Best. Day. Ever. Thanks, Syd.

The title to this blog says it all. Today was our last day in Sydney, but today was deemed, by mutual decision, the winner of The Most Awesome Day Award for Excellence in Awesomeness. Here’s what made it so great:

The architectural masterpiece

We started out the day with a self-guided tour of the Sydney Opera House, which is one of Sydney’s most recognizable historic landmarks. Definitely one of the coolest buildings ever constructed, and its even cooler up close. It located next to the Royal Botanical Gardens and across the harbor from the Sydney Harbour Bridge – right in the middle of the action, and close walking distance from our hotel. The photos below don’t do it justice… It is truly a work of exceptional art and beautiful modern architecture.

You love this, huh Dad?

Side note from Samantha – (Mike completely forgot to talk about a very important part of our day… The Sydney Police and Justice Museum)… After many hours of pleading Mike agreed to go to the Museum with me.  I completely understand that most human beings wouldn’t be interested in such a thing.  I, on the other hand, think it’s brilliant and the most fascinating subject on earth.  We walked through the old courts and read about crime and punishment in the 1800′s in Australia and ASIO, which is Australia’s National Security Service.  Mike even cracked a smile once or twice in the Weapon Room!

Anyway, it was a blast. Now, here’s Mike’s version of the remainder of our day…

Yep.

Next we walked down to the IMAX Theater on Cockle Bay (*insert Beevis laugh here*), to see Born to be Wild in 3D. “But Mike, why would take time out of your trip around the world to see a 3D IMAX movie about orphaned elephants and orangoutangs?” Well, I’m glad you asked… only because this particular IMAX theater is the biggest in the entire WORLD!  So yes, this was an IMAX experience that we simply could not pass up. And it still holds the title of “Biggest IMAX  In The World” (at least for now, until Dubai builds one in a football stadium or something).

After watching a movie about animals, we suddenly had an urge to see some REAL animals. Lucky for us, the Sydney Aquarium is located 5 minutes from the theater.

Shark Attack

With only an hour before it closed, we had to tour quickly. We saw Little Penguins, weird-looking sea horses, massive sea crabs, gigantic sea turtles, sting rays, and big, fat dugongs (also known as the Sea Cow). But my favorite was the shark tank. We watched sharks from inside a big glass viewing tube. They swam all around us and right up to the glass. Some of the sharks were HUGE, and since we were inside their tank, they looked close enough to reach out and touch.

That’s it for our Best. Day. Ever. Tomorrow morning we leave for Port Douglas, Australia, where we’ll swim the Great Barrier Reef have a chance to see some of the wildlife from the aquarium up close and personal (no viewing tubes this time). And yep, you guessed it: I’m going to try to ride a giant sea turtle (Samantha just rolled her eyes)… Good night!

Loving the Architecture

Learning about architect Jørn Utzon

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Oh boy.

Busted.

Double Busted.

3D "Born to be Wild" in IMAX!

Sushi?

This one's for you Cousin Scott

A replica of the Largest shark spotted - 7.4 meters.

The Dugong (or Sea Cow, or Dolphin's Ugly Cousin as Mike calls it). Google it.

After Dinner Goodnight Kiss. Bye Sydney!

 

It’s Official…

Paradise, aka Rixos Libertas Hotel

Yup, that happened

 

…. We’re never leaving (gotcha, huh?)!  We had no idea what to expect upon choosing Croatia in our itinerary, but we sure are glad we did, especially this hotel.

So today is our first full day in Dubrovnik.  We are staying right outside of old town (about a 15 minute walk) and because we love our hotel so much we decided to have a relax at the hotel day!  It was a perfect day to enjoy the sun and amazing views our hotel location had to offer.  After a late breakfast, we hit the gym to sweat out all the pasta, wine and cheese we’ve been consuming the last week or so.  Then it was straight to the water!  We walked down to the hotel’s private ‘beach area’ which is more like a dock and jumped straight in; taking pride in the cool new underwater Mike purchased The weather could not have been more fitting for our day!

Enjoying our balcony, Corona commercial style

Because we have a balcony worth being jealous over, we decided to use it in all of it’s glory.  We sat there for probably 3 hours soaking in the sun, beer in hand.

