The Hungry Voyagers

France

A Parisian Date

September 26th, 2021 – September 29th, 2021

Table of Contents

Ah, Paris, one of the most romantic cities in the world. Home of the Eiffel Tower, the Lovre, the Arc de Triumphe, delicious pastry, and of course, WINE. We were beyond excited to kick off the beginning of our 2021 European Tour with this banger of a country. Would it live up to the hype?

A Familiar Delight

We started our journey flying from the USA with a layover in Iceland before landing in Paris. We had flown IcelandAir previously in 2020 to head to its home country Iceland and we were happy to stop over in a familiar airport. You can read about our trip here. After the pandemic Iceland had started hitting hard with their tourism marketing and were promoting it a great place to layover a day or two! Which we highly recommend doing so you can experience this small piece of nordic paradise.

Of course, being in Iceland again meant only one thing: Skyr had to be consumed.

The Undefeated Yogurt Champ of the World

Yeah it’s the best Yogurt you’ll ever eat. Creamy, sour, just enough sweetness, and fruity if you get the flavored one! Isey, the brand pictured here was one we frequently grabbed as a snack on our 2020 trip. After our yogurt itch was scratched, we were back on the plane heading to the city of lights.

A Magical Hotel

Our arrival into Paris wasn’t so smooth. We landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) on time, but the gate wasn’t ready so we had to taxi around for 45 minutes before getting off. Then, after all that waiting, the luggage took another 30 minutes to arrive at baggage claim. And if that wasn’t enough, the personal driver we hired on booking.com replied to one of our texts and apparently was not patient enough to wait for us and bailed. An expensive mistake we won’t ever make again. All we wanted was to get to our hotel and start eating baguettes.

We ended up getting an Uber and made it to the hotel. Seeing the location of where we’d be staying immediately lifted our spirits. I mean, if this was the view from the street imagine what the view from our balcony would be!

The Big Tower Picnic

The first thing you think of when you think of France is The Eiffel Tower, and because it was so close to our hotel, it was the first thing we went to see. It was about a 15 minute walk, but first we needed to grab some picnic essentials.

We first secured a baguette from the local bakery, Boulangerie Bonon. The smell of fresh pastry is a smell you never forget. The yeasty air, the hot ovens, and the sound of bread crunching as it is sliced, absolutely brilliant.

Tip: Always get your bread from a Boulangerie. Boulangerie is French for bakery, this typically means that the bread is freshly baked in the store. You always want fresh bread over anything prepackaged or baked the day previous, the difference in flavor and structure is stark!

We then stopped by the nearest Nicolas Kleber wine store, and picked out a bottle of Red Wine. We weren’t too sure about what wine to pick but, its France, our choice wouldn’t likely be a bad one. We grabbed a Bordeaux and our French picnic was complete.

Seeing the Eiffel Tower is really one of those ‘Holy Shit’ moments, similar to that of seeing the Colosseum. Standing in front of you this tall pointed structure, one that you you have seen in countless movies, pictures, and any other possible media, it really was an unreal moment. Emily and I took a long and silent couple seconds to take it all in. We were really in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was hard to comprehend it was all real.

Just like the movies

Our first evening in Paris was filled with plenty of those magical moments that you remember for the rest of your life. We had a reservation for one of the most famous café’s in all of Paris: Les Deux Magots. This café became famous during the 1920’s as it became a hotspot for artists. Their patrons most famously included Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Julia Child, and James Joyce. So, as you could guess, we were quite excited.

We turned up to, what I always imagined as, the classic French dining experience. The atmosphere was bustling. All around the café people were talking, laughing, smoking, and drinking wine. Waiters hustled back and forth from kitchen to table. The honking of cars and clanking of plates and glasses added to the orchestra. It was electric.

A charismatic waiter donned in a white shirt and black bowtie took us to our table. We chose to sit outside in the garden area.

The waiter helped us pick out some wines and we both got a Bordeaux (this confirmed we made a good choice earlier, phew!). Shortly into our wine indulgence, as if the night couldn’t get more magical, a jazz band started playing out front. It couldn’t have been more perfect, the atmosphere was more than we could have ever hoped for.

Our waiter wanted to take this of us. 10/10 photography!

For food, we both got the same dish, Roasted chicken with a creamy jus of mustard seeds and pan fried vegetables. The chicken was perfectly browned and juicy. It melted in our mouths with the flavor of butter and thyme. The vegetables sat in a rich jus that pulled everything together perfectly. For dessert, we elected for a Raspberry Macaron. French patisserie is unmatched so having a macaron in Paris was no question. It was perfectly tart and creamy with the freshness of the raspberry carrying through every bite. I’ll let the pictures do all the talking. It was one of our favorite meals of the entire trip not only for the food but for the undeniable “frenchness” of it all as well.

That night, we ended up getting pretty tipsy from the wine, and I ended up taking possibly the greatest selfie of all time.

Hard to beat that.

Breakfast of Champions

We woke up early and caught an Uber over to the opposite side of town. There was only one thing on our mind: Croissants. We chose to go to La Maison d’Isabelle, winner of the 2018 best butter croissant in Paris. And we would soon see why.

As soon as we got out the Uber, that smell of fresh pastry filled the air again. We stepped in line and noticed something concerning, there were no croissants left. We began to panic. We cannot leave Paris without consuming a croissant! As the person in front of us paid, we began to accept the fact that there would be no award wining croissants for us. But, as if by divine intervention, a fresh batch of beautiful buttery croissants were brought out. We got 1 each and also a baguette because, why not?

One of the advantages of going to La Maison is that there’s a farmers market right out front. We stopped by one of the local farmer’s stalls and picked up some fresh raspberries from a grumpy farmer, who was not happy to serve us. Our breakfast was complete.

We took a quick stroll to the next destination, walking past some drunk Englishmen at a pub at 10am on our way (Man City were playing PSG in the Champions League later that night. Maybe that explains why the farmer wasn’t happy to hear an English voice). We then plopped down in front of a little old church called Notre-Dame to eat our breakfast.

I didn’t think it was possible for a croissant to taste so good. They were perfectly toasted, light, but still buttery, and the lamination of the layers were unlike any croissant I had consumed before. Maybe with the thoughts of the macaron from the night before we thought raspberries would be the perfect pairing. We weren’t wrong. Something about fresh fruit and a delicious pastry just hits hard. It would be worth flying to Paris just to experience.

We were in such awe of Notre Dame. It was another one of those unbelievable sights you only see in the movies and there it was standing before us. However, just two years prior the world wasn’t quite sure it would still be standing.

On April 15th, 2019 Notre Dame suffered from a devastating fire, one that made international news. Emily remembers it clearly, she was in her Theatre History class with the livestream on the classroom TV and everyone silent as they watched this piece of art, this piece of history, burn.

Due to the damaged ceiling, collapsed spire, and extensive indoor damage we were unable to see the beauty of Notre Dame from the inside, as many people may not be able to until they restore this historic cathedral. But in that moment we were thankful to be able to see its beauty from afar and it was still breathtaking.

