Europe 2019 - Sorrento/Amalfi Coast

Arriving in Sorrento was like landing in a city of Rocca’s. My dad’s family is from Southern Italy, more specifically Sicily, and even all these years later, I can tell. The people there were kind, genuine, family -oriented, wine-drinkin, pasta-eatin people! They were loud and bickered and were so so funny! It felt just a bit like home. That is until you looked in any direction and saw coastline! W-O-W. There are no words to describe the beauty. It was awesome.

I’d love to meet the person who saw a peninsula of mountains and thought, ‘this seems like a great place to build a new city!’ Especially 1000 years ago when tunnels, roads, and terraces were built with pick-axes and shovels! The ambition is impressive. And now I get to enjoy their hard work.

Within the two days we were there, we took a boat ride around the island of Capri, took pictures at the top of Anacapri, and drove the Amalfi coast. On our drive to Ravello, we saw a stairwell of 4000 stairs from the coast to the city center at the top of the mountain. They were built when the city was born and used to get fish and supplies from the shore to the people in the city. Our guide said it takes five hours to climb them! We concluded that people in the last millennium were just sturdier than we are now.  And with that, we headed to lunch to drink some local wine with lunch.

Our captain!

My favorite part of this city was the relaxation time. We tried fresh limoncello and limoncello spritzes (my new favorite drink!). We rested and enjoyed the fact that God paints in vivid colors – He is a creative, awe-inspiring artist and it was so apparent along that shore. What a joy it was to relax with my mom and take in the beauty! I’m sure there’s more to say about our time on the Southern Italian coast, but I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves now. Off to Santorini!

JUST.

LOOK.

AT.

IT!!!

Limoncello spritz - prosecco, limoncello, and soda water!

Things I'd recommend/do again:
Hotel: Grand Hotel La Favorita
Driver: Monetti Taxi
Capri boat tour: Captain Ago

Europe 2019 - Venice

Ah, Venice. It was my favorite Italian city two years ago. Do you ever worry that you've romanticized a memory too much? That if you were to relive that same experience or go back to the same place, it would be nothing more than a disappointment, a mere shadow of the experience you created in your mind? That was my fear on the train to Venice. But let me tell you, Italy does not disappoint. It was everything I remembered and more. It has a million things to do and makes no demands to be a certain place at a certain time. It's beautiful everywhere you turn and unlike any other city on earth. My favorite things to do on vacation are wander, explore, & get lost in the chaos. And then eat really really good food. Venice is my happy place.

We arrived in the early afternoon, so we had time to grab our first authentic Italian pizza before meeting our walking tour guide for the night. Her name was Giulia (pronounced Julia) and she was around my age, grew up in Venice, and even lived in Dublin for a couple of years! She lived with her Granny on the island and explained that most people live in multi-generational houses in Venice because the real estate is too valuable to sell. Her parents lived on the mainland as architects. They had to move because no one is building or designing anything new in Venice! She was studying at the University of Venice to get her masters degree in history. She had short bangs, straight brown hair, liked going out for a drink and only smoked on Friday nights. She wore a loose leather dress with Birks and carried a little basket around instead of a purse. She was sweet and funny and really cool. I'd like to think we'd be friends if we lived in the same city. We basically just walked around like locals as we went to her favorite restaurants, bars, and bakeries for three hours. After one bakery, she told us that it's customary to show up to a dinner party with either a pastry from that place or pajamas for the host. So that's different! Everyone knew who she was when we got to each place, which made the city feel familiar in a way. Only 45,000 actually reside in Venice, so it's kind of like a small community within a big touristy city. It was really fun to get her perspective and hang out with her!

Our guide Giulia! 

The next day, we slowly made our way to St. Mark's square - the shopping epicenter and home to St. Mark's Cathedral. We walked over the Rialto bridge, the oldest bridge in Venice built in the early 1500s. We decided that was a great place to take a gondola ride! We went by the Rialto bridge and then into smaller canals where there are homes and shops. Got some great pictures! Then, we stopped for coffee and wine off the Grand Canal, walked through Mercato di Rialto (their daily farmer's market), and went shopping. Fun fact - most Venetians don't have freezers and they go grocery shopping every morning. So no meal prepping for them, I guess!

