Mediterranean Cruise Part 6 – Sorrento/Amalfi Coast Italy

Ahhh, Sorrento….it captured my heart and made my soul sing. I know that may sound a bit dramatic but you may have felt that same thrill before when you go somewhere new – yet if feels familiar, like you belong here. The energy of the place matches your own. You feel more alive, as well as, centered and content. It just feels like your happy place.

For me, Sorrento was my favorite place on the trip (Palma de Mallorca would be my second). Honestly, Sorrento might be my favorite place that I have ever been to – It resonated with me that much.

There are not many details that I can provide about Sorrento because our time here was pretty short (due to an accident delay on the way to Sorrento from Naples where our cruise ship was at port). The exursion we chose through Royal Caribbean was a few hours in Sorrento (A set lunch included at a specific restaurant), a short demonstration from a woodworking artisan, and then free time to stroll the streets near our meeting point location. I took the most photos here because everywhere I looked, I simply wanted a photo to remember it.

Sorrento is vibrant, full of color, flowers, breathtaking coastal views, an abundance of lemons (everything lemon flavored or lemon decorated), charm galore, and the best gelato we had on the entire trip (We tried gelato in every location even in Barcelona). They do not have a website but here are images and reviews on TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187782-d3345257-Reviews-Gelateria_Il_Duomo_Sorrento-Sorrento_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

The best gelato place, Bar – Il Duomo Gelateria in Sorrento

Seriously giant lemons in this part of Italy!

Since I have already sounded on the dramatic side with my love for Sorrento, I’ll go ahead and sound overly romantic as well (I am a romantic at heart). I don’t know anything about destination weddings or great honeymoon locales. However, if I were in that industry, I would put Sorrento top on my list of the most scenic, romantic, and beautiful places to have a wedding and/or honeymoon. It has a quaint and intimate feel to it, but also so much to explore and to do.

Next, our excursion plans were to drive along the Amalfi Coast until we arrived in the town of Amalfi where we would then board a boat to sail along the coastline to a town called Salerno where we would then board our bus back to Naples to return to the ship.

The beach town of Amalfi is only 19 miles away from Sorrento. However, on a good day, with no Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend (which ours happened to be) the 19 mile journey would take at least an hour because of the extremely narrow-very winding-soaring on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean road needed to get there. For us, the journey took over 2 hours.

Because of the traffic delay earlier in the day, and the additional drive time to Amalfi, the part of the excursion we were looking forward to which included a walk around Amalfi and then boarding a boat to Salerno had to be canceled. Our guide blamed the disappointing news on choppy water but in reality, we think we were just running too behind schedule.

We did pass through multiple beautiful coastal towns on these steep cliffs which offered stunning views up close of this very famously photographed part of Italy.

View of Postiano from the bus

View of the road along the Amalfi Coast after leaving Postiano

Our view of Amalfi as we drove through it

Beautiful scene as we drove through Praiano

We wound up stopping in Maiori so that we could have about an hour to stretch our legs, get a bite to eat, and find some restrooms. Jerry and I would have loved to have had pizza or pasta on our last night in Italy. Unfortunately, we could not find anything nearby. With little time to eat before we got back on the bus and headed to Naples, we encountered a very kind bar and restaurant owner who promised us he would have fabulous hamburgers and fries made quickly with enough time to sit and eat them. He went out of his way to be very accommodating and hospitable so we, of course, decided this was going to be our last meal in Italy – burgers and fries (Which actually were indeed very yummy)!

Church in Maiori right next to the restaurant we ate our delicious burger and fries

We were back on the ship pretty late into the evening. The rest of our group had opted for another panoramic bus tour that day for Naples since they enjoyed the one in Rome so much. They said it was ok – not nearly as scenic or exciting as Rome had been. Jerry and I were so grateful to see the iconic Amalfi Coast but if we were to do it all over again, we would have opted to spend the entire day in Sorrento. I think the others in the group would have enjoyed that as well (and not done the Naples bus tour).

Had the bus trip through the coastal towns not been so arduous and taken longer than anticipated as well as having been able to do the scenic boat ride along the coast, the Amalfi Coast part of the excursion would have been very much worth it, however, all of this is subject to traffic, weather and water conditions, etc.

So, my recommendation for this part of the itinerary (Naples port) would be to choose any of the excursions that allow for a day in Sorrento. I don’t think you would be disappointed with that choice at all.

My final installment for this series will highlight some of the things we did on the Symphony of the Seas. Additionally, I will mention a few tips on what to expect when doing a cruise overseas, in particular, the Mediterranean.

Thank you for sailing along with me!

View of the Mediterranean from Amalfi

Store in Sorrento

Sorrento

Sorrento

Sorrento

Sorrento

Sorrento

Mediterranean Cruise Part 5 – Rome, Italy

Italian countryside on our way to Rome for the day

Jerry and I have traveled extensively together over the years. If we do not have set plans, we very likely have an outline or an idea of potential plans. In other words, we rarely have found ourselves just winging it, especially somewhere significant like Rome. Some level of research is always done!

However, due to last minute changes the evening before our day in Rome, we found ourselves on a Royal Caribbean excusion (Pretty much the only one left) that was a bus ride to Rome with 5 hours of free time to explore. We did not have a lot of time to research much of anything regarding distances between must-see tourist spots, waiting time to get into St. Peter’s Basillica and/or the museum in Vatican City, places to eat, etc.

We were fortunate that the the other 3 in our group secured spots on a panoramic bus tour around Rome with options to get off at certain points of interest (Again, another Royal Caribbean excursion). Jerry and I would have done this but there were not enough available seats. His parents and friend gushed about how much they thoroughly enjoyed this excursion and they felt they got to see all the highlights of Rome – They would definitely recommend that excursion especially if you want to limit your walking time and be able to see most of the tourist destinations Rome offers.

