When we checked in on the pope...

The Vatican day was going to be brutal  and it didn't start off very promising. The honeymoon was wearing off and the boy and I were ready to strangle each other. 

While I reveled in being lost...it obviously was not his favorite part. 

We finally did make it to Vatican City and this time we opted to get the audio tour and I'm so glad we did. 

Between the museums and the Sistine chapel and everything in between...we were pretty much done with the whole arts scene and couldn't get out of there fast enough. 

It was off to our food adventure next and I grossly underestimated how much we would be walking that day. While the food tour was fun and we did the tastes of Rome and I nearly got mugged by a homeless guy...it was an exhausting day and we couldn't wait to get back to our room. 

The boy and I dragged our poor bodies back and just lay on the floor in our room because we were too stinky for the bed. One after the other, we showered and fell into a dreamless unconscious state to prepare for our trip to Venice the next day. 

At the end of the day....our phone step counter indicated we had walked more than 10 miles that day!

Morning dreams

After a night of partying at Prabha's 40th....woke up with a migraine to let puppy out. Took 2 Advil and a banana and fell asleep on sofa again. 

The dream started with puppy bringing something back from the yard and I went out to investigate. Found a neighbor bringing stuff for me...why...I don't know. I wish my neighbors really did bring cool stuff for me. 

While talking to him and walking around the yard I find a hole in the side of the house. I look through and it's a sunlit cavern under the house...with a body of water and a white and brown llama lying in the middle on its side. I'm pretty sure it was Advil that I took. 🤔

I fall back in shock and my neighbors come running. We crawl through the opening and I see that my house is literally balanced on its edges over this huge cavern. 

Suddenly I see my mom on the other side walking along stairs on the other side of the cavern and I feel like this is a memory and maybe a reminder that I need to call my mother. 

As we talk about whether I should report this discovery...my neighbors say no as I might not be able to sell the house. 

In the meantime, the llama wasn't dead at all and gets up. Ketan goes towards it and I warn him that it will spit so he backs off. At least he listens to me in my dreams! Sure enough the llama finds other people to spit at. 

Ketan then opens a door and the Tasmanian devil...a real one...steps out and growls at him. We both run off and continue living in the house. I consider renting the lower level for parties. 

And then I wake up and there is no sinkhole under the house or llama or Tasmanian devil. 

I used to dream of tornadoes when There was turmoil in my life...wonder what Freud would say about this dream of an literal sinkhole under my house?? Am I literally living on the edge?!

Where's my data??!!

It's been a comedy of errors...and I'm still not able to see the humor in it...maybe a couple of weeks later when I've got everything back it'll sound better.

 Apple has truly locked up their security on our iphones that if we forget some key pass codes, we as owners are truly screwed! Why blame the FBI...hell I'd like a workaround to get back into the damn thing that I paid for!!

1. Forgot my passcode and got locked out of the phone. 

2. Thought I'd done the smart thing by backing up first and no big deal...I can just reset and load the backup....nooooo. Apparently I had been so good abt protecting my data that I'd set a password that I can no longer remember. So much for the backup!

3. So let's just set it up as new and redo the whole thing. A pain in the butt but doable. Only one problem...I'm at 90% of my data allocation and I can't remember my wifi password 😳

I'm serious....not making up this story!! 

So....what is my takeaway from this mess?? 

I've got a serious memory issue. 

I need to write down my passwords somewhere. 

I can't keep all my eggs in the one iPhone basket. 

I need to use the cloud more often.

Venice...Bella Serenissima

 A truly wonderous city....and it's only the day that I left that I found that it is a World Heritage Site. It makes sense because I had the same reaction to Quebec City!

It's a place that we all have to see atleast once in our lifetime. 

So...how was this visit to one of the most beautiful and romantic cities....with a teenager?? Interesting to say the least! Lol!!

The boy has his moments where I'd like to throw him into the canal but I was really proud of myself that I stayed patient. But he was also a sweetheart in that he helped me out a lot. Would he want to go on another intense sightseeing mission with me?? I doubt it!!

After the intense sightseeing in Rome, we relaxed quite a bit here...our hotel location was perfect and the suite they gave us was gorgeous. We felt like we had to go back and enjoy it after a long morning of walking. Who wouldn't want to take a shower in this bathroom after a long hot day out??

Or have breakfast like a movie star?!!

So proud that we actually did get lost on an island where it's impossible to get lost. The boy lost me on one of his moody "I'm gonna walk ahead becos I don't want to talk to you" moments. One of those tough love moments where I knew he was somewhere familiar and could find his way back to our room but he'd be freaked out by the crowds without me. So I took the alternate way back to hotel and waited for him in the lobby. He did show up about 10 mins later...scared out of his mind. Sometimes we all need a wake up call so we know what it's like to lose someone we take for granted. 😈

We roamed the streets...took pictures of doorways...wonder how the residents feel about tourists peeking into their courtyards and taking pictures of their homes. In the US that could get you shot!

