Hello! This is officially the very first post on what I hope will be a very successful venture: our trip blog, intended to keep all of you that are interested in what we're doing while we're gone up to date. Due to the fact that we don't actually leave for another two and a half weeks at least, I have nothing to write, but I figure that it is better to try and work this thing out beforehand... Get your links set, because I intend to actually keep up this time!
About Me
- Elyse
- My blog is about the trip (journey, extended vacation, etc.) that my parents and I took this year, starting in January and culminating in May. It was really long. Really, really long. But definitely worth it. Although you know that, even if I didn't actually think it was worth being gone that long I'd still have to say so because I'd get harped at for being an ingrate if I said anything else. But I did actually enjoy it, and I learned more plain old life lessons in that time than I will in the next few for sure...
Napoleon
in his seven caskets, one inside the other
Easter!
Everywhere you looked in the lead-up there were chocolate animals, chickens, rabbits, fish, even snails sometimes
Paris (indistinguishably)
Finally a bit of sun
Sunning
Either a stray or someone's pet that managed to escape, it was enjoying some sun in a doorway with an almost identical buddy
St. Mark's
former home of the masses of Venetian pigeons, before feeding them was banned
...
from the canal bus
Venice
view from the bus station
Reijka
This is the neo-gothic church that fooled me so well when we first arrived. It isn't as well done as most of the real Gothics we've seen so far, but I figured that they just must not have had the majority of the nicer materials or the architectural smarts to build it really well..
Split
from the harbor
Jay..
I believe this is outside of Split, while we were stopped there on our way to Reijka
the marina
the water there even at this time of year is absolutely gorgeous; I can imagine what it will look like with nicer weather...
Every building you see that has nice new-looking red tiles was bombed in the 90's. The ugly-ish brown ones are those that weren't hit
rubble
Dubrovnik
Kasey and the Colosseum
unfortunately the weather on the day of my second visit wasn't nearly as pleasant as the first
The itty bitty purple people eater
I think you can fit two people into one of those but I'd imagine it would be very cramped. In case you can't see it there's an apple sticker on the back window :)
Cinque Terre
and Sonja
Guess what that one is!
No, fortunately it isn't a rat, although we spent almost an hour being scared to go outside before we had the sense to google it and discover that out overgrown sewer rat was in fact a muskrat. It was about a foot and a half long either way, and right under our window in the Arno.
The bronze doors of the Baptistry of Florence Cathedral
which I remembered from the Agony and the Ecstasy
Capitoline Wolf
plus renaissance babies Remus and Romulus
Marcus Aurelius
and his creepily droopy face. Also, his size is way off proportion to his horse in order to show his importance, which he obviously thought was immense.
Mmm
Panna Cotta with pureed kiwis. Very yum, as the kiwis themselves like to say.
Pantheon
Until a few days ago I was incredibly thoughtful and wore my BRIGHT YELLOW JACKET around everywhere, making it excessively easy for my parents and everyone else around to see where I was at all times
Trevi Fountain
+ Sonja!
Some pretty picture that I took of something old...
Roman Forum
Something to do with the Senate?
Plaque
Tiberian? At first I thought it was Tarquinian Superbus but I figured that one out...
Palatine Hill
Not that you can tell from this gorgeous pikky. Double chin, anyone?
Guess what that one is!
Three layers of columns, the first, on the bottom, is dorian, then ionian, then at the top, corinthian. It starts plain and masculine and works its way up to the fruitier stuff
Diskobolos
Based on a Classical greek bronze thought to have been sculpted by Myron. See, I do retain some information in my extremely underworked brain. I didn't have to even go near my textbook for that one.
?
The mysterious "tripping over a rectangular block of unidentified material" sign. I think it was referencing the stairs, but due to the fact that it was stuck next to a bust of Hadrian, it could have meant the base :)
The Seated Boxer
A Hellenistic Greek bronze, identified by its intense emotion and imperfection, meaning the subject, not the actual bronze, which was as close to perfect as I've ever seen. All for you Ms.H. Not that that was particularly hard or impressive...
Augustus
After visiting the Baths of Diocletian, which we had mistaken for the National Museum, we walked across the street and found the place we were actually looking for and all of the gorgeous sculptures within
St. Peter's Square
Awaiting the appearance of the Pope, which I took a million pictures of plus at least one video, and then promptly deleted accidentally when trying to make more memory space.
Basilica di San Pietro
In my opinion one of the most beautiful structures in the world, if not the most.
Rome
The first day with Sonja! On the way to the big reveal. Of St.Peter's, that is, which I myself had seen only a day earlier for the first time
Hong Kong
A street. I don't really remember where...
Laaazy
Ahh, the Peninsula. The only place I have ever stayed where there is a tv built into the wall with waterproof controls. Can you imagine why we were only there for two days?
Nibble Fish!
They meet you, they treat you, and they loooove to eat you. Now aren't I clever. Apparently while they nibble they deposit some sort of serum that increases softness, etc.
Norfolks
Steph and her new pet
recognize this one?
Uluru
from the side at noon
Uluru
at sunrise
Emu
Unfortunately I was unable to get a picture of a wild Emu because we were moving to quickly, so this is the 'domesticated' version.
Camels!
One of my two camel rides: this one was a yard ride but was almost more fun because there was trotting involved. The guy on the camel with me was the fore-mentioned Tim.
Adelaide Station eagle
A model of what is apparently the largest eagle in the world, although if that's as big as they get they haven't got anything on ours
the Ghan!
travels from Adelaide to Darwin, partner to the Indian Pacific, which goes from Sydney to Perth across the Nullarbor Plain
Auckland Harbor
Current home to the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series
"Hot Tub"
included a wood stove, that takes approx. 1 1/2 hours to get heated up... We didn't tell Steph so she couldn't make us go feed the fire for her
Demon Swans!
not really, they're actually rather nice
Cows! at the rental agency:)
Welcome to Auckland
Yes, I am aware that this one, also, is blurry, but I diiid have sunglasses on...
Elyse, Katie, and Marissa with Ol' Blue Eyes
In Hollywood being gawky tourists
Welcome to L.A.!
No, I'm not that horrible at taking pictures, we were in a moving vehicle...
This is pretty sweet! i got the whole address thign figured out haha but it'll be nice to be updated! we will all miss you tremendously!!! love you!
ReplyDeletesj
Hi from CA, i hope you have a marvelous time. Will you be anywhere on the continguous USA soon? I'll be in Tucson next week, BTW, would love to see you.
ReplyDeleteGreat travels, and I will be following you! Barb & Joel Wattum are in Thailand, then SE from there, perhaps your sampans will cross!
Spread peace & joy, Laurie
you should know that, i created one of these things just so i could follow you on this amazing worldly trip :)
ReplyDeleteso i'm expecting many amazing updates from you!
love you, & we'll miss you oh so much!
-myra
Have a wonderful time and I hope you all can make on more family trip...and make it anatolia. Enjoy the history as well as the people of these beautiful lands. Travel well! Rocky
ReplyDeleteFor Laurie, yes, we will actually be own there for a few days, mostly just as a break so the weather won't be able to thwart all of our plans in just a few days of fog, etc. We'll be in L.A. from the 23rd to the 25th. Have fun in Tucson!
ReplyDelete