Milano

This week has been such a nice reset from the 2+ weeks of traveling so far. We leave tomorrow for Interlaken, Switzerland (and 2 more weeks of traveling) and we can't wait! We made a reservation to do a half day of kayaking in the lakes there and judging by the pictures it is going to be amazing!

Jessica just finished her last day of classes, so this week I spent a lot of time relaxing. We went to CrossFit (by running 2 miles there and back - ugh), cooked some delicious meals at her apartment and walked around the city a lot. It has been a great break from all the site seeing and traveling. 

CrossFit Milano - awesome Reebox CrossFit box that Jessica has been going to while here

Milan has a few really cool things to see and do...the duomo is one of them. It is a huge cathedral in the city center. We decided to take in a luxurious viewing of it - from a swanky rooftop bar next door, La Rinascente. It's basically a 6 story department store with restaurants, a bar and a market on the top floor. We sipped on an Italian specialty, an aperol spritz, and took in the amazing view. 

The Duomo

Aperol Spritz

Rooftop view of the Duomo

Amazing looking desserts from the market - there cake pops cost 2.50€ and were half the size of Queens of Pops - so you're welcome

There is also a castle nearby which had a cool German Biergarten type market open when we walked by. Nice to walk around and see foods from around the world with an old castle as the backdrop.

German Biergarten Market

Part of the castle 

Other than that, we spent the week living like locals (or like Jess has done the last few months at least). We ate a lot of gelato, drank copious amounts of macchiatos, shopped, drank some good wines, and ate all sorts of non-Italian food - sushi, Greek, etc. it was a great way to explore the city without feeling like a tourist. There is a great area in Milan along one of its canals, called Navigli, which I loved! Bustling streets with bars and restaurants. So fun!

One of many gelatos

Statue of Leonardo

Some interesting things I noticed about Italy that were different than the US and Spain...You can push people out of your way here. People are very pushy and if they are in a hurry they just kind of shove you. If you order a coffee of any kind, you pay for it, then go to the next counter and push your way through the crowds, then drink it at a high top table. There are very few to go coffee places in Milan. And their coffee is strong! A macchiato, much to my surprise, was just a shot of (very strong) espresso with a tiny bit of milk to cut the edge. It was not a caramelly treat like Starbucks made me once think. Much better in Italy! English is not spoken everywhere. I'm not sure if Spain was like this, since Stephen speaks fluently (and I could get around fine without it too) so it wasn't ever a problem, but here it is hard to find someone who speaks English. And an awesome difference, they do this thing every day called apertivo. Basically, you go to a bar or restaurant and order a drink. Any drink you want. And then the bring you appertizer type foods for free! Or some have a buffet of little finger foods. Sometimes it's a meat and cheese platter, sometimes little sandwiches, sometimes something completely different. It's pretty awesome! 

Apertivo with our aperol spritz 

My first Italian macchiato 

On Wednesday, Jess and I went to explore the city and do some shopping and we came across the cutest little cafe ever, La Vineria. This place was basically a growler store for wine! And it was super cheap. We got a bottle to go after our amazing antipasti platter and wine tasting, and it only cost 3€. They also had amazing olive oil which I wanted to drink out of a cup. Needless to say, that is also coming home with me to the US. 

La Vineria - our favorite spot in Milan

We got to hang out with some of Jess' friends she had made in Milan and they were great people! We went to a swanky wine bar in the Brera neighborhood and then to drinks at Navigli. We definitely paid for it the next day, not feeling great for the intense CrossFit wod that followed. But totally worth it! They also introduced me to crepes last night and all I can say is I am happy it's our last day in Milan because I would eat one every day otherwise! Tomorrow we are off to Switzerland. Stay tuned for some amazing pics!!

Swanky wine bar in Brera

Bubbles - lots of bubbles!