Partial view of The Vatican in St. Peter’s Square

View of the Basillica

Our bus dropped us off near Vatican City and our guide walked us to a gift shop inside St. Peter’s Square. This was our meeting point 5 hours later to return back to the ship. Jerry and I decided that we would purchase Hop On and Hop Off bus tickets and see what we could that way.

Since we were already at St. Peter’s Square we debated getting in line to at least see the Basillica. While mulling over the time situation (We knew the Hop On and Hop Off would take at least 90 minutes to get around the city even if we just stayed on board the whole time. We were warned though with Rome traffic prepare for at least 2-2 1/2 hours).

Stunning view of the Vatican gardens

As we were quickly trying to factor in a nice lunch in Rome, the possibility of standing in line at the Vatican, and when we should get on the Hop On and Hop Off bus, we were approached by a gentleman with a nametag that said they do private tours and can get us into the museum and Basillica within the next 30 minutes and the tour would take 2 hours. He said the current waittime for these locations was at least 2 hours so if we did the private tour, we would be out before this line even got to the entrance.

We told the guy we needed a minute to think this through. He pressured us a little bit but not enough to be a turn-off. We crunched the time numbers and decided we would take the risk with the private tour. Seeing the Sistene Chapel and the Basillica would be wonderful and we were already right there. We weren’t sure if we were making the best judgment call, but we decided neither of us was getting warning bells so we went for it.

Hall of Maps in the Vatican museum

Turned out, thankfully, that the tour was legit. There were at least 12-16 other people in our group including a young couple who happened to be on our ship as well. We did walk a few blocks away and then went in “the backdoor” of the museum. This took a bit of time because of security measures and then outfitting everyone with headsets. Once inside, it was relatively smooth sailing. We were among the masses for sure so staying together with our guide was the only challenging part.

The tour guide took us through many hallways that showcased artifacts, artwork, hall of maps, and the big finale of the Sistene Chapel. You can take your time in the Sistene Chapel but it is very strict, organized, and a bit intimidating with all of the security handlers managing the crowd. While it was beautiful to see, neither of us felt the need to sit and gaze at it since we wanted to also see the Basillica and time was ticking. By the way, no photos allowed in the chapel.

Layers of beauty on the ceiling of the Basillica

Getting into the Basillica was quick and easy since we had already by-passed the main line waiting outside. Jerry and I were in awe. The magnitude of this place left us speechless. Photos cannot capture the scope, detail, or feel of its presence but we both decided that it was well worth the risk we took with the private tour to see all of what we did (especially the Basillica) and still have some time left to do something else.

Our biggest decision now was, do we grab a snack and dash for the Hop On and Hop Off? We would have just enough time to safey do it with our time constraints but that means no enjoying a leisurely lunch. Or do we choose to do something we have not had a chance to do in any of the previous locations yet – just be….sit, eat, relax, take it all in for a while. We opted to do just that.

Just inside the Basillica – This is a mere fraction of its size

Now, where to go? We did not have a clue what was around us and did not want to risk going too far since we had a strict time to be back in this area. We started walking outside of the Vatican. Jerry decided to ask one of the security members (Not the Swiss guards – haha!) if they had a recommendation for something nearby. They nodded and then flagged down another man. They told us to follow him. We did.

We were taken a few blocks away to a little hole in the wall family restaurant. Perfecto – Exactly what we wanted! We were able to decompress, linger over red wine, scrumptious pasta, bruschetta, and dessert. We were pleased and relieved with how our day was unfolding.

Jerry savoring the Italian cuisine

We had about 45 minutes left before meet-up time, so we chose to walk around outside and see a little bit of Rome by foot. We both really enjoyed the feel of the city and soaked in as much as we could before heading back to the gift shop to reconnect with our guide back to the bus.

Jerry and I thought it was an ideal way to spend the day and we were grateful that we did not try to cram the Hop On and Hop Off tour in lieu of slowing down and enjoying a good meal and the experience that came with it. We also decided that hopefully we would be back in Rome someday since we were loving the city so far, and we could always check out the things we were unable to see this time around.

Neighborhood near the Vatican

Sidenote: When you take a cruise, there may not be enough time to see all points of interest of any given place. You are simply given an opportunity to get a taste of it. In retrospect, beginning the cruise in Rome instead of Barcelona would have been ideal. This would have given us an additional day to explore Rome. Royal Caribbean does offer that option of boarding the ship in Rome for the same itinerary we were on. Ours happened to start in Barcelona.

When our group reconvened on the ship, everyone expressed their gratitude for having a wonderful day in Rome and were delighted with how “plans/not having plans” worked out. While Jerry and I did not make it to Trevi Fountain to toss a coin in, we most definitely wish to go back to Rome someday.

Last stop in Italy, Naples/Sorrento/Amalfi Coast. Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but I left mine in Sorrento…

Janice in St. Peter’s Square

Lovely little area outside of the Vatican

Mediterranean Cruise Part 4 – Pisa, Italy

We arrived in Italy to the charming town of La Spezia – In hindsight, I think I would have opted to explore this port town.  It was stunning and looked idyllic, not only from the ship, but also as we drove through it via bus on our way to and from Pisa. 

La Spezia, Italy. View from our ship at port.

Instead, all five of us opted to go see the leaning tower of Pisa.  The weather put a chilly and rainy damper on the day,   However, even if the weather had been lovely, this famous tourist destination probably would have still felt a bit anticlimatic.

