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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 there’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 I’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.

It’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, I’ll be back. 

Categories
Travel

Niagara on the Lake Recap

Happy Hump Day! We made it halfway through the week. I hope your week has been smooth sailing, but if not, I hope the wind moves you in the right direction as we wrap up the week.

These past few weeks have been busy, but in the best way, so I haven’t had a chance to chat about a recent trip I went on for work. I got to cross off something from my bucket list which was huge win and very exciting!

Charles the III was crowned King on May 6 and leading up to the Coronation, a close co-worker and I were tasked with getting the pulse of how Canadians felt about the new monarch and any festivities they had planned for the big day for a series of stories for Coronation Day. 

After coming up with a game plan and setting up interviews, we made our way to Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, which was just over a two-hour drive. It was my first-time visiting Niagara on the Lake, so I was excited to visit a new place and do a series of stories on a topic I have a lot of interest in.

Passport ready to go!

We had no problem getting through the border and once we were in, we hit the ground running. Between the two of us, we had five interviews to conduct. My co-worker focused more on taking the pulse of Canadians and I focused on the event and activities surrounding the Coronation in Niagara on the Lake.

The town itself was so charming. I loved seeing all the shops and popping into a few of them myself.

We went into one store that had lots of Coronation merchandise, I ended up picking a gold King Charles III spoon for myself as a souvenir. 

Some of the Coronation gear you could buy!
And some British candy!

There were different restaurants, cafes and bakeries on every corner. You felt like you were in a Hallmark movie and while we were there, I learned some Hallmark movies have been filmed there. 

The tulips were just starting to bloom and I’m sure in a few weeks, the streets will be covered in them.

Niagara on the Lake is also known for their wineries and Bed and Breakfasts, which we passed as we were making our way from stop to stop.

Another thing I loved about the town was how close in distance everything was to each other. Driving from one edge of town to the other took a few minutes and there was lots of sidewalks if you were looking to just walk from your hotel or BnB to a restaurant or shop.

Parks were all around and we were steps away from the lake.

My story took us to the Prince of Wales Hotel where Queen Elizabeth II stayed when she visited Niagara on the Lake in the 1970’s. It was a beautiful hotel with lots of history. 

We grabbed lunch at Treadwell, which was a farm to table restaurant. I got a salad that was the perfect mix of fresh and tangy.

This salad was so good!

We popped into a few shops on our way out of town, like this linen store. I wish I had time to check out all the different storefronts. 

One of the shops we popped into.

And just like that we were back on our way to the U.S.A. and we passed the falls on our way out.

The American and Canadian Falls!

Although, it was short trip, 12 hours total, we got a lot in and it was quite a success. I can’t wait to return and explore the town more, maybe even see a show or two. I’m so glad I got to go to a new place and experience a new culture. It was so fun to step out of my comfort zone and it definitely gave me the travel bug.

Have you been to Niagara on the Lake? If so, what were your favorite things to do and see? Let me know in the comments below!

See you back here on Friday for another Friday Favorites link-up!