European Adventure – Rome

European Adventure – Rome

Our travel to Rome involved an early-morning ferry ride to Naples, a bus ride to the train station, a train ride to the VERY bustling Rome train station, a short trek to find the correct city bus stop, and (finally) a ride on a crowded city bus that took a significant detour to circumvent a large labor-related protest in the streets. Eventually, we arrived at the door to our Airbnb, where it took a bit to connect with the owner and get remote assistance for passing through the FOUR locked doors to our room.   We were pretty worn out by then! 

We had a very comfortable private bedroom and bath in a condo with a common kitchen area that was shared by 2-3 others.  The condo was located in Trastavere, which was a cool neighborhood but was not near the metro and we walked a lot during our stay. Our host insisted on cash payment despite being unable to meet us, which was weird.  At least he offered a cash discount.

The weather in Rome was unseasonably hot during our stay. That first evening, we explored the area, and once again found some really cool live music on a bridge – this time over the Tiber.   

We had no tours scheduled for our first full day in Rome and we opted to check out a few sites, including the small island on the Tiber.   We stumbled across a sort of music festival with local talent rotating through a stage area on the river.  It was incredible!   Most of the singers had stunning operatic voices, one of which brought me to tears even though I couldn’t understand the language. 

We discovered a great little restaurant on Tiber island where we enjoyed some great food and ambience, including a new-to-us treat of fried anchovies.  That evening, we went to a popular, large and bustling restaurant in the Travestere neighborhood.  We lucked out to get a table (inside) considering that there was a block-long  line for seating when we left.   I gambled and tried the Oxtail stew, which was… different.   Later during our stay in Rome we tried a new appetizer:  Olives stuffed with veal, breaded and deep-fried, which was delicious.

One evening, we went to a park high up on Juniculum Hill for the views over the city and the sunset. The park had many busts of generals and war heroes, a puppet show for kids, and some street vendors.

Our second day in Rome we toured the Colosseum and the Forum.  It was an incredible experience.  Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and more than a little sarcastic about Italian bureaucracy.  He pointed out the construction area where they were building a new metro – which has been underway for 12 years now. He interjected a lot of similar editorial commentary throughout.   

The Colosseum was amazing.  We learned a great deal about its history and how it was used ‘in the day’ for brutal contests in the guise of entertainment. The history of the Colosseum is integral to the politics and history of the entire region, which was rife with brutality and corrupt, power-hungry leaders.  (Some things never change).  After the official tour, we meandered in the extensive forum area–awed by the sheer magnitude of it all. 

Our final day in Rome (and the final day of our European adventure) we visited the Vatican.  We had ‘waffled’ about whether or not to go as neither of us have an affiliation with the Catholic Church; but in the end we recognized that in addition to religious significance, it has great significance in history and in the art-world.   I particularly wanted to see the Sistene Chapel.   We were stunned by the sheer magnitude and beauty of the art that is housed in the Vatican museums.   There was so much, that we became almost ‘numb’ after the first hour or so. 

Eventually our group was admitted to the Sistene Chapel.  It was a real highlight to gaze up at the incredible and famous DaVinci paintings IRL.   After being ushered out the official tour ended, and we were able to go into St. Peter’s Basillica on our own, armed with a brief map and description of what to see from our Rick Steve’s book.   It was both fascinating and a little creepy to see the body of Pope (and Saint) John Paul II, and the tombs of other former Popes and Saints.  Apparently only Saints are interred in St. Peters.  On our return trip from the Vatican, we detoured to Trevi Fountain.  

I was pretty worn out by the time we got back to the AirBnB and wanted to simply chill (and pack) the rest of the evening.  Dan was hungry and went out for a steak by himself—where he was treated badly as a solo diner. 

The next morning we met our ride to the airport at 3:30 AM. We had a long day of travel, but all went as scheduled.  We were happy to arrive home and pick up our mutt from my son’s house.

While it was good to get back to our normal lives, we relish the memories of our time in France and Italy.  We have gained confidence as travelers and our ability to deal with adversities on the road. 

