Tour de France Part 2 - Paris

The first two days in Paris were pretty much dedicated to the Tour de France….and enjoying our nice room at the Hilton Arc de Triomphe (Thanks to points!). It was really nice to have a big TV, comfy robe, even comfier bed, a bathtub (not just shower) and a nice gym! ☺ Oh and we even had real eggs for the first time in weeks. At this point, its the little things….

Sunday morning of the TDF finale we walked to the Champs Elysees around Noon and saw that all the first row spots were already taken. We weren’t completely surprised but we decided that we really didn’t feel like staking our spot by standing for 5 hours. We probably would have thought otherwise if we hadn’t just seen them in Bordeaux. Anyway, we decided to just chill, walk along the Champs Elysees, and people watch for a bit. Oh and we also had the best chicken kebab for the second time as we ate there the night before too (on Rue Washington just north of the Champs Elysees).

Around 3pm we decided we probably should finally stand amongst the crowd. We ended up closer to the podium, which was pretty crowded but seemed to have more energy. Again, it was hard to know what was going on since the commentators were speaking French but there were definitely more Americans in Paris than Bordeaux….and just more Lance/RadioShack fans in general. I will say I was really happy to see how many people support the LIVESTRONG movement. I saw a TON of LIVESTRONG bands on people from all over the world.

The riders came in around 5pm. The rode up and down the Champs Elysees a few times but you still couldn’t see them clearly as they were going so fast! Well I couldn’t see anything at all because I’m so damn short….but Darsh picked me up a few times so I could see them fly by. When the race ended we made our way closer to the Podium which was blocked off for Priority seating….man I wish I knew some people! ☺ All we could see in person was the back of their heads on the podium so we watched everything via the big screen TV facing us. We saw the winners get presented with their awards. I really was hoping Andy Schleck could pull off a win. I’ll keep it nice and just say that he plays nicer and I like him better….hopefully next year. I was really happy though that RadioShack won the team award and we got to see Lance’s last time on the podium live. They should be really proud of that….especially since it was a completely new team.

After the awards were presented, each team rode a slow lap around the Champs Elysees. I can’t believe we almost missed this part…but we somehow inched our way in and got front row seats….sometimes it does pay to be small! This is when we finally saw Lance and the rest of the RadioShack team up close….although it was still difficult to get a good pic!

I really would have loved to see Lance finish stronger but he’s had an insanely ridiculously ride! ☺ We could only think of 3 other athletes in our opinion (Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Roger Federer) that were single-handedly the best at their sport (meaning few people would question them being the best active player at that time....and for several continuous years). And Lance has done so much for the sport in general. I can say for one, I would never have even become a cycling fan if it weren’t for him. Thanks for the ride Lance – I can’t wait to see what you do next!

Tour de France Part 1 - Bordeaux

All I knew about Bordeaux was that they have good wine. I didn't research the city at all because the only reason we came was for the Tour de France. I was really glad though that we made a quick stop here. It is so cute! Really pretty architecture, cobble stone streets, great cafes and brasseries. I can't comment too much else on the city because we were in and out....had I known better I would have planned at least another day....oh well!

First off, my French sucks. I mean really it is embarrassing....and it doesn't help that I keep wanting to speak in Spanish....not like I'm good at that either! I need to get my hands on a French phrasebook....ASAP! Second, we had the best meal in about a month our first night here at La Brasserie. God it feels good to eat properly again. And thankfully our waitress spoke English so it was easier to order. I have no idea how we got through Asia ok but France is going to be difficult from a communication standpoint....yikes!

Now on to the Tour de France. I was beyond excited about being able to see this! I've wanted to see the tour since Lance came back. I worship Lance from an athlete perspective (not to mention he is totally committed to his cause). I'm not a biker but I've been a huge fan since reading his first book, It's Not About the Bike....Thanks Jen! He really is an inspiration to me in many ways. :)

I didn't know what to expect from the days events. We unfortunately haven't been following the Tour as much as I usually do since we're on the road (no TV) but I did know that the race could be huge given that Alberto Cantador and Andy Schleck were only within 8 seconds of each other.

