Porto Venere, Italy

Porto Venere was a hidden Gem we were not expecting! When we got in line to get our boat tickets to tour Cinque Terre the lady selling us the tickets asked if we wanted to add Porto Venere for an extra 10 euro. We decided, "what the heck!" 

We hadn't ever heard of it but when we pulled up and around the castle we were shocked! The whole city is a fotress from the castle to the colorful town building, they were all built for defense! 

This place was so much fun to explore, we walked around it for hours, got gelato and just took in the beauty. Definitely add it to the list if you find yourself in Chinque Terre. 

Best Europe Eats

The best indian food I've ever had in London, across the street from our flat, should have gone more than once! 

Freak shakes in London

Afternoon tea at the Orangery in London

Thai box from Leon in London

Butterbeer at Warner Brothers studios London

The best flower gelato in London

Yummy Chocolate from Germany

Ice cream in Germany

KEBAB in Germany

Pizza in Florence

Handmade ravioli from the florence markets

Dinner in our private garden in Florence

THE BEST PIZZA IN Monterosso (we went back 3 times)

Gnocchi and Spaghetti in Monterosso

Gelato in Porto Venere

Trofie pasta in Manorola

BEST GELATO OF THE TRIP in Vernazza

Brushetta in Pisa

Paella in Madrid

Gelato macaroon in Madrid

Tapas in Madrid

The best pastries (Napolitanas) in Madrid

Chocolate spoils from all around Europe

Our trip was dominated by food. Lets be honest my mantra was gelato: all day everyday. 

Everything was just too good, and it was hard to try everything that we wanted to. 

We tried lots of different cuisines in london, and cooked two nights at our flat. 

In germany we got the strongest taste of authentic meals due to staying with a family living there. We ate delicious homemade german food every night, and ate lots of Kebab at lunch. 

Florence and Chinque terre were overflowing with Pasta, Pizza and gelato.  The only thing I got sick of was italian food (I know, you feel so bad for me). After a full week of just pizza and pasta though, I was so ready for the cuisine of spain. And it did not disappoint! My chicken Pealla was delightful. Everything we tried in Spain was mouthwatering! 

I can't wait to recreate these dishes at home. It won't be the same, but I'm sure it will still be  delicious! 

Monterosso, Cinque Terre, Italy

We loved Monterosso, our first day here we had the best pizza of my life, seriously we went back at least two more times, then explored the town a bit and had an ocean view with our pasta. The town blew me away with its adorable paths and beyond gorgeous buildings.

The next couple days we used monterosso as our home base to visit the towns of cinque terre. We started our full day hop on hop off boat tour here, which I will have a full post on, and spent two lovely days at the beach! Travis would probably only count it as one, since i refused to go in the water the first day! For me any day I am sitting on a beach towel with the sand in my toes, listening to the waves is a good beach day in my books.

There are 5 towns that are a part of Cinque Terre. We opted to stay in Monterosso Al Mare for the length of our stay. What got me was our beautiful Airbnb, a 2 min walk to the beach, and that its a bigger town than the others so more options for food.

Each town in Cinque Terre has its own unique style and they are all so easy to get to from each other (minus Corneglia- which we sadly didn't go to). I don't think you could go wrong staying in any of them, as long as you also venture out! We spent about 4 days in Monterosso and it was not enough!