The Rialto bridge from our gondola

Mercato di Rialto

We unintentionally had a very fancy lunch, an awesome accident. I had Lamb Ragu with Pappardelle and Tiramisu! After a quick nap, we went to Mass at St. Mark's Basilica. Pro tip: if you want to see the inside of St. Mark's, go to Mass! There's no line. As long as you cover your shoulders and knees, you can just show up at Mass time and walk right in! It's incredibly beautiful inside. The entire cathedral is either covered in gold mosaic tiles or made of grand marble. It's STUNNING. We finished the night at a small but authentic Italian restaurant where we both had pasta and red wine. And just like that, our weekend in Venice was over. If Dublin is my favorite city, Venice is just barely my second favorite. Get yourself to Venice, friends. It's unlike anything else. To Sorrento we go!

Look at this Tiramisu!

Outside St. Mark's

Inside St. Mark's

Dinner! Penne Bolgonese for me and Asparagus Lasagna for my mom

Some tips if you're thinking about traveling to Venice:
1. It's extremely confusing and hard to navigate. You will get lost even with GPS and maps and being directionally savvy. Accept it as part of the experience and give yourself extra time if you have a reservation.
2. It's extremely beautiful and surprising because it's so hard to navigate. You'll be walking down what seems to be an old alley and suddenly come upon a marble cathedral surrounded by canals and gondolas. It's awesome! Give yourself extra time to take pictures. You'll want them!
3. Try to book a hotel near the train station. It could take you upwards of an hour to walk to a hotel on the other side of the island with all your stuff. St. Mark's is much easier to walk to with a purse than two weeks' worth of luggage.
4. Take the train to Venice if you can. You'll have to take a car/ferry/train from the airport anyway, so if you're in Italy already, just take the train straight there.

Things I'd recommend/do again:
1. Getting a hotel by the train station Santa Lucia
2. WeLocals walking tour
3. Mass at St. Mark's Basilica
4. Scriba - they sell handmade Venetian paper, journals, wax seals, stationary, and other beautiful gifts!
5. Nina - chocolate and cookie store with free samples! Everything they make is amazing.

Europe 2019 - Florence

After enjoying Amsterdam's efficiency and timeliness, we flew to Florence to experience the opposite end of the spectrum and enjoy la dolce vita (the slow life). Our hotel was super nice and had a rooftop bar! Once we arrived, we headed up there to watch the sunset and have a drink - I had Lambrusco and my mom had an Aperol spritz. Lambrusco is my favorite wine but it's so cheap here that it's actually hard to find in the US. The shipping alone makes the bottle double or triple the price. So I'll just enjoy it here. Or look for it at Total Wine.

The next day, we explored Florence. It's my first time being back to a European city, which was really fun! I remembered less than I thought I would, but that's probably a good thing. I didn't love Florence the first time I came due to a lot of external circumstances that I can't blame the city for. Luckily, my friends have had wonderful experiences and convinced me to come back! It's definitely been redeemed!

We spent most of the day shopping but also tried the supposed best gelateria (Gelateria dei Neri) and sandwich shop (All'antico Vinaio). The sandwich shop had a self-serve wine bar outside for two bucks! I'd recommend both if you're around the Duomo. We also walked around the Duomo but didn't go up to the top. They say if you're afraid of heights or claustrophobic not to make the trek up to the top of the dome, and we have one of each in our two person group. Pictures from the ground will suffice.

Later that evening, we took a cooking class! We made a four course Italian meal - vegetable flan, fresh pasta with eggplant caviale, chicken alla cacciatora, and panna cotta. We were stuffed by the end and enjoyed each dish! I can't wait to impress my new KC friends with my Italian cooking expertise haha

Mom making panna cotta

Our sweet chef and teacher Adela

Fresh pasta!

The next day, we took a day trip to Tuscany! Our first stop was a family-owned winery and cheese shop that has been in the family for 500 years! We learned about their organic vineyard and what that classification means. They use other vegetation around the grape vines to keep pests at bay since they can't use any sprays. They hand prune and pick their vineyard to get the best fruit before making the wine.  It was a small operation but the wine was spectacular! It was so good that we decided to ship some home. Then, we headed to a butcher shop for lunch. They specialize in beef butchery. They made us a family-style smorgasbord of cooked, braised, roasted, and boiled beef. Some of it was really delicious! I liked it just because it was a unique and different experience than anything I've ever done. Our last stop of the day was another family owned, organic winery that has been around for 500 years. Our guide told us that all of the surrounding wineries have to also be organic in order for them to qualify as an organic farm to avoid cross contamination. If pesticides were used in the past, the field must be organic for six years before they can sell their wine as organic so that the soil is cleansed of all the contaminants. They take their classifications very seriously! I also learned that Rose is not just red and white wine mixed together. I'm not sure why I thought that, but I did. Instead, it is made from the same grapes as red wine, but they only leave the skins in the fermentation process for a few hours before extracting just the juice. Glad I know that now!

