Just thought I'd do a little advertising. I spent DAYS writing this blog and choosing pictures so I'd appreciate it if you took a look at our whirlwhind trip to Europe!

thanks!
http://jamiedelaine.wordpress.com

Here's our journey in a nutshell:


And a few pictures;; more on the blog!








Thanks again! Enjoy.

I had fun reading your travelogue. Old Europe in the summer is so much fun.

You really didn't miss much as far as Venice at night. At night it's actually quite scary for the same reasons it's so interesting during the day. Those little alleys that may or may not terminate in a dead end are a lot less exciting when it's pitch black.

Did you see the Vatican when you were in Rome?

Yeah, we were right by the Vatican and saw it. But we never went inside to tour it--I wasn't into standing in an hour line when it was 40degrees outside!!

Jamie,

bummer it was sooo hot for you while you were in Italy. My wife and I went a few years back (then girlfriend), and we had an amazing time in Italy. We went in July and suprisingly the heat wasn't too bad...and I am so sorry to hear that you wouldn't go back to Venice...I thought that was the most fascinating city, but I hear what you are saying with all the crowds and the heat.

Loved the photos you put on the blog...it is a fun mixture of what you saw and your family. Good times!

E

Too bad! The Vatican was hands down my favorite part of Italy when we vacationed there last summer. It was overwhelming how much art was there. It was like going to 30+ museums in an afternoon.

I know what you mean about the line. It stretches for blocks around and the summer heat is tough on people not used to it (Canadians). Being native Floridians, where 90+ degree weather in the summer is the norm, it's no big deal. We don't like it but it isn't debilitating either...

Being the ugly Americans we are we cut the line at the Vatican (probably a sin) because a cruise ship tour group had caused a huge gap and my friend's wife -- an incredibly sweet and normally very honest woman -- decided it would be okay. We waited all of 5 minutes at the very front of the line.

Did you eat gelato while you were there?

Haha! I woulda cut the line too, if I was given the opportunity.

Oh man, did we eat GELATO! Actually, I have a dairy allergy so ice-cream is a no go for me. But! Italian Gelato places all had sorbet (sorbet has no dairy) and I was in heaven! It's really hard to find sorbet at ice cream stores in North America. Some will have them, some won't. EVERY place in Italy had Sorbet so I was really thankful. So nice on the hot days!

Thanks Eric: You never know, if I did go back to Venice, I may love it. But honestly, I couldn't SEE Venice. All I could see was PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE.

Lovely pictures! Sounds like you had a great time.

Oh, go back to Venice, but not with a tour. I stopped there for 24 hours once, more as a "I really ought to see this place, but I'm not expecting much" and I fell in love. I have a wee bit of a crowd issue, so I made a point of going to the big touristy things really early (ok, sort of early). I think I did the Basillica at 9 am - no line up. By the time I toured the rest of the square it was totally packed. For the rest of the day, I just wandered around the city. If something looked too crowded, I just headed the other direction. Its a great way to see things.

I also had the most terrible and amazing thing happen to me via Venice. I left my journal at a cafe, but didn't realise it until I was on the train for a couple of hours. I was pretty heart-broken. A month after I got home, I got a package in the mail (I thought it was a b-day present from my sister, but couldn't figure out why she was in Austria - not out of the realm of possiblity, but unusual). I opened up the package and there was my journal . I was so happy. I always put my address in my journals, just in case, and some nice stranger found it and mailed it to me.

We actually didn't have any "tour" activites in Venice. They just dropped us off for 6 hours so it was all on our own. There was NO place in Venice that wasn't crowded. Nowhere. Every single aisle. Didn't help that we went in PEAK tourist time, huh?

Wow!! That's so amazing. I would DIE if I lost a journal. I love that there is still kind people in this world.

loved your post, commentary and photos. reminds me of my two and a half month backpacking trip across europe with my brother a couple of years ago. go back to europe with just one other person if you ever get the chance...stay in hostels and buy food at grocery stores to cut down on costs. picnics in the san marco square, and public paris gardens are much needed and beautiful experiences.

and make sure to visit spain...gorgeous...as is the cinque terra region of italy. here's what it looks like, and this is seriously no joke:


it was the most beautiful sight i saw during our whole trip.

thanks for sharing this with us. it's an experience few get to have, though everyone needs to.