Next year- Greece!!!!

Links below for entries for the other 5 cities we visited on our Tour:

Paris

Nice

Vernazza

Florence

Sorrento

European Adventure – Sorrento

European Adventure – Sorrento

We bid a sad arrivederci to Florence and embarked on a multi-train journey to Sorrento; which is just south of Naples, near the Almafi coast.  For the most part, our train travel in Italy was comfortable and relatively easy to navigate.  However the little local train from Naples to Sorrento was a bit sketchy… although we ended up with seats (albeit with our luggage in our laps / between our legs), and had friendly travel companions.      

We navigated the streets and narrow alleys from the train station on foot to find our apartment for the next four days.  While the apartment was OK, the bed was super hard and uncomfortable.  After we complained, the manager was able to find a topper for us that helped somewhat. 

Sorrento is central to many sights and activities in the region. The village itself is quite charming with many good restaurants, lots of shops and a nice harbor. 

Our first evening at the recommendation of the gentlemen sitting to us, we ordered the ‘best caprese salad I’ve ever had’… which definitely lived up to the hype.  Before our trip here, I was lukewarm on caprese salads, but am now a believer.  Of course, it is best when accompanied by Hugo or Aperol Spritz.  

The next day we embarked on a day tour on a mini bus to the Amalfi coast.  Throughout our travels, I relied on a combination of Dramamine and pressure-point wrist bands to keep any motion sickness at bay, which worked most of the time.  But, I struggled on this excursion: with lots of noisy, stinky traffic; mountain switch-backs; and no ‘fixed’ horizon to leverage. 

This trip was both amazing and awful.  The coast and villages were stunning. But…the traffic and crowds were difficult to navigate.  Our bus driver was great, but it is hard to quickly maneuver in and out of that kind of traffic with a mini-bus.  Our tour guide was also incredible and kept us entertained and informed, even while spending hours stuck in traffic. 

We stopped at three different villages. Dan and I stuck our toes in the sea at the Positano beach, we ate lunch and visited a cathedral at Amalfi and soaked in the mountain-top vistas with a Limencello in Ravello (our favorite stop).  Limencello is a lemon liqueur that is pervasive in this part of Italy which is known for its lemons.  While it was a bit strong for me, it was fun to try.  We learned that during the summer they offer world-class symphony concerts near that vantage point, with a stage that extends off the cliff.  This pic is from Amalfi:

Later during our stay in Sorrento, we found a photography studio / gallery that featured some amazing black and white photography of the area.  We had a chance to chat with the photographer, and purchased a lovely photo of the spot in Ravello that we had visited.  

A real highlight of our time in Sorrento was a boat-trip to Capri Island.  Despite a few miscues getting started (a delay with the food delivery and a passenger that left her phone on the dock) it was a fantastic day.   On the boat, we befriended a solo woman traveler, Lindsay, who was on a sabbatical from her job.  We hung out with her most of the day, and her positive energy was infectious. 

We took the long chair-lift ride up into the mountains early in the day, and it was a great experience.  Once we got to the top, we found ourselves in the clouds, so the views were obscured. But it was still fun to explore after which we grabbed some beverages and chilled.

At the summit, a trip to the restroom required a 20 minute wait and 1 Euro.  It was fairly common during our travels that it was difficult to find bathrooms and we needed to pay once we found one.  I kept that in mind during our travels, and made a point to use bathrooms when I had the opportunity. (TMI, I’m sure!)

After our return chair-lift ride, we ate our lunch, did some walking around, saw an incredible statue of a woman in a plaza, and then smashed into a super-crowded local bus to arrive back at the boat dock at the designated time.  Our driver (an attractive and quiet young fellow) took us off-shore and we jumped in for a delightful and refreshing swim, complete with masks and noodles.  He threw some bread in the water to attract fish for us to watch.  It was fabulous!   

