Holiday Weekend Spontaneity

Hello and Happy Tuesday! Hope you all are doing well!

We've had several posts about our Sharm el-Sheikh trip recently, and there's some more to that story to come; however, I wanted to fill you in on our most recent adventure! We had a really fun, spontaneous getaway over Fourth of July weekend!

For the week or so leading up to the Fourth, we had talked about going somewhere, done some research, and looked into different places to stay within driving distance, but we hadn't finalized any plans. We went down to our neighbors' for some sparklers and fireworks on Thursday night and were there pretty late! So we slept in on Friday, not really thinking that we were going to be doing anything too elaborate for the weekend.

A realtor had scheduled a showing for Friday afternoon, so we spent the morning prepping the house and skedaddled out of there with the dog shortly before her scheduled appointment. Unfortunately, the realtor ended up canceling . . . an HOUR after her scheduled appointment time . . . so needless to say, we were frustrated about having to unnecessarily waste so much of the first day of our long weekend.

Since it was our first Independence Day in Florida, we didn't really know where we wanted to go for a fireworks celebration. After a little Internet research, we decided to take advantage of our Sea World season passes and go down there for their Fourth of July festivities!

We got down to Sea World around 6pm and enjoyed a couple of rides that we hadn't yet experienced. The big event that we were excited for was the last Shamu show of the night: Shamu's Celebration: Light Up The Night! So we made our way over to Shamu Stadium at around 6:45 (the show didn't start until 8:15). It was good that we went so early because the line was already rather substantial.

They started letting us in around 7:30, and we were able to score some pretty sweet seats dead center in the splash zone!

The show was very good, I always really enjoy seeing the animals and trainers interact! The grand finale was incredible with all five humongous whales moving in beautiful synchronicity along with fireworks exploding behind them! I was fortunate enough to get some fun video:

After the final Shamu Show, they put on a big concert after which they had their huge fireworks, but we decided to beat the crowd out of the park and left while the fireworks were going on. We made it home rather late and slept in again on Saturday!

Saturday morning we were just bumming around the house when Austin said, "Let's go to the Keys!"

So we quickly packed for a potential overnight (including everything we would need to "car camp" just in case we couldn't find a hotel), got Hallie and her stuff loaded, and headed out! From the time Austin had the idea to the time we were on the road was about an hour!

Since we had never been down to the Keys before, we decided to go for broke and go all the way down to Key West, which is about six hours from home for us. We weren't in a hurry, and it was a beautiful day! We had packed snacks so we ate those for our lunch, and we stopped a little bit before Miami at a Chick-fil-A to take advantage of our July calendar-card freebie: a free hand-spun shake! (We bought four calendars in December, so we each have two cards, which means we each enjoy the freebie twice a month.)

We thoroughly enjoyed the scenic drive south, and arrived at the southernmost point of the United States around 5pm. The point is marked with a large monument, and it is apparently a very popular spot! So popular, in fact, that there was a very long line to get your picture taken in front of the monument. Rather than wait in that line, we sat on a little bench a little bit to the side of the monument and got a selfie that way, so please pay no attention to the Indian family that is photobombing our southernmost point photo! :P

Austin & Katy at the Southernmost Point in the United States!

After seeing the southernmost point of the US, we made our way to the Higgs Beach Dog Park for Hallie to run off some steam and use the bathroom. There were a few other dogs there playing, so she had a great time! The park is a great size and has a water station and shaded tables for humans. There's a small dogs only section, and an area for the larger dogs to rough house! The only frustrating thing about this park is that the beach that is adjacent to the dog park is not open to dogs!

Hallie playing at the Higgs Beach Dog Park

Hallie is a great little traveler, and she always does great in the car! This trip was no exception! She's also crazy popular everywhere we go! I find that few people have ever seen a dog that looks exactly like her - she's a Basenji/Golden Retriever mix, and she's this gorgeous copper color with a fluffy tail that curls over her back when she's excited, and her face often looks like she's smiling!

Me & the Hallie girl

After the dog park it was about sunset hour, so we made our way over to Mallory Square Dock to take it in! Mallory Square Dock is in the heart of old Key West. It's surrounded by old shops and museums and restaurants, and it hosts Sunset Celebration, "Key West's premier nightly arts festival!". Sunset is the key time of day for this attraction, and the square is very busy! Street food vendors, fortune tellers, and souvenir sellers set up all along the edge of the sidewalk, and the whole place takes on a celebratory air! Even though it was pretty crowded, Austin was able to get this gorgeous shot of the sunset!

The last stop of the night was a late dinner at Outback Steakhouse! Austin had received a gift card, and he had also figured out how to leave the Prius on but lock it at the same time so that Hallie would be in a comfortable, climate-controlled environment while we enjoyed our dinner! (He's so smart!)

After dinner, we decided to make our way back north. We wanted to get back to the mainland so as not to get caught in the wave of holiday travelers that would be making their way back in the morning, so as Austin drove, I looked for a hotel that would welcome the three of us (including the dog) -- which is harder than you would initially imagine! Thankfully we found a nice La Quinta Inn & Suites just outside of Miami! Not only do La Quintas welcome pets, they also do not charge a fee to have one in the room! (Some of the hotels we called were charging up to $75 fees to "accommodate" a dog in the room! That's stinking highway robbery! The dog should get their own room for that price! Sorry, rant ended.)

We made it to the hotel a little bit after 2am, checked in, and settled in for the short night. We enjoyed the complimentary breakfast in the morning, and set off for our next adventure!

Hallie loved the hotel!

Side note: Hallie loved staying in the hotel! It was her first time - and we didn't bring the kennel, so we were a little nervous, but she did great! She did hide between the chair and the mirror while we were at breakfast, but she ate and drank and didn't get into anything or make any messes! She is such a good dog!

Our plan for Sunday morning was to drive through the Everglades -- another quintessential Florida adventure that we hadn't yet experienced! (Which was a big part of why we decided to stay just south of Miami, near Homestead where the entrance to the main road through the park is.)

There is a fee of $10 to enter the park, and from the moment you arrive they start warning you about the mosquitos. Seriously. There's a blinky sign on the front of the pay-station point that says, "Mosquito Risk: High." The first stop inside the park was the visitor's center to have a quick look around and grab a map. In the parking lot we saw a mother and son applying bug repellent, and they asked if we had been attacked yet. This did not bode well. Once inside we picked up our map and asked the helpful guide for some basic highlights and information. She gave us some pointers on the map and she too was quick to advise bug repellent!

We got back in the car and started down the road that leads through the park. Unlike some of the other national parks that we have been to, the road doesn't go all the way through the park and come out on the other side; it ends at the ocean, and to leave the park you have to turn around and drive all the way back the way you came. (It's approximately 45 miles one way.)

Gator!

We did drive the whole road from Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center to Flamingo where the other visitor center/museum is located. We got out of the car a total of three times for a combined time of no more than fifteen minutes. The first stop was Royal Palm where the guide had told us we would be most likely to see alligators. We were not disappointed as there was one chilling in the water just feet from the boardwalk! The second place we stopped was Long Pine Key. They had a little picnic area, and Hallie was allowed to get out there, so we leashed her and sat and looked at the lake for a minute. Literally, about a minute was all it took for the mosquitos to swarm, so we hightailed it back into the car. Our third and final stop was at the Flamingo Visitors' Center. This spot was reportedly the best for seeing crocodiles and manatees, though we didn't see either. There was a small, rather bizarre museum that looked like it hadn't been updated since the seventies. There also used to be a restaurant at Flamingo, but it apparently sustained some damage during a hurricane in 2010 and has yet to be repaired and reopened. The whole visitors' center had a deserted feel to it that was a little bit creepy. When we got back to the car we had to go on a killing spree and smash the nearly twenty mosquitos that had weaseled their way into the vehicle when we opened the doors.

Needless to say, we probably won't be returning to the Everglades any time soon. We love national and state parks (in fact, our third anniversary trip was an incredible road trip through Yosemite, Grand Tetons, Mount Rushmore, etc.), but this one seemed somewhat repetitive as far as terrain was concerned, and the facilities were all rather run down and outdated. But it's one thing that can be checked off of our "Florida Bucket List!"

In summary, we LOVED the Keys and will definitely be making a return trip, but next time we'll skip the Everglades! ;)

The rest of the drive home was rather uneventful. We listened to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre version), I read out loud from one of our sailing books, and we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Chipotle at about the halfway point!

All in all, it was a great weekend filled with spontaneous and unexpected adventure! That's one of my favorite things about sharing life with Austin -- he's always up for anything, and he often has some pretty incredible ideas and the determination to make them happen!

How did you celebrate Independence Day this year?

Thanks for stopping by!

