stand there a while and just take it all in. The rest of the day we just walked around Venice. Wandered down streets only to find out it went nowhere and would turn around. Some of the pictures below are from our adventures.

After a while we settled back in St. Mark's Square and just chilled out. People watched. I napped. We had a while before we needed to be at the gondola dock so we just killed time. Did a little shopping. Had some pizza and beer. We were sitting in the park when the clouds started to get really dark and I heard thunder in the distance. Sue and I got out of the park and were walking back towards the square when the sky just opened up and the rain came down hard!

Everyone scrambled to take cover but a few kids who took the opportunity to cool off and have some fun. What a moment for everyone watching. Pure joy as they splashed around! I was happy to be able to capture it!

And just as fast as the rain started, it ended. Thank goodness! I was really concerned that our gondola ride would be cancelled but everything went right back to normal. Around 7pm we headed to where our gondola ride was leaving from. I was so excited as this was a total bucket list moment for me. I couldn't wait for it. We wanted to go at sunset as we thought it would be cooler but also we would get better pictures! Was I ever right!

We were serenaded throughout as we moved our way down the Grand Canal and then in through some of the smaller water ways. I was incredibly moved! I had the biggest smile on my face throughout. And it didn't hurt that there was a little eye candy in the way of the "hot gondalier"...

This was a perfect way to end our trip in Venice and it was a perfect way to spend our last night in Italy. What a trip. It was brilliant from start to finish. I can't wait to go back!

We finally got out of Pisa after getting turned around a little and drove toward the Cinque Terre and a little town called Vernazza. Afyter driving for a little bit, we absolutely had no idea where we were. We were driving down this tiny road with no town in site. I was hoping we didn't break down because with no cell phone and no house near by, we would have been in trouble! We eventually drove through this tiny town and stopped for directions. Susan is way better at understanding people and was able to decipher from the guy who only spoke italian where we needed to go. So we crossed our fingers and headed in that direction and finally saw signs again for Vernazza. The roads were still so small and windy and literally there was only room for one car at a time. We eventually found the final turn off and winded down the hill towards the town.

The towns are so small that there is no public parking in the town so we parked in the lot and wheeled our luggage down the hill.

And now to find our room. Again, no real visible street signs. Sue went off while I stayed with the luggage and was able to find the street but the street numbers made no sense. I happened to see a women pick up her new tenants at the train station and asked her if she could point us in the right direction. She confered with another woman in one of the local shops and then picked up the phone and called Elizabetta for us. What wonderful hospitality! We then made our way up the 76 stairs to our room. A painful experience but the pain was worth it when we saw the view from our room.

We threw our bags in our room and grabbed a beer and just sat on the patio and enjoyed the scenery for a while. We just needed to chill out after our journey here.

We thought we might as well go and enjoy the beach a little bit so grabbed some lunch and another beer and settled on the beach. So enjoyable. We dipped a few times to cool off and chatted about the plan for the afternoon.

A hike to Corneglia seemed like a great idea. The start of the path was right behind our room so it was easy to find. And what a view right from the start. In the picture below, the patio with the Italian flag, is ours. Pretty nice right?

It was super hot out (as per usual) so we called this our Bikrams hike. It reminded me a little of the grind. Lots and lots of stairs! But it eventually it evened out though which was a relief!

We were finally able to see Corneglia and even Manarola the town beyond it. Couldn't wait to get there and have another beer to cool off.

What another beautiful little town. Small alley ways for streets. Bright colours. Simple but stunning. And what a beautiful view of the next town.

Instead of hiking back we took the train. A lot faster and literally drops you off right in town. Had we known that, we probably would have driven to La Spezia and just taken the train to Vernazza instead.

By this time, it was late afternoon and time to get ready for dinner and enjoy our patio for our Prosecco and cheese. I absolutely loved this patio. We shared it with another room but had yet to run into them.

