So... what did you get today?? Anything good?
I woke up at 4:10a this morning to head to Circuit City to grab a deal on an LCD TV. I was about 500th in line, but managed to get the TV I was looking for. It's a Sharp Aquos 46" LCD 1080p. If you don't know what any of that means, don't worry about it... it's a good TV :)
I took the TV back home, then headed to Office Depot, Radio Shack, Kmart, Lowe's, Best Buy, Walmart, Little Caesar's (for a snack), then back home. It's now 8:50p and I'm a bit tired. I managed to get 90% of my unfinished Christmas shopping done today.
It's been a very long day... I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 23, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Hawaii Snapshot - Sept 2007
We took a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii in September... and I didn't post anything (big surprise). I'm catching up now. Below is a picture of some happy kitties outside of the timeshare we stayed at. We fed them fish, which they loved. We then gave them a big plate with some milk on it. At one point we had 8 or 9 of them begging for food.
US AFA Football
Here's a picture of the field during half-time of the Air Force vs. Army football game 2 weeks ago.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Monday, November 12, 2007
Italy Posts... Finally!
Okay... so I finally uploaded everything I've written for our trip to Italy. It only took 6 months, but it's done :) There are 2 more days that are not completely written (Day 12 and 13). These two days include our second day in Venice and the trip back to Rome for a final day. We didn't write these because on the last day, while we were in Rome, is when we got the phone call telling us that Bug had died. That was rough and took the wind out of our sails for Rome. About all we could do after that was walk back to the bus and go back to the hotel. If you want to read all of the Italy posts in one place, follow this link: http://bolish.blogspot.com/search/label/Italy.
Italy Day 11 - Venice (02 May 2007)
The day started at the hotel for breakfast. The process for getting ready took a little longer than usual since the room was so small (you had to in outside just to change your mind.) Seriously, the bathroom barely had room for one person. After breakfast, we walked to San Marco square and got in line for the basilica. It looked to be a long wait, but we found a guide that would give us a tour of the museum and church for €10 (the museum normally costs €3) which let up jump to the front of the line. Our tour took about an hour. Afterwards, we saw the Pala de Oro (Altar of Gold) which cost €1.50 each. Next we went into the treasury (€2 each.) We left the basilica and found a pizza place for lunch. After eating, we wandered all over Venice. During one shopping stop, it started raining. It varyed between a light sprinkle and a total downpour. We donned our ponchos and continued. We eventually made our way to Campo Santa Margarita. We'd been told there was a place for the best gelato. We found Il Doge, which turned out to be excellent. The gelato was good and very well priced. Another strong recommendation. We dropped into a market across from Il Doge and bought some olives and water (water was €0.34 per 1.5 liter bottle.) We splashed our way back to our hotel and dropped off the ton of water, them headed out for more shopping.
Italy Day 10 - Florence to Venice (01 May 2007)
** Historical Post **
The day started well enough. We had a light breakfast at the hotel and lugged our bags down four flights of stairs to the street. We made our way back to the train station, stopping to buy some water and pins. We got to the station and to the ticket counter. When we asked for tickets, the agent said, "No tickets to Venice today." Our stomachs sank. I asked if there was a later train. The computer said, "No." I asked if there was a bus or any other way to get to Venice. Finally the agent told up to just get on the train and to find a seat. We'd have to pay €8 extra since we did not have a reservation. It sounded risky, but we really didn't have much choice. We stood around for half an hour waiting to find out what track the train would come in on. About 10 minutes before the train arrived, we found out the track. We headed that direction, along with about 100 other people. We managed to get on the train, but then had to search for seats. We eventually found 2 seats together and with luck, were able to keep them. After that, the train ride was quiet and smooth. We made it to Venice and immediately made reservations for our train back to Rome. We them debated buying a three day pass for the vaporetto (the Venice bus system.) We finally decided to get it for €30. A single ride normally costs €6. We hopped on line 1 and were at the San Angelo stop in about 20 minutes. Our hotel was about a 5 minute walk from there. We again found ourselves climbing a ton of stairs to the lobby, them more to the room. The room itself was very small, but clean and nicely decorated. We dropped off our bags and set out to see some of Venice. We walked to Piazza San Marco, them took a tour of the islands using the vaporetto system. The 3 day pass paid for itself very quickly. Venice is a series of islands in a large lagoon. A lot of the islands are connected by bridges, while others are farther away and can only be reached by boat. We rode out to Lido, the resort island, then took a vaporetto around the northern parts of the lagoon. From the boat we could see a good number of the other islands. We rode up and down the grand canal and took more than enough pictures to fully document everything. We had dinner at a restaurant near our hotel in Campo San Stefano. The pasta was good, but the meat was not the best. The pork was under cooked and the chicken was over cooked. The gelato was good though. After dinner. We called it a day.
