"Never Let Schooling Get In The Way of Your Education"

As said by Mark Twain.

Carol and I used that line to justify allowing the girls to miss three days of school. That gave us three extra days in Italy -- which will give them memories to last a lifetime (and if they get hazy on the details, they can always check the blog).

We're back, it's a very cold Easter day. The return was uneventful. I enjoyed "Blood Diamond" on the plane, Torie did homework, watched TV, read and slept next to me. Julia had a woman next to her from Moldova. Since the woman spoke no English, Julia filled out her customs paperwork. Nice of her to help the woman navigate the bureaucracy.

Anyhow, I will be adding a few more pictures to the blog later today or so, but this marks the last entry. Thanks for the emails, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Final stats: Torie saw 82 nuns. Glen had eight conference calls. We went into countless churches.

Torie's highlights -- Venice was her favorite city. Pompeii and the Colosseum was her favorite things to see. Favorite food: Pizza Margherita. Favorite gelatto: Mint Chocolate Chip.

Maddy's highlights -- Favority city: Venice and Rome. Favorite thing to see: Pompeii and the Colosseum. Favorite food: Fettucine Alfredo at Alfredo's. Favorite gelatto flavor: After Eight.

Julia's highlights -- Favorite city: Venice. Favorite thing to see: St. Mark's Square. Favorite food: Pasta. Favorite gelatto flavor: Fragola (strawberry).

Carol's highlights -- Favorite city: Montalpulciano. Favorite thing to see: Sistine Chapel. Favorite food: Colline Emilia dinner. Favorite gelatto flavor: Stracittella.

Glen's highlights -- Favorite city: The Hill Towns of Tuscany. Favorite thing to see: Pompeii. Favorite food: The ravioli in Radda in Chianti. Favority gelatto flavor: Frutti di Bosco.

Ciao