During our planning, we became quite interested in the wine regions around Verona, and we were not disappointed in our visits. There are multiple appellations within 30-60 minutes driving, and each...
Blog posts from Travel
Italy: Bardolino food & drink
Thursday Dinner at La Piccola Osteria. I tried the macaroni picante (spicy) with Gorgonzola cheese, delicious! Leandra got the beef cappacio with a pile of cheese on top! We split a 500 ml carafe of...
Italy 2023: Bardolino sights
Bardolino was a lovely town to base ourselves as it is quite walkable, has lovely views of the lake, and isn't too noisy at night. Walking around town you hear a lot of German, as it is (apparently)...
The mountain vacation that wasn’t
Instead of heading out-of-state for Memorial Day we planned a week-long return (2021, 2022) to the NC mountains. As the title of this post indicates, it simply wasn't meant to be... On 11am Friday...
Italy 2023: Venice sights
We had three nights in Venice, which let us explore several districts primarily on foot. Monday After dropping our bags at the apartment we went for our first unencumbered walk around the city. Not...
Italy 2023: Venice food & drink
Monday El Sbarlefo - With our first round of wine, a grechetto for me (lighter white with mineral and nice acidity) and a primitivo for Leandra, we also ordered some fried cheese bites. Leandra had...
Italy 2023: Milan
On this trip to Milan we flew into the smaller, but much closer, Linate airport, which let us take the city 73 bus to the Duomo area. After dropping our bags at the hotel we walked around, trying to...
Italy 2023: Where we stayed
Milan: STRAFhotel&bar Pros: Prime Location - great location right next to the Duomo, so right in the heart of the historical center. Good sleep - the shutters really kept out the light and...
Italy 2023: Introduction & flights
On our overnight layover in October (coming back from Poland) I happened to see a good deal on premium economy tickets to various cities in Europe for Spring 2023. After quite a bit of hunting we...
Weekend trip to Richmond: Carytown and Museum District
After exploring the Lewis Ginter Gardens, we needed some shade and a snack, so we stopped by Garden Grove Brewing. Eric tried their tropical Kitsu (a mead with loads of citrus) while Leandra enjoyed...
Weekend trip to Richmond: Fort Darling and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
During our trip to Richmond we visited two very different outdoor areas. Just off I-95 between Petersburg and Richmond we stopped at the Confederate Fort Darling, used during the Civil War to...
Weekend trip to Richmond: Scott’s Addition
We spent most of Saturday afternoon exploring the Scott's Addition neighborhood of Richmond, a trendy district known for its density of breweries and restaurants. We tried the following: Three...
Weekend trip to Richmond, VA
Richmond is about a 2.5 hr drive for us, so it makes for an easy weekend getaway. We've long wanted to see the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, and April is a great time for gardens in the South, so...
Orlando 2023: EPCOT
Sunday was our day at EPCOT. I set an alarm for 6:55am to join the first virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy but didn't get in. We slept a bit longer and while enjoying my fancy cold brew, I...
Orlando 2023: Mills 50
On Saturday we didn't want to stay in the hotel room (or at Disney Springs) the entire day, so we took an Uber to the Mills 50 area to check out the street art. While we did find a few murals to...
Orlando 2023: Disney Springs
Our hotel was an easy 8 minute walk to Disney Springs, so the first night we went exploring. The temps were on the chilly side but most places with outdoor seating had heaters set up. After...
Orlando 2023: intro
I had intended to visit Disneyworld with my sister's family in 2021 but that trip was unfortunately cancelled, leaving me with an unused 2-day ticket. After perusing forums and making several calls...
San Diego 2023: food & drink
Friday Beer at California Wild Ales: Tom yum (spicy), Citrus x, Meyer, Maul, Peach. I'm not 100% sure I got the right flavors, but it was tasty nonetheless! Leandra liked her super dark and fruity...
Our Itinerary
2024 Trips
San Diego, CA (Jan)
Sarasota, FL (Feb)
Madrid, Spain (Mar)
Valencia, Spain (Mar+Apr)
Palma, Mallorca (Apr)
Croatia (May)
Faroe Islands (Aug)
London, UK (Sept)
Bari, Italy (Sept)
Rome, Italy (Oct)
Frankfurt, Germany (Oct)
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Oak Island, NC (Sept)
Brooklyn, NY (Sept)
Bordeaux + Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castilla y León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)
2022 Trips
Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)