If it can go wrong, it will...

Ours was an interesting weekend.  After months of training and rehearsing, this weekend was the long-awaited Youth America Grand Prix Ballet Competition.  We packed our bags and set out for the regional competition in Denver.  The flight was on time.  Our seats were fine.  None of our luggage got lost...  That was the end of the smooth ride...

YAGP is a well respected international competition with regional events in the USA as well as in Italy, Mexico, Japan, and Brazil. I knew that The Princess had her work cut out for her.  After all, most of the other dancers have probably been studying ballet for years.  With only about five months of real training, she was certainly at a disadvantage. 

Of course, I thought her disadvantage would be limited to her lack of proper training.  As it turned out, that was the least of our problems!  During each of her solo classical variations her music quit.  Other dancers had musical malfunctions as well, but having problems with both pieces was very trying.  HRH handled it like a pro, but it really shook her confidence.

Later, on the evening before we were checking out, the power went out in our hotel.  We slept through several hours of power-free quiet, only to awaken to a dark hotel.  I made the mistake of jumping in the shower and washing my hair...  Big mistake!  No blow dryer!  I got to spend the cold, windy, Colorado winter morning with wet hair.  Joy.  And if the frozen ears weren't discomfort enough, I got to endure the hideous hair for the remainder of the afternoon.

I do have to admit, however, that it was a bit of a novel experience.  We opened our room door to find glow sticks carefully placed in the hallway outside each room door.  The stairwells were similarly lit, with glow sticks on every other stair tread.  Breakfast was tasty and (surprisingly) warm.  A buffet (undoubtedly cooked on a gas stove) was kept warm with assorted chaffing dishes heated by Sterno cans.  Each dish was illuminated by additional glow sticks and the tables were all candlelit.  It did make us smile!

After our morning and early afternoon in the cold, we were lucky enough to catch a break.  To our good fortune, the kind woman at the Denver Double Tree North took pity on us.  Feeling bad that we had checked out, despite having nowhere to go, with wet hair and make-up that was applied in the dark, she offered us a room for the remainder of our wait. 

The room was a suite, complete with kitchenette and king sized bed.  We snacked on hot, Double Tree chocolate chip cookies, and popped popcorn in the provided microwave, and sipped steaming mugs of hot chocolate.  The best part is that our kind hostess provided the room to us free of charge.

So, for the rocky weekend, we had a satisfactory ending.  HRH took second in the Contemporary category, and first in the Ensemble category.  Our studio took the Best School award, and our choreographer won the Best Choreographer award.  We got to fix our hair and makeup, and lounge in a comfortable suite...  I guess it wasn't so bad after all...

New York, NY

I realize that I'm a little behind in my 30 in 30 posts... But give me a break, I'm in the city that never sleeps, and there is just so much to do! I can't seem to find time to sit down and blog when Canal Street is calling... Or when the New York cheesecake is tempting... Or when Saks is having a sale... Or...

But, I do realize that this little excursion is really all about dance. The dance stuff is going well. Competition will really heat up for us tomorrow. The Princess will be competing against all the other dance divas for top honor in the solo competition. We never come expecting to win anything, but sometimes even we get surprised! She's been working really hard and now we'll see if the many (many, many) hours have paid off for her this year.

I'll try to post photos tomorrow--if the computer will cooperate... I'm using a new netbook and I'm not sure it will play nice with my camera... Wait and see!

One more time...

I just dragged the luggage out of the closet. I'm pretty sure that we just got it all put away from the last trip. This summer, that beat up set of luggage has spent more time out of the closet than usual!

And now we're prepping for our annual dance trip to New York City. Oh, the joy!

We've bought new pointe shoes (bummer, they won't be broken in very well for auditions), new tights, new leos, and all the other necessary accouterments. The "break-a-leg" gifts are made for all of the members of The Princess' team. ...oh, and the tears have already started... (mine and hers!).

Seriously, cross your fingers that I survive this trip. It will be 10 days of little sleep, meals on the run, performance hair and make-up, costume disasters, high emotions, big drama, and more tears. I'm already exhausted!

Home Again

We made it home after many (many, many) hours of travel. The longest part of the trip was that last 90 minutes we spent waiting for our last piece of luggage (without access to a bathroom!).

Ah. So good to be home. But... So. Tired.

