Monkey Showers

With four weeks or less to go, Major and I are finally ready to welcome Monkey to our house. Our friends and family gave us THREE showers and lots of stuff to prepare. Love you all!

Travel Details Part 2

When in Rome...

 

Things to know before you go:

• Most places don’t have dryers for the washers, so you hang your wash creatively indoors or out the window.
• Make your museum ticket reservations in advance. Total museums we entered: 0.
• If you really want to see the Vatican and St. Peter’s, be there by 8:15 in the morning to beat the lines. It’s no joke.
• Invest in a travel book with maps, download free walking tours and applications, and find a menu translator. You don’t want to order veal or sweetbreads if that’s not your thing.
• If something says it’s on the second floor (like all the apartments), it’s really the third floor.
• Bring good walking shoes. Walking is a great way to know any city, but any city in Italy is best appreciated on foot. Take a bus or train if you have to travel a long distance. I think we averaged 5 miles a day. Not bad for being 6 months pregnant.
• If you are planning on going out to dinner on a Saturday night after 8, be sure to reserve a table. 

Where we stayed: Sweetly Home Roma. Loved the apartment and the location, and the price was great. This rental was in the Jewish Quarter of Rome, a block from the river and a short walk to Trastevere. It was spacious and quiet, and includes WiFi.

Behind our apartment, Turtle Fountain.

Around the corner we found cafes and restaurants galore, many of which are Kosher. And delicious. Had some of the best fried artichokes, carciofa giuda,  at Nonna Betta. This dish is a must when in Rome. 

carciofa giuda

Our traveling companions got married while we were there and we had a celebratory dinner at Il Baccanale in Piazza Campo de Fiori. No tourist food here! We also ate with them at Trattoria Der Pallaro. This is a family style restaurant with no menu – you get what they give you and you will definitely like it.

Major, enjoying dinner.

I found a great tour guide for us to see the Coliseum at RomaExperience.

There are too many places to list that we saw and ate at. Not to mention all the gelato I tried (all of which is documented on facebook and four square). Shoot me an email if you need more travel info. 

Best. Honeymoon. Ever.

Dancing Monkey

There's something "magical" and amazing watching the movement of Monkey in my belly. As I type this, I think she has the hiccups and is bothered by it so she's extra squirmy. While I can't wait to meet her, I think this is the part of pregnancy I'll miss.

Fiesta Float

CG's first Fiesta Float Parade today. My team created Changita Fiesta.

Travel Details Part 1

Home again after our fabulous trip to Rome to enjoy a honeymoon, babymoon, and friend’s wedding. Here are the details, in two parts:

In Rome, first night – A Casa De Penelope. A no frills hotel which was perfect for us as a place to shower and sleep. One of the negatives is that WiFi was only available in the hallway, or by the door. Otherwise, met our basic need.  The train station was a short walk away which was manageable with our luggage. We invested in a EuroPass before we left so we were able to purchase our ticket to Florence for 10€ each.

In Florence

http://www.welcome2tuscany.it/ This apartment was awesome, as was its location. The owners were easy to work with via email, and they were genuinely friendly with their welcome (plus, they left us some dry goods and wine to start our visit with). On a map, this looks far from the city center, but it was a nice walk. Plus, this part of town was quiet and there was a café on every corner that we were able to have our caffeine and croissant needs met. Additionally, there is an American Style café a few feet away to meet your bagel and coffee withdrawls.

Took the train to Venice from Florence. There’s a lot to see, and we should have taken the earlier train. Ah, well. A reason to return.

From Florence, we took a tour of the Tuscany area through WalkAbout. We went to Siena, San Gimignano AND Pisa with a wonderful farm fresh lunch at an organic Chianti winery & farm on this full-day guided coach trip from Florence. It was well worth the 80€ and a great way to spend the day.

Places we ate while in Florence:

Trattoria La Casalinga – Ate here one night where my menu translator came in handy. Busy night, but our server was very patient. Homestyle food that’s good, not great.

All'Antico Ristoro Di Cambi - We ended up here when everyone else turned us away on a Saturday night. They did tell us the table was reserved later, so we ate quickly. Had we known they were famous for the Steak Florentine, we would have ordered that. We went to a microbrewery nearby, but I don’t know where I left the info. L

Osteria dell’Agnolo – Had the best truffle risotto here after a morning of sightseeing and shopping at the central market. Eyeballed the pizzas the whole time.

Il Guscio – Florence foodie find, based on reviews. A little pricey, but delicious. If you’re feeling adventurous and hungry, worth the visit.