We are going to Italy on July 8. We return July 29. While we are away,
feel free to follow along through this web site by checking out a
blog of what we have to say about the trip,
photos of where we have been, and videos
of how the trip is going. You can also contact us on our contact
us page using the given email. Keep track of where we are with
the provided maps of our locations. We would
appreciate your emails to keep in touch with current events occurring
at home and keep us from getting too homesick.
Italy's time zone is 9 hours ahead of our Pacific Time Zone. We leave
Sunday morning at approximately 7 a.m., and we arrive in Rome at approximately
7:30 a.m. Monday Morning. We have an hour and a half layover in New
York before completing the ride to Rome. As I update the web site
each night, the updates will be published to the internet nine hours
earlier for you at home, meaning our end of the day blogs will be
available to you between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. In the middle of your
day you will be able to check how our entire day was all the way through
the evening unless we experience technical difficulties. Enjoy!
Currency
The currency in Europe is the Euro. It is valued less than the American
Dollar. One Euro is about 1.377 American Dollars, therefore, one American
dollar will exchange for about 0.726 Euros.
Custom
As time goes on I will be filling out this custom category to explain
certain societal customs in Italy.
First, the night life is different. A majority of restaurants will
not serve dinner until after 7. It is common to eat out between 8
and 9 o'clock.
As for the afternoon, many shops close down between 1 and 3. They
are open in the morning, close in the afternoon, and re-open as the
evening approaches.
It is common to take a vacation in August here in Italy. So common
that beginning August 1, businesses start closing down and the town
residents leave for the coast. As much as 75% of the population of
Rome for instance may be out of town and have their businesses closed
until the last week in August. This causes Rome to become very dependant
on their tourism for the month.
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