Day 289: October 16 - Too close for comfort

Hailey started going crazy and there was a weird static noise that was really loud. I look out the window and this hot air balloon seriously looked like it was going to land on top of us. Hailey was beside herself... We were only a little concerned.

Day 291: October 18 - the blur

I got back into treadmill training, which meant hailey got on with me. After 30 minutes she was still excited to go. The treadmill is seriously the best investment ever.

Day 290: October 17 - holiday overload

I love the Christmas holiday, I really do. But michaels was already on Christmas overkill. I literally had to walk over and shut off some dumb holiday carousel that wouldn't shut up.

Day 288: October 15- cute hailey bug

Sometimes the cuteness is just too much.

Day 287: October 14 - beautiful

Remi and I had a great view on the way back to napa. It was amazing... This photo doesn't do it justice.

Day 286: October 13 - productive writer

Thursdays are my productive day at work. I Was super write girl this day. I love being able to get ahead! There is nothing worse than desperately trying to come up with something to write.

Day 285: October 12: Mold central

While I was away on vacation, the pig-hair carpet at my desk (no kidding, the stuff really is made out of pig hair) decided to grow some mold. Lots and lots of it, between the plastic mat that my chair rolls around on, and the "carpet."
To  my boss's credit, the second I showed it to him, he sprung into action and by the time I was back from my lunch break, someone had cut my carpet out and bleached the area.
Today, however, I have been shunned to the back corner of the newsroom. How long do we think till they let me return?

Day 284: October 11: Tomatoes still going strong

Everyone complained when the tomatoes were late to come in this year, but no one is complaining now that we still have a plentiful amount of them into October! These came out of the secret tomato plant at the Register today. Still loving harvest.

Day 283: October 10: Cold medicine and nose crack

While in Italy, I contracted some sort of awesome european cold. That meant Cindy and I had to go on a mission for Italian medicine. Of course, the woman at the Farmacia only spoke Italian, so the best I could communicate was that nose spray might help. She gave me what I can only describe as the STRONGEST stuff on the planet. It cleared me up (and made me cry) quite quickly. Once, home, I stuck to the normal Target cough syrup. I'm sure the Italian version would have knocked me out for good.

Day 282: October 9 - All these people?

Allll these people were getting on our plane to come home from Europe. Literally more than 500 of them. I wish I had taken pictures of how incredibly packed the plane was. It was nuts. Instead, I took pictures of the line, that literally went through the entire length of the terminal.

October 8: Venice, Italy

Our last day... Shame shame.

Genius moves of the day: figuring out we could leave our luggage at the bus station. (and them taking a picture of it in case they lost it)




Today was a lot of seeing all the details of Venice we had missed on day one. You know what we had missed that day? The crowds! They were insane! Thanks, though, to our trusty Rick steeves guide, we did ok.






We ate more pizza...




And finally something green..




I oodled this really cute lingerie till I saw the £495 price tag. Ouch!





We hit the doges palace, watched the clock tower and the pigeons...









And looked at done artsy and churchy stuff :-)









That painting above is the biggest oil painting in the entire world.




I dig the above floor pattern. It made me dizzy, though, for sure.

We had waited our whole trip to drink grappa. Stupidly, we thought it tasted super sweet, like a dessert wine. Not true at all! It taste likes fire water! My toes are still tingling!



Cindy was apparently really hungry at dinner..

October 7- Verona, Italy

Today was all about rain and trains. We got our tired, hungover booties off the boat (docked in Venice) by noon and navigated our way through Italy's rail system to Verona, home of Romeo and Juliette's story.

It was POURING when we left Venice. Like pouring and an insane wind storm

Of course, we accidental got off our train one stop early and got caught in the same storm 300 miles away.





Once finally in Verona, there was an ancient stadium to see (third biggest in the Roman world, and they still have concerts there).



Then we caught up with Juliette's house...



Legend of the locks is that lovers write on them and then throw away the key...



Lots and lots of graffiti but this time I thought it was pretty cool.



We chose to not walk up the 750 stair steps to see the city view. We were quite content with the elevator ride.


The churches are still amazing and churchy.





And finally we made our way 'home' to the boat.

September 30, Venice, Italy.

Trip is going very well. Smooth sailing except that when we got into Venice, we had to check into the B&B by 8 pm , flight was a little delayed so we didn't get in until like seven so we were scrambling. Of course we had no map, or our bearing, so it was a bit frantic.

The good news: Cindy and I didn't kill each other. The great news Is that she had cell service for thirty seconds, which was enough to tell the guy at the place that we were frantically trying to find him.

After checking in to the smallest room ever, we ventured out to eat what was possibly the best spaghetti either of us has ever had.

Sorry, no
Pictures because I was totally lame. All these people were on our flight, though.




It was a FULL flight.

October 5: Dubrovnik, Croatia

The entire old city of Dubrovnik is surrounded by a 1.5 mile wall that you can walk (picture the great wall of china, but smaller, and more like you are walking around a castle).

We walked it... As well as the million stairs. It was a beautiful day, but we were definitely huffing and puffing in the sun.



Those are the start of the stairs in the middle.

The view was definitely worth it...






Lots of sweat meant we needed lots of the local brew.



They also had the best bathroom we have seen so far...



Some day, someone will also have to explain to me why everyone seems to be wearing hammer pants!

October 4: Bari, Italy

We had zero expectations for this city, but it ended up surprising us.

I had been very bummed we wouldn't be seeing Naples on this trip, but it turns out that Old Town Bari more than satisfied my appetite for some super authentic Italy action.



Every little door to a home had a lace curtain.



We saw lots of cool buildings...






Someone will have to explain to me some day why painting ceilings is the "thing"...



The inside brickwork is also amazing.



Finally got some Italian beer in our bellies,



As well as some amazing ravioli and lasagna.



Cindy is also an amazing navigator :-)









Oh.. And it turns out we don't "get" most modern art. This one was cool though:



We also secretly may have gone clothes shopping :-)