Travel Log
- Pack up suitcases for journey home
- Breakfast at hotel
- Taxi to Florence Airport
- Tyler forgets Pokémon gifts in airport at another gate and runs back and is able to recover them right before we board. 😳
- KLM 1642 City Hopper flight to Amsterdam
- Flight delayed over 40 mins due to baggage loading issues. Anxious with an already short transfer to next flight.
- Another Amazing Race experience as we dashed from the Cityhopper late arrival to gate D47 with only 25 minutes to departure. Cleared passport control on super-fast-cut-in-front-of-everyone and were the last four welcomed onto the plane by the KLM gate agent waving us along! 🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♂️🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♂️
- Delta 165 to Minneapolis landed at 5p CT
- Lyft ride home
- Home Sweet Home!
- Breakfast at hotel
- Walk to cooking class pickup
- Ride to Accidental Tourist villa
- Pasta cooking class in Tuscan Countryside with Accidental Tourist
- Ride back to pickup location
- walk to hotel
- Cool down, freshen up
- Taxi to Chalet Fontana to get olive oil and honey, but they don’t sell their honey ☹️🍯
- Walk back to hotel with “The Struggle”
- Cool down and freshen up
- get gelato at Venchi
- Help Angie get pool open over FaceTime
- Walk around and shopping
- Tammy and Mazie purchased matching linen shirts
- Dinner at New Bridge pizza with Moscato d’Asti
- Stroll around Duomo and take in last scenes of Florence at night
- Return to hotel
- 😴
- Breakfast at hotel
- Short walk to meeting point for David and Duomo VIP Walking Tour
- Viewing of Michelangelo’s David
- Tour of Duomo of Florence
- Walk to special tour of rooftop terrace of Duomo
- Walk up to tour dome of the Duomo which triggers fear of heights and makes all but Mazie turn down before proceeding to the top of the dome.
- Mazie solo visits the top of the Duomo Dome.
- Mazie’s trek to the top of the Dome is extended due to a dignitary from China visiting Duomo
- We all collect together and get Gelato at Venchi and Tyler chooses a crêpe instead
- Lunch at Central Market: Tyler gets smashburger, Jamie gets Tagliatelli with truffle sauce, Mazie and Tammy split caprese panini.
- E-bike Florence & Taste of Tuscany with We Like Tuscany
- Stop at Chalet Fontana for Olive Oil tasting.
- Walk back to hotel to freshen up and quick change
- Ristorante Natalino for Bistecca which is giant and very rare. Mazie gets the House Lasagna and likes it but it is very different than what we usually have for lasagna. Tyler has more pasta with butter.
- After dinner Gelato at Rivareno, again Tyler gets a crêpe and this time with two scoops of gelato as well.
- Slow walk back to hotel
- Stop at Venchi for some after dinner chocolate for Mazie and Jamie
- Bad restaurant choice for crêpes at breakfast, but had nice seating in the shade
- Much better choice for pastries at Pasticceria Giovanni
- Return to Combo Hotel to get luggage
- Attempt to recreate photo from our wedding.
- Water taxi to Venice train station
- Train 8929 to Florence
- Walk from train station to Arté Boutique Hotel with our luggage
- Get checked into hotel, first hotel where we are all in the same room on this trip
- Walk to meeting point for our evening Pizza and Gelato class
- Recreate photo from our wedding in celebration of our 21st Anniversary!
- Take bus few minutes out of Florence into Tuscan hills
- Great time at Pizza and Gelato Cooking Class: Tammy and Jamie make Stracciatella and Mazie and Tyler make Pistachio gelato. Everyone makes Margarita pizzas, except Jamie with sausage and spiced oil.
- Take bus back to Florence
- Walk back to hotel
- 😴
- Underwhelming breakfast at combo hotel
- Walk to Lagoon Excursion: Murano Glass, Burano and Wine
- Took boat to Burano with Christiano, Aubrey, and Ozzie on the special local route
- Admire Burano lace and watch one of the last 7 remaining lacemakers at work
- Rainbow of colorful houses
- Enjoy a ton of unique Venetian cookies: chocolate chip, coconut, apricot, and Nutella
- Sample tomato, basil, and cream cheese chicchetti as a pre-wine appetizer
- Walk around Vinezza vineyard and learn about the struggles of the high ground and low ground grapes
- Sample Venuza and Veniza wines
- Boat to neighboring Murano island
- Glass blowing and sculpting demonstration
- Explore the many various glass shops/factories in Murano
- Boat back to Venice and say goodbye to Christiano
- Walk to a pizza/ panini hole in the wall spot recommended by Christiano
- Meander back to hotel and stop at Time bakery for some Doja bread and cream puffs
- Pit stop at hotel: Jamie stays behind to update YNAB while Tammy, Mazie, and Tyler venture out to explore hundreds of secret alleys in the city
- Tyler buys Real Madrid jersey at soccer shop
- Meet up at Birraria La Corte for dinner
- Delicious bread, pizza, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, tiramisu, biscuit and marscapone cream basket, and panna cotta
- Walk back to Hotel
- Chill
- Underwhelming breakfast at Combo hotel.
- Walk to Venice in a Day experience start.
- Walking tour of many of Venice sights.
- Gondola ride through canals.
