Brent had a conference in Madrid so we flew in early for a weekend of sunshine, leisure and tapas. “You like tapas Brent?” We had only been to Madrid once in 2010, for four hours, when we were stranded due to Icelandic volcanic ash. We didn’t really know what to expect but everyone speaks positively about visiting the Spanish capital. We were so pleased we went. It’s a really fun city. Part of the joy of Madrid is that you aren’t overwhelmed with tourist sights. This allows plenty of time for doing as the Madrilenos do – enjoying the plazas...

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Brent turns the big 4-0 this year! To celebrate, he wanted to attend the Islay Whisky Festival in Scotland (known by locals as Feis Ile). We rented a large house near Kilchoman Distillery. The first half of the trip was us and another couple, Rory (a Scottish man himself) and Anna. The second half of the trip was strictly mancation. The trip was great fun. We were fortunate to have beautiful sunny weather, which made all the difference. We partook in lots of whisky activities, our favorite day being Sunday at Bruichladdich Distillery. This was a day to remember. Well,...

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Just back from an epic weekend in Iceland! What’s in Iceland you ask? Beautiful scenery, delicious food, the purest water in the world, and elves (50% of Icelanders believe in them). What’s not in Iceland? Crime, Starbucks and McDonalds. Islanders are pretty proud of that and we would be too. Martin, our young and entrepreneurial tour guide, taught us about Iceland’s Nordic history. We were surprised to learn that Iceland was under Danish rule until 1918 and not formally a republic until 1944, coinciding with WW2. Martin amused us by describing Iceland’s homeland security: three coast guard ships (sitting...

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After four and half years living in Europe, we’ve been extremely blessed to have visited so many special places. One of the remaining spots on our ever-growing “must see” list was Bordeaux. Finally we made it there for a weekend in October. We stayed in the beautiful village of St. Emilion. Before arriving we wondered if there would be anywhere in town for wine tasting. Ha! The town consists of nothing but wine shops and caves. About 125 miles of tunnels, stocked with wine, extend under the town. Besides drinking Bordeaux, mostly one wonders the twisty cobbled lanes, samples macarons...

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Last weekend we met our friends Dani and Hendrik in Germany’s modern port town, Hamburg. We certainly enjoyed Hamburg more in the company of our German friends, former locals who knew all the good spots to visit and who graciously acted as our personal translators. Much of Hamburg was leveled in WW2 so instead of charm, it has more of an industrial and edgy feel. We covered a lot of ground in two days, with plenty of refreshment stops sprinkled in along the way. We saw Hafencity, Europe’s largest urban development project, where modern apartment buildings have sprawled up alongside...

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We were lucky enough to get tickets to the French Open in Paris (known strictly as Roland Garros in France). We really enjoyed being at the tournament. The match was fun, and it was a very easy day logistically, always a welcome treat when traveling. We had Center Court seats for the Nadal vs. Thiem. How great to see the “King of Clay” doing what he does best. Watching Nadal live really gave us insight into his many “routines” – toweling off his face between each point, changing his shirt and meticulously refolding his Nike bandana between sets. His...

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From Taormina we did a day-trip to Mount Etna and Gambino Winery. Our driver, Danilo, was a funny young man. We nicknamed him Dani Cannoli. First, he took us to a small village on Mount Etna called Zafferano, which had to be rebuilt after one of the many devastating earthquakes in the region. Turns out Dani Cannoli’s grandfather was from this village and had to evacuate for a few years while the town was rebuilt. We said “bongiorno nonno” as we passed his former apartment and continued our drive on up the big volcano. Mount Etna is 3,300 meters and...

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From our restful break on “the island” we travelled to Taormina for the last stop on our Sicily tour. After climbing higher and higher up the cliffs, we finally reached Villa Ducale, where we were quickly won over by the views. (For a place with so many earthquakes they sure like to build into the cliffs). Walking from our hotel to town, we passed a small church called Madonna della Rocca, so called because it was built right into the rock and makes like a cave when you are inside it. We also past lovely views of the town,...

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From Terre di Himera we travelled east to Aeolian Islands. From the port area in Milazzo we travelled by hydrofoil to the island of Vulcano, where we were greeted by tufts of billowing, volcanic smoke. The next two days we nested at our island retreat practicing the art of relaxation. For the next 48 hours, whether from the room, pool or patio, we set our gaze out on the view: the deep blue water, the craggy island of Lipari across from us and volcano island of Stromboli off in the distance. Being that it was early on in the tourist...

