Leaning Towers & Fortified Cities August 2, 2009

Greetings from Italy!  So our last four days have been jam-packed with adventure.  Something strange about the tower that you may not know:  it is actually perfectly straight.  It just so happens that every other building in Pisa leans to the right.  Weird, huh?

We spent a day in Lucca, which is an ancient city with 30ft walls that are so thick that you can ride bikes atop of them.  We spent the day walking along them and enjoying the city.

Today, we spent our time in Siena, another small city with HILLS.  Lots, and lots of hills.  Our legs are tired, but our bellies are full of some great pizza from a mom and pop-shop down the street from our B&B.

Tomorrow, we leave for Rome.  On the list: Collesum and St. Pete’s Sq.  This will be the last update to the blog because they next time you hear about our trip…it will be from one of us in person!  Love you all.  See you soon.

The Bandito-Split

Lean Back

The Pisa Canal

Kent, King of his Castle

Speaks for itself

How do we get in here?

Yup, we are lost.

Look! It isn’t leaning!

My Shoes

Under the Tower’s Shadow

Venezia & Firenze July 30, 2009

Pronto!  We have just arrived in Pisa, so we have to catch you up on our travels through Italia.  We spent a wonderful day in Venezia, enjoying the food, sights and smells of the open air fish market among other things.  Venezia is a living museum and the canals that run throughout really give one the sense of a vibrant and exciting city.  And yes, the people who steer the Gondoles do wear the funny hats and striped shirts.

In Firenze, we stayed in the mountains in the heart of wine country where the hills roll and the grapes grow.  We ate at a small restaurant where the local nonnas volunteer to make dinner for the tourists.  Kent has learned how to say “no cheese” in Italian and I have learned that I better finish everything on my plate lest I get scowled at by various nonnas.

Enjoy the photographs and please leave some comments.  Also, be sure to check down to see the updated Bad Kissingen post, as we now have some pitures uploaded.  We will be in Pisa until the morning of the 3rd and then it is off to Roma.  Caio.

The Canals have never been so bad-ass

He bought one for each of you

Belly-full of Gnochis

Spaghet

Taming A Mythical Chimera

Gondole prnounced: “Gon do la” you mammaluke

A Pasta Vending Machine

A Taste of Firenze

Italy July 29, 2009

We just wanted to let everyone know that we are in Fiernze now.  No pictures today because the computer we are using takes floppy disks.  Hopefully soon we will find an Internet Cafe to update everyone visually.  Italy is hot is every sense of the word.  Oh, and the pasta is good…you might have heard that.

Racoczy Fest, 2009 July 26, 2009

Greetings from Germany.  We are spending our time at the Racoczy festival in a small town called Bad Kissingen (100km from Frankfurt) courtesy of some friends.  The festival is a celebration filled with live music, bier and bratwürst.   Yea, that’s right we used that ü.  (Keyboards here are weird…it#s taken us 25minutes to get this far in the post).  We just want to say hello to everyone and let them know that they have never heard ‘Enter Sandman’ or ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ until they have heard a German rock and roll band cover them.  ‘Enter zee the lights!  Enter the fires!  Take unt hand off to neverz neverz lands!  Oot!’  Seriously though, we are enjoying the festivities, taking in the culture, and being stared at.  No pictures today (the Internet Cafe won’ let us upload them.  Soon.)  Monday, we are off to Venice.  Love you all.

Update!  We have pictures:

Rolling Hills

Turtle Fountain

Oh! Look at this guy.

Doing what he does best.

Kent and recording artist Dennis

Kent inhaling the medicinal vapors of the Thicket

Party All Night

Pariee July 21, 2009

We arrived in Paris Sunday morning and were immediately upgraded from a hostel to a 5 star Holiday Inn Express just because we were American.  In actuality, we were upgraded because they gave our room away.  We are in full tourist-mode as we have traveled to the top of the tower Eiffel (that’s what the locals call it…we’ve assimilated), and through Notre Dame (we’ve been to the Louvre twice, but it has been closed both times, once because it was too late in the evening and the other time because it was Tuesday).  Paris is everything they say it is (the good things) and we continue our streak of not being identified as American.  We have been called Swedish, Polish, South African, Spanish,  New Zealandish, and Canadian.   Below, find some pictures of our exploits so far and a few catch ups from our last days in Amsterdam. Come Thursday morning, we are off to a small town outside of Frankfurt for the Racoczyfestival.  Blog again soon.  Cheers and kisses to you all.  

The Arc

Somwhere famous, we don’t remember where

Locked out of the Louvre

668 Steps

Cutting Kent’s Face off in Notre Dame

Don’t worry we didn’t go in…

Lord Posideon, King of the 7 Seas, storms, bulls, and apparently, Dam Square in Amsterdam.

