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View from our apartment The grand canal Doge palace (left) St. Mark’s Basilica (right) rear views On top of the Basilica – gates to Venice View from the Doge (Doh-jay) Palace Prison Stairs to the Museum of the Doge Basic Grand Canal picture Ceiling plates in gold – Doge Palace The streets of Mureno Venison Winery – the most perfect bottle of wine I’ve ever tasted Grape Vines Fransisco Island – Friar Ciao Italy -
This is what I love about Europe, plans can change quickly and you’re still set up to see some place great. Our original plan was to head to the Amalfi coast for the day, but within 24 hrs we changed our plans and traveled north to Florence and I’m glad we did. *but have no fear, I will be coming back to STRICTLY visit southern Italy*
Having our own car on the train to Florence was a nice way to start our travels. The country side heading into Florence was beautiful and the peace and quiet wasn’t bad either. I wish the States had a better rail way system. The folks in the northeast & northwest are spoiled having a stellar railway system to get them to cities in a timely manner.
Once in Florence we headed straight to the Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore and were just BLOWN AWAY by the sheer size and beauty of this nearly 600 year old church. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I also think the proximity to the other buildings makes it look “more” massive than it actually might be.
Since this was an impromptu trip, we didn’t have any tours or plans lined up, but thankfully we stumbled across a walking tour and it ended up working out in our favor. Unfortunately, I can’t remember our tour guides name, but he was FABULOUS. Born and raised in Florence, he was a wealth of HILARIOUS knowledge. A quick 2 hour tour had us walking around the north and south side of Florence – stopping of course to get gelato. Florence fun fact: it’s the home of Michelangelo’s Original David. Fun fact #2: there are something like 4 replicas of David all over the city and we saw 2 of the replicas. We walked up 5 miles of hills to get to the most breathe taking views of the entire city. Well worth the trek.
We are a local joint and I realized that my limited food palate would make Florence a HORRIBLE place for me to live. We walked some more, ate more gelato and got back on our train to Rome.
We saved our final meal in Rome for a recommendation from a dear friend and it was SPECTACULAR. The best meal thus far in Rome. From start to finish we had impeccably cuisine, if you want food in Rome – Il Falchetto is a MUST.
Between the food, faith, culture and of course the Trains – Rome has moved up the list of my favorite European cities.
Until next time, Ciao Rome
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Today – we have guest bloggers – My parents, Roy & Diane. Enjoy!
As guests, we have large shoe’s to filled. We’ll give it our best shot.
::Palm Sunday::
Today is the day to start our adventure bright and early for the Angellus Palm Sunday mass at St Peters square. Our guide Marco from yesterday said to get to security by 6:30 am. Well, that’s quite early for a 10 o clock mass, but it’s the Pope. We prepared for the event by getting snacks to eat while we waited in line, with umbrellas in tow, we were prepared for rain as the forecast called for thunderstorms.
Let’s just say we were not alone at the gates to St. Peters. The Pope really draws a crowd. But, these nuns, priest and other pilgrims, had no idea with who they were dealing. You see we are Jazzfest “professionals” and we know how to race for a spot.
The entry went smooth other than Lindsey having a position match with an Nigerian nun who was quite persistent to get ahead. Once inside, our Jazzfest skills became apparent. We were able to get one of the best seats in the house, on the rail for the entry of Pope Francis. Marco told us where to sit so we could see the Pope in the popemobile.
The altar and crowds in St. Peter’s was amazing. The security was heavy but watching the Swiss guards in their brightly colored uniforms distinguished the importance of supporting the Pope.
Being Palm Sunday, palms and olive branches were given to us to wave to symbol Christ riding on his mule as people waved their palms. The procession of priests, bishops, cardinals and the Holy father was majestic. The colors of red and rose with yellow braided specialty palms proceeded down the aisle in front of us. As we watched for the Holy Seed we were shocked to see this man in red walking with a wooden stick wobbling with old knees and his facial expression was that of one who carries the weight of the church. Once we truly saw his face we realized it was Pope Francis. He was in deep thought and mode of representing Christ on the day of Palms. This man blessed our palms then celebrated the mass in front of thousands who attended just like us.
The mass was glorious and in Italian but we were surprised to realize that we understood a lot the service however in Italian.
