Back in May, Karen and I plucked ourselves from our daily routines and took a three week vacation to Europe. Neither of us had been there, but we’ve certainly heard of its reputation for two things: lots of history… and lots of theft. Many of you have expressed the desire to see our pictures before your grand-kids are born, so let me just take you through our journey through select pictures.
The trip didn’t sink in until we hopped on the Northwest plane and realized we were finally going to take a step in the European soil! The plane definitely had an upgrade in the multimedia system since the last time I rode it.
40+ Movie on demand! This includes Blockbuster movies, Disney movies to quiet those noisy brats, and games including trivia that you can play with other people on the plane! Wow. The ability to pause the movie when the rude pilot interrupted us or when food came was priceless. The geek in me noticed it was a linux system with each screen as a different console, so perhaps there’s some market opportunity for Microsoft here.. Oops, back to our story.
Our connecting flight was in Netherlands, and everything felt like an American airport, aside from the language, until we noticed airport security dressed in green camouflage suits and carried semi-automatic weapons suspiciously resembling the AK-47s. Yeah. I was glad I wrote my will before I left town.
When it came to nature calls, Netherland airport took the cake. As I walked in, soothing ambient music filled the air, and I was surrounded by a gorgeous view of the city… wallpaper. I must give credit where credit is due, as their urinal design is a piece of excellent engineering. The contemporary design of this stall is elegant, and yet the ergonomics of the design provide more splash resistance. Talk about raising the bar.
Now with one panoramic view across all the walls, the entire experience felt eerily like doing a #1 onto someone’s roof, but there was something mysteriously soothing about taking care of nature… in nature. (Jeffrey should know, after that “Ferry” incident. 😀 )
Upon arriving in Rome, Italy, we decided to take the Leonardo Express, a train that connected the airport with the city. Wow, a city that succeeded in building aiport connection rails. I was definitely not in Seattle any more.
Then we took a walk through a good portion of the city and finally found the first place we’re staying, Il Rosario. A convent.
After a short nap for the jet lag, the night had descended and hunger had struck, so we randomly picked a place to dine. One thing I have to say… don’t take American service for granted. The Italian waiter was slow and unresponsive beyond belief! The worst Chinese restaurants in America seemed like Red Robins to this place when it comes to service.
After what seemed like an eternity, we got our orders, a tuna pasta…
and some Italian pizza…
Don’t be fooled by my photography. We were slightly disappointed, as the quality of this food was easily exceeded by Karen’s own cooking, thanks to her private tutor, Giada de Laurentiis on the Food Network. Maybe we hyped ourselves up too much for authentic Italian food, but this stuff was certainly… edible.
After that we headed back to the convent.
Our room was institutional and smaller than those found in most American hotels, but it was immaculate and came with a private bathroom. After Karen took a shower, we realized a design flaw…
The place had nothing for water containment, and the shower drain, partially blocked by the mat, was also partially cluttered. The result…
No, those weren’t shiny tiles. The reflection stemmed from the deluge that escaped the confinement of the bathroom and ventured through the doorcrack into our bedroom. I certainly wasn’t expecting to role-play a hotel maid on our first night in Italy.
After taking care of the floor, I opened my bag and … OH NO! We forgot to bring a critical item, the item so crucial that it would decimate the fabrics of our vacation. Which item was this? And how did we rectify this situation? Find out next time… on my blog. 😛
I was transfixed by the play-by-play narrative, excellent photography and visions of you roleplaying a hotel maid (ahhhhhhh, seared into my brain!!! Make it go away!)
Can’t wait for the next installment!
did anyone see you take a picture of the urinal?
There was a fair stream of traffic, so I decided to forgo the tripod. Instead, I walked in, pretended to utilize the facilities, then nonchalantly picked up my camera, snapped, and made a prompt exit. It was certainly awkward to compose photography in one of the most sacred locations in Europe…
yeh i don’t know what i think about those wet showers… i need some things in the bathroom to stay dry… floor would be nice. nice pics so far…sorry the food wasn’t good. bummer… well so far…i guess we’ll see :).