Updates will have to wait for tomorrow.

No photo... But lots of memories.

Today is our last day in Rome and we have no photos to share. The camera is broken and I am saddened that I missed several photo ops today.

We will grab a taxi at 4am tomorrow to go to the airport. But tonight we will celebrate for the last time with dinner under an umbrella at Piazza Navona. We love sitting in front of the fountain and listening to the singing and watching the street performers.

We strolled through Trastevere this afternoon and enjoyed a lemon ice while lounging near Ponte Fabricio (the oldest bridge across the Tiber). We love all the little shops and the friendly shopkeepers. I'll miss our ambling walks around town. I don't think I've ever walked so much in my life! But I've enjoyed every step!

See you soon! Hugs and Kisses!!!

Scalinatella di Spagna

We hiked our way across town to the Spanish Steps today. Past Piazza Venezia, the Pantheon, Sant Ignazio, and Trevi (where a kind stranger took our photo), arriving at the famous Spanish Steps and the top of Via Condotti.


We spent an hour or so just shopping... Prada, Fendi, Gucci, YSL, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Bulgari, Celine, you name it! Of course, our shopping was of the "window" variety. I fell in love with a beautiful Prada--but alas, although I married a prince, he is not a wealthy prince!

On our return to the apartment, we stopped by the open market at Campo. The fresh strawberries we bought there a couple of days ago were simply delicious! So sweet and flavorful, served with a beautiful Balsalmic Crema. Yum!

Sunday in the Jewish Ghetto

Our day started with the sounds of a lively neighborhood. The couple downstairs entertained us with their version of a Italian tune, sung at the top of their lungs. The woman across the balcony sneezed, very loudly, and repeatedly for over an hour. The guys who had the party last night with all the laughing and storytelling were sleeping late... It's a fun place to be, but don't expect any privacy!

We decided to be locals today and take public transportation. We walked all over town to get to the bus stop we needed to take the bus to Via Appia Antica. On the way home, we discovered a bus stop just down the street from our apartment. At one stop, we waited for 30 minutes before a bus arrived, just to tell us we were at the wrong stop!

At Via Appia Antica we toured the Catacombs. Specifically, we toured Catacombe di San Callisto. It was a little claustrophobia inducing... But kinda cool! The park-like setting above the catacombs is the perfect place for a Sunday afternoon picnic--but we opted for gelato, instead!

On the way home, we stopped at Musei Capitolini. We looked at statues and paintings until I thought I would faint from the heat and exhaustion.

This evening, we ate dinner here, in the Ghetto. We had the traditional meal of carciofi alla guidia and filetti di baccala--otherwise known as deep fried artichoke, and battered salt-cod fillets. It was delicious--especially when topped off with another gelato!

We got gelato at a new place we found, just a few blocks north of the Pantheon. There were too many choices! And it was interesting to note that while the place was packed, there were no children in sight! These clamoring clients were all adults!

To purchase one of these coveted gelato treats, you pay for the gelato first. After paying, you wait in line, hoping that the server will pick your ticket next. And look at the final result! Well worth the wait!

Dead on my feet...

Our day began with food... The perfect beginning to any day...

We slept in, then went to the open air market at Campo de Fiori.
We bought pastry, fresh berries, and fresh pasta and veggies for tomorrow.

After taking our food back to the apartment, we went sight seeing.

Our tour of the city began right outside our door. We are literally neighbors with the Portico d'Ottavia. Just past Ottavia is Teatro di Marcello. With only a hop, skip, and a jump, we were in the Colosseum and the Forum. We lucked onto a very knowledgeable tour guide and for 12 EU each, our afternoon was very well spent. We took a little time for a photo op at the Colosseum here...

Then, this Gladiator challenged The Mister. But we didn't want to humiliate Gladiator Man, so we decided it was time to move on...

This evening, we decided to meet with friends for dinner. We walked to Piazza Navona where we found a little cafe table from which we could people-watch. We located ourselves right in front of Bernini's Four Rivers Fountain. We enjoyed another lively evening of pasta, pizza, and conversation. While taking in the excitement of the Piazza. Later, we walked back to our apartment to relax for a while. We're having so much fun getting to know new people and discovering new things about this city.

