Allison's New Playground: Rome

Tuesday, Dan & Allison took the grandparents to Rome. It was a day trip for Dan and Allison, whereas Papa and Gega spent the night. Allison did wonderful considering she caught an early morning train, went without a nap, and walked to all of the major sites without the help of a stroller.

Allison held Gega's hand most of the day, showing her the colorful fruit on display in Campo Dei Fiori, posing for great pictures in Piazza Navona, tossing good luck coins in Trevi Fountain, and skipping around the Coliseum. At the end of the busy day, Dan and Allison caught an evening train to get home to an eagerly awaiting Ethan, who missed his big sister...and dad.

Perugia & Assisi

Next we explored Perugia and Assisi. Perugia is the capital of Umbria, but make no mistake, by being so it hasn't shed its medieval hill town clothing. Sure, Umbria boasts frescoes from Raphael, awesome views of rolling green hills, and ornate facades, but the real reason we went there was for their world-renowned chocolate!






Just east of Perugia is Assisi, another beautiful hill town that is known for the Basilica di San Francesco. The basilica is amazing; unlike many others we've seen in Europe, this one has several levels, each more elaborate than the next, that make up this stunning complex of chambers illuminated by colorful stained glass and chapels adorned with frescoes. We knew Assisi would be special immediately when we entered the city via a gate in its original medieval wall and saw quaint streets and inviting alleys.






Unfortunately we woke up on Sunday morning to find Tuscany blanketed in snow. We decided to drive home early, but quickly questioned that decision when we got stuck in the snow on a rural road. Thankfully, Margaret's Italian convinced a nearby Italian to leave the warm comfort of his home to help us free the Odyssey. After much drama, we were on the Autostrade heading south.

Villa in Tuscany

After Orvieto we checked into our villa in Tuscany to unwind and get ready for the next day. Here are a few pictures of the villa and the incredible view from the top rooms...

Orvieto

Today we stopped in Orvieto, a small medieval hill town north of Rome. Unfortunately, it was December 26th (San Stefano), as significant a holiday as December 25th in Italy. Many of the shops and even the Duomo (church) were closed. Nevertheless, the nonni (grandparents) immediately fell in love with the quaint streets and amazing views - check out the picture of the castle below. After lunching at a cafe we continued the drive north, through Umbria nad into Tuscany!

Ravello on the Amalfi Coast

The elder Bleichers flew out from South Florida to visit us in Southern Italy for a couple of weeks. After touring Pompeii yesterday, we went for the easy home run by driving to Ravello. As you know from our previous trip to Ravello, it's a gorgeous town nestled high above the Mediterranean on the world-renowned Amalfi Coast.

"Papa" and "Geiga" were in heaven, walking hand-in-hand with Allison and Ethan along the cobblestone paths with breathtaking views. A colorful variety of giant paninis stuffed with fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced ham, basil leaves, and eggplant capped the day before taking the winding road down to reality, in this case, our apartment.

Sledding

Today we (Allison and Dan) took a quick 2-hour drive up to nearby ski resort Roccaraso to go sledding with our good friend Chris and his son Oliver (or "Olibur" as Allison would say). The drive was incredibly scenic, with quaint Italian villages and sweeping alpine landscapes. At the base of the mountain was a great little cafe, where we stopped and had pastries and hot chocolate (more like chocolate soup it was so thick).

Once we got up the mountain, Allison and I spent time making a gigantic snowman while Chris and Oliver sledded down the hills. After a great meal of fresh pasta and lasagna in the restaurant at the base of the lifts we had an epic snow ball fight. Needless to say, 10 minutes into the drive back home Allison was in a deep sleep.

Naples' Waterfront

This morning we headed down to the aquarium and waterfront in downtown Naples. By chance we found an impromptu market where local fishermen were coming ashore to sell their fresh catch. Along the 'sea theme' we headed to the local aquarium where we ironically paid a few euro to see many of the same fish in tanks that we had just seen at the market. Allison loved seeing the star fish, sea horses, and colorful fish in the aquarium. Ethan simply loved running around like a wild banshee.

As you can see it is a beautiful day today here in Napoli! The past several days have seen heavy storms which dropped rain in our neck of the woods, but snow in the surrounding mountains. It's very scenic driving around with snow capped mountains in the background, although the temperatures here are still in the 50's.

Prague

We just got back from a wonderful 4 days in Prague (Czech Republic). Many call Prague the "Paris of Eastern Europe" and we could not agree more; what an amazing city! Spared from the destruction of WWII, Prague is a beautiful example of what European cities looked like over the past several centuries: ornate buildings, winding cobblestone streets, medieval bridges, and breathtaking castles. Although the weather was cold, it was clear and sunny. We bundled up and drank plenty of hot chocolate and hot mulled wine, which only added to the wonderful holiday cheer.

We rented an apartment (so much easier than a hotel when traveling with kids!) steps away from Old Town Square and the renowned St. Charles Bridge. This time of year, Old Town Square is home to a huge Christmas Market. Kiosks bake delicious goodies such as Czech pastires, gingerbread, all kinds of roasted nuts, and lots of sausage and other roasted meats. Allison particularly loved the "spinning bread" called trdlo, a traditional sweet cinnamon-sugar roll. There were also gift items and handmade Czech crafts, as well as lots of things for the kids to do, such as a petting zoo, Czech dancing performances, an arts and crafts area, and a nightly puppet show.

We saw all the major sights in the city and were able to walk everywhere. Over our 3 full days, we went to the Jewish Quarter and saw some beautiful synagogues and the cemetary which has over 20,000 graves packed into a small parcel of land. We visited the Prague Castle with the St. Vitus Cathedral and its breathtaking stained glass windows. Several mornings, we made the surreal walk over the Charles Bridge. There was also the Loreto Palace, Wenceslas Square, and Old Town. On our last day, we took a horse-drawn carriage tour of the Old Town area with the kids, as a special treat. They loved it!

Here's a sampling of the pictures we took over our time in Prague...

To see more of our pics, click here: Prague Pictures

Prague House Signs

Dan's "new" car

A couple of weeks ago Dan bought a car. With the crazy driving conditions here in Naples, coupled with high gas prices, most people buy sub-compact cars. Here is a comparison of his new car versus his car in OKC:

	Infiniti G35	Nissan Micra
Horsepower	306 hp	75 hp
MPG	20 mpg	48 mpg
Sound system	Bose premium	no radio - just Dan humming
Tires	17 inch alloys	14 inch'ers baby!
Interior	Leather & African wood	uh, not so much

Here are some pictures: