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"

 

The Highly Anticipated Cinque Terre

Hello everyone!  We are a few days behind on blogging because we’ve just been having too much fun.  We definitely want to keep you all informed though so we’ll do cliff notes versions for a couple of days until we get back on track!  It doesn’t help that our hotel here in Roma doesn’t have wi-fi!  Oops.

Train to Cinque Terre please

Anyway, here’s the story about our day at Cinque Terre:

We got to the train station about 15 minutes before our train departure in order to print our tickets but the machine wasn’t working.  We scrambled around for what seemed like the length of an hour and then just like a movie scene we ran for our train and barely made it on time.  The train ride to Cinque Terre was a little over two hours.

❤

We immediately started our walk on “Lovers Lane” which is the path between the first and second town.  As you can see, people write their names on the wall and attach a lock or a symbol of togetherness on the fences or trees or wherever they can find.  We settled for writing our names 😉

The second town was quaint but beautiful. The restaurant we decided to settle for because we were starving wasn’t so great though!  There were flies everywhere.  It was not what we were expecting to say the least so we got out of there as quickly as possible.

Look familiar?

From there we accidently hopped on the metro heading the wrong direction (we are getting great at back-tracking) so we decided to do the towns backwards – from 5 back to 3.  The trek from 5 to 4 was no joke!  It was 4 km and we were sweating.  We couldn’t help but reminisce our LITW experience.  Each step was a clear reminder of how we got here!

We finished out the day by sharing a bottle of wine at a little stop at leg 3 of Cinque Terre and then took the train back to Firenze.  By the time we arrived back we couldn’t wait to shower!

After freshening up we went out to the town to seek a dinner spot.  Little to our knowledge, Riostrantes close earlier on Sundays and it was nearing 11pm.  The concierge at our hotel opened the bar area for us and made us Caprese and a plate of meats and cheeses followed by the perfect end to our night – Limoncello.

Here are a few photos from last nights dinner and the rest from today!  Enjoy and we’d love to hear comments as well.  We miss our family and friends 😉

Our hotel's Living Room area

Nicoletti has a place close to my heart

Our fancy shmancy dinner

Walking through Firenze from dinner

Trail Shoes, LITW style

First Stop @ Cinque Terre

Say this 5 times fast...

Locks of Love on Lover's Lane

Town #2 (Manola)

Looks great right?

Yummy fly in our Olive Oil

My "I'm trying to pretend I don't want to vomit" face

Now we're talking... From Town #5

 

And then 4km later....

A well deserved glass of wine

My handsome man

The end to a great day!

 

Firenze Day One

Special blog appearance from the one and only Mike Spiro:

Sunrise at Ponte Vecchio

I woke up early to go for a jog around Florence and get my coordinates in our new city. Our hotel is located at the heart of the city and a short jog to the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, the Uffitizi, and Academia. Florence is a renaissance city, known for it’s historic art and architecture and beautiful views and charm (as you can tell by the ugly sun rise over the Arno River taken during my jog over the Ponte Vecchio). When Sam woke up, we inhaled a complimentary five-star breakfast of fruit, yogurt, bacon, eggs, sausage, and toast with raspberry/blueberry jam and chocolatey Nutella (bomb!). We got recognized by a woman staying at the hotel, who took a photo of us by the breakfast buffet (Sam was mortified… still half-asleep in her PJs! This would be the first of two today).

Rape of Sabine (no photography allowed, obviously)

The hotel booked a reservation for 12:30 at Academia, which gave us plenty of time to see Brunachelli’s Duomo, the famous domed cathedral at the center of Florence that dominates the skyline in most postcard photos. At Academia, we saw many timeless works of art, including the Rape of Sabine and Michaelangelo’s David (no photos allowed or the staff barks at you in Italian and wags their fingers at you). After Academia we walked through the open-air Mercado, where locals peddle Italian leather handbags, wallets and jackets to tourists at “sale: today only!” discounts (suuuure). We decided to walk over the Ponte Vecchio and grab a small bite and glass of wine at a restaurant at base of the bridge.

Feeling ambitious, we walked back to the Duomo to climb the bell tower (all 414 steps… I smoked this little Italian kid in a footrace to the top) for sweeping views of the city and Tuscan hills on the horizon. We went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at Cibero, a famous high-end Italian ristorante, where we enjoyed eggplant parmesan, minestrone soup, cheesy polenta, veal cutlets in marinara and chicken meatballs in cream sauce. Stuffed and satisfied, we enjoyed our nice long walk back to the hotel, navigating the crowded streets of Florence (it was Friday night after all, and the Italians were already raging in full force).

It’s bedtime for us… Tomorrow we get up early to catch our train to Cinque Terre, the famous five towns on the Medditerranan coast (and well known for their delicious pesto!)  Buena serra!

Duomo

Italian Swap Meet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before....

After...

Ponte Vecchio

Going up the bell tower

MORE stairs... bringing back memories!

The view!

From the top!!

Duomo Steps - sight seeing

 

Au Revoir Paris!

Well today was our last day in Paris – on to Florence. Our favorite parts about Paris (besides the food of course) were the boat tour and walking up the Eiffel Tower.  The base of the tower is HUGE and getting to walk up one corner of it was breathtaking – both the view and the stairs! I can assure you Paris will be missed but I’m definitely excited to get to Italy.  I have Italian roots and I think it will feel like home – pasta and wine please!

Transportation #2 of the day

The numerous modes of transportation of today were as follows: Metro in Paris to the train connecting us toward the airport, then a shuttle once at the airport to get to our terminal (which was in BFE) to the plane, then once we landed in Florence we took a taxi to our hotel.  Seven hours later we arrived at The Golden Tower in Firenze.  It was all worth it -our hotel is so ridiculously luxurious! Our room is two stories including two bathrooms, a bedroom, a walk-in closet, and a living room… plus we have access to a full spa!  The photos don’t do it justice but check them out below anyway. So much space for just two people.

"The Florentine Boar"

For dinner we took the concierge’s suggestion and ate at La Bussola where we proceeded to have the best pizza ever – super fresh ingredients that just melted in our mouths.  The Chianti wasn’t too bad either 😉  We were super tired but wanted to walk the city a little since we just arrived.  It was then we discovered the famous il Porcellino (the Florentine Boar)!  Of course we stopped to make a wish and drop a coin or two. If I wasn’t convinced I would love Italy before, I sure am now and we’re only a few hours!

For our first official day in Firenze tomorrow we will tackle Academia Belle Arti, Duomo, and Ponte Vecchio!

Blogging away at the airport

Normal room, right?

Bottom Floor mini bar (full access granted)

There's more... up the stairs...

Living room (which is our blogging and iPad room)

Bathroom #2 - complete with bidet

Cheers to Firenze!

Snout Face

Goodnight!!

 

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?

❤

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!!