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European Vacation May 2016European Vacation May 2016
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A 29-day adventure by mjnandy Read more
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  • mjnandyEuropean Vacation May 2016
    Day 10

    The Hills are Alive

    May 8, 2016 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Early morning start as we set out for the tour of the Sound of Music film location tour. (I'm a FAN)
    Started off having breakfast at our hotel buffet style overlooking the mountains and nearby hills.
    With time to spear we went next door and hung out at Starbucks while we waited for our van to take us to the bus to start off our tour. By the way....the Barista Esther at Starbucks spoke English pretty well. I asked her where she was from. She is from Salzburg but worked two years in the U.S.A. as a Nanny. Ok, ready to hear where? WOODLAND HILLS, CA!! It's a small world afterall. I gave her one of John's business cards with my info. Hope to hear from her when and if she returns. Young adults 18-23 have a program to be Nannys for families in the states.
    The tour took us back to remembering many parts of the musical along with history of the taping, the actors and sight issues. We were driven to Mondsee where the filming of Maria marrying the Captain took place. The church is beyond BEAUTIFUL! Lakes and mountains BREATHTAKING. It was Sunday so not many places were open for shopping. Restaurants of course along with pastry shops were very much open for business. We learned Salzburg had some snow just a week before we arrived. It's not a wonder why it's so green and there are pretty blooming flowers everywhere.
    We loved being able to drink Sparkling Wine and Beer on board. The sing a long on the bus was fun. The tour guide was very entertaining and very knowledgeable about the movie. The tour was so worth the 4 hours.
    We returned and headed to the Fortress. The view from above was BREATHTAKING. I know I keep saying Salzburg is beautiful, has breathtaking views etc.
    But it "IS"! Reason why I love Salzburg so much.
    We enjoyed having dinner outside the Fortress. Beer, SPAGHETTI and a potatoe salad (potatoes in a green salad along with some sauerkraut). We thought it was pretty good. Took a walk back did some shopping and ended up taking a taxi back to our hotel.
    A beautiful day indeed. I think John has become as fond of Salzburg as I am. Think we WILL be back someday.
    Tomorrow is another early morning start. Our next train ride.....VIENNA BOUND.    Read more

  • mjnandyEuropean Vacation May 2016
    Day 11

    Sunny VIENNA

    May 9, 2016 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    6AM alarm didn't go off. NO we automatically woke up at 5:30am. We packed last night to make it easier in the morning. Train ride is scheduled for 10:15am.
    Luckily it's just a 5 minute walk.
    With time to spare we walked next door to the mall. Stores were closed so we went to the mall grocery store. Fun to see different items from home.
    Hubby surprised me by buying me a beautiful necklace and earrings from the lobby of our hotel. This will be so meaningful to me cuz he gave it to me in my favorite city. ♥
    Even when we try to take up time we seem be quick.
    So.....guess we'll get some coffee/lattes at the Starbucks next door. We loved the location of this hotel everything is within walking distance.
    Went to the train station and hung out close to our departure train platform. Found our "FIRST CLASS SEATS" they're really comfy with lots of room. Decided to order lunch on this 2.5 hour train ride.
    John had Mac 'n Cheese, salad and beer I had Apple juice from our backpack and a panini which was bread with what seemed like a 1/4 inch bologne slice. (I was hungry so I ate 1 slice of bread with the meat. I don't really like BOLOGNE but like I said "I was hungry".
    The mustard came in a tube which was different. I'm not a mustard person so I just put a dab for taste.
    The view on the way was very pretty. I haven't seen that much green in a long while.
    We arrived in Vienna 10 minutes later than scheduled. We got a taxi right outside the terminal. Our taxi driver a singer who indicated he sang at venues around Austria. Not sure if he was for real but his singing was pretty good.
    We arrived at our hotel. Not going to be one of our favs but it's walking distance to a church, shopping area, taxi and food. Seems to be run by an older austrian man who speaks pretty good english.
    The elevator is so small only two people fit at a time. We have a key to our room and one to the front door of the hotel. Room has everything we need and is spacious. The bed is comfy but it is so low. Guess we can roll out of it. Hahahaha.
    We decided to make our first sightseeing tour by foot and by Horse Carriage. The city is very beautiful. Lots of shopping ~ stores, boutiques, bakeries, high end jewlry stores, shoes, clothes....
    John keeps saying that the streets and buildings look like the fake back drop at a movie studio. I just keep telling him "this is the REAL DEAL"!
    We caught a taxi to drive us back after a nice dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. The taxi driver gave us a tour on the way back. Stopped to view the American Embassy in Vienna where my Uncle Joe worked while serving in the Marines. Not sure if it was the right location but they have it so secured you even have to get an approval to take a picture of it.
    It's been a long enjoyable day. We're tired but have been able ro rest for the next day.
    Tomorrow is shopping, seeing inside of churches more sightseeing and a river cruise. Hoping to get to the ferris wheel for night viewing of the city.    Read more