Our excursion sounded lovely and exciting (booked through Royal Caribbean). However, the boat ride up the Arno River to Pisa was not very picturesque or scenic.  It only got interesting near the end as we entered Pisa and could see the architecture of the town. I would have a hard time recommending this part of the excursion. A lot of it certainly had to do with the dampness of the day but there was a very long walk from the bus to the boat through a desolate park. It was odd and a little daunting for anyone that may have trouble walking, especially having to dodge pooling water and mud.

View from our river boat as we enter Pisa, Italy

When we disembarked in Pisa, we took a trolley to the plaza where the tower is. Our trolley was like nothing we had ever seen before – there were at least 4 to 5 “cars” with bench row seating (like a tram) in each car. The individual cars were connected together essentially via bungee cords! I tried to get a photo of this but due to the steamy windows and rain, it is hard to make out how we were joined. I had an image in my head of the beloved movies featuring Herbie the Love Bug sailing through streets out of control if our bungee cords somehow came loose on our ride!

Our trolley in Pisa

Beautiful residential building in Pisa

Had it been a clear day, we could have seen the town of Pisa better via trolley but it was raining.  However, I did see some very pretty buildings near the plaza (Square of Miracles). 

As for the actual experience of seeing Duomo di Pisa and its famous leaning tower, if it wasn’t leaning, I’m not sure people would flock to it.  Both the church and tower are beautiful pieces of architecture and history for sure.

Part of our excursion included gelato from a nice restaurant and gift shop in the plaza. We also indulged in our one and only time of having slices of pizza while it Italy – it was yummy! Jerry’s father is an expert deal finder/negotiator so we also picked up some nice sweatshirts as souvenirs from the line of vendors in the plaza.

As I said, this was an overall good experience to see an iconic landmark. It just felt anti-climatic. You cannot control the weather so that certainly hampered our ability to fully take in the sights of Pisa from both boat and trolley rides.

Am I glad we saw a famous landmark – yes – would I like to revisit it – no.  Do I wish I had seen/experienced a bit of La Spezia – yes. 

The next day in Italy finds us having last minute changes in our plans. So now we are unexpectedly roaming around Rome. It turned out to be a great day for all of us. I will fill you in on that day in the next post. Arrivederci!

Duomo di Pisa

La Spezia port

Mediterranean Cruise Part 3 – Luberon Villages in France

Our next destination on the cruise itinerary was Marseille, France. We opted to take an excursion that went to 3 small villages in the Luberon Provence region of France as well as touring a lavender essential oil factory. 

Even though this meant quite a bit of bus time, it was well worth it.  These villages are beyond charming and it felt like being on a movie set!  Each one was more delightful than the next.  To get an idea of how lovely these 17 villages are throughout the Luberon region of Provence, check out this brief overview of each village: https://www.theluberon.com/journal/the-best-villages-of-the-luberon.

Janice enjoying the village of Lourmarin

These villages provided a great cultural experience. We found most of the shop owners and residents friendly to and accommdating of the influx of touists to their quaint and idyllic villages.

None of these villages were constructed to have tour buses descending upon them. In fact, there were quite a few hair-raising moments navigating the impossibly narrow streets of these cliff dwelling villages. One woman instictively screamed in fear nearly scaring our bus driver, Frederick, to death while he seemingly did the improbable manuevering of our bus. Frederick, deservedly received applause from us numerous times for his expertise and quite possibly magic he was performing behind the wheel.

In between the villages, we were able to experience the beautiful French countryside with its abundance of poppy fields – It was all so picturesque everywhere you looked.

One of the many fields of poppies

Our last stop of the day was to Le Chateau Du Bois, which is a fine lavender farm and factory making essential oil and various products from the fine lavender that only grows in this region of the world. (https://www.lechateaudubois.fr/en).

The presentation and tour were both very interesting. In the presentation, our guide shared how healing this fine lavender is so when we had a chance to peruse the gift shop, I bought several souvenirs containing the essential oil, as well as a small bottle of the essential oil itself. I can attest it actually cleared up something on my skin within a day or two that wasn’t responding to a medicinal cream – I highly recommend their products – the scent and the quality of the essential oil properties are outstanding.

Lush beauty of the French countryside

The bus ride to and from Marseille and the Luberon region was under 2 hours each way which makes for an all day excursion.

The opportunity to see these charming quintessential French villages and to learn about the fine lavender, unique only to this area, made for an incredible day.

We agreed we were two for two on picking excellent excursions with Royal Caribbean thus far – We were having the cultural experience we were hoping to have all while being immersed in scenic beauty.

Our next day would bring us to Italy – pretty much everyone in our group’s favorite country – Ciao for now!

Jerry and his mom, Janice, in the village of Roussillon

Jerry in front of a darling residence in the village of Roussillon

Jerry and I at a picture-perfect overlook onto the French countryside

Mediterranean Cruise Part 2 – Palma de Mallorca

View from our ship of Bellver Castle

Palma de Mallorca – Such a surprise!  I didn’t know what to expect but in a nutshell it is a beautiful island with an abundance of personality and charm.  (https://spainguides.com/top-destinations/palma-de-mallorca) We absolutely loved our day on the island and could not have been happier with the Royal Caribbean excursion we chose.

The first part of our day began with a sightseeing bus tour through the city of Palma on the island of Mallorca off the coast of Spain. We drove around the city and saw points of interest. Our tour guide pointed out (actually gushed about) that Rafael Nadal, the famous tennis player, is from Mallorca.

View from the grounds at Bellver Castle overlooking the port

Our first stop that morning was to the 14th century built castle and fortress which was a royal residence and safe place named, Bellver Castle (www.spottinghistory.com/view/8394/bellver-castle). It was not open for tours that day but we were able to walk the grounds which provided stunning views. The 700 year old structure was very impressive.

