Rome! (But we didn't see the Pope)

For Thanksgiving weekend, we went to Rome, getting two new countries (including Vatican City) for Jake and the kids.  Rome was the first place I had ever visited outside North America, back in 1996, as part of a college seminar.  It's as amazing as ever, although it has changed some over the years.  The Eternal City is so beautiful, and it's simply fantastic walking around where so many historic things have happened.  St. Peter was here, St. Paul was here, the gladiators...and on through history, up to the coins in the fountain and the gelato (oh, the gelato!).  All roads lead to Rome!

We arrived Wednesday evening, and stayed in an apartment near Vatican City.  It felt like we could touch the wall from the kitchen window, and had a wonderful view of St. Peter's dome from the bedroom.  We spent Thursday morning taking the Vatican Tour, where we had a very interesting guide who is an art historian.  Even on a weekday during the off-season, the place was crowded, but they do a pretty good job keeping people moving while allowing enough time to see places like the Sistine Chapel.  Our "Thanksgiving Dinner" was at a wonderful little vegetarian restaurant, and we followed that with some gelato and a walk around the castle.  

 

On Friday we visited Colisseum and the Roman Forum, and walked miles around the city and along the river.  Our stay coincided with one of the big Fridays for Future protest days, and we also wanted to be sure to participate in that.  We joined the crowds in the Piazza del Popolo for the end of the rally there.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday morning we returned to the Vatican so we could attend Mass, and climb the rotunda on a beautiful day.  The Mass was held in a little side chapel and was in Italian, with the worshippers using a variety of languages to participate in the responses.  It was a joyous experience to share the peace of God with people from all over the world, with many nations and every color represented.  We then climbed the 551 steps up to the top of the basilica where we could look down on the sanctuary, up at the dome, and then out over the city.  Michelangelo was a genius, that much is plain to see, although I didn't get very many good pictures with this camera.

Back in St. Peter's Square we visited the brand new statue, unveiled this past September, of "Angels Unaware", a massive bronze statue depicting 140 migrants and refugees from throughout history, and Pope Francis' challenge to all that immigrants and refugees of all nations and backgrounds be offered hospitality.

 

Saturday afternoon we visited a DaVinci museum, looked at the Spanish Steps, threw our coins in the Trevi Fountain, and did some more wandering around.  We flew home Sunday morning, thankful for the opportunity to travel and the experiences we are blessed to have.

Sofia, Bulgaria

The kids and I spent the Columbus Day holiday weekend travelling to Sofia, Bulgaria, an ancient city inhabited since at least 7000 BC.   It was really just a quick trip, mostly to meet up with friends and for me to run a marathon (number 52, and in country number 14 for me), but we did get to spend some time seeing the sites and looking at some ancient artifacts in the museums.

 

Also, Hans was thrilled to discover that the Sofia International Motor Show happend to coincide with our trip.  Sofia's public transportation system is both fantastic and cheap, and the five of us made our way to the expo center where we did not purchase the new Rolls Royce.

 

The race on Sunday morning wasn't a particularly good one for me, especially with some intense sun and a few miles of cobblestones, but I crossed the finish line before the clock stopped, so it all worked out ok.  

This was the kids' first trip into eastern Europe (that they can remember, at any rate), and it was fun showing them some of the old Soviet-style things I remember from my years in Kazakhstan, from the architecture (the Ministry of Finance building has a window for committing suicide in case of a financial crash), to the old elevators.  Hans appreciated the Lada cars, and we enjoyed the gardens of the green city (every city in the Soviet Block called itself a "Green City" and bragged about all of the parks, I think), and I got to dust off my Russian.  All in all, a nice little trip to a beautiful and reasonably priced city.

Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago

After about 8000 miles on the road and travels through 17 states, we crossed into our 18th and arrived "home" in Wisconsin.  We spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa, the kids went off to camp, and I began my vacation.

I did some shopping (and eating) in Madison, and I spent a day in Chicago with my niece.  When we went to buy our tickets for the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), we were warned that the visibility wasn't good.  We were warned again at security, and a third time before our tickets were actually taken, but we decided to risk it.  And it was great!  The fog lifted, we were able to see the ground through the glass floor, and the clouds underneath us made for some extra photogenic pictures.