We got to the finish line area around 1pm and people were already camped out. I'm sure some peeps had been there for hours. We still had about 4 hours to go before the riders were scheduled to finish but we decided that it was probably best to stake our spot. Luckily we got front row seats 250 meters away from the Finish Line. And then we just sat and waited. It actually wasn't too bad as sponsors drove around and gave away free stuff with music playing in the background. It was a long time to stand though!

We weren't able to see the big screen TV showing the race and since we weren't able to understand the commentators we had no idea what was going on (who was in the lead, where was Lance, Cantador and Schleck?). And we really couldn't tell when the riders were coming by because again we couldn't understand the commentators. But it really didn't matter as we could hear them coming. And it totally didn't matter that we didn't know who was in the lead because when they did come by, they were going SO FAST we couldn't recognize anyone! And they were SO CLOSE! I jumped back while taking my video because I thought I was going to bump into one of them (the last thing I wanted to do was cause a Steve Bartman incident!)

When it was over we still didn't know who won....although I suspected Mark Cavendish as I heard his name a million times. We made our way over to the Podium but we couldn't see anything. I guess Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise got on stage with Cantador as he accepted his yellow jersey. Who knew they were in town? (We later saw Tom and learned they were here for the premiere of Knight and Day.) Anyway, after the podium announcements, we walked over to the trailers where the athletes were finishing up their interviews. I just wanted to catch a glimpse of Lance. We never saw him although we did see Schleck and Cantador finish their interviews and get into their cars. Kinda cool! I guess now I know to stand by the Anti-Doping Control trailer and there's a good chance you'll see some riders.

So that's it. We saw some kick-ass riders fly by from front row seats, 250 meters from the Finish Line of one of the greatest races ever. Pretty damn good day! Can't wait for Paris!

Picture Perfect San Sebastian

I didn’t really know much about San Sebastian before we got there. I knew it was a beach town but that was about it. It was a pleasant surprise! It’s a great little city with beautiful beaches and surrounded by mountains. It reminded us both of San Francisco and Los Angeles. I totally needed this as I have been getting homesick. It was really nice to see active people doing outdoorsy things like run, bike, rollerblade, etc. It made me feel normal again.

We had grand plans of hiking, biking, running, and maybe even surfing. Mother Nature had another plan though as it rained for most of our time there….in true San Francisco summer style! ☺ Luckily though we did make the most of our first sunny day and walked the beaches (Playa de la Concha and Playa de la Zurriola) and hiked up Mount Urgull which had great views of all of San Sebastian and a large statue of Jesus Christ.

Honestly I didn’t mind the weather at all….it was nice to have a nice lazy, rainy day! Good thing our hotel room at the Pension Edorta was super cute and right in the middle of the Old Town (Parte Vieja) where most of the action is. I was nervous at first since it was pretty cheap ($60 Euros) and we had to share a bathroom but the room was quite big and pretty nice.

San Sebastian doesn’t seem to have as rigid of a siesta time as most of the restaurants/tapas bars were open all day. This was nice! Tapas here are also called Pintxos and still full of mayonnaise, anchovies, and seafood. We did try a few though....beef and chicken ones were safest for me. Some of our favorite restaurants were Borda Berri (Pintxos), Bideluze (upscalish British pub), and El Sitio Del Magueyal (just ok Mexican food but good for a nice change).

We did walk around a bit (when it wasn't raining or just raining lightly) and watched the surfers on Play de la Zurriola and walked through the streets of the Old Town. The Old Town is full of neat shops, cafes, and Pintxos bars....and some really cool churches. At night there was a good mix of nicely dressed adults having dinner and more casual, vacationing kids and surfer types. Late at night (around 12ish) the bars turn into mini clubs. We tried hanging one night....we were by far the oldest people there! :) Our last night was the start of the annual Jazz Festival with concerts all on the beach. Even though it was raining it was packed! Oh and we just missed David Guetta performing by a couple days. That would have been amazing!!

Part of me wishes we could have stayed longer. It's a perfect outdoorsy kind of place which I love! It was definitely a great way to end our time in Spain (until we come back in August).

