We're Going to Kansas City - Kansas City Here We Come!

I'm not sure if that song is about Kansas City, MO or Kansas City, KS... maybe we'll never know?  :)

We took a quick get away trip to Kansas City, MO this past week and had a lovely time!  What a great city!  I'd always heard mixed reviews on it -- but it has an Anthropology... what more could you need to know? 

Nick started doing some travel research and away we went! 

Our first stop was the Hallmark Visitor Center -- we thought we'd give it a look!  It wasn't anything too spectacular, but it was a quick interesting wander.  The person that started Hallmark (Someone named something Hall) was close with Winston Churchill and encouraged him to publish his paintings.  There were some of his works in the center, so that was interesting to see, he was really a very good artist.  Additionally, they had a couple artists that paint for their greeting cards there painting live.  So that was also neat to see. 

Nick kissing "Maxine" a Hallmark card character.

 

 

From there it was off to find some food!  Nick found an awesome BBQ spot - Oklahoma Joe's BBQ.  Hands down the best BBQ I've ever had.  It was in a gas station -- and the line was out the door.  One of those few gems that are still around.

 

Nick looking classy...

Me -- looking classy... 

 

Us... looking classy.  :) 

An older gentleman took our picture -- it was quite the comedy of errors. 

 

 

It was hotter than Haiti there - btw.  But it was hot in Iowa too!  We wandered around in the Country Club Plaza/Shopping area -- what a beautiful place!  There were so many great shops -- but 2 of my favs made the entire area worth it -- Anthropology and Paper Source.  Love, love, love.  They know things of beauty.  It was also very hot. 

 

Kansas City is known for their fountains.  Nick kept laughing because one of the tourism bits he read said that they didn't know how many fountains they had, but it was over 200.  Apparently they're unable to get an accurate read on the number of fountains they had.

 

 

A few people were scoffing that our last trip was to Italy and now this one is to Kansas City.  But all the fountains were in Kansas City so we adapted just fine!  ;)

 

We grabbed a piece of cheesecake at the Cheesecake factory -- and called it a night!

 

The next day we headed out to a tour of a coffee roaster.  It was a small independent place and they did a great job -- amazingly for free.  The tour guide was an older guy and he kept us laughing.  :)  The process is quite interesting -- I didn't realize that the altitude of the coffee beans affected the quality.  He also told us that a 1.5 lbs of coffee is the produce of a entire trees fruit for the year.  I think Nick goes thru that in a week.  ;)

 

 

Classic Nick Timmerman shot... 

We also went to the art museum there and that was free also -- and it was a great museum!  We were looking at a sculpture there and we kept thinking we had seen it in Italy somewhere, but weren't sure.  Interestingly, it was a sculpture that had been in the Capitoline museum in Italy and it had just arrived in KCMO... how weird is that?  We also hit the WW1 museum and it was also fantastic.  I got a little choked up in there and had to skip some of it.  It's just heart wrenching to think of the price of war. 

 

Front or back lawn of the art museum



 

Front or back lawn of the art museum -- loved these birdy art installations everywhere -- very cool. 

 

Classic Nick -- w/ KCMO in the background! From high-a-top part of the WW1 museum/monument.

 

The entrance into the actual museum has a glass floor and below are 9000 poppies.   

They showed a great video on the screen behind this area (where the shadows of the men are).  They had recreated a war scene in front of the screen. 

 

Nick and I don't eat very well when we travel, we're not overly preoccupied with it and it's one of the ways we cut down on travel costs.  But this trip was great, we found places and they were affordable!  BBQ, French, Indian and a eclectic little dive called The Brick.  I had the equivalent of the Taco John's Potato Ole Bravo -- it was super YUMMY!  Nick had a meatloaf sandwich.  Ever place we went -- we left happy!

 

Quick trip - but I'd highly recommend it!  We'd like to go back and hit the Truman Presidential Library, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and they have a museum on a sunken ship (Arabia Steamboat Museum) they unearthed in a farm field -- I LOVE SUNKEN SHIPS!!  So -- we have to get back.  PLUS Anthropology and Paper Source.  :)

 

 

 



 

That's a Wrap!

I never thought I'd say this... but I might have to come back to Iowa to get some warmth!  It's been a chilly trip! 

We leave tomorrow, and I think I'm ready to come home.  That being said -- I could handle another two weeks of vacation at home.  :)  Nick's not sure he's ready yet.  But that's usually how it goes. :)

It's been an amazing trip with a lot to process in just two weeks!  It's a great country!

Nick eating his favorite gelato -- coconut!

Building in the Jewish Ghetto

Nick at the Pantheon

We rented these two person pedal machines -- that was interesting.  Neither of us believe the other knows how to drive -- so that was pretty much confirmed.  lol.

 

The Borghese Gallery-- no pictures were allowed -- but some amazing works.  We woke up to a transportation strike, which started our morning out with an hour walk and then searching for a taxi to try and make our appointment there.

 

Love the European bridges!  So awesome.  Nick's always trying to keep me moving, I could take pictures at them all day.

The next day we went to Pompeii.  We met a couple couples along the way which was fun to sit and talk with them.  A couple in their 60's from Canada that have been everywhere!  It was fun to hear their stories.  And a British couple closer to our age that we discussed all of life with and that was a lot of fun as well.