To see a list of ALL of our travel stories, in chronological order, click here!

Italy PDA - Part 6

PDA stands for President's Day Adventures, in this case. ;)

Click here to read Part 1!
Click here to read Part 2!
Click here to read Part 3!
Click here to read Part 4!
Click here to read Part 5!

Welcome back! If you're just joining us, please use the links above to read parts one through five.

When last we left our intrepid travelers, we were enjoying our final breakfast in Italy! Since we were enjoying said breakfast right next door to the car rental office, we were inside as soon as the doors were open. The kind gentleman who ran the place, and thankfully spoke great English, welcomed us inside and asked us to wait a moment while he got everything up and running for the day. When he was ready, he called Austin over to the counter and asked for his name. He punched a few buttons on the computer and then looked up at Austin and said, "I have no reservation for you."

. . .

Nikki and I were sitting a few feet away doing our very best not to hyperventilate.

. . .

The rental car manager checked his fax machine a second time, and, praise the Lord, found our rental agreement! He had Austin sign a couple of papers, and showed us to our rental chariot! A tiny Nissan Micra. We strategically shoehorned all of our belongings into the car, and we were (once again) on our way home!

Our little rental!

The drive home was blessedly uneventful, except for a short stop to buy a second Austrian vignette (see part one for an explanation of the vignette process).

Shane was able to get in touch with his commanding officer so that he would not be in hot water over not reporting at the start of the day, and we made it back to Hohenfels early in the afternoon. Much to the delight of the PWOC events team for whom the four of us were scheduled to babysit that night!

That's right, a few short hours later, the four of us, who had travelled for 36+ hours, welcomed a couple dozen of our favorite kiddos to the Club Beyond building so their parents could enjoy the PWOC Valentine's Day Date Night!

Though it was a long and involved ordeal to get from point A to point B, we ended up with some great memories and one heck of a story! (And I learned to drive a stick shift in the rental car, which was a nice added bonus!) Thanks for journeying with us! Stay tuned for more fun adventure stories, and let me know what you're liking, what you're not, and what you'd like more of!

His,

To see a list of ALL of our travel stories, in chronological order, click here!

Italy PDA - Part 5

PDA stands for President's Day Adventures, in this case. ;)

Click here to read Part 1!
Click here to read Part 2!
Click here to read Part 3!
Click here to read Part 4!

Welcome back! If you're just joining us, please use the links above to read parts one through four.

When last we left our intrepid travelers, we were standing on the sidewalk outside the Toyota dealership in Genoa, preparing to walk to the train station. (You could check out this video for a succinct wrap up of the situation.) Armed with our trusty iPhones, complete with the Navigon GPS app, we programmed in the nearest train station, and struck out, intent on getting to Genoa in time to catch the train that would take us all the way to Parsberg, the nearest train station to home!

Now, we have used the Navigon app for the iPhone in MANY different countries. Probably all of Western Europe. The app has helped us find restaurants, hotels, airports, and train stations literally all over the world. We had every confidence that we would easily find the train station with ease.

The trek started out fairly uneventfully. Although it was dark, and we were in a large, Italian city with which we were not tremendously familiar, we were together, and we were moving forward! Soon we would be on the train heading home!

Pretty soon, however, the GPS started leading us away from the city center and up in elevation. Not up some gently rolling hills, but up hundreds -- if not THOUSANDS -- of stairs. At this point in the journey, I started to lose my cool. My mood was not improved by the breaking of my purse strap on step 783 (approximately). Eventually, we made it to the top of the stairs and found ourselves in the middle of an Italian neighborhood, complete with barking dogs and people driving home from work. We were beginning to be a little dubious about finding a train station, but we continued following the GPS's directions, and even asked a woman we passed about the train station, and we convinced ourselves that what she said in Italian was, "Yes, of course you're going the right way!"

Before long, we came upon a train car (success!), sitting on train tracks (yahtzee!), next to a small building! And the GPS said the words we had longed to hear: "You have arrived at your destination!" Unfortunately, although the building we had found was in fact a train station of sorts (it serviced the train that took you up and down the mountain that we had just climbed via thousands of stairs), it was not a main train station, nor would a train be coming to that station that could get us to a main train station. At this point, knowing that our window of time to possibly make it home in time for work on Tuesday morning was growing ever more narrow, we decided to cut our losses and take a taxi to the main train station. Thankfully the gentleman at the mini-train station was able and willing to make the call for us, and the taxi arrived shortly thereafter.

