BeyondTheBackyard

So, uhm… yeah…. Alright, looks like I have some explaining to do… Yes, my family and I are still alive. No, we were not kidnapped and yes, we are still having a great time. I realize I haven’t been posting any entries lately, and I am truly sorry for this. Right as I am writing this, I am on the EuroStar train hurtling through the French countryside at 200 mph and I can assure you that this has been my first real chance at blogging since I the last post was published. The fact is, France has been one busy day after another. Actually I suppose that’s not entirely true. We have also had some driving days, but I just can’t for the life of me type in the car while it’s moving. Anyways, since I’ve ... read more

Most Memorable Part of the Day We got lost in the old part of Dinan today. And the old part, is really old. Mom was freaking out at how cute everything was, and was two twitches short of having convulsions every time we saw a crèperie. We were the only car on the road, though there were dozens of people walking around. Eventually we found our way out and back to the safety of our hotel. Funniest Part of the Day I wish I had a picture of this. The latest fashion trend among teens in Europe is to wear baseball hats that are at least two sizes too small. This way, they only fit on half of your head and puff up to make it look like you are hiding some sort of tumour. So ... read more

Most Memorable Part of the Day We went to another big church today. It had a bunch of skeletons that were pretty neat-o. And just in case anyone was wondering, we aren’t on some kind of religious pilgrimage where we see how many churches we can visit. They’re just always there. Funniest Part of the Day Mom trampled a small child today. Actually. We were in a grocery store, and this little girl who had just learned to walk was behind her. Mom turned around and tripped almost kicked this little girl right to the ground. She cried and everything. Good job Mom, good job. Things I Learned Today French people love their yogurt. And everybody here actually does that ‘kiss kiss’ thing that you see in movies. All the time. Side Notes Had some more ... read more

Most Memorable Part of the Day We went to an authentic French chocolate shop. They were all handmade right there in the store. It was absolutely delicious. Sydney had marshmallows of course… Funniest Part of the Day During our trip so far, Grandma has been saying how her suitcase does not have big enough wheels. While we were shopping today, she decided to by a new one. But then we had a problem. What were we going to do with an extra empty suitcase? Grandma had the solution. She just left it in the hotel room when we left, with a note telling the maid to keep it. Things I Learned Today The French like their shoe stores and hair salons. There was one of each on pretty much every single block. Side Notes After a ... read more

Most Memorable Part of the Day We went on a wild goose chase looking for a restaurant. We checked out two, both of which were too expensive. Then we got to a restaurant called Hippopoteme, (Hippopotamus in French). Pretty much all they served was steak and burgers. And they were out of both steak and burgers. So on to the next place. We visited another couple of restaurants before we finally found one. And it took them almost an hour to bring our food. Funniest Part of the Day Nobody laughed today. It just wasn’t that kind of day. Things I Learned Today French food is very expensive. Side Notes When we got to our hotel, Sydney was pretty excited about the swimming pool. Maria, Mom, Grandma and her all went out to the pool. (I ... read more

Most Memorable Part of the Day We climbed to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It takes about half an hour to climb up and go back down again. From the top, you can see all of Pisa, which goes right until it hits the mountains. The stairs are super hard to climb because they’ve been worn down after hundreds of years of people walking on them. On top of that, one half is hard to go down, and the other half hard to go up because the whole thing is leaning so much. Eventually, the staircase, which goes around the circumference of the entire tower, turns into tiny little spiral staircases. And oh yeah, there are no railings. If you are claustrophobic, or afraid of heights, you would die. Only Maria, Dad and ... read more

Most Memorable Part of the Day Frankly, the whole day was pretty memorable. If I had to pick though, I guess I would have to say either the Sistine Chapel or St Peter’s Basilica. The Sistine Chapel was absolutely PACKED. There wasn’t a moment that you weren’t being pushed into strangers and pressed against walls. However, we got to see Michelangelo’s famous painting “Creation,” which is painted on the ceiling. It’s not that big compared to the other paintings in the room, but it was definitely the most unforgettable. Since we’re smart travelers, we took a short cut out of the Chapel to the Basilica, although the crowd was so horrible we almost didn’t make it. I wish I had pictures of it, but unfortunately it wasn’t allowed. That didn’t stop Grandma though, she even used ... read more

Most Memorable Part of the Day Visited the Pantheon today. It’s a giant domed building that’s over 2000 years old. Originally, it was a place that anyone could go to, to practice any religion. We saw where Raphael is buried (the artist that the red Ninja Turtle is named after) and where the first Italian King is buried. At the top of the dome, (which is a perfect sphere) there is a huge circular hole. It is still the only light source for the building. It is also always left open, so when it rains, people inside get rained on too. Funniest Part of the Day Grandma bought Sydney a little coin purse today. She took every spare moment we had to sit on a corner and sing, hoping that someone would put money in it. ... read more

Most Memorable Part of the Day Today was probably the most memorable part of the week. We visited the great Roman Coloseum and the Roman Forum. We went to the forum first and walked through the ruins of what was once the center of Rome. We walked on the same streets that the Romans built some 2000 years ago. We even saw the stone that Julius Caesar was burned on. After that, we continued on to the Coloseum. The Coloseum is basically the worlds first sports stadium, complete with retractable roof. About 50 000 people could all sit there at the same time and watch gladiators battle each other and prisoners be fed to the lions. We saw the ground floor, second floor, and underground passages of the Coloseum, though there are three floors that spectators ... read more

Most Memorable Part of the Day Watching “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” I know, kinda lame right? Today, Maria, Sydney, Mom, Grandma and I all stayed home and watched movies. What can I say? We were tired. The movie was great though Funniest Part of the Day We were actually pretty excited that there were English DVDs in our apartment for us. We picked out a movie, popped it in the player, pressed play aaaaaand, Hugh Grant was speaking Italian. And we didn’t even notice for the first few minutes. Things I Learned Today Oh my god, Hugh Grant has aged so much. Side Notes While the rest of us took a day to recuperate, Dad went to see Ostia Antica, some roman ruins near the beach. We cooked some tortellini for supper, but they were ... read more