Europe - Passports Overloaded

London, England

September 12th -16th, 2013

Today we had a short 57-minute flight to visit our friends Adrian & Irene in London. We arrived at our hotel the Mandarin Oriental which is right in the heart of the city and right down the block from the world famous Harrods Store.

The key to our room was very cool it was plastic, and it was shaped like a regular key which was something we’ve never seen before.
Our friends picked us up from the hotel, and we walked to the local pub for a drink before going to dinner at one of their favorite places which was called Daphnes Restaurant. They’ve lived in London their entire lives, so they are very familiar with where to go and what to do which is great.

September 13, 2013
Our friends once again picked us up from the hotel, and we took the bus around to do some sightseeing we saw the Houses of Parliament which has Big Ben, and we saw the London Eye which was cool. After that, we continued our tour on foot and saw the South Bank, and then we saw the Tower Bridge, and we decided to do an Open top bus tour which was fun. After that, we decided to go to another favorite pub of theirs, and we had fish and chips. You can’t come to London and not have fish and chips.

September 14, 2013
Today we had some time alone to go to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. After waiting in the rain for an hour (of course under an umbrella), a guard walked out and announced that they were canceling the changing of the guards, so we didn’t see it. After walking around the city for a few hours, we then had plans to go to our friend’s condo. We then continued our walk to their place which is by the Albert Bridge they live on the water with a great view of the Bridge. We decided to go to The Ivy for dinner.

September 15, 2013
Today we decided to take a walk to Harrods and do some shopping. I have never seen a department store quite like this one. It was great it had a restaurant in it and a shrine dedicated to Princess Diana. Around 2 pm our friends picked us up to get a bite to eat since they had purchased tickets to a show at The Savoy. The show was called “Let it be” It was a Beatles cover band. The show was amazing they sounded and looked just like a young version of them. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and we had to say goodbye to our beloved friends and go back to the hotel to pack and get ready for our flight the next morning.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

September 8th – 12th, 2013

After an eight hour flight, we arrive in Amsterdam. After settling into our beautiful hotel called Amstel Hotel, we decided to take a walk around the city to get familiar with it.

The next day we had plans to visit the Anne Frank Huis. I read her story when I was younger in school, so I was excited to see the house in person. This house was the 17th-century canalside home where young Jewish girl Anne Frank and her family hid for two years during World War II. Today it’s one of the most popular attractions in Amsterdam, with almost a million visitors a year. Luckily we went first thing in the morning, so it wasn’t crowded. Having fled from persecution in Germany in 1933, Anne, her sister Margot, their parents and four other Jews went into hiding on 5 July 1942. The eight people lived on the upper floors of this annexe behind Prinsengracht 263; a bookcase marks the entrance to the sober, unfurnished rooms. But on 4 August 1944, the occupants were arrested and transported to concentration camps, where Anne died with Margot and their mother. Her father, Otto, survived, and decided that Anne’s diary should be published. In 1960, the hiding place was made into a museum.
The people in hiding have to stay twenty-four hours a day indoors. The curtains of the annexe are always kept closed, so the neighbors cannot see them. During the day, when the warehousemen are working downstairs, everyone has to sit still and not make a sound. Just reading this makes me think of how stressful and scary that situation must have been.

After visiting the Anne Frank House, we decided to take a walk around the city and have fresh mint tea while looking at The Waag, which is a 15th-century building on Nieuwmarkt square in Amsterdam. It was originally a city gate and part of the walls of Amsterdam.
The next few days we just hung out around the city and walked through the famous red light district which was wild.

September 11, 2013, Today is our last day to enjoy Amsterdam we decided to take the train to Zaandam which is where all the wind mills are it’s a place called Zaanse Schans. Unfortunately, it was raining so some of the pictures didn’t come out well but that is the typical weather at the time of year we were there. We went into a few of the open windmills and saw how they worked it was incredible to see it work.

The one thing I can tell you about Amsterdam is that you have to be careful of the bicycles on the street and on the side walk. When walking out of any building look before you pop out, they are all over the place, and no rules apply.

