Sunshine-n-Wine

The great adventure of 2024 was a trip with our friends to Europe.  This post will not follow my regular pattern for travel posts, and we used a travel agent to arrange our trains and hotels Rail Bookers, but it should be helpful if you are planning a trip to these countries. Our travel agent was Pam from  Unwindwithbliss.com. Preparation German Language Learning Duo Lingo - I primarily used this app because it was convenient to do during my walks with the dog.  That said, if I’d been really serious about learning the language, I would use another option to supplement Duo. I spent about 7 months prepping with Duo Lingo, and while I am able to pick up on bits and pieces, I don’t feel that comfortable speaking it in general - only words and a couple short phrases. Rocket Languages - I accessed this through our public library and downloaded an app.  I didn’t use it much and regret not doing so as they use native speakers and not the weird AI generated voices of Duo Ling...

For our 10-year wedding anniversary, we wanted something special, and thankfully we have friends who are more than happy to tag along for another Italy adventure. Transportation & Logistics United Airlines - Open Jaw booking through Chase Sapphire Reserve. We upgraded our seats on the overseas legs to Economy Plus for the extra leg room.        Orlando - Newark - Malpensa (Milan)        Venice - Newark - Orlando From Milan airport to Torino: We didn’t purchase the SADEM bus tickets beforehand. We landed at 8:10AM and caught the 9:05 bus from Terminal 1. To buy your tickets at the airport Terminal 1 (€22 pp), go to the airport bus ticket counter inside next to Door 8 after leaving baggage. Then walk outside and down to the bus pick-up (to the left). Our bus picked up on the dot from Stop 4. There is a screen when you exit to the bus area that lists the parking spot numbers for each bus. The bus ride is 2 hours on a no-frills bus, but...

We started planning this enormously intimidating trip a year and a half out.  There is so much information to include that I also started setting up this post way early.  I'm a planner deep into my bones. Cruise transportation Public buses between the train station and port are €2, not €1 as stated on the Cruise Critic forums. Buses run very sporadically so you will need to plan on standing around waiting for a while. The shuttle runs far more frequently from port gate to the check-in area but still plan a little extra time.  Also, hold onto your bus tickets if you don't validate on the way there. They didn't check or ask for ours so we used them on the ride back. We self-debarked with our luggage at 6:30am and got to the train station at 7:30. Our train left at 10. Next time I would book an earlier train. The Ship We booked Rhapsody of the Seas, 9-nights out of Rome, because of the excellent itinerary.  We booked the cheapest inside cabin (Category Q) b...

We spent 3 days in Rome and 3 days in Venice pre- and post-cruise.  Here is the breakdown of cities, transportation, apartment rentals, food, sites/museums, etc. Trains and Transportation FCO airport to Rome: We used RomeCabs for a private transfer to our apartment. Great service and highly recommend. €55 total + tip Getting around Rome: We bought a RomaPass , which allows free rides on public transportation during the period of activation. We didn't swipe our cards at all, though, and the drivers didn't enforce it. We paid for the cards but others may have been riding free. Train Travel: We pre-booked travel via  Trenitilia .  Be sure to book as soon as the dates become and be ready to buy the tickets at that moment.  Do not back out to the previous page, open in another browser, or think too long.  The price would literally go up a couple times within a few minutes because I was bumbling around the website.  So my advice is get on before your dat...