Venice - a City on the Water

A few years ago, in preparation for my epic Birthday Adventure, my friend Ashley gave me a travel journal. I wrote in it religiously - recapping each days events and escapades. I've taken notes on quite a few trips and I definitely think it's worth the time and effort. Especially for big trips where you're traveling to different cities - the notes are very important as you go back through your pictures and start organizing (or if you want to write about your trip and finally get around to it much much later). Hope you enjoy the journal view and notes on Venice!

Train: Verona to Venice - We woke up early to catch a taxi to the train station. This time, we didn't want to risk being in the wrong place! We quickly realized that something was different about my luggage - it was VERY HEAVY. Going up and down steps is a bit of a challenge with 50+ pounds of suitcase. Note to self: when packing for next European excursion, remember that the backpackers are onto something... travel light! We made it to the correct platform and boarded the train... but we were in the wrong car! We had to weave through 5 train cars before finding our seats. Finally, we were able to relax. That's one of the best things about riding the train - once you're settled in, you can just sit back and relax!

There were two stops in Venice: one was still on the "mainland" and then our stop - Venezia St. Lucia. The train crossed the water and we could see the big cruise ships docked nearby.

Hooray for Hollywood Studios

Lights, Camera, Action! Hollywood Studios, here we come! We started the day at the Starring Rolls Café - another Plain Chicken recommendation. We had a sweet roll for breakfast - and some coffee, but it was HOT outside, so the coffee was soon replaced by an icy cold drink instead!

And the star of the day is... Shelly!

After breakfast, we made our way to The Great Movie Ride. We waited in the line - and were glad that it wound in and out of the shade,

Flowers and food - Epcot Garden Festival

If you are ever able to visit Disney in the Springtime, be sure to check the schedule for the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. On any normal day in Epcot, the landscaping is beautiful, but during the festival, it is UNREAL.

Donald and Huey, Dewey, and Louie working in the gardens!

Gorgeous flowers!

Wild Life - Animal Kingdom - Walt Disney World

We had been looking forward to the Animal Kingdom since our last visit! We had not gotten to spend much time there, so we planned to start our day and take as much time as we wanted...

A Disney SisAdventure!

A couple of months ago, Shelly and I got a chance to go to the most magical, happiest place on earth: WALT DISNEY WORLD! I had a work conference, and when I found out the location, we immediately planned to extend the stay and mix some FUN with the business trip! 

Over the next few posts, I'm going to share some of our favorite Disney moments from our trip. We had SO many, because this was the first time we had been to Disney world for a vacation since we were little (we did go a few times on band trips in high school and college, but those don't count because we were in band uniforms, duh)!

Stay tuned for the recap and, of course, a few #sisadventures tips!

My My My Verona - Day One

*NOTE: this is a throwback-post! Originally posted on my "wordpress" blog and now it's been transplanted to it's rightful place here on #sisadventures - hope you enjoy!*

“Fair Verona, where we lay our scene…”

Last summer, we added Verona into our Italian adventure solely for the purpose of seeing an opera. During the summer months, the town turns one of its central attractions – Arena di Verona – into a beautiful and dramatic setting for an Opera Festival like no other.

Even though our only “planned” activity was the opera, we were able to spend some time exploring the town… starting with the main square, Piazza Brà. The term brà comes from the German word “breit” (broad). It’s by far the largest square in the old part of Verona, and is everything you have ever imagined about an “Italian” scene…

The square is lined with cafes and benches, perfect for people watching or just soaking up your surroundings. This seemed like the perfect place to try my first (and only) espresso of the trip, and of course there were plenty of gelato stands around to satisfy our gelato cravings!

As we made our way through the square, we got our first glimpse of “the” Arena, where we’d be watching the opera the next night. Well… maybe glimpse is the wrong word… it would have been hard to miss.

Even though it was late in the day, after we picked up our tickets, we had plenty of time to walk around the city and get our bearings. Just walking down the streets, you can’t help but be exposed to art at every turn. Look closely at the exterior walls of this building… so beautiful!

We walked down to the Piazza delle Erbe, which houses a marketplace full of vendors that offer the usual Italian souvenirs – but also the most delicious fruit I’ve ever tasted… I was again reminded of Under the Tuscan Sun, because the strawberries “tasted red,” and the pineapples “tasted yellow.” Delicious.

This photo of Piazza delle Erbe is courtesy of TripAdvisor

It was getting late in the day, which made for a bit of an eerie feeling when we looked up at the edges of the buildings and saw these guys looking down on us…

We finally made it to the Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge). Again, this is exactly what you picture when you think of an Italian café, no? The flower boxes and colorful buildings and eaves… all that’s missing is the accordion music, right?

Across the bridge, you can see some beautiful “creepy Italian trees” and the Teatro Romano, some of the ancient Roman ruins in Verona. Of course the Arena back in the main square is the most visible, but in recent years, with renovations of some of the “old” buildings, they have discovered some “older” remnants of Roman history buried beneath parts of the city.

By the time we’d walked all over “old town,” we were starting to get hungry. Unfortunately, we had not really researched places to eat. We quickly learned that if you want to eat “al fresco,” you need to plan ahead… because once the patios fill up, people are NOT MOVING. FOR HOURS.

One of the things we were most looking forward to in Italy was the food. And let me tell you, Italy DID NOT DISAPPOINT. We tried everything and loved (almost) everything. But we were not really ready for the dining “experience.” It starts from the minute you sit down… first comes the olive oil and bread, and your first decision: sparkling or still water? Either way, you’re buying it, so prepare yourself for that (and drink sparingly). In fact, in Italy, it is true that the wine is almost as cheap as the water!

Once the waiter brings your drinks, he will leave you be. And so begins your Italian dining experience. Since you are enjoying the beautiful scenery and the company of your wonderful friends, the wait staff will not interrupt… to take your order, to clear your plate, to give you a refill, to bring you the bill… until you flag them down and ask. This is definitely an adjustment from our American tendencies to do things as quickly and efficiently as possible, but it is ABSOLUTELY necessary to get into this mindset early on. If you don’t adapt, you’ll be stressed out for every meal. And who wants to be stressed out when you’re in a place like this?

Stay tuned for “day two” of our adventure in Verona!

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

So for now, I'm trying to keep my personal and professional blogs separate. But sometimes the lines get blurred, and I come across things that I want to share on both! Today's one of those days! Earlier this summer, my workplace hosted a cooking contest. Read all about the contest here, and check out my creation below!

The contest was ALL DESSERTS, so I came up with something summery and sweet - Strawberry Lemonade Cake. 

This recipe should be pretty easy to modify into whatever you'd like to make - cupcakes, a 13x9, a layer cake, or whatever you're in the mood to do!

Tap Tap Tap Your Troubles Away

When I first started working, one of my co-workers left every Monday afternoon and said “I’m off to tap class.”

Every Monday, she rushed out to her class, which I assumed was an exercise group - like an aerobics or jazzercise group.

That April, she invited me to come to her “recital.” I was a little surprised that grown women would be having a full-blown recital - I mean, when I think recital, I think little girls in tutus and parents crowding the stage with their cameras and rushing out the door as soon as the person you’re there to see does their dance.

The day of the “show,” I arrived at the Alabama Theatre and couldn’t believe it. There were cars everywhere. I thought, “hmm… what else is going on downtown today.” I finally found a place to park, made my way to the theater and realized that the people were here for the SHOW!