Looking For The Perfect Sunset In Rome?

Commonly, couples will always want to find that perfect romantic place to end their day.  While in Rome if you want to catch a wonderful sunset, I would suggest climbing to the top of the Spanish Steps.  It allows you to be high enough to catch a westward view of the city, just above the buildings.  It's the perfect end to any day.  
 

The Best Photo I've Ever Taken

Swiss/French Alps on flight between Amsterdam and Venice. 

Pompeii- A Truly Remarkable Place.

In 79 A.D. Mount Vesuvius erupted, creating a cloud of ash that would bury the city of Pompeii in 25 meters of soil and debris.  Once a thriving city of the Roman Empire, (population 20,000) it wasn't rediscovered until 1749.

The city of Pompeii makes a perfect day trip from Rome.  Using high-speed rail, you're able to travel from Rome to Naples in around 70 minutes.  From the Naples train station, it is an easy 25 minute ride on the Sorrento line to the Pompeii Scavi stop. Once you arrive you can purchase tickets at the main visitors entrance, where you immediate are captivated by the history and ruins that are present right in front of you!

The uniqueness of Pompeii is unlike anything you will ever come across.  The city was covered for many, many years, but the majority of the city remains in much better condition than other cities of the time period(see pictures below).  This brings me to my next point in that, when the city was hit by the eruption, Pompeiians were going about their normal daily routines when their bodies were hit by the volcanic surge which actually preserved them.  When you look at the pictures below, you can tell that over a 2,000 year period human emotions stay the same with fear and sadness. 

            

         

The Best View in Rome

Want the best view in Rome?  Then you must go to the Monument Vittorio Emanuele, Located in the city center between The Coliseum and, The Pantheon.  It offers a 360 view of the entire city with a mountain backdrop.  When you walk into the monument, you will have to go up a series of stars to the left side where you will reach an elevator.  To ride the elevator to the top it will cost you 7 Euros(Well worth it).

     

Vienna-What to See?

Traveling to Vienna, Austria?  In my opinion, the top 2 sites you would have to see are the Schönbrunn Palace and the Hofburg Palace. These two palaces were the imperial residencies of the Habsburg Monarchy until the end of World War I. The Hofburg Palace was Monarchy's primary residence during the winter months and is currently being used as a museum, concert hall, banquets,etc.  A must see within the museum is the imperial silver collection.  This collection has a variety of the royals diningware, tables, silverware, etc.  My personal favorite is the Milan Table Centerpiece, which can extend to up to a length of 30 meters!
         
 

          After walking through the Museum and taking everything in, I would check what time the next concert would be (typically at night).  I must admit that my knowledge of classical music is limited, but Vienna being the home of Mozart, makes the experience very memorable.



The Schönbrunn Palace was the summer residence of the Habsburg Monarchy.  It offers awe-inspiring gardens along with an extremely expansive residence.  I would recommend going during the summer while the gardens are in full bloom; however, winter does offer some very scenic photography. 
On your adventure to Vienna, Austria, I would definitely suggest taking the palace tour, highlighting the study of Emperor Franz Joseph, the family dining room, the Small Gallery and the Great Gallery (ceiling paintings by Gregorio Guglielmi). It sounds like a lot to take in, but it's all completely worth it.
 
Again, Make sure to purchase your tickets in advance to save time!

Transportation From The Airport, To Your Destination.

I cannot stress this enough.  When flying into a new destination within Europe, please schedule your transportation in advance, and negotiate a price to your destination.  Many taxi companies that wait outside the airport will often charge you extra for a baggage fee (around 10-20 Euros).  By negotiating a ride in advance you can also guarantee that they will take the most direct route to your destination.  Has anyone else run into this in the past?    

Going to the Guinness factory in Dublin?

While traveling to Dublin, one of the things I wanted to see was the Guinness factory. Honestly I was let down with the tour as a whole, until the end! Once you make your way through the tour you have the ability to have a free beer with your price of admission. The Guinness "Gravity Bar" turned out to be one of the best spots in Dublin. It offers a 360 panoramic view of the city, while you relax and drink beer. This is a great way to spend a lazy afternoon taking in the sights and just kicking back. I brought this up because most travel through Europe is constantly on the move, due to time constraints. So I would suggest if you want a more laid back afternoon in Dublin definitely check out the Guinness "Gravity Bar".

Out for dinner in Europe?

