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Viva Europa!
  • Tricia Wendorf
  • Steven Wendorf
  • Tricia Wendorf
  • Steven Wendorf

Viva Europa!

A 18-day adventure by Tricia & Steven Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 30, 2024
    Viva Europa!
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    Roma Arrival 🇮🇹

    August 30, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 93 °F

    Buonjourno from Bella Italia! We arrived in the eternal city of Rome on Friday morning and hit the ground walking . We had one day here and logged 18k steps. We filled our day with touring the Pantheon, lunch with wine, an espresso for mid afternoon fuel and ended the evening with THE best food tour in the neighborhood of Trastevere. Rashad was an exceptional guide and took us to 6 restaurants, discovering authentic Roman cuisine, wine, Roman street food, perfect pasta and of course gelato to top it all off. Met the nicest people from Australia, Spain, Switzerland and the US. We continued on for another drink with a few tour participants once the tour ended, simply because we didn’t want the evening to end!
    This morning (Saturday) we jumped on a plane to Bari in Puglia. So the next three days will be spent in Lecce, Matera and Polignano a Mare with many other Puglian stops along the way. Adiamo!    Read more

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    Ostuni

    August 31, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    So this travel diary only allows 10 photos per post. Ostuni deserves waaaayyy more. So here’s more of beautiful Ostuni. It really was exquisite. Hard to capture it in pictures.

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    Day visit Ostuni, overnight Lecce

    August 31, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    After arriving in Bari we jumped in our jeep compass and hit the highway to Ostuni. Built atop a hill, Ostuni is a certifiable labyrinth. A maze of alleyways, staircases and arches, of houses built upon houses, of hundreds of years of history laid out before you in a way no map can truly explain or capture. Dead ends and pretty little gardens, glimpses of the Adriatic sea, green doors and bright blue skies. We met some unfriendly cats, had an adorable tuk tuk driver and tour, incredible eats and overall just an outstanding day. Oh! And the olive oil! Omg, bought the poor little store owner out of his best selling EVOO.
    We drove on to Lecce for our overnight stay at Palazzo Dei Dondoli - impeccable bnb. Had dinner at a top notch pizza place and strolled this beautiful Baroque city. Tired now and the dogs are barking. Buona Notte!    Read more

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    Italy personified

    September 1, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We thought Lecce was going to be a quieter town and it started out that way but as soon as the sun went down. The people came out in droves. An evening stroll. Lecce is off the coast a bit but a constant ocean breeze through the narrow historic town was refreshing on a hot evening. The dinner was in a 60s era cement fortress, but the atmosphere inside and food was beliisimo! I had pork cheek pizza. 100 tables outside and 75 in. We were the first ones in and when we left it was full and a line to get in was long. Dinner was 60€ but $120 easily back home. The difference in value, the taste and service is remarkable. I dropped my knife on the ground, I had a new knife within seconds. The tuk tuk in ostuni was fun. Like many towns, a Roman amphitheatre was buried and uncovered in the early 20th century. It is used today for events. A wonderful evening. We listened to a string quartet in a hot church, enjoyed street entertainers, plenty of shops and there was a summer music concert, plus all the people watching. It's a vibe only in Italy and done to tourist perfection! Perfecto!Read more

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    Leece cooking class

    September 1, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    Before we leave beautiful Lecce, we visited a cooking school this morning for a orecchiette class.

    Orecchiette is a typical Apulian cuisine. They are famous for their characteristic round and concave shape, smooth on the outside and rough and wrinkled on the inside, which is reminiscent of a small ear, and for their ability to capture and collect the sauce.

    Traditionally this pasta is made by hand , with a simple dough made with durum wheat semolina flour, water and salt which is worked on large wooden cutting boards and modeled with your hands and with a smooth blade knife.

