Boomer goes to Croatia!

Boomer on a boat!

On Saturday Boomer and I got to go on a isladn hopping boat tour with all the new friends we meet on our trip with Bus2Alps. We went to 3 different islands, swam in the sea, and tanned in the sun! Boomer was really excited because he had never been on such a big boat before. Here is a link to the Bus2Apls website so you can check out their new upcoming trips and events!

http://www.bus2alps.com/en/

Boomer at da club!

Later that night Boomer and I had out first night club experience together. Club F was incredible! We felt like famous people in the movies. We saw a lot of cool stuff that night and got lots of pictures with the performers! The best part ofcourse was that there was a crepe stand right outside the club. We got crepes after, duh.

https://www.facebook.com/fcaffeST 

Boomer in a waterfall!

On the way back home, we stopped at the Plitvicka Jezera National Park. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It was like walking through a rain forest. I am a true nature girl and Boomer was really frustrated because I stopped to look at everything along the way. He just wanted to see the waterfalls. 

http://www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/en/

Boomer goes to Futurables

Today Boomer had the opportunity to visit an Italian Rehabilitation center called Futurables. He got to interact with a few students who attended Fututrables. He discovered that in Tuscany, these students are recommended typically by schools or pediatricians. They attend for as long as they need to, which is awesome! He had a blast hanging with the coolest kids in town!

He did some research for the children's rehabilitation center in Norman for when he plans to visit. Here's where he got his information:

https://www.normanregional.com/en/service_detail.html?service_line=Rehabilitation+Services

                                               

Later throughout the day, Boomer was feeling a little homesick. He decided the best way to cure it was by buying his future roommates some gifts. He thought the little espresso cups would be the perfect gifts for his coffee-loving friends. Check out this link for his favorite recipe! 

http://allrecipes.com/howto/making-espresso-drinks/

Later, he realized how excited he was to visit Rome! He wanted to get the best tips for a successful trip and what better way to do that than to watch THE LIZZIE MCGUIRE MOVIE?!?! Have you seen the movie?? If not, watch the trailer here to get a good idea of what it's about. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIm8g4IA_1Y

Overall he had an awesome day!

Boomer goes to a Fortress

Boomer visits a Fortress

On Friday Boomer had the chance to visit the Fortress of Arezzo. The fortress is at the top a large hill called St. Donato. In fact, it’s the highest point in Arezzo.

The fortress was built in the 16^th century by Antonio da Sangallo and Nanni Unghero. The Medici family ordered its construction. The fortress was actually built on top of an old medieval cittadella that had been destroyed during a battle years earlier.

(For more information about cittadella click here.) 

 The city of Arezzo is in the process of renovating the fortress, and they discovered something really neat. They found some ancient Roman ruins buried under the dirt. Archeologists think that it might have been a house. So far they’ve discovered three rooms and remains of painted walls and floors in two of the rooms.

A body was also discovered there. They think that he might have been a knight!

To find out more about this archeological discovery click here.

The fortress of Arezzo was like a tiny city. There were churches, stores, and houses. But only the wealthy people could live in the fortress because it cost a lot of money. The poorer people, like farmers, lived outside the fortress walls.

This is a picture of one of the outside walls. From the wall you could see the cemetery.  The spots in the cemetery are rented out to people on a 40 year term. If no one pays the additional rent, then the body is moved to a different location. Only people who have mausoleums, and the ancient tombstones, are permanent editions to the cemetery.

Along the walls of the fortress there are little “windows” that allow you to look outside when you’re inside the fortress walls. There are what the windows look like.

The windows were spots that allowed cannons to stick out of the wall. There were little notches in the wall were people would stand to fire the cannons. This made sure that the people wouldn’t be hit, and that there would be enough space for the cannons. Some cannons were over 10 feet long.

To find more information about cannons, watch this YouTube video about medieval cannons at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk_bNFUqzo4

 

Boomer tried to climb the fortress wall, but he got too tired and decided to admire the view instead.

Boomer has been busy!

Buongiorno! 
This week has been a busy one for boomer! He started off his weekend in Italy at a pasta making class in Arezzo! 

He learned how to make 3 different kinds of pasta: Ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese, Tagliatelle noodles, and Gnocchi! They were all so delicious he made a happy plate! Boomer had to have is tummy full for his next adventure to a new country!!

Next stop for Boomer was Paris, France! 

Bonjour! The most challenging thing for Boomer was he had to switch from speaking Italian to French! Boomer had just gotten the Italian language down so he struggled with switching to French! Mine and Boomers most famous quote while in Paris was "grazie, merci, si, oui (we)!" It was a struggle! 

The next day was packed with plans in Paris for Boomer! He saw many different historical monuments and local famous attractions in Paris. First stop was the Arc de Triomphe. Unfortunately it was still under construction but that didn't stop Boomer from taking in all its glory! 

The Arc de Triomphe was built to celebrate Napoleon's victories, which is now a powerful modern icon. The Arc is 164ft high, 147.6ft wide, and is decorated with magnificent sculpted reliefs. 

For more information and history on this magnificent monument follow the link below.

http://www.arcdetriompheparis.com/

Boomer was really excited about visiting one of Paris' most local famous attractions the Love Lock bridge. Boomer visited the Pont des Arts Bridge which is the section for committed love. 