- Started raining, duck into Ristorante Chianti just outside of Saint Marco Plazq for a delicious lunch. Tammy orders a bottle of Moscato d’Asti to go with lunch
- Meet back with our group to see the Church of Saint Marco.
- Detailed tour of Doge Palace and introduction to the Venetian government system pre-Napoleon.
- explore to find gelato. Took a bit and found “a really cute place” that Mazie found.
- Walk back to Combo hotel.
- Tammy and Jamie both fall asleep.
- Wake up just in time to walk to Pastry Tour.
- Fast walk to train station to meet Maria, Pastry Tour guide. Jamie’s injured left leg hurt a lot.
- Explore 5 different places.
- Get 3 meatballs at restaurant recommended by Maria.
- Walk back to hotel.
- 😴
- Great breakfast at iQ Hotel. Impressive spread.
- Check out of hotel.
- M3 train to Duomo
- Explore Galleria Vitoria Emanuele
- Get coffee at Marchesi
- Take full tour of Duomo. Incredible! Rooftop views are impressive.
- Tammy and Tyler run to get take home gift for his friends. Jamie and Mazie take pictures in Duomo plaza while thunderstorm approaches.
- Duck into Metro just as storm arrives and take M3 back to Central FS.
- Train 9735 from Milan to Venice
- Arrived in Venice
- Take water bus 4.2 to hotel
- Checkin at Combo
- Poor choice and decide to have a fairly simple and non-Italian dinner at the hotel
- Walk around Venice for an hour and see the city. Amazing golden hour photo opportunities.
- Return to Combo hotel.
- Amazing breakfast at iQ Motel
- Catch express train 8803 from Milan to Modena for Ferrari Day!
- Walk out of train station wrong way because of cute train mural on walls
- Walk to Enzo Ferrari Museam
- Briefly explore the smaller side of museam
- Shuttle to Maranello
- See the museam- Jamie shed some tears at the F1 racing display
- Photo shoot in yellow Ferrari
- Lunch at Museam Cafe (much better than the equivalent in the US and cheaper)
- Panaramic factory tour- short naps for all
- Shuttle back to Modena
- Racing simulation for Mazie and Tyler
- See larger section of the Rnzo Ferrari museam
- Macarons, coffee, and chocolate crumble at museam cafe
- Walk back to train station and wait for delayed train
- Train back to Milan- seating troubles
- Train 40 mins late, so have to take a White Taxi to Mad Machines
- Taxi driver hauls it like we’re on the Amazing Race, but we are still 5 mins late
- Time Machine: another amazing escape room with so many rooms and creative challenges
- Tram to Pizzeria Fabrico
- Delicious pizza, pasta, and tiramisu
- Metro back to hotel
- 😴
- Breakfast in Soglio and sending goodbyes to our hiking group: Dave, Erik, Gary, and Theresa 👋
- Tammy and kids explore Soglio while Jamie has a cappuccino and tended to tasks on the deck
- 🚌 B 632 to Promontogna nice and easy with bus waiting for us
- 🚌 B 4 to Chiavenna super packed bus that we barely squeezed on and had to stand with all our luggage
- 🚊R 10165 Train to Colico
- 🚊R 2825 Train to Varenna
- Lunch at Locando Cavanillo
- 🚊Train to Milan
- Check into iQ Motel
- Take M2 train to Porto Geneva
- Walk to Pizza & Mozarella for delicious pizza
- Walk to Mad Machines
- Escape the Birth room at Mad Machines!
- Walk back to Porto Geneva stop and take M2 back to central station
- return to hotel super tired and debate which train to take tomorrow. Pick 8:05am departure.
- Breakfast at Hotel Edelweiss
- Tammy gets trail lunch at Volg
- Bus to Vicosoprano
- Begin hike to Soglio
- Hunkered down to avoid thunderstorm
- Resumed hike with long ascent
- Beautiful trail across several waterfalls
- Slippery rocks: Tyler falls twice, Jamie slips many times and falls once
- Amazing Roman Road on trail
- Arrive in Soglio
- Explore village
- Shop at Soglio Products for various lotions
- Cappuccino and snack at Palazzo Salis while waiting out another downpour
- Return to hotel for rain gear
- Tyler and Dad watch end of Tour de France stage. Tyler writes another blog post. Mazie and Mom shop in village.
- All Go out for photo walk in Soglio.
- Final group dinner.
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Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 17
Weather: Warm morning in Florence. Airports fine.
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Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 16
Weather: Hot and sunny.
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Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 15
Weather: Warm and cloudy in the morning. Hotter and sunnier in the afternoon.
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Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 14
Weather: Cool morning in Venice. Very nice. Much warmer in Florence in the evening. Nice in the shade.
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Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 13
Weather: Warm and sunny, cool evening
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Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 12
Weather: Cool and cloudy in morning. Warm and sunny in afternoon. Overall nice day.
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Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 11
Weather: Started warm in the morning. Thunderstorms in Milan in afternoon. Warm in Venice.
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Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 10
Weather: Hot and hot
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Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 9
Weather: Warm and sunny in the morning.
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Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 8
Weather: Cool morning in Sils Maria. Big thunderstorm in mid-morning by Vicosoprano. Cloudy most of the day on trail. Nice on arrival into Soglio with heavy rain in later afternoon. Cool evening.
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