Wake up at 5:45am. Shower, finish packing and grab some grub before my 6:50am pickup. Arrive at airport at 8am. Check in Malev Hungarian flight from Rome to Budapest. Flight leaves 30 minutes late. Plane lands at noon. My next flight is already boarding. I run to the gate realizing it just started to board. I grab a sandwich to go. I pay 2000 something or other for a sandwich and drink. I ask how much that is in US dollars - apparently $11 or so. I had no idea what the currency was in Budapest… I was in the country for approximately 38 minutes. I get on a shuttle bus that takes me to my plane. Up we go on time - another Malev Hungarian flight (kudos to this airline). The flight is about an ... read more

2 weeks in Italy was not enough time. I will have to make my way back to this lovely country one day and spend quality time wondering around for days among days. If I had to do it all over again - this is how I would do it: Spend at least 1 full day, if not 2 in Sorrento and 2 full days in Capri (one day on a boat and the other wondering the shops on the island). At least 2 full days in Florence. I would spend at least 2 days in Venice to explore all the little streets, shops, cafes, museums. I would stay by Lake Garda at least 1 night, if not 2 nights as the town is so sweet. I would skip Milan totally (only go if you are a ... read more

Ahhhh… Venice. When I thought about Venice I have always thought romance! All I have to say after our trip to Venice is… FLOOD! Unfortunately, we woke up and it was pouring… not raining, pouring! We were staying in the burbs (remember budget tour). We took a 20 minute train ride into the island of Venice. We had a boat waiting to take us to Piazza San Marco. Upon arrival, we had a great walking tour around the small streets of Venice. The rain turned into a mist so it wasn’t so bad. After the walking tour we had free time into late afternoon where we had our Gondola rides scheduled. Our tour manager recommended a restaurant. So far, everything she suggested has been brilliant. Four of us went, met the owner Francesco. Once we told ... read more

So it turns out there were no video cameras in our hotel in Florence. Turns out the guy who had his laptop stolen assumed it was our group as we were on the younger side. He claimed he worked for the FBI and government info was on the laptop. The hotel lied to our tour manager just to scare the crap out of our group just in case someone stole it. Truth is - this turned into 12 Angry Men… Everyone was gossiping… who could have done it? Two Canadian sisters suggested it must be an American. I almost bitch slapped the girls then thought it is there problem for being so naïve and I may of gotten arrested as they still refer to their parents as mommy and daddy. OYE. We left Florence and spent ... read more

Turns out there are 50 people on my Contiki trip. Sounds overwhelming, but it isn’t at all! More than half of the group is in their 30’s. There are tons of single travelers, friends, and couples - just an amazing bunch. The tour manager is an Italian woman in her early 30’s who has a trashy sense of humor which is straight up my alley. Jen and I have met some incredible people! Two small worlds in the bunch (that I know of so far) is one of the guys here went to my high school! He is 5 years younger, so I didn’t know him, but very funny. Second is that one of my new BFF is good friends with my friend JR (love Jewish geography and Facebook). Our first stop was Pompeii. It was ... read more

Sleeping on a ranch in the middle of nowhere was one of my favorite experiences. I absolutely heart nature and animals. When we woke up, there were new editions. A vibrant puppy came out of nowhere and wanted to play all morning. Leslie went horseback riding while Sheri and I sat overlooking the universe and read our books. I wish we had another day to hang out…but the weather wasn’t so hot so it was probably best that we hit the road. On the way to Madrid we go. We stopped in a town called Consuega. Here there was nothing but beautiful windmills and an old castle. We decided to have lunch in town. We walked in one place and there were all men who stared at us as if we were aliens. They were out ... read more