Italy: Day 3 - Rome & Frescati

 June 4th

Not so much hustling for the AM of our second full day in Italy. We ate pastries in a coffee shop around the corner and then headed for the train station. We realized then I didn’t have a mask which is required for public transportation. I won’t tell you where I eventually found one… 

We then waited for over half an hour for our train to Frascati as it was late. We shuttled over to a beautiful 16th century winery and tasted several wines, learned about the history of the family of wine growers and then had a little snack outside of breads and cheeses. 

We were then shuttled into the town of Frascati to be guided around for a few more bites and sites. Lastly we had lunch at a little spot in town with our group and then departed from there. Our train was once again late and so much so we began to realize we wouldn’t have time to change into appropriate attire for the Vatican tour. We dashed into a clothing store and bought proper masks, sweatpants (Max) and a t-shirt (Allie). We rushed back to the station to find the train still hadn’t arrived. We looked up Ubers, taxis, any alternative to no avail. Once the train did come we rushed aboard and then took a taxi straight to the Vatican. 

We were 15 minutes late but still the group was still there! We were told it was a 90 minute tour which would be perfect timing for our dinner that was 3 hours after the start of the tour. We began the tour and were blown away with the art and history inside. Our guide was incredible and explained so many details about the stories and events leading the creation and evolution of the Sistine Chapel. Well after the 90 minute mark we realized that this tour wasn’t even half over. We unfortunately had to bow out of the rest of the tour and run off to dinner. Even then we were going to be late and called to move our reservation. Lesson learned: the Vatican will take much much longer than 90 minutes — so reader beware!!! The lady selling us the ticket clearly needed to make a sale, so she told us what we wanted to hear. Disappointing to say the least, but we will be back to Rome at some point in our lives and will block off an entire afternoon for the occasion! 

Dinner at HiRes was exceptional. We finally got an Aperol Spritz! We dined on pasta, tuna tartar, lamb, and lobster linguine. We had a dessert sampling from the chef. It was the perfect evening sitting outside, overlooking Rome with the sun fading away in the distance, giving everything that beautiful golden hour glow. 

This was our first international trip together. It was the perfect balance of traveling with friends, drinking, partying, seeing sights, soaking up history, and of course eating as much as we could of local cuisines! I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world! I know we will be back to both Spain and Italy. But until then… 

Con mucho amor,

Allie

Italy: Day 2 - Rome

 June 3rd

5am comes way too quickly. We shuffle, then scooter and finally speed-walk to the meeting point for our 6am biking tour of Rome. The tour ended up being just us and the guide! It was by far the most effective was to see Rome. We were guided around on e-bikes from Trevi Fountain, to the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, to the Roman Forum, and so much more! Our guide was absolutely fabulous from his version of roman history, to his quips and jokes, and an extraordinary picture taker! He had us posing for every site LOL Three hours absolutely flew by and I felt by 9am we had seen all of Rome! I highly recommend doing something like this for Rome, or really any large city. Seeing it in the early hours with less tourists, less traffic, and of course maximizing your time makes the experience worth every penny.

Trevi Fountain

The Roman Forum

The Spanish Steps

We then stopped at a little breakfast spot near the Colosseum for a rest and a bite before heading to our official visit to our 1st Wonder of the World together. It was desperately hot at this point, and we hadn’t thought to bring our water bottles. We drank greedily from the public water fountains that are thankfully all over Rome. 

The Colosseum itself was something that I could hardly fathom. The sheer amount of history behind the making of and events that took place within those walls is hard to believe. Learning more about the history (and Max’s side stories that had more than one set of ears leaning in to hear!) and how Roman architecture, inventions and rules are still some of the basis of our foundations in modern society was really amazing. This culture really is so rich and the history absolutely astounded me throughout our entire visit in Rome. 

From there we starting heading towards the Vatican City (with a pitstop for gelato). A few misconceptions I might pass on to our fellow readers: you cannot just wander into the Vatican City for a quick stop by. I think we were under the impression that you could just buy tickets and then wander through in just an hour. No, no. Not at all. We ended up buying tickets for the following day instead after learning more information. Unfortunately because we were going on a Saturday (right before Mass) we would miss Saint Peter’s Basilica. More on this later. 

We meandered back to our airbnb, and stopped into a market to make a tiny charcuterie snack and drink a few local beers. Max and I love to find a few local eats and drinks at small markets when we travel, so this was the perfect time to do that. 

view out of our Airbnb window

Our feet resisted our shoes as we headed out for our walking Roman Food Tour. It was a lovely group and evening started to cool off. We drank gassosa y vino, ate cheese and cured meats, traditional roman pizza (read: sub cheese for olive oil), a Michelin-star Carbonara, cannolis, tiramisu, and finished off with dessert wines. 

