Europe
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5 Outdoor Activities You Should Try This Winter
During the cold winter season, most people want to curl up on the couch by the fire with a mug of hot cocoa and watch Netflix. I get it – winter and lots of snow can seem long and daunting. While I love my days snuggling with the pups and reading, it’s great to have balance, and getting outdoors will do you loads of good mentally and physically. I never really liked winter sports before this season, because either I wasn’t sure what all there was to do, where to go to rent things, or it was just too dang cold. (I’m from North Carolina and anything below 32 to…
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Hiking and Climbing in the Dolomites: Via Ferrata in Val di Fassa
This October we completed our fifth via ferrata of the year and the summit viewpoint was incredible. It was by far the longest of any hike/climb we had completed yet. 11 miles, 9 hours, and 3400 feet of hiking and climbing in Val di Fassa. It was exhausting – mentally and physically – but the feeling afterward of accomplishing that feat is something I’ll never tire of. I wanted to see the leaves changing and we hadn’t climbed in many months, so we headed to our favorite mountain range in all of Italy – the Dolomites. I did a little research and found a valley and area that we hadn’t…
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Open Markets of Italy | The Ins & Outs
Every day in Italy brings exciting new sales and vendors to even the smallest of towns. You are pretty much guaranteed to pass by a market if you’re driving around mid-morning throughout the towns of Italy. I had heard about these infamous markets so I just had to check them out! Read below for more information about the Open Markets of Vicenza, Italy. Downtown Vicenza Market I was not disappointed either! There were tents galore full of fresh food, fried food, clothes, household items, vibrant flowers, and even some antiques. I would’ve spent my entire morning walking around to shop at each vendor. They also had handmade items of clothing –…
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Asiago Christmas Markets: An Ageless Tradition
I’m so blessed to be living in Europe just in time for Christmas this year. Christmas Markets are famous throughout Italy and Europe, and my list of “to-see” markets is quite long. In Italian, a Christmas Market is called Mercatini Di Natale. They are in most of the major towns around Italy and even throughout countries like Germany and Switzerland. The Asiago Christmas Market was the first on my list as it is only an hour drive from Vicenza. Known for its cheese and beautiful surroundings, Asiago is located in the Veneto region in Northeastern Italy. Looking at the weather report, we saw that it had been snowing a good…
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Hiking and Cow Festivals: A Cool October Weekend in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
Picture this: mountains with snowy peaks, cows parading through town with floral headpieces, shops of the most amazing handmade items, and delicious fresh meats and vegetables. What you’re imagining is the town of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Lucky for you, I have actual photographs of all the above so keep reading to find out about this quaint ski town in Northern Italy! Cortina d’Ampezzo has been one of my favorite towns to date in all of Italy. It has something for everyone! I highly recommend visiting this place if you are having guests in town and need the perfect place to go sightseeing and/or shopping. This village located at the base of…
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Chasing the Northern Lights Through Norway | When to Go, Where to Stay, What to Do
Shades of green swirled and danced over our heads in the night sky for as we sat soaking in the hot tub, while two feet of snow surrounded us. It felt like a dream, one that I had waited my entire life to witness. If you have been following along for a while now, you probably read that my lifelong bucket list consisted of two major items – seeing the Swiss Alps and experiencing the Northern Lights. I checked the first item off of my bucket list last July when I took a group of students to Switzerland and Italy through EF Tours. The second item on that list was just recently…
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Whitewater Kayaking in Italy
When I think of kayaking, I think of a nice, slow ride down the river. It brings back great memories with my family and friends in North Carolina. But since living in Italy, we’ve had a hard time finding any information on where to go river kayaking (also known to some as whitewater kayaking). When I first googled kayaking in Italy, all that turned up was information about kayaking through the canals of Venice, along the Amalfi coast, around the island of Sardinia (which we did and you can read about here), or on lakes like Garda. But, I wanted more information on where to go to put my kayak…
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Student Trip to Europe: Part 1 to Lucerne, Switzerland
My students and I traveled to Switzerland and Italy over their summer break for a life-changing experience. Read Part 1 to find out all about the cool things we did in Switzerland. Stay tuned for more posts!
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Naples, Italy: First Impressions
Let me preface this post by providing you with a little background knowledge of my travels that I have to compare to Naples, Italy. Within the United States, I have been to too many places to name, so for now, I’ll name the relevant ones – Chicago, New York City, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Washington DC. In Europe, however, our experiences have been with mainly eco-friendly countries – Norway, Switzerland, Austria, just to name a few. When we visit a new country we seek out the mountains, lakes, and smaller villages. But, I’m a Paris fanatic, a lover of Rome, and I find Venice fascinating. Basically, I tell you all of…
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Lessons From a First Time Mountain Climber | Via Ferrata Style
Full disclosure: I am not an expert. As the title says, it was my FIRST time on a via ferrata in the Dolomites. All things I recommend below come with this caution and warning. Please consult your physician prior to performing any of these activities (or whatever the correct wording is here). I am able to write about these events and recommend them to others because I survived… so there you have it! I’ve never had a fear of heights. I grew up loving to go fast, ride every roller coaster, and go as high up as possible thanks to my dad. That was the one thing we loved to…