Impressive doesn’t even come close to describing the Cathedral in the heart of the capital. (https://xmallorca.com/mallorca-churches-cathedrals/cathedral-palma-catedral-de-mallorca). It is another 14th century marvel in Palma and is one of the tallest gothic structures in all of Europe. It’s presence is simply magnificent along the waterfront.

14th Century Catheral in Palma de Mallorca

We then headed just outside of the city past groves of 1,000 year old olive trees on our way to House of Son Amar. (https://sonamar.com). This venue is a must see/must do if you ever travel to Palma de Mallorca. It is a destination location on a 16th century estate. This venue hosts performances, outdoor concerts, events, features haute cuisine, and gorgeous scenery. I agree with their description of the place – it is spectacular!

Part of the estate at Son Amar

16th Century Son Amar Estate Architecture

Our experience there included a fabulous authentic Spanish meal which contained olives from the ancient olive trees nearby. I am personally not an olive fan, but I found myself not sharing my olives because they were simply delicious! The 3 of us could not stop raving about (or drinking) the sangria – We wished we could have bought bottles of it. The tapas were wonderful as well. We were pleasantly surprised with how tasty everything was.

The flamenco show was a whole other level of spectacular – the performers were incredible and they gave it their all for well over an hour. We walked out of the venue stunned by the quality and beauty of the show, the estate and the aesthetics, and the delicous food. It was a 4 star event and experience for all of us (and not even close to 4 star prices). The 3 of us gave that excursion an 11 out of 10 – well worth it since it certainly exceeded our expectations.

We were back on the ship in the mid to late afternoon which allowed us to rest a bit and enjoy the ship for a while. We raved about our excursion to our other 2 group members who chose to explore Palma on their own. After seeing our photos and hearing about our day, they remarked that they should have joined us on that trip. We wholeheartedly agreed!

Next up, day 3 takes us to Provence, France, exploring darling storybook French villages and a lavender essential oil farm and mill. See you in Provence!

Leaving Palma Port (Looking at the massive Cathedral) and heading for France

Cruising the Gulf Coast – Days 6 & 7

Well, the weather gods smiled upon us once again and we were given a several hour stretch ahead of us with no rain in the forecast until late in the afternoon. Jerry and I popped the top down bright and early and headed south to Port Charlotte and Englewood Beach areas which are about 85 miles away from Downtown St. Petersburg.

We had a few houses that the Realtor had given us to drive by and take a look at and see what we thought of the neighborhoods and the town of Port Charlotte. This part of the Gulf Coast is in between Sarasota and Ft. Myers near Punta Gorda. It is within a few minutes to Punta Gorda’s airport and within 90 minutes of Tampa’s as well having Sarasota and Ft. Myers nearby too.

A neighborhood in Port Charlotte

We specifically drove by two darling homes that were on sale. Both of which were brightly decorated and well-kept in established neighborhoods.

What was even more enticing to Jerry was that in established neighborhoods and in future developments, there were plenty of opportunities to purchase land and build your own home. This was pretty evident the more we drove around.

Port Charlotte had a very sweet and charming vibe. The Realtor shared that it is experiencing growth right now. We could tell when driving through the town that they are being very purposeful with their growth. It was seen in their thoughtful choices of design layout, picturesque lampposts lining the sidewalks, etc. It simply had a low-key and down-to-earth vibe to it. Everyone that we encountered there was friendly and helpful which always sets a great tone for how you feel about an area.

Port Charlotte Harbor Beach Park

We went to the Charlotte Harbor Beach Park and found it to be just as nice as the town itself. It was a sprawling recreational area that had a small little beach, pool, and a pier and deck area that overlooked the water inlet.

I did read that there are over 165 miles of man-made waterways in this area many of which lead to the Gulf of Mexico. You can tell the residents are big boaters here. Life and play time on the water is essential. For more information about this area, you can check out this site: https://www.visitflorida.com/places-to-go/southwest/charlotte-harbor.

Port Charlotte Harbor Beach Park

After driving around quite a bit, we wanted to see Englewood Beach since Jerry’s Realtor shared with us that it is a very beautiful beach and that it is the nearest beach on the Gulf of Mexico from Port Charlotte.

The distance is just under 22 miles and takes about 30 minutes or so.

We were very glad that we stopped here to check it out because we both felt that it had the prettiest water we had seen all week.

The sand was a bit darker and coarser than further north (Clearwater, Siesta Key, etc.) but it was still a great location for beach-going.

There were restaurants and shops all around and parking was available. There were people at the beach but it was far from being crowded.

If we hadn’t been in a hurry to get back before the storms arrived late in the day, we would have gotten our beach chairs out one last time and soaked in another beach day. All in all, we had set foot on 5 different beaches along the Central Gulf Coast of Florida in just a matter of a few days. The scenery was breathtaking at each location in its own way. I’m obviously very partial to the Gulf Coast!

Englewood Beach

On our drive back, we were close to crossing my “favorite” bridge when the sky turned pretty ugly. I checked the radar and it was a sea of red. I asked Jerry if he wouldn’t mind stopping and letting it pass through. He knew my nerves wouldn’t be able to take going over the Skyway Bridge in the middle of a heavy thunderstorm (High winds on a high bridge and me do not mix!) so he kindly (and wisely) found a quick place for us to get off the road and get inside.

We did find out later that evening that the same storm I saw on the radar had produced a tornado over Downtown Sarasota! We were not far from being in that storm when it unleashed so I was incredibly grateful we waited it out at a so-so chain restaurant just outside of Sarasota. I do regret not being able to just order an appetizer and save a better meal for later when we went to Johns Pass that evening.

