Reenie's Ramblings

When we were packing for our trip to Rome... I had to decide what kind of shoes to take for the extensive amount of walking we would be doing.  I started walking here at home to test out different shoes to help me decide.  I ended up taking 3 pairs of shoes on my trip.  Before I review each of them, you should know that I am a flip flop girl at heart.... I would wear them year round if we didn't get snow! JEEP J-41-Barefoot Design The first pair I got for the trip were J-41, Barefoot Design... these were actually purchased for me from a friend who got them at Costco!  I walked every day in these for 3 weeks and LOVED them!  They are absolutely perfect for longs walks.... This is a photo of them in the Vatican.  They were the PERFECT shoes for this tour!  Anytime I walked on something smooth or even these were the shoes to wear.   But, in the evening we went on a Roman night walking tour and these are a no go for this!  The ground is very uneven and my feet were killing m

Orvieto- you have captured my heart.. commanded my attention and will call to me for another visit!  This day begins in the morning at the Termini Station where we catch the train and ride for over an hour to a small hill town called Orvieto.  We passed some beautiful countryside on the way and I attempted to take pictures but between the glass and speed of the train, I wasnt very successful. When you arrive in Orvieto, the way to get up to the town is to take a funicolare... this cost 1.80 Euro each. Its a small trainlike machine that slowly climbs the Cliffside. Once you reach the top and are on the main street of Orvieto... you can walk to your left and enter a fortress that was commissioned by a Pope and climb to the walls to get great views of the newer town below and outlying farms.  This day is very cold and windy so the pictures don't do this place justice... just breathtaking the view from up here!  There is also a monastery below where on a clear day, you can hear

We enjoy the opportunity to sleep in today... no tours booked just a free day to explore wherever we want.  We head towards to Roman Forum and are excited to see that the main street is blocked off so there is no traffic today... there are street performers, musicians all over.. Its a sunny, peaceful day although there seem to be even more people out and about than on previous days.  We enjoy looking a little closer at some of the monuments and structures we were only able to see far away before.  Here is one of them: This is where the markets were held.  Loved this area.  From here we strolled towards Piazza Navona... We also returned to Campo De Fiori and discovered a full fledged market!  We got a picture of the oldest floral market... its been there in this exact spot since 1367! Beautiful and unique arrangements... you could buy a bouquet of chilli peppers if you wanted... love this.  The whol Square was filled with locals shopping for pastas, flowers, coffee accessories.. and

This day we sleep in a bit since we don't have to meet our tour until 10 am.  This is a much anticipated tour as its the Food Lovers Tour.... We head down to the Testaccio area and meet in front of a cheese and wine shop where we wait for the rest of the tour group to arrive.  Sitting there, we realize we are near a caffe and I decide to get a Caffe Latte.... Delicious! Our first stop on this tour is for Tiramisu cups and a crossiant.... drizzled with a sweet glaze, these delectable bites of bliss are a GREAT way to start the day!  We then walk a few shops down to a gourmet market that sells truffles for 398 EURO/ kg....  they have unique and specialty items here... we enjoy a sample of 2 kinds of cheese and 2 kinds of meat. We then head to a pizza place where we try the traditional Margherita Pizza... and meet the owner of the shop and the baker. The baker (pictured below) couldn't speak English but loved sharing his food with us and hearing our enthusiasm!  A sweet m

I wake up this day at 3 am starving and ready to go!  My husband is still quite tired so I force myself to lay back down and pretend to sleep for a few more hours.... I lay there thinking "Im here!  Im in Italy!" and the excitement is too much, so I get up again after a few hours of very light sleep and start getting ready for the day and reading maps of the area. When my husband is awake,  we get ready to catch the metro to our Vatican City tour.  Here I must interject how the metro is quite dirty, it was a little bit to take the first time but its easy to forgive because their system is so effective and simple to use.... we are grateful for it. We meet up with out tour Guide Francesca who is a fun and very expressive Italian... I fell in love with her instantly. Its hard to know what to say about St Peters Basillica.... or the Sistine Chapel, other than it takes our breath away the beauty of the art, statues, paintings, gardens.... its too much to take in or even wri

Its hard to believe its here... a day we planned over a year for!  And yet, as we file off of the plane after giving what felt like a year of my life to it.... we step onto Italian soil and the adventure begins. Sleepy but excited we head to our hotel to check in but it is too early, so we leave our bags and walk to a place for lunch. After we eat at this cute place, we walk to a Tabacchi shop and buy a metro pass.  This is the first place we have encountered no English, but we only have to say "metro pass" and she is able to show us with hand gestures our choice of a 3 day, 5 day or 7 day. Now armed with our metro passes, we head to use the metro for the first time.  This was an intimidating thought for me but it is actually quite simple.  There are 2 lines that run through Rome.  Line A (red) and Line B (blue).  Line A goes to Vatican, and Testaccio Market and more. (there are maps everywhere for purchase or free at hotels)  Line B included Coliseum and attractions t

Well, at least I love what I KNOW about it!  I love the paintings of Italian cafes and countryside. I love Italian food!  I love the architecture. I love Italian blend coffees... I love what I've learned about Italian culture. And...... I am about to go there in 2 days.  I will find out if I love the country as much in "person" as I have through pictures and books.  I feel like I am finally able to meet someone face to face whom I've grown to love from afar! There is this sense of excitement mingled with anticipation and a touch of fear! I love Italy so far.... will I still love her after I've officially met her? We shall see!  I am fairly confident I will! Stay tuned........

Somedays, us moms feel this way.  I finally realized that I only feel this way when I see other mothers who are so much "better" than me! The funny thing is, we can always find someone who does something better than us. For example... I am not the mom who does painting projects with my kiddos.... I am not good at these because I cant stand the mess, so I hover and bark orders and suck allll the fun out of the project... so I avoid them completely.  Usually I am fine with this part of myself... until I am on facebook and see moms doing fun glittery projects, artsy crafty things with their kids and the kids are loving it!  I think to myself " whats wrong with me!?" This is just one tiny example of feeling inadequate because of what others are doing...There are many other areas I have beaten myself up over when it comes to raising children.  I recently read an article about how we should compliment other moms on a job well done.... we don't know their inse