Sogni D’oro
Ciao tutti! Our trip to Italia seems like ages ago, so much has happened since then. As you may or may not know, Timmy and I had a month-long excursion through Italy right before we moved back to California, and it now seems like a fleeting dream when I look back on the photos. We took a plane from New York to Milan, took the train from Venice to Rome stopping in incredible cities in between, then we rented a car and drove back up through Tuscany, visiting the hill towns and sampling the wine, gorging on gelato and becoming olive oil snobs. I’d like to share some photos of my favorite memories as well as some excerpts from our travel journal.
“A train from Ozzanno to Bologna, a train from Bologna to Firenze Rifredi, and finally a train from Firenze Rifredi to Santa Maria Novella stazione in Firenze proper. I had been dreaming about this, being back in this beautiful Italian city…but this time with mio amore.”
“Past the girls’ house (Ciao belle!) onto Via dello Sprone, where the green shutters at #13 were flung wide open.”
“For a 10 euro lunch special we got two courses, our first taste of Chianti, and a confession of love for Julia Roberts.”
“From atop the hill at the Santa Margherita church in Cortona, the clouds were splayed below us like a giant blanket over the valley.”
“We spent the day hiking up and down the hilly cobblestone streets, moseying down a wide path along the edge of town, and trying to ignore our hunger since the shops were closed for la pausa.”
“We walked from the train station to the hotel, going up and over bridges, meandering through narrow cobblestone streets, pausing every so often to take a picture of a sight that took our breath away.”
“In preparation for the long lines we were expecting at the Vatican, we packed the croissants left over from our breakfast at the B&B and bought a full bottle of water. When we arrived at the Vatican museums we walked RIGHT IN. Ten minutes later we were in the Sistine Chapel.”
“We have been so lucky with the weather so far, but it has been the nicest here in Roma. The sun has been warm, the skies have been clear, and we couldn’t be happier.”
“The tour groups were out in full force today but we weren’t worried. Mario had an exclusive connection to the Accademia who let us skip the line and get in for free! She led us in through the exit and opened the doors straight to Michaelangelo’s Davide.”
“Breakfast was brought to us in our room at 9 am…coffee, tea, yogurt, croissants, rolls, butter, jam, honey, soft cheeses, and orange juice. Facing the Galleria Dell’Accademia, our room looks out at the Ponte Dell’Accademia stretching out over the grand canal.”
“My new favorite color is the soft silvery green of the olive tree leaves, my new favorite food is bread with olive oil and salt, and my new favorite beverage is sweet red wine.”
“We wandered the Dorsoduro neighborhood and picked up Murano glass souveniers, then got our luggage and took a vaporetto to the train station. Ciao Venezia.”
“When we got to Montepulciano it was cold, foggy and rainy, so we ducked in Trattoria Di Cagnano for a hearty lunch. My ribollita was so incredibly good, thick and oily and flavored with rosemary. We must make ribollita whenever it’s cold…always with lots of rosemary.”
“Along a road lined with oak trees and littered with fallen leaves, we felt like we had stumbled upon a secret town. Besides the man in the field of bell peppers and a sweet nonna sweeping her porch, we were the only two people in this paradise.”
“I love everything about Lucca. The vibe here is so calm and relaxing, people are out on their bikes, there are dogs everywhere. Let’s stay.”
“We headed over to the Mercato Centrale to admire the fresh produce and local vendors selling their meats and cheeses, pasta and olive oil, dried fruit and nuts.”
“We went the back way through a narrow dirt pathway and along olive groves wehre the pickers were too busy raking the fruit off the branches and onto the nets to notice us.”
“At 5:00 the bells started going off at all of the churches, echoing up to us in a symphony of chimes.”
“Our favorite was called Luenzo, a mix of 80% San Giovese grapes and 20% Merlot. Their Vernaccia white wine (found only in San Gimignano) was also really delicious. I also liked a sweet cherry-tasting red called Serise, but Tim wasn’t such a fan.”
“We got in our trusty little car and drove the windy roads up to the beautiful hill town of San Gimignano. It was the first day that it really felt cold, but being chased by the wind through the streets with the towers looming over us just added to the ambience of this seemingly-forgotten medieval town.”
“I love love love Roma! I don’t know what’s so different this time…the lack of crowds? The company? The wine? It’s very much like New York in so many ways that I can’t help but feel at home.”
“Dessert was, of course, gelato. Maybe one day we’ll have tiramisu.”
“We spent our 11 year anniversary driving through the Tuscan countryside. The grape vines that had been yellow just last week are now turning into luscious oranges and deep reds, creating beautiful ombre palettes on the surrounding hills. Snacking on bread and pecorino seemed perfectly fitting for our Italian road trip as we rolled by herds of sheep grazing on the farms.”
“Perfect weather…perfect time of year…perfect travel companion.”
bienvenido a miami!
Last week Tim and I traveled down to Miami Beach to celebrate our two year wedding anniversary, South Beach style! We spent our days floating in that clear turquoise water, drinking delicious frozen beverages, and soaking up that glorious sun. We stayed in the Art Deco neighborhood where the incredible architecture of the old hotels really showcased the glamour of the 1920s. We stayed in a really cool hotel called The Catalina where they had a rooftop pool, a psychedelic lobby, and a sent-from-heaven tempurpedic mattress.
One of my favorite things about this city was that EVERYBODY from Miami speaks Spanish! It was like music to my ears! It gave me a really great opportunity to practice…especially when I was really feeling those frozen concoctions. I took five years of that beautiful language in high school and I don’t use it very much, but for some reason when I have a couple drinks (honestly it just takes one), then the Spanish comes flowing out of me as if I was a Puerto Rican goddess. I was chatting up our waitress at dinner and our chef at lunch…I even started to dream in spanish! Que romantico!
I loved the tropical, retro vibe of the town and I wish we could have stayed just a bit longer. It was such a great escape from the city and it really made me homesick for california! That adventure will come soon enough :) For now we will keep exploring this east coast of ours until October and then end this New York chapter with a bang. Stay tuned for more updates and fun photos <3
Mexicana Mama
About a month ago my family celebrated my mamasita’s birthday fiesta in Mexico! Despite the chilly overcast weather, we spent five wonderful days enjoying each other and all the splendors that Ensenada has to offer. We collected buckets of sand dollars on the beach, ate fresh tacos at our favorite stand, and drank enough cerveza to sink a ship. We took a few trips into town to do some shopping at a great local art shop where we found an abundance of talavera plates, tin crosses, and dia de los muertos shrines. We drove to La Bufadora to get the best churros in the world, and of course to see the blow hole. It was an amazing vacation filled with love and tequila and plenty of legal fireworks! <3