  • mjnandyEuropean Vacation May 2016
    Day 12

    Vienna "O" VIENNA.

    May 10, 2016 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    SLEEP? Yes we finally got to sleep in and it was wonderful. No rushing today.
    This morning we started at our Starbucks close to our hotel. About a 7 minute walk down part of a street that has every shop, restaurant, ice cream shop....you name it it will probably be on this 10 mile stretch.
    Decided to sit outside and enjoy the street views and people watch. Once we finished we walked to see up close some of the historical spots we saw yesterday.
    The buildings here are historical buildings that are both beautiful and filled with so much history.
    Weather today started off cool. It later became cloudy and we thought for sure we'd get some rain. We are happy to say "no rain" showed up. Got cooler as we walked and shopped.
    We made it to Vienna University and bought a few things there. A nice man from Norway that we asked for directions was nice enough to walk us over to the student store. Such a beautiful university.
    We then walked to St. Stephans and we were lucky that there was no line to get in. Yesterday the line was about an hour long. This cathedral is amazingly beautiful. But then again european churches are so full of art, architecture and are amazing. The peace you feel inside touches your heart in a blessed way.
    John and I decided to have lunch at a pizza place close to the cathedral. Pizza was good and gave us the energy to continue with our walk.
    We found a smaller church tucked away that we decided to walk into. Not filled with much but you could tell the church had been there for years. It's kinda strange but this church was surrounded by bars and clubs. We spoke to a police officer who was pretty young. He was securing this district because of the shortage of officers. (Everytime they mention DISTRICT it reminds me of THE HUNGER GAMES) but this is how Vienna is divided. Guess it would be like our counties.
    We then walked to the area where we will be boarding our boat for the Danube River Cruise. We arrived early so we sat outside at a cafe. It was very cold. Luckily cafés here will give you a blanket to borrow while you sit outside. The cappuccino helped but it was still very cold. Think they need outdoor heaters. Some places do have them.
    We set out on our cruise hot wine to start with and get the blood moving again. Decided to have dinner and beer while enjoying the cruise.
    The day didn't stop there. We walked over to ride the ferriswheel and view Vienna. It moves very slow and the view was very pretty.
    We took a taxi back to our hotel. Think we had already walked enough. On a map a great BIG CIRCLE!!
    It was a great day for sure. Until tomorrow...our last day in Vienna.    Read more

  • mjnandyEuropean Vacation May 2016
    Day 13

    Last day/night in Vienna.

    May 11, 2016 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Always a bittersweet leaving a beautiful city.
    So today was a free day to go out and take in as much as we could of some places we've already seen.
    We started our journey from our hotel with a leasurely walk to find a place to have breakfast. We found a small place which seemed to be husband/wife owned.
    Had a ham and cheese omelette that reminded me of my mom's. It was hot chocolate for me and John ordered a latte. A crisp morning so a hot drink was perfect to warm up.
    We continued on our walk and stopped at a few, no not a few every souvenier shop I could take John into. LoL
    We took a few pics along the way and continued our walk to places we may have not seen on any tour.
    We stopped at three different churches/cathedrals. We both have enjoyed the beauty in each and every one of them.
    Started heading back to our hotel to straighten up and go through all our souvenirs. Picked up 4 bottles from some people on the street introducing a new drink. Pretty good non-alcoholic drink. Love Freebees.
    After we were done we got ready to go on another adventure.....WALKING. We shopped and walked. Found some hat's along the way. We walked and found this hidden restaurant with some viennese food.
    Kinda fancy yet casual and this nice older man seemed to work the whole restaurant on his own. He spoke very little English but luckily he had menu's in english. Very easy to just point. He was very pleasant and kind and the food was the BEST! Beer, Lemonade, 2 salad bar salads, Vienna Trout with white rice, ribeye steak with potatoes and grilled onions for only $34. Great PRICE for a great dinner in a very nice restaurant. As we walked towards our hotel we realized we were only a couple blocks away.
    John is so good in directions no matter where we are it's impossible to get lost. I just walk and walk and stay right next to him.
    Time to get some sleep it's 10:30pm here now. We'll be checking out very early for our next destination.

