Last night we ate at a place none of us will ever forget. We walk into the restaurant and they bring you a wine list like many other restaurants. We choose our wine and they bring us a bottle and four glasses then ask if we'd like an appetizer. We tell them that we'd like something small and "not too much". I guess we should've been more specific.
About 30 seconds later, we have about five different plates of seafood brough to us. And not the normal seafood you get at the Joe's Crab Shack in Corpus... this is stuff I've never seen or stuff I've never thought about eating before. we ate clams, muscles, oysters, the insides of hermit crabs, Italy's version of crawfish, etc. Some was raw, some was cooked, 90% of it was good, but stuff I never would've thought about ordering before that night.
The main meals weren't as crazy, but what was crazy was the amount of stuff that they brought to the table. They gave us a great dish of pasta with fish on top. The sauce was wonderful, and the second that I had eaten my last bite it was taken from the table and replaced with a baked fish dish. It was alot like something you'd order from a fancy seafood restaurant. As soon as that was finished they brought out the calamari. Then a piece of cake because it was the waiter's birthday. (I'm sure every day he works is his birthday) Then they finish the meal by trying to get you drunk before they hand you the rediculously expensive ticket. They brought out 3 unmarked liquor bottles ranging from what tasted like a lemon drop shot to something closer to everclear with a liquorish (spelling) bottle in the middle. After it all we had a great time. If the bill could be forgotten we would have an amazing time.
This morning we took a tour of Rome on a double decker bus. We sat up on top and listened to the automated tour guide tell us about each site as we passed it. We are definately going to have to hit up a few of the places that we didn't know existed before the tour. There is so much more to see.
After an early afternoon nap, Jessica and I met up with her parents at the Pantheon. We took a few pictures that should be up along with the rest of them as soon as I get a little more free time to download them to the computer then upload them up to the site. we also saw the site that one of the Caesars...maybe Julius? was stabbed to death.
We ate lunch today at a pricy cafeteria near the Vatican, and dinner at a middle of the road Italian food restaurant. I had lasagna and Jessica ate a Margherita (cheese pizza). Just remember that if you're trying to order the Mexican drink in Italy...they'll bring you pizza.
This evening as we were walking back to our hotel through the Vatican square, they were having some huge ceremony. I don't think it was a mass, but they did have traditional music and prayers. We stayed around a while to see if the pope would come out to address the crowd. I finally asked an Italian shop keeper as best as I could if the pope was going to speak tonight. He said to come back tomorrow. So we are...We should get to see him talk. We're going early to try to beat the 10,000 people that are expected.
So I should probably call it a night. I'm getting up at 6 in the morning (11pm tonight Texas time) to go sit in the square and wait to hopefully see him. Thanks for checking in on us.
Pics from the day:
Jess and I in front of the Pantheon
Vatican City pic
Another Vatican City pic
We finally made it back to Vatican City and actually got a pretty good view or the Pope when he came in through the square. I don't think we have a way to put the video on the internet yet or I'd post it. The pope talked for about 20 minutes while at least 10,000 people listened. It has been a pretty crazy day so far, and Jessica is feeling normal again (as normal as Jessica can be I guess).
This afternoon we travel across town to Kayla's twirling competition. It's the whole reason we're here..lol. I'll let you know how she did when we get back.
Pics from the day:
All the people waiting for the pope
More people
The pope is in the middle in white
Zoomed Out
Can you find the pope in this pic?
Where's the pope?
This one is a little easier
Pope on the big screen
Pope on stage
Well, we sat through the end of the individual competitions until the team competitions started. (Fun Fun) The team event was better though...It's kinda like twirlers at a band competition but a bunch of them together, and of course, no band. There were teams from Japan, England, South Africa, Canada, the U.S., and a few other countries. We only stayed through Kayla's U.S. team, and when we left I think they were in about 2nd out of the 4 teams that we saw. I thought they did pretty well, but I never have been much of an artsy person. Sure there were a few drops, but all of the other teams had them too. I think they ended up placing about 6th out of ten or twelve teams. They weren't real happy about it...I think they were expecting about 4th place, but I thought they did alright.
