VC’s Europe and CB Family TR - July 2- August 8 2018! Semi Live!

Well we managed to get to some of the stuff on our list but we totally underestimated how much the heat takes out of you! This entire trip the temps have been between 30-34 every single day. We were walking around in that for 6 hours today but had a lot of fun doing it!

We had a late start so started day walking to see Pope Francis.

Today wasn’t full mass but blessings. Luckily for us it only lasted 11 minutes as otherwise we would have melted to the cobblestone. Didn’t understand a word of it but it was still a great experience!

 

We spent the rest of the day walking Rome, stopping in shops and seeing the sights.

We went past the 4 Rivers fountain, toured the Pantheon and each tossed a coin in the Trevi Fountain!

 

We stopped by the custom shoemakers shop but it was already closed so will try again tomorrow morning.

Shopping wasn’t a total bust though as I FINALLY found leather bags similar to the ones I had bought in Florence. I had used one of the bags on a travel moving day and I really loved it, both the quality and size were perfect. I bet I’ve looked in 200 shops to find similar bags so was thrilled to grab these! They have more of a suede finish. Bought these ones as gifts!




Found another leather jacket, picked up this one in powder blue!



Tomorrow will be a big day to see what we can fit in! We will have the shoe shop, mayyybbeee a handbag shop,
I have 2 stops left on my Angels and Demons run, any last major sights we can fit in AND packing! I dunno, pretty sure it’s not all going to get done, but will try our best!

 

Hmmm. This could make the day difficult, hope it clears up!!



What is the stuff I bought? All my toiletries starting to run out. Bought what I thought was hairspray. Smells like foot powder (yuck!) and has ZERO hold, like I mean ZERO hold.



Needed body wash, nearby store had mostly brands I never heard of. Flipped open a flip top lid to smell one of the washes and store clerk was aghast, totally horrified- oops! So found something I was familiar with, but really...it was $16 Canadian lol!

 

What an incredible trip this has been, we managed to get through the last bit of our ‘to do’ list before leaving!

We stopped by the custom shoemakers. We had read some great stuff online so MrVC went to check it out.



His custom shoes were beautiful so MrVC was going to pull the trigger on getting a pair made, it would take 2 months. Cost was $1000 Euros BUT he wanted 500 in cash up front. Given the pickpocket situation we didn’t bring much cash on the trip preferring CC instead and he wouldn’t accept CC for the deposit. Mr VC tried 2 bank machines in the area but none would work with our bank system, so he figured to just let it go. NO custom shoes for MrVC this trip! We did continue shopping and MrVC bought three pairs of nice shoes elsewhere so wasn’t too disappointed.

We decided to check out a church on my A&D list so taxi’d over to the Piazza Popolo. It was a beautiful stop that was surrounded by lots of high end shops and cafes.

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When we first arrived the church I wanted to go to was closed for another 90 minutes. Just enough time to eat lunch and buy another pair of shoes or two!



Perfect timing and was able to get into the church when done! (Will add more on the Angels and Demons post!)



We made one more A&D stop- I will post it all together but the sights were beautiful, well worth the effort and glad I did it!

 

Our final landmark stop would be the Spanish Steps. Not as awe inspiring as many of the other sights but still a worthwhile stop.



When we were in Venice I had tried on a full length Cashmere coat in one of the shops but didnt pick it up- it was kinda $$$ and I already had bought so much! After we left Venice MrVC said HE regretted we didn’t get it, lol. As we were walking away from the Spanish steps, I look up to see MrVC smiling outside one of the shops....it was the same store as in Venice.



We did end up buying the cashmere coat but also a new dress and a 3/4 length wool coat! They gave a 20% discount plus we could claim back the 12% VAT tax at customs - it was an awesome way to end out the shopping portion of the trip!

We strolled the streets and stopped for a final European gelato before heading back to the apartment to pack up. It was a perfect day to wrap up the trip!

 

Managed to complete my self guided Angels and Demons tour! I wasn’t able to do it in succession but figure it still counts. All the stops were awe inspiring and easy to see why he chose such magnificent locations for the book. More than anything I am impressed by his historical knowledge of the landmarks, never mind piecing those details together into a great read! There are 6 stops in total, I’ve included a few details on some but will post in chunks as tapatalk keeps glitching on me- grrrrr!



1. The Pantheon- the first stop in the book. Incredible that this is still the largest unsupported dome in the world, amazing given it’s a couple thousand years old! That dome does allow for some rain that falls within the Pantheon, there are 22 holes built within the floor to expel the water. Rafael is buried here.

 

2. The Church of Santa Maria del Popolo- (Earth) the second stop and where the first Cardinal Murder takes place in the book.



Legend has it that this site was the burial place for Nero and the grounds had become haunted where a walnut tree had grown and was full of crows. To dispel this Myth the Pope ordered a church be erected in its place. Unlike any other church in Rome the ceilings are quite plain and instead the chapels and walls are remarkably adorned. The Chigi Chapel where the murder takes place in the book was built and decorated by Rafael.



Here my little “A” spotted a lady praying and figured she would be a perfect person to chat about about soon going to Cape Breton. Oh my, thankfully she was quite taken with her rather than annoyed!

 

3. Saint Peter’s Square- (Air) Third stop and another murder.




4. Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria (Fire) - Fourth stop and another murder. In the Cornaro Chapel you will see the sculpture titled Ecstasy of St. Teresa, considered by many to be near pornographic and likely the most unfit art installation to a church ever.