At the end of our brief taxi ride, you can imagine our surprise at the beautiful memorial statue to Christopher Columbus that greeted us across the street from the train station! That's right. Less than 36 hours earlier, we had stood in that exact spot, taken pictures of the memorial, and used the restrooms inside the train station! (Major face-palm moment!)

(Quick Travel Tip: If, after hearing your plans to walk to "x" destination, a native Italian offers to call you a cab, LET HIM! Italians walk. A lot. If they think you're crazy to choose to walk and try to insist on a cab, it's a really long way away, and you will need a cab! ;D)

The beautiful Stazione Principe Genoa, as taken on our day of sightseeing in Genoa

At this point, Austin again got on the phone with the roadside assistance personnel to attempt to secure their promise of financial assistance with our trip home, and the three of us hustled into the station to get our tickets for what was sure to be the last leg of our journey. Hopefully.

It seemed that we had finally caught a break, because we had made it to the train station with barely enough time to catch the last train of the night all the way back to Germany! Unfortunately, we were too late to buy tickets at the kiosk, so we had to high tale it to the train and pay for our tickets once we were underway! (Something that is generally frowned upon and that can result in a hefty fine, but thankfully the conductor we spoke to was kind to us and allowed us to purchase all four tickets without a fee!) The standard train route back to Germany was from Genoa to Milano to Zurich to Munich and then into Parsberg.

In order to make it to the end of the line, the first hurdle we had to jump was to make it to Milano in time for our connecting train! Should have been no problem, but, the European train system being what it is, our trip hit a couple of delays which got is into Milano exactly two minutes after our connecting train was scheduled to leave! Ever hopeful, we were waiting at the doors when we arrived in the station and we ran to the designated track. Along the way we were encouraged to see that the connection we were running for had, in fact, also been delayed! We made it to the track, but unfortunately the train hadn't been delayed enough. We had missed it, thanks to Italian trains and Murphy's law!

At this point, discouraged and hungry, but not defeated, we headed across the street to McDonald's in the hopes of some late night food and wi-fi to figure out our next steps and whether or not we had any hope of getting home before 8am on Tuesday!

The wi-fi system was a little...unusual...in Milano; however, and it required that you buy tickets from a tobacco stand to be able to log on. Nikki and I stayed with the stuff in the McDonald's and Shane and Austin took off for the closest stand, aided by directions from the local policeman. They fortuitously made it to the stand before the attendant closed the gate for the night, but with standard Italian logic, the cards that they could purchase there could not be activated until the following morning. ("Domani, domani!" Lol!) Needless to say, they did not purchase said cards, and we moved on from the McDonald's (which was good because the staff were getting ready to close and they were giving us the stink eye because we had yet to purchase any "food.")

On their walk back, the guys had discovered a sweet little doner place that boasted its own wi-fi, and we were way more excited about eating doners than McDonald's! We hauled all of our possessions into the doner place, ordered food, and hooked up to their Internet to try and find a solution to our ever-worsening situation.

Doner!
image credit

Since we had missed our connection and the traditional route was closed to us (since all of the trains had departed for the night), we decided that moving in the right direction was better (and cheaper) than waiting out the night in Milano until the bright and early morning train would get us back to Germany. We caught the next northbound train in the wee hours of the morning, and made the short trip to Verona.

Side note: I'm probably a major theater nerd, but whenever I hear, or think, or say, Verona, the very next thing that comes to mind is this little ditty from Kiss me Kate!:

We arrived in Verona at oh-so-very-dark-thirty, and once we were able to get out of the train station (a sometimes difficult proposition when in an all but closed, smallish train station), we knew we needed to find more Internet and a bathroom! According to all of the schedules we had seen, we had a couple of hours until we could catch another train heading in the right direction. We followed the directions in a large advertising sign to the closest hotel, and banged on the door until the overnight front-desk guy got up from his nap on the lobby couch. He came to the door, and let us in only to tell us that they were absolutely full, and no, we couldn't stay in the lobby and use the Internet because the Internet was for guests only. Oh, and no we couldn't use their restroom because that was also for guests only. After that rather unfulfilling conversation, we found ourselves back on the street looking for another hotel.

Thankfully one was not far away, and the front desk gentleman there was much more accommodating. For a small fee we were able to avail ourselves of their restroom and their Internet as long as we would be gone before the hotel owner got back!

