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AUSTRIA:
FRANCE:
During quarantine it was impossible to turn work ‘off’. We weren’t ‘working from home’ we were ‘living at work’. Calls/whats app texts/emails/messages at all hours of the day. That is when we decided : we need to take a break. Turn work off and spend quality time together.
2.5 weeks spend on a road trip driving down to the South of France. Here the our itinerary from our travels.
Road trips… ah yes… what once was the ultimate freeing feeling: put the windows down, blast the music and see how long you can drive before absolutely needing a rest stop.
Wait, with a toddler?
“Mommy up up” pointing at the windows crying as we’re listening to “baby shark” for the 17th time hoping it keeps her from getting car sick as we sing along.
Oh how the times have changed.
Here are some tips & tricks on road tripping with a toddler!
After our stay in Le Croisic, we took our tiny little rental car and drove down to Saint-Émilion. It took just about 4 hours, which was the longest stretch during our week road trip through France & Spain. Saint-Émilion is just outside of Bordeaux, and some would say even more beautiful than Bordeaux! It is also a famed wine town known for its Grand Cru wine.
We actually only had less than 24 hours in this beautiful little town, as it was a quick stop on our way to Biarritz. So we tried to fit in as much as possible!
This was our first 'non-american' wedding, so i'll admit ... we were wondering - "Would this live up to the standards of an American style wedding". And I can definitely say - the French/British are PRO's at weddings!
Just before we arrived in Le Croisic, we decided to stop in a neighboring town to get some seaside lunch and to get our first glimpse of that beautiful ocean.
French cuisine is by far my favorite... so eating it in a coastal french city, where you can get the freshest seafood? I'm in heaven. First thing we must eat in France? Steak tartare + muscles.
We found a great little restaurant that was right on the beach called Les Fils a Maman La Baule.
Only one year after packing up our lives in Boston, US to move to Nuremberg, Germany we have checked quite a bit off of our bucket list so far. Now if anyone knows us, they know that we LOVE trying new foods, new restaurants, new drinks, new food markets... can you see a trend here? So I thought the next best "Year in Review" post should be all about our favorite restaurants, bars and food markets.
In October my amazing family (minus Jeffrey, Kristen, Ryan and Talia) came to visit us in Europe. As they've only visited Italy in the past, they decided to do an extensive European tour (in just two weeks!). My parents started in London, then onto Amsterdam, Brussels, Brugges, and then ended their guided tour in Paris where the rest of us "kids" came to join.
I can talk about Paris for so long that I felt I needed to split the blog post into two. I have already gone through my reasons for falling in love with Paris in the last post, as well as our experiences with the French Open and our cooking class.
GREECE:
After only a day exploring Athens, we hopped on an extremely early flight so we could get to Santorini as soon as possible. We had a lot of sightseeing & early mornings with the first two stops of our honeymoon, now was finally our time for rest & relaxation.
We only had one day in Athens before heading to the Islands, so we wanted to make the most of our day by going to the Acropolis. The Acropolis was built on top of a small rocky mountain top, our concierge explained to us where we could catch the bus to the top, but then quickly mentioned that there is a walking path that you could also take to the top. We of course decided to take the challenge to walk it ourselves, without realizing that it was going to be a very humid 100 degree day.
ITALY:
During quarantine it was impossible to turn work ‘off’. We weren’t ‘working from home’ we were ‘living at work’. Calls/whats app texts/emails/messages at all hours of the day. That is when we decided : we need to take a break. Turn work off and spend quality time together.
2.5 weeks spend on a road trip driving down to the South of France. Here the our itinerary from our travels.
Road trips… ah yes… what once was the ultimate freeing feeling: put the windows down, blast the music and see how long you can drive before absolutely needing a rest stop.
Wait, with a toddler?
“Mommy up up” pointing at the windows crying as we’re listening to “baby shark” for the 17th time hoping it keeps her from getting car sick as we sing along.
Oh how the times have changed.
Here are some tips & tricks on road tripping with a toddler!
After going through withdrawal from our two-a-day pastas during our road trip in Italy, I tried to find a somewhat-healthy (but really not-so-healthy, hello butter sage sauce!) meal that would bring us back to the days of Italy. The reason I say “somewhat-healthy” is the switch from regular potatoes to sweet potatoes. But believe me, it is every bit delicious, light and pillowy as traditional gnocchi.
Quick tips on the best spots for hiking, swimming, eating & drinking in Cinque Terre, Italy.
Only a few days after our perfectly amazing wedding this past June, we were on our way to Rome to start our Honeymoon.
Andrew and I have never traveled to Europe together, so you could imagine the excitement! We just wanted to see/taste/smell everything! We definitely got our fill in gelato (sometimes twice a day!), as well as red wine. We would try to walk everywhere, because the walk was usually just as beautiful as wherever we were heading.
PRAGUE:
SPAIN:
In each new city we travel to, we attempt to 'do what the locals do'. Which meant eating pintxos in San Sebastian, but also attempting a new skill... skateboarding. Lets just say I will not quit my day job.
While most people think of Tapas for Spanish traditional cuisine, in the Basque region of Northern Spain, Pintxos (pronounced peen-chos) are their claim to fame.
Pintxos were traditionally a slice of baguette bread stacked with any type of food. To hold it in place, a cocktail stick or 'pintxo' was used. Now, Pintxos are open to much more than just that - and some are like little works of art.
Ca's Patro March. Heaven. This restaurant was so unbelievable that it deserves its own blog post. This view.. with the sounds of the waves against the rocks all while eating the freshest seafood... we could have eaten here every day and I would have been perfectly happy.
When Andrew and I travel, we try to have equal amounts of activities/exploring vs relaxing on the beach. I read a lot about the Tramuntana mountains before coming on the trip so I knew we had to visit it!
We arrived in Mallorca on a late Monday night after spending the weekend in Barcelona. Prior to the trip I did some researching to get an idea of how we should spend our days. The island is quite big, on the west coast you will find the Tramuntana Mountain Ridge along the water and on the right side more calm beaches and coves.
On the list for our last day in Barcelona we did our own food tour at Mercado de La Boqueria, and then we visited La Sagrada Familia and Casa Batllo. Knowing how much eating we would be doing at the food market, we started the day at Reebok Crossfit Barcelona.
On our second day in Barcelona, Andrew and I went off on our own to visit Park Guell. This is one of my most favorite places in Barcelona, partially because I love the architect Antoni Gaudi, and also because the views are amazing.
At the end of the summer we went on a little Spanish holiday. First to Barcelona to visit some good friends, and then onto Mallorca for a beach getaway. It was actually our first time at the beach this entire year since the closest beach to Nuremberg is at least 7 hours away.
Spending my 30th birthday in Austria. Salzburg is known for two things: Mozart and The Sound of Music. But for us, it was the Hohensalzburg Fortress and the amazing food that will forever coincide with Salzburg.