Italy - Day 2 Rome

My typical Italian Breakfast

Next morning, we started Day 2 in Rome.  There is so much to see...I was in a tizzy to get the rest of the guys up and at it.  Our hotels were fabulous in that our breakfast included the usual American fare, but while in Italy, I ate like the Italians, with the exception of espresso or cappuccino and standing up at the cafe bar.  I opted for the Caffe Americano, and had cornetto with fruit and parma ham (sitting down) almost every day.  YUM!  What a delightful way to start a beautiful day. 

Vespa parking outside our hotel

Small cars and vespas line the street

Once breakfast was done, we headed out the door.  The streets were lined with very small cars and vespas.  The streets are much smaller and the traffic is...well, I will get into that in a later post. 

Buildings like this are the norm

Our mode of transportation in Rome was walking.  And we did a lot of just that.  Around every corner was something spectacular to see.  Each building is a work of art that was built many, many years ago.  It is breathtaking to behold, and I was filled with awe just imagining how something so intricate and beautiful could have been created during that time.   Yes, I was the typical tourist with my phone taking shot after shot, because each step was yet another masterpiece.

Close up view

Further back you can see the size of these carvings

 My goal for this day...to see the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon.   It was bit of a trek from our hotel, but a beautiful one.   We walked street after street just taking in the sights, and then...we reached a square and I saw the Vatican City in the distance.  

My first glimpse of the Vatican City in the background

St Peter's Basilica in the back

This was an unexpected surprise and of course we had to pause for a moment and I had to pinch myself again. 


With our maps in hand, we found our next stop.  Fontana di Trevi is a marvelous sculpted fountain that was started in 1732 by Salvi and finished in 1762 by Pannini.  The fountain is at a junction of three roads (tre vie) and marks the endpoint of one of the aqua ducts that supplied water to ancient Rome.  

Fontana di Trevi

If you go to the fountain, you are supposed to throw a coin over your left shoulder.  This is to assure you will someday return.  I read somewhere that it has been estimated that around 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain EACH day!  That's a lot of people returning.

Fontana di Trevi

Fontana di Trevi

Fontana di Trevi

I threw my coin in and just lingered to view the magnitude of this piece.  It is huge.  I also read that the majority of the stone was quarried in from about 35 kilometers away. 

While I would have loved to stay there longer, it was time to head to the Pantheon.  

 

Pantheon

 At first glance, I couldn't quite see what all the hype about this place was.  While it was grand in its outside appearance, it did not take my breath away.

Inside the Pantheon

Oh but once inside, I was wowed!  This place is amazing!!! 

Apparently, the original building was burned down, and was rebuilt, then to be destroyed again by fire.   The exact age remains unknown, but the building as we know it today was built in 120AD.   It still has the world's largest unsupported dome. 

The top of the Pantheon

The oculus at the top is the only source of light.  Rain occasionally flows thru the oculus but is drained through the floors that are slanted into underground Roman pipes. 



The Pantheon became a church in 609AD, but was originally built for pagan worship by the ancient Romans. 

Inside

Inside, niches throughout hold frescoes, paintings, statues, sculptures and tombs.  The famous artist Raphael is buried here.  Each Sunday the building continues to hold mass and has the occasional wedding ceremony held here.  

 

You could literally spend hours in this building.  If visiting Rome, it is a must see.  But our time in Rome was short, so we had to move on.  We strolled through Piazza Navona and ate gelato.   The weather was absolutely gorgeous and I was in heaven.

Piazza Navona

 

Fontana di Fiumi by Bernini

 During my research for this trip, I read that the district of Trastevere was not to be missed.  To get there, we needed to cross the Tiber River.  Not a hassle as there are several bridges.  The easiest for us from where we were at the time was to cross the footbridge Ponte Sisto. 

After a fantastic morning of incredible sights and marvels, we stopped in Trastevere for a late lunch.