We had a few hours left to enjoy the area so we went back to Johns Pass at Madeira Beach near St. Petersburg that we had visited last July when were at St. Pete’s Beach. This is a fun location to walk around, shop, eat, hop on a sight-seeing boat, etc. (https://www.johnspass.com). Had we not just had a lackluster meal waiting out the storm, we would have easily gone back to The Boardwalk Grill (https://johnspassvillage.net/wp-portfolio/the-boardwalk-grill) where Jerry had the best lobster roll last summer. Instead, we seemed to only have room for a scoop of ice-cream from our favorite sweets shop there, House of Sweets, (https://www.houseofsweetsmb.com).

Funny socks at a “Fun Shop” at Johns Pass in Madeira Beach

We also walked through a store that takes “cheeky” to a whole other level. It is full of humorous items that honestly had us pointing and laughing for a good 30-45 minutes in the store. I think we burned off our ice-cream simply from the constant laughing.

I will let you find the name of the shop on the Johns Pass directory. Let’s just say, they opened a new location in Ft. Myers and according to a news story, it is causing quite the controversy!

Trust me the name sounds way worse than it really is but I still would not call the store “family friendly” unless you do not mind explaining adult themed humor to your kiddos. The one thing I did find funny enough to text to my parents was this pair of socks bearing a message that sums up their life perfectly!

Our trip winds down with us heading back to Orlando the next morning. We were on a mission to make it to brunch with his daughter, who was in Orlando for job training for a couple of weeks. The heavy traffic was expected but the dense fog was not. Even though we left in plenty of time with plenty of cushion, the 2+ hour drive back in the traffic and fog was a bit taxing when we had a deadline (We got used to not being on a schedule all week!). Luckily, it all worked out within the necessary timeframe.

The remainder of our day was spent readying the beloved car to be turned back in the next day and waiting poolside (which gave us some needed R&R from a busy week) for us to be able to check into our room at The Florida Hotel and Conference Center adjacent to the Florida Mall. (https://www.thefloridahotelorlando.com).

Florida Hotel in Orlando (from their website)

Orlando at Spring Break is over the top crowded and the pickings were getting pretty slim when we were making our hotel reservations. We were fortunate to get a nice hotel, near the airport (several miles away), at a good rate but we were definitely disappointed with the firm check in at 4:00 p.m., unfriendly staff, and not so “resort” feel that we were expecting. That said our room was very nice (once we eventually got in despite them saying they would text us as soon as it was ready…which turned out to be 4:00 p.m.).

It was convenient to have the mall attached since we did not want to move the car again. We simply walked to the food court and tried a “new to us” restaurant for dinner. I’m indifferent if I would recommend this place. If it hadn’t been for the late check in and unfriendly staff (multiple people), everything else about the hotel was very nice and the location was great for getting to the airport. Pool area was underwhelming (the photos definitely made it more appealing).

We were at the airport the in the wee hours of the morning. The glorious sunrise had me reflecting on what a wonderful week it had been. Jerry and I were able to reconnect and unwind, see and share some of our favorite familiar places and explore new and exciting locations, eateries, and experiences. We met lovely people along the way. Listened to and sang along with nostalgic music, soaked in the wind and sunshine, took in a concert, had toes in the sand, and our top down! This was our first vacation together that was both equal parts expedition and relaxation. I think we balanced it all very well.

Sunrise at the Orlando Airport

In the end, Jerry does have some ideas on a few properties. But if you know Jerry, his love for surprises is legendary, so you will have to stayed tuned for future updates. What is no surprise is that I love traveling and Jerry is a fabulous travel partner who has encouraged me to document many of our trips (since I also do love to talk – ha!).

Thank you, Jerry, for another amazing adventure. I am looking forward to more!

Cruising the Gulf Coast – Day 5

Today, we chose to head to Lido Beach to check it out before leaving the Sarasota area. We stuck to our game plan of getting to the beach early mid-morning. This once again worked in our favor since parking was easy. We went to the public access location at 400 Ben Franklin Dr. This location was wonderful since it had plenty of public restrooms, a pavilion with a large selection of food, and some nicer options (like lobster rolls) at the Island Grill, as well as a pool. (https://www.letsplaysarasota.com).

We were pleasantly surprised by how quiet it was here. Clearly, most of the crowds tend to be in Siesta Key. The beach itself was smaller which was fine. However, the challenge came if you enjoy beach walking (which we do). At this public location, there is a steep slope greatly limiting “easy walking” near the water in addition to dodging the crushed shells that are everywhere along the shoreline. Pro tip: If you do plan to visit this beach, I would bring water shoes which would make walking way more enjoyable and comfortable.

It was a nice leisurely morning at the beach (and we were lamenting about how we wish we had planned to stay in Sarasota longer) but we had a late lunch date planned with Jerry’s Realtor to discuss what we had seen so far, where to go next to check out properties, and if driving about an hour further south to the Port Charlotte area over the next day or two would be worth it.

After our meeting, it was time to make our way to Downtown St. Petersburg to check in at our Inn on Third Street (https://www.theinnonthird.com).

The Inn on Third in Downtown St. Petersburg

This sweet Inn is a gem in Downtown St. Petersburg. It is highly rated on various travel sites for being budget friendly, in a walkable location, including a continental breakfast and happy hour as well as having the most charming innkeeper, Brian. Brian was definitely a huge selling point as to why we would recommend this Inn. He was fun, funny, and completely a joy to be around. Jerry hung out with him in the lobby seating area one evening after I had gone to bed. We never had the pleasure of meeting his wife but I am sure she is as delightful and helpful as he is.