The day started well enough. We had a light breakfast at the hotel and lugged our bags down four flights of stairs to the street. We made our way back to the train station, stopping to buy some water and pins. We got to the station and to the ticket counter. When we asked for tickets, the agent said, "No tickets to Venice today." Our stomachs sank. I asked if there was a later train. The computer said, "No." I asked if there was a bus or any other way to get to Venice. Finally the agent told up to just get on the train and to find a seat. We'd have to pay €8 extra since we did not have a reservation. It sounded risky, but we really didn't have much choice. We stood around for half an hour waiting to find out what track the train would come in on. About 10 minutes before the train arrived, we found out the track. We headed that direction, along with about 100 other people. We managed to get on the train, but then had to search for seats. We eventually found 2 seats together and with luck, were able to keep them. After that, the train ride was quiet and smooth. We made it to Venice and immediately made reservations for our train back to Rome. We them debated buying a three day pass for the vaporetto (the Venice bus system.) We finally decided to get it for €30. A single ride normally costs €6. We hopped on line 1 and were at the San Angelo stop in about 20 minutes. Our hotel was about a 5 minute walk from there. We again found ourselves climbing a ton of stairs to the lobby, them more to the room. The room itself was very small, but clean and nicely decorated. We dropped off our bags and set out to see some of Venice. We walked to Piazza San Marco, them took a tour of the islands using the vaporetto system. The 3 day pass paid for itself very quickly. Venice is a series of islands in a large lagoon. A lot of the islands are connected by bridges, while others are farther away and can only be reached by boat. We rode out to Lido, the resort island, then took a vaporetto around the northern parts of the lagoon. From the boat we could see a good number of the other islands. We rode up and down the grand canal and took more than enough pictures to fully document everything. We had dinner at a restaurant near our hotel in Campo San Stefano. The pasta was good, but the meat was not the best. The pork was under cooked and the chicken was over cooked. The gelato was good though. After dinner. We called it a day.
Italy Day 9 - Pisa and more Florence (30 April 2007)
** Historical Post **
Ring ring went the bells again. We had our light breakfast at the hotel, then walked to the train station. We had a short wait for the train to Pisa, then about an hour to get there. As has been the pattern, it started raining after we got to Pisa. We threw on our ponchos and kept walking. We wandered through the square around the famous leaning tower, then started looking for lunch. After an attempt to go to a restaurant recommended by the tourist office (it was closed for a private mafia party), we ended up at a pizza place near the tower. The food was terrible and the service was worse. If you are ever in Pisa, avoid the touristy areas for lunch. After our bad lunch, we walked back to the train station by way of the shopping district. Overall, Pisa is rather disappointing. We were told to plan a half day and not to waste too much time... This turned out to be good advice. The train ride back to Florence was interesting. We were visited by two Japanese that didn't speak, then by a man from Niger. He was friendly, however we both felt like he was about to ask up to help him get money from his "rich uncle" back home. He jumped off at the first stop for Florence (probably to go to his job selling fake Prada). Once we got back to the main station for Florence, we walked past the Piazza Republica to a gelato shop that was listed in Lonely Planet. Fiesta del Gelato is said to have almost every flavor available. Although this may be true, it was very overpriced, was not very good, and did not provide much quantity. By far, the worst gelato experience to date. To improve our spirits, we headed over to the duomo and got in line. We were headed to the top of the coupola (dome). 463 arduous steps later, we made it to the top. Anyone with heart issues or a fear of tight spaces should not attempt to go up. If you can make the trek, the view is well worth it. While we were at the top, I say a guy trying to carve something into the marble of the coupola. I walked up to him and smacked him on the back. He was totally shocked that anyone would stop him. He looked like he was writting something in Korean. I kept an eye on him for a few minutes. He kept looking over at me guiltily. We left as the dome was closing. We decided that after our bad experiences with food that we would just go back to the same restaurant from the night before. Again, the food was great. After dinner, we walked up to the Piazza de Santa Croce where there was a public market. For dessert, we got a piece of fresh baked apple strudel that was very yummy. After finally having some good food, we called it a day.
