{"id":2167,"date":"2018-12-31T14:04:05","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T22:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hovorka.org\/?page_id=2167"},"modified":"2018-12-31T15:52:25","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T23:52:25","slug":"europe-2013","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/index.php\/trips\/europe-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"<pre>Mar 5-25, 2013 \r\nLast updated: 4\/7\/13 8:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>We decided it was time for another trip to Europe. Our niece Carrie is doing a semester abroad in London, and we thought that was the perfect excuse to go. The plan was to spend a few days with Carrie in London, then go to Rome, Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Venice, then spend a few more days in London before heading home. Carrie had her spring break the week after we arrived, so all of us were in Italy during the second week, just not in the same cities. Carrie was in Venice and Florence while we were in Rome.<\/p>\n<p>We left for London on Monday March 4th. It&#8217;s a 9+ hour flight and doesn&#8217;t leave Seattle until 6pm, and with the 8 hour time difference, we didn&#8217;t arrive until Tuesday March 5th around 11:30am. Since we were going in March (off-season) we were able to afford the bigger seats on the plane. Back in &#8217;09, we were cramped for space in the back of the plane. I thought it was worth a little more money to be a little more comfortable (it&#8217;s still a long trip in a tiny metal cylinder). On the way home, we got bumped up a class, so we had the seats that fold down into beds!<\/p>\n<p>Again, we packed light. We each had our backpacks filled with the bare minimum. The only thing different was that I brought more socks, and we had another layer on under our rain coats. The average high temperatures in all the cities was supposed to be in the low to mid 50&#8217;s. It didn&#8217;t quite work out that way on the second time through London (freezing and snowy), and Italy was cooler than average. It rained some of the time, but it was only a problem back in London when it was in the 30&#8217;s and windy.<\/p>\n<p>We worried a little less about the cats this time because I set up a couple of &#8216;cat-cams&#8217; (with night vision) to spy on them over the Internet.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/catcam01097.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/catcam01097.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We tried to go at a slower pace this time. Last time we were constantly changing hotels and cities (we were in 4 countries in one day back in &#8217;09). This time, other than London, we decided to stay inside Italy. Florence is only 1 hour away from Rome, and Venice is 2 hours from Florence by high speed train. We planned no activities on arrival days, just finding the hotel and walking around the city (and finding the nearest gelato shop!). All plans were &#8216;soft&#8217;. We ended up doing some plan juggling in Rome due to the changing of the Pope. And we both got sick, so we didn&#8217;t push too hard a few days.<\/p>\n<p>It was great spending quality time with Carrie. She&#8217;s having a great time in London and taking trips to various European destinations. Oh yeah, she&#8217;s going to class too, as far as we know.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 1 - Mar 5, 2013\r\nLast updated: 3\/31\/13 8:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>The flight to London from Seattle was uneventful, which is how you want a flight to be. We popped for the roomier seats based on the cramped seating I suffered through back in &#8217;09. These seats were wider and had more leg room, almost as much as a domestic flight first class seat. And we got better food too. Had the steak filet. It&#8217;s still hard to sleep on a plane. And the 8 hour timezone change leaves you feeling loopy when you arrive.<\/p>\n<p>We took the Tube into London, which takes a little over an hour. First stop was the hotel. We picked a place near Carrie&#8217;s flat. We wanted to be able to meet up with her at any time. We stayed at the Ibis on Blackfriars Road near the Southwark (pronounced: Sutherk) Tube stop. It was clean, modern, quiet, comfortable and in a great location. The first time through London, we had a room on the top floor and it was absolutely silent. After our return from Italy, we were on the 7th floor and heard a little more noise, but not much. The beds were very comfortable too. Ibis is a chain hotel which offers a bare minimum of necessities, but not as bad as some of the discount chains over there that charge you to watch the TV. We were very happy with this hotel.<\/p>\n<p>The second stop in London was at a T-Mobile store to buy a SIM card for my phone so I could have Internet access and the ability to text Carrie. For \u00a315, I got unlimited Internet and texts for 30 days.<\/p>\n<p>We met up with Carrie and walked around a lot. She showed us her flat and her school (the guards at her school thought we were her parents, like we&#8217;re old enough to be her&#8230;, oh wait, nevermind). We saw Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and the National Portrait Gallery.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s not a spike coming out of Denise&#8217;s head. That&#8217;s the &#8216;Shard&#8217;, a 95 story skyscraper finished in 2012, and is the tallest building in the EU.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/shard.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/shard.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>At Trafalgar Square.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/traf1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/traf1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/traf2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/traf2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/traf3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/traf3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Yeah, I really cut my hair. Let&#8217;s call it a work in progress for now.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-4' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hair.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hair.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/arrival.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/arrival.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Outside Carrie&#8217;s flat.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-5' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/carriesflat.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/carriesflat.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Dinner was at Masters Super Fish. Yummy.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-6' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/masters1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/masters1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/masters2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/masters2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 2 - Mar 6, 2013\r\nLast updated: 3\/31\/13 8:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>We spent the morning walking along the South Bank of the River Thames. We quickly went through the Borough Market. Not much was open when we were there. Also stopped in the Tate Modern Art Museum for a few minutes. We met up with Carrie for lunch, then parted ways as Carrie had school and a prior engagement.<\/p>\n<p>From the South Bank, a view of St. Paul&#8217;s and the Millennium Bridge, as we were standing in front of the Tate Modern art museum.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-7' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/southbank1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/southbank1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Shakespeare&#8217;s Globe, not the original and not the original location. This is a modern reproduction built in 1997. Not sure now whether it was even worth the picture. I didn&#8217;t think it was that new.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-8' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/globe.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/globe.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The only time we saw the tower that holds Big Ben was from Trafalgar Square. It&#8217;s there, in the distance.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-9' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/bigben.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/bigben.