Italy and Norway girls trip 2013 (part 3)

The next day it was time to move on to our next destination! We had an 11:00 am or so train reservation, so that gave us time to have a little breakfast and even a doner kebab before catching the train. We all took the train to Milan, and Priya went back home from there as she had class to get back to. Dory and I continued on from there to Verona. What an amazing decision that was!!! The ride was long but sooo worth it. We didn't get into Verona until around 4 or 5 in the evening but that was just fine. I had found us a great little hotel right in the center of town. It was called Hotel Milano. It was clean, had free internet, a nice room (small but nice) and included a full breakfast in the morning, all for about 100 euros if memory serves me correctly. We got checked in and called our honorary "Uncle Steve" as it was about 8am in California so we knew he'd be awake. He gave us some pointers on what to do and then we headed out on the town. We were a little hungry but not quite ready for dinner, so we found a spot in the tourist area where we could get just a little something (bread, tomoatos, basil, olive oil, of course!) and a half bottle of my favorite wine, Ripassa! It was just right!

 

(Above is a cell shot of our view from our table)

From there we started wandering the streets and realized just how glad we were that we chose this city! It had the big city feel with old world charm. The arena was an amazing sight to see.

 

I have this obsesison with photographing fruit stands in Europe. I just think they are so pretty and I think Dory and I both wished for several days to stay there in an apartment so we could shop and cook. How amazing would that be?!

We wandered around for quite some time exploring the city. The walls and architecture were incredible.

 It then started to get dark, which means the restaurants open. We opted to go eat dinner in a 1200 year old church turned pizza place. (At least I think I got the age right, Dory, correct me if I am wrong!)

After an amazing dinner, we slowly made our way back to the hotel, taking in the beautiful sights as we went.

The next morning we decided to go up in the bell tower in the town and see the sights from up high. It was sooo worth it!!

After that, we made our way to Juliet's balcony, where we touched her breast, and Dory bought a lock and wrote her name on it. If you have seen the movie, "Letters to Juliet" this is what it is based on. Instead of letters like in the movie, it is locks. 

After that, we decided it was time for some lunch. We wandered the streets taking in the sights as we looked for a good place that the hotel had recommended.

One of my favorite things about Italy is finding the BEST restaurant just down a quiet alley way. That is just what we found. It was so peaceful and of course super yummy. We had some great pasta and more Ripassa, followed by a coffee. 

(Below is some of the somewhat different things they had on the menu!)

After lunch we headed back to the hotel to collect our things, and headed to the train station to take it to the next stop over, Lake Garda. It was sooo beautiful that we wished would could have had an entire day there. We went there specifically because I really wanted to go to the Zenato Winery. We had called and they were not open for tasting, but the shop was open. It was a little disappointing, but they did allow us to leave our things there and told us where to walk down the road to see the actual winery. We found out the reason they were closed was because they were prepping for a big wine festival that would occur about 10 days after we left. Anyways, at least we got to see it and purchase a little wine while we were there.

(The photo above is not of the winery, just a pretty place along the road)

I wish I had a few shots of the lake, but since we were in a cab just from the train station to the winery and back, it made it hard. We got back to the train and caught it back to Milan, and headed back to Priya's apartment. Priya had already eaten when we got back, so Dory and I headed out for another Doner Kebab and then walked around Milan for an hour or so. We then headed back and it was time for sleep. We had a flight to Oslo to catch the next morning! 

Italy was amazing to say the least. My only regret was not having 2 weeks there! :)

Now stay tuned for part 4-Norway!

Italy and Norway Girls trip 2013 (Part 2)

Starting where I left off in part one, the next day the 3 of us decided to go check out a town called Porto Venere. We grabbed a coffee and pastry before leaving Monterosso. We first took the train to La Spezia and then from there had to catch a bus to take us to Porto Venere. We had to walk to the bus station so as we walked I snapped a couple of shots.

 

We found the bus station and waited about 15 minutes before it arrived. The bus ride was so beautiful! The closer we got to Porto Venere, the prettier it got. I wanted to get off at every stop to take photos, but they don't really let you do that. ;)

We saw the most breathtaking views of snow capped Alps. I have been to the Alps numerous times, but seeing them from a distance with water in between was something so magical. I wish I had a photo to share but I know sometimes it is nice to just take it all in without the thought of trying to document it with your camera. 

We arrived in Porto Venere and were all glad we chose this location to spend the day.

 

This photo above does no justice to how it appeared on the way in.

We walked around for a bit and decided to scope out a place to eat. The seafood in these port towns is super fresh and just amazing so of course we opted for that. We found a great spot to sit outside as the weather could not have been better. We had a little white wine, prawns, and several other local fish. Our waiter misunderstood our order so we wound up having a much longer lunch than planned, but it was no problem to us. We just relaxed and enjoyed. :) 

After lunch we had a quick gelato, then began wandering around. There is a church there called The Church of Saint Peter, and I believe it was built in 1198! It was pretty amazing.

 

As we made our way up we stopped along the way and saw the pretty "windows" that looked up on the hill and out on the ocean.

 

We made our way inside and saw the beautiful architecture and the candles. 

 

We made our way back down and I could not help but take this photo of some awful European fashion. ;)

 We then hiked up the hill and took in the views from above. Just amazing!

 We then headed down into the back alleys of the town. I have to say that is one of my favorite things about Italy! I just love that you can walk down a tiny corridor and find amazing shops and restaurants!

After walking around for awhile we decided it was time to go back down by the water and have a "spritz" and a little snack. I actually didn't wind up liking the spritz but at least I tried it. 

After the spritz we continued wandering around the town and found a great shop that sold all kids of yummy olive oils and spices. I bought some basil olive oil and some truffle oil, as did Dory. They let you write you name on the wall in the shop, which was pretty cool. Dory did the honors for us.

After that it started to get a little dark so we made our way back to the bus station to get back "home" for the evening.

 

Once we got back to Monterosso we found a pizza place that was highly recommended on Trip Advisor. We had some yummy pizza and wine, and even a little dessert. It was the perfect way to end a fabulous day!

(Below is Dory and me in a fuzzy cell phone shot at dinner)

Stay tuned for part 3!!!