Reset search
Fall Getaway Europe 2023Fall Getaway Europe 2023
SatelliteEdit route
A 18-day adventure by Jill & Klaus Read more
  • 6footprints
  • 4countries
  • 18days
  • 91photos
  • 4videos
  • 5.5kmiles
  • 5.5kmiles
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Fall Getaway Europe 2023
    Day 2

    A Magical Couple of Days in Bruges

    October 2, 2023 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    We landed in Frankfurt at 8:30am, picked up our rental car and made our way to Bruges Belgium. Thank goodness Klaus is an energizer bunny because I was exhausted and slept most of the 5 hour drive. We arrived at our beautiful hotel called the Dukes Palace (a local told us former US presidents have stayed there) changed our clothes and headed out to explore. Of course first on my bucket list was the canal boat ride, it did not disappoint!! We grabbed a glass of bubbly and enjoyed the sunshine and scenery before walking to dinner. Unfortunately and fortunately the place I originally wanted to eat at was closed and we ended up getting a table at a wonderful restaurant with an amazing staff and incredible local dishes. The exception was the bottle of wine that is from Italy, Klaus is now in the process of finding a way to have it imported. We walked back to the hotel through the winding magical streets.

    Day 2- We had plans of waking early and that did not happen!! We slept until 12:00pm, which I guess is technically only 6am US time but boy did our bodies need it. After a great breakfast and a cute cafe we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring bridges, tasting the local waffles, chocolate, beer and enjoying a bottle of the locally produced Belgium bubbly at a beautiful champagne bar. Next stop was a very trendy cocktail bar located in a different part of town away from the tourist area, we had amazing cocktails and chatted for an hour with the owners, who happened to be the brother in law of the owners of restaurant we were having dinner at called Tom’s Diner. The atmosphere and food were perfect. We walked back to the cocktail bar for a night cap and ended up spending over an hour chatting with two gentleman that were from Boston traveling for a Rugby Tournament. Back to the hotel, we realized we were hungry and had not tried the famous fries yet. We walked to the market square and ordered Fritz from the food truck, yummy! Unfortunately, it was after midnight, and we had to be up at 5:30 in the morning to head to Düsseldorf Germany. I cannot wait to visit Bruges again and all the other magical cities that Belgium has to offer.    Read more

  • Fall Getaway Europe 2023
    Day 7

    La Maddalena Sardinia

    October 7, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    We woke up at 2:30am for our 4:30am flight to Olbia Sardinia. Upon arrival we waited an hour for the car rental company to open. We made our way to the ferry port in Palau. Klaus stayed in the car queue while i jumped out and grabbed our tickets. Klaus engaged the parking brake and we made our way to the bar for an aperol and croissant for the 20 minute boat ride. The scenery was breathtaking and the sunshine felt amazing!!! We arrived on the island, checked into the hotel and spent the afternoon walking the streets and shops. We had a lovely dinner and a wine bar with great food but not our favorite wine. It was a long day and we were exhausted, off to bed for the sailing trip tomorrow.

    Day 2- We woke up changed and had a quick bite to eat before walking to the marina. After waiting a few minutes. we got the call the board the boat. There was a total of eight of us for the day, a family of four from Germany and two childhood best friends from France. We had such a magical day going to different islands only accessible by boat, getting to know the fellow passengers, drinking prosecco, and eating homemade prepared food. The water was the clearest blue water we have ever seen, a little chilly for me but Klaus loved the swimming and snorkeling. We stopped at a cute restaurant on the walk home for an aperol and cheese board with nothing but different flavored pecorino cheese, yummy!!! A quick change of clothes and off to dinner and a highly rated pizza restaurant. The pizza was great but once again the wine just so so. Of course we had to have a little bite of gelato before going to bed.

    Day 3- So we had a real debate today, stay and explore the island more or check out and head to Corsica. After weighing the options and timing we decide to drive to the only other island/part of the national park of La Maddalena, accessible by car called Caprera. The drive itself was an adventure that started with going over a bridge with breathtaking views and bumpy rural roads that had jaw dropping scenery every turn of a corner. We were not prepared to hike to some of the many remote beaches so we chose to go to the main accessible beach with rental chairs and a restaurant for the day. It was a perfect day of crystal clear water, beautiful sunshine, and a wonderful lunch. After driving back and getting cleaned up, we had dinner at a seafood restaurant. Klaus got the catch of the day which he picked out of the case and chose his cooking of choice. So not my thing, he warned me against my choice of a steak in Italy, fortunately it wasn’t so bad after I sent it back to be further cooked 😂. We ended our evening with some more gelato and goodnight kiss. 💋    Read more

