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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
RedRubybride
Hey girl, I want to hear ALL about the Italy trip - give me the scoop!!!!
Re: RedRubybride
Oh girl...where do I start???
I posted all about our hotels in the post below from tippykins.
Venice - We fell in love with Venice. It's a lot more expensive and touristy than other areas of Italy, but it's a place everyone needs to see at least once. I fed the pigeons in St. Marks Square...lol...now THAT was fun! And believe it or not, they didn't poop on me once. In Venice, we spent a lot of our time simply walking the streets/alleys and "getting lost"....just have fun exploring the city! And of course...you HAVE to go on a gondola ride. One tip - we did it at about lunch time, so most of the tourists were eating. As a result, our ride was nice and quiet for the most part. It's a great time of day to do it. Another good time would be dusk. Don't do it at night...yes, it would be romantic, but you won't see as much. We paid extra for our gondolier to take us under the Rialto Bridge....definitely worth it! You can haggle the price with them too. Don't forget to kiss under every bridge..it's tradition!
Florence - This city is beautiful! We climbed 463 steps to the top of the Campanile tower that overlooks the city...it's worth the climb...the view is breath-taking! Right after that, we headed over to take a look at the cathedral and unknowingly went through the line that takes you to the top of the cathedral dome (Duomo)....OMG....we had to climb another 414 steps...that's 877 TOTAL!!! By the time we realized that, we had already paid our money so we went through with it. Talk about a work-out! It was worth it, though. You get to walk around the dome on the inside before going to the top....beautiful!
Rome - We LOVED Rome! It reminded us more of Paris than any other city we went to. There is SO much to see and do. We paid for guided tours at the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Vatican City. We had a wonderful tour guide...it was a younger girl (maybe 28ish) originally from Maryland, so she was easy to understand and made it fun. I've still got her card somewhere if you want her info. She did the tour of the Roman Forum and Vatican City. The Metro in Rome is an experience, to say the least. Be prepared to be smooshed in tight with tons of strange Italians...LOL. Be VERY cautious of your belongings...especially on the Metro.
Some things you might want to take:
- plenty of hand sanitizer! (especially when you grab a bite to eat after hanging onto those Metro bars)
- a mailing tube so you can roll up and bring home any artwork or paintings that you buy without them getting wrinkled or creased.
- A great pair of walking shoes! I was SO thankful for my comfy shoes...definitely invest in a great pair and break them in well before the trip.
- A travel journal...my journal turned out to be my best souvenir, and I usually don't even keep a journal.
- A menu decoder/phrase book (Rick Steves has a handy one that fits well in your purse...it's both a phrase book AND a menu decoder)
Tips:
- Get your DH to wear a moneybelt, and be sure to use a purse that crosses your chest. It's more comfortable when you're walking all day, and it's harder for someone to steal.
- Get exit row seats on your flights, if at all possbile...you'll have lots of extra leg room...which is needed after 11 hours in the air!
Remind me...what cities are ya'll going to?
Oh, and I'll have TONS of info about food/restaurants on my blog pretty soon!
OMG Celeste, thank you!!!
We leave 4/30 and go to those cities.
Brad is going to use the money belt, I have 2 Kavu purses (that go across my chest) and we both got great walking shoes - I got some Privo!?!?! the ones made by Clarkes and B got some Rockports, he's worn his and says he knows they will be great. I'm also going to take my tennis shoes for walks like those steps!!! holy cow, good things we've been running the steps at the coliseum lately!!!!
I definitely will have to get a mailing tube and a journal (I did that on our HM except the last day, so I should be able to fish that one out).
Send me the tour guides info and any food/restaurants - that would be great. I was told I would be ok w/my garlic allergy b/c everything is hand prepared for you when you eat?!?!?!? I'm going to learn how to say "allergic to garlic, no garlic please"
We have the phrase book and Rick Steves' book. I had planned on the sanitizer - I did that when I went to Asia.
I'm so glad you mentioned about the pigeons in Venice - I was worried about that!!!
Ok, so what type clothes did you take, how big a suitcase do I need for 10 days?!?!?
Thanks again!!!!
Katie - Totally butting in, but here is the website for the tourguides we used. We went on 2 of their tours in Rome. Both guides were Americans and wonderful. They did great on the tours and gave us lots of tips on great places to eat off the beaten path. We did the Vatican tour and the Rome by Twilight.
http://www.througheternity.com/
You guys are going to have the BEST time!
Thanks Amy girl!!!!
I'm going to send all this to B, and we are going to work on finalizing things soon.
I forget where you said you are staying in Rome, but don't miss this view...
At the top of the Spanish steps, hang a left and there is a balcony sort of thing overlooking the Piazza de Popolo. We just happened upon it one day around sunset. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the SS or the Palatine Hill (and you don't have to pay anything!).
Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. It really is surreal when you think about the history there.
Oh,
I forget where you said you are staying in Rome, but don't miss this view...
At the top of the Spanish steps, hang a left and there is a balcony sort of thing overlooking the Piazza de Popolo. We just happened upon it one day around sunset. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the SS or the Palatine Hill (and you don't have to pay anything!).
Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. It really is surreal when you think about the history there.
Oh,
andI forget where you said you are staying in Rome, but don't miss this view...
At the top of the Spanish steps, hang a left and there is a balcony sort of thing overlooking the Piazza de Popolo. We just happened upon it one day around sunset. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the SS or the Palatine Hill (and you don't have to pay anything!).
Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. It really is surreal when you think about the history there.