We then had the opportunity to go into the Blue Grotto.  Dan and I decided to pass and enjoyed some peace and quiet resting on the boat while our fellow-travelers jumped into row-boats and paid a steep price to see the grotto.  They came back with mixed-reviews.

We shopped for souvenirs at the pervasive shops in the alleys of Sorrento, finding a few bargains –although I was unsuccessful in finding a lemon-themed shirt that fit me at a reasonable price.  One-size-fits-all does not apply when you are a super-shortie!

It was time to say goodbye to the sea and jam everything back in our suitcases as we prepared for the final city in our adventure – Roma. 

Please see the links to the other cities we visited on our trip:

Paris

Nice

Vernazza

Florence

Rome

European Adventure – Florence

European Adventure – Florence

My biggest regret of our trip is that we didn’t spend longer in Florence.  Florence is a beautiful treasure trove of history and art. Two days was not enough.

We arrived in Florence mid-afternoon, tired and hungry. We stayed in a small hotel-like B&B; after splurging on our previous stays; this was a tiny, cheap, but comfortable room.  It was managed by the more luxurious hotel across the street, which offered a rooftop buffet breakfast.  At breakfast, we were joined by dozens of pigeons that were quick to swoop in to gobble up any unattended morsels, causing a ruckus in the process.  Despite the pigeons, the views from the hotel rooftop were absolutely stunning.  

The first evening, we did a ‘walk-about’ enjoying the night-time ‘vibe’ and street musicians on the main bridge across the Arno.  That same bridge turns into a jewelry-store palooza during the day. 

The next day, we did a walking tour with a guide that was extremely knowledgeable. We learned about the impact of the Medici family on the politics, economy and culture of Florence; we learned how the black plague enabled the rise of the Renaissance from the Dark ages; we learned about the architecture of the city and its many towers; we learned about the history of the Duomo and other major Cathedrals; we learned about the impacts of periodic flooding of the Arno, and we saw a vast array of amazing art, statues and paintings, without setting foot into either the Uffizi or Academia. 

   

Our day in Florence was HOT, and we appreciated that many of the sidewalk cafes had ‘misters’ to help their patrons stay cool.  I discovered a new favorite drink, a wine based-cocktail called a Hugo Spritz.  Later in the trip I switched to an Aperol Spritz – both drinks are delicious and readily available throughout Italy.  We also enjoyed wine frequently, and were never disappointed by ordering the house wines; since options by the glass were usually limited.

One of the differences we found at restaurants was the need to order water – in our case, ‘still’ water (as opposed to sparkling); which often arrived in a carafe or bottle and cost a few euros. While some restaurants we encountered had very attentive waitstaff, that was the exception. Most did not check back with us after delivering our food–we needed to take the initiative to flag someone down for refills, desserts, or to pay the bill. Waitstaff does not rely on tips, as tips are not assumed/expected the way they are in the states; although some restaurants or cafes would include a seating / cover charge instead.

We were sad to leave Florence and hope to be back… someday. Please see links to the other cities we visited on our trip. Our next step after Florence is Sorrento.

Paris

Nice

Vernazza

Sorrento

Rome

European Adventure – Vernazza Italy

European Adventure – Vernazza Italy

We bid France adieu as we boarded an early morning train from Nice on the first leg of our trip to Vernazza, in Cinque Terre, Italy.   The train was initially VERY crowded, but fortunately, most of the passengers were simply on their way to work in Monocco.  I discovered that I am now of an age where young men will give me their seats on crowded trains.  

While we were a bit nervous about navigating three trains on this journey, our travels went smoothly and we arrived in Vernazza in mid-afternoon.   The down-side was the previously mentioned ‘Rick Steves effect’; it was absolutely overrun with tourists. 

We arrived at a time when several restaurants were closed between lunch and dinner, but we were happy to find an empty table at a pizzeria right on the harbor; where we had to untangle a couple of misunderstandings with our young Italian waiter–who delivered a marguerita pizza instead of the expected beverage, and we learned that ‘pepperoni’ means peppers in Italian!  Ultimately, we ended up with a wonderful Italian style pizza and a really strong marguerita!      

