Bay, Grandma, Chaney, Isabell and Aunt Sara in Chicago

The Beach - Cannes, France

The Leaning Tower of Pisa - Tuscany, Italy

This was the last tour I was allowed to go on due to my inability to stay with the group. I was slowing everyone else down and Bailey could have missed out on some things. I got Bailey and myself in trouble with Richard, our tour guide, for staying back to get these pictures. I told Bailey that I would rather have been punished for staying back to get these pictures than not having been able to take these pictures at all. Its the leaning tower of Pisa!

Sandless Beach - Siena, Italy

Siena was one of the more interesting places we went to. Cobble stone streets and ally way vender's. While we were there we heard drums echoing threw the town so we followed the sound until we came upon a group of young men dressed in blue and white uniforms. They were parading threw the town carrying their neighborhood banner. We took some photos and film footage then turned back to our meeting place. We were sitting on the sand less beach in the center of Siena eating our gelato when we heard, what we thought were the young fellas we just saw rhythmically pounding on the drums heading our direction. As this group of young Italian men came marching around the corner of a church they were wearing orange and white outfits identical to men in blue. We discovered that the different colors represented a different neighborhood. There is a horse race once a year in the center of Siena, a race around the sand less beach. The winners are rewarded with bragging rights and a banner that flies along with their neighborhood banner that signifies they won the race.
Ciao Ciao, Sienna

Roma Domus - Italy

The Roma Domus Hotel was our first destination upon landing in Rome. After being assigned rooms we were told that we needed to be back down to the hotel restaurant for diner at 5:30, which gave us about three hours to bath and relax. Mom, Bailey and Brooke went to there room and i went to mine to lay down for a few. After a power nap I jump in the shower and headed down stairs to scout out the place. There wasn't much to the Roma Domus a front counter, rooms, a small restaurant and a wine/coffee bar just behind and off to the left of the front desk. I grabbed a glass of the best red in that region, "Primo Angelo." I found the girls and me a table set up with fresh Italian bread and lite blue wine bottles filled with water. Grandma Casey warned us that if we wanted ice we had to order it and if you want bottled water unless you want soda water you order your h2o with no gas. The gals came down and joined me just before they started serving the pasta. Mom, or grandma in this case, had been in a really good mood until she came to diner, she had fallen in the shower and find out the next day she had broken her leg in three different places. At diner we had a waitress, Lauri Donna, who spoke no English. we learned that "encore" means would you like more and that pasta and "insalata" salad are served at every meal. In Europe if you can see over the counter you are legal to drink so when in Rome I asked Bailey if she would like to try some wine. With a smile from ear to ear she smelled the wine then said no, but she wanted to have her picture taken with a glass of wine in her hand while eating her pasta.

First International Flight - London

Our travel to Italy was scheduled as follows: Indianapolis to Chicago, Chicago to London, London to Munich, Munich to Rome. After having been on a plane for about seven hours we were all very tired. Here is Bailey, Grandma Casey and Aunt Brooke trying to catch a few Zs' while in London for our two hour layover.

Build Something - Gingerbread House

Just before leaving for Europe Bailey decided that we would build the Ginger bread house Kathy Dowers gave us for Christmas. This project was a team effort and our house was just as cute as it was tasty.