PRAGUE!
We touched down in grey, cold Praha (Prague in Czech, a language already bewildering to us) this late afternoon. The sun was setting at 4:30 PM when we landed, and by the time we had retrieved our bags, it was totally dark out. We enjoyed our second taxi ride of the trip, even more pleasurable than the first in London, since it was about 1/4 of the price. Ah! We love Czech krowns (sp?). Since our two roommates were already snoring when we arrived, we quickly unloaded our bags and bundled up and headed down stairs to ask the very cold woman at the front desk of Hostel Rosemary for the nearest supermarket. Five blocks and a very chilly walk later, we found ourselves in the basement of the metro station at the doors of Alberto. We amused ourselves perusing the aisles for dinner to make and goodies that we have missed while constantly dining out. It took quite a while, since we have no understanding of the Czech language and had to slowly evaluate illustrations on labels and put together the mix of consonants when decyphering the differences between milks and salad dressings and flavors of teas. Molls was content on cereal with what appeared to be Skim milk and Granny Smith apples while I had my heart set on meat of some sort. After taking a gander at the meats, I decided I was better off with an entire roast chicken, pre-cooked, than going for the frozen fish or pre-made meals. Feeling pleased with ourselves for finding such delicious treats and at such a bargain, after the euro, we realized the joke was on us...turns out you have to have to bring your own grocery bag! So we loaded up our stuff into the ever so flimsy and small fresh produce bags, all 2 of them, stacked the chicken on top of the 6 pack of 40 oz. Czech beer (which cost all of $1), and carefully balanced the eggs in one hand, while cradling the water and grapefruit juice in the other. Barely making it up the stairs of the metro station, due to tears of laughter, we naviagted our way back to Hostel Rosemary. Some nice Czech hockey players (we could tell by their gates) noticed our struggles and offered to carry our groceries for us.
After our delicious meal of chicken, salad, bread and apples, the only disappointment came when Molls proceeded to pour her "Skim" milk onto her Nutty Flakes and it came out more a consistency of curdled/fermented milk or yogurt. All in all we are off to a great start in Praha! We just hope that the rest of the people of Praha that we will be finding in the beer halls and jazz clubs will be as friendly as our Czech hockey playing friends! Time to go bundle up and hit the sack. Thinking of you all back home...
XO C&M

ROMA, the finale -
We arrived back in Rome with bells on. Following a suggestion from Ricky Tetrault and David Barrett, we headed over Harry's American(?) Bar at the top of Via Veneto, the rather chic area of the city. Dave highly recommended the Bellini's, so €16 later, we found ourselves lounging in the swanky spot, slowwwwly sipping our delicious drinks. Perhaps more enjoyable than the beverages was the ambiance. We had front-row seats to a couple of "performers," who basically sang karaoke with a terrible electric keyboard back up and laptop teleprompter - mind you, all set atop the beautiful grand piano! Picture the couple from Waiting for Guffman who think they are the best singers and actors, and add Italian accents and awful gaudy outfits, and there you have it... I was lucky enough to be serenaded by the man to the "Unchained Melody," but the worst was when the woman put on sunglasses and swayed her head back and forth like Stevie Wonder, singing "I Just Called to Say I Love You." Ohhh we had some good laughs! We considered accepting the invitation of three older Italian men to join them for drinks, in the hopes of getting another Bellini, but we couldn't bring ourselves to stoop that low... Always an adventure!
To cap off our time in the ancient city of Rome, what better to do than visit the Colosseum, perhaps the most widely recognizable landmark of all? Today we walked over to check out the ruins and had a wonderful afternoon taking it all in. How wild to think that this place is still standing after thousands of years, and in a few days, we will be in one of the newest cities in the world (Dubai)! We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Italy, and really celebrated it with a delicious lunch of olive paste & tomato bruschetta, pasta with vodka sauce, caprese salad and cappuccinos.
OH, and talk about a small world after all -- we just ran into two girls traveling together, one who went to Hobart with me, and the other went to Middlesex with Cam! How nuts is that?! Ciao for now!

