Catch Up!

As I have mentioned before, correspondence is not one of my stronger points. I think the last time I posted, it was October or November. Well, a lot has happened since then. Here is a quick recap of the past couple of months. For the most part, this post is in reverse order. I will give a Sadie update next. For now, I am tired of waiting for pictures to upload on our Italian server. Allora!

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Most recently, we went to Bulfon Winery and San Daniele with a group of friends. It was about 45 minutes from the base. The wine was great and it was fun to do our own private tasting. San Daniele is known for their cured meats, especially prosciutto. Being a person who HATES ham, I probably didn't appreciate it for what it was worth but I had fun just the same!

Lots and lots and lots of meat!

Enjoying prosciutto and prosecco with friends in San Daniele!

That mosaic is the same as their label. Isn't it pretty?

Wine in the making. I love it when you ask for a sample and they get it directly from the barrel.

Sadie enjoying the wineries with our friend, Jennifer.

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Christmas vacation: We enjoyed a quiet Christmas Eve and Christmas at home in Italy. We even attempted to make a somewhat Italian dinner of turkey, vegetable parmesan, and creamy polenta. Then we headed off to visit friends in Austria and Switzerland.

Our B&B in Lausanne, Switzerland graciously left house shoes for us!

Lausanne is home to the Olympic Museum. In addition to seeing cool things like all of the medals and torches from the games, they had several interactive exhibits that tested skills like reaction time and balance. It was lots of fun.

Walking by the lake on the way to the museum.

Go Split Times Designs! www.splittimedesigns.com (a little free advertising can't hurt!)

Prior to skiing in Austria. I am not a seasoned skier but I enjoyed the ski in/ski out perk of our apartment. Thanks Mike and Trish!
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Kwame's sister, Amy, and her boyfriend, Larry, came to visit us in early January as part of their European tour. We spent one day in Verona, a beautiful Italian city taken over by Romeo and Juliet madness. It was almost like going to Disney World. You can visit Romeo's house, Juliet's house, Juliet's tomb, . . . Keep in mind that Romeo and Juliet is a story!

Letters to Juliet posted on a Christmas tree. There actually is a group dedicated to answering letters written to Juliet. You can even send her an email and she will write back. The Juliet Club.

Juliet's (fake) balcony in her (fake) house.

Verona's Colosseum. One of the only colosseum's that is still in one piece and still in use for concerts and shows (not gladiatorial events!)

Sculpture outside the Colosseum.

Gates to one of the piazzas.

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The Belluno Santa Claus race. For the bargain price of 13 Euro, you can run a 12K in a Santa suit. Imagine several hundred runners dressed as Santa. Incredible!


In December, we took a group trip to Salzburg to go to one of the big Christmas markets. In the week leading up to it, I was so excited to get gelato while we were out and about. After arriving and realizing that it was below 30 degrees, I quickly switched that desire to hot spiced wine!

Salzach River

Downtown Salzburg is filled with lots of cute shops.

The Christmas Market: opportunities to try different kids of food and desserts, get a nice buzz from all of the warm alcoholic drinks, and buy some Christmas stuff. A good way to spend an afternoon.

How can you say no to something as delicious looking as this?

Sadie on the bus ride there. She is so sweet!

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We spent Thanksgiving weekend in Rome and enjoyed the tremendous history and culture that the city offers. We also enjoyed window shopping in some fancy stores and sushi:)

The Colosseum at night.

The three of us at the very top of St. Peter's Basilica. The view was incredible. As you can see, Sadie was enjoying herself.

St. Peter's Square . . . waiting in line to go in. . . the wait wasn't bad. It was definitely worth traveling during the winter.

View from the Vatican Museum.

Inside the Colosseum.

Infant sleeping accommodations at the Sleeping Beauty in Rome.

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Kwame was the innkeeper in the Aviano Community Theater production of "Fiddler on the Roof." He had a great time being in the show and we loved watching him perform. Make sure you get a good look at that realistic beard that he wore!