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>In the afternoon, Denise and I went to Greenwich and stood on the prime meridian, we saw The Queen&#8217;s House (an old Queen&#8217;s house, not the current Queen&#8217;s house), and saw a little of the maritime museum.<\/p>\n<p>The Cutty Sark, built in 1869, one of the fastest clipper ships of its day.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-10' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/cuttysark.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/cuttysark.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Queen&#8217;s House, a royal residence built in 1619 in Greenwich.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-11' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/queenshouse.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/queenshouse.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>At the Royal Observatory, built in 1676, you can stand on the Prime Meridian (longitude 0\u00b0), where the eastern and western hemispheres are divided. They want you to pay \u00a37 each to enter the &#8216;Meridian Courtyard&#8217;, so you can take your picture standing in both hemispheres, but you can do that for free, just down the hill from the entrance to the observatory, behind an iron gate. We walked all over looking for this free spot, because we knew it existed, but there are no signs. Finally we found it. We thought you&#8217;d have to walk far to find it, but it is right in front of the observatory.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-12' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/greenwich1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/greenwich1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/greenwich2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/greenwich2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/greenwich3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/greenwich3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>When we left Greenwich, we walked under the Thames. A tunnel was built under the river in 1905 (or 1902 depending on your source). The dome is the entry to the tunnel. There is a matching dome on the other side. The Cutty Sark is to the left of the dome.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-13' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/thamestunnel1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/thamestunnel1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/thamestunnel2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/thamestunnel2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>On our way home from dinner, Denise and I got separated on the Tube. She made it on to the train (we were transferring from one Tube line to another) and the doors closed with me still on the platform. I imagined an episode of Seinfeld where we chased each other around the subway system for hours trying to reconnect. That didn&#8217;t happen. I waited less than a minute for the next train. We meet up at our hotel&#8217;s stop. Not a very exciting story, since nothing went wrong, but we got a laugh out of it. (I never learn &#8211; this incident would repeat itself once when we were out with Carrie, where Denise and Carrie were happily on their way and I was left standing on the platform waiting for the next train). <!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 3 - Mar 7, 2013\r\nLast updated: 3\/31\/13 8:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>In the morning, all three of us went to Abbey Road and the Sherlock Holmes museum. After lunch, Carrie had to leave us for a bit, but we got back together for dinner. In the afternoon, Denise and I went to the Victoria &amp; Albert museum, the Royal College of Music museum, saw Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial.<\/p>\n<p>This is THE crosswalk on the cover of The Beatles Abbey Road album. The Abbey Road Studio is the shorter white building behind us.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-14' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/abbeyrd1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/abbeyrd1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/abbeyrd2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/abbeyrd2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>All over London, there are these signs indicating significant places throughout history. This one we saw on our way to the Sherlock Holmes museum.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-15' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/wells.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/wells.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character, but the address of his fictional residence, 221B Baker Street, is very real. And someone decided to put a Sherlock Holmes museum (and gift shop) at that address. They&#8217;ve decorated the inside as if there really was a Sherlock Holmes and this is how he lived.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-16' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/sherlock1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/sherlock1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/sherlock3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/sherlock3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/sherlock4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/sherlock4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/sherlock2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/sherlock2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Baker Street Tube stop has subway tiles with images of Sherlock Holmes.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-17' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/sherlock5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/sherlock5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Royal College of Music museum is located in the basement of the college. It&#8217;s probably not a highly visited place. It is very small but has a collection of old musical instruments. It&#8217;s worth a stop if you&#8217;ve got an appreciation of instruments.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-18' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/instruments1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/instruments1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/instruments2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/instruments2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/instruments3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/instruments3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>This bass viol is from 1692.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-19' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/instruments4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/instruments4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>This upright harpsichord is considered to be the oldest surviving stringed keyboard instrument in the world, estimated to have been made in 1470-1480.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-20' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/instruments5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/instruments5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Royal Albert Hall is across the street from the Albert Memorial (which was under renovation).<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-21' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/alberthall.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/alberthall.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/albertmemorial.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/albertmemorial.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Dinner was at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, which proudly states that it was rebuilt in 1667.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-22' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/cheshirecheese.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/cheshirecheese.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 4 - Mar 8, 2013\r\nLast updated: 3\/31\/13 8:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>Today we were on our own. Carrie was headed to Bath to get a book signed by JK Rowling. We were headed to Brighton. Brighton might have been a good idea in summer, but not so much at the tail end of winter. It was cold and rainy. Brighton is a little over an hour away from London.