The next train going North would get us as far as Bolzano, but unfortunately we couldn't get from Bolzano to Germany in any kind of a reasonable amount of time. And as we had found earlier, the cost of a one-way rental car was absolutely exorbitant! Then, my brilliant husband hit upon a solution! We would get a round-trip rental in Bolzano (we needed a car once we got home until our Prius was fixed anyway), and then we could return the car when we had a more flexible time frame! We arranged for the rental car via the Internet and a phone call (adding to the ever-mounting roaming bill), and made our way back to the train station for our early train ride to Bolzano.

We arrived in Bolzano around six in the morning. Since the rental car place didn't open until eight, we had to wait. Since we were back in the higher elevations, and it was COLD, we took a taxi to the rental car agency. By the great grace of God there was a great little bar (remember, that's often Italian for "coffee shop") right next door! It was open, and we trundled ourselves inside to enjoy what, blessedly, would be our final Italian breakfast on this trip! (The cappuccino and brioche in Bolzano did not disappoint!)

Cappuccino & Brioche
image credit

Though we're on the downward stretch, we're not home yet, and there remains more to this story! Will Shane get arrested for being AWOL? Will the Prius ever run again? There's only one way to find out! Come back for part 6! ;)

Have a great weekend!

His,

Click here to read Part 6!

To see a list of ALL of our travel stories, in chronological order, click here!

Italy PDA - Part 4

PDA stands for President's Day Adventures, in this case. ;)

Click here to read Part 1!
Click here to read Part 2!
Click here to read Part 3!

Welcome back! If you're just joining us, please use the links above to read parts one, two, and three.

Monday morning, Presidents' Day, we got up, checked out of the hotel, and enjoyed a final, delightful breakfast at the Caffe Della Poste. Before we left on Sunday, we had communicated to our favorite barista (with our limited Italian and her limited English), that we would be returning on Monday and would prefer to eat our weight in Brioche Nutella before heading home! She did not disappoint and we were all well-sated before we drove away from beautiful Chiavari.

The plan was to make the simple, easy drive back to Hohenfels by early evening, and get a good night's rest before returning to real life on Tuesday. (Real life meaning work for Austin and Shane, and PWOC's Valentine's Day Date Night babysitting duty for the four of us on Tuesday evening.)

On the way home we engaged in typical road trip behavior, including singing along to the radio! As we entered a tunnel, I started video taping the guys' rendition of "Girl on Fire" and got way more than I bargained for! Check it out:

(Disclaimer: Austin does not swear at (00:43). He is saying "What the fudge." Just for clarification.)

As soon as we got out of the tunnel, Austin took the next available exit and parked us at a gas station/truck stop. He proceeded to call our roadside assistance company (Praise the Lord for the insurance that included roadside assistance!), and the person at the other end of the line promised to send a tow truck. The time was around 9:00am.

While we waited for our tow, we had another cappuccino. We were still in Italy, after all! ;)

At around 11:00am, a tow truck made its way into the lot where we were parked. The driver parked, hopped out of his truck, and sauntered over to us. He was tall and thick, with dark, slicked-back hair, and aviators. He seemed to already be in a foul mood, and encountering a group of Americans who spoke very little Italian didn't do anything to improve his disposition. He started rattling off a lot of Italian, and we were able to decipher that he intended to take us back into Chiavari, from whence we had just come. We tried to communicate to him that the roadside assistance company had promised us a tow to Genoa, where the nearest Toyota dealership was located. While I tried to make him understand, in my sorely-lacking Italian, Austin got back on the phone with the roadside assistance company, hoping that someone there could speak to the driver in his own language and placate him to the point of cooperation. He would have none of it; however, and the conversation disintegrated into him waving his arms around, shouting, "Domani, domani, domani!" (Italian for "tomorrow"!), and angrily getting back into his truck, slamming it into gear, and roaring away, back down the autostrada, leaving us stranded and utterly bereft.

At this point, Austin got back on the phone with the roadside assistance company. After a series of phone calls, they informed us that they would not be sending another tow truck since we had, "Sent the first driver away." Another flurry of phone calls ensued (very expensive phone calls, I might add, since we were on a German cell phone plan and calling German numbers from Italy, but more on that later). Austin was finally able to convince the roadside assistance people that it was absolutely imperative for them to send another tow truck and get us to Genoa TODAY, not tomorrow (since we all had important things to do tomorrow, not the least of which was Shane, for whom missing work would mean being AWOL. Not an insignificant problem in the Army.)! A couple of hours, and several cappuccinos, later a second tow truck carrying a much more genial driver arrived and loaded us up! The time was now around 3:54pm :P

Knowing we were in the middle of a great adventure, we made sure to chronicle the saga via video log:

The second tow truck driver (who was the first one to actually tow us anywhere), switched us to a third tow truck in Levante, and we made our way to the Toyota dealership in Genoa, and what we hoped would be a quick fix to get us back on the road in time for work on Tuesday!

