A Hop, Skip and Jump to Munich

Hello, Munich. How I’ve missed you!

Hi friends,

So part deux of our European adventure story starts off in Munich, where we stayed at the Citadines, which are more small apartments than hotel rooms (meaning we had a little kitchen and a living room, but no one to clean the place up when we left for the day.)

The location was perfect for Oktoberfest–it was just a short walk to the grounds where the tents are. It’s not the best location if you’re in Munich mostly for the city center, though, like to visit Marienplatz or stroll through town. (For that type of trip, I’d highly recommend the hotels I stayed in during this trip to Munich a few years ago.)

Lucky for us, we were there for Oktoberfest, and our adventure began that Sunday night …

Read Full Post »

Last Thursday, When We Were Berlin-Bound

It’s hard to believe this wall ever divided Berlin. So sad.

Hey friends! So it’s Monday, October 8th, which can only mean one thing–Chris and I are back from Europe.

Cue the violins.

Seriously though, this was one stellar, awesome, amazing trip. In what amounts to 9 full days, we managed to cover Berlin (where Chris ran a marathon), Munich (where we had so much fun at Oktoberfest!), rent a car and drive from Munich to Salzburg to Venice for more than $700 (that story will come later), see Venice in less than 24 full hours and hit up Rome for all the classics.

That’s a lot.

But despite the fact that it was a whirlwind…it really didn’t feel that way. I felt like we were able to spend a good amount of time in each place, and I actually did end up feeling rested and relaxed when we arrived back last night.

So anyway, without further ado, how about I take you on back to last Friday, when Chris and I arrived in Berlin at around 8:30 a.m…

Read Full Post »

Home Swapping Sites on our Horizon

Hi friends!

So it’s t-minus two days before Chris and I jet off on our little European adventure…I am sososo excited!

Although, we did hit a minor bump in the European road yesterday when Chris emailed me to say that our pre-booked hotel in Rome had unceremoniously unbooked us. Apparently something with Chris’s payment information was incorrect, and he had missed the warning email.

Oops.

So there we were, three days before leaving without a place to stay in Rome.

Chris quickly booked a back-up hotel for us, but it wasn’t in an area of Rome that I thought would be central to all the lovely things we have planned. As I was searching hotels.com for something more adequate, a coworker of mine mentioned using home swap sites, like HomeAway, VRBO and Airbnb.

I’ll be honest–I’ve never actually used one of these sites before. I know plenty of people who have, and they’ve always been more than happy with the results, so I figured, why not give it a try! After about a half hour searching on Airbnb, I found a cute little studio apartment for rent in an area of Rome that seemed lovely, and that had received tons of good reviews on the site.

So…we booked it! This, my friends, will be our first forray into the world of booking through home swap sites.

Who knows, if all goes well, it might be our new norm.

Do any of you guys use sites like HomeAway, VRBO and Airbnb? Have you generally liked what you’ve found? Do you prefer one site over the others?

Bis bald, friends!

Read Full Post »

The Beautiful Lights of Italy

How beautiful is this light fixture??

Hi friends,

Let’s take a quick step back for a moment, shall we? I’d like to go back to about three weeks ago when I was in Italy, surprising my family with a trip and having the time of my life. While there was so much there that I saw that I loved, one surprising thing that I noticed was how ornate and beautiful all of the light fixtures were. Nary a bathroom ceiling was left unadorned by a fabulous, sparkly, glowing chandelier.
So, my friends, I did what any aspiring photographer would do–I took as many photos of them as I possibly could.

Care to take a trip with me down memory lane?

Read Full Post »

My Trip to Calabria, Part Deux

Welcome back friends! I’ve come to the part of my travel blogging that I always hate–the part where I write about the rest of the trip and then I’m done. It always feels so finite, like I’m actually finally done with the trip. There’s nothing left to do. The last word has been written. As long as I still have these blog posts to write, the trip is still alive in my mind, you know?

Anyway, as they say… all good things must come to an end, I guess.

So here we go, on with the final few days of my trip.

Read Full Post »

A Family Trip to Calabria, Italy

Hi friends!

Well I’m back from my super-secret trip, and I can finally tell you where it was to: Roccella Jonica, in Calabria, Italy.

So why was this such a big secret? Well it was a surprise to my family who lives there (my grandfather’s sister and brother, as well as another sister who was visiting from Australia) that I was coming. It was a surprise that my aunt and uncle and two of my cousins were coming, as well.

Aren’t surprise visits just the best? This one totally took the cake.

Let me start at the beginning …

Read Full Post »

In the News: Pisa Bans Cheesy Souvenirs

Leave it to Pisa to take all the fun out of the cheap trinkets, gadgets, and goodies that we all look for on vacation (well, look for, make fun of….pick your poison).

