The Road Finally Led to Rome

 After a couple of decades of trying, I finally made it to Rome. We stayed in an airbnb-style apartment. It was decent other than some occasional issues with appliances, and electricity, and getting hot water. Still, it was in a convenient location. Below are some of my favorites, randomly selected. The only one I'll comment on directly is Galileo's finger. That was just funny and sort of a must-see for us. 

We sort of did everything. We spent a day in Florence. We toured the Coliseum. We did an all-day tour of the Amalfi Coast - what whirlwind trip that was! We went to mass on Sunday. We toured the Basilica. We visited a ton of museums, including the Galileo Museum and one of many Da Vinci Museums (never found out if there was an 'official' one). Oh, we went to the opera and saw Tancredi performed. All in all, it was an amazing trip, and I feel everyone should try to get there at least once.

One interesting tidbit - one of our guides commented that we all likely had plenty of fun things to see and explore in our own backyards (but he still appreciated we were there paying for his services, I'm sure). That got me thinking - what haven't we explored in Texas and across the rest of the US? Turns out, plenty of things! Maybe our next trip will be somewhere unexpected in the US. Although, I am eyeing a 'pub walk' in England...

Adventures in Vail

 Just sharing some pictures from a recent trip to Vail, Colorado. Definitely worth doing in the summer.

I take more pictures of forest trails than I should.

Something about not seeing what's around the bend is cool, I guess.

Obligatory mountain photo #1.

Obligatory mountain photo #2.

And another one!
Okay, obligatory mountain photo #3.

The Irvine Trail - Day 4

We started our day in Goodyear, Arizona. Luggage packed - check. Cats accounted for and loaded - check. Kids accounted for and loaded - check. (Is that backward?) Starbucks stop for Steph - check. Steph's phone - oops. After a short drive back to the hotel, we resolved that issue and set out for Irvine.

The Drive

Today's drive was notable in two ways. For one, we found out Californians like to name their ditches (much as the rest of the universe names rivers and creeks). Then there was the sandstorm. So, it wasn't nearly as bad as anything I'd experienced in Iraq, but it still made driving fun. The worst of it lasted about 30 minutes or so, so not too bad. Still, it brought out the psycho drivers the same way a little rain does in Texas, so it slowed us down a little. Otherwise, the drive was smooth sailing and through some beautiful parts of the country (if you're into deserts, mountains, and the like).

Irvine!

Blizzard Way!

I admit that picture is kind of hard to make out, but this is why we braved The Irvine Trail. We faced sandstorms, boredom, whiny cats (they actually weren't that bad), and a host of other trials, and still we arrived safely. We never even had to change a wagon wheel..

Our temporary housing is a short 20 minute walk from my new job, and I'm really looking forward to taking advantage of that fact as often as possible. We've already sort of scoped out what that will involve, but we're going to make the walk as a family tomorrow to see how it is firsthand.

The apartment itself is pretty cool, too. It has lots of amenities onsite - Starbucks, various restaurants, a market, swimming pools, hot tubs, parking garages, and so on. It feels a little bit like living in a commune, but we'll see how it goes over the next few days. Steph and I plan to go exploring in a bit to see what there is to see; should be fun.

What's Next?

Well, we have until Monday to explore the area. We'll probably spend a fair amount of that time looking for a more permanent place to live. Of course, let's not forget the beaches, or the mountains, or...pretty much all of the new stuff that surrounds us. ;) 

The Irvine Trail - Day 3

Our journey today took some interesting twists and turns. Instead of driving straight through to California, we opted to take our time and finish up the day in Phoenix, Arizona. We started around 8:30-9:00 after a decent hotel breakfast. After what seemed like just a few minutes on the road, we crossed into Arizona. Shortly after that, we started seeing signs for Tombstone!

Tombstone!

We had no idea that Tombstone was more or less along the route we'd chosen for getting to Irvine. Driving-wise, making the detour only amounted to about an extra 45 minutes. We ended up hanging out for awhile though, and we got to see some pretty cool stuff.

Lunch

After looking through a few shops, we realized we were both hungry and parched. The Longhorn restaurant did not disappoint. We dined on steak sandwiches, burgers, and barbecue, and I may or may not have had a shot to wash things down. (When in Tombstone, it seems only fitting..) Steph bought a couple of commemorative wine glasses, and we looked around for something to do next. 

The Silver Mine

Heading Into the Silver Mine

It just so happened we walked out of lunch just as a tour of the silver mine was beginning. It was purported to be the first silver mine ever in Tombstone, although I'm not exactly certain of how that could be verified. Nonetheless, it was pretty cool. 

We're fairly certain the tour guide was drinking something other than coffee in his coffee cup, but whatever it was, he did a good job of keeping the group entertained and keeping everyone moving. He talked us through a typical day for a silver miner of the time, and he even explained what the 'honey cart' was for. He showed everyone the different types of less valuable minerals left behind in the mine, part of which involved asking the kids to lick some rocks. Yeah...I didn't try it.

He told us it was his birthday, so we sort of wrapped up the tour by singing him happy birthday. I was left wondering if he tells every group it's his birthday. I doubt we'll ever know, but he did seem genuinely pleased that we sang for him.

Other Attractions

We missed the recreation of the 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.' We also opted out of the photo shoot (I'm not that into the whole idea of stuffing my head through a hole for a picture). We did see some historical landmarks, such as a sign declaring the site of Morgan Earp's assassination as well as the shooting of the sheriff. Allegedly, we walked across the same floor that Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp crossed as they headed out for the shootout. Also allegedly, we purchased some souvenirs from the counter where Wyatt and Doc had their last shots prior to that incident. After awhile, though, we realized we needed to get back on the road, so we set out for Phoenix.

Phoenix Bound

The first few hours of the drive to Phoenix were great. Then we found ourselves in rush hour traffic in downtown Phoenix. That was less awesome. Note to self - avoid downtown Phoenix during rush hour at all costs. I know, I know, California traffic is supposed to be worse. (We'll see..)

After surviving that madness, though, we were rewarded by two awesome discoveries. We found an excellent New York style pizza place (Gus's?) and what was probably the largest wine/spirits store we've ever seen. The pizza was amazing, and we had some tasty beverages for washing everything down.

Tomorrow, we have about a five hour drive before making it to Irvine. We can't check-in to our temporary housing until 4:00, so the master plan at the moment is to eat more pizza watch some movies (maybe Tombstone), and stay up well past our bedtime. Good night!