Con te partiro Italia.......

Had a great time in Italy with my family.So much to see & do. Even if we stayed another week, we wouldn't even come close to seeing all the beautiful things in Italy.  I got to do the things I really wanted to do.climb on Mt Etna, walk on an italian beach, see Fontana de Trevi, eat great food (some still a big ??) & speak to the people in their language when I could (thanks Jeremy)

The country is beautiful and have a lot of really great memories, including how much my feet hurt.  We took advantage of every single minute.  Jeremy was a great host and kept us busy doing fun things.  He about killed us with his driving, but we survived. 

Funny thing...People drive like nothing I've ever seen over there, but I never saw one car wreck the entire time. 
Stop signs do not mean STOP...they mean SPIN TIRES ON PAVEMENT....
one way streets are not really one way streets.
Most red lights mean nothing and there were many times we had to back up because there was a car coming at us and both of us weren't getting thru.  I would NOT sit in the front seat the entire time.  Jeremy has a 2010 Jeep Cherokee so we were bigger than most cars, but I chose to sit in the back seat and take pictures out the window.  You will see many many pictures of the landscape that I took while we were driving...lol

Yesterday was a long day.....Got to the airport in Catania at 6:30 am and got off the plane in Houston at 8:52 that night...changed planes three times and even had to un-check our luggage in Atlanta, go thru customs (all my stuff made it) and then re-check our bags.  We were over weight and had to pay like 63 Euros at the airport to check our bags....like $75 bucks !!  Oh well...

When I got on the first plane, I had a good cry so I was good for a while....Then I watched Eat, Pray, Love (awesome movie) and got the rest of it out...lol....i'm such a girl sometimes.

Con te partiro Italia......
(Time to say goodbye Italy)

Thanks and hope to be back someday

Last night, homemade lasagna for dinner.  Jeremy does love to eat !!

Train in Rome airport...

My loot !!  Olives and olive oil and wine and cigars and candy and ...

Holy water and jewelry and coffee....

My Esspresso maker....

Last day in Paradise !!

Went to the Catania open market today and finished up all of our shopping...OMG  prices were awesome....wait til I post pics of my gbaby Averie in her outfit I bought her....She is gonna need it when Momma has to enroll her in Catholic school !!  (those nuns can surely keep her attention).... We shopped a lot, and then ate at MCDONALDS.....it was so good....On the way back we stopped at Auchans so I could buy another bag to get all my stuff home....Then, stopped at the beach in Catania....Amazing !!  I walked in the waves and was facing a volcano !!  Thats a show stopper for sure....The speedos were a little much, but I still had to get some pictures.  It was so beautiful....then on the way home we stopped at the Italian market and got all fresh ingredients to make homemade Spinach Lasagna.....Can't wait...still waiting for it to finish cooking but I'll fill ya in later....Its gonna be good, I just know it....Got all my stuff packed...amazing...I had to bubble wrap all my wine, olive oil, olives, but it fit...I'm just gonna have to check more bags...Oh Well !!  Mitch is picking us up so we will have help hauling it to the car !! 

Got kinda emotional at the market...I sat in the car and just took it all in....besides the fact that Jeremy left me with all the spiritual music and I had a good cry....After that I was good.....I love Italia....If I could figure out how to get all my family here, get them jobs ...i would stay !!  Schindler is all over the place here....The only other thing we saw was a couple of Otis....and at the Auchans shopping mall, they were like moving sidewalks but went up at a slant like escalators...just flat....It was really wierd to see people taking shopping carts up the escalator !!

street vendors everywhere

Jeremy's dream car

Catania Beach

Me..with my toes in the water !!

Ciao Bela Italia !!

Toes in the sand...Catania Beach

Jeremy

Speedo Alert !!

Double Decker Sun Bathers...

Making Lasagna

Another Dead Soldier !!

