Category Archives: Grand European Tour

Sweet Rome, Italia: Supplementare Seconda Parte

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Last year Traveler Nell and I visited Europe starting in Rome. Before we had even left Lazio we had agreed that we had to return someday to the Eternal City. And so we are…only ten months later. Leading up to our return trip I am posting some of the things I love about Rome.

Numero Otto (8): Trenitalia

When Traveler Nell and I first planned to travel through Europe in 2012 I knew I wanted to travel as much as possible by train. As it turned out with the exception of Venice to Paris (which at $1,000 and 14 hours, was a little too pricey and long to justify) we were able to arrange for all our interstate and international travel by train.

Our first experience with Trenitalia was at the Termini Station in Rome. It was here we picked up our Roma Pass.

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Pizza an Arancini at Termini

Traveler Nell at Termini's Main Level

Traveler Nell at Termini’s Main Level

Espresso on the Roma Venezia Express

Espresso on the Roma Venezia Express

As an aside, the train we were on was so fast that when we would go through tunnels our ears would pop!

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View from the Rail Station in Venice.

 

 

 

Sweet Rome, Italia: Parte Finale

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Last year Traveler Nell and I visited Europe starting in Rome. Before we had even left Lazio we had agreed that we had to return someday to the Eternal City. And so we are…only ten months later. Leading up to our return trip I am posting some of the things I love about Rome.

Numero seis: Città del Vaticano

I don’t think I could do St. Peter’s justice trying to describe it, so I put this together.

Vatican City from Traveler Bill on Vimeo.

Double Decker Twice as Nice

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Last year Traveler Nell and I took a Grand European Tour, visiting some of the great Capitals of the continent. You can read all about is in her excellent blog at Jenelle.net.

I am posting a couple videos I took while there. This one is from when we rode around while in our last stop, London.

Double Decker Ride thru London from Traveler Bill on Vimeo.

Grand European Tour: Day 02 – Ruins, Religion and Restaurants PART III

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Good news everyone, I have again acquired access to upload photos. So let us resume where we left off.

Below is a candid of Traveler Nell exhibiting her odd fascination with ticket machines.

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We headed across town to see the Galleria Borghese.

The bus only took us so far.

Someone lost Patience with Fortitude.

A nice place to sit with you sweetie.

The museum.

But “NO PHOTOS ALLOWED!”

I still snuck a couple in anyway.

It was getting late so walking back to Domus we stopped for a bite to eat. The restaurant we planned to dine in was full up so instead we headed to a place down the street.

I had a prefixe meal of spaghetti and a steak.

It was beautiful, with a hint of bacon in the sauce.

The lemon really added to the flavor and created a kind of sauce to be sopped up.

Nell had the caprese and gave me her olives.

And gnocchi of course.

For dessert I had the tiramisu and a shot of espresso.

on the walk to the hotel we came across a rather pathetic junk shop.

In addition to the puzzles there was what appeared to be a dead parakeet.

Day III ends. Tomorrow…mass with a BIG WIG. Maybe the biggest.

Grand European Tour: Crummy News

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Bad news folks, it looks like my hope of regular updates has been dashed. Something hinky is going on with both my iPad and iPhone that is preventing me from accessing wifi.
As a result I am unable to upload any photos or text of any length.
It is also preventing me from downloading the latest episode of Community, so the bad news just keeps coming.
Once we get back to the US I’ll restart the posts but until then check out Traveler Nell’s site which has some up to date details.

Grand European Tour: Day 02 – Ruins, Religion and Restaurants PART II

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Blogsy was a little “pitchy” yesterday. Hopefully tonight the photos will upload seemlessly.

When last I wrote we were on our way to St. John Lateran’s Archbasilica. But visiting Rome is hungry work so once we arrived we stopped to eat at the nearest pizzeria, which turned out to be “King SNCC Di Ahmed H. & C.”; so real authentic. But Mark Bittman recently said in the NYTimes tha tRome abounds with good pizza so we gave it a try.

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Grand European Tour: Day 02 – Ruins, Religion and Restaurants

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Our second day in the ancient capital was action packed and activity filled. So after a nice “brekky” at Domus Australia we headed out full of lamingtons and Vegemite.

Walking to the train we came across what appeared to be a sadly delapitated church so we decided to stick our heads in for a quick look see.

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Grand European Tour – Coincidences of the Cross

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It was about a year and a half ago that Traveler Nell and I were married in a nuptial mass at my childhood parish of Church of the Holy Spirit in East Greenbush, NY. Above the altar at that church is a very distinctive crucifix, with a very Greek Orthodox feeling.

Below is a more detailed photo from Holy Spirit’s website.

Well, here we are 4,000 miles away staying at Domus Australia in Rome Italy and would you look at the crucifix that is in our room.

I was floored. Turns out this is what is called a San Damiano Cross and it has a great deal of significance to the Franciscans.

As an aside here is a panorama of the Chapel of St. Peter Chanel here in Domus Australia. Traveler Nell’s post will have more detailed photos when it goes up, until then enjoy this and the enhanced version you can see online here.

I hope to have Day 02′s post up tomorrow. I would do it tonight but we have to get up early to go to mass…

At Saint Peter’s Basilica…

In an ordination mass being celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this blog post incorrectly identified the chapel in Domus Australia as St. John Chanel.

GRAND EUROPEAN TOUR – Day 00

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On the road! Traveler Nell and me in the limousine to Idlewild Airport.

After checking our luggage we stopped by Señor Valdez’s cafe for a quick beverage until we noticed…

The incredibly long lines at security. Traveler Nell’s Qantas status means zero outside that small world, even in the bosom of the OneWorld Alliance.

But it did get us into the Admiral’s Club for Gates 31-40. Here we enjoyed a quick bite to eat and four (combined) complimentary beverages.

I had a ginger ale. In Nell’s spent Shirley Temple glass.

I started with a plate of crudités with a piquant ranch dressing.
Accompanied by an almost not stale generic brand party mix.

Please notice the entirely un-derivative marine cracker.

For our main we selected the pizza, which was generously described as being “baked to order.”
It was definitely more DiGiorno than delivery but it hit the spot. On the Traggis Scale of Restaurant Reviewery, the American Airlines Admirals Lounge for Gates 31-40 of JFK Airport receives One Traggi.
Well, we finally made it to the day we’ve be waiting for since late 2010. We are going on an amazing trip across western Europe with stops in Rome, Venice, Paris, Normandy and London. There will be plenty of amazing tales to come no doubt.