Last Stop - Venezia

It's funny, before we left for our trip to Italy when I mentioned that one of the places we would be visiting was Venice everyone's response was "A day and half is all you really need before you get sick of Venice". That was not true for us at all. It may be because it was our departing port which meant we actually had a few days to explore the city at a more relaxed pace. There may be another reason we loved Venice so much but you have to stay tuned until the end of the post to find out what reason is ;)

Venice is all about exploring and getting lost in its twisting, turning alleys. Driving isn't option because there are no roads so we spent all of our time wandering from one side of the island to the other.

Wandering really is the only way you can get around because streets begin and end and twist and turn without rhyme or reason.

Venice has a strange, sordid, interesting history and everything is beautiful. Every dark alley, every crumbling ancient building, it's all beautiful and undeniably romantic.

I loved window shopping at all of the sweet shops. I wish I had a picture of the millions of varieties of home made torrone, they were so beautiful. I brought back some of the pistachio flavor for my dad because that's his favorite but I was kicking myself for not buying more.

Okay I've tortured you with vacation long enough. Here is the real reason Venice will always hold a special place in my heart:

No other city will ever be able to top the awesome, life changing event of getting engaged. Unfortunately this grainy cell phone photo is the only one we have to commemorate the evening but I'll cherish it forever. I think I'll keep the details to myself but I can tell you that it was ridiculously romantic and the most perfect evening.

So what's next? Seven months of wedding planning and preparation. I'm sure I'll share some of it here although some of my family reads my blog so I don't want to give away all of the details.

Related Posts:

I'm Back with a Vacay Update

And the Vacation Rolled On - Capri & Sicily

I'm Back!

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I'm Back with a Vacay Update

Remember 3 months ago when I was sharing some photos I took on our September trip to Europe. Yeah, probably not. It's been a really long time since the last post but I promise there's a reward for sticking around. I have some big news to share once the travel tale comes to an end. I promise it will be worth the wait. For today, a peek around Croatia and Montenegro.

Sailing into the port of Kotor, Montenegro is breath taking. The Bay of Kotor (or Boca Bay) is considered Europe's southernmost fjord. Fjords are something I thought only existed in Scandinavia.

We participated in similar activities in all the cities we visited in Montenegro and Croatia (Kotor, Dubrovnik, and Hvar) - climb to the top of the wall that circles the city, oohh and aahh over how pretty the view is and how cute the city is, relax at a cafe and drink coffee, and do a little bit of shopping.



Here are a couple shots of Dubrovnik (the two photos above are of Kotor, Montenegro), notice the similarity - walled in city, beautiful views:



I left Montenegro feeling like I have to return some time soon. They country is gorgeous and I'm really interested in exploring more of it, one afternoon was not enough. Dubrovnik sort of felt like the Disney World version of a Croatian city. It's very pretty but it was so clean and full of tourists that I really have no idea what it might be like to actually live in Croatia.

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And the Vacation Rolled On - To Capri & Sicily

Half of our trip was spent sailing the Tyrrhenian, Ionian, and Adriatic Seas. We only had one day at each of the destinations we sailed to so that meant we packed a lot of activities into each afternoon. Our first stop was Capri and we did what any good tourist would do - we paid for a group to the Blue Grotto. It was very pretty and very blue but also a circus. It's one of those things that I guess you should do once but now that I've seen it I'm sure I'll never return.

My favorite part of the day spent in Capri was taking the cable cars from Anacapri to one of the highest points on the island. The trip takes about 15 minutes so you get to relax and enjoy the view. And what a gorgeous view it is.

I wasn't joking, this is the view you are greeted with when you hop off the cable cars at the top of island. Breathtaking.

This guy is up there too. Quick glance - he totally looks like he's flipping us the bird, right?

From Capri we sailed to Taormina, Sicily which looks like the set from Audrey Hepburn movie.

We had a pretty leisurely afternoon in Taormina wandering back alleys and discovering buildings covered in gorgeous green vines. Sicily is a place I would definitely like to revisit, we saw only a small slice of the island and I know it has much more to offer.

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I'm Back! (I know, my timing is off)

I realized this morning that I slowly came back to blogging with out the proper "Hey, I'm back from vacation. How've you been?" blog post. I have a ton of pictures to share, it was really a whirlwind trip. We visited a lot of places in two weeks, perhaps too many. This was our itinerary: Rome - Capri - Sicily - Kotor, Montenegro - Dubrovnik, Croatia - Havar, Croatia - Venice - and back to Rome. Walking seemed the best way to experience each city, I wish I was wearing a pedometer because I would love to know how many miles we traversed. I'll try to just pick out a few highlights from each stop so I don't overwhelm you with a million vacation photos. No matter how pretty the destinations are I know looking at a million photos of someone else's vacation can get old fast.