Mt Etna Volcano

Oh My Gosh....What an awesome day !!  Went to Mt Etna...active volcano about a 30 minute drive from Aci Castello....It was beautiful...The trip up was winding winding winding and got some beautiful shots of the whole area.  Once we got to the area, Suzie chickened out so Jeremy and I took the cable car up to the first area....After that it was Jeep the rest of the way up, probably about 2 hours...We just did the cable car trip, but it was awesome.  Still plenty of snow everywhere and we walked out as far as we could and took pictures off the ledge.  It was amazing.  It is the closest I have been to heaven so far.   Favorite spot next to St Peters....Can't even describe it in worlds so check out the pics I am posting.  There was a cafe/gift shop with an awesome Photo Gallery on the top floor that had all of the pictures of the eruptions that have happened for the past 12 years.  Amazing sight to see.

Tuesday Funday

Had a good day yesterday, just hanging out at home.  Went back to the base to do laundry : (  and shopped at the BX for stuff.  Bought me a new camera !!!  After exchanging in more $$ for Euros, we drove home and stopped at the Italian market for chicken, vegetables and wine and Jeremy cooked us dinner.  It was awesome.  Chicken breasts and huge tiger prawn shrimp with rice.  Bought this awesome bottle of wine (Ben Rey Moscato) at the base (it was still $44 even at the base) and it was awesome.  Jeremy and I drank the whole bottle plus one !!  Had a good nights sleep.  Today we are off to Mt Etna to see the volcano....sure hope it behaves itself while we are there.

Rome - Thanks for the awesome memories

Went to the city today and just walked around and enjoyed the beautiful people and scenery.  Went to eat at an awesome little restaurant where the little old man waiting on us was from New York.  I had the Minestrone soup and it was great.  It was a little sad for me knowing we were leaving but we still have several days to spend in Aci Castello.  Planning on just taking a little break tommorrow....going to the base to buy a new camera since mine disappeared at the Coliseum.   Plan to go to Mount Etna on Wednesday and hopefully will be able to take the lift up the mountain to see the view.  I am looking forward to it and hope they let us go to the rim of the volcano.  We'll see. 

Jeremy's going to cook for us tommorrow and I plan to hit some of the local shops to buy some of the things that I want to take home.  Found this really great wine.... a Moscato...quite a heavy wine but has the best flavor.  We were in Catania and stopped to rest and sat in the outdoor cafe. It was so good. Might have to go back to that place just to look at the label.  Found something similar it at one place in Rome and it was 16% alcohol !!  Good grief.  Found another one that was similar at the restaurant today , but it was the asti type with the carbonated bubbles...not much on the asti type wine but it was really good. 

I still need olive oil, and I really want one of those little coffee pots they use here.  They are really cool...

Walked around a lot at the Rome airport today and bought a few souvenirs but was afraid to buy too much because I didnt want to be over the weight limit on my baggage back to Palermo. I have really only bought a few things, mostly from St Peters....really nice rosaries and a beautiful statue of Jesus and Mary.  They had a lot of really nice things there....seems almost wrong that they are selling souvenirs.  Bought Mitch some really nice drum sticks from Hard Rock Cafe in Rome and a few things from the Coliseum area. 

Posting some pictures of the condo we stayed at in Rome....Thanks to Mr Wade Smith (we think he was Austrailian because he had a very nice accent) for your awesome hospitality.  It was a great place to stay and am so glad we went this route instead of a hotel.  Signing off now cuz it is really late and I'm a tired bunny wabbit again !! 




B

 

Balcony off the condo

View from the balcony

View down the street

Condos across the street, top floor...Awesome place

Jeremy watching Rangers Game

Living room area

LOVE the coffee pots...he had three different sizes

Kitchen...Stocked with Pasta, pastries and juice

Elevator across the hall - outer door

Elevator interior doors...Beautiful red enamel and it was really clean

Inside of elevator

4 people !! We could barely fit the three of us....and I am pretty sure we blew the weight limit !!  Oops !!