An Old Bookstore

After breakfast, number one on our list for the day was to visit the famous, Shakespeare & Company. During the 1920’s, the original Shakespeare & Company was a hotspot for many famous writers and poets, such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein. The current iteration of the store was built in the 1950s and modeled after the original store (which closed in the 1940s).

We walked in through the small doorway and were greeted with books everywhere you looked. The entire store is, quite literally, filled from head to toe with books of all kinds. Old, new, classic, modern. It was all here.

There’s even a cat that sits upstairs on his bed, getting pet by everyone that comes into his room. He was quite literally a ‘cat on a hot tin roof’ with the window open for him to get some fresh air. He was very friendly and clearly living his best life.

The Shadow of Notre-Dame

Everyone has heard of Notre-Dame, the larger than life Cathedral located in the heart of Paris, but what if I told you there was another, equally as beautiful (in our opinion) Cathedral located just a couple minutes walk from it? Well, there is. And it’s called Saint Chapelle.

We walked across one of the many bridges across the River Seine and ended up at a police blockade. Turns out the trial for the 2015 Paris Terrorist attacks was happening in the Palais de Justice, which happened to be right next to our Cathedral. The place was swarming with heavily armed guards, news cameras, and people in suits making their way through the blockade. We bought our tickets online and showed the guards, who let us in through the same entrance. We couldn’t help but chuckle at the contrast between tourists and stern-faced attorneys making their way through the blockade.

An important trial was happening in here!

After navigating through the police and fence guarding the buildings, we saw what we came for. First impressions – just your standard catholic church.

However, its monotonous outside was deceiving, because inside was the most beautiful collection of stained glass windows you could ever imagine. Blues, and reds cascaded the walls bordered by the shiniest gold giving the room an elegance and regality. The detail in the windows were intricate and left us truly speechless. The pictures cannot compare to the real thing.

Surrounded by beautiful stained glass windows

Sainte-Chapelle was constructed all the way back in 1248. It was ordered by King Louis IX, who wanted a place to put his collection of Christian relics. The most notable item he placed here was the Crown of Thorns. Pretty cool right? It’s like everything in Paris has some long lineage of history to it.

We walked down the stone, spiral staircase and there he was, the man himself, King Louis IX.

COVID-19 Fun

Then, came a moment we hadn’t really prepared much for. In fact, we completely winged it, and looking back, probably wasn’t smart. Because of COVID-19, most of Europe required a negative COVID test done 48 hours before entry in to their country. We needed to now get our COVID test done for the country we were heading to the next day. The thing is, we hadn’t planned where we were going to get our tests.

Luckily for us, near Sainte-Chapelle was a tent that was offering rapid tests. Great, we’d just do that. We talked to the nurse and she explained the whole process to us. Except she ended by saying we could only pay in cash. We didn’t have cash. But okay, we’ll just find an ATM and get some cash out. We tried 2 ATM’s, neither of which accepted Discover. At this point, morale was low. But to our luck (actual luck this time), we stumbled across a Pharmacy that happened to be doing rapid tests. The physician was super efficient and we received our negative test documents in seconds.

Glass Pyramid

The banks of the Seine River are dotted with flat, green pallets that fold out into stores. This is where locals sell all kinds of goods, from books to posters to vinyl records. It’s a pretty cool place to get a knick knack to bring back home.

This is where we also walked across the famous, Pont des Arts, where people would attatch locks to signify their love for each other (This is now illegal and they even have police watching to stop people from doing it!).

After walking through a tunnel, the light hit us as we emerged, and bam, there it was, that glass pyramid. Seeing The Louvre is another of those ‘holy shit I’m in a different country’ moments. All the movies we’d seen it in, all the photos, all the news broadcasts were all there in front of us.

The views from here were astounding and we decided to sit on a bench and eat the rest of our baguette as we watched pigeons fly around the courtyard.

The most famous glass pyramid in the world!

A Stroll through the Gardens

By this point we had already walked a fair distance and decided it was time to make our way back to the hotel, which was only a small 6 miles away. This loop back would take us through the Tuileries Gardens.

The entrance to the gardens is marked by a grand arch. The Arch de Triomphe du Carousel was built in 1808 to celebrate Napoleon’s victories.

The gardens were beautiful, we were just casually strolling and taking it all in. Out of the corner of her eye, Emily spots someone she thinks she recognizes. She does a double take and turned to me and said “I think that was Avan Jogia.” It was indeed. The Instagram sleuth had found out.

Somehow, someway, we missed that this week was Paris fashion week. As we turned the corner of a large building we started seeing people dressed nicely and a lot of press. To our surprise we turned around and found ourselves in front of the DIOR show that had just finished.

We were suddenly swarmed by models and influencers and we stood out like a sore thumb. How did we get in here? How do we get OUT of here? Also, what the hell? After snapping a few pictures, we scurried our way through security and laughed about it the rest of the day.

National Dish!

Our last night in Paris called for one thing, our mission goal: National Dishes. France is renowned for many foods: baguettes, crepes, and many others, but the official national dish is Pot au Feu.

We opted against getting an Uber there and walked through the bustling Paris streets to our destination. Paris really comes to night at life. It feels like the whole city comes out. Tiny backstreet restaurants become packed with people drinking wine, smoking, and eating.

We decided on trying this delicacy at the aptly named, Le Roi du Pot au Feu, a traditional looking Parisian café.

Inside was a single waiter standing behind the bar who barely spoke English. He daintily directed us to a table and took our order: 2 servings of Pot au Feu. On the table was a bottle of wine, free of charge. This was real experience we were searching for.

Pot au Feu is a fairly simple dish that just works. Tender beef in a hearty stew with potatoes, mixed vegetables, and a serving of bone marrow. It was delicious, and a great ending to our time in France.

Our waiter also gave us a tip on how to eat the bone marrow. He brought of some toasted bread and said to scoop some bone marrow out and put it on the toast with a sprinkling of salt. It was super tasty. A flavor profile we hadn’t taste before.

The End of Our Date

The next day we would wake up early to get an Uber to the train station before our journey to the next destination.

Did it go smoothly? Was it a disaster? Find out next time with Luxembourg.

Scotland

A Day in Braveheart Land

October 6th, 2021 – October 7th, 2021

Table of Contents

According to the list of 197 countries, the United Kingdom is listed as 1 country, which is how we count them. However, for story purposes, we decided to list each country in the UK as it’s on separate entry.

This was part of our 2021 European Trip, which we started in France. Catch up here before you read on.

Hello Scotland

We drove up from Whitby, a nice 4 hour drive in a tiny Nissan. There were only 2 seats in the back, meaning Emily had to squish between my brother and I. She was not happy. We drove up a good chunk of the Eastern coast of England and even passed through Stockton-on-Tee’s, the birthplace of Emily’s Great Grandfather.

Hours later we hit the Scottish border, and passed the sign designed to look like the Scottish flag. So creative. At first it wasn’t that much different from England, I’m not sure what I was expecting. But the further we drove, the more we came to see that Scottish countryside everyone talks about. Lots of green, stone walls, farms, sheep.