Getting our Tapas on in Madrid

We got to Madrid in the evening pretty much starving as we hadn’t eaten all day. There were slim-pickings for food in Pamplona….jamon (ham) and cheese sandwiches….and so far I wasn’t liking the ham in Spain….really really salty. So we got to the hotel and left in search of food. Luckily our hotel was in an amazing location – perfectly central to many of the fun areas in Madrid (and right by Opera and Sol Metro stations). We stayed at the Hostal Oriente, which I highly recommend for anyone on a budget. The hotel was spotless, smelled really nice, and honestly the rooms were nicer than most 3 stars (and maybe even some 4 stars) I’ve ever stayed in….and only $60 Euros. Make sure you ask for a room in the front though with a window (but it can get a little loud at night).

As we wandered the neighborhoods we discovered that 7:30/8pm is no time to eat in Madrid. Most of the restaurants were closed so we ended up at one of the only places open, 4D, which seemed to be packed with mostly tourists. Finally it felt good to just sit and eat something after what seemed like days….and we met some fellow Americans, Tom and Nina from New York. It was nice to chat with some peeps after what seemed like forever. ☺

Madrid is a really walkable city and for the most part pretty safe so we spent a lot of time walking around different neighborhoods and checking things out at our leisure. You discover quickly that siesta time is huge here….any time from 2 – 9pm can be siesta time so expect things to be closed. We couldn’t get the schedule right….which at times can get really annoying (especially when you’re hungry and you’re not used to eating dinner at 11pm) but what can you do?

Madrid is full of plazas, which are great to just chill and people-watch. Some of our favorites were Plaza Mayor, Plaza de Santa Ana, and Plaza de la Puerta del Sol. Plaza de Santa Ana is a particularly fun spot to grab a table in the afternoon and have a glass (or two!) of wine....we spent a couple hours at Cerveceria Santa Ana.

We also made it to the Palacio Real, Museo del Prado, and Parque del Buen Retiro. The Palacio Real is a massive palace – I think it is one of the most beautifully decorated palaces I’ve seen in person. The Prado is huge and you can spend hours there….and can be overwhelming to navigate. I’ll have to say it isn’t my favorite style of painting but I could still appreciate the many masterpieces housed there. We did go to the Palacio de Velazquez and Palacio de Cristal in the Parque del Buen Retiro, which were both pretty cool and had some interesting exhibits.

We spent most of our time in the La Latina area although we tried hanging out in Huertas (lots of bars/restaurants), Chueca (gay-friendly and lots of fun boutiques) and Salamanaca (fancy area) but it was siesta time so little was going on. La Latina is a fun area full of tapas bars. Our favorites were El Escaldon and Taberna Txakoli.

Ordering tapas for the first time at a tapas bar can be a bit difficult since most of them are packed. Tapas are displayed on the bars where people order and eat. There aren’t always English menus so you kind of have to look and point. What was trickiest for me was that most of the tapas were full of mayonnaise, anchovies, sausage, ham, and/or different types of seafood. I’m not going to lie…..I don’t eat any of that stuff! I like seafood but I need to know what I’m eating. So with that said, eating was a problem for me and on more than one occasion I got cranky! ☹ Luckily we found some stuff to get by on. I will say though that one of my favorite meals was at Fresco, which had a great salad bar. I never thought I would get this excited for a salad in Spain….and I LOVE tapas! Hopefully I’ll get better at ordering the longer I’m here….good thing we still have more time left in Spain! ☺

Running of the Bulls

First off, I’m trying to keep an open mind while I write this but it will be hard as my experience in Pamplona is somewhat tainted after I made the mistake of going to an actual bullfight (More on this later and know that it is not pretty).

We were in Pamplona for the last two nights of the annual San Fermin Festival. Most people (tourists anyway) probably go in and out just to party all night and then see the Running of the Bulls. I decided it was best to stay two nights because there was no way I could stay out all night (or in our case go to bed at 2am and wake up at 5am), watch the Running of the Bulls, and then get on a train.

