The End of a Wonderful Vacation

I wanted to give one last update on the trip. I'm currently about 10,000 feet in the air, and decided that the blog needs a final post.

Shadley and I enjoyed our trip to Italy, and we finally made it back to Germany. Of course, our first thing we do in Germany... Is go to an Italian restaurant. This restaurant is a local favorite for Knud, Shannon, and Killian, and for good reason. They are the friendliest owners, and even gave us a glass of Prosseco for our wedding! 

The next few days just consisted of relaxing around the house, a short trip to Ikea, and meeting with Knud's brother's family, who also live in Germany. It was great to catch up with them.

Unfortuantly, this amazing vacation had to end, and we are now heading back to Davenport, Iowa. We really had a blast, and I hope everyone who read this enjoyed following along with our trip.

Hopefully we can go back soon,

Shadley and Tom

Dancing in Saint Mark's Square

6/29

Today we made our way toward Venice, but not without losing a few people. We had to bid farewell to Grammy, Grumpy, Omi, and Aaron. After saying our goodbyes, we started our trip to Venice. 

We traveled to our hotel just outside Venice, where we learned that there was a bus to take us into town. When we finally made it to Venice, we decided to hit only two major attractions: Rialto Bridge and Saint Mark's Basilica. 

If anyone has been to Venice, they know how much of a maze these winding streets can be. You kind of just have to blindly follow some signs and hope you end up in the right spot. However, it works, and eventually we made it to Rialto Bridge. This is the oldest bridge over the canal, and is completely made of stone. The bridge is full of different little shops selling things such as T-shirts and venetian masks. It was a pretty neat attraction, but we didn't have a long time in Venice, so it was off to the next attraction.

After more winding streets filled with all kinds of different shops, we arrive at Saint Mark's Plaza. It's a really cool sight to see, especially after just finishing the book Inferno by Dan Brown. This is wear there are all kinds of little souvenir stands, shops, and restaurants with live music are found. The music was so happy and fun that Knud decides to take Shannon over and start dancing. It was really a great time for everyone. The one downside to this was the fact that the basilica was under construction, so the view wasn't the best. 

We spent the rest of the time wandering around looking in the different shops, getting some dinner, and even finding another Hard Rock Cafe for Knud to get a shirt. We considered a gondola ride, but at 80 euros per boat, we decided that the shops and a little walking was the better choice. Of course I forgot to mention that our day wouldn't have been complete without some delicious gelato!

We only had one really interesting incident happen to us here, but it happened twice. We sat down to enjoy some after dinner coffee at a restaurant and when the waiter came over, he told us that we had to pay 6 euros a piece just to sit there and listen to the music being played. At another restaurant, we were told we had to order food or we were wasting their business. It was crazy, but we had to get up and leave both times. We never did get our coffee.

We made our way back through the winding streets to the bus stop, and eventually our hotel to enjoy a bottle of wine before bed. Tomorrow is a driving day, all the way back to Frankfurt, Germany. 

We really aren't looking forward to heading home,

Shadley and Tom

Roaming in Rome

6/26

Overall, today was a nice relaxing beach day with lots of sun and I actually got to read my book! Later in the afternoon, Spornitz (as we collectively call the Germans) came over to the villa to watch the Germany - USA game and have a delicious pasta dinner with us. It was a great time, especially when you go through a bottle of limoncello and almost 2 bottles of sambuca! 

6/27

Another very relaxing beach day. This is part of the reason I haven't been updating, it's just been so nice to relax on vacation! The unfortuante part is that my mom and Lee had to leave this morning very early (4 am). However, they made it back to South Carolina safely. 

The evening had another fun event. The villa recently had a pizza oven installed, but in order to use it we had to have the villa pizza chef come and prepare the pizzas for us. Today was the first day that we could have him there, so we had a pizza party. He brought out course after course of pizzas, each as delicious as the last. Also, the housekeepers who were helping him had prepared a few dishes for us as well. Along with our pizza we ate eggplant parmasean, a fantastic antipasta, and finally a wonderful dessert. It was a great experience in which the owner, Renato, came out afterward and shared some of his own homemade limoncello with us. This place was truly amazing, and we appreciate everything they did for us. 

