A trip to Southern Tuscany (Jan 25)

We awoke at 6am to get our train to Siena, so we gave Andrew's mom, Beth, a call. She had been doing some research to see what could be keeping Jen this sick for this long. The answer appeared to be whooping cough. We needed antibiotics, but in Italy you don't need a prescription for them. This should be easy...

We got to our first train passing several pharmacies...all of which were closed until later in the morning. At our first transfer station, Orte, we learned that our train was going to be 50 min late! We hopped on another train but still didn't make it to Chiusi in time to catch the third train. We had 90 min to wait for the bus that would take us to Siena. The good news... there was a pharmacy down the street.

We awoke at 6am to get our train to
The pharmacist was trying to explain to us that if we saw a tourist doctor and had a prescription the Z-pack (strong antibiotics) would be free. Since we didn't want to take time to do that, we had to pay for them. We almost laughed out loud when she told us it would be 17 Euros each (1.3 Dollars to the Euro). In the States, you can't find that price, maybe even with insurance!! So we both started the Z-pack, much to Jen's relief.

After lunch it was starting to rain, but we got on the bus and had beautiful landscape to watch on our way to Siena. We stayed at the third hotel we stopped in at when the price was right. We ate dinner at a place recommended by Rick Steve's travel guide, visited an internet cafe to pay monthly bills, and were in bed by 9pm. Jen was at her lowest in terms of health tonight...if it gets worse that puking in St. Peter's Square. Praise the Lord for antibiotics!

Hi ho! Hi ho! It's off to see the Pope! (Jan 24)

Andrew got us tickets to see Pope Benedict XVI!! He gave his Wednesday morning weekly address, and when he entered the auditorium at the Vatican it was more like being at a NFL football game or a rock concert! People were standing on their chairs screaming, random group cheers erupted, and there was even a pep band in the crowd...from Germany I'm guessing by their garb! The Pope spoke mostly in Italian, so I have no idea what he said, but he greeted at the beginning and blessed at the end in Italian, French, Spanish, English, German and Russian/Polish (we weren't sure). That was an experience!


We got delicious pizza for lunch (I love this country!), then went to the Vatican Museum. We were unaware of the shortened winter hours until we entered the museum, so instead of 3+ hours, we had only 1 hour. We need to go back and see it again, but we caught some of the highlights and the grand finale.... the Sistine Chapel. it took Michangelo 4 years to complete. Everyone always refers to it, but I didn't know what to expect. It is the entire ceiling of the chapel, and it is a series of small paintings...like a collage. Wow. Our necks were sore after that!



Finally we met for a free English tour of the Vatican and St. Peter's Square. We learned a lot about architecture and Catholic history, but it was a rainy day and Jen was still pretty sick. We called it a day after Jen coughed so hard she threw up in St. Peter's square!

The moral of the story... when you see the Pope, be sure to wait around for the Papal Blessing!!!

Museums of Rome (Jan 23)

Today we visited 3 museums in Rome, including what turned out to be our favorite of the whole trip! That's a lot of art to take in all in one day!

Our first stop was the National Museum of Rome, and our goal was to see the highlights and be out in one hour! We were looking at the sarcophagus (coffin) of an 8 year old girl mummy and ONE of us leaned in to get a closer look! All of a sudden there were alarms and security (but not as big of a deal as what you are picturing right now)! Turns out there is a piece of red tape on the floor that ONE of us crossed! The security was very relaxed, like this sort of thing happens all the time!! If I were guarding an ancient mummy, I'd do more than put red tape on the ground!

One of our favorite pieces here was called "The Boxer". It is an original 2,000 year old bronze statue of a man with his hands wrapped (like a boxer) sitting on a stone looking over his shoulder. The artist used slightly different metals to give lips, wounds, even nipples a slightly red color. There was incredible detail, and again, you could walk right up to it without rope or glass in your way.

Next was our favorite museum of the trip: The Borghese Gallary. It used to be the home of Cardinal Borghese, and art collector. They only allow 360 visitors 4 times a day, so you need to plan and get tickets ahead, but it is very worth it! Also, excellent audioguides-worth the 5 euros! We saw a scandalous nude statue of Napolean's sister Princess Pauline, Bernini's David (which we liked even more than the more famous Michaelangelo's David later in the trip), and Carvaggio's David (a painting of David holding Goliath's head in which Goliath was a self portrait. This was his confession of murder when he asked the Pope for pardon). Anything by Bernini is AMAZING!