Our Spain trip has come to an end, but was such an amazing and eventful trip....Spain will forever have a special place in our lives! We didn't do much in Madrid, as we were both exhausted from the last 2 weeks of go, go, go. But we did do one thing that Stephen absolutely loved. We toured the futbol stadium in Madrid, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, home of Real Madrid.  I will let him tell you about the experience in his own post, so stay tuned. 

On Friday (day 12), I flew to Milan to meet up with my friend Jessica while Stephen flew back to Atlanta (someone has to support me :)). Jessica is finishing the last semester of her MBA (she is a GT MBA too) studying abroad in Milan. She planned a long weekend for us exploring the Prosecco region of Italy (Treviso) with a stop off in Venice....because, well, why not?

So I hopped a VERY early flight to Milan and we rented a car to start the weekend's adventure. I won't lie, I was nervous about driving in Italy, but was promised gelato and Prosecco, so it made it seem a little less daunting! In the end, it was no scarier than driving in any city and we made it to our B&B safely!

We stayed in a very small, authentic Italian town called Santo Stefano in the Treviso region. Our B&B,  Due Carpini (http://www.duecarpini.it/saliss-house/?lang=en), had an amazing view of the hills and valley and vineyards as far as the eye could see. Before arriving there, we stopped off in Verona for lunch and gelato. Verona, the city of love, was adorable. We did some speed sight seeing and had a great authentic Italian lunch followed by my first gelato experience - yum! I chose chocolate. 

View from the Castelvecchio Bridge in Verona

Jessica and I on bridge 

Upon arrival in Treviso, we went right for some Prosecco tasting. This region has La Strada di Prosecco (Prosecco Road) that winds throughout the many small towns. Though the tasting rooms were hard to find, we had a great time exploring. We stopped at a tasting room with an amazing view then Bar Alpino for meatballs and an antipasti platter, and maybe a little more Prosecco! We finished the night with a sub-par dinner but a great bottle of Valpolicella.

View from B&B

View from B&B 

Prosecco tasting room from first Day

Antipasti at Bar Alpino 

View from lunch

Saturday was a day full of exploring again! We drove to a market a few towns away. Very interesting. Clothing, tools, birds, the occasional veggie vendor. Not what we were expecting! Then we went to find some tasting rooms for more Prosecco. This was almost impossible. We followed directions to deadends and roundabouts and closed wineries. It was frustrating. But then the curse was lifted and we found the most amazing little tasting room - Nani Rizzi. It was run by a cute Italian woman who spoke zero English. The Prosecco was amazing, but the experience was even better than that! Her son/nephew/son-in-law/some relative came by and threw a roll of bread and us. Then came back with a slice of amazing cheese. They treated us like family and it was the most wonderful experience either of us has had wine tasting. 

Cute town where market was

Sweetest Italian lady at Nani Rizzi

After that, we attempted some more tastings but nothing compared....until we climbed a hill of vines through a tractor path up to Osteria Senz'Oste. This is a tasting room in top of the hills with no host (hence the name). Basically there is a fridge with Prosecco, meats and cheeses. You take what you want and you leave what you think it is worth. The Prosecco was terrible but the experience was amazing and the views were to die for! It turned our otherwise declining day around. 

View from No Host Bar

Jessica taking it all in

After this we were ready to stop drinking bubbles and try some red wine. We made a little picnic outside our B&B with pears, cheese, Nutella, honey and a yummy bottle of Barbera wine. We soaked up the views and just relaxed - it was a perfect afternoon! This was followed by a delicious dinner at the restaurant where we were staying complete with the best molten chocolate cake and limoncello I've ever had!

That view never got old

Sunday we left the Prosecco road region and headed to Venice. We dropped our car off and took a train into the city and wandered around for a few hours. It was kind of a shock to see so many tourists after our weekend in the mountains secluded, so we only stayed a few hours, but it was so beautiful. Looking back at the pics I took, it doesn't look like there was anyone else in the city. So made for some nice views after all!