Edinburgh Castle

Just outside of our hotel was Castle Rock, a massive stone that looked over the Edinburgh Old town. Perched on top was the legendary Edinburgh Castle. Built in the 11th Century, this castle has undertaken 26 sieges in its long life, making it one of the most attacked castles in the world.

As the UK was still taking COVID measures seriously, we had to have masks to enter any buildings. Being fully prepared as we always were, we had forgotten ours. Luckily there was a castle gift shop near by where we all bought Tartan designed masks. We were in full blown tourist mode. As if the Scottish didn’t hate us English enough.

It was also here I caught glimpse of Scottish Liquid Gold: Irn Bru. Emily had to try this. I opened it and threw it into her hands like an excited child. She took one sip, made a face and said “Tastes like gasoline”, and forced a smile for the photo. Sorry Scotland.

For the next hour or so, we had a leisurely stroll around the Old Town. Edinburgh is a beautiful city. We came across St Giles’ Cathedral, I think one of the oldest churches I’ve ever seen, originally being constructed in the 12th century.

Whisky and Haggis

We continued walking around the beautiful cobbled streets of Edinburgh Old Town.
That’s when we came across an alley, half hidden in the street, with a sign that promised ‘The best haggis in town’. We walked down this dark, cobbled alley and was popped out at Arcade Bar Haggis and Whiskey House. Whiskey and Haggis? We were already feeling Scottish.

Inside, a wall filled with all types of Whiskey dominated the room. A chalk board labelled the ‘Whiskey of the Week’, Kirkerraw. A warm, Canadian bartender studying at Edinburgh University welcomed us and gave us Whiskey recommendations. Emily, my Dad, and I all got a glass each. I went with the Whiskey of the Week, my dad had a Bowmore 12 Year and Emily a Bunnahabbhain 12 Year.

That’s when the Haggis came. The National Dish of Scotland. Now Haggis doesn’t sound particularly appetizing, at all. Everyone, including me, was hesistant about it. My Mum in particular was very against trying it. And who could blame her? It was Sheep liver, heart, and lungs minced and mixed with fat and oatmeal, then boiled in a sheep stomach. Doesn’t really sound appetizing. And here it stood on our plate, like a pile of ground beef sitting on top of some Neeps and Tatties and in a pool of Whiskey Sauce.

However, just one bite of it was one of the most expectation blowing moments of my life. A savory, mouth filling meat taste with a hint of gaminess. It was tender and juicy. I went back in with a spoonful of the Whiskey Sauce this time. Wow. Thick, oaky, slightly acidic. It added a new dimension to the Haggis. I went in one last time with the Haggis, sauce, and Tatties all on my spoon. One of the best, single bites of food I have ever had.

Here I was, exploring a new place, trying a new food with all the people I loved in life. Emily, my Mum, Dad, and Brother. It was a happy, happy time.

A Night in Edinburgh

My parents share our love for breweries. In fact, they definitely are the reason for our obsession. Because of this, we had to go to a local joint. Edinburgh is famous for a quite a few of its breweries, but most notably is Innis & Gunn Brewing, who distributes its beers globally.

We entered through the old, green building which resembled an Irish pub more than a Scottish brewery. Inside was an enormous, dimly lit taproom, decked out with a giant letter board detailing many different beers.

We had a couple, but my favorite was the Caribbean Rum Cask, a dark rum flavored ale. Fantastic.

Original – Ale – 3.25 / 5
Mangoes on the Run – IPA – 4.0 / 5
Caribbean Rum Cask – Ale – 5.0 / 5

After a good laugh, my Dad demanded we go to The Hanging Bat, a nearby pub. After a couple of Innis & Gunn brews, I was ready for food. I ordered a meal that I knew would warm my soul: Beer Cheese Mac & Cheese with Haggis. Was it good? Probably not. But it just felt right.

Bellies full, an Uber was called and we made our way back to our hotel for the night, DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh City Centre. We set our alarm for early morning, and woke up to the most beautiful view from our room, a sunrise over Edinburgh Castle.

Destroyed Castles and Aptly Named Lochs

We drove back through the center of Scotland and passed by the town of Lochmaben.

To get here, we first passed through Lockerbie. This small town had caught national attention when in 1988 terrorists blew up a passenger plane, killing 270 people and landing in the middle of Lockerbie.

Why were we here? We were here because it was it was the site of the only castle on our route back to England.

Lochmaben Castle sat at the southern edge of the creatively named Castle Loch. The castle was beyond any reconstruction and almost fully ruined. Built in the 13th century, this now pile of rocks had seen it’s fair share of historical figures and battles. From Edward I to Mary Queen of Scots, so much history had occurred at this forgotten site. It was rainy, muddy and surrounded by broken chain-link fence, yet years ago many people had lived and died here.

We trekked through the muddied, overgrown trail in misty rain until the Loch appeared. A short, almost broken, wooden dock pointed out over the water.

We stood out and looked over the water. Scotland had been a great, 24 hour excursion. We’d seen legendary historical sites, walked down old, beautiful streets, eaten probably the greatest national dish we’d had to date, and drank good beer. But, most importantly, I’d done it all with my family. The joys I get from visiting new places or trying new dishes with Emily, I now got to share with my family, and seeing their happiness and sharing laughs with them as we did it together are memories I’ll happily hold on to forever.

Back to the Motherland

Continue our journey as we travel back to England.

England

It’s (Emily and I) Coming Home

October 1st, 2021 – October 10th, 2021

Table of Contents

This was part of our 2021 European Trip, which we started in France. Catch up here before you read on.

I’m Coming Home

I was born in Bradford, England and lived there for the first 12 years of my life. Growing up, almost every other year we’d come back and visit family.

This time was extra special though. Emily and I had recently gotten engaged and it would be her first time meeting my extended family.

The London Underground

Our flight from Brussels was a quick, one hour trip.

We landed at London Heathrow, collected our bags, and headed for the Heathrow Express.

A month earlier we had chatted with an older English couple at a brewery by our home in Charleston. We told them of our plan to get an Uber from Heathrow to our hotel. They looked mortified. “You can’t do that! Do you know how far away that is, it will cost you an arm and a leg.” This is where we learned of the Heathrow Express, a train inside Heathrow Airport that takes you straight to downtown London. Thanks George and Linda!

We got off at Paddington Station, hauled our bags over bridge, waited 5 minutes, and hopped on a train to our hotel. London Underground Efficiency.

Emily was now bound by my rules. She had to experience everything I loved about England, whether she liked it or not. Our first stop was Nandos.

And then, we went into tourist mode.

How Many Tourist Spots can we Hit in 10 hours?

Let’s count.

If you answered 10 at the beginning of this section, congratulations, you win.

Family Time

We hopped on our train at London King’s Cross and headed to Leeds Station. Here we’d meet up my Dad, Mum, and younger brother who we’d be with for the next week.