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For two nights we stayed at a working farm called Terre di Himera, owned by the lovely Maria and Fabrizio. Mostly they make there own olive oil, but they also grow fruit trees and crops and raise chickens. The highlight of staying at any agriculturismo is the food. At dinner especially, the food just kept coming and coming, all simply prepared with local ingredients. Like Maria said, “The less you manipulate the food the better it tastes if you start with good ingredients.” The artichoke carpaccio was one of Brent’s favorites. It goes without saying he also liked capping...

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From Noto we headed to Siracusa. The first stop was a quick visit to the ancient Greek and Roman Theaters, where we marveled as always at the achievements of these two civilizations. We also visited the Orecchio di Dionisio (the ear of Dionysius), an ear shaped cave from which Dionysius (whoever he is) used to eavesdrop on his prisoners. The most amusing part for us was heading inside this enormously cavernous space with loads of animated Italian children on school field trip. What noise! From the ruins we moved on to the historical center of Syracuse, the charming island of...

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The first stop on our Sicilian tour was Noto, a baroque town in southern Sicily that was rebuilt after a devastating earthquake in 1693. The town was quite lavish, built on a hill with very beautiful and uniform architecture. It was a nice place to ease into the trip. It is claimed that the best gelato in the world comes from Noto. Who knows but we did enjoy an excuse to make repeat visits to gelateria Cafe Sicilia. We also visited some of the more than forty churches in town. Seeing as there were never more than few thousand...

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We just returned from a ski weekend in Chamonix, France with Brent’s coworkers Courtney, Colin and Dara. After a late arrival and hour-long car ride from Geneva Airport, we were thrilled to stumble upon a cozy, Alpine restaurant on Chamonix’s oldest rue. We were all so happy to at last be settled in the village and tucking into a delicious meal that we weren’t even fussed by the irritable French servers. Some things surprised us about skiing here. For one, it is a lot less expensive than skiing in the states. Here we are at one of the top five...

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It was a beautiful day in Bavaria on Thursday. Brent and his coworker Hendrik were even able to eat lunch outside, enjoying massive Bavarian portions in the early spring sunshine. Katie spent a couple hours strolling the strasses of Munich. After some difficulty coordinating, Brent eventually found her, sipping a rossini on the plush, red couches of the Mandarin Oriental. It was finally the weekend and Brent was ready for a cocktail too. Later we walked to dinner at Restaurant Pfistermuhle where we were well looked after by a thickly accented waiter at our corner table nook for two....

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We brought in the New Year in beautiful Halong Bay. We were very fortunate. Often it is so smoggy (from Chinese pollution the Vietnamese say) that the views are not so great. But we had blue skies so were pleased. We went for a one-night cruise from Hanoi. The drive up was most frightening – what rules of the road there may be, they are not abided by. And on the way back we had the world’s slowest driver, who displayed road caution the likes of which not commonly seen around here. However, the cruise itself was great. From the...

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What can we say about Hanoi except, what an assault on the senses! We spent one night by the Opera House in the French Quarter, where you can find some calm and wide boulevards. However, from our hotel in the Old Quarter, we were awed by what felt to us like chaos on the street. And we thought London was congested. What we found most remarkable is that everything takes place on the street (not in the homes which are generally tiny and overcrowded too). So you’re likely to see people cooking, playing checkers, making motorbike repairs, slurping soup,...

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From Da Nang we moved on to the town of Hoi An, known for its tailors, lanterns and old world charm. Hoi An used to be a renowned trading port, and the influence of many countries can still be seen. You’ve got the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Chinese Assembly Halls and the Chinese merchant homes that have survived over two centuries. This was one of our favorite stops on the trip. We continued to just love Vietnamese cuisine, and one of our favorite restaurants of the trip was here in Hoi An. It was called Morning Glory, after the flower,...

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After the craziness of HCMC, we hunkered down for four days of indulgence and relaxation at the beautiful Intercontinental Da Nang. The hotel is on a secluded and unspoiled bay of the Sun Peninsula. We felt truly pampered from the moment we arrived at this sprawling property. We took so many pictures! Was it feng shui? Something about the aesthetic of the hotel was so pleasing – brilliant use of color, open spaces, views and water features. The hotel describes itself as feeling “whimsical” and it truly did. There were dining tables that floated over water and on call buggy...