Forcing ourselves to leave the room we went to the Terrace for a small snack before showering up for dinner in Old Town Dubrovnik.  This was the first time we’ve walked into the town and it is sure beautiful!

Old Town Dubrovnik

 

 

The Streets are so clean and shiny we were joking they probably spit shine them!  We walked through a few cobblestone alleyways before finding a spot to eat nestled away on the skirts of Old Town.  After some amazing lasagna and tuna gnocchi, we started the trek back to our hotel, but not before stopping for some delicious ice cream!

We honestly could not have asked for a better day!  Another transportation day tomorrow to Hvar Island; we’ve heard they are expecting a thunderstorm… stay tuned!

More photos from our lazy Croatia day below:

 

Before the jump...

After the jump...

Mike about to take flight

 

Heading to dinner

Oh this bottle... why not?

Caught red handed - cheesiest lasagna ever!

Goodnight streets of Dubrovnik... we'll be back!

 

…Do as the Romans do

In the ruins at the Colosseum

Oops.

Today we got off to a late start. After nearly a week of shuffling about to different sites and monuments, we decided today would be the day we sleep in until 11:00am. We woke up famished, so we hailed a cab and crossed the river to grab some lunch at a place recommended by a friend of mine. Unfortunately it was closed, but luckily we ran into a friendly local that recommended a place nearby for “truly authentic roman cuisine.” She was right, and I enjoyed my pasta so much I decided to take some of it with me… On my white t-shirt!

Vatican

We walked up the path along the river to the Vatican, the home of the Pope and widely-visited headquarters for Catholics all across the globe. The line stretched down the street (WAY more popular than a Justin Beiber concert!) We were in line to purchase Pope-stamps (postage stamps with the Pope’s face on them) for postcards when we got recognized by a young woman from the US.  Pretty crazy getting recognized all the way out here… I wonder if the Pope watched us too?

Audio Tour - these are my favorite!

We took the Rome Metro (by the way, definitely not Sam’s favorite form of transportation) to the Colosseum, which was definitely our favorite monument so far. We picked up a  squawk-box for a self-guided audio-tour of the arena. Nearly 2,000 years ago, gladiators faced lions, bears, and each other in bloody battles to the death to entertain the citizens and royalty of ancient Rome… Just like the modern-day Superbowl, only 170 times a year and with way more fatal injuries.

Before dinner, we sat on our private patio and snacked on olives, cheese, crackers, and salami. All fresh ingredients from the local market around the corner…

The Man and his steak (more like half of a cow)

We celebrated our last meal in Italy at Tullio, a restaurant near our hotel, where we experienced a unique, warm dining atmosphere. The white truffles were rich and flavorful, but I couldn’t resist the urge to order the much-anticipated Bistecca: a giant bone-in T-bone steak (pictured below).

That’s a wrap on Italy. We leave for Croatia bright and early tomorrow morning. But not before another long travel day!

Here’s a sneak peak at more of our last full day in Rome -

Eating among the locals near the Vatican

 

Walking to the Vatican from lunch

In front of the Colosseum

Our Dinner Spot

Last night in Rome

 

When in Rome…

In front of the Pantheon

Train to Roma

We pre-purchased our tickets for the train from Florence to Rome prior to our trip so we could ensure it was set and organized.  Upon getting ready for the day we realized the train was departing an HOUR earlier than we thought.  We assumed we’d miss that train (set to leave in about 30 minutes) because we still had to check out of our hotel and the train station was about a 15 minute walk.  Much to our surprise the train was delayed 5 minutes and was departing as we walked up.  We scurried on to the train, luggage and all as the doors were closing again!  So lucky!

Taking it to the streets

Once we got to Rome we set out to find the Metro Station to take about 4 stops to our hotel (about a half mile).  Well, today was sure full of surprises – the Metro was closed due to a strike!  As a result, the taxi line was basically around the block (and taxi prices were hiked based on the high demand).  So what do you do?!  Well, our luggage got quite acquainted with Rome’s cobblestone streets as we decided to walk!  Mike was a gentleman as usual, took one of my bags. I’m so spoiled, right?

It took a while and we were sweating bullets by the time we reached our hotel – on top of the Spanish Steps!  It is a beautifully located hotel and our room even has a private patio!

