Florence Part One

It's not often that you have to take a trip to Florence. But since we've moved away from anywhere close to Johns Hopkins, I have to take classes through their 10-day blitz courses. It's the only way I can finish the M.A. in Writing that I started (which by the way, is nearly completed.) This year, JHU held their 10-day writing workshop in Florence, Italy; ergo....I had to give myself a 10-day trip to Italy. Without the kids. And I did nothing to deserve such luck or such fabulous in-laws, who were willing to watch the boys for nearly two weeks.

So without further ado, here's the famous Ponte Vecchio.

Well, it's us blocking the famous Ponte Vecchio. Tara, Evan, and co. drove down from Ljubljana and spent two days with me at the beginning of the trip--I was thrilled. We had a blast sampling vintage Italian calzones, getting lost, playing hide and seek in the Boboli Gardens, getting lost, and then trying (inadvertently) to cherrypick somebody's pre-arranged cab. Didn't work.

Here's a less obstructed view of the Ponte Vecchio. The arches to the right connect to the Ufizzi museum.

Tara, Evan, and everyone came along with me on a walking tour of the city, guided by my program leaders. Quin was holding my hand for most of the tour, but then he eventually left me for somebody with more power and knowledge of Florence--our almighty writing department chair, David Everett. This is the man who holds my degree in his fingertips. Alistair wanted to walk near him, too.

I think David liked it. All the people in my program were so impressed with the Haglund kids. The praise included adjectives like "well-behaved," "knowledgeable," "curious," "smart," "good walkers," and "good at eating raw vegetables." All those things are true--I personally was impressed that the kids walked, and walked fast, for nearly two hours. Hooray for Tara and Evan's parenting skillz!

Five days into my class, we broke for the weekend. Oliver came and met me in Rome! When you go to a place like the Eternal City, you have to prioritize. It's impossible to do everything.

So we made sure we didn't miss Rome's FIFA broadcast of the Netherlands-Brazil game.

We had never seen so many Dutch fans in one place. Very fun. Sad that Brazil lost, but quite an experience to watch a soccer game like this. We liked it so much that we went back to the Villa Borghese the next day to watch the Germay-Argentina game.

But Oliver and I are only part-Philistine. After the soccer game, we walked up the Spanish steps. We stepped into the cathedral (which was easy, thanks to our modest attire), and listened to some nuns and monks sing. We ate dinner right here, next to this major-league blonde. She made us feel kinda...underdone.

But ultimately, you don't need an Armani suit when you've got a face like this.

Day 2 started with the Vatican. Pretty incredible. But oh SO HOT!!! The temperature was probably somewhere in the mid-nineties. Add 10 degrees of pregnancy heat and you've got one uncomfortable mama.

I've only fainted once in my life (5th grade, finish line of the "distance run" race.) But waiting in line with the wall-to-wall crowded, sweaty crowd at the Vatican was as close as I've come to a second time. Once we were admitted, Oliver and I had to sit down and just stare at the popes' tombs for a while. When life became a little more manageable, we started walking around again. The inside of St. Peter's was unbelievable.

Here's my newest favorite sculpture: the Pieta, by Michelangelo. I read a story about this sculpture that really touched me. I just love the emotion in the mother--something about it really made me miss the boys.

If you're not satisfied with these pictures, stay tuned for Part 2 of Elise and Oliver's Adventure in Italy! I promise NOT to wait six months to post it. But for tonight, I'm signing off.