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Continuing our exploration of southern Vietnam with Mr. Vu, today we did a day trip to the Mekong Delta. Mostly the day consisted of floating along the waterways of the mighty Mekong in a sampan (traditional, flat-bottom wooden boat). The Vietnamese call the Mekong the Nine Dragons River Delta because the estuaries look like nine dragons from above. The river looks brown and dirty because of the current but is rich in biodiversity. Life on the Mekong revolves around the river and the area is steeped in tradition. Fishing boats are brightly painted with dragon eyes for good luck...

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Today we took a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels with our friendly guide Mr. Vu to learn more about the American War (what they call the Vietnam War). First thing upon arrival was to watch a Vietnamese propaganda film from the war era in which the Viet Cong are extolled as “American killer heroes” (a good number of them being young women). Afterward, Mr. Vu showed us a model of the network of tunnels and underground bunkers, which were used to covertly move supplies and as meeting places, hospitals and kitchens. Tunnel entrances were just big enough for...

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“One time, back in Nam…” That’s our preferred opener to any story about our visit to Vietnam. Have to say this trip was like no other we’ve been on. A lot of the time it felt like an assault on the senses but there were moments of serene calm too. Being in a developing country was so humbling. The people were gracious and kind, so pleased to have the tourism. Despite our recent history, they don’t hold a grudge against Americans (more about that on the Chu Chi Tunnels post). The food was every bit as delicious as we’d hoped,...

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Just back from a quick (and costly!) weekend in Stockholm. Two nights was just the right amount of time to get a feel for the city and because it is so pricey we were pleased to keep it short and sweet. Even though we’re used to things being expensive in London, still the prices made our eyes water. The theme song of our trip was Foxxy Cleopatra’s “Hey, Goldmember.” That’s because Brent is rocking the United Airlines Goldmember status and we enjoyed all the perks of his distinction…airport lounge, priority boarding, etc. Our gold status continued as Starwood preferred...

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More doberdans (hellos)! This time from Croatia. With over 1,000 islands there’s no doubt Croatia has countless beautiful spots, but Dubrovnik, on the southern end of the mainland, remains “the pearl of the Adriatic.” We were very taken by the charm of the Old Town: the Venetian architecture, the red tiled roofs and the traffic-free cobbled lanes that rise up steeply to the imposing wall that has surrounded and protected Dubrovnik for over 1,000 years. The cobbled streets are immaculate – cleaned every morning to a shine, and as tourists from London we really appreciated this detail. And while there...

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Ljubljana…you had me at dober dan (that’s “hello” the one word in Slovenian that we learned and got lots of mileage out of it). This tiny former Yugoslavian country packs a wallop. Some people were surprised that we opted to spend our Easter holiday weekend here, but it’s a little known gem. Okay our pictures won’t do it justice because Europe is currently enduring a never-ending winter, but it was really beautiful with fun loving and generous people. It feels like Austria in terms of landscape and architecture, but the people and food might make you think you’re in...

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“The hills are aliiiiive with the sound of music…” That was the theme of our weekend jaunt to Salzburg. Our quick visit involved an extensive Sound of Music (SOM) tour, in which we got all sorts of interesting tidbits about the film and the real life von Trapp family. ”Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…” Some of the sights we saw were: the nunnery where Maria came from, the festival hall where the von Trapps sang before fleeing Austria, the two houses used to film the von Trapp family home (one for the front...

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Colmar is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. We’re in the Alsace region of France near the German border, and the villages here are as German as they are French (natives are bilingual). The historic beauty of Colmar was such that even during WWII, American and British military tried to avoid bombing it. Today most of the buildings date from the 1200s-1500s, and the town center is mainly pedestrian only. The area is perfect for exploring the Alsatian Route du Vin (Wine Road) and for simply relaxing and enjoying the beautiful half-timbered village ambiance. Speaking...

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For our 5-year anniversary we splurged on a relaxing holiday to Santorini, easy enough to get to in three hours from London on Easyjet. At the Santorini airport we had to wait for all the passengers to deplane so we could all then board a bus, which drove us all of 50 yards to the back door of the airport. Oh well. Times are tough in Greece so at least that gig keeps the bus driver employed. This trip was unique for us because instead of running ourselves ragged with sightseeing, we passed the majority of our time lounging by...