NAPLES (PORTICI & CAPRI) -
Only slightly scarred by our odd encounters Wednesday night, we were glad to head south to Naples on Thursday morning. Thank goodness Cam did her homework on HostelWorld.com and booked us a room at the Fabric Hostel & Club, just outside of the dirty and busy Napoli, in a fishing town called Portici. We arrived to the little local train station overlooking the main port, and were greeted by salt air. Ahh, how delightful to be back on the coast! The town of Portici does not seem to be a tourist attraction, and after walking some 20 minutes, I was wondering just where Cam had booked us... Unfortunately, the directions given by the hostel were not so accurate, so we had a bit of a roundabout walk from the station, causing only a slight traffic jam when locals gathered around us and tried to steer us in the right direction. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, we found it up a side alley, and it was not at all what the rest of Portici looked like! It was hip and trendy, with a wild nightclub attached to it. After freshening up, we set out to find some botanical gardens and archeological ruins, supposedly nearby. We walked up a very steep hill for about 2 miles, only to run into the major highway and something resembling an on-ramp, leading up to a hospital. A little frustrated but mostly amused, we turned around and walked back down to the water where we had arrived. We took in the fresh air and watched local fishing boats unloading their catch of the day. When we got back to the hostel, 2 guys from the Mona Lisa and our friend Rosanna (who we'd met in Florence) all arrived, and we were thrilled to see some familiar faces.
Since Napoli is where the Margherita pizza originated, we set out to find a few for dinner, and stumbled upon bottles of vino rosso for only 1 euro each! After dinner at the hostel, our new friends Mark and Derrick from CA taught a few of us a cork game in which we had to recite a rhyme: "I'm number __ spot, I've got __ spots, how many spots does number __ spot got?" It is a little confusing at first and hard to describe, but we had lots of laughs and will attach a picture if possible.
Friday brought summer weather and a trip to the island of Capri. Oh it was lovely! (My favorite place so far...) We took a train to Sorrento, then a ferry to the island, and were immediately entranced by the sunshine and beautiful vistas everywhere. The houses were whitewashed and stacked up on the cliffs of Capri, overlooking the Mediterranean, with colorful flowers and lush palm trees scattered in between. We decided to splurge on lunch and sit in a nice restaurant with the BEST view in Capri town. We did not, however, realize just HOW much we would be splurging... Poor Cammy was thrilled when the waitor told her the special of the day was a lobster pasta for a mere 13 euros, only to find out when we got our bill that it was THIRTY instead! Oops! I must say, however, it was worth all 30 to see the look on Cammy's face when her meal arrived -- wonderful. (Again, will try to attach that picture!) I had Caprese salad and bruschetta, which really hit the spot. After our extravagent lunch, we decided we could not afford anything else on the island, except for a little gelato sampling for those of us with a sweet tooth. We explored most of Capri on foot, going up and down some very steep hills and thoroughly enjoying the views almost everywhere. The main piazza is scattered with glitzy stores like Gucci, Fendi, Ferragamo, Tods, and dozens of jewelry stores that made us drool. We decided to return to Capri once we could stay on a yacht and actually afford to shop!
The ride back to Portici was a little sad after such a nice day (I didn't want to leave), but we tried another pizzeria and finished our wine before heading to bed relatively early.
Today we walked around the real botanical gardens in Portici, but realized that the alleged "ruins" within walking distance were actually Ercolano, or Herculaneum (sp??), and we did not feel up to joining the swarms of other tourists and paying the 12 € to get in, so we hit the road back to Roma. At the train station in Napoli, we were reminded what a small world it is, as we ran into Page Vinyl (sp?) from Duxbury, who had been on the Amalfi coast all week! We are now back in Roma, limping around on a major budget until we get to Prague on Monday...

ROMA!
Rome wasn't built in a day, that's for sure. But we quickly learned to not let the maps fool us, as everything is capable of seeing on foot. The Mona Lisa Hostel where we are staying is great for the solo backpacker, looking to make friends in the tiny living/kitchen space. We were forwarned by Judith of our weird roommate, whom had already upon arrival to Rome, forgotten his luggage on the train! He's from Australia and loves to recite Monty Python and talk about music and sing until all hours of the night, and made for a very interesting stay.