<\/p>\n<p>The pier has a penny arcade, to get the kids hooked on gambling early, and also has slot machines for adults. There was a Ferris wheel and more rides were being constructed &#8211; they must not leave the rides outside all winter. The town of Brighton is filled with shops catering toward tourists. We browsed a few, had some pasties for lunch then headed back to London.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-23' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/brighton1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/brighton1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/brighton2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/brighton2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/brighton3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/brighton3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Dinner was at Masters Super Fish, again. <!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 5 - Mar 9, 2013\r\nLast updated: 3\/31\/13 8:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>Today was a travel day. We decided before we left to take it easy on travel days, we would just wander around the new city and get familiar with our new location.<\/p>\n<p>When we left, we got a very strong frisking at the London airport. We both set off the metal detectors, Denise had some foil wrapped item in her pocket and I forgot to remove my money belt, which had the house key. The friskers were very polite.<\/p>\n<p>After landing in Rome, we took the train to the city center (about 30 minutes away). We stopped at a local phone store and bought a SIM card for my phone to work in Italy, strictly for Internet access. This time it was \u20ac20, but again worth every penny.<\/p>\n<p>Walked around Rome. Saw the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-24' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trevi1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trevi1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pantheon1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pantheon1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Welcome to Italy, here, have a pizza. This was the first of many. I ended up having some form of pizza everyday but 2 (out of 14) in Italy. Denise had a more varied diet, but there is still only so many ways you can make pasta.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-25' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pizza1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pizza1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II (the first king of unified Italy)<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-26' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/emmanuel.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/emmanuel.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Colosseum at dusk.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-27' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 6 - Mar 10, 2013\r\nLast updated: 3\/31\/13 8:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>Today we visited Ostia Antica, the Appian Way and ancient aqueducts.<\/p>\n<p>Ostia Antica is a suburban distance from Rome, and possibly the first colony of ancient Rome. At one time this was a port town, but the coastline has moved about 3km out. The site is very much like Pompeii, but was not buried by volcanic ash. Instead, it was buried by mud\/silt from a shifting river. The town was abandoned and was buried slowly over time.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-28' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The mosaics on the sidewalk in front of storefronts, probably indicated what the merchant was selling.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-29' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The public toilets. Don&#8217;t be shy. The openings on the front, below where you sit, are for your sponge on a stick, to clean yourself off after, you know&#8230;<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-30' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia6.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ostia6.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Appian Way is one of the main old Roman roads. The building of this road was begun in the 4th century BC. On Sundays, the road is closed to traffic and people can walk or bike it. Not sure I&#8217;d want to ride a bike (or in a car) on this road. It is not very smooth.<\/p>\n<p>We took a bus to get here and walked. There isn&#8217;t too much to see, some old catacombs, a ruined villa, and the road itself. We saw a map along the road, telling where things were, like the bus stops. The map said we were a lot closer to a bus stop than we actually were (or more likely we misread the map). We started walking, but saw no signs of a major road up ahead that would have had a bus. My cell phone reception was poor out here, so the Internet would come and go. We decided best to turn around, because we knew where the bus stop was behind us, and the one ahead of us seemed way too far. It turned out to be a smart move because once we looked at a real map, we discovered we would have been walking a long time. I wanted to see the Appian Way, just not that much of it.<\/p>\n<p>The sheep came out of nowhere. We were just starting our walk back to the bus stop and we heard a cow bell (in this case, a sheep bell), then all of these sheep start jumping over the short wall on the side of the road. We had to give them a wide berth. There was a bit of fragrance surrounding the sheep.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-31' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/appian1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/appian1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/appian2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/appian2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We took a bus from the Appian Way to the Metro and went to see some old aqueducts. There is a park around these ancient ruins. While not as impressive as Pont du Gard in France, these were still nice to see.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-32' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/aqueducts1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/aqueducts1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/aqueducts2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/aqueducts2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/aqueducts3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/aqueducts3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/aqueducts4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/aqueducts4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 7 - Mar 11, 2013\r\nLast updated: 3\/31\/13 8:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>Today we saw the Colosseum, the Forum, Palatine Hill, Trajan&#8217;s Column, and Circus Maximus.<\/p>\n<p>The Colosseum is huge. This is comparable in size to modern sports stadiums. This place could hold 50,000 fans. We found out about a guided tour that takes you to the lowest and highest levels, which were previously off limits. There&#8217;s a story that goes along with the purchase of these tour tickets. I was mistaken in the blog when I said you couldn&#8217;t buy them online.<\/p>\n<p>The story goes like this: We were going to buy the Roma Pass, which saves you money on admissions to many of the sights in Rome, and includes free Metro transit. The tickets are a little complicated as they only let you in to 2 or 3 sights for free, then there is a discount at other sights, and there is a 3 day time limit. The Colosseum tour could only be purchased online when you also bought an individual ticket into the Colosseum at the same time. Since we were trying to save money by buying the Roma Pass, we&#8217;d have to use the phone to purchase the tour tickets in advance. (you could buy tour tickets the day you arrive, but we weren&#8217;t sure about the availability of an English language tour). So, trying to save money, we call Italy and buy the tour tickets. Then the phone bill comes and we realize we have no international calling plan. Now, I thought in this day and age, that even the phone company routes calls over the Internet. Our little phone call to Italy cost over $40. And, we didn&#8217;t even end up buying the Roma Pass because we dropped sights from our list and couldn&#8217;t do it all in 3 days because of the Pope situation. So we spent way more money than we needed to spend by trying to save money.<\/p>\n<p>You can see in the first two pictures below that they have reconstructed a portion of the wood floor, as it would have been back in the day.