Roma – the Eternal City. A top destination on any world traveler’s travel bucket list. Bill and I originally scheduled our adventure to Rome over a long weekend at the end of March 2020 for 2 reasons 1) to avoid the sweltering Roman heat of summer and 2) to avoid the droves of people who flock there over summer vacations. Well we all know how the story goes and we did not end up in Rome at the end of March 2020 as originally intended. Instead that weekend we settled on watching the Rick Steve’s Europe episode on Rome, cooking mediocre Italian food and drinking Italian wine to console us. By June 2020, however, Europe’s case count had dipped to low levels and countries started to open their borders, to other Europeans at least. Bill and I saw the unique chance to capitalize on a once in a lifetime opportunity to explore one of Europe’s more heavily visited cities without one of its normal staples – tourists. So as soon as Italy’s border’s opened, we booked a ticket and embarked on our second Italian adventure.

I had been to Rome one other time what felt like eons ago in high school but this was Bill’s inaugural trip. I remember liking Rome but this trip definitely went down as one of my favorite ones that I took our whole time in Europe. I would say 95% of the reason this trip was so amazing, however, was this was a completely unique experience – an empty Rome. As I think back I remember being at the Spanish steps in the middle of a Friday afternoon with only a handful of other people. We were one of 10 people at the Trevi fountain. We had a (essentially) private tour of the Colosseum. St. Peter’s square was a ghost town. The Sistine chapel was just us and maybe 15 other people. If you have been to Rome before, you know that no matter what time of year you go, these things would never happen. Although a lot of my enjoyment of this trip was based on the lack of people, Rome is a worthy stop for anyone. Hopefully with a few helpful suggestions, I can help you make the most of your Roman holiday.

Getting There

Plane

Rome is a BIG city so there is no shortage of ways to get here. Many people use this as either a starting point or an ending point to their journey because there are a host of international flights that arrive and depart from Leonardo da Vinci airport each day. It’s important to note that the airport is not really all that close to the city – it’s about a 40 minute drive. Personally, I think it’s worth it to just book a car. It cost us EUR 40 to go door to door using Taxi2Airport.com. I like the direct booking route because it lessens your chance of being ripped off by a taxi driver and they meet you right outside baggage claim with a sign so no confusion. There is a direct train from the airport (Leonardo Express) that will take you into Rome proper for EUR 14 each way so less expensive for 2 people but this takes you to the main station (Termini) in the northeast corner of the city which is not where you will likely be staying (if you take my advice) so you have to figure out from here how to get to your accommodations. As I mention, Rome is not a small city so don’t assume you can walk from the station, particularly with luggage. I personally found that the metro is not super convenient to most parts of Rome so you may end up taking a taxi. By the time you add this cost to the cost of your train ticket, that direct car looks more and more appealing.

Train

If you are arriving from another European city you most likely will arrive in Rome’s Termini station. I covered the specifics above but one other note. This station is not in the nicest part of Rome and combine this with you probably very much standing out as a tourist, just make sure to keep an eye on all your things. As I said above, from the main station you will likely have to take another metro closer to where you are staying or a taxi.

Practicalities

This is a common theme in my blog but I say it again, Rome is a BIG city. There is a lot of ground to cover. With that in mind, when you are doing your planning try to consolidate activities to certain areas. If you are doing the Colosseum one day, pick other things that are close by to combine it with – the Forum, Vittorio Emanuele II Monument, Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli. Basically, when you are planning have google maps open and check the things you have in mind don’t have you criss crossing the city. You will waste time and energy. Find some comfortable shoes for walking but if you can, leave the American style sneakers for working out only. Nothing screams “Hi I am a tourist from America” faster than your favorite Asics running shoes. I would invest in a cute, casual pair of sneakers like Nike Air Force Ones or something of that variety. Speaking of fashion – leave the leggings and nike shorts at home unless you are actually planning to work out. Opt instead of skirts and dresses for girls (they are flowy so you won’t overheat and you will not be that American all the time) and for boys a casual tee and normal shorts (not athletic) will do the trick.

Expect the annoyances that usually comes with big cities – pick pockets, petty theft, and ANNOYING street sales people. You will probably be constantly accosted by people trying to get you to buy whatever they are peddling. Just walk by, don’t engage AT ALL (this will only cause them to bother you more) or if you must just say no – that’s it no. It may seem rude but the people in Rome in my experience can be relentless especially in the bigger tourist spots (looking at you Trevi fountain). Also when you are in crowded areas be aware of where your purse is, don’t leave things in your pockets, etc. This applies on the metro too. I know quite a few people who have been pick pocketed in Rome. I think Rick Steve’s said this is the one place even he has been pick pocketed. If Uncle Rick isn’t even immune, you aren’t either. When it comes to cash, you won’t need much anyway. Most if not all places we went took cards. If you want to avoid signing for your credit card EVERY time (I do mean every time), either make sure your card is tap eligible (check the face of your card for three lines that look like a sideways wifi symbol) or load your credit card on your phone and pay with that.

When to Go and For How Long

As with most places in Europe, if you want to go to Rome in the June – August timeframe, be prepared to be there with every other person on the planet and prepare to SWEAT. Sometimes, that’s the only time you can go which is what it is and that shouldn’t deter you from going but if you have any choice in the matter I would avoid going in these months. I would instead opt for one of the shoulder months, April – May or September – October. You will still have pretty good weather without it being too hot and fewer people will be traveling. The winter months November – March you run the risk of it being colder and having rain which is less ideal but I would actually probably prefer that over the blistering sun.

The question of how long is a tricky one. I would say if you want to see everything at a high pace you need at least 3 days. I personally would extend that into 4 – 5 if you have the capacity. If you try to pack everything into 3 days you will be go, go, go and probably exhausted which can dampen your experience. I do understand most people have limited vacation, however, and are probably trying to combine this with other Italian or European cities so I tried to give some tips on what could be skipped if you wanted and how best to combine sites.

Speaking of combining Rome with other cities in one trip, I would recommend doing this but… make sure you don’t set yourself up to just be running around to the point you need a vacation from your vacation. I would do something like Amalfi or Tuscany in conjunction with Rome where you can have a chance to sit back and catch your breath. If you do Rome with another big city (think Paris, London, and Florence to a lesser extent) just know you will be tired. I would also stay within Italy if you can to take advantage of train transportation as opposed to flying seeing how the airport is not exactly conveniently located to the city itself.

Where to Stay

Rome is – say it with me now – BIG! So there is no shortage of options of areas to stay in. My advice is trying to stay central so you can get to most everything within a 20 min walk if you can. As I mentioned before, public transportation isn’t necessarily the most convenient so walking is a good option for your tourist days. When we stayed, we opted to stay near Campo de’ Fiori and we walked everywhere we went – ruins, Vatican City, Villa Borghese, etc. I don’t remember it taking us too long to get anywhere from where we were. Here is a link to the Airbnb we used. I would definitely recommend it if it’s available. It was reasonably priced, huge and had a stunning view of Piazza Farnese. This was also RIGHT next to where Rick Steve’s Heart of Rome starts (which I will recommend later). Another perk of this spot is it’s close to the Trastevere neighborhood which has excellent restaurants and a plethora of charm.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/plus/18201883?source_impression_id=p3_1627919301_rvAISuuo%2FQjuLHEq&guests=1&adults=1

If you don’t pick to stay near Campo de’ Fiorni my second pick would be that neighborhood based on the charm. You are a little farther from some of the sites but not too bad. Another area I would recommend is near the Spanish steps. This is a very posh area (all the fancy shopping) and there are nice restaurants close by as well. We didn’t spend much time in the Monti neighborhood (over by the Colosseum) but I did read good things about that area as well.

What to Do

Since what to do is pretty contingent on how long you are in Rome, I thought it might be helpful in this blog to break down a recommendation on what to do based on the number of days you are in the city.

Day 1 – The Roman Empire: Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Surrounding Attractions

Colosseum

When in Rome, do as the (ancient) Romans and visit some of their most known monuments. Everyone knows the Colosseum and it’s worth getting a ticket to go inside. Trusty Rick Steve’s has a free podcast you can download that will lead you through to learn all about its history so no need to pay for a guide – although during the pandemic the only way they allowed you into the Colosseum was as part of a group with a guide so check how things are being managed these days. One thing is for sure, if you can, buy your ticket in advance because this is as you probably know one of the attractions in the city. Here is a link to the official ticket site. There is a Roma pass you can get which includes entrances to multiple sites but when Bill and I looked into it, it was cheaper to do everything piecemeal. You also need to pay a supplemental fee for the Colosseum anyway and book a ticket through the official site. Good to note here this ticket will also get you into the Forum which has an open ended time unlike the Colosseum which will give you a time to show up.

https://www.coopculture.it/en/products/ticket-colosseum-forum-and-palatine-_24h/

Roman Forum

Depending on what time your entrance to the Colosseum is, you can either hit the Forum before or after that visit. Even though you get entrance to the Forum with the Colosseum, I will say if you are in a rush to get through Rome and are looking for one of the “must do” items to skip, this might be it. Most of what’s inside the Forum are indeed ruins so a lot of the stops require some imagination to visualize what they looked like back when the emperors were still in charge. Similar to the Colosseum, Rick has another walking tour for the Forum which I suggest because without his audio guide or some sort of guidebook you will have no idea what you are looking at and will not really get anything out of this site.

If you decide to skip the Forum, you can go to a vantage point just behind the Palazzo Senatorio (on Capitoline Hill) which gives you a pretty good vantage point of most of the bigger sites within the Forum.

Victor Emmanuel Monument

You don’t need to stop inside this monument but there is no doubt you won’t at least walk by and want to snag a picture – it’s pretty impressive. It’s sometimes referred to as the wedding cake monument. It was built to honor the 50th anniversary of the country’s unification as part of Italy’s push to bring the country together – before the unification in the mid-1800’s Italy was a bunch of regional governments and usually were fighting with one another. If you want views of the Forum, you can also pay EUR 10 to take an elevator to the top. I have not done this but it’s in a lot of guides.

The Imperial Forums

If you are walking up to the Forum/Colosseum down the main Via dei Fori Imperial next to the Victor Emmanuel monument, there are a few interesting sites along the way. The big column you will see is called Trajan’s Column. The Roman Empire saw it’s peak in the time of Emperor Trajan which is interesting because if you are like me you probably had never even heard of this guy. This column has 2,500 figures that tell the tale of the emperor’s triumphs. If expanded, the pictures would span over 200 yards. Interestingly, the column is hallow and there is a staircase inside leading to the top – although that’s not open to the public.

Behind the column is Trajan’s Forum (of lesser fame than the Forum across the street) and Trajan’s market which is where the Emperor spent a majority of his booty from his conquests. You can see into both of these from the street so no need to pay to visit inside.

San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains Church)

Just up the road from the Colosseum is this unpretentious church which today houses two items of interest – first are the church’s name sake, the chains of St. Peter and second the statute of Moses by a little known sculptor named Michelangelo. The chains were those worn by St. Peter when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem.

Now a bit about Moses. This statue was originally supposed to be one of 48 statues for the grave of Pope Julius II which was supposed to be in St. Peter’s down in Vatican City. Well, Julius died and no one really wanted to complete the project, or pay for it. So the remnants were scattered about with the statue of Moses settling in this church. This stop is free which is nice and it’s pretty easy to get to if you have the time.

Day 2 – The Heart of Rome: Piazza Novona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps

This day is named in honor of the tour Rick Steve’s has of all these sites. I highly recommend if you do any of Rick’s audio tours in Rome you do this one. This will take you by all the greatest non-Roman empire hits (plus the Pantheon) in an easy to follow format with lots of good information. The tour starts in Campo de’ Fiori and weaves through the city including stops at the following:

Piazza Navona

One of my favorite spots in Rome because of the impressive Four Rivers Fountain in the center. This is a Bernini work (get used to that name he is one of the biggest sculptors you will see around Rome).

Each side of the fountain represents a different river. There is the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile, and the Rio de Plata – an interesting choice for South America considering the more famous Amazon.

There are also 2 other fountains on opposite ends of the Piazza that are also pleasant to look at.

Also worth noting this square is an equally stunning view in the evening when it’s all lit up.

The Pantheon

Another of Rome’s most famous sites is the Pantheon. This is a stop on the Rick Steve’s heart of Rome walk I mentioned and he has another separate podcast for the Pantheon itself. It’s about 23 minutes and very worth it in my opinion because without it, you probably won’t have much of an idea what you are seeing on the inside.

Inside the main sites are the ceiling and a few graves. The dome is perfectly symmetrical – 142 feet by 142 feet. The top circle is open to the air and is the only source of light in the dome. The floor has little holes in it to handle when it rains. This dome was studied to produce the dome at both St. Peter’s and the famed Duomo in Florence.

The tomb of Raphael (the famed painter inspiring the name of one mutant turtle of teenage years) is also within the Pantheon. Also here are Italian royalty including Victor Emmanuel of the previously mentioned Monument who helped unify Italy back in the mid-1800’s.

Piazza Colonna

In the middle of this square is a MASSIVE pillar not unlike Trajan’s column discussed earlier. The 100 foot tower is 28 blocks all stacked on top one another and tells the story of Emperor Marcus Aurelius battling Barbarians.

