Rome in a day? YES!!!

Hello Family & Friends:

I didn't know it was possible but it certainly was... Dino and I hit Rome in one day, a major travelers success! We saw so many things we didn't even know what we were looking at or taking pictures of half the time! All we knew was that it was old and cool!

We started off our day early and hit the streets armed with a fully charged camera and a map. Our first stop took us by The Vatican City to grab an open air bus by which to tour. After finding the best bus (other tourists were giving us tips as to which busses were bad and how they were ripped off) we hopped on! We then quickly hopped off at our first stop, the Pantheon. Wow. I had no idea there was more to it other than those column things! While trying to walk to the Pantheon we ran into workers rioting and hitting their hard hats on the ground, tourists were in a frenzy taking pictures. After arriving we were in awe at the enormous dome and structural integrity of this massive work. We were so impressed we had to stop and eat spaghetti right there, starring at the dome and columns. So cool. Awesome.

We then walked to a recommended attraction (thank you Jen) Fontana di Trevi! Another amazing work. There were naked guy sculptures and ocean scenes everywhere. It is said that if you throw coins behind your shoulders into the pond, you will one day return back to Rome, so we threw some coins (leftover Kunas from Croatia: 1 Euro = 7.36 Kunas) in the fountain, made a wish, and moved on. No one ever stated which currency we had to use.

Back to the bus we went! We hopped off at the Colosseum! It was smaller than I thought! Jk jk lol. Haha. It was pretty impressive, and so was the Arco di Constantino and the Piazza di Venezia and the ancient ruins! There we were caught in a massive rain storm and had to hide under the Colosseums arches in order to stay somewhat dry. Gypsies tried to sell us umbrellas 100+ times. Little did they know we were from Seattle.

We then walked to the Circo Massimo, not as impressive, it is mostly gone and is now really just a big dirt pit. We just barely caught the bus again an headed to The Vatican. We attempted to enter St. Peters Basilica but were denied. Like a good tourist I brought a sweater so my shoulders were covered but my dress barely missed my knee. So we headed back to the hotel for me to change.

When we went back there were girls in a lots worse outfits than I. Sweaters around knees and scarves around shorts. It was a mess. But I looked good and they let us in. Let me tell you. Boy was it spectacular. What a sight.

Gold, mosaics, paintings, frescoes, and statues everywhere you turned. It was huge, the domes and marble columns were higher than the eye could see it felt like. After two trips in we felt we had taken up enough of the Popes personal time it took him to show us around so we decided to go.

Where could we go thought? SHOPPING! We hit up some small shops and grabbed some nick knacks (Damir: pronounced "gnajks") and our second round of gelato ice cream. We then finished the night walking around what looked like an old moat converted into a dog park (Court: we were dog less, everyone was starring, embarrassing) and headed home to pack, check in for our flight, and write this blog.

Talk to you from... MADRID!

Love and Miss,

Steph & Dino

P.S. Julia, I am wearing a specialized bun in my hair for the night and I think it looks splendid. Thoughts? Xoxo. Miss you.

P.P.S. Look at bun picture for you!

Romeing around...

Well...

After a ride to the bus station with our Grandpa landlord, two busses, a delayed airplane ride, and an extensive taxi ride... We are in Rome! Our hotel sits right on the border of the Vatican. Cao Pope! We see him from our balcony.

So it's only fitting that we went and said hi to the Basilica right when we arrived and took some snap shots for you all. We then walked along the Tevere River admiring little gypsy shops and street vendors. We also saw the Castle Sant Angelo which looks pretty cool at night.

We had dinner at a little Pizzeria on the water and had our first experience with customer service, not so great. They forgot our salad all together! You know how I get without my salads... Hopefully tomorrows will be better.

Till then, ta ta for now,

Steph & Dino

Cao Makarska!

Hello All:

Today is a sad day, Dino and I will be saying goodbye to sun soaked Croatia. It has been wonderful catching rays all day, eating ice cream, and walking the beaches - but I suppose it is time to get back to work... exploring the rest of Europe that is! Rome... see you tomorrow!

Our last day here in Markarska has been grand, we will see just how grand it is when Dino wakes up with a sunburn tomorrow lol. We had lunch on the beach right on the water. For all of you Hard Lemonade lovers out there (Aunt Susie and Uncle Don) I urge you to explore the world of Hard Ciders. I have just dipped my toes in their deliciousness and have been pleased so far. I would recommend a Somersby Pear Cider or Somersby Apple Cider, but pear is the best.

On a more serious note we finally caught the sunset today. After two days of missing it. (Dino's sun calculations were slightly off due to the mountains he said... Hmm...) it was beautiful. So we included some pictures so you all can pretend you were here too.

There is also a picture of the huge mountain that Makarska is butted right up against. They are really between a rock and a hard place in terms of escape from this town (unless you have a boat) maybe that is why no one wants to leave or can find there way out? Haha. I know my jokes are bad.