We headed for dinner at a little place near the beach and out of all the meals we had in Italy, unfortunately, this one was the worst. I ordered the prawn pasta but the prawns came complete with legs, eye balls and all! As we tried to get the meat out, we realized there was just really no meat in them. So not so much of a prawn pasta after all. Behold my alien pasta!

We wanted to enjoy our patio some more so we were going to get into our PJ`s and just relax up there but I wanted to get a quick picture of the sunset before we did and that is when we ran into JP and Danny. They were also watching the sunset so we got to chatting.

Then shared a bottle of champagne that we had left over from the wedding, went for late night gelato and a walk to the pier. What a beautiful serene place to sit and chat. And a perfect way to end our night in Vernazza.

We were so happy to have been able to experience a little bit of the Cinque Terre and meet some new friends in the process.

Sue drove this leg of the trip and thank goodness as once again we found ourselves trying to find our hotel through the one way streets of Florence. Noted for next trip, get the GPS unit no matter what the cost! We literally found ourselves right in the centre of Florence that had streets big enough for just one car. We knew we had to get out but how? Between Jane and I, we managed to eventually get close to our hotel, where we then parked the car on some side street and walked in to the hotel. Once we checked in we asked if we were allowed to just park on the streets. Makes sense that they are just for residences but that meant we would have to drive again to try and find parking. The last thing I wanted to do was try and navigate our way through Florence streets again.The concierge told us she would have the parking attendant come and get the car for us. Yes!!!

With that taken care of, the three of us set off to explore Florence mainly the markets. Oh the leather!!!! Leather shoes, bags, wallets everywhere. We had only been in Florence like an hour and I had already seen about 10 things I would love to buy! But didn't want to rush into anything so we just wandered through the stands, looking at everything, trying not to get sucked in by the merchants.

Jane only had a few hours before her flight back to London so we grabbed a bite to eat before we said goodbye to her. Sue and I wanted an early night so we went straight back to the hotel.

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel which consisted of the usual... tomatoes, cheese, yoghurt, granola. My regular Italian breaky. Might have thrown a croissant here or there into the mix. The agenda for today was busy. The morning we had tickets booked to the Accademia, then to the Uffizi, then to Pitti Palace.

The Accademia is a small museum which is home to Michelangelo's David, another bucket moment for me. How can you not be in awe of this Renaissance sculpture? The sheer size of it alone makes you wonder how someone could have ever created something so beautiful and perfect. And again you are not supposed to take pictures but I got one off before I realized you were not supposed to. Really they need to put those signs bigger! Ok, so I took two pictures. The second, I did feel badly about! ;)

We did wander through the other halls of the museum but our visit to this gallery was all about seeing David.

We had some time before our Uffizi Gallery visit so we went down to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore which was just about to open up for the day. The lineup was not that bad so we stood in line. Before we knew it, the lineup was about 200 people deep. Glad we got in it when we did! It is another beautiful, Gothic style church. The cathedral, along with the Baptistry and Giotto's Campanile are a part of the UNESCO's World Heritage site.

Another church on our list to see was the Basilica di Santa Croce. It is the principal Franciscan church in Florence. Legend says that this church was founded by St Francis of Assisi himself. It has 16 chapels and has tombs & cenotaphs throughout.

For lunch we went to a little cafe with a waiter who would speak to us in Italian really fast and only speak english when we looked at it him with these confused blank eyes. It became a game with us and was actually quite funny. When we left we turned to him and in unison said... Ciao... which made him laugh out loud! So great!

The cafe was just outside the Uffizi Gallery so we were close to our next destination. The Uffizi houses a world-class collection of paintings like Botticelli's Birth of Venus which was a personal favourite of mine. Some of the other notable paintings were The Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci, Rembrandt's Self Portrait as a Young Man and Titian's Venus of Urbino. We spent a lot of time there taking periodical time outs so I could sit down and rest my back. I don't know much about art but Sue and I both enjoyed looking at all the different paintings and talking about what we liked, what we didn't like, the colours, the styles etc. I think we managed to hit every room!

