From the Blue Ridge to the Alps....A Visit from VA

I was lucky enough to convince my boss that my ex co-teacher from Dale City would be a great person to have out to Switzerland for professional development. This allowed Kathy to have a free flight and hotel in Lugano for the small price of a presentation (which was excellent, by the way). Kathy arrived late, unfortunately, which pushed back her presentation and stressed her out quite a bit, but for about two days of work she was given the amazing opportunity to hang out with me...er, I mean visit Europe. Here are some highlights from our visit together.

Kathy got this great shot from the plane as she flew from Zurich to Lugano over the Alps.

After the long day of travel and presenting, I took Kathy to Bellavista for some amazing pizza.

Kathy and I took advantage of the beautiful spring weather and took a walk through Lugano and the city gardens.

This tree was being taken over by a gorgeous wisteria vine...technically a parasite, but lovely!

And of course, the lake...

After Kathy's big presentation and tour of Lugano, we decided to head to Firenze, my favorite city in Italy. We found this great hotel, Hotel Alessandra, right next to the Ponte Vecchio. We even had a view of the Arno River.

Here's Kathy enjoying a glass of wine the night we arrived.

And of course I wouldn't let Kathy drink alone :)

In the morning I got this great shot of the view from our hotel room.

The next day we decided that Kathy had to see Michelangelo's David. Here I am checking out the map so we can actually get to the Accademia.

We walked through the Piazza della Signoria and admired the amazing foutains and sculptures.

Despite arriving at the Accademia by 9:30am, we had to wait for almost two hours to get in. Here we are patiently waiting against a very graffitied wall.

We finally got in and admired Michelangelo's Prisoners (unfinished statues where the figures appear to be trapped in the stone--very cool) before taking unsolicited pictures of David.

After visiting the Accademia we decided we needed sustinance, so we found a little cafe and we just couldn't resist having some vino.

After lunch we decided to visit Florence's famous leather markets where Kathy found a gorgeous bag and some goodies for her family, and where I found the most amazing leather jacket. From the markets we headed to the Duomo where we admired the Baptistry doors and colorful marble.

We then headed across the Arno (where we got this great photo of the Ponte Vecchio) and checked out the Medici palace.

The Uffizi Gallery was not to be missed. The art was amazing, of course, but the view from the top of the gallery we equally amazing.

After the Uffizi we went back to the hotel for a rest, then went to dinner at this amazing little ristorante where we indulged in some wine...two bottles if I remember correctly :).

The next morning we had an early train back to Lugano, but while waiting for the train I was able to get one last shot of Kathy in front of another gorgeous church in Florence.

When we got back to Lugano we took a walk along Herman Hesse path, where Kathy took in a few more amazing views of the Alps before leaving the next morning for the airport.

It was so great to have Kathy come and visit. I hope she had as much fun as I had!

The Griswold's Go to Europe-Part 3, Roma

Okay, so we finally arrived in Roma on a gorgeous spring day. It turns out it was freezing in Prague, so having warm weather in Rome made all the difference. We also ended up staying at a great hotel. Here we are getting ready to explore the city.

We decided our first stop needed to be the Vatican. We were within walking distance of Michelangelo's masterpiece, so we took advantage of the great weather. This was our first view of the building.

We took advantage of a few photo ops.

After some pictures we eventually made it inside. Zack particularly liked taking pictures of the dead popes.

After the Vatican my mom and I managed to do a little shopping, finding my amazing wedding shoes at the local Stuart Weizmann. The guys (and Danielle) enjoyed some cigars on the Spanish Steps while waiting for us.

We eventually joined up with them and went to dinner.

After dinner we decided to head to the Trevi Fountain and enjoy some more gelati.

Ryan's best look :)

Yummmmm.......

The next day we walked through the city of Rome and visited the greatest sights in the city: the Colosseum and the Forum. Before reaching the Colosseum, we took in piazzas, shops, and obelisks.

Ryan looking like the rock star that he is :)

My parents overlooking the Forum
The Colosseum

We took a guided tour through the Colosseum, Forum, and the Palatino (Palatine Hill, where the seat of the ancient Roman government). Ry and I enjoying the tour.

Zack and our guide

Overlooking the beautiful Forum

We made our way through Piazza Navona on our way to the Pantheon and dinner.

Zack and Danielle had their caricature drawn.

The Michael Jackson Hand Dancer

The Pantheon and dinner

On our way back to the hotel, we got some gelati and made our way past the Spanish Steps. As you can see, they are always popular.

My mom and I had sticky gelati fingers, so we took advantage of one of the many fountains in the city.

Walking back from the Steps we couldn't resist walking through a church that apparently holds a relic of a saint's heart-gross!

The trip to Rome, despite the craziness that led up to it, was amazing. In fact, the whole family trip was wonderful. Can't wait to do it again!