The first winery's fermentation vats

Tuscan hillsides *heart eyes*

Wine tasting

When we got back to Florence, we went wine shopping and actually found a bottle with "Rocca" on the label! SO COOL! We finished our trip in Florence the same way we started - at our rooftop bar drinking Lambrucso and Aperol Spritzes. I loved loved loved our time in Florence but am so excited to be on our way to Venice!

Sunset with a view!

Things I'd recommend/do again -
Cooking Class: ChefFactory
Tuscany Day Trip: Grape Tours
Gelato: Gelateria dei Neri & La Carraia
Sandwich shop: All'antico Vinaio
Hotel: Plaza Hotel Lucchesi
Rooftop bar: Empireo

Europe 2019 - Amsterdam

We took a bullet train from Paris to Amsterdam (highly recommend)! We made it just in time to go to Mass at De Krijtberg. Lucky for us, it happened to be the English Mass, and it was entertaining to watch the Dutch try to figure out what was going on. Of course, the church was immaculate and ornate and absolutely beautiful. Because they all are.

We grabbed dinner and then took a canal cruise as the sun set. It was as cool as you would imagine, although Missouri sunsets are still my favorite. We learned a little history, sat next to an Egyptian mother-daughter duo, and enjoyed taking in the scenery after a day of travel. On our way back to our hotel, we stopped for a stroopwafel, and wow they are sweet! It's basically a crispy waffle with caramel syrup inside. I got mine with some sort of chocolate caramel sauce (?) and sprinkles on top! So fun to try one of their classics.

Amsterdam at dusk (this is the canal side of our hotel!)

Stroopwafel

The next morning, we hunted down a restaurant that Madeline Simon has not stopped talking about since last year. De Vier Pilaren sells poffertjes and pannenkoeken which are small fluffy pancakes and large flat pancakes (almost like a crepe). SO good! Definitely recommend for anyone headed to Amsterdam! It was also right across the street from Vondelpark, a beautiful and huge park that we wandered around for a while.

Vondelpark & Starbucks

Poffertjes!

After that, we headed to the Anne Frank museum. Just by chance, we were visiting on Liberation Day, which is the day the Allies liberated The Netherlands from Nazi control. We listened to a presentation about Anne Frank, her family, and how they fit into world history. Our guide reminded us that while Anne Frank's story is told, she was far from the only 13-year-old to lose her life in WWII. Over 90% of the Jews in The Netherlands never returned from the concentration camps. We learned about how racism and other-ism started small - with people feeling like they'd been wronged, that they deserved more than what the government was giving them. Then began the blaming, propaganda, and history's version of fake news. Then setting the Jews apart in society with symbols and different laws. Then taking their right to education, free speech, and the pursuit of enterprise. Then just murdering them. How quickly we can dehumanize people...Ugh. Should I go back to talking about food now?

Anne Frank's diary

Alright, well we headed to a stand outside that sold cones of fries! How fun is that?? They were amazing, of course, and we even tried them in true Dutch fashion - with mayonnaise. Not as bad as I thought it would be! We grabbed some canal pictures and ended up at an Irish pub, because Ireland will always have my heart. We took it easy and had a couple drinks (Jameson & Ginger Ale). We took our time on our way back to explore the city and take in the city. I think the best way I could describe the culture here is a mix of Venice with the canals, Las Vegas with the sex, weed, and wild things, and a college town with bikes, young people, and cafes on every corner. It's fun and different than I expected!