We were both getting tired at this point but still had the Pitti Palace to go to. We wandered over the Ponte Vecchio to get there. You are basically on the bridge before you even know it. With all the shops lining it, it is hard to tell until you get to the mid point where you can stand and enjoy the view of the river.

Arriving at Pitti Palace earlier than our ticket time, we thought we would see if we could get in early and did so without any issues. The palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and in the late 18th century was used as a power base by Napoleon. In the early 19th century it was donated by the King to the Italian people and that is when its doors were opened to the public. It was so interesting going from room to room discovering what each room was used for and by whom.

At one point you could look out the window and see the Boboli Gardens which we did not buy tickets for. And at another point you looked out and saw all of Florence. Truly spectacular.By this time it was about 5pm so we walked across Ponte Santa Trinita so we could get a better look at Ponte Vecchio, walked through the market and grabbed all the leather goods we had been eyeing the day before and then went back to our hotel for a siesta.

Oh siestas! How I wish I could have you every day! Sue and I still had a bottle of champagne left from the wedding so we thought we might as well have it pre dinner. We were the only room in our hotel to have a balcony so we drank our champagne with our little plastic cups as we people watched and enjoyed the Florence evening.

 I looked forward to each and every meal in Italy because I knew I was always in for a treat. Our last night in Florence did not disappoint. More wine was to be had to accompany another great meal.

 Before we turned in, we asked the concierge about our car and how were to go about getting it in the morning and was so pleasantly surprised to know that they would just bring it around in the morning for whatever time we wanted. In the morning, right on time, the car was waiting for us outside and we were on our way to Pisa.

Pisa was easy to get to. The Leaning Tower, not so much. We eventually asked a few people who pointed us in the right direction but by this point we were so turned around that I never thought we would be able to find the car again.

It was still fairly early in the morning so the crowds around the tower were not too bad.  It was another bucket list moment but I guess I was a bit underwhelmed. Maybe I was just tired or maybe I just really wanted to get on the road to Vernazza. But regardless, I was still grateful to have been able to see it.

And I was right about not being able to find out car. We eventually did but only after asking for directions once again. And we were off! This time to the Cinque Terre.

The whole reason for this trip to Italy was to see my good friends Jen and George get married. They chose this fantastic villa in a town called Greve in Chianti. I saw the pictures of the villa and I knew it was going to be beautiful but it was beyond what I could have imagined. The villa Vignamaggio dates back to the 14th century. Mona Lisa, yes that Mona Lisa, was born there in 1479. It is also a vineyard and has been waking wine for 600 years. To say there is a rich history on this property is an understatement.

The grounds are stunning. The villa gorgeous. You couldn't ask for a better surrounding to get married in.

When we arrived our room wasn't ready so Sue and I grabbed our suits and went for a swim. I have been to some nice pools in my day but this had the best view. I mean seriously. It didn't seem real.

We then had a lovely lunch at the wine bar before there was more pool time. Literally just hanging out on the noodles for hours just chatting with everyone. And this is where we met Rick.

Blog friends, meet Rick.The Crouching Tiger. Hidden Dragon! He is really quite special!

The plan for dinner this night which is now July 16th was to head up the hill to a restaurant with all the wedding guests. But first, Jane and I attended the wedding rehearsal to make sure everything was ready for the next day. With that done, Jane, Sue and I thought we would have a pre-cocktail party, pre-dinner bottle of wine, so we sat outside in front of our hotel room. Couldn't have asked for a better setting.

The busses came and we made our way up the hill and settled in for a 4 course meal. Behold the yummy...

The one thing about the Italians is they do not rush a meal. We got to savour the courses, drink the wine and chat with old and new friends.

We didn't leave the restaurant till midnight. And what better way to end the night than go for a late night (early morning) swim. What an amazing experience. That stars out were ridiculous. We just floated about laughing and enjoying the Tuscan night. And of course hang out with Rick. With the wedding the next day I needed to make sure I got my beauty sleep so we turned in.

