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A 21-day adventure by Chris and Tonya Read more
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  • Chris and Tonya OverbayOverbays All Over Europe
    Day 1

    Milan Italy - Day 1

    July 5, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Left Stuttgart and flew an hour to Milan, Italy.

    Took an hour bus ride to the Milano Centrale: Italy’s second-largest station located in piazza Duca d'Aosta, in the centre of the city. It is used by over 320 thousand people per day, around 120 million per year.

    Walked about 45 minutes to Hotel America (our hostel for 2 days). It was 99 degrees and no AC. Shew! Haha. We survived.

    Dinner: Il Pomodorino: Pizza & Ravioli

    Temp: High 99° | Low 78°
    Pedometer: 6.13    Read more

  • Chris and Tonya OverbayOverbays All Over Europe
    Day 2

    Day 2 | Milan, Italy

    July 6, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Tour: Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Milano) is the cathedral church of Milan, Italy. This Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. It is the 5th-largest church in the world and the largest in Italy, with 135 spires and nearly 3,000 statues.

    Tour: The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the world's oldest shopping malls. Housed within a four-story double arcade in central Milan, this 18th century Galleria is home to many beautiful shops, restaurants and cafes. Look up to see the magnificent central dome. Look down to see the emblems on the mosaic floor representing the cities of Milan, Rome, Florence and Turin. If you want to return to Milan you are supposed to place your heel on the emblem of Turin -the bull- and rotate clockwise! We both did it!

    Tour: Sforza Castle is a castle in Milan, built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remains of a 14th-century fortification. In front of the castle, the spectacular fountain is a reconstruction (1999) of a fountain built in 1930. The people of Milan call this fountain "tort de' spus", or wedding cake, from the shape created by the jets of water. Great place to stop, rest, and of course, stick your feet in the water. :-)

    Chris napped in the park behind the castle.

    Lunch: Spontini Pizzeria
    Dinner: Majestic Cafe (Matre'D and waitress were great)

    Temp: High 98 / Low 79
    Pedometer: 8.42 miles    Read more

  • Chris and Tonya OverbayOverbays All Over Europe
    Day 3

    Day 3 | Milan to Venice, Italy

    July 7, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Bus to train station in Milan
    12:25 PM Train to Venice, Italy (2 hours)
    Arrived 3pm in Venice
    Walked from train station to our hotel, Hotel Lisbona. We had an awesome view from our hotel balcony of the canal. Gondoliers were rowing and singing early in the morning until late in the evenings.

    We took a nap then walked around the corridors of Venice for the evening.

    Lunch: Burger King (Train Station)
    Dinner: Trattoria Pizzeria Ai Fabbri, San Marco 4717 Venezia
    Snack: Watermelon; Coconut Gelato

    Temp: High 90 / Low 78
    Pedometer: 6 miles    Read more

  • Chris and Tonya OverbayOverbays All Over Europe
    Day 4

    Day 4 | Venice, Italy

    July 8, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Visit: Museo Della Musica (Music Museum) - an exhibition dedicated to one of the artistic demonstrations that highlighted the Italian culture: the liuteria (the making of musical instruments). Venice, the city where the demonstrations take place, has been the “storage” of important instrument constructors, particularly for violins. The museum houses instruments as old as 435 years.

    Visit: Ca’Macana - one of the oldest and finest mask making workshops in Venice. They craft authentic handmade masks in the same way Venetian artisans would do 800 years ago. Their masks were featured in important film productions like Eyes Wide Shut by Stanley Kubrick and theaters like the Vienna Opera Haus. <3 [www.camacana.com]

    Visit: Scuola Grande di San Rocco - ("Confraternity of St. Roch", protector against plague, which had struck Venice in that century) was established in 1478 by a group of wealthy Venetian citizens, next to the church of San Rocco, from which it takes its name. In 1564, the painter Tintoretto was commissioned to provide paintings for the Scuola and they were executed between 1564 and 1587. His works are from the Old and New Testament; together, they show the biblical story from Fall to Redemption. The the Scuola Grande di San Rocco is often called the "Sistine Chapel" of Venice. We also got to visit the Tesoro of Scuola Grande di San Rocco (reopened after 100 years) where it houses the actual mummified finger of Saint Roch! Awesome and amazing art! www.scuolagrandesanrocco.it

    After a long day of walking, we decided to head back to our favorite spot in Venice and have a pizza picnic (courtesy of Piazzaria Sansovino) in the Piazza San Marco.

    Lunch: Impronta Cafe
    Dinner: Piazzaria Sansovino
    Snacks: Fruit, Gelato, Cannoli

    Temp: High 94 / Low 75
    Pedometer: 8.67 miles    Read more

  • Chris and Tonya OverbayOverbays All Over Europe
    Day 5

    Day 5 | Venice, Italy

    July 9, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Visit: Leonardo da Vinci Exhibit - interactive machines reproduced from Leonardo's codices. It is amazing to see all the mechanics and engineering that we use today...most of which started from one genius.

    Visit: Well, we did the number one must-do experience in Venice on our last evening....yes, we took a Gondola ride through the canals of this beautiful city. Our gondolier has been rowing for about 36 years and makes roughly $150,000 per year. Not too shabby, huh?! He was pretty darn good it his job, too, going around tight corners like nothing. Super impressive. :D

    After our gondola ride, we grabbed some dinner, bought some cute hats for our European adventures, had some fresh fruit cocktails and headed back to our favorite spot in the Piazza one last time. Off to bed, up early and on to our next stop...

