Thursday, December 31, 2009

Lucerne

Lucerne is a lovely town.  It's got an old bridge with really old paintings in it.  While here, you have to go for Fondue!  So Yummy!!


Sunday, December 27, 2009

Pisa and Milan

Climbing to the top in Milan!


In Pisa

While we were driving through Italy from Tuscany to Milan, we stopped in Pisa for a look around.  Not sure if we missed a lot, but I think we saw the major sights and we were there for half a day.  







Onto Milan..we really liked this city.  Perhaps because we had low expectations, but it surprised us.  The Gothic cathedral is beautiful and of course, we climbed to the top!  We ate lunch one day at this Mozzarella Bar.  So yummy!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

San Marino

 

San Marino is a micro country located near the Tuscan Region in Italy.  It is beautiful and sits atop a mountain.  Although we didn't need more than one night here, I almost wished we had two.  It was just so pretty and quiet.  There's nothing much to do except walk around the little country and visit the castles, which you should do.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Florence and Sienna

The view from the top of the Duomo
The Duomo

While we stayed in Florence and just took a day to see Sienna, if I did it again, I would have stayed in Sienna and just visited Florence.  I wasn't totally impressed with the Tuscan region as I thought I would have been.  I like the coast much better.  Having said that, there are some beautiful things to see in that region.  In Florence, a climb to the top of the Duomo is a sure thing.  Also, visit the Ponte Vecchio bridge, although I didn't buy anything, it's still cool to see.

Sienna was my favorite out of these two cities.  We spent Christmas Day here, even attending mass at the Cathedral.  So amazing!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Verona and Venice

Verona is worth a visit on the way to Venice.  I'm not sure I would allow an overnight here though.  It's pretty to walk through, but the main attraction in this area is of course Venice.  We visited here in December, which was fantastic as there were hardly any tourists.  We still did a gondola ride and they even gave us a cashmere blanket to keep warm!  Climb to the top of the Duomo for some fantastic pictures.


Sunday, December 20, 2009

Innsbruck

A magical city to visit at Christmas time.  I had the best Gleuwein ever here.  During the Christmas Market, they have these huge characters from story books all over the old city.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Krakow

A trip to Krakow is definitely a must do while in Europe.  It's a great city, inexpensive hotels, restaurants and fantastic shopping.  Rick Steves says it's the new Prague and I agree.  There is a cool cloth market in the center of town.  Amber is the thing to buy in Krakow.  The Jewish district is great to walk around, get a delish bagel, and visit the synagogues.  While in Krakow, take a walk up to the Wawel Castle.  The seventh chakra is said to reside in the north west corner of Wawel's courtyard,  While in Krakow, we did two side trips..one to the Wieliczka Salt Mine and one to Auschwitz & Birkenau Concentration camps.  You can get a bus to either place.  But allow a full day to do the camps and another day for the Salt Mine.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is the smallest German-speaking country in the world and the only alpine country to lie entirely within the Alps.  It is another micro country.  You can get your passport stamped at the city hall downtown for a small fee.  You can also visit the castle, which we did not have time to do.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Stein Am Rhein

Stein Am Rhein is one of our favorite Swiss towns.  It's quite close to Lake Konstanz and definetly deserves a visit if you're in the area.  It's great to just park and then walk around.  Beautifully painted buildings and little shops line the pedestrian streets.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Lake Konstanz

We spent a long weekend in Lake Konstanz.  We actually stayed right in Konstanz and took the car out to explore the surrounding areas.  It's beautiful!  You can also head over to Mineau Island, the flower island.  We went in October and although it was beautiful, not many flowers/trees were in bloom.  I'd suggest heading there in the Spring/Summer when you have a better chance of enjoying the flowers and their smell.

Lake Konstanz


Mineau Island in October

If you're in the area, I would recommend a stop at Stein Am Rhein in neighboring Switzerland.  See my post for more info.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Naples and the Amalfi Coast

We flew into Naples and rented a car.  A few nights in Naples is worth it for the food and shopping alone.  Naples is not a pretty city, but my goodness, the food is amazing!  You have to get a Caprese Salad while you are in this area.  You can catch a city bus if you are near the airport really cheap.  I would be scared to drive downtown Naples, but you'll want a car to do the drive south.


The Amalfi Coast is beautiful.  Crazy driving and highly stressful as the cliff is on one side and oncoming buses are on the other.  Chill out and concentrate and have someone there to take pics of all the things you're missing cause you're driving!  Shots like this..


We stayed along the way in Sorrento.  Visit the lemon groves and taste Lemoncello everywhere!  We went to the beach and stayed right downtown.  There is a bus that goes from Naples to Sorrento too, but you miss all the sights along the way.
We stopped here in Positano for a walk, some shopping, and some picture taking.  There's no parking here, you have to find a spot on the top of the cliff and walk down stairs to the town of Positano.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Zurich

Zurich is a big city and requires not only a full day, but also a full tank of energy.  It's a lovely city, although having been to Lake Konstanz in Germany, Brian and I both like that better.


But, if you're in Zurich, there's one thing you need to do.  Stop at the Confiserie Sprüngli for some  Luxembourgers, a delish confection that melts in your mouth.  We go there every time we're in Zurich.




Monday, May 25, 2009

Prague

Prague was a great long weekend trip.  We enjoyed walking around the city, which is all cobblestone and visiting the Charles Bridge.  It's not as inexpensive as I had hoped, but still worth a trip.  Go to the Jewish Cemetery and the Lesser Quarter.  In the Lesser Quarter, you'll find the Absinth Shop with flavored icecream.  Hike all the way up the hill, past all the Embassies and you'll get to Prague Castle.  We did not pay the entrance fee, but chose to walk around outside and through the gardens taking tons of photos.

Prague Castle in the Background

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Nürnberg





The best thing about this city is the wurst!  They are special to this region and are much sweeter than a brotwurst.  It's served with weinkraut and is just delish. It's a beautiful, old, walled in city and very much doable on foot.  Just stay by a metro stop and you'll be fine without a car.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Barcelona

We stayed with our friends when we went to Barcelona.  We were there for a week.  The Hop On/Off bus wasn't anything to write home about, but it was good to use as a way of transportation.  We did a lot of shopping.  And we went downtown for tapas and sangria.  You must visit Las Ramblas and stop in the market area for a fresh juice..so yummy!!  We took a side trip to Sitges, which I would really recommend if you have a rental car.  It's a beautiful town right on the sea.  We had the best paella ever here!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Dublin

Dublin is a great city for a long weekend trip.  Otherwise, rent a car and explore more of the country.  If you stay in Dublin though, I would recommend the combo pass you can get at the airport.  It's part Hop On/Off Bus as well as working with the public buses.  The Hop On bus is a good one to do here.  Some cities, it's not worth the price, but here in Dublin, I thought it was.  Visit the Jameson Whiskey and Guinness Factories.  We stayed outside the downtown area, but right near a bus stop.  It worked out perfectly and saved us some cash.