Our last full day there consisted of a full day tour of Keukenhof, a huge tulip farm and botanical garden as well as a stop in Haarlem to see a windmill from the 1300s. We timed our Amsterdam trip well because Keukenhof is only open to the public 53 days of the year! Unfortunately at Keukenhof, most of the large tulip farms had been harvested so we didn't see the vast fields of tulips, but we did get to see one last remaining strip! The farms cultivate tulip bulbs and send them around the world! Our tour group stopped for a Dutch pancake lunch and then headed to Haarlem. It was like a quaint Amsterdam - quieter and smaller, but still with a young vibrance and traditional architecture. The windmill was amazing. The innovation used to solve problems with wind is something we could take notes on today! The used windmills to drain lakes and create cities, grind wheat to flour, process oil, and a few other industrial purposes. We were able to go all the way to the top of the windmill to see how it worked inside, and simply put, it was just a series of spinning gears. So cool!

Keukenhof Garden

The last strip of tulips!

Haarlem windmill

Those were the highlights of Amsterdam! We're finally feeling well-rested and enjoyed the time to just stroll around a fun city. Now to Florence!

Europe 2019 - Paris

My mom is right about many things, but telling me to go to Paris is definitely in the top five. Before this trip, I considered Paris a fun add-on, a city I could take or leave. After spending only a couple of days there, I'm SO glad we went! It was so much more than I expected.
Our trip started with a bit of a hiccup with a cancelled flight to Chicago, causing us to miss our flight to Paris. But we made it to France only a day later than planned and the people in Paris were very helpful as we rescheduled our time there!

We arrived at 7am on Thursday morning with plenty of time to kill before our hotel check in. We headed to a nearby cafe where we had a traditional French breakfast of a croissant, baguette, jam, and espresso. I'm happy to say that I can finally drink straight espresso! It's been coming in handy with the jet lag. Then, we walked to the Jardin du Luxembourg (we would end up being back several times over two days), the Church of Saint Sulpice, and the Church of Saint Germain. They were all uniquely beautiful!

Saint Sulpice

Saint Germain

Then, we headed to the Louvre to wander around. We ended up seeing the Arc de Carousel - this is a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe! The Arc de Triomphe was designed and built by Napoleon as a morale boost for the military troops when they came home from war. Well, as we all know with construction projects, they often don't finish as soon as we want them too. When the Arc de Triomphe wasn't going to be finished in time, Napoleon commissioned the Arc de Carousel, a third of the size to be completed before they came home. Because the arch was too small for a battalion to fit through, they instead circled the Arc seven times - thus the Arc de Carousel.

The Louvre

Arc de Carousel

Later that afternoon, we went on a walking food tour! We went to Poulaine bakery, Patrick Roger chocolate, an indoor French market, and a wine cellar. We tried all different foods such as a whole wheat sourdough, apple tart, unpasteurized Brie, Comte, Camembert, unpasteurized goat cheese, salami, and pork pate just to name a few! It was delicious and paired well with a few wines too. On the tour, we learned about MOFs (Meilleur Ouvrier de France). These are basically food experts in their fields. They apply to the MOF competition, and if selected, go through four rigorous trials before a jury decides if they qualify for the finals. Once in the final trial, they must meet a certain criteria to earn the lifelong title. There have been some final trials where no one is awarded with the MOF title! It's extremely prestigious, and we were able to try a MOF chocolatier's desserts! SO good! My favorite was a lemon basil chocolate truffle. Sounds weird, right? It was actually one of the best chocolates I've ever had. You don't put lemon and basil in a truffle unless you know what you're doing I guess!

The signature bread from Poulaine

MOF Chocolate!

So. Much. Cheese.

The next day, we woke up and headed to the Eiffel Tower. I loved learning about the incredible engineering marvel that it was at the time. It still uses the same lift (elevator) system that was originally built with it! We got awesome pictures and just enjoyed the view.

We walked around a bit and ended up at Saint Chapelle, a beautiful chapel built by King Louis IX. The stained glass uses hundreds of little scenes to depict the entire story of the Bible! It was absolutely stunning. We also grabbed a selfie outside of Notre Dame!

Just one of the stained glass windows!

We finished our time in Paris with a lovely dinner cruise around River Siene. We passed by major monuments such as the Louvre, Notre Dame, Statue of Liberty (the prototype), Alexandre III bridge, and even saw the Eiffel Tower sparkling! It was a dream to say the least. But now, onto Amsterdam!

Israel Day 12 - Coastal Plain & Last Day

It's only right that our last day of the trip was rainy and windy! I've also now officially determined that my rain jacket is actually a windbreaker...classic. Anyway, this day was still incredible and a fantastic way to end our journey around Israel!