Roman Food Tour

By a power of wills, I convinced Max to hustle to Villa Borghese which we were told last night was the best panoramic views of Rome. No worries, just ANOTHER 30 minute walk with our already aching feet. The views were indeed magnificent. Another beautiful plaza sat below it. It was worth the walk (or at least to me, confer with Max on his answer :P ). As a reward to ourselves we stopped at a wine shop called Enoteca Buccone which was a wine shop from the early 1900s. We were recommended two delightful wines by the merchant there that didn’t even imply that it was near closing time. We drank and nibbled and popped out right before closing. It was the perfect reprieve from all the steps we just accomplished. 

nightcap at Enoteca Buccone

FINALLY our 1st full day in Rome came to an end. Until tomorrow…

arrivederci xx

Italy: Day 1 - Rome

June 2nd

Planning Italy as an add-on sort of trip became quite the whirlwind from the start. Max put it best “I feel like we were rushing, rushing, rushing…” and frankly he was right! It was trying to squeeze in one of the most historically dense cities into just two days… in unprecedented hot and humid days for Rome (it was reaching above 90F). Where do we begin,…

First off, we found out very quickly about how the Italians, well, run behind. Our flight was almost 2 hours late for take off, which made us believe that we would not be able to make our dinner activity. Our plan was to go eat dinner in a Roman home with meals cooked by a family! We tried to get a cab from the airport to resign to our Airbnb only to be informed that due to a national holiday (turned out to be Republic Day) there were too many road closure so the answer was simply ‘no.’ Our dinner hostess called us and demanded to speak to the driver and insisted we would make it to dinner in time! After a few heated words between our host and the taxi driver, he motioned for us to get into the taxi and drove us to our destination, luggage in hand!

From there we indulged in wine (selected by the hostess’ daughter who was a sommelier), 4 courses of homemade Italian food, and dessert wines! We talked and laughed and heard stories from the 15 other people that joined us for dinner! Max even made a cocktail for the group :) The night in essence was a foreshadowing of our time in Rome. Barely getting there in time, unexpected and delightful. 

We were able to walk to our airbnb from there, with full tummies and head in the clouds (was it the travel day or the wine?). We stayed in the MOST lovely studio that thankfully had AC. It was not even a block from Campo di Fiori. We practically collapsed right after setting 5 alarms for our 6am bike tour. So now you see where this trip is heading… 

Ciao xx

Spain: Day 6 - Seville

 June 1st

We awoke in our little Sevillian apartment to Mark cooking the most wonderful breakfast for us to (try to) cure our hangover. About half of us were slugs in the morning, while the other half was ready for some REAL coffee. Mark, Max, and I greeted the day with some café con leche and OJ to shake off last night at a local coffee spot around the corner. We formed a game plan to go to see Plaza de España which would be about a 30 minute walk from our Airbnb. When we returned Natalia wanted to tackle some shopping first, so we shopped for a bit in the city center and reconvened at the Airbnb. We eventually all got to Plaza de España in the late afternoon. It was SO hot outside as we marveled at the plaza filled with mosaic tiles and thoughtful architecture and live music. We wandered around and Natalia and Mike even paddled in a little boat around the canal within the plaza. There is so much rich history in Spain and this is one of the newer pieces of Spanish architecture that was built in 1928 for the world exposition.   

We ate a small lunch to tide us over until our late night Spanish dinner (and drank a little more sangria). Mark, Max and I decided to bike back to the Airbnb to get more sights of Seville and we passed so many beautiful statues, parks and even the Catedral de Sevilla, which is a sight itself. 

Mark, Alex, Max and I still wanted one more snack before we went back to the Airbnb and squeezed it in before siesta started. We told our waiter at Sanedrín to surprise us with whatever he wanted and he did not disappoint!

We relaxed back at the airbnb and then got ready for our last dinner together. This was probably my favorite dinner we had in Spain! We went to a spot called Mahareta and sat outside on the street. We had wine flowing, so many tapas, the best patatas bravas I have ever had, seafood and finished with the most amazing desserts. 

We hit a few bars in the Calle de Hercules which is bar district where we hopped through a few different bars before we called it a night. 

It is wonderful that we are friends that truly enjoy each others’ company and are eager to share food and drinks (and even gazpacho!) and experiences with each other. We traveled easily with each other, and everyone had a strength to contribute. Mark - the planner, Max the go-getter/historian, Natalia - the ultimate vibe/fashion check and Spanish expert, Mike - keeps the energy high, Alex - keeps the party going (even if by himself lol). 

We cannot wait to do it all again sometime in the future <3 ciao ciao xx

Spain: Day 5 - Seville

 May 31st

We got up early today to eat breakfast out with Christi’s family’s lawyer. Many years ago Natalia’s aunt was in a terrible accident with a train in the states. It was in her best interest to be back in Spain with her family, but as part of the agreement her lawyer must visit her twice a year and see that she is well taken care. We happen to be visiting during such a visit occurred. So we sat with this lawyer that has known this family for nearly 20 years, truly incredible to know about this unusual circumstance that brings him to Spain from the midwestern united states twice a year! We had jamón y pan, cafe con leche and you guessed it…. Fresh OJ! 

