Greece

Athens

Our Airbnb was located in a non touristy area but rather a small neighborhood that Adam actually lived in when he studied abroad. The Airbnb was perfectly sized and had a bakery right below - perfect!

Panathenaic Stadium (above)- hosted the first modern Olympic Games.

Temple of Olympian Zeus. Since we were there during off season, the entry tickets were half price.

Just your average olive tree on the side of the road.

Acropolis of Athens

We hiked up Mount Lycabettus - the highest point in the city - to take in the beautiful views. There is also an option to take a R/T cable car for 15 euro.

The Food. Where do I begin. The reason we walked up Mount Lycabettus was to be able to eat everything below (for under $30)!

We took a ferry to the Island of Aegina. It was a short 45 minutes and they have assigned seats onboard. Aegina is known for it’s honey and pistachios. Since it was off season, the island was practically empty.

We rented an ATV to travel around the island and it was peaceful (unlike Adam’s last ATV experience!). We of course found more ruins.

For dinner we went to Aleria Restaurant in Athens. It was a delicious four hour tasting menu that was very affordable (only 60 Euro PP).

Click below for more photos!

We stumbled upon a street market with fresh fruit, veggies and olives!

We visited the Acropolis Museum that had a free guided tour at 6pm. The floors are glass so you can see though the ruins.

We went to dinner at I Kriti- a traditional Crete Restaurant (click below for more pictures).

Takeaways

• Very affordable

• Entrance fees are 1/2 price during the winter months

• A lot of stray cats

• No tipping required

• Always get a small dessert type thing at the end of the meal (for free)

Israel

Jerusalem

We made it to Israel! We stayed with Nathan and Iris in Rishon LeZion (outside of Tel Aviv). It was a great little neighborhood (seemed similar to Brookline) where you could walk about the Main Street and their were cute shops/restaurants.

We went to the Jerusalem Museum where they had an Ai Weiwei exhibit and also the old scrolls.

We stopped at a local joint to grab some lunch in Abu Gosh- o.m.g. it was so good. I could eat this for every meal.

We drove through the Negev Desert on our way to the Dead Sea. The road we were originally going to take was closed due to flooding as the weather changed by the minute.

The Dead Sea was VERY blue and it’s true, you float instantly with zero effort. The water was heavy, milky, and your skin feels silky and dry at the same time. The salt scrub sea floor was great as an exfoliant.

You can see the country of Jordan from across the water.

We drove a little further to Masada. Instead of taking the cable car up, we decided to hike up al the stairs. Well, the weather changed very quickly.

By the time we reached the top, it had been pouring for half of the hike up and we were covered in muddy water. We were not able to get to the plateau as they closed the park due to inclement weather. Luckily we caught the last cable car down. We had to hurry back to Rishon as the roads were starting to close again!

The next day we made our way to Caesarea Beach. Here you can go for a swim and also see some ancient ruins!

Next up, Haifa and the Bahá'í Gardens. They are sacred grounds with beautifully symmetrical gardens. Not to mention over 700 steps. They do tours throughout the day, so we sure to look up the times before you come.

Afterwards we explored the town of Acre (Akko). It was an old port town with beautifully preserved old city walls.

We went to bakeries and had Kanafeh and baklava. We also visited a street market to view the abundant selection of spices.

Our last stop for the day was Rosh HaNikra to catch the beautiful sunset. The border to Lebanon was also right there.

Our last stop of the journey was Jerusalem.

Takeaways

• Very healthy lifestyle

• Everything closed Friday to Saturday at sunset for Shabbat

Italy

Rome

Magical Rome! Of course we hit all the quintessential sites - the Pantheon (above and below).

The Trevi Fountain (below).

Last but not least, the Colosseum and the Palatino.

We bought our tickets online and got there first thing. If you do not purchase your tickets online, be mindful that there is one line you would have to wait in to purchase tickets, then another line to physically get in.

You must stop at Pasticceria Regoli - they have been there for over a hundred years and although the shop is VERY small, the pastry flavors are too good to just get one!

We had lunch at Pizzeria Florida. All the pizza below (about ten slices) was only 9 euros.

Pastificio was a great place to grab a “snack”. Aka more pasta. They only make two kinds of pasta a day (one is typically meat, one vegetarian) and it is only 4 euro.

Gelato, Gelato, Gelato. We typically grabbed gelato on our way back to our Airbnb each night. The place below, Giolitti, was my favorite. You have the option to add fresh cream on top. Who does not want free fresh cream? Also the flavors were quite complex and plentiful.

Finally, Adam’s favorite place was Beppe and his Cheeses. We tried a cheese from 1987 and it was so sharp that it numbed the tongue. To wash it down, they gave us 50 year old brandy.