Rome, Italy 2012

August 18th – 21st, 2012

Rome is so unique I feel like it’s one big archaeological site. The amazing thing is that they find new sites all the time just by doing new construction or renovations.

It’s so great to walk around you will always run into some cool fountain or new piazza you’ve seen for the first time.

We also have family there so anytime we are in Rome we meet for lunch or dinner or both. It’s always nice to see our relatives. Another favorite thing we love to do is eating lunch across from the Pantheon it has become a tradition for us. The more we come to Rome the more comfortable we become walking around and exploring this fabulous city.

This visit they were clearing the Trevi fountain, and it was blocked by scaffolding so we can’t wait to come back and see it nice and clean.

If you would like to read more about our last trip to Rome and see more pictures click this link to our 2011 trip.

John with our aunt Giovanina who lives in Rome

John with our cousins Laura & Alessandra who live in Rome

Beautiful gold dome in one of the many churches in Rome

Sardegna (Sardinia), Italy 2012

August 13th – 17th, 2012

We arrived in Olbia and had a rental car to drive around the island, but once we realized our cousin, Francesco was going to drive us around we decided to return the rental car. As most people do when visiting family, we stayed at my uncle’s house.

His house is in Nuoro it’s a beautiful little town. Once we settled in, we went to a local restaurant for dinner where we had brick oven pizza. What we found that was cool was they had their love of pizza with seafood toppings on it. After a filling lunch, we walked through the neighborhood and met a few of my uncle’s friends. We also had the chance to eat this homemade candy called Toroni which was made by my uncle’s friend.

The next day we drove around the city to see the sites there were a lot of tunnels through the mountains which were wild, and we even got a chance to see a new one being bored out the machine they were using was huge. Francesco also took us to visit the first family member also named the same as our last name which was exciting because I have never met another family member with the same last name outside the United States. It was an emotional experience for both myself and my new family member.

The next day Francesco took us took a great beach which was very popular it was full of locals we stayed there for a couple of hours and bathed in the clear blue beautiful water. Spending time at the beach made us hungry, so we decided to get a bite to eat at a local place which was delicious. One good thing is that my cousin loved food and wine, so he knew where to eat and what to drink.

At night my uncle invited us to his cabin that he built by himself which is in a wooded/forest area. It was amazing I loved it and told him that when we come back, we are going to spend a night there. It’s called Pineto there is a photo of it down below. Uncle Simone cooked us a mouth-watering roasted pig dinner. He was preparing for hours turning the meat until it was cooked to perfection. We felt like we were eating back in the Roman times on wood plates, a wood table and wooden chairs which were all made by hand using the local wood just like the whole place was built. It was like going back in time John and I both agree that it was one of the best experiences we have ever had and we are still dreaming about it, and we can’t wait to go back for round two.

The following day Francesco rented a boat for the four of us Myself and John and his brother Severino. We drove the boat along the shoreline, and we had such a great time we saw the bluest water ever. We decided to beach the boat and explore the caves that were on the beach, and we also spent some time swimming and just enjoying the beautiful beach and water.

The last few days Francesco took us to his apartment which is in Cagliari another great town. He took us to the local fish market it was cool they decorate all their little booths with the fishtail or the heads in such a unique way. It was great we purchased some fish, and he cooked us a Sardinian meal it was the perfect end to a great trip.

Uncle Simone, John, Francesco & Severino

Paris, France 2012

August 8th – 12th, 2012

Going to Paris is always great because it is one of our favorite cities. During the summer though some of the restaurants are closed it’s a big vacation time for Parisians. One positive thing about summers in Paris is that it is not as busy as the wintertime.

This trip to Paris was extraordinary because we were meeting our good friends Adrian and Irene. They live in London which is a hop skip and a jump away from France. They’ve been to Paris many times which was good because that meant we had excellent tour guides.

They took us for a ride on the Metro to see other parts of the city. The first place they took us to was the Centre Pompidou we didn’t go inside, but the outside was strange. There are hundreds of pipes lining the entire exterior of the building.