Our hotel, Hotel Burlada was about a 15 minute bus ride from the center of Pamplona. It worked out fine (even if it was very very basic) for us though as buses ran through the night and it was nice having the option to get away from the craziness of San Fermin. We first got to the main festival area around 8pm as the Bull Fight for the night was just finishing up. After the evening’s bullfight, many locals gather in the arena (bull ring) to play music, drink wine, spill wine, and pretty much party. They then make their way into the city’s narrow streets to continue the night’s festivities. It seemed like there were different bands, groups, etc, as they paraded down the streets. There are tons of restaurants, cafes, etc. that have been turned into bars for the festival. I’m not sure anyone in Pamplona does anything else but fiesta during San Fermin – I don’t know how they could because there were people in the bars at all hours of the day and night!

It kinda reminds me of Mardi Gras…..although I’ve never been…. People spilled out into the streets drinking the night away. It was right around 1am where we faced the decision of staying out all night or going back for a couple hours. I’m so glad we went back. Honestly I couldn’t have made it other wise. Luckily we actually got up at 5am, put on our San Fermin gear for the second time (white shirts with red scarf and red belt) and headed out to the bull course. I have no idea how, but we got seats right next to the arena so we got to see runners and bulls right before they get into the ring. We did have to sit on a wooden fence for over an hour before the race started though….but it was worth it. We got to see the swarms of Ambulance, Medical Professionals, and Cops getting ready for the race….which reminded me how scary the race could be.

I never thought for a minute that I would run. Perhaps if I was 10 years younger….maybe but still probably not. I'm somewhat adventurous but I'm small! Although it doesn’t seem like they are running fast it really can be scary! The last bull (I think Giovato was his name) got a bit confused….or maybe just pissed, at the last corner (right by our seats) into the bull ring and started running around in circles charging at people. Someone got pretty badly hurt and was wheeled off by an Ambulance. This is when a lot of the runners started climbing the fence to get away from the charging bull. Of course I freaked out as well and started climbing over the fence I was sitting on (keep in mind I was on the second fence away from the course, separated by cops, another fence, and the runners). I will say though that I’m pretty fast when faced with fear!

The race lasted for 4 minutes, 28 seconds and then afterwards people go into the bull ring to watch the runners “mess” with the bulls. There are probably 200 runners with one bull in the ring at a time. And people would take turns enticing the bull to charge at them. I felt really bad for the bulls….little did I know that this was nothing compared to what was about to happen to them. ☹ We watched for an hour before we decided to head back for a nap – and yes people were somehow starting to drink!!

That night was the last bullfight of the festival. We didn’t have tickets but we were able to scalp tickets pretty easily. We weren’t really planning on going but we weren’t sure what else to do. Now I can honestly say I really didn’t know much about bullfighting. I don’t know if I’ve chosen to ignore the truth or it was just something I never knew about but I had NO idea what they do to these poor animals. I thought the Matador “messed” with them, meaning they waved their flag, the bull charged, and they did tricks. End of story. Not sure what world I’ve been living on but I learned the hard way that I was so very wrong.

We ended up getting seats in the better, shaded section. We were sitting with a lot of adults – not the party section in the sun who really don’t seem to watch the fight. Honestly I wanted to leave after 2 minutes but was nervous we’d be disrespectful so we stayed and I pretended to watch. The bulls have no chance. It was the cruelist thing I have ever seen.

A bull comes into the ring and for about 2 minutes a few junior Matadors (Banderilleros) “mess” with them using their flags and then other Matadors (Picadors) on horses come in with a long spear to lance the bull. But it isn’t just a little pierce….I think they actually make a hole so that the next Matadors can insert their sword/objects in the same spot and weaken the bull even more. Once the hole is made, more Matadors (Bandilleros) come in and insert splints/sharp sticks into the hole. These splints stay in the bull (usually 4 – 6) during the fight.