Something to be said for 2 thousand years of tradition and attending Mass weekly. We have to interject here that “jet lag” caught us a little. Roy did his typical “I have my reverent eyes shut routine” and Diane did a little head nod during the Pope’s sermon. But, to her defense it was all in Italian.
Once the mass ended the Pope went into St. Peter’s. Then, emerged again in his white Pope garments. This man gleamed with enthusiasm for his disciples as he stood in his popemobile. When he passed our location everyone was screaming for “papa”. His smile truly exhibited his love of people and Gods message. Diane purchased a card with a saying of Pope Francis that reads ‘The three words for the harmony of the family: permission, thanks, sorry. Do not end the day without making your peace’. Pope Francis rocks!!!
iSome special notes for this day are as follows: once we sat down in St. Peter’s square they began to say the rosary. The rosary is a special prayer to our families as Diane can remember rosaries in Bed with her grandmother, her mother and now herself praying constantly as we rest for all who are sick and for the members of our family both living and dead and Roy remembers his grandmother saying the rosary while attending Mass with him as a boy.
Our post is called “it never rains on the Pope”. Well, we can attest to this fact because we witnessed this event. As the mass ended, the rains began with a slight drizzle and when the Pope reappeared the rain stopped, he drove around the Square greeting his people. Then, once he stopped and went to his apartment, the rain began again. Wow this man truly is the Vicar of Christ.
It was a special day for the four of us because we received the special blessing of Angellus from the Pope. It’s a three part blessing and very sacred. I have several rosaries blessed by the pope for family and those who we continue to pray for that are sick.
Truly a once in a lifetime day, viva Papa, you rock.
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“Everything comes back to Italy.” – Marco
We walked the streets of Rome with a local.
Marco is an Archeologist & professor at the (Rome university). He’s from Gallopini on the “boot heel” of Italy. He’s currently excavating the Petra in Iran. I share that, to give you an understanding of the type of guide we had. He was engaging, supremely knowledgeable and we could tell has a deep love for Italy & it’s culture.
We started at the Vatican & toured the Museum. Let me tell you, it’s huge. It would take a few months to see everything. Macro took us to his favorites & shared historical & personal stories throughout our tour. He had a proud moment when he showed us one of the vases he found in Turkey that is on exhibit in the Vatican Museum. I felt as though we had a unique experience at the Museum, due to his wealth of knowledge & the facts/history/stories he told.
So, when you think of the Vatican, you think of St. Peter’s Basilica & The Sistine Chapel. I had been looking forward to seeing these 2 corner stones of the Catholic Faith & I have to say, my expectations did NOT meet my experience.
The Sistine Chapel was stunning. To see the work of Michelangelo – a sculptor, who had never painted prior to his work on the Chapel – was awe inspiring. The detail, the story & the colors are truly a show of the human spirit & divine faith. However, as a Catholic, to stand in a room where a pivotal & holy experience takes place – the Conclave – I felt very little reverence in the space. There were a few hundred people in the chapel at the time & I felt as though the magnitude of where we were & what it means to Catholics was lost. Not going to lie, disappointment set in & I feared the worst heading into the Basilica.
HOWEVER, “faith was restored” being inside St. Peter’s Basilica, where the Prince of the Apostles & Rock of the Church, St. Peter is buried & where the tomb of Pope John Paul the second is located. I felt the enormity of where I was & how I felt at “home in faith” in such a MASSIVE place of worship.
Leaving the Vatican and heading to the Colosseum & Roman Forum was a great change of pace & was definitely in Marco’s wheelhouse. He lit up when he spoke about the history & how the Romans & Italians have truly shaped our entire World. What I loved, is that Marco made it a point to tie everything back to Rome/Italy. Everything you think comes from France or Spain – according to Marco, it originated in Italy.
We ended our day at an Irish Pud full of locals watching soccer, then the Masters & NBA Playoffs. Sometimes you just need a bit of home.
Rome got me in the game today. Tomorrow, Rome will most certainly win me over … I just know it.
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Nola > Newark.
Newark airport was HELLA massive & HELLA busy. I have been to my fair share of airports (yet to make it to Hong Kong, so my definition of MASSIVE isn’t fully comprehensive) & the United Terminal at Newark was a sight to see.
