Thought I was in Trouble

This month I thought I wasn't going to make it on my good deeds, but I can say that I'm successful without even trying.

First deed may not really count because I am the one to receive it, but it was in the spirit of it so I get to count it because I'm the judge of this thing anyway.  I had called my friend freaking out, as I usually do, over work and left a panicked message. I then snidely told her to get back to me ASAP. It is a joke between us because I constantly call her and it takes a week or two for her to get back to me.  I didn't have a week this time and it drives me insane that she can't promptly get back to me.  So she called me back really late that day and left a message because I was working.  It was a rushed brain barf of a message and at the end of it she said really quickly, "You'll do great. I love you! Bye."  I was really surprised (eyebrow lifting, pulled up short, surprised).  She and I aren't super close, and I usually say something totally inappropriate to her in personal emotional situations that we talk about. So we don't close our conversations with trite and casual phrases. Anyway I was really touched because she meant it.  It had totally slipped out of her mouth because she was talking so fast in a total distracted manner.  I didn't realize how much it meant to me because I had this funny voice in my head that said, "See someone besides Daniel would care if you were dead."  I told the voice to shut up because I already have a sick fascination with death and being prepared for it, so I didn't need to start dwelling on that. 

So yeah doing something good without the person knowing that is the theme of the month.  This one I truly didn't know I was doing anything great even as it was told to my face.  I was out with a buddy of my from church doing our Visiting Teaching.  We use this as an excuse to get together since our lives are so busy (I don't even know how or why we became friends since we have seen each other a handful of times, but hey we clicked).  Anyway for once it got off the beaten track and we were laughing because she had said that her really good friend went to Paris and didn't even get her a crummy "My friend went to Paris and all I got was a T-shirt" shirt.  And she looked at me and I kept thinking, "Geez that person is a jerk" and I realize she was making fun of me and I didn't  even get it for a while, but then I  did I started to laugh (I don't do giving junk unless it speaks to me of that person).  Later on the conversation turned serious and she was telling someone that she didn't want her Visiting Teachers or her Visiting Teaching companion to change because that has been the biggest help in her life right now.  I knew who her teachers were, but for the life of me I couldn't think who her companion was and I was kind of jealous. And then it totally dawned on me she was talking about me.  I busted laughing because I didn't see myself that way.  I saw myself as her friend, and I am always the one that is just a friend and not "the life saving friend."  She looked at me, and I explained that I was trying to figure out who her companion was until it finally hit me. She thought I was the biggest ditz, but I must have been having a rough night not to be putting two an two together.

Onto Italy

Florence is one of the most happiest beautiful cities I've been to.  Since I was there in the gray and rain I can really say that.  I have wanted to come here since my senior year in high school where I learned about Michelangelo's Unbreakables and saw "A Room With A View"

Started trip off with Gelato

We got Florence by taking the night train. Daniel loves using the train to get around.  We got a sleeper car with four other people, and we picked up some really loud obnoxious teenagers that were loud and we had to yell at three times before they calmed down.  Daniel still likes to go by train because they are so fast and different.   Once in Florence we found our bed and breakfast out in the suburbs (we got to see the same local old men stand outside and argue about the same things near every morning, but when it rained).  First stop, food, and then I wanted to see the Duamo and the baptistery.



The Duamo, yes I'm in the picture, but the building dwarfs me you can barely see me even if I'm standing out in red.

The Dome

Dante Inferno





Going up the steps in the dome was so steep. It was one of the coolest, but harder hikes I've done. You climb at an angle it gets you to understand the earth is straight, but curved and you don't know it.  It is pretty trippy.



Having a nice sit with a view after our hike.



Going down



Baptistery

Gate of Paradise





We then tried to see the David it was closed on Monday, so we saw the replica of where the original stood.  We also got a layout of the city and walked every where.  The best part was eating at the cafes.  It was funny because all the places we ate were tourist traps and not good, but when we found some high rated sandwich shops we were in heaven.  Ham is different from Prosciutto and it is a big difference.  Just because I'm American doesn't mean that when I ask for Prosciutto I mean ham.

Daniel playing Assassin's Creed

We had to go back to the B&B because Daniel had a surprise for me.  We had walked so much that massive blisters had formed.  They were huge on both feet and took at least three bandaids to cover each one up.



The Next day we consentrated on seeing the David and the Unbreakables which are in a museum that they want you to buy prints so that you can't take your own pictures.  Even though it is to scale in the square the replica doesn't do it justice, but at the same time I think it is not shown to it's advantage in the square while the museum makes it magnificent. We also found a new sculpturest, Lorenzo Bartonlini, it was amazing just to see his castings (none of his actual works are in Florence, but mostly in France). My favorite is the The Inconsolable which is on a grave in Pisa. We then went to the Uffazi and saw the Birth of Venus which I liked before, but was really great with scale and in person.



Michelangelo's Grave 

Santa Croce

The courtyard of the De Medici chapel and Donatello's grave.