I didn't have a great sleep but woke up early as usual and went outside to write in my journal and read my book. I really enjoyed my mornings in Greve because it was my "me" time. My time to soak up the surroundings and think about the trip.  

I was excited because it was the day of the wedding! I have never been a bridesmaid at a wedding but was really looking forward to it although I was a bit nervous. Nervous about the speech we had to make too. Buth the morning was a great one. Hanging by the pool with all the guests. Before I knew it, it was time to get ready. We hung out with Jen while she got her hair and makeup done, sipping champagne. The photographer was there taking lots of pictures. The candid ones I am sure are going to look horrible of me. I don't do candid well!

Getting Jen in her dress was a bit of a tricky thing but it was worth it all! Jen was stunning! And then it was time for Jen to walk down the aisle!

The wedding was held in the main garden. Seriously, could you think of a prettier place to get married?

The cocktails after the wedding were held right next to the main garden. People mingled, drank champagne and nibbled on appies. Lots of pictures were taken with this amazing view in the background.

Instead of the guest book, Jen and George had everyone sign champagne bottles with messages of congratulations etc. They will open a bottle over the next 5 wedding anniversaries.

 We moved into the lower garden for dinner where again we feasted on another 4 course meal. Between each course, we had some speeches. Jane and I were doing our speech to Jen and George together. As I said before, I was really nervous and began fine but as I started to talk about the type of person Jen is I got choked up. The emotion just took over. I managed to get through and Jane started her part but because I got emotional so did she. I guess there were a few tears in the audience too. Jane and I have known Jen for over 20 years so we were just so happy to be a part of her special day.

Now that dinner was done it was time to party! There was a band to start and then we all moved inside where a DJ played. The booze was a flowing and everyone had a great time. I stayed out until 2am but there were people finally making their way to their rooms at 5:00am. The sign of a good night!

The best part of going to bed early is waking up early and well having the pool to myself. I literally didn't see a soul the morning after the wedding until around 11am. Until then I swam and read and just chilled out. Perfection! At 1pm it was time for the wine tour which I am so glad I attended. Hearing about the history of Vignamaggio was so interesting. We were told how they keep discovering written documents that confirms all the stories about Vignamaggio. Like the one found that was written by Leonardo Da Vinci saying he was coming to Vignamaggio to paint Mona Lisa. So crazy!

We then tasted the wines. The chianti classico, the reserve and then the grappa. Each paired with the food. The classico and reserve with cheese and meats. The grappa with a dessert. Divine.

The Sunday afternoon plan was a poolside BBQ that turned into a garden BBQ as it was way too hot by the pool. The garden provided the much needed shade. We drank Prosecco and there was a small barrel of the Chianti classico. It was a great opportunity for catching up on the events of the wedding night and maybe a little hair of the dog!

 At this point, I hadn't really done much exploring of the grounds so a bunch of us decided to go on a little walk about. Now muct of us are not dressed appropriately for this little adventure. Some wore flip flops (me), wedges, dresses etc. Drink in hand, off we went. It was 2 miles that would take us around part of the grounds and back again. There was some concern at some point that we were not going the right way. The sun was setting so I guess I understood the concern that we might not get back before it got dark. I had so much fun!

The rest of the night was all about pool time fun. In and out of the pool. Making drinks for people. Pool games. Chatting with people. Kickboxing demos. Lots of Prosecco. Good times. No idea what time I went to bed.

The next morning we got up early to go horse back riding. I was in a bit of a Prosecco fog but was excited to be on a horse again! I used to ride horses essentially for a living but hadn't been on a horse since '98. Even though this was western it was still a trip!! Pedro was my horse and he was only 4 but knew the route we took. I was told he didn't like mouth contact so I pretty much let him do his thing except for when we went for our gallops. I just kept a light feel then.

