I'm currently recovering from post-best-week-ever-depression as my best friends have touched back down in America following their week in Italy. We planned this trip not long ago, in July actually, as I purposely got them both drunk and shoved the orbitz.com website in front of their face and convinced them to never look back. We decided Thanksgiving time was perfect, as they would need to take less time off than a normal week, and in that moment of vulnerability they both booked flights to Venice and the rest was history. I've been awaiting their arrival since I got here and have constantly been referring to our guest room solely as "Brie & Alison's Room".
I had high hopes for this trip, I'll be honest. But I've traveled enough to know there are always hiccups, problems & drama and when three girls are together non-stop for a whole week, it's never easy. However, I can honestly say their time here went smoother than I ever could've imagined. We had an absolute blast 24 hours a day for 7 complete days. It's extremely accurate to say you don't know someone until you've traveled with them, and luckily I've put in miles around the world with both of these girls and can say whole-heartedly that they are two of my favorite people on this planet and we made the perfect trio.
The girls arrived last Saturday and we spent the first night in Venice. My favorite thing to do is go in and out of all the little bars and try different wines & cicchettis (Venetian tapas) so I brought them to a few of my favorite spots & we hit a fresh pasta stand I've been wanting to try forever (It was here that Brie first referred to her food as"the best thing she's ever eaten", which she would subsequently repeat after every meal on the trip).
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| "This is the best thing I've ever eaten" |
The next day we woke up and headed back into Venice. When you visit Venice, it's imperative that you see the city in both the day and nighttime, as you really can't appreciate it until you've witnessed each. Brie, in her later years, has developed motion sickness, and we almost lost her on the bus ride into town. Unfortunately, the mix of body odor, claustrophobia & a potentially intoxicated bus driver didn't sit well with her but she bounced back quickly upon our arrival and was good to go. We had an amazing day bopping around, drinking sangria & prosecco and rejecting multiple offers for purchasing selfie sticks and fake louis vuitton to the point where we wanted to physically harm the next person who attempted to seek our patronage. After half a day on the island, we went back to my house and headed to D's game. The girls loved seeing how crazy the Italian fans were, and D had an amazing MVP performance with 15 points and a few huge 3's to win the game at the last minute.
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| I totally took one for the team and compromised looking absolutely ridiculous with this selfie stick for the sake of a great photo opp. |
Monday morning we caught a 6 AM train to Rome. Aside from being sat across from a certified psychopath who continuously licked his lips and poked himself in the face, it was a successful trip. I was most excited about this leg of our travels because it had been 8 years since I was last in Rome and wanted to see if I'd like it better the second time around. When we arrived to check into our hotel room, it was brought to our attention that I had accidentally booked our room for the following day. The man at the front desk told me there was nothing he could do for me and that I'd have to pay for both that night, and the next night that we wouldn't be there for. After a few charismatic exchanges, he told me to have a seat and that he would go speak with the manager (for a second time). Five minutes later we were summoned to the counter and told that they would not only not charge me for the second night, but also upgrade us to the executive suite and offer us a free mini bar. We aren't sure why Emmanuel had the sudden change of heart but we were confident that Rome was off to a fantastic start.
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| The Coliseum! |
We spent the day drinking prosecco while wondering back and forth to all the tourist sites. I have no idea why I wasn't blown away with Rome the first time around because I absolutely loved it this trip. I think after traveling so many places, as opposed to my first trip to Italy straight out of high school, I have a completely different appreciation for places I visit and I felt like I owed Rome a huge apology for my ambivalence towards it all these years. That night we had a fabulous dinner in Trastevere, the young locals-only part of Rome, and decided to explore the area after.
We randomly popped into a hipster looking bar and were told right away by a young Italian that the bartender was the best in the city. After talking with him about further bar recommendations, he suggested a speakeasy about 10 minutes way and handed us a paper with the password, a few surrounding landmarks and gave Brie the directions on how to walk there. After assuring me she understood where we were going, she suddenly forgot everything he said as soon as we got outside. Somehow, we miraculously were stopped by roughly 10 Italians who asked if they could help us find our way. We would then hand them our random post-it note and they'd point us somewhat in the right direction. We have no idea how but we ended up in front of a random door and decided it looked like a great place for a speakeasy. After ringing the doorbell and uttering the password, we walked inside a greasy hallway full of trash cans and knocked at the first door we saw. When we were finally let in, we looked around and realized we were clearly the only ones in there who didn't have "My Chemical Romance" lyrics tattooed on our wrists and start doubting our dear bartender friend's recommendation. Regardless, I went to the bar and ordered my favorite cocktail, to which the bartender replied "you're kidding me right? those don't even go together". Super. After getting our drinks and retreating to an isolated corner of the bar, Brie managed to somehow drop her glass within seconds of us getting there and we all watched in horror as it shattered onto the ground. Assured that it was one of the grumpy bartender's great grandmother's ancient china, we officially wanted to die and couldn't leave that place fast enough. We apologized endlessly, paid and sprinted to the nearest cab.
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| Seriously, this was the speakeasy entrance. |
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| The decor was really beautiful. |
The next day we took a tour of the Vatican and developed a love/hate relationship with our dear guide, Angelo. Angelo clearly didn't take his ADD medicine that morning which thankfully made it much easier to stay awake throughout the tour. All jokes aside, it was an amazing tour and the Sistine Chapel was just as memorable and breathtaking as the first time I was there. After our tour we caught the train to Florence and I was excited for a slower change of pace. We had an amazing dinner (yet again) and called it a pretty early night. The next day we toured the sites, did some shopping in the leather market, and headed back to Venice for Thanksgiving preparation.
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| Vatican City! |
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| Florence Duomo! |
We spent Thanksgiving day cooking and I was so happy to have the girls with me as I'm usually alone cooking for a dozen basketball players and really missing my family. We brought our dishes over to one of D's teammates house and had an amazing night with a group of his teammates and their families. This year, I was so thankful to not only have my best friends in Italy with me, but to also have a new group of wives to hang out with that I get along with so well!
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| Our Thanksgiving Crew! So thankful for them <3 |
Friday morning we headed to the Island of Burano, which has been on my "to-do" list since I arrived. Knowing it would be a 40 minute boat ride from Venice, we decided it would be best to handle Brie's motion sickness ahead of time. It was a blast playing charades to the pharmacist, as I was acting out a scene in which I'm on a boat and suddenly feel the need to vomit overboard. Call it my 10+ years of acting lessons, but clearly I nailed the performance and in no time Brie was popping the Italian version of dramamine (which we didn't think to google until after she had taken it). Anyways, Burano is a small island off of Venice famous for it's colorful homes and handmade lace. It is more beautiful than I've seen in pictures and looks straight out of a Dr. Seuess book. It was the perfect last day to wrap up the girl's trip and we finished the night having dinner with D at our favorite pasta restaurant in Mestre.
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| Unfathomable that a place like this actually exists |
Overall it was the best week ever and I am hoping this fun-filled post inspires more of my friend to book a trip and come see me! I'm grateful the girls forfeited their Thanksgiving with their family members and that their families allowed them to do so. This Thursday, I head to Florida for two weeks for an early Christmas celebration with my family and I can't wait to see everyone.
During this holiday season I feel so grateful for all the wonderful people in my life, my loving family, amazing friends, hardworking husband & the opportunity to live in and experience this new country. Hoping everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving and that we can all continue to feel that gratitude from each day forward.