Anyway, looks like vendors selling offensive souvenirs will be charged up to 500 euro ($713!!!) now.

Sad.

 

Read Full Post »

Diary of a Traveling Friend: Tuscany

 

Amy in Siena Square

Welcome my friend Amy, who just returned from a well-deserved trip to Italy.

 

Thanks for the post, darling!

I just got back from a five-day trip to Florence, and one of my favorite parts was a day trip to Tuscany. I booked the trip (Tuscany in One Day Sightseeing Tour) through Viator, and the tour guide, Becky, was awesome. We left Florence at about 8:30am and drove through the countryside.

Our first stop was in Siena, a beautiful medieval town. We walked through the town, first stopping to see the Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the oldest surviving bank in the world. We also ventured through the Siena Duomo, where four statues are attributed to Michelangelo. We also saw the Piazza del Campo, which our tour guide told us is the third most beautiful square in the world. (Piazza San Marco in Venice is supposed to be the second most beautiful, and I can’t remember what No. 1 is!) We got a bit of free time to walk around the city, and I bought a beautiful cutting board made of olive wood and some homemade doughnuts. Yum!

We then drove to an organic farm and vineyard called Poggio Alloro, in San Gimignano, another small Tuscan town. We did a wine tasting of four wines and had an amazing lunch of homemade pasta, cheeses, and salads. The food was so fresh, and we had a typical Tuscan dessert (almond biscotti dipped in dessert wine). After lunch, we drove to the town of San Gimignano and had some free time to walk around and view the amazing scenery.

Our last stop was Pisa, which is much more touristy than the other towns—but it was so much fun to see the Leaning Tower. All in all, the day was filled with great scenery and great food. I definitely recommend taking this tour if you have an extra day in Florence!

 

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (the oldest surviving bank in the world)

 

a church

 

 

 

 

Nothing beats lunch in Italy

 

 

Michelangelo statue

 

 

San Gimignano

 

 

 

San Gimignano

 

 

Read Full Post »

It’s Almost Valentine’s Day—Are You Looking For Love?

Romantic Indian elephants.

If you are, these 10 cities are the World’s Most Romantic Cities, according to Frommer’s. There’s Paris, of course, and Florence, but a few of the others surprised me. Jaipur, India, and Bruges, Belgium? Really? Isn’t there a whole movie that basically centers around the idea that Bruges is boring?

Maybe not. If Frommer’s says it’s romantic, I’m sure there must be something romantic about it.

Also exciting? Sydney, Australia made the list. What didn’t make the list? Any city at all in the U.S. Ha.

As for my romantic Valentine’s day, I realized a few nights ago that this will be mine and Chris’s first Valentine’s day in four years in New York City.

For our first Valentine’s day, Chris was living here.

For our second Valentine’s day, we were here.

Last year, Chris was here.

So this will definitely be the first holiday in good ole’ NYC. Wonder where the night will find us.

Bis bald, friends! Where’s the most romantic city you’ve ever visited?

Photo via

Read Full Post »

I’m taking Italian—and man, it’s hard!

My Australian/Italian family

At the ripe old age of 27, I’ve decided it’s time to embrace my heritage—my Italian heritage, that is. After an eye-opening trip to visit my Italian family in Melbourne last year, I realized how much a part that culture is in their every day lives, and I desperately want that. In fact, while we were there last Christmas, another of my grandfather’s sisters who still lives in Italy called. It would have been amazing to have been able to actually speak with her—but alas, she spoke no English, and my Italian was limited to ciao and grazie. Not very scintillating conversation.

Now I know—I will probably never, ever be able to speak fluent Italian (actually, according to my (adorable) Italian grandmother, if I don’t speak it every day I’ll just end up forgetting everything I learn anyway. Thanks nonna.) But I’m undeterred. It’s something I threw on my bucket list years ago, and so when the Groupon landed in my inbox offering five lessons for a pretty good price, I took the bait.

Yes, I know—five lessons isn’t much. I’ll probably end up signing on for more at the end of these five weeks. But last night was my first two-hour session at the Rennert school (which just happens to be conveniently located across the street from my work. Seriously, it was meant to be), and it was pretty intense, but exciting. With only six students in the class (all girls, very interesting), I really feel like I could learn a lot in 10 hours. Luca, our teacher, seems to have the patience of a saint, so that’s always helpful as well.

I’m off to Brooklyn to dog sit again this weekend, which I always enjoy, and I’ve brought along my Italian homework as well. I’ll keep you updated as to my progress, and maybe (just maybe!) I’ll have an Italian-written post some time in my near future (it’s always good to shoot for the stars).

Bis bald my friends (and arrivedercci!)

Read Full Post »