We survived the trip, which was a little harrowing for us girls in our perch, and arrived at the Toyota dealership in Genoa around 5pm. The dealership thankfully didn't close until 7pm, and the technicians were able to get the Prius hooked up to the diagnostic computer right away.

That was the end of the good news; however, as the problem was much larger than we could have fathomed, and there was no way it could be fixed that evening. Poor Austin got back on the phone with our auto insurance company to determine whether or not they wanted to fix the car in Genoa, or have it towed, long-distance back to Germany for repairs to occur there. Alternately he got in touch with the roadside assistance company to work on another way home. They were hesitant to commit to paying for train tickets, but we knew that would be the quickest way home and much cheaper than a one-way rental car. After a lot more time on the phone (racking up the long-distance, international roaming charges), and some quick conversations with the Italian mechanics, and an even quicker huddle with our traveling buddies, we decided to head to the train station (hoping that the roadside assistance company would end up paying for our travel), and the insurance company determined that it would be best to have the car shipped back to Germany for repairs.

We gathered all of our belongings out of the Prius, and prepared to leave the dealership as the employees were calling it a night. One of the mechanics, who spoke really good English, offered -- several times -- to call a taxi to take us to the train station, but we were convinced (thanks to our trusty GPS apps) that we could easily walk and save the expense of a taxi. (Insert ironic smile)

Austin took a moment to sum up the situation as we stood outside the dealership:

Join us again next time for Part 5 - the saga of getting home has only just begun!

His,

Click here to read Part 5!

To see a list of ALL of our travel stories, in chronological order, click here!

Italy PDA - Part 3

PDA stands for President's Day Adventures, in this case. ;)

Click here to read Part 1!
Click here to read Part 2!

Welcome back! If you're just joining us, please use the links above to read part one and two.

Sunday morning, we got up and walked to Cafe Della Poste (quite possibly our favorite Chiavari find) for the sweet nectar that is Italian cappuccino and amazing brioche! (Crema e Nutella - To. Die. For.) The place was super cute on the inside, on the corner of one of the many piazzas, and the barista was a sweet woman who knew all of the locals' orders without having to ask! We sat at a corner table, and enjoyed the culture.

After breakfast, we headed for our next tourist destination: Genoa! This as a city none of us had ever visited, so we had no previous experience getting around, but I think we did OK!

Genoa was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, so as Americans, seeing sites relevant to him was high on our list of things to do.

The birthplace of Christopher Columbus.

The Porta Soprana is just around the corner from CC's birthplace (rumor has it that Chris's daddy was the gatekeeper), so we got some pics there, too. I think you can climb up into the towers for a few euro, but we opted out and moved onto some other monuments.

Ancient gates of Genoa.

We saw the monument to Christopher Columbus on the Piazza Acquaverde. Right next to the main Genoa train station. (This detail is critical for a later part of the story.) Genoa Piazza Principe is one of the most beautiful train stations I've ever seen! And it was a convenient place to use the bathroom, which we needed at this point of our day!

The Christopher Columbus Memorial.

Our last stop in Genoa was La Lanterna. Shane had done the research on this site and was excited to see it, so we made our way to the coast to view this iconic landmark.

La Lanterna di Genoa

The tower itself was under construction, so we weren't able to go in, but the view of the city from this vantage point is pretty spectacular!

And we got to watch an Italian truck driver make lunch on his truck. So that was a bonus!

A fun look at everyday life!

From Genoa, we made our way to the luxury destination of Portofino!

Portofino!

Portofino reminds me a lot of Cinque Terre, but I think because it's more well-known, and more easily accessible to the yachting crowd, it caters to a higher-budget set of tourists. It cost 8€ to park for an hour (compared to the free parking we used in Genoa), and the restaurants were all more expensive than we were willing to go for lunch.

Beautiful Portofino!

But it really is gorgeous, and definitely worth the drive for the beautiful views and the drool-worthy cars and sail boats! In my mind Portofino is like a cross between Cinque Terre and Venice. The architecture is similar to Cinque Terre, and the restaurants and shops are a lot like Venice.

