Is it really Year 3?

Time flies when you're having fun.  

  

It is hard to believe it is Year 3 of The 10 Year Plan.  

It feels like only a few months ago when we landed in NYC on September 1, 2015, for the start of Year 1.  Here we are nearing the end of Year 3 in just six weeks.

What makes it hard to keep track of time and place is some of the overlap between Years 1, 2 and 3.  For example, just the other day, we stumbled across the mountain of panettone in a window in Georgetown.  Seeing the panettone instantly transported us back to Year 2 in Florence where we enjoyed more than our share.

Another scene likewise transported us back to Year 2.  While walking to and from our French classes, we sometimes use a monumental staircase on 22nd Street.  Wouldn't you know it?  The staircase is named the Spanish Steps, like the grander ones in Rome.  

The "Spanish Steps" on 22nd Street, NW, Washington, DC

You might remember a blog post from Year 2 that featured the Spanish Steps in Rome.  

The Spanish Steps in Rome

So, with periodic reminders of years past and having fun wherever we are, time is flying.  Before we know it, it will be Year 4 and Greg will be having fun murdering the French language.

P.S.  Here are some fun facts about DC's Spanish Steps from Wikipedia and the National Park Service:

• The steps are located in a hilly part of D.C.  A steep embankment on 22nd and S Streets, NW, presented a problem.  
• "A ramp would have been difficult for both carriages and automobiles and uncomfortable for pedestrians."  
• The solution was a monumental staircase.  The steps, completed in 1905, are "two balancing flights of stairs separated by a fountain."
• "The stone steps are designed following Beaux Arts precepts, reflecting the aesthetic preferences made popular in Washington, D.C. by the City Beautiful movement." 
• "The name "Spanish Steps" is a popular one resulting from the similarity in appearance between these steps and the renowned, and significantly grander, Spanish Steps in Rome."

Below is a vintage photo of the Spanish Steps (from the Washington Times, 6/11/1905).