At this point the bull is bleeding everywhere and I’m sure in an insane amount of pain. Now, this is when the “main” Matador comes in and waves his flag around and does tricks of some sort. I couldn’t tell what made a trick a “good trick”. I suspect it was when a bull got really close to the Matador but he got away. Anyway, the bull is totally weak now, gushing with blood, and expected to “fight” the Matador. The whole time we’re both thinking, “How is this even a fight”. I mean really - way to keep it fair….not to mention it is totally inhumane. So after about 5 minutes of prancing around, the Matador decides the bull is ready and takes out his big sword and inserts it into the hole that has been made for him by the previous 10 Matadors. Sometimes the bull went down right away and other times it would fight back causing the Matador to put in more swords. It was just awful. I couldn’t believe I was actually there. I think that somehow I actually mentally went to another place to be able to sit through it. The worst part is that the crowd was cheering like crazy. The Matadors got standing ovations. Just incredibly, insanely, awful.

I wasn’t going to include any of this but I figured I should because there may be people like me who just didn’t know this happens…. And I am still really mad at myself for not knowing what a bullfight is all about.

So that’s it – there’s my take on the Running of the Bulls. Perhaps it would have been different if I hadn’t seen the bullfight. I don’t know. I’m all for tradition and I love a good party but it is a whole different story when you realize that torturing of animals is the center of it all.

Ole Ole Espana!

I know instantly when I’m going to like something. In seconds, I knew Barcelona was my city. I seriously loved it. I can’t believe it has taken me 35 years to get here….but I guess there is a time and place for everything. We liked it so much that we decided to come back to spend the end of our trip here. There is so much to do – cafes, tapas bars, shops literally everywhere. And the architecture is something like I’ve never seen before. And the people are so fun – you just feel a constant energy at all times of the day and especially night….except for siesta time of course which takes a while to get used to.

Our hotel couldn’t have been in a better location. We stayed at the Ciutat de Barcelona in the El Born district (which is the lower part of La Ribera). It has kind of a trendy, funky, Bohemian feel. It is also very central to many of the major sights and nightlife. But most importantly for us it was really close to the beach and Parc de la Ciutadella which allowed me to go running finally! Plus it was the first beach we’ve seen in a while that was actually sandy.

Since we knew we were coming back we didn’t spend too much time seeing all the sights. Instead we spent a lot of time walking around different neighborhoods and stopping in buildings, shops, etc, when we felt like it. Some of our favorite neighborhoods were La Ribera of course (including El Born), Barri Gotic, and L’Eixample.

In addition to having different vibes, many of the neighborhoods look very different from an architectural perspective. The Barri Gotic area is also known as the Gothic Quarter because many of it’s buildings are from Barcelona’s golden age (15^th century or earlier). It’s full of narrow winding streets, mansions, plazas, and beautiful medieval architecture. The L’ Eixample area is where many of the city’s modern architectural creations (from the 19^th century) are located. It is also where many of the high end hotels, shops, and restaurants are. The main street, Passeig de Gracia is a really fun street to walk down.

Our favorite sight by far was La Sagrada Familia – This is Antoni Gaudi’s (one of Barcelona’s most influential modernista architects) masterpiece. It is just massive and gothically beautiful....and it’s not even done yet. He started building it in the late 1800’s but thankfully left pretty detailed plans so that building could still take place after his death. I can’t imagine what it will look like when it’s done. We also saw La Pedrera, another one of Gaudi’s works, which was a pretty cool apartment building....the event planner in me couldn't help but think it would be the coolest place for a party! When looking at Gaudi’s works it’s pretty amazing to see how much time and thought went into every little piece. He was a true lover of nature and tried to include real people, animals, and plants in his architectural style…almost like a real-life Dr. Suess book or Willy Wonka movie.

We also had the chance to see the Palau de La Musica Catalana (hopefully we'll see a concert there when we come back) and Barcelona’s Catedral. Despite the fact that our hotel was steps away from the Picasso Museum and the Esglesia de Santa Maria Del Mar we didn’t make it to either of them! Gotta save something for the end of the trip! :)

Above all, our favorite experience in Barcelona was Spain winning the World Cup while we were there! Talk about perfect timing! We watched the match in Montjuic from Placa d’Espanya where they set up huge screen TVs for the public. It was us and 75,000 others watching Spain’s victory over the Netherlands. It really was unbelievable! One of the highlights of our trip for sure! :)

Ole Ole Espana!