    Here we come ROMA, ITALIA!!!    Read more

  • mjnandyEuropean Vacation May 2016
    Day 14

    Finalmente Italia

    May 12, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Woke up to rain in Vienna. We escaped having rain on our days there. We had cold days but not too cold to enjoy the beautiful city.
    We were picked up by a private transportation company. A man in a nice suit driving a nice black mercedes.
    We arrived at the the airport early . We usually do to make sure we're at the right place and there are no problems. It was nice chatting with the family. Kalyn FB Messenger us on our way to the airport.
    Plane ride was nice and quick a 2 1/2 flight. John and I enjoyed a Sangria in the air with some snacks. Upon arrival the rain had stopped. YAY!!! Took awhile for our luggage to come up. Guess cuz we were early our suitcase were under everyone elses. Who knows, what's important was it showed up.
    It was a 45 minute taxi ride from the airport to the hotel. We checked in and the guy at the front desk helped and answered alot of questions we had.
    We are across from the Vatican which is nice for our tour tomorrow morning.
    We did a lot of sightseeing since arriving in Rome. About 3 to 3.5 hours of walking and seeing 15 of the main sights of Rome. We stopped to eat as we hadn't really had a meal all day. It never rained again, we're hoping to get nice weather for the Vatican Tour in the morning.
    So happy we are in Rome this time of year. There are people but not nearly as many as the end of the month will bring. Their busy tourist season begins.    Read more

  • mjnandyEuropean Vacation May 2016
    Day 15

    Vatican City

    May 13, 2016 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Blessed be Rome II
    Today started with an early breakfast here in the hotel. The hotel has a small area for a breakfast buffet it was good and the small patio deck had a nice morning view.
    We walked over to meet our tour guide GIGI. (Meeting place a 5 minutes walk) HE was an awesome tour guide so knowledgeable, funny and remembered our names! The tour was 4 hours long. Started at the Vatican Museum then the Sistine Chapel to the Vatican itself. So much beauty and so much history. We enjoyed the tour very much.
    We walked back to our hotel to take care of our transportation to the Amalfi Coast. Finished that then it was off to the Colliseum. No walking there we took a taxi. Nice taxi driver he loves Americans.
    Walked around the colliseum. We didn't do the tour as there were so many other places we wanted to see. Tomorrow is a very early morning tour. A tour to TUSCANY!!! We'll be walking 20 minutes to get to the meeting place.
    After the colliseum we sat and had a panini to share and a couple of beers. We decided to take the On and Off tour bus just to get back to the hotel and see more sights.
    We have been very lucky weather wise. Cloudy yet cool and sunny. The weather couldn't be much better considering the 10 day forecast showed rain when we were in Vienna.
    Took over 300 pics today. I didn't post them all...but thought you may like and enjoy the ones I chose. (See Facebook Album).
    Dinner was at a restaurant right next door pretty much to the hotel. We had wine Spitzers, spaghetti and I had pasta rice with seafood. DELICIOUS! The hostess gave us a complimentary shot of GRUPPA. Just what we needed to give us a boost.
    Tomorrow TUSCANY. 💙    Read more

