Livin' the Dream

Life Goal #4: Travel enough to need extra pages in my passport- Accomplished.

My first passport was issued to me when I was 16.
It had two little stamps in it. One was an entry stamp and the other an exit stamp. They were beautiful, magenta colored "Шереметьево" stamps. I use to flip through all the empty pages and dream about what it would look like filled with stamps and VISAS.

My second passport was issued to me when I was 21. I decided when I got it, I would try my hardest to get more than two stamps. My first set of stamps came only 2 months after I received it and were the same two stamps as in my first passport. When I returned from that trip, again, I would flip through the empty pages imagining what I wanted it to look like and stop on the page with the two stamps and remember my wonderful journey.

Yesterday we made our first visit to the US embassy, on what was an exciting moment for us both. As we handed over our passports to the lady in the window I was jumping up and down inside as I said, "We need to get pages added to our passports". Seems like a silly thing to get excited about, but for me, this event is associated with the realization that I'm currently living 16 year old Nichole's dream.

I picked up our passports this morning complete with 24 new pages. I like my men strong and muscular, but I prefer my passport fat and busting at the seams. I sit and look at the fresh bare pages now and grow anxious to know what stamps will find their way onto them.

It Was Love at First Sight

Before leaving for Kiev, I was confident I would enjoy this city and almost certain that Michael would as well. But I was completely caught off guard that the moment we exited the customs terminal I was already head over heels in love with the city, and my feelings grew stronger and stronger with each new thing I laid my eyes on. Don't let me fool you though, the airport wasn't the best, the cleanest, the newest or even the nicest airport I have been in. In fact, it was probably closer to the ugliest, darkest, depressing one. It was a big concrete cold feeling building, packed with travelers and those waiting for them and a hoard of people outside smoking. But this gave me peace and a overall sense of familiarity, which I loved. Finally, I was back in Eastern Europe.

We immediately saw my name on a sign held by our private driver to take us to the hotel. The ride to town was great. We drove through the tall trees in the forest, the high rise apartment buildings that were so run down and old, we crossed the big bridge with a great view of the river and the hills of Kiev, we passed through areas of big houses, cemeteries selling bright colored flowers, and fancy well kept apartment buildings.

"Hotel Sonya" called to me when I ran across it online. It was more of an apartment rental run like a hotel. We booked an apartment called "Lora", which after looking at online looked cute and big, but nothing special. We were surprised when they let us in our apartment and we saw that it had been completely remodeled since the pictures were taken that were on the website. It was beautiful and renamed, "Yoshiko". I'm sure you can guess that it was a Japanese inspired apartment that was so nicely done. After our little tour of our apartment by the lady that checked us in our mouths hung open for about 10 minutes by how nice this apartment was. On top of the amazing room, they brought us breakfast each morning to as part of the price. We got to pick what we wanted to eat each day and they showed up on the minute that we requested it. nice! We will definitely be staying here again.

As for the city, I am totally enamored by Kiev. No words, descriptions, pictures, thoughts or reflections could possibly start to explain this city. I think my "bible" (Lonely Planet) said it best; "It (Kiev) puts the foreign back into European travel and acts as an antidote to an increasingly over explored, identikit world." I couldn't agree more or say it any better. You nailed it Lonely Planet.

The most shocking part of this trip for me, was that Kiev easily became my second favorite city to date and we didn't even get a chance to scratch the surface. The second most shocking thing to me, was that Michael was just as taken with this city as I was. We'll be back here again, I have no doubt.

A few pictures to wet your palette until I get the rest online

Pretty Tulips

Street Scene

Former Soviet Leaders and Ukrainian Supporters of the Communist Party
celebrating Labor Day on May Day
In the news photo 1
In the news photo 2

View

Київ

Look where we will be one week from today!

Київ (Kiev, Ukraine)
Just yesterday on CNN this article popped up CNN.

Day 7 & 8 - End of Rome

Our final day in Rome we wanted to lay our eyes on the Coliseum and the Roman Forum, so that is what we did. After waling to the Roman Forum we sat down on some old ruins and ate some bread while watching people pass by. My favorite pair to watch was an Asian couple. The girl made her other half take 5 billion pictures of her from every angle with every possible thing in the background. Of course she looked at every picture and if she wasn't happy with one of them, he would have to retake it. They made me laugh! The first time we were here we spend several hours walking through the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. This time we just walked around for a short 20-30 minutes. It was so much more crowded this time as well.

The Roman Forum

Me Conquering a Piece of Land

The Coliseum lives right next door to the Roman Forum. We didn't venture inside but sat on a wall overlooking it for a while. When we got up to leave a girl stopped us and asked if we spoke English. I think she was representing a tour company. We said yes, and then she asked if we were going inside the coliseum. When we said no, she looked as if we had stabbed her through the heart as she said, "You can't come ALL the way to Rome and NOT go inside!" Of course, I said, it wasn't our first trip to Rome and all her pain went away.

Beautiful

The Pates at the Coliseum

The rest of the day we didn't have anything in particular to do so as always we just wondered the streets. We are lunch in a great little place called, AO ristorante. It was delicious. We each had a glass of Sicilian wine that the Sommelier suggested after we told him what we liked and what we wanted. To eat Michael had a basil, tomato pasta and I had a provolone, tomato pasta. For dessert we went searching for gelato and found a great place. We had the flavors of Baily's Irish Cream and Nutella. We had heard about "Nutella" gelato and just HAD to find it. Both were amazing, but the Irish Cream blew the Nutella out of the water. The Nutella was great,but I think I prefer Nutella in Nutella form as opposed to Gelato form. The Irish Cream though, was to die for!