High Rolling it in Capri

We took a boat to Capri Island (only like a 30 minute trip from Positano) and from Capri’s Marina Grande Port, you can either take a funicular (tram) or a bus up to the main town. We took the bus and then walked a short way down to our Bed and Breakfast, Casa Augusto. We had a really cute room overlooking a big garden. The owners are really lovely people and even brought us some homemade fried Zucchini flowers (An Italian specialty). We were about a 10-minute walk to Capri town's main Piazzetta and then a 15/20-minute walk to Marina Piccola beach.

They say that Capri is full of jet-setters and lots of money. I can see that as there are tons of high-end shops but it was a little quiet while we were there so I really don’t know if I felt a jet-setter, pretty people aura in the air….but maybe that’s just me. Although I will say we saw plenty of ridiculous “P Diddy” type yachts. And yes we were both waiting for an invite. I think next time we'll pretend we're Bollywood royalty! :)

I think a lot of people come to Capri and don’t end up leaving the main town. In my opinion, you really should venture out to other parts of the island if you have the time. Capri town does have great shopping, really nice hotels, and amazing sunset views but there are other great parts of the island. We took a boat tour which was a nice way of seeing the entire island…this way you can walk to your favorite parts later. The Grotta Azzurra was pretty neat – it is this huge cave in the sea where the water is electric blue. It’s quite an experience getting into the cave on a small rowboat through a tiny hole. The cave is almost pitch dark except for the water, which glows from the sun’s reflection outside of the cave. We also went to Anacapri where we were hoping to hike to the top of Monte Salaro, which is the highest point of the island. Unfortunately we started the hike and it seemed impossible with little signage so we turned around and took the chair lift (single person, old school ski-lift style). Working out just isn’t happening these days! :)

Our last night in Capri we spent watching the World Cup Semifinals match and appropriately eating pizza at a fun place on the cliff, Capri’s Ristorante….followed by Gelato! We were both really excited that Spain won….can’t wait to be in Barcelona when they play in the finals!!

Ciao Italia! Until next time!

Bussing it to Positano

They say the best way to see Positano is by boat. We did it by bus….but we saw it by boat later. I would do both. We took the bus there. It was complete insanity. I seriously thought that was the end of me. It was only a 40 minute ride but it seemed to take forever. I counted the minutes and prayed (and I’m not even religious) the whole way there. The bus drivers drive really really fast on tiny roads that look wide enough for only 1 car (but somehow fit two going in both directions) on mountains overlooking cliffs and the sea….and it feels like you are literally just inches from the cliff. It didn’t help that I had discovered Limoncello the night before either…. If you get carsick easy you’re screwed.

Luckily we made it ok, although we missed our bus stop – which turned out fine since we met a really friendly shop owner (Positano Profumi) who waved down the local Positano bus for us and told the driver where to drop us off. Thankfully we made it to our hotel with no issues and we were pleasantly surprised with the view of the sea from our terrace. Casa Maresca is run by Paul and Lucia who were super friendly and gave us lots of information on what to do, see, eat, etc. She even did a load of our laundry, which was totally necessary at this point. :) Our room was simple but spotless and the huge bonus was the terrace and seaview….which we used every day. We were on the Fornillo side of Positano, which is about a 15 min walk to the main town and main beach Spiaggia Grande. We didn’t mind the walk since it was our only form of exercise these days…. I was hoping to do this crazy hike called the Path of the Gods but we were told that there aren’t many signs and it seemed like too much of a pain to get there....and most importantly there could be snakes so we skipped it….oh well!

Positano is a lovely, quaint, little town. And it really has a small town feel. Every Positano native we met was extremely friendly and warm. We spent a lot of time chilling on our terrace, hanging by the beach, and just walking through the main town’s winding roads window shopping.

One day, we took the boat to Amalfi and discovered why Positano is best seen by boat. As you pull away from Positano (or as you pull in) you really see the beauty of the whole coast….with the colorful houses stacked up against each other on large cliffs overlooking the striking blue of the sea . It is stunning!