Trevi Fountain

Another famed stop in Rome is the Trevi fountain. Usually flooded with people – namely tourists or those looking to rip off tourists. As I mentioned earlier, keep your wits about you here. Make sure to throw in a coin to ensure your return trip to this famed city. Also worth noting that similar to the Four Rivers fountain, this fountain is equally stunning in the evening all lit up. Normally you can get right up to the water but when we went you could only access the upper deck.

Spanish Steps

The last stop on rick’s tour is the famed Spanish Steps. Usually these steps are also flooded with people and this is another spot where you should be aware of your surroundings. You actually cannot sit on the steps – too many people were sitting so they will fine you – but you can walk up and down.

Piazza del Popolo

This large square isn’t on Rick’s tour but it’s just up the Spanish steps and there is an entrance just at the top for the Villa Borghese Gardens. I talk about the gardens a little later in this section but if you are feeling energized and want to cram everything Rome into just three days you can easily continue onto the gardens and even visit the Galleria Borghese (see Day 5 below).

Day 3 – Vatican City

While you are in Rome you can take a day and visit a whole other country – Vatican City! Within the city are two different sites: the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica. I personally think you would be remiss if you didn’t go to Vatican City while you are in Rome. The museum is home to amazing works of art including the famed Sistine Chapel and the Church is the largest Catholic church in the world (and also the most impressive if you want my take).

Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums are heavily visited so when you go you should 1,000% get a ticket in advance. The line can go down the road for a LONG way and you don’t want to waste away waiting to get inside because there is plenty of ground to cover. A lot of the advanced ticket options come with a guide but considering Rick has a free guide for both the museums and the Sistine chapel, I don’t think you need one. Instead I would go with just an advanced ticket which will assign you an entry time. When you arrive, there will be a special line for advanced ticket holders so keep your eyes peeled for that. From here just follow Rick! I included some pictures below of some of my favorite things I saw in the museum with some brief descriptions but I won’t bore you with too many details – you’ll listen to it all on your own!

The final stop of the Vatician museums is the famous Sistine Chapel. You won’t be allowed to take pictures inside (although many do) but I am sure you know what it looks like by heart or at least the famed creation of Adam panel. As I said, Rick has a full podcast episode on the Sistine Chapel which I recommend downloading as he will give you a proper rundown on all the different sections of the main ceiling and the Last Judgment wall. Interestingly, the ceiling and the Last Judgment wall were painted at two different times – the ceiling by a young Michelangelo and the wall by a much older Michelangelo.

St. Peter’s Basilica

When you exit the Vatican generally you can exit right into St. Peters square making it easy to go from one site to the next. Don’t worry, Rick has a tour that will take you through the church and explain the main features. Visiting the Basilica is also free! Just make sure not to plan your visit for Wednesday morning, that’s when the Pope has his audience and the church is closed.

If you are interested, you can also climb to the top of the dome for views of the city. I personally have never done this but I do love a good opportunity to climb a tower for a view – good pictures and calories burned for more pasta.

Day 4 – Trastevere Neighborhood and Surrounding Area

Let me start by saying I don’t know that this day is truly a full day but the previous three days I outlined are pretty jammed packed and this area is not necessarily right by the others. If you were set on 3 days in Rome and I had a suggestion of where to put these stops, I would say you could do these things on the evening you do the Roman empire sites or before you start the Heart of Rome sites as it’s probably a 15 minute or so walk from the Campo de’ Fiori.

Tratevere Neighborhood

As I mentioned before this neighborhood is very popular at the moment and features a lot of great restaurants and bars. We did a food tour here I would highly recommend. Our guide Jess told us we were the first people who took the tour since the pandemic had started and I think she cried so was so happy to be back working and seeing tourism come back. It was a little tricky because a few of our original stops were not open because of Covid but our guide quickly adapted and we still had a great experience. I included the link below if you want to check it out for yourself.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/AttractionProductReview-g187791-d13147246-The_Roman_Food_tour_in_Trastevere_5pm_start-Rome_Lazio.html

I cover food more below but here are some pictures of the great food we had on the tour.

Rick also has a walking tour of this area. I would not say this is a must by any means but there were some interesting factoids. Mostly I would recommend just wandering around here, checking out bars and shops and enjoying the overall feel of the city.

Jewish Quarter

Right across the river from the Tratevere neighborhood is the Jewish Ghetto. Rick has a nice 25 minute walk that will lead you through this area and talk about the Jewish history of the city (including WW2) a bit more. With everything else going on in Rome, this is a portion of Rome’s history that doesn’t tend to get a lot of attention so it’s definitely an interesting listen but if you have to cut something, not 100% necessary.

Day 5 – Villa Borghese and Galleria Borghese

Villa Borghese is the large park on the northern part of the city. As I mentioned above, you can also add this as a stop after the Day 2 Heart of Rome walk. This is a great spot to spend an afternoon and have a picnic and people watch. There are bikes you can rent but really walking works just fine. On the eastern portion of the park is the Galleria Borghese which is worth a visit. To visit the museum you need to buy your ticket in advance (even pre-pandemic this was a requirement). Shockingly, Rick has no tour of this museum – even though he gives it 3 triangles, the highest honor, in his guide. Because of this, I would suggest renting an audio guide so you can hear about what you are seeing. I would recommend the museum if you have time but if you are already finding your agenda overfilled, this is one I would potentially leave off. Also good to note this is basically all statues so if those aren’t your thing, this ain’t your museum.

What and Where to Eat

The moment you have all been waiting for, or maybe just me. Food! There is no shortage of good food in Rome – it will likely spoil Italian food for you forever because it’s just not as good anywhere else. I will get into some specific restaurants in a moment but first let me comment on a Roman dish that you should eat at every turn in the city. Carbonara. You might think you know carbonara but you probably don’t. Like, you probably think carbonara has cream right? Wrong, very wrong, There is no cream in traditional carbonara. The only ingredients are pasta, egg, pecorino romano cheese, and speck (pork belly). The story our guide told us was carbonara came about after the second world war when Rome was freed and the citizens of the city wanted to make a dish to thank the allies. As you might have guessed there wasn’t a lot of fancy ingredients around so they pulled together what they had and carbonara was born. No idea if that’s true, but it’s a nice story. Regardless, Rome is the home to Carbonara and if you see if on a menu, it’s probably worth an order.

Also a tip on how to order. As opposed to each person ordering a separate pasta dish (not very Italian) I would recommend getting dishes of multiple varieties and sharing. Also, this is not the Oliva Garden. Don’t expect to see American-ized Italian food (chicken parmesan, fettucine alfredo, etc.) on the menus. Aside from Carbonara other traditional dishes Cacio e Pepe (literally cheese and pepper) and pasta with arrabbiata (aka spicy tomato) sauce. Similarly, don’t expect Olive Garden sized portions. You will not be served the world’s larges bowl of spaghetti when you order and that is fine. You will leave plenty full trust me.

So now restaurants. The most effective way for me to do this is probably to tell you an area and a place to go so let’s try that.

If you’re near Campo de Fiori try….

Roscioli

A little shop where you can also buy food and take it with you. We had some great pastas and fresh mozzarella here. Also amazing wine selection.

Taverna Lucifero

Hope you like truffles! Most things on the menu are adorned in the delicacy.

If you’re near the Pantheon try…

Da Armando al Pantheon

This is quite a famous spot. We had a great lamb dish and a pasta dish.

Virginiae

Nice outdoor ambiance on a quieter street.

If you’re in Trastevere try..

Trapizzino

Unfortunately we ordered this in on one of the days we were working from Rome so I have no pictures to offer you but I promise you, these are delicious and you HAVE to eat them.

Dar Poeta

PIzza… this is your moment. Also yes that’s a jug of wine.

Peppo al Cosimato

I had a GREAT carbonara here and Bill loved his seafood pasta. This was one of our food tour stops which I included pictures of above.

If you’re by the Spanish Steps try…

Ristorante Adhoc

This was one of the few times in Italy I felt like I needed to be rolled out the restaurant I was so full. We did the 4 course set menu and while everything was incredible the portion sizes were huge. If you go, which you should, no need to do a set menu. I would order one of each of the courses and split it with your partner. One course needs to be their carbonara three ways. Trust me. Also points for ambiance here a well.

If you’re in Vatican City try….

Bono Bottega Nostrana

It’s unlikely you will stay in Vatican for dinner and I imagine you will only be there a day so I threw a lunch recommendation on here. These sandwiches were TOP notch and not too far off St. Peter’s so you can go as you transition between the museum and the Basilica. The sandwiches are big so one is plenty per person.

And there you have it – Rome! If you made it to the end here, thank you. I know this blog was as big as Rome itself but hopefully now you can see what I mean when I say if you try and do it all in only 3 days you will be exhausted. I hope you enjoyed the recommendations and your eventual journey to the Eternal city – even if it has to be in your imagination for now. Ciao for now!

As the world slowly starts showing signs of reopening and a new, new normal on the horizon, it seems like Americans will finally have a chance to get back into Europe after more than a year of travel restrictions. Many people already have their passports out of retirement and the grams are admittedly making my sense of wanderlust tingle. To fight off the fomo, I decided what better time to revive my blog to cover some of the adventures I never got around to writing about before. Not because they weren’t excellent stops but because there always seemed to be 7 other higher priority things happening. After some reflection on what style to do and some time away from writing, I think I’ll do another round similar to my Croatia blog with more of a what to do format. So here we go.

One of my absolute favorite weekend trips Bill and I took during our time abroad was to Porto, Portugal. For our anniversary in 2019 we decided in place of gifts we would each plan a weekend away. My gift to Bill was Porto and I must say wow did I pick a good spot. Porto is located north of Lisbon and is most notably known for (you may have guessed it) port! Port is a sweet desert wine that comes in several varieties. Our personal favorite was the LBV – late bottle vintage – but other popular varieties include tawnies and rubies. Before deciding on if Porto is good destination for you, you may want to try port beforehand although even if you’re absolutely out on port, there is plenty to do, see and eat in Porto. So come along!

Getting There

Porto has its own airport right outside of town. There is a tram that connects you to the city pretty efficiently. You might have to switch lines to get exactly where you need to go but it’s super easy to navigate. There is also a train station directly in the center of the city if you are traveling from elsewhere in Portugal.

Practicalities

Like most of the EU, Portugal is on the euro which is very convenient. They speak Portuguese (duh) which is sort of a mix of Spanish and French. You may think if you know Spanish you can just speak that and they will be fine. It won’t work and you might offend someone so either attempt some Portuguese phases (obrigada is thank you, bom dia is good day/morning, etc.) or stick to English. Most places, people will speak at least some English. Cost wise, Portugal tends to be less expensive than a lot of Western Europe. I think this is quickly changing as tourism becomes more popular but in general most places are reasonably priced. Finally, the Portuguese are super friendly in my experience (been to Portugal 3 separate times) so really it’s overall a super pleasant country to visit.

When to Go and For How Long

We went to Porto in the middle of September which I thought was great. In general the weather is fairly temperate in Portugal as it’s by the coast but it seems like more and more these days Europe is getting hit with summer heat waves. September we were wearing short sleeves without sweating and there weren’t hoards of tourists so I think that was a good middle ground.

For me, a weekend was plenty of time to get everything checked off our list but that being said I wouldn’t have complained having and extra day in Porto to eat, drink and be merry! You can also build in extra time to head up the river and go into the Douro valley itself to check out some wineries live and in person.

Where to Stay

Porto is split in two sides by the Douro River and is connected by a few bridges but most notably and centrally by the Ponte Luis 1 (named for the King at the time). The bridge is walkable and makes for easy access between the two sides of the river. It was designed by an apprentice of Mr Eiffel, of Parisian tower fame. In fact, Mr. Eiffel also has a bridge in Porto right up the river – the Ponte Maria Pia (named for the queen at the time). Interestingly it’s not as famous.

We stayed on the North side of the river off a pedestrian street called R. Das Flores. There were tons of bars and restaurants all around and the famous sites were also close by. I would highly recommend a spot in this area. I included a link to our Airbnb we stayed at. Our host was very friendly and the apartment was gorgeous and reasonably priced.

https://abnb.me/zK0xL1PkShb

What to Do

Drink Port

Let’s start with the obvious. If you’re in Porto you should definitely drink port! Most of the port houses are on the south side of the river all along the bank. While you can take a tour and it’s nice I think to do at least one to learn a bit about the process, you don’t have to. Most houses have a patio and or bar where you can sit, enjoy some port, people watch, and enjoy the sun.

Our first night we stumbled upon an unpretentious shop with tastings called Casa do Galo. Would recommend. The port was super cheap and they had cheese plates you could order which if you know anything about port, you know it pairs fantastically with cheese. We got a flight of 3-4 ports each and it was incredibly inexpensive too which was a big bonus.

We also went to Graham’s where we did the full tasting. Graham’s is probably the most well known port brand which is why we chose it. The tour was fine, kinda commercial which is I guess to be expected. You might be better taking a tour at a smaller shop for a more authentic feel. The trip to Graham’s though is mostly worth it for the FABULOUS restaurant there. On the pricey end so if you want to save a bit, go for a big lunch as opposed to dinner like we did.