It was probably the size of the entire New Orleans airport … I repeat, JUST THE UNITED TERMINAL. We flew Norwegian Air, so getting from gate C to B took approximately 1 hour. 😉
Ok so premium class, let’s chat about it. The reclining seats are worth their weight in gold. Sleep was a breeze. The food was great, the drinks were delicious & the SPACE. The freaking SPACE. Again, if your planning to fly overseas, save up, spend the money & enjoy the flight.
Pro Travel tip for long flights: MASKS are your FRIEND. There are travel kits to help with the dryness & dullness that comes with traveling. Your lips get dry, your eyes can get puffy & your face can look worn. But having a set of masks will allow you to hit the ground & look refreshed & well rested. Here is the kit I used: Patchology: on the Fly
Once we landed, we had one of those, “guys in a black suit holding a sign with your name” waiting for us – that was cool. Heading into Rome was beautiful, we had decided to stay near the Vatican since our intention for being here was to attend Palm Sunday Mass. We are only a 10 minute walk to the city center & Trastevere neighborhoods.
We got settled, jumped in an Uber and went straight to the Vatican Seminary to get our tickets for Palm Sunday mass. Then went to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Della Palma for gelato (no pictures due to eating it all in minutes). Then we just walked and explored.
We are going to take it easy tonight, get our bodies on Italian time and enjoy a few glasses of wine.
**Roy went to get a few bottles of wine. He comes back, sharing what he bought, he then says “some American millennial was in there and said she got drunk off of this last night and decided to buy it again, so I decided to buy it as well.” 🤣
Ciao.
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Countdown begins
We are officially 11 days away from our yearly International vacation. This years adventure will have us exploring, Rome, Venice, Madrid & Barcelona. This is a trip of a life time and I am grateful to be experiencing it with Bowen and my parents. Roy and Diane are ideal travel companions – having retired a few years ago, their travel bug has been reignited and we can’t wait to experience this trip with them.
This time around, I will be blogging EVERYDAY. Last trip, I let it slip and I regret not carving out time to put “pen to paper.” Being able to re-live and share our experiences is a way to appreciate the opportunities we have worked hard for AND been given.
Stay tuned – adventure AWAITS – Italian & Spanish style.
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Today didn’t disappoint & was 100% better than yesterday. A full day of travel yesterday didn’t set the bar too high bar, but today was perfect.
We started out with Gyal Flex, a yoga and meditation movement crushing the London season. I first learned about Gyal Flex, last year while at #BTGDC, when I met Sanchia – 1 part of the 2 woman crew that created the dopest yoga/meditation experience I’ve been to, to date. In the basement of The Book Club, we flowed to the sounds of Kendrick, Erykha Badu & Monica, just to name a few. With the intention of “TAKING UP SPACE,” Sanchia invited us to let go, flow & be our best selves in the moment. The quick, yet challenging flow was just what we needed after 18 hours of travel the day before. It also set us up for our 10 minute meditation. A meditation that ignited my curiosity for adding mediation into my daily practice. Badass lady #2, Holiday Phillips inspired me to embrace meditation for what it truly is, to be present in the moment, however that shows up. My mind wondered, she brought me back. It wondered again, she brought me back. She empowered me to acknowledge my thoughts and bring awareness back to my breathe – however many times i needed to go through that “wondering” cycle. Ending the practice with a gratitude exercise, sealed the (already sold) deal. If you are ever in London – FIND A GYAL FLEX EVENT & SIGN UP.
Post yoga I did what any person would do, head to the nearest lululemon, where Sanchia was recently asked to be an Ambassador. The store is beautiful, in such an amazing part of town. Inside Old Spitalfields Market, they have a bustling market at their door step. Would I would give to have that store front! I bought a thing or two & even educated a few guests, because ya know – once a lemon, always a lemon. New gear in hand, we headed to the Tower of London for our tour.
We met our Yeomen, who shared stories and tales of the 900+ year history of The Tower of London. With to many stories to tell, I will summarize – they executed a bunch of people – 3 of the most famous being women. #theyhateuscausetheyaintus. MY ABSOLUTE FAMOUS PART OF THE TOUR – the Crown Jewels. YALL. The sheer beauty and history that are the Crown Jewels, our in perspective the complexity that is the Monarchy – past, present & future. The Brits love their history, they take pride in their royals & the vibrant history they have provided the world. 
