Blog

16 - 18 October : The Italian Riviera

Hardcore Hiking in Cinque Terre

Trippin'.
Blessed with miles of uninterrupted views, gorgeous vineyards and breathtaking trails, the Cinque Terre along northern Italy's Riviera is a magnet for tourists. Hidden no longer, it remains, nevertheless, a gem. Each village, clinging alongside the Ligurian coastline, are unique and special in their own way. It's almost unfair how much intense beauty, great cuisine and amazing aromas are jam packed into such a compact space.
Monterosso al Mare. After another heart- breaking 3 hour train delay (can't believe our luck), we arrived to Monterosso al Mare. Booked 3 nights at Manuel's Guesthouse, we were anxious to settle in after a grueling day of transit. Proved to be a small town where "everybody knows your name," we ran into Manuel himself at a local cafe and he kindly escorted us to his house-- a mere 100 plus steps (with our 50 lbs luggage) high above ground in the hills overlooking the town.
Vernazza. The most picturesque and fairytale- like of them all. Hands down our favorite. It's definitely worth the 1.5 hrs treacherous hike from Monterosso.
Corniglia. We considered it more of an "in- transit" village where we literally walked through town and headed towards the station to catch the next train to Manarola. We weren't about to hike further since we already hiked another 1.5 hr from Vernazza to Corniglia. Reaching Manarola would have been another 45 minute hike.
Manarola. Highlight of this town was our lunch. We had our hearts set on going cliff diving but Mother Nature had different plans. While the weather was perfect in the Riviera, it was just too cold to do any water activities.
Riomaggiore. We took the easy 15 minutes stroll on Via del' Amore (Pathway of Love) from Manarola. With our lock in hand, we made our mark like the hundreds before us with our very own, "GQ 2009" lock. We made it to Riomaggiore just in time to catch sunset at cliff side.

Lovin' Ligurian cuisine
I'm sure we've been ask what our favorite kind of food is and, on many occasions, I've often replied from Mexican to Japanese and everywhere in between, but never once did I ever think to say Ligurian. Well that's all about to change. In Vernazza we had dinner at Gianni Franzi, a Rick Steves' recommendation and a great one at that. I've nagged G all day about it being a must that I try mussels and fries during our stay in Cinque Terre, so imagine my delight when I saw the menu. Say no more, I'll have the mussels marinated along with a side of fries. G ordered the catch of the day baked Ligurian- style in a light broth topped with perfectly baked potato wedges.
In Manarola, after a failed attempt to find a Tripadvisor recommended restaurant, we went on a whim to Il Porticciolo which looked promising. We managed to sit next to some Americans currently studying abroad in Florence but were in the Riviera for the day and they suggested we try the lobster linguini which were to die for. In return, we offer them to try our fresh citrus lemon marinated anchovies on a bed of bitter greens. Like G always say, "Don't knock it until you've tried it." Throw away your thoughts of anchovies on pizza. This is in a category all on its own. If tomorrow seizes to exist, this would be my choice for my last supper.
Il Porticciolo, Via Renato Birolli #92, Manarola (Cinque Terre), tel: 0187 920 083
Trattoria Gianni Franzi, Piazza G. Marconi, 5, Vernazza (Cinque Terre), tel: 0187 821 003

Sleeping: Manuel's Guesthouse. The balcony room has the most breathtaking view of Monterosso.
Eating: Bar Ristorante Il Casello, Via Corone, Monterosso (Cinque Terre), tel: 0187 818 330. Best trofie pasta with pesto! The seafood salad is pure perfection.
Activity: Get out on the trails! Purchase the Cinque Terre Card and make sure not to lose it as there are checkpoints along the trails. the CTC also includes train rides between the towns.

More Photos.

View full gallery here.

14 - 16 October : Buongiorno Milano

Fashionably Late in Fashion Capital

Trippin'.
San Francisco decided to pick the day we leave for Milan to have it's first day of rain and fog of the season resulting in a 5 long and agonizing hour flight delay, which of course caused us to miss our connecting flight out of Frankfurt and managed to strip us of an entire day in Milan. That leaves us with one jam packed day to see, do and eat all things Milanese. Upside? United gave out $250 certificates to all guests for the inconvenience! Hrm.. Where to next?

Milan was a great start to our trip. We arrived late and, though restless and jetlagged, we'll stop at nothing when hunger calls. Once checked in and changed, we headed back out in search of dinner at Spontini, conveniently walking distance from our hotel. Ahh.. the beauty of planning ahead. Notorious for serving one kind of pizza and only one, but what a salivating one it was-- the Margherita! Down it with a couple of Heineken and it was the perfect first meal to our 3 week trip. We spent most of the next day wandering the streets, taking time out to people watch, go shopping and, of course, refueling our appetites along the way.

I call this, "The not- so Smart Cars!"