We also sat on the patio at Sandeman’s and saw an incredible sunset. The nice thing about Sandeman’s was the also had port cocktails so it was a good break from just straight port.

Take an Electric Bike Tour

If you want to cover a lot of distance and sights in not a lot of time, let me suggest to you an electric bike tour. Porto has a lot of hills and the locations can be pretty spread out so a bike tour is a great way to cover a lot of ground and an electric bike makes getting uphill a breeze.

We used the following company but feel free to click around on your own. I thought this group did a good job though and the price was decent.

https://www.getyourguide.com/booking/M17XOLDAHJF1I1XSQYPP3EY6NOOQYGWQ?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=customer_shopping_cart_confirmation_v2&utm_source=getyourguide&visitor_id=HDJ4LCQ4B4UZKJTVCJ7RBUAT2N7NBI5P&utm_content=booking_summary_url-1

We started on the north side of the river just east of the Ponte Luis then crossed over the bottom of the bridge to head up the hill and take in the city from above. We were served excellent views – great for some pictures.

We then crossed over the river back to the north side slowly making our way through Porto’s greatest hits (some of which I highlight later as worth seeing even if you don’t opt for an all inclusive tour). Stops included the Church Santo Ildefonso, the Porto Cathedral, the train station, City hall and Av. dos Aliados, Clérigos Tower, Livraria Lello, Fonte dos Leões and Igreja do Carmo, before finishing with the church of San Francisco.

The Train Station

One of the main stops in Porto is the main train station but not really for transport, instead for the over 22,000 hand painted tiles that beautifully decorate the walls at the entrance. Believe it or not this used to the site of a convent. In fact, they had to wait 50 years for last nun to die. The tiles in the front depict important economic stables while those on the sides are important historical events. The top pictures show the evolution of transportation. Interestingly this train station doesn’t really have much by way of trains. There are only two cities you can go to from here.

Church of San Francisco

Ok I know Europe can be church overload but this one is actually worth going inside. The outside as you can see below is rather unremarkable but the inside… wow! Talk about ornate. You have to buy a ticket to enter and there are some exhibits you can see before going into the church itself but to be honest, the exhibits are not really memorable. The inside of the church is where you want to spend your time.

Livraria Lello Bookshop

If you’re a Harry Potter super fan you probably already know of this bookstore as a watering hole of one JK herself. Even if you aren’t a Harry Potter aficionado, the inside is supposed to be rather beautiful. I personally didn’t have a real urge to go inside and the line was insanity so I will just have to settle on the pictures I have seen on the gram. If you want to go I would do a little research and see what others suggest as the best way to avoid the line because when we were there mid afternoon it was as long as the eye can see and to be honest there are far better ways to spend your time in Porto.

Climb Clérigos Tower

This is another activity we didn’t do but I think if we had a bit more time we probably would have because who doesn’t love a good tower climb? You get some exercise and are rewarded with some awesome views and then you feel far less guilty later when you indulge in some extra port and pastel de nata. The tower is right next to the bookstore so you could easily combine the two. At only 200 steps I would classify this as a light climb by European standards.

Wander Around

Porto is a beautiful city so it’s nice to just wander around and take in the scene. There are so many buildings with blue and white tile facades that are just candy to the eyes.

What to Eat

Pastel de Nata

So this isn’t necessarily a Porto specific item but it is a Portuguese specific item. It’s essentially a little custard pastry and it’s delightful. It actually hails from Belem outside of Lisbon. The origin of the pastry is linked to ironing. They would use the egg whites for ironing clothes but then they had all these egg yolks left over. So born was the pastel de nata – that’s what’s gives it it’s yellow color. You can find these all over and if you see one I recommend giving them a try.

Francesinha

Now this. This hails from Porto. And let me tell you, it’s not for the faint of heart. This is a sandwich although you can’t tell from the looks of it. Before you go ahead and order it, let me tell you what you are in for. This monstrosity is made with bread, wet-cured ham, fresh sausage, steak or roast meat, and covered with melted cheese and a hot and thick spiced tomato and beer sauce. Oh and throw an egg on top because, you know, all the other stuff wasn’t enough. If you want to indulge, just be prepared to enter immediate food coma. Our tour guide recommended Alfandega Douro Restaurante to try this out. The restaurant is actually inside a museum. I would probably give the sandwich a 6/10. It was worth trying but I wouldn’t rave about it. The nice thing about the restaurant we went to was they did have half sandwiches which was more than enough.

Sardines

I’ll keep this section brief – the Portuguese love sardines. So expect to see them on menus. I personally can’t stand them but if you’re a fan, you are in luck!

And there you have it. Porto! I so hope you get the chance to go and explore this awesome city. We loved it and I hope these tips help you love it just are much as we did. Until next time!

Way back in August of last year, Bill and I went to Croatia with a group of college friends. Fast forward 7 months later to February and I finally started my blog on our trip. When I set out my blog layout I was going to do something a bit different and have it read more as a “what to do in these cities in Croatia”. Then, still uncompleted, fast forward to April and the whole world has changed. With all travel on hold indefinitely, I debated if I should still do the travel guide type of format. The optimist in me says even though world travel isn’t possible this moment, it won’t be stopped forever. So even if this guide isn’t useful to you now, maybe it can give you some hope for the future. If nothing else, some pretty pictures to look at today in between your “working from home” and Netflix binge. This blog will focus on the 3 areas we visited – Dubrovnik, Hvar, and Split. Some general nuggets before getting into those specifics about Croatia in general:

• Croatia is part of the European Union but is unfortunately not on the Euro. That being said, I don’t remember having any issues using cards and we didn’t need to pull out a lot of cash.
• Before you go it would be good to do a quick google on the Croatian War of Independence. This is the war in the 90’s between Serbia and Croatia. Since it was so recent, most people were alive during at least a portion. It gives you a good context for their recent history and also may keep you from putting your foot in your mouth. A lot of the younger people we were with were fine talking about it but warned us most of the older generations do not prefer to discuss it.

Ok so here we go! Our first stop – Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik

This small walled city is in the Southern-most part of the country. I found the history of Dubrovnik fascinating so a quick aside before we get into the travel tips. Dubrovnik has a very diplomatic history, they were able to keep their independence from the Ottomans and the Venetians by paying people to not invade the city. The relationship between Dubrovnik, Venice, and the Ottoman Empire actually explains why the city is detached from Croatia itself. This land barrier used to be part of the Ottoman Empire to protect Dubrovnik from the Venetians who were seemingly always looking for a way to incorporate this city into its empire. This separation is one of the reasons the city is more expensive than the rest of the country (aside from it being a tourist haven). For goods to get in and out they have to travel through Bosnia and Herzegovina. A bit more about the diplomatic history of Dubrovnik – the Ottomans wanted someone from Dubrovnik on their court to give them dirt on the Venetians. The Venetians found out the Ottomans had someone from Dubrovnik on their court and said, “well we want to dirt on the Ottomans so obviously we need someone from Dubrovnik on our court!”. Seeing an opportunity, Dubrovnik started selling secrets back and forth between the two empires. You could call Dubrovnik the Little Finger of the game of thrones between the Venetians and the Ottomans. Speaking of Game of Thrones… if you are any kind of Game of Thrones fan you know that Dubrovnik was one of the main filming locations for the series serving as home to Kings Landing for every season except season 1. Interestingly, season 2 – 5 they spent about a month filming in Dubrovnik but before filming season 6, Dubrovnik thought they could take advantage of the success of the show and upped taxes. As a result, HBO reduced the amount of filming in Dubrovnik to only one week. So it sort of backfired… whoops! More on Game of Thrones later on.

Getting there

We flew into Dubrovnik airport which is outside the city about 30 minutes and took a bus to the city center. If you are like me, when you hear the word “bus”, an image of a public transport bus probably pops into your mind. I was pleasantly surprised though that the bus was a charter bus with AC. Praise be for a hot August afternoon. You buy the tickets inside the airport right before you exit, show the driver your receipt, and away you go! The stop is right outside the Place Gate, super convenient to walk anywhere within the walls of the city.

When to Go

We went in August because that was the timing that worked for us but obviously this is the peak of tourist season and very very hot. The winter most things are closed so that’s not really the time to go either. If you can, I would try and go in a shoulder month like May/June or September/October. If you go during the peak months, one big piece of advice, look at the cruise schedule – assuming cruises are still a thing in the post Covid-19 world. It can really dampen your experience if the few days you happen to be in Dubrovnik you are sharing the city with all your closest friends from the 5 mega cruise ships in port that day.

How long to Stay

We were in Dubrovnik the equivalent of one full day which was a fine amount of time. We were able to do everything we wanted within the city itself but I will say we tend to not build in a lot of “relax” time to our trips. So to do Dubrovnik proper at a slower pace, you may want to spend the equivalent of two days. I do wish, however, we had built in a day for some side trips from Dubrovnik. You can easily go to Kotor in Montenegro and Mostar in Bosnia (recently I feel like this city has been all over my gram feed). So in summary, if you only want to do Dubrovnik, I would say you need 1-2 days and if you want to add some side trips, I would up that to 3 – 4 days.

What To Do

Walk the City Walls

Definitely a must do in Dubrovnik but timing is key. We waited until late afternoon – first it was HOT when we first arrived so we wanted the temperature to drop a bit. Second, the cruise ships head out of port in the late afternoon so by waiting we were hoping to dodge some of the crowds. If you are there with a lot of people you feel a little bit like you are just following a seemingly endless line of people. Most of the path is very narrow so you can’t really pass people which led to a lot of waiting for tourists to get their perfect gram or you feeling rushed to take your own perfect gram shot. Even more reason to try and go either later in the afternoon or first thing in the morning. We bought our tickets in advance but there was a lot of confusion on how to actually get the paper tickets themselves. I am all for buying things ahead of time but I am not actually sure if this saved us any time in the long run. You are probably safe to just buy your tickets when you arrive. Also, there are a few stands along the path where you can buy beer, water ice cream, etc. but be prepared to pay for the convenience. I would definitely recommend bringing your own water to save some money. All in all this activity take about an hour.

Cable Car to the Top of the City for Dinner/Sunset

One evening you should definitely take the cable car up above the city and have dinner at the restaurant up there. The food was good and the view was amazing. Some advice, if you go at sunset (great time to go), you will not be alone and should expect a line. We waited in line maybe 20 minutes, not too terrible. There were taxis sitting at the cable car entrance in anticipation of tourists not wanting to wait for the cable car. I personally think the wait was worth it for the views but to each their own. No need to buy tickets ahead of time, you have to wait in the line regardless. You should, however, reserve a spot at the restaurant for dinner. Put in a request for a table with sunset views but even if you don’t get one, you can easily wander away from your table for a bit to enjoy the painted sky. Once the sun goes down, it does get chilly, particularly if it’s windy. The restaurant had some blankets which was nice but not a bad idea to bring a light jacket. Going back in the dark you will be rewarded with twinkling lights of the city.

Game of Thrones Tour

I put an asterisk on this activity to say it is only something for those who enjoy Game of Thrones. We went with a paid tour although there are free options you can choose as well. We started just outside the gates of the city and crossed over to Fort Lovrijenac which actually has a pretty interesting non-Game of Thrones history. Back to the days of the Venetians and the Ottomans, the Venetians at one point decided they were going to try and insert themselves into Dubrovnik by building a Fortress on the site of the current day Fort Lovrijenac. The Dubrovnik diplomats found out about this plan and built a church on the site before the Venetians had a chance to begin construction. By building a church, the Venetians had to abandon their plans because an attack on any church would not be seen favorably by Rome and the last thing the Venetians wanted was beef with Rome. The Fort itself served site to many Game of Thrones scenes most notably the port right outside. This is where Cersei said goodbye to Myrcella (her daughter) when she traveled to the Dorne.

The next stop on the tour was into the old town with the main attraction being the location of the famed walk of shame. This was the most expensive scene shot in Dubrovnik because the path on which the walk takes place has many windows overlooking the street. They had to pay people $1K per window, per day, to keep the windows shut and not disturb filming. Also fun fact, Lena Headey used a body double in this famed scene and they inserted her face on the body double for the episode. Because Dubrovnik is such a small city (only 45K inhabitants), none of the local woman wanted the part.

The final stop on our tour was the island of Lokrum off the coast of Dubronik, about 20 minutes by boat. The island is home to a plethora of rabbits and peacocks oddly enough. They were put here as a way to draw tourists to the island. Probably a bigger draw to the island and the reason our tour took us here was there is a replica of the Iron Throne here. Get your insta captions ready! The Queen of England when she visited apparently declined a seat on the throne. Apparently one throne is enough for her. For me, I don’t know if I would go out of the way to visit the island but it was a nice break from swarms of tourists and we had a really nice lunch here.

All in all, I would recommend the tour we did. If you want the info here is the link to the Trip Advisor page: Game of Thrones Tour

With that – on to Hvar!

Hvar

Hvar is Croatia’s equivalent to the Greek party islands. Here the focus is fun and sun.

Getting there

We arrived as most people arrive to Hvar, via ferry which from Dubrovnik took about 3 – 4 hours. The ferry was fairly nice. I will say I think the ferries between the Greek isles are a bit nicer.

