Europe Adventure

Our first trip off of the North American continent! It's Rick Steve's 21 day, Best of Europe tour. We'll be arriving in Haarlem a day early, and will stay for 2 extra days at the end, in Paris! Read more

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Day 12
Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 3:24 PM
⛅ 27 °C
Altitude: 187 ft
Italy Giardino degli Orti Oricellari 43.77333, 11.2483343°46’24” N 11°14’54” E
Florence's Renaissance tour
June 12, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Checked into our room and headed out to see some sights
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Day 12
Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 5:28 PM
🌧 26 °C
Altitude: 200 ft
Italy Museo Casa di Dante 43.77167, 11.2566743°46’18” N 11°15’24” E
The Statue of David
June 12, 2018 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 26 °C
We got to see Michelangelo's David. Wow! At dinner we all celebrated Kim's birthday and Al and Sissy's anniversary (both on the 13th, but we weren't going to eat together then.)
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Day 13
Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 1:42 PM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 164 ft
Italy Piazza del Duomo 43.77667, 11.2533343°46’36” N 11°15’12” E
Florence - day 2
June 13, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
We had a free morning and early afternoon. We enjoyed rising slowly, eating a leisurely breakfast, then wandering the streets of the Mercato Centrale. They sell mostly leather and scarfs. I found a cute purse, (€20) and a rainbow colored scarf (€5). We went inside, upstairs to the pizza place Andy Steve's recommended and wow was it good! A gentleman from Hong Kong started a conversation with us that was fun.Read more
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Day 13
Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 3:50 PM
⛅ 21 °C
Altitude: 197 ft
Italy Museo Galileo 43.76833, 11.2566743°46’6” N 11°15’24” E
Florence, Uffizi
June 13, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We met up with our guides at 3 and went to the Uffizi. The tour was was way too long for my tastes, bit there were some amazing works.
Later we had dinner on our own at the Mercato again. This time Gnocchi, which I loved. John wasn't as thrilled. We had popsicles after. I think they were basically a firmer gellato.Read more
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Day 14
Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 2:12 PM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 909 ft
Italy San Cristoforo 43.33484, 11.7628143°20’5” N 11°45’46” E
Roma - We have arrived!
June 14, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
One if our many beautiful hotels
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Day 14
Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 3:58 PM
🌧 19 °C
Altitude: 131 ft
Vatican City Pigna Courtyard 41.905, 12.4533341°54’18” N 12°27’12” E
Christian Rome, part 1
June 14, 2018 in Vatican City ⋅ 🌧 19 °C
The Sistine chapel was smaller than John had imagined. I had no expectations. I enjoyed the contrast between Michaelangelo's work on the cieling which took 4 years, and his work on the walls a few years later. You can see how he had matured as an artist.
You can see our awesome local guide Paulo in one of the pictures. Of course we couldn't take pictures inside the church.Read more
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Day 14
Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 4:33 PM
🌧 20 °C
Altitude: 128 ft
Vatican City Pigna Courtyard 41.90667, 12.45541°54’24” N 12°27’18” E
Christian Rome, part 2 - The Vatican
June 14, 2018 in Vatican City ⋅ 🌧 20 °C
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Day 14
Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 5:57 PM
🌧 21 °C
Altitude: 118 ft
Vatican City Saint Peter's Square 41.90167, 12.45541°54’6” N 12°27’18” E
Christian Rome, part 3, The Vatican
June 14, 2018 in Vatican City ⋅ 🌧 21 °C
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Day 14
Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 9:00 PM
⛅ 20 °C
Altitude: 203 ft
Italy Obelisco di Dogali 41.90241, 12.4969441°54’9” N 12°29’49” E
The end of day 1 in Rome
June 14, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Dinner was great. We walked by the Pantheon and I stopped to watch a fabulous musician playing Hallelujah. The Trevi Fountain was absolutely gorgeous.
We finished the evening with a group gelato and walk back to the hotel.Read more
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Day 15
Friday, June 15, 2018 at 9:03 AM
☀️ 20 °C
Altitude: 89 ft
Italy Colosseum 41.89, 12.4933341°53’24” N 12°29’36” E
Ancient Rome (day 2) The Coloseum
June 15, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Such an impressive sight. It was interesting to try and imagine all the marble and colorful decorations on this massive structure that's nearly 2,000 years old.