Luckily for us, our train was filled with a bunch of Leeds United fans who were traveling up to Leeds to watch them play against Norwich. It was packed with fans sitting and standing. I made sure not to reveal my Man Utd phone screen to prevent us from being stabbed.

That night Emily met my Grandmother, Uncles and Aunt. It was my Grandma’s 80th birthday and she had no idea we were coming. It was a special time.

Ilkley Moor

Although spending time with family was top of the list of importance, Emily still had to experience Yorkshire, and there was no first place better than Ilkley Moor.

It’s hard to describe the beauty of Yorkshire countryside without experiencing it, because there are no words that do it justice. Endless green rolling hills. Countless tiny villages filled with old, cobbled houses and farms. Small, one laned roads twisting and turning through fields, edged with cobbled walls. Cows, sheep, and horses everywhere you look. It is amazing.

I would come to Ilkey Moor all the time as a kid. Up in the moors, we would climb up to the famous Cow and Calf rocks. Two large bolders, one larger than the other that resemble a cow and it’s calf that look over the town of Ilkley. We’d walk the trails around them and get ice cream and the little store in the parking lot. Coming here with Emily was truly nostalgic.

That night we went to Shimla Spice House in Shipley for a proper curry. The area around Bradford has been voted best Indian food in England every year for like 10 years in a row now. I introduced Emily to Indian food at our college, and she has been a fan ever since.

A Naan twice the size of Emily’s head came out skewered on a hook. Bowls filled with a variety of curries: Butter Chicken, Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Korma. Chunks of meat bathing in thick sauces. We spooned the sauces onto beds of rice, ripped of chunks of the Naan, and used it as a vessel for the curry.

Family History

My Dad and I are heavily invested in researching our family lineage. So much that we have documentation going back to the 1500s on our direct line. This is why wee had to go to Ovenden. I’ll save you the bore, but essentially this city, specifically the village of Ogden, is where most of our direct line comes from. We even tracked down the specific church where a lot of them are buried: Mount Zion Methodist Heritage Chapel.

That’s when things went a little too far. We had records indicting where my 4x Great Grandfather lived, specifically a will that described in detail his cottages and where they were located. We came this far so we wanted to see this in person.

We drove down a dirt path surrounded on either side by destroyed cobble walls. “Okay great nobody lives here” my Dad said. As we kept going, abandoned buildings came into view and, to our horror, people. “Shit” we all said. My Dad tried backing up back down the road. The people saw us, got in their truck, and headed toward us. My Dad gave up and went out to talk to them. “Our family used to live here, can we go take a look” The man stared at him silently for a while before cautiously saying, “Okay, but don’t go knocking in the buildings, my mother is in there and ill”. We could finally breathe.

What lay beyond was an old, overgrown, destroyed farm. 200 years earlier our family had lived here. I wonder if John ever thought his Great Great Great Great Grandson would be standing here one day. Probably not, they just wanted to survive to the next day.

4 cottages my 4X Great Grandfather owned

The Hills of Haworth

I used to love going to Haworth as a kid. Everything about its screams Yorkshire. A single cobbled street goes up a large hill. On either side are old, brown, terraced houses. Little local shops and cafes are scattered around.

We had a great day here, just walking around, talking, going in to stores, and meeting people.

Journey to the Sea

After a couple of days with the family, we broke off on a little excursion with my Dad, Mum, and brother. Our ultimate goal was the end in Edinburgh, Scotland, but first we wanted a little bit of English seaside.

The trip was simple, we’d set off from Shipley, stop by Pateley Bridge and then end up at the seaside town of Whitby. From there we’d head up to Scotland.

Pateley Bridge is an old town in North Yorkshire, first documented in 1175. It’s a typical Yorkshire village. A single small road with old, brown terraced houses serves as it’s main street.

Here lies the Oldest Sweet Shop in the world, opened in 1827. It was like stepping in to a time machine. Low ceilings, creaking wooden floors, sweets in glass jars, everything here was hundreds of years old.

We went with a variety of sweets. The old man, dressed in all white, loaded them into paper bags and weighed them on an old, white scale.

Across the road was Kendall’s Farm Butchers, a local butcher serving up traditional English foods. I went in and ordered a Pork Pie. This is one of those dishes that you either love or hate. Tightly packed ground pork surrounded by a layer of jelly sits in a small pie. I sway more towards the dislike, they taste pretty weird. I was excited to see Emily’s reaction to it. After pulling some funny faces, she surprisingly liked it. “It’s weird, but good”.

Whitby

Whitby is a beautiful, typical Yorkshire seaside town. The strong ocean smell immediately filling your nostrils. Seagulls constantly screaming. Flashing lights and beeping from arcades filling every corner. Fish and chips wrapped in newspaper, people eating them with a small, wooden, 2 pronged fork. Brick buildings and cobbled streets. People eating soft serve ice cream with a flake (A 99) even though its freezing outside. Pasty Englishmen walking around shirtless with beer. What an experience.

We quickly checked in to our hotel and got out exploring.

Whitby is notably famous for being the location of Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel.

In the novel, after the shipwreck of the Dementer, Dracula, in the form of a large dog, escapes the wreck and runs up 199 steps towards the church at the top. These steps are one of Whitby’s most notable sights and have been here forever. Their first mention was actually all the way back in 1370.

We began our ascent, counting each and every step to make sure they weren’t lying. The views were amazing.

At the top was St. Mary’s Church, founded in the 12th century. This church is also a setting used in Dracula.

There is another church, the parish one, round which is a big graveyard, all full of tombstones. This is to my mind the nicest spot in Whitby, for it lies right over the town, and has a full view of the harbor and all up the bay.
Dracula – Chapter 6

A short walk on also, totally coincidentally, lay a brewery, Whitby Brewery. We ordered our brews and sat outside with views of the destroyed Whitby Abbey.

Right over the town is the ruin of Whitby Abbey, which was sacked by the Danes … It is a most noble ruin, of immense size, and full of beautiful and romantic bits; there is a legend that a white lady is seen in one of the windows.
Dracula – Chapter 6

We didn’t see a white lady in the window.

Whitby is consistently voted to be the best Fish and Chips town in the UK, so obviously we had to see what the hype was about. We stopped by Trenchers for some Haddock and Chips with a side of Curry Sauce. Delicious.

After Whitby, we continued our little expedition up to Scotland, you can continue on with our journey here.

Glory Glory Man Utd

Iceland

The Land of Ice and Fire

March 7th, 2020 – March 14th, 2020

Coronavirus Strikes

A couple days before our scheduled trip to Iceland, our vacation seemed in doubt. COVID-19, aka ‘Coronavirus’, was making its way around the globe and causing panic among everyone. At the time of our trip, Iceland only had around 30 cases which doesn’t seem to bad, but for an island with a population of 360,000 it was concerning. At the time, only non-essential travel to highly affected countries was banned, so we went ahead with our trip.

Two Weeks Later Edit: After returning to the USA, we went into a 14 day quarantine and both ended up showing no signs of COVID-19, now considered a global pandemic.

