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Team Little Kiss - Chelsea and David Lilleness

Hi Friends and Family,

First off, we want to thank Brett Meier for that nickname (The Little Kisses), although like any eight-year-old boy, he said it in a taunting manner and with voiced indignation, what Brett didn't anticipate was that David and I actually liked the nickname! We are going to dare to go where no school-aged-boy has gone before and represent "cooties" with honor!

We are a little over a month out until our European Vacation, hopefully with adventures enough to make even Clark Griswold jealous (although Chelsea hates frivolous destruction, so we hope to keep that to a minimum!) Frivolous spending may take place though.... As excited as we are about our trip, we have plenty to keep us occupied until then. Chelsea is finishing up her last two weeks of nursing school and starting to hit the books for her RN licensure exam, while Dave is finishing up a remodeling project he started last January. Hopefully we will survive this crazy season and be able to vacation after all!

We started this blog to keep you updated about all our travels without having to write 50 emails in the process! We love you all and appreciate any comments and of course, your prayers! See below for our official trip countdown!

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Joined on: May 27th 2008
Last Login: October 6th 2008

Blog Entries: 28
Photos: 349

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Blogs & Travel Journals

by Team-Little-Kiss, order by Date newest first.

By Team Little Kiss
September 11th 2008

You know it's time to go home when you are out of Pepto Bismul

North America » United States » Washington » Seattle

Yikes, can't wait to see what our kids look like.

Today is our last day in Tunisia and thus, our very last day of our European/North African Holiday. Very sad! However, I think both David and I are ready to go home see our friends and family and eat some of favorite (and missed) foods. I have been craving REAL Mexican food for about a month (as real as it gets in Seattle anyway!). We have learned a lot throughout this entire experience; not only about traveling and other cultures different than our own, but also about each other. Spending 24 hours a day, for eight weeks straight with another person [View Full Entry]

By Team Little Kiss
September 7th 2008

If Only Tunisia Was As Cheap As We Thought!

Africa » Tunisia » Hammamet

El Jem and the token camel.

So by this point in our two months of traveling, David and I have started to consider ourselves travel experts. We can efficiently and confidently navigate many a foreign subway systems, order meals in the local language, and even find our way using only our newly developed keen sense of direction… we may have even started to get a little arrogant about all of this, if it hadn’t been for Tunisia! Tunisia is truly another world. Even the great and hectic city of Naples cannot compare to the intensity of this North African country. David and I knew it would be [View Full Entry]

By Team Little Kiss
August 29th 2008

The New City

Europe » Italy » Campania » Naples

Plaster cast of a victim of Mt. Vesuvius

The city of Naples’ name comes from the ancient Greek name, Neopolitana, or “New City”. This new city is about 3000 years old. Chelsea and I have spent 2 wonderful days with Rosario Palumbo, and his wife Rosa. Rosario is the cousin of my Grandma Evie’s brother’s wife, Ersilia. He and his wife are wonderful hosts and tour guides and have made the last 2 days for Chelsea and I very fun, interesting, and relaxing. Our first day started with a 3 hour tour of Pompei, destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. It is an amazing intact Roman city, with [View Full Entry]

By Team Little Kiss
August 27th 2008

REAL Italian Food

Europe » Italy

Ravioli with pesto! YUM!

Chelsea and I have spent the last 4 days and 3 nights at the most amazing out-of-the-way cooking school in Italy, “Fontana del Papa”. It really isn’t too far from Rome, a 1 hour train ride followed by a 30 minute car ride and you are there. However it feels like it is out in the middle of nowhere. That wonderful nowhere is actually called Monte della Tolfa, and has been our haven from the stress and intensity of travel in Florence and Rome. The blisters on my feet are almost healed, I have gotten at least 9 hours of sleep [View Full Entry]

By Team Little Kiss
August 25th 2008

Cheering on the Burros

Europe » Italy

The parade through the town streets.

