Independence Day "Firsts"

I had two "firsts" this Fourth of July. Number one, it was my first time to spend Independence Day on a military post and number two, it was the first Independence Day that was COLD!

All the festivities on post started at 2:00 pm and lasted until the fireworks at 10:00 pm. (It doesn't get dark here in Italy until 10:00 pm.) When we left the house around 2:30 in the afternoon, it was bright and sunny. Within the next hour, the clouds and rain moved in and the temp dropped drastically! (Of course, I'm sure it wasn't that cold, but compared to the weather in the Philippines, it felt really cold to me!) So we took a break from the outside stuff for a while and went to the library on post and then to Burger King in order to warm up!

The sun eventually came out again and we were able to have a good time, although it was still pretty chilly. Here are some pictures of the things we did....

The finished product!


My "dream" car!







A carnival just isn't complete without cotton candy!
And of course the night ended with a HUGE fireworks display! It was one of the best I've ever seen. This was the first Fourth of July celebration I've had since 2002. What a treat to enjoy a little taste of America in the middle of Italy!

Vicenza

Today we travelled into downtown Vicenza (Vee-chin-zah) for a few hours. The weather was absolutely perfect as we strolled around town. Vicenza is known as the city of Andrea Palladio (as in Palladian architecture). Vicenza was his adoptive home and walking around the city, you can see his influence on many of the structures.

At the market, we bought some strawberries, peaches and cheese. Oh...the cheese!!!
We also stepped inside a deli. Here are a few pics.
The olives!!
More cheese.

And more cheese!
Tempio di Santa Corona
This impressive Gothic church was built in 1261 and supposedly houses a thorn from Christ's Crown of Thorns, donated by Louis IX of France. On Good Friday each year, this thorn is brought out for viewing. Also in this church is the tomb of Luigi da Porto, who died in 1529, author of the novel Giulietta e Romeo, upon which Shakespeare based his famous play.
The house below was the home of Luigi da Porto, the author of Giulietta e Romeo.

According to this engraving on the house, he died here on May 10, 1529, at the age of 43.

The picture below is a section of an original Roman road. The taller sections on each end served as the curbs, enabling the rain water to flow down the street and wash away the sewage and trash.
Tempio di San Lorenzo





Andrea Palladio - Vicenza's most famous citizen
The building near the statue of Palladio is the Basilica Palladiana. The double columns are his unique design. They were added in 1549, when the original building began to crumble. They were his first public commission, and his solution ensured the survival of the building.
For lunch we enjoyed REAL pizza! Wow - it was incredible! The lady on the left is Lou, one of Karol's friends. Her and her 2 boys toured with us for the day. (And for those who may be wondering....those bottles contained water! LOL)

The Torre di Piazza is 82 m (269 ft) high. Begun in the 12th century, its height was increased in 1311 and also in 1444.

A few more sights around Vicenza...

Hello from Italy!

I'm here! I made it into Venice around 3 pm Sunday afternoon. (The time here is 7 hours ahead of the States and 6 hours behind the Philippines.) So far, I haven't felt very jet lagged, so that's a blessing! The trip here was very non-eventful - another huge blessing! Today we mostly ran some errands on Post, but we got to eat in the PX - Taco Bell for lunch and Popeye's for dinner! Woohoo! What a treat to have American food! The plan for tomorrow is to go into downtown Vicenza, so hopefully I'll post some pics when we get in tomorrow night. Thanks for all your prayers as I traveled. I'll keep you updated on our adventures here.

Joanna with Karol, Kimberlee and Kaylee