Christmas in Rome

For Christmas Shannon and I decided to go to Rome. Each of us have been to Rome and have already done many of the typical tourist activities. Aiming instead for another unique and memorable experience, I contacted the US Consulate to the Vatican and arranged tickets to the Christmas Eve Mass. We arrived in Rome on Christmas Eve and I went over to the Consulate to pick up the tickets. I was informed that even with tickets we were not guaranteed to get in St. Peter’s for the mass. Apparently there are many more tickets then there are seats in the basilica. Shannon and I decided to give it our best shot.









The square was brilliantly lit with a huge Christmas Tree and a Living Nativity Scene and there were a lot of people already there. We got in line and prepared ourselves for a long wait. Although we came to Rome by ourselves, we ran into some Americans in the line beside us. Behind us was a retired army couple that now worked at a base in Germany and in front of us was a group of students that had just visited a friend of theirs stationed at Sigonella, here in Sicily. After many hours they opened the doors and people literally ran into the Church. Without running we were able to secure seats in about the 20th row. Not bad.
The Pope was there and walked right by us twice and Shannon was able to get right up close. The service had many readings in different languages and Shannon took communion at the end. The whole thing lasted for two hours. We walked all the way to our hotel and didn’t get back in until about 2am.
The rest our time in Rome we spent doing many typical Roman tourist activities, visiting Trevi Fountain, the Forum, the Pantheon and many more sites. We spent Christmas day primarily visiting fountains and Churches because they were open and we were able to find a nice restaurant for dinner. After dinner on Christmas night we sat down at an Irish pub for a pint. We ended up meeting some travelers from Liverpool, England and Melbourne, Australia and had a great time conversing until late into the night.
Shannon’s parents met while they were both studying in Switzerland. For Easter they took separate trips. However after returning from his trip, Paul decided to hop on another train and try to meet up with Susan in Rome. She did not know he was coming and he gambled that she would soon come to the American Express office to get her mail. Arriving in Rome, he waited for her outside the office at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. He only had to wait a matter of hours and she came by and was very surprised. Shannon and I found the American Express office at the steps and photographed ourselves at the spot.
Christmas in Rome was fun and memorable. Derrick was kind enough to pick us up at the Catania airport and took us to the German brewpub in Aci Reale where we met up about ten of our friends and everyone shared their Christmas stories.

Caltagirone

Sicily is full of small towns with their own unique character. Shannon had a day off in the middle of the week and we decided to take a day trip to the city of Caltagirone. Caltagerone is only an hour and a half from our apartment and another UNESCO world heritage site (there are 7 World Heritage Sites in South Eastern Sicily). Sicily is known for its ceramics and Caltagirone is one of the most best of these towns for ceramic art. Perhaps the most famous thing about Caltagirone is the 142-step Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte. The staircase was built in 1608 and all of the risers on the steps have ceramic tiles that have religious or historical depictions. Like Santo Stefano, Caltagirone has ceramics everywhere in their town, decorating bridges, streets and walls with painted tiles.
We also toured the city’s Duomo and took a walk in the big park with, among other things, a tile covered gazebo.

Weekends in the Acis

Catania is not the greatest city in the world but they have a pretty good Duomo. Saint Agatha's Cathedral in was built in 1070 and is a World Heritage Site. It features baroque architecture and is the resting place of the famous Opera composer, Vincenzo Bellini. It’s only about 20 minutes from our house so a couple of weeks ago we went into town to take a gander. We try to take little trips like this on weekends.
This past Saturday featured many big football games but the biggest in our community was the annual Army Navy game. A lot of people we know here went to the Naval Academy and so our friend Dan threw a party to watch the game. It was a barbeque and many people showed up to watch Navy win the game 34-0.
On Sunday Shannon invited her girlfriends over to make Christmas cookies. They got into the spirit immediately with Santa hats and Christmas music. I tried to hide most of the time but there was a lot of mess and a lot of noise. I will say that the cookies that resulted from the chaos looked and tasted very good.

Holiday and Outdoor Fun

Sigonella is a Naval Air Station but many different units are based there. During the Holiday season, much like companies back in the States, the units have their own respective holiday parties. This year Shannon decided to skip the hospital party in favor of going to another unit’s party. Almost all the people in our photos did the same thing. The dinner was at an agritourismo about a half-hour away where they grow much of the food and drink at the site. We had to get gussied up and it was an evening of dinner, speeches and dancing. Everyone had a great time.