Monte della Tolfa is about an hour and a half north of Rome. Despite being relatively close, it feels like an entirely different world. The day that we arrived we were invited to attend a local festival. We were driven into the heart of the small village and left to wander down to the piazza (town square). At once we noticed that this was not a low-key event. It appeared as if the entire town had come out for this event. And the event was… donkey racing!? As we approached the roads leading to the center of the town we noticed [View Full Entry]

One excited donkey (and many truly excited donkey fans)

By Team Little Kiss
August 23rd 2008

Rome on crack…

Europe » Italy » Lazio » Rome

The Pantheon

… well that might be a slight exaggeration. However, I do have a theory. For the past two mornings we have consumed very questionable vending machine cappuccinos and while fueled with these drinks have defied both time and space! You can be the judge… In two days we have visited the Parthenon, one gothic church, three Baroque churches, the Borghese Gallery, Trajan’s Column, a really freaky crypt (Cappuccin), the Colleseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Capitol Hill, Capitol Hill Museum, Mamertine Prison, and Trevi Fountain. Phew! And all in 100 degree weather! Think [View Full Entry]

By Team Little Kiss
August 21st 2008

When in Rome….Don’t make the stupid ‘when in Rome’ joke….ugh…

Europe » Italy » Lazio » Rome

Laocoon.
This was lost for 1000 years and found during the Renaissance. It was paraded around Rome and inspired Michelangelo to sculpt with emotion.

We have been in Rome for almost 30 hours now, and man are my feet tired. Yesterday we got in by train from Florence; it was a pleasant 3.5 hours on an air conditioned car, very nice! Right off the train we put our bags in the luggage hold area and headed off to the National Museum of Rome. It had a wonderful collection of ancient Roman and Greek statues, and many Roman copies of Greek statues. The Romans didn’t so much invent their own culture as they did steal the Greek’s culture and make it bigger. We saw statues that [View Full Entry]

By Team Little Kiss
August 20th 2008

2 Nights in the City that Spawned Our Modern World

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Tower
The tower next to the Duomo

Florence (Firenze, in Italian) of course. This is the birthplace of the Renaissance, and hometown of Michelangelo (the painter/sculptor, not the ninja turtle). This is a city packed with ancient, medieval, and Renaissance art. It is also a thriving modern city, though not a very big city. Of course Florence’s most important contribution to civilization and the modern world is not its influence on art, science, and religion, it’s most important accomplishment is being the birthplace of gelato, Italy’s own ice cream. Gelato is good, very very good! It comes in more fl [View Full Entry]

By Team Little Kiss
August 18th 2008

Our Rendezvous with Rick Steve’s Italian Love Child: The Cinque Terra

Europe » Italy » Liguria » Cinque Terre

Cinque Terra 2
Vernazza, Rick Steves and our favorite!

So if Rick Steve has had any significant impact on world traveling, it has been the creation of thriving tourist destinations out of five old fishing villages in the Italian Rivera: The Cinque Terra. These villages were almost entirely undiscovered until Rick Steves put them on the map. Now they bustle with sunburned tourists from all over the world. Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely not complaining. Without Rick Steves help and influence, I am sure I would have never imagined traveling to such a geographically isolated part of Italy. David and I just like to contemplate the powerf [View Full Entry]

By Team Little Kiss
August 11th 2008

The Swiss Adventures of R2D2 and Hippo

Europe » Switzerland » South-West » Interlaken

View from boat
They have driveways for their boats and look at that beautiful water.

For the last few days we have been in Interlaken, Switzerland, which is at the base of the giant Swiss Alps. It definitely feels like authentic Switzerland out here with huge mountains, the best tap water in the world, mountain goats and other livestock around every corner, and of course, good ol’ alpine cheese! We started our adventures with a cruise around Lake Thun, which is one of the two major lakes that Interlaken is sandwiched between, hence the name Interlaken. David and I could not believe the color of the water. It was the brightest teal we had ever seen. [View Full Entry]

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