I’m only kidding, we have no plans to start a travel guide business, at least not yet. However it does take some extra planning and a bit of a change in our normal travel style to accommodate four others who will be travelling with us for nearly a month. By the way, have you guessed who our extra special guests are yet? Our parents! Both my parents and Mr. Wander’s parents joined us for several weeks in Italy, Greece, Turkey and Croatia. Then Mr. Wander’s parents will be staying a few days extra for a train journey through Slovenia and Switzerland. Phew! Six countries in four weeks takes some organizing but since we had planned this around a 7 day cruise in the Mediterranean it lighted our load a bit.
Fair Verona
Before we met up with the parents, we made sure we were in Italy a few days early and decided to visit Verona. It was a city I looked at to be adjacent to the Dolomites back when we were looking at places to be in Europe and it just stuck. We traveled from Vienna to Verona by train just one day after the global computer glitch that affected so many travellers. Thankfully we didn’t have bigger travel planned that weekend, and only had one train delayed.
As we arrived in Verona and had a bit of a walk through the town to our hotel called L’Opera. We were very close to the outdoor Ampitheatre (think mini Colosseum) that holds operas in the summer evenings, but we came in too late to attend. The hotel was interesting as it was like they had just part of one floor of the building and turned it into hotel rooms. Ours came with a private bathroom but it was unattached so we had to use keys to unlock our bathroom and be able to get back into our room across the hallway that also served as the lobby.
After doing the self check-in, we ventured nearby to dinner and had a local style of Risotto, called Risotto Amarone. Amarone is a local Red Wine and ours was made with a local cheese called Monte Veronese. It was pretty good but I think I do prefer the more traditional Parmesan and white wine. We had a few glasses of house wine and some Panna Cotta and Tiramisu for dessert. We were both pretty tired and made our way back to get ready for bed. The next morning we met our host and he suggested walking to Piazza Castel San Pietro to get great views of the city and a place for picnic.
We slept in a bit so by the time we got to the picnic place it was perfect for an early lunch. It’s actually more of a deli so you could get meat or cheese freshly sliced to take home. We opted for the picnic and got a few buns, a bit of cut melon, and a few beers to have out on the patio. The prosciutto was amazing, giant pieces and so thin and fresh! We told him to pick whatever cheese goes best and he did the local cheese that was in our risotto the night before. We went out back and made our sandwiches and had the entire picnic area to ourselves, watching the very fast Adige River flow by.
Fully fueled, we made our way across the river and up many stairs to the plaza for the beautiful views!
It was pretty hot so we worked our way back to the hotel to cool off in the AC until it was time for our cooking class at 5pm. It was pretty close to us, only about 5 minute walk and we joined up with 3 other groups from the US representing Tennessee, South Carolina, and California. The main chef had learned to cook pasta from her granny when she was young because she realized she had an issue with salt and sugar that made her sick, so she had to cook her own portion.
We first started with making the dough of just flour and an egg, kneeding it a little until it all came together without it being floury. We had the option of making an orange dough using a combination of chili powder and paprika. We wrapped them in plastic and they rested in the fridge for awhile. During this time the main chef’s partner was entertaining us all with little jokes and really helped the group become more lively. He had so much energy he must’ve had several espressos before we arrived!
While our dough rested, she took out a few other doughs that had arleady rested, a plain, a green colored with matcha, and a purple colored with beets. She said you can also make brown pasta using cocoa powder and is really good in the winter. For the plain dough you use one medium egg with 100g of flour, give or take depending on size of your “medium” egg. You can add 3-5g of powder for coloring but reduce the flour by that amount. They had these tiny precise scales for measuring the 5g we used, I’ll have to add that to my arsenal of baking equipment!
With the plain dough she gave us all very small pieces and practice rolling out by hand on a wooden board and with a wooden rolling pin. She said the grooves in the wood create a texture on the dough which sauce sticks to better. Next she showed us how to make multicolored pasta using a hand crank machine. Next she took out the hand crank machine and showed that you can put different herb leaves between sheets of dough and as you get thinner it creates a patterned effect with the green showing through, and would flavor the dough. I think she did cilantro (coriander) but you could do basil or parsley as well.