    It was not as easy to make them as it was to eat them. Mine personally got better the more wine I drank. So by the second bottle, they were pretty damn close to perfect. The teachers were a delightful sister team, as cute as the orecchiette they made.
    We met some mates from Australia Ruby and Daniel. We shared a table as well as fun travel stories and memories. Nice people. But I didn’t get their picture. Blame it on the vino.
    Ciao for now!    Read more

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    Matera MADNESS

    September 1, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    The one church photo. The church front is shaped like a Tierra. And uniquely sends people to purgatory if u have been less than stellar. It basically sez above the door entrance

  • Viva Europa!
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    Matera went from ghetto to glory

    September 1, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    We arrived in Matera on Sunday afternoon. Our hotel was located in the heart of the historic Sassi. The hotel rises from the 1756 Palazzo dei Abati, an ancient dwelling of the Chapter of the contiguous rock church of San Pietro Barisano, the largest in the city.

    Stunning views, overwhelming history. We’ve experienced continued warm hospitality from the local people as we travel.

    About Matera-The Sassi originate from a prehistoric troglodyte settlement and are suspected to be among the first human settlements in Italy. There is evidence that people were living here as early as the year 7000 BC.[2]

    Until the late 1980s this was considered an area of poverty, since many of these houses were, and in some cases still are, uninhabitable. currently it has become more tourism-oriented, and it has promoted the regeneration of the Sassi with the aid of the European Union, the government, and UNESCO. Today there are many thriving businesses, pubs, and hotels in the Sassi.    Read more

  • Viva Europa!

    Trulli a Cool Town

    September 2, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    We day tripped to Alberabello on our way to Poligano a Mare on East Coast which is about 1/2 hour south of Bari. Alberabello is home to the Trulli. On the way there it's cross country thru farm fields and dairy farms. The dirt is very red and dry. No corn. Mostly olive farms, grapes or grazing. It reminds you of Tuscany but the homes and out buildings are pretty rough looking. Like every destination we get lost or don't quite figure it out. This was no different. The fact that we found our hotel in Matera was a minor miracle. No signs, no anything. Start walking, try to interpret the map. Are u where u think u are?

    We spent 1/2 hour walking the wrong direction in Alberabello. The Trulli heritage site is a mecca of tourist shops and quaint settings and top restaurants. You also see them around the countryside as well.

    Oops. We got our arm twisted for wine. Shocker! It might beat us home, so we will be monitoring deliveries. ;)    Read more

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    Polignano a Mare

    September 2, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    Buonjourno!
    We had a brief overnight stay in beautiful Polignano a Mare last evening. Polignano a Mare is on the breathtaking coast of the Valle d'Itria, and is perched atop a 20-meter-high limestone cliff.
    Cliffhanger views, adorable alleyways.
    Spectacular people watching.    Read more

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    Headed North!

    Sep 3–6, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Yesterday, September 3 we flew from Bari to Venice. Most insane rental car process at VCE - long, hot line. But we grabbed our car and headed north to Steve’s favorite spot, Cortina d’Ambezzo in the Dolomites. We swapped our sundresses and shorts for cozy sweatshirts and pants. Feels so nice to sleep with windows open (sans screens).

    Today we rode the Cinque Torri chairlift to the Rifugio Scoiattoli where we took in the stunning views of the Cinque Torri mountains. During WW1 the Italian army occupied the area around the Cinque Torri. Because of the unique view on the surrounding mountains, all the military actions in the area could be kept under control. There was an open air type museum along the paths, complete with trenches and bunkers that you could easily walk through.

    Cortina will be a bustling city when the Winter Olympics come to town in February of 2026. The last time the Olympics were here was 1956.

    We’re now enjoying an apertivo before we walk the town again and have dinner. Buonasera🇮🇹❤️    Read more

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    Dolo-mighty 2, Europa Tour 0

    Sep 5–8, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 75 °F

    Welp! It's been an adventure. That's what we wanted and the dolomites delivered. We came
    excited and left wanting more. You need at least two weeks just in the dolomites. Pictures just don't give u the emotional feeling you get from the mountain playground. You have to be here. My early morning ride up a five percent or more grade is an example. I must have seen 20 non descript trails to getting lost in the beauty and quiet of the woods and massive boulders. Add the rock climbing, the Refugio mountain chalet hiking, where u hike 5-15 miles a day and sleep w dormitory style to individual rooms and simple never ends...all the things u can do.