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-33' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum16.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum16.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum17.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum17.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>These picture were taken from the lowest level. They don&#8217;t let you walk around much down there.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-34' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum8.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum8.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum11.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum11.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum12.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum12.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum18.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum18.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>From the upper most level. You can see the top portion was added at a later time. Outside the Colosseum is the Arch of Constantine.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-35' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum15.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum15.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum14.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum14.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Walking under the seats of the stadium. Here&#8217;s where the beer vendors would be.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-36' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/colosseum5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Forum was the center of old Rome. There&#8217;s not too much that&#8217;s recognizable without a guide book. Next to the Forum is Palatine Hill, another place filled with rubble.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-37' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/forum1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/forum1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/forum2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/forum2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/forum3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/forum3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>This is all that&#8217;s left of Circus Maximus. They appear to be reconstructing the area behind us in the photo, but the part in front of us is open for jogging or whatever.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-38' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/circusmaximus.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/circusmaximus.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>This is Trajan&#8217;s Column. Completed around 113 AD.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-39' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trajans.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trajans.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>At this point we&#8217;ve both realized we are starting to come down with colds. <!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 8 - Mar 12, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/6\/13 1:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>This morning we stopped in a Farmacia to get some cold medicine. Denise and I rarely get sick and we never get sick at the same time. We both had different symptoms, I had a runny nose and Denise had a fever and cough. She took some aspirin for the fever and we got her some cough drops. I asked the pharmacist, in Italian (thanks to Google and my smartphone), if they had anything to stop a runny nose. I got Actifed, which worked great. Denise suffered a bit longer with her cough than I did with my nose.<\/p>\n<p>Today was Vatican day. In February, the Pope had announced he was resigning, something Popes don&#8217;t do (hasn&#8217;t happened in about 600 years). Conclave (the gathering of Cardinals to elect a new Pope) was scheduled to begin this evening. They had already announced the closure of the Sistine Chapel and part of the Museum. We knew that once Conclave began, the square at St. Peter&#8217;s would be a madhouse and a place to avoid. So we wanted to squeeze in as much of the Vatican as we could today, this being the first day available in our schedule when the Vatican Museum was open.<\/p>\n<p>St. Peter&#8217;s Square and the line to get into St. Peter&#8217;s Basilica.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-40' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>St. Peter&#8217;s Basilica. Notice how small the people are in front of the columns.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-41' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare6.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare6.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The TV camera crews and jumbotrons are setup for Conclave.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-42' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare7.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spsquare7.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We lined up to get into St. Peter&#8217;s Basilica. You have to pass through airport-like security, metal detectors and bag x-ray machines, but the line moved very quick. Once inside we went down a side aisle and noticed the crowd all focusing their attention inward. It turns out we were some of the last people allowed to enter before they shut the doors. The pre-Conclave mass was beginning. We would like to have seen more of St. Peter&#8217;s, but it was very crowded and you weren&#8217;t allowed to move about due to the mass.<\/p>\n<p>Below is the procession of Cardinals, one of which would become the next Pope. So we were physically in the same building as the new Pope, only he wasn&#8217;t Pope at the time.<\/p>\n<p>In the middle picture you can see the gold pointy Cardinal hats.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-43' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spb1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spb1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spb2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spb2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spb3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spb3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>There were a bunch of short nuns trying to get pictures. I wanted to pick them up so they&#8217;d get a better view, but thought that might be considered inappropriate.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-44' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spb4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/spb4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Vatican Museum was just another Museum. The big ticket item is the Sistine Chapel, which was closed due to Conclave. But the ceilings! Always look up in European castles\/palaces\/museums\/churches. Even a little boy was impressed, see his expression?<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-45' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/vaticanmuseum1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/vaticanmuseum1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>You couldn&#8217;t pay me enough to wear that.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-46' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/vaticanguards.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/vaticanguards.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We also went to an Etruscan Museum. No pictures allowed. Old stuff from before the Romans.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 9 - Mar 13, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/6\/13 2:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>We walked past the Trevi Fountain on our way to the Pantheon. The first day in Rome, we walked here and because it was warm and sunny (and late afternoon), the place was very crowded. This morning it was cold and rainy and empty. We did not throw a coin in the fountain, I&#8217;d rather spend the coin on gelato.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-47' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trevi2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trevi2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trevi3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trevi3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Pantheon is one of the best preserved buildings from ancient Rome, because it&#8217;s been in continuous use since its construction about 2000 years ago. The &#8216;skylight&#8217; at the top of the dome is actually an opening. It was raining, and the rain comes in and drains through holes in the floor.