European {Honeymoon-Inspired} Travel Journal: Pisa + Florence, Italy

Entry No. 48: Pisa + Florence, Italy

I can't believe how many European trips I still have left to write about for this journal but here's a peek at our journey to Pisa and Florence almost two years ago - a beautiful and relaxing area of Italy for your honeymoon. I left my top tips at the bottom of the post but if you have any questions, just leave a comment or e-mail me! xx.

The Ponte Vecchio in Florence

It was kind of amazing - from some views, the tower in Pisa didn't even look like it was leaning all that much! ;)

Shopping for new front doors ... ;)

The Duomo in Florence

In Florence, Pinocchios and pizzas go together like LBDs and pearls.

CB's Top Tips for Pisa + Florence:

- Daytrip to Pisa. It's a small town and if you want the full truth, I think we spent about half an hour total in Pisa. We went to see the leaning tower and the surrounding plaza. We had enough time to tour the grounds, shop the stalls and even had time to grab a gelato. That said, we do have friends who made Pisa their stomping ground for an Italian vacay. They stayed in Pisa because there was an airport nearby and hotel rates were far less expensive than those in Florence. If you're on a budget, you might want to look into that option.

- Leather shopping in Florence. You'll see leather boutiques dotting the streets in Florence the way you see froyo shops in American suburbs - they're everywhere and they're awesome. I'm still kicking myself for not scooping a pair of leather driving gloves (yes, for actual driving - it's sooo sunny here in Texas and I'm always thinking about the icky sun exposure I'm getting on my hands while driving ... guess I have a valid reason to drag my hubby back to Italy now!). Leather handbags and jackets were calling my name, too. I promise you'll find something you'll love! But don't dive into a big purchase ... shop around and get a sense for what things are going for. Once you feel like you know the market, look for a good price and pounce!

- Roadtrip to Tuscany. If you've made it to Florence, you've made it to Tuscany! So rent a car or sign up for an organized trip and make it out to the country. J&I didn't have time to do this but I have a feeling we'll make it back someday. :)

- Eat. Eat, eat and eat. The food doesn't get much better than what you find in Italy so forget about calories and enjoy that pizza and pasta and gelato. You can make friends with the treadmill when you get back home.

Want more Italy?
Visit my travel guides to Rome, Venice, Burano, Tropea and Cinque Terre.
And catch up on the other entries of CB's European Travel Guides here.

All images by moi.

European {Honeymoon-Inspired} Travel Journal: Ghent, Belgium

Entry No. 47: Ghent, Belgium

It seems strange and surreal that a year ago J&I could decide on a random Saturday morning that we would drive to a dreamy little town in Belgium for the day and then come right back home. Thought I'd share one of those fun Germany>Belgium roadtrips with you today as I definitely think Ghent would be a grand stop for a European honeymoon. I left my top tips at the bottom of the post but if you have any questions, just leave a comment or e-mail me! xx.

CB's Top Tips for Ghent:

- Take a boat ride. Whether private or public, the boat rides give you a view of the city that you simply can't get on foot. Sit back for a dreamy spell with your love and take a few photos.

- Try the noses. Yummy cone-shaped (or nose-shaped) gummy candies that seem to be one of Ghent's claims to fame. You'll see carts parked around town selling them as well as in the candy shops. We tried licorice and cherry noses and they were the best noses I'd ever had. ;)

- Peek in the churches. We always do this when traveling but had a surprise when we stepped into a church in Ghent - there was a book sale going on! My husband's a huge bookworm so he was pretty excited despite most of the books being non-English. And there was even an antique section so that's where I beelined. :)

- Wander. This is pretty much what we did all day - we wandered around and got lost. And enjoyed every (freezing) moment of it. 

Want more Belgium?
Visit my travel guide to Bruges.
And catch up on the other entries of CB's European Travel Guides.

All images by moi.

European {Honeymoon-Inspired} Travel Journal: Delft, Netherlands

Entry No. 46: Delft, Netherlands

I've been to Delft twice. Once when I was a little kid and again, two years ago, when my parents visited us in Europe. It's a darling Dutch town full of charm. Hope you enjoy this peek at our visit and feel inspired to add it to your honeymoon itin! Let me know if you have any questions and, as always, my top tips are jotted down for you at the end of the post. xx.

This shot was used in the film Girl with a Pearl Earring (which is one of my favorite films)

This bookworm shop sign was so stinking cute I had to take a few shots - doesn't it look like it could be straight out of a fairytale?

CB's Top Tips for Delft, Netherlands:

- Take a stroll. Head out of the town center and explore the neighborhoods. I love doing this in European towns and cities - just like people watching, I also enjoy house/hood watching ... which might be creepy to some but I looove checking out different house styles, sneaking peeks in private gardens, and yes, maybe taking a few glances in homes with open drapes. C'mon, you know you do, too. We were walking to a Delftware shop for my Mom and just the route just happened to take us through a super chic townhouse district. 