My first glass of Prosecco from this region

Lunch - Bruschetta with parma ham

Captain's pizza with anchovies

Inside our quaint restaurant

Another view inside

We refueled and headed out again.  I wanted to walk up Janiculum Hill for a scenic view of Rome.  It was an upward walk but well worth it once we reached the top.

 It took most of the afternoon to get this walk in and back to the Trastevere district.  Of course we had to stop to rest 😉 and have a glass of local wine.

After more walking and sightseeing, we opted to join the locals for an evening for an evening aperitivo.  In Italy, after work people meet together for a drink and light meal in order to hold them over until dinner, which is typically later than we eat.  But it was such fun.  A lot of the local restaurants will offer drinks that are usually about 10 euros each but along with your drink you get appetizers or other light fare.  For free!  It is wonderful.  

  

However, I will have to say this.  I read so much about suppli.  Everything I read stated "you must try the suppli".  So I tried the suppli.  It is a fried risotto ball that may or may not have cheese or ham.  This is the one I tried, and I can say I was not a fan.  Maybe I did not get the right one.  Oh well.  It was an experience and we ate the whole thing anyway.  But that was the one and only for the whole trip.

Suppli

But the other aperitivo offers were fabulous.  Great drinks with great food.  I was so HAPPY!

Beautiful plates of yumminess

By this time, it was getting late, and we needed to walk back to the hotel which was about an hours walk away, but once we got to the bridge we noticed a group of performers and had to stop for a concert of good music and lots of laughs.

This place is wonderful!!!  So we sat on steps that were probably hundreds of years old and listened to rock and roll under the stars.  Unbelievable.  

We stayed until the end of their show and headed for the hotel.  It was a beautiful night, a bit of chill in the air but clear and calm and absolutely breathtaking. 

A view from Ponte Sisto

Vittoriano

Columns

By the time we reached our hotel, we were elated over our day, but truly exhausted.  So much packed into one day.  It was remarkable.  But it was time for some much needed sleep.  Needed to get rested for Day 3!

Until next time...

Enjoy!

Italy - Day 1 Rome

Spanish Steps

Further down the steps

Rome...the Eternal City.  I fell in love with this place immediately.  A city of ruins, art, romance, vibrancy and so much more.  We arrived in Rome on Tuesday around 11 am.  We had to pick up our rental and then make arrangements to park the car in a parking garage at the airport until we were ready to leave Rome.  Then we grabbed a taxi and headed to this beautiful city.  

I could not wait to drop off our bags at the hotel and head out.  And that is exactly what we did.  First stop...The Spanish Steps!

Trinita dei Monti Church at the top of The Spanish Steps

The steps link Piazza di Spagna with the church.  The square was called The Spanish Square because the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican City was located nearby.  The steps are now one of the most popular attractions in the city. 

Of course, we had to sit on these steps and take in the view.

After a lovely afternoon of walking around the square and pinching ourselves to make sure we weren't dreaming...we decided to head back to hotel to freshen up for dinner.

It did not take us long to find a great place to sit, sip and sup.  It was magical. 

My primi - pasta with clams

Our secondi - Flaming Sea Bass, absolutely fabulous

our first limoncello

We did not want the day to end, but we were exhausted and needed to get in bed for much needed rest.   Because tomorrow starts Day 2 in this magnificent city.

Until next time...

Enjoy!

Destination - Italy!

About 5 years ago, we planned a trip to Italy, but unfortunately, we had to back out at the last minute.  It was a total bummer, as Italy has been on my bucket list for a long time.  But, as fate would have it, it was a blessing in disguise.  So since then, I have been gradually working towards getting there and doing it right!  

Last spring, we booked our Italian trip for October and had two of our dear friends to join us for a 11 fabulous days in Rome, Naples, Minori and Sorrento.  The captain and our friends told me to "plan it the way you want to" and so I did.  Once the trip was booked in March, it was a done deal, and they pretty much had to go along with the plan.  But it was a good one!

