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Italy Honeymoon ❤️❤️
  • Amy and Pat Taylor

Italy Honeymoon ❤️❤️

A 15-day adventure by Amy and Pat Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 30, 2022
    Amy and Pat TaylorItaly Honeymoon ❤️❤️Traveler

    Love now and Forever - The Preamble

    August 29, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    "This man brings me joy", she says.
    "She is absolutely the Love of My Life", I say.

    It all started with Eight YCKMIYWT.

    This is our honeymoon trip, the extended version. We were married on January 1, 2022. We took a quick trip to Gatlinburg, but this is our trip to Italy.

    A trip to celebrate, to explore, to relax, to adventure and to shop.

    The Almalfi Coast, Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Lake Como, The Bernina Express and finishing in Zurich. Was it going to be too much? Can we buy all of Christmas in Italy and Switzerland? Can we find some new dresses for Amy?

    Let's find out.

    From our Wedding Day.
    Beauty from ashes; a new chapter begins... Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for me. Today I married my long-time friend Pat Taylor. This past year we discovered a deeper level to our friendship and a love for each other. He is a man of kindness and generosity. He is a man of integrity. He is a loving partner to me in so many ways. One of the sweetest ways is that he reads the Bible with me. He prays with me and for me. I am truly blessed. Today we celebrated with 45 of our closest family and friends. I wish we could have invited all of you to share in this day with us. Happy New Year everyone! (Amy Facebook)    Read more

  • Amy and Pat TaylorItaly Honeymoon ❤️❤️Traveler

    Naples to Praiano on the Almalfi Coast

    September 1, 2022 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    We traveled the road from Naples to Praiano following the Amalfi coast with Eugene, our driver, or dare I call him an artful dodger. There were times when it seemed safer to simply not see. Looking at a map or getting ready for a photo was a convenience of perceived safety.

    Zigging and zagging along the coastline in what would be, or should be, a narrow one-way road, but is, in fact, two lanes of quick traffic, dodging parked cars, pedestrians, scooters, darting motor cyclists and of course oncoming traffic, including buses seeming much too large for the road.

    Twas a beautiful road adventure with so many wonderful views. The obvious shot would be any view of the drive looking over the cliffside and out onto the sea. But my 'Lovely' spied the upward angle. Looking up the cliffside. The houses, shops, restaurants and hotels built on the verticle. Structures built in what were caves or alcoves. Manicured with drills and chisels. An arrangement that is hard for us 'flatgrounders' to understand. Beautiful.

    The entrance to our hotel is not much more than a hut on the side of the road. Just large enough to house an elevator and a staircase that descends down into the cliffside. A hotel built in reverse. The lobby the highest floor. Our room a floor and a half below. A section of cliff Inside the hallway and our room perched out from there. The beach is nine stories below, via two elevator rides, a few steps and a short section of tunnel. Breathtaking.

    The Tyrrhenian sea is saltier than any we have encountered. I was a human bobber. We agreed that it was the most beautiful setting in which either of us had ever swum. The sea a glorious green hue. Waves gently, and occasionally not so gently, splashing upon the rocks. God blessing us with a pleasant sun, and the wonder of how man built in this way. The views up and down the coast...the cliffs, and the towns clinging to them...    Read more

  • Amy and Pat TaylorItaly Honeymoon ❤️❤️Traveler

    Isle of Capri

    September 2, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Capri

    Love is where you find it, or more accurately, where you want to find it. The same can be said for fun.

    Our day trip to Capri turned out to be less what we expected and more of what we wanted.
    The highlight of the day was supposed to be the lovely views of and around the island, highlighted by a visit to the Blue Grotto. The sea cave glowing sapphire blue from under the sea and throughout the cave. Unfortunately, the grotto was closed, as was the green grotto. Two of the four caves we were to see, supposedly the best two caves, were closed.

    Exploring the Isle is a big thing too. But we never left the port area. Long lines and travel issues kept us from exploring the island.

