Victorian for a day

Jerran had an assignment from his history teacher to live as he 'would' have in Victorian England for a day.  This involved him using candles for light (even with window it's not that bright inside on a grey day), doing laundry in my tub and leaving gross grey residue all over, cooking his own food (not with a microwave) and watching the rest of us enjoy our regular lives while he suffered.  I thought he would like to cook dinner with me, but he refused when he found out how much work it is and cooked himself a baked potato instead.  Deprived of help in the cooking department, I asked Ben to take over and thus it ensued that the rest of us ate Pizza Hut while Jerran had his lonely baked potato and fried egg.  Because we were eating by candlelight someone had the bright idea to get out marshmellows and skewers and roast them.  It's impressive how evenly browned you can get a marshmellow over a candle.  Also impressive is the failure of our children to learn from their mistakes as they burnt a number of marshmellows after getting them too close to the flame.  With the addition of some Liebenz crackers (chocolate coated) the kids enjoyed their s'mores while Jerran sulked.   Yes, we are heartless, but if we stopped doing what we are doing every time the boy sulked we would never do anything.  Or very rarely.

Did Jerran learn anything?  He informs me that he is glad he lives in the modern world and that he isn't in charge of the laundry.

Christmas presents

Naples

Mt Vesuvius in the distance

waiting for the pompeii strike to finish up

Our guide, Guido

Town hall

crosswalks--very handy when the streets run with effluvia

Our usual view of the boy, running away

sunset from our balcony

Luzern

Walking through the pedestrian district

Lion monument

Old wooden bridge across the river

On our way to the Christmas market

grateful for our snow tires!

Florence

In the square at the old Roman
crossroads the rare teenaged
smile (smirk?) is spotted in the wild

The pillar in the middle of the old crossroads
'belly button' of Florence

tablecloths and placemats

We don't have any Italian DVD's, so the players in the house
didn't do us any good

magnolia!  I could touch it
from our balcony

My favorite part of traveling, trying new treats

In the beginning of the trip, joy was smiling

David

Piazza della Liberta, where No chased
lots of pigeons

Santa Maria Novella

So excited to walk all over

The kids' favorite museum had models of
Leonardo DaVinci's plans--this is his
idea for a tank with guns sticking out
every direction.  Zak approves

Pictures

Rosenberger restaurant, somewhere in Austria (maybe Italy)

Northeastern Italy reminds me of the Central Valley

Relaxin' for Christmas

Noah's favorite part of our trip

The Duomo, Florence

Pompeii, with stray dogs EVERYWHERE

Stayed here overnight in Lucerne

Drove through snow to get there and get back

On the road again

Our trip first took us from rainy Germany to snowy Switzerland, where we explored Lucerne's pedestrian district and the Christmas market. I've now been to Christmas markets in 3 countries, France, Germany, and Switzerland. We stayed in a hotel right next to the river and enjoyed the lovely views. Sadly, the snow didn't stop once we were again on the road and even our magic tunnel failed to produce sunshine until very close to the Italian border.

Lunch was a fun adventure in getting lost in the industrial district of Genova, finding a trattoria full of old men, and having an amazing meal. If I thought I could find that place again, I'd go there in a heartbeat. As it was, we had to push on to Camp Darby and the beds of sleeplessness. Luckily, there was a commissary and Bx so retail therapy calmed the grumpy, sleepless Joy.

Naples was worlds nicer than we'd been led to believe, and the abundant sunshine was amazing. How sad is it when the kids, emerging into daylight, all flinch away from the sun and complain it is blinding them?

I won Italian Bingo on the drive to Pompeii, by observing five cars passing one another on a 3 lane road, and we were helpfully informed(after we paid to park) by our parking attendant that there was a strike closing Pompeii until 10. At ten, the note on the gates said it would open at 11, and when we returned, we found a helpful guide, Guido, who took us on a tour. Unlike Rome, the sites we've seen on this trip have charged our kids full price (except Noah, who is still free). We loved Pompeii, despite the wind and threatening rain. Actually, just before we got there, a pillar had fallen in the wind. We didn't make it to the archeological museum, but instead had the bestest pizza I've ever had. Seriously, I've had dreams about that pizza.

$20 in laundry later, we packed up and headed to Florence, where we rented an apartment so we could cook over Christmas (and the day after, which is a holiday). Ben and I headed straight to the Academia to see the David, and ease my guilty conscience that I failed to see it on our last Italy trip. Florence is covered in graffiti wherever you look, there are few signs telling you where to go, and tourists everywhere. It's not my favourite Italian city. Luckily on Christmas eve there were very few tourists so we saw the Medici palace, the Uffizi, and the museum which holds Galileo's finger bones without waiting in any lines. Plus the Duomo and lots of leather stalls.

I think the biggest difference on this trip, is I feel like we've not met anyone friendly here. The museums are old and neglected-looking and there is no such thing as a family pass. If I had it to do over, I'd spend more time in Naples, or spend a few days in Rome and only stay in Florence a night or two. Oh well, live and learn!