Rome is literally littered with Cathedrals. We were in a quiet little neighborhood and I saw a rather bland looking church and smiled at Michael and walked up the stairs to go inside. He followed, my mouth dropped to the floor as I walked through the doors. It was absolutely breathtaking. This church actually quickly jumped up to my list of 5 favorite cathedrals and is probably in the top three! It was so unassuming from the outside. Yet, every inch inside of this place was covered in some beautiful something. There were only 3 other couples inside that were obvious tourists and another couple people praying. As we left I tried to find it in our guide book and in the 50 plus cathedrals covered in the book, this was not one of them! There isn't much information online about it either.

As always, the pictures don't do it any kind of justice at all.

Basilica Di S. Agostino

Back on my post of the Pantheon Marianne asked if we saw the "Elephant Statue" on the side of the building. We hadn't and managed to find ourselves back at the Pantheon, and this time when hunting for the statue. We thought we were looking for a teeny tiny little statue, but we realized we were wrong when we found him with an obelisk on his back. He sat in a square of a Cathedral and we hopped in there too. It was nice, but after seeing St. Augostino's, it wasn't as impressive. We did find a painting of Jesus showing off his muscles though.

You might have to click it to make it big to see it better!

Jesus showing off his guns.

Enormous Candles

We had a long day and wanted to get back to Myra's a little early so we could pack up and make sure we were all ready to leave in the morning. We walked back via the Trevi Fountain (and hopped in another church), got home, packed, ate and called it an early night and prepare our minds and bodies for the insanity that would start the next day.

Me and Trevi again

The Crowds

Cute Street

Our Temporary Residence in Rome.
The big window on the white building with one shutter open and the other is closed is where we stayed.

Check out the size of that front door!

So that ladies and gentleman, is the end of Italy. Hope no one got to sick and tired of reading about it! :)

Bella Roma Day 2

Wednesday morning came fast, especially since we didn't go to bed till quite late. Myra left early for a day trip for work and Michael and I slept in. When we got up, we headed straight out the door after of course changing to go across the street to a little cafe called, "Friends Cafe" where we got some coffee and croissants. It was good and fast so we could come back and take showers and pack up for the day and get on our way.

We started our "sightseeing" by walking from Myra's place to the Spanish steps which is about a 10-15 minute walk. When we got there we sat on the steps for a while watching the world go by.

Spanish Steps

After the Spanish Steps we walked around alot and found lunch at a cute little cafe. We ate outside under heated lamps, but the wind started to blow and it got quite cold. When we left we had the intention to go to the Pantheon, but since we just went the "general direction" and weren't really looking at a map to get there, we ended up by the river close to Vatican City, so went there instead. When we got there I had to use the restroom and Michael was convinced he remembered there being a restroom hidden on a wall on close to the entrance I wasn't so sure about this, but as we started walking underneath the columns it all came back to me and I knew he was right and there it was, a hidden and empty restroom! We sat on the steps in the square for a long time. The sun was out and I was in heaven. It was so warm I even rolled up my sleeves and helped my body make lots of vitamin D!

Michael Crossing Over the Bridge

Tiber River

St. Peters Square and Cathedral

I LOVE this picture.
Michael and the two nuns.

I'm in green, sunbathing

We decided we would try to go to the Pantheon again, so after reading a map we were on our way and this time made it there. It was about a 45 minute walk or so, but as Myra will attest to, we can out walk anybody in fact in Paris in 2002, she gave Michel the nickname "Walking Nazi'. The Pantheon was just as huge as I remember. It is such an amazing building and to think that the building that is there now has been standing there since 125AD blows my mind.

Pantheon
Can you find Michael? He is hard to miss ;)

It was starting to get later and later and we needed to meet Myra back at the apartment at 7:00. We knew we had a long trek back home so we got some Gelato for the road and headed back. Our plan was to go to the Spanish Steps and then from there back to Myra's house, until we saw signs for the Trevi Fountain (which is relatively close to the Spanish Steps) so, made a detour to go there instead. We spent a few days on our first trip sitting by the fountain eating lunch. When we were here in 2002 the fountain area seemed so empty, there were usually only about 20 other people there with us. It was the end of February on that trip also, so I don't know why this time, there were so many more people. We didn't sit on the steps in front of the fountain but on the wall to the side of it. I found a little corner that I fit in perfectly and Michael stood and researched the map to find the best way home. This time, we made it all the way home with no stops. We were gone from 11:00am til 6:00pm. It was a lovely day of walking around the incredible city, taking it all in and enjoying ourselves.

Coffee Flavored Gelato

Trevi Fountain

This is look like when I walk for 6 hours. Tired!

In the evening the three of us went to the grocery store to stock up on food for the party that was happening the next night at Myra's place. We loaded our backpacks down with 12 bottle of Procceco and tons of food. We also got some pasta, bread, and pesto for dinner along with a jar of instant coffee so we didn't have to run out the door so fast the next morning, breakfast for the morning and a toothbrush for me because mine is sitting in our cabinet in the bathroom in Lyngby. oops. We ate our food, drank some wine from Macedonia and had a lovely evening.

Cooking Ravioli stuffed with Ricotta and Spinach