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Day 15
Friday, June 15, 2018 at 10:47 AM
☀️ 23 °C
Altitude: 89 ft
Italy Arch of Constantine 41.89, 12.4941°53’24” N 12°29’24” E
Rome, day 2 continued
June 15, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
We saw the Pantheon, which, since it was a church, was better preserved than most of the other ancient buildings. Most of the other buildings we're basically ransacked for materials to build other things during the 'dark ages'... Including the Vatican!
We were celebrating Cellerina's birthday with fresh fruit, whipped cream and no bowls. Lol
After saying goodbye to our wonderful guides, we found a restaurant in a large Piazza and had a great lunch. Mine was cannelloni with a cheese and spinach filling. John had Hawaiian pizza. John's wasn't so good. Mine was great.
We got quite lost, tried taking a bus and vended up at the Vatican (opposite way we intended to go.) We found our way to the metro with the aid of a map and found our way back to the hotel. We settled for Chinese food for dinner because the restaurant was close to the hotel and easy. Food was good. Service not so much.Read more
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Day 16
Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 11:22 AM
☀️ 24 °C
Altitude: 364 ft
Italy Orvieto 42.725, 12.1316742°43’30” N 12°7’54” E
Anniversary day, heading to Cinque Terre
June 16, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Met up with the bus after breakfast. We stopped in the hillside town Arezzo. The bus driver, Derrek suggested it. First time there for both Andy and Colleen. I was grumpy because we found ourselves with a twisty uphill climb, and frankly the mdds makes me feel like crap sometimes. Lunch was okay, even though I didn't get what I ordered and service wasn't so good. Things were looking up afterwards when we found a cute plaque to celebrate our anniversary, and the best gelato of the trip. I forgot to use a restroom, but ran into Renee and Darren at a bakery, who told us there was one inside. So we got some yummy pastries then headed back to the bus.Read more
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Day 16
Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 7:59 PM
☀️ 23 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Italy Monterosso al Mare 44.145, 9.6533344°8’42” N 9°39’12” E
Cinque Terre anniversary dinner
June 16, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Great evening. Arrived early evening, took the train headed to our super cute hotel. Had a great group dinner where they sang Happy anniversary to us and gave us pieces of chocolate mousse cake. The main dish was a fresh seafood stew, which John tried and really liked. I had chicken. I tried a bite of octopus which really wasn't bad. The pesto noodles were amazing as well as the tomatoes and mozzerella salad, the after dinner biscotti (almond) and the cake.
We enjoyed a gorgeous evening walk back to the hotel.Read more
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Day 17
Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 2:36 PM
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Italy Stazione Monterosso 44.145, 9.6466744°8’42” N 9°38’48” E
Cinque Terre, Vacation from our Vacation
June 17, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Today I stayed in till early afternoon. Did some laundry, refilled pills and rested. John explored Monterosso, where we are staying, finding the cemetery and church he was looking for. In the afternoon we went out and had a yummy lunch at a place by the water. Then spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around Monterosso. We decided not to explore beyond this town and just go slow. It's such a charming place. It was not overly crowded, maybe because it was Sunday. Families were out and about. Kids were playing. Sun bathers were enjoying the beach. Everyone was enjoying to sun. I found a sweet kitty just hanging out in the sidewalk. He didn't seem to be concerned about the strangers walking around him.Read more
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Day 18
Monday, June 18, 2018 at 11:40 AM
⛅ 26 °C
Altitude: 59 ft
Italy Stazione Monterosso 44.14667, 9.6466744°8’48” N 9°38’48” E
Leaving Cinque Terre
June 18, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Some last minute doors of the pretty hotel bathroom. All the bathrooms in Italy had a bidet in them. In about 36 hours my clothes still we're not sure dry, so finally took than down in the morning just before heading out.
Oops! I set the alarm for 7:25 instead of 6:55. So had to do double time to get finished packing, grab some coffee and be in front of the hotel by 8:10. To our credit we did it with a couple minutes to spare!Read more
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Day 18
Monday, June 18, 2018 at 12:48 PM
☀️ 27 °C
Altitude: 768 ft
Italy Maslianico 45.84167, 9.0383345°50’30” N 9°2’18” E
On our way to the Swiss Alps
June 18, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
A long and beautiful ride into the Alps.
