Mediterranean Cruise: Day 2...

Day two of our cruise was spent exploring the Cinque Terre. Words nor pictures are going to be able to describe the experience we had traveling to these 5 coastal villages. The Cinque Terre is nestled on the Italian coast and you travel by train, boat, or foot to get to the villages. We took a bus (driven by a man with a special permit to bring a motorized vehicle into the area) to the top of the mountain where we were dropped off and lead by a tour guide on foot.

This is were the bus disposed of us. Isn't the water divine?! There were about 30 of us on the tour- the majority of the cruise ship went to see the leaning tower of Pisa. The ride from the ship terminal was about an hour and half- with the last part winding up a mountain that went straight down into the Mediterranean Sea.
As we walked through the first village we kept seeing little trains like the one above. The trains led straight up the mountain to vineyards- pictured below. The main source of income here, other then fishing, is wine- hence all the vineyards.
The vineyards were growing on almost all the steep hillsides we came across. The little trains took the workers up and down on the mountain sides. I think the people who get on those trains are brave- they did not look too sturdy.
The first village we walked to was Manarola. The sun was beginning to rise high in the sky, the morning coolness was starting to warm, and as we walked through the sleepy village I felt like I had been transported to another time. People there live simply. They hang their cloths out to dry in the sun. They have moderate furnishings and practical dwelling. As we strolled by the houses, home owners we beginning to open their shutters to let out the night air and let in the warm morning sun. Homes were built into places all over the hillside and they are all so close to one another- it made the alleyways narrow and somewhat claustrophobic.
After we walked through the small town we started toward Lovers Lane- one of the trails that connected Manarola to Riomaggiore. Lovers Lane is a path carved into the side of the mountain. One side I could touch earth and the other side I could look down a straight cliff to the sea. As we walked along the path seagulls soared overhead- above you can see one of my favorite pictures from the trip.
Pictures above is Lovers Lane- our walk lasted around 30 minutes and took us about a mile. Why the name you might wonder?
Because you proclaim your love for your honey by locking a lock on fences throughout the lane. Once the lovers lock the lock, they throw the key into the sea. Locks were everywhere you looked. And no, we did not get to proclaim our love through fastening a lock to a fence and tossing a key into the endless sea- we had no clue this was coming- if we had I would have totally had a lock handy!
Again, the locks were everywhere. Another one of my favorite pictures from the day...
Another shot of the lane after we had walked it. The weather could not have been more beautiful and the sea knew it. I felt like creation was just showing off for us all day.
After we walked Lover Lane we walked through Riomaggiore. Again, another sleepy little town forged into the cliffs and mountainsides. When we got down to the water, old boats lined the small beach. Some were already out in the sea, others were waiting for their owners to wake up and push them in the water for a day of fishing.
I love all the colors of the houses- bright greens and yellows and pinks splashed each of the building. After looking around the village a bit we walked down the cliffs to the water to wait on a boat.
This is how close we were to the water and the cliffs. So pretty...
Me getting onto the boat. It basically pulled up were the water meets the rocks and the workers threw a plank to the shore and we wobbled our way onto the boat- good thing neither one of us get sea sick. By the time we got to our destination some people in our group looked pretty green...
From the boat we passed Coniglia- the only village of the 5 we did not get to explore. Apparently we had to hike several small stone steps to get to the town- so we observed it from our bobbing boat.

Our boat delivered us to the town of Vernazza. Again, just picture perfect. We talked through the town, stopped for a couple photo ops and then headed to our next form of transportation...
A train. We traveled by bus, boat, train, and foot that day- pretty neat. The train ride was short and dumped us in our last town of the Cinque Terre- Monterosso. And this, my friends, is where I plan to live some day- you think I'm kidding.
After we got off the train we headed right for food. We found a small pizzeria and indulged in our first Italian pizza experience. It did not disappoint. We sat outside while we ate our pizza fresh out of the oven and drank our luke warm coke. Perfect...
See how pretty the water is there and see why I plan on living there some day? I could totally get into that lifestyle- slow, easy, and peaceful. I am wearing a tank top in October and there is no humidity- it is perfect.
That is Steve atop the rock in the sea. I did not feel like scaling a rock. So while he navigated to the top I enjoyed a stroll along the beach and then took pictures when he made it to the top.
My first feel of the Mediterranean Sea- kinda left like bath water. We enjoyed our free time in Monterosso. We walked through shops, explored narrow alleyways, observed the variety of unmentionables people had strung out on their clothes lines, and soaked up the amazing surroundings. In general it was a very romantic day. A day I will not soon forget. As we boarded our bus at the end of day I looked at Steve and said, 'Until next time.' I totally expect to visit again...

