Wow. Time has flown by since my last blog post. I can't believe it's Labor Day Weekend and summer is coming to an end. I guess it's flown by because I have been so busy. I didn't even realize I hadn't blogged about the Mediterranean vacation I took so here it goes...
At the end of May I went on a Mediterranean cruise with my mom. It was kind of a last minute decision but we got such a great deal that we couldn't pass it up. We flew Alitalia to Venice which was a big mistake. Maybe I'm spoiled when it comes to international flights but there was not one single thing that made this flight feel any different than a regular US flight except that we got meals. The plane was also incredibly hot and to top it all off I felt a cold coming on while on the plane. So needless to say by the time we got to Venice I was pretty miserable. When we got on the ship we found out that the shuttle which would normally take us from the ship to St. Mark's Square was not running until later that evening because the America's Cup Race was going on. As much as I wanted to get to Venice and see as much of the city as I could, I was a little happy because it gave me a chance to take some medicine and rest a bit before heading out. Once we got there I immediately understood why everyone falls in love with the city. It's beautiful! It was a little chilly when we were there and again I wasn't feeling that great so we didn't have too much time there but I can't wait to go back. It was also really cool to see the America's Cup setup and all the boats that were there for the race. I also had a chance to stop in a pharmacy and get some medicine that seemed to work wonders. God only knows what it is that I took!
We had two sea days after Venice which were also a huge help because by the time we got to Athens I was 100% better and ready to see the world. Our first stop was Athens Greece. I really was excited to go here but was quickly disappointed. The city is dirty, the people were only moderately friendly, and the traffic was horrendous. We went to the Acropolis and did a quick stop at the old olympic stadium then went to have lunch and do a bit of shopping. Athens was not my cup of tea and I have no desire to go back. I will say though that I met once of the nicest women ever at a shop there. She had beautiful jewelry and I saw a ring in the window that I fell in love with. When I asked her about it she showed me several other pieces that were similar and very pretty but I was sure I wanted the one in the window. She finally took it out & told me it was her favorite piece that she's ever done and she was reluctant to actually sell it. I tried it on and knew it was the one I wanted but wasn't sure I could get her to actually sell it to me so I tried a few others on and she finally agreed that the one I loved looked the best and that she would let me buy it from her. She asked me a gazillion questions about where I lived, where I would wear it, would I take care of it etc. then finally kissed it and put it in a bag for me. She then gave me a gift which was a bracelet she had made and wanted me to have. I had won her over. I truly feel like she was a little sad to let it go but felt like it was going to a good home. It's a unique piece and I love it even more because of the story.
Next up was Kusadasi, Turkey. This is one of the stops I didn't think I had an interest in but I was wrong. We toured Ephesus which was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. We had a wonderful private guide which helped bring the whole thing to life and I could truly imagine what it was like when it was an actual city. If you ever anywhere close to it I would highly recommend it. I was fascinated.
Next we went to Istanbul which I was looking forward to. My brother has been there several times and I was interested to see what it was like. I was surprised at how clean the city was but was overwhelmed with all the people selling things. We did the main tourist attractions like the Blue Mosque, the Underground Cistern, Aya Sophia, etc. We also went to the market which I ended up hating. I am not a haggler and you have to be one to shop there. I did want one of the beautiful bowls that they have everywhere so I knew I had to just pick my person and work a deal. I have no idea what kind of deal I ended up getting but I did get what I thought was a fair price and I was satisfied with that. Who knows...as I walked away they were probably saying "stupid American."