Ring ring went the bells again. We had our light breakfast at the hotel, then walked to the train station. We had a short wait for the train to Pisa, then about an hour to get there. As has been the pattern, it started raining after we got to Pisa. We threw on our ponchos and kept walking. We wandered through the square around the famous leaning tower, then started looking for lunch. After an attempt to go to a restaurant recommended by the tourist office (it was closed for a private mafia party), we ended up at a pizza place near the tower. The food was terrible and the service was worse. If you are ever in Pisa, avoid the touristy areas for lunch. After our bad lunch, we walked back to the train station by way of the shopping district. Overall, Pisa is rather disappointing. We were told to plan a half day and not to waste too much time... This turned out to be good advice. The train ride back to Florence was interesting. We were visited by two Japanese that didn't speak, then by a man from Niger. He was friendly, however we both felt like he was about to ask up to help him get money from his "rich uncle" back home. He jumped off at the first stop for Florence (probably to go to his job selling fake Prada). Once we got back to the main station for Florence, we walked past the Piazza Republica to a gelato shop that was listed in Lonely Planet. Fiesta del Gelato is said to have almost every flavor available. Although this may be true, it was very overpriced, was not very good, and did not provide much quantity. By far, the worst gelato experience to date. To improve our spirits, we headed over to the duomo and got in line. We were headed to the top of the coupola (dome). 463 arduous steps later, we made it to the top. Anyone with heart issues or a fear of tight spaces should not attempt to go up. If you can make the trek, the view is well worth it. While we were at the top, I say a guy trying to carve something into the marble of the coupola. I walked up to him and smacked him on the back. He was totally shocked that anyone would stop him. He looked like he was writting something in Korean. I kept an eye on him for a few minutes. He kept looking over at me guiltily. We left as the dome was closing. We decided that after our bad experiences with food that we would just go back to the same restaurant from the night before. Again, the food was great. After dinner, we walked up to the Piazza de Santa Croce where there was a public market. For dessert, we got a piece of fresh baked apple strudel that was very yummy. After finally having some good food, we called it a day.
Italy Day 8 - Florence (29 April 2007)
**Historical Post **
The day started with the cathedral bells ringing at 7:00a. We had planned to get up, but that made sure we were awake. We had an extremely light breakfast at the hotel (we got spoiled at the Hilton), then set off for the Uffizi gallery. Our book said to expect long lines. We arrived at 8:45. The line stretched all the way around the piazza. After an hour, we'd made some progress and figured it would be another 2 hours. Finally after 4 and a half hours, we got in. One person behind up said, "For this long a wait, the statues better move!" Well, they didn't. There are some amazing pieces of art, but not worth the pain. After our painful gallery visit, we walked across the river and up the hill across from the city. The view was worth the effort. The area is officially called Piazzale Michelangelo. After relaxing for a bit, we headed back down the hill for dinner. After dinner, we walked across the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio. It currently houses mostly goldsmiths and guys selling fake Prada bags. On our way back to the hotel, we saw a police car come around the corner by the bridge. In about 5 seconds, all the bag vendors had scooped up their goods and started walking away as if they'd never been there.
We had dinner at Le Colonnine located at 6 Via Dei Benci. The food was outstanding! Totally 5 stars. To find the restaurant, go south from Piazza Santa Croce. The place is in the pie wedge on the corner.
The day started with the cathedral bells ringing at 7:00a. We had planned to get up, but that made sure we were awake. We had an extremely light breakfast at the hotel (we got spoiled at the Hilton), then set off for the Uffizi gallery. Our book said to expect long lines. We arrived at 8:45. The line stretched all the way around the piazza. After an hour, we'd made some progress and figured it would be another 2 hours. Finally after 4 and a half hours, we got in. One person behind up said, "For this long a wait, the statues better move!" Well, they didn't. There are some amazing pieces of art, but not worth the pain. After our painful gallery visit, we walked across the river and up the hill across from the city. The view was worth the effort. The area is officially called Piazzale Michelangelo. After relaxing for a bit, we headed back down the hill for dinner. After dinner, we walked across the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio. It currently houses mostly goldsmiths and guys selling fake Prada bags. On our way back to the hotel, we saw a police car come around the corner by the bridge. In about 5 seconds, all the bag vendors had scooped up their goods and started walking away as if they'd never been there.
We had dinner at Le Colonnine located at 6 Via Dei Benci. The food was outstanding! Totally 5 stars. To find the restaurant, go south from Piazza Santa Croce. The place is in the pie wedge on the corner.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Long time... no posts... again
It's been months again since I've posted anything. I won't say that I will post more, but I will try. I'm looking into some software for my phone that will help post from there... if I can snap a picture and drop it to the blog from my phone, I'll be a lot more likely to do it. If I find something that works, I'll share!
Take care!!
Take care!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)