Wanna know what else the Brits love – RUGBY. Ya wanna know what WE LOVE – Six Nations Rugby. Bowen & I, fell in love with this tournament 2 years ago while in Ireland. We have continued to follow the Irish team & made the call to skip the typical touristy attractions, find a local pub & cheer on the Irish. We found lamb & flag – a pub in soho. Ireland was playing Scotland, so the number of “fucks” heard through out the match was comical & in the realm of 100+. Ireland won. We cheered, we drank, we made friends & pissed off a new Scots man. It was a perfect afternoon.
Staying true to our authentic London adventure, we went to High Tea at The Wolseley. We ate tea sandwiches, scones and cakes. We drank tea with our pinkies up & sipped champagne.
It was at High Tea where we realized, we FIT IN here. London is like the 2 of us – a conundrum, a mash-up of 2 worlds – old & new, trying to find its place in the world. It’s both fancy & real. It embraces its past, while building into the future. It’s a melting pot of culture, and yet, hasn’t lost its Typical British charm. We might not come home. We might stay. We’ve already started looking at real estate. 
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Bowen and I are heading on a 12 day European vacation. First up – London. Then Paris. Ending in Amsterdam.We will be documenting as we go and hope you will follow along. Comment, ask questions, give suggestions.
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Beautiful, amazing, breathtaking, humbling, astounding, jaw-dropping, aren’t the right words to describe yesterday’s hike. I’m not sure my vocabulary has the correct word to get across how we felt seeing/hiking the Cliffs of Moher. I was very mindful throughout the hike to be present and take in the moment & appreciate the natural beauty and majestic scene around me because it may never happen again.
But let’s talk about getting to the Cliffs! It was roughly a 4 hour drive. we took our time and stopped to take pictures of the mountains and the beaches and the amazing views. We drove the coast which allowed us to see the best of Ireland – mountains and beaches! We had to jump on the Shannon Ferry to cross from Kerry to Shannon. It’s about a 15 min ride for 18€ – and people in NOLA complained about the 25 cent price hike on our ferries!We continued our drive and realized Castles aren’t anything “special” in Ireland. To us, we wanted to stop at each one we saw but we would still be driving on N67 to Galway! Every few minutes we saw a castle. But as we learned at the Rock of Cashel landowners in the early years wanted castles/forts for themselves to protect their land so they are in abundance here, especially on the coast. We also saw plenty of Wind Turbine! I loved seeing them in Scotland last year and love it even more that Ireland also takes advantage of their natural wind resource.We finally made it to the Cliffs of Moher and we couldn’t have anticipated the magnitude and sheer amazement we felt as soon as we stepped foot on the trail. Even now, as I type, I feel my heart race a little because the memory of that first view is ENGRAINED in my memory. Pictures don’t do this place justice. I tried! I tried to get angles, videos and panoramic views and each one – while gorgeous – just fell flat!
We started our 6 mile walk behind a safe blocked off trail. There is a national visitors center at the cliffs to ensure visitors safety while seeing the Cliffs. But of course, there is always a path off the beaten way for those more adventurous. We took that path.The path has a few spots were you are less than 2 feet away from a STRAIGHT drop down! It added a little thrill to be already amazing hike. The other factor was the wind. I remember as a child going outside during a hurricane and being forced back by high speed winds & the winds at the Cliff rivaled hurricane type winds. Not as frequent or for as long but nonetheless strong. There were a few times Bowen and I both were pushed off balance by the winds.We tempted fate a few times to get the perfect pics! #doitforthegram. We would lay down and peak over the edge down the 700ft drop! You only live once so why not see the best view possible! The waves below were crashing and the birds were coasting and it was in that moment I felt humbled to be there. Most people don’t/won’t get to experience this in their lives and here I am on my honeymoon laying next to the love of my life looking over a cliff. I kid I kid! It’s so much more than that, he and I have been blessed to be able to take this trip, have jobs back home that allow us to take time off, family who are holding down the fort & taking care of Zoë while we are away and friends who are sending their well wishes for our new life. At that moment, there was no room for complaints or worry only room for appreciation and love.We carried on our way and made it to the watch tower from which the Cliffs take their name. We ate our celebratory Cadbury Chocolate bar – I’ll explain later. After a few minutes we made our trek back and I deeply enjoyed passing fellow hikers seeing