When to Go

Although August is busy, being here when it is busy is in my opinion the best time to go (minus everything costing more). The island is basically a big party so you want that party to be filled with people. Also, you need it to be warm enough to enjoy the beaches and ocean so if you wanted to avoid some of the crowd you could go in a shoulder month like June or September when it is likely still warm enough for the beach.

How Long to Stay

It really depends on what the goal of your trip is. We stayed for 2.5 days but I definitely could have stayed longer. This is a really good point to build some relaxing beach days into your trip to refresh between busy tourist locations like Dubrovnik.

What to Do

Rent a boat

One of our full days in Hvar we rented out a boat to take us out for the day. Highly recommend and particularly fun if you have a big group like we did. We used https://rentaboathvar.com/hvar-boat-tours/ and they were very professional, located in the main city square. They took us to several coves, one with cliff diving, one with an excellent lunch, and 2 others which were very secluded. Would recommend!

Hit the Beach!

There is no shortage of beaches in Hvar for you to dip your toes. One thing to make sure to either pack or purchase once you arrive is a pair of water shoes. Most of the beaches are stone beaches and can be uncomfortable in your bare feet. Much more pleasant with shoes on. Bill consulted this blog in our research https://www.thecommonwanderer.com/blog/best-beaches-on-hvar-island. We ultimately spent our day at Pokonji Dol beach which was a gem. Advice is arrive early and rent a chair for the day. There are pay showers you can use and cafes around the beach for lunch. We took a cab to the beach and had one of the restaurants call us a cab home (beach had 0 cell reception).

Eat!

We had some really tasty food in Hvar. Here were the top three from our trip:

• Bacchus Palmižana: I am fairly certain this is the name of the restaurant we ate at on our boat day. We had amazing fresh fish. Drawbacks were you can only access by boat and it was a bit pricey. It was worth the price tag though.

• Lungo Mare: Another great seafood pick close to our Airbnb. We had enough food to feed a small army and it did not break the bank.
• Dalmatino: An Italian restaurant in the city center. Delicious and very friendly staff. Make sure to book in advance!

Now, the final destination – Split!

Split

Split is a good mix of traditional tourist sites with a little of the laid back feel of a beach town.

Getting there

Similar to Hvar, we arrived in Spilt via ferry. It was a much shorter journey, only about an hour. Split also had a very nice, new airport from which we departed back to Amsterdam. You can take a ferry to the airport interestingly enough but we opted for an Uber. It was not terribly expensive and the ferry was far from our Airbnb.

When to Go

Similar to Dubrovnik, during the summer months you should expect crowds. This is another heavy cruise ship stop so it is smart to consult the internet to see how many ships are planning to be in port on a given day during the high season. It may be wise to go in a shoulder month like June or September where the weather is still enjoyable but you aren’t at peak capacity.

How Long to Stay

Split itself you can do in a full day. We also built in a day to do the Plitvice National Park (more on this later). I don’t think you would need any additional time unless you wanted to try and go to the beach for a day. We had our fill of beaches in Hvar so we didn’t make this a priority in Split.

What to Do

Diocletian’s Palace

The city of Split is built around a giant palace built to be the retirement home of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The palace is really a house for the emperor as well as a walled city. There is a LOT of history within the Palace so I would definitely recommend getting a tour or, if you are so inclined, purchasing Rick Steve’s Croatia book and following along on his self-guided tour. For the cost of a tour you can get the whole book. I won’t write out all the sites but here are some pictures which some highlights.

Real Egyptian Sphinx in Peristyle Square

Entry Vestibule (left open after WW2 bomb destroyed the dome) with excellent acoustics

Called the “Let me Pass by” street in Croatian, this street next to Jupiter’s temple only fits one person across.

Jupiter’s Temple

Drink some Local Wine

One of my favorite things we did was a local wine tour at Putalj. They pick you up in the city and you start at gazebo in the wine field overlooking the city. They start you with their rose and allow you to explore the fields and take photos. Then they take you to the cellar where they make the wine where it’s time to break into the cabs and you get a selection of meats and cheeses. Did I mention it’s all you can eat and drink? I’ll leave the link here for you https://putalj.com/.

Day Trip to Plitvice

If Zagreb is not on your itinerary, you can make a day trip from Split to Plitvice. Which I HIGHLY recommend. We organized our visit through a tour company so we wouldn’t have to figure out transportation ourselves – it’s about a 2-3 hour drive so prepare for a long trek. You can use the same company we did via this link. Many of the tours I am sure are similar but it was nice that this one was a smaller group as opposed to a giant bus. When you arrive, however, it is well worth it. You feel like you had arrived at Pandora. The pictures speak for themselves.

And there you have it! Dubrovnik, Hvar and Split. Hopefully you enjoyed the format of my post and got you excited for when we all might be able to travel again. Until the next adventure!

Way way back in June of last year we did a thing – we being my fellow expats Christy, Jaclyn and Emily. We traveled to the land of the Scots to see the ultimate girl band of my youth, THE Spice Girls. It was a triple win, holiday weekend (Whit Monday), Spice Girls, and a new city to explore. So pack your bags and let’s head north.

We arrived in the early evening on Friday in time to have dinner in the city itself as opposed to the airport. Our Airbnb was right off of Rose Street which is a pedestrian street with lots of fun bars and restaurants. It’s just about a 10-15 min walk (uphill though yikes) to the old part of the city so very close to the tourist sites without being in the thick of the tourists themselves. Our Airbnb was fabulous – lots of space, modern, great. From there it was off for some grub. We selected a highly rated restaurant called One20 which was a little outside the main tourist center of the city. The restaurant was a cool wine bar with yummy food. I am not 100% sure looking back it was quite worth the trek all the way there but we did enjoy the experience.

The next morning we hit the ground running to see what the city had to offer before our date with Scary, Ginger, Baby and Sporty. We started with the quintessential free walking tour to get our bearings. The tour started in the heart of the old town on the Royal Mile which stretches from the old Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood.  We met our tour guide who was in full kilt attire with the exception of the under garments. Apparently, traditionally kilts are worn sans underwear…. drafty. Our guide was kind enough to share that he was indeed wearing boxers. Thanks for that. From here we went to St. Giles Cathedral. We didn’t go inside but outside were some interesting landmarks. For instance, parking space #23 outside the church is actually where John Knox, of the Scottish Reformation, is buried. Also outside is a heart emblem in the pavement. Cute right? Maybe a good spot to snap that gram with your beau? Well you should know that this was actually where the jail door once was and people usually spit on this spot for hatred of the “justice” of the city back in those times.

The next day we actually went into the church becasue this tour next headed down some an alley called the Lady Stair’s Close towards the writer’s museum. Scotland is home to many great authors or at least served as their home for a period of time – Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns. Sir Arthur Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame was born here. Fun fact, everyone thought that Sherlock Holmes was based on a professor but now rumor has it, it was Arthur himself. People say he knew Jack the Ripper would disguise himself as a Jewish woman who worked in the slaughter house. A perfect disguise for someone covered in blood.. but now I am off topic. Scotland was also home to Harry Potter write J.K. Rowling so there is Harry Potter inspirations everywhere. I am ashamed to say I did not know this before said tour and, as such, did not appropriately book us for a Harry Potter tour. One of the many reasons for me to return to Edinburgh.

Just past the writer’s museum is the New College which has a statue of Dumbledore! Just kidding it’s John Know. But they look oddly…. similar… perhaps this was the inspiration?

Anyway now we passed in front of the Castle where we were scheduled to visit the next day so for now it was just the outside. They were in the process of setting up for the Tattoo – a military show that takes place in August each year and features bagpipes galore. Obviously we were here in June so did not get to experience the Tatoo but I have heard it is definitely worth seeing. Add this to the list of reasons to return to Edinburgh.

Around the corner and down some stairs from the Castle is Victoria Street of Instagram fame. You likely recognize the color shop facades which fun fact actually tells you what the store sells, although I am not quite sure if that is still true today but it was a thing. This street was also supposedly inspo for Diagon alley which I was definitely picking up on the H.P. vibes.

 

At the bottom of Victoria Street is Grass market which has a fun history. Here they would line up big stacks of hay and the cows would come strolling down the hill to nom. Then they moved the executions down here. Our guide told us a story of Maggie Dixon or half hangin Maggie Dixon as she is called. Story goes, Maggie was sentenced to death and hung but she didn’t die. Since she was sentenced to hanging and she was hanged but didn’t doe but they could not hang her again or it would be double jeopardy. Around the corner is Harvey’s furniture store. Who cares about a furniture store right? Well, above this furniture store is a cafe – the Elephant Cafe – which overlooks a graveyard and is the sight where J.K. wrote many pages of Harry Potter. Speaking of that graveyard, that was the next and final stop of our tour. Outside the graveyard is this cute little statue of a dog named Bobby. Bobby was the dog of John Gray, the night watchman of the graveyard. Sadly, John died of TB and his dear dog Bobby sat on his grave. Now Bobby has his own memorial stone and people leave sticks for Bobby the dog.  Unfortunately at this point it started pouring rain so we didn’t get to explore the graveyard to try and find the gravestones with the Harry Potter character as J.K. borrowed some of these names for the famed stories.

Cold from the rain we warmed up with a spot of afternoon tea.

And now… the main event… the reason we are all here… to SPICE. UP. OUR. LIVES. Each one of us dressed as one of the girls – I of course was Baby in homage to my third grade Spice Girls group.

We took the train to the stadium and arrived to a stadium filled with women (and men) ready for the reunion of the decade. It was packed and it was amazing. I will let the videos speak for themselves.

After the concert was just as fun. The train ride back everyone was singing the greatest hits at full volume. We went out to the bars (in costume) and stumbled into a 90s bars which like… ULTIMATE. But before long it was time to go to sleep again for another day amazing day in Edinburgh.

We were off to a slow start (sleep was necessary) but after a quick breakfast we headed up to Edinburgh Castle. There is a free tour in the Castle a few times an hour and it was a perfect amount of facts without being overwhelming. To keep this from being a full novel, I will just give you a couple of my favorites:

• At 1 om everyday except Sundays, Good Friday, and Christmas, there is a gun fire which historically was used for people to make sure their time pieces were properly set;
• There are canons here but they are purely display on behest of Queen Victoria;
• During the 1800’s an elephant was actually brought to the castle;
•  Within David’s Tower was an event called the Black Wedding. Sound familiar? Probably thinking of the Red Wedding? Well the Black Wedding of David’s Tower was the inspiration for this famed episode of Game of Thrones. During the Black Dinner, a black bulls head was served to the Earl of Douglas while the doors were slammed shut and he and his younger brother were executed.
• While we are on GOT, the cells of Edinburgh Castle’s prison have some that are reminiscent of the Vale’s Sky Cells. No. Thank. You.

From the Castle we headed down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace. On the way we stopped inside St. Gile’s but sadly no pictures were allowed inside (you could pay for it) and I am a rule follower. We also passed by John Knox’s house.

When you reach the Scottish Parliament building you are almost to the end of the Royal Mile. The building is very different than anything else on the mile given it is a piece of modern style architecture. From here you also get a good view allllll the way up to Arthur’s Seat. I would have like to hike to the top but there just was too much on the agenda this trip. Another thing for next time!

From here the rest of the group wanted to take a rest but I pushed on to the Holyrood Palace. After watching every season of Mary Queen of Scots on the CW (it was a good show) I simply had to see the site of David Rizzio’s death. For those of you know missed this series (a crime really) and are not as familiar with Scotish history, David Rizzio was the Italian secretary for Mary Queen of Scots who was stabbed 56 times in front of Mary in a coup by her husband. You can’t get to close to the actual spot but rumor is the wood is still blood stained. Gory. Besides my being a history nerd, my vaorite part walking around the Palace were the grounds. Very beautiful and peaceful. The Queen apparently has a royal garden party here each summer. I will be waiting for my invite your majesty.

The last stop on our adventure was Canton Hill. The call Edinburgh the Athens of the North because of this very hill. On the top of the hill was supposed to be a series of 60 Greek style pillars – reminiscent of the Parthenon. Unfortunately, the built 12 and ran out of money so here we are.

And here I am out of story to tell. I know this was a long one but Edinburgh was one of my favorite trips. Friends, music, history, what’t not to love. And there is still plenty on the list for me to come back with Bill next time.

Until the next adventure!

 

 

In an effort to be more timely with my blog posting and knowing full well this blog won’t make it out before Christmas if I wait (thanks PCAOB) I am actually starting whilst sitting in a cute cafe on our way out of Florence and deeper into Tuscany for wine. After 11 years I have returned under to Tuscan Sun this time accompanied by Bill. We have taken this week off of work – originally a light time of work for me which is laughable now considering what hell work has been after getting selected for inspection – to explore Tuscany, Cinque Terre and Venice. So ready or not here we go! First up…

Florence

We arrived in Florence late Friday and made our way to our Airbnb in the heart of Signoria Square near Palazzo Vecchio. What a prime location. What the Airbnb has in location though it lacked in amenities (tiny everything – shower, tv, hairdryer) and a non existent WiFi connection. But the price was right and who spends time on the room in Florence anyway? We went right to sleep to prepare for our first packed day.