The food wasn't much to write about. All the pizza, pasta and cheese can get quite boring after a while and we were so happy to chow down on a proper American burger when we got back.

Lido which is where venetians go to the beach looked like any other modern day quiet little beach town. 

The best part of the visit to Venice was the transportation. I loved the idea of getting on a boat to go anywhere. Maybe it's the Alappuzha blood in me although I've never done that back home. 

The last day in Venice, I stepped out on my own early in the morning as the market vendors were still opening their stalls...and the tourists were not out yet. It's a peaceful city at that time of the day...without the throngs of tourists...just normal people going about their routine. 

Sunrise at Piazza San Marco without the crowds was quite a sight!

It was also a validation for me that I can travel on my own and I don't need a companion. But....the great thing about having a companion on a trip...they can hold your spot in line while you go check out something interesting !!

When in Rome....day 3

The isle of Capri was on the agenda for day 3. We had an early start to the day...but my feet and I were so looking forward to not walking. 

2 hours on the bus with a 20 min refreshment break. 50 minutes on the ferry to the island. 

The island itself is very pretty and it looked a lot like the US Virgin Islands that we visited a few years ago. Vibrant market scene and then u drive to Anacapri that is the upper village. Narrow roads, hairpin turns and gorgeous views...it's an accident waiting to happen...so I guess it's a good thing that the locals drive. 

We raced for the chairlift as soon as we got our free hour. It's a little like parasailing...the silence as we floated along. I was surprised at the many empty chairs...and the fact that it wasn't as crowded as we thought it'd be. The guide said that for whatever reason, Sunday's are their busiest season and that he had a group of 75 just the prior day. 

Took the pictures at the top of the island...had the obligatory shot of vodka and then floated down. One day I'd hope to come back and watch sunset here. 

Lunch and some shopping later...we were on our way back. I did espresso the Italian way...and wow!! That's a shot to wake you up! You take it in a little shotglass sized teacup, standing at a bar. 

Back to the hotel...exhausted...crabby guy at the reception....takeout pizza from next door, a luxurious shower and crash into a dreamless slumber. 

Tomorrow...Vatican city!

When in Rome...day 2

If day 1 was exploratory....day 2 was hardcore sightseeing and in 100 degree heat no less. 

We set out early...but not early enough. First stop at the termini station to pick up our day passes. The people there are either very friendly or cons trying to gain your trust to rob you. Either way...we went about and made our way to the colosseum. 

The ruins are quite a sight and while we took in the grandeur we also realized that there was quite a line to get in. Hmmm...do I want to stand in line for 2 hours and then go in to get roasted or be done with colosseum, roman forum and palatine hill in 2 hours??

The guide was way overpriced for the job she did...and the sun and heat were relentless. The boy did not want to continue the tour to the roman forum, but I insisted and dragged his sulking body along. That part of the tour was actually fun with a guide who had a little more personality. 

The Borghese gallery was difficult to get to...but I thought it was worth it. No one really cares for the no pictures rul...but this is one museum I felt like I shd have gotten the audio tour. Both Ketan and I knew some of the stories of Greek and roman mythology so we followed along with the pamphlets they had on each room. My favorite sculpture here was the Rape of Persephone. You could literally see the terror in her face and the violence that was being perpetuated on her. 

As we started to go down the escalators at the Spagna metro I noticed there was a Harry's Bar and of course...I dragged the boy's unwilling butt right back up to go get a drink. Now that was relaxing and my poor feet really needed that break. 

So ended day 2....hot, tiring, full of ancient roman sights and then a refreshing drink. 

When in Rome...day 1

It took me an epiphany from a birthday that I spent alone...when I hadn't expected it...to make the decision to always try to be away from home and exploring a new place on my birthday every year. 

This year...it's Rome and Venice in Italy...with my 14 yo. I've had some reservations about taking him along but he has surprised me with his navigator skills although I'm not very thrilled about his I'm-so-much-better-at-this-than-you attitude. Excuse me!! I've been doing this a lot longer than you!! And there's a method to my madness...thank you very much! Oh well...he may need to turn 40 to get that. 

First day...we check into our hotel and promptly take a nap. Then we set out for the Spanish steps and end up in the completely opposite direction at a different set of steps that I was pretty sure were not the famed Spanish steps. Turns out we took a wrong turn and did end up opposite to where we intended to go...but we saw the Capitol and the colosseum from a distance!

We finally did make it to the Spanish steps and all the luxury stores on that street. 

There were so many little stores calling out sales that I wanted to browse but when you're on a mission to get to your destination, there is no time to explore. 

Maybe tomorrow. But I did get to have my two glasses of vino as we looked out into a piazza with a fountain and watched people take selfies. 

Not too bad for our first afternoon in the ancient city.