After eating lunch, we set out to explore seeing the Pantheon as well at the Piazza Navona and of course Trinita dei Monti (right outside our hotel).  We are excited to do both the Vatican and The Colosseo tomorrow!  Blogging and bed time for us!

My "Holy" Salami for breakfast

Mike likes to make fun of me fore picking the fat pieces from my Salami

Our Balcony at Intercontinental De La Ville

Mike 'planking' in the hotel bed

The Roman 'planking' in front of the Pantheon

Spanish Steps

The turtle centerpiece at our lunch spot

Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona Market

Dinner at a place we found walking

 

Ninja Turtles Museum

Uffizi Tickets

Another day in Firenze means another Museum – Uffizi today!  We purchased an audio set and began the tour.  No photos are permitted inside the museum so we have no evidence we were actually there but I can assure you that we saw all Ninja Turtles works of art.  Just kidding – Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Prima Verra were absolutely spectacular.

Vivoli Gelatos

After Uffizi we walked around Florence and stopped for a Gelato at Vivolis, which came highly recommended.  My pistachio/crema gelato tasted like heaven in my mouth.  We took a break to enjoy at Piazza de Maria Croce then headed out to Michelangelo’s Plaza to watch the sunset.  The photos say more than I ever would be able to articulate about how amazing it was!

Sunset from Michelangelo's Plaza over Ponte Vecchio

Writing this all out I am realizing how much we accomplish in one day!  We’re just packing it all in there.  Anyway, we had the BEST dinner at Giostra (I highly recommend this dinner spot to anyone visiting Florence – you must make reservations prior through your hotel, fyi).  Mike had his highly anticipated Oso Bucco and it did not disappoint.  Of course I stuck with cheese ravioli, which was no ordinary cheese ravioli.   You can taste the passion in preparing each dish.  The owner was there (pictured with us) and he greeted us several times to assure we were enjoying ourselves.  It was the perfect way to end our time in Florence.

We are so sad to be going but feel like we were able to see so much and thoroughly enjoy the city and culture over the last few days.  Next time we come we would like to visit the countryside as well.  I want to walk through sunflower gardens   Until then, we are off to Roma!

Uffizi

We found a parade!

The random parade in Firenze

The view from Michelangelo's Plaza

On the Steps

The view as the sun set

Little did we know we were about to have the best meal ever!

Our happy place

The "prince"

 

Louvre Day

Hanging out on the Siene River

Breakfast in the city

It is so beautiful in Paris today.  It’s about 80 degrees with clear blue skies.  The 25 sweaters and jackets I brought were probably a bit unnecessary.  Today we discovered something we wish we found the first day – a grocery store.  This place was like Disneyland: olive buffet, a bread buffet, self serve spice rack.  I honestly think we spent about an hour in there and probably could have stayed all day but because we got a late start to the day, we were starving (and getting cranky).  We purchased all the necessary groceries to have a picnic and a late breakfast – the best croissant I’ve ever had and  ‘pain au chocolat’ (chocolate bread) for Mike.

Then it was off to the Louvre.  We are starting to get really good at these Metro stops.  While waiting for the Metro it always reminds me of that scene from Paris Je’Taime (my favorite movie) when the couple is sitting across from the man and the boyfriend starts to get jealous.   Anyone?  Okay, nevermind.

The view from our "picnic"

Anyway, we found a spot with a great view on the “Lawn” (which is really an unpaved path) for our picnic.  Mike was really excited about his Dijon mustard medley for our sandwiches and he was sure to sample each one.  It was great to people watch and enjoy our lunches along with many others who were there for all different reasons.

The Louvre is amazing.  It took me about 10 minutes and lots of puppy dog eyes to get Mike to agree to purchase the audio tour but we are so happy we did.  There are so many amazing art pieces.  The captions are in French so it was definitely helpful to have the audio headsets.  As we were getting acquainted with our new learning machines a girl (about 18) tapped Mike on the shoulder and said “I just have to tell you both congratulations.”  We got recognized all the way over here in France!  Crazy.

Audio Tour

Another funny thing about our experience at the Louvre – the bottom of my sandal started to come off.  Each step we took was another inch my sandal was coming apart.  The floors in the Louvre are marble so you can imagine the loud (and embarrassing) flap*flap*flap noise my sandal was making with each step.  We were cracking up and tried to ask a lady at the desk for a paperclip or glue – she didn’t speak English.