    Lunch: Pizza Cafe (duh!)
    Dinner: ZenaVia Cafe
    Snacks: Pineapple Gelato, Magnum Ice Cream, Fruit Cocktails

    Temp: High 88 / Low 70
    Pedometer: 6 miles    Read more

  • Chris and Tonya OverbayOverbays All Over Europe
    Day 6

    Day 6 | Venice to Florence, Italy

    July 10, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Early morning train ride from Venice to Florence, Italy.
    We sat with some Japanese people, who were traveling Europe, and they shared some champagne/wine and a toast with us.:)
    We arrived at 11:15 AM and walked to our hotel, Hotel Lombardi.

    Checked in the hotel early then Chris took a nap, cause Chris takes naps. ;)

    Visit: Piazzale Michelangelo - a famous square with a magnificent panoramic view of Florence, Italy, and a popular tourist destination in the Oltrarno district of the city.

    Visit: Ponte Vecchio - a Medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common.

    Just walked around town for the evening. Went to Trip Advisor's 'best cannoli in Florence' suggestion...it was delicious. Small, but neat city.

    Lunch: McDonald's (:-P)
    Dinner: I'Pizzacchiere
    Snacks: Carebe' Gelotaria

    Temp: High 90 / Low 63
    Pedometer: 8 miles    Read more

  • Chris and Tonya OverbayOverbays All Over Europe
    Day 7

    Day 7 | Florence, Italy

    July 11, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Visit: Medici Chapel - two structures at the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, and built as extensions to Brunelleschi's 15th-century church, with the purpose of celebrating the Medici family, patrons of the church and Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The "New Sacristy" was designed by Michelangelo.

    Visit: Uffizi Gallery - an art museum located in Florence, and is one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world.

    Visit: Florence's Cathedral, the Duomo - a vast Gothic structure built on the site of the 7th century church of Santa Reparata. Florence's cathedral is the 4th largest in the world, after St. Peter's in Rome, St. Paul's in London and the Duomo in Milan.

    Visit: Baptistery of St. John - The exterior of the Baptistery is currently undergoing restoration which should be completed by early September 2015. We could pretty much only see The Gates of Paradise. These were the front door/entrance and they received their name by Michelangelo who is believed to have exclaimed: "they are so beautiful that they would be perfect for the gates of paradise". The doors consist of 10 rectangular panels, displayed in two lines. They depict scenes of the Old Testament from left to right and from top to bottom.

    Visit: Accademia Gallery - or "Gallery of the Academy of Florence", is the second most popular art museum in Florence and is home of Michelangelo's sculpture 'David'. What a magnificent piece of work.

    Lunch: Bondi (There Is A Difference)
    Dinner: Subway
    Snacks: Marco Ottaviani Gourmet Gelato; Cannoli

    Temp: High 92 / Low 77
    Pedometer: 5.3 miles    Read more

  • Chris and Tonya OverbayOverbays All Over Europe
    Day 8

    Day 8 | Florence to Pisa, Italy

    July 12, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    On the train again....Haha.
    11:00 a.m. train to Pisa, Italy. Only a 50 minute ride.

    Walked from train station to our hotel, Relais Centro Storico. After Chris took a nap (hahaha), we decided to head toward the main attraction, which lead us to our first and only visit:

    Visit: Piazza dei Miracoli or Square of Miracles - this is where the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the cathedral, baptistery and graveyard (Camposanto) form the city's main attraction. Fun times watching people pose in front of the tower. And of course we had our fair share of photo taking too. :D We also climbed the helicoidal marble stairway composed of 293 steps all the way to the top of the tower. Beautiful views.

    Fun day! :D

    Lunch: Trattoria da Cucciolo
    Dinner: Pisa Pizza Picnic :)
    Snacks: Gelato

    Temp: High 88 / Low 68
    Pedometer: 7.02    Read more

  • Chris and Tonya OverbayOverbays All Over Europe
    Day 9

    Day 9 | Cinque Terre, Italy

    July 13, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    11:42 a.m. train ride for an hour and twenty minutes to Cinque Terre.

    The Cinque Terre is a string of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. There are five villages here that date from the early medieval period. Monterosso, the oldest, was founded in 643 AD, when beleaguered hill dwellers moved down to the coast to escape from invading barbarians. Riomaggiore came next, purportedly established in the 8th century by Greek settlers fleeing persecution in Byzantium. The others are Vernazza, Corniglia and Manarola. Much of what remains in the villages today dates from the late High Middle Ages, including several castles and a quintet of illustrious parish churches.

    In each of the 5 towns, colorful houses and ancient vineyards cling to steep terraces, fishing boats bob in harbors and trattorias turn out seafood specialties along with the Liguria region’s most famous dish, pesto.

    There’s not a museum in sight, just sun, sea, sand (well, pebbles), wine, swimming, hiking, and pure, unadulterated Italy. It was magnifico!

    Lunch: Bogni Eden
    Dinner: Il Porticciolo
    Snacks: Nectarines, Gelato

    Temp: High 84 / Low 73
    Pedometer: 7 miles    Read more

  • Chris and Tonya OverbayOverbays All Over Europe
    Day 10

    Day 10 | Pisa to Barcelona, Spain

    July 14, 2015 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    On to another country. We spent lots of time in Italy and absolutely loved it. We are boarding the plane from Pisa (12:30 pm) and heading out to Barcelona, Spain. New country, new adventure.

    Settled into the hotel (Confortel) and went out for a stroll to the beach and around the town. Super crowded! Fun to people watch.

    Came back and washed clothes in the bathtub and went to bed.

    Late Lunch/Dinner: Bar Centro
    Snacks: None

    Temp: High 90 / Low 75
    Pedometer: 7.72 miles    Read more

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