Tiny island, Big winds

To Aran Island or not to Aran Island? That was the question!  

      Did we really want to endure this?? 

With the help of a few local recommendations we decided it was a must see even though we feared the mighty storm. A shuttle and a ferry ride later we made it! Soooo...the thing to do is rent bikes and cruise the sites but with numb toes we chose the mini shuttle bus with a private driver (sweet local man). 

We made our way up to the historic site Dun Aenghus, which is a 2,000 year old Celtic fort. It sits right on a massive (200 feet above) cliff. Mack was more of a peeker of the edge and Belle ventured a tad bit closer. Luckily, our umbrellas were closed because the wind would scoop us right up! It was an amazing site to see and it felt as if we traveled back in time. 

The island in itself is pretty spectacular; it consists of mostly limestone, growing moss (not one tree on the island) and limestone walls (man made) that have been there since the first inhabitors. Turns out the shuttle was a great choice. We stayed warm and learned a lot of inside island secrets.

We headed home, took warm showers & headed out for a yummy seafood meal. Live music (and a few brews & whiskeys) at The King's Head pub and The Quays...aaaaand an unplanned nightcap with a fun couple we met, we had a blast of a night. 

Today we are doing a little shopping in Galway and then our tiny feet will be 'Fred Flinstone-ing' all the weee way to Dublin! 

Slainte!

Mack & Belle

Tiny car, big adventures

Top o' the morning to ya! 

Ireland is as green, lush and beautiful as expected! Our tiny car's first stop was the Rock of Cashel; a small historic site with sweeping views of the Irish country side. The high winds and chilly weather brought us to the tiny town for our first Irish fare...soup and soda bread. 

Next stop...Cork! Nap time! After a refreshing nap, we strolled through the streets of Cork, which is quite industrialized. We landed upon a fish and chips place that looked divine and delivered to the pub across the way! Perfect! So we bellied up with a pint. Or two, thanks to the charming Irish men who eventually sang us a tune. 

On the road again...Blarney Castle. ( side note: Belle is doing a great driving!) Blarney was a great site with lots to see. We walked around the grounds for three hours.  Views, greenery and leprachauns. And even kissed the stone (kind of). :)

Off to Galway...arrival time 6:30. We freshened up and hit the town! One pint and then dinner was the plan but here come those Irish men with another pint. And these dark beers are serious sippers. With that being said, it took us a bit to get it down and missed dinner time! Apparently, food shuts down at 9:30. No bean and cheese bureets here! Luckily, we found a place to serve us fries. Finished the night with live music, a few jigs and whiskey. 

Off to the Aran islands-wet day trip ahead! Wish us some Irish luck!

Slainte (cheers)! 

Mack & Belle

nothing tiny, big history (parte uno)

The last four days have been interesting and exhausting. Interesting for many reasons: #1, Rome is different. Lets just say East Coast vs. West Coast. Nor cal vs. So Cal. People are abrasive, waiters pushy and food not as impressive. Mackenzie is about to use her boxing skills, but we are remembering our yoga breath.

But don't be fooled. When away from restaurants, it's been quite nice & a few good eats. The city is a really good city to say the least. Imagine New York (huge city) but you can walk everywhere. Except, by the time you get home, you are definitely dragging (but we had to take these tiny feet everywhere possible!) Metro was suggested by many people, but we wanted to see & immerse, even if we couldn't feel our toes by the end.

Sunday: We took off from our "guest house" with a map and no plan. Walked from Vatican-Prati area across the Tiber River to Spagna. Strolled down a popular shopping district and landed at the Spanish Steps (otherwise known as crowded craziness). The church, Triniti dei Montei at the top was gorgeous though! Picked up a few Peronis and sat down in Villa Borgehese to rest these feet. Imagine Central & Balboa Park mixed together, romantic hand holding and beer belching. Just kidding. But we did sit under a lovely jasmine tree and watched other lovers hold hands. Out of Borghese Gardens and blah blah, more walking, landed at the Trevi Fountain. It was so insanely crowded that we decided to come back later. Piazza Navona (ended up being most frequently visited area), failed pictures in front of beautiful fountains, small sandwiches and then home to shower up. Dinner with a pushy waiter, but good food and home to sleep.

Monday: Early morning for our Vatican tour. We met our funny little tour guide near the Vatican entrance & headed in. Old, balding, joke telling, seahorse tie-wearing, Michael led us past the crowds and hooked us up on some handy dandy audio systems. Overloaded with history, we walked through Vatican museums and landed in the Sistine Chapel. Whoa nelly! Amazing. To fathom the talent from that art era, Michelangelo mastered it. Thanks to Rick Steve's for his guidebook explaining each portion... Seriously, Michelangelo laying on his back in some rafters for 4 years, how did he even paint something like that??
St. Peter's Basilica was unbelievable. The architecture, the planning, the design, the tile work. Wow! There was a small mass going on in the front apse (area behind the main altar), very cool to hear all the singing and see people praising. This place is hard to describe in words, you must visit yourself! Heavens shining down in Piazza San Pietro, snapped a few pics, Belle got a few rosaries & we were starved up!!! Lunch with a jerk waiter, good pizza, salad & gelato. Welp, ended up back at Piazza Navona and wanted some more photos. Belle had a brilliant idea to pose like one of the fountain statues, but took a little spill instead. Nothing better than a good laugh! Long naps that afternoon and had a big meal to end the night. One of the only times we did a Primi & Secondi: pastas, followed by grilled squid (Mack) and grilled swordfish (Belle).