    We did mountain biking for 3.5 hours and 17.1 miles to the highest, mountain highland area in the world, and thee best ski area. We found new activities, like horseback riding, and found there are many different languages spoken. Benedict, our e-bike guide, can speak fluent Italian, English, German and his local community language, but not a word of the next towns language. Lol

    Everyone we met have fantastic plans, itineraries and stories. We have a couple too. First, food poisoning took me down, but not out. Watching Tricia eat dinner while I crunched on a stale hard pretzel was tough. Two, towards the end of our bike, Tricia tried to lower her seat on her bike. U can do that w a left hand.press of a thumb button, instead she squeezed the left front brake at the same time. The bike stopped and she didn't. I saw it all. She has scraps and bruises, but the bike landed on her ribs. Now I'm tying her shoes and blow drying her hair. Lol. She is fine, but sore. ;)

    We stopped for coffee at a chalet and a homemade Gatorade sports drink spritz halfway thru the ride. The place was German as can be and super cozy. German accordion music. German server outfits and a just a warm hearth temperature feel. ;)    Read more

  • Viva Europa!

    bella Venezia e arrivederci Italia ----

    September 6, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    We arrived in Venice via water taxi on Friday 9/6. We said a sad goodbye to northern Italy and jumped back into temps in the 80’s.

    Venice is…. unique! Environmentally, architecturally, and historically. In its days as a republic, the city was styled la serenissima (“the most serene” or “sublime”). It remains a major Italian port in the northern Adriatic Sea and is one of the world’s oldest tourist and cultural centers.

    This was my first time in Venice and I thought it was a very special place. It almost feels dreamy. It was totally walkable and you can get around a lot easier than I imagined (that said, Steve was the master Google mapper and got us from place to place without a problem). It was definitely busy but You can escape the most crowded areas and find vacant alleyways and small squares. Thankfully not too hot!

    We had a phenomenal dinner on Friday night and took a Venetian food tour on Saturday. Saturday night’s highlight was attending a strings orchestra with Interpreti Veneziani, who performed Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Spectacular.
    This morning-September 8, we started our day with a 3:45 am water taxi -a very sharp, speedy, wooden boat- to the Venice airport to catch a 6 am flight to Paris. Mamma Mia.
    We picked up a car at CDG and are on our way to enjoy a few days in Normandy 🇫🇷. More to come!    Read more

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    The Abbey at Mont St-Michel

    September 9, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Bonjour! We arrived in France on Sunday the 8th and drove to the little village of Pontorson France. We only had one night stay but enjoyed our time with Tatiana at her countryside bnb. We indulged in local cider, galletes and crepes - delicieux!

    The morning of 9/9 we visited Mt. St Michel in the rain and 40mph winds. Glad we did too! The Abbey and its bay count among France’s most stunning sites. We’ve seen plenty of photographs of it but to be there is next level cool.

    The story of how the mount came to be a great Christian pilgrimage site dates back to the early 8th century, when the bishop of the nearby hilltop town, claimed that the Archangel Michael himself had pressured him into having a church built atop the island just out to sea.
    From 966 onwards, the dukes of Normandy, followed by the French kings, supported the development of a major Benedictine abbey on Mont-Saint-Michel. Magnificent monastic buildings were added throughout the Middle Ages.

    Just like many other sites on our trip so far, the pictures are nice but don’t come close to what we actually see and feel when we’re here. So grateful to say we’ve walked through this piece of history!

    We are in the charming town of Bayeux until Thursday The food so far is fantastic!    Read more

  • Viva Europa!