6/28

Today was an early day. We had to be out of the villa and on our way to Rome pretty early. 3 cars packed full of luggage and people were headed out from Ravello on their way to Rome. The drive was nice, but it was sad to leave the villa behind us. We got to our hotel around 2 o'clock and checked in. We learned of shuttles to take us into Rome and pick us up, which happened every two hours. We enjoyed some snacks in the executive lounge, and made our way toward Rome. We only had a few hours, so we decided to take a hop on hop off bus tour to try and see as much of Rome as we could. 

Our first stop was to try and see Trevi Fountain. We got off the bus and headed in what we thought was the correct direction, and after about a half hour or so of walking, we found the fountain. It was such a glorious sight to see that one of our most anticipated stops... Was under construction. The entire fountain was drained and had all kinds of construction happening to it. It was very disappointing, and we made our way back to the bus stop. 

One great thing that did happen was that Knud was able to find the Hard Rock Cafe in Rome and pick up a t-shirt for his collection. 

We decided that we didn't have enough time to try and see anymore sights on foot so we were going to just take the bus around. We get to the very next bus stop and they kick us out of the bus. Apparently we had to change busses. I still don't understand why, but I know that we did not get as good of seats as we did on the other bus. 

The tour continued, but I have to say that I was not impressed with many of the sights. The Colosseum was a disappointment for a few reasons. First, it was also under construction. Secondly, their was an event going on so we could not enter the Colosseum to see the inside at all. And thirdly, the city was built up right next to it as if Rome didn't want to highlight this monument. The Colosseum felt out of place, like an old building in a new world. 

We also learned, by doing some research online, that in order to enter the Vatican, you must not show any shoulders, cleavage, or knees. This went for both men and women. So seeing anything in the Vatican was out seeing as it was 80-85 degrees or so. Overall, Rome was quite disappointing.

We got back to the hotel and ate some food. This is where some fun started. First off, as we walked back to our room, the carpet near our room was flooded, and it seemed as if the room across from Shadley and mine was the cause. We decided that we should probably let the front desk know. When we walk into our room, our lights don't work. We inserted the key into the light switch like you are suppose to and nothing was happening. Okay, so we need to call down to the desk. We head on over our Rebecca and Aaron's room right next door to call. Knud calls down, and there is no answer. He called once more and when nobody answered it was time to take a trip to the front desk. Long story short, Shadley and I have a junior suite now, and our lights work just fine. As for the flooding, we still aren't sure what was going on. 

One more fun little story. In each room is a mini fridge (as usual). However, everything in the fridge is on a pressure sensor. When an item is removed from that sensor for longer than 15 seconds, the item is automatically charged to your room. So Rebecca decides that she wanted to read this claim for herself (and thought it was in the fridge) so she swings open her fridge door. Well, in doing so three or four bottles of water come flying out. It was hilarious watching her scramble to put the bottles back within 15 seconds.

Well, I believe that concludes the stories of the last few days. We are getting sad that our trip is almost over, but we try not to think about it. Tomorrow we are off to Venice, but not without losing a few more comrades. Grammy, Grumpy, Omi, and Aaron are headed home tomorrow. 

Safe travels everyone,

Shadley and Tom

Isle of Capri

6/24

Today was a very relaxing day. There was a lot of beach time, and a lot of napping. There isn't much to write about, but it was a great vacation day! But I have to say that Lee cooked an amazing BBQ dinner for us on the rooftop terrace.

6/25

Today we woke up early to take an 8:25 ferry to Capri. It was about an hour or so boat ride, with quite a rough sea. There was a lot of bobbing up and down and left and right, enough to probably get most people sea sick. However, we made it to the island. 

Also, before I continue, I just wanted to wish my Mom a very happy birthday! It was a fantastic way for her to spend her birthday, and there are a lot of stories to go with it.

We all arrived at the island, and we took our separate ways to explore the island. To sum up how Shadley and I felt about the island - underwhelming and overrated. Unless you have unlimited amount of money to spend, there really isn't much of a point to visit. There are lots of the designer name brand shops, stuff we really don't want to afford. And because of the rough seas, the blue grotto was closed. Anyway, we walked around, looked at expensive stuff, had some lunch, and some delicious gelato.