    But the day was not lost. It was still our day. It included a fabulous boat ride, shopping, swimming and a boat loaded with honeymooners, anniversaries and the newly engaged. Englanders, Canadians, Irish and Aussies shared joy with us. We enjoyed enchanting stories of the villas and restaurants they had experienced. Every story, every comment, every review positive.

    Approaching the Isle of Capri, we passed through the Faraglioni. Three rock structures - one an arch, lifting up above the sea. Of course, the tour operator calls the arch "Lover's Arch". Mr. Google has no idea that the arch is so named.... but we were happy to oblige. As we passed through the arch.... it was kisses all around

    Like the mountians of the mainland that had awed us, the view around the Isle took our breath as well. Even without the benefit of the two most popular caverns, the third cavern, a shallow cave of glowing emerald green water filled our imagination of what could have been.

    We didn't see much on the island itself. We never left the port area. Hundreds per hour on the chairlift and thousands taking the train. The lines were long. And the lines led to other lines. Simply not what we wanted. The truth be told, we were self absorbed. Instead of just following the crowd, we shopped, had lunch and enjoyed each other. We relaxed. We shopped. We had a lunch. A limone gelato or strawberry gelato Then we enjoyed another boat ride back, a swim and the glorious sunshine.

    It was a fun day. A day of us.    Read more

  • Amy and Pat TaylorItaly Honeymoon ❤️❤️Traveler

    Magic Dusk

    September 2, 2022 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    Magic Dusk
    And the sunset...God blessed this place with an extra helping of 'Magic Dusk'.
    The sun sets behind Positano at the right edge of the horizon. The mountian sheilds the setting sun in the final half hour of its daily journey. But rays backlight the clouds in the southwest sky. Glowing embers of peach and lavender.
    Meanwhile, the rising crescent moon lights a runway across the sea. A shimmering carpet leading the way to our balcony. I sprinkling of starlight - starbright, a few fishing boats straggling across the sea. And finally the buildings splattered across the mountainside, colored by day, lit by their twinkling lights by night.
    Seventy-two and breezy. This place has more than its fair share.    Read more

  • Amy and Pat TaylorItaly Honeymoon ❤️❤️Traveler

    Dinner and Shopping

    September 2, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Let's get real...

    It was actually shopping and dinner.

    We took a golf cart trip to the near by town of Positano. Then it was an absolutely lovely stroll through the town. Shopping, shopping, shopping.

    The main find of the evening was something that we found in a ceramics shop for Amy. (A surprise for later - a Christmas Present). It was a utensil holder, but for My Lovely's purpose, a flower vase. We also found a beautiful dress for Willow.

    We did have dinner on a patio above the streets with a wonderful view for people watching.

    Much more shopping to go.    Read more

  • Amy and Pat TaylorItaly Honeymoon ❤️❤️Traveler

    Pompei

    September 3, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Now, we're going to be out of order a bit. I've gotten a little behind on my notes. So let's catch up with day four.

    As we put the Almalfi coast in our memory banks and traveled to Naples, I have to mention our driver Franco because he gave us a completely relaxing ride --- devoid of adventure. How very unusual.

    Pompeii
    Ruins.... hey, let's have some fun. Let's go look at some ruins..... No, not really my thing. Not at the top of my list. Then why would I come to Italy? They've got more ruins than just about anywhere in the world.
    Rome is one thing but Pompeii?? Pompeii had been buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in about 70 AD. Twenty feet of volcanic ash covered and preserved the ancient city.
    I was willing to give it a try - but I had an exit plan.

    I must confess, I get wowed by the most unusual things. We were wandering through this ancient city, walking down the stone streets about 30 minutes in, I'm interested but only mildly, when Amy warns me to watch my step. She didn't want me to stumble on the rut in the road. I looked down and it hit me. A rut cut in stone. The rut was an inch and a half deep (the thickness of a 2x4). A rut worn into the stones --- into the stones!!!, by chariots!!! WOW!!! From that point on, I was seeing things differently.

