Kayla and I took a long-anticipated trip to Europe together last month, and it was glorious. We spent 2 fun-filled weeks gallivanting through Spain and Italy. In an attempt to not make this post obnoxiously long, I will just recount the highlights of the places we visited.
Alcalá
I landed in Madrid at 7 AM and needless to say I was a jet-lagged exhausted mess. Kayla (being the ever-wise traveler she is) said I had to push through the day and wait to sleep until that night in order to beat the jetlag. We took a short train ride to Alcalá where Kayla lived/studied for a year. It was such a quaint little town! A completely different view of Spain than you get with the big cities. My favorite things here were the delicious (and generously distributed) tapas and the abundant amount of adorable old people walking around town. (I have a big soft spot in my heart for old people).
Madrid
After sleeping for many hours I was a fully-functioning non-jetlagged human again, ready to explore Madrid! Kayla lived here as well, so she was quite a pro. Highlights include: copious amounts of tinto de verano (like sangria only lighter/more refreshing), rowing a boat in Parque Retiro, taking a siesta in a gorgeous city building that used to be the post office, and the eating dessert at the most enchanting restaurant I've ever been to- El Jardín Secreto. Also the FOOD. So many delicious tapas (my personal fave: patatas bravas mixtas... YUM). Much better cuisine than our next stop, Barcelona.
Barcelona
This became one of my favorite cities after I first visited in 2009, so I was quite excited to return. It felt familiar, like an old buddy. I loved spending time at Park Guell (even though it seemed wayyy more crowded than last time I went). I also loved sunbathing on the (topless) beach. (No, Kayla and I did not participate in that aspect of Spanish culture). ;)
Rome
Kayla and I had both already been to Rome before, so we just spent one day/night here. It felt SO good to be back in my motherland (a few people even thought I was a local and asked me for directions in Italian...I've never been so proud of my Italian nose...ha). Even though we were there less than 24 hours, we went ALL OVER that city. It's so cool to see so many beautiful/historical things everywhere you look. My favorites include the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the beginning of me eating 1-2 gelatos daily, and an incredible men's clothing store called TERRACINA (which Mary had discovered the week before).
Sorrento/Sant'Agnello
We took a crowded, rainy 3-hour train ride from Rome and were very excited to reach our next destination. Sorrento was a picturesque mid-sized coastal city. We stayed a 15 minute walk outside the city in quaint San'Agnello. We stayed at the lovely Hotel Angelina, which was by far our favorite hotel of the trip. We loved it so much, we spent 4 nights there. My favorite thing here was the relaxing small-Italian-town-ness and the incredibly delicious food! We discovered an amazing restaurant right by our hotel called Taverna Rossa and loved it so much we became friends with the owner and went back 3 nights in a row. Best gnocchi I've ever had! (My mouth is watering now just thinking about it...)
Capri
Another great thing about Sorrento was that it was a prime location for a plethora of great day trips. Our first day trip was to the beautiful and glamourous island of Capri. It was pretty much how you imagine it is... picture perfect with gorgeous stone beaches and fancy shops. The turquoise water was exceptionally pretty (and served as a much-needed a cool-off in the intense Mediterranean sun.)
Pompeii
I remember learning about Pompeii getting buried by Mt. Vesuvius, but no history lesson prepared me for how expansive/impressive the ruins of Pompeii are! It was amazing! We took a guided tour (best 12 euros we spent on the whole trip) and we learned a ton about the extremely civilized/advanced city. I highly recommend this tour to everyone. Two thumbs way up.
Amalfi
It was a bit terrifying to take a big bus on the very narrow, winding, cliff-side roads to Amalfi, but the pay-off was well worth it. Everywhere we looked was just like a postcard. So, so pretty. (Plus we found a great shop with beautiful scarves, which led to our first foray into headscarves...) :)
Terracina
Our last day trip from Sorrento was short but very sweet. We ventured to a town I have been wanting to visit since I first saw it on an Italian map 9 years ago...Terracina! It was even better than I imagined it would be- gorgeous soft sandy beaches, not too touristy, incredibly delicious gelato (my best of the trip!), and super nice/helpful people. Also, my last name was plastered everywhere. I MUST come back here and spend several days. This is definitely happening.
Sicily
Our final (and my personal favorite) destination was Sicily (where my dad's family is from)! We took an overnight ferry from Naples to Palermo (which exceeded our expectations in every way- it was truly like a mini cruise ship with restaurants, entertainment, a casino, and our own cabin... we fell asleep and woke up in Sicily! Perfect way to travel).
The food here was just like my Grandma's (which I loooove) and the gorgeous beaches were a-plenty. The ultimate highlight, though, was meeting some of my Italian relatives for the first time ever. My heart gets so happy just thinking about it. :) Both of my dad's parents are from a small town outside Cefalú called Sant'Ambrogio. As Kayla and I waited for Pietro (my cousin-in-law I had been corresponding with who arranged the whole day), we were sitting next to a sweet old man on a bench. When Pietro arrived, he said the old man was a Terracina too and we were related in some way down the line...ha! Then we walked up the street to Pietro's house where we met his wife, his 2 daughters, and his son (his other son was out of town for a ballroom dancing competition). Their house had a GORGEOUS view of the Mediterranean Sea. We then drove up a mountain a bit to this quaint little home in the countryside where many other relatives were preparing a FEAST. I had no idea that many people would be there! It was so amazing. There was definitely a language barrier- half of them didn't speak English and I don't speak Italian, so THANKFULLY a few of the cousins could translate a bit for us. It was the best 5-course lunch I ever had. Even with the language barrier and me being a total stranger essentially, they welcomed me with open arms... it was the best day. :) I can't wait to go back and spend more time with the family!
Such a FANTASTIC trip. We DID it! (our official catchphrase of the trip which I took from the hilarious web series 'Burning Love').
I wish I could rewind and do it all over again. :)