The day started with cappuccinos and pastries before we met with our walking tour guide Patricia. She actually was our guide when I came to Florence with my family back in 2008. She was just as full of facts now as she was then. We started in Signoria Square where she told us the whole history of Florence starting with the Romans then moving to the Byzantines and the Medici’s. If you haven’t been to the square before, it’s essentially an open air museum. The highlights:

The fountain of Neptune

The Rape of the Sabine Women (aggressive title I know). Actually by a Dutch sculptor who studied the work of Michelangelo to achieve the spiral design. Probably the most impressive piece in the square in my opinion.

Copy of Michelangelo’s David

In the spot where the David first stood is a full size replica. David is shown waiting to fight Goliath, slingshot over his shoulder, anxiety in his eyes. I share details of him later but the positioning of the statue is interesting. He faces Rome, the Goliath of Italy.

Perseus with the Head of Medusa. Perseus acting as an allegory for the Medici ruler of the time telling the people “don’t challenge me”.

At the edge of the square is the Palazzo Vecchio which has always been the home of Florence’s government.

On the second level on the left hand side is a balcony which used to be used by the government leaders to address the crowds but it has not been used since post World War 2 as Hitler and Mussolini had both used the balcony for speeches during that time and Florence decided it would be in bad taste to use it again in this fashion.

Next we passed by the Uffizi (more on this later) down a few blocks to the Ponte Vecchio. This is the last original bridge in the city as the remainder were destroyed during WW2 in an attempt by Hitler to slow the advance of the allies. Thankfully there was one German who didn’t listen and decided to save the oldest of the bridges. Instead of blowing it up, he made it impassible by destroying buildings on the banks and blocking both entrances. Today it’s home to picturesque views and about 50 jewelry stores. Oh and hoard of tourists.

Next we went through some of the medieval streets on our way to the centerpiece of Florence – the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore or more commonly, the Duomo.

The dome itself was a marvel of the time as nothing before had been built so large. In fact, today it remains the third largest church dome after St Peters in Rome and St. Paul’s in London. More on the dome later when we hike to the top!

After the Duomo we ventured on to la Basilica di Santa Croce – the Westminster Abbey of Italy. Here we found the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and other famous Italians I only recently had heard of from thus tour so I won’t bore you with them. Also beautiful frescos line the walls increasing the visual splendor.

At this point we left Patricia and went in search of lunch. We found a pizza restaurant called Gustaria just off Signoria Square that fueled us for our next stop: the Uffizi museum.

The Uffizi is one of the premiere museums of the world, home to world class renaissance art by Michaelangelo, Donatello, Botticelli, da Vinci, etc etc. Rick Steves of course has an audio guide, unfortunately, they are rearranging the museum so it was a little out of date/order. He is in the process of updating it but currently only the old version is available. You can still use his guide but just be aware and use a map from the museum to guide you. Also book your ticket in advance to avoid the long long lines. Here were a few of my favorites we saw – and yes the Birth is Venus is amazing (in my opinion).

After so much culture we needed pick me up and gelato was the obvious answer. We went with a suggestion from Patricia – Perché no.

Next stop (yes we are still going, do your feet hurt yet because mine did?) was the Medici chapel. The chapel was designed by Michaelangelo and is quite impressive. There are five huge Medici tombs in a sea of granite and marble.

By this time, it was time to make our way across the river to the Piazzale Michaelangelo for sunset. We stocked up on wine and snacks to enjoy the view. It is a hike up to the top but well worth it. This is probably one of my favorite things we did but I am also a sucker for a good sunset. We also got to enjoy incredible views of the whole cityscape.

Now dinner time! We went back to a restaurant I went to with my family back in 2008 and loved – 4 leoni. The steak Florentine was the best steak we have had in Europe. Unfortunately for all of you, I enjoyed the food so much I don’t have any pictures to offer except this exceptional cheesecake and even that is half eaten… whoops.

The next day it was time to get up and go see Michaelangelo’s masterpiece – the David. David is so magnificent he gets his own museum. Make sure to book your tickets ahead of time so you don’t waste precious moments standing in line. We followed yet another tour with good old Rick Steves that took about 30 minutes. Along with David we saw Michaelangelo’s “Prisoners” which aren’t spectacularly finished but do let you see into the mind of this creative genius as he took a hunk of marble and released the sculpture inside. At the end you also can see a small exhibit with musical instruments including a feature on pianos and how they create sound (see the video below). Basically a small mallet hits the string creating sound which I didn’t know but I also never played instruments growing up so maybe this is a well known fact.

When we finished admiring the works of Michaelangelo it was off to a small museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci. The museum has a video – which we watched basically all of – on da Vinci’s life. Interestingly it seemed when he was younger he actually didn’t have much interest in painting but it paid the bills. He spent a large amount of time trying to become a military engineer. The notebook he kept detailing all his scientific thoughts from anatomy to flight to mechanical designs laid the groundwork for many modern inventions. Below is one of his drawings realized – an early version of a tank.

We had some time to kill before it was socially acceptable to eat lunch so we next visited the Duomo museum. Inside are the famed Paradise doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. There was also an interesting short video on the building of the duomo and what a feat it was for the time. As this is the 500th anniversary of the David and this is the actual site where the David was sculpted, they also had a special exhibit showcasing another one of his works the Pietra.

Now it was an acceptable time for lunch so we ventured back towards the Uffizi to track down All’antico Vinalo, a restaurant that created sandwiches we had literally seen hundreds of people walking around with. We were successful and swam through the crowds of organized chaos triumphantly emerging with our lunch.

Our next adventure was sure to burn off at least some of those calories. It was time to hike to the top of the duomo. If you also want to see the best unobstructed views of Florence, make sure to book a ticket to climb the duomo ahead of time. They assign you a time to climb the 436 steps to the top between the two domes – the duomo is actually a dome within a dome fun fact. You also get to get up close to the churches painted fresco ceiling. Well worth it.

Even the 436 stair climb couldn’t slow us down as we headed to our next stop – the Pitti Palace, home to the Medici’s. The palace was less palace and more extension to the Uffizi. We saw works by Donatello, Rafael and more. I was sad the costume exhibit was closed. Ultimately if you’re visiting Florence I wouldn’t say this needs to go on your must do list but if you have time it was a nice two hours or so. They make you buy a separate ticket for the garden so we only saw that from the windows but have heard that is nice as well.

Our final meal in Florence was ravioli that was inexpensive and pretty darn tasty and I saved 20% booking with the fork. Winner. We of course had to top off the night with some more gelato, this time from Grom right by the duomo. It was just as delicious as I remembered from high school.

Next up…

Tuscany – Montalcino, Montepulciano and Pienza

After 2 very full days in Florence it was time to relax a bit in Tuscany. We rented a car to get to Montepulciano which was where our Airbnb was. On the way we stopped in Montalcino at the Campana winery. Montalcino is the home to Brunello wine which is 100% Sangiovese grapes and aged in large Slavonian (Croatian) oak barrels for at least 2 and half years or so. We were a little behind schedule so I felt a little like they were rushing us but the wine was excellent and the views were beautiful.

Next we stopped at a cute little spot called Caseificio Cugusi where you got to pick a selection of cheeses and meats and they put it into a picnic basket for you to enjoy on the grounds. We absolutely loved sitting in the sun, eating delicious cheeses and looking out at Montepulciano. Highly recommend.

Our next stop was the Airbnb which was really nice. When they say the Tuscan hills by the way, they are not kidding. We hiked up towards the top of the hill to just make our way back down to a small church. I wish we had brought a blanket to spread out on the soft grass and enjoy the sun but we made do with what we had. When we were about to walk up Bill says “I messed up” because right there was the restaurant we were scheduled to eat at in 3 hours time. More hills for us! It was definitely worth the trip back up though because the sunset was incredible. We found a place that offered a great view and wine and settled out to absorb all the colors.

Down hill again we made it to La Grotta for dinner. And what a dinner it was! We split two incredible pasta dishes and an excellent rack of lamb. All that plus wine and dessert for just at €100. What a steal! This was our favorite meal of the trip.

Next day was a day dedicated to wine. Yay. Bill signed us up for a tour that stopped in the wineries and the city of Pienza. First was Castello Tricerchi which was probably our favorite on both wine and ambiance. It is a winery near Montalcino in the family castle which dates from the 1400s. When we first arrived everything was covered in fog but when our cleared there were beautiful views.

The next stop was Solaria which was pretty then we walked around Pienza for a bit and had a snack before lunch and the final winery.

Our final stop was Ercolani which was actually right next to our Airbnb in Montepulciano. We had a nice “light lunch” of meats cheeses and breads and were treated to wine from a glass as big as our heads.

Our last dinner in Montepulciano was at l’altro Cantuccio which was a whole 100 feet from our Airbnb – quite appealing. The food was very good though not quite as good as the night before.

Next up

Tuscany – Siena

If you find yourself in Tuscany, Siena is well worth a day trip. We left Montepulciano at around 8:30 to arrive for our 10:30 walking tour. We met our guide at the Basilica di San Domenico – home of two relics (thumb and skull) of St Catherine. She is the saint of Siena and is considered to be the one that brought the Pope back to Rome from France.

At this point we also talked about the city of Siena itself. It is comprised of 17 neighborhoods each with their own flag with an animal. Consider a neighborhood as more of a social club than where you may actually currently live. To be an official member of neighborhood, you have to be baptized with the fountain of your neighborhood and once you are a member you are a member for life.

We walked around a bit more before arriving at the Piazza di Campo which is the site of the famous horse races of Siena. There are 2 races each year, one July 2 and one August 16. There are 10 horses in the race each from a different neighborhood. This year, the August race was won by the rhinoceros neighborhood and the horse won without a racer. There are many many more facts I can list but I won’t for your sake as this blog is already quite lengthy. If you’re interested send me a note and I can elaborate. For now pictures of the square!

From there we went to the masterpiece of the city – Siena’s duomo. The church was actually supposed to be much larger but the construction was started and then at the same time the Black Plague swept across Europe. So needless to say that lofty dream was never realized.

The facade is a mix of gothic and Romanesque.

The real star however is the inside. From the stripped columns to the marble mosaic floors to the painted ceilings to the statues by Donatello and Bernini and Michaelangelo to the beautiful marble pulpit and the library dedicated to Pope Pius II, there is so much to see! This church isn’t highlighted is often overshadowed by the duomo of Florence but what that duomo in Florence has in size, Siena has in beauty in the inside. We had our guide inside but we also supplemented her information with the free a Rick Steves walking tour for Siena which has specific tracks dedicated to the church.

Siena was beautiful but after this quick stop out was time to make our way to…

Cinque Terre

Ok almost to the end. Our second to last stop was Cinque Terre, a series of 5 cities on the sea. We stayed in the city that is the second farthest south – Manarola. We arrived to learn the following day had an orange alert due to the rain (ie flooding risk) which basically meant the whole city would essentially be shut down the following day. So our first stop was actually the grocery store for breakfast supplies, snacks and of course more wine. With that settled we were off to dinner at a place at the top of the hill called Billy’s (appropriate). We had some pretty lovely (and large) lobster pasta then retired home to enter into a food coma.

The next day we braved the rain and headed to Levanto to try our hands at pesto making. Pesto is famous in the region because Genoa right to the north has lots of yummy basil. You’ll be glad to know Bill and I received our pesto licenses and also achieved in making some delicious snacks.

The pesto class was in a store that had all these homemade Italian products so we stocked up on some homemade pasta to go with our pesto for dinner and of course some sweets – amaretti cookies to be exact.

With the weather being crap, clearly the best afternoon activity was to post up at a winery. We made our way up yet another hill to Buranco winery in Monterosso al mare (the most northern city of Cinque Terre). I really enjoyed our afternoon here – good wine, snacks and scenery – and would highly recommend to anyone visiting the area rain or shine.

Once we got back to Manarola the weather had cleared up a bit and we were able to take a short path for some views of Manarola. Note in the picture directly below our Airbnb is the pink building, top floor right by the little White House – literally the highest point.

These pictures should wet your appetite for the views to come from our hikes the next day. First was the sunrise.

Then we took the train to Monterosso so we could hike back to Manarola. First hike up – Monterosso to Vernazza. For those unfamiliar with hiking Cinque Terre, for the most part there is a shorter hike between each of the two cities (hour or so) and a longer hike (2+ hours). There are a couple of the shorter routes that are closed from mudslides so only the long hike is open. The short hikes you have to buy a card to access which is €7.50. When we got to the trail head it was very hastily taped off from the previous day. We assumed no one had removed the tape after yesterday’s storm so we went on. The tail was a bit muddy but totally fine and the views were lovely. This was probably my favorite of the hikes we did.

Monterosso

Vernazza

We arrived in Vernazza and had a coffee before attempting to begin hike 2 to Corniglia. We went all the way to the trailhead and found the path manned by an employee who told us the path would open in “1-2 hours” a very precise and reliable Italian approximation of time. Thankfully there was a restaurant at the top of the hill we already climbed so we settled in for some lunch to wait for the path to open. We were served some excellent food and wonderful views.

By one o’clock we checked back with Mr. Trailhead supervisor and he again told us “1-2 hours”. When I pressed for a more precise time he shrugged and just told us if we wanted to, we could just go ahead at our own risk. So off we went!