Our Last Supper. I'm sure most are thinking, when in Milan, go see Leonardo's The Last Supper. And while we managed to book tickets months in advance, believing in the hype, I can't help but say, "Overrated and a bit disappointing." No live or audio guide, no briefing of any kind. Nothing. Just the wall and a security telling you not to take pictures. And when I look back, that won't be the Last Supper I'll remember. What I will remember was literally our last supper in Milan done in true Milanese style. We dined at Trattoria Milanese, a cozy and bustling restaurant serving authentic and traditional Milanese cuisine. Had our hotel call for a reservation which is a must! G ordered the classic osso buco with risotto while I enjoyed the breaded veal cutlet fried to perfection. Lucky for us, we sat down next to some Brazilian/ Italians and couldn't help but join in on their fun whilst getting insider's tips on what to do when we visit Brazil (slated for December 2010). A few rounds of Grappas later, we felt right at home. What a way start our vacation and to cap off Milan!
Trattoria Milanese, Via Santa Marta 11, tel: 02 8645 1991

Sleeping: Hotel Berna, Via Napo Torriani, 18. Your best bet stay in Milan. Conveniently right next to Milan Centrale Station. The best breakfast buffet I've had in Europe across the board.
Attraction & Destination Checklist:
The Duomo
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Corso Bueno Aires
Corso Como

More Photos.

View full gallery here.

14 October - 3 November : Cruise Control

MILAN - CINQUE TERRE - LA SPEZIA - PISA - FIUMICINO - ATHENS - NAFPLION - KATAKOLON - ALEXANDRIA (CAIRO) - IRAKLION - SANTORINI - MYKONOS - IZMIR (EPHESUS) - ISTANBUL


Hi Family and Friends

Our Italian getaway and Mediterranean cruise is just around the corner. Below is a briefing of where we plan to go and a bit about what we plan to do while there. Changes and more to come. Enjoy!

14 - 16 October : Buongiorno Milano
Everyone knows we like to maximize our travels to the fullest so naturally when we decided to take a Mediterranean cruise, we figured why not tack on a few places nearby that we've been dying to visit as well. Our last trip to Italy did not allow us enough time to see Milan so that was an easy decision. While here, we've booked tickets to see The Last Supper. Currently, I've been Bertlitzing my way through the Italian language and cannot wait!
Sleeping: Hotel Berna

16 - 19 October : Cinque Terre - La Spezia - Pisa
We hitted up the French Riviera a few years back, so this time we're coasting it down the Italian Riviera. We'll be staying in Monterosso Al Mare, one of the 5 villages in Cinque Terre and will visit the other villages during our 2.5 day stay; Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. On our last day, we'll take the 1hr train ride to Pisa and spend half the day site seeing.
Sleeping: Manuel's Guesthouse


19 October : Fiumicino
Fiumicino is our layover on our way to Athens. Shopping at Parco Leonardo Shopping Centre-- one of the country's largest shopping mall conveniently located just minutes from the airport.

19 - 21 October : Athens
We'll arrive extremely late on the 19th, so technically will only have 1.5 days in Athens to see all major attractions and do some serious Athenian dining and shopping.
Sleeping: Art Hotel

Cruise Begins : Depart Athens

22 October : Nafplion
Skipping out on the hour bus ride to Mycenae, we opted to stay in town to climb the 800- plus steps to the top of the Palamidi fortress followed by a boat ride over to the Bourtzi fortress.


23 October : Katakolon
We'll train out to Olympia, birthplace of the Olympics, and spend half the day checking out the ruins before heading back to Katakolon.

24 October : At Sea

25 - 26 October : Alexandria (Cairo)
Found a great 2 day tour with Memphis Tours to give us an authentic and thorough insite of all things Cairo including the Pyramids of Giza, shopping at the Bazaar, the Egyptian museum and much more. Best of all, we saved more than half compared to the cruise's shore excursion package.
Sleeping: Sofitel Le Sphinx Cairo


27 October : At Sea

28 October : Iraklion
Oci Day! We're taking the bus to the Palace of Knossos to learn a little history of the Minoan civilization; said to have been the first European civilization. We're also going to spend some time snorkeling before heading back to the ship.

29 October : Santorini
Riding buggies to Oia Village and Amoudi Bay. Spending the day sight seeing before heading back to Fira for a romantic sunset dinner.


30 October : Mykonos
Renting some mopeds and cruising Mykonos in style. Probably spend most of the day sunbathing, drinking, and dancing at Psarou and Paradise Beach and then capping it off with some souvenir shopping in and around town.

31 October : Izmir (Ephesus)
Booked a half day private tour with Nur & Ekol Travel for Ancient Ephesus and Terrace House.

1 - 3 November : Istanbul
Ending our 3 week fantasy vacation in "the coolest city in the world"-- Istanbul! The only city in the world to straddle Europe and Asia; truly where East meets West.
Sleeping: Maywood Hotel


---------------
Tickets: Airline- booked through Vayama- www.vayama.com- for the entire trip. 12- day cruise booked through our travel agent with Norwegian Cruise Line. Train ticket from Milan to Monterosso Al Mare booked through Trenitalia.

Websites: We're using Tripit- www.tripit- to plan our day to day itinerary. Tripadvisor, Frommer's and Cruise Critics are great websites to read up on other traveler's suggestion and tips.

Books & Language: Berlitz Language Learning- Italian and Langenscheidt's Universal Phrasebook- Italian. Mediterranean By Cruise Ship by Anne Vipond.

Gear: Nikon D90, Canon PowerShot SD940, Fujifilm Quick Snap Waterproof