We visited some of our favorite sites for the second time which was great. We spent half the day at the Louvre Museum which was not enough time. It is a huge museum.

One thing interesting that we saw at nighttime was a lot of young couples and groups of friends meet on the Seine river and play music or just have a bottle of wine. They look happy and are freely having a good time.

If you would like to read more about Paris and see more pictures click this link to our 2011 trip.

Our good friends Adrian & Irene at the Arc de Triomphe

Eiffel Tower at Night with a blue background

Stone Statues And Quadriga On The Arc De Triomphe Du Carrousel

Locks on the Pont des Arts pedestrian bridge

The mascarons, stone masks on the Pont Neuf Bridge

Rome, Italy 2011

February 7th – 20th, 2011

Today we left Florence and rode the train to Rome. Once again an enjoyable train ride full of beautiful scenery the only difference is that this time we got on the correct car thank goodness. We checked into our hotel The Excelsior was opened in 1906. The hotel is located in a great spot, and the building’s architecture is beautiful we were lucky enough to have a corner suite.

After settling in, we did what we usually do take a quick walk around the city to get familiar with it. After a few hours of walking around, we decided to get back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

The next day we were happy to walk around and get familiar with this great city. The first thing we did was walk to the Trevi Fountain. It truly is amazing. I can’t believe that the water just continuously runs and never ends. The fountain is breathtaking it’s a must see in person.

We visited Vatican City. From the outside to the inside it was fabulous. We even saw the window that the pope addresses the people in the square. Another cool thing that was there was the Swiss guards outside of the Vatican. Their outfits are cool mostly because I love anything with stripes.

The next stop on our walking tour was the Colosseum. Once again a jaw-dropping experience. This building was truly something spectacular we saw where they kept the animals and where the spectators sat.

We also love the Pantheon. The great thing is that there are a few restaurants in that square so every day we would have lunch with our relatives facing the Pantheon. It was the best view you could have while eating Italian food. There’s nothing like spending some time eating and catching up with family luckily we have relatives who live in Rome, and we ate lunch and dinner with them almost every day.

Maria & John – with our aunt who lives in Rome Giovanina

John with our cousins who live in Rome Gloria, Laura & Alessandra

Florence, Italy 2011

February 5th – 7th, 2011

The train ride from Venice to Florence, Italy began on a bad foot. Remember all the luggage I told you we had well we didn’t realize that the tickets had assigned seats, so our seats were in car 6, and we got on car 1. John had to carry one bag at a time to get them to car 6 while I stayed with the luggage on car 1 . After a stressful beginning, we were looking forward to the scenery for the remaining six-hour ride. I loved riding the train; it reminded of being in Greece. When I was younger, that’s how we traveled from Athens to my mom’s town Kalo Nero, Kyparissia.

We checked into the Four Seasons Hotel, and after getting settled in, we decided to take a walk to get familiar with the city. We had dinner plans at Enoteca Pinchiorri which was a very impressive restaurant. We had a packed schedule for the next day, so we made it an early night.

The next morning we started on our walking tour of the city, and the first stop was the breathtaking Il Duomo di Firenze. Pictures do not do it justice! After taking a million pictures, we then moved onto The Ponte Vecchio which is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River.

We then decided to start the museum tours we visited the Uffizi Gallery which was nice and then we visited the Galleria dell Accademia to see Michelangelo sculptures, including the impressive statue of The David.

Vending machine that sells thong panties

Venice, Italy 2011

February 3rd – 5th, 2011

Today we have to travel once again from Paris to Venice, Italy. I have to say flying from France to Italy was, of course, annoying because I pack like I’m never coming home and the extra weight is expensive, but it is what it is. We finally arrive in Venice, and this lovely wooden boat picked us up and took us to our beautiful hotel Luna Baglioni. This hotel was fantastic it’s very European. The room was decorated so beautifully, and the key had a tassel attached to it that you hand to the front desk coming in and out of the hotel it was something really cool which I had never experienced before.