After Turkey we made a stop in Mykonos, Greece. I cannot say enough about this town. I fell in love the minute we got there. It's everything you think of when you think of Greece. The beautiful white buildings with the blue rooftops, the bluest water you've ever seen, the nicest people everywhere...I could go on and on. What a difference between this city and Athens. Mykonos is filled with little shops and restaurants and there is jewelry everywhere (my weakness if you couldn't tell.) The tiny little streets are perfect for just wandering around which is what we did. Toward the beginning of the day I stumbled upon this little art studio where they had the most gorgeous and unique rings I've ever seen. They were all pretty big and each had a large stone that was set in some artistic way. I was admiring the case thinking that they were going to be outrageously expensive and this older man came up and started talking to me. He opened the case and started telling me about each of the rings and having me try them on. Turns out he was the artist that made all of them. Of course I was in love. There was one that I put on that was so unique and special that I didn't want to take it off. I'm pretty knowledgeable about different stones and such because I have bought jewelry for a store before but this one I wasn't sure about. I asked him what it was and it turns out that it was a ruby but the ruby then had a faceted crystal placed on top of it so it altered the look of the stone. He only had 3 rings that he had done this technique with, each a different color. I looked at the others but knew that the ruby was the one for me. I was scared to ask him how much it was but I finally did. I was surprised by his answer and ended up buying it. It was still in the 3 digits but what I paid for this ring was considerably less than what I ever would have paid for it in the States. It's a one of a kind design and I got to meet the artist. These are the things I love to buy when I'm on vacation. It means so much more than a coffee mug or a t-shirt which I would pay a lot less for but that I'll easily discard by the next year. This is something I will have forever and that can't be purchased anywhere else. I also had the absolute best greek meal at a restaurant on the water and some pretty tasty gelato. I want to go back to Mykonos soon!
After another day at sea we headed to Italy. First stop: Naples. Now everyone told me Naples was going to be dirty and to go elsewhere which is what we did but there was a really cool food tour in Naples I wanted to do. If I ever go back I'm doing that tour for sure. (Plus getting pizza at da michele!) So instead of staying in Naples we decided to drive the Amalfi Coast w/ a few other people. We hired a private driver and made stops along the way. The roads are super scary but it was a beautiful drive. We had lunch at a lovely little family restaurant in Positano and the food was fantastic. We had several appetizers that were wonderful and one of the guys thought it was the actual meal so when the pasta dishes started coming out he was surprised! Then came plates of desserts and a huge bowl of cherries (which by the way were the reddest most delicious cherries I've ever had.) And last but not least...limoncello. Everything was fantastic! We also stopped at Pompeii and did the tour there. I liked Ephesus more but Pompeii was cool too.
After Naples we went to Rome. This was the only day it rained on our whole cruise (well technically it rained for about 10 minutes in Ravello but that was nothing.) Luckily in Rome our first stop was the Vatican tour so we were inside all morning. We had a fantastic private guide and it was so interesting to hear the stories and especially to see St. Peter's and how huge that thing actually really is. We had our driver take us to a restaurant where locals go and had another fabulous meal (can you have a bad meal in Italy? I don't know if that's possible.) Then we went to the Trevi Fountain, the Colliseum, etc. At the end of the day we had our driver take us to his favorite gelato spot which again was off the beaten path and was fantastic. Pistachio is the way to go in Italy. It didn't let me down once.
From Rome we went to Pisa where we took pics at the leaning Tower and then headed to Florence. We did a quick overview of the city of Florence but then went to San Gimignano which is a small medieval town in Tuscany. Don't get me wrong I love the big popular cities but I love the small towns even more. I just feel like they are so much more interesting. I don't want to shop at the H&M just because its on the Ponte Vecchio. It's still the same thing I can go to everyday. I want to go to the small stores and talk to the local business owners and see what they have and what they've made and hear their stories. That's one of the best things about traveling and I feel bad for people that don't take the time to do that. Sometimes seeing the major sites just isn't what it's cracked up to be. The best time I had in Ireland was sitting with two old Irish men at a bar trying to decipher what the hell they were saying even though they were speaking English. Seeing the world isn't just about seeing the major attractions. It's about experiencing the small things. And not only that, San Gimignano is home of the World's Best Gelato...and let me tell you...it did not disappoint. I also bought some of the best olive oil I've ever had there.