We didn’t stay in Amalfi long as we caught the bus up the hill to Ravello. We were with our neighbors Chris and Laura (from Melbourne, Australia and also traveling for 4 months) and it was fun to hang with new peeps for the day. Ravello is another cute town on the Amalfi Coast with 2 huge Villas (Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufulo). We only made it to Villa Cimbrone which was beautifully landscaped and had great views of the sea and towns below. Ravello is also known for outdoor concerts during it’s annual summer festival. Unfortunately it didn’t work out logistically for us but it would have been really cool to see.

Our favorite meal was at La Tagliata, which was just above the hill near Nocelle with incredible views overlooking all of Positano. They even pick you up and drop you off for free. It is a cute, family fun restaurant. There is no menu – they just bring out 4 courses of daily specials….Antipasti, Pasta, Meat, and Dessert. Oh and wine is included. There was a TON of food. I skipped breakfast the next day because I was so full! Our last day, we stopped at La Sirenuse hotel and had coffee. This hotel is in a beautiful setting. If you can afford it – stay there. If not, at least go check it out – totally worth it….unbelievable views and great ambiance! I wish we could have spent more time there....next time!!

Sorrento - Our Gateway to the Amalfi Coast

Our journey to Sorrento consisted of a 2-hour car drive to Florence, 4-hour train ride to Naples, and then finally a 1-hour Circumvesuviana train ride to Sorrento. By the time we got there, we were exhausted. So we were pretty happy when we somehow got an apartment (instead of a regular room) at the Hotel Del Corso. It wasn’t fancy but it was bigger than expected with a couch! We both were really excited about having a couch….and the room overlooked one of the main roads of Sorrento.

Since our time was short in Sorrento we literally “forced” ourselves to go see Pompeii. We almost skipped it because we really just wanted to do nothing but it felt wrong to come all this way and not see it. So we went and it was actually pretty cool. We were only there for a couple hours because it started raining and we felt like we saw the main stuff but you really could spend a day there. It’s pretty cool to walk around an actual city that was built over 2000 years ago. The auditorium was our favorite part. I think they have concerts here occasionally….now that is a cool venue!

Sorrento is a great little town set against the Bay of Naples on a cliff. It is full of tiny, cobblestone streets with shops, restaurants, and cafes. We spent one night walking through the streets down to the pier. We stopped at a few restaurants and bars along the way for pizza (sometimes that is the only option!) and Limoncello and watched the World Cup matches. It would have been even more fun if Italy was still playing….but at least we still have Spain! :)

The Rolling Hills of Tuscany

Honestly I didn't really know what to expect of Tuscany. It was the one part of the trip that I really had done zero research. Since we were with Darsh's sis and family they did most of the planning....thanks guys!

We drove from Rome to the Chianti region of Tuscany....thanks Todd! It was a pretty windy, long ride (especially with 3 kids)....thankfully nobody got carsick! But the ride was beautiful. Rolling hills, vineyards, and castles everywhere. It was what you would expect Tuscany to be (even if you were me and didn't know what to expect).

We first stayed in Gaiole (in the Chianti region) at Castello di Spaltenna. Driving up to the hotel we learned that there was a wedding there that night. Within seconds I realized why....it was a castle....and it was stunning with the most breathtaking views....seriously what a lucky girl to be getting married there!! I was pretty psyched to be staying at a castle. We checked in, unpacked, and within minutes were drinking some fabulous red wine that Martin and Mark (friends of Darsh's sis/brother-in-law) picked out. Martin and Mark have 2 kids that play well with our nieces/nephews which worked out perfectly for us as we all had a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant, Il Pievano....which was a beautiful courtyard setting but overpriced, just "ok" food.