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Day 18
Monday, June 18, 2018 at 7:31 PM
⛅ 14 °C
Altitude: 2,989 ft
Switzerland Stechelberg 46.545, 7.9033346°32’42” N 7°54’12” E
Swiss Francs
June 18, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Some Swiss money. Very pretty
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Day 19
Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at 10:51 AM
☀️ 14 °C
Altitude: 2,989 ft
Switzerland Stechelberg 46.545, 7.9033346°32’42” N 7°54’12” E
Stechelburg
June 19, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
This morning we had several options, most of which included going way up into the hills via a gondola moving on cables... No, thank you!! Neither of us were inclined to torture ourselves. We made our way to breakfast at 9:30, then decided to walk on a trail to Lauterbrunnen.Read more
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Day 19
Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at 12:22 PM
☀️ 18 °C
Altitude: 2,720 ft
Switzerland Trümmelbachfälle 46.57, 7.9146°34’12” N 7°54’36” E
Along the trail
June 19, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Loved our walk. Probably about 2.5 hours. Sunny and pleasant with a slight breeze. I didn't take that many pics of the scenery because it's too beautiful to really capture in a photo. We saw some skilled paragliders and some less skilled. One appeared to be hurdling to the ground and flailing, but we didn't see any emergency personnel heading that way so I guess he got down okay.
I thought the vending machine with wine, cheese, fresh jam and sodas was genius.
At Lauterbrünnen we stopped in the Coop grocery store, then took the bus back to the hotel. at 5.20 Francs each.Read more
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Day 19
Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at 6:12 PM
☀️ 17 °C
Altitude: 2,989 ft
Switzerland Stechelberg 46.545, 7.9033346°32’42” N 7°54’12” E
Nice evening in Stechelberg
June 19, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Had some fun in the evening with an Alpenhorn demonstration. We all got to try it, and I did better than I thought I would.
We had dinner all together after. The dining room had lots of flies. One thing we never saw in Europe were screens on windows. It was only a problem at this hotel. They said it was because of all the cows in the area. It was a minor annoyance to me and didn't detract for the incredible beauty of the area.Read more
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Day 20
Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at 2:57 PM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 735 ft
France Beaune 47.03333, 4.83547°1’60” N 4°50’6” E
Beaune, France!
June 20, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We've entered the 7th and final country of our whirlwind tour! We only spent part of a day and one night in Beaune, in the Burgundy region of France.
The Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a former charitable almshouse. It was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor.Read more
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Day 21
Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 12:25 PM
⛅ 19 °C
Altitude: 240 ft
France Eglise Saint-Pierre-de-Montrouge 48.82833, 2.3266748°49’42” N 2°19’36” E
Last day on the bus, headed to Paris!
June 21, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Last bus ride of the trip. Our bus driver was quite skilled and made us feel very comfortable. There was plenty of room to spread out. I got some down time here and there, although our tour guides, Colleen and Andy liked to entertain with history or language lessons, mood music fitting the next place we were headed, and often chocolate or other treats that they shared!
The other pictured treats were goodies we bought at a local store to have a picnic dinner in the room. We did that a few times at the end of a long day. Sometimes we were just too tired to decide on a restaurant and then deal with the language barrier. Plus it was an opportunity to see what the local grocery stores were like. They were a place to see a bit of local culture and get and inexpensive easy meal or treat.Read more
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Day 22
Friday, June 22, 2018 at 1:01 PM
⛅ 19 °C
Altitude: 108 ft
France Champ de Mars 48.85619, 2.2973348°51’22” N 2°17’50” E
Touring Paris
June 22, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Our last full day of the Rick Steve's tour started with a fabulous private bus tour around the city. Then we were introduced to The Louvre where we wandered for a while. We stopped and had lunch there and wandered through the shops. We used our museum pass to spend a bit of time in a couple other museums in the area.Read more
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Day 23
Saturday, June 23, 2018 at 12:30 PM
☀️ 18 °C
Altitude: 121 ft
France Champ de Mars 48.855301, 2.29874348°51’19” N 2°17’55” E
Eiffel Tower and museums
June 23, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Highlight of the day was going up in the Eiffel Tower. The sky's were clear and I could see for miles from the top. An added bonus was that my MdDS stopped as soon as I stepped onto the first platform, and didn't start till I stepped onto the ground when exiting. So while everyone else had vertigo I was solid. What an amazing experience! John and I went through some of the museums in the area.Read more
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Day 24
Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 10:45 AM
☀️ 19 °C
Altitude: 121 ft
France Invalides Railway Station 48.864338, 2.30877748°51’52” N 2°18’32” E
Relaxing last day wandering in Paris
June 24, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
We got the opportunity to visit the American Church. It's the expats church in the area. Beautiful building and nice people. We spent the rat of the day casually wandering through some of the Paris communities. We both felt welcome and comfortable in Paris.Read more
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