A Hot Spring in the Tundra

After a 6 hour flight, we landed at Keflavík International Airport, local time 5:40 a.m. We got our car rental and headed over to the Blue Lagoon in Grindavík. Neither of us have ever been to a place like Iceland and this first drive in the country was truly special. The landscape was so different that it felt alien. I, Daniel, being the nerd I am, felt like I had traveled to Hoth from Star Wars. It really felt like a Wampa could be walking around and it just wouldn’t look out of place.

A totally real picture from our first drive.

We got to Blue Lagoon right as they opened up and what a great decision that was. When we got there, it was practically empty, but when we left, almost 2 hours later, there was a line out the door and it was packed inside. We got undressed and ventured out into the lagoon. This really felt like a dream. We had gone an entire night without sleeping, and now were in a dreamesque environment, with hot water emitting steam which limited visibility to only a couple feet. The water was milky white and almost felt thicker than usual water.

We made our way through the lagoon to the Mask Bar, where we got our complimentary Silica Mask. The man behind the bar scooped out a big goop of the silica and placed it in our hands. It was cold and had a pudding like texture. The contrast between the cool silica mask and hot water felt great. We then moved over to cash in on our next freebie, a drink from the Drink Bar. It took a lot of mental strength to not order an alcoholic drink, but it was 8 am and our bodies could not handle that. We both ordered a Blueberry Skyr Smoothie. Skyr is Icelandic yogurt and it is the GREATEST yogurt I have ever lucky enough to eat.

Blue Lagoon was a wonderful experience and we wish to have stayed longer. At this time we were going on 24+ hours of no sleep so we had entered full zombie mode.

A Walk Around Reykjavik

When we arrived in Reykjavik, we did what any excited, young travelers would do and immediately passed out. When we awoke, we decided to go on a walk to get acquainted with Reykjavik. My favorite thing to do when visiting a foreign country is to walk around a city and take in everything around me. It took a while to get used to walking on it’s icy streets (Emily slipped multiple times), but it was a good laugh.

Iceland is quite famous for it’s hot dogs, so we had to get the most famous one in the country: Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. This is a little stand with a big reputation, so big that celebrities come to here to try their hotdog (Bill Clinton being one of them!). We both got a hotdog with everything, which included ketchup, sweet mustard, fried onion, raw onion and remolaði. Hotdogs are a bit different in Iceland, in the sense that the meat inside is lamb. You can really taste the difference compared to a traditional American one. Anyway, it’s absolutely delicious, so much so that we each got 2! It’s also very very cheap for Iceland, costing about 300 ISK ($3) each.

It was Day 1 in Iceland, and you would be crazy if you thought we wouldn’t hit the first brewery we could find. Bryggjan Brugghús is located in Reykjavik’s Old Harbor, which has major nordic vibes. Many older boats, mostly wooden, are docked with mountains dominating the perimeter and looking over the city. We met an older man here called Markús who told us about the importance of one of the boats and about his life as a pilot.

The trawler, *Gullborg*, in Reykjavik’s Old Harbor

We ended up sharing a flight at Bryggjan. The decor of this place is really a mix between modern and traditional and having a seat facing the harbor was great. These were our first beers in Iceland, and they impressed. Here are my Untappd ratings out of 5.

Smokey and the Bandit – Rauchbier: 3.25
Redrum – Red Ale: 3.50
Monk’y Business – Belgian Dubbel: 4.0
Wolverine Single Hop – IPA: 2.0
Litli Gris – Double IPA: 4.25
Paint it Blacker – Russian Imperial Stout: 4.0

On our way back to the hotel, we stumbled across a bar that caught my attention. I heard a familiar sound coming from inside and the signs outside confirmed my suspicions. My team, Manchester United, were playing local rivals Manchester City, and it was being shown in this bar. I dragged Emily inside, ordered two Viking beers, and headed downstairs into one of the smaller rooms showing the game. This was such a special experience for me, I hadn’t seen a Man Utd game in Europe for years and watching one of the biggest games in England with a bunch of Icelandic people cheering on Utd was real memorable. Winning 2-0 was just the cherry on the cake.

The Golden Circle

Day 2 began with a short drive to Þingvellir National Park. We still could not believe the scenery that was all around us (I don’t think we ever over this).

Emily is a geography nerd, so at Þingvellir we had the sole intention of seeing Almannagjá, which is the gorge between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Þingvellir really shows off Iceland’s natural beauty, and it was a great introduction to this vast landscape that we were about to spend the next week exploring. It’s also really cool to be between two continental plates.

The next stop on our Golden Circle adventure was to see Haukadalur Geothermal Field, home of many hot springs, boiling mud holes, and most famously, Strokkur. We walked through the valley, with bubbling pits steaming and spouting small quantities of water. But these were little babies, we wanted to see the main man in action. Strokkur erupts around ever 10 minutes and is about 40-60 ft high.

We then made our way towards what I was looking forward to most, Gullfoss. However, before we made the walk to the Golden Falls, we stopped by the cafe on spot, Gullfoss Kaffi. Let me be the first to recommend. GET THE LAMB SOUP. This has to be the best damn soup I have ever eaten. Lamb, onion, carrots, potatoes. It’s so simple, but the flavors just work perfectly. Also, Icelandic butter (Smjor) is fantastic. The taste is far more natural than butter from the US.

Oh, and yeah, the falls were great too.

Waterfalls! Lots of ’em

Day 3 started with bad news. The road to our next destination, Vik, was closed. We decided to detour and head over to Gluggafoss in hopes that, in time, the road would open. We were the only ones there, so we got the waterfall all to ourselves. It was a good to take pictures and relax without a crowd around. It’s not the most impressive waterfall, but the intimate experience was cool.

Seljalandsfoss is a step up from Gluggafoss. It’s larger and all around more impressive. Thus it is a much bigger tourist spot and many people flock here. In the summer you can even take a path to walk behind the falls.

For me, the coolest waterfall by far, was Gljúfrabúi. This is a ‘hidden’ waterfall that you have to take a little walk from Seljalandsfoss to get to, but it is 100% worth it. You can stand pretty much underneath it and seeing and feeling that power up so close is an experience.

On our way walking back from Gljúfrabúi, I decided to check the roads one last time before turning back, and to our surprise and luck, the road to Vik was now open!

We scurried off to our next destination with newfound enthusiasm. The road to Skogafoss was the one that had previously been closed, and you could immediately tell why. The road was covered in snow and ice, causing the car to momentarily lose control at times. We even saw a car that had slid off the road.

Almost Dying at Skogafoss

Skogafoss was amazing, scary, and funny all at the same time. The waterfall itself is immense. You cannot capture the true size and power of this natural beauty in just a picture. It really is a sight to behold.

