Life of a Single Married Lady

Naples: 19-20 September Istanbul: 20-21 September The majority of our last couple days in Europe were spent on an airplane eating delicious, delicious Turkish Air food. We did make sure to see a few last exciting landmarks! Our first flight was out of Naples. We didn't spend much time in Naples itself, but we did visit Ercolano! Ercolano is an Italian city that houses the ruins of the city of Herculaneum, destroyed by pyroclastic flow from Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It's essentially a smaller version of Pompeii, and was a better use of our limited time in the area. Unlike Pompeii, many buildings in Herculaneum still possess their upper floors. The gorgeous frescoes, mosaics, and tile work on walls and floors are intact in many buildings. Even more incredibly, wooden roofs, beds, and beams survived, despite being buried in up to 50ft of volcanic debris. Herculaneum is great to visit if you have just a few hours (Pompeii takes all day). We walked along the original paved stree...

Ah, the wonders of cool autumn Michigan days! Wil and I made it home safe and sound, and now have only to worry about moving into our new home in a few days. In the meantime I have just a couple more blog posts worth of pictures...here we go! We planned our final day in Rome so that we could concentrate on the Via Appia Antica, or ancient Appian Way. This is the road that began in 312 BC and extended 350 miles to Brindisi, in the heel of Italy's boot! This is the road on which Sparticus and his army were slaughtered in 71 BC! This is the road on which St Peter met Jesus, before returning to Rome for his martyrdom! This is the road to which Wil and I tried to walk from our apartment, and the reason we ended up hopelessly lost in ancient farmland! (We weren't lost. -Wil) Google Maps image of the Appian Way and associated regional park, which is the part of the picture not covered in city buildings. We walked around most of the northern and central parts of the park in this ...

I forgot to mention: we were in Rome 15-19 September. Our second full day was spent almost entirely in the Vatican City, the world's smallest and wealthiest nation. Tickets for the weekly papal audiences are free, and you just have to make sure to get there early so you can find a seat or standing position near a Popemobile aisle. Basically... WE SAW THE POPE WE SAW THE POPE!! He was on his Popemobile wheeling around the crowd. He looked so happy and friendly! He just wheeled on by! And he kissed a bunch of babies!! Most of them found their way back to their parents. After this overwhelmingly awesome experience, we had a group walking tour of the Vatican. Group tours in Rome are the way to go, because you get to skip the 500-person ticket lines. Scale model of Vatican City. Fun fact: it's a mostly walled city! The Vatican Museums comprise two long, long hallways filled with museum-worthy items, and some connecting passageways and courtyards in between. They als...

There's so much to see and do in Rome that I'm splitting up the blog posts into the days we were here. Here's the first! Our first night in Rome we discovered a tiny pizza shop near our apartment. Nobody spoke English and a constant stream of locals came in and out to pick up dinner so we know we found something truly authentic! Our first full day, we went to scout out the Vatican and get tickets for the papal audience the next day (free!). St Peter's Basilica and Square are beautiful and enormous! Lots of sculptures and columns adorn the walls surrounding the Square. We also walked by the Castel Sant'Angelo: Hadrian's mausoleum turned papal fortress. There's a covered passageway connecting it to St Peter's! Woo-hoo, Vatican! St Peter's Basilica in the background, we're in the Square here. Castel Sant'Angelo from the Tiber River. After our scouting trip, we walked down through some of the old streets surrounding the Vatican and...

From Switzerland we traveled to arguably the most beautiful place on the planet: Cinque Terre, Italy. Some might prefer the Caribbean for sparkling, clear waters and tropical paradise-ness, but this has totally got it beat in my book! Cinque Terre, or "Five Lands", sits on the Mediterranean coast as part of the Italian Riviera. The coastline, the five cities that make up Cinque Terre, and the surrounding hills and vineyards are nationally protected and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area has been settled and farmed for about 1000 years, and is known for its wine, olives, anchovies, and pesto. Wil and I tried them, and they are all the best we've ever tasted! Manarola clock tower. By the church in Manarola; the cornerstone is from 1338! Manarola by sunset, so beautiful. The five cities of Cinque Terre are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Trains, walking paths, and boats are the main connections between cities; I thi...