Italy....Here we come!!

Finally getting to the big daddy posts......Italy 2016!!

We waited and planned and prepared FOREVER to leave for our dream vacation.  Suddenly it was time!!  I remember thinking as we left the house that I wish time would stand still so I could take in every single second.  

The flight from Minneapolis to Rome was 9 hours....leaving at 5pm and arriving at 10am.  Looking back, it went by in a flash!  

Here we go!

Jim booked first class seats for maiden overseas flight.  We boarded the flight and were met with champagne.

We spent the first half hour exploring our seats.  We could lay completely flat.....fully stretched out.  Our seats had built-in massage capabilities, individual TVs and a goodie bag of overnight supplies (mouthwash, lotion, etc.) in the coolest Tumi travel container.  

Totally geeking out.....! :)

Just two honeymooners.....

Vacation!!

Everything about the flight was phenomenal.  They served enough food to feed an army.

Jim & I both watched a movie (Superman vs Batman for me and Eagle Eye for Jim) before calling it a night.  The eye shades - below - were part of the Tumi goodie bag.

The first half of our trip was on the Amalfi Coast in a gorgeous little town called Sorrento.  Jim had arranged for a private driver to pick us up from the airport and make the three-hour trip to our destination.  

Sorrento was definitely one of the most gorgeous places I've been to.  Scratch that.....it IS the most gorgeous place I've ever been to.  

Mount Vesuvius....

Our hotel was nestled into the cliffs that Sorrento is so well known for.  

Our travel agent warned us that the hotel rooms in Italy were tiny.  Our room in Sorrento was super compact (no closet, dressers, etc.) but we could've cared less.  It had a to-die-for balcony that we knew we would make good use of.  

You can see the size of the room in the photo above.  The wall is about 18 inches from Jim's head.  :)

We wandered into town to explore and get our bearings....

Y'all......^^^^ that is in ITALIAN!  You're thinking "of course it is!" but every now and then we would do a double-take and remember just how cool this trip was.  :)

I'll have to let the photos do the talking.  We walked around in complete awe.  It was truly stunning!

Right in the middle of the town square was a super cute restaurant called Fauno Bar.  Over the next few days, we found ourselves gravitating back to this place.  We would always get a table outside and people-watch, drink, eat, drink some more and just take everything in.  

It was like a postcard everywhere you looked!

I mean, seriously, check that out!!  That's the Bay of Naples. 

This statue was in the middle of Sorrento's town square.  It made me laugh every time we passed it because the person (saint something or other) looked like he had his hip cocked to the side......sassy! :)

It's funny how quickly you get into a routine on vacation.  Every day, Jim and I would find a little restaurant around lunch and order bruschetta....

and Coca Light (AKA diet coke)....served Italian style with lemon.  Just like my mama used to drink her soda.  

Then pig out on pasta....

Then every evening we would find ourselves standing in line for gelato.

This region of Italy is famous for it's citrus products....especially oranges and lemons.

As we were wandering up and down streets being tourists, we came across this tiny little shop.....Giardini di Cataldo.

While the front of the store offered gelato, snacks, etc......the real magic happened in the back.  

They were making their own liqueur......this one orange flavored. 

That sweet little woman was peeling hundreds of oranges.  They extracted the oils from the orange peels and made the yummiest hooch.  

By the time night fell, Jim and I were completely exhausted!  

We made our way to the hotel and this was the view outside our balcony....

I mean, come on!  It was breathtaking.  

This LED heart was on the top of our hotel......like a beacon directing us home.   

Random facts about our first days in Italy....

Metric system - We passed a gas station coming into Sorrento and I was amazed at the low costs.....until I realized it was per LITER.  

Italy is 9 hours ahead of Minneapolis.  Any kind of digital clock was on military time.

We saw ONE stop light the entire time we were in Sorrento.  One!  

Italians are INSANE drivers.  The streets are super narrow and, because there are no stop lights, everyone just merges together.  Real daredevils sped by on motor scooters.