  • mjnandyEuropean Vacation May 2016
    Day 17

    Tuscany under the clouds

    May 15, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    5am the alarm goes off. 😲 Time to wake up get ready and take the 20 minute walk to our meeting place for our Tuscany tour.
    So excited as this is a place I've been wanting to see for a long time.
    We walk to the door of our hotel only to see the RAIN come down. Not a great way to start our day especially when our tours are outside. Our hotel staff calls a taxi for us. We arrive at Popolo Square. Still very cloudy a drop here and there. Once again, we're early. We walk into a church (they're all over) sit there Pray for no rain, safe travels and health of all our loved ones.
    We figure we'll walk and find a cafe'. We find one have our cappuccinos and share a danish. No pancakes and waffles here. NO STARBUCKS EITHER!! 😲
    We head back to the square line up and get on the bus. 65 people on this tour. Divided by 3 different sticker colors. We're "GOLD"!
    On the way it poured rain for about 5 minutes then it stopped. Two hours for our 1st stop but we did stop at what they called "THE BAR". Thought we were stopping for a drink. It's an old bar building that has become a souvenier and toilet stop. Best part of this place was the FREE SAMPLES. Chocolates, Cookies, Virgin Oils, WINE, Chocolate Truffles, Lotions, Body Oils.......at this point we didn't need to buy snacks.
    Scenery is beautiful. Picturestique❣
    First stop the medieval town of MONTEPULCIANO. This is such an amazing little town John and I could see ourselves living there. What a great retirement place, so calm and peaceful.
    Next stop was a church that has been there for centuries. (Like everything else in Rome) the church was a horse stable before being restored. Gorgeous scenery. We then were taken on a 30 minute drive to an old Tuscan farm for a 3 course meal and wine tasting of 5 different wines. The food "delicious" and cooked by the owner. Sweet lady who reminded me of my Nana. She said I was "BELLA"! LOL
    After being full and tipsy we went off to Montalcino and Pienza. Two other old towns.
    We had the most amazing tour. We loved Rebecca one of our tour guides cuz she always gave us and the couple across from us (from San Juan Capistrano,CA) what was left in the wine bottles. As they say "If you don't ask you'll never know". YES, we asked for more VINO. 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
    We arrived back to Rome at 8pm. Taxi's were very busy so.....YUPPPP WE WALKED BACK TO OUR HOTEL.
    Packed for tomorrow mornings train to Naples. 2 hour train ride then we'll be picked up by a Private car for a 2 hour drive to our hotel in Amalfi Coast.
    Hope to have some SUN to lay out and relax. We've been very lucky weather wise. Rain has shown on forcast then stops when we are out and about.
    Ciao' for now~    Read more

  • mjnandyEuropean Vacation May 2016
    Day 17

    Amalfi Coast ~ PRAIANO

    May 15, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Bittersweet morning to say goodbye to Rome and the fabulous staff at our hotel. It certainly is great to be able to find staff that is so kind and eager to help.
    Woke up at 6am to head to the train station. Had breakfast at a small cafe' there cuz as always we're EARLY! Cappuccinos and a ham and cheese panini to share. Hey, we had that yesterday. 😨
    We got on our train had great 1st class seats. Sat across from each other and lucky us no one sat next to us on our 2.5 hr train ride to Naples. We arrived 7 minutes later than scheduled. We were so glad to see our driver (Liam Neeson lookalike) already waiting for us. He was so nice and shared some sights with us. Rained upon our arrival in Naples and rained on and off more ON along the way. It stopped once we reached Sorrento. YaY...John got some pretty good pics on the way. Had him sit by the window. Rain stopped just as we arrived to Amalfi.
    We arrived at our hotel in which we got into an elevator and stopped to a cave like hallway to the receptionist desk. The lady that checked us in was so very nice in greeting and telling us about what was offered. She even walked us to our room. The view from the check in area was so pretty. Can't wait to stroll around.
    Got into our room which is very nice. We have a deck with an amazing view and outdoor shower. Got all settled in to go have lunch/dinner than off for a stroll. Met a nice couple from Florida during dinner and chatted with them for awhile. Had a delicious pasta with seafood that we shared a bottle of wine and the best chocolate dessert ever.
    Took a walk around the hotel and found some nice spots for photos tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing more of Praiano and our renewal vows. Let's pray for a Sunny Cloudy day. NO RAIN❣    Read more

