Sebastian comes for a stay

Our house was a little bit busier this last week, as my two and a half year old nephew, Sebastian, came to stay with us for 2 nights while his parents were at the hospital welcoming a new baby girl. Sebastian and I spent the day together on Thursday playing with Playdough, coloring, playing outside, and playing with the pups. We had a blast and can't wait for him to come and stay with us again.

Breakfast time...I think Bauer enjoyed the yogurt that fell on the floor.





Outside time



Playing with corks...he plays this at home ;)




Playing at the park...I call this his ballet picture



This is the shirt we made for him to wear to the hospital...he looked so cute!!!


Whataburger time!


Bath Time


Liliana Antinea Bickley was born on Thursday June 16th at 7 lb 8 oz, however Sebastian and I lived vicariously through other people's text and email pictures that day. On Friday morning, we headed to the hospital to see his new baby sister and his parents. Nathalie looked AMAZING and Warren was hanging in there with a few hours of sleep. Seby wore his shirt and brought a flower to his mom...so cute!!! Unfortunately, he wasn't too interested in little sister Liliana...but I'm sure that will change soon! Thank you to Warren and Natty for letting him stay with us...can't wait to do it again!

Natty & Liliana


Isn't she a doll???


That's all folks!

Part 3 Europe...Italy

Day 5 (Friday)

Our last day in Rome was one of my favorite days, because we packed the morning full of sights, but then took the afternoon to have a leisurely lunch and walked through the back streets (away from the rest of the tourists) in and out of shops, cafes, and squares.

We met up with Daniella for the morning and she narrated the Roman Forum and explained many of the stone masses in the Forum and the Coloseum. Did you know that it is thought that they once used to flood the Coloseum with water and have fake navy battles for entertainment? Craziness!!!

In the Forum



The Coloseum




Daniella recommended a little restaurant tucked away from the crowds called, La Piazzetta. When we walked in, it was full of Italian business men/women enjoying lunch and drinking wine (us Americans have something to learn from them..wink, wink). We knew it was going to be good, because nobody else was speaking English and the way we ordered was by pointing at dishes on the menu, or as I did...by pointing at what the Italians were eating and ordering that. It turned out to be the most amazing pasta I have ever had in my life; it was Tonnarelli a Limone...heavenly! Halfway through lunch, the chef came out and sat to watch all the people eating and evening said hello from afar to us.

The Chef


Seriously, I probably still talk about this lunch at least once a week...it was THAT good.




That afternoon, we toured the Pantheon, which I find to be one of the most spectacular buildings in the world. It boggles my mind that it has a huge hole in the ceiling, that allows the sun and rain to pour inside of it. We walked through beautiful leather shops and made our way to the Spanish Steps. I'm not sure what all was going on, however it appeared that a wedding party was there and they were having a sing off...strange, but very interesting to watch.

The Pantheon



The Spanish Steps



We ventured back to the hotel and sat on the terrace of the hotel and enjoyed h'orderves as the sun set over the city. Truly a magnificent trip!

Part 3 Europe...Italy

Day 4 (Thursday)

We flew to Rome that morning and found our hotel, Inn at the Roman Forum. I would recommend it in a heart beat because you are so close to everything, but it is tucked away behind the crowds of the Forum. It actually has Roman ruins in it and there was a beautiful terrace that overlooked the city where you could eat in the afternoon as the sun set...talk about a romantic place!



Check out this chandelier, it hung from the top of the 3rd floor all the way through the winding staircase to the first floor!


This became a joke if you didn't notice the other identical shots in the last two countries...


The little alley you could see out of our hotel room window.


The hotel recommended this little place around the corner called, Tavern Dei Fori Imperiali. Out of this world pasta!! Chris had some sort of veal and truffle pasta and I had an eggplant parmesan; talk about a spectacular way to begin a trip in Rome.
Lunch....mmmmmmm


We then met up with our tour guide, Daniella, who ushered us off to the Vatican for a full afternoon. As we left our hotel, Daniella dispelled the mystery of the numerous running water fountains all over the city - public water fountains to fill up your water bottle from a natural spring. Cool huh? This one was right outside our hotel, so we always filled up before heading out.


It is amazing how much she was able to tell us; enjoyed touring the grounds and seeing the many stone statues that inspired Michelangelo's painting in the Sistine Chapel. If you are ever there, make sure to look at how his painting style changes from very detailed to large and less detailed as time wore on. Definitely consider Daniella as a guide if you travel over there, because there is so much to see and there is no way you would be able to discover so many great facts without her! Here is her website:
http://www.rome-tours.com/

Touring the Vatican




I must admit I don't remember why this bizarre art piece was in the Vatican, but we snapped a picture in front of it. I do believe that they have similar ones all around the world.


The last stop in the Vatican was a tour of St. Peters Basillica. Absolutely stunning! Here is Michelanelo's Jesus and Mary.


Okay, the weirdest thing to me (some day I will get over it, but so strange to me still!!!) was the fact that they have multiple popes that have been embalmed and they are relics for the church. They are in glass cases for you to see!!! Daniella confirmed this fact and if you want to see a pic to prove it, check it out. Bizarre!!

Another interesting fact from our tour guide, Daniella, was that there are now hardly any stray cats left in Rome. When I first visited Rome back in 2002, everywhere you looked there were stray cats. Especially in the Forum....apparently there was a movement to spay all the cats because there were so many and they were becoming a problem...too many cats and tourists! Now they are almost scarce. We did see this one ready to go for a ride though.


View as we left the Vatican


Castel Sant'Angelo


We toured this church as we waited for the restaurants to open (we were hungry again!).


Had to try some pizza and wine, washed down with an espresso. Nothing like a bit of caffeine to help you get to sleep.



Our last stop was the Trevi Fountain and gelato of course!

Part 2 Europe...France

Day 3 (Wednesday)

This was our last full day in the City of Lights and after finally discovering how marvelous the metro was, we rode it all day long. Of course, we headed back to the same patisserie for breakfast for a cappuchino and pain au chocolat. We ventured to the Musee d'Orsay...Chris was a trooper as I longly stared at works from Van Gogh and Monet.

By this time, we felt like we were starving, but we metro'd it over to the Bastile and walked to Place de Vosges and walked to L'As du Falafal - BEST FALAFEL EVER! I think that Chris had a traditional shawarma...mmmmm. It held us over nicely as we walked through Victor Hugo's apartment in the Place de Vosges. (If you haven't read Les Miserable...please do, but I might recommend the abridged version...one of my favorites!)

The Bastile


Place de Vosges


L'As du Falafal...It's a blurry pic, but I can't tell you how much I recommend it. We sat shoulder to shoulder with all the Parisians, so much fun!


As the afternoon approached, we then wandered to Monmatre to enjoy the artist's scene and sat at a local cafe to watch the street performers and artists sketch away.

The climb up to Monmatre


As we entered Monmatre, this is where Chris said, "This is what I pictured Paris to be like."


The artist's of Monmatre and the Sacre Coeur in the distance



The Moulin Rouge...I was telling Chris about my first experience with the Moulin Rouge when my parents took me when we still lived in Holland. It was my birthday present...talk about an interesting experience!


Must admit that we never actually made it inside the Louvre (I had already been and Chris reported that he would not be heart broken if he didn't go), but we walked the grounds that evening, truly spectacular. On the way home, we bought a baguette and then stopped at a cafe on the Rue Cler and ordered a glass of wine and the cheese plate. Hopefully we weren't too tacky bringing in our own baguette for the cheese platter. To top it off, we enjoyed a crepe before heading back to the hotel.

Outside the Louvre


Au Revoir Paris!