Our first stop took us to Megiddo, the city that has been destroyed and rebuilt 25 times! That means it's arguably the most complicated and interesting archaeological site in Israel. It sits the Valley of Armageddon, a key location for farming and trade, which is why people are constantly fighting over its control throughout history. It was an incredible depiction of a tell! When we started at the bottom, we were at the 2nd(ish) century, and by the time we reached the top, we had spanned a thousand years!

A sacrificial altar from the Late Bronze Age (before King David)

Feeding trough (manger) for animals in the storehouse

This is probably the same type of manger Jesus was born in

For lunch, we went to the Druze village of Daliat El-Carmel for a traditional falafel and schnitzel meal. Falafel is basically ground chickpeas and spices rolled into a ball and fried (very good), and schnitzel ~seems~ like ground chicken breaded and fried (less good IMHO). I also tried Druze coffee which someone on the trip compared to Turkish coffee. It was very thick and very strong so they put it in espresso cups. By day 12, I needed any pick-me-up I could get! The Druze people are a unique ethnic and religious group that incorporates aspects of Islam, Hinduism, and Greek philosophy into their belief system. The group started as an Islamic sect before breaking off into their own religion around 1000CE.

Our last stop was Caesarea, the Vegas of the ancient world. I was really bummed because it was POURING when we got there, so we didn't get to explore much. That said, we still learned a lot about its history and why its such an important place in the history of Israel. It was the first man made port in the area built by Herod to provide a place for ships to dock in the Mediterranean. Knowing that sailors would need a place to stay during the winter "off-season," Herod built a city full of fun and games to keep them entertained. Because of this port, Herod's sailors are able to load their boats more efficiently with items to trade, so they arrive at the market a full month before the competition. That means they get to set the prices! This port was a huge accomplishment and ingenious way to keep the land of Israel at the forefront at the time! Caesarea also become the location where Cornelius, the first non-Jew to become a Christian, professed his faith in Christ - a turning point in Christianity as well.

The rain let up just long enough to get this picture on the coast of the Mediterranean!

The national park is reconstructing the port entrance! 

Guess I'll have to come back to see it all finished!

And that's all! We all made it home safely and now get to process the massive overload of info from an amazing trip of a lifetime! I will never look at my Bible the same way again, and I'm so thankful to have walked where Jesus and His bloodline walked. 

Israel Day 11 - The Valleys Area

Today was full of amazing views and taking in the sights! We started off the morning at Mount Arbel to take in the view of the entire Galilee area. I may have mentioned I don't enjoy standing on the edges of cliffs so I got GREAT pictures from the well-worn path. Enjoy

Next, we got to explore the city of Sepphoris, which was the capital of Galilee in Jesus' day. It's likely that this is where Joseph worked as a stonemason (the Greek writings of the NT describe Joseph as a craftsman, so he probably worked with stone in either mosaic laying or carving. There's just not a lot of wood here, so the chances that Joseph was a wood carpenter are slim). Sepphoris is about an hour walk from Nazareth and even shorter on a donkey, so it's appropriate to conclude that Jesus' family lived in the small town of Nazareth and worked in Sepphoris. We were able to see a secret symbol in Christianity (shown below) that Christians would draw in the sand to let people know it was a safe place for Christians. We also got to see a mosaic floor showroom! This is where people could choose what mosaic they'd like to purchase so it showcased many popular patterns and showed how the mosaics were created! It's important to remind myself that the people who lived in these cities were just like me - they wanted their homes to be beautiful and provide work for their community! We can only assume what other stores contained because they didn't have products that could survive centuries. At least we know what one of them was for!

A variation of the ichthys secret symbol displayed on a Roman sidewalk

Floor from the mosaic showroom

Each square or diamond is a separate pattern to choose from

This shows how mosaics were laid:

1) very coarse layer with larger rocks and plaster

2) course layer with uneven stones and plaster

3) fine layer of plaster

4) very fine and sticky layer of plaster used to draw the design

5) colored stones are laid in a "paint-by-number" method

We finished the day at the Mount of Precipice, which again had a gorgeous view of the surrounding area. We were able to see Nazareth on one side and the Valley of Armageddon on the other!

Nazareth from afar

Valley of Armageddon on the right and Mount Hermon, the traditional site of the transfiguration, on the left in background

Last full day is tomorrow! We leave the Sea of Galilee and head towards Tel-Aviv, making several stops along the way. We head home early on Thursday morning!