Finally here with a post about our trip! At the end of August, Trey had a trip to France for work and I tagged along! Since we were over there, we figured we might as well go to Italy too!
We flew out of Columbia on Saturday morning to Detroit, then over to Amsterdam, then finally to Marseilles where we picked up our rental car and drove the 30ish minutes to Aix en Provence (the town we were staying in). It's now Sunday by the way. Once we got settled into the hotel, we did a little shopping in the market that was set up along our street and ate a quick dinner before heading back to the room for some sleep! All those flights can take a lot out of you!
Trey had Monday off to 'recuperate' so we took the opportunity to make the 2-3 hour drive to Nice! We had a smidgen of car trouble (dead battery) so we got a little bit of a late start. It was worth all the trouble when we got there though, it was such a pretty place! We didn't have a whole lot of time, so we mainly stayed along the water and took in the view. After that we climbed up some (=a lot) stairs for a great view of the city and the beach. Next, we shopped around a little, grabbed a quick bite to eat then we were headed back to Aix so Trey could get some sleep before work in the morning.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday while Trey was at work I wandered around town taking pictures, and of course did some shopping :)
Friday, we took our time getting ready to leave, ate breakfast for the last time at the hotel (DELICIOUS bread.. mmm.. croissants) then we were off to Marseilles to start our journey to Rome!
Two short train rides and an overnight train ride later, we were there! Our first stop after getting checked into our hotel and grabbing some lunch (yummy lasagna!) was the Colosseum! Such a cool place! It's crazy to think about how long it's been there! Our next stop was The Roman Forum (the heart of ancient Rome) and Palatine Hill (where Rome was founded). After exploring the Forum and Palatine Hill (so many cool things), it was back to the hotel to clean up. After dinner, a visit to the Trevi Fountain, and some gelato, it was time to rest up for our trip to Venice in the morning!
Bright and early Sunday morning we made our way over to the train station (about a 10 min walk from our hotel) to catch our train to Venice! Once there, we wandered the streets a bit, stopping for some (very yummy) pizza and of course shopping along the Rialto Bridge! We eventually made our way to St. Mark's Square. After exploring the Square for a bit, we started wandering the streets again (there were many of them.. very easy to get lost) we even managed to find Harry's Bar, one of Meemaw and Big D's (Trey's Grandma and Grandpa) favorite places in Venice! After stopping for some drinks (Trey- Cappuccino, Me- Granita) we found a gondolier to give us a ride through the canals on his gondola! It was so neat to see all the architecture from the water, it was so much fun! After the gondola ride, we walked the streets some more making our way back to the Grand Canal where there was some sort of parade going on. From what we could gather, it was some sort of historical reenactment/celebration. After the Parade was over, we found a restaurant along the canal to stop at for some dinner (this time PASTA! it was so good!) There was even a band riding up and down the canal playing music while we ate! After diner it was time to make our way back to the train station (just across the canal, but we took the long way around so we could take in some more sights) so we could make our way back to Rome.
Monday morning we were up early again, this time to visit the Vatican. Our first stop was the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. There was so much to see, and everything was so amazing! After the Museums and the Chapel, it was time for lunch (a pizza panini)then we walked over to St. Peter's Square. St. Peter's Basilica was incredible, there was so much to see inside, including Michelangelo's Pieta. After exploring the inside of the basilica, we got in line to climb up to the top of Michelangelo's dome (cupola). After climbing nearly 500 steps, we made it to the top, and the view was amazing! You could see for miles! After taking in the view (and a much needed break) we made our way back down the very narrow staircases and back into the Basilica. After a little while longer inside, we went back out into the square for a bit before making our way back to the hotel so we could change (no shorts allowed in St. Peter's, so we were both wearing jeans and very ready to get into some shorts for the rest of the day). After changing it was off to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain again (so we could see it in the daylight). Our next stop was the Pantheon (the only building from ancient Rome still fully intact). After the Pantheon we starting making our way to Piazza Navona to get some dinner. The Piazza was so pretty and the center was filled with local artists selling their work. We picked a drawing of the Trevi fountain to come home with us.. maybe someday it will make it up on the wall.. We picked a restaurant for dinner (more delicious pasta!) and sat and listened to local artists play their music while we ate. Our favorite was a woman who played the accordion. After dinner it was back to the hotel so we could get some rest before heading back home!
It was such a fun trip! We had a great time! Now for the pictures!! Be warned: there are A LOT (195 to be exact.. and that's the pared down version)
