05.31.08

Ticket Home

Taken in the airport in Newark, New Jersey during my (very wet and rainy!) layover.

05.30.08

This is what Kelley looks like when it’s raining and we’re supposed to be riding bikes but are eating Italian food instead

This is what Kelley looks like when she’s laughing. This is my favorite Kelley face. Her eyes get all squinty and she is really smiling. This is not a fake smile.

This is what Kelley looks like right NOW as she sees all of these pictures of herself on the interwebs. (P.S. be afraid, be very afraid.)

This is how I feel about the “I’m going to kick yer butt” face in the previous shot. (P.S. Neener Neener)

Note: All pictures of Kelley SOOC. Picture of me taken by Kelley and edited for color.
Note2: It was raining HARD and we really were riding bicycles and had to take a two hour break to wait for the rain to pass.
Note3: You can rent bikes to ride in Geneva for FREE for four hours. THAT ROCKS!
Note4: Picture of me taken the previous evening while eating Fondue. Which I supposed makes it the Fish Face Fondue Photo.

05.29.08

Chateau de Chillon

If you EVER get to Switzerland and are near Geneva, it is worth the drive to Montreux to take a tour of the Castle of Chillon. The place is so very fabulously cool. Try to be the last ones out and it’s even cooler to walk through it while it’s totally quiet.

If you didn’t follow the link above, The Castle dates from the 13th century and is built on a rock about 20 feet from the shoreline of Lake Geneva. So basically, it’s built on a rock island just a wee bit out away from the shoreline. Taking the audioguide tour is worth the 6CHF it costs. No matter what, though, it is just awe inspiring to walk through the place. To see Byron’s name carved into a post in the cellar/dungeon area. To see the different “layers” of the castle as the keep was built up higher and higher over about 150 years. It’s like walking into your history book and discovering the history is actually INTERESTING for a change.

05.28.08

Another from the Archaeological Museum in Naples

Note: I don’t really have a picture from today. We flew back to Switzerland and then spent a day just hanging out together doing absolutely nothing. So unless you want a picture of Fud playing Guitar Hero?

Speaking of Fud, she took this. She rocks!

05.27.08

Hot Bath

You do not even know how long I had to wait to get this shot without a people in it. And if you look, you can see that someone in a striped shirt was still in it in the lower left hand corner.

Anyway, this is Pompeii’s Forum Baths — the hot bath room.

Have I ever told you people that I took Latin in High School? While other people were taking useful languages like French and Spanish, I was sitting in Latin with five other people suffering through the WORST teacher ever. Needless to say, I didn’t learn much Latin.

However, I DID learn a lot about Roman culture. And the baths were always a bit of a mystery to me. In my head they were a mixture of turkish bath and harem. So it was really interesting to actually be IN one and see the cold bath and the hot bath and the pool and the warming room.

We spent this day practically FRYING as we walked the streets of Pompeii. And when you think Pompeii, you might think “oh, quaint, tiny little town” but I want to say here and now, there is nothing tiny about Pompeii. We spent three hours there and didn’t see 1/10th of the place, I’m sure. There are 12 acres open to the public. I believe that total there is something like 44 acres excavated with more still to be dug up. Not 100% sure of those facts.

Needless to say, the place is HUGE. And AMAZING. Seriously amazing.

Getting to see Pompeii was one of the main reasons we decided to travel to Naples. Naples is not known for being safe, to put it mildly. But we had limited choices due to weather (we wanted to go somewhere sunny and the rest of Europe was rainy) and airfare choices (we are cheap). As far as a city goes, Naples is DIRTY and kind of SCARY and very LOUD. I’m not sure I’m a big fan of all things Italian. Switzerland is much better. Cleaner. Calmer. More civilized.

I really like Switzerland. And spending time in Italy solidified that. But there is so much to see in Italy that it was definitely worth the visit. I could NEVER ever ever live there, though. I would go completely insane in less than a month.

05.26.08

Five Seven Dancing Girls of Herculaneum

Oh.

Hi.

I am back now.

And will attempt to catch up here in the next few days. It’s really hard to pick ONE picture from each day. After I get them all edited, I’ll put them into a slideshow and those of you who care (read: mom, Fud, and possibly Billy) can go look at your leisure.

Anyway.
Today we visited the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli which houses many of the artifacts from both Pompeii and Herculaneum, cities destroyed in the 79 A.D. eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

What? Yesterday we were in Switzerland? Oh. That’s right. We were. Well, today we’re in Naples, Italy. Which apparently, is the birthplace of the Mob. Yes. That mob. Lots of ugly history in Naples. But it was totally fun to visit. More about that later.

For now, enjoy the newest additions to the bronze statues….

05.25.08

Cocoa Beans — The first stage of the world’s most beautiful food: Chocolate

Note: Kelley’s hands letting the roasted beans fall back into the bean bag (ha!) at the Callier Chocolate Factory. The place is now my official favorite location due simply to the fact that at the end of the tour they take you into a room full of FREE CHOCOLATE SAMPLES. People! The room should be paved with gold and ringed with angels singing “Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!” and there should be dancing and some sort of twinkle lights.

as it is, it’s just a dark room with chocolate under strategically placed lights. But the rest of it might as well have been there because I saw it that way in my head the minute the tables upon tables of chocolate appeared in front of me.

Sooc, I’m check the edits when I get home.

05.24.08

Kelley Takes the Train

Note: My first ride on a train EVER. I am ignorant and sheltered American.

Sooc — I’ll double check edits when I get back home.

05.23.08

Church in Vieux Bourg, St. Prex, Switzerland

The internet, it is an amazing thing. I am blogging to you today from what is 1/3 of the way around the globe from my home state of Arizona. Seriously weird.

Anyway, Fud and I took a walk through the Old Town (vieux bourg) of the small village where she lives in Switzerland. It is more than a little charming down there. I took 63 pictures which Fud seemed to feel was Not Enough. I’m sure I will more than make up for it once the jet lag has completely worn off. It is also my goal that by the end of my week here, Kelley will understand how to run the basics of my camera. Because the teacher in me will not die, even on vacation!
According to some random website found via google, St. Prex was built along the lakefront of Lake Geneva in 1234 by the Archbishop of Lausanne. Seems he wanted to protect the population from Savoyard attacks. I have no idea who the Savoyard are or why they would attack, but build a city to protect from them seems to have happened all the same. So basically, St. Prex was the location of warning to the church in Lusanne. the villagers within the city walls would build a fire to let the smoke signal to the church in Lusanne that an attack was on the way.

What i want to know is how did they build this fire to mean “attack” and not “we’re grilling up a nice side of mutton, come join us. BYOB.”

No matter what, it’s a wonderfully beautiful little town.

edited on Fud’s laptop with PSE 6, so don’t be hatin’ if it looks funky.
shot taken at night using a post holding up a tree as a “tripod”.

05.22.08

Luggage Gnome

Note: I have the awesome opportunity to take a fun trip to see a fantastically wonderful friend who has done nothing but make my life richer and more wonderful (you can send me the money for that line later, Fud.)
Note2: See that bag in the middle? the camera bag? That is the only thing in my house of any value. So unless you want to steal the $90 TV we got from The Wal Marts or the cheap Ikea furniture, you’re better off robbing someone else’s house while I am gone. Unless you want an apple. Or some brownies. Because I was STOOOOPID and made a batch of brownies on Monday for Peanut’s birthday and they are only half eaten and it’s SAD. Very SAD. That they will sit there and be neglected and get hard and stale while I am gone. I will come home to petrified brownies. That I will then have to throw away. So if you’d like a brownie, feel free to break in. I’ll even let you take the $90 TV just for kicks.