Category: Europe
Catholic Rome: Day at the Vatican
Day 13 – Rome, Italy The man at the front desk greeted us in English, but when I replied “ciao,” he responded, “In Italy, you speak Italian! Bravo!” I learned to say a few more things in Italian and he was very happy to hear […]
The Search for Italian Ancestors in Abruzzo, Italy
Day 10 – Caramanico, Sant’ Eufemia, Italy After my husband tore me away from the beautiful La Ghiandia (meaning: The Garden), we took off for the Abruzzo region of Italy. This was the most remote area we experienced on the entire trip, but well worth […]
Tuscan Paradise: La Ghiandaia
SAERTANO, TUSCANY, ITALY : La Ghiandaia Located in the rolling hills of Saertano, Tuscany, at the foot of Mount Cetona lies La Ghiandaia. The 1,700 year old converted Church now boasts several unique guest rooms in classic Tuscan design. Each morning the owners supplied a […]
The Hills of Tuscany
Day 9 – Tuscany: Siena & Montepulciano, Italy Today we slept in a little bit, packed up our things, and grabbed a light breakfast. We weren’t supposed to pick up our rental car until 1 p.m., but in our exhaustion, we decided that we’d skip […]
Leaning Tower of Pisa & Florence, Italy
Day 8 – Florence & Pisa, Italy We savored our last hours in Venice. Our vaparetto ride to the train station was nice. The sunshine hit the water and splashed light on the ancient buildings. We bid farewell and found our train seats. Three hours […]
Venice B&B: Locanda Ca’Valeri
VENICE, ITALY : Locanda Ca’Valeri While visiting Venice, we booked ourselves into Locanda Ca’Valeri, a quaint bed and breakfast just minutes from San Marco Square. It was slightly tricky to find, because the location was tucked away on a side street. However, the location was amazing. We […]
Doge, Campanile,& St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice
Day 7 – Venice, Italy Breakfast was served in our room, with rolls, bread, and hot chocolate. Today our tour began at Doge’s Palace. Pictures were not allowed on the inside. It reminded us of a smaller version of the Palace of Versailles, with heavily […]
Dream Destination: Venice
Day 6 – Venice, Italy Today we woke up at 7 and got ready to leave Switzerland. After a breakfast of cereal and croissants, we checked out and prepared for our train journey to Venice. The ride was breathtaking from Spiez to Milan. The train […]
Interlaken Retreat: Hotel Du Lac
For our stay in Interlaken, we chose Hotel Du Lac. Just a few steps from Interlaken OST Train Station, this hotel is the ideal starting point for excursions to Jungfrau and Schilthorn, as well as scenic train rides throughout Switzerland. Take a funicular to the ski […]
10 Reasons We Fell in Love with Switzerland
It took no time at all for Switzerland to make a deep impact on us. We quickly fell in love with this gorgeous country. Realizing how difficult it seemed to find a laundromat, it dawned on us that we now had a purpose and a […]
Schilthorn Here We Come!
Day 5 – Interlaken, Switzerland Today we woke up early, after a rough night of sleep. The breakfast buffet at Hotel Du Lac was a joy-croissants and cheese was the choice of the day for us. The weather was cold and cloudy, looking once again […]
Cow Bells & Paragliders: Welcome to Interlaken
Day 4– Interlaken, Switzerland Today was a relief to our feet! We checked out of our hotel in Paris at 6:45 a.m. and took a cab to Gare de Lyon rail station. We weren’t 100% sure if we had claimed the correct seats. But, the […]
Final Day in Paris: Arc de Triomphe & Musee du Louvre
Day 3 – Paris, France We spent our 3rd and final day visiting two of the top attractions in Paris. The first was the Arc de Triomphe, an impressive monument overlooking the Champs-Élysées. It was commissioned by Napoleon and honors the armies of the Revolution […]
Palace of Versailles, France
Day 2 – Paris, France Today we found a cash station before heading to the metro once again. We found one around the block from our hotel with a people mover underground to the next large train station, St. Michel, Notre Dame. From there we […]
Day 1: Paris-Bound
There we sat on the long, green grass, staring up at the Eiffel Tower. It was and still is far more magical to see in person. I was mesmerized the minute our plane touched down in Paris. It is more beautiful than pictures can capture. […]