Friday was a magical day! The first magical thing was that Kimmy had slept for over 12 hours and woke up her a little groggy but was soon her usual cheerful energetic self. The next magic trick was that we got onto our 9am tran to Naples at 8:59. Just as we sighed into our seats, we felt the forward motion began. Phew! The tran rde was very nice - beautiful vews of the mountains, and very comfy seats. t was a high speed train ... only 1 hour 10 minutes to Naples. Not even long enough for us to fnsh our scrabble game. The only snafu of the day was when we arrived n Naples. The hotel is, as advertised, very close to the train station, but we walked right past it,then all the way ... read more

Today was quite an adventure! Our 9am sharp departure turned into 9:10, plus there was lots of traffic which made a few street crossings extremely difficult. So we ended up jogging the last few blocks to make it to our rondevouz for the Vatican tour. We made it, only 5 minutes late, and not (quite) the last people there. Steve got the group signed in and oriented, and distributed headsets. Then we headed off to Piazza San Pietro. We went through security then met at the base of the Obelisk. He gave us pointer for good places to stand to be able to see the Pope. Kimmy and I situated ourselves and caught what we thought was a pretty close view and turned to walk away, then realized he was coming even further into the audience, ... read more

Last year Ann Marie said to Kimberly, "You get to go to Europe when you turn 8." As if it's a rite of passage. I took Ann Marie to visit Aunt Shellie in Paris when she was almost 8. Initially I scoffed at Ann Marie's idea that Kimberly needed her own Eurpoean voyage, but the idea grew on me. I asked Kimberly where she wanted to go ... her first choice was Greece, but we settled on Italy. I began to research how to do this on a shoestring budget, convinced that if college students can do it, then a mother and daughter duo could. And here we are! The plane trip was free (frequent flyer miles) and we are staying in hostels, taking public transportation (no sissy taxi from the airport!) and we are eating ... read more

We got up very early this morning and left Franschhoek at 8am. About 1/2 hour into our drive we (finally) met a family of baboons. We saw 8 adults and a juvenile; they were playing/foraging at the side of the road. Brian pulled over so we could take photos -- but we did not get out of the car (to avoid having our passports stolen by the baboons -- not a joke!) Later on we saw a momma with a tiny baby clinging to her back. We drove for four hours with one main stop (at the "Country Pumpkin") -- and a few shorter stops for views, gasoline, etc. The drive went by very quickly -- the scenery was absolutely magnificent. We drove on Route 60 then Route 62, through several small farming villages. The mountain ... read more

Today is a chilly, rainy day. I would prefer a warm sunny day, but the rain is soothing and the day is relaxing. We grudgingly left Leuwenvoet House at 9:30 this morning, saying good-bye to Frankie (our resident cat) and the two wonderful women who were our hosts -- and who seemed to work 24 hours a day. Brian drove us to the bottom of the cable car for a view through the clouds -- a view of Cape Town and sea beyond. Suprisingly, the cable car was running despite the think tablecloth of clouds draped over Table Mountain. Even though Brian clearly thought we were crazy, we took the gondola to the top. On a nice day it is very crowded. Today it was only the four of us and a South African family, who ... read more