And on the way home we got to see the leaning tower of Pisa from afar. If you look really close in the above picture you can see it. I am glad we chose to do the excursion we did- I would not have wanted to miss out on the Cinque Terre, and if you are ever in that part of Italy you must go!

And my souvenir for the day- a Cinque Terre dish towel will four different recipes using lemons. Lemons grow wild there. The towel is currently on display in my kitchen kindly reminded me of the unforgettable day I got to explore the Cinque Terre.

This may have been my favorite day... but I am sure I will write this in my next post too. Get ready for day #3- it is pretty cool...

Mediterranean Cruise: Day 1...

Okay, I am ready to share our trip and boy do I have a lot of pictures to share with you! So many in fact it has been hard to decide what to post! I feel like I am finally on the right time zone and I want to get all this information down before I forget. So lets get into it- day one of our cruise!

First, our traveling could not have gone any smoother. We left Houston Saturday Oct. 16th around noon, had a 3 hour layover in Newark and boarded the plane for Spain 7pm that night. We arrived in Barcelona, Spain around 9am their time- 2am Houston time. I was able to sleep on the plane ride, but we were pretty tired none the less. After going through customs, collecting our bags, and exchanging some money (ouch!), we grabbed a cab and headed to the port. Since we arrived early and could not get on the ship- we had to wait. This was hard due to severe jet lag kicking in about this time. But we did make it on to the ship, ate lunch, and then headed to our room for a nap.

Here is the view from the ship that afternoon- so sad we did not get to explore Barcelona more.

Monday we slept in a bit too late, but did make it to our first shore excursion on time- Monaco and Monte Carlo. We went on a walking tour of the VERY small country. Monaco houses the palace and Prince Albert II, who will be getting married soon (Their engagement pictures were everywhere). We got to see lots of old building, beautiful coast line, and of course the palace.
We also got to see were Grace Kelly was buried. She married Rainier III and was the princess of Monaco for a short time. She died by car accident coming back from Monte Carlo in 1982.
Outside the palace. We also got to see the changing of the guards- pretty cool.
View of the bay from atop Monaco- Monte Carlo is right there to the left. Also, that street by the bay is were the Grand Prix takes place every year.
And of course I found an antique store full of beautiful things and totally out of my price range. It was right next to the palace. I guess the prince does his shopping there...
After the palace we walked to Monte Carlo- everything is so close together. The road where the Grand Prix is run every year is right behind me.
And what do people come to Monte Carlo to do? Gamble of course- and shop. That is the famous Monte Carlo Casino in the above picture. We were not able to go in- it does not open until 2pm and we were there around noon. Plus, everyone who pulled up the casino drove Royal Royce's or Ferrari's- I felt a bit out of place. And then we attempted to window shop but all the stores went by the names of Gucci or Channel and again my little pocket book whimpered, so we headed back to the ship for lunch and a nap.
Out of all the days if I HAD to pick one that was my least favorite- it would have been this day. Now do not get me wrong- it was beautiful, interesting, and so cool that I get to say I have been there. We enjoyed a lazy evening on the ship and when we got back to our room that night the above little towel animal was waiting for us- I love cruises.
Our souvenir for the day- a Monaco Christmas ornament. I wanted to get an ornament from every place we visited, but this ended up being the only one we got- can't wait to put it on our tree in a couple weeks- yes, you read that right- WEEKS!

Until day 2- Caio!

We're Back...

We got back from a 7 day Mediterranean cruise last night around 9pm. It was an unbelievable trip. We visited Spain, Monaco, and Italy... and I have so much to share. So like all my trip entries I will break it down day by day. Right now we are trying to recover from international travel- so here are a couple pictures until I can get my self together for the first post!

Roman Colosseum- still can't believe I not only got to see this, but we were also able to explore the inside.
Mediterranean Sunset on our cruise ship. We are shifting through all this pictures- these are just off my small, walk-about camera- Steve is cleaning up all the pictures taken with the Canon. So many great memories made, so many interesting places visited, so many pictures to share. Until next time- Ciao!

Favorite Things Friday...

