ffeJ + PAL Adventures | Endeavors | Assorted Shenanigans
Italy
2 Coins In The Fountain
Honestly, this was a bittersweet day. It was out last day in Rome, and I really was feeling pretty crummy from the effects of my “ostriche” day. Also, it’s also our 9th anniversary. Sarah and I did a lot of stuff today that we didn’t get to do other days. First, I was off to [...]
Amazing Race Day
We started the day in Florence by dusting off our negotiating skills in procuring a scarf from a stand outside the train station. Bad location to buy anything (like buying bottled water at the airport), but I really liked it and hadn’t seen any like it before. Jeff teased that I would see hundreds [...]
So It Wasn’t The Oyster After All
So it wasn’t the oyster after all. I had the flu. Jeff got it today and feels mass sick-o, and appropriately guilty for all the flack he dished out about me being a wimp. I powered through on my ostriche day, but Jeff? Jeff did not. He was in bed all day, [...]
Escaping Death On The Appian Way
Today was Easter Monday, and we had read that everything in Rome was typically closed. We figured that we would go for a picnic on the Appian Way somewhere, as that’s what a typical Roman family might do (apparently…according to our guidebooks). We woke up kind of early, and I went out to get some [...]
Una Buona Pasqua!
Today was Easter, and Sarah and I had planned to check out the outdoor Mass at the Vatican. Easter is the biggest holiday in Rome (or so we hear), and Easter Mass is a big deal. We woke up, put on something nicer than our standard issue blue jeans, and headed up to the Vatican. [...]
Living La Dolce Vita
I started the day off by going for a run. Normally, I’ve been running up the Gianiculum Hill, but today, I ran out to Testacchio just to explore a little bit. Rome is a treacherous place to run. First, the San Pietrini (little cobble stones that make up the streets), are uneven, in disrepair, broken, [...]
The Carabinieri Are Going To Steal Our Mozzarella
We woke up, and started our day by going and buying buffalo mozzarella, oranges, and bread from the Campo, with intentions of eating them for lunch later. Then, we wandered off to Tazza d’Oro to get a coffee…and then about 5 minutes later into San’Eustachio. I had two double espresso’s back to back; strangely, this [...]
Beach Day
We started the day with a visit to Jeff’s new favorite barista man at Café del Biscione, just off the Campo. I guess he’s not actually a barista man, more likely he’s the owner. He’s an older sweater vested, grey haired man who sits at the cash register, while an apron clad younger guy in [...]
Ostriche Day
So Sarah woke up in the middle of the night not feeling well. Normally, that means she has to burp. She’s basically like a baby. If I could throw her over my shoulder and help her out, I would. Anyways, I woke up early and was super stoked to go to Galleria Borghese—I’ve wanted to [...]
Under The Tuscan Sun
For my birthday, Sarah let me pick a tour of my choice while we were in Italy. Normally, tours are something that I avoid like the plague for a couple of reasons: 1. They inevitably cater to the lowest common denominator (because you inevitably get lumped in with other idiot Americans—more on that later), and [...]
For The Kati(e)s In My Life
Katie C, Katie S and Kati T: this is for you. It must be a Kati(e) thing, you all will appreciate this more than anyone else in my life… with the exception of my brother Tim (strange / ironic / shocking / mildly embarrassing for him? Yes). Tim will tell you he is a member [...]
Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Neapolitan Day For Us
Ah, Naples. And I thought that Roma was lawless after a couple of days. Despite my initial thoughts about Roma, Naples is really the only place in Italy I’ve ever felt like I was going to get mugged. I should have known though, since the day got off to such a random start. See, when [...]
The Importance Of Being Early
Today, our big adventure was to go to the Porta Portese flea market. It’s open every Sunday, and since next Sunday is Easter, and we aren’t sure if the market is open, we decided to go this week. The market is enormous, and filled with all sorts of stuff. Literally, you can get all manner [...]
Old Stomping Grounds
Today we went on a bit of an exploratory walk through Sarah’s old neighborhood. When she came to Rome to study abroad in 2004, she lived at Via Labicana, 29, which is situated in the San Giovanni neighborhood, a little bit east of the Colosseum. Of course, she wanted to go back to her old [...]
Ciao Roma!
Our first day in Rome! We woke up early given that we slept so well on the plane. The hotel delivered coffee and a basket of bread and pastries to our room, so we enjoyed a quick nibble and headed out for a morning stroll before our appointment to get the key to our apartment. [...]
Dragon Trainer
Right before we went off to Italy, Sarah and I had occasion to hang out with our old neighbors from Oakland–Maudie and Sumul–and their friend Ben. We hadn’t seen them in a while–probably 3 years or so. I guess the reason is that we haven’t really been in Nor Cal, and they haven’t been to [...]
That Last Post Deserves Another Post
Be it an indication of the cramped conditions of our apartment in LA, or total luxury travel naivety, but I would live in business class of British Airways if given the chance.
I never really understood the first class thing. Sure, it always looks cushy – roomier, squishier seats, more leg room, nicer looking snacks that [...]
And we’re off…
And for some reason, Esther at the British Airways counter upgraded us to business class…which is going to make the flight to London a lot more comfortable. Of course she probably upgraded us because of some sort of shenanigans, but still…we must have good travel karma or something.