Chris doesn’t get off US holidays, but we were lucky in that there was a Swiss holiday (don’t ask us what it was called or what it was for – we have no idea) right around Memorial Day Weekend.  With a little schedule adjustment, we were off to meet our friend, Glenn, in Italy.

Rome

The last time we were in Rome was in June of 2010 when Chris proposed.  We were only there for one day, and we spent much of that time in blissful celebration.  Needless to say, Sarah’s first impression of Rome was very romantic but perhaps a bit lacking in sites/culture.

The second impression was two-fold.  Some of the negatives:  Rome is a really big, dirty city.  Maybe it’s in comparison to Basel (a city so clean you could eat off the streets) or maybe we’ve forgotten the practical aspects of “big city” living, but we were a little put off by the filth.  Also a little off-putting were the street peddlers.  There are literally thousands of them, and they were some of the most aggressive we have encountered.

A few of the highlights include: a visit to the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel (a perfect example of church power and money), The Coliseum (we saw this last time, but Glenn had never been), sunset drinks at the top of Gianicolo Hill (fabulous views), The Pantheon (2000 years old and still standing), and our absolute favorite – a walking tour of the city.  Recently, we have had a few bad tours and have begun to shy away from them; however, this tour redeemed all others.  It was a small group of only ten people, included loads of history, and highlighted sites/facts we wouldn’t have seen ourselves (Mausoleum of Augustus,  The Angels Bridge, and many fascinating tales about the Roman Empire and the Catholic Church).  Our guide, Nick, founded the company and we cannot recommend the experience enough.  Not only did it change our minds about tours, it also changed our minds about the city itself.  On day one, Rome was a big city filled with people and trash, but by day two, it had become a city rich with culture and history.

Saint Peter’s Basilica

Matching shirts

Colesium

Sunset drinks on the hill

Fregene (pronounced Fra-Jenny) 

Craving some relaxing beach time we headed to Fragene on day three.  Having never been (or known anyone who has been), we were a little nervous about the location.  Sarah read lots of great reviews and travel blogs, but the sketchy train station and the bus ride there did nothing to settle our nerves.

We were pleasantly surprised.  Our hotel was lovely and the town itself is a sleepy little get-away from the hustle and bustle of Rome.  Most of the people there were locals who either retired to Fragene or drove the 45-minutes from Rome for the day.  It was one of the first truly local spots we have visited.  So much were we the outsiders that one of our servers felt the need to explain what spaghetti was.  Perhaps you’ve heard of it?

We enjoyed three solid days relaxing at beach clubs, sunbathing, drinking wine, and playing activities and three solid nights watching sunsets and eating pasta and seafood.

In a lot of ways, this Memorial Day Weekend was much like our ones back home: lots of sun, good food, and great friends.  We do miss our red-white-and-blue holidays, but our long weekend in Italy was a great way to ring in the summertime.

We ventured to Palma, Mallorca (an island off the coast of Barcelona) this past weekend.  It was our hope that we would spend a few days relaxing on the beach and evening out our awkward farmer’s tans.  Unfortunately, the weather was much cooler than we had expected, so we were forced to abandon our dreams of sunshine and bathing suits for other options.

Bike Tour

It’s no secret that Sarah is not a big fan of bicycle riding.  She fell off that horse once, and though she has managed to get back on it, it is always with a hint of hesitation (sometimes straight-up refusal).  Given this, Chris was surprised to find that Sarah had booked a bike tour for Saturday morning.  Somehow we both managed to break our bikes (thankfully not our arms), but in the end, the tour was definitely one of the highlights.  Not only did it provide a good overview of the city, it was also a fun (non-beach) activity.

Palma Cathedral

Views from the Old City Walls

Boat Show

We are most certainly not in the market for a boat.  We don’t even own a car.  But looking to fill our planned beach time, we decided to check-out the boat (nay, yacht) show that was in town for the weekend. We spent about an hour admiring boats we can’t afford and imagining what life would be like on yachts that are easily 10 times the size (and 100 times the price) of our apartment.

Food and Drink

No Milne vacation would be complete without indulging in some delicious food and beverage.  We had lots of yummy tapas, but one of our favorite dinners was actually at a Mexican Restaurant (yes, we know that Mexico is not the same as Spain) owned and operated by a young chef from Mexico City.  Mexican restaurants in Basel are terrible (they serve jarred salsa and consider sour cream a dip), so we were thrilled to find “the real deal.”  And when on vacation, Why Not a Cocktail Bar? (the name was actually Why Not Cocktail Bar).  This was quite possibly the smallest bar we have ever visited (just enough room for a bar, six stools, and about twelve people total), but they made one hell of a Sazerac.

Views from Bellver Castle

Touristy Pictures

Our trip to Palma wasn’t quite what we had envisioned, but we still embraced the island vibes [see Chris’s shirts] and managed to enjoy ourselves immensely.