Posted September 8, 2019
2015: Italy
Woooo Hoooo! We made it to our 30th anniversary! Let’s take a 21 day trip to Italy! Three weeks of eating and visiting museums!
This being our first trip to Europe in 30 years, we learned a lot, including how easy it is to get off at the wrong train station. That being said, we must have been doing something right because on our first day in Venice, a tourist asked us for directions at the water taxi. I guess we looked like we knew what we were doing.
While in southern Italy, we braved the winding, cliff-side bus down the Amalfi Coast. It’s impossible to do justice to the breathtaking beauty where the sea, sky, and colorful homes clinging to steep hillsides come together. We were so impressed that we ditched our previous plans and did it all again the very next day.
While in Venice, on an especially early morning water taxi ride, we were surprised to find we were on the “school bus”. We scrunched to the back of the water taxi as school children piled on board, carrying their book bags and buzzing with middle school energy. What fun to have a school bus that’s a boat on a Venetian canal!
Our last day in Italy we visited the National Archeological Museum in Naples. We came upon a door marked the “Secret Cabinet” (Gabinetto Segreto). Turns out years ago researchers unearthed a huge collection of erotic art in the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The collection featured thousands of phallus-shaped pendants, wind chimes, and candlesticks, among other items. In other words, we were suddenly surrounded by penises. They were everywhere, large and small, ornate and decorative. Wow, just wow.
2016: Spain
To me, tapas, cobblestone streets glistening after a light rain, and grand palaces are the best parts of Spain. In 2016 we visited Barcelona, Seville, Cordoba, Toledo, Granada, and Madrid.
Manolo, our Airbnb host, was a bundle of energy and enthusiasm, especially when talking about his city, Seville. When we arrived Manolo was quick to offer us some homemade Sangria. We were a little taken aback, as it was about 10:30 in the morning, but what the hell, how could we say no?
I had no interest whatsoever in seeing Flamenco dancing, but Manolo insisted that we go. Thank God he did. The energy of the Flamenco dancer’s heals pounding on the stage and the drama of the performance was incredible. All I can say is go see Flamenco, but make sure to talk to Manolo so you go to an authentic performance in his beloved city of Seville.
2017: Czech Republic, Austria & Hungary
Czech Republic
Prague
Prague was having a rare spring cold-snap on the day we arrived. Even with light snow and frigid wind, it was easy to admire beautiful Prague. Tourists were out in force, especially in the Old Town Square. Everywhere we went we encountered clusters of hundreds of tourists wearing identical knit beanies with the word “PRAGUE” in huge block letters. It was like a sea of “PRAGUE” beanies everywhere you looked. There was no question in our minds where we were, in case we should somehow forget.
Full disclosure: I joked about how silly those tourists looked in their identical beanies, but I quickly came to regret that I had not purchased my own “PRAGUE” beanie. The wind was biting cold and perhaps I could have blended in better, who knows?
Generally speaking Prague’s food is nothing special, with one notable exception: the Knedlíky. Made of flour and water, rolled into a loaf, boiled, and sliced. It’s like a thick & doughy slice of dumpling heaven, with gravy on top. My mouth is watering.
Český Krumlov
Even though the sun wasn’t out, Český Krumlov, a small town in the southern Bohemian countryside, was straight out of a fairy tale. As we made our way into town, the parked cars still had a dusting of snow on them from the previous night. The long stroll up hill to the Český Krumlov Castle was the highlight of our stay. The views from the Castle of the red tiled roofs, lush hillsides, blossoming trees, and meandering Vltava river far below us were magnificent.
Austria
Vienna
What most surprised me about Vienna was its beautiful parks. Stadtpark, an large park near our Airbnb, was chocked full of of tulips, sprawling lawns, and winding pathways lined with park benches. How nice to have such a peaceful retreat in the middle of a busy city.
I’ve never been to the Opera, so watching Das Rheingold in the cheap seats was incredible. We watched live on the “big screen” in our jeans and jackets, sitting on the concrete patio just outside the Vienna Opera House while the patrons in minks and jewels watched inside in cushy chairs. The dynamic voices, the colors and costumes, and the pageantry was amazing – and the price was right.
Hungary
Budapest
From Our Room
There seems to be a slight rivalry between Buda and Pest. I loved both. Budapest sparkles.
Our Airbnb had a sweeping view of the Széchenyi Chain Bridge over the Danube. The sunsets were spectacular.
One afternoon we were temporarily blocked from walking across the bridge to the Buda side of town due to a movie car chase scene in progress. It was very cool to watch the film crew position cars, people, and props and yell “Action”!
Széchenyi Medicinal Baths
The Széchenyi Medicinal Baths are a definite must-do. Enormous pools sprawl throughout an extensive compound. As you enter the large pool, warm water envelopes you. If you want it even warmer, there’s a another pool for that. If you’re feeling too relaxed you can join the crowded swirling pool. It’s a circular pool with a strong, swirling current that carries you in giant circles! It was like being in a giant toilet bowl with 50 of your closest friends.
2018: Morocco
Our most recent adventure took us to Morocco for a fabulous 24 days. We traversed two mountain ranges, visited big cities, small villages, and rode camels to a luxury desert camp to spend the night. Fair warning, riding a camel is hard. It’s hard on your bottom, and it’s hard going up and down steep sand dunes. Our ride out to camp was an hour and a half. That being said, I’d do it again in a heartbeat, but I’d ask for a closer camp.
Medinas
At any time, day or night, the Medina (old city) is bustling with locals, tourists, and shop activity. We got lost in the narrow, winding pathways of the ancient Medinas of Fez, Tetouan, and Marrakesh. I’m not sure why every guide book suggests you get lost in the Medina, it’s not like you have any choice in the matter. The Medina is a gigantic maze, complete with dead ends. Blocked by the high stone walls, the sunlight barely trickles in and it’s impossible to get your bearings. And google maps doesn’t work in the Medina. There’s no rhyme or reason to the layout, and we encountered surprises at every turn. Besides the disorientation of being lost most of the time, it was important that we kept our wits about us, so as not to get run over by a donkey cart or fast moving bicycle.
The Diversity of Morocco
I was wowed by the sites and sounds of the old city, but the diversity of Moroccan landscapes had their own allure. I had pictured Morocco as a country primarily made up of flat, dusty deserts, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Morocco quickly revealed its lush green meadows and hillsides, dotted with large fields of red poppies and yellow daisies. We passed majestic, snow-covered mountains, gorgeous white sand beaches, deep ravines, enormous rock formations, sweeping landscapes of deep ruddy-red gravel, and vast, serene sand dunes accentuated by the shadows of the setting sun.
Morocco was, by far, the most culturally different country that I have visited to date. Morocco is spectacular and the people are so kind and welcoming that I know I’ll be back.