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A weekend in Munich is a formula for happiness: Combine warm weather with beer gardens, add a dash of lederhausen and garnish with oversized pretzels. What’s not to love? Speaking of oversized pretzels, Germans nude sunbathing in the English Gardens?…nuff said. While the purpose of our visit was first and foremost for Brent to attend to some business, we managed to squeeze in a whole lot of leisure and laughs. Previous to any beer garden stops, Brent and co hosted a conference back at the hotel and Katie took a day trip to Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp and...

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Just returned from a sun (and allergen) filled weekend in Berlin, the capital of cool in Germany. We were thrilled with our hotel in the Prenzlauer Berg district – a leafy, family friendly neighborhood with tons of restaurants, cafes and bars. Also, this trip marks our third anniversary of being in a foreign country during the Champion’s League Final, so that’s been a fun little football streak for us. With only two days, we felt we tackled Berlin pretty well (though must admit we didn’t spend any time in West Berlin). Saturday was a long day of touring the major...

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Last weekend we had the pleasure of a last minute Roman holiday with our cousins, Mitchell and Neil and their wives Natalie and Laura. It was great fun to have la famiglia together in Italy! It was a busy weekend in Rome. Saturday was St. Patrick’s Day – not as widely celebrated in Rome as in other countries, but still there were plenty of celebrants jamming the piazzas that evening. Campo de Fiori was particularly crowded as we made our way back from dinner in the Trastevere. Sunday was the Rome Marathon, and we enjoyed watching the race as we...

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Brent had a business trip to Edinburgh so we took the opportunity to make a weekend out of it and to visit the northern edge of the Roman Empire – Hadrian’s Wall. In Edinburgh, Katie toured The Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland. Not only did Katie get to see where the Queen carries out her official duties (like making a knight of Sir Sean Connery) but also the bedchamber of Mary Queen of Scots, who lived in the palace during some of Scotland’s most dramatic history. However, the highlight of our night in Edinburgh was hanging...

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We just returned from a bitterly cold but enjoyable weekend in Prague, or Praha as the Czechs call it (and sadly, that’s about the only Czech word we picked up while we were there). We had booked a two-day “historical” walking tour, and it was a good thing we did because it forced us to get out and about and see the sights despite the frigid temperatures. Our tour guide, Ivana, took us all around the Castle Quarter, Little Quarter, Old Town and New Town – the four major areas of current-day Prague, which in the past used to be...

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From Rotorua, we headed further north toward Auckland. Bypassing the capital entirely, we hopped over to Waiheke Island,  a mere 30 minutes away by ferry. On Waiheke, we stayed with Steve’s parents at their island retreat. Waiheke is a gem. It’s wineries, beaches and olive groves draw everyone from millionaires to artsy types and despite it’s popularity, you still get that blood-pressure lowering, leave-all-your-cares-away island vibe. On Waiheke we enjoyed lots of tasty, home-cooked dinners and delicious local wines that Steve’s dad was pouring generously. The home-cooked meals were much appreciated by us, unfortunately our decision to bring home some...

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After our Kaikoura Christmas, we concluded our stint in the South Island and headed back via ferry to New Zealand’s North Island. There we were met by our Kiwi friends Steve and Renee, who have been gracious enough be our hosts and tour guides for the remainder of our trip (not to mention they gifted us a new little companion for the trip, an All Blacks kiwi bird hereinafter known as KB). Our first stop was an evening at Renee’s family home in Raumati, where we enjoyed that famous Kiwi hospitality and a delicious lamb dinner. We also had the...

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From the wine country we set off for Kaikoura, a beach town on the east side of the South Island where we planned to go whale watching and celebrate our Kiwi Christmas. It was a scenic drive to Kaikoura and reminded us a lot of California (coincidentally, both have coastal roads called Highway 1). About 20 kilometers outside of town we pulled over for lunch at Nin’s Bin, an iconic beachside caravan known to be one of the best spots to eat for it’s fresh crayfish (aka lobster) and stunning views. We picked our crayfish victims and enjoyed a...

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From New Zealand’s north island we made our way by ferry to the South Island. On the docket for the South Island: two days in Marlborough, New Zealand’s wine country, followed by two days at the beach. There were lovely views to be had on the ferry crossing, but – jetlag having it’s way with us – we slept through most of the three-hour journey. Our ferry had been delayed and we were afraid that the car rental agency where we had a car booked was going to be closed by the time we arrived. Indeed it was, and we...