    Amy already had the vision. We were walking down the streets seeing condominiums from 2000 years ago. About every 100 feet you see a streetfront shop or restaurant. And we look inside one of dwellings, a storefront shop with living quarters in back. In the back we see an upper area, a loft. I am reminded of the series "The Chosen". A scene depicting Mark Chapter 2. Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic. Friends lower a man through the roof. Some children are gathered on a loft area watching. This is what I saw in my mind when I saw this particular shop. This one vision (with the help of the Bible and a mini-series) painted a picture of life in this city in my mind.

    Imagine our modern cities, with stores, laundries, restaurants, fish markets, stadiums, parks and public drinking fountains. It’s all here.

    The stadiums are built with bricks then topped with smooth slabs of marble for seating. There were several stadiums. This particular stadium we toured seated 20,000 people.
    The vastness of the city, built mostly of man-made bricks. The streets paved in large flat stone, complete with gutters, curbs and speed bumps.

    The Frescos painted inside the homes of the wealthy. And condo-styled mansions (the largest 32,000 Sq ft). There were some mosaic floors, and some floors were smooth concrete floors with small tile accents --- Small tiles evenly spaced out decorating their domicile --- even before HGTV!

    The ‘Roman Columns’ are layered. They make curved bricks and mortar them into a column. Then they put thick layers of cement over the brick, and molded the cement with contours. The cement was made by heating the marble then grinding the marble it into a dust.

    We had seen many dwellings before we saw the art. It was not everywhere, so when we happened upon our first fresco, it was surprising. It took Amy's breath away. Your insides warm up a bit. 10 minutes later, we walk into a home with a mosaic entry. And a few minutes after that, a home with multiple dining rooms and parlors and mosaic floors throughout and walls covered in paintings.

    Is it silly? Am I impressed by trivial things. Maybe, but these people, even those of a modest lifestyle had marble countertops 2000 years before we were using Formica. Just sayin'.
    We only had 3 hours. Could spend days. Next time will have a guide to bring it to life for us.    Read more

  • Amy and Pat TaylorItaly Honeymoon ❤️❤️Traveler

    The Vatican

    September 5, 2022 in Vatican City ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    First, let me say that it is quite simply too much. There is no way to communicate what we saw. Neither Amy's pictures nor my words will do.

    You just have to go. And by go, I mean more than one trip, more than one day... There is art, history, pain and peace. Wars, betrayal, corruption and Christianity and restoration.

    We booked a semi-private (small group) guided tour. Donata told us, and showed us so many things, one piece of history folding into another and then depicted in art that is absolutely amazing.

    We will share 3 or 4 of the most fascinating things. Seriously, the list could go on and on. These are the things that slayed us.

    St. Peters Basilica......
    La Pietà by Michelangelo
    The sculpture is emotional. I was taken. Mary holding holding her dead son in her arms. Michelangelo was 25 years old when he sculpted this piece. Honestly, describing this would be wrong. Telling you I felt it in my chest... that comes closer.

    The Paintings
    Well, the paintings are the most remarkable works of art. Consider that, in my knowledge - extremely limited - what makes 'great', great is not simply the depiction but the blending of the color. Here, as you would guess, both are incredible.

    But most incredible, the paintings in the Basilica are not paintings! They are mosaics. These great works of art would be impressive if they were paintings but they are small pieces of ceramic and glass. All through the Basilica, all the paintings are actually mosiacs. Even in the ceiling domes.

    And just to be clear, when I speak of the mosiacs, I mean only in the Basilica.

    First, let me say that it is quite simply too much. There is no way to communicate what we saw. Neither Amy's pictures nor my words will do.

    You just have to go. And by go, I mean more than one trip, more than one day... There is art, history, pain and peace. Wars, betrayal, corruption and Christianity and restoration.

    We booked a semi-private (small group) guided tour. Donata told us, and showed us so many things, one piece of history folding into another and then depicted in art that is absolutely amazing.

    We will share 3 or 4 of the most fascinating things. Seriously, the list could go on and on. These are the things that slayed us.

    St. Peters Basilica......
    La Pietà by Michelangelo
    The sculpture is emotional. I was taken. Mary holding holding her dead son in her arms. Michelangelo was 25 years old when he sculpted this piece. Honestly, describing this would be wrong. Telling you I felt it in my chest... that comes closer.

