Bella Italia

Sara and Tasci

 There is a reason that all roads lead to Rome. It is because Rome is the most beautiful, the most graceful and the most truthful city. It reflects who we are as a western culture. It makes you breath slowly and deeply. It makes you fall in love with living.

Around Christmas last year I got a call from my friend Sara. We go way back to the days of Zanesville High School, and it is always a treat to hear her voice. She was itching to travel for a couple weeks in Europe. She already had some destinations picked out, but she was looking for one more city where she and I could meet up. Rome was one of the first places out of both of our mouths. It just felt right.

Look at those veggies!

pray

I flew into Rome late and experienced my first scam as the ticket salesman for the bus tried to give me a 20 cent coin back instead of a Euro coin. I politely pointed out his "mistake" and my money was returned with a sheepish grin. I haven't been traveling in Europe for over 10 years to fall for that old one! Finally I made it to the hotel where Sara was waiting up patiently. We wandered out into the Roman night to find a late night dinner of pizza and gaze at the Colosseum ruins, which were only a few blocks from our hotel. *Sigh* I'd arrived in a little piece of pure happiness.

What I love about Rome is how OLD it is. You know it's old when you are going but to sit down on a piece of marble and realize it's been hanging around the city center for about 3000 years it is a staggering moment. In Rome people live in history. History surrounds them in their living rooms, in the streets, in the churches and markets. It's this living history that I believe make the Italians so free from worldly worry. They can look around them and see that "this too shall pass". We are but a moment in an eternity. Where better to learn that lesson then in the Eternal City.

A map full of lies, Wine full of truth=)

Sara and I passed our long weekend with walking and shopping and eating and drinking. We had a lot we wanted to see but we wanted to see it in our own time and without any hustle and bustle. We quickly adapted to the pace of Roman life, enjoying lingering breakfasts of cappuccino and croissants at "our" local cafe and every lunch was accompanied by wine. We found hidden treasures, we had a moment of crisis when we wanted to rip up the map and curse the man who had designed it and thought the streets of Rome where in any way mappable. And we laughed a lot.

Rome, you stole my heart....and made my stomach very happy.

Roman fashion!!!

Living in history

The Vatican

Following in the Footsteps of the Hadleys

Two years ago we meet a couple from Texas through mutual friends. They are called the Hadleys and they are lovely people. They are the kind of friends that you don't have to see often, but when you do it is hours of fun and laughs. What probably sealed the deal is that both the boys have a love for aircrafts that we girls weren't about to compete with.

But, as happens in the lives of expats, the day came when it was time for them to head back to Texas. What I love about the Hadleys is that that they are the "seize the day" kind of people. So knowing that their time in Prague was coming to an end, they went all out seeing and doing things they didn't want to regret when they were gone. When we met them at their going-away-party they told us about how they had walked around Petřin park and enjoyed the Mirror Maze inside the mini-Eiffel tower on the top of the hill. They also went to an exhibit where Alfons Mucha's Epoch painting series is being shown.

So the weekend after they left us for the big blue skies of Texas, H and I decided to follow in their footsteps as a tribute to our favorite hiking buddies. We started with the Epoch exhibition. I had been wanting to see it for years but it never seemed to work out. Well, it's my loss because it is one of the most mind-blowing (and I do not use that term lightly) exhibits I've come across. The theme of the Slavic people is griping, the colors are other-worldly, the composition is intriguing. I could give you adjectives upon adjectives, but you have to see it for yourself. These paintings are pure beauty on canvas.

Trying to photo so many me(s)!

 Next we made our way to Petřin hill, where we walked through the crowds of people enjoying the last of Babi leto (Indian Summer). At the top of Petřin is a miniature Eiffel tower that was built for the world fair in 1891. On a clear day you can see the hill Říp in the distance. There are several curiosities at the top of hill near the mini-Eiffel that you can visit, but we had come for the Mirror Maze. It is a long, twisty corridor of mirrors of different curvatures that places with your sense of perspective, and makes you laugh a lot at yourself. Fun times for the whole family!

And to put the icing on our perfect-day cake, we walked down the hill and admired the lovely view of Prague Castle and Malá Strana.

Thanks Amy and Dennis for all the fun!

St Nichols, Malá Strana

The End of the Road

All good things must come to an end, and a lovely holiday in no different. The last few days of our American Adventure we spent in Ohio enjoying friends and family. H was feeling under the weather, so we took things slow and just enjoyed the autumn colors and Indian summer warmth.

A few of my favorite highlights were:

-H. cooked stuffed dumplings with spinach for my grandmother. A man who can make potato dumplings from scratch is worth his weight in gold.

-We got to see the beginnings of our close friends' new businesses. It is always exciting to see a project in the middle of preparation, when inspiration is high and anything is possible. I can't wait to be there in December to see how they are getting along after their openings. (More about all this in a future post...)

-Some dear friends that we actually met here in Prague were visiting their daughter and granddaughter in Columbus! We were able to meet up and see each other on the other side of the ocean. We are very much looking forward to their return in the spring.

-Driving through the foothills, gasping in awe at the colors Mother Nature had on display. Ohio really is *beautiful*.

Ohio University

Ohio lane

Ohio farm 

Watch out for horse and buggies!

Watching horse and buggy!

Indian summer