    Day-Day Tour

    September 10, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    Hello day! The 'd' in D-Day stands for day.

    It was another cold, overcast, very windy, sometimes sleety day. The weather however was no deterrent to our almost 10 hours day taking in, stopping by or visiting 17 tour locations via motorcoach bus with seven other couples. The tour did not disappoint. We visited the emotional military cemetery, Omaha Beach and Utah Beach. Plus a small church where both German and allied wounded troops were treated and an interesting paratrooper museum and more. We were given detailed accounts of battles, heroism and loss of life tragedy. If we did the stops on our own we would have maybe got to half of what we saw. We had lunch at a throwback park run by the tour company. They suck every dollar possible from you. The trip ended in a 12th century make shift hospital church still had blood handprints on the pews and cracked floor where a shell had burst through the roof and hit but did not detonate. WWII tourism is big but done tastefully, not cheapened by commercialism.

    It's amazing to think what the world would like had the allies not defeated the axis of evil. Imagine what it was like to be the third wave of troops to see your brothers all down before u as you land and the door opens. What they did was incredibly courageous. It was great to see the respect and honor given to all.    Read more

  • Viva Europa!
    America military cemetery Normandy
    Greater love has no one than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13Lovely Bayeux FranceCathedral of Notre Dame Bayeux FranceSeaside Honfleur11Perfect cappuccino morning Bayeux

    Au revoir Bayeux

    September 12, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    We just sat down on our Eurostar train, originating from Paris du Noord, ending at Amsterdam Centraal. Should arrive shortly before 6 this evening.
    Just a quick recap and reflection of our time in Bayeux and the Normandy region.

    Mt St Michel was Monday, followed by the all day Normandy beaches/DDay tour on Tuesday. Wednesday morning we toured the Bayeux tapestry. This 70 meter-long embroidered tapestry tells of the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy in 1066. No pictures allowed unfortunately so go look it up. Very cool.

    Bayeux is also home to their own breathtaking cathedral of Notre Dame. Goosebumps walking through there.

    Wednesday afternoon brought us to the seaside town of Honfleur for a half day trip from Bayeux. We visited the Eugene Boudin museum there, shopped a bit, enjoyed some fresh fish and really appreciated the sunshine which had been absent since leaving Italy.

    We now enter the last four overnights of our trip. Two nights in Haarlem and two nights in Amsterdam 🇳🇱    Read more

  • Viva Europa!
    Haarlem bnb
    Haarlem bnb bedroomAmsterdam bnb canal viewsVanGogh

    Haarlem-Amsterdam-Home

    September 13, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    We stayed two nights in a lovely air bnb in Haarlem the nights of Sept 12 and 13. We rode bikes to the seashore, sat in amazement as we witnessed the incredible bike culture in the Netherlands.
    Most impressive was the older population- 60-75 yo- riding their bikes literally everywhere. In the US we ride our bikes primarily for exercise. In Holland their bike IS their life- and nothing is too far away to get to. The mothers with two kids in the front “bucket seat” and a baby in the front facing carrier- no helmet just a mom on the go! So different from home but it’s keeping the people young -in body and mind - and keeps their judgment razor sharp on the bike paths.

    Amsterdam was lovely too. We stayed two nights in another bnb. We visited the Ann Frank museum as well as The VanGogh Museum. Spectacular. Red light district was pretty tame! Steve rented a bike so he could get out with the locals on the bike superhighway around Amsterdam.

    Our trip is difficult to sum up in a few words. Being home now provides us time to reflect and let those memories marinate and sink in. We are grateful for the time together, the history and culture of other places. Our world remains small. It’s up to us to explore it.
    A quote that I came across frequently and sometimes freakishly throughout our stay in Amsterdam was this: “ The trouble is, you think you have time.” Sigh…
    Until next time! 🇮🇹🇫🇷🇳🇱❤️🍷    Read more

    Trip end
    September 16, 2024
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