After lunch we went to Palatine Hill where all the Roman Emperors built their palaces. It was amazing to walk among the ruins and try to imagine what life was once like! We was the Circus Maximus which was used for chariot races and could once seat 300,000!!! The largest stadium today seats a mere 120,000! On our way home, we got dinner from Osvaldo, our favorite Roman pizza man. He and Andrew are starting to bond...in English and Italian.

Our Favorites: Rome

1) Rome seems to be the most trusting city in the world! No one ever checked our tickets on the bus or Metro, we simply walked on and walked off. Also, at Palatine Hill we got our free tickets (with the handy Roma Pass) and went into the gate, and kept going, and going, and going... No one ever checked to see if we even had tickets! We could have just walked in, if we were slightly less honest people. :)

2) Osvaldo. He owns the pizza place just down the street from where we stay, and he makes some good stuff! Our current favorite is a sandwich on ciabatta bread, with just tomato, fresh mozzarella, and leafy greens. I'm sure there's some olive oil too. He's gotten used to seeing us, and Andrew has some conversations with him...in Italian! (My husband is a genius.)

3) This city is easy to navigate. There are several buses and only 2 metro lines, and they all stop at the Colosseum. At each bus stop, there are signs with the numbers of the buses that stop there. It also lists all the stops that bus has made and will make, so if you know your stop, it's very easy to find a bus! We like this city!

Rome: Colosseum & Forum (Jan22)

We used our Eurail Pass for the first time to get the train from Naples to Rome. We stayed at Casa Della Palma, a bed & breakfast owned by Alessandro who turned out to be key in helping us understand how to navigate the city. We bought 2 Roma Passes, which were a great deal! 20 Euros each, and it covers all public transportation on train and bus for 3 days, free entrance to the first 2 attractions and the rest are half price!


The Colosseum was very much like walking into a modern day sports arena! It could seat 50,000 people, and we got to see the view from the emperors box! Part of the floor was removed so we could see the rooms and tunnels that the gladiators walked before entering the arena.


We walked up the hill to the Forum where we followed Rick Steve's suggested self-guided walk. We saw the Arch of Titus which took 50,000 Jewish slaves to build, the Basilica of Constantine, Temple of Julius Caesar (where his body was burned after his assassination) and the Temple of Saturn built in 500 B.C.

Next we followed Rick's "Dolce de Vita Stroll" down the Via Del Corso full of super expensive stores and Romans out for their evening stroll. This road has been here since ancient Roman times. It seems that everything that is Rome is built on top of everything that was Rome. We finished the evening with Michangelo's Grand Staircase, and finally the Pantheon with the best preserved interior in Rome.

Walkin' in the Sunshine (Jan 21)

Today was one long walk to see beautiful Naples. We left our hotel and walked toward the Mediterranean through throngs of people! It was a Sunday morning, but it reminded me of every movie I've ever seen in NYC...people all over, going every direction! There were people selling things set out on blankets further crowding the already overcrowded sidewalks! We walked passed many interesting buildings, one of which was the Certosa Di San Martino, a castle perched high up on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean.



We saw Castel Dell' Ovo, a castle in the water that was started in the 9th century. And right next door, we stumbled upon an outdoor ice skating rink where families and kids were laughing and screaming with joy! We found a place for pizza and limoncello for lunch. Just a helpful note: Limoncello is VERY strong, so don't have it for lunch unless you usually drink strong alcohol for lunch!

We walked back on the Via Chiaia, where most of the shops were closed on Sunday. There were still people wandering, and it was a great place to sit and watch the Italians and daydream what their lives must be like. This street is a must if you ever visit Naples! We headed back to the hotel to prepare for Rome.

Pompeii & Herculaneum (Jan 20)

We awoke early and want to the train station to catch the Circumvesuviana commuter train to Herculaneum. Herculaneum is smaller than Pompeii, but it is more well preserved with some buildings intact and some art still on the walls. We were able to walk into the buildings and explore without many ropes or gates restricting us. It was VERY cool.

Then on to Pompeii! During excavation, they injected plaster into spaces in the ground where they thought humans had been. The result? You can see plaster figures of people, still with the expressions on their faces that were there when they died. Interesting. We saw the ancient amphitheatre, the forum, and of course Vesuvius herself! The city was home to 20,000 and you need about 5 hours to explore it well. We were really hustling to see the highlights!

Back on the Circumvesuviana, we made it to Sorrento with 10 minutes to connect to a SITA bus to see the Amalfi Coast before sunset! This was the one drawback to off season travel: short days! The Mediterranean far below the cliffs of the coast was an amazing sight to see! Then, back to Naples for the night.