So tomorrow morning our Grandpa Landlord is giving us a ride to the bus stop, then we will hop on a bus from here to Split and another bus from Split bus station to the airport and a plane from Split to Rome. Then we will be in Rome.

Trip Advisor has set a course for us to figure out Italy from there. So... Off we go.

Love and Miss,

Steph & Dino

Home of the Dalmatians

Our third leg of our Eurotrip starts here in Makarska, a beautiful sea side city that sits pretty on the eastern coast of Croatia. Our trip started last night at 10:15pm. We decided to travel with the night bus so that we do not lose a day with the lengthy 5 hour drive. The bus also worked in our favor as it was not as blistering hot as it would have been during the day time. Steph, myself and another fella were the only ones on the bus which gave us plenty of space to sleep! We slept through most of the bus ride with the occasional wake up from some pot holes on the streets. I would nudge and wake up Stephanie so that she could see some of the sights as we traveled through the southern region of Bosnia.

With the temperatures being in the high 90's yesterday we had a little storm during the night that we didn't think too much of... as we neared the Bosnian/Croatian border. Right above our cliff side route, there seemed to be a forrest fire that most likely started from a lightning strike high in the hillside. Our driver quickly passed as to not get stuck on the road if the fire would come down. After the border it was all smooth sailing. We reached our destination Makarska an hour ahead of time. Right around 3:45am. We stepped off the bus and were greeted by an older gentlemen asking us if we need lodging accommodations. After I asked about the location and if his apartment complex was close to the beach, we negotiated on a price and headed to our new home for our four days here. (Steph speaking, I had no idea what was going on and this weird Grandpa with no teeth was now giving us a ride. I felt as though I acted pretty calmly and turns out Dino, as always had it all under control.) We ended up paying €90 for our four day stay which is a killer deal. We even have a/c in the room!!! The landlord makes his own wines, champagnes and rum. He was offering us drinks at 4:00am this morning but we were just pooped from our bus ride. When we woke up, he greeted us at the door with a 2 liter bottle of his home made champagne. This was too good to be true! But it tasted great! (see photo) (Steph again, I am pretty sure this guy went and picked all the wild fruit he could find and has been fermenting it for the past 100 years, its straight sugar alcohol, its sweet so Dino thinks its amazing, he put 5 sugar packets in his chamomile tea last night! FYI) Wish I could sneak some back home so everyone could try but I don't want to get in trouble at customs.

After we got ready and put our sunscreen on, Steph and I went down the to beach. Steph said she has never seen water as blue and clear as here. Bonus points for me for picking this place I guess! We did our first session of tanning and swimming and then went out to explore the shore. We are just finishing up our pizza lunch and getting ready to go back to tan. This place is great and would recommend it to anyone who just wants to get away and have a real relaxing vacation!

Dino and I just had to switch sides of the table so we tan both sides evenly. So sunny. Not one cloud in the sky

P.s. Croatia/Croatians are often called dalmatians because this is the birthplace of you guessed it, the Dalmatian dog!
Love and Miss,

Dino & Steph

Dinner and a Wedding!

What's up folks? Dinner Friday night was absolutely amazing! Dino took me to the Sarajevo Brewery and we feasted on some good grub! I had a wonderful green salad, cucumber salad, French fries, and homemade bread. Dino had butter chicken an the biggest beer I have ever seen!

After dinner we met up with some of Elvira's friends and Dino and Elvira's cousin. We went to an outdoor bar and restaurant that was absolutely paled. The nights are certainly bustling here on the weekends.

Saturday we prepared to go to Amila (Elvira's best friend) wedding! We went to the pijaca and purchased some acceptable shoes for me to wear, got Dino's hair cut and made sure we were looking all fancy.

The wedding started at 5:00pm. There was a short ceremony officiated by a notary then dinner and dancing began. I tried lamb for dinner (not my favorite) and then Dino FINALLY taught me how to do the kolo (traditional Bosnian dance). I was certainly not perfect but I did much better than I expected and I think than Dino expected too! The wedding was at Hotel Saraj which sits atop a hill overlooking the city. The views were wonderful. It was a great night. They said yes!

Tonight we will begin to pack up our bags because we are going to Croatia! We will be taking the night bus so that we don't lose out a day out on the beach. Our time in Bosnia has been great. Lots of things to see and plenty of activities during the daytime and nighttime. We managed to visit all of Dino's family and have time to explore the city ourselves.

It was absolutely wonderful. :]

Love and Miss,

Steph & Dino

Dinner and a Game!

Hello All!

Yesterday evening was so lovely. We went out to dinner at a restaurant called Park Princeva that sits on top of a hill high above Sarajevo and overlooks the ENTIRE CITY!!! It was really rather impressive. In addition. Before we received our meal the sun fell and just as the sun fell ALL of the towers on ALL of the mosques lit up all over the city and chants rang out everywhere as the call to prayer began. It was pretty cool. The city is huge when you see it from above and is rather impressive at night. We also met a Bosnian fellow who lives in New Hampshire and chatted with him and he bought us drinks.