Corniglia

Upon arriving in Corniglia we just proceeded to our next hike back to Manarola as this would be the longest hike of the day (the short hike between these two cities is closed). Fair warning if you want to try out this hike, it literally starts with about 45 straight minutes of stairs. So. Many. Stairs. Then the last 30 minutes is stairs straight back down. In general you should befriend a stair master before your trip if you wanna properly train for Cinque Terre hiking.

Manarola

All in all, we worked up an appetite from our long hiking day…

To fuel ourselves we went up one more hill in Manarola to Nessun Dorma for a proper sunset. The food was pretty amazing too.

The next morning it was time to head to…

Venice

But first – one the way we rolled through…

Pisa

Honestly don’t go out of your way to visit. We just happened to be going through on the train and stopped for our tower pic then peaced.

So back to…

Venice

We arrived and didn’t really do much of note the first night, just dinner and wine. We splurged for a hotel because we wanted to have an easy luggage storage location for Sunday. Also hotel points. The next day (our last, you’ve almost made it to the end) was busy busy. We started on the public boat – think public bus but along the Grand Canale – and listened to Rick Steves (we had missed him) guide us down to St Marks Square.

Arriving is St Marks there were so many people. Like so many more than expected. We soon realized why. Today was apparently the day of the Venice marathon and the course goes through St. Marks.

In our attempt to wait it out (ultimately unsuccessful) we started our visit with a trip to the Doge’s palace. The Doge of Venice was the elected leader of the city back in the day. The palace was pretty and filled with art by Titian and Paolo Veronese. You also get to cross the Bridge of Sighs to the prison.

By the time we finished with the Doge it was time for pizza. We then returned to St Marks and caught up with Rick again for his tour of the square itself.

Rick then also accompanied us inside St Marks Cathedral (fun fact you can also call it a Basilica or a church – it’s all 3!). St Mark was one of the writers of the gospel and at one point he docked in Venice where he dreamt an Angel spoke to him saying “Peace to you Mark, me evangelist” and promised him rest after his death. He died being dragging through the streets of Alexandria and his body was eventually smuggled out of Egypt by Venetian merchants who returned it to St Marks in Venice. If you pay €2 to enter the Pala d’Oro you can see his tomb under the alert and the golden altarpiece detailing his life in elaborate fashion. Well worth the small fee.

The church itself is a series of intricate gold mosaics that are beautiful but especially beautiful lit up. It is only lit up for mass and certain times of the day so check online so you can see it in full glory. We unfortunately were not able to see it lit up but the pictures are lovely none the less.

Before you exit head upstairs to the museum (another extra charge) so you can see the deck overlooking the square and the large bronze horses.

And that’s it. You’ve made it through our Italy trip. Thanks for joining us and hope you get to experience this beautiful area of Italy for yourself. Until the next adventure!

As many of you know, this summer we went on an adventure to Greece which has been high on our European bucket list. I know I’m super behind – work was far more encompassing this summer/fall than was alluded to by our companies which is a rant for a different blog. We had 4 stops in Greece over about 10 days – Athens, Mykonos, Paros, and Santorini. I’ll give a break down on each stop – prepare for all the pics!

Athens

Stop number one: Athens. I had humble expectations for this city based on feedback of our fellow travelers, some of which told us to not even bother staying there. I felt like that would be a missed opportunity though. Even if Athens wasn’t the spot there is so much history there and so many roots to our modern society. As a history fan, I wasn’t skipping out. Before we get into the dets let me just tell you we almost did not even make it to Athens. Backstory – Everyone said of Dutch summers are great, so chill, everyone takes holiday! Well false if you get assigned to a 6/30 year end. The reason I mention this is leading into the vacation I was up until 11 pm working (on my birthday) so I didn’t have time to pack the night before. As a result, I hurriedly threw things in a bag in the morning we left which caused us to leave maybe a little later than we should have given we were checking luggage. Cue us arriving at the airport, a mess from a gas shortage the day before combined with all the Dutch holiday travelers. We find a line to check our bag about 100 people deep. We instantly knew there was no way we would make it through this line before our flight left. Imagine Bill and I having debates on buying smaller luggage and storing the big bag so we could still make the flight. Ultimately, we decided I would wait with the bag and Bill would go ahead so at least he would make it and maybe he could plead with them to hold the plane. Thankfully everyone in the line ahead of us was in line for our flight so they ended up holding the plane to wait for all the passengers. Fast forward Bill and I make it to Athens but our bag does not. With no supplies (I was stupid and did not think to grab anything from our bag while waiting in the super long line at the airport) our first stop in this historic city was to find the essentials because new surprise our bags weren’t coming for 2 days.

With soap and underwear in hand we waited in the Airbnb for our travel companions Paula and Vartan (shout out). Once they arrived it was time to dip our feet into Greek cuisine. The first meal set the stage for an amazing 10 days of food ahead. Feta – amazing. Greek salad – keep it coming. Giant portions of grilled meats and seafood – delish. Add Greek food to one of my favorite cuisines. Bellies full we headed to bed before our full day discovering Athens.

The alarms went off early the next morning to head to the Acropolis museum when it opened. I think everyone knows the Acropolis museum is a must in Athens but most people head up to the Acropolis first and hit the museum right after. If you can, I would flip that order though. The museum has great information about the history of the Acropolis. Also we ate before we went but in retrospect the perfect way to do it is get there early, walk around the first level with most of the statues, then head to the second level for the cafe. You’ll be rewarded with excellent views of the Acropolis. Although we already had nommed on some Greek yogurt we capitalized on the gramable scene while we got an extra dose of caffeine.

Next up, we hit up the Rick Steves app for his Athens city walk. I always am a fan of Rick’s tour especially for the low cost of free. The tour started at Syntagma square where we met the Evzone guards who were rocking the latest trends.

At Syntagma Square there is also the parliament building with the tomb of the unknown soldier. The building was actually at first a palace to King Otto who took power after the Greeks were free of the Ottomans. He didn’t last too long in power though. He read the writing on the walls and gave Greece a democratic constitution shortly after taking power.

From here we walked down the pedestrian mall Ermou Street which used to hold cars until 2000 (hard to believe) until we reached the Church of Kapnikarea – an Orthodox Church built in the Byzantine era.

We kept winding until we reached the main Greek Orthodox cathedral of Athens and it’s square with a statue of the Greek Orthodox Archbishop Damaskinos. He spoke out of behalf of persecuted Jews during the Nazi occupation and suffered the fate of the firing squad.

From here we wandered through la Flaka which is what you would imagine Greece looks like based on scrolling through instagram. Therefore it is now invaded by tourists and full of trinket shops. From here we walked to a view of Hadrian’s arch which was meant to welcome people to Hadrianopolis which was a planned community in the Roman style.

Next up we walked up, circling the Acropolis for wonderful views of the city.

The last main stop was the Roman forum and the Tower of the winds. You can pay to enter the Roman forum but honestly if you do Rick’s tour, you basically see all there is to see for free! Just not close up. The forum itself was basically a Roman shopping mall and the tower of the winds was one part clock, on part weather station, one part guide to the planets. Neat!

Hot and hungry we finished the tour just in time for one of my favorite activities of the whole trip, a cooking class! The name is the Greek Kitchen on TripAdvisor/Viator and I highly highly recommend it! We were greeted by a bit of a grumpy young Greek woman who was one day away from her own holiday (she warmed up to us pretty quickly). She taught us how to make a few dishes Greek grandma style ie the best style! We started in the market to pick up our ingredients including feta brick (don’t get the crumbles apparently those are the left over bits and not as good), meat, homemade phyllo dough etc. Over the course of three hours we turned those ingredients into stuffed grape leaves, spanakopita, tzatziki, Imam Baildi, and orange pie. It. Was. Amazing.

That was the last activity of the day before we headed back to the apartment to rest up for another early morning climbing the Acropolis to see the Pantheon – which you can actually see from like everywhere in the city so don’t let restaurants/bars let you pay too much of a premium for views.

Up before the heat we ascended the Acropolis to spend more time with our dear friend Rick Steve’s who has another free podcast for the Acropolis itself. Highly recommend. I will spare you from reading too many facts and will instead focus mostly of pictures.

Overall, you have to climb the Acropolis and see the Pantheon up close if you’re in Athens but I will say it was a bit of a let down for me. Most of the artifacts from the buildings are now in the museum itself to shield from the elements (including pollution) and the Pantheon was basically all but destroyed in an explosion by the Venetians so it’s really a ruin. Like I said, you gotta go but I would say have realistic expectations.

Already sweating, we ventured down the Acropolis and actually went back to the museum for a cup of coffee. Fun fact you can access the cafe for free without a museum ticket. The biggest reason for the pit stop (besides the ac and caffeine) was for us to figure out where the heck our bags were. After some hardy boys level detective work and almost two hours, Bill learned our bags were still in Amsterdam. Not Athens. This was a bit of a pickle considering we left for Mykonos the following day. We were assured they would be on the last flight of the day, however, and available for pick up when we returned to Athens airport for our flight out. Joy.

Relieved we at least knew the location of our luggage, we hit the streets headed towards the ancient agora (complete with another tour with Rick).

Ancient jury duty selection machine above

I would definitely recommend a stop to the agora using this free podcast but we literally melted in the afternoon sun so we went a hide in the shade afterwards with some bevies followed by some delicious ice cream before heading to dinner then back to the apartment to pack up for stop 2…

Mykonos

Landing in Mykonos was a far cry from the city of Athens. The number of people I saw in swim suits at the airport was astounding to me. We found a cab and headed to the next Airbnb – the most expensive and smallest apartment of the trip. It was on this walk to the Airbnb that we learned an important lesson I will share with any fellow travelers looking to head to the Greek islands – there are so many stairs. We quickly were regretting bringing a large heavy bag. So if you’re coming to the Greek islands my biggest piece of advice is pack light and pack something you can carry and not just wheel around.

Back to fun stuff, the Airbnb was just as you’d imagine from Instagram, white washed with colorful details and flowers. Basically the whole area is straight out of the gram.

Once we were free of our luggage it was off to the beach for some r and r. It wasn’t the most picturesque beach but it got the job done and was less than five minutes from the apartment.

The relaxation was critical because we had a long evening ahead. It started with a beautiful sunset dinner.

Then it was a survival game until the late night Diplo club appearance. Our first stop was a cute (and super pricey) patio bar looking out over “little Venice” ie the area with the iconic windmills all in a row.

Then Bill lead us to a bar called the Scandinavian bar. When we arrived we were the oldest bar goers by at least 10-15 years. I felt a little like I was chaperoning a high school dance and all the students were making questionable decisions. Thankfully as the time passed the crowd became more age appropriate and the music was getting us warmed up for the main event.

We left Scandinavia and headed to the club – arriving around 1:30 am and still were some of the first to arrive. We sipped over priced cocktails until about 3 when it finally start picking up. Diplo didn’t grace is with his presence until after 3:30 and we had a hard out at 4:30 because we are only moderately crazy people. Once he started playing it was a bit of a let down because it was a lot of noises and not a lot of words which is not my favorite type of techno. Overall it was a fun experience though!

The next day was namely us nursing hangovers after such a late night so it was basically just us sitting on some beach chairs. In the Harbor were about 30 yachts. I like to pretend we were at the beach with some fabulous celebrities.

Our last night was capped off with another beautiful sunset. I will digress for a moment to tell you the sunsets of Greece are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Every island. So so so beautiful.

Next up…

Paros

This is probably the stop on our trip some of you are less familiar with. While Santorini and Mykonos have all the name recognition, Paros does not disappoint and I would add it to anyone’s itinerary. We stayed in the less touristy part of the island which was a refreshing change of pace and still gorgeous. As you can see from more photos

We did make a trip up to the more touristy area for dinner which was also stunning and I even got bold and ate a fish eyeball.

We also had two days to check out all the fabulous beaches Paros had to offer. One day by sea and the other day by four wheeler.

Our time in Paros came to an end too quickly and it was time to head to our final stop…

Santorini

I was a little worried the hype around Santorini was going to set me up for disappointment but Santorini was in no way a disappointment. It is one of the most stunning places I have ever been. The two main cities are at the edge of the caldera (the island is an extinct volcano) and they look like they are just clinging to the edge of the world.

We didn’t have that long in Santorini – only one full day – so we wasted no time and greeted the morning with a hike from Thira to Oía (the two main cities of the island). I would suggest this to anyone visiting Santorini. If you google you will probably come across a blog by “Santorini Dave” who will lead you through all the twists and turns of the hike. I will warn you this is more of a hike than a leisurely stroll so wear tennis shoes, bring water, etc. Also, start early especially if you visiting in the summer. That sun is NO joke. The views are incredible though. You gotta go. And think how much more Greek good you can eat with all the calories you burn!

After the hike we found a pool to spend the day at which looked out over the ocean. It was the perfect last stop on the trip. We capped it off with a sunset dinner with fresh octopus. And that’s the end! You’ve made it to the end of the blog. Thanks for sticking it out. I hope you enjoyed at least the photos. I will leave you with the time lapse of our last sunset. Hopefully all you will now be inspired to go see the sunsets of the Greek islands for yourself.

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes. Five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear. Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year? In daylights? In sunsets? In midnights? In cups of coffee? In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife? In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes.

How do you measure a year in a life?