I wish I knew the story of the Inn. You can tell the building is historic. It had a dorm-like feel to it. I believe I read that there are 18 (small) rooms and they each include a private bathroom. The room is meant to be a place to rest and recharge, not really a place to hang out, hence the inviting downstairs lobby that hosts an evening happy hour.

St. Pete pier

St. Pete Pier

Brian gave us the easy walking directions to the new pier in St. Petersburg (https://stpetepier.org) that the locals are very proud of (We were told about it a few times when we were at St. Pete Beach last July but never made it to their Downtown to see it).

It is certainly impressive. It is a 26 acre park/pier that has a playground, public art displayed, trolley, restaurants, gift shop, seating areas, and a wonderful walking experience. There were many families, couples, and exercise go-ers enjoying the pier that evening.

One unfortunate occurrence for us that tainted how we felt about St. Petersburg and its vibe was that we found many of the people working in the service industry in this area unfriendly and downright rude on occasion. (We had the opposite experience in July at the beach area). The trolley worker on the pier decided it was acceptable to notify people in the trolley’s path in the most condescending and off-putting way by embarrassing the pedestrians loudly over the microphone. He seemed to be a disgruntled and mean wannabe comedian who thought he was hilarious. No one else did. We were honestly shocked that he could get away with treating people so callously. Not sure if the city is aware of how terribly he mocks people along the route or if he is truly trying to get fired and just hasn’t yet.

We walked around the waterfront area which was very nice. There were plenty of restaurants with outdoor seating to enjoy the scenery. None of the restaurants were catching our eye for dinner so we Googled other restaurants within several blocks and discovered that Ford’s Garage (https://www.fordsgarageusa.com/locations/st-pete) was within nearby walking distance.

Outside of Ford’s Garage in St. Pete

Jerry has worked at Ford for nearly 30 years and had heard about the restaurant. He knew it had great Ford memorabilia and even better food so we thought that would be a good place to try.

The amount of thoughtful touches that went into the restaurant with its homage to everything Ford was impressive. They repurposed everything from tires that became sinks, gas nozzles that are door handles, mechanic’s rags for the napkins, truck tailgate is now a bench, vintage photos everywhere, as well as the menu giving a notable nod to Ford novelty items that Jerry appreciated.

Our food was incredibly good. We were both happy with our order, the ambiance, and overall experience. Louisville has 2 Ford plants and shockingly no Ford’s Garage Restaurant! If they ever open one in Louisville, Jerry and I will definitely be going there again.

It took me more time than I care to admit to figure out how to turn the water on!

We had a nice walk back to our Inn after our meal. We knew some stormy weather was heading our way that night so we wanted to be back before that arrived. As always, Brian, the Innkeeper spotted us from the sidewalk and headed to the door to greet us inside. He always seemed to be in the right place at the time and always with a giant smile on his face.

Old gas tanks turned into urinals

He asked about our evening outing. We shared with him where we walked and that we had dinner at Ford’s Garage. His first thought was to ask us if we had gone into the bathrooms! When we said YES! We all started laughing about how tricky turning on the faucet was. He then sheepishly asked Jerry about the clever urinals. Jerry agreed that they were indeed clever and remarked that he “might have” gotten a photo of them since no one was around. Brian loved that!

As I noted before, I turned in and Jerry visited with Brian and a few other guests that night while the storms blew through.

Jerry and I agreed that if the storms cleared out for the next day, we would run down to the Port Charlotte area and check out the land, homes, and area in general based on the recommendation of his Realtor.

Lucky for us, that is exactly what happened – more on that in my final installment.

Cruising the Gulf Coast – Day 4

If you are wanting to visit Siesta Key Beach, there are 12 public access locations along their 35 miles of beach. We went to the location at 948 Beach Road access point because it had public restrooms and the largest amount of parking spaces.

The good thing about being early risers is that we were able to secure a parking spot easily here. I say this because we arrived at the lot shortly before 10:00 a.m. and by the time we were leaving around 12:45 p.m., cars (and people) were not only stalking the lot but also essentially begging for a potential parking space that might be available as they caught you leaving the beach area. One poor woman told me she and her family had been circling the parking lot for an hour and decided to get out on foot and start asking people if they could have their soon to be vacated parking spot. It was a bit nutty! I did overhear a local saying to her guest that it is usually not this bad but Spring Break makes it this overcrowded for a few weeks.

To that point, the line for the women’s restroom lasted at least 20-30 minutes (and that was early in the day). It was very surprising how small the facilities were for a public beach access point with at least 900 parking spaces. Apparently, birds are just like us, they have to wait in line too!

Now for the fun part! Siesta Key Beach is highly rated and often in the top 10 of best beaches in the world. It has gorgeous sugary white soft sand and it is incredibly expansive. I honestly think it was more than a quarter mile walk from our beach chairs to the parking lot – I had never seen so much room at a beach. It could accommodate multiple volleyball sands courts, people playing frisbee, lacrosse, and other sports as well as having room for all the sun-worshippers as you can see in this photo.

Siesta Key Beach

I would have loved to have gone to at least 1 or 2 other public access locations on Siesta Key because according to their website (https://www.scgov.net/Home), each location has its own unique feel. Something to put on my wish list for next time.

Waterside at Lakewood Ranch

After leaving the beach, we drove to a new development area called Lakewood Ranch (https://lakewoodranch.com/our-homes) in Sarasota. It is a very interesting development that has a myriad of communities comprised of apartments, senior living, townhomes, houses, estates, shopping, restaurants, etc. Each community has its own feel.

We really liked the concept and the area but there was not enough time to see all that it offered. We needed to head back to our hotel to get ready for our reservations Downtown. It certainly made our list though for further thought and exploration.