We decided that we wanted to see Skogafoss from up above, and noticed numerous people walking up the side of it. Though when getting to the stairs entrance, there was a chain across with a sign saying ‘Closed’. But other people were going up, so why not? We can’t all get in trouble in case some authority comes. 5 minutes into walking up, we understood just why there was a ‘Closed’ sign. Snow and ice had completely engulfed the stairs, making them more a ramp than stairs. What a nightmare it was going up the last section. The wind is blowing hard, the incline is steep, the ice ramp is slippy, the only thing between you and falling off the mountain is a little chain and wood. Emily had a mini panic attack going up and I don’t blame her. We managed to survive the journey up and saw some beautiful views and another cool waterfall behind Skogafoss, called Hestavaðsfoss.

Thus began the dreaded journey down the Ice Ramp of Death. We nervously edged our way down the first flight, pretty much on our asses scooting down while grabbing each pole. I got to the first corner, and looked around for a couple seconds before looking behind me to see how Emily was doing. She wasn’t there. No, this terrified girl was now riding down the next flight of stairs like a slide. She turned around at me with the biggest smile on her face and we burst out laughing. Even other people coming up laughed and said ‘Hey that looks fun!’.

Nevertheless, Skogafoss was gorgeous and this was one of the most memorable experiences of the journey.

Reynisfjara Beach, made up of black volcanic sand, pebbles, and basalt columns. It’s truly a sight to behold. But let me tell you. I have not felt natures wrath as much as I did on this beach. What the hell. The wind on this beach felt like it was strong enough to power an entire country. We could barely stand when the gusts struck. And not only did we have to deal with the power of the wind, but it was picking up the tiny rocks on the beach and slinging them at us. I’m not overreacting, they hurt, badly. Tiny pebbles being flung at you with the power of natures wrath is not a fun time. The beach was a cool experience, I just wish that we had seen in at a better time. But that’s winter weather in Iceland!

Legend says the columns in the back are petrified trolls that were caught outside at sunrise and frozen in time.

The famous arch, Dyrhólaey, in the background.

Reyniskirkja. A cool little church we found on the way back from Reynisfjara.

After we were blown away at Reynisfjara, we did what we do best, and headed over to the local brewery, Smidjin Brugghus. I love the arctic/nordic setting and this brewery was located in the perfect place. Here I had an IPA called, Klassískur Nonni. Emily had a Belgian Blonde called Yellow Alert. I also had to get another one on the menu just because of its name, a Pale Ale Milkshake called, Santa’s Blue Balls. We also ate some traditional, local Icelandic food. Not really, we had burgers, which were absolutely fantastic. Burger, onion rings, ketchup, lettuce = Perfect brewery food. This had to be our favorite of the two breweries we visited.

Hiking a Glacier

The next day we had scheduled to hike the nearby glacier, Mýrdalsjökull, and see a natural ice cave. We met up with our tour guide from Arctic Adventures and sat down in the Super Jeep for our adventure. The tour took us down the road until we took an abrupt left off the road and out into the barren, snowy land. I say this a lot, but it really feels like you’re on a different planet. The terrain here is so different to anything we have experienced. Vast, snowy landscapes, dotted with large, rocky, snow capped mountains. On the drive to the Ice Cave, we had to stop to pull out some of the other jeeps. We must’ve had the main man driving us, as a couple other jeeps needed his assistance.

We got out of the jeep at our destination to begin the hike to the ice cave. This is the most barren area of the world I have ever been. A 360 degree look around would only reveal hilly, snowy landscape, dotted with mountains. The air tastes so great. So fresh, crispy, and chilly. Every year the ice caves melt in the summer, and new ones are formed in winter. Because of this, not one ice cave is the same. Our tour guide told us that each cave begins as a a tiny hole, and as wind travels through, it gets bigger and bigger until reaching the size that we see now.

After the hike we said goodbye to Vik and made our way towards a little seaside town called Stokkseyri. We had one mission: Langoustine Soup. Fjorubordid Restaurant is renowned for their Langoustine Soup, as they put it in their own words:

“This is the most famous langoustine soup in the Republic of Iceland, prepared by handsome cooks who step naked out of the ocean at Stokkseyri with their catch.”
Fjorubordid: Magical Soup Story

They have a whole story about this magical soup, which you can read here. Needless to say, we were excited. And does it live up to the hype? Yes. Yes it does. Creamy, rich, a hint of spice, full of flavors with big chunks of tender langoustine floating around. It’s perfect. The underrated champion here also, is the bread. It’s so fresh and came with a 3 aioli’s to dip it in.

After experiencing heaven on earth, we headed over to Landeyjahöfn to catch the Herjólfur ferry to Vestmannaeyjar.

It was late so the first thing we did was get food at Gott, where we had a Sumarbjor from local brewery, The Brothers Brewery. Probably the most obscure beer we have had!

An Island Next to an Island?

This will always be an honest blog, and I will say that we were a bit disappointed in Vestmannaeyjar. It definitely seems like a place to visit in summer, than in winter like we did as there isn’t much to do.

We headed to the famous volcano on island, Eldfell. Eldfell erupted spontaneously in 1973, destroying 400 homes. There are some really cool photos of the eruption, like the one below, where they used seawater to halt the oncoming wave of lava.

Seawater was pumped into the street to stop this tsunami of lava

Hiking up Eldfell, with the other Volcano, **Helgafell**, looming in the background

We then headed to the opposite side of the island to see Stórhöfði, often cited as the windiest spot in Europe (Surely nothing can be windier than Reynisfjara?!). It wasn’t too windy when we got there, but there was some spectacular views of the coastline. Puffins come to nest here in the summer and there is a little lookout bunker you can go to get a view of them in the cliffside. This is also the location of the (not so) cool story of the Algerian pirate raid in July of 1627. The pirates pillaged the village and killed or kidnapped 242 of the island’s 500 inhabitants. It’s hard to imagine Algerians coming all the way to Iceland in 1627!

We had some time to spare before our ferry, and my football obsession would take us to to the stadium of the local team, Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja (IBV for short). This has to be the coolest stadium I have been to. Just look at that view!

We caught the ferry back and headed over to Selfoss, which is where our next hotel was located. We got there just in time before a blizzard hit, however, nothing would stop us from getting our hot dogs for the night. Luckily the take out was located right outside our hotel, Hotel Selfoss.

Pyslu Vagninn is known for its wacky hot dogs. I opted for the hot dog with garlic sauce and Doritos, which sounds strange, but was bloody delicious. This is the type of food that I love; crazy contraptions with unique flavors combined. I can’t describe why, but the flavors just work. Emily decided to be boring and got a regular hot dog.

Geothermal Village

In the morning we ate breakfast and headed out to our next destination, Hveragerði. The roads were surprisingly fine after last nights blizzard. The people that clear the roads are the unsung heroes of Iceland. Throughout our trip, we saw plow trucks everyday clearing the roads, late at night and early in the morning.

Hveragerði is a village known for it’s geothermal activity. Because of the nearby volcano, Hengill, Hveragerði is a geothermal hotspot and has many volcanic hot springs, most notably, Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River. We planned on hiking the trail to get to the hot spring where you can bathe in. So we ascended up the hill, bathing suits in the backpack, to the hot spring. We got up the first steep hill only to see the trail going up another giant slope. So being the young, healthy travelers we are we decided……..to give up. The views from where we got were spectacular and we did manage to find a small geothermal river, so that was good enough!