  • mjnandyEuropean Vacation May 2016
    Day 18

    Streets of Amalfi

    May 16, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Slept in a bit...well we still woke up before 8am.
    Went down to breakfast in our hotel. Sat outside with an amazing view. Coffee was delicious along with scrambled eggs and bacon and tomatoes. NO PANINI TODAY!
    We decided to take a walk and check out the area and do some SHOPPING. You don't have much space to walk as there are no sidewalks and the streets are very narrow. First stop was the bank. With the help of our reception gal we walked up the street. More like went up stairs after stairs after STAIRS. We finally reached the main street. Decided to walk our way down to the major street here to shop. Our first stop a small shop where they make LIMOCELLO. The man there was kind enough to take us to a small room where they cut up the lemons to make this drink. He also gave us samples of many of the drinks they make.
    We walked further and stopped at a few stores and a beautiful church with an amazing courtyard and view.
    Found a flower shop in which we went ahead and ordered a small bouquet. A new place which just opened 2 months ago. Still settling in and she offered to deliver it to our hotel. (NO EXTRA CHARGE)!! ✔
    We asked about a hair salon place and walked with caution a little further down. FOUND IT and a lady who spoke english. YAY!! Had my hair washed and blow dried for only 20 euros. She did a great job.
    Walked back to the hotel and decided to lay out on our deck for awhile. Gorgeous sunny day!
    It was time to get ready for our little Vow Renewal and pictures.
    After that we decided to have dinner. We decided to have dinner at our hotel. The waiter gave us a glass of champagne to celebrate our renewal. We had a local bottle of Red Wine which was wonderful with our Calamari appetizer and our Pasta/Rice with artichoke. Omg DELICIOUS. We sat there enjoying the beautiful view. The waiter told us to take our time. Thank goodness cuz this wine and champagne was getting to us QUICK. LOL.
    We sat there and took in the moment...reminiscing, laughing and shed some tears. The most amazing part a WHITE BUTTERFLY flew in front of us as we started dinner. YES....looks like my DAD was with us❣ What a touching moment for sure.
    We finished and as we were going to ask for our check the waiter came with some dessert the cook had made just for US. A lemon like cannoli with a creme that was yummy. On the house. We love how this hotel has taken care of us and they do so much to help you no matter what.
    We will surely return again.....someday.    Read more

  • mjnandyEuropean Vacation May 2016
    Day 19

    Rainy Day in Positano

    May 17, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Love the days we don't have to wake up early. Waking up with a headache from drinking a bottle of WINE and some CHAMPAGNE was maybe just a little too much. Yet FUN!
    Woke up to blue skies and a cool day. We had breakfast here at our hotel. This time we sat inside, too cold for me. I was excited they had cocoa pebbles. WooHoo...chocolate milk!
    John bought our tickets at the front desk for our bus ride to Positano. (1,20Euros) each. Quite intetesting to watch these big buses get by each other on these narrow streets. At one time we were head to head with another bus. Our driver had to back up a ways so the other could pass. This happened more than once. Then I think they try to make up the time when there are no other buses.
    We made it and the view is just like the postcards, movies and pictures. We walked thru shops up and down stairs. We made it to the beach and started looking into tours to Capri. All sold out or way too expensive. So we decided to check out more shops and have a drink.
    We then walked to the Rada restaurant to check out one of the cave restaurants. They let us go in and look around but it wasn't open for lunch or dinner til later tonight.
    John wanted to know whether the water was cold. Because I had shoes I could throw off I went to check out the temp. Ummmmm...this sand is just ROCKS. Ouchhhhhhh~ How do people walk barefooted on this? My feet hurt! Got to a spot to where I could remove the small rocks off my feet and was happy to get my soft shoes back on. Oh btw the waters temp was cool. Not warm and not freezing cold.
    As we walked back it started raining then pouring. We decided to take a taxi back to our hotel. Stopped raining an hour later. Walked around and stopped at Pirata Bar and Restaurant I had a cappucino, John a beer and we shared calamari. Returned back to our room and repacked for our early departure tomorrow. Need to go back to Rome and fly out to Krakow, Poland. Luckily we have a private car so no bus to train to airplane. Just a car ride to the airport. Much EASIER! Still sunny so we decided to go to the restaurant section of the hotel and sit on the couch to watch the sun go down. Unfortunately the sunset is on the other side.
    Next stop KRAKOW, POLAND. A two hour plane ride. 🌨Apparently it will be raining tomorrow. Thursday and Friday is to be sunny. 🌞    Read more

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