For dinner we decided to head back over to the Notre Dame area and eat at Hippopotamus.  Our feast was delicious then we took a nice (and long) stroll over to the Siene River and sat on the ledge pretending to be locals – wine and chocolates and all.  This was probably the most relaxing and rewarding part of our day. It was an amazing last full day in Paris.  We are on to Florence.  In the meantime, here’s a few more photos from the day… Au Revoir!

Finding a picnic spot

Salami Sandwiches

Mike’s very exciting Dijon Spread

The Louvre

The Winged Victory

Mona Lisa

Siene River

Notre Dame

 

We’re Tourists

So Cliche

Yep… we are official tourists after today and can check numerous Paris sights off our list.  The morning started early with a workout.  We’re both a bit disappointed with the gym at our hotel, but then again who the heck works out while on vacation in Paris?  ;)  It makes us feel a little better about all the wine, croissants and Cantal cheese we are consuming.

Up we go!

First up on today’s agenda was the Eiffel Tower.  As we were walking to the Tower we were having a discussion about why Paris is considered the most romantic city in the world.  We still haven’t come to a conclusion about it.  We definitely love the city, but haven’t quite felt the romanticism of it in particular.  I mean, we’re in love so there’s always that.

Anyway, we stopped to snap a few photos with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop then proceeded to walk up to it.  The line to take the elevator to the top was unreasonably long so we decided to take the stairs up to the 2nd floor of the Tower (it was about a 10 minute walk up the stairs – we started regretting our earlier gym visit about 5 minutes in).  We learned a lot of history about the Tower and it’s architect, Gustave
Eiffel.  To put the massiveness of this tower into perspective – it’s a little smaller than the Empire StateBuilding in NY.  After huffing and puffing up the Tower we rewarded ourselves by having lunch in the Tower58 restaurant.

Arc de Triomphe

We then headed over to see the Arc de Triomphe, which is an Arc dedicated to the fallen soldiers during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.  We snapped a photo and that was that.

After that we headed back to the hotel to put on some warmer clothes and return to the Eiffel Tower where we took a boat tour on the Seine River.  This was my favorite part of the day by far.  We boarded the boat right in front of the lit up Eiffel Tower and it started flashing like it was sparkling.  The photos don’t do it justice but we definitely got a sense of the romanticism of the Tower after that moment.  The tour was very informative and enjoyable – we saw Notre Dame, the Concorde, and the Louvre, among other sites.

ManBurger #2 of the Trip

Dinner was right outside of Notre Dame where they have a bunch of restaurants and bars off the beaten path.  Getting to dinner was quite an excursion as we got lost after departing the metro and couldn’t find the exit anywhere.  After quite a few twists and turns we had a little victory photo with the exit sign.  The night finished quite late with an after dinner drink at a place called Hippopotamus.  It was so late in fact that as we went to hop on the Metro we discovered it was closed!  Oops.  At least we got to experience a French Taxi ride

More pictures the day below.

Bonne nuit Paris!

Walking up the Eiffel Tower

The view from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower

Boat Tour

Isn’t it pretty?

<3

Exit - at last!!

Mike's not-at-all girly drink

Sparkles!

Au revoir!!

 

Bonjour Paris!

Searching for Hotel Lutetia

Eglise de la Madeline

We made it!!  We were a little stiff getting off the plane but super excited to start our first day in Paris. Right away we bought a train ticket to get into Paris.  Mike and I (and all 5 bags of luggage) piled into an empty train. Little did we know that within two stops the train would be packed (and hot and stinky) with people – both locals and tourists alike.  After making it off the train we then found the metro and boarded it to Serves-Babylone which took us right to our Hotel.  We arrived around 1 and check-in wasn’t until 3 so we left our bags with the Concierge and set off to do some exploring (and more eating).

We bought metro tickets and found ourselves in Madeline where we discovered a little sidewalk cafe.  I can’t believe the amount of people they fit into such small spaces here!  Tables are basically on top of each other – there is no personal bubble at all!  After grabbing a bite to eat (gladly testing out the French Fries to see how they compare to the US Fries) and having a glass of wine we walked around and found a beautiful church.

