A note from home...

The boy and I are excited that it is now less than a month until he joins me on this trip. However we have been in contact lots and I was super excited and a just a little homesick when he sent me this pic he took from our new place... we are renting a little old farm house and these are our new neighbors, aren't they cute?

Innsbruck

On our way from Rome to Verona (about a five hour journey by train) we shared a cabin with a lovely young couple from Innsbruck who were returning home after a romantic weekend in Italy. They were surprised when we told them that we were planning to spend two nights in their home town, but they invited us to meet them for a drink none the less.
Well, not long after arriving in Innsbruck we started to fall in love.
We loved the old town, the mountains and the endless grey skies. We loved the markets and the beautiful Christmas tree decorated in fairy lights. We loved our accommodation, a small room just above the best cafe in town, where we made sure we had a hot chocolate and a pastry every afternoon. And we loved meeting our new Austrian friends on a cold night in a cosy bar for a drink. But we'll have to let them know that next time we come, we'll stay three nights.

A Day Trip To Venice

In the lead up to our trip to Europe Tess and I heard a lot about Venice. And it's not surprising really as these days Venice is visited by on average 50,000 tourists, per day. So it's busy and there are shops everywhere selling everything you would expect to bring home from a trip to Italy, leather bags, scarves, shoes, pasta, there was was even a store full of Italian souvenirs for your pet.
However despite all this I still found Venice to be charming and was glad to have visited.

Fair Verona

After the hustle and bustle of Rome we loved having a quiet few days in Verona. Of course we missed our boys in this romantic city. But we still had lots of fun including when Tess played the star-crossed lover on the balcony of Juliet's house. Isn't she cute?

3 things I loved meeting in Rome

1. My cousin's best friend and I had never met but we have heard so much about each other over the years that it felt just like catching up with family (Tess on the left, and her best friend on the right - aren't they gorgeous!)

2. Some of the inhabitants of the abandoned ruins scattered throughout the city.

3. Pistachio Gelati... say no more.

Roman Holiday

This weekend my cousin's best friend and her lovely fiancé met us in Rome
for a little holiday. We had so much fun with them, walking around this amazing, ancient city. On the last day we made sure we found the Trevi Fountain and threw in our coins to ensure we would return to Roma again... hopefully next time the boy will be able to come too. I think he would have loved it.

Walking in Paris at Dusk

I have a very sweet friend at home who has told me many times that Paris is her favorite city. After walking around Paris for four beautiful autumn days, I am beginning to see why...

Our Parisian Neighborhood...

We arrived in Paris on Saturday afternoon and have had perfect weather ever since. We are staying in a delightful little suburb of Paris called Picpus, full of lovely old unit blocks and leafy streets. It was so exciting to discover the local markets this morning, where we bought fresh fruit and cheese to pack for our day of sightseeing. Yes, I decided today that Paris is truly delightful.