She took the purple beet dough and made fettuccine, then took the green and just made the flattened sheet just slightly skinnier than the machine width. After placing the fettuccine pieces on the green dough spaced evenly, she put it through the machine until it was the proper thickness and she had a sheet of striped dough! So simple!
Next she cut squares for us to learn to make both farfalle or bow tie, and also garganelli. It’s like penne but the ends are not parallel to each other and you use this textured board to get a ribbed effect as you roll the squares into a tube.
Finally it was time for our dough to be ready and we all got a chance to work on a hand crank machine. I was already familiar with this as I have my grandmas old machine, but we just use it for making noodles for chicken noodle soup with her, my mom, and my sister. First we took the dough and ran it through at the thickest setting several times until the color started to be more consistent, essentially kneading it much faster than you would do by hand. We started with just the plain dough, and once it was kneaded you started to shape it into a skinny and long piece, trying to get the ends to be as straight as possible. Then you step the thickness down one by one until we got to 5 and placed them in a pile, properly floured so they would be able to be separated. This also allowed the pasta to dry out a little, but not too much.
Once we each had a chance to try this, working in partners on a machine, she flipped over the pile and we all got to make our fettuccini. She showed us a few ways to lay out the pasta depending on what you were going to do, she folded it in half and a little twist and thats how she would present when giving to others. For freezing she would wrap it around her hand in a nest to freeze for later. The nice thing about this is when you make a batch with 1 egg, it’s perfect for 1 person for a full meal, or 2 people as a first course. This batch is usually split into two for the right size of the machine so then when you take out of the freezer, you grab 1 or 2 nests per person so you have the right amount. For making it right away, she just threw it on the tray haphazardly.
Next came the orange dough, which we just needed to put into a thin sheet that was wider than the fettuccini, as we were going to make ravioli. Using our hand size as a guide, she told us where and how many ravioli to make, then we used a pastry bag to put a large dallop of an herbed ricotta mixture. We fold over the dough and press using the outer edges of both hands,then running our fingers around to get rid of any air and then squeeze the front shut. She checked to make sure we had no air and then used the ravioli cutters that helped crimp the edges and cut the ruffled square. You could also use a cookie cutter but you had to crimp the edges after as it just cuts and doesn’t press.
Next up we were brought out to the kitchen area to taste some crackers, cheese, and get some wine as she started to make the sauces. The first sauce was lemon to go with the fettuccine. She plated it for us all and we went into the other room to enjoy the first course. Next she made a parsley sauce with fried onions to go with the ravioli. At the end we signed the guest book and got our picture taken that would be put up on their map of the world! We got to be their first ones from MN! I really love this map and might get one of these for our future house showing our travels.
Venetian Visitors
The next day we had a train to Venice, which we planned for the middle of the day to straddle the time between checkout at one hotel and check-in at the next, but we still had a few hours once we got to our stop. We didn’t go all the way to the island but got off just before and walked to a nearby sandwich shop. They had giant sandwiches made in focaccia bread, mine was with tomatoes, mozzarella, and pesto and was amazing. I’m not one for tomatoes but in this it was perfect to break up the cheese, and I think it tastes less acidic than tomatoes I’d get in the US.
We enjoyed our sandwihces and a few rounds of drinks (hugo sprits for only 4 euro each!) and then managed to check in about 45 minutes early.
We did some last minute laundry and checking our bookings and just had an easy night. The next day after checking out we got a late breakfast at that same sandwich shop and headed to the airport via a bus to await our special guests. I was so thankful that despite Delta having issues still from the computer bug and a 2 hour layover in Paris just before the start of the Olympics, all 4 of them and all of their bags made it to Venice! We were so excited to see each other we didn’t even think about taking a picture together.
After reuniting for the first time in over 6 months we headed for the coast in some moving walkways and escalators to get to the water taxis. We took one of the larger boats and were a bit packed in, and had a long way to go as there were several stops and we were on the other side of the island near San Marco square. Finally we arrived and only had a 10 minutes walk to get to our hotel. Our rooms had a nice view of a spot where you can board a gondola for a tour of the canals.