Our Vernazza apartment was called ‘Silver Flats’ and was chock full of silver-themed décor, including two chairs that were not very practical, but pretty to look at. Overall, the apartment was very well-appointed and leveraged the limited space creatively, with an extremely comfortable and good-sized pull-out bed.  During our travels we learned to really appreciate a comfortable bed and a reliable hot shower!  However, the best part of this accommodation was the stunning view of the harbor below.

That evening we took a walk around the area; which includes a lot of climbing in this cliff-side village.  We were rewarded with a gorgeous sunset.  The views in and around Vernazza were the most spectacular of our entire trip.   

  We only had one full day in Vernazza, and unfortunately, Dan was down for the count that day with a head-cold.  The good news is that he had a very comfy spot to rest and recuperate; and our only planned activity for the day was hiking–something I could readily do solo.

After getting some decongestant for Dan and making sure he was comfortably settled,  I set out on my own on the rigorous hike between Vernazza and Monterosso-about 2 Kilometers as the crow flies… but the crows don’t climb up and down!  While I consider myself in reasonably good shape, there were hundreds of steps carved out of earth and stone, along with other rough terrain, so I found myself stopping to ‘take pictures’ (and catch my breath) multiple times.  I stumbled across a marriage proposal on the way and chatted with several other hikers. The scenery was magnificent as the path wound up and down through many ‘tiers’ and terraces in the cliffs. 

As I got closer to Monterosso, more hikers were embarking on the path TO Vernazza, which congested the single-file pathways;  there were a surprising number of hikers that were ill-equipped for what lay ahead (i.e. wearing sandals and with small children in tow).  

After about two hours I emerged into a beautiful beach.  I happily unfurled my towel, cooled off in the water and took a welcome rest.  Eventually I packed up my beach-items and found a snack of some of the local specialties, sangria and anchovy bruchetta, before taking the (short) train back to Vernazza.

Although Dan was still not feeling great, we grabbed a quick dinner at the harbor-side restaurant, which ended up being worst meal of the trip: a blue-crab pasta concoction that contained only the merest ‘essence’ of crab.

All the cities we visited were beautiful in their own way, but the views at Vernazza were the most stunning of them all.    I hope the villages of Cinque Terre are able to find a way to maintain their small-village charm against the onslaught of well-meaning tourists, such as ourselves.      

Please see the links to the other cities we visited on our adventure:

Paris

Nice

Florence

Sorrento

Rome

Europe Adventure- Nice

Europe Adventure- Nice

After five days in Paris, we headed to the 2nd city in our grand adventure–Nice, on the French Riviera. Dan had booked a high-speed train that was scheduled to arrive in Nice at 4:30 pm.   However, the train had brake problems and we ended up with an unexpected 5 hour mechanical delay.  The good news is we were very comfortable, had plenty of food and beverages, and got to see more of the French countryside. 

Nice is not that large, and we walked to our seaside hotel from the train station.   In anticipation of lots of walking with (and without) our luggage, we had packed light and were able to trek without issue over many cobblestoned streets.  We stayed at the LeRoyal hotel right along the Promenade des Anglais.  We were struck with how quiet it was at 10 pm–a time at which the streets of Paris would have been crowded and abuzz.

The warm, sunny weather of the French Riveria was a welcome change after Paris! The sea literally sparkled in the sun and was very inviting. The view from our hotel room was fabulous!

I waded into the sea briefly that first day, but we didn’t ‘immerse’ ourselves fully until later in our stay.  Our first day in Nice we took a self-guided walking tour (following Rick Steve’s directions) along the Promenade and beyond; admiring the beautiful scenery, learning more about the local history and enjoying a cool beverage (or two)!

We took a Segway tour with a local guide, going UP and UP to the remnants of an old castle with great views—we were happy to not have taken that particular climb on foot.  The Segway was a really fun way to get oriented.  Later in the day, we checked out ‘old’ Nice, had a great meal and enjoyed a few street entertainers, including some street acrobats. 