Rotten Shark

When we returned to Reykjavik, I was on a mission to try the one local dish I hadn’t eaten yet. Hákarl is an Icelandic dish which consists of a shark which has been fermented and then hung to dry for 5 months. This is quite consistently voted the worst tasting dish in the world.

“The traditional method begins with gutting and beheading a shark and placing it in a shallow hole dug in gravelly sand, with the now cleaned cavity resting on a small mound of sand. The shark is then covered with sand and gravel, and stones are placed on top of the sand in order to press the shark so that the fluids are pressed out of the body.”
Wikipedia on preparation of Hákarl.

We managed to find a place that specialized in traditional Icelandic food, Kaffi Loki. Is it disgusting? Yes. It quite literally tastes like ammonium and pee, with the texture of a fish. Emily wouldn’t try it but she did lick one of the cubes to get a taste. She wasn’t impressed. Hákarl is traditionally served with Iceland’s signature liquor, Brennivín, which helped nullify the taste. After getting over the taste, I will admit it feels pretty cool. Eating rotten shark and drinking Brennivín. You can’t get much more viking than that.

More Lamb and a Hidden Ice Bar

We wanted to make sure we got the full Icelandic cuisine experience, so we went to Icelandic Street Food for Lamb Soup served in a bread bowl. It was good, as expected, but maybe not as good as the one at Gulfoss Kaffi. Lamb soup goes great with bread, so obviously we had to try it inside of a bread bowl. Icelandic Street Food also offers free refills on soup, although I can’t imagine anybody still being hungry after all this.

While looking at sheep wool sweaters for Emily, we came across a ‘hidden’ bar made completely of ice: Magic Ice Reykjavik. It was still early in the day so we were one of two couples there, but what a cool experience it was. Everything is made of ice: the bar, the walls, the tables, the seats, the cups. We had a vodka drink each and sat in our own little room and jammed to the music together. There was an entrance fee, but this was definitely worth it.

Goodbye Iceland!

Our last full day in Iceland consisted mostly of buying souvenirs for ourselves and family members, so I wont bore you with the details.

We did, however, get to travel to the top of Hallgrímskirkja, and got some beautiful panoramic views of Reykjavik. The perfect send off.

Vatican City

The World’s Smallest Country

Vatican City

December 29th, 2018

Table of Contents

Country or Not?

On the second day of our trip to Italy, we had a tour scheduled of the Vatican City, famously known as home of the Pope and Catholic Church. The Vatican is an independent state with an area of 0.19 square miles and a population of around 1,000, making it the smallest country in the world. But is it actually a country? Yes it is! Vatican City is entirely self governed, considered a permanent observer state within the U.N, and is a recognized national territory under international law.

Our entrance with the **Fontana della Pigna** (PineCone fountain) on display.

A Date with the Pope

We were assigned a tour guide who walked us around the grounds and read off the long history of this famous little state. After a history lesson, It was time to enter the main building, and wow. Every square inch of each room was covered in intricate renaissance era paintings. Carefully etched marble lined the roofs, and marble columns populated the corners. Seriously, photos could not possibly do this place justice. Walking through each room, it felt like you could visit this place 10 times and still find something new to look at. We went in and out of rooms, out into statue filled courtyards, through hallways of ancient maps, and into Raphael’s Rooms. So much beauty in such a little place.

*The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple*
Raphael 1511

The Trojan priest, **Laocoön**, and his two sons losing a battle to the death with two sea serpents.

Michelangelo’s Masterpiece

About an hour into the tour we were told that it was time to head to the Sistine Chapel. We couldn’t believe we were really here, it’s something that you only imagine you’ll see in history textbooks or on National Geographic. Standing among paintings and artwork made by such legendary figures in history is very humbling. The path to the Sistine Chapel is windy and narrow. We went down multiple flights of stairs through little rooms and every time you think ‘This is it’, it’s not and there’s another hallway, another room, or another flight of stairs. The excitement was mounting.

After our journey to the center of the earth, we arrived at the entrance. It was packed to the brim with people of all cultures. Guards stood on platforms screaming ‘NO PICTURES’ at everyone. Despite all the commotion, we were floored by what we were standing in. It is beauty beyond human comprehension. Artwork covering every part of the chapel. We are taught about Michelangelo painting the roof of the Sistine Chapel and it’s importance to Art History, and here it was. I was looking at the The Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel. This is something that was painted in 1508-1512, almost 520 years ago. I’m not a religious man, but it’s hard not to get emotional when taking all of this in.

Note: Yes, I took pictures when they said not to. I made sure to turn off my flash so no damage would be done.

Oh St. Peter

It felt so good to finally take a breath of fresh air after being crammed into these small areas packed with people. St Peter’s Square is what I always imagined when thinking of the Vatican. The large, open square is center pieced by a obelisk from Ancient Egypt. Every movie which includes Vatican City definitely has a scene in this square.

According to Catholicism, St. Peter’s Basilica is the burial site of St. Peter, chief of Jesus’ apostles and the first Pope. It’s also the largest church in the world, and boy does it show. As with the rest of the Vatican, it’s an overflow of the senses. So much beauty in every corner.

From when the Pope met the Argentinian soccer team. Check out the GOAT Leo Messi’s autograph next to the 10

The Swiss Guards. Unfortunately it was cold so we didn’t get to see their glorious outfits in full.

And that was the end of our short adventure in the Vatican City. 0.19 square miles of beauty and history packed into every single corner.

You can continue with our Italian adventure here!

National Dish or Not?

Here’s something a little fun we did later on. Vatican City is the only country in the world that doesn’t have its own National Dish. That probably has something to do with the fact that there aren’t really any proper restaurants in the country (besides the small cafe here and there).

However we wouldn’t be deterred, and a quick search online shows that people have attributed Fettuccine alla Papalina (The Pope’s Fettuccine) as the “unofficial National Dish”. The story goes that Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli asked his chef to create a dish for a group of special guests. The chef decided to create a special twist on Carbonara, switching some ingredients and adding in onions, cream, and prosciutto. The Cardinal liked it so much that it became his favorite dish, a tradition that carried over when he was elected Pope and became Pope Pius XII, hence the Pope’s Fettuccine.

We decided to make it at home just to say we’ve ‘technically’ had every National Dish. After some research, the most authentic version we could find was from Popes, Peasants, and Shepherds: Recipes and Lore from Rome and Lazio by Italian food historian Oretta Zanini De Vita.

It was really tasty. Creamy and rich, very similar to Carbonara.

Italy

The Beginning

December 28th, 2018 – January 2nd, 2019

Table of Contents

The Hungry Voyagers is Born…

Our journey to Italy and first ever international adventure began with a parents meeting at Menchville High School. Emily’s younger brother, Michael, was in the marching band and they were taking their tri-annual international trip; this time to Rome, Italy. Emily and I had been together for about a year at this point so it took some deliberation on ‘should we’ or ‘shouldn’t we’, but there really was only one answer to that. After all, the band needed chaperones, and Emily and I were ‘professionals’.