We basically rode through the vineyards that were all a part of the Vignamaggio property. Simply stunning.

The highlight was going across this little bridge and by this centuries old residence. Unbelievable.

And that was our trip to Greve and Vignamaggio. I hated saying goodbye to Jen and George. And all my new friends. But what an amazing couple of days. The scenery. The history. The emotions. The laughter. The friendship. The memories.

Let me preface this by saying that although many people told me that Italian drivers were crazy, I didn't think much about it. Um... they are CRAZY! There are no lanes and pretty much they just do what they want. So now knowing this, we had to drive out of the main centre of Rome. All this while scooters are literally weaving in and out of lanes scarying the crap out of you! Oh and there are no street signs so Google maps mean nothing. How we did it, I don't know but we managed it. With a few screams and with high stress, we did it and were on the highway on our way to Cortona which is the province of Arezzo in Tuscany. We wanted a little town in Tuscany to stay at for one night and I picked this one when I realized it was the town Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed in.

This is what we saw as we drove closer. I knew then that it was going to be everything that I had hoped for.

But before we visited the town, we had to find our hotel which was before you wound up the Cortona streets. Well, we thought. We drove around for 30 minutes and still had not found it. Again, no street signs so how the heck are you suppposed to find anything? After asking 4 different people for directions, we finally found it and immediately wanted to go for a dip in the pool. So we look around and everyone is wearing ridiculous swim hats. Sue and I are thinking what losers and hop in the pool. We realized when we got yelled at why they all were wearing silly hats.... pool rules. Well we were not about to do that, so got out and got ready for our town visit.

Wandering around the steep streets of Cortona was wonderful. Not easy though. There is only one flat street in entire town. Everything else is up steep steps or hills.

We walked up to what I feel like was the highest point of the town. Bikrams hiking up steep cobble stoned steps. Again a hot sweaty mess. It was so hot we had to seak shade immediately to cool off. We couldn't go in the church that was at the top because we didn't have a sweater to cover our shoulders but the view was worth it.

Making our way back down, we noticed all the great doors every house had. Actually, I think Italy in general, has the most amazing doors. Wood doors. Large doors. Character doors. Amazing doors.

And another thing I love about Italy. All the water fountains that keep you cool. They saved us on many occasion!

Time for a beer and relaxation in the main square. Great people watching!!  Watching the town locals. Trying to figure out how they are related.

The dinner we had was the best by far for me on my trip and the cheapest. We had bruschetta to start (shocking I know) and then I had a Leek and delicate cheese lasagna. Oh my god... yummy!!! Sue had this fantastic ravioli.And the wine was wonderful too. We had been so accustomed to paying about $20+ euros for a bottle of wine in Rome that we couldn't figured out if the $11 euros the menu was showing was for a bottle or a glass. We loved that it was for a bottle and another reason to love Italy!

We couldn't leave this lovely little town without tasting their gelato and I am so glad we did. Chocolate and Caramel. Yes please!

With our great meal done, we made our way down the windy street and saw this church. We had to go check it out. There was a graveyard behind it and we took a peek. What amazed both of us was all the flowers on the graves. Clearly, these loved ones have not been forgotten. As we were leaving, we ran into this old man bringing flowers to a grave. He started speaking to us in Italian. He was explaining something about the church. Despite not knowing what he was really talking about, it was such a moment. He was so passionate about what he was saying. We walked away moved. We thought about who he was bringing flowers too. We really hoped it was not his beloved wife.

What a place Cortona is. Love.

This is what I posted on facebook as my Rome highlights: Bikrams walking, Bikrams drinking.... pretty much everything Bikrams. Hot sweaty mess. Pizza. Pasta. Wine. And more wine.And more wine. Big blisters. Boob sweat. Butt check. What time is it? What days is it?Midnight Vatican visit. Prego. Makeout point. Random Italian men. Wow. Stunning. Holy %&$ balls. Maps. What street again? Chafing. Swollen feet. When in Rome....