Wednesday night we went to another Italian food restaurant (that and McDonald's are all they really have around here). The food was great...like most of the rest of Italy. After a little vino rosso (red wine) we called it an early night again. All of this activity is wearing all of us out.
P.S. Jessica is doing fine...thanks for your concern.
Twirling Pics:
Twirling
Still Twirling
We took the subway to the central station, then on to the Collosseum where we paid 20 euros for a tour. Did you know that at one time it had its own retractable roof? haha...It was a huge tarp that the hired help would pull over the stadium on hot days. The tour itself wasn't that great, but it kept us from having to stand in line to buy a ticket because the tours have their own entrance. I did like the colosseum though. It's crazy that it's still standing after over 1500 years. Most of the main features are still in one piece too.
After the colosseum we walked through the ancient ruins near the stadium. Not a whole lot to say about them except I bet they were cool in their time. I wonder what people would think of our ruins 1500 years from now if our civilization fell like theirs did.
For lunch we ate near the colosseum, and for dinner we ate at the same place we did last night. We even had the same waiter who laughed at us when we walked in the restaurant again. They have pretty good wine. Jessica's parents want to bring a case of it back home with them.
I don't know how much I'll be able to update in the next two days. We head out for Venice early in the morning on a high speed train...I wish we had those in Texas. We'll be in Venice for one night and return to Rome by train the next evening. I'll be sure to type up everything we do so that I can post everything in a few days. Talk to you then.
Here's a story that I didn't get to add earlier. The collosseum has all sorts of graffiti and writing on the walls. Some of it is scratched in and some is written onto the walls. As we're walking out we passed this graffiti and had to take a picture by it.
Graffiti Pic 1
Graffiti Pic 2
Today's Pics:
Inside the Collosseum
In front of the arch
Just the arch
Weirdo
Weirdos
Inside Collosseum looking out
Inside Collosseum looking out 2
Inside Collosseum looking out 3
In front of a statue
Collosseum
Walking into the subway
Pics from the train trip
Me and Jess on the Train
Jess's family on the Train
Countryside 1
Countryside 2
Flower Farm
A river from the train
Same river
On a more personal note, I'm on my second round of clothes, which means I've gone through everything once. So thats why I have the same shirt on as the engagement day in all the pictures I'm going to show you today.
While I've got some time to kill I'm going to go back and tell some stories from earlier in the trip that I haven't had time to expand on yet. You'll need to go back through the old posts to find them so that I can keep them in the right order. I'll also be adding a few picture links on the other days listed on the trip so be sure to go back through my old posts and click on the links to pictures.
Many of you have been asking for a better picture of the ring. Here is one of the better close up pics we have of it.
Ring Pic
Jessica showing off
We ate at a restaurant just across the famous Rialto Bridge. They offered the same mix of pizza and pasta that we have become more than used to during the trip so far with a little extra seafood added in. Their seafood is a little different. They don't seem to mind a little bit of the fishy taste or eating much of the seafood right out the shell. It is good though.
After lunch we started our journey to find the hotel. Venice isn't really a large place, but it sure is easy to get lost or turned around. In place of streets they have sidewalks that twist and turn between buildings in a very unorganized way. It's definately not a grid system.
We ended up finding one Best Western then being directed to our hotel by one of the employees there. It turns out that there are 7 Best Western hotels in Venice alone. They are a bit nicer than those from the states though. Every room is a different size and has different decorations. Our room had a chandeilier (I got the spelling from Jessica's mom so blame her if it's wrong) above the double bed which was two single beds pushed together. It had an upgrade with a bathtub this time instead of the 2 foot by 2 foot shower that we have in Rome.
