Just a little bit of fridge...

The Burgs are trying to find a new apartment. One with a bigger living room and, perhaps, a slightly fancier kitchen. This place was pretty great, wood-burning fireplace, decent bedroom, nice paint job, but alas, somebody thought it'd be funny to turn a broom closet into a kitchen. Note the minibar posing as a refrigerator behind Karen. The broker called it a "half-fridge," unfortunately it didn't come with half-rent.

If anyone knows of a good apartment, with a real kitchen, in Brooklyn or Manhattan, please let the Burgs know ASAP. We'd like to move out by mid-April.

Wooly Willy would be proud.

With all the high-tech defacing of subway ads you see, it's nice to have someone bringing it back to basics. A unibrow, a blacked-out tooth, a circus ringleader mustache....sometimes all you need is a Sharpie.

Ciao Tusana!

The Burgs went to a little town in Italy to visit an old friend. The town? Venice? The Friend? Tusana. Both were pretty awesome.

Yeah, We're Doing THAT Again

When you go to beautiful old places, some of the photos are going to just turn out so lovely that you have to share them with friends, even if it means no punchline.

Ciao Bella! (Insert Kissy Noise Here)

Italian men can sometimes be a bit, how you say? Forward? Especially Gondoliers. They LOVE to shout and try to get your attention. Which makes sense, since 90% of their job is making touristas feel swoony. Sadly, they're pretty good at it.
(Also, how pretty is this picture? Good job, Erik!)

Dry Heaving, Venetian Style

Why do people play with the pigeons in the middle of St. Mark's Square? Better question: Why did these people have to stop and play with them before checking into their hotel? (Note the suitcase.)

Has it been raining?

Note the puddles in this photo. Also note, it has not been raining today at all.

Yipes! It's Acqua Alta!

There's this thing in Venice, it's called water. And it seeps up from the ground and floods the place from time to time. This was one of those times.

The Source . . .

Look at that bird, he knows what's happening. But he's keeping that crazy, dirty, wet secret to himself.

Unfortunately, Karen left her wellies in the room.

Same hole from the last photo, but now actively bubbling with water from the Acqua Alta. Try as we might, we couldn't get over how crazy this all seemed. Also, the fog didn't help make it seem less creepy at all.

Acqua Alta: Parte Due

It's like they roll in a fog machine for this thing. At least ten times while walking to the hotel Erik felt compelled to make a Jack The Ripper joke. Isn't he romantic?

Acqua Alta: Parte III

This was the view as we walked towards the hotel. Erik said, "That water seems a lot closer than five minutes ago." And he was right.

Hey, Atlantis, er, Venice...

Is the water supposed to be that high?

Our Own Personal Horror Movie Set

Come on, can't you just imagine a monster attacking Erik? Like right now? Karen was pretty jumpy on the walk home.

The Nightmare Store

It's good that bad dreams have a place to shop. Who knew it'd be in Venice?

The Burgs Go Fancy!

We stayed in a very, very cool room in Venice. The room in Florence? Not so much . . .

Attack of the Frankencowboyfreddyjasonasaurus

There's a lot of good graffiti in Italy. This one being a prime example of their craft.

Exhibit B

Seriously, Banksy, eat your heart out.

Ciao Firenze!

Karen returns to her favorite city to give Erik a tour of the heart of the Italian Renaissance. And to eat. A lot. There was also talk of some wine.

Pickpockets are Everywhere . . .

In the middle of our photo shoot for the obligatory coolhandburg signature shot, we were interrupted by a nice young French girl, offering to take our photo for us. Erik quickly ended the photo session, as she was clearly up to something.

(Sorry my head is cut off, but we had to flee the scene before it got ugly.)

Release the Kraken!

"Clash of the Titans" is a childhood (and, ahem, all-time) favorite of Erik's*, so he thought it was really cool to see this statue of Perseus lifting the decapitated head of Medusa at the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.

* Yes, he is upset about the remake being released this year. If you ask him about it, he'll pretend that it doesn't exist and that the 1981 original is the ONLY "Clash of the Titans."