Tomorrow we are going to Appian Way to enjoy the scenery and to visit the catacombs. Afterward, I would like to wander through Trastevere. But we'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings...

Roma!

First things first... The Boy didn't like the little Italian automobile that we picked out for him. How about this Ducati instead? You like???


We arrived in Rome, Italy today. It was a quick flight, during which I took a much needed nap. It was quite an adventure getting to our apartment in the Jewish Ghetto area of the historic district. First, public transportation is striking, so everyone is on the streets in private cars or in taxis. There was a lot of traffic. Our second obstacle is the fact that nobody seems to speak English. And as you know, my Italian lessons didn't really prepare me for conversing with any semblance of intelligence. Our driver was very nice, and avoided traffic accidents while trying to figure out exactly what we were trying to ask him.

We arrived at our apartment only to find it locked and empty. It took some phone calls and a helpful neighbor to get someone here with the key. Grazie, Shopkeeper Man--I'll come buy trinkets and postcards from you tomorrow! And thank you Veronica--thanks for bringing the keys! Palazzo dei Fabii is on a cute street with loads of charming people and trattoria.


The next little quirk in our day was when Veronica left. She closed the doors (yep, plural) as well as the gates (again, plural) and then we realized that we didn't know how to get out! For a while there, I was pretty sure we were going to spend the following few days locked in this apartment. But after some messing around with the locks and a set of keys, I figured out how to get us released from our (potential) Roman prison.

We were meeting friends for dinner tonight and decided to walk to their hotel. The "helpful" polizia pointed us in exactly the wrong direction. Our half mile walk took us about one and a half miles. But we saw a lot of cool stuff and stopped for gelato along the way. An evening with friends, a pizza,some pasta and some gelato, it wasn't a wasted effort after all!

Lots of excitement! Some of it good...

Isn't it always the case... Before we left, I told my mom she shouldn't have any ER-requiring incidents. With Max's disastrous dissolving stitches, we've met our quarterly quota for medical attention. But I was wrong...

First I got a text that said,

Mom, I think I might have broken some ribs. What should I do?

While that was bad, I figured that it was something that could be managed. And I was right. A few x-rays later, and we have discovered severely bruised ribs, but nothing broken.

Late last night the newest message was,

The kids are fine. The deer is dead. And the Volvo is resting in the garage.

I'm sure glad to know that we're not the only ones having an exciting time!

On a lighter note, I hope everyone will be happy to hear that we're doing well. Greece is still fun, although we've reconsidered bestowing Best Smelling upon the whole of Greece. After a little more time seeing other parts of the country, we've decided that maybe only Athens deserves the title.

We went on a yacht to Aegina Island today. Onboard ship, we watched some Greek dancing, and then we were encouraged (forcefully) to join them. Have you ever tried dancing on a yacht? Let's just say that it wasn't only the drinking crew that was having issues! I wouldn't go so far as to say it was fun, exactly, but it did provide moments of comic relief!

We rode scooters around the island on a photo scavenger hunt. It was fun, and we got to see quite a bit of the island. We even saw some wildlife--although our friends weren't so excited that their food could very recently have been classified as wildlife! We were served fish for lunch--head (including eyeballs) still firmly attached... And the open air fish market could have been a big factor in Greece losing it's Best Smelling title. All I can say is eeew. And have you smelled octopus that is sitting out on an 80* afternoon? yikes!


We did visit the temple of Aphaia. It was in a beautiful setting, surrounded by the Aegean Sea. The blue waters and green hillsides contrasted impressively against the pale columns. These ancient buildings are truly an incredible sight.


But in case you think this is strictly an educational excursion--please be assured... We are finding a little time to relax!


And to The Boy--don't worry too much about the Volvo. We've already found your replacement... How do you feel about swapping for another European car? I found something cute and it's made by little car company called Lamborghini... What do you think of it?

Yeah. I thought you'd like it!

I'm Officially a Tourist...

Last night we attended the formal gala at a fabulously amazing restaurant--don't ask the name, I have no idea... We were greeted by Greek Goddesses who were wearing togas and carrying olive branches. The food was very good, but the really impressive feature was the Acropolis. It was lit from all sides and provided a spectacular backdrop for a memorable evening.

Unfortunately, we didn't know where we would be dining, so nobody brought their cameras. Fortunately, we also had a very nice view from the rooftop restaurant of our hotel. I shot this at about midnight from the hotel.