Once the trip was booked,  I started my Italian lessons, and researched the areas I planned for us to go.  The prep work was exciting and I learned a good bit about this wonderful country and its rich history.

My family and friends asked me to takes "lots of pictures" and I did.  My goal with the upcoming posts will be to log my memories and to share with love ones.  You have always heard that pictures really do not capture the beauty of actually being there, and that is true.  However, my hope is that once logged, others as well as myself can take pleasure from the pictures and posts.

Until next time....

Enjoy!

Weathering the Storm

About two and a half weeks ago, my captain became serious about tracking Hurricane Florence when she was miles from the eastern coast.  He was seriously checking out the European and US tracking models and told me that he hoped the European module was going to be wrong, but turns out it was pretty close to spot on.  

As the storm approached our coast, everyone was in Eastern NC was in full hurricane prep mode days before landfall.  For us, we made sure the storm windows were in place, all lawn furniture put away, and filled our tub with fresh water.  The captain made sure SunDaze was as secure as he could get her, tucked away in Pungo Creek.  

Hurricane Florence showed us her fury on Friday, September 14th.  I stayed awake that Thursday night prior as I was anxious about the possibility of our home flooding.  While the captain slept peacefully, I was watching TV from 1:30am until light to see any and all TV updates on the storm.

As morning light approached, I watched the Pamlico River rising in our back yard.   

I took a picture of our back yard a week before the storm...this is what it looked like then...

 

On Thursday afternoon, the winds pushed the Pamlico River in towards land. 

This shows the progression of water on Thursday.

Early Friday am, this is the picture I took...

I have a string of LED lights around the trunk of a small tree in the back yard.   This picture was taken from our kitchen window and it is early am.  The picture has not been altered in any way. Hard to get a good fix on how high the water was getting, but can you see the lights?  Looks like our guardian angel watching over us! 

You can barely see the railroad tracks in the back.  

The highest point was to the bottom of our barn, but stayed away from our house.  It was a nerve-wrecking day, as we watched the water come closer and closer.  

Saturday the water dropped about 3 feet.  Yay!

Then Sunday... a bit more.

This was yesterday.

 

Then today...

The river is still a little high, and some of our town suffered a lot more flooding and are in clean up mode.  Our neighbors further south on the Crystal Coast were hit really hard.   And we are hearing of massive flooding inland due to rainfall still from the storm remnants.  The stories and pictures shown on TV and social media is heartbreaking.  As of last count, that I am aware of, the total death count is 35. 

I feel blessed and so very thankful that we were spared of damage and that we were safely tucked in our home, and came out of this unscathed.  We will continue to pray for those that dealing with the aftermath and hope that the road to recovery for them is swift.  

Until next time...

Please ENJOY each day!

 

Back at It! RIver House Fixer Upper

Yep, it has been a while since we have worked on the house.  Fact is...we were burned out.  The house was a huge makeover project and the captain and I worked every day on it at the beginning.  But after months of working long days at our regular jobs and then working into the night and every other waking moment on the house...well we just said enough for now.  That was several months ago.  Time flies!

This past week, the captain started working on the exterior back of the house.  This is the way it has looked since the new window was added last spring (2017).  It is past time to replace the siding.  This is a older home and of course, they no longer carry the size boards we needed to match the siding on the house.  We had to get 1 x 8" pine siding and take off 1/4 inch along the length of each board to match the siding already on the house.  But such are the pleasures of working with a older house!!

The windows on the left were added to that side of the house last year.  We had a hard time finding anything that would come close to the size of the windows on the right.  Not exact match but close as we could get without having a custom window made.  Close enough for me anyway.  

Once the captain got the siding up, I went to work priming the new boards.  Hopefully, if the weather cooperates, I will be able to paint the back by next week. 

Our plan is to add a deck or patio on the back of the house.  We have gone back and forth...with me thinking a deck would be nicer, but the captain thinking the patio is more practical.  Our A/C - heating unit is situated on the left side of the house with access to the crawl space being under the left window.  Putting a deck along the back of the house would make it very hard to get under the house for any kind of maintenance.  But that is something we will tackle in the spring.  For now...time to get back to work.