Naples, Italy (Jan19)

We had different plans for the day, but this was the first of many days that we moved & changed once in Europe. We slept in for our health and were showered and to breakfast before it was over at 11:00. This was the view from our hotel room. We went to the train station and bought a phone card. We tried about 4 different times to get it to work until and old man hobbled over to us, said nothing, grabbed the card from Andrew's hand, snapped the corner off, and put in back into the machine. He picked up the receiver, handed it to Andrew and hobbled away! It was hilarious! We stood there dumbfounded for a moment, then proceeded with our call!! (I love Italy!)

We walked the main streets of Naples and found a great place for lunch. It turned out to be the best pizza of the whole trip!! Then on to the National Archaeological Museum which houses remains from Pompeii & Herculaneum that were covered in lava and ash in the 79AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. We went into the "Secret Room" and saw the largest collection of penis art we could have ever imagined! We also saw the largest Hall in Europe with a sun dial built into the floor and a small hole in the wall to let the sunbeams in onto the floor. One of our favorites was the Farnese Bull, which you should check out. It has a cool story!

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles (Jan 18)

We packed up all our belongings for this 5 week trip, which was a 20lb backpack each, and headed off to the train station to catch a 7:05 express train to Kyiv. After the train, we took a Marshruka (bus) to the airport where we spent our last 84 Grieves on an 85 Grieve lunch! Oops!

After our plane was delayed 3 times for a total of 50 min, we flew to Milan, Italy. We were delighted with the immigration lack of customs...we never thought we'd make our connecting flight on time!! We arrived in Naples and found a bus to the train station around 11pm. We did not have a place to stay, but we knew we wanted to be near the train station! We went into one hotel, and the price was a bit high so the woman at the desk called around for us and found a better price. Then, the bellhop put on his coat and walked us to the new hotel!!! (Ironically, the hotel was called...see photo!) Now that is service! Jen was still sick, but already she liked Italy!!

The Sights of Kharkiv (Jan. 17)

Jen was sick today, so she stayed home and slept while Andrew & Mer saw the town and had a little brother & sister time. The highlight of the day was Ploshcha Svobody & the Lenin Statue, of which, there is one in every city and town. The Freedom Square is the largest in Europe, and we were here just in time to see it decorated for Christmas! There is only one square that is larger: Moscow's Red Square.




Also on the sightseeing list was the first Soviet skyscraper in Ukraine. A lot of history, today and throughout the trip.

Our Favorites: Kharkiv

1) These are the worst sidewalks we have seen in our lives! With the rain the last few days, we may as well be walking around in a muddy barn! Watch your step!

2) Andrew's business idea: Move here, sell phone cards, beer, and cigarettes and make a fortune!

3) There is a mirror by every exit, in homes and businesses. No one here can put on a coat without looking in a mirror!

4) There is a Sharma vendor near Mer's dorm selling something resembling a pork (??) taco with celery. Yum.

Mer's Birthday! (Jan 16)

Mer had school in the morning, but we were ready to go when she got home at 11:30! We made a trip to the Bazaar for food for her party, and it was overwhelming! Hundreds of vendors selling everything imaginable!

Once we got home, the rest of the day was spent preparing for the party. Jen made 2 batches of brownies and her first ever apple pie!! (All this with having to taste to see if an ingredient was salt or sugar, and no rolling pin!) Andrew and Mer worked on maintenance and cleaning.



Mer was still at her closet picking out what to wear when her first guest arrived!! When it was all said and done, there were 22 people in her apartment, in which the main room was about 10x15 feet!! It was great to meet her friends, most of whom were international and the easiest way to communicate was in Russian, which was their 2nd, 3rd, or 5th language!!

Arrival in Kharkiv (Jan 15)

We had 2 choices of how to travel from Nosovka to Kharkiv, both by train. One was $14 and takes 6 hours. The other costs $10 and takes 12 hours. I know, it was a tough choice!! :)

We walked to Konstytutsiyi Plaza to see the monument that commemorates Kharkiv as the first capital of Soviet Ukraine from 1917-1934. After seeing 2 non-spectacular churches, we went to Blahoveshchensky Cathedral on Karl Marx Plaza. We affectionately called it "The Candy Cane Church" and I'm sure you see why! it was a rainy day, and this cathedral gave us much needed shelter.

