a pit stop in Amsterdam & Paris

Following Venice, we took a flight to Amsterdam. We only had about two and a half days there so it was a short, but great trip. This was the only city we stayed in an actual hotel because we had trouble finding an Airbnb we liked.

We visited the Anne Frank Huis (house) while we were there - which is the place the Frank family hid during World War II. A lot of the house is still original or remade to look like how it is imagined. Pictures, talking, and touching anything is prohibited in the house because it can be a very emotional experience for a lot of people. I highly recommend this to anyone visits Amsterdam - its a surreal experience.

We also visited the Van Gogh museum and attended a concert while we were in Amsterdam. We used the public transportation, tried their famous poutine fries at the famous Bulldog bar which was recommended to me by a regular customer at my job.

Following Amsterdam, we flew to Paris for another quick 2 day stop. Paris was probably the most expensive city we visited when it came to food, drinking, etc.. We had the best Airbnb spot just a 2 block walk to the Eiffel tower and it was a small loft above a coffee shop. We purchased tickets in advance so we could go to the top of the Eifle - if you don't purchase in advance you probably won't be able to go in. There are various websites that you can purchase the tickets on, a lot of them are non-refundable so make sure that the date you want to go. We used Get Your Guide.

I always imagined the Eiffel would be overrated, but it was actually one of the coolest things I've seen. It's so huge and the story behind it which they tell you on the tour is pretty cool too. Most tours are offered in a variety of languages which is another great plus. We visited the Arc de Triomphe as well, it has so much detail and is at one of the busiest loops in the city. The food is very rich and delicious - but expensive so beware! We enjoyed going to the bakery and trying macaroons, fresh bread and even got a crepe on the street. 

If we would have had more time in Paris we definitely we would have done and saw a lot more like the Notre-Dame, The Louvre, and much more.

Off to Spain!

Front of Anne Franke Huis - only photo I was able to take.

Amsterdam.

Eiffel Tower at sunset.

Arc de Triomphe.

back to Italy

We flew back to Rome from Santorini and immediately headed to the train station to catch our train to Naples. The trains in Italy are very affordable and quick, you can get a ticket to almost any city daily. The trains make multiple stops depending on where you leave from and your destination.

We were in Naples for a few days and since Naples is the birthplace of pizza we enjoyed a lot of that. The pizza is very simple usually just sauce, fresh mozzarella, and a topping or two - they are usually made personal size and aren't cut into slices.

While in Naples we took a short train ride to visit the historical Pompeii. Pompeii is an ancient Roman city which was buried after a volcanic explosion, after discovering the city's demise it was recovered and made into a historical site. Following Naples, we headed to Florence by train.

Florence was probably my favorite city in Italy. The city is absolutely beautiful, its surrounded by water, historical basilicas, and cobblestone streets. The food was also amazing, we had some of our best meals here. During our stay, we pretty much walked around and explored - going to a few different museums, churches, shops and more. The most memorable thing we saw was Michelangelo's David. You have to buy tickets to get into the museum and trust me purchasing before you get there is important because the line gets extremely long.

To end our time in Italy we took a flight to Venice. Venice is known for being a city surrounded by water, it's beautiful and like nothing I had ever seen before - a place I had always dreamed to go to when I was young. They have boat taxis called gondolas that people use to get around since the city is prominently surrounded by water, there were very few cars that I saw. Venice is a very tourist spot so food and gondola rides can be pricey, so if you're on a budget I recommend doing research on where you eat.

Overall - Italy was an amazing place, some of the best food I've had, and so many beautiful historical landmarks and buildings to explore that are nothing like we have in the U.S.

Pizza in Naples

Pompeii

David by Michelangelo

Florence

Venice

paradise

After Rome, we took a short 45-minute flight to Santorini, Greece aka paradise. Our flight was at 5 a.m. so we basically didn't sleep that night because we had to get to the airport around 3 a.m., and I usually cannot fall asleep on planes - but on this day I had no problem.

The Santorini airport is something out of a movie, it's definitely the oldest most outdated airport I have ever been in. I'll get to more information on that in a bit.

We took a taxi from the airport to our Airbnb - our Airbnb was a small hotel like building. It was small and quaint and right on the beach. The whole island is pretty much shops, restaurants, and hotels. This part of our trip was by far the most relaxing and laid back, we spent most of the 3 days just lounging on the beach and eating amazing Greek food.

Santorini is known for several beaches, the one we were at is called Perissa, but better known as the black sand beach. The sand is black because of the volcanic minerals and lava fragments, its basically a bunch of tiny rocks, the texture is very different from the traditional sand we are used to.

A few dishes I recommend trying is any type of lamb dish, lamb is a huge part of Greek cuisine and is delicious. Baklava is an amazing greek dessert, its made of phyllo dough, honey, and different nuts.

The Santorini airport is unlike no other. There is so little space that you basically wait outside until its time for your flight to go to security. The security system looks so old and outdated, but it seemed to work just fine. All of the flights wait in one room, once you are called you board a bus and they bus you to the plane.

Back to Italy, we go!

Santorini Beach

when in rome

We left London and flew to Rome, Italy. It was about a 2 and a half hour flight so not bad at all. The airlines in Europe can be very affordable, but always check their baggage policies because they can be more strict.

Anywho, we went ahead and took out a good amount of Euros from the ATM, because the rest of the European nations use Euros we would use them for the rest of our trip. My boyfriend and I pretty much split everything during this trip so we would withdraw the same amount and put it together and not worry about who was paying for what - it was always just split.

We spent the most time in Rome out of all of our destinations. The food in Rome was amazing and inexpensive. We ate so much pizza and pasta - we were stuffed. I recommend trying the most simple dishes, such as Cacio e Pepe which is basically pasta tossed in parmesan and pepper, also the classics just tomato sauce or pesto is great when it comes to pizza margarita is the go to. One thing to note about Rome and Italy, in general, is that a lot of the restaurants have odd hours from what we are used to. A lot of places are only open at night, so sometimes lunch spots are hard to find. We went to a local grocery and bought a bunch of fresh bread, cheeses, and meats to make sandwiches too. The bakery's in Rome are delicious - must try the pistachio gelato.

We did a tour of the Colosseum which was awesome to see in person, a lot of the tours are better to book in advance because they do fill up. Get Your Guide is a great tool to help set up tours throughout most countries. Along with the Colosseum, we visited a few museums and the Roman Forum which is next to the Colosseum. When it came to transportation in Rome we mostly walked because our Airbnb location was so central, but they do have a metro system, as well as buses, and taxis.

While in Rome we went to Vatican City to visit the Vatican and also Saint Peters Square. The Vatican is amazing, even for someone like myself who isn't very religious the art all over the walls is incredible. The Sistine Chapel is the main site inside, but its all great. Photos aren't allowed inside the Sistine Chapel, and they're very strict on noise in general. The Vatican does get extremely crowded, and there are a lot of panhandlers trying to sell things to you constantly outside, so beware.

Ciao for now!

Colosseum.

Inside the Colosseum.

Freshly made pasta - so delicious and simple.

Ceiling inside the Vatican.