Using the iPad as a mirror

After checking into the hotel we had plans to shower up and walk the town until dinner, but then we both fell asleep.  The jet lag finally got to us – we passed out on the opposite side of the bed with no pillows or blankets.  We were out for a solid 3 hours before waking up in complete darkness and starving!  So we started getting ready when I realized our bathrooms (yes plural) had two showers but no electrical outlets.  As you can see in the photo I resorted to doing my hair on the bed with the iPad as a mirror.

For dinner we went to Cafe Louise in St. Germain.  Mike was very pleased with his LouiseBurger which we named ManBurger and I splurged as well having scrumptious pasta with ham and cheese.  As each meal passes, Mike gets a little better at his very broken French.  We keep making jokes about how we start speaking English with a French accent, as if that would actually help our waiter understand what we are trying to convey.

Mike's ManBurger

Anyway, after our dinner date we walked across the street to the famous Cafe De Flore where we finally experienced a typical, very rude French waiter.  We heard they are everywhere here but I guess had been lucky until this moment.  Luckily, the ‘glace’ was delicious – pistachio ice cream with fudge and the best whipped cream I’ve ever tasted.

Overall, we had an amazing first day!!  We have a big day planned tomorrow – Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triomphe followed by a “night river tour” (I have no idea what this entails but Mike assures me he has it all under control).  I’ll keep you posted

Au revoir!!

P.S. Check out our pictures below from the day…

Cafe de Flore

Night Cap

 

Airplanes aren’t so bad

I thought I hated flying until this experience!!  Our flippin’ seats had massagers.  Right when we boarded theplane we knew this was going to be a flying experience unlike any we’ve had before (I didn’t even have to take my Xanax).  The seats were huge and reclined into full on beds.  It was like being in our own little cocoon with movies galore and and a wait staff.

Mike immediately took a liking to our little bag of toiletries provided which included socks, a eye mask, a comb, hand lotion and a mini toothbrush and paste.  The staff came over and collected our coats and we were ready for take off!

We were served a three-course dinner and drinks (Ravoili and Bordeaux for me and Chicken and Scotch for Mike).  It was incredible.  Then it was lights out for about 4 or 5 hours.  When we woke up it was breakfast time, which was our favorite meal on the flight.  We both were so happy with everything on our plates we didn’t know which part to eat first!  YUM!

The flight was about 10 hours total so with the time difference we arrived in Paris at 11:10 AM – a bit jet lagged but ready to start our first day in Paris!

 

On our way…

We cannot believe the day is actually here!!  We will wake up in Paris tomorrow!  Crazy. So here’s the itinerary…

September 25 (today) – Paris, France (3 nights)

September 29th – Florence, Italy (4 nights)

October 3rd – Rome, Italy (2 nights)

October 5th – Dubrovnik, Croatia (2 nights)

October 7th – Hvar, Croatia (2 nights)

October 9th – Back to Dubrovnik, Croatia (1 night)

October 10th and 11th – Flying for a really long time

October 12th – Sydney, Australia (2 nights)

October 14th – Port Douglas, Australia (4 nights)

October 18th – San Francisco

Our bags are packed and we’re ready to go.  Packing was quite a feat actually.  We figured out for most of our flights we are allotted ONE fifty pound bag.  I know the girls out there will understand my worry upon discovering this news.  Anyhow, I avoided packing until the very last minute but shockingly fit everything and it still weighs less than Mike’s

We’re all checked in at LAX and we’re hanging out in the VIP Lounge (so spoiled, I know) waiting to board our first flight.  We have a direct flight to Paris.  We are both enjoying the lounging around right now but as usual, I’m nervous for the flight.  I have my Xanax and a glass of wine in hand though so I should be fine.

Paris, here we come!

Mike is most excited for the Australia leg of our trip where we will be going SKYDIVING over the Great Barrier Reef!  Apparently we want to take our ‘adventurous spirits’ to all different countries He’s also really looking forward to snorkeling and trying to convince me to “Swim with the Sharks”.  That just doesn’t sound right to me; only a fool tries to swim with sharks.  Anyhow, hopefully we come back alive and with all of our limbs.

I, on the other hand, am most excited for Croatia.  I am not sure why and have no idea what to expect, but those who have traveled there before tell us to be ready for beautiful scenes and an incredible experience.  I am definitely ready for that.

Wish us a good flight and we’ll catch you on the flip side!!