UNDER A LOGGIA

That is the title of one of the chapters in a Room With a View.  We always seemed to end up here sitting, enjoying the sculptures and people watch.  It was gorgeous at night, so we decided to get pictures of Florence at night.





An Obelisk for you Christine! Right in front of Santa Maria cathedral.

The Gold Market on the Arno

 

I loved that random street corners would have frescos out in the
open.










My new favorite thing to do is cooking classes in foreign countries. Daniel and I learned how to make a killer Tiramisu and fresh pasta. 

We took ourselves home by way of Milan, dirty little city--meh, so that we could get first class.  It was awesome because we got the flat beds.  Now that is the way to travel!

Belated Valentine's Dinner

What great food looks like.

What great food is.

I got this wild idea in my head in January that I wanted great food.  Paris kept popping into my head and I was trying to find a way to convice Daniel that this would be a great idea. I finally found the pitch.  Paris for a Valentine's dinner. I usually get a smile on my face that is hard for Daniel to resist and I ask him for something I know he isn't going to like.  Telling him he would only have to leave work early on Friday and could be back by Monday for school and work seemed to be the right angle.  He was pretty easy to convince which proably means he was on board from the get go.  I kept trying to work my schedule out, but it wasn't working out and kept being shoved into our Spring Break. Daniel said it would be just cheaper if we combined the two.

For Spring Break I told Daniel I was tired of waiting for him to get out of school so I could do Italy and for my 30th/midish life crisis I wanted to go to Florence and see the Unbreakables by Michaelgeo.  These are unfinished works by Michaelgeo in the same museum as the David.

On Friday we got off work and boarded the flight to Paris. I was a sweet wife and gave first class to Daniel since he had a hurt back and I thought he would sleep. Instead he just enjoyed himself which was okay because I didn't sleep either.  We arrived super early into Paris and set out for our hotel. Once we got settled I then set about taking Daniel around the city.  He had taken a history class so he knew some things, but not as much as what poured out of my head.  I think he really enjoyed having breakfest near the Seine while I explained how the city was set up and where things where and how they fit into history. It was so cold that weekend we drank drinking chocolate every chance we could.  I get seriously addicted to that stuff.

I wanted to take Daniel to some really tourist spots and then to some less tourist spots.  Our first stop was St. Chapelle, less touristy, but way better than most cathedrals.  I've wanted to go there since my first time to Paris, but always have to go to Notre Dame because that is where everyone wants to go.  This cathedral is as amazing as it was described to me. It was built to house a relic (the crown of thorns? It's now in Nortre Dame).  I could 't  believe the stain glass windows. I was really cool because we got to see the restoration, so one side was an amazing brilliance of light and the other was a dingy color.

We next walked over to see Notre Dame (more touristy).  We sat through the beginning of mass, mostly because we were tired and frozen even though the church was cold as well. I think Daniel was impressed by the size, but not much else.  We donated money for a candle which ended up being a rip off because we could have done it cheaper in Florence, but hey I helped keep Notre Dame up with my donation and Daniel got to light a candle (I think he wanted to just play with the fire)

After Notre Dame we were too frozen and had to go back to our hotel and sleep off the jet lag and warm up.  By then we were too lazy to go back out and found an awesome local restaurant to eat our dinner at (see steak picture).  I had the steak and Daniel had what he called glorified funeral potatoes, but he did say they were the best he had ever had.

 

Our last day in Paris we ran around a bunch of places.  We went to the Arch de Triomphe and  got our obligatory Asian photo.  This means that Daniel has seen too many Asians and there crazy picture taking that he has to mimic them with their peace signs. This one actually turned out pretty good, but then so did our Thailand Asian photos; maybe they have something going.

 

We then made a quick stop to Rodin museum gift shop because I wanted statue that I still think about to this day (I got a book, but that's hard to display and grasp the concept)  Of course I knew it was expensive, but I didn't realize that it was $500, so I still get to dream about this statute. I was surprised at how moved Daniel was by it. I had shown him the pictures, but he was moved by the statute and I can't imagine what he would be like see the huge sculpture. 

 

Next door was the Armory and Napoleon's grave.  This was one cool place.  The French either keep EVERYTHING or steal it from others because the had an amazing about of armor and WWI and WWII paraphilia. After we went into Napoleon's chapel/grave and it was ornate! His grave is elevated so that you have look upward toward it and the you can walk around it from above so your head is bowed down to him. Therefore establishing proper respect for him even though he is dead.  He was definitely prideful.  He also was 5'7, so he was not small, but of normal height and rather tall for his day. After we visited there I dragged Daniel to a tea shop  before our train left. It was in the square where Victor Hugo's house was.  This was the coolest find.  The square was totally happening and all the locals were in the park and cafes enjoying their afternoon. It had such a relaxing, truly French energy to it. It was such a great find.  We then made our way down to the train station and took the night train to Florence.