    The Paintings
    Well, the paintings are the most remarkable works of art. Consider that, in my knowledge - extremely limited - what makes 'great', great is not simply the depiction but the blending of the color. Here, as you would guess, both are incredible.

    But most incredible, the paintings in the Basilica are not paintings! They are mosaics. These great works of art would be impressive if they were paintings but they are small pieces of ceramic and glass. All through the Basilica, all the paintings are actually mosiacs. Even in the ceiling domes.

    And just to be clear, when I speak of the mosiacs, I mean only in the Basilica.

    Sistine Chapel
    Obviously, no surprise here. And most people know the paintings aren't paintings, they are Frescos - paintings on fresh plaster. A redo means chiseling plaster and then replacing it.
    The Frescos are depictions of stories from the Bible. Creation, the life of Moses. The life of Jesus. Final judgment. Breathtaking.

    Vatican Museum
    Amy would have to say the map room was the most impressive. And it was incredible. And it was soooooo much. Longer than a football field, painting after painting. There are 40 maps, but the ceiling is the thing here. Fresco after fresco depicting significant figures of history and Christianity. And all very 3 dimensional.

    My favorite was Raphel's School of Athens. It is an awesome painting. But it has humor and reverence. Raphael uses techniques he learned from Da Vinci to create this fresco dedicated to philosophers. Raphael paints Da Vinci's face on Plato. And front and center of the fresco is Michelangelo. At the time when Raphael was painting this piece, Michelangelo was painting the the Sistine Chapel. Raphael was so impressed by Michelangelo's work that he added him very prominently in the painting.

    Ok, it will sound weird, but I was impressed by the tapestries. Art in fabric. I imagine they would be even more impressive with more light. The tapestries were woven out of wool, gold and silver thread.

    It was all so much, you can't write about it all. I was going to stop here and then Amy reminded me of the floors. You could cover up the walls and the ceilings and do an entire tour just on the floors. More mosiacs, more marble. More history.

    We have fallen in love with Rome!    Read more

  • Amy and Pat TaylorItaly Honeymoon ❤️❤️Traveler

    Florence

    September 6, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Such is Rome - the 'bellissimo elefante' of Italy.
    I think we did Rome almost right. Almost, because we needed just one more day. A day to just walk, eat, drink coffee and absorb. No, you can’t do Rome in three days, or four. Rome is many trips. A bite at a time.

    But our trip was planned around 3 things, Rome, relaxing in the beauty of the coastline and taking the Bernina Express over the alps to Zurich.

    Florence was a self indulgence. I am quite simply amazed by Da Vinci. Therefore, Florence was to be a stop to see the Da Vinci museum, and then on to Cinque Terre – a primary destination.
    I was wrong on at least two accounts. The Da Vinci Museum (at least the one we visited) was a swing and a miss – more research required for our next trip. And two, Florence is not a stop over, it is a primary destination.

    My words will be sparse, but pay attention to the photos and know that we absolutely loved Florence. It is beautiful, but more importantly, has more charm than anywhere I have visited in my life.

    Florence is where my heartbeat was melodic. My 'lovely' took me to dinner overlooking the Arno river after visiting the Ponte Vecchio. We saw lovers walking hand in hand at the pace of a slow dance. We watched boats slide effortlessly down the Arno. We heard music in the streets and saw the glow of the moon.

    As we walked back to the hotel afterward, strolling down the alleyways that act as streets here, I completely melted. A booster shot for romance, it feels good even if you don't need it.    Read more

  • Amy and Pat TaylorItaly Honeymoon ❤️❤️Traveler

    Cinque Terre

    Sep 8–11, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Cinque Terre
    A day at the beach… two actually, but this beach is somewhat different.
    Cinque Terre was the destination I was anticipating the most; and the place I’m least likely to see again.