When Shannon and I lived in the US we liked to do day-hikes on many weekends when we had no plans. When I moved to Washington DC, Shannon bought a book for me called 60 Hikes within 60 miles: Washington, DC. Because of the unique geography of the DC these hikes could take us to the sea or into the Blue Ridge Mountains. We had a great time picking out hikes and spending a day just exploring the area.
In an attempt to replicate some great experiences we decided to find a hike in our area here in Sicily. It proved a little more difficult (then again everything is) but we finally found one up Mt. Etna a little bit. We had great views of the mountain and looking down on the Ionian sea. Upon getting back to the car we decided to see how far up the mountain we could drive. Although we could not reach the top, we did find snow and some sledding Sicilians.

Prague Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving Shannon and I grabbed our winter coats and headed to Prague. Founded in the 9th century it is now the political and cultural capital of the Czech Republic and a really nice place to take a vacation. There are all the ancient monuments you would expect in such an old city but perhaps the most fun part for me and Shannon was a chance to eat food other than pizza or seafood.
We got in late on Wednesday. Our hotel was in a great location right by the Charles Bridge in old town but we only had time for dinner and then headed in early our first night.
We began Thursday with a four hour guided walking tour of the city that took us to many of the famous sites. After the tour Shannon and I went to the Franz Kafka museum which seemed designed to creep out its visitors with odd lighting and eerie music. We met up with other Americans for a Thanksgiving dinner that included potato soup and roast beef all washed down with huge pilsner beers. It was delicious. After dinner we headed out and caught the end of the Lions game at a bar and walked around the city.
Friday we went over to the Jewish Quarter and visited their famous Synagogues and cemeteries dating back to the 13th century. Then we headed up the hill to Prague Castle, which was built in the 14th century and is the largest castle in the world. The castle is so vast they turned many of the buildings into modern art museums but there is also a couple of beautiful old churches, a palace and even a torture chamber. That night we got tickets to a show featuring a chamber orchestra, opera and some ballet.
We spotted a Pharmacy museum on our tour and returned on Saturday for Shannon to explore a bit. Afterwards Shannon wanted to do some shopping and I did not. She headed over to Wenceslas Square and I went over to Vysehrad Castle for more tourism. This castle was a fortress high on a hill which offered some of the best views yet and a cemetery with Prague's most wealthy residents from the last 100 years.
Prague proved a cosmopolitan city and a lot of fun.

Honeymoon

When Shannon and I got back from the US we had to jump right back into our lives, in fact Shannon had to work the next day. Over Veterans Day weekend we took an easy honeymoon to the west side of Sicily where we had not explored yet.
On Friday we drove to Castel di Tusa and stayed at the Atelier sul Mare hotel. The hotel is famous because it is supposed to be a kind of museum. (Click here to view a CNN story on the hotel) The hotel is right off the Tyrrhenian Sea and each of the rooms are designed by an Italian artist. The room we stayed in was called “The Picture Room”, I don’t know why, and overlooked the sea. We stayed at the Atelier sul Mare for two nights and explored the area and the medieval town of Cefalu.
On Sunday we drove West along the coat to Palermo. We spent a couple of days eating well and being tourists. We took a walking tour visiting the Duomo and other fancy Churches, we took a tour of a “typical” Nobel family’s Palace and enjoyed the architecture. On Tuesday we stopped at the catacombs for the rich people of a different time. It was neat and creepy just like a good catacomb should be.

Back in the Med

> Shannon and got back from the United States on October 30. On October 31 we showed up to a Derrick’s Halloween party as Cleopatra and the Karate Kid (Shannon was Cleopatra). We received many congratulations and jello shots from people dressed in various degrees of costume.
>Halloween is not the same in Sicily as it is in the United States. People don’t really celebrate with costumes, but they are aware of the American custom. Some Sicilians dressed up but many did not and told us they would wait until Carnival.
Sicilians do celebrate the Day of the Dead on November 1 with religious ceremonies and a festival. As a result Shannon and I went into Catania with James and Adam on Saturday to go to the festival. We had some lunch there and walked around but it reminded me more of a flea market than a cultural experience.
Jody is a Navy Doctor who lives in our building. She invited people over on Saturday night for some wine and games. We played classic bard games and some new ones. Shannon and I were on the same team for Clue. Both believing we were experts, there was some discussion about strategy an in the end we did it my way and lost. I didn’t win any games on Saturday.