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We were greeted by New Zealand with a beautiful afternoon in Wellington. “Windy Welly” it is known as, and rightly so. An interesting note about arriving into Wellington – we were floored when we exited the plane and people were waiting at the gate to greet their loved ones. Apparently this is allowed on domestic flights (we had connected from Auckland), but still – haven’t seen that for years. And with that, we knew we were in for a real nice stay here in New Zealand, where they’re just not too uptight. That afternoon we walked around Wellington for a...

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On the way to New Zealand we had a two-day stop over in Hong Kong. It was the first time to Asia for both of us, and we were excited to take the city by storm. Here are some of the highlights: -Taking the Peak Tram to Victoria Peak, the tallest hill on Hong Kong Island. Back in Victorian times, the peak was the best place to escape from the heat and became an exclusive getaway for the wealthy. The tram was constructed in the 1800s, and cut journey time up the hill to 8 minutes (previously 3 hours by...

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This is our favorite time of year to explore the UK.  There’s nothing like wearing yourself out sightseeing on a crisp, fall day, only to cap it off by a stop in at a welcoming village pub. Comfortably situated with pint in hand (half-pint in Katie’s case) we enjoy observing the locals and if lucky enough, maybe even toasting ourselves by a big-ole log fire. The autumn colors of the countryside make us particularly appreciative of the opportunity to commune with nature this time of year. With this in mind, we set off for a weekend visit to the...

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We’ve just enjoyed a long weekend soaking up lots of wine and beautiful scenery in France’s Burgundy area. We stayed with a winemaker in the pretty village of Beaune, in the heart of this famous wine region. It downpoured on our arrival, but by Saturday morning the sun was shining brilliantly, and we (and the grapes) were very happy. We enjoyed learning so much about Burgundy wines and visiting as many villages of the Cote d’Or as we could manage. We were surprised that the villages have remained so small and quiet, despite the fact that they produce some of...

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Since we’re starting to appreciate the fine world of whiskies, we decided to take a weekend up to the Malt Whisky Trail in Speyside Scotland. We chose Speyside because we like the style of whiskies from this area, and also because this region of the Highlands is where half of all Scottish distilleries are located.  The region is known not only for its distilleries, but also for salmon fishing, hiking, and castles. The area was absolutely beautiful – rolling, vibrantly green hills dotted with sheep and highland cattle, and at this time of year the days are long – ...

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After our travels to Budapest and Vienna, we can’t imagine a better way to finish off our vacation than by the beautiful Italian Lake Como.  There’s not much activity in these little Italian towns. It was all about slowing down…serious unwinding, stunning views and Italian food. We made Bellagio our home base but also made a jaunt over the water to the nearby town of Varenna. We liked Bellagio – plenty of sunny terraces for alfresco dining and aperitivos. About the only thing we did was take a water taxi tour of the lake. This was a great way to...

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From Budapest we made our way by train to Vienna. In Vienna we did lots of walking around “the ring” taking in all the grand palaces and museums, and the many parks and coffeehouses.  We love the Viennese cafe culture, and rose to the challenge of trying as many cafes as we could in three days (admittedly, we even made it to Starbucks on more than one occasion). Our favorite was the dark and smoky Cafe Hawelka, where we ordered brauners (strong coffees) and watched how one waiter flew about effortlessley to serve everyone. We got a lot of culture...

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Instead of sticking around London for the royal wedding we decided to take advantage of back-to-back four-day weekends and headed off for more European travels. First stop was Budapest (pronounced Budapesht we learned). It was the first time either of us had been to Eastern Europe (apparently a descriptor that is on the outs so pardon us). We had heard good things about Budapest and rightly so. It is a very pretty city (except for a handful of communist era buildings here and there), with lots to do and delicious food. They still use their own currency, the Hungarian...

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The best part of living in London is our proximity to mainland Europe. Just two hours on the Chunnel and we’re high-browing it in the City of Light. This time it was a very short trip – only two days – but any visit to gay Paree is a treat. While Brent was busy saving lives, Katie visited a few sites and areas of town that were new to us. First stop was the Marmottan Museum to admire a little Impressionism (specifically Monets) in a beautiful old home on a quiet residential street. Then it was off for some people...

