Categories
Travel

Italy Part Two

Welcome back and Happy Wednesday!

I can’t believe August has come to an end. School is back in session and fall will be here before we know it. I typically save the last Wednesday of the month for my Currently post, but that will be pushed back a week, so I can shared part two of my trip to Italy.

At the beginning of the month, my family and I embarked on our first big international trip and went to Italy. I shared part one last week and you can read about it here.

Today is all about part two. We left off with our day trip to Venice.

Day Six was a calmer day after a day of travel. My brother and I started the day with a run which was such a good way to start the day.

We then got breakfast at the hotel and packed up our things for the next hotel. After breakfast we did some more sightseeing.

I’ll be missing these Italian breakfasts

We started the day at St. Mary Major, one of my favorite churches from the last time I visited.

I loved the architecture and the fact we could walk there.

The gorgeous church

After look at the church, we took an Uber to the Keyhole where you can get a unique perspective of the city.

A unique view of Rome

It was also near where I stayed when I came in college. We got to see some of the churches near Saint Anselmo and saw some incredible views of the city too.

After spending some time in a quieter part of Rome, we made our way back to the city to see the Tomb of the Unknown Solider.

We then walked flights of stairs and took an elevator to see some incredible views of the city. 

An overview of the city
More views
And even more views

After, snapping some photos, we made our way to the Pantheon.

Then made our way to the Piazza Novena for lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant where I got a delicious chicken and hummus wrap.

At this point, we switched hotels for our trip, we stayed in Rome but moved to a quieter part of town.

Our new neighborhood

The hotel was gorgeous and the best part was the pool which was much needed after several days in scorching temperatures!

We relaxed and cooled off by the pool and then got cleaned up for dinner.

We walked to a steakhouse nearby. We split some appetizers and I enjoyed their fresh salad and meatballs and tiramisu for dessert. It was so nice to walk back after dinner.

We then called it a night since we had a big day planned. 
Day Seven started early as we had to catch a 6:00 train to Naples.

Early morning views
With breakfast
Arriving in Naples

Once we arrived, we took a 7:30 ferry to Capri for the day!

Our ferry

We arrived at 9:30 just in time for our 10:00 boat tour of the island.

First sights of Capri.

A lot of early morning travel but it was so worth it.

This was one of my favorite days of the trip! Capri was packed with lots of tourists.

Our boat driver told us over 20,000 people visit every day! The island is very small but thereā€™s so much to see. We spent four hours on the boat and got to see the whole island. We got to go swimming twice, once near some cliffs and then in some caverns. It was such a cool experience. It was so hot out that the water felt so refreshing and it was so clear too. This was an experience Iā€™ll never forget.

After our boat ride, we did some shopping and eating.

We got their traditional lemon sorbet, which was lemon sorbet in a lemon, it was so refreshing in the heat.

After some more window shopping, we made our way back for a 4:30 ferry back to Naples.

Gorgeous views

We had to catch a 6:30 train to Rome. We enjoyed some snacks on the train and before we knew it, we were back in Rome.

It was a long day full of travel, but so worth it! It was one of my favorite days of the trip.

Pictures don’t do it justice
Simply stunning

Day Eight had a slower start due to how busy the previous day was. I started the day with a walk and then we went to church at an American church near the Vatican.

After mass, we went to to do some shopping and went to get our items blessed and listen to the Pope give his weekly address.

Seeing the Pope again

It was so cool to see Pope Francis twice in one week alongside thousands of other people.

After spending time at the Vatican, we went to the Jewish Ghetto for lunch and to see the spot was Julius Cesar was killed.

We split lots of snacks for lunch and I got a Chicken Caesar salad too.

Lunch
And lots of snacks!

I also indulged in a pistachio cannoli for a treat! It hit the spot.


After looking at some of the ruins, we made our way to the Olympic stadium which was so cool to see in person even if it had been decades since they were last played there.

My mom and I did some window shopping at a few high end stores and got one last gelato to cool off.

I went for snickers in a cone, the perfect afternoon treat.

We went back to the hotel and cooled off in the pool and then got ready for one last Italian dinner.

We walked to a spot nearby where I order bucatini and tiramisu for dessert, they did not disappoint! We walked back to our hotel and enjoyed the beauty that Rome had to offer at night.


Our final day started with a a walk in a nearby park followed by breakfast and getting to the airport to head back home.

One last walk in Rome
One last breakfast

The ride home was long but books and movies kept me entertained and then we were back home and back to reality. 

Back to the states

I had such an incredible trip to Italy with my family. As we endured 100 degree days and consumed lots of water, and walked dozens of miles, we enjoyed delicious food, rich history and made an abundance of memories.