  • Fall Getaway Europe 2023
    Day 11

    Castelsardo Sardinia

    October 11, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    We woke up and checked out of the hotel in La Maddalena, boarded the ferry and made our way back to the Port of Palau. Our only plan was to drive to Castelsardo, but as per usual, our driving adventures are never just a straight shot. We drove past a cute restaurant along the way and decided to turn around for what ended up being an amazing wine, incredible focaccia, and a delicious tuna tartare. We finally made our way to our hotel called Bajaloglia Resort. We got checked in and headed to the pool for a few hours before changing and having a beautiful dinner at the hotels Michelin star restaurant. The next morning we had breakfast checked out of the hotel, and made our way to the town of Castelasardo. This fortress and castle dates back to 1270AC and is considered one of the top 100 Italian villages. We toured the castle,museums and charming streets before grabbing an amazing lunch with wine over looking the water. We over stayed our parking pass and got a ticket because while sitting there I decided to look in the vineyards that we might explore on our way to the next town. Two beautiful vineyards later, amazing wine, food, conversation and most of all memories we arrived at our destination, Villa Mosca Charming House. This very charming house does not have an elevator and we were located on the 3rd floor!!! I grabbed a jacket and we went for a walk that included an amazing sunset with aperols. The perfect ending to a perfect day!!!!Read more

  • Fall Getaway Europe 2023
    1
    Day 13

    A few days in Alghero Sardinia

    October 13, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Our few days in Alghero were low key and lovely. Day 1- We woke up, had our cappuccinos over looking the water, and walked around the town for a couple of hours . We got back to the hotel and enjoyed the beautiful pool for the day. We got cleaned up for dinner and drove about 20 minutes away to an amazing Michelin restaurant located on a farm, the family makes all the sausages, cheese, vegetables, and raise the animals that they serve. It was incredible food, atmosphere and experience!! Day 2 - we drove to a beautiful beach around 25 min away from the hotel. We spent the day enjoying the water, sunshine and a great homemade pasta lunch at the beach restaurant. After getting cleaned up back at the hotel we walked the charming streets to dinner. It was a fabulous dinner with amazing flavors and presentation of food. We spent the rest of the evening walking around, listening to some live music and having a gelato. Day 3- After a cappuccino and a small breakfast we got cleaned up and packed for our drive to Olbia. A couple hours later we arrived and explored the town. Unfortunately, during our lunch we got notification that the dolphin sunset kayaking tour we were supposed to do was canceled because of the wind. We drove to the hotel and read by the pool before getting changed for dinner. The restaurant at the hotel had just been awarded a Michelin star and we were blown away by the food and presentation. We were so sad to leave the beautiful sunshine and weather of Sardinia. The island is amazing and we will definitely be back to explore the southern region next time.Read more

  • Fall Getaway Europe 2023
    Day 15

    3 Days in Düsseldorf

    October 15, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    We flew in from Olbia, grabbed our car and checked into the beautiful Living Hotel De Medici. A quick drop of the bags and we made our way to lunch, we went to a wine bar/deli called Ghorban that has a location in Aachen also that I love and this was equally great!! Next we walked to a very cool wine bar down the street, it was a cool atmosphere with stone walls and ceilings and as the evening progressed it had a lively crowd. Hours later and we were hungry, so of course what’s better than a döner kebab 🤣. We walked home while freezing our butts off and eating our sandwiches. A fun end to a great day!! Day 2- Klaus had an early morning dentist appointment, he brought back cappuccinos and delicious french pastries for breakfast in bed. He had to get changed for business meetings and I got cleaned up and spent the day exploring. We checked out a couple other wine bars and went to a tapas place for dinner. Day 3- Breakfast in bed again! Klaus left for meetings and I spent the day walking around and doing a little shopping. Klaus got back and met me for a glass of wine and dinner at an Italian restaurant. Early night to bed, we fly home tomorrow.Read more

  • Fall Getaway Europe 2023
    Day 18

    Heading Home

    October 18, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    Woke up early, finished packing and headed to the airport. There was a beautiful sunrise that we were lucky enough to see from the rental car parking lot. We only got lucky enough to see this because I had Klaus drop the car off at Hertz, only to discover we rented from Avis and had to load everything back in the car and drive to a different level. We Navigated the VAT tax process, security, and had breakfast with a cappuccino and
    prosecco before heading home!    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English