The decapitation-related statue in Florence not involving John the Baptist

This shot better shows the scale of the Perseus and Medusa statue*. Apparently, this statue was done by some guy named Benvenuto Cellini. I hope you plan to sue, Mr. Harryhausen.

* Yep, pretty sure Karen would come up to Perseus' kneecap.

Era squisito!

When you see a trattoria in Florence with a bunch of old guys smoking outside and loudly discussing sports in Italian, go inside. You won't regret it.

Still Doing THAT

The Duomo is pretty and so is this picture, isn't that enough?

No Flash! Pt. II

The best part about Florence isn't the museums with their unparalleled collections of Renaissance art, or the Tuscan food, or the warm and friendly people, or the clean examples of Italian architecture during (arguably) its peak. It's actually the museum security guards, with their amazing willingness to shout at tourists. It really takes a lot off our plates so we can enjoy the art.

(Also, in the corner of this photo is Karen's all time favorite finished* sculpture, Mary Magdalene, by Donatello. Located in the Duomo Museum. If you haven't been, go. Seriously. Right now.)

*Erik thinks Karen's really a bit pretentious with her qualifying of the "type" of sculpture. It's her lame attempt at seeming cultured, since her favorite sculptures are the unfinished Michelangelo Slave sculptures, which he had to hear about ad nauseum at the Accademia Museum. Good times . . .

Friends of G.O.B., Firenze Chapter

We kind of wish they were also in Venice, but all the stairs might hamper their Segway usage.

Apparently, You CAN Relive the Past

Karen dragged Erik to her favorite pizzeria in Florence. It's a place she ate at so many times while going to school in Italy that she was worried it'd be all wrong now. Fortunately for everyone involved, it was exactly the same. Doesn't Erik look relieved?

Good Times . . .

Here's Karen at Nuti. She pretty much made that face the entire time we were there. I think it was the 10 euro liter of wine.

Is that a wink or is Karen just sleepy?

Most of our trip was a bit cloudy and rainy. But we forged on ahead and continued our trek through Renaissance Italy. Karen expertly consulted the map while Erik took "flattering" photos of her.

It's Like a Postcard Threw Up

And landed in front of us. This is the amazing view from Pizzale Michelangelo. Thank goodness for digital cameras, we'd hate to spend a million euros on film taking all the photos needed to capture this lovely view.

Also, if you're ever in Florence, hike up here and eat an overpriced snack. It's totally worth it.

In some towns, the '90s never die.

...or the '80s. It's really your call. Either way, it's a pretty sweet store and we regret that we weren't there during open hours.

And then the locusts came.

St. John the Baptist gets a lot of play in Italy. Clearly, he's the Paul McCartney of the bible. (Well, maybe Ringo, look at that beard.) There's something about this photo that screams biblical plagues (or at least a minor paranormal episode), but maybe that's just how Erik sees the world?

He seems nice.

I mean, that eagle seems to like him. Right? Right.

I think Dante might have liked the circles of hell. It seems like his kind of place. (Erik thinks you'll want to know that this is a statue of Dante Alighieri outside of the church of Santa Croce.)

Ciao Firenze!

We'll miss you.

Also, who thinks Karen needs a Vespa? Send me or Erik an email . . . I really, really, really want one. But SOMEBODY is afraid, bambino grande!

Erik & Snow E.T.

Karen is pretty sure she's never seen Erik happier. Karen on the other hand, was terrified of having any type of E.T. near her.

Her one regret? She wasn't home to watch him slowly melt into the ground . . . Karen is kind of mean sometimes.

Snow E.T.

Karen watched scornfully* while Erik meticulously crafted a snow E.T. a couple of Saturdays ago. What's a snow E.T.? It's E.T. made out of snow. Icicle finger optional but preferred.

* Karen's not exactly a fan of E.T. (I know, I know) and her only contribution was reinforcing the base as she is a self proclaimed master snow craftsman. Unfortunately, the snow was a bit melty and there was only enough for one "masterpiece".

This seems safe . . .

I mean, it's just some sharp spears of ice swinging from a power line right over our fence . . . that's cool, right?

Someone take this bicycle's keys away from him!

Look at that lampshade! This bicycle is a party animal.