That was Rome in a nutshell but to elaborate more...

We left London early morning on Monday, July 12th flying Alitalia to Rome. The flight was awful. Very turbulent and I am not a comfortable flyer so I was holding on for dear life while Sue kept telling me it was going to be ok. We did get to see a stunning view from the plane through all the bumps.

Was happy to land safetly and without too much problems found the train station which would take us to Termini, the main station in Rome. Luckily our B&B was close to it although we did have to wander around a bit trying to find it. None of the street numbers made any sense! That 10 minute walk to the B&B resulted in a complete Bikrams experience. Totally dripping in sweat. I know it is not attractive but there is nothing you can do about it! So to have walked in to air conditioning was a complete life saver!

The little B&B we picked was great and the people there even better. Highly recommend staying at La Casa di Amy in Rome. You will not be disappointed. This is the picture of the courtyard.

We didn't want to waste any time so we basically just dropped off our bags and hit the road. We went straight to Santa Maria Maggiore which was a church quote close to our hotel. It was so beautiful. All the churches in Rome really blew my mind. It is hard to describe how elaborate they all are.  And all so different.

Sue and I continued our walk and was greatful to come across this fountain where we cooled our feet off before walking more. I believe the temperature was around 37 degrees on this day.

We were on a mission to find the Trevi Fountain but stumbled upon the Spanish Steps instead. The steps are definitely a major tourist area. So many people it seemed no matter what time of day it was. I have a great picture of the steps at nightime but will show that later in this post. After we hung out on the Steps for a litle bit, we made our way to the Trevi Fountain which again is another huge tourist spot.  It was nearly impossible to get a shot without someone standing in the way but at least we got this one.

There are a lot of different interpretations of coin throwing into the Trevi Fountain. Some say if you throw one coin your are guaranteed a return visit to Rome. 2 coins means a new romance. Three coins means either a marriage or a divorce.  A reported current version of this legend is that it is lucky to throw three coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain. I did the latter. I hope it was lucky!

We then made our way back to our room for a little nap before getting ready for dinner.

We wanted to see the Spanish Steps at night so we thought we would have dinner close to it. We found a great little place a couple of blocks away and settled in for a nice meal. There were only a couple of tables outside so we grabbed one of those. I loved the streets in Rome. So much character.

We people watched and relaxed over a bottle of wine and some pasta. The food was phenomenal.

After dinner, we strolled up to the Spanish Steps. I couldn't believe how many people were still hanging out there. It was even busier than the daytime.

 So day 1 in Rome was complete. Couldn't wait for Day 2 as we had tickets to see Ancient Rome.

We woke up nice and early so we could grab some breakfast before heading to the metro. The breakfast spread was great. Cheeses, meats, yoghurt, bread and fresh fruits. And the tomatoes. I don't know what it is about the tomatoes in Italy but I couldn't get enough.

There are only two metro lines in Rome so it wasn't too hard to figure out. We got to the Colosseum in perfect time for our tickets. I highly recommend buying all your tickets for the main sites ahead of time because while everyone else waits in line, you walk right in with zero hassles. Our tickets allowed us passes to the Colosseum, Palantine Hill and the Roman Forum.

The Colosseum was absolutely incredible and was a bucket list moment for me. I had always wanted to see it in person and it did not disappoint. My mouth was agape the whole time. Everything about it was amazing... the size of it, the architecture of it, the history.

We spent at least an hour in it just wandering about, just being in the moment of having the chance to be there. I understand it needs another facelift which isn't surprising since millions of tourists visit it each year. I just hope they are able to do whatever it takes for this piece of history to remain as it is today.

We then spent some time wandering through Palantine Hill. Palantine Hill is a place where the original Romans had their residences and apparently archaeologists are still making discoveries in the area.

From one side of Palantine Hill, there is an amazing view of the Roman Forum. We didn't know this so when we looked over, we were in awe of the view.