As you can tell by the lyrics, it’s coming up on the one year mark of our time here in Amsterdam. The time passing has made me reflective. Or maybe it’s the fact Bill has been traveling the past 2 weeks and I am going stir crazy sitting in the apartment by myself. So how do we measure this past year?

In Cities

London, Munich, Bruges, Ghent, Geneva, Bogotá, Denver, Strasbourg, Dallas Fort Worth, Denver, Cairo, Fiss, Innsbruck, Malta, Haarlem, The Hague, Delft, Harlingen, Copenhagen, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Mariehamn, Stockholm, Edinburgh, Brussels, Dinant, Den Bosch, London (again), Athens, Mykonos, Paros, Santorini.

33 cities. We’ve been busy. I may sort of be cheating by calling out the different Dutch cities we have been to. Don’t @ me, they count. So I know what you want to know. Which have been our favorites? Don’t worry I won’t go ranking every one of the cities. I will, however, give you my top 5.

1) Greece – Athens, Mykonos, Paros and Santorini

In a word I would call our trip to Greece amazing. Beautiful, delicious, and historic are also words that come to mind. I have a blog about the experience in draft for you to read all about it but I have been a little slammed with work so I’m behind. Here are some pictures to hold you over in the meantime.

 

 

2) St. Petersburg

This is a place I was not sure I would get to ever visit and I’m so happy I had the opportunity. A country veiled in mystery after being behind an iron curtain for so long, vibrant and full or history and beauty. I have a two part blog you can check out for all the dets.

https://thegreatbartholomewadventure.business.blog/2019/06/10/have-you-heard-theres-a-rumor-in-st-petersburg-part-1/

https://thegreatbartholomewadventure.business.blog/2019/08/21/have-you-heard-theres-a-rumor-in-st-petersburg-part-2-2/

3) Cairo

Pyramids, pyramids, pyramids. And camels! This was definitely a bucket list trip made even more special by the fact that we got to share the experience with our dads (yes Brad and David took a non-wife vacation together). You can read more about the experience in my full blog if you’re interested.

https://thegreatbartholomewadventure.business.blog/2019/03/20/welcome-to-2019-first-stop-cairo/

4) Bruges

This was an excellent place for them to send Colin Farrell for his final days in the movie In Bruges. Very picturesque, particularly in the evening and early morning. If you wanna read more check out the blog.

https://thegreatbartholomewadventure.business.blog/2018/10/21/flemish-is-there-a-country-called-flem/

5) Edinburgh

There are several reasons I enjoyed Edinburgh beyond just the city itself (good friends, living a childhood dream of seeing the Spice Girls in concert, beautiful weather) but none the less even without all these factors it would be a city I would recommend to anyone. The blog is still pending (I’m the worst I know) but here are a couple photos in the meantime.

 

 

In Visitors

Carrie Stires, Forest Huddleston, Matt McCabe, Chris Barnes, Cathy Lammers, Alexis Keto, Ann and David Oster, Jarik Jurica, Brad and Beth Bartholomew, Nick and Megan Berti, Liz Oster, Roger Davis,  Nick and Megan Berti (again), Eric and Nancy Miller, Shannon Regan, Mary Steffel, Bryan Lussier, Ann and David Oster (again), Brad and Beth Bartholomew (again), Barb and Steve Ruel, Austin Billman, Susan and Sean Ruel, Amy and Casey Tounget, Chase Bruton, Jayde Ames, David Finn, Chirs and Danielle Palamara, Chris Wilbur.

There is a good chance I missed someone and I apologize if I did. We have been so blessed people have traveled from so far to see us. I am not about to rank our visitors, we love all our guests equally but some guests are loved more equally than others. Thank you all for visiting and we can’t wait to see more of you in the coming months and weeks!

In Things Learned

What are we if we do not always learn and make ourselves a little better? In the past year I have learned a lot and here are some of things you may find interesting:

• Scooters in the bike lane are a nuisance and I hate them
• Tourists should not ride bikes around unless they have actually ridden a bike in the past 5 years. You are a danger to yourself and the innocent locals around you just trying to get to work
• Trains are unpredictable sometimes so always check the NS app before committing on a route to the client
• Don’t do your hair in the morning, it will probably rain anyway so it’s a complete waste of time
• If you want to take a class at Rocycle with Rowen you need to sign up when classes open on Monday at noon
• The Dutch are extremely direct but they aren’t trying to personally attack you or be rude. They just say exactly what they are thinking when they think it
• Always check Buienradar in the morning before you leave for the day
• Buienradar is the only weather app that is even close to accurate in the Netherlands
• Just carry an umbrella with you
• I should have packed fewer heels. I literally never wear them with walking/biking/public transport commuting life
• Gin and tonics are better in Europe. It’s the tonic. Fever tree – check it out
• Aperol spritzes are a thing and I embrace them
• Your bike can get towed
• Sun’s out, Dutch out. It doesn’t rhyme but if the sun is out the Dutch are out. In swarms
• In the Netherlands you bring in your own cake for your birthday
• Things do not open before 7 am (including gyms) during the week and 9 am on weekends. Also lots of stores aren’t open on Sundays
• The Dutch don’t really work out and when they do they say they “did sports”

In Restaurants

Man we have eaten some good food along the way. I won’t tell you about every meal we’ve had but I can give you some top Amsterdam and top travel meals. Not necessarily in any order.

Amsterdam

• Choux

Great food. Located near central station you can eat between 3 and 7 courses of seasonal dishes. The sauces are epic.

 

 

• The Duchess

Located in an old ticket station the ambiance is beautiful. The food ain’t too bad either – it earned a Michelin Star. If you go for dinner, save room for a chocolate surprise for dessert. They also have an amazing high tea.

 

 

 

 

• De Kas

Located in a greenhouse in the east, this multiple course menu focuses on seasonal dishes and is very vegetable forward with a farm to table concept. They grow many of the ingredients onsite!

 

 

• Zazas

Right down the street from our apartment this bistro style restaurants is a staple for when we have guests. Their scallops are divine and I love the lamb. I mention one of our first times dining there in another blog post.

https://thegreatbartholomewadventure.business.blog/2018/10/07/livin-la-vida-local/

• Blue Pepper

If you like Indonesian and are a little adventurous this place is fabulous. Not your traditional rice table Indonesian establishment but more refined.

 

 

• GUTS

Don’t try looking the menu up before hand, you won’t find it. It’s a surprise fixed menu focused on fresh and in season ingredients.

 

 

• Bakers and Roasters

If you’ve visited us, and you’ve had breakfast here, there’s a good chance we have taken you to B&R. It’s our go to brunch spot with a kiwi flare. Right around the corner from our apartment and always packed after 10 am on the weekends.

 

 

Abroad

• Le Patanthrope (Namur, Belgium)

Chances are you haven’t heard of this city, I hadn’t either, but we had a fabulous meal here.

 

 

• Rataskaevu 16 (Tallinn, Estonia)

Great spot for lunch – such delicious salmon.

 

 

• Bistro Bestick (Stockholm, Sweden)

Go. Just go if you’re in Stockholm. Not too expensive in a city known for lots of dollar signs and well cooked meals. Check out my Sweden blog for all the tea.

https://thegreatbartholomewadventure.business.blog/2019/07/28/sweden-up-the-summer/

• Rootz (Valletta, Malta)

Tiny whole in the wall restaurant specializing in northern Italian cuisine – particularly the pisdinas (cross between a flatbread sandwich and a wrap).

 

 

 

 

• The Greek Kitchen cooking class (Athens, Greece)

Hands down the best food we ate in Greece and we cooked it ourselves! Highly highly recommend to anyone traveling to Athens.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g189403-d12943111-Athens_Four_Hour_Cooking_Class_with_Market_Visit-Piraeus_Piraeus_Region_Attica.html

 

 

• Siparos (Paros, Greece)

Fresh off the Santa Maria beach this restaurant had refreshing and fresh food that was delicious. 10/10 would recommend.

In Amsterdam Moments

I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention some of my favorite Amsterdam moments and activities as well. It seems somehow less important given it’s our home city but that is a bad way to think about it. I have really loved living here and here are some of my favorites.

• New Year’s Eve

I have never heard/seen so many fireworks go off consistently for hours leading up until midnight then amplifying as the clock struck 12 and continuing for hours. Shout out to Ben and Jaclyn for letting us come to their roof for a 360 degree view of the city.

 

 

 

 

 

• Museum Night

Each year the museums in Amsterdam host an event where you can buy a single ticket that gets you access to almost every museum in the city. It happens on museum night and there is the added bonus of cocktails.

• Concerts

I can’t say I am usually much of a concert person at home but we have been to 2 so far here and both have been extremely affordable and enjoyable. The first was the Revivalists at Paradiso Noord for a whopping 12 euros a person and the second was X Ambassadors in Paradiso near our apartment (an old church) for a whopping 20 Euros.

 

 

• High tea and spa

I spoke about high tea at the Duchess a little earlier in this blog but I should also mention they have a package where you can combine your tea with a visit to the spa for a reduced rate. You don’t have to tell me twice!

• Biking to… everywhere! (except Centraal)

Amsterdam is portrayed as a big city, which it is, but it’s really not that big. You can essentially get anywhere in the city within a 15 minute bike ride from our apartment. It really is the most convenient way to travel. I still refuse to bike into/around Centraal though. I don’t need to shave 5 years from my life from the stress.

• Jogs in the park

I am not a huge fan of running outside (I like to watch trash TV on my iPad) but when I do run outside I really enjoy Vondelpark. It’s really pleasant with no cars and it always promises good people and dog watching. There are also so many paths that you really can create your own adventure each time.

• Ijhallen

When my friends suggested a flea market in Noord as a fun weekend activity I was skeptical. Trinkets and used goods are not always my cup of tea. It was definitely a fun experience though and I even made it home with some reduced price Delftware!

 

 

• Kings day

In celebration of the King’s birthday all of the Netherlands has a giant party. Imagine Mardi Gras but everything is orange. We rented a boat and cruised the canals, rain and all.

 

 

• Wine festival

One weekend this spring we went to a wine festival in Amsterdam Bos, a HUGE park in the south of the city, and I had a great time. It was the perfect temperature with sun, friends, good wine, and good food. All the ingredients for a good time.

In Day Trips

One thing I have really tried to do is explore more of the Netherlands itself outside of Amsterdam. It’s amazing that in a short train ride you can be half way across the country seeing some place completely different. My top 3 favorite day trips are probably:

1. Haarlem

Haarlem is a city just outside of Amsterdam, about 20 minutes by train from Centraal. If you decide to go, Rick Steve’s has a nice little walking tour in his Netherlands book that takes you by the main sites. The canals are similar to Amsterdam but less flooded by tourists. There is also an impressive church and a nice market in the church square. We sampled the local beer at the Jopenkerk (an old church) and ate at an excellent restaurant for dinner – Dijkers. To end the night we found a bar with board games and played Ticket to Ride Europe addition. I was the victor.

 

 

2. Delft

A small town just outside of the Hague you probably know it from the famous Delftware (blue and white pottery). A quaint town not lacking in canals, we also navigated the sites with good old Rick Steve’s as our guide. We also stopped by Delftse Pauw Delftware Factory for a short “tour” where they showed us the process of making Delftware followed by a stop in the giftshop where we proceeded to spend too much money but so worth it.

 

 

3. Den Bosch

Located south of Utrecht, Den Bosch is a city known as the home of  Jheronimus Bosch (famous painter) and the Bosch Bol (think cream puff with less puff and heavy of the cream, yes it was delicious). First we popped into St. John’s church which was actually very pretty before we took a boat tour – which was in Dutch – through the underground canals in the city i.e. the old sewers. Then we explored the Jheronimus Bosch Art Center which did not actually contain any original Jheronimus Bosch works but did have replicas you could get up close to and a neat clock. We finished with drinks on Korte Putstraat and dinner at Lux on that same street. A very pleasant day trip indeed.

 

 

In Museums

What would life in Europe be without a little culture and history am I right? With so many museums I have to split the list between the top mentions in the Netherlands and abroad.

The Netherlands

• The Rijks Museum (Amsterdam)

Rijks means national in Dutch apparently so go here to see all things Dutch art. There is a hall with all the Dutch Golden age works (including the famous Night Watch by Rembrandt), a nice Delftware display, and some really cool doll houses. To top it all off, there is a neat library for art historians to use and for visitors to peek inside. We have the name of an excellent guide if you are visiting and are interested!

• Moco Museum (Amsterdam)

Home to many Banksy works this small museum is definitely worth a visit. Make sure to get the audio guide for some really interesting commentary on the pieces and banksy itself. Check out the blog where I talk about our visit to the museum.

https://thegreatbartholomewadventure.business.blog/2018/10/07/livin-la-vida-local/

• Anne Frank House (Amsterdam)

The Anne Frank house is an experience not to be missed in Amsterdam, not so much because of the house itself but what the house represents – the millions who lost their lives at the hand of hate. If you want to go to Anne Frank (which you should) you need to book ahead. You can’t just show up. They do open 20% of the day’s tickets at 9 am online though so if you aren’t able to snag a ticket in advance there is still hope. I wrote about our time at Anne Frank in one of my blogs.

https://thegreatbartholomewadventure.business.blog/2018/10/07/livin-la-vida-local/

• Mauritshuis (The Hague)

This museum is worth a trip to The Hague, about an hour outside Amsterdam via train. It’s not too large (takes about 60-90 minutes) and is home to the famous work by Veneer, The Girl with the Pearl Earring, and The Goldfinch by Carel Fabrituis. There is a free app you can download with some information on the piece and you can use it as much or as little as you want.