We took the BIG Athens tour today. We toured the Acropolis, and spent hours walking and taking photos. I have photos of things I know nothing about and with titles I will never be able to pronounce. But it was really interesting and very educational. We did see Zeus' Temple, where our friends got in trouble with security! (Only a little trouble--a misunderstanding really...) Twice. But just for the record--we did NOT tip over this broken column! It was on it's side when we got there!!!

We shopped in Plaka today. If you want to buy something, that is definitely the place. We saw a little of everything there. Lunch today was at a restaurant called Hermione, two nights ago we ate nearby at a place called Daphne's. The food is interesting, but good.

This afternoon we left Hotel Grande Bretegne and took a bus to Grand Resort Lagonissi. We are now staying in bungalows, right on the water's edge. The water of the Aegean is cool, but beautiful. Tomorrow will be another adventure!

We're in Greece!

We got to Greece after about 18 hours of travel. We were exhausted, but happy to be here. We laughed when we got on the flight from Salt Lake City to Paris--our seats were so big! I stretched my legs out as far as they would reach, and I still couldn't touch the seat in front of mine! I actually kept hoping the gentleman in front would recline his seat so I could reach my stuff that was in the seat pocket.

Greece is just like I pictured it. As we flew in, the islands were surrounded by gorgeous, blue water. The island is green and the towns and buildings looked like popcorn along the coast--so much light stucco... The streets are narrow and I am afraid we'll get lost and not make it back to the hotel--especially since we can't read any of the street signs!

We watched the changing of the guard on Constitution Square. The best part about it was the interesting, traditional garb. And I can't believe that those poor guards have to stand so still (looking straight into the setting, western sun) for an hour at a time. They didn't twitch, flinch, look around... They were completely immobile. They had sweat just pouring off their faces. Impressive, and for me, a completely undesirable job...

We're going to a formal gala tonight, I am interested to see what the food will be like--isn't it always about the food when you're on vacation? Last night we had fish and mousaka. This afternoon it was omelet and fried zucchini. My only complaint is that they have neither Diet Coke nor Diet Pepsi... I. Need. Caffeine!

We're having a great time--hope everyone is well at home!

I'm Headed to Paris!

Well, we packed and left the house. I'm not saying that we have everything, but apparently, we have everything that we're taking! We met a crazy cab driver who rushed us to the airport, just to drop us off at the wrong terminal... Despite our baggage-laden trek, we made it to the gate!

By the time this posts, we should be on our way! We should arrive in Paris tomorrow morning. I'll post updates for you after we arrive in Athens!

Can I borrow a suitcase?

It would appear that I have suitcases enough for a year-long trek around the world... We have an entire closet dedicated to the packable, and travel-ready. And yet, why is it that I'm always in need of another piece of luggage? I thought I had the perfect carry on bag. Turns out, it's not so perfect after all. You see, it's too big to shove under the seat, and if you have to stow it in the overhead bin, you may as well just send it to the belly of the plane... It's just about as hard to get to it...

Besides a better carry on bag, I need BIG pieces of luggage that don't weigh triple digit numbers when filled. Because, I'm not sure if you've heard, but they charge a lot for those heavy bags! And even more embarrassing, they tag them with a bright, orange sticker announcing their HEAVYness. Somehow seeing that HEAVY sticker on my baggage feels like a proclamation... I feel a need to protest:

It's not about my size--it's about the bag!

See, here's the problem. I have these ancient suitcases made of rigid, green plastic (I know, they already sound incredibly attractive, don't they?)... If I so much as pack a toothbrush and a t-shirt, I'm bound to go over the weight restriction. Don't believe me? I dare you, just ask how I know! And then just trust me when I tell you how un-cool it is to unpack and repack your undies in the check-in line... yeah... awesome...

So, I found these super-cool new Zuca bags. I'd love to order them--except for the price. OK, that and the fact that they'd never get here in time for my trip. But they're awesome! You can totally customize them for the cuteness (always important). But they are customizable for function, too! And the best part (IMHO) is that I've never seen anyone else schlepping them--which means they will be easy to identify! Yay! No more searching the tags of innumerable (and very similarly generic) black bags in a futile effort to identify my stuff. I sooo want this bag!