We made our way down the steps to the Roman Forum to get a better look. Again, what amazed me was the sheer size of everything.

Before we knew it, we had spent all morning in ancient Rome. We wanted to check out the Pantheon so grabbed a bite to eat before checking it out. We needed our energy after all that walking! The Pantheon, like the one I saw in Paris, is just a massive structure. Apparently its dome roof is the largest unreinforced domed roof in the world.

We had tickets to the Borhese Gallery that afternoon so we slowly walked towards it and happened upon The Church of Saint Ignatius which was such a pleasant surprise. Gorgeous is how I would describe it. And the best part that there was barely anyone there unlike the churches we had seen prior. It was nice to step out of the busy roads to a such a quiet peaceful place.

 The walk to the Borghese Gallery was brutal. I would say a good couple kilometers in 35 plus degree heat. We were dying! By the time we got there, I couldn't wait to get inside its air conditioned walls! But it was nice to just take the time to stroll through its halls looking at all the art. The greatest part was that they basically kick everyone out after their allotted 2 hours but they had let us in prior to our set time, so we actually got the entire gallery to ourselves for about 20 minutes. Bliss.

My feet had horrible blisters at this point so we decided to skip the walk home and take the metro. Thank god!!! And then it was siesta time. I really enjoyed our daily little naps which was then followed by our afternoon snack which consisted of cheese, bread and wine. Oh how I loved the $3 euro bottles of wine you could buy that were so tasty! You can't do that here!

Because of the blister issue, we decided to stay close to our room for dinner that night. We settled on a place literally 2 blocks away and ordered the usual wine which was Pinot Grigio. With it being so hot, it was the most refreshing thing to drink. Sue and I always shared an appy (usually Bruschetta or a Caprese salad) ... again the tomatoes were just too darn good to not eat! The wine was definitely flowing that night. We were just having such a good time. Enjoying the conversation, enjoying the wine and the food. 

And we were also enjoying the cute Italian men. So when they asked if they could show us the city, how could we say no? So glad we took them up on their offer because we would never have seen the Vatican at midnight like we did. Not a soul there except for a police car keeping watch. So beautiful.

We also would have never been taken to this park that overlooked all of Rome. The view was stunning. We sat on a park bench and just relaxed enjoying a beer that we bought at the concession stand.

We were so thankful to have been given the locals tour of Rome. We knew we had another big day planned so we said goodbye to our new friends and headed back to our room.

 With another La Casa di Amy breakfast under our belts, we again walked to the metro and made out way to Vatican City. I couldn't believe the line up at 9:00am. I don't get why these people didn't buy their tickets ahead of time. Standing in line in that hot sun for a couple hours would have been the death of me! We just walked around the lineup and right into the Vatican museum. We basically beelined it for The Sistine Chapel. It is breathtaking. Its decorated by  the Renaissance greats Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini and Botticelli. You have to be silent when you enter the chapel and you are not allowed to take any photographs but I happened to snap one before I realized you were not suppose to. You basically have to try and find a spot amongst the hundreds of people in there to get a good look at everything. You could spend hours looking at all the detail. Truly amazing.

 We then wandered the rest of the halls of the Vatican Museum before getting in line for St. Peters Basilica. Knowing that they have a strict dress code, we made sure we brought a sweater to cover up with. They have a security check that only examines clothing for entry. So many people wearing inappropriate wear were turned away. Not sure why they bothered lining up because there are signs everywhere saying what the dress code is. So yes, you with the hot pants, you are not getting in! and don't look so shocked! ;) So we got in without any issues and made our way into the Basilica. I would say out of all of the churches and cathedrals we saw, this is the one that was the most impressive.

Another long morning/afternoon of walking which meant it was time to grab some lunch, then nap, then snack, then eat dinner. Really half the experience in Italy is looking forward to what you were going to eat and drink next. We picked Piazza Navona as the place we wanted to have our last dinner at in Rome. There are so many restaurants lining the square so we had lots to choose from. We had another wonderful, relaxing meal.