Clever restaurant in
Downtown Sarasota

As I gushed in my previous post, I really like the vibe of Sarasota. Part of its charm is its occasional cheekiness.

We came across two signs Downtown on our walk to and from our restaurant that evening. The first one that tickled our funny bone is the clever gets-your-attention name of this hot dog joint in the photo on the right.

If you cannot read their tagline on the awning, it reads, “Hotdogs with style.” The place looked really yummy and if we had not already had plans for dinner and the concert, we would have enjoyed trying this place.

The other signage that had piqued our curiosity and truly made us ponder was an event board at a tavern offering Porno Bingo on Tuesdays. I cannot report back on what that truly entailed since we were leaving town Tuesday morning (I swear we really did leave Sarasota the next day)! I just thought I’d pass along the information and let it sit with your own imagination. You have to love the creative cheekiness!

Now, back to our reservations. We were spending the evening at LQ – Latin Quarters Restaurant. They do not have a website but according to their Facebook page, they describe themselves as, “Hot Latin and Puerto Rican food.”

Our main reason for trying this restaurant is so that we can see this 17-piece Jazz that band has been together for 16 years. I do not remember the exact age range of the band members but I think it encompassed late 40’s to the 70’s.

As you can see from the look of pure joy on Jerry’s face, he was very happy to be experiencing the big band sound live! He thoroughly enjoyed this talented band and was in awe that they can be heard at LQ every Monday evening and another local restaurant every Friday. The only price to hear this noteworthy live music was the price of your food and bar bill. Having such great entertainment while eating and chilling on a Monday evening felt decadent. This would be a really nice way to unwind every week for sure.

Even though we were there because the entertainment captured our attention, the food itself was terrific and well worth the experience. We shared a meal that was truly delicious and completely new to us – Steak Mofongo. It contained mashed plantains with steak, onion, garlic and olive oil in that giant wooden bowl with 2 different sides of rice.

Despite us sharing, we still could not eat all of it. It was both a generous portion and incredibly good.

Our meal and concert were both terrific and praiseworthy. We did have two negative experiences there unfortunately. One concerning a hiccup in our reservations regarding our booth that we had selected not being given to us (we had pre-selected in person the day before). And our waiter, who seemed to be beloved by the regulars there, gave us quite the cold shoulder and an off-putting attitude at times. Neither of these two things “ruined” our outing that we had been looking forward to but it did solidify if we ever go there again, we would make sure not to have that same waiter.

Our walk back to the car had Sarasota’s nightlife on full display. It is hard to capture all the lights and sounds you could see everywhere you walked.

Once back to the Mustang, it was top down and time to soak in the moon and starlight for the short 6 mile drive back to our hotel.

Day 5 has us moving on to St. Petersburg…See you then!

Cruising the Gulf Coast – Day 3

I have to admit, I am most excited about our 2 days in Sarasota. I had been wanting Jerry to see/experience Sarasota for as long as we have been together. I love the vibe, energy, aesthetics, and people in Sarasota. I had only been there one other time eight years ago with my best friend so I began panicking that I had “talked it up” too much and it may not live up to my memory of it. No worries there. Sarasota is still as wonderful as I had remembered it to be.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Tampa Bay, Saint Petersburg, Florida

One thing that hasn’t changed and is not a pleasant memory for me is the trip over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. If you remotely have some anxiety concerning bridges, you will understand my dislike for this bridge. If you are like Jerry and find it beautiful and fun to drive, then I am seriously impressed with you! I will refrain from going into my anxiety-filled detail having traveled it no less than 4X on this trip (eyes closed)!

Ameniti Bay Hotel in Sarasota

Once we were blessedly past the bridge and in Sarasota early Sunday morning, we checked into our hotel, Ameniti Bay (https://amenitibayhotel.com) much earlier than we had planned which was a nice bonus. We were super happy with our stay here. Very clean, very friendly and accommodating staff, convenient location, and a complementary delicious breakfast. Of all the places that we stayed in on the trip, this was by far our favorite (and would highly recommend this hotel).

Considering it was mid-morning on a Sunday, I suggested we take advantage of less traffic in the Downtown area where we could walk around, check out the shops, and have lunch. The Downtown is as picturesque as I remembered it with many of the same shops still there that I had enjoyed perusing several years ago.

When Googling Sarasota, I came upon this nice description of their thriving Downtown community: it is “…the civic and cultural center of Sarasota, home to the Sarasota Opera, Florida Studio Theatre, an arts cinema and more. It’s also home to some of the city’s best shops, restaurants and galleries.” Sarasota is known for their arts and music scene which adds to its richness in addition to their famously beautiful beaches. It is a winning combination which is why Sarasota is my favorite Florida city.

Downtown Sarasota on a
Sunday morning

As we strolled around, Jerry stopped when he heard Jazz musicians warming up at a restaurant, who had their windows fully opened to the sidewalk. I noticed on their event board that they had a 17-piece Jazz band playing on Monday evening. Jerry and I immediately went inside to inquire about the show. Since this was a bucket item on Jerry’s wish list (to see a full Jazz band play live), we made reservations for dinner and the concert for the next evening. We were thrilled at our good fortune for stumbling into this as we wandered around. It reminds me a tad of the French Quarter in New Orleans that wherever you walk, you can hear music being played.

Before we arrived in Sarasota, I had researched a few restaurants that had great reviews. One of those happened to be Downtown so we walked a few blocks over to Brick’s Smoked Meats (https://www.brickssmokedmeats.com). We have a nice selection of BBQ places in Louisville but Jerry and I would lobby hard for Brick’s Smoked Meats to open a location in Louisville – we were incredibly impressed with everything we ordered. I rarely eat pasta, let alone mac-n-cheese, but when I saw pimento mac-n-cheese on the menu, I knew it had to be amazing and it did not disappoint!

