Back in touch with the CRAZY world we live in

We have internet! Yeah, finally! I will be working on the blog very soon! I can't believe it has taken 7 weeks! My internet service experience was not so glorious. I had to be home between 8 & 4. The tech showed up at 9 AM! Much to my suprise it wasn't 3 PM! We greeted one another with the simple hello's. Then, he started speaking and I thought this guy does not speak ANY English! Yep, was I right. So, I pointed him in the direction of the phone plugs etc. and he was happy at work for all of a couple minutes. Then he began to ask me questions, and much to my dismay I could not make out ANYTHING!!!! I didn't recognize any words that sounded even remotely similiar to English or my currently limited German vocabulary, to help give me a clue. So I called my dear friend Daniela, and she translated for me. He wanted to know where the phone box was....oh ok. GREAT! Where is it? Real cute! I have no idea!!!! So the fast thinker that I am, hahahaha, my neighbor has got to be home. He is an older gentleman, very nice and speaks English. Perfect! So I mingle on across the hall and ring the door bell. I could hear movement. This was a good sign. When he opened the door he greeted me in his pajamas with a bath robe wrapped around him. My heart sunk. I woke the poor guy up! I told him I needed some help, and he very graciously did so. We have a wonderful neighbor! That evening after work I stopped to get him a "present". You don't give a "gift" here, that is "posion". When I rang the bell he greeted me with a big smile when he saw the wine in my arms! Gosh, I hope the wine was good. Well then again, it was the thought that counts. I hope it didn't taste like posion!

Finishing blog from Rome

You might ask why we haven't finished the blog from our trip to Rome. Well, we are waiting for our Internet service. From what we understand you have to wait awile before they even set up a day to come out to the house. Yep, there is no "we will be there between 11 & 1". It is whenever they arrive on the date they give you. Brian put a request in about 3, going on 4 weeks to have it set up, and nothing yet. We were using our landlord's service until the end of the year. Long story short, I will have to finish updating the blog with pics from Christmas in the near future. All is well! We wish everyone a great 2009!

The day after Christmas

The day after Christmas we went to Pompeii and Sorrento. Our first stop was Pompeii. It is a really neat ruin that sits at the bottom of Mt. Vesuvius. Around 79 AD Mt. Vesuvius erupted and now more than 1900 years later there is still much of the city that remains buried. One of the most amazing things was how some of the people who did not escape before the ash and debris settled were preserved. Some are covering their noses and others are laying on their stomachs to escape the ash. Enough on the background, some pics are below..... The day was really windy and cold! Burr!

The original cobblestone streets.

And on to Sorrento we went. We drove along the coast with awesome views! Sorrento is beautiful. The town is very clean and is a tourist spot during the spring and summer months. We stopped along the way to take a pic.

Downtown on the water

Christmas Day

We spent Christmas Day in Rome. We went to the Papal Blessing in the morning and a tour of the city in the afternoon. Rome is a beautiful city!

Look at all the people!

Coliseum

Trevi Fountain

The Pantheon

Christmas Eve

After we left Pisa, we went to Rome. What a beautiful city! There is so much to see and do. We definitely didn't have enough time to see everything we wanted. Christmas Eve dinner was at an Italian (bet you couldn't have guessed that one) Restaurant. The food and wine were great! We were serenaded at dinner by 2 opera singers and piano music. After dinner we headed over to St. Peter's Square for Mid-Night Mass. Words cannot describe how awesome St. Peter's Square & the Basilica are. Pictures don't even get close to doing it justice.

Brian and I in St. Peter's Square

The Nativity Scene. This picture doesn't show beautiful it really is.

The 2 opera singers from dinner. The guy was singing right in my ear. Yep, my ear drums were ringing after wards. They both had beautiful voices.

The Basilica

Our Christmas

Brian and I went to Italy for Christmas! The trip was awesome! We visited Pisa, Florence, Rome, Sorrento &Pompeii. I think we need a vacation from our vacation! We definitely missed our family and friends during the holiday season. It just wasn't the same! View of the Swiss Alps on the way there.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Our first stop was at The Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was a very foggy morning, as you can see from the pics.