We really wanted to savour this last night in Rome, so we just wandered about afterwards, took in the architecture and the streets and the life and slowly made our way back to our room.

Oh Rome. How I absolutely loved you and would come back in a second. You inspired me. You made me happy. I miss you.

My vacation is here! After all the sleep counting, I leave for Europe today. I woke up so early, hit the gym and am now I am just waiting around until it is time to head for the airport. I would say, I am more bouncing off the walls then waiting. Just so excited to embrace the adventure!

So see you all when I get back!

Ciao!!

Ok so I know I have written about my trip before but I can't believe it is just 14 sleeps away.

I think it will finally sink in this weekend when I pull my suitcase out and start to get organized. I am really going to have to show restraint when packing because I am flying Air Transat and Ryan Air and they have serious weight restrictions. I am the typical girl who packs a huge bag to go to Whistler for 2 days so packing for a 2 weeks holiday is going to be a chore. I mean, I won't know what I am going to feel like wearing that day, so isn't it best to have all sorts of options? Like everything I own? But in all seriousness, I am travelling to Italy and there are going to be things purchased. Prada Outlets anyone? I must have enough room to bring things back with me.

We are going to be driving around Italy, so I had to get an international drivers license which I got this past week. Why are those photos always so awful? I look dead in it. I was saying that I need to learn to smeyes (Tyra Banks term for smiling with the eyes) to bring some life to those types of pics. My friend Sue text me after she got hers done... "I look like I am in a wind tunnel with a receding hairline". Classic. We have a great Italy road map that should help us stay on track and I have printed out google maps. I love my google map collection: Cortona hotel to Prada outlet. Prada Outlet to Greve hotel. Greve hotel to The Mall outlets. I have my priorities!

We also have a lot of the main attractions in Rome and Florence booked already so we can bypass the lines. The last thing I want to do is waste time in a lineup. We have booked the Colosseum, Galleria Borghese Museum and The Vatican in Rome. In Florence we booked the Uffizi Gallery, Pitti Palace and the Accademia Gallery. Feels good to be organized!

It's going to be another great trip. I get to travel with a good friend, attend the wedding of another and see a part of Europe that I have been wanting to see forever. 14 sleeps. Can't wait!

When I first heard "High Road" by Broken Bells, I was taken. Love the song and immediately bought the album on its release. I am a huge fan of The Shins so it isn't surprising that I would like Broken Bells which features James Mercer, the lead singer for The Shins. It also features Brian Burton who some might know as Danger Mouse.

I jumped at the chance to get tickets to their show in Vancouver and was thrilled that they were playing at the Commodore. Such a great venue to really get a chance to see any band up close and personal.

Broken Bells

Broken Bells did not disappoint. With a big band backing both James and Brian (a total of 7), they played through most of the album with the addition of a few covers.

Brian on keyboard and James singing.

Has to be said, although I loved the show, I wish there had been some more audience interaction. A little more engagement from the band to really draw me in. That would have taken the show, for me, from being great to amazing!

I have just over 7 weeks to go on this strict Body for Life program. Which means I am pretty much half way.

So how am I feeling? I am feeling great. I am feeling so much stronger. The three times a week weights program has really helped me in my training for Seek the Peak. And I am definitely seeing a difference in my body. Inches have been lost all over! And I am starting to see my muscles come back... and maybe a hint of a 4 pack but that might just be wishful thinking!

The scale really hasn't moved a lot which has gotten me a little down. But knowing that muscle weighs more than fat and knowing that I have lost inches, I have decided that I am not going to step on the scale again until the end of the program when I do my body fat percentage. That will show me the real results.

I am struggling with food a bit. Not that I want to eat bad food but more that I tend to eat the same thing over and over again and am just getting bored with it. My mission this long weekend is to find some decent recipes that I can switch up my meal routine with.

I am really proud of myself for making it this far. I know the next 7 weeks will be a breeze!