Travel tip - Don't schedule your visit to the Coliseum the day you arrive in Rome after 15 hours of travelling. When you're that tired your interest in such an impressive structure diminished quickly.

My expectations for lunch near the Coliseum were pretty low because it is such a touristy part of Rome but I had the best carbonara ever at this little cafe just one block from the historic site. Curiously the menu had a big picture of Albert Einstein on the cover. The nerd in me was pleased.

Fountains, fountains everywhere. Once those crazy Romans discovered they could extract water from the ground they went a little nuts constructing fountains. I'm only partially serious, some of them are pretty impressive.

We spent a lot of time exploring this Basilica di Santa Maria (the name is actually much longer than that). The brass meridian on the church floor which maps the location of the Sun and some stars in the sky at different times of the year was fascinating. This Basilica was actually dedicated to Galileo, really interesting considering his relationship with the Catholic church.

This is a funny shot of the Spanish Steps. It's not often that you can be the only two people sitting on them. There are usually hoards of tourists hanging out here. Window shopping in the neighborhood below the steps is outrageously good but I could hardly afford to step foot in any of the shops.

Next stop - Capri, where I did not buy leather sandals and did not drink limoncello.

Edit: I almost forgot - How've you been?

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J.K. Paradise

I'm extremely excited for my up coming trip, not too surprising right? It's 25 days and counting until we leave so to pass the time until then I've been researching things to see and do at each of our ports of call. One of my new favorite research tools - twitter. My twitter friends/followers are awesome and never fail to give the best advice. Our first stop is Capri and who better to recommend somewhere fabulous to do than a fabulous gal - Cassandra. She recommending checking out the J.K. Place Hotel for drinks and I am definitely following her advice. Jaw meet floor:

I may never want to leave.

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Just a Minor Change of Plans

So, you know that living room redecorating project that I have been yammering on about? It has been put on hold but for a very good reason. I will be spending my money on this vacation instead and it is going to be totally worth it.

In one month I will be headed to Italy, Croatia, and Montenegro with Nick, my two brothers, and a bunch of their friends. I'm crawling out of my skin I'm so excited!

Do you have any exciting summer/fall travel plans? I would love to hear about them.

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Seaside Sailing

I planned a weekend sailing excursion with my family to celebrate my mom's birthday. It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon at the shore.

We packed a lunch and spent several hours sailing Barnegat Bay.

Isn't the bay gorgeous?!


How did you spend your weekend? I hope it was a lovely as mine.

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If I Could Hop on a Flight to Athens Tomorrow

I would be booking a few nights in one of these chic abodes asap! Just for fun yesterday I found started searching airbnb for vacation rentals in Athens, Greece. I doubt we'll have a need for a place to stay in the city since our summer trip will probably have us heading straight to the port to catch a ferry to the islands (unless the price of flights continues to rise, damn it's expensive to fly these days). These elegantly furnished and affordable apartment rentals might make me consider spending a few days in the city before heading to the beach.

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Thanks For Trying

But unfortunately no amount of finger and toe crossing was going to get my flight off the ground on Thursday. Instead of being seated patiently on the plane waiting for take off at 6:30 am my friends and I were doing this:

What we thought was going to be 4 - 6 inches of snow actually turned out to be closer to 18 inches so it was no surprise when our flight was canceled. Luckily we made it on a direct flight the next morning and were able to salvage a pretty decent vacation. Second to Yosemite, Park City, Utah is the most beautiful location in the United States that I have visited so far and the buzz during Sundance is so fun. The skiing is usually outstanding though it was a balmy 45 degrees this year. I wasn't complaining and I'm pretty proud of how I pushed myself on the mountain. It didn't hurt having a professional ski instructor as a ski buddy. You definitely feel more confident in your abilities when a pro convinces you that you can do it. I did, however, almost end up stuck under a cabin but that's besides the point. At least I tried and that will be the motto for 2011.


It always takes me a few days to get back in the groove after taking a trip but I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule tomorrow.

Photo Credit: Michelle Verdugo

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Visit Local: Ace Hotel NYC & My Love for Roman & Williams

Somewhere between my the stress of preparing the Thanksgiving meal and the craziness of Christmas shopping Nick and I snuck away for a weekend in New York City. I live so close to New York but trips into the city generally consist of just running in after work to meet some friends for drinks or the occasional weekend trip to the museum. It's rare that we just get to enjoy the city at a more relaxed pace. As I mentioned previously, local trips are going to be a more regular occurrence and this weekend at the Ace Hotel was just perfect. I scored a large king room from Jetsetter.com for about 30% off and then magically got upgraded to one of the incredible loft rooms. At 700 square feet, a bathroom with a claw foot tub & separate rainfall shower, and a corner banquet with great views, we were ready to move right in.