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It was a long haul from London to Puerto Rico (12 hours flying time) made longer by the fact that we missed our connection and had to spend the night in Philadelphia. Air Force One was landing at the airport at the same time we (and many others) were supposed to, disrupting hundreds of people’s travel plans. We think Obama may have lost a few votes with that move. Needless to say, we were glad when we finally made it to the sea and sun. We were in Puerto Rico with Brent’s coworkers as part of his company’s sales reward...

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Canals, bikes and a laid back culture. What’s not to love about Amsterdam? We had an opportunity to revisit the city last weekend and enjoyed every minute of it. We stayed in our favorite area, the Jordaan, which is the perfect combo of neighborhoody and trendy with lots of great bars, cafes and boutiques. While Brent spent some time working, Katie took a day trip to Delft, a small Dutch town about an hour outside Amsterdam by train. Netherlands has to have one of the most efficient train systems in Europe so it’s very handy to get out and see...

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We just returned from a fabulous ski weekend in Schladming, a village in the Austrian Alps about an hour away from Salzburg. Schladming is perfectly situated at the base of four mountains with lifts to any of the mountains easily accessible from town. Brent skied the mountain called Planai. The village itself is small and quiet, but still has it’s own brewery (brewing up a fine lager known as Schladminger). While Brent was shredding the gnar, Katie hung out at Uncle Willy’s Hut, a cozy restaurant on the mountain. Austrian cuisine agreed with us and we enjoyed many a fine...

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We had been interested in going to Dublin for a while and figuring we needed some new material for the blog, we decided to make a quick weekend visit. Unfortunately, our departure was delayed from Friday to Saturday on account of a shameful scam by Ryanair, but don’t get us started on that. Let’s just say we have sworn off that airline for good. Once in Dublin (or “Dooblin” as we like to call it in our best Irish brogue), we had a magnificent time. Dubliners are so friendly and chatty and this is quite different from Londoners who (to...

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This week Brent had a conference in Barcelona so we flew in early for a long weekend. The last time we were there it was rain, rain, rain, but lucky for us this time it was your ideal, warm, Spanish climate. Saturday and Sunday came and went fast…visiting our favorite tapas bars and strolling the streets. We sat for several hours at one of our favorite tapas spots at a table outside in a square called Placa de Santa Maria, gazing at a gothic church and drinking rose wine (and white wine, and red wine). Actually, we sat so...

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Last weekend we took the Chunnel to Paris to meet up with some friends from San Francisco, Alli and Jake. It was a quick trip but it was great to be back in mainland Europe and in one of our favorite cities. We stayed in the Rue Cler neighborhood this time, near the Eiffel Tower. Rue Cler is quintessential French – a cobble-stoned street spilling over with specialty shops. You’ve got your butcher, your patisseries, your florists, your wine store, your fromageries, and so on. Hard to not be smitten. We were particularly happy to find that the city...

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Last weekend we were in Edinburgh during the Fringe festival (www.edfringe.com). Fringe is the largest art festival in the world and runs for three weeks in August. This made for a great, lively atmosphere in the historic capital – plenty of bustle, entertainment and beer gardens. The Royal Mile was packed with all sorts of people – both tourists and performers – especially lots of out-there, artsy folks. It’s a great opportunity to see all sorts of performances – comedians, bands, dance, theatre, etc. We caught one stand-up show of Scottish comedians, but between the heavy Scottish accent and...

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From Buenos Aires, we booked a last minute side-trip to Iguazu Falls. Being here in the low season worked out well for us because first of all we were able to pull this off last minute, and secondly we were the only ones on our tour and who doesn’t prefer having a private tour?? Also, being that it is winter here, we didn’t have to be too bugged by mosquitoes and the temperature was a pleasant 70 degrees (vs. over 100 with 100% humidity in the summer). The falls are between the Argentine and Brazilian borders. Since we didn’t have...

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We have been in Buenos Aires for four days and are loving this city. Our original plan was to go to Vietnam for the last leg of our trip, and we were close to buying our plane tickets when we remembered that we needed visas. Since we were up in the hills of Umbria we couldn’t get the paperwork together. For several days, we went back and forth on where to go instead and finally settled upon Buenos Aires.  We bought our tickets and since we were leaving the following day we didn’t leave ourselves much time to plan,...