Gorgeous rainbow for our drive back!

We didn't stay in Portofino very long. Mostly because we were hungry for lunch, and it started to rain. We grabbed lunch at a foolproof traveler's option, the local grocery store! This is especially awesome in Italy where you can get fresh pesto and bread, amazing cheese and deli meats, enough to satisfy several hungry tourists, for just a few euro!

Since we got back to Chiavari pretty early in the afternoon, we borrowed the hotel bikes again and rode around for a few hours. We crossed the bridge into the neighboring town of Lavagna, then came back and spent some daylight time down by the water in Chiavari

Chiavari waterfront.

We "parked" our bikes on the beach and enjoyed the pleasant weather!

The boys :)

Shane 'n Nikki! Our awesome traveling buddies!

That evening we walked around to find a great place for our last dinner in Chiavari. We chatted with a sweet French couple on our walk and ended up at the same restaurant that they were heading to: Vecchio Borgo. The starter they brought us were kind of like hush puppies with shrimp or fish incorporated into the batter, which were fantastic. Austin, Nikki, and I thoroughly enjoyed the gnocchi al pesto for our main course, and Shane ate a ginormous platter of meat, which he said was delicious!

Thoroughly content with our weekend's adventures, we went back to the hotel, packed, and got a good night's sleep to prepare for the simple [ahem] trip home on Monday

Hope you're enjoying this little travel-log! Though it may seem like we had a pretty tame time, and we're now wrapping it up, the major curve-ball comes on Monday (both that Monday, February 18th, 2013, and this Monday, March 3rd, 2014), so be sure to check back in for the next installment!

Have a GREAT weekend!

His,

Soooooooo, I didn't get part four up as quickly as I thought I would.
Click here to read Part 4!

To see a list of ALL of our travel stories, in chronological order, click here!

Italy PDA - Part 2

PDA stands for President's Day Adventures, in this case. ;)

Click here to read Part 1!

Welcome back! If you're just joining us, please use the link above to read part one.

First thing Saturday morning (this was Saturday, February 16, 2013), we got up and struck out to find the perfect Italian breakfast: cappuccino and brioche! We found a cute little coffee shop a few steps from our hotel, ordered our coffee (that seems too crass and simple a description for the amazingness that is Italian cappuccino) and pastries and found a little table in the back of the narrow shop to do some people watching.

The "around the corner" view from our hallway.

The great thing about Chiavari is that it's not touristy! Which is super-rare in these great little Italian towns on the coast. Very few people spoke English, so we had to get by in our very rough Italian, but everything was perfectly authentic - from the food, to the cute old men who came into the cafe for their morning paper and to shoot the breeze with the owner.

(Quick travel tip: in Italy, a good place to get a great cappuccino in the morning will often be called a "bar" on their sign, don't let this throw you off - they're not serving shots for breakfast, just really, really good coffee and pastries!)

The daily market in the piazza in front of the Palazzo di Giustizia.

After breakfast, we explored Chiavari in the daylight, and were delighted with its Medieval cuteness (yes, that's a real thing)!

Albergo Monte Rosa and Via Monsignor Luigi Marinetti.

When we had worked off our breakfast calories, we stopped at another little coffee shop for cappuccino number two (when in Italy . . . seriously). The second cafe, Bar San Marco was a bit bigger, and it was the kind that converts to outdoor seating in the summer, but since it was still pretty cold, they had the plastic walls zipped down; however, the view of the downtown was still pretty good.

Piazza Nostra Signora dell'Orto e il monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II.

Thoroughly caffeinated, we decided to start our touring in earnest. We got the Prius out of the garage and made our way to Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre is actually the romantic name that refers to five little towns (from North to South: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore) nestled into the cliffs on the western side of Italy. They used to be fairly unknown, but thanks to Rick Steves and other travel writers they have become thoroughly touristy. This doesn't detract from their charm too much; however, and they are always a worthwhile stop! Cinque Terre is one of our favorite little places to visit, and we've been blessed to visit there several times.

The first glimpse of Vernazza.

We parked just outside of Vernazza and walked into town.

Vernazza's water front.