Once we sat all of our stuff down, we went to explore Venice. Our first stop was San Marco Square (Piazza San Marco), the center of tourism in Venice on the southeast side of the island. The square was pretty nice. It was one of the largest that we've seen so far on our trip. It had the Basilica di San Marco on one end and a temporary concert stage set up for a concert tonight (We never looked to see who was playing). The sides of the square are lined with small expensive shops selling all types of things, but featuring hand made glass. Venice is known for its glass made on the nearby island of Morano. It's hard to believe some of the things that they can do with this molten glass when it is shaped. It's also hard to believe some of the prices they charge for it. One horse head made of glass in a store that we walked into was priced at 45,000 Euros. It was only a foot and a half tall. We fed some pigeons in the square using a small bag of corn that we bought from a vendor for 1 Euro. Saying that there are alot pigeons in this square would definately be an understatement. There were tens of thousands of them. They were literally everywhere. If you stuck out your hand with corn in it and held it still the pigeons would flock to it in a few seconds to fight over the corn. The pigeons aren't necessarily unique to Venice or even Italy, but experience was worth it. Check out the pictures to follow for us feeding the birds. Try to find a picture where Jessica and Kayla aren't screaming or freaking out.
While in San Marco Square we visited the Basilica di San Marco which is constantly being restored from the damage done during yearly floods of the city. (The city is sinking) The Basilica is really nice and the line was only about 5 minutes long to get in. It is most beautiful from the outside. We took a few pictures in front of it.
We took a walk from the square to the northeast mainly just shopping at the small shops throughout the walk. I didn't find anything that I liked or could afford, but the girls did. It's cool in the evenings (probably in the 70's) in Venice so each of the girls bought a jacket to wear. It was a nice change from the 90 degree heat that Rome has. It was cool enough that I had to run back to the hotel to put on some jeans before we hopped on the gondola.
For dinner Jessica's family wanted to eat at another little restaurant. Jessica and I are getting a little tired of pizza and pasta so we each had a McBacon (Double Quarter Pounder with Bacon) from McDonald's. We even got to eat a large fry and CocaCola (with ice!!).
The five of us took a 40 minute ride on the gondolla that takes you through many canals throughout Venice. It is really very relaxing and something that everyone should do while in Venice. It can be a little expensive, but I'd pay to do it again. We videotaped and took pictures during most of the trip, so ya'll can experience a little of it when we get back home.
We finished the night with a few drinks at the hotel bar before falling exhausted into bed. It had been a long but fun day.
Pics from today
Jessica playing a game on the train
Our view from the train
Another view from the train
Our first look at Venice
At the restaurant
At the restaurant 2
Walking to the hotel
Me feeding Jessica
Venice Street
Venice Canal
A lot going on in this pic
A hug and kiss to Jessica
Birds Everywhere
Lets feed em
Here's where you need to start looking at the faces
Feeding birds
More feeding birds
Still more feeding birds
I told you they were all over the place
Jess and I on a bridge
Kayla and Jessica trying on masks
The girls shopping
Nice pic of a canal and sidewalk
Walking down a narrow street
Finding our way around town
View from the Rialto Bridge
This would take an hour to walk through with the girls
Our ride in the gondola
Gondola again
Venice at night
We woke up at about 9:30 to catch a ride to Morano, an island about a mile north of Venice. It is famous for it's glass which is all hand made. Last night our hotel told us that they had a complementary taxi (boat) that left every fifteen minutes for Morano starting at 9:00am. So of course we took that one instead of paying the normal rate of nearly $100 for five people to get there. But like most anything that's free there was a catch. The complementary taxi was actually paid for by a glass company. The taxi dropped us off at their gallery where we got a tour which was actually pretty cool. We walked in the doors to see a master glass maker complete a hand made horse. It really was pretty neat, and the horse very realistic looking. After the horse, he made a vase which took him about a minute and a half to make...then we were off to the sale. Our "guide" (glass salesman) took us through about ten rooms that were filled with all types of glass...wine glasses, horses made of glass, fish made of glass, glass elephants, etc. (think forest gump and shrimp). Everything was VERY expensive which was obvious by the pictures of the famous actors and heads of state that lined the entrance. We made it out alright, but then we had to wait for our water taxi back to Venice, which wasn't nearly as prompt as on the trip over.