Nighty night!
Ciao,
Belle & Mack

 

 

 

tiny expense, big indulgence

Ciao from Rome! Tiny feet are getting tired & smelly. Two days of walking in Rome and our legs need a good massage. Resting up in our "guest house" (not exactly the bed & breakfast advertised online) before heading out to explore more and have some Roman cuisine.

But before we tell you about Rome, we want to share about the beauty & indulgences of Positano. Positano is a small town nestled into a cliff side on the Amalfi Coast. After a ridiculous day of travel last Wednesday (written about here: http://tinyfeetbigadventures.blogspot.it/2013/04/tiny-town-big-travel.html?m=1), the sun was shining and we were thrilled!

Warning: Positano's indulgence sounds more like Vegas.

Our first night in Positano was restful and delicious. After our long day, we felt we deserved a first class meal! We found the a tiny restaurant that housed eight friendly strangers. Luckily, they were kind enough to add two more really sweet girls. ;) Mussels, rigatoni with eggplant, beef fettuccine and beef brisket...and bedtime!

Our next morning was a leisurely one...a step out our double doors led to a view of the orange and red buildings, clear skies and the blue sparkling water. So very grateful for such beauty. After breakfast, we explored the hills and alleyways, admired the huge lemons, tried on the linen dresses, viewed a church (shocking) and eventually ended up by the water. The sun told us that we needed a nice glass (or three) of white wine. A few hours and a few new friends later, we made our way up, up, up to our hotel for an aperitif (and wifi). Taking in the sunset, drinking wine and chatting with our balcony neighbor (via Google translator), we decided it was time to feed the soul. Another incredible meal!

The next morning was a little less leisurely and a bit more restful (in other words, we weren't feeling too hot). Breakfast and then a nap for Mack and balcony reading for Belle. Around noon, we decided to take ourselves on a nice hike by the water's side (since we missed out in CT). Tennies on and go! Oh boy, did we earn our midday pizza, peronis & gelato! Ha, well we'd like to think we did. Not sure if it was the grease or the waterfront meal, but it was the best pizza EVER! Back up at our room we put our swim suits on (balcony wasn't a waste of space), bronzed for a few hours and caught up on some reading.

Our evening brought us back to the beach bar for more wine, more new friends and some serious giggles and self-portraits.

Aside from the new suitcases Belle bought (hooray!), expenses were minimal due to the friendly locals. All in all, Positano was a fun and beautiful stop!

Ciao!
Belle & Mack

tiny village, big hearts

Our last day in Florence, we took a day trip to Assisi. Early train ride through the Tuscan & Umbrian countryside. We had interest in staying in Umbria but decided to just day trip instead of packing up and moving to a new hotel again.
Arriving in Assisi, first things first: a morning cappuccino. To our surprise, we met the jolliest, welcoming man and his adorable son. They "whipped up" (slow and careful in true Italian form) the most beautiful and delightful cappuccinos. We shared some smiles with Angelo and were invited back for an afternoon apertif (sadly, he wasnt there later!).
We walked up the hill to Basilica de San Francesco. Assisi is an old medieval town, made famous for two popular saints: Saint Francis and Saint Clare. As we approached the Basilica, the next few moments couldn't have been more perfect. Franciscan monks exiting a nearby courtyard, entering the Basilica to find a mass occurring in the front chapel and monks singing in Latin. Blown away!
The Basilica was very unique in its design. Many of the churches we have visited have had a strong Gothic & Renaissance influence: darker, taller and more concrete. San Francesco was adorned with royal blue & gold ceilings, bright frescoes still in tact and numerous side chapels honoring various saints and holy people. The tile work around archways and detailed scenes depicting holy lives...beautiful. Downstairs, a small chapel holds St. Francis' tomb. (He's actually buried there!!) Moved to tears, Belle said a quick prayer and we ventured upstairs to look at the main altar and finish our little tour of the basilica.
Walking out, it was raining!! Oopsy, we banked on a forecast of 30% rain meaning no rain. Turns out, the drizzle made the mystery of Assisi even more real. Up, up, up via San Francesco to climb & giggle our way up a staircase to Rocca Maggiore. We didn't visit the medieval castle but, instead, took in the sweeping views of Umbrian vineyards & mountains from atop this hill in Assisi. After realizing how exhausted we were, we took our tiny feet in and out of alleyways to discover adorable sweetness and stone roads. Our favorite thing to do in every city has become just losing ourselves in the side roads & seeing what we can discover. And allowing moments for perfect silliness :)
Like Angelo told us at the beginning of our arrival, one day in Assisi is just not enough time but we were lucky with the few hours we got! Assisi offers medieval structure, fortress walls, adorable alleyways and a peaceful heartwarming ambiance.

Ciao!
Belle & Mack

 

Basilica de San Francesco

 

Alleyways & Staircases!

tiny side trip, big outlook

Last Saturday, we took ourselves out of Florence and into a darling little Tuscan hill town called San Gimignano. Cobblestone streets, porchetta heads, quiet alleyways. It was everything we wanted to "Mary Poppins" to a few days before.
We found ourselves in a lot of adorable streets, photo ops around every corner, frolicking up & down some mossy bricks, and all atop a Tuscan hill.
Over a view of green grass & vineyards, we set out on a mini mission for "lunch." Lunch in San Gimignano = a bottle of Vernaccia, local pecorino, boar salami (cinghale) and some fig panforte. Vernaccia is the local & recommended (by Emily) white wine! Found the perfect outlook..with a bench.. and some unsuspecting pigeons.
amazing!
Soaked in as much as we could...it was actually sunny!
After our lunch & bottle.. We bought a few beautiful olive wood cutting boards & some truffle infused cheese (melt my heart!!). The time in this town was cherished as we only had one day there.

Definitely an unforgettable & highly recommended Tuscan town!

Ciao!
Belle & Mack