We had intended to buy passes and hike portions of the Sentiero Azzurro (a great hiking trail that links the five cities and provides some incredible views of the Mediterranean), but the portion that linked Vernazza and Corniglia was closed for the season, so we had to take the train instead. Either way is pretty cost effective (I think the last time we were there, the trail pass was 5€ for adults, and each train ticket from town to town is a little more than 1€)

Cinque Terre is the birthplace of pesto, and one of the best ways to enjoy pesto is on top of pizza or focaccia from hole-in-the-wall joints like this.

(Quick travel tip: no matter where in the world you are, the best places to eat -- and the most cost effective -- are the ones where the guys in painted up cover-alls and work boots are grabbing their lunch!)

Our day's sightseeing ended with a quick stop in Pisa at sunset to get the obligatory Leaning Tower pictures.

The crazy thing about Pisa is the most beautiful buildings are the ones you never see pictures of!

Everyone who has been there has a picture of them "holding up the tower" (or "kicking over the tower" in this instance) . . .

. . . but if you turn around 90 degrees, there is this huge, gorgeous Cathedral and Baptistry that you rarely ever see or hear about.

When we got back to Chiavari, we borrowed the bicycles that the hotel keeps for their guests and pedaled our way down to the waterfront. We had dinner at Zia Piera - pizzas and dessert pizza (it's Italy!). Zia Piera is a swanky little place with a great vibe, and it's apparently very popular with the locals as well! A huge family birthday party was going on while we were there, and that made the whole atmosphere very festive.

I love personalized sugar packets!

Pedaling around the waterfront, picking up rocks on the beach, and taking funny "hashtag" pictures brought us to the end of another great day!

#saidnooneever

We have another full day of sightseeing ahead of us ;), so come back tomorrow for the next installment!

His,

Click here to read part 3!

To see a list of ALL of our travel stories, in chronological order, click here!

Italy PDA - Part 1

PDA stands for President's Day Adventures, in this case. ;)

(Disclaimer: These stories will be coming to you in no particular order. I'm telling this one now because it happened just over a year ago, and my Timehop reminded me about it, so I decided to start here!)

So, I promised adventure stories, and this one's a doozie!!!

Last February, we were living in Lupburg, Germany. Austin was the Community Director for Club Beyond at USAG Hohenfels. We loved working with the military for many reasons, but one of the big perks was four-day weekends! President's Day fell right after Valentine's Day last year, so we decided to hop in the Prius (yes, we owned a Prius while we lived in Germany, too) with our good friends Shane and Nikki, and spend our four-day in romantic Italia!

A few days before the trip, we were at Shane and Nikki's apartment talking about fun things to do for the four day. They hadn't been to Italy before, and there were some fun things that they wanted to do that we had some experience with (Pisa, Cinque Terre, etc.), so we hopped on booking.com and found a cute little hotel in Chiavari. We had never stayed in Chiavari before, but the hotel was a great deal, and Chiavari is right in between Cinque Terre and Genoa - where none of us had ever been, but we all thought it would be fun to explore.

While we lived in Germany, we took several short (and some not-so-short) road trips, and the Prius always did a great job. Austin is a maintenance nut. He always makes sure to do oil changes right on schedule, the tires are never out of tread, and he rotates them as often as is suggested by the manufacturers. We had separate snow tires for Bavarian winters. He always does a fantastic job of keeping track of and staying on top of those things. So road trips are never nerve-wracking, just tons of fun!

On Friday, we took off from home in the morning to begin the eight hour drive from the Hohenfels area to Chiavari. We took the eastern route, through Austria instead of Switzerland, which meant stopping just before the Austrian border to pay for a vignette. (A vignette is a sticker that you put on your windshield. You pay a flat fee for it depending on how many days you will be using the roads instead of having to pay tolls for every section of road.)

The trip south went very smoothly. There was a little bit of snow on the side of the road in the higher elevations, but the roads were all clear, and we didn't hit any ridiculous "staus" (German for traffic jams).

We made it to Chiavari early in the evening and checked into our charming little hotel. Albergo Monterosa is a charming little place on a narrow, oh-so-Italian street. They have a great little underground parking garage, and our rooms were upstairs next door to one another. Not super fancy, but comfortable and clean.

A stroll down our little Italian via

We unpacked a little bit and got settled, then set out to do a little bit of exploring in the quaint little town of Chiavari. Dinner at the quaint Trattoria E' Taggejne Di Mohamed Samir was a great end to the first day of our epic trip!

More to come! Hope you're having a great week!

His,

Click here to read part 2!

To see a list of ALL of our travel stories, in chronological order, click here!