After getting off of the boat we headed back towards the hotel to get our stuff, then back across the island to the train station. It was a slow walk though. We had to stop at nearly every store along the way (like every walk we make). Jessica did buy something of interest though. She picked up two champagne glasses that we'll used when we're married for our toasts. I thought it was a little soon to start racking up the wedding expenses, but I guess we won't be back to Venice to buy their hand made glass before then.
While waiting for our train we sat down at a little restaurant and had a few glasses of wine...and I guess that brings us to now. We don't know what we're doing yet tonight...it depends on how tired we are when the train arrives at 9pm. By the time we find our way back to the hotel from Rome's train station it may be bed time.
Overall Venice was great. We are very happy that we got to make the trip, and I'd recommend it to anyone. The trains are great too. When I come back to Europe some time in the future I'll be traveling by train. It's very relaxing, easy, and fast.
Pics from today
The dock for the Gondolas
Looking back from the taxi
Venician Joggers
He'll make a horse out of that
Making the horse
Finished horse
Blowing air into the vase
Finished vase
Thanks for visiting my site. Come back tomorrow.
Tonight Jessica, her family, and Kayla's twirling teammates went to see Trevi Fountain one last time at night. We ate pizza and gellato near the fountain before taking pictures in front of it. After the fountain we rode the bus back to the hotel and called it a night.
Tomorrow we wake up early to see St. Peter's and the Vatican Museum. So I'm out for the night. I'll post all of todays pics along with the Vatican pics tomorrow. Night everyone.
Pics from our walk:
Looks like I'm getting wet but I'm not
We don't really know what that is
Kissing near fountain
In front of river
River Through Rome
Building on our walk
A few Pics from today
Jessica and I in front of the Vatican
Looking at John Paul II's tomb
John Paul II's tomb
Jess and I in the square
Jessica and I in front of the Vatican
Jessica and I in front of the Vatican at night
It was kinda weird leaving Europe, knowing that I won't be back there for at least a few years, maybe more...I'll have to start saving again. But overall the trip was definately worth it. It's about time I put the poker money to good use (Jessica's ring included). I'm just ready to touch ground again in the US.
During the next few weeks Jessica and I are going to be really busy trying to write out a list of everyone we need to get in touch with to let them know about our engagement and then actually getting in touch with them. I wasn't really thinking of it when I was making the engagement plans, but now I realize how many people we may be calling, writing, or e-mailing...it's overwhelming (spelling).
For the rest of the plane trip I'm going to be organizing all of the 1500 pictures that were taken so that I can put them on on a website to be looked at later. Keep checking back for a link, but it may take a while.
Well, I guess that's it. Thanks for reading my website during the past 13 days. These posts will be archived so that you can go back any time to read them from my site. If you like keeping up with Jessica and I, keep checking the site. On normal (non-trip) times I try to update at least once a week. Sometimes more if there's some news to report. Thanks again...see you in the States soon.
I'm back in the states guys...but now I have to get back to life in the real world. Today is my first day back at work, and school starts in a couple weeks. Now I get to look forward to the cruel life of being a Texas A&M sports fan.
The sad thing is that I have my hopes up AGAIN. I never learn my lesson...Every year around August I get really excited about Aggie Football and the possibility of going undefeated and winning a national championship. Every year I get let down. (Lately just after the first game) But this year will be different. I'm officially a senior, and this may be my last year to really see a complete season of Aggie sports on campus.
