Stephanie and I are very excited to announce the purchase of our very first house! After moving annually for the past four years, we can’t wait to call a place our own and be assured to not have to move for many years. It’s located in an area called Mud Island, which was formerly an island, now peninsula on the Mississippi River. It’s a fairly new house and uniquely situated with a moderate backyard backing up to the Wolf River Harbor, which has a very secluded feel to it. It has three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and a nice balcony on the front. We will be moving in the beginning of June.

While running on fumes, we arrived in the city of Rome which has more history and culture than we could possibly experience in three short days. After arriving by train, we enjoyed the Vatican Museum including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica and Square, which was all geared up to go right before Easter weekend.

The next day was historically filled, beginning with the Roman Forum which consisted of the ruins of Caesar’s forum, temples and ruins. Next we explored the Palatine hills and the Coliseum.

We set out on foot that afternoon, with a visit to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps.

In between we stopped at an amazingly unique coffee shop and had Jamaican Blue Mountain espresso shots. The Trevi fountain was extremely packed and the Spanish steps, the largest outdoor stairs in Europe were about as exciting as it sounds. Both were great for sitting and people watching while enjoying the sunset. Our last day in Rome was somewhat more relaxed and consisted of the Castle of Saint Angelo, which has a secret escape tunnel from the Vatican for the pope to escape through. We finished out Rome with the Piazza Navona followed by some amazing Italian food. All in all it was an amazing trip and we were extremely grateful for the opportunity to go and for dodging earthquakes in L’Aquilla.

So much has been going on lately, that we’re very behind on our blogging. Here’s goes catching you up. Stephanie and I had our Match Day on March 19 and both matched to the University of Tennessee in Memphis. We are extremely excited about living here as well as for our careers. As a future Pediatrician interested in Hematology/Oncology there’s no better place than St. Jude’s, and as a surgeon I’ll be very well trained at the third highest volume trauma center in the nation. Here are a few pics from Match Day. Congratulations to all our fellow classmates and their future careers!

Ah Venice... It truly is an extraordinary place like no other. We arrived shortly after sunrise and experienced the city on foot with no shops open, no crowds and just the stillness of the water. It was very peaceful. Venice was probably our favorite city of the trip, not for any specific site but simply the uniqueness of the town. Once again, we spent a significant amount of time with camera in hand roaming the streets, covering a large portion of the islands.

We visited St Mark's basilica and reveled at the oddity of the Doge Palace.

Stephanie's only concern throughout the planning of the trip was a gondola ride in Venice. Like most things in Europe, we had heard mixed reviews, but weren't disappointed with sliding through the less trodden side of Venice. As "physicians in training" we had a special appreciation for our gondolier who was accompanied by his father giving him minor instruction and helping him with his English phrases.

As you can see, the frequency of blogs rapidly decreased our last week in Europe. This was attributed to our lack of internet in Vienna and Venice as well the increasing amount of things we wished to see in Italy. To summarize, we had an amazing time and were blessed with beautiful weather and no major setbacks. On to where we left off...

We returned to Munich after a brief trip to the Neuschwanstein castle and spent the day near the Mariepnlatz until our train departed that evening. There we visited the Royal Residenz, the Hofgarten, Odeonplatz, and roamed the streets some more.

Once in Vienna, we stayed at a charming hotel near the Belvedere gardens and palace. The next morning we learned about the life of Franz Joseph at the Schonbrunn palace followed by a little stroll through the beautiful gardens.

Now Steph and I aren't exactly opera connoisseurs, but we thought it fitting for Stephanie to see her first at the place arguably the most renowned opera. We watched Die Tote Stadt about a man who struggles between his dead wife and a new love. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves but won't be purchasing any opera glasses anytime soon.

We finished our time in Vienna up with Stephanplatz, Rathaus, Hofburg palace and our second night train. The lotto-bahn was good to us as we shared a car to Venice with an American from Colorado teaching English in Vienna. We enjoyed talking with her and thank her for the tip on the chocolate covered Leibniz I am eating as I type this on the plane.