Day 58: Nuovo Post da Italia

Start: London, ENG
End: Rome, ITA
Miles Driven: 0 (10850.9)

Though we were sad to say goodbye to London and our new friends at the hostel, we had to catch a flight to Italy. Our flight on Ryan Air was much smoother this time, with only a 30-minute delay in take off due to an "unidentified traffic in the airspace". There was even in-flight entertainment...a gorgeous bird's eye view of the Alps below.

Upon arriving in Rome, we took a bus to the city center and enjoyed the sunset over ancient ruins along the way. To find our hostel, we enlisted the help of an Italian woman at a local pizzeria, but Patrick really just wanted an excuse to buy a piece of pizza. Both the directions and pizza were satisfying and delicious. But not as satisfying and delicious as our "hostel" room at Residenza Don Bosco, where we have a private room, private bathroom with bidet, and towels provided! We even have a small TV suped up with Italian cable stations.
We had dinner at Ciao Bella with possibly the best lasagna we have ever tasted. As we wandered the streets of Rome looking for Trevi Fountain (above), we stumbled across the Spanish Steps. Despite our fortuitous find as a result of being lost, we decided to continue our search for Trevi Fountain after we bought a map. The search was well worth it as the glistening grandeur of the fountain by night was magnificent.

Day 57: Taking London By Storm

Start: London, ENG
End: London, ENG
Miles Driven: 0 (10850.9 total)

Our day in London was jam-packed with attractions. We started off with a visit to Buckingham Palace, and to our delight, we had arrived 15 minutes before the Changing of the Guard! It was like nothing we had ever seen.

Walking through St. James Park and by 10 Downing Street (the Prime Minister's residence), we arrived at the House of Parliament. Not only did we see the beautiful interior halls of the historical building , but we were permitted to watch the proceedings in both the House of Commons and House of Lords.

Westminster Abbey is just across the way and touring the historical church is an amazing experience. Many former kings and queens are buried there, and almost all have been coronated there.

We finished the day with stops by St. Paul's Church, Trafalgar Square, and the National Gallery of Art before an evening of pub-hopping.

Days 55-56: Planes, Trains and Buses

Start: Berwyn, PA
End: London, ENG
Miles Driven: 0 (10850.9 total)

On a whim, and in an effort to extend our trip longer, we decided to go to Europe. After 27 straight hours of travelling--including 3 plane rides, 2 train rides, and a bus ride through the German countryside--we finally made it to our first destination: London. Along the way we encountered a cancelled flight, a child bride, and a new roommate named Chako "who's just laying low for a while".


For our first night in London, we scouted out London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and the surrounding area. We had dinner at a pub on Gracechurch St before checking in to our hostel for the night. We are unable to upload photos now so pictures to come later.

Day 54: Berwyn...Where Every Day is a Holiday

Start: Berwyn, PA
End: Berwyn, PA
Miles Driven: 28.7 (10850.9 total)

Happily back in the kitchen, the morning began with a big crepe breakfast in honor of Katrina's mom's birthday. We spent the afternoon seeing some of the Berwyn area landmarks: the township building, the thrift store, and the King of Prussia Mall (incidentally the second biggest mall in the US--no rollercoaster in this one).

For dinner we met up with Katrina's best friend Ali at their old favorite restaurant from high school. Chili's was as delicious as ever, and this time they were able to get away with ordering beer!

Once Katrina's mom got home from work, we squeezed some limes and mixed up fresh birthday margaritas. Patrick also got his first experience with the family rhumtopf. Also know as boozenberries, the deadly concoction of blueberries, rasberries, strawberries, and 151 rum always ends the night on a good note.

Day 53: Merry Christmas...Again!

Start: Washington, DC
End: Berwyn, PA
Miles Driven: 158.6 (10822.2 total)

Today we officially left the South. We did cross the Mason-Dixon Line, but the real marker was the end of Waffle Houses off every interstate exit. The final meal included all the favorites: double waffle, double hashbrowns and a bacon cheeseburger--and that was just for Patrick!

It was Christmas in January when we arrived in Berwyn. Katrina's mom had left the tree up for us, and Patrick got to take part in his first Christmas present scavenger hunt. Our hard work and detective skills were rewarded with his and her rocking chairs that we imagine will fit perfectly in our next apartment.

Day 52: Museum Hopping

Start: Washington, DC
End: Washington, DC
Miles Driven: 0 (10663.6 total)

The National Archives opened at 10:00 AM and we were first in line. The famous documents including the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were not in very good shape, but the new exhibit exploring America's past through the thousands of documents, recordings and videos of the Archives was fascinating.

We raced through the eerily empty National Art Gallery (with special attention to the Impressionists) prior to meeting up with Patrick's DC grandparents for a delicious brunch at Clyde's in Chinatown. Before returning to the Mall, we swung by Ford's Theatre to see the site of President Lincoln's assassination.

As snow began to fall on the nation's capital, we took refuge at the Museum of Natural History. Patrick enjoyed the many interactive exhibits including designing his own volcano, creating his own earthquake, and even a virtual archeological dig.

The last stop on the museum tour was the American History Museum, which was interesting and fun...if by interesting you mean closed and by fun you mean not reopening until 2008. We disappointedly settled for the Air and Space Museum instead...where we were overjoyed to find some of the American History Museum's treasures on visiting display!

After a day on our feet, we settled in at the ESPN Zone to watch the Pats-Colts game. And that is all we are going to say about that.