Nosovka: Part of the Family (Jan 12-14)

We visited Meredith's (Andrew's sister) host family, a few hours from Kyiv by train. It rained all weekend, and although we didn't get to see the town where Mer spent her first weeks, we got some R&R with great people! We ate, drank chai (tea), and played cards, and it was marvelous!


Some foods we ate:
Borshch-soup with white beans, potatoes, beet, slightly sweet
Shuba-Herring & beets, & mayo, it looks bright purple! (Jen was not thrilled with fish & mayo!!)
Homemade wine from grapes they had grown
Shashlyk-pork shish kebob with pork marinated in wine, onion, apple, red peppers

They taught us to play Durak (Dummy) and we taught them to play spoons! They saw us taking notes about our trip in a small notebook and gave us a journal! We have scraps and tickets from our trip pasted into our Ukrainian journal! :)

Kiev: Gargoyles & Saints (Jan & Apr 12)

Can anyone see the pictures I'm posting? Sometimes I can see them, sometimes I can't. Please comment and let me know! Thanks.

Our first stop was at the Chimera Building in downtown Kiev. It is now a Presidential Administration building, and it is one of the most ornate we've ever seen! It was built around 1900 and is said to be haunted by the architect's daughter.

Next we went to St. Sofia's Cathedral, Kyiv's oldest standing church. The interior has frescoes and mosaics, mostly original from the 11th century! So of course, we could not take photos. I'd like to give a brief art lesson, but I'm not that good! So follow the links because we saw a lot of frescoes and mosaics in Europe! There was a large gold altar, and many Orthodox worshipers. It's weird being a tourist in the same place as people are having such a deep religious/spiritual experience!

Next we walked to the Golden Gate, which is now in the middle of the city. It was once part of the wall the went around the city, and was originally built in 1037. It was enormous!

Then, another Cathedral: St. Volodymyr's. It was built in the late 19th century to mark 900 years of Christianity in Kyiv. The interior was remarkable...the main wall color was black, with few mosaics. It was very dark, but beautiful with gold detailing. And our tour of European churches is just beginning...

Murder, Mass & Meltdown (Jan & Apr 11)

We started this day in Kiev with a visit to Babyn Yar, where between 1941-1943 100,000 Kyivans were murdered. Most, but not all, of these were Jewish. Early on, fliers had been posted telling them to come to a meeting so they could be relocated to a safer place. When the unsuspecting people arrived, they were stripped, beaten, attacked by dogs, shot, and dumped into a ravine. They were then buried, whether they were still alive or already dead. There are 3 monuments here: one Jewish, one Soviet, and one for the children who died.

It was pretty cold, so on our way to St. Michael's Monastery, Andrew bought a scarf with Kyiv's soccer team's logo on it. Go Dyanamo! St. Michael's was built in 1108! Amazing to see buildings (at least partially) that old!

Then we walked down Andriyivski Uzviz (Andrew's decent) past St. Andrew's Church, named after Kyiv's first Christian Preacher. Marvelous.

Then, the moment Andrew had been waiting for since leaving the U.S... The Chornobyl Museum. (You'll find a lot of great info about the cover up if you Google it!) The nuclear power plant had been the pride of Ukraine. Then the government ordered an experiment which ultimately caused the meltdown of the plant and a radiation cloud that caused much death and disease. For those who were there that night and survived after trying to contain the radiation and save many lives, there was a harsh surprise coming. They were prosecuted for causing the explosion. Men who were required to spend 2 years in the military could opt to instead spend 2 minutes at Chornobyl cleaning up the mess. Many of these men died as a result. The land nearby will be uninhabitable for another 500 years.

Everything takes on new meaning when you learn about it where it actually happened...WWII, Chornobyl... wow.

Our Favorites! (Kiev)

Welcome to the first addition of "our Favorites"!! We occasionally kept a list of the things that caught our attention or funny situations. Here's what we have so far in Kiev!

1)If cars cannot find a parking space, any sidewalk will do!

2)Jen & Mer saw a dead guy in the Metro station...under a burlap sac, lying on a bench, with a police man "standing guard"

3)In Kiev, watch your step! There are frozen loogies on the ground everywhere!! Guys are spitting all the time!

4)Marlboro will never go out of business! It seems everyone smokes everywhere!

5)Need a monument? There's one on every corner. Communist Rubles hard at work!

Rodina Mat (Jan & Apr 10)

After cooking our own breakfast in a kitchen the size of a coat closet, we visited Rodina Mat and the Museum of the Great Patriotic War (WWII). Rodina Mat, which means "Nation's Mother" is a VERY tall statue of a women who faces Moscow, which means she does NOT face most of Kiev. Legend has it that when the USSR fell, the Ukrainians flew up to her in a helicopter and chopped off the top of her sward so she would be shorter than the tallest cathedral in town.