General housing around the outskirts...  You can see Vesuvius-- a still active valcano that errupted killing everyone and perserving everything.  The interesting thing, is they know the exact date it happened.  The things I read didn't say how -- if there was some sort of account or if they had another way of figuring that out.

The theater area.

Some of the art that remains.

The mountains/hills surrounding the area are beautiful!

 

You're "invited" not to touch the stray dogs.  They were so cute tho... :(  The seemed to love the theater area because there was sunshine and tourists with food.

 

 

Ok Kids!  See you soon!  xoxo

Just Another Day in Paradise -- as Phil Colins Would Say

Ok -- I have to tell you a few things about Italians.  They are NEVER far from their phones.  Their phones are out and on in some form at all times.  Also, there is graffiti everywhere in Italy -- not just Rome -- just everywhere.  It's unbelievable.  I'm not even sure how they get it in some places, but they do!

Also, when I think of Italy I think of wine and olive oil, which is true.  They have been and as far as I know continue to be common exports, but lemons are something you see everywhere, especially included in their art.  There are shops that seem to work as families to produce porcelain and they paint different things -- there are about 4 common themes, but the lemon is the very pervasive and just beautiful. 

Also, there are paper shops in abundance, which is like emotional whiplash for me every 5 feet. :)  There were actually more in Florence and Venice, but they're very common in Rome as well.  Paper shops are a weakness of mine -- I get it from my mother.  They're a special treat in the USA -- not nearly as easy to come by -- so it's very fun to see them so frequently here.  Although, I will say -- the contents of the stores are very similar. 

We miss Jack!  There are dogs everywhere and we try to pet as many as we can appropriately pet!  We're definitely looking forward to seeing buddy.  My sweet brother-in-law is taking care of him -- so he's in good hands.  Did I say this already?

When I get out of bed in the morning -- my feet are sore to the touch from all the walking we've been doing!  They get over it after about 30 seconds, but that first step out of bed onto the floor is the worst!

Also!  I'm learning the fine art of cappuccino!  This is my drink!  I love it!  Italians usually just drink it for breakfast, but I don't care, I like it and I don't like that other stuff.  Yikes.  Way too strong.  This drink is perfect!!  I always think of cappuccino like in the gas stations in America -- disgusting.  This is so good -- and not sweet at all, interestingly.

ok -- Enough blah blah blah -- We hit the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Capitoline Museum, Trevi Fountain (again), Victor Emmanuel monument (up close this time -- didn't do the tour), Piazza del Popolo. I think I sat a total of 15 min today.  :)

 

Today was our first guided tour.  It was the right amount of time -- 70 min.  Nick does not like to get trapped and I have ADD, so.... that's always something to consider for us. :)

 

The tour we had got us access to the lowest level of the Colosseum as well as the very top of the Colosseum, which was a great view of the city and of the entire Colosseum.  This is a view taken from the very top. 

 

Us at mid-level.

 

View from the lowest level.  This is where the gladiators would have been.  Apparently they lived there as well... which I guess makes sense... they were prisoners until they had their freedom.  Our guide talked about how the gladiators made a deal with the government to fight in order to go free after 3 - 5 years.  This was their only chance to live, so they didn't fight to win or for the crowd, they fought for their lives. 

 

Between the fall of Rome and the revival of Rome sometime I can't remember, all the iron was taken from the Colosseum structure and reused for other things.  Those are what all the noticeable holes in everything are from.

 

The platform partially covering the floor is a modern construction to give you some idea of what it would have looked like with a floor.  I have NEVER been able to get over the fact that they would flood the arena and bring battleships into the arena and have mock battles?? The guide explained today how they did it and we got to see where the water came in down below.

 

 

 

It was an interesting place and definitely had a sad feel to it.  There weren't many people I didn't feel sorry for after the guide got done talking.  The gladiators who were fighting for their lives, the animals that were fighting people, the persecuted -- Christians, people the emperor didn't like, slaves, military abondoners... the list goes on and on --- and also the people poor to rich that came to watch the spectacle and quite frankly be controlled by the government's slight of hand using the recreation of the exotic and emotional.  It was definitely a somber place in many regards.

 

 

The Roman Forum

 

Roman life happened here.  Pretty awesome to roam (no pun intended ;) around the ruins of this place where so many people used to gather.

 

 

Look -- there are so many columns and pieces of building laying around, people just sit around on them.  :)

 

Capitole Line Museum

 

Trevi fountain and me looking rather normal for a photo and not wearing a coat!!! YAY!!! 

 

Victor Emmanuel (Mussolini had this built)

 

 

Capitoline Museum -- look at this thing!  It's hugenormous!

 

Nick giving this man a high-five.  He wasn't all that amused by my instructions to give him a high-five tho. lol.  Thanks for being a good sport and making me laugh at lame things, hon!  :)

 

You can see the lion attacking the horse -- you can see the folds of his skin in the lions mouth.  Crazy good job on sculpting this.

 

View of Rome from the top of the Capitoline Museum

 

TA DA!

 

Entrance to the Capital Line Museum -- but more importantly... BLUE SKIES!!

 

Adios, muchachos!!