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

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Going the Way of Paul in Ancient Ephesus

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The Travelin' Redhead

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