Just a short post today, but something of note.  At most restaurants throughout Europe the gratuity is already included in the bill, so remember to check when you receive the check, or if you don't see it, make sure to ask!   Also, water isn't free at most restaurants.  When you walk in you will most likely be given a choice of normal water or sparkling water and will be charged for each refill.  So, just keep this in mind ahead of time.

     

Venice- A Completely Different World

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to not have to look both ways before crossing a street?  Well, in Venice, there are no cars period!  It offers a unique perspective of the world before the invention of the automobile.  When traveling to Venice I would recommend these three places to see.
Piazza San Marco- is the main square within Venice.  It's open area gives you a 360 view of the most desirable tourist spots within Venice.  The two main highlights are the San Marco Basilica and Campanile di San Marco bell tower.  One suggestion would be to go during off hours when the square is less crowded, and it gives you a real opportunity to view the sights lit up and listen to the tower.  (Sorry about the fog in the pictures, went really early in the morning) 


Murano Island- is also a wonderful place to see when Venice.  It is home to the world famous Murano Glass.  It is a short water taxi ride away from the interior of Venice (20 Minutes).  Murano Glass is all hand blown and shows all the best qualities it's known for.  I would recommend watching their work, along with walking through their store.  It offers glassware in all price ranges, and designs.

Burano Island- Is another stop which is around a 40 water taxi ride away.  It offers a unique color scheme for houses, and it typically a nice place to enjoy lunch and take in the scenery.

Amalfi Coast- A Must See

         I have always heard great things about the Amalfi Coast and it's beauty.  This past December, I finally had the opportunity to visit and, let me tell you, all the reviews were dead on.  Being from America, I would have to travel to multiple locations throughout the country to enjoy the benefits and beauty of the Amalfi coast. All in the same view you have mountains, vineyards, waterfront, and amazing colors in the background.  What's unique about this is all the villages are located on the mountainside so instead of building outwards they are built upwards on each cliff side.
        One thing that I would recommend is hiring a guide to drive you around.  The roads in Amalfi can be very treacherous and extremely curvy.  I personally hit the jackpot when I hired Simply Amalfi to be our driver and tour guide!  Our personal guide, Salvatore, was hands down the best guide you could ask for.  We started out our day in Pompeii seeing the ancient ruins (which will be blogged about soon!)  Salvatore said he would come pick us up after our tour of the ruins.  Right on schedule, we walked out of the ruins and there he was.  As soon as we got into the van, our experience began.  Everyone knew our driver and genuinely liked him!   We made the 30 minute drive to the coast, stopping at your typical scenic tourist photo spots.  After our photo shoots, we really moved away from the tourist attractions and drove up the mountainside.  This is where Simply Amalfi stood out!!!  We first stopped at the local Mozzarella factory and slowly made our way over to his house, which is located on a vineyard overlooking the cliffs and Mediterranean (Absolutely perfect).  I must say that I was hesitant going into a stranger's home, but European culture is vastly different from that in America. 
       My family and I went onto his balcony and were treated to all of the local delicacies that you could think of.  The wine was flowing; our stomachs were made full of green olives, fresh mozzarella and provolone, tomatoes, and prosciutto. As we all sat and congregated admiring the scenery, Salvatore stepped away for a bit.  We didn't even blink and there he was with a platter of food.  What kind of food you ask?  Salvatore went downstairs and picked off leaves from his lemon trees, put a slice of provolone on it and put it in the microwave for a short burst of heat.  The flavor that exuded from the cheese heated with the lemon leaf was indescribable.  As I write this, I am imagining everything so vividly!  While he was down gathering the lemon leaves, he decided to pick some olives off his olive trees and bring them up to us as well.  Oh and one more thing I forgot to mention, the wine he served us was made by him personally. 
              Our time was growing short, and he wanted us to get the whole Amalfi experience (as if we hadn't had a fabulous taste yet!).  We walked from Salvatore's house along the cliff to watch the sunset.  At the sunset, we all shared a toast of Prosecco to the wonderful day we had.  My family and I still look back at the pictures and cannot wait to go back.  It was an experience that I will never forget, and I look forward to planning my next trip to Amalfi!!!

The Louvre

Happy 4th of July everyone! Did you know that the French played a major role in America gaining her independence? In honor of that I would like to add a small fact about the most popular museum in Paris. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays! I made this mistake on my first trip to Paris, so please take this into account when making your travel plans. Please find below a link to the Louvre to discover their current exhibits.

http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en