After the filling dinner we went to meet up with Dino's cousin (who looks just like Dino just taller and more hair) and sat at a cafe, then went to another cafe that is in the middle of the street outdoors with televisions everywhere playing only one thing... Can you guess? The futbol match of course! After that ended Dino and I had to walk up this huge hill to get home, we were so sleepy but made it barely. :)

This morning we woke up early and went out to the city to meet up with my aunt from my moms side of the family. Steph and I were pretty hungry and decided to go eat some pita. I ordered way too much! All of the locals and tourists were giving us looks like we were crazy with the huge pile of pita that was in front of us...awkwarddd. We managed to finish one plate and took the other one home so we could eat it for breakfast the next day.

I also took Steph to our pijaca ( Bosnian version of a swap meat). Steph was pretty exited and started to shop as soon as we came. You can see Steph in the middle of the street looking happy as she shopped. I also had to take Steph to the location of the Olympics that took place in '84. One of the photos has the tower that had the Olympic flame during the games. Exciting stuff. We are off to do some more adventurous activities!

Love
Steph & Dino

Enjoy the pretty pictures.

Love Love Love!

Hello All:

Yesterday we were in Vlasencia and visited many of Dino's family members and family friends all over town. We ended the night with a refreshing walk and relaxation time with Dino's Grandma.

This morning we woke up at 5:30am! That's right folks. You know how nice I am that early in the morning. We had to catch a 7:00am bus to Sarajevo! On the way we stopped in Kladanj, a small town where Dino's Aunt and Cousin live. His Cousin Seyla just had a baby seven months ago named Kenan (Keno for short). He is so cute and smily and we had a wonderful couple of hours visiting with them! He didn't even cry when I picked him up!

We then completed the rest of the bus ride to Sarajevo, cleaned up and headed into town! We had a huge lunch of Cevapi (beef sausage barbecue) and now I never want to eat again. After that Dino indulged me in a little silver shopping. We decided to go find some Internet to update the blog and in addition learned some amazing news...

OUT BEST FRIENDS JEN AND DAMIR ARE ENGAGED!!! Congratulations guys, we are so happy and excited for you two it's unbelievable. We love you. Dino just told me I was smiling and looked silly typing with a smile on my face about Jen and Damir. Yay! (we have included an old picture of the lovely couple)

Now we are off too find ice cream (oops... I said I was never going to eat again!) and watch a futbol game in the city streets outside later tonight. Love and miss.

Xoxo,

Steph & Dino

Steph's Turn!

After going to Alaska and Phoenix a couple of times myself, Steph will finally get to experience the place that I am from. Our trip to Bosnia has been a long one. We had a late flight from Manchester to Istanbul last night. We arrived to Istanbul at 10:30pm and by the time we got to our hotel in Istanbul with the shuttle, it was already midnight. We were impressed with the hotel that we were at (great views of the sea) and took long showers to rejuvenate ourselves from the long trip. We really didn't get too much rest as our alarm woke us up at 5:00am to get ready and head to the airport for our flight to Sarajevo. Unfortunately we did not get to experience Istanbul with our layover being in the middle of the night. We did manage to experience the crazy Turkish taxi drivers weaving and turning through the lanes. Although our flight to Sarajevo was half an hour late, everything went fine and we tried to catch up on our sleep.

After we landed, Steph, Elvira and I went over to our Uncle and Aunts (Moms side) for a quick breakfast. We then went to our apartment in Sarajevo to drop off our luggage and pack our backpacks for our mini trip to Vlasenica. The first bus to Vlasenica was at 3:30pm giving us enough time to go to the center of the city in Sarajevo to show Steph some of the sights and eat ice cream.

Seeing my Grandma has been great! She is not in too good of a shape with the strokes that she has had but she is strong and still holding on. Steph received a lovely necklace as a graduation gift from my Grandma and my Aunt which she is enjoying. I am always trying to fill her in with what everyone is saying but with all the practice that she had, she can understand bits and pieces and can even say a few sentences too. Everyone is excited to finally see Steph and all are surprised when she says something in Bosnian.

It's been a scorcher out here with highs in the 90's. We will have plenty of sun for the next couple of weeks in Sarajevo, Croatia, Rome, and Madrid. We plan to go back to Sarajevo Thursday morning so that Steph can experience the real beauty of Bosnia before we head to our next destination. We are super tired with little sleep so we will head off to bed soon.

Below you will see our airplane and bus adventures we went through to get to Bosnia.

And now a little word for Steph...

Dino's message is accurate. I fixed some capitalization errors. I think it is bed time now.

Love and Miss,

Steph & Dino