I then spent a couple days in Milwaukee with two different friends, hanging out and getting some "girl time" in.  Milwaukee is really turning into a fun tourist town!  The shopping was good, and the eating was better.  Even in the middle of a historic heatwave, the lake breezes did their job, and the evenings were wonderful.

Wisconsin is, obviously, famous for the beer, and the Lakefront Brewery puts on a great tour.  We wandered through the art museum, took a boat ride, and ate lots of cheese curds.  We also waited with other Gen X-ers to take pictures with Laverne and Shirley and the Fonz.  (Millennials and kids were all looking at us..."uh, what's a Fonzie?")

The Purple Door Ice Cream shop definitely ranks as some of the best ice cream in the world (and you know I've tried a lot of what's out there!), and we had a great time at the SafeHouse, too!

The Headwaters of the Mississippi: Lake Itasca

Inside a state park in northern Minnesota is Lake Itasca, a pretty lake surrounded by woods with a small swimming beach, canoe rental, and miles of bike path.  The important part of this lake, however, isn't so much where it is, but where it's water flows.

In contrast to the deep, wide, and muddy Mississippi of New Orleans, St. Louis, or even Minneapolis, the river begins as a crystal clear stream, narrow enough to cross on a log, and only ankle deep.

I love the North Woods, and I have some great memories of days at Lake Itasca, but really, the best part is thinking about where all the water is going.  It's a long ways from the Gulf of Mexico, a fact to which I can attest, having spent the last 6 weeks driving between the two.  From Indian Tacos to beignets, with plenty in-between.

The kids belly-crawled the first length of water, and I walked a bit on the path along the banks, but they wanted to spend most of their time at the lake where the water was actually deep enough for swimming.

We stayed at a hostel that's right in the park, a beautiful old building.  It's big, clean, and quiet, with a great kitchen and lots of games in the common areas, but probably the best part was knowing we were in a big, solid structure when the thunder storms began that night.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park: Prairie Dogs and a River Crossing (and Rattlesnakes!)

On Saturday, we made our way back out of Montana into North Dakota, marking a new state for both Miriam and Hans, their only "new one" of the trip.  We pitched our tent along the Little Missouri River in Theodore Roosevelt National Park and set out to explore the North Dakota Badlands from a lesser-known national park.

We spent Saturday afternoon exploring the adorable tourist town of Medora, ND, a village of only 112 people according to the last census, but full of shops, restaurants, and locally made ice cream.  Medora is proud of its history, founded by Marquis de Mora and his wife Medora in 1883, and chosen by Theodore Roosevelt around the same time.  

In the 1960s, the meat-packing industry had died out, and the town was in danger of fading away as well when Harold Schafer stepped in.  Schafer was a North Dakota businessman and millionaire, founder of the Gold Seal company, the original producer of Mr. Bubble bath soap, and he invested heavily in reviving the village with tourism.  Medora is very proud of all three of these men, and seems to celebrate all three at every turn, as well as Mrs. Medora de Mora, who apparently spoke 6 languages and was an excellent horseback rider and hunter.

Sunday we loaded up my pack and set off on a long hike, the first stage of which involved crossing a river, with water nearly up to Hans' waist.  

We ended up hiking about 12 miles, through the Badlands, across the prairie, and picking our way through more muddy river crossings.  

The biggest highlight of the trek for all of us (along with the river crossing), was that the path took us straight through several prairie dog cities.  Thousands of prairie dogs were out, looking at us and scolding us, wondering what we were up to.  They are so adorable, and there were so many of them.  

I especially loved this brave little guy who posed so nicely for us!

We saw some other wildlife, including two rattlesnakes who were not happy with us wanting to be on their path (and I'd be happy not to encounter rattlers so closely again, thank you very much!), and we had to cut our hike to 12 miles because a bison was lying across the trail so we had to turn around, but that was probably fine, as it was getting hot and we were getting tired.

We crossed the river again, and then headed to the town pool for a swim and shower, and then some ice cream.  

In the evening, we took in The Medora Musical, a kind of revue show that runs every night all summer in a beautiful amphitheater, with some history, some jokes, and a singing and dancing troupe.  

The show finished as it was getting dark, and with storm clouds building, we took off across the parking lot, beating thousands to their cars, and managed to jump into the tent before the skies opened.