There is another bridge in Paris, the Pont de l'Archeveche, designed for your lover. The Pont des Arts is for a love that never dies. The Pont des Arts or Paserelle des Arts is a pedestrian bridge in Paris which crosses the River Seine. It links the Institute de France and the central square of the Palais du Louvre. Boomer's love with Paris is never going to die!

Find out more about this romantic spot using this link below.

http://fromparis.com/pont-des-arts.html

The final stop for boomer of the day, and the one he was most excited for, was the Eiffel Tower! 

The Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel, hence the name. When he completed the tower in 1889 it became the tallest building in the world (until 1930) and weighs about 7,000 tons! 

Here is a link to find out more information on the History of the Eiffel Tower!

http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Landmarks/eiffel-history.htm

Au revoir Pairs heading back to Italy Ciao!

Boomer in Paris

Bounjour all the way from Paris, France! Here I am standing right in front of La Tour Eiffel, or as we say in America, The Eiffel Tower! 

It is a surreal feeling finally getting to see historical monuments such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame! Look at all of the wonderful pictures I took while I explored Paris; my favorite one is of my best friend, Juanito, jumping in front of Notre Dame.

Follow the link to take a video tour of the beautiful city of Paris, France.  

Paris Travel Video Guide
In this picture I am standing in front of our hotel, Best Western Montmartre Sacre-Coeur! The people were very friendly and after a long day of sight-seeing and other touristy-type-things, it was nice to come and rest my hooves on the nice and comfortable beds! I sure am glad the hotel was horse-friendly!

Follow the link to book your very own room at:

Best Western Montmartre Sacre-Coeur

"Whether you are on a business trip or on a vacation, you will enjoy and appreciate your stay at the BEST WESTERN Montmartre Sacre-Coeur. The hotel is fully air-conditioned, offering Wi-Fi access, and has six floors accessible by an elevator. Some guest rooms overlook a nice garden."

- Bestwestern.com

Our last day in Paris consisted of walking around the many shops & stores that lined the streets. My friends and I bought lots of souvenirs for ourselves and we bought lots of gifts for our family back home! Here I am with my best bud walking the streets of Paris. Let's play "Where's Boomer?" as you try to spot where I'm at in this picture!

Follow this link to see all of the wonderful stores that line Champs-Élysées, one of the most famous streets in Paris!

Champs-Elysees Stores

Flat Boomer Visits Paris

Flat Boomer had a very exciting weekend trip to Paris. He has always wanted to visit Paris and was super excited to finally be able to go there. He flew from Florence, Italy to Paris. Flat Boomer then decided to take the metro or train to his hotel. Can you locate Paris on a map? What country is Paris in? To read more about Paris please click the link below.

https://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-191501740-paris_vacations-i

There are many famous structures to see while in Paris. For instance, what famous river runs through Paris? Some of the main attractions Flat Boomer saw were the Louvre whihc has the famous Mona Lisa painting, the Notre Dame church, and of course the Eiffel Tower. There is a lot of history in Paris as it is an ancient city that goes back before the Roman times. Paris is made up of 20 districts that start from the center of the city and the rest following in a clockwise spiral. For more information about the districts, click on the link below. 

http://about-france.com/paris-quarters-districts.htm

Flat Boomer's favorite spot to hang out in Paris is in the park by the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is one of the most popular attractions in Paris. There are a lot of people that hang out in the park starting at sunset until late at night to see the lights of the Eiffel Tower.

Flat Boomer really enjoyed seeing the Eiffel Tower at sunset. He had a blast watching all of the different people around him playing ball, eating dinner, and laughing.

He really liked being around all of the people in the park. But his absolute favorite part of the Eiffel Tower was watching the sparkling lights which came on every hour starting at 10 pm.  When was the Eiffel Tower built? Did you know there is a restaurant all the way at the top of the Eiffel Tower?

Flat Boomer had a great weekend trip to Paris but was really tired when he got back to Arezzo. He is excited and sad about spending his last few days in Arezzo before going to Rome. ~Ciao~

Boomer relaxes on the coast!

 Boomer really took advantage of his long weekend to relax and unwind close to the water in Sorrento, Italy! After a long day at Pompeii we happened to stumble across this beautiful and quiet city and it could not have been a more perfect way to unwind and relax. This website has a great variety of things to do while visiting the city: http://www.sorrentotourism.com/en/. 

When we got there and got off of the train we immediately saw this lemonade stand and knew we had to try it! The guy squeezed FRESH oranges and lemons right in front of us and mixed it with lemon granita, which is italian shaved ice. It was so refresing and very delicious!! The coast of Italy is known for amazing lemons and oranges and we saw them growing on the streets EVERYWHERE in Sorrento! In the picture above you can see how much bigger the lemons are in comparison to the ones we get in the United States. They are also sweeter here in Italy than they are in the United States. This link will give you all the info you need to know about lemons in Sorrento, they really are a big deal there! http://www.charmingitaly.com/article/lemons-sorrento-amalfi-coast 

We got hungry and went to Marina Grande because everyone we talked to said that was where the best seafood was and they were right! We ended up having a nice meal on the water while watching the sunset. I had mussels and gnocchi (pictured below). All of the food was really good and the prices were very fair. This link will give you more information about Marina Grande: http://www.italyguides.it/us/campania/sorrento/sorrentine_peninsula/marina_grande.htm. 

Boomer can't wait to go to Rome next weekend! He is so excited he already packed his bag, Ciao!