 

 

Abroad

• The Hermitage (St. Petersburg)

I would put this on par with some of the major museums of the world. If you want more details, check out the 2 blogs I posted links to earlier in the blog.

• The Vasa Museum (Stockholm)

A museum literally built around a 17^th century ship that sank in the harbor outside of Stockholm which has been brought up from the depths of the water and preserved for our viewing pleasure. See all the details and photos in my Sweden blog.

https://thegreatbartholomewadventure.business.blog/2019/07/28/sweden-up-the-summer/

• The Acropolis Museum

When you visit Athens and the Acropolis (which everyone should if you go to Athens) make sure to go to the Acropolis museum as well. If you have time you should do the museum the first morning to get the context of the history of the Acropolis and the Parthenon before you head up the hill itself. If you only have one day though and it’s the summer, just do the museum after. You will die of heat stroke if you try and do the Acropolis when the sun is in full force.

In Tulips

So I went to see the tulips 4 times this year. It was a lot. Don’t get me wrong, it was completely wonderful each time but needless to say I checked my tulip box at least for this year. I had so many pictures I dedicated a full blog to it.

https://thegreatbartholomewadventure.business.blog/2019/05/14/spring-in-amsterdam/

In Moments to Come

If you made it this far in my blog, thank you for listening to my ramblings. One of the best thing about the past year though is knowing there is still more to come. Our last year has trips planned to Croatia, Italy, Paris, Krakow, the Northern Lights, South Africa and there is only what we have booked so far. We also have visits from my sister Katherine and her boyfriend Matt, Hunter and Rebecca Millner, Melissa Mahoney, and Eva Scheele to look forward to. I am glad I took the time to reflect upon the experience so far and I will have to let you know how the next five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes go.

Seasons of Love ❤

Alright team are you ready for St. Petersburg day 2? Where we last left off we had been dropped off at the ship for our night docked in St. Petersburg. In the last blog I mentioned one of the perks of going on a cruise to St. Petersburg was you didn’t have to get a visa if you did an excursion through the ship. That was also, however, a bit of an annoyance in the fact that even though we were docked in St. Petersburg we could not leave the ship for dinner. The food on the ship was delicious mind you but it does mean we didn’t get the chance to find some authentic Russian fare for dinner. Such is life.

The next morning we woke up early for another full day of touring. On today’s itinerary was the Peterhof i.e. Peter’s Palace outside the city limits. Our guide was all about finding efficiencies to get us into the Peterhof as quickly as possible so we illegally parked at a city bus stop at the top of the upper gardens. Then in almost military style she hurried us through the gardens yelling into our whisper sets “these gardens aren’t even impressive. To the line. Move move move!” Despite her efforts to move us along I did manage to take some pictures but to her credit these are probably the least impressive pictures to come.

As we waited in line for entrance into the Palace our guide gave us some juicy tidbits of history of Peterhof. Peterhof was built to outshine Versailles by Peter the Great and was later redesigned by Elizabeth (Peter’s daughter) in Boroque style ie the gold extravagance of Catherine’s Palace. Today only one room remains in style of Peter the Great.

The Peterhof became a museum in 1917 to show lavishness of the royal family to justify the revolution. In 1941 the Palace was occupied and destroyed intentionally by the Nazis. Similar to Catherine’s Palace, however, the art was removed before the occupation and statues from the gardens were buried throughout the grounds (by woman – you’re welcome world). The rebuilding of palace then began right after the war.

Walking in the Palace we were again surrounded by lavish gold furnishings.

We then got to see the thrown room which was actually a replica. All the circles on the floor lead up to the thrown which sat Peter, Elizabeth and Catherine the Great. At this point we were actually given quite a few interesting facts about Catherine. Catherine the Great (actually the second Catherine to sit on the thrown) was from Germany and was brought to Russia by Elizabeth. Elizabeth expected Catherine to be nothing special but she was cunning, smart and ambitious (not lost on me these are actually the names of my twin sisters). Catherine rose to the throne following Elizabeth’s death and sat on the throne for over 30 years, the longest reign of the empire.

From the thrown room we entered the white dining room which was originally gold but was painted white by Catherine when she was tired of the baroque style

Next was the only room original to Peter. It is made of all oak wood but only 8 of the original panels remain.

As we finished in the place our guide rushed us outside to witness the starting of the fountains in the back grounds. The fountains are THE thing at the Peterhof. There are over 150 fountains. The water from all the fountains comes from springs and force of gravity powers the display. The main fountain is known as the grand facade. The large fountain in the center is a symbol of Russia’s (Sampson) victory over Sweden (the lion). This was actually the only fountain that is not original as it was too large to hide before the Nazi occupation.

After the grand display we traveled around the grounds to enjoy the other extravagant fountains. The largest was a chess board inspired work. The original wood in the fountain actually rotted out and has since been replaced.

There were so many more fountains ranging in style and size.

Once we had our fill of fountains it was time to head back to St. Petersburg. Not by means of a boring old bus though, by means of hydrofoil. For those of you that don’t know what a hydrofoil is (I definitely didn’t) it’s a sort of boat that kind of hovers over the water as it cruises at high speed. Also lucky for you I have photos!

From the hydrofoil we saw the sites of St. Petersburg’s shores including a brand new building of a large oil company that already has certain jokes regarding its resemblance to a certain piece of the male anatomy (I’ll let you figure out which) and the stadium built for the World Cup that has what looked like giant spears shooting from the roof.

Once we were back in St. Petersburg proper it was back to a bus (boo) and off to lunch. On the way we saw the battleship Aurora. During the Russian revolution they turned the armed forces against the royal family and it was from this ship that a canon was fired to signal the siege of the winter palace and the beginning of the end of the Romanoff dynasty.

Post lunch we headed to the Church or Spilled Blood which could be mistaken for the well known St. Basels in Moscow probably because it was modeled after it. The history of the church is quite interesting. In 1881 Alexander the Second was attacked and killed on the canal by a bomb ( actually the second bomb that had gone off as he survived the first one). The attack was the 8th attempt on his life so you could say some people really had it out for the guy. His family commissioned a church to be built over the area where he was killed as a monument. As a symbol of the Russian royal family the church was closed after revolution and turned it into museum of revolution. Displayed were portraits of the people who killed Alexander the Second. Ultimately the Russian people wanted the church destroyed but they did not blow it up because they couldn’t do so without damaging the area. Instead, they planned to disassemble the church but then WW2 broke out. Amazingly the church survived the war bur they did find a bomb shell that went through the central dome inside the church that had not gone off so it’s a real miracle it’s still standing. Although maybe not for those who wanted it destroyed in the first place. After the war it was used as a storage facility. When they decided to restore it, the project took 27 years and the church finally reopened in 1998. More recently, they began to refurbish one of the gold domes with the intention to complete the restoration in time for the World Cup. When it became clear, however, they would miss this deadline all worked stopped and it remains under scaffolding today.

When we were standing outside the church yes it was pretty but honestly I was so overwhelmed by the number of people swarming around. According to our guide it’s St. Petersburg’s biggest attraction for tourists (unaudited). Looking at it I didn’t understand. It was cool but not biggest attraction in the whole city cool. Then we walked inside. Let’s just say the mosaics took 20 years and the result was pretty breathtaking.

They also have an alter piece made of Jasper marking the spot where Alexander was killed.

Once we had our fix of spilled blood (I’m punny) it was back to the ship – with some shopping on the way. So I’ll leave you with a photo of me modeling the hat we found in the shop (not purchased) and a photo of the cruise ship crew in their performance ware (full village people for YMCA). Until the next adventure!! Dasvidaniya!!

The last stop on our recent Windstar cruise was Stockholm, the Swedish capital that has been on my short list of cities to visit during our stint here in Europe. We arrived and had to disembark from the ship right in the middle of rush hour traffic (of course) but we made it to our bag drop so we could ditch our luggage and kick off our adventures in Stockholm. Our first stop was actually not within Stockholm itself but the Drottningholm Palace outside of the city about 45-60 minutes by public transport. We took the metro/bus but you can also take a round trip ferry departing from Stockholm proper from in front of City Hall. We ended up taking the ferry back and I would say if the two, the ferry was much more pleasant. Drottningholm Palace is still the home of the royal family so when you visit you won’t have access to the whole compound but you will see enough. I will say, I enjoyed the palace but if you read my St. Petersburg blogs, Drottningholm ain’t no Catherine’s Palace or Peterhof. Interesting one of the Kings of Sweden (Gustav the third) cousin was Catherine the Great. Look at that. There is actually a Chinese stove in the palace that was gifted from her. Anyway you can definitely tell Sweden was never the empire that Russia was but the palace was still very nice and hopefully the pictures are enjoyable to you!

Library with over 7,500 books! Looked a little like Beauty and the Beast.

Staircase lined with the 7 muses

Chinese themed stove that was a gift from Catherine the Greatand now the gardens!

After wandering the gardens we took a ferry back to Stockholm proper. As I mentioned before, definitely the better way to play the commute to the palace.

From the boat we headed to lunch of traditional, stereotypical Swedish fare including Swedish meatballs and some sort of hash (sorry no photos, ate it up before I remembered). Well fueled we went to the Vasa museum. The Vasa museum houses the remains of a giant war vessel that housed 64 cannons, took a year and half to build and sank shortly after it set sail. Apparently the 120 tons of stone at the bottom of the ship were not enough to weigh it down and it was too too heavy. So when the wind hit, down she went. She sank into about 6 meters of mud which preserved the wood of the ship so when they brought it up it was essentially intact. Admittedly, I read about this museum and had initially left it off my list of activities. It was highly related though and my dad mentioned we should go so we did. After going, I admit I was wrong to leave it off my list (and I don’t often admit to being wrong). The ship was pretty incredible.

After museuming it was time for to fuel our souls again. Researching restaurants in Stockholm I saw a lot of $$$$ classifications which was intimidating. Thankfully I did find a more reasonably priced, highly rated option called Bistro Bestick. Highly recommend. We had an awesome meal and had a very friendly waiter from New York. This time I remembered to snap a picture of the cod dish I had.

Day 2 was another full day starting at City Hall – home of the Noble Prize reception. This all happens in the blue room (which is in fact no longer blue) and is made of around 8 million bricks. The reception has about 1300 attendees which allows each guest to have around 50 cm of personal space. Cozy. Don’t worry, the royal family and the winners get a whopping 55 cm. Lucky them!

From the blue hall we went the the city council chambers. There are 101 members of the council (prevents a tied vote) of which 50 are men and 51 are women currently. Only 13 are full time city council members so most have other jobs and they meet every third Monday of the month. These meetings are open to the public. The ceiling of the city council chambers was inspired by a Viking long house.

You can get married in city hall if you so desire. Stockholm residents can be married for free and for everyone else it’s a bargain of only 500 Kronos but you have to wait about 6 months for your 1 minute ceremony.

We passed a few more halls and rooms on the way to the most impressive gold room.

The gold room is made with real gold. There is only 10 kg total though. There are two layers of glass with golf leaf in between. One wall of the gold room is contemporary Stockholm (except old castle that burned in 1697). At the top sit St Erik but he is missing one very important body part. His head! After the motif was designed they added marble benches which were not planned for and so now St Erik is headless.

Opposite the picture of Stockholm is a mosaic of a lady sitting in middle of lake. To her left is the western world and to her right is eastern world.

The kitchen is above golden hall. They used to host the Nobel dinner here, but now they dance here. Like what you see? You can rent the gold roll for about €7k but not for private use, it would have to be for a corporate event for example.

After city hall we went to another palace – our last one of the trip. On the way we ran into the changing of the guard. I thought we were quite lucky but it turns out this process took nearly an hour and there was a lot of the same process being repeated over and over. I took a video so you can see for yourself.

Once the guard had finally cleared we made our way inside. At this point, we had seen so many palaces we actually made our way through rather quickly. If your in Stockholm, I wouldn’t say the royal palace would be a must see. The rooms start to all look the same and the Crown Jewels (which you cant photograph) were inferior to the likes of the English and and Danes.

After the castle we made our way to a late lunch at a nice little Italian place were we snacked on a bunch of small plates. To satisfy our sweet tooth we went to a local bakery (we thought it would be quaint but it turned out to be tourist central) for some princesa cake. As an avid great British bake off fan I was familiar with the cake from one of the challenges but for those of you who are less enthusiastic about British competition series television, princesa cake is layers of marzipan on top of a cake made with lots of whipped cream like filling and jam. Delish!

Post cake we went back to the Airbnb to rest a bit and pack before our last meal. For the final dinner I chose a place a little tourist my – Aifur Krog- a Viking theme restaurant because why not? I was a little worried if my parents would think it was cheesy but everyone enjoyed being announced when we first entered, cheering as others arrived, and listening to festive music. My parents even got to try out some costumes. And that’s what I will leave you with – photos of Ann and David getting in the Viking spirit. Stockholm was a great last stop to an amazing cruise. Until the next adventure!