megtdsullivan

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 13: Zakynthos

This little island in Greece was a lot of fun! The main attractions here have to do with the water and their wildlife! The color of the water here was so blue it looked unreal.

Where we visited:

Xigia Beach

Navagio (Shipwreck) Beach

Blue caves

Boat tour with open water swim!

Port of Zakynthos

Kalamaki Beach (Sea Turtles lay their eggs here)

Kerri Caves

Marathonisi (Turtle Island)

Turtle Spotting

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 12: Naples

We only had a quick day trip in Naples as our last stop in Italy, but we had a good time and made the most of it! Had to finish off our Italy portion of the trip with some delicious Pizza!

Where we visited:

Catacombs of Saint Gennaro

Historic Heart of Naples

Galleria Umberto

Castll del Ovo

Lugomare walkway (Vesuvius in the Background!)

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 11: Pompeii

Pompeii was something we were both very excited for and it did not disappoint! This leg of our trip had a lot of changes and because of some sea weather we had some plans cancelled but we made the most of every day and saw everything we could!

Where we visited:

Herculaneum Ruins

Town of Salerno ( A cathedral and crypt visit, some geocaches, and a beach day)

Pompeii Ruins

Hike up Mount Vesuvius

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 10: Rome

Rome was one of our longest stays this trip! Our airbnb was extremely close to Campo de Fiori, which was amazing to see the market being set up for work every day and the night life that came out in the restaurants and music. We had a mixture of nature and history in this time that gave us a great picture of how Rome became what it is today. It is a contender for our favorite city so far on the trip! Besides the sights we visited below, we stopped in to see the amazing art and architecture in many churches. Rome has over 900 churches!

Where we visited:

Spanish Steps

English Movie in the Borghese Garden (The Front Page)

Roman Forum

Paletine Hill

Colosseum

Appian Way Bike tour featuring the sentient aqueducts

Traditional Roman food tour

The Vatican Museum

Piazza San Pietro

Saint Peter’s Basilica

Borghese Gallery

Trevi Fountain

Pantheon with a rare sighting of rain through the Oculus!

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 9: Florence

Florence was beautiful and once again full of history! France was easy going beach days but we picked up the tourist attractions again here to get us started in Italy! Neither of us had been here before and there was so much we wanted to see! As we walked around the city we also found a few geocaches- a great way to break up a long walk!

Where we visited:

Giardino Bardini

Piazzale de Michaelangelo

Piazza della Signoria

Accademia Gallery

Uffizi Gallery

All’ Antico Vinaio (great lunch spot!)

Pitti Palace

Boboli Gardens

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 8: La Spezia

La Spezia was another quick stop and the majority of our time here was spent in Cinque Terre! We had a great time hiking and visiting the towns in the area with their beautiful colors and historic buildings. The water was beautiful the entire time!

Where we visited:

Porto Venere

Doris Castle

Byron’s Grotto

Cinque Terre (5 Towns) we hiked between the first 3 and then took a train between the last two since the coastal path was being repaired!

1. Monterosso (stopped at a beach here too)

2. Vernazza

3. Corniglia

4. Manarola

5. Riomaggiore

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 7: Monaco

Monaco was a quick stop in between France and Italy! It is it’s own principality and while it is attached to France, does not belong to France. We just had a quick 2 night stay to see some of the sights before heading to Italy!

Where we visited:

The Princes’ Palace of Monaco

The Princes’ car collection

The Oceanographic Museum

The tourist section of the Monte-Carlo Casino

The Champions Promenade

Larvotto Beach

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 6: Nice

In Nice we continued to take advantage of the beaches! This was one of our longer stays and gave us some more time to relax and explore the city streets and nearby towns. Seeing the Alps and the ocean every day was a view we never got used to!

Where we visited:

Museum Masséna

Full Day Alps tour with a hike, towns Tende and Saorge and some historical cathedrals and buildings!

Museum of Modern Art Nice

Èze Exotic Garden and Medieval Town

Hike from Èze Village to the sea

Castle Hill Waterfall and Viewpoint

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 5: Antibes

Antibes was an unplanned stop, as we decided to skip over Arles and Marseille. Because of this we didn’t have many excursions planned, but it was like a little break from our busy tourist vacation! We went to the beach every day and relaxed a bit. Next we get ready to move onto some busier cities!

Where we Visited:

Old Town Antibes

Nomad Statue

Beach Gravette

Le Sentier du Litorral (our favorite views so far)

The Provencial Market (Farmers Market)

Beach Juan Les Pins

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 4: Barcelona

Barcelona was another busy city! Barcelona had a lot to offer in terms of sights and views, including our first vista of the sea. Picasso resided here for a time and Gaudí was a main theme of these last few days and his influence is clear throughout the city art and architecture. It had our favorite Basilica yet, and we are becoming pros at city metros.

Where we visited:

Picasso Museum

Las Ramblas Waterfront

La Sagrada Familia

Guadi Architecture Casa Mila and Casa Batilo

Harry Styles/ Wet Leg concert

Montserrat

Montjuic Castle

Park Guell

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 3: Madrid!

Madrid went by in the blink of an eye, we weren’t here for long but we made the most of it! The first day was a lot of travel, and a day trip the next day to Toledo, we only really got to explore Madrid on our last day there, but we are glad we did!

Bus from Granada to Madrid

Real Jardin Botanical de Madrid

Toledo

Alcazar of Toledo

Cathedral of Toledo

Puerta de Bisagra (Toledo)

Smallest window in the world (Toledo)

Mirador del Valle (Toledo)

Royal Palace of Madrid

Plaza Mayor

Plaza de la Luna

Oldest running restaurant in the world

The famous Perro Paco

The Prado Art Museum (5 hours- we saw everything there was to see! Pictures not allowed inside)

[megtdsullivan]

A post for the amazing art in our Granada airbnb. Which one speaks to you?

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 2: Granada, Spain

After a 3 hour train trip from Seville we made it to Granada! This city was a little bit faster paced and had lots of people out doing thing all the time which we liked. With not a lot of time we hit the ground running and did all we could! The spa day in the middle though was much needed and rejuvenated us to keep going. Our Airbnb was right near the center of town and so close to everything we needed.

Places we went:

Alhambra

Plaza Nueva

Albayzin Neighborhood

Hammam Granada Spa

Sacromonte museum and neighborhood

Sierra Nevada Tour

Basilica de San Juan de Dios

Night adventure tour of the city

On to the next!

[megtdsullivan]

First Stop: Sevilla Spain

We spent 5 days traveling through Sevilla with 1 day trip to Cordoba. The city was beautiful and full of historic buildings and streets. We had lots of local tapas! Where we visited:

Metropol Parasol

Cathedral of Seville: Rooftop tour!

Real Alcazar of Seville

Flamenco Show

Parque de Maria Luisa

Alcazar of Cordoba

Mezquite-Catedral of Cordoba