Leaving Italy!

Quick post before take-off!

We are leaving Italy today.

During my week here we have literally driven from one end of "the boot" to the other and back and forth.

Quite amazing. 

Next stop:

GREAT BRITAIN!

Arrivederci!

Day 2 of Italia

It feels like I have been here much longer than 2 days.

Apparently, I've counted a few times that is how long it has been.

Today we drove 9 hours down the Italian coast and along the little "boot" of theirs.

THEN

we took a ferry.

To SICILY.

Sicily is crazy.

The roads are so narrow mopeds have a problem passing each other,

and we are driving a large 9 passenger van,

with people driving at you,

while you are trying to find your hotel in the maze of narrow streets and tall buildings.

Thankfully the Sicilians are nicer than the main-landers.

At least in Taormina (the city where we are staying).

When we couldn't find our hotel, we got some petrol from a man and then his friend led us to it on his little scooter, which really, was the only way we would have found that hotel.

The hotel is a bit...interesting.  

It is absolutely beautiful, and each room is unique in that each is designed after a specific artists work.

Our room was made by someone who is...a little on the creepy...I don't even know how to describe it. 

Anyway...

I watched the lights blink on the coast on our balcony as I wrote in my journal.

We are eating breakfast under the awning in the garden in the morning and then we are heading to at least 2 of the theaters here in Sicily.

Life is crazy busy, but it is definitely amazing.

We have been very blessed.

I am so very grateful.

♥ ♥ ♥

Dip your toes in this!

I would add pictures but the internet is to slow where I am.
They will come later.
So...

Today I went to Italy.

Yes, the country.

Italy is beautiful, the people talk beautifully, and it has been a good, good, good day.

First we left at 1:30 am for the airport.

Had some peanut m&m's with a sandwich and then boarded our flight at 4 am.

Slept A LOT on the flight,

no Dramamine needed on this flight, pure exhaustion did the job.

We arrived in Italy and had a bit of an issue getting out of the airport.  

Literally.

After about 2 hours of gathering luggage, exchanging money, getting the rental car, and finding the rental car...

we headed out for Ostia and the theater there.

It was a beautiful and a very quick drive to Ostia, right outside of Rome.

The survey went quickly, I'm getting a good system worked out.

Then we left for Sperlonga.

An estimated 2 hour drive.

Nope, that did not happen.

It took 2 hours to find the right road to get us out of Ostia.

Then it took another 2 hours to get to Sperlonga.

A total of 4 hours of the most terrifying driving I have ever been witness to.

People who have driven in the Middle East (Dr. F) have certain skills and guts that terrify me.

So, eventually, and after a loss of many fingernails, we made it to Sperlonga a little later than we had initially anticipated.

That is ok, it was worth the wait.

We hiked up to the museum and to the cave where some pretty remarkable massive marble figures were found.
Then we went to our hotel (very nice).

Finally we went to the beach.
The Mediterranean beach to be precise.
And we swam there.
In fact, Kristin and Jess had to drag Holly and I out of the water.
It was so marvelous.

It was a perfect way to end the day.
Then again, things with water usually are the best way to end the day.

Waiting for 1am.

Well I am back at ACOR for a few hours after 2 days in the land of Petra.

It was pretty fantastic really.

The first day there we sat in the back of a truck and drove for almost an hour from Um Sayhoun to Wadi Sabra.

Unfortunately, the truck can't make it all the way there.  

After that long drive along large drop-offs, and sections of road that...don't look like road at all,

we made it to the end of the line.

So we hiked for another hour DOWN into and through the Wadi Sabra

so that we could make it to an unexcavated and quite amazing theater built by the Nabataeans in the Roman period.

By the way, this water theater was fed by a waterfall that was then channeled into cisterns and/or into the orchestra floor.

Awesome huh?

That is why I am writing my thesis about this kind of stuff.

Because it is awesome.

After taking tons of pictures and measurements (it really was an amazing water theater),

we had a spot of lunch.

During which time Kristin saved Holly's life a little bit.

Turns out that Holly had an incredibly small and very POISONOUS black scorpion that was highly attracted to her feet.

Kristin brushed it away from her before it could get her,

and our Bedouin guides threw it in the fire.

It was a bit of a heart stopping moment.

After that I got some final measurements and we were off...at midday.

The hour hike nearly doubled in everything,

time,

heat,

and elevation.

While the hike down was nice, the hike back UP out of the Wadi was rough.

But we made it.

By what I call divine intervention.

It was an unusually cool day for the first of July, which is why we made it back really.  

I don't think we would have otherwise.
The heat made us a bit goofy.

After that theater we went to the theater at Petra, got some stuff, and then headed back to our beds to leave in the morning.

Busy day.

Today we drove the 4.5 hours to Jerash in northern Jordan.

It was MUCH, MUCH hotter today.

I have the sun burns to prove it.

We did the 3 theaters in Jerash, it was beautiful, but by the end we were glad to be done.

Now we are at ACOR trying to get everything re-packed for our flight to ITALY!!!!

There you go.

Good times,

more to come.

I should say how grateful I am for this entire thing.
I am constantly overwhelmed by how great the people are that I am with,
and what an amazing experience this is.

I am learning so much.

I also must say, hiking up and down these theaters for pictures and measurements is giving me some fantastic legs.

Just sayin'.

♥ ♥ ♥