Tuscany is a great place to relax, eat, drink wine, visit neighboring towns, read a book, run (although I think I'm the only person in Tuscany that ran) and do nothing. We went to a medieval fair at Castello de Meleto, visited the Prada outlet (unfortunately neither one of us got anything although our nieces got pretty lucky!), ate a yummy meal at La Bottega, and visited Siena which was our favorite town in Tuscany. It's a really beautiful medieval city that is completely walled in. You actually need to park outside of a gate (Porta Romana) and then walk in. We just missed its annual horse race (Il Palio) by a couple days. It would have been great to see....but we just couldn't make it happen....next time! Siena's Duomo is one of the coolest we've seen....it's really unique with alternating black/white inlaid marble. You could spend hours in the windy cobblestone streets and alleys of Siena. Unfortunately for us we got there during siesta so things weren't as lively as I'm sure they are at night but it was still a really cute town.

The last couple nights in Tuscany we stayed at La Fontenelle which we randomly found one day in search of a restaurant. The hotel was on top of a mountain and had even more amazing views so we decided to switch to get a change of scenery. It was completely peaceful and Darsh/I took advantage of being stuck on the mountain (there wasn't a ton to do around there) and finally got some rest time!

Getting Blessed Benedict Style!

We were lucky enough that the Pope was in town during our visit so we could be a part of the Papal Audience. It was a really early day as we were picked up from the hotel at 7am then transported to St. Peter’s Square. Once there we learned that the Pope would speak to us indoors in one of the Vatican auditoriums instead of the Square (personally I think it would have been cooler outdoors but who am I to complain). From about 9 to 11am we pretty much waited for the Pope as people from all over the world took their seats. It was kind of like a concert or sporting event. People had country flags, hats, etc. and would occasionally break out into songs or cheers. One of the funnest groups were from Africa who actually got onto stage and performed – with drums, singing, and dancing! When the Pope came onto stage there was so much energy in the auditorium....like he was a Rock Star. He spoke for about an hour. Most of it we couldn’t understand but some of it was interpreted in different languages (English was one of them) by different Cardinals of the church acting as translators. Each Cardinal (translator) would start by welcoming groups from their respective countries. Most of the groups were affiliated with a Church or a school and they would all stand and cheer or sing while the Pope waved his blessings to them. We didn’t get a personal shout out….although we like to think we were part of the “Pilgrims from America” group! :) Seeing the Pope and receiving his blessings was quite an experience I must say and one that we didn’t really think we would have the opportunity to see. It was even cooler that Darshan’s dad was with us as he has been a Professor of Religion and Philosophy for over 40 years. Actually he understood a lot more of the speech than any of the rest of us did for sure. I’ll have to make sure to ask him what we missed. :)

Since not all of us went to see the Pope we waited until the next day to actually see the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. It was the second time seeing all this for both Darsh and I but we were still pretty excited. We hired a tour guide for the day, Daniella, who was amazingly knowledgeable and was even able to answer Darshan’s dad’s questions. It is unreal how many extremely talented artists (Michelangelo, Bernini, Botticelli, Raphael to name a few) worked on different pieces of the Vatican. It is even more amazing that Michelangelo hadn’t even finished a painting (he only sculpted) prior to his work at the Sistine Chapel. Daniella told us that the Pope at that time learned Michelangelo was working on a painting in Florence so hired him for the Sistine Chapel….he learned how to paint from his fellow workers! Apparently his paintings were pretty revolutionary at that time in that they incorporated a 3D type of effect….similar to that of sculptures. (At least this is what we were told....I don't even pretend to know much about art so I could be wrong....)

We walked through the Vatican Museum for hours. I really don’t remember it being so big and the Sistine Chapel was exactly how I remember it….Simply amazing! We then walked into St. Peter’s Basilica which is probably my favorite church. It is huge and grand with extremely ornate, intricate detail. Even though we've seen it before, this time it was even more stunning. We also walked to the top of the Basilica (the Cupola) which in my opinion is a must do. It is a long walk up a very narrow staircase ( I think it was 572 steps but there is an elevator half way if you need) but soooo worth it. It is the highest point in Rome and has ridiculous views of all of Rome. We were lucky that there wasn’t a cloud in the sky when we got up there….so pretty! And from up so high you could see all the amazing ruins, churches, architecture, piazzas in this great city. It was such a great way to end the day.