Easterbells!

Ciaoooo My dearest sweethearts!!!!

How are you all doing?? Did you spend a nice easter, whit lots of chocolate??! I hope so because that's the nice thing about thise kind of days!

I have been very lucky since not only the italian easterbells passed by, but even the Belgian ones managed in arriving all the way to my little room in Rome!! I'm having a real chocolate party right now! Willy Wonka would be jealous! Anyway, I still wish everyone a very happy easter!

Here in Rome, the sun finally started to shine!!! After 2 months of bad & sad weather, I can say that spring has arrived! And you noticed it in the streets! All of a sudden everybody took their children for a walk, let the dog out, went biking etc.. And so did I! In fact, it has been a really pleasant weekend last week, because not only the weather was great, there was also the so called 'Week of Culture' going on! Without paying anything, you could enter almost any museum in Rome, which is really quite a thing since you easily pay around 8euro to visit a museum!

So, on saterday, Manuel and I did a whole "museum-tour"! We went from Centrale Montemartini, to the Macro Future museum, to the famous Musei capitolini! Great musea, but especially the Centrale montemartini had suprised me in a very good way! It's a former electricity factory, where you can still see the old machines but whit antiques statues standing everywhere around! very special!

Then on sunday we got up a bit earlier to go the weekly morning market Porta Portese! The objective was finding a nice second hand bike for Manuel that he could use here in Rome! After comparing prices and bikes, we eventually bought a very cool mountainbike! Then we finished are bike-shopping with buying a nice set of lights and a good chain! so, Manuel was all set! After lunch, we couldn't wait any longer, so with our bikes, we went all the way up to Villa Borghese! And apparently we weren't the only ones... It was sooo crowed! First we went to visit the Museum of Zoology, and then we wanted to go to the zoo, but they had closed already! instead, we went to visit another museum since the entrace was still free of charge that day! Before returning to our rooms, we stopped at Piazza Bologna and had a little "aperitivo"! Hmmmmmm... Just a perfect day, no?

Last friday, i also finisched my tourist guide! I've send all the texts, the index, my picture and my presentation to the publisher, so now I only have to wait! Normally, in a month or two I should recieve a 'pre-print', and then, If I approve, they start printing! The Printing process will take place in Bangkok, to keep the prices low! Then all the books will return by boat, and in september the book should be out! Yes yes, seems I'm getting famous!! ;-) If anybody would like a autographed sample, there is no problem! ;-)

Otherwise everything is fine! I've spend Easter in Abruzzo, at manuel's place, and now in two days my brother is coming for a visit!! OLéééééééé!!!

Oh, btw, I've made a new album with pictures, so go check them out: there are pics I took during march!
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Album=W7O3JC8H

(Veerle, Elke & Freya: zie maar hoe mooi ik mijn kamer heb versierd met jullie foto's)

(Hanna, we finally tasted your reindeer soup!! We had so much fun with it, and in the end it turned out we really did like it! And btw, I've eaten FAZER chocolate again! A friend of mine went to Finland 2 weeks ago and took the chocolate with her as a souvenir!!)

I send every single one of you a very very very very very big hug, and I hope to see you all in rome one day! Thank you Huei, An-Sofie, Veerle, mamie, mama& papa,... again for all the postcards you've been sending me! But also everybody who mailed: THANK YOU SOO MUCH!You really are all too nice! Great Great friends I have!

Lots of kisses to you all!
Baci di Roma!
sofie