The museum was very eye opening. It is a lot different to learn about WWII from a land where it actually occurred. There were "leather" gloves made of human skin and a bar of soap made from human fat.

Next we visited the Caves Monastery, or the Pecherska Lavra. Monks dug and lived in these caves starting in 1051 AD. Today, buried in glass coffins in the caves they have become mummified. We occasionally saw a hand or toe poking out!!

One of Jen's favorite places of the whole trip was on the Upper Lavre: The Museum of MicroMiniatures! (Check out the pics at this link!) The room had about 12 microscopes in it revealing things such as a chess set built on the head of a nail, a poppyseed cut in half and decorated inside, and a horseshoe on a flea! Our favorite was a piece of human hair that was drilled hollow, polished, and a rose was placed inside of it. The stem of the rose is 5 microns wide!!! How did he do that???

Arrival in Kiev (Jan & April 9)

We awoke in the Heathrow Airport cold, and still tired. But, we felt that this was truly the beginning of a grand adventure, so we were flexible and excited! We got into the terminal, had a very European breakfast (Oatmeal with honey and pumpkin seeds, fruit with plain yogurt) and got ready to board our plane. They do not post which gate the flight will be at until the last minute, so with our stop in the bathroom we had to run when we heard the final boarding call!!

We arrived in Kiev 30 min early, before Andrew's sister, Meredith, arrived to meet us. It was early afternoon when we arrived at our apartment in an old Soviet style housing complex, and after a brief rest we headed out for a walk around the main square. With Meredith there in the Peace Corps, we were able to navigate the Metro in the Cyrillic alphabet!

We walked through Maydan Square and quickly learned that there are Soviet monuments on nearly every corner, as Ukraine was part of the U.S.S.R. We saw a "Friendship of Nations Monument" which was 2 brothers representing Russia and Ukraine.

We ate dinner at a little buffet place just of Khreshchatyk, the major road downtown. Jen picked things that looked fun, and ended up with 3 different kinds of cabbage dishes, and a 50 cent beer (yuck!). We bought groceries for the next few days and headed home content, but VERY tired!

Early Morning (Jan & April 8)

Well, as promised, here it is! Today on April 8 we will begin our journey through the trip to Europe which began on January 8! Three busy months have gone by, so I'm glad we kept a written journal during our trip!

We woke up at 0320 to get to the Madison airport for the first flight. In Chicago, our flight to London was overbooked, so American Airlines was offering $700 vouchers per ticket to take the next flight 8 hours later! We were unable to accept because it would have been to close to catch our next flight from London to Ukriane, but $700 looked pretty good!

After the 7 hour flight, we sped through London Heathrow's customs and made it to the ticket counter at 1230am only to discover it did not open until 0445. So, we found a nook on the cold floor, and snuggled to stay warm for a 4 hour night of sleep! Jen slept well, but she sleeps well anywhere when she's tired!

Busy! Busy! Busy!

For those of you who don't immediately recognize the title of this post, remember back to the days of your youth (or just back to December) when Christmas cartoons were on T.V. and that was the highlight of the week. Remember in Frosty the Snowman there is that nasty magician? Santa scolds him and tells him to do good things before Christmas, and he realizes he's going to be "Busy! Busy! Busy!"

Anyway, we moved in Feb. 17, and of the weekends since we have gone to Wisconsin (twice) and Michigan,Beth has come here, and oh, of course we went to North Carolina our first weekend here! So, we haven't had much time to catch up on everything, that's well, important. So, we finally got Andrew's shoes polished up...


which gave him the confidence he needed! Now he is performing 140% at his job instead of 135%!!! :)



The weekend of April 1 we had the Michmerhuizen's come for a visit. Dan and Edith were great fun to be with, and we have decided Chicago is the perfect place to live because our friends are passing through or coming for conferences or O'Hare all the time! We had great fun catching up, and of course, watching the Final Four!



Then on Tuesday Jen's friend Amanda came to town for a conference and stayed with us! We didn't get a lot of time to talk, but we had fun and played Apples to Apples. Rob Moss was also in town, and Jen Dvorak lives just down the street, so we had a mini University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire reunion!

For those of you who received Andrew's April Fools email saying I was pregnant, I want to say that I had nothing to do with it!!! :) And for those of you wondering when this will happen....not until after the marathon on Oct 7! Happy Easter everyone!