Chelsea and David Lilleness
Hi Friends and Family, Team Little Kiss
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!
Travel Blog Posts
You know it's time to go home when you are out of Pepto Bismul
Published: September 11th 2008North America » United States » Washington » Seattle
September 11th 2008
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 really illuminates not only the other person’s best qualities, but also their worst. I know David can testify to that! Both David and I agree though that even with those frustrating and terrible moments, we ... read more
If Only Tunisia Was As Cheap As We Thought!
Published: September 7th 2008Africa » Tunisia » Hammamet
September 7th 2008
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 different when we naively boarded our “cruise ship” from Naples to Tunis. The “cruise ship” (as it was advertised) was more comparable to a very large Northwest Ferry. Our first lesson in Tunisian living started ... read more
August 29th 2008
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 streets, buildings, shops, a town square, houses of worship, 2 theaters, and much more. We were fascinated by how you could really get a feeling for ancient Roman life through exploring these ruins. After a ... read more
August 27th 2008
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 a night, and Chelsea and I have been siesta-ing faithfully for 3 days now. Life is good. So, upon our arrival at our bed-and-breakfast/cooking school Assuntina (our hostess ) informed us that we would not ... read more
August 25th 2008
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 that there was a parade. It took some careful observations to fully comprehend the spectacle. What we discovered was that there were six donkey teams, which were each named for an area of the town. ... read more
August 23rd 2008
… 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 I’m lying? We have intense sandal tan lines and a checked off Rick Steves’ book to prove it! What have I learned from all this? First, man cannot live on vending machine pastries alone. The good news? Vending machine breakfasts are cheap (roughly ... read more
When in Rome .Don’t make the stupid ‘when in Rome’ joke .ugh
Published: August 21st 2008Europe » Italy » Lazio » Rome
August 21st 2008
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 predated Jesus on Earth, some from Rome that the Apostle Paul may have seen in person himself. After the museum we returned to the train station (only 100 yards away) collected our bags, and headed ... read more
2 Nights in the City that Spawned Our Modern World
Published: August 21st 2008Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence
August 20th 2008
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 flavors that I could possibly recite here, but a few of our favorites are Nutella, Caramel, and Menta. There is a gelataria on almost every street in Florence, it is amazing to see so many ice cream shops able to stay in business, the ... read more
Our Rendezvous with Rick Steve’s Italian Love Child: The Cinque Terra
Published: August 18th 2008Europe » Italy » Liguria » Cinque Terre
August 18th 2008
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 powerful influence Rick Steves has had on European travel. When researching for this trip I found many angry websites and blogs that rant about how the Rick Steves’ books have spoiled the towns he cites as, “backdoor ... read more
The Swiss Adventures of R2D2 and Hippo
Published: August 11th 2008Europe » Switzerland » South-West » Interlaken
August 11th 2008
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. David kept saying that it looked dyed, like the water used in the Disneyland rides. After our Swiss cruise we went back at town and had an authentic Swiss meal of McDonalds because restaurant food ... read more
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