I have a new hobby- painting my nails. Back in June I decided enough was enough- no more bitting my nails. Yes- at 27 years old I still bit my nails. BUT I have not let a single nail grace my teeth since June. And what do you know- I have pretty good nails. They grow quickly and are hard as rocks. So what do you do once you have long nails- paint them of course!
My latest e-Bay find- the complete collection of the OPI Alice and Wonderland series. Currently I am wear Mad as a Hatter- the second from the left. It is fun and different. Tonight I am going to paint my nails the first color- Off With Her Red!
Rumple Wiggins is the color above. It is from the OPI Shrek collection. Even though it is a spring color I wore it a couple weeks again. I think I will save it for the spring- but it sure is a pretty color.
I am currently wearing this on my toes- For Audrey by China Glaze. I LOVE it. It is bright and unusual. I normally get reds or pinks on my toes- I am glad I branched out with this color.
And above is my all time favorite nail color- Strawberry Margarita from OPI. It looks great on fingers and toes. As you can tell- I am a big OPI fan- mainly because of my sister. Please share your favorite colors- always looking for new ideas! Enjoy the upcoming weekend!

A Weekend in the Mountains...

As you know from the last post, I spent the weekend at my parents cabin in the Alto area of Riudoso, NM. It was a good weekend- my whole family was there- and we had no plans. Just lots of hanging out and being together.

Friday morning, all the girls went to town for pedi's, a sushi lunch, and shopping.
I love pedi's and I love getting spa stuff done with my mom and sisters- we laughed a lot. The guy who did Christin's toes had a mole with over 4 inches of hair growing out of it- no lie. Once she spotted it and I saw her face, we all got the giggles. I am sure they thought we were weird by the time we left. While we shopped the guys golfed. They all stated they had a great day too, so it was a good day for all. That night Steve and I made pulled pork tacos- yummmmm...
Saturday was similar to Friday. We took in a slow morning of coffee and mountains and then headed back to town for lunch and pictures. My sisters and I had those funny western pictures taken. Christin and Catherine had these done a couple years ago but I was not in them- so we took them again. Above and below you will see my favorite shots.
The lady taking our pictures spoke in broken English, but she did have one phrase down- 'Sexy Girls.' She kept telling us that while we were taking the pictures- again this caused us to laugh. My dad said we were so loud you could hear us outside the shop. All of us only have one volume of laughter and it sounds pretty much the same.
Sisters at lunch on Saturday. We ate at a yummy wrap place.
On our way to the Western pictures. I love this picture, I think I will frame it in my house somewhere.
Saturday night we got all dolled up and head out to the Inn of the Mountain Gods for a wonderful dinner. If you are ever in the Riudoso area, the Inn is a must. As you can see in the above picture- the restaurant over looks the mountains. We got to watch the sun set as we enjoyed good drink and food. We hung around the hotel and casino for a bit after dinner then headed home to enjoy the hot tub...
Sunday, Catherine and Justin left early and the rest of us took it slow. After we all got packed and cleaned up the cabin a bit, we headed up to the Ski Apache area. It was a pretty drive, and of course we took several pictures. Some of the leaves were starting to change- reminded me of our New England trip last year.
Steve and I at the overlook- so pretty.
The family- minus Catherine and Justin and Steve. I really like this picture, probably deserves a frame as well. It was a good weekend, but like every time I am up there, it went by way too fast. The rest of Sunday was dedicated to driving and flying. We got home around 9pm Sunday with rested spirits and a puppy who was happy to see us! A big thanks to the Tucker's for loving on Hope all weekend. Blessings on the week ahead...

Favorite Things Friday...

Today I am blogging from the beautiful Ruidoso, New Mexico. Steve and I are spending the weekend with my family at our family cabin in the mountains. To say this is one of my favorite places in the world would be an understatement. As soon as we got up here last night I could literally feel stress start to drip off me. This is a place of peace, a place of family, a place of comfort, a place of goodness.
Here is the cabin straight on from the outside.
The inside living room area. This is where we spend a lot of time lounging around, watching TV, playing games, sitting in front of the fire, watching the birds and other wildlife out the big windows.
The front door along with the big wrap around porch- lots of sitting room.
Another shot of the cabin with my mom and sister viewing the surrounding mountains.
Catherine and I on the front porch- Christin is inside- she stated it was too cold to be outside. TOO COLD!!!! I am currently wearing that exact outfit in the picture above- sweats! So today, I am enjoying one of my favorite places. What are some of your favorite places?