First let's talk about football. Yes, it has been a disappointing 3 years in football since I was a young freshman in college. My Aggies have a record of 16 wins and 19 upsetting losses since then. I witnessed the 77-0 loss to OU, the overtime loss to Baylor in Waco, the Tennessee loss in the Cotton Bowl, the Iowa State loss at home where the team quit and so did the fans, and I've seen the Aggies fall short against t.u. two days after Thanksgiving for the past three years.
But this year will be different...right guys? We've got McGee instead of McNeal...a true team leader instead of a show off. We've got a great backfield with Lewis, Lane, and the new freshman Goodson. Our entire line is a year older, and our receivers are finally healthy. Our defense has to be improved because it couldn't possibly get any worse. We have new coaches and more experienced players that are hopefully ready to step it up. And maybe most importantly, we have an easy schedule. If Fran and company don't lead this team to a great bowl game then he needs to go. We have given him plenty of time to refill the cupboard.
There is no reason that Texas A&M shouldn't be a top 25 team every single year. We have amazing facilities. We have an amazing student body that wants to win every single year. We live in the biggest football state in the nation with the best recruits in our own back yard. And we have the money to bring in the best people from around the country to get us to win. It drives me crazy that we've been so bad lately.
Basketball on the other hand is a team that everyone can get excited about. Coming off a last second loss to a final four LSU team that nearly sent us to the sweet 16, the Aggies seem ready to make a run for the Big 12 title and could I possibly hope for more? We have everyone back minus Chris Walker, and we added a great recruiting class to our hard working team. This team is going to be bad @$$... I'll be at every game.
A team that has students all around campus excited (for many reasons) is the Women's soccer team. For the people out there that aren't fans of the Aggie Women's Soccer team, you need to go see a game. They run circles around the other teams that they play, and they're exciting to watch. Last night during their first exhibition of the year, they won 8-0 against the defending Conference USA champs, Rice. They have a tough schedule this year, so the home games should be fun to watch. I'll be at most of these games too.
So I've gotten my hopes up again, oh well, we've got to come out ahead sometime right? And when we do you'll see that the Aggie shirt on my chest and Texas A&M sticker on my car were there through the good times and the bad...not just the good like so many T-shirt t-sips that I have to see every day.
Well, I better get back to work. I need to keep this job so I can save up some money for a down payment on a house...yes, I said it. One of these days I'm going to own my own house. That's the smart thing for us old people to do right?
Women's soccer Blog
Game starts at 8pm, but you better get there early. The fish camps will be out in full fource taking up most of the stands. If you're in College Station and you want to go with us, give me a call. We'll have a group going pretty early to make sure that we get good seats.
This summer Bill Byrne and his crew have been working on fixing up Kyle Field for this upcoming season. Some of the things that you have to look forward to seeing at games this year include a HUGE new scoreboard, ribbon boards that span the length of Kyle Field, new smaller scoreboards, and the moving of the famous words "Welcome to Kyle Field Home of the 12th Man" to different parts of the stadium. If you have trouble picturing this in your head you're in luck. I've got some pics for you to take a look at.
Building the new Scoreboard
New Lettering
New Ribbon Board and Smaller Scoreboards
Ribbon Boards will look like this
Completed Scoreboard
Everyone get to the soccer game tonight. It should be a good one.
Click here to see a highlight video of the Aggie win over UNC. The movie title is called "WOW".
We also played UTSA this weekend. Beat them 7-0. Whoop!
The mood changed quickly as we left the stadium though...I realized that I have to sit through 16 hours of classes and 20 hours of building websites at work before I get to watch my Ags. Small price to pay I guess, but it'll still wear me out. Class today is from 9:10 to 12:20 followed by a short ride of the motorcycle to work from 1 to 5. I'm going to be exhausted when I finally get home to play some NCAA football on the xbox.
The process starts again tomorrow at 9 and throughout the week...then over and over and over til December My only interuption will be hanging out with Jessica and the guys and attending as many Aggie sporting events as possible. Hopefully it'll be a productive semester.