On to some stories about my mom's birthday on the island. First off, Rebecca and Aaron had a piece of cake and some Prosseco sent over to her table for her birthday, and the waiters all sang to her. Then on the way back from the island, mom met two people on the boat who bought her a drink for her birthday. It was hilarious as the waiter who brought the drink kept singing happy birthday to her. They later found out that one of the girls was from South Carolina, about 15 minutes away from where they live. What a small world.

There really isn't much more to say about the island, but on our trip back we had a group of three come up to us from Connecticut who saw Shadley and me walking through Positano after our wedding. They admitted that they thought we were just doing a photo shoot for a wedding magazine or something until they realized that we were actually married. They actually recognized us and took the time to talk to us. It was a really nice of them, and it totally made us feel like celebrities. 

We came back to Amalfi and walked around the city for a while, just enjoying the day. When we got back to the villa, Marvii and Killian were preparing a delicious meal for everyone. Afterward, Marvii prepared this amazing dessert, a name in which I don't remember how to pronounce, but were banana egg rolls. And on top of those decadent egg rolls we also got my mom a cake and some cannolis. It was a sugar rich night, and we also opened up the 3 liter bottle of Pinot Grigio that I got her for her birthday. 

It was a very fun day for everyone, and I'm sure my mom had a wonderful birthday. 

Happy Birthday Mom,

Shadley and Tom

The Perfect Wedding

First off, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days, but things have been pretty busy.

I'll start off by talking about Sunday, 6/22. We enjoyed a beautiful day relaxing by the sea. It was really nice as everyone came down to the sea level and enjoyed a little time in or around the water. At 3:30 Shadley and I had to meet with Marco, our videographer. Afterward, we had a meeting with the owners of the villa and discussed the things dealing with the reception and dinner, such as table decorations and times for dinner. 

For dinner we all walked up the winding road a little bit to a small pizzaria. It was a great time, and the food was fantastic. The evening consisted of doing some last minute things for the wedding.

6/23

WEDDING DAY!

I feel there is way too much to tell everyone about this day, so I'm going to try and summarize it the best I can. 

It was hard to sleep at night because we both were very excited. We enjoyed a small breakfast, and then it was off to get ready. Shadley took our room, and I got ready in my parents room. Eventually Marco and Aaron came into the room to do some footage of us getting ready. It's a little different being recorded putting on a dress shirt and tie. Then it was off to Positano!

We got to Positano and I met with the interpreter, who is the nicest and best person that could have officiated our wedding. We got everything ready, and I believe we started the ceremony early. It was an absolutely amazing ceremony, but my favorite part was seeing my gorgeous bride walking toward me. It's one of those moments I could never put into words, and one I'll never forget. 

After the ceremony, it was off to take pictures around Positano while everyone else went back to the villa. It was beautiful, but extremely hot. We really appreciated the air conditioning in the car. 

Back at the Villa, which was decorated beautifully, we had a wonderful 5 course dinner. Before it started, I made a short speech thanking everyone for coming. Afterward, all of the German people who came from Spornitz participated in one of their German traditions. They all got up and left, and came back shortly after wearing German soccer jerseys. The tradition is that they would put on a wedding day skit. It was a great time as they all were standing and singing to us (all in German so most of us couldn't understand, but it was still awesome). We then got to start our dinner. Everything was delicious, but one thing was a little different. One of the courses was an octopus soup. The soup contained parts of octopus in it, included the tentacles, and wasn't very appetizing. However, a lot of people tried it and it was a good time. 

Before dessert, Shadley and I participated in another German tradition. A short google search "German wedding cup" will explain it all. The event was successful, and then it was time to cut the cake. Shadley, when she was over in Prague this winter with her parents, brought me back a small sword from a castle they visited. That same sword we brought as our knife to cut the cake. 

After eating some delicious lemon cake and cannolis, we moved to the rooftop terrace for some dancing into the night. The whole night was a blast, and it really was a perfect wedding.

I'm sorry this doesn't include a lot of detail, but I'm sure you will be able to see our wedding video and pictures. 