Throughout much of our trip, we encountered street entertainers, primarily musicians.  We also encountered many beggers, including a very old woman faux ‘juggling’ in old Nice.     

Wednesday we took a bus to Villefranche-sur-Mer. The town is on the sea and is built into a cliff, which required LOTS of climbing and navigating mazes of alleyways.  Villages built into a cliff was to become a common theme for much of the remainder of our trip as we visited several towns and villages along the coast. 

We were a bit hangry after our trek to town and found ourselves in a gorgeous (and very pricy) sea-side restaurant where I accidentally ordered a raw scallop appetizer – which was delicious, if not exactly what I expected.  We discovered a wonderful beach and wished we had more time (and swimming gear) to enjoy it.  

Our scheduled event was a 2-hour boat tour of the coast – going from Villefranche to Monoco; which was absolutely stunning.  Upon our return, we grabbed a snack from a more casual café (more frittes-we ate a lot of them in France) and navigated the buses back to Nice.  

Our last full day in Nice was a beach day!   We rented beach chairs and a couple stand-up paddleboards.  Neither of us were very proficient with the wobbly boards and we both took a couple ungraceful plunges into the sea.  After due consideration, we opted NOT to do the parasailing, but we were sorely tempted (or maybe we were just sore).   The beach at Nice is not sand, it consists of white pebbles that are very uncomfortable if barefoot.  I was happy to have my beach shoes. 

After our Paddleboard experience, it was LOVELY to recline at the beach, drink over-priced mojitos, doze and soak up the sun.  If / when we got too warm, we simply strolled into the water.  After watching a roving Asian masseuse work her magic on a couple near us, I waved some Euros at her and she got to work on my back.  Wow – it was equal parts pain and pleasure.  She meant business and did a great job working out a persistent kink in my upper back.  At one point she was literally kneeling on my butt to get leverage.   I was a happy noodle when she was done.

We wrapped up our last day with some shopping, laundry and a meal at a Rick Steve’s recommended restaurant.  This was our first, but not last, experience with what I am calling the ‘Rick Steves effect’.  Once he recommends something it becomes over-run and crowded—ironically losing some of its charm and character in the process.   The restaurant was good, but honestly, it was no better than many that we encountered on our trip.   However, it WAS difficult to get a reservation and the service was slow due to the absolute onslaught of customers. 

Before we leave France, I need to comment on our attempts to speak the language.  Dan is very proud of his Middle School award for speaking French, and I took French for four years in High school.   Clearly, those accomplishments have been many DECADES ago, with no real world application in the intervening years.  Personally, I found that my paltry Spanish came to mind before my paltry French, and I accidentally asked more than one person “Hablo Anglais?” Instead of ‘Parlez-Vous Anglais?”  Dan, was more comfortable than I was attempting the language, but most people immediately switched to English when communicating with us, even if we were attempting our best French accent.     

But, it is time to switch to Italian as we leave Nice.  Au Revoir and Arrivederci to France!  You can use the links below to read more about other cities we visited; Vernazza is our next stop after Nice.

Paris

Nice

Vernazza

Florence

Sorrento

Rome

Our European Adventure – Paris!

Our European Adventure – Paris!

After much deliberation and consideration, Dan and I decided to embark on a 3 week bucket-list adventure across 6 cities in France and Italy.   Rather than join a tour, we did all the planning and logistics ourselves – the planning process itself extended over a four-month window of time. After months of preparations, the trip itself seemed to fly! 

Since Dan was already retired when we started the planning process, he took on the challenge of booking transportation and accommodations.  For my part, I researched and booked various activities and day trips.  As part of our research, we picked the brains of friends that are seasoned travelers and avidly read Rick Steve’s travel guides. 

We were particularly excited about staying in a lovely apartment in the ‘old’ part of Paris, just across the river from Notre Dame.  However, the owner of that Airbnb cancelled just three days before our trip due to unspecified electricity issues in the apartment.  That was a major bummer, and caused us to scramble for what we could find at the last minute.  C’est la Vie!

