To My Husband from Italy with Love

Unfortunately, the field of medicine doesn't leave my husband a lot of time for vacation. So, in an effort to share my upcoming travels with my beloved Dr. Science, I'll be blogging from Italy.

I really invited myself along on this trip, though I claim I am coming to my best friend's rescue. The plan was to save her from her boredom while her husband works in Europe. Almost as soon as the word "Italy" came out of her mouth, I began to dream of the quaint towns, the ancient ruins and the Renaissance art. With the husbands hard at work--one in the U.S. and one in Europe--I'll be spending eight days living "la dolce vita" in Italy.

To my husband:
Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere alone or talking to strange Italian men. I fully intend to make friends with nuns, learn Italian and improve my knowledge of European history so I can beat you in Trivial Pursuit. Yes, I will probably be getting my fill of Italian pasta, wine and gelato. But I will bring you back a taste, too. To sweeten the deal, I'll describe my adventures here.

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Those Gargoyles are Creepy

"This church is just creepy." That's what Kirk said as we walked up to Notre Dame in Paris. Its imposing stone structure is decorated with scary gargoyles staring down at you from every possible angle. Some are evil-looking dogs and birds. There's even a gragoyle eating what appears to be a lamb. Freaky. I can't imagine how creepy this church would be at night. You can get a great view of the most photographed gargoyle in Paris if you climb Notre Dame's tower. This gargoyle has his head in his hands as if he's bored from scaring away evil spirits for hundreds of years. The view from the Notre Dame tower is not as expansive as the view from the Eiffel Tower, but I think it's much more beautiful. Inside the church, it's gothic beautiful. Stained glass and high arches make it huge and impressive. It better be impressive, though. It took two centuries to build. Just down the street on the island in the middle of the Seine River known as...

Hanging out with the Beefeaters

The Tower of London features a moat, Beefeaters, suits of armour and an impressive collection of jewels. Today we checked virtually all the classic British icons off our list. Castle with moat? Check. Beefeaters? Check, check. Union Jack? Check. Knights of the round table? Check. Crown jewels? check. Double-decker buses? Check. Really old church? Check. Don't Mess with the Guards At the Tower of London, you can't miss the Yeoman Warder guards sporting their fancy coats and period costumes. The Beefeaters got their nickname because they once protected the King and the crown jewels. As a job perk, they ate a generous helping of the King's best beef. While some serve as hilarious tour guides, some simply help the tourists find the many displays and museums on the tower grounds. You also can't miss the motionless guards posted in strategic locations with their tall, fuzzy black hats. Our favorite was a young guard posted just outside the building that houses th...

Turkish Delight on a Moonlit Night

Turkish baklava, Turkish delights and pistachio and chocolate Turkish milk pudding were all delicious. The Hagia Sophia is even more majestic at night. Its great orange, glowing facade seems to rise high above the surrounding park where tourists and locals gather for a peaceful little seat with a view. Men pushing street carts were roasting chestnuts and corn-on-the-cob while the fountain's lights changed from green to pink and blue to purple. With our stomachs full of the Turkish delights and Turkish tea from the famous Hafiz Mustafa tea house, we strolled around the fountain between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. The moon was out and the buildings were dazzling. I could spend 1,001 nights in Istanbul taking in this view. Underground Istanbul But since we didn't have that kind of time, we had packed in some more interesting activities for the day. We took a slightly creepy stroll through an ancient underground water storage facility also known as t...

The Travelin' Redhead

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