Cinque Terre, which literally means five lands, was our first stop on this Italy and Greece adventure, and man was it a treat. I’ve never seen such views before or hiked so many stairs. The Cinque Terre are five fishing villages perched on the Italian coastline strung together by hiking trails or a train line. We arrived by train and after a long day of traveling (it started with Ben and I’s version of the Amazing Race at 3:30 in the morning running around London very, very lost… needless to say we were ready to be there after traveling by bus, trolley, plane, train and foot) we headed straight to the room to drop our bags and head to the water. Everything here is straight up the mountain, meaning stairs on stairs on stairs.

We stayed in Vernazza, the fourth town along the coast and really loved it. It was quaint with amazing views and the perfect spot for sitting near the water. 

I mean come on…. look at this place!

After some exploring we trekked up the trail to a little restaurant for wine and a view to accompany it. 

We decided to do dinner near the water and naturally went for the pasta and pizza. We are in Italy after all!

So that was Sunday. Then came Monday. We started our day early and took the train down to the Monterosso al Mare to start our hike throughout the cities. I can not express enough how beautiful the sites are. Pictures just don’t cut it. 

Here we are still bright eyed and bushy tailed because it was the first of our hikes. Instead of taking the path along the sea we opted for the mountain path. Holy straight up hill. Stair after stair we hiked.

I call this my thank goodness we made it to the first town face. And onward we went. The hikes between each town went straight up hill to the top then straight back down to the town. 

Still all smiles, just a tad more sweat.

I just love him!

Now for the story of finding the secret beach: Guvano. I’ll give you directions.

First, instead of walking up the entire massive winding staircase (like we did at first) you don’t. You go down the not so obvious ramp beside it and follow to the right past a few homes. Then you reach the entrance to an old train tunnel. Against all inhibitions you proceed to enter said pitch black tunnel. Like you can’t see your hand in front of you black tunnel with eery drips of water. Throughout the .25 mile walk through tunnel you proceed to squeeze your husband’s arm and explain how you are confident bats will eat you alive, or that there is no end to the tunnel and request to turn around. But just keep walking. Then I assure you, you will see light at the end of the tunnel (WHOLE new meaning now). Say hello to the friendly Italian people by the tunnel (he called himself the beach keeper) and drop a euro or two in his bucket and keep following the path. Then you get to the side of the cliff and use the rope to get down. Finally you will see the most lovely of beaches.

Although incredibly glad we did it, I was SURE we were going to die. Needless to say, I had a bit more pep in my step to get back out of that tunnel on the way back.

More pasta, more bread! So much bread. 

Cinque Terre, you stole our hearts and we truly are sorry we only gave you two nights when you deserve two weeks. This was a huge check off of Ben’s bucket list, as well as mine, and we promise to be back!

 

 

This past weekend Ben and I ventured to Dallas to spend a few days with Ben’s aunt and uncle, Maggie and Bob. We have been looking forward to this little weekend getaway all summer, and it did not disappoint. After arriving on Friday we headed to lunch to grab some tasty tacos before heading to the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

When you first walked in the ceiling was surrounded by a 360 degree video playing with the most beautiful scenes.

We even got to play around in a replica of the Oval Office!

I’d vote for him.

On Saturday we woke up and enjoyed quite the decadent breakfast complete with croissants from a nearby bakery, eggs, coffee, and the best berries. Such a lovely way to start a full day. 

And then there was the pool. Easily one of our favorite parts of the trip as you can see.

After quite the relaxing morning by the pool we were treated to Tex Mex. If there is one thing about I have learned about Ben and I this summer, it’s that we can put down some Mexican food. We are huge supporters of chips and salsa and all things related [guac]. After lunch we headed to the Winspear Opera House downtown to see the Phantom of the Opera. The design of the venue was incredible and the show was by far one of the best I have seen. I mean the voices on the performers were unbelievable. I will never understand how they have the lung capacity to do what they do. The sets and music were so beautifully done! It was all such a treat!

I really like him a lot.

We had some time after the show to venture around Dallas and get the tour of the city before heading to dinner. I do believe we are both fans of this city. Let’s discuss dinner: Pecan Lodge. With a dad who makes some of the best barbecue around at Baum’s BBQ, I am pretty particular about my barbecue. That being said, this was easily some of the best I have had (right up there with The Smokin Pig for all you Clemson people). We ordered the sampler and got a taste of all the meat. So good. Ben was truly in heaven.

We had such a good time catching up with Maggie and Bob, exploring a new city, relaxing, eating our weight in food, and playing in the pool. Our weekend in Dallas was a good one!

This morning I was woken up by a husband holding a plate of french toast topped with strawberries, blueberries, and bananas AND coffee just the way I like it AND I got to stay in bed to enjoy it all. What more could I possibly ask for?!  Apparently I have expressed my feelings towards french toast a lot recently and Ben decided to surprise me with one of my favorite breakfasts. Any day started with breakfast in bed is off to a good start.

Another gift we received at our wedding was a gift certificate to go paddle boarding and we decided today was finally the day. The weather has been kind of bizarre recently and made us change our minds each time we thought about going, but today was the perfect summer day. Ben chased ducks and I did everything in my power not to fall when boats went by, and that about sums up our paddle boarding experience.

After paddle boarding, we headed back to the abode to make some dinner before heading back to City Dock to try out a new eno spot we have had our eye on. We can’t take full credit for this gem of a location though. Last week we saw a few people using the docks to hang their enos and they are geniuses. We decided this is going to be a reoccurring thing.

 

This past week has been filled with so much. Here are some pictures to show our week at a glimpse.

Attempting to soak up the sun when it actually showed up.

Walks after dinner to the docks and stumbling upon some music.

The view I have come to love.

Hooray for two months of being married to him!

Sunsets over city dock.

Wandering to East port to look at the boats.

Bidding farewell to my first car, Theodore. So long, bud.

Flat shopping for a home in London. Lots and lots of flat shopping.

An evening spent at the batting cages.

Learning I can actually hit a baseball. [Who knew this was something I was actually decent at?!]

This week has been full of little adventures and a whole lot of planning. Another wonderful week of summer in the books.