The departure day finally arrived! We flew from Chicago to Paris and eventually connected with our gregarious driver, Steven; who immediately got into a fender bender in the pick up area at the airport! The traffic in Paris was insane. 

We arrived midday on a sunny day, which turned out to be the nicest day weather-wise of our time in Paris. We strolled the Ile de Citie, featuring Notre Dame (remodeling well underway from the fire), and had our first Parisian meal; a very tasty charcuterie plate and some really nasty shrimp toast.  We were weary from our travels and enjoyed simply sitting at our sidewalk table while soaking in the vibrant Parisian scene.

We cancelled our walking tour for the next morning due to the forecast of torrential rain—that also allowed us extra time to recover from our jet lag. We had checked the forecast before leaving and had packed for rainy and chilly weather. 

On Thursday evening the rain eventually letup and we had a tres romantique dinner cruise down the Seine.  In a magical moment, the Eiffel tower was alight and twinkling as we cruised past it.

The night of our cruise was also the evening that France beat Namibia 92-0 in a world rugby match.  Although the match did not take place in Paris, there was a huge viewing area / arena near our cruise dock that was completely jammed with loud and rowdy rugby fans.  There was very tight security in the whole area (our bags were searched). The rugby match finished at the same time as our cruise, which resulted in some crowded and rowdy metro and bus rides ‘home’!  

In a theme for our Paris stay, public transportation was not as reliable as expected due to a variety of factors… so our well researched plans for how to get from point A to Point B were quickly scuttled and we relied heavily on a couple of apps to connect us with real-time public transportation options—with reasonable success.  

The Louvre is massive and takes up several city blocks.  We visited the outside plaza with the pyramid (see pic below) but on the recommendation of our friends, we skipped going inside the Louvre, and instead spent a day at the Musee D’Orsay… which was marvelous.  I particularly enjoyed the Van Gogh and Degas exhibits. That evening we went to a comedy club… although the most comedic part about the evening was our vain attempts to take a bus there, finally resorting to a cab. 

Friday, we took a full-day bus tour to the Normandy area, visiting both Utah and Omaha beaches, related museums, and the American Cemetery.  Our guide was extremely informative and took excellent care of our full bus of tourists. One of our stops was at an apple orchard for a ‘cider’ tasting with various degrees of alcohol content up to ‘paint-peeling’.  One of the tourists in our group accidently spit out her mouthful of cider into a vat of fermenting plums and got chewed out by our owner/server, who was rightfully appalled. The American Cemetery was particularly moving–full of young men, boys really.

We visited the Eiffel tower (Tour Eifel) twice.  Friday evening we went to the busy plaza across the river from the Tower, which was packed with people and vendors.  We got several nice pictures of the water fountains and the Tower all lit up—it was an incredible vibe.  Unfortunately, I was weary from our long day in Normandy and got a little freaked out by the noisy crowd, so we didn’t stay very long. 

During our last full day in Paris, we did an ‘official’ tour of the Eiffel tower, visiting all the levels.  Being ‘in’ the Eiffel tower was interesting, but honestly wasn’t as magical as viewing it at night from the river.   We also visit the Arc D’Triumph and walked along the Champs D’Elysee.   Another high-step count day!

The food and wine in Paris was incredible.  A highlight was an AMAZING Beef Bourguignon (burgundy);  it melted in my mouth and was the best meal I had on the whole trip – a very high bar indeed!  Overall, I particularly loved the cheeses in Paris, and we both enjoyed the excellent coffee and wine.  Although I adore croissants, I started to get tired of all the bread-SO MUCH BREAD!   At one memorable breakfast, we may have had a misunderstanding with our waiter, and he just kept bringing us more and more bread of different varieties!  

On Monday we boarded a high-speed train to Nice.  Au Revoir Paree!  

See the links below to read about the other 5 cities we visited on our Great European Adventure!

Nice

Vernazza

Florence

Sorrento

Rome

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