Klog for the Blog

Kent’s Lunch

Go to the Van Gogh Museum

A Night in Brussels and Amster-Dayum! July 17, 2009

Hello everyone.  It has been a while.  It is hard to find an Internet cafe that lets you upload pictures.  Thankfully, our host, Jacquline, has allowed us the use of her laptop.  Brussels was magical.  The quirky city was filled with interesting landmarks, beautiful architecture and friendly people.  Oh, yeah, and the fries and waffles are UNBELIEVABLE  (*see below for how much fun we had eating one.  Everyone looks like that while they are eating the waffles.  Seriously.)  We also had a few drinks in a strange bar next door to our hostel that looked as if Edgar Allen Poe designed it, as the tables were coffins, the lights black and the music ranging from Korn to Iron Maiden.  Cierra, it was hard not to think of you in the bar!

We arrived in Amsterdam on the 15th.  Our host, Jacquline, met us at the train station and we walked around the entire city taking in the sights.  As you may imagine, Amsterdam is very laid back and easy going.  Everyone rides bikes EVERYWHERE, be sure to walk in the walking lane and not the bike lane, as Pete was almost killed by a bicyclist.  We visited a film museum, town center, and Jacquline took us to a “Dub” (a dance party with a DJ and house music).  She was great fun and crucial in helping us make our way around the city.  We will miss her!  Now we switch our accommodations to a hostel in Amsterdam called the Bulldog where we will spend our last two nights.  Then off to Paris!

Kent Walking in Brussels

Enjoying Waffels

Grand Place Square.

Kent taking a shower from the Pissing Boy

Um…

Sitting on a Head

I AM STERDAM

Open Air Marketing

Us, and Jacquline

Swan Song from Sunny Swanage July 13, 2009

We have had tons of fun here in Swanage.  Today, we spent the day at the beach playing Cricket and ordered some fish and chips from a local restaurant.  Will, Kent’s friend and our host here, took us on a hike of Old Harry’s, a series of tall cliffs, thus, effectively capping a wonderful stay in sunny Swanage.  Tomorrow, we are off to Brussels and will spend most of the day traveling by train.  Here’s to a night of waffles, mussels, beer and fries in Van Damn’s homeland.  We will blog when we can, but we will not have regular access to a computer for a while.  Love you all. Miss you all.  Hugs from Swanage.  

Cricket? You have to know what a Crumpet is to understand Cricket!

Kent and Ava

Night Hike up to Old Harry’s

Swanage at Night

Will and Ava

Old Harry’s

People are so much smaller here.

Sunny Swanage

The Grand Hotel

The Queen’s Garden and Swanage July 12, 2009

Our last day in London was wonderful.  We walked the Queen’s garden and oggled the royal flowers.  Then, Daniel and his girlfriend Fiona had us over thier boat house for some delicious rissotto.  The next morning, and after a few baggets, we hopped on a train to Swanage to meet up with Kleiner’s and their Grand Hotel.  Kent is introducting me to old friends and we are enjoying the scenery and the company.  On Sunday, we ventured out to Corfe Castle and took in the spirits of the dead kings.  Tonight we have drinks with friends.  On the 14th we are off to Brussels.  Love and miss you all.  Blog again soon as after England we will not be able to keep up with the blogging as much because we will have to seek out Internet Cafes!

Enjoying the Royal lawn Chairs

House Boat Part-ay

Friends Forever

On the Train

Knighted

Corfe Castle

Grand Hotel

Jack and Kent

Swanage Coast

Wesminstzerized July 9, 2009

After a full English Breakfast (toast, eggs, mushrooms, baked beans, tomatos, sausage, bacon, and tea) and buying some outrageous new clothes at H&M, we set out for the tourist attractions.  Check out the pictures to see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace,  and Parliment to name a few.

Not so Big Ben

Crushing a Beefeater

Buckingham Palace

Locked in a Phonebooth

Kent at Buckingham Palace

A GIANT horse head. They had more than one of these and tons of full-sized, full-bodied horse statues. More than one!

Daniel and Pete drinking a Guiness

Cyberdog. Super-Sonic, Electronic. For 25 Quid you can buy a t-shirt and get your chassy polished.

Finally, after the touristy parts, we traveled down Camden Town (Think South Street meets Hot Topic)  We visited Cyberdog, an insane clothing store where everyone thinks they are robots and listen to ear-deafening house music, and Stables, some market with a Horse fetish.  Tomorrow we set out for Southern London.

flight and arrivals July 9, 2009

We arrived in London Wednesday morning well rested and pampered from first class (we just call it first now).  After several mimosas, glasses of wine, and roast duck we we reclined our seats to the full “bed” position and slept.

The Sweet Life

Who Watches the Watchmen? Pete, in first class.

Hamsterheath Park

Hamsterheath Pond

The Tree

Kent breaking the Law

We are staying with Daniel Wallace, a friend from the M.F.A. program.  he and his family have been nice enough to put us up until the 11th (when we leave for Swanage).  Daniel took us to a wonderful park called Hamsterheath, and then around Belzise, London where he showed off his Chinese speaking skills at a Chinese buffet.

Off to an English breakfast.  Love you all.

-petenkent (Adventures INC.)