Wednesday was our day at the Vatican. Molly had read in Lonely Planet that on Wednesday mornings when he's in town, the Pope gives Mass in St. Peter's Square. We arrived just in time to catch the end of Mass. It was truly amazing. Masses of people, crowded around sitting and standing, watching the 4 teleprompters all over the square, as the most powerful man in Christendom spoke. We were both moved to tears as the hymns were sung. Though neither of us are Catholic, we were struck by how moving it was watching and listening to the Pope, and I could imagine how awe inspiring it would be to be Roman Catholic and witness the same event.
After Mass, we walked around to stand in the 3 block line to get into the Vatican museum and see the Sistine Chapel.
We pushed through the crowds and meandered towards the Chapel, following signs and avoiding tour groups and the flags and umbrellas leading them. Once inside it was truly magnificent and what made it even more meaningful, was having seen the Pope speak earlier; it really made me appreciate what a truly remarkable feat the Chapel is and the museum as a whole. Our experience that day was very humbling, unforunately it was slightly ruined by the tour groups and the constant "Shhh-ing" by the guards every minute and the murmer of voices. We can only imagine what it would be like to stand in the Chapel, surrounded by the most magnificent work of all time in utter silence.
From the Vatican, we walked over through Piazza Nuova and stopped for a drink and some lunch, so exhausted from the crowds and walking all day. With our bellies full, we walked towards the Pantheon, a rather spectacular sight and much larger than either of us had anticipated. The walk back to the Mona Lisa was rather quiet as both of us were tired from the activities of the day and trying to realize the magnitude and splendor of the sights seen.
The events of our evening, really solidified our view of Roma- an ancient city ruined by the marvels of modern technology. After a short rest in the hostel, we headed to the closest internet cafe. I was stationed next to the last computer, furthest from the door, where an old odd man was sitting. Upon sitting down, the man quickly hovered over my shoulder, watching me open and read my emails. I tried closing all the windows, hoping he would stop and mind his own business. He stopped, but then quickly resumed his interest as soon as I started typing away again, staring at me, looking me up head to toe and then back at my computer screen. As the weird noises got louder and the moaning inceased, I let my eyes wander over to the old mans computer screen. Porn and lots of it filled the screen!! How lovely. I was disgusted and tried to keep a straight face and focus on my own emails. Molls was perplexed as to why I did not strike up conversation and tell him to back-off....she of course did not see his computer screen. There would be no conversation had! My night ended with a poke from the old man, as he had pulled his computer screen into view so that I too could get a good look at what he was enjoying. Scarred from all of this, we quickly ran out to get a Margherita pizza to go and headed to bed, totally perplexed by all the events of the day!

FLORENCE, ROMA
After lots of vino from the night before at Zaza's and a fabulous dinner, we were slow moving on Sunday morning. After breakfast and some time showering we were ready to take on the day. A slow stroll through the markets and some much needed therapeutic shopping, we made it to the Uffizi, our activity for the day. Unfortunately nothing prepared us for the 3 1/2 hour wait in line. Luckily because there were three of us, Rosanna, Molly, and myself, we were able to take turns waiting in line while the others mosied in the markets and along the river. After seeing works by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Carravagio, Leonardo, and other greats, we were feeling refreshed and ready to hit the gold markets of the Ponte Vecchio. (Sadly, no purchases!)
Dinner that night was an amazing array of fresh Italian dishes starting with fresh procuitto, mozzarella, tomatoes, pate, three kinds of pasta, six different desserts, and 5 assorted drinks with each course! We feasted until we were practically rolling each other out of the place (thanks again to recommendation by Augusta Nadler!) and walked home through a quiet Firenze.
