Ad(ventures) with John

Today began with a breakfast delivered to our room on a tray. We have a big terrace that overlooks a central garden so we ate outside. We got to watch as a neighbor watered all her potted plants. Breakfast consisted of a croissant filled with pastry cream, a small sandwich, something we named fingerprint pizzas, orange juice, and coffee and tea.  Breakfast comes on a tray After our breakfast we headed to St. Peter's basilica. There was a long line for the security checkpoint, but it moved rapidly. We spent almost two hours viewing the church and its crypt. In addition to seeing the tomb of Pope Marcellus II, who is responsible for Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli, we also got to see a recessional from a live service. No live Pope sighting to report, though. The altar in the basilica The dome of the basilica After a forgettable lunch during which Adam ate a portion of a chicken sandwich that smelled suspiciously like fish, we toured the Vatican museums. These are filled with an...

Day 1 (5/29/18): We left this morning at 5:50, driven to D.C. by the lovely Liz Rinehart to catch the metro to get to the bus stop to travel to New York. From there it was a quick train ride, two planes, a bus, and a metro, and we had arrived at our B&B just over twenty four hours later! What a journey! Our plane to Munich. Airbus 340. Several eventful things are worth sharing. First, while in D.C. waiting for the bus we spotted two people across the street from us doing their morning t'ai chi while we drank or chai teas. In case the funny inversion is not clear here, we drew a diagram. Humorous diagram. On the first plane ride to Munich we were surrounded by families with small babies. Almost all were quiet and well behaved, except for the little girl seated in front of us. When we had just begun to sleep, little Laura took her mom's rosé and threw it at us. We both jolted awake and Adam was drenched in rosé. Thankfully, the mom offered us wet wipes to compensate. Needless...

Last year before our trip saw us splurging on a pair of kayaks to paddle the mighty Potomac! This year, the kayaks sit in our basement: due to the many recent heavy rainstorms, the river is flowing so high and fast that we haven't felt safe using them. Don't worry, though. We've filled the time with several pre-trip activities. Adam has planned and nearly completed building a nightstand for John. This piece will be one of three pieces he plans to build. Next comes a nightstand for himself and a shared dresser. That will complete our bedroom! Nightstand in progress. Drawers on top, body on bottom While Adam has been building, John has been cleaning and doing yard work. Below you see the result of a hard day's mowing, and several weeks of growing new grass underneath some beautiful trees. Beautiful mowing job New grass growing Our backyard has also undergone renovation, with Adam building two raised garden beds in which we are growing kale, spina...