February Break: Italia

Nikki and Tina's February 2010 Vaca in Italy

...........................
Florence
...........................

Nikki and I had a great time in Florence for the first part of our February break. Great city! Perfect size -- very walkable, no public transport needed to get around, yet still big enough and full of fun things to do! We lucked out on weather the first couple days and saw the sights! Had a few really nice dinners out at some great Italian restaurants, enjoyed trips to the grocery store for lunchtime picnics. Stayed in 2 nice/inexpensive hotels, for 2 nights each. Made a game of pointing out the " 'mericns" (the city is apparently the latest hot spot for all Americans to travel to/study in. They--well, *we* I guess--were everywhere.)

My eyes are burning! Morning walk to a park with a great view of the city. (Duomo, the huge cathedral is in the background.)

The girls on the Ponte Vecchio.

Playing at the park by the egg-like statue. Bet you didn't know about my secret life as a ballerina.

Posing with Adam and Eve at the park. Decided to keep my clothes on, though.

Discovering various Italian *delicacies* at the indoor market. The butcher was kind enough to educate us on the various cow parts he sold, and who (what people groups, typically) buy which sections and what they use them for. Tendons, nerves, brains, faces (with whiskers still in place), the 4 different cow stomachs sorted by type, intestines, etc... yum. The photo is a partially-cooked nose, and some intestines (I think...your guess is as good as mine).

Noting the architecture near the Ponte Vecchio, along the river. Cool apartments. Sort of remind me of the buildings in Amsterdam.

Capturing the moment near the Ponte Vecchio.


Enjoying the park (and each other's company) after our picnic.

We weren't the only ones soaking up the sunshine in the park :)

Locks on the gate on the Ponte Vecchio. Pretty sure it's illegal to attach a lock, considering the cops that are constantly parked on the bridge watching...but brave soles still get away with leaving their mark.

Just another beautiful day in Florence. This is the view looking out from the Ponte Vecchio towards one of the other bridges.

The Duomo. Such an amazing building -- definitely doesn't feel like "just another big church in Europe." Going up into the dome was easily one of the most memorable parts of the trip. We didn't realize you can go outside when you get to the top! What an amazing surprise to get the 360 degree view of the city -- and then watch the sunset from way up there!

The Duomo, again. Just to give you a better idea of the size. A little tough to see, but that's me standing in front of the door. Yep, pretty big, huh? And that's just part of it!


Meet David, my new crush (haha just kidding). He was very impressive. I didn't break the rules, strickly no photos, so this one's from the internet. Let me just tell you though, seeing David was definitely another highlight of Florence. Before going to the museum (which was built especially to house him), I didn't understand what the big deal was. I mean, there are marble statues all over Europe -- in parks, museums, everywhere. What's the big deal about some big, naked man? Here are just a couple quick points that set him FAR apart from any other: made from only one block of marble, made by Michelangelo (and when he was very young), not to mention that David is HUGE! I'm talking 17ft tall. Unlike seeing the Mona Lisa, for many people (*but not everyone*), when you're confronted with a *masterpiece* and think "umm huh? why is this little thing so famous?", seeing the David was an experience of: "Oh. Yeah. I totally get it."


...........................
Cinque Terre
...........................

We headed over to the west coast of Italy for the last few days of our trip, over to an area called Cinque Terre. Appropriately named, there are 5 tiny towns built right on the cliffs along the coast. I traveled to Cinque Terre in summer 2008 with my friends Mina and Stephanie (shout-out to my homies), and enjoyed the picturesque towns so much, Nikki (after hearing my continuous praise of the towns), was easily persuaded into going. Unfortunately, Cinque Terre is significantly more enjoyable in the summer when packed with tourists. In the winter weather (rain, rain, go away), it was, well, still pretty and picturesque, but most of the restaurants and cafés are closed... waa waa waa. There's a trail that you can hike between the towns (it's really cool), but part of it was closed for mudslide repair. Even so, we were able to explore the towns a bit with the train. And we enjoyed resting in our hotel room (thank goodness for books and tv, right?)

A few shots of the buildings in Riomaggiore, the small town we stayed in. (Same town as summer 2008)

Coucou :)

Overall, a very nice vacation. Tricky in February to find nice weather anywhere, so Italy was a pretty safe choice. Italian food lives up to it's reputation, and the espresso is significantly better than in France (not even a competition, there). It was good to get away for a bit as we DO love traveling and seeing new places, but also a good reminder of how much we appreciate being able to have a home (in France) where we can cook what we want -- and also where we (for the most part) understand and can communicate!! :) Thanks for checking in! Ciao!

Bro and Sis in Hyeres

Dear Mom and Dad,

With love from the offspring.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I wanted to write you a letter showing you what your favorite son and daughter were up to in January immediately following our Epic Pulliam Family Vaca Christmas 2009 A Christmas To Remember. And so, here it is.

Mark and I had a great time together when he came to visit in January. We didn't even fight or argue. I guess you could say we've come a long way since high school. It's a shame you two had to fly back home to Seattle because Mark and I had some fabulous adventures without you. We even had some sunshine in the south, unlike when you both visited (unfortunately).

Here's Mark, having a lovely time on our adventure down to Tour Fondue. It's a quick bus-ride away from where I live, still in my city, but down on the peninsula sort-of-bit. In fact, all of the photos I've included are from that afternoon when we explored the walking trails along the coastline.

Here's a shot I took of one of the many little beaches we explored. Doesn't it look nice?

Here's Mark, demonstrating his super powers and flying through the air in order to save me from the evil seaweed monster.

And, of course, this is me, smiling because I am so thankful the evil seaweed monster didn't get me due to my big brother's heroic efforts.

And here's a photo showing you the beautiful water and the rusty peg where the ancient inhabitants would tie up their boats after their monthly Moon Harvest Celebration.

We took a slight detour to the planet Mars, where we found red clay dirt substances and no air to breathe. After we put the freshly-made flower pots and roofing tiles into our Planet Mars Mysterious Baking Oven, we decided it would be better to return to France where there is plenty of air, and continue our journey.

We discovered several more quaint little beach-cove-areas and thought about how delightful it will be for me to return in the springtime when the weather is even nicer.

And here we are, The Bro-and-Sis Dream Team, celebrating our victories of the afternoon together as siblings in the French Riviera.

I hope all is well at home. I assume Mark returned safely, and now you are both reaping the benefits of his superhero powers which he displayed while he was in Hyeres with me. I am feeling much better and am almost over that nasty cold I told you I was fighting last week and the week before. I'm looking forward to my upcoming trips(!) to Italy and Bordeaux with Nikki! We leave for Florence and Cinque Terre on Saturday!

And I also wanted to let you know that although January was a rough month for me, February is looking up so far. I've been back to the gym and going out for jogs - - today the weather was a bit warmer and VERY sunny! (Although a jacket was still definitely required.) Today, Nikki and I made homemade Peanut Butter Cups with chocolate and the Jif PB you guys brought over for me! They are fabulous.

And another quick update, I just wanted to let you know I've been having lots of fun with my friends (roommates and other assistants) recently. Last weekend, we went out and I met a group of (French) friends, and have since met up with them several times. They're actually MY age (woohoo!) and seem really cool, from what I can tell so far. ;) I'll keep you posted on other updates once I get back from vacation!

Lots of love,
Tina