From there we quickly gathered our belongings because we were headed to Seville to spend a few days together exploring before Max and I headed out to Italy by ourselves. 

We took a bus to Seville and checked into the coolest Airbnb near one of the shopping centers of Seville. It was all marble floors and walls, with a small kitchen and three bedrooms with AC units in each room. Thank goodness, because so much of Europe doesn’t have AC! 

We had a small lunch before everyone closed for siesta. From there we went to Aldi as a group which was conveniently located just a minute walk from our Airbnb. We were amazed at the two story building that held cheap wine, fresh bakery items (there was a bakery inside the Aldi!), and beautiful local cheese and meats and fish. As an Aldi fanatic, I was super impressed with Spanish Aldi. We bought a ton of drinks and snacks to have in the airbnb. From there we relaxed and took a nap and then got ready for our self-made tapas tour!

We all researched together different spots and went to 3 different tapas spots to drink sangria, eat small bites and sit and let the sunset in the background of the Seville ski. We headed to a dance club nearby (on a Tuesday no less) and were greeted by American throwback songs, more Barcelo y Coke Lites, and actually quite a crowd of tourists and local Sevillians alike! 

We stayed out into the night dancing and drinking, truly a Spanish experience we were living.

xx. 

Spain: Day 4 - Cadiz

 May 30th

Today we planned to go to Cadiz which is accessible by either ferry or car/bus. A few of us felt the night before more than others ;)

We got to the bus station and ordered a quick cafe con leche and jamón y pan to stuff down before boarding the bus. We didn’t realize at this time that Spain still required masks on their public transit and we were scrambling for masks while boarding! We ended up being short one mask and a nice passenger offered one to us. Whew, it was stressful, as the next bus to Cadiz wasn’t for another 2 hours. But we made it!

Mark and I sat together and planned out the morning, as a few. of others *ahem* were struggling with lack of sleep and too much alcohol. We decided to head to an ancient Roman Colosseum as our first stop in Cadiz. We did lots of exploring and walking through the streets of this 5 square mile island. Every street was picturesque and the water was brilliant and sparkling in the hot summer sun. 

We stopped for lunch on the most beautiful street and sat outside and shared tapas and sangria into the afternoon. We then walked to a Castillo de San Sebastian and Alex and Mike went for a little swim, while the rest of us decided against having wet clothes HA.

We then split up and loitered around the island, stopping for ice cream, to drink wine, finding little courtyards with live music. It truly was a beautiful city to wander, around every corner was something beautiful and delightful.   

here is European-Clout Maxwell 

xx

Spain: Day 3 - Chipiona

 May 29th

Today we headed out for breakfast. Jamon y pan with the choice of olive oil or a tomato spread which was kind of like salsa. And of course we had to have fresh OJ and cafe con leche. This became a sort of ritual for the mornings going forward hah!

Today we headed into the town center to shop, so Natalia, Cristi and I went into some shops to buy clothes and Cristi bought me and Nat scarves to wear in our hair like the Spanish girls do :)

We had a beautiful lunch of Spanish tapas with mussels, clams, fried sardines, squid, fish liver, and so much more. 

lunch in town & vino tinto

We then went to an old Chipiona original maker of Moscatel called Bodega el Castillito. Cristi bought us a bottle to take home and we cannot wait to share it with our families! It was delicious and was the perfect way to end our afternoon enjoying the town center. 

We drank coffee on the patio when we returned and took naps and relaxed. Cristi, Max, Mike and I decided to walk down to the beach and have a drink and continue our conversations at one of the chiringuitos. Max claims he had the best mojito of his life! We then ordered a few rounds of Barcelo and Diet Coke, which basically will become a drink of choice for the entirety of this trip in Spain! 

barcelo y coke lite

One neat thing about Spain is that they will pour your drink into a traditional Spanish tumbler (literally all the cups were the same shape and size, in every restaurant across Spain!) with these HUGE ice cubes that were spherical. They pour your liquor of choice over ice and hand you the glass along with your mixer of choice in a small glass bottle. So for example, all the rum and cokes we ordered we mixed to our liking, which I really appreciated! 

Natalia and Mark joined us and we all watched the sunset. Cristi was such a darling host and I enjoyed our time immensely getting to know her, her family, and her hometown in such an intimate fashion. I’m so thankful to have been welcomed lovingly into her family.

our beautiful hostess with the mostess, Cristi

We went eight deep in the Peguet so that we avoided an Uber into town, Max and Alex sacrificing their bodies by folding themselves into the trunk!!! Ridiculous. We ended up back at Trinity’s with Natalia’s Tío Manuel and drank until the early morning and returned back to hot Spanish-style pizza (good thinking ahead Tío Manuel!). Noticing a theme yet? 

Ciao ciao xxx.