Our Airbnb

Our AirBnb was a quant LITTLE loft that came complete with a spiral staircase and a literal crawl space. It’s central location near the Trevi Fountain made up for it’s size as it allowed us to walk to many destinations (and eat more, repeat).

Pompeii and Naples

We took a 4 euro train from Rome to Naples, and then another train from Naples to Pompeii. Tours typically charge around $60PP, so the local train ride was great (and took about an hour). We also ordered our Pompeii entry tickets online. Words cannot describe how magical Pompeii is. To be able to stand in a city from 79 AD - WOW.

On our train ride back from Pompeii, we of course spent some time in Naples so we could eat as many pizzas as possible (to count, we collectively had 5). When in Rome, or Naples :). Naples seemed to be edgier than Rome - graffiti, art, etc. Like the Melbourne to Sydney.

The pizza was so so so so so good. The dough, the cheese, oh my. The pizza above was from Di Matteo. We ate dinner (below) at Donna Sofia. My pizza was only $3.50.

Cooking Class with Giuseppe

Where do I begin. We booked this through an Airbnb experience and it was absolutely worth it. We made different kinds of dough, pizza, pasta. We had unlimited wine and homemade tiramisu. He has a beautiful wood cabin and an amazing pizza oven. Oh, and his impeccable sense of humor. It was a great day or learning, eating and meeting people from all over the world.

Takeaways

• No coffee, all espresso drinks

• Get ready to walk (on beautiful cobble stone roads)

• If you stay by the Trevi Fountain, you are about one mile in each direction to the main sites

• Trains are often delayed by 15 plus minutes

• Street food is everywhere. Pizza is folded into a pita pocket so you can eat it and walk

• Food, Food, Food, and Gelato, Gelato, Gelato

Belize

Hopkins 

Jaguar Reef Lodge

Nestled right in the heart of Hopkins, The Jaguar Reef Lodge was the perfect trip to relax after our wedding. The room was right on the beach, had a private deck and we were just a quick bike ride from town! Since it was off season (in late October), the resort and town were pretty empty.

Not to mention the views and sounds of the ocean were absolutely breath taking.

The resort had plenty of beach rentals: Kayak, SUP and snorkeling gear to enjoy.

We rode our bikes into town and came across this really cool hemp bus. The woman that lives there sells homemade lotions and bug repellent out of her home (the school bus!) She moved from Oregon and has a cool little dig here in Hopkins!

Most days we just lounged in hammocks on the dock and relaxed :)

We took a private boat ride with Saldo that led us to this beautiful lagoon. Everything stood still.

The restaurant was nestled right on the beach so you can enjoy gorgeous views as you eat delicious locally sourced food.

Like these yummy shrimp tostadas with fresh made guacamole!

The Lodge also offered daily tours so we took advantage of the organic cacao farm excursion at Che’il. You got to see where the farm grows their cacao and also learn the process of bean to bar!

We were fortunate enough to partake in the bean to bar journey and make our own!

The chocolate was delicious and we were able to bring some cocoa powder home to bake with!

Belmopan

Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge

The Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge is anything but sleepy. The resort is filled with beautiful birds, exotic plants, rows of citrus groves, hiking trails and a stellar view from the top!

Our home away from home.

Our room was an HGTV dream. Big windows, beautiful tile work and a HUGE outdoor soaking tub. You can leave your noise machine at home with the natural sounds of the rain, waterfalls and peepers —they will easily put you to sleep.

The amenities at the lodge were easy to enjoy with these beautiful pools and hammocks. You could also easily walk down to the river and rent a kayak (if it did not just rain for MANY days—the water rose to cover the whole staircase)!

The food at the resort was farm to table, even all the desserts! For breakfast we had papaya, pineapple and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Although we are not big drinkers, the eanab’s were right up our alley. I frequently had the hibiscus mint seltzer and Adam had the nonalcoholic rumchatas!

Our excursion into the cave was anything but “intermediate”. It started as a bumpy tractor ride through the citrus groves, then a 45 minute hike in the pouring rain to the cave!

It was so worth it! We were able to experience total darkness when our guide had us all turn our headlamps off. All you could hear was dripping water and the sound of your own breath.

I found Buddha in limestone form.

On our hike back down our guide (an Army Vet) was able to point out poisonous snakes by smelling their urine, and also spot herbs like Jackass bitter (said to cure Malaria).

We were able to visit ancient Mayan ruins that are still being excavated today! It was amazing to soak up all the history from these sites.

Where Adam is (above) used to be sleeping quarters.

It may not look it in the photo, but the stairs to the top were practically a ladder. Incredibly steep and not for those who are afraid of heights!

Takeaways

• As soon as you arrive you will find yourself enjoying Belizean time (aka island time).

• Going through Viva Belize was great because we got the best of both worlds (Lush Rainforest and Beach Vibes, all in one). The resort picks you up at the airport and also transfers you between different resort locations.

• All the food and drink were farm to table.