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Just like Rome, this blog post wasn’t built in a day.  Since leaving Rome we have been busy.  We spent a few days in London so Brent could attend a work event and then we headed off to Buenos Aires for our first taste of South America! More on that later. Back to Rome….the two of us both agree that Rome is one of the best cities in the world.  The ruins, the history, the people, the energy, the food, the list goes on and on.  We love it all.  Since we have both been before and have seen many...

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For two days we have been staying at an agriturismo in Umbria, Italy. An agriturismo is a working farm that also has rooms for guests. Ours is a B&B that also has a restaurant. It is located about 10 miles outside of Assisi, perched on a peaceful hill with beautiful views of the Italian countryside. It has been a great place to slow down and enjoy the country, but getting situated here was a challenge. We took a train from Rome 30 minutes past our destination to Perugia because there were no rental cars in Assisi. We were bummed when...

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Cable cars, steep hills, hidden staircases, and a Golden Gate Bridge….no, we’re not in San Francisco, we’re in Lisbon! We finally made it here after being stalled for two days due to volcanic ash, but we’re glad we stuck with the plan to visit Portugal…we’re loving it. Except for pickpocketers, Lisbon is a very safe city with little crime.  We’ve spent most of our time walking around the different neighborhoods. There are lots of big plazas, government buildings, and hotels in the lower part of the city. Surrounding this area, there are several big hills, which can be reached by...

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We finally found ourselves affected by the volcanic ash. Our plan was to train it from Sevilla to Madrid then fly from Madrid to Lisbon that same day. This would be our first experience flying EasyJet, the super discounted European airline. At the Madrid airport, we were told that all flights to Lisbon (and many other cities) were cancelled due to “volcanic disruption.”  We had no idea the ash was still affecting flights. Obviously we were disappointed. They couldn’t tell us when we would be able to get to Portugal, but they recommended we try again tomorrow on an evening...

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Sevilla. We were hoping that the 8.5-hour train ride from Valencia would be worth it. It was. This is such a well-preserved, elegant, Spanish city. This was Katie’s favorite stop in Spain so far (even though she was sick for most of our stay). She knew she loved it when, having been there only fifteen minutes, we stumbled upon a group of men performing a traditional serenade to some ladies up in a balcony. From our double-decker bus tour, we spotted a classy hotel, which looked good enough to admire from the inside. We had previously noticed a lot of...

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We just wrapped up a two-day visit to Valencia. Coming from the bustle of Barcelona, it was a nice change of pace to be in a smaller city. We really liked the old center as well as a newer neighborhood where we had ourselves a little tapas crawl the first night. While we were never mistaken for being French, Belgian or Dutch, so far many people have taken Brent for a Spaniard. We think it’s because of the beard. We’re curious if people will still think he is Spanish when the beard goes to just mustache (aka, crumb catcher) in...

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Time is really flying. We’re already leaving Barcelona for our next stop, Valencia. The Spanish way of life is easy to love…lazy mornings, afternoon tapas, siestas, more tapas, and 11:00 dinners. We think we’ve done a fairly good job of embracing it. Everyone who goes to Barcelona walks up and down the Ramblas, which is the main boulevard. We did this a few times (day and night), and while we enjoyed the people watching, it is apparent that this has become much more touristy over the years. We read, and it appears to be true, that a lot of fast...

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Our final stop in France was the Dordogne region. We stayed in a village called Sarlat, which is one of many small villages in the area. Sarlat is the only village in France still lit by gas lamps at night, which was cool. Not only did we love the town, but we also loved our B&B. It was run by a British couple, who knew that guests would appreciate large rooms and bathrooms, English books, and complimentary drinks.  We sure did. We rented a car to visit the surrounding villages. Coming from Marseille, it was a welcome change that we...

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Today we went to Pont du Gard and Chateauneuf du Pape.  Pont du Gard is a well preserved Roman aqueduct and one of the best surviving Roman ruins anywhere. We figured we’d need only an hour there, but we ended up spending a few hours because it was so impressive, not to mention it is located in a beautiful setting. We were both blown away that something like this could have been built 2,000 years ago. Sorry to get educational, but we were really impressed by what an engineering feat this must have been at the time, and we wanted...

