Julie and kids, Justin and Lauren. How come the Mom is so short? 

The entire PARTY!!!! 

Aren't we handsome!! 

The wedding party!! Did you catch Jeremiah's sneeze? 

Justin escorted his Mom. ( Minister: "who gives this woman?" Son Justin: "I do. Paul, she's all yours. Take her off my hands!!" Ha ha 

Flower girls Britta and Roberta really took their job seriously.  

Ringbearer Jeremiah and littlest flower girl, Katie.  

Julie's sister Eileen and our Moms--Betty Lou and Audrey. Too bad they live so far apart-- they really hit it off!! 

Paul, his daughter Susan and niece Lauren 

Is it Moi? 

All good trips must come to an end-- but not so our honeymoon!! 

The stepping stones enabled the townspeople to cross the roads in Pompeii without getting their sandals yucky-- the sewage apparently jsut ran down the street!! 

Pompeii was fascinating. We did not get suckered into the "required" tour and instead struck out on our own with our "insiders guide to Pompeii." We got to see all the really good stuff that the guides are too embarassed to show you!! 

The towns of the Amalfi area just hang on these cliffs overlooking azure water. 

Here we are on our balcony in Positano, in Amalfi, southern Italy. We had terrific weather and also went to the island of Capri.  

We had arranged for a Papal audience. Here's Paul before the enormous crowd arrives. 

"Three coins in a fountain...". Luckily this blog doesn't come with audio so you don't have to hear us sing!! the Trevi Fountain!! 

Rome was simply amazing.  

We enjoyed gelato wherever we went. And we didn't go to just ANY gelatto place-- we researched and just sampled the best of the best. Julie kept track of all our flavors and has a scrapbook page in mind. Gelatto was one the one inexpensive buy in Italy-- only 2 Euros!!

We stayed at the msot wonderful farmhouse in another town in Tuscany, Sienna. Our hosts farmed and made their own olive oil and really treated us like family. The countryside was just unbelievable.  

Ah, Tuscany!!!! We would love to go back. This is the Piaza in Cortona-- the town made famous by Frances Mayes in Under the Tuscan Sun. These central gathering spots are so welcoming and it is a real treat to see the townsfolk during their nightly stroll, catching up with the days events. Italians really do live a better lifestyle than most Americans.  

The sun did finally shine in Venice for us!! We went to a Vivaldi concert and to a "secret iteneraries" tour at the Doge's Palace. And, of course, Julie did the thing with the pigeons in St. Mark's square and screamed her head off!! 

Despite rain that lasted almost our entire 4 days in Venice, we absolutely loved this city of canals. Wandering the narrow warren of streets with no particular agenda was the most fun of all. We stayed at a delightful bed and breakfast where each room was decorated differently and where our house, Matteo, cooked us a gourmet breakfast every morning. 

This was the view from our hotel in Bellagio ( yes, we did leave the room). The Europeans are very interested in energy conservation and one of their tricks required that the electronic room key be inserted into a slot in the room in order to turn on the lights or any power. That way, you can't leave lights on when you're not in the room!! 

Here we are on our honeymoon in Bellagio (the Lake District) of Northern Italy. The Italians savor the pronunciation of their delightful town and roll it of their tongues as "Bel---LAGIO"