    I was looking forward to the beautiful pastel buildings pressed into the valley along the coast. I could taste the peace of a tourist town with no cars, no golf carts and no scooters. A tourist destination, simply at a slower pace. A few more days on the coast, coffee on the rooftop above the town each morning, and a last few minutes under the moonlight at night. We got all those things. Cinque Terre is charming without a doubt. A tourist town that asks cruise ships NOT to come.

    But why not return? Quite simply, it is the stop where we have no unfinished business. We did Cinque Terre and we loved it – maybe not the hill, but we loved it.
    We saw every shop and every restaurant and lots of GELATO.
    Cinque Terre (Five Lands) is five coastal towns. We stayed in Riomaggio in an airB&B with a large patio on the roof, overlooking the town. Just absolutely beautiful each morning, afternoon and evening. It was a great place to relax. Church bells make watches and alarm clocks unnecessary. We found ourselves in the middle of 3 churches within 300 yards.
    We were told that the neighboring town of Monterosso had the best beach, which meant that the “sand" is better and the beach is set up with chairs and umbrellas. We had a nice relaxing day.

    The ‘sand’ is actually a reasonably small gravel – and it was actually nice to go to the beach and not leave with sand everywhere. The waves wash it onto the beach and retract with a rattle as the turquoise water sifts through the rock. The visibility is like nothing I have ever seen. If I were scuba diving, I would expect 100 foot visibility.

    Our second day at the beach was in Riomaggio. (We were somewhat stuck in town due to a national train strike). The beach here is like river rock and the rattle is even louder. As we swam (bobbed) in the water, we rode the swells that were sometimes 5 foot tall. The beach is just below the train as the train is turned inside the edge of the mountain.

    Where the train comes out of the mountain at the base of the valley that creates the village, there is a plaza built on top of the train tunnel. Local children are playing soccer, riding tricycles, and drawing on the concrete with chalk - all in the same space as their parents watch out over them, all of this amongst all the tourist as they pass by to get to and from the beach.

    We enjoyed. We relaxed. And we recommend (to those that can do lots of steps and steep hills), but we move on to the next Italian treasure.    Read more

  • Amy and Pat TaylorItaly Honeymoon ❤️❤️Traveler

    Riomaggiore

    September 8, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    We've made it, but oh, my goodness...the walk from the train station, pulling luggage, up the hill, to our 4th floor ( these steep stairs are nowhere near code !) Poor Pat carried both suitcases up the stairs... but once here, it's worth it!Read more

  • Amy and Pat TaylorItaly Honeymoon ❤️❤️Traveler

    Zurich

    Sep 12–14, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    We were like mice in a maze looking for cheese (check out the Google Maps screenshot). And what was the cheese? For what we searching? Nothing really. Maybe a little dress shopping (which wasn't particularly successful). We criss-crossed all around ‘Old Town'.

    Zurich was so completely different from Italy. And for us, was actually an afterthought. Zurich was the landing place after the Bernina Express and the pathway back home.

    After 2 weeks of travel, it is time to return home. We miss our loved ones, our friends and our bed.

    But Zurich was the last hoorah - well a hoorah at our speed. We shopped, we ate something other than pizza and pasta, and we enjoyed the architecture. Like Italy, cobblestone streets, but the buildings were these opulent artwork buildings. You've seen these buildings in movies and pictures of 50 years and they look just like 50 years ago and completely up to date.

    We meandered through the streets and alleyways listening to the music of street musicians, shopping and taking in the sidewalk cafes. The meandering was the gift of the day.

    One of the better parts of the day was the view at Lindenhofplatz. The park setting with mostly gravel walking area has wall that overlooks the river and the city and most importantly ‘Old Town. We sat on the wall, dangling our feet over the side, drank a fresh iced cappuccino, and took in the view, took a beat, listened to the music of a sidewalk performer. It was a nice moment.

    Zurich was beatiful, but the best part of the day had nothing to do with the location, or the fabulous weather (Amy mentioned the weather 8 or 9 times – maybe more). The best part was the serendipitous day. My lovely wife squeezing one last day, a day with no expectations, a day with no stress, a day of us hand-in-hand finding what we find, into the best trip of my life.    Read more

  • Trip end
    September 13, 2022
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