Itā€™s truly time I would not trade for anything. We are all getting older and continue to go in different directions, which made this trip extra special. 

Ciao Roma, Iā€™ll be back. 

Categories
Fabulous living

New Year’s Resolutions Check-In


Happy Wednesday!

Can you believe we are half way through a June and half way through 2022? This year is flying by. The winter months being cooped up inside certainly dragged, but once spring and summer came around and Iā€™ve been able to get outside more, the days are flying by. Iā€™m doing everything I can to make the most of my days off and time after work by being outdoors.Ā 

A walk on a day off is the best way to enjoy summer.

With the second half of the year ahead of us, I wanted to look back on my New Yearā€™s resolutions to see how Iā€™ve done so far and what areas I can improve in.

You can see my New Years resolutions here.Ā 

I broke up my resolutions into the categories of physical, spiritual, professional and lifestyle.

For my physical goals, I wanted to focus on eating more veggies and Iā€™m so proud to say that Iā€™ve been eating vegetables every day with multiple meals. Iā€™ve done my best to use a vegetable as a replacement for a chip or carb with meals. Hello celery sticks instead of potato chips.

I ultimately feel better when I eat more vegetables compared to more carbs, which I know sounds like a no brainer, but to feel the effects is rewarding. Iā€™m going to continue to add more fruits and vegetables to my plate for all meals and snacks for the next six months of the year.

For spiritual goals, I wanted to spend more time with Jesus besides just going to Church once a week. Although, Iā€™ve been happy with being more consistent with my prayer life this year, I know thereā€™s still so much I can do. I want to continue to live out my faith with my actions and get more involved with my church and community (one of my goals for 24, if you recall). I always start my days with journaling and praying but want to do more for a more fulfilling faith life. After all, the ultimate goal in life is to be with God.Ā 

The Laudate app makes it easier to get Jesus time in during the morning.

For professional goals, I wanted to focus on being more creative in my storytelling. Iā€™ve done a pretty good job of this so far, but I know thereā€™s more ways to improve. I try to be creative when I have them time at work, but sometimes Iā€™m in a real time crunch and I donā€™t always have the extra time to be creative. I want to think out of the box when telling stories and putting in the time to learn new things. I still want to boost my creativity in the second half of the year.

For lifestyle, one of my goals is to use more sustainable products and Iā€™ve really done a good job with this. I almost always use plastic containers instead of baggies when packing my lunch. Thanks to more stores doing away with plastic bags, Iā€™ve been using recycled and reusable bags. I know itā€™s not much but I feel good that Iā€™m doing part.

Thatā€™s a look at my resolutions so far, I’ve certainly made progress in many areas, but I know I have lots of ways to improve. I like to use these check-ins to hold myself accountable and hopefully help you hold yourself accountable to when it comes to our resolutions. It’s great to set goals at the beginning of the year, but it’s even more important to stick to them. How has your resolutions been going so far?Ā Sticking to them or have a few gone to the wayside?

Let me know in the comments below!

Categories
Fashion

Look of the Day #46

LOTD

Hello All!

Happy April!

I hope your Aprilā€™s are all off to a good start. I am back to school for the last leg of the semester. This semester and year has flown by!Ā  My April is jammed packed, if I survive this month, I think I can tackle anything. Haha.

Today, I am sharing the outfit I wore on Easter. I spent my Easter Sunday by attending mass and spending time with family. I couldnā€™t have asked for a better day. Ā I think Spring is finally upon on, I wanted to get in the spirit with this bold print floral dress. I donā€™t often wear these colors, but I saw the dress a few years ago and couldnā€™t resist.

I actually purchased this dress two years ago from Nordstromā€™s . Unfortunately, it is no longer in stock. Ā I wore it for my high school Baccalaureate Mass. It was held at the end of the year and I love the bright colors. I love to buy things that are very good quality so i can wear them on numerous occasions especially as I will be heading into the real world soon. I love the dark blues and greens, but I love the pop of yellow even more. I decided to bring out the yellow with these light-yellow heels from Kelly and Katie, I got them at DSW a few years ago as well. I added some simple but classic to go along with the dress and shoes.

I donā€™t often wear bold dresses like this, but I decided to change up my look for Easter. I often choose to wear simple colors and add bold jewelry or accessories as my statement pieces. Today, however, my dress was my statement piece.

I canā€™t wait for Spring to get fully underway for all things spring fashion. What trends are you looking forward to this spring/summer season?

Also, I will be out of town this weekend, to follow along with my adventures, check out my Instagram for all things travel @elspethsdaybyday

See you next week!!