
[Vienna, Austria] I had murky memories of Vienna from a high school trip in 1995. It was late December, and the city was decorated to the nines for the holidays. I remember the Christmas market in front of city hall; the main cathedral, Stephansdom; Schönbrunn with its gardens; and an evening outing on the metro during which I’m amazed we didn’t get lost – we were only 15, after all, and this… Read More
Category: 2015 - Italy, Austria & Slovakia, All Travel, Austria, Europe Tags: city walks, European capitals, museums, palaces, UNESCO, Vienna
[Florence, Italy] I fit in a lot more than I thought I would today, even by my standards, and that says a lot! I am looking forward to a more relaxing Friday in Firenze ahead of a couple of side trips Sarah and I are taking this weekend. At 8:30 am, I left the house and stopped in for a coffee at a place just a couple of corners away called Caffe… Read More
Category: 2015 - Italy, Austria & Slovakia, All Travel, Europe, Italy Tags: al fresco dining, architecture, city walks, Florence, food, Italian food, museums, old friends, sunset, UNESCO
[Florence, Italy] Today is not my day to ride on buses. I got on the wrong one going from my AirBnB in Rome to the train station – luckily I realized it in time. And in Florence, I got on the right bus but missed my stop. Luckily, stops here are close together so neither one of these were too big of a faux pas, but it’s still pretty stressful! I caught the express… Read More
Category: 2015 - Italy, Austria & Slovakia, All Travel, Europe, Italy Tags: al fresco dining, architecture, city walks, Florence, food, Italian food, museums, travel by train, UNESCO
[Rome, Italy] Besides going to Galleria Borghese, I had no grand plans for today. There were many other things I wanted to see but I wasn’t sure how much energy or enthusiasm I’d have, nor where the day would take me after the gallery, so I played it by ear and it couldn’t have turned out any better! For a planner like myself, it was nice to have a less structured day…. Read More
Category: 2015 - Italy, Austria & Slovakia, All Travel, Europe, Italy Tags: al fresco dining, churches, city walks, European capitals, food, gelato, Italian food, museums, Rome, rooftop views, UNESCO
[Vatican City, Italy] No visit to Rome is complete without a visit to the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. If you have only one day in Rome and have to pick between this and the Coliseum/Forum, I’d pick this (although with some planning, they are both doable in one long, exhausting day). To get to the Vatican, I took Bus 64 across the Tiber river. It was about… Read More
Category: 2015 - Italy, Austria & Slovakia, All Travel, Europe, Italy Tags: al fresco dining, architecture, city walks, European capitals, food, gelato, Italian food, museums, Rome, rooftop views, UNESCO, Vatican City
Balabanova All Over