After Italy we headed to Monte Carlo where the Grand Prix had just ended 2 days prior to our visit. We got to see the race track which was kind of cool to see but other than that Monte Carlo doesn't have much to offer. So we headed up the French Riviera to Eze, France which has the most spectacular views of the French Riviera...supposedly....the minute we made it to the top (which was no small feat mind you) a huge fog rolled in so we only got to see the view for about 3 seconds. It was still pretty and the town is nice but on a clear day you are supposed to be able to see all the way to San Tropez.
Our port city at the end of our cruise was Barcelona. We had decided to stay an extra day there because I was dying to see it. I wish I would've stayed another week. Barcelona is fantastic. I'm a huge architecture fan and this city has so much to see. I have always been interested in Gaudi so I was so ecstatic that I was actually going to see his work in person. First we checked into our hotel and then had a cab take us to Hospital de Sant Pau. No I was not sick but this hospital has to be one of the most beautiful in the world. It's no longer a functioning hospital but they are working to restore it. Unfortunately we couldn't tour the inside but the outside was gorgeous.
Our next stop was the La Sagrada Familia. I can't even begin to go into any of Gaudi's work. Maybe I'll do a blog just for that. But just know that if you go to Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia should be at the top of your list. It's breathtaking. And do the inside tour! It's not to be missed.
After that we headed over to what is known as the Block of Discord. Four of Barcelona's most prominent architects have building close by. All are different styles and somewhat clash with each other. Two of Gaudi's buildings are available to tour. We stopped by the first one, Casa Mila but the line was long and we had not prebought our tickets so we decided to walk down to the 2nd one, Casa Batllo which is nicknamed the house of bones. We did tour that one which was completely amazing. I seriously just need to do a post on Gaudi.
After that we walked around Las Ramblas which is where our hotel was located. Lots of interesting people watching in that area. We went to a farmers market near our hotel which had the most beautiful fruits and vegetables I've ever seen. I could've eaten dinner right there but we had reservations at a place I had been waiting months to go to.
After we planned this trip and knew we were staying in Barcelona for an extra day, I started researching things to do, places to eat, etc. I stumbled upon the greatest find. Ferran & Albert Adria, of El Bulli fame, opened a tapas restaurant in Barcelona called Tickets when El Bulli closed. Some of the same concepts used at El Bulli are being used at Tickets. I wanted to go. However I thought it might be impossible. Luck was on my side as I discovered that reservations go up on their website at midnight 2 months in advance. Lucky for me midnight in Barcelona is 5 pm here. I set up an alert on my calendar and hoped for the best. At 5 pm 2 months before I was going to be there I secured my reservation. This was seriously the highlight of my trip. The restaurant feels a little magical when you walk in. It has a bit of a circus theme and everyone is very friendly. On top of getting lucky with our reservation, we got lucky in our seats. We were seated at the long bar overlooking the kitchen. I got to see Albert Adria taste every single dish that came out of that kitchen before it was served. So awesome. Our waitress didn't speak much English and I kind of let her take the reins in serving us because I wanted to taste the best and most popular dishes.What we got was a fantastic array of delightful dishes. From the first dish of watermelon sangria to the famous El Bulli Olives to the crazy little desserts everything was fantastic. I also had the best mojito I've ever had there. And to top it off our bill was not crazy expensive as you would expect it to be. When I go back to Barcelona this will be on my list of things to do again for sure. Oh and Ferran was also there that night so the fact that I got to see both Adria brothers was a highlight of my trip.
I was sad to leave Barcelona and know for sure I will go back there some day. I don't like to go back to the same place twice because there is a huge world out there and I want to see it. The only exceptions I've made for international destinations is Edinburgh, Scotland because I love it there so much and Tanzania, Africa because I love the kids there but Barcelona is worth more than 24 hours.
So that's my little (long) recap of my vacation. I still have more posts to come on Costa Rica and summer in general. I'll try to get those up later this weekend. Thanks for reading!