<\/p>\n<p>There are signs posted inside asking visitors to be respectful of this sacred place and to please be quite. Then every 5 minutes over the loudspeaker someone would announce that everyone should be quite.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-48' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pantheon2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pantheon2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pantheon3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pantheon3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pantheon5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pantheon5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We were listening to the audio guide.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-49' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pantheon4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pantheon4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Capitoline Museum had a confusing layout and a bunch of typical Roman artifacts. We definitely went to too many museums.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-50' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/capitoline2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/capitoline2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/capitoline1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/capitoline1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>A Roman chariot.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-51' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/capitoline3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/capitoline3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>A view of the Roman Forum from inside the Capitoline Museum.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-52' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/capitoline4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/capitoline4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We took the rest of the day off after about 1:00 to recuperate and get out of the rain. Dinner was at Shawarma Station for shawarma. We needed a change. The Italian food we had was not all that impressive, nor was there much variety. Maybe we just went to the wrong places.<\/p>\n<p>They picked a new Pope today and we watched it on TV from the comfort of our hotel room.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 10 - Mar 14, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/6\/13 3:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>Today we went to the ancient hill town of Orvieto, about an hour fifteen train ride from Rome. Populated since at least the time of the Etruscans, the town&#8217;s claim to fame is a deep well dug when a Pope fled to Orvieto in 1527 to escape the sacking of Rome. It took ten years to dig the 175 foot deep and 45 foot wide well. You can pay \u20ac5 to climb down 248 steps to the bottom, but then you&#8217;d have to climb the same number of steps back up. I don&#8217;t think so.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-53' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>You take a funicular to the top of the hill, about 1000 ft. in elevation.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-54' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>It was cold and windy.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-55' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto7.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto7.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The zebra church.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-56' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto6.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto6.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The old well. When we were planning this trip, we thought we might go down the stairs to the bottom of the well. With the colds we were fighting, and some acceptance of our getting on in years, we decided just to look at the well from the outside. That&#8217;s a human size door on the well&#8217;s building.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-57' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/orvieto1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 11 - Mar 15, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/6\/13 4:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>Today we went to Villa d&#8217;Este in Tivoli. It&#8217;s about an hour by train from Rome, but much closer than Orvieto (we had a faster train to Orvieto). The villa was constructed in the late 1500s with a terraced garden and many water features, all using gravity to build water pressure for the fountains.<\/p>\n<p>Villa d&#8217;Este is in the town of Tivoli. I had used Google maps to plot out the walking directions from the train station to the villa. We followed the directions, then must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, the street names didn&#8217;t match where I thought we were on the map. So I enabled the GPS. Oops, we were not where I thought we were, so we adjusted course and continued. The streets were not very straight. We get to the destination according to the GPS, but that&#8217;s not the entrance, it&#8217;s just a fence at the back of the villa. So we turned around and kept going. I don&#8217;t know how many times we doubled back, but we eventually found the entrance. It took an hour and a half to get from the train station to the villa. When we left the villa at the end of our tour, it only took 15 minutes to make it back to the train station. We wanted to wander through the town anyway, and probably wouldn&#8217;t have seen so much of it if we hadn&#8217;t gotten lost. So it&#8217;s all good in the end. And, we stopped in some little shop for a sandwich for lunch and got a very tasty small pizza, about 6 or 7 inches in diameter, folded in half like a sandwich. Not near the tourist area by the villa, so instead of paying \u20ac5 each, we paid \u20ac2 total.<\/p>\n<p>This was a nice side trip from Rome.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-58' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli6.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli6.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli7.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli7.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli8.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli8.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli9.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli9.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli10.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli10.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>One of the many streets of Tivoli that we experienced while lost.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-59' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tivoli1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 12 - Mar 16, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/6\/13 4:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>We took the high speed train from Rome to Florence. The slow train takes almost 4 hours while the high speed train takes about an hour and a half. I think the cost was about 40% more but we would have had big savings if we had bought our tickets in advance. We didn&#8217;t buy in advance for the trip because we wanted some flexibility in our schedule. The train hit 245 km\/h (a little over 150 mph).<\/p>\n<p>The only plan for today was to find the hotel and wander around a bit.<\/p>\n<p>The Duomo<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-60' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Baptistery doors &#8211; not the originals<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-61' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>David, not the original, but in the original location in front of Palazzo Vecchio.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-62' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence6.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence6.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Ponte Vecchio was built in 1345, and was not destroyed in WWII. There are buildings hanging off the bridge. The merchants in these buildings used to be butchers, but now it is all jewellers.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-63' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence8.