Be
I forget where you said you are staying in Rome, but don't miss this view...
At the top of the Spanish steps, hang a left and there is a balcony sort of thing overlooking the Piazza de Popolo. We just happened upon it one day around sunset. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the SS or the Palatine Hill (and you don't have to pay anything!).
Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. It really is surreal when you think about the history there.
Be
I forget where you said you are staying in Rome, but don't miss this view...
At the top of the Spanish steps, hang a left and there is a balcony sort of thing overlooking the Piazza de Popolo. We just happened upon it one day around sunset. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the SS or the Palatine Hill (and you don't have to pay anything!).
Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. It really is surreal when you think about the history there.
Be
carefultI forget where you said you are staying in Rome, but don't miss this view...
At the top of the Spanish steps, hang a left and there is a balcony sort of thing overlooking the Piazza de Popolo. We just happened upon it one day around sunset. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the SS or the Palatine Hill (and you don't have to pay anything!).
Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. It really is surreal when you think about the history there.
Be
careful with the food atI forget where you said you are staying in Rome, but don't miss this view...
At the top of the Spanish steps, hang a left and there is a balcony sort of thing overlooking the Piazza de Popolo. We just happened upon it one day around sunset. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the SS or the Palatine Hill (and you don't have to pay anything!).
Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. It really is surreal when you think about the history there.
Be
careful with the food at theI forget where you said you are staying in Rome, but don't miss this view...
At the top of the Spanish steps, hang a left and there is a balcony sort of thing overlooking the Piazza de Popolo. We just happened upon it one day around sunset. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the SS or the Palatine Hill (and you don't have to pay anything!).
Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. It really is surreal when you think about the history there.
Be
carefulI forget where you said you are staying in Rome, but don't miss this view...
At the top of the Spanish steps, hang a left and there is a balcony sort of thing overlooking the Piazza de Popolo. We just happened upon it one day around sunset. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the SS or the Palatine Hill (and you don't have to pay anything!).
Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. It really is surreal when you think about the history there.
Be careful with the food at the Vatican...its not good for one thing...but also premade...probably has garlic
Katie - Will you be riding trains between each city? Gosh, train travel can be a little stressful...especially if you have a larger suitcase. I did and it wouldn't always fit in the overhead compartment. So, we had to just find a spot next to the doors and leave it there. Then, you don't have a ton of time to grab all your stuff and get off at each stop. So, as you're coming into the train stations for your stop, go ahead and get everything together. You can even get your suitcase and stand by the door...just to be sure you get off on time.
One time, we were ready and had everything by the door...we just knew we'd be some of the first ones off the train...WRONG! The door was jammed. We had to grab all our stuff and hurry down the aisle to the other end. We made it in plenty of time, but it's hard getting those suitcases down the aisle without crunching anyone's elbows...LOL.
Also, in Venice - we took a taxi to the train station and thought we were in the right place...WRONG! We kept an eye on the departures/arrivals board, and when our train was skipped I got a little nervous. I went to the information desk and they told me we had to take a shuttle train to another station...and THEN get on our train. We barely made it! Our train was leaving the Venice Mestre station....so just be clear on what stations you need, etc. That's something our travel agent should have told us. We had no idea. It worked out fine though.
In Florence, we got to the train station like an hour early and there was an earlier train to Rome. We were actually allowed to board the earlier train for a small charge...like 8 Euro. That gave us an extra hour in Rome and we didn't have to sit in the Florence train station forever...which I've heard can be a dangerous place.
The good thing is, you'll be going when it's warmer, so you won't have a ton of bulky sweaters in your suitcase...that will help keep the size down. Just pack as light as you can...remember, you'll be lugging that suitcase EVERYWHERE...down cobblestone streets, all over trains, airports, etc.!!! Smaller suitcases definitely make train travel much easier too. We used those vacuum-seal things to save room in our suitcase..especially for the sweaters...those things work great! I also taped all of my shampoo bottles and such before the airplane rides. The pressure in the cabins can make them leak. Those vacuum sealed bags also protect your clothes in case something does leak.
Oh, and there are some places where shorts are forbidden...like Vatican City. Also, I've read that European women never wear shorts...so it's recommended that women tourists stick to capri pants when they can...just one of those funny tid bits you read about. I don't know how true that is...I'm sure plenty of people wear shorts in the spring/summer over there!
Hope this helps!
Thanks both of you!!!!
I'm going to get those vacuum sealed bags, that is a great idea!!!
I appreciate all the advice.
I was hoping to get everything in a smaller suitcase, have a carryon bag and that would be it.
Keep it coming if you think of anything else. I'm so ready to go!!!!
I took a suitcase, a carryon and then used a quilted tote as my "purse". No problems there.
Definitely agree with Celeste on the mailing tube. We bought a gorgeous watercolor from a street artist. It became a pain on the planes trying to keep it flat.
I wore mainly dresses and some capris. The dresses were the best because you look cute but stay cool! But no shorts and no strappy tops unless I had a cardigan, too. They are very strict about clothing in some of the churches (especially the Vatican).
I'll definitely let you know Tiff and plan on using Amy and Celeste's advice too. I'm going to share it with Brad.
We booked everything on www.europeandestinations.com and even consulted with my friend/travel agent and she said that it's a great resource. Brad looked up everything on tripadvisor.com too along w/using the Rick Steve's book as reference. We got a GREAT deal on the trip - flight, hotel (we are staying mostly in B&B's) and train fare.
I'm so excited!!!