Ft. Lauderdale before the cruise.

An exciting start to our adventures! Something that has never happened to us before...we got stuck in the elevator at the Holiday Inn for about 20 minutes. We called the emergency number and were put on hold and played "elevator music" to keep us calm which only made us laugh. They were finally able to open the door. Suggested they should have sent us a bottle of champagne and candles but they gave us free shuttle tickets to the cruise ship terminal instead.

On our walk we saw a canal that put us in the mood for Italy.

This afternoon we went on a On Off Bus for a nice tour of the beaches. Busy in town as it is "Fleet Week". The sailors and airforce were here in force. There was even an airshow with jets buzzing the beach. After walking around we decides to have lunch at one of the sidewalk restaurants. Fish tacos and fishbowl margarita that tasted great (Doug they cost more than the ones you get in Mexico).

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

First stop Ottawa Airport

After many delays and tight schedules we made it to Ft. Lauderdale.
Pizza @ 2:00AM ...this is lunch!

Getting the bags packed.

So far we have 3 suitcases full of stuff! No room for Maggie

What do we pack?

This morning Danna started packing her suitcase. More of a problem than what we thought. Just the basic things make the bags over weight, easy solution was to buy another bag and just pay the airlines for the extra bag. We are now taking everything we need for the next year in 3 suitcases and 2 backpacks. Who needs all those frills anyhow? Danna can buy more shoes in Italy!

It is now only 4 more get ups before we start our adventure.  Almost everything is done except for finalizing the rental car in Rome.  Hope to have that sorted by Wednesday. 
With Goggle Maps we have been able to find where our apartment is and then went for a walk with their Street View to find out what is in the area.  So far we have seen markets, espresso bars, wine shops and bakeries.  Who needs anything else?  The apartment is located just outside the walls of Old Treviso.  It is fully furnished and has two bedrooms.  From the looks of the pictures it is small but cozy.

Easter Sunday

We are in Kelowna visiting Carley and Graham. Sunny day that was just perfect for a quick hike up Knox Mtn. Had dinner with Graham's grandparents and relaxed for the rest of the evening. Countdown is 18 days until we leave on our adventure. We are putting the final touches on the condo, last week only a couple of pictures had to be hung on the walls, that quick job was finally finished at 9:34 PM. This week we do the tile back splash. Will be putting some photo once we get a few more things done. Took a video but have not figured out how to attach it to the blog.