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence8.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence9.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence9.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence11.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence11.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The view from across the Arno River.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-64' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence12.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence12.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence13.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence13.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>One of quite a few copies of David.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-65' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence14.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence14.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 13 - Mar 17, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/6\/13 5:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>The Pitti Palace is a large palace that once was the living accommodations for the Medici family. Now it&#8217;s a museum that does not allow pictures.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-66' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pitti1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pitti1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We went to the Galileo Museum which was pretty cool. It has a lot of old scientific equipment and other science related material, and also two of Galileo&#8217;s fingers and a tooth. Apparently, three of Galileo&#8217;s fingers and a tooth were removed from his body when it was moved in 1737 (he died in 1642). I have no idea where the third finger is.<\/p>\n<p>Galileo&#8217;s telescopes from 1610.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-67' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/galileo1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/galileo1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Two of his fingers.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-68' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/galileo2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/galileo2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Calculating machines from 1664.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-69' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/galileo3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/galileo3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 14 - Mar 18, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/7\/13 12:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>Today we went into the Duomo and the Duomo Museum. Construction of the Duomo was begun in 1296, with the completion in 1436. The fa\u00e7ade is &#8220;new&#8221;, being completed in 1887.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-70' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo8.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo8.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo6.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo6.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo7.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo7.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We also went to the Duomo Museum. This museum contains many of the original pieces of the Duomo, which have been replaced with replicas so the originals can be protected.<\/p>\n<p>These are the original baptistery doors.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-71' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>This is Michelangelo&#8217;s Piet\u00e0, possibly his last sculpture.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-72' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/duomo4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We then went to the Precious Stone museum. It is very small, but had some cool inlaid stone pieces of art. These are made by assembling small pieces of different color stones cut to precise sizes and put together like a puzzle to create an amazing piece of art (or in some cases, tables).<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-73' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/stone1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/stone1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/stone2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/stone2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/stone4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/stone4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>This picture shows that an oil painting was first created to use as a guide when making the stone table.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-74' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/stone3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/stone3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We had lunch at All&#8217;Antico Vinaio. We walked past this place twice and saw these huge lines waiting to get in. We looked them up online and discovered they were Ranked #1 of 1,438 restaurants in Florence on TripAdvisor. They make sandwiches, which doesn&#8217;t sound like it should be the top rated place, but it was very good. To beat the crowds, we got there 15 minutes before they opened for lunch and we were behind only 3 people. The picture below shows the crowds. The sandwiches are so fresh the line pauses waiting for more focaccia bread to come out of the oven. We both had porchetta sandwiches. This was Denise&#8217;s favorite meal on the trip, we went here twice.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-75' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence15.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/florence15.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>In the afternoon we walked outside the old city center of Florence. Not far, because it was rainy. We did not hit some of the big ticket art museums in Florence, we were getting museum fatigue and art isn&#8217;t among our primary interests.<\/p>\n<p>Gelato is among our primary interests.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-76' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/gelato1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/gelato1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 15 - Mar 19, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/7\/13 1:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>Today we took a train to Pisa. Pisa is about one hour from Florence. There&#8217;s a church, baptistery and cemetery next to the tower, but you don&#8217;t want to see those. It was very windy.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-77' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa11.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa11.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa10.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa10.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa9.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa9.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa12.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa12.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa13.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/pisa13.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>After Pisa, we took the train to the walled town of Lucca. Lucca is Europe&#8217;s leading producer of toilet paper and tissue, but that&#8217;s not why we went there. There&#8217;s been a wall around Lucca for 2000 years. The current wall is from the 16th century, completely encircles the old town and is a city park. There were lots of bikers and joggers passing us as we walked around the entire 2.5 mile wall.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-78' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lucca3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lucca3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lucca6.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lucca6.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The other interesting thing to see here is the Piazza dell&#8217;Anfiteatro. An old Roman amphitheater was cannibalized and all that remains is the shape. Most piazzas are square or rectangular in shape. This piazza is an oval.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-79' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lucca2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lucca2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lucca5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lucca5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The streets of Lucca.