the views for the first time. Their faces were of pure joy & astonishment. I wanted to tell each one to slow down, take it all in, the end isn’t going anywhere! The Cliffs of Moher is by far my absolute favorite hike even after last years hike of the 3 sisters” in Scotland – sorry Scotland, like in rugby Ireland beats you again!We finished our hike and joined the non-adventurous visitors in the visitors center. We learned more about the cliffs and the wildlife and the spectacular underworld beneath the caves! We even made a post card to send home!We still had an hour drive to our final destination so we changed clothes, settled back in the car and were off. We got to Galway around 6pm and instantly knew we would like Galway. It is a mix of big city Dublin and small town Killarney. Our hotel is posh, luxurious and modern. Bowen found a restaurant – the Latin Quater – and it was amazing. We haven’t had a bad meal in Ireland YET! A far cry from Scotland. We enjoyed a few glasses of wine and walked the town for a bit.Can’t wait to see all that Galway has to offer on our last day in Ireland!Slàinte.*Chocolate Bar story – in Scotland we decided to split a Cadbury Chocolate Bar when we made it half way through our hikes. It’s a sweet treat that we can only get in the UK. -
Guest performance part 2 – I’m making a guest appearance a second time at Lindsey’s request. At the request of our host for the last two nights, Maggie O, we stayed in Kilarney for the morning to visit two sites she felt were necessary: Muckross Abbey and Ross Castle. They turned out to be exactly what we needed to see before hitting the road. The abbey had been around since the 14th century but had gone unused since 1562 when the Cromwellians swept the country. We were surprised to find people are still being buried in the cemetery on the grounds there – seeing how small the cemetery was we figured these must have been some significant people to Kilarney. Unfortunately the abbey was not very well lit in some parts so Lindsey chickened out on going down some walkways. On the whole the abbey has stood up to the tests of time and is still in great shape considering. Complete with a Yew tree in the center, as is the Franciscan monk tradition Lindsey tells me, and a watch tower built into the center that allows you to have a perfect 360 view of Kilarney and Kilarney national park.
Ross castle is just down the road and has been operational for much longer, having upgrades being made well into the 16th century. Unlike the abbey, Ross castle has been renovated for tours. Boats will take you onto the lake if you like, which the castle has been built on, but the big prize is the wildlife. Ducks, geese, and other wildlife have made their home around the castle and it’s just as awesome as it sounds.
Having studied the maps of the area and knowing we were supposed to be going to the Dingle Peninsula I got a little spontaneous on our drive down. Dingle peninsula is Ireland’s answer to Scotland’s Fort William, it thrives on outdoor tourism. We started our drive over to the peninsula as planned by google maps until I started to see signs for ‘fun stuff.’ We went to Brandon Point which took significantly longer than expected but was well worth the 20 minute drive off script. Brandon point is the northern most point of the peninsula and provides clear views of beach, fishermen, and wildlife. Next we traveled down Connor Pass, also not on the original script. Connor pass is a break in the mountains you drive through to get to Dingle. The cool thing about Connor pass is if you’re feeling up to a 15 minute hike you climb to a small lake that’s been naturally created and holds water most of the time of the year that’s the result of melted snow. When we arrived to the top and look out we could see the entire peninsula north of the Connor pass.
We continued our spontaneous journey through Dingle to the beehive huts, huts that have been around since the 1200 and contain no mortar in the creation of their walls so it’s surprising to see they stood up as long as they have. We continued down Slea Head Drive, the scenic route that takes you around the peninsula from Dingle, only to stop at Slea Head. Seeing no signs of a path and unconcerned about trespassing on the sheep grazing on Slea Head, Lindsey and I made our way to the tip of Slea Head or the western most point of Europe. If trespassing was always this rewarding I would be enjoying a life of crime. Words can’t describe how amazing the views were on the other side of the fence and hill we crossed over. For the most part the sheep left us alone except for a few angry stares from the males. I goproed the entire trip so that will be viewable to anyone interested when we get home.
We finished Slea Head Drive in Dingle, checked into our nice little B&B and grabbed some American food at Lindsey’s request. I was happy to oblige after seeing how anxious she had gotten at times when we decided to ‘get lost.’ Not all our getting lost resulted in this much reward but today made up for all the past issues!
a NOLA girl in a Big world 