We Got Hitched!

Shannon and I got married on October 25, 2008 in Herrin Illinois. It was exactly what a person wants their wedding to be like. Shannon and I were surrounded by the people we care about most in the world, the planning paid off to create an elegant and memorable event, and even the weather cooperated.
Shannon and I flew on the Tuesday before our wedding to Rome then to Chicago and drove down to Herrin, a 20 hour trip where everything was on time and all of our luggage arrived unspoiled. On Wednesday we battled severe jet-lag and took care of last minute details because the first guests arrived in Southern Illinois on Thursday.
Malcolm and Carol Zwick are renowned for being the greatest of hosts. On Thursday they more than lived up to their reputation with the fantastic dinner and cocktail party they put together for us. We were treated to prime rib, homemade raviolis and more than a few spirits. It was the first planned event of the weekend and an opportunity for many people to meet.
On Friday the men and women went their respective luncheons in the country. The women went to Blue Sky vineyards, also the site of Greg and Rebekkah Wedding Reception last year. The Men went to Hedman’s Vineyard, a Swedish vineyard in restaurant in Alto Pass. The fellows ate traditional Scandinavian food and drank wine made from the grapes of the vineyard.
Friday night we had the rehearsal where it was revealed that I did not have my lines memorized yet, but the run-through was largely successful. The dinner to follow was at the finest restaruant in Southern Illinois. Mary’s was the site of my proposal 10 months before and now a venue with more great memories after the grand meal that was prepared for us.
Saturday was the big day. My morning was spent watching College Gameday with my groomsmen. The limo picked up the tuxedoed chaps at 12:45 and we arrived at the church to begin the first of many sessions of pictures for the day.

I will always remember the doors opening at the back of the church and Shannon emerging from the light. The ceremony included many loved ones standing or reading and very importantly, I didn’t forget what I was supposed to say or faint.
Afterwards everyone went to Kokopelli country club. Bagpipes serenaded the guests during the cocktail hour. The dinner and reception was great. The food was outstanding, the Sicilian wine was tasty and the band was entertaining. Looking around the room it was obvious the guests were enjoying themselves. People danced, the Father of the Bride sang, and Michigan State beat Michigan in football. Perfect.
The next morning there was a brunch at Mary’s where people joined in arrived in various states of exhaustion. Shannon and I opened our gifts, said our goodbyes and headed back up to Chicago.

We stayed in the city for a few nights taking care of some business at the Navy base there and tying up other loose ends. Chicago is where Shannon and I met and fell in love. Returning for the first time in more than a year we both realized how much we missed the skyline, the restaurants and our friends.
We returned to Sicily exhausted and happy.

Visitors

Sicily is different from the rest of Italy. This is a point of pride for the Sicilian people and the rest of Italy is fine with the arrangement as well. I can’t speak any Italian, but I understand the Sicilian dialect is so different they have difficulty communicating with people from other regions. Because Sicily is an island and only about the size of Vermont, they never developed the mass transportation system the rest of Italy has. As a result, when nine American students came to stay with us this weekend, we had to rent a big van to get everybody around.
The Marchesanis are family friends of the Murphys and Kate and Shannon grew up hanging out together. Kate is studying in Rome for a term and she brought eight of her friends to stay with Shannon and I in Aci Trezza. They were a good group of kids from all over the US. They enjoyed the good weather here and spent a lot of time at the harbor kayaking and getting some sun. On Saturday we piled everyone in the van and drove them up to Taormina where they had a chance to do some shopping, see some ruins and enjoy the spectacular day. Back in Aci we introduced them to local food and drink at some of our favorite restaurants and watering holes. Like I used to in college, they had no problem just sleeping all over the place; Couches, Floors, Chairs etc. Live football and Miller Lite are apparently not easy to come by in Roman dorm rooms and our guests seemed pleased to have a little taste of home for a weekend.
Last weekend Shannon had to work a 24 hour shift on Saturday so I was left to entertain myself for a while. That evening I hooked up with the fellas from Aci Trezza going into Catania for some fun. Catania is an old city with a university, museums and a famous theater but I didn’t see any of those that night. The city also has bars, lounges and clubs like any other city and they were all plenty crowded with young people on a Saturday Night.
Earlier that week Shannon and I went into Catania with some friends for some Chinese food. In Washington DC, Shannon and I had cuisine from all over the world within walking distance of us. In Sicily most restaurants serve Italian food (shocking), Chinese food is a novelty and you have to go into the city to find it. There is a drive involved but as James pointed out, it is universally “cheap as dirt.” The food was good, as far as Chinese food goes, but the oddest part of the experience is having a room full of Asians all speaking Italian.