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-80' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lucca4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lucca4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 16 - Mar 20, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/7\/13 2:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>Today was a travel day, a 2 hour train ride from Florence to Venice. In Venice, we took the vaporetto (water bus) to our hotel from the train station. It was a pleasant 45 minute ride down the Grand Canal. Our hotel was steps away from St. Mark&#8217;s Square. We spent the afternoon wandering around. We tried getting lost, but I can&#8217;t stand not knowing where I am, so I kept looking on the map. Venice is a tangled mess of streets. It&#8217;s real easy to get lost, but you&#8217;re on an island, so there is only so far you can go.<\/p>\n<p>Wandering around, we only hit one dead-end. We did loop around a couple of times, wondering how we ended up walking in a circle.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-81' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice6.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice6.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice7.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice7.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice17.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice17.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice10.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice10.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice12.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice12.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice9.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice9.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice18.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice18.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Rialto Bridge is supposed to be romantic. It&#8217;s not. It&#8217;s crowded and has plenty of graffiti.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-82' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice13.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice13.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice14.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice14.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice15.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice15.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>A vaporetto going the other way.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-83' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Some of the paths between buildings are quite narrow.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-84' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice16.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice16.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 17 - Mar 21, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/7\/13 3:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>This morning we walked to St. Mark&#8217;s Square and Basilica.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-85' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice20.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice20.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice28.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice28.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice26.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice26.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice25.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice25.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Notice the stacked risers in the middle of the picture? Those are used when the square floods so the tourists don&#8217;t get their feet (or ankles or knees) wet.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-86' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice24.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice24.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We also went to the Doge&#8217;s Palace. The Doge was the big cheese of Venice from about 700 to 1797. Now the Doge&#8217;s residence is a museum. Again, we were not supposed to take pictures. (Oops)<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-87' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice29.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice29.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice30.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice30.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>These two pictures are external and internal shots of the Bridge of Sighs, the last view of Venice a prisoner would see on their way to a prison cell.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-88' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice23.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice23.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice31.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice31.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>In the afternoon we wandered around Venice. All of the areas we&#8217;d seen so far had been crooked walkways between buildings. We found an area in the southeast section of Venice that actually had straight wide streets and trees. We did not expect to see this. We also sat on a park bench for a little while. It was a sunny day. Most days on this trip had seen some rain and were chilly.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-89' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice21.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice21.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice33.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice33.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice34.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice34.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Dinner was at Pizzeria Vesuvio. Best pizza on this trip in Italy. Denise thought she was ordering a pizza with four different toppings. That&#8217;s exactly what she got, just not all mixed together as expected.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-90' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice22.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice22.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>After dinner we took the vaporetto back to our hotel. The water-bus looks like a road-bus on the inside.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-91' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice35.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/venice35.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 18 - Mar 22, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/7\/13 4:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>The public transit system was having a one day strike today. We knew about this in advance because theses strikes are publicized ahead of time. We took a private boat (not the expensive taxi, just a shuttle bus) to the airport.<\/p>\n<p>We flew back to London from Venice. The Italian airport security people were very surly to all passengers (not just Americans). They would be smiling and laughing amongst themselves, then turn on a passenger and yell at them. The conveyor belt into the bag x-ray machine kept jamming. The security agents would yell at everyone for putting their bags on the belt, like we were supposed to know that the belt would need to be run in reverse to unjam things. I did not notice any bags that were too large for the machine, so I&#8217;m not sure why it kept jamming.<\/p>\n<p>This is the only picture I took today. Here&#8217;s Carrie having dinner with us at Wahaca (their misspelling not mine).<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-92' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/carrie1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/carrie1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 19 - Mar 23, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/7\/13 7:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>Today we woke to freezing temperatures (32F\/0C) and snow in London. This is our last weekend of the trip. Today we went to the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour. About a 20 minute train ride from London is where many of the Harry Potter sets were built and used in filming of the movies. The studio is now a massive tourist attraction. Boy are they raking in the money. The place has been open for one year, and it was jam packed. You have to buy your tickets in advance, and the tickets are for a specific time. They have a massive gift shop where you can buy all sorts of trinkets and clothes and candy and books and anything else that will hold a Harry Potter logo. We spent almost 4 hours wandering around on the tour. Some reviews said you could spend much more time than that, depending on how fanatic you are about Harry Potter (the entrance was timed, the amount of time you spend walking around is not timed &#8211; you can take all day if you want).