- Order some fresh fish. You can get a fresh herring sandwich from food stands and local markets set up in the center of town. I don't remember the type of fish we ordered but I do remember it was delicious and came with a darn good tangy sauce. 

- Book early. We waited until about a month before we visited to book our hotel and everything in the town center was booked. We ended up having to stay outside the town center which made getting around a little trickier (since we had taken the train and not driven). Delft isn't tiny but it's fairly small and there aren't a ton of downtown hotels so book in advance!

- Combine it. Rotterdam and Amsterdam would be easy to mix in an itinerary with Delft if you're looking for a longer trip.

- Delftware. This is Delft's claim to fame but you should know there are a lot of fakes so do your research before you go and know what to look for if you want the real deal. If you want to know the name of the shop we walked to (in the charming neighborhood), just message me and I'll get the info from my Mom for you. ;)

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European {Honeymoon-Inspired} Travel Guide: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Entry No. 43: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Last year, J&I spent a long weekend roadtripping from our small German village to another small German village - Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which is pretty well-known for being so little. It's a near-perfectly preserved medieval town with its rampart walls still intact, a bell tower you can climb for a bird's eye view of the town and tons of charming little homes, taverns and restaurants. Hello, magical honeymoon!

View of the town square from the top of the bell tower

I think I most enjoyed just walking around the cobblestone streets and snapping photos of the shuttered windows with overflowing flower baskets and the sweet doorways that looked like they were from the pages of fairy tales. I had visited this little town once before when I was a child with my parents so revisiting with my husband was a fun and surreal experience.

"Zur Holl" or "In Hell" ... we totally had lunch here just so we could say we ate lunch "in hell" ;)

Behold Schneeballen ... I definitely remembered these from the last time I had visited when I was 8 or 9. The word literally means 'snowball' and they are a regional pastry of fried dough that come in a huge variety of different flavors. I don't remember which I tried last year but I have to say, I only took a bite or two. I love the idea of eating a snowball but mine just wasn't that tasty. :-/ That's okay, though, because I later found a dark beer that was more to my liking. ;)

Probably the most famous shot of Rothenburg odT - maybe you recognize it now? ;)

Climbing the bell tower...

Loved the views from the tippy top of the bell tower!

And here's a glimpse of the crazy creaky old stairs we had to climb to get to the top of the bell tower ... they just kept getting more and more narrow ... and finally, at the very top, you had to climb a little ladder through a little hole - yikes! ... But worth it! ;)

CB's Top Tips for Rothenburg ob der Tauber:

- Where to stay. We booked our hotel at the Hotel Schwarzer Adler but when we arrived we learned that they had overbooked and had already made arrangements to send us to another hotel - which was actually closer to the town center and we received an upgrade to a suite ... which was sweet. ;) So even though I can't say how the Hotel Schwarzer Adler was, I will say their customer service was wonderful and we really enjoyed the Hotel we ended up staying at: Hotel Zum Bären. However, it looks like Zum Bären is no longer open ... which I hope is only temporary because it was a truly wonderful + romantic hotel. Info: Hotel Zum Bären, Hofbronnengasse 91541 Rothenburg ob der Tauber / Hotel Schwarzer Adler: Klingengasse 12, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, 91541Germany

Here's a few photos of Hotel Zum Bären and the suite we stayed in:

- Driving + Parking. Personally, I think driving would be the easiest way to reach Rothenburg odT. I'm sure you could take a train to a nearby village, as well, but we really enjoyed having our car with us so I highly recommend getting a rental. There is limited parking inside the walled village but there's an enormous parking lot right outside the town walls and that's where we parked for the few days we were there.

- Schneeballen. As I said in the post, it's the the thing to try here so just get one and give it a try. ;)

- Torture Museum. While this may not be the most romantic outing for a honeymoon, it's a pretty interesting museum and I remember being amazed as a little kid so J&I had to revisit. While there are some atrocious torture devices in the museum, there are also a few silly devices spotlighted that were used for the town gossips, etc. :)

- The Nightwatchman Tour. I think this tour happens every Saturday and Sunday but you might want to double check that. The tour is free {although it's nice to make a donation at the end} and you can join in at any time. Just look for the guy in a cloak with a lantern and people clustered around him. ;)

- Walk the ramparts and/or climb the bell tower. If you can, do both - you'll get a neat perspective on the town buildings and probably some beautiful photos.

- Last but not least, make sure you're headed to the right Rothenburg - there are two in Germany. So if you're using a GPS, make sure you're headed to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. ;)

If you have any tips, insights, suggestions or comments, I'd love to hear them! Hope you enjoyed the second installment of the European {Honeymoon-Inspired} Travel Journal! Happy Honeymooning!

Did you miss the other entries of CB's Travel Journal? Click here to catch up! ;o)

Images by moi.