Monday was spent on a wild goose chase to find a box in which to send gifts and over-packed clothing back home. Of course the Post Office didnt sell them, so we were sent all over the place looking for some alleged store that did sell them. When we finally found one, we had to fill out all kinds of forms and eventually paid more than what was worth for the box and its contents, and sent it on its merry way. We then said farewell to our friends from the hostel and hopped a train to Roma. Arriving in the late afternoon, we were greeted with warm sun and an easy walk to our hostel. We got here just in time to meet up with Lydia Guild, our good friend from Cohasset, who took us out for our first night in Rome. We had a delicious dinner and had fun hearing of Lydia's travels through Europe, as she is completing her 6 week trip soon.
We spent the day today (Tuesday) walking through Villa Borghese and down to the Trevi Fountain, where we snapped photos and threw coins over our shoulders into the water, to ensure a healthy trip back to Rome in the future. In the setting sun, we wrote post cards on the Spanish Steps and enjoyed a little people-watching. Thanks to a suggestion from our favorite waitress, Dee from Arthur & Pats, we had a yummy dinner at a little place just behind the Steps.

LONDON - We arrived bright and early Tuesday morning to glorious Kensington and the Tetrault familys beautiful home. (cant find the apostrophe key... please excuse these next messages...) After naps and showers, we regrouped and set out to explore Piccadilly Circus, via "tube" navigation. We enjoyed people-watching over a little drink at an outdoor bar-cafe, and then headed over to Ronnie Scotts jazz bar to try to get in to see Wynton Marsalis" brother Branford perform. Unfortunately the place had reached capacity so instead we explored Soho and headed home to a nice warm, comfortable bed.
Wednesday we walked from Kensington through Hyde Park and all the way to Buckingham Palace just in time to catch the changing of the guards. It was packed, so we snapped a few photos then headed over to Westminster Abbey, and then walked along the Thames to Covent Garden to have a quick lunch before seeing "The Producers." The show was a hoot and we are so glad we splurged and saw it! Afterwards we walked around Covent Garden Market and had a drink at Punch & Judys, and then stopped to check out Navajo Joes on the way to Leicester Square. We tried Ronnie Scotts again, but tragically there was a private function that night!
Thursday we were treated to a guided tour through Kensington and up Church St. to Notting Hill by our wonderful host, Ricky Tetrault. He showed us his favorite spots, from bakeries to the Churchill Arms Pub, and then we had a delicious lunch at Beach Blanket Babylon, a posh little spot in Notting Hill. We then headed on our merry way to the Tate Museum, which was interesting and excited us to make it to Italy for more great works of art! Of course we could not "do London" without a stop at Harrods, so we made a quick detour on our way home through the perfume and jewelry section of the store... ahh, delightful. They even had a Christmas tree up already! Dinner was led by the Tetrault boys, 5th graders Ross and Ryan, to their favorite local place, the Scarsdale Pub. We had a great time visiting with them and hearing of their European adventures. The London trip was capped off by a nice visit with Kaitlin Daniells (Mollys friend from HWS) and her boyfriend Duncan, who had come for dinner in Kensington. All in all it was a delightful and perfect start to our trip!

ITALY...
PISA & FLORENCE - After a near death experience on our way to the Stansted Airport (our driver carressed the open roads at 4 am by driving 80-100 Kph! we also enjoyed a flat tire only 1 km away from the airport...), we arrived sleepily to Pisa on Friday morning. We lugged all of our baggage all the way from the train station to the Leaning Tower (not an easy trek), and had a nice lunch nearby before catching a train to Florence. We were greeted in Firenze by pouring rain in the late afternoon, and again dragged ourselves through cobblestone streets up to our hostel. We immediately connected with 2 of our roommates, Lisa and Rose, and enjoyed chatting and sharing adventure stories with our new friends. Today (Saturday, 10-21) we set out with Lisa, Rose and another new friend, Ashley to explore and hit the sights here. We stood in pouring rain to see David, but it was well worth it. I got goosebumps as I turned the corner and first saw him, and he really is amazing in real life, just as everyone says he is. We poked around a flea market and then the open air markets around the Basilica di San Lorenzo piazza and finally were so fed up with the rain that we headed home. It has been so much fun to meet great girls who are traveling alone and want to go on adventures together! Tonight we have a dinner reservation at Zazas, recommended by Augusta Nadler & Louise Sheldon, other Hobart buddies.