To this day the shower in that hotel has been the best John, and I have ever experienced. It was unbelievable it was like a monsoon rain shower, and we both loved it.

That night and the next day we just spent a lot of time walking around and shopping, and we went to St. Mark’s square and walked through Saint Mark’s Basilica. Beautiful inside and out and the original Horses of Saint Mark were inside. There is one thing we learned, and that is that the best thing to do is get lost in Venice. We took a very entertaining gondola ride.

One day we took a boat ride to the Murano hand-blown glass factory and purchased a gorgeous chandelier.

All good things must come to an end after being in Venice for two days we took our water taxi back to the had to the train station to get to Florence which I heard is also amazing.

Luna Baglioni hotel key on a tassel keychain

Staircase inside of Saint Mark’s Basilica

Hand made mask we purchased held by the man who makes them

Paris, France 2011

January 30th – February 1st, 2011

Today we arrived in Paris from an unbelievable trip to Cairo, Egypt. Click on the link to read the crazy trip. I was so happy to be in Paris for two reasons, the first being safety from the craziness that we were involved in the past 72 hours and the second reason is….I’m in Paris!!!!!! Need I say more. I love Paris I’ve always wanted to visit. It’s the city of love, and I fell in love the second my feet touched down.

Paris is something else the architecture, the food, the language it’s unique and special. We didn’t pack for a grand European vacation, but I will make do with what I have.

Today we decided to walk around and take in all the beautiful buildings and visit a few museums. There is no way you can ever say you’re bored while in Paris.

Tonight we had tickets to Moulin Rouge that included dinner, unfortunately, John and I both got deathly ill from either at lunch or the dinner at the show but either way, it wasn’t the way we wanted to spend two days, sick in bed!

Our next stop is Venice, Italy. I’ve heard a lot about Venice both good and bad, so I don’t know what to expect.

Athens, Greece (2011)

November 3, 2011

Excitement is traveling to the Motherland!

Flying to Greece to visit my godmother, Roula, and godbrother, Basili. It is exciting; I haven’t seen them since September 2000 I was looking forward to a great reunion.

Maria – with My God Brother Vasili & My God Mother Roula

John has heard so many stories about them but has never met them. Unfortunately, my lovely Godfather Evangelos passed away a few years ago he was an unbelievable person. He was Greek but was born in Egypt, and he spoke nine different languages. He had so many great stories enough to last a lifetime.

We flew into Athens two days before we were supposed to board the cruise ship for our 18-day voyage. Our itinerary was from Athens, Greece to Dubai, UAE. This was the first time I was going to be on a cruise which made me nervous and excited. I wasn’t sure how I would do with the rocking of the boat at night so wish me luck. The next day we had a private tour of the city. I had seen all the monuments already, but I thought it would have been a good idea to hire a guide to explain things better especially dates and facts.

The first place we visited was the Acropolis sitting high above the city. You can’t miss this archeological site. It is truly spectacular to see it in person. I just can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to erect these structures. We primarily spent most of the time at the Acropolis and at the museum there is so much to see. I have posted some pictures of the main monuments that we saw at the Acropolis such as The Parthenon, Temple of Hephaestus, the Erechtheion, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus & the Theatre of Dionysus.

When I was younger, you were able to walk up to the Parthenon and touch it, but over the years people were destroying the structures with graffiti, so they have all of the monuments roped off.

We also had a chance to visit Syntagma Square it was right by our hotel when we first arrived in Athens it was at night, so John didn’t get a chance to see the soldiers guarding the building, so we made sure he saw that. After the tour, we decided to meet my godmother and godbrother for dinner at one of the local restaurants that Roula loved.

The one disappointing thing was that we were staying at Hotel Bretagne and that is right next to the Parliament building, and at night there was a lot of protesting going on. The people were breaking off marble from the surrounding buildings and throwing them at the presidents home.

We board our ship in the morning and cruising the mediterranean sea to our first port which in Cyprus. Follow us on our journey next stop is Limassol, Cyprus.