Until next time...

Enjoy!

Oriental NC

A couple of weeks ago, the captain decided it was time to untie Sun Daze from the dock and head somewhere.  Since we only had the weekend, we decided to make the trip to Oriental.  If we leave early am, we can usually be at the Oriental Marina there by 1 or 2 pm.  So that's what we did.  Left around 6am on Saturday and headed out of the Pungo River on the ICW.

I enjoyed my morning coffee while watching the sun peek over the horizon.  To me, this is the most wonderful time of day on the water... quiet, peaceful and such a joy.

The winds were very light, so no sailing.  Had to motor all the way, but that's okay.  We headed out of the Pungo, towards the Pamlico Sound and into the Pamlico River.  Then followed the ICW and entered Goose Creek.

Here we are passing Hobucken Coast Guard Station and the small fleet of shrimp boats docked there. 

Next was the Bay River, and then onto the Neuse River.   

Oriental is situated on the Neuse, and is known as the "Sailing Capital of NC". 

It's a small community with lots of charm, and laid back feel.  We pulled into Oriental Marina around 1:30pm.  It was a beautiful but hot! day, so after Sun Daze was secured, we headed over to The Bean (coffee/ice cream shop) for mango ice cream!!

We had dinner at the Toucan Bar and Grill, which is to the left of the shrimp boats in the pic above.  Enjoyed grouper and tuna, delicious!  After a walk around the town, we headed back to Sun Daze.  

This was a quick trip, so before sunrise the next day, we left the dock to head back home.  There was a lightning storm in the distance, and try as I might, I just could not capture the light show Mother Nature was providing for us.

I was using my tablet to take pictures (forgot my camera!), so only got one shot that captured the lightning.  

Even though the town is small, there are several huge shrimp boats here, and they were getting ready to head out as well. 

Once again, even with the early morning storms, the water was calm, so no sailing heading back home, but look at that stillness...absolutely beautiful.

This trip was short and sweet, with two goals.  One was relaxation, and the other...see what else we need to do on Sun Daze. We wanted to test out the boat for any snags, and Sun Daze performed wonderfully.  Only a few minor things are needed before it is time to take off again.  It was good to be back on her after all these months.  A beautiful relaxing weekend!  Can't wait until the next trip!

Until next time...

Enjoy!

diy Day

The weather here has been less than optimal for a long while now.  Cloudy, humid, rainy, basically yucky.  Having a few days off, I really wanted to get back to work on the outside of our house, but can't due to yucky weather.  So, I have declared today a diy day.

I got up early, and with my cup of coffee headed upstairs.  I have a bunch of cheap thrift store frames, so decided to convert them into chalkboards today.

Here's one I found a while back, has a solid wood frame, and it is a decent size.  I took the picture out of the frame and gave the frame a good cleaning.

I painted the frame with ivory chalk paint.  I used Waverly chalk paint, just because I had some left over from another project. 

It took 2 coats of paint.  While it was drying, I headed outside to cut the chalkboard to fit the frame.  I had some chalkboard left over from a sheet that I got for my kitchen chalkboard back in the winter. Since the weather is crappy today...I don't have pics of this step.  My camera would not have liked it outside.

Here's a picture of my kitchen chalkboard that I made out of a beautiful frame I had from years ago.

This was my Valentine's Day board.   It now looks like this.

Back inside with the cut piece of chalkboard...and all that's left to do is to insert the board into the frame.  (I did season the board first though.) 

And here it is.  This one is for my dear friend who requested I make one for her.

While I was in the mood for working with frames...I made 2 more.  One I painted Robin's Egg Blue, and the other I just black-washed over the gold.  

But this one is for my dragonfly friend.

Here you go, girlfriend.  Hope you enjoy it!

Until next time, ENJOY!