The Newlyweds,

Shadley and Tom

Is this real?

Yesterday was a hectic, but very successful day. We had to move 10 people from our villa in Ticciano to the wedding villa in Ravello, all with only two cars (don't forget they all have luggage too).

Story 1: Tom's

We started out with Knud and Shadley dropping me off with my mom and Lee at their hotel in Sorrento. They picked up their luggage so that mom and Lee didn't have to worry about carrying that around until they got to the next villa. After they left, we walked up and had some breakfast. At noon their driver showed up and took us into Positano.

The driver dropped us off at town hall, where we were able to enter and see exactly where the wedding ceremony will take place. It is absolutely wonderful, and I cannot wait to see it Monday with everyone there, especially Shadley. We also were able to meet with someone who knew who I was, and we talked about the upcoming wedding, figure out little details to make sure everything is perfect.

We continued through Poitano when we came across a sandal shop. My mom's goal, other than seeing me get married, was to have a pair of sandals made specifically for her. She was able to pick out everything she liked, including style, color of the jewels, color of the straps, and heel height. It was a great experience, and the sandals are awesome!

Afterward, we met Shannon, Killian, Marvii, Marlene, Mike, Omi (yay she made it!), Rebecca, and Aaron in a cafe. We enjoyed a light lunch, and then Shannon, Omi, Killian, Marvii and I left to drive to the new villa to get checked in. The plan was to meet Knud and Shadley there to unload all the luggage and then for Knud to head back and pick up everyone else.

The next villa is absolutely stunning. Roof top terrace, hot tub, private water access, and about everything else you could want (seriously it is kinda hard to explain the beauty of it all). Eventually Shadley and Knud make it, and we unloaded everybody's luggage. Knud then heads back to Poitano and picks everyone else up.

Story 2: Shadley's

After dropping Tom off, I head to the airport with my dad to pick up Omi, who's flight came in. It was a little late, and we started to get a little worried when she wasn't coming out. However, she came out and explained that her luggage was one of the last, and that's what took a while. 

We drive back to the mountain villa to pick everyone up. We drove the van and my moms car into Poitano, where mom parked and everyone else just got dropped off. My dad and I then proceeded to head back to the mountain villa to pick up all of the luggage. This was not fun. We had to roll everyone's luggage from their rooms down a small hill to where the van was parked. However, my dad and I had a great system and packed up the van quickly. It was now off to the new villa, where we had to meet the owner to get the keys, check in, and unload all of this luggage. 

My mom, Tom, Killian, and Marvii met us at the new villa to help unload all of the luggage, then my dad went to Positano to pick everyone else up. We sorted the luggage, and then were able to explore the villa. It is absolutely fantastic.

The owners of the villa were extremely nice and actually prepared us a welcome dinner with fresh local mozzarella, bread, tomatoes, rice salad and eggplant parmasean. It was a wonderful evening.

We don't want to ever leave this place,

Shadley and Tom

Basking in the Sunlight

I hate saying that today is the first nice day since we arrived, but it may be true. Rain was not in the forecast for the first time, and the temperature was perfect.

We got to sleep in today as Knud and Shannon went to pick up Rebecca and Aaron. It was really nice to sleep in, seeing as we haven't slept in really since we've been here (too much fun to have). When we awoke it was about 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We took advantage of the nice weather and were able to relax in the sun. 

A few hours later Rebecca and Aaron had arrived, and we visited with them as we had some lunch. Shortly after,  Knud and Shannon took off back to the airport to pick up Mike and Marlene, who finally have arrived. As they were coming back, we enjoyed more of the fantastic sunshine. 

We are just missing one person from our villa. Omi we will see you soon! Can't wait for you to arrive tomorrow.

Everyone was able to enjoy a wonderful pasta dinner thanks to Shannon. It's really great to be with everyone for such an important upcoming event in our lives. After dinner, the guys were kicked out so that Shadley could have somewhat of a Bachelorette Party thanks to Rebecca, Shannon, Marlene, and Marvii. Obviously she can't go into much detail, but she obviously had a blast and Rebecca always seems to make things outrageously fun. 

3 days left!

Off to the wedding villa tomorrow,

Shadley and Tom