Foreigners

Due largely to it’s location along ancient Mediterranean trade routes, Sicily has been settled by many civilizations for thousands of years. Greeks and Romans are just the tip of the iceberg here. Moorish architecture is prevalent and many Sicilians have red hair as a result of the Norman control in the 11th century. The uniqueness of Sicilian culture is a direct result of this diverse history. Even today, many residents we meet were born in another country.
This week we were invited to dine at Monica’s house. Monica was born in West Germany and has lived in Sicily for 22 years. She came here for vacation once and decided Sicily was where she wanted to spend her life. On Thursday she prepared a traditional German meal for about 12 people. There was onion soup, kraut, cabbage, beef stew and strudel all washed down with some Becks beer. We ate our feast on her patio surrounded by the very plants that provided the herbs in our meal. She told us stories about the sixties, JFK and how she and her friends actively worked to show support for West Berlin during those times.
Pascal is a Frenchman who owns an outdoor adventures company in Sicily. On Sunday we took a trip “canyoning” Essentially they give you a wetsuit, a lifejacket and helmet and guide you down the Alcantara River Canyon (no boat). They take you up in a Land Rover and you hike to an access point and with the help and supervision of two guides, one French one Italian, you begin to make your way down the river. You take the river in stages and before each stage they give you instructions and strategy for how to negotiate the upcoming section. The first one was simply to jump into a chute and ride the rapids until you see a rope, then swim to the rope. However as we proceeded downriver the tasks became more involved. There are some ropes permanently anchored in the canyon walls, but the guys in the group also carried additional coils to get through certain sections (somehow by the end I was carrying two coils). You do things like climb sheer faces hand over hand with a rope. Jump into pools of water from ledges. Shuffle along rock shelves holding anchored ropes. All the while avoiding certain rocks and areas known to have whirlpools. It was a riot.

Introduction

Shannon is a lieutenant in the Navy and works as a pharmacist at Sigonella Naval Air Station. We live in Aci Trezza, a fishing village on the Ionian Sea and a popular town to live in for young, single navy personnel. The town has about 5,000 residents and many restaurants and cafes.
Aci Trezza offers many opportunities for an active lifestyle. In town you can rent boats, scuba dive, kayak, sail, fish or simply go swimming. There are also many opportunities for relaxation, during the summer Aci Trezza is a popular retreat for Italians who are looking for a quiet place to get some sun. There are Lidos, or decks to relax on and go swimming, and many places to get some granita or gelato. The people here seem to like Americans, they don’t seem to speak as much English as other places I have visited in Europe but they are very patient as you attempt to communicate.
There are also many opportunities for travel. Shannon and I live 20 minutes north of the Catania Airport, the largest airport in Sicily. There are many day trips to take too as there are so many small towns in Sicily with their own unique character. We have already visited the resort town of Taormina and Santo Stefano di Camastra (click links for pictures).

This past weekend we visited the volcanic Aeolian Islands on the Tyrrhenian Sea with our friends Chris and Dana. We took a ferry from Milazzo to Lipari, the largest of the Isole Eolie, and stayed at the Hotel Carasco. Lipari is a popular tourist destination offering great restaurants and incredible views everywhere you go. On Saturday the four of us chartered a boat that took us around some of the islands to take in the views then dropped us off at the island of Volcano. We spent the afternoon climbing to the crater which offered fantastic viewing of the rest of the Isole Eolie. We were pretty tired at our dinner that night.

On Sunday Shannon and I rented scooters and drove around Lipari. This trip had some of our best views yet. I should mention, because I’m sure Shannon will in her blog, that I fell off my scooter once but sustained no injuries. It was a great trip, Shannon and I plan to return.