The "Where's Jacob?" results

We'd like to thank everyone who participated in our game; we hope you had a fun time figuring out where Jacob was. We're pleased to announce the winner(s) and give you the answers below. It was a tie between Cheria (whose husband works with Jacob) and Emily & Joel (Jacob's brother and his wife). But since we appreciate everyone who participated, we'll be sending consolation prizes to the rest of the entrants. :)

1--Dover Castle in Dover, Kent, UK

2--Astronomical Clock in Prague, Czech Republic's Old Town Square

3--Audley End House near Saffron Walden, Essex, UK

4--The Pantheon, Rome, Italy

5--Great Garden in Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare's home town), Warwickshire, UK

6--Trier, Germany Christmas Market

7--St. Edmundsbury Cathedral and Abbey ruins, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, UK

8--Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness, Scotland

9--Omaha Beach, Normandy, France

10-Royal Crescent, Bath, Somerset, UK

Where's Jacob? (An interactive post!)

In honor of Jacob's birthday this week, let's play a game dedicated to him. There is a real prize for the winner; it will be mailed as soon as the winner is declared.

Below are 10 photos of Jacob, taken at locations we've visited together in the past year. The winner of the contest is the one who most correctly identifies the locations of each photo. (See full terms and conditions below.) If you've been paying attention to the blog you should be able to identify the places; there should be no extra advantage to those who have visited these places. Good luck to all!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACOB!

Terms & conditions: Anyone who reads the blog is permitted to participate, but you must be willing to provide a mailing address (if we don't already have it) should you win. The winner must also be willing to have her or his identity disclosed on a future blog post and perhaps be quoted. Submissions must be received no later than 11 p.m. GMT Friday, January 30. 2009. More credit will be given for more specific answers. (For example, if the photo is taken at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you get points for "Paris" but more points for "Eiffel Tower, Paris." Be careful your extra information isn't incorrect!) You can either submit your answers via email or as a comment on the post. Comments will not be published until a winner has been declared, so as not to influence others' guesses.

Rome Antics

We spent last weekend in Rome! We arrived Saturday and took a fantastic walking tour. We really enjoyed our guide and the fun stories he told and information he gave. We saw a lot of the big sites including the forum (below), the Piazza Venezia, the Trevi Fountain (also below), the Spanish stairs, the Keats and Shelley Memorial House, the place where Julius Caesar was assassinated, Hadrian's Temple and Mussolini's office.

Sunday we went to the Villa Borghese Gallery and saw the astounding Bernini sculptures as well as other amazing works by artists such as Raphael and Titian. The Bernini sculptures were particularly impressive. Both of us were awed. No photography is allowed in the museum, but here's a Bernini statue on Ponte Sant'Angelo, for which he sculpted 10 statues of angels holding signs of the Passion (this one is holding the superscription from the cross). Gorgeous.

We also visited the Pantheon, the temple built to all the gods in Ancient Rome (later taken over by the Catholic Church, or else it would have been destroyed). Raphael is entombed in the Pantheon. His epitaph translates as: "Here lies Raphael, whom Nature feared would outdo her while alive, but now that he is gone fears she, too, will die."

Monday we visited Vatican City and enjoyed St. Peter's basilica and square (above), as well as the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. All I have to say about the Sistine Chapel: Wow.

We're glad we went to Rome, especially to the Vatican and to see the amazing art. But we actually found Rome to be the dirtiest, dumpiest city we've visited so far in Europe. And transportation wasn't what we expected (we've been spoiled in London and Paris, I guess--Rome's metro isn't great). All roads may lead to Rome, but we'll be traveling the opposite direction on those roads from now on!Of course we enjoyed some yummy pasta and pizza--it was Italy! Jacob was also excited to try the famous gelato (I'm not an ice cream fan, but I determined I would eat as much gelato as I could "when in Rome"). It definitely looked better than it tasted, and even Jacob agrees that it doesn't live up to its billing. Jacob was disappointed to discover that the best "gelato" in Rome is the one he's holding below.

We really are glad we went to Rome, and we had a genuinely good time. What a way to spend my birthday! (Thanks to those of you who emailed birthday wishes on and around my birthday; it meant a lot to get those emails!)

Go Gators!

The Florida Gators won their second BCS title in 3 years last night! We watched the whole game live--from about 1:30 a.m. until about 4:30 a.m. our time! (And Jacob still got up and went to work this morning after such a night!) The game was very exciting!!

Wicked

Last Saturday we went to the Apollo Victoria and saw Wicked in London's West End! We loved how clever the show is--the writing is incredible! And the cast of this production was extremely talented! We had seats in the very front row, so we could also see the orchestra director getting into the music, sometimes even singing along to the (fabulous) songs.

The girl who played Elphaba (the "wicked" witch) just returned this month from playing the role at the Gershwin on Broadway in New York--her voice is incredible! And the girl who played Glinda (the "good") was so funny; we LOVED that character.

We enjoyed the way this musical made us look at things in a different way--not just the witches of Oz, but issues of perception and popularity and image. It was witty and wonderful! And Wicked :)