Piazza di Roma from the train station 

Canal

Canal

View from Rialto Bridge 

Looking out across the Grand Canal 

Gondolas 

Laundry over the canal 

After our quick trip to Venice, we headed back to Milan. We are staying here til Friday morning while Jessica finishes her last week of classes. I am so happy to have a few days off from traveling and am able to experience what life in Italy is like! Jessica has been doing CrossFit here too, so this is our week to workout and recover from our travels before our next adventures to Switzerland, France and Monoco.

 

Granada and the Alhambra

I can't believe we have been in Spain for over a week now. The country has been nothing but amazing. We spent the last two days in Granada which is a 3 hour train ride southeast of Sevilla. Traveling Spain by train has been so easy and convenient - something I wish the US did better. The countryside of Spain is green and beautiful. Vineyards line much of the land and rolling hills can be seen in the distance. It's a nice change from the views you normally get from an interstate or a plane. 

We arrived early Monday (day 8) morning in Granada. We have another amazing view from our rooftop terrace...this time, The Alhambra. Today we explored the streets of Granada. The city is separated into a Christian quarter and an Arabic quarter and the architecture changes drastically as you go between the 2. We went up to El Mirador San Nicolas which overlooks the Alhambra from a hill across the way. The views were absolutely amazing. Granada is nestled in the foothills of mountains and even though it's mid-May, the caps are still snow covered, making for a lovely backdrop. 

Church in Granada square 

River bank 

View of Alhambra from Mirador San Nicolas

Alhambra 

One of my favorite parts about Granada is the food - a mix between Spanish and Arabic, with lots of  Moroccan-esque dishes. While overlooking the Alhambra, we had lamb cous-cous and Moroccan mint tea with pastries....doesn't get much better than that!

After soaking in the views, we decided to soak in some baths...Arab bathes that is!  We did a 2 hour "spa" trip which included a massage, a warm, cold and hot pool for soaking and a steam room.  Now, my college roommate Katherine and I got tricked into something similar by Tanya in Korea when we visited her....thankfully these were bathing suit required this time (and co-ed)! It was a very relaxing 2 hours which left us tired and ready for bed!

Queen Isabel Square

Tuesday (day 9) was the big day, the day we got to see the Alhambra! I didn't do a lot of google searching for images of where we were going, so this was a huge surprise. The Alhambra consists of a few separate areas: the Nasrid Palace, the Alcazaba (the citadel) and the Generalife Palace and gardens. It was a lot to see in a day and we were exhausted after about 2.5 hours. The Alcazaba was my favorite area by far and had amazing views of the city and the other areas of the Alhambra. Other than that, a lot of very detailed architecture, beautiful courtyards, and huge gardens full of damask roses. Not too shabby.

Nasrid Palace

Nasrid Palace 

Gardens at Nasrid Palace

View of Nasrid Palace from Alcazaba

Alcazaba

Alcazaba

Alcazaba 

View of Alhambra from Generalife Gardens

Generalife Gardens

Generalife Gardens

Damask Rose at Generalife Gardens

Pineapple tree?

View from Generalife Gardens

This morning we left for our last stop in Spain. We headed back to Madrid for the last 2 days. Stephen flys home and I head to Milan on Friday morning. Though I am excited to see other countries, I absolutely fell in love with Spain, it's culture, and most importantly it's food! Luckily the next stop is Italy. I hear they know a thing or two about food as well! 

On Friday, I meet up with my friend Jessica who has been doing her last semester of business school in Milan (tough life, I know). We are going to explore Prosecco Road and Venice for a 3 day weekend and then back to Milan for a few days before we head off to Switzerland.

If you have made it this far reading this entry, yesterday was a big day for a reason other than our trip to the Alhambra....Stephen proposed! We went up to the San Nicolas viewpoint for a lovely dinner. We watched the sun set and the Alhambra light up...one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. After dinner, he got down on one knee and popped the question (I said yes!). Three progressions of sunset to follow...