Carbo Loading

Thanks to a scarcity of internet connections in Rome and Vienna, we're a bit behind on the updates. But that's Dana in the photo above, trying on a mask at the same store in Venice which provided the costumes for the movie "Eyes Wide Shut" a few years ago (click on the photo for a larger version).

Italy - Rome, Venice, and Florence - was a procession of incredible historical sites, artistic wonders, and non-stop eating. But before we get to that I have to admit, to my tremendous regret, that we actually had to decline a behind-the-scenes tour of the Lamborghini factory in Bologna. A test-drive wasn't guaranteed, but it was strongly implied...

Anyways, our final day in Florence was typical of our time in Italy: big breakfast at our hotel, followed by a 10:30am gelato. An hour later, as we were making our way to a historic church, we passed by what we thought was a store selling fresh pastas and olive oils. We step in, realize it's a restaurant, and are so overwhelmed by the smells that we decide to sit down and have a lunch neither of us are hungry for. An hour later we are running out the door to make an early afternoon train back to Rome. So much for the church.

It's no surprise that after a week of gluttony, all our clothes are fitting a lot tighter. But we justified it all in the name of carbo-loading for our 7-day bike trip through Jordan, which we will try to update you on in the coming days...