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Now this is living. We are in Arles – loving the town, food and hotel. We’ve given ourselves two days here. There is a lot more to this town than some of the others we’ve been to. Besides being a charming village, there are Roman ruins and incredible weekly markets. It was also the home of Van Gogh while he did some of his most well known pieces. The day we arrived, we went straight to the market. It was by far the most impressive market we’ve been to yet. Walking through the market, you really get the sense that...

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Yesterday we drove to Cassis, a charming little port village.  It took us 40 minutes to get there and only 45 minutes to park. We were there on a weekday during shoulder season, and it was packed.  We can’t imagine what it’s like during the summer.  Getting parked was a bit frustrating, but once we were there it was worth it. In Cassis is a row of restaurants and cafes along the Mediterranean port. Everyone sits back and enjoys watching the fisherman bring in the fresh catch of the day. Our plan was to have a late lunch (around 2:30)...

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Today we are in Aix-en-Provence.  This is considered the cultural heart of Provence.  This is pretty much a town for walking around and window-shopping – easy to see in a day. We had a great French lunch of tartines with the local rosé. After lunch we were walking around the city and fortunately stumbled upon a café with wireless (a lot less common than we expected).  We spotted a great, authentic looking pizza stand with a line around the corner, so we’re planning to grab one for dinner tonight back at our place in Marseille. Our original plan was to...

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We’ve been in Provence a couple days now. We are staying in Marseille, the second largest city in France (after Paris). We were really looking forward to being here, but we’ve had a rough start so far. Our apartment isn’t exactly what we envisioned. It’s amazing what can be done with online pictures. Its quite “rustic” and we have friends (bugs). To make matters worse, there is no wifi, as advertised, which has put a damper on our blogging and skyping. It isn’t in the best neighborhood and is located up a very twisty and sloping road (like Lombard Street...

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On Saturday we did a day trip to the Loire Valley. This is a region famous for its chateaus and wine.  Our tour guide, Simon, made it an exceptional experience. He was very informative, but also a lot of fun to spend the day with. The other person on our tour, was an incredible Aussie lady, Lynette, who was doing a two month tour of Europe by herself. Oh and by the way, she’s 70. She said she hadn’t been to New Zealand yet because she was saving that trip for when she is “too old to manage the 24-hour...

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Today we did a side trip to Normandy. This was an excursion we were really looking forward to, and it didn’t disappoint. We did a guided tour of Le Memorial Museum in Caen followed by visits to Gold Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. We thought the American Cemetery was beautiful, and it seemed fitting that the cemetery overlooks Omaha Beach. One of the things that surprised us was the size of Omaha Beach – the beach itself was much wider (from the ocean to the bluffs) than we expected, and it stretched over four miles...

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Bonjour. It’s our second day in Paris and we’ve already hit some of the main sites. Not something to brag about, but we did the Louvre in one hour, which might be a new record, even for us.  However, being that we are not art buffs, we only wanted to see a few pieces. Mostly we’ve done a lot of walking. We’ve explored a lot of the arrondissements and saw the Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe. After 2 weeks in B&Bs, we are happy to have an apartment. We like B&Bs, but it’s always nice to have your own space....

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We’re here in Amsterdam, writing this from a canal-side café table. Brent is drinking a beer and just smoked a cuban. Katie is enjoying a cappuccino and a sweet, cinnamony slice of Dutch apple pie. Things are good. Yesterday we took in a little culture…the Van Gogh museum in the evening followed by a romantic stroll through the Red Light District (RLD). The RLD was even more shocking than we had prepared ourselves for…like going to Bourbon St. for the first time. We walked through the RLD just after dark, when it was primarily a tourist gawking event, but it’s...

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Greetings from Bruges! We got into town Monday and are having a great time.  Getting here was a comedy of “almost” errors. Our train from Brussels was supposed to leave at 11:30 and arrive in Bruges at 12:30. We boarded the train that pulled up at 11:30 only to realize a few moments later it was going to Brussels airport (thanks to Katie asking the conductor). We got off and found out the Bruges train had arrived at a different platform. Along with 50 others, we rushed to the correct platform just in time to board the train. After 40...

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It was a long journey, but we finally made it. From SFO, it was a 10 hr flight to London.  We were happy to find that our 7 bags were waiting for us once we got through customs, so we loaded up a cart and headed to the taxi stand. After an hour long commute into London, we made it to a friend’s flat, where we planned to store 5 bags while we travel. You can imagine our disbelief when we were putting our bags in the storage room and came up one shy. We circled our steps a few...

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