A Walk around Rome

After a 7 hour flight, we landed at Fiumicino Airport (FCO). The first order of business was to get to our hotel and unpack. Here we met our tour guide, and future friend, Alessandro. Alessandro was studying Political Science at his college, Roma Tre University, and had volunteered to be a tour guide for credits. His job for the next week was to show us around the best of Rome and its surrounding areas. Our first stop was to hop on a bus to the center of Rome at the Piazza del Popolo, a nice shopping district with a couple of monuments.

Emily posing hard outside the Piazza del Popolo

Drinking from the Fontana della Barcaccia

Alessandro told us of an ancient legend regarding the Trevi Fountain. Apparently this legend started when Roman soldiers would throw coins in water to make the gods of water favor their journey. So, if you turn around and throw 3 coins over your shoulder into the fountain, it will guarantee your return to Rome and ensure love and marriage. We went ahead and did it because we would like to continue this blog!

It seems as though there is an endless amount of historical monuments in Rome. Every corner you turn there is yet another important building to history. Seeing the Pantheon was my first, ‘Yo, we are actually in Rome’ moment.

The text reads, “Marcus Agrippa, the son of Lucius, three times consul, built this”.

At this point, we were beyond hungry. So we made our way to Piazza Navona which was centered by the beautiful Fontana dei Fiumi. There’s quite a many squares around Rome all centered by a fountain or obelisk. It was nice day, so we decided on eating outside at Vacanze Romane. I was eager for two things: Wine and Pizza. Let me tell you. There’s not many things better in the world than sitting in a Roman Square, eating Margarita Pizza, and drinking red wine. This was a proper Italian experience.

Fontana dei Fiumi in front of the 17th century church, **Sant’Agnese in Agone**. Not a bad view for lunch!

A Date with the Pope

Day two in Italy meant travelling to Vatican City, home of the Catholic Church, located totally within the city of Rome. To read about this, see how our adventure in Vatican City went.

Wine and Tombs

The next day meant an early morning trip to the rural city of Frascati. Alessandro told us that Frascati was famous for its amazing wines, so you know we were excited. We walked among the cobbled streets of Frascati, the smells of fresh bread coming from the local bakeries were delightful. Mountains surrounded the city, giving a totally different vibe from Rome. It was quiet and slow here, you could hear the birds chirping and the wind blowing. It was a good change of pace compared to the hectic bustle of inner city Rome.

In Frascati, the band would participate in the first of 2 marches. They marched through the cobbled streets of the city playing their tunes, until eventually ending in front of the Frascati Cathedral. Many people came out to see them and were dancing along to the songs, smiles on all faces. It was good to see.

Bring out ya dead!

The next stop on our trip was to the Catacombe S. Callisto, or the Catacombs of St. Callixtus. These catacombs were the cemetery for the Church of Rome in the 3^rd century AD. According to their website, around half a million Christians are buried here, among them many martyrs and 16 popes. Michael was humorously nervous about going down into the catacombs, and we tried to get him to watch a horror movie with us about catacombs. He was having none of that.

We descended down stairs into the dark hallways of filled with death. The hallways are narrow, dark, cold, and spooky. The walls contained rectangular holes throughout them, in which the bodies would be placed. It really reminded me of the dungeons in the game Skyrim, and I was expecting zombies to break out of their caskets to attack us .

At night, Alessandro took us to a local bar that he and his friends usually visit, Il Piccolo Diavolo. I had a popular Italian beer, Menabrea Bionda. Alessandro told us that Rome is split up into two parts; the rich part with all the expensive clubs and the poorer area with mostly pubs. It was good to get some chill time with Alessandro to sit down and chat about Rome and his experiences living here.

The Might of the Roman Empire

The itinerary for day 4 was what I had be waiting for. When thinking of Italy, the Colosseum has to be one of the first things to come to mind. Built in 80 AD, almost 1940 years ago, the Colosseum is THE symbol of Ancient Roman times. Walking up to this beast of a structure actually gave shivers up my spine.

Walking through the ruins, it’s hard think that nearly 2000 years ago this was a bustling, modern metropolitan. I found a model that reconstructed what this once looked like by model maker, Lasha Tskhondia.

Roman Pasta: The Greatest Dish on Earth

We now had some time to explore and shop around Rome. Before taking off, Alessandro pulled us aside, “If you want to have the best Carbonara in Rome. Come with me”. We didn’t even have to think. Of course we want the best Carbonara in Rome.

He led us to a tiny, hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Maccheroni Express. It was one room with 3 tables pushed against the wall, with the chef cooking in front behind a counter. Oh yes, we could tell this would be good. These smaller, more local restaurants are what we live for. I got the Carbonara and Emily got another traditional Roman pasta, Cacio e Pepe.

For the unfamiliar, Carbonara is a simple Roman pasta dish comprised of Guanciale (Pork cheek), an egg and Pecorino Romano sauce, and pepper. It is so simple, but the flavors combined are unreal. Emily’s dish, Cacio e Pepe, is another simple Roman pasta dish, comprised of only Pecorino Romano and pepper. Again, it was absolutely brilliant.

And of course, any trip to Italy is not complete without a cannoli. We stopped at the most traditional looking place we could find, which happened to be a small cafe surrounded by cobbled streets, called Er Caffettiere. I got a chocolate cannoli and it was everything I dreamed it would be.

Buon Anno!

As the day grew old, we headed back to the hotel to begin some New Years festivities. The kids had a party set up for them in the eating space downstairs, while us chaperones blew up balloons and relaxed.

At midnight we watched an endless amount of fireworks explode over the Roman horizon. We had a full view of the city and Vatican. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Afterwords, we retreated to the bar downstairs and met our new friends. We drank lots of champagne and lots of wine. I asked Alessandro what the most Italian mixed drink and he suggested a Negroni. Gin is absolutely my weakness. Alessandro got so drunk that when speaking to the Italian bartender, he forgot how to speak Italian because of talking in English to us so much. It was a great night.

Onward, March!

For the band, this was the big day and we had to be up very early (much to the dismay of our hangovers). They would be part of the Rome New Year Parade. A big parade featuring bands and performers from around the world.

All bands and performers were to meet at the Galleria Nazionale D’Arte Moderna, to get their directions and times. It was packed with marching bands rocking all kinds of different colorful costumes and flags. After receiving instructions, we hopped back on to the bus as the bus driver wove in and out of streets to get to the place of the march, the Piazza del Popolo. The first area we walked around on our arrival in Rome.

There was a ton of people here. The band marched through the streets playing their songs. They marched for around 3 hours, a lot of time for holding and playing those instruments!

An Ancient City

Of one the many mosaics that Ostia Antica is famous for

Goodbye Italy!

We woke up early and said our goodbyes to Alessandro. He had been a great guide and an even better friend. Alessandro ended up coming to America after the band students raised money for his trip. We took him to Washington DC to see the American capital.

Italy was beautiful in a historical, architectural, and most importantly, culinary way.