Our first night they were all pretty tired after 2 flights and not sleeping much for over 24 hours so we took it easy on them and had a short walk to dinner. Dinner was pretty good but nothing too spectacular food-wise. Most of them were ready to turn in to get some sleep but Mr. Wander’s dad loves walking so the 3 of us started out with the goal that everyone should try once in Venice: Try to get lost! We wandered about for a good 15 minutes when he told us he wanted to see this bookstore that regularly gets flooded. We found the spot but they closed about a half hour before. He went back later and told us that they have several boats some of the books are in to protect for the next time it floods. We ended our walk by walking across San Marco square, which had several bands playing outside for patrons of a few very old coffee shops.
The next day we walked to Rialto bridge over the Grand Canal and then across to the north side of the island to catch one fo the vapporetti boats taht would take us to the nearby island of Murano. There are several islands that make up the Venecian Lagoon, Murano is probably the best known because of their specialty with hand blown glass. I booked a tour at one of the factories that was only 5 Euro each which gave a quick demonstration and then they brought you to the show rooms and gift shops.
We worked our way back to a cafe near the dock to get a snack, sharing a few pizzas and having a few beers. Catching a boat back we rode a bit longer to go around the island to a dock closer to our hotel. We got to walk across the square this time during the midday and got to see the craziness of the lines to get into the churches and palace. We opted to go back to our rooms and cool off a bit and get some water. My mom and I did venture out later to find some cannolis because I got really excited after those I had in Boston a few years ago. Unfortunately, the ricotta left a lot to be desired so I’m in search of the best cannolis around Italy.
We hung out in the hotel bar people watching those getting in line for the gondolas while enjoying cocktails and snacks. My parents decided they wanted to do a ride so I went out with them to wait in line so I could get a few pictures. This was my favorite pic:
Don’t worry, I got good ones, too!
That night we wandered a bit farther for dinner which tasted much better. I was proud of my parents for venturing out and trying some new kinds of seafood!
A Roman Holiday
The next morning we took the vaporetti to the train station after we had to check out and had to wait a bit for our train. The train was really nice and included a little snack box. We didn’t realize we booked business class but the entire train was this except one car of Executive. It worked perfectly as the 4 parents shared a table and Mr. Wander and I shared a small table across the aisle.
A few hours and several rounds of cribbage later, we arrived in Rome and walked off the train station to order an Uber. It took awhile to get a van since there was an accident which the driver had to get around but finally we were heading to our hotel. Just like our hotel in Verona, the hotel was on just one floor of a building but it took us a while to find it! It wasn’t right where the driver dropped us off as it becomes a pedestrian only area in the afternoon/evening. Eventually we found the spot and made it inside to find an envelope with the keys and instructions how to get into our rooms.
We got some food at a restaurant a few blocks over and they were so nice! We had some excellent food, I especially loved the mozzarella appetizer! I think fresh mozzarella is my absolute favorite cheese, I know some people think it’s bland but it’s so creamy and really helps neutralize the acid in tomatoes and carries pesto and basil so well. YUM. One of my parents got a crab pasta and they used the shell and claws to make it look like a crab on the plate! So clever.
The following morning before breakfast Mr. Wander and his dad took a walk around and found a few Spanish Steps and enjoyed the empty streets in the early morning.
We had breakfast delivered to our room which was a tray of pastries, jams, and tea and coffee. Then we took an Uber to the Vatican to see inside St. Peter’s Basilica. The line was super long but it moved pretty fast. There was a few security lines but just to get into the church there actually wasn’t a charge at all! Unfortunately, one of the highlights, the altar, was under construction so we didn’t get to see that this time. My mom and I went back to where the gift shop was and bought a few postcards and stamps to send to my nephews and her grandson. They had a post box right there, I think it was the fastest I managed to write and send out postcards after buying! So far I’m in another country before I actually get them sent off, whoops!
Fully dripping with sweat after writing the cards we make it back to the main area where there’s a bit more airflow to meet up with the others. After we made our way out we had several hours to kill until our tour of the Sistine chapel. Looking back we probably should have gone back to the hotel for a least some of the time but we did get to do a bit of a progressive dinner across the town. I think the best spot was actually an Irish bar in the middle because it was air conditioned! The beers were quite nice too, since they had more than just the 1-2 light beers I’d so far seen around Italy.
