Well hello there! I am sorry for the radio silence over here, I had big plans to schedule a bunch of posts to run while we were on vacation, but life got in the way so here we go :)
We got back from Italy last night and, like always, I am feeling like I am in a bit of a post-vacation funk. It felt like we were gone forever, yet went by so quickly at the same time. Our 2.5 weeks in Italy were absolutely wonderful, and the next few days will basically be me trying to download and edit the thousands of pictures I took on the trip. So get ready for an Italy overload here on Dreams in HD. For now, I will leave you with photos from our first stop - the port town of Genoa.
We were set to visit our first stop, the Cinque Terre, on Saturday the 14th, but I decided to fly into Genoa a day early to give us a little time to get acclimated to the time change and also to allow us to get up the next morning bright and early so we could have the full day in the Cinque Terre. I didn't have many expectations for Genoa {a port town, famous for being the hometown of Christopher Columbus} other than finding a decent hotel with a comfy bed, just in case one of us was too jet-lagged from the 18+ hour trip.
However, like usual upon arrival I was too excited to sleep so we headed out of our hotel {The Hotel Bristol Palace which had the most gorgeous oval staircase I have ever seen} to explore the town. I have to say I was quite pleasantly surprised and we really enjoyed our time in Genoa. Would I plan on going back for an extended period of time? Probably not. But if you are ever flying into the airport or leaving for a cruise out of the port I would really recommend staying an extra day to check it out. We visited the gorgeous Romanesque San Lorenzo Church, a black and white striped masterpiece {totally reminded me of something out of a Tim Burton film} and wandered around the town. It was an interesting mix of old and new, ornate and gritty. Plus, there were virtually no tourists there which is always so refreshing.
In the evening based on a local's recommendation we hopped on the bus and headed to Boccadasse, an old fisherman's village about 4KM away from downtown Genoa. We didn't really have any expectations other than hopefully finding a decent place for dinner, so imagine our surprise when we turned the corner and found the most gorgeous little cove surrounded by tiny boats, colorful houses built on top of one another, and a picturesque view of the sea. We spent the evening drinking wine with the locals at a lively enoteca along the water {didn't hear a word of English all night...score!} and dining at an elegant seafood restaurant perched above the sea. It was an absolutely perfect start to our trip and to really begin living La Dolce Vita!