We each had the 18-hour smoked brisket with sides. The brisket was fabulous and everything from the veggies to the cornbread served with maple bourbon butter were outstanding. Again, we were leaving yet another great restaurant overly satisfied and stuffed!

While we probably should have continued walking after such a meal, we opted instead for a drive to Longboat Key since the weather had rebounded and it was sunny and warm again.

Longboat Key Beach

Longboat Key is more residential. If you are looking for shopping and restaurants while staying on Longboat Key, you will need to drive into Lido Key, Siesta Key, or Sarasota. I had stayed here once before over 20 years ago and that same residential-feel remains. What we did see plenty of were countless walkers along Gulf of Mexico Drive. This seemed to be a “walkers paradise.”

We eventually found public parking to stop for a few minutes and step onto Longboat Key’s beach. Since the area has more of a low-key vibe to it (a lot less tourists), there was plenty of beach to enjoy without a soul in sight.

We then continued to cruise back down Gulf of Mexico Drive to Lido Key and St. Armands Circle (https://www.visitsarasota.com/lido-key-st-armands-circle). This was a leisurely 20 minute drive made even more enjoyable listening to the Beach Boys and other fun “vacation” songs Jerry had on a playlist.

By the time we reached St. Armands Circle, (which is a famous shopping and dining location near Lido Beach and just off the causeway from Sarasota), the place was packed on a gorgeous Sunday midafternoon. We lucked into parking and decided to walk around a while to take in this must-see tourist destination in the Sarasota area.

Because it was so crowded due to the timing of the day, we “talked ourselves into” getting an ice-cream and then simply enjoying the scenery on a park bench. Hard to go wrong with ice-cream and people-watching!

Once we had our fill of ice-cream and St. Armands Circle, we headed out to buy some cheap beach chairs and snacks for some beach time we knew we wanted to get in over the next few days while the weather was going to be beach perfect.

We called it a day back at our hotel and relaxed poolside for the evening. We were excited about our next day plans for the beach in the morning and a dinner and concert in the evening. That will be in the Day 4 installment coming soon….

Cruising the Florida Gulf Coast – Day 2

We awoke on Saturday morning to high winds and thunderstorms ushering in an unusual cold snap moving in for about 24 hours. We decided to take a leisurely breakfast and plan our routes for the day exploring neighborhoods and towns in the Pinellas County area based on homes for sale that Jerry’s Realtor had sent us.

We headed to Keke’s Breakfast Café (https://www.kekes.com) at their Largo Mall location. There are a multitude of locations throughout all of Florida. We were there early enough on a stormy Saturday morning and managed to get a table easily and lingered a bit while researching where we would be driving for the day. The staff was older and kind but they seemed to have a work shortage (not uncommon in the service industry now) so service was a bit slow and spotty. Since we were not in a hurry, it was no big deal. However, the food in general was so-so. Louisville is a foodie town and we love our breakfast places. Neither of us felt that Keke’s was on the same par as a lot of the breakfast places we have at home but it was still a good meal. (We had an opportunity to go to Keke’s again when we were in Orlando at the end of our trip and opted to go elsewhere).

One of the 5 Clubhouses at Mainlands of Tamarac

We had timed it pretty well that the storms had passed through while we had breakfast so now we were ready to drive around and explore much of the area. The highlight of the exploration was discovering the Mainlands of Tamarac by the Gulf. It is a 55+ and older community that is incredibly well-kept, offers a wide variety of amenities and seemed to be a very active residential community (socially and physically). Considering Jerry and I still have a couple of years before we hit that 55+ mark, we took that location off of our list but it was definitely our favorite community of the day.

We continued to drive through Belleair, Bardmoor, Largo and Clearwater, Florida. We liked a few areas that we drove through but nothing really resonated with us. Now that the Florida sun had returned for the afternoon, we decided to walk around the Clearwater Beach area for the afternoon.

Frenchy’s Café at Clearwater Beach

It was peak Spring Break time, so Clearwater Beach was teeming with high school and college kids. While the beach never felt crowded, the shops and restaurants did. I had told Jerry that Frenchy’s (https://frenchysonline.com) was a place we needed to grab a bit of food at because it is an iconic Clearwater staple. We went to the original location just a block from the beach. Jerry is a big seafood fan so he was very happy with the local grouper sandwich. I’m not really into seafood so I chose the Philly steak and cheese sandwich which was pretty darn good too!

We decided to brave the truly insane winds that were blowing in the cold front behind the earlier storms we had that day and walk around a bit. I am not sure what the wind speeds were but I can assure you, at times, it was very hard to walk! We spent much of our time simply laughing at how crazy it was.

At the end of the pier at Clearwater Beach

I wanted to walk to the pier which was an accomplishment (the wind made it a test of endurance). I then asked Jerry if we could walk to the end of the pier and he was game to try it despite being pounded by what seemed surely like hurricane force winds. We were one of the few “brave/idiotic” people at the end of the pier and quickly captured the moment and hightailed it back to land.

By this time, we were pretty tired from the adventures of the day – driving all around the area and staying upright at the beach! We headed back to our carriage house and planned our departure for Sarasota and surrounding areas bright and early the next morning.

I have to add that behind the original Frenchy’s Café, there are 4 darling duplexes for rent. They are each brightly colored (green, pink, yellow and blue). Not sure how much they rent for but we thought this was not only adorable but a great expansion idea by Frenchy’s.

To be continued with Day 3 up next –