Eventually we made it to 5pm to meet our tour, but it was busier than I had expected for being “after hours”. At least it was a little less hot. We had a headphone to hear our guide and she introduced the history of the famous ceiling painting. Michelangelo took 4 years to do the full ceiling, about half in 3 years but then he got sick from one of the paint colors so as he recovered he worked on sketches back at home for about 8 months, then did the rest in a blazing 1 year since he had most of it planned out.
The guide started us in the courtyard area and gave us background about Michelangelo and the project, and then we started our way through. There was a ton of other amazing paintings before we even got to the Sistine chapel, including this one that looks like it’s 3D but it’s just painted! My dad said this was one of his favorite parts.
We saw several rooms with paintings by Rafael but I really liked this who’s who of roman intellectuals including Plato and Aristotle right in the middle called The School of Athens. He painted this while Michelangelo was painting the ceiling and after seeing some of the work, decided to incorporate a portrait of him in the front left sitting on the steps, in honor of his brilliance.
The collection of paintings and sculptures at the Vatican is so massive it is hard to take everything in. My favorite parts though was the mosaics and tiles in the floor, so intricate and gorgeous!
The tour finished in the chapel but we were not allowed to take images, so the one of the poster is as close as we could get to capturing it. After our tour we got another Uber back to the hotel and stopped at a restaurant on the way for dinner. We were all pretty tired since the tour was a good 2.5 hours and we had been out mostly in the heat all day. Dinner was pretty tasty and then we all turned in for a good night’s sleep.
Boarding My First Proper Cruise
The next morning I had organized for a car to pick us up at 10:30 to take us to the Civitavecchia port that is nearly an hour outside Rome, longer if there is traffic. The check-in was really smooth, we dropped our bags as we already had the tags already on. Props to my parents that printed them and brought some packing tape for attaching! Then we headed through the passport control where they checked the boarding pass and passports a few times, went through x-rays, checked our boarding pictures, and then they let us on. We had to take a quick group boat selfie.
This is actually my first big cruise like this, while everyone else has been on at least one. We were able to get to our rooms to drop our carry-on bags and pickup our keys but the rooms weren’t completely ready yet. Then we headed up to the buffet to get our first onboard lunch. We walked around the ship getting our bearings with the different bars, lounges, restaurants and other activity spaces before too many people were aboard.
We were on the Celebrity Ascent which is one of their newer top line ships. They had several bar areas that were tucked away and you could forget you were on a ship with thousands of others. Our first night we watched a magician from South London who was also a break dancer and had been featured on Britian’s Got Talent. I’ve never seen a card trick done with a backflip! He did pick the wrong person from the audience though, she didn’t even know what the suits were and called one of them “clover”.
The next day we woke up in Naples and had to be up early to eat and get off the ship. The tour we were on took us to Pompeii but of course we had to stop in a shop along the way where they made jewelry and other carvings out of shells.
It was crazy to see not just the pottery and implements found perfectly preserved, but also the loaves of bread, seeds and nuts. We also were able to see through a window several people who had been preserved because the material that came from the volcano solidified over the shape of whatever they touched. many of the humans had decomposed inside but whenever a cavity was found, the archaeologists filled the cavity with plaster to preserve the shape before fully excavating it.
It was interesting to hear from Mr. Wander and especially his mom who had both been here before, but 10 and 50 years ago, respectively. They had recently opened a new room so some of it was different than what Mr. Wander had remembered, and when his mom was here there was very little excavated and none of the facilities at the entrance. She remembers the ampitheatre being there though, as it was around that time Pink Floyd had performed a concert live here in this ampitheatre so they had several posters and other exhibits talking about the event.
I really enjoyed the greenery growing between some of the buildings and sometimes you’d glimpse the volcano and mountains in the background. After a few hours of walking around, our bus took us back to the port where we got back on to get lunch and cool off with AC. That afternoon I visited the gym to do some biking to get ready for our upcoming bike adventure (more details here). It’s a fundraiser and there’s still time to donate, so please check it out! Then my mom joined me at one of the pools where it was inside and adults only, so it was much less crowded.
That evening after dinner we enjoyed a lovely sunset as the ship left port on the way out to sea.
Next Time
After about a week in Italy it was time to relax at sea for a few days, then onto Turkey and Greece. Things get pretty easy to organize if you plan a trip over a cruise, since they take care of a bunch of the little things. So far I was liking the cruise ship travel and ready to see a couple of new countries! Join us next time! Arrivederci!