<\/p>\n<p>See the white spots in the picture? That&#8217;s snow.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-93' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The crazy people who want to see Harry Potter.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-94' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp6.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp6.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Various sets from the movie<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-95' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp8.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp8.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp9.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp9.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp11.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp11.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp16.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp16.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp19.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp19.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp10.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp10.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp13.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp13.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp14.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp14.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp15.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp15.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Butter Beer tastes like cream soda with frosting mixed in. Instant cavities.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-96' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp17.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp17.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The last room of the tour has a huge model of the school.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-97' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp20.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp20.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp21.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/hp21.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 20 - Mar 24, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/7\/13 7:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>For the first stop of the day, Denise and I went to the Science Museum. We were going to go to the Natural History museum, but the entrance line was too long. The Science museum was very big and we didn&#8217;t spend much time here.<\/p>\n<p>A Tucker Sno-Cat from an Antarctic expedition, a stack of cars, and the Apollo 10 command module.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-98' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/science2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/science2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/science4.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/science4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/science5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/science5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>We scheduled an &#8220;afternoon tea&#8221; with Carrie; thought the kid needed some culture. Boy were we all out of our cultural league. We are not fancy people. The waiters wanted to take our coats and tried to put napkins on our laps for us. And this wasn&#8217;t even the ultra-fancy &#8220;high tea&#8221;. This was just some pastries and finger sandwiches with your tea. They had about 20 different teas to choose from. We had no idea what we were doing. It felt like the scene from Blues Brothers when they went to Chez Paul. We were supposed to remove the tea bags after they soaked for a while, but my string broke because the pot&#8217;s hole was too small. I spilled tea on the table cloth right away. Denise somehow ended up with a bean sprout in her hair. We were laughing and having a good time, but I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s considered proper behaviour at &#8220;afternoon tea&#8221;. They didn&#8217;t kick us out, but they might not let us back in.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-99' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tea1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tea1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tea2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tea2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tea3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/tea3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Kensington Palace was the home of Princess Di and other royals. Part of it is still used as a royal residence (William and Kate live here now). Some of the rooms seemed like normal museum type rooms. But some of the rooms were setup in a spooky haunted house way. Macabre is a good word to describe it.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-100' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/kensington1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/kensington1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/kensington2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/kensington2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<pre class=\"trip-date\">Day 21 - Mar 25, 2013\r\nLast updated: 4\/7\/13 8:00pm PT<\/pre>\n<p>The final day. Going home from these long trips is hard. Part of you wants to keep going (I think avoiding the return to work has something to do with it). But part of you misses the stability and consistency of home.<\/p>\n<p>At Heathrow airport, you have to scan your boarding pass in a machine before you can get to the security screeners. Our tickets both beeped and wouldn&#8217;t let us in. So we went to the British Airways counter and found out we&#8217;d been upgraded. Now, we had pretty good seats on the flight out, so upgraded meant we&#8217;d be sitting in Club World &#8211; the seats that fold down into beds. That would have been more beneficial on the flight to London, as that&#8217;s when you try to sleep, but I&#8217;m not going to complain one bit. Club World seats get you into the executive lounge, which meant free food and drinks. Unfortunately, we ate lunch before we found out about the upgrade. Still, we went into the lounge and had a couple bags of chips and soft drinks. These seats were so roomy that the flight home seemed too short. (yes, it was still 9.5 hours).<\/p>\n<p>Here we are, me with my legs completely straight and not touching the seat in front of me, and I was slouching. And that&#8217;s a real glass, not plastic.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-101' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/airplane1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/airplane1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/airplane2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/airplane2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p>Europe<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-102' class='gallery galleryid-2167 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/europe5.gif'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/europe5.gif\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mar 5-25, 2013 Last updated: 4\/7\/13 8:00pm PT We decided it was time for another trip to Europe. Our niece Carrie is doing a semester abroad in London, and we thought that was the perfect excuse to go. The plan was to spend a few days with Carrie in London, then go to Rome, Florence, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/index.php\/trips\/europe-2013\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Europe 2013&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":499,"menu_order":31,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2167","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2167\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hovorka.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}