Since this weekend trip was to weeks before Christmas we couldn't resist wandering the neighborhood to see the Christmas sights like the Rockefeller Center tree, the skating rink & holiday market in Bryant Park, and store windows at Macy's. It's madness in New York during the holidays but I still enjoy it. We enjoyed dinner at the english-style restaurant in the Ace, The Breslin, run by April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman, owners of Michelin starred restaurant, The Spotted Pig. The Breslin was recently awarded its first Michelin star and was worth the long wait. I'm dieing to try the suckling pig dinner served at the chef's table available for parties of 8 to 12.

(Please help, I'm dieing for those bedside lamps but can't find them anywhere. If you know who makes them I will love you forever.)

My search for those bedside lamps led me to the design firm responsible for this spectacular hotel. Roman and Williams, founded in 2002, have designed major residential projects in New York and Los Angeles. The firm recently completed the renovation and expansion of one of Frank Lloyd Wright's important Usonian houses, the renovation of the iconic Royalton Hotel, the Standard Grill and the 18th Floor Club, and of course the Ace Hotel - including The Breslin restaurant, Stumptown Coffee Shop, and most recently the John Dory Oyster Bar. I really connect with Roman and Williams work. Their esthetic is every evolving but always spans time frames, cultures, and styles.

You can read more about Roman and Williams future projects here and see more photos of completed projects here.

Photo Credits: Photos 1 thru 5 - Michelle Verdugo remaining photos from romanandwilliams.com

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Visit Local: Warwick, NY & The Hudson Valley Wineries

So Friday I turned 30. Yup, it happened. Unlike my fellow fabulous Scorpio Cassandra, there was no fan fare here on the blog. I just quietly let it happen. The few years leading up to 30 I was one of those, "What's the big deal, it's just another year?" people but as the date approached that definitely changed. I won't go into all of my turning 30 angst, I'm sure there are many of you out there who get it. Lets chat about a fun weekend getaway instead, shall we?

I love to travel but like many I'm limited by available vacation time, funds, etc. which means I usually get to take one or perhaps two long distance trips a year. That is definitely not enough for me. To satisfy my wanderlust I've been wanting to do more local traveling so as a great way to kick off my 30th year my boyfriend and I (and Milo) spent the weekend in the Hudson Valley.

After only about an hour in the car our adventure started on a portion of the Appalachian Trail that traverses the ridge of Bellvale Mountain, part of the Sterling Forest State Park. I think we might have been one week past peak fall foliage for the area but the views of Greenwood Lake from the ridge were pretty fantastic. This a 7 mile section of the trail but we only hiked about 3 miles in and then hoofed it back to the car. The trail is clearly marked however there are sections of exposed rock and some moderately steep climbs/descents so I would consider this an intermediate hike. Also, make sure the do a thorough tick check post hike. Milo had a stage 5 clinger but he was a good sport as I yanked it off of him.

We stayed at what I think might be the only dog friendly Bed & Breakfast in the area, Meadowlark Farm. Charming is definitely the word for this place. With only three guest rooms you feel more like your spending the night at a distant relative's home than a B&B. The host and owner Dorothy is very warm and is a great resource of things to see and do. The king suite was lovely and had a private bath (with not so great shower pressure) and a comfortable seating area.

The B&B is only about 10 minutes for the Village of Warwick which is again charming and quaint and all of those lovely things. There's a nice variety of restaurants but were pretty pooped after the hike we so we had a casual meal at an Irish pub. Big thumbs up to the Blarney Station for offer vegetarian versions of French onion soup And Shepard's pie. After dinner we enjoyed our first drive-in movie (thanks to a tip from Dorothy) located about 5 miles outside of the village center.

a few more photos from the trip

Sunday we had a casual lunch in Sugar Loaf, NY. Don't let the website fool you it's even quainter than the Warwick downtown but it's worth a quick visit and a stroll. If you go check out The Candle Shop. They only sell one candle scent, the Sugar Loaf scented candle, in a bunch of shapes and sizes. The shop owners are as adorable as their little shop and you can watch them make the candles while you shop.

The Hudson Valley is home to about 25 small to medium scale wineries most of which are open to the public for tastings and tours. In the vicinity of Warwick is the Swanagunk Wine Trail 11 wineries nestled between the Shawangunk Mountains and the Hudson River. Our pace was set to leisurely so we only visited two of the wineries along this trail, Applewood Winery and Warwick Valley, but we tasted some great wines and enjoyed the drive through the countryside. I'm eager to plan a return visit in the Spring with a group of friends so we can hit up more of the wineries along the trail.

I loved this local trip and will definitely be planning more for the near future. Do you travel local? What are some of your favorite nearby places to visit? I would love some recommendations so please share!

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