Buona sera

Had a lovely first evening here in Trastavere. Caitlin prevented me from sleeping all afternoon into the night (thanks, sweetie). So we walked around the hood, much cooler at 6 p.m. than at 2 p.m., obviously. Walked to the Tiber, ate a delicious dinner (anitpasta of prosciutto, salami and olives, then pizza napoli and linguini con pesce, finished off a bottle of chianti). Then finished off the night with some gelato and a stroll through the pedestrian-only section of Trastavere. What a night. We're beat. Time for bed.

But first! A quick thought that came to me on the flight. Dozens of movies were available on the flight, so I watched Moneyball (even better the 2nd time!); Being Flynn (lame); The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (wah Wah wah); and the first hour of The Godfather. While watching the latter, I kept thinking of Game of Thrones. Think about it: All these families fighting for power (Corleones, Tattaglias, etc., innumerable character story lines from varying levels of the power hierarchy (Luca Brasi, Tony? the driver, Michael and Sonny, Tom Hagen, etc.). Anyway ... a great story, and fun to watch the Italian wedding and ways of life.

OK, bed time. A presto!

Vades Vorld! Party Time!

We made it! We're here. Italy. Wow. Jessica's apartment in Trastevere is great. We love the neighborhood already. We just went to the grocery store (super close to the apartment) and picked up some grub. I forgot about having to weigh the fruit and vegetables on your own, and get a ticket,  before checking out. I ran back to get a ticket when Andy was in line and couldn't find the picture of the nectarines on the scale so I just gave up and left the nectarines there. We'll be better at it next time :). Tonight we're going out in search of some gelato and some good vino rosso. Ciao for now!

On the plane

No turning back now.

Boarding!

Let's do this thing! Hope our bags made it. And there's someone to pick us up. And no one scams us the first day. And the ESE actually exists...

Phone issues

Just spent 45 minutes on the phone w AT&T while annoying announcements in English and French blared over the speakers. Great way to spend my time. I think I found a way to unlock my iPhone. That process, I have learned, does not involve an actual, physical key. Weird.

Halfway there, eh

Chillin in Toronto Pearson airport. Pricey bevvies here. Our plane just pulled up.

Blogging is tough

Man. I've been blogging for a decade now, and I still haven't mastered it, apparently. I started this blog Sunday night in the hotel, but somehow created 2 blogs but no posts. Weird. Luckily, my beautiful fiancee and I arrived at the airport with hours to spare, so we put our heads together and figured it out. So here you go world: Velcome to the Vades' Vorld!

We made it!

After a long road, we finally made it here! It's totally different: strange people, busy streets, tall buildings, funny-tasting water. That's right, we're in Portland!

At the Holiday Inn by PDX. Had a nice drive and dinner w the Vallergas. Flight's early in the morning. We are nervous and excited, but most of all dead tired. Spent all week packing, repacking, cleaning, saying goodbye to everyone over and over. Last time, y'all: Arrivederci!

Next stop Roma, the archery capital of the world, based on the country's impressive Olympic showing. They must love The Hunger Games there. Watching Olympics is so odd. Like Dad, I can't handle the balance beam. So much pressure! My knees shudder.

Finished Breaking Bad, Season 4. So good! Wonder if they have TVs in Italy ...