I don't want to write this post. It means our time in Italy is now really, truly over and just a memory. But what a wonderful memory. I honestly don't think our trip could have been any smoother or the weather any better. What a blessing. We packed light because we did so much traveling--just a day pack and a backpacking bag. That was definitely the way to go.
So here's our trip in a nutshell:
April 3: Arrive in Milan and catch the first train to Varenna on Lake Como (up by the Swiss border)
April 4-5: Vernazza in the Cinque Terre (five towns connected by hiking trails on the NW coast; takes about 4 hours to hike from the first to the last town)
The path connecting two of the towns was called Via dell'Amore (the Pathway of Love)
April 6: Catch a morning train to Pisa to see the sights there, then another train to Siena
Siena's city tower
April 7: Took a bus to Florence for the day
Justin regrets letting me take this picture
April 8-9: Rome/Vatican City
April 10-12: Left Rome the afternoon of the 10th and caught a train to Sulmona (about 100 miles east of Rome). Justin's aunt and uncle (Taffy and Phil) picked us up and took us to their home in Introdacqua, just a few miles away. Introdacqua is on the other side of the mountain from L'Aquila, where the earthquake hit--about 40 miles away. There were aftershocks there for a few days before we arrived, but no damage.
The house next door (what Taffy and Phil's looked like before renovations)
Sulmona is known for its coated candies and for its flowers made from these candies
April 13: Taffy and Phil drove us to Pescara (an hour away and on the coast), where we caught a train to Padova, which is just outside of Venice
Basilica of St. Anthony
April 14: Day trip to Venice
Rialto Bridge
Island of Burano near Venice
April 15: Took the train to Milan with a quick stop in Verona
Piazza Bra
Pretty park with Verona's colosseum in the background
April 16: A LONG day of travel back to the US (We flew in and out of Atlanta, where Justin's mom and dad live. Eddie stayed with Justin's dad and stepmom and lived like a king.
You can see why we wanted to pack light! Justin had been to Italy twice before, but since this was my first trip, we decided to see as much as we could in two weeks. What we saw ended up being a really great mix of gorgeous, sleepy little towns and the "biggies." It was all different, so don't ask me what my favorite was! I can tell you my favorite gelato place, but that's about it. And my two favorite meals. On Easter Sunday, Taffy and Phil took us to a nearby skiing town called Pescocostanza. We spontaneously decided to grab lunch there. There was no menu at the place we chose. The owner gave us a choice of three dishes, and we all chose ravioli. He said his wife was in the kitchen right then making the ravioli, the ricotta had been made from sheep's milk just that morning, and the wild mushrooms had also been picked fresh. It was a heavenly meal.
The most important lesson I learned: Never sit down on a curb, especially in Rome, without looking first. You might just find yourself picking off not one but two wads of gum and a cigarette butt from your pants.
But mostly, it was awesome.
A few weeks ago we finally succeeded in taking advantage of a Space A flight to England! We even got to ride in Justin's jet. The trip over there was overnight, so we were able to waste away the hours with sleep. We were the only passengers, and Justin of course knew the crew (they were landing in England before spending a couple of months in the desert) , so it was fun times. And we actually landed in England! A great start to the trip. (Justin had to divert to Germany on his last deployment.) 
We stayed with our friends Jake, Ieva, and Daniel (who turned 1 while we were there!) for most of the trip. Well, sort of. Jake was out of the country at the time, unfortunately for us.
We took the train into London our first full day there. The weather was gorgeous and absolutely not what I was expecting in England in March, but we really wanted to see Les Mis while we were there, so we did! It was pricey but was a great London experience. I was singing down the streets after the show all the way to our hotel! Crazy Americans. 
Our hotel was just a tad bit tiny. We knew that going in, fortunately, but seriously, the room was so small that there were hooks on the walls where we had to hang our clothes.
I'm so glad we were able to take this trip when we did, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to see Beth! She's been working in London for three years and moved back to the states a week after our visit! She took us to a really cool pub with midget doors and lots of history, but I totally spaced out and forgot to take a picture there.
The next day (still gorgeous, but a little cooler) we decided to take a bus tour so we could actually get a feel for the city. Neither of us had been there before, and we had to take another bus back "home" that night.
We both really would have liked to go see the Tower of London, but that would have required at least half a day in itself. Maybe next time.
This is the Tower Bridge, not to be confused with London Bridge. Tower Bridge = Awesome. London Bridge = Boring. And totally not falling down, but we were okay with that.
There really are red telephone booths everywhere! And a few people were actually using them. I have to wonder if these will die out one day. It is pretty cool seeing pops of red everywhere, though, between the phone booths and the buses.
The day after we came home from London, Justin had his first experience driving on the left side of the road. Ieva was crazy and kind enough to lend us a car. Navigating was no easy feat either, especially for someone who is a poor navigator on home turf (that would be me).
We were on our way to Stratford-upon-Avon (the Bard's hometown, but more importantly, current home to my college roommate, Cat), but we stopped through Cambridge first where we went punting on the river behind all the colleges. 
It was gorgeous and green!
We did make it to Stratford and were able to have dinner at another yummy pub with the lovely Cat. She had to rush off, though, because she (along with other Shakespeare Institute grad students) was putting on a performance of The Life and Death of King John. It was so much fun seeing her in that play! And seeing her in general, but seeing her in her element was pretty cool.
On the way from from Stratford the next day, we drove through the countryside and one town in the Cotswolds (aka, sheep country). It never rained, but we experienced our first overcast English day. I think it added to the appeal of the countryside, though.
This marketplace was opulent back in its day.
When we got back "home" to Jake and Ieva's, we partied with Daniel and friends for his birthday. It was good times. The next day was Sunday, so we went to church with Ieva. Their church is small and this was Justin's third time there, so he literally knew everyone already. Then we all had lunch together with other NC friends (Tim, Laurel, Colin, and Lucy). Justin and I stayed there overnight, and Laurel dropped us off on base for our flight the next morning. Colin, who is coming up on 4, and I had become good playmates, and he was a little upset to see us go. We were sad to go too! We were so blessed with the weather and Space A details and managing to see pretty much everyone. It was a great trip, all in all, and I hope we can make it back over there again!