Ireland-France-Switzerland-Italy

This will be Daniel and I's first trip to Europe. I somehow doubt it will be our last. So, here's the scoop:

     4 days in Ireland
     4 days in Paris/France
     2 days in Switzerland
     2 days in Cinque Terre
     4 days in Rome
 +  1 day to travel home     
     17 days total

IRELAND

DAY 1:
We plan to rent a car, meet up with some awesome friends and get checked in to our AirBnb when we arrive. I never plan any activities on days that we travel. You never know how you'll feel. We might be exhausted or totally jet-lagged and just want to nap the rest of day. Or, if we feel great, we have that whole day to wonder around and do whatever we feel like doing. 

DAY 2:
Today we'll keep it local. Our home base is in Dublin, so we plan to do all the Dublin-y tourist things today. I don't like to plan too much in one day; a light itinerary means more free time to do what we want in the moment. So, to get us started, we'll visit the Guinness Storehouse and Kilmainham Gaol. The rest of the day is ours to explore. 

DAY 3:
Road trip!! Today we will put that rental car to good use and drive to the west coast of Ireland to see the Cliffs of Moher. Along the way, we plan to make a pit stop in the 'oldest bar in the world' for lunch and a quick drink. The scenic highway winds right through the famous Burren, so we will be sure to enjoy the ride and all of the awesome scenery. 

DAY 4:
An adventure awaits us on day 4. We'll be driving up to Northern Ireland and along the coastal causeway. Touring the ruins of Dunlace Castle, skipping through the Giants Causeway, and taking the rope bridge challenge will surely prepare us for a peaceful walk along the waves at Portrush Beach. 

PARIS

DAY 5:
This is our next travel day, so nothing specific on the itinerary. We'll be jet-setting over to Paris, France to get settled into our AirBnb with a view of the Eiffle Tower. The rest of the day is ours to explore and relax.

DAY 6:
The Eiffle Tower is the first on our to-do list in Paris (duh!). After seeing the city from above, we'll take a peaceful river tour down the Sienne and see it up close and personal. 

DAY 7:
The Louvre is the only thing on our schedule today, except for a reallyyy nice french dinner. It'll be well deserved after all of that walking!

DAY 8:
Today we'll take a train about 45 minutes south of Paris to Versailles. We'll tour the palace and the gardens and then jump on the next train back to the city of love

SWITZERLAND

DAY 9:
On this day, we'll take what I expect to be one of the most scenic train rides of our lives through the Swiss Alps to Interlaken, Switzerland. Here, we'll get checked in to our apartment and spend the rest of the day enjoying the crisp mountain air. 

DAY 10:
There is SO much to do in Switzerland, but nearly everything will take an entire day. We only have this day, so we aren't setting our plans in cement. Maybe we'll go canyoning or hang-gliding, maybe we'll tour the Jungfraujoch, maybe we'll go skiing... you'll just have to wait and see. 

CINQUE TERRE

DAY 11:
A high speed train will take us from Switzerland through Italy and over to the coast. We'll have to walk to the little village of Riomaggiore from the train station because there are no cars here. We'll check into our ocean view AirBnb in the first of 5 fishing villages of the Cinque Terre and spend the rest of the day eating seafood and drinking local wine.

DAY 12:
A day of hiking awaits us. There are 5 villages to explore and only a narrow hiking path through a protected national park to connect them. Each village is unique and beautiful, so this 8 mile trek will take the entire day. 

ROME

DAY 13:
Our last Eurail ride will take us to the heart of the eternal city. After hiking all day the day before, I'm sure we will just want to enjoy a quiet relaxing evening in our AirBnb. 

DAY 14:
Today is dedicated to the Colosseum. We'll be on our feet all day again, but we'll take the FULL tour. Afterward, we'll just relax with some gelato somewhere... 

DAY 15:
I think the Vatican deserves a full day on our itinerary. Day 15 will consist of St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, beautiful gardens, art, and so much more.  

DAY 16:
This is technically our last day! So, when in Rome! We'll explore the city and see sights like the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain. Our last night also calls for one last, really awesome Italian dinner. 

DAY 17:
Today's the day we decide if we want to 'accidentally' miss our flight home and head back to Cinque Terre to live out our lives. The reality is, we'll probably miss our dog and cat so much, that we'll be ready to take that long flight back home. 



So there you have it; 17 glorious summer days through Europe, Will you follow along with us? We'll be posting as we go. Just be sure to enter your email in the subscription box above for updates! Also, if you've already been to any of these places, we want to hear from you!! Comment below and tell us what you loved most! 






90 Days!!

Daniel and I only have to wait 90 more days before our big trip and I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself! You can check out the details of our June Eurotrip here.

90 days. That's only 3 months!! I definitely have a countdown app on the home screen of my phone, but don't worry, I won't make you count down the rest of it with me (unless you want to?!)

HOWEVER, in honor of this nice, well rounded, even number of days remaining, I offer you a list...

90 Things I Can't Wait to Do on our Eurotrip 2016! 
  1. Add 6 more stamps to the collection I'm starting in my passport
  2. Use everything we bought for our 11 hour flight
  3. To take a social media/internet sabbatical 
  4. Spending what could ultimately be a second honeymoon with my husband
  5. Potentially cross off up to 10 items from my bucket-list
  6. To see Ireland from above in the plane #greenfordays
  7. Meet up with some great friends for our Ireland adventures!
  8. Drink a real Guinness in Dublin, Ireland
  9. [Try] to find a four leaf clover memento somewhere in Ireland
  10. Photograph the cliffs of Moher
  11. Drive on the wrong left side of the road
  12. Have a drink in the self-proclaimed 'oldest bar in the world'
  13. See how many flora/fauna I can count in the Burren 
  14. Stay in our first-ever AirBnb (reviews to come in approximately 120 days)
  15. Go to the beach in Ireland! (because, duh, it's me.) 
  16. Play at the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland
  17. Explore the crumbling, ancient Dunlace Castle
  18. Dip my toes into the Irish Sea* 
  19. Take the rope bridge challenge!
  20. Sip a Jameson Whiskey while in Ireland... after the bridge, most likely
  21. Learn the history of the Kilmainham Gaol
  22. Prove that I can fit everything I need in 1 carry on bag & still bring 3 pairs of shoes!
  23. Mailing postcard(s) back home 
  24. See the Eiffel Tower lit up at night
  25. Travel on the Paris metro (an adventure in itself, I'm sure)
  26. Take a cruise on the Seine River
  27. Make the trek to the TOP of the Eiffel Tower
  28. Spit off of the top of the Eiffel Tower**
  29. Take a (structurally-sound) selfie on the Pont des Arts Bridge
  30. Sip a cappuccino in a quaint Paris cafe  
  31. Visit a street (farmers) market in the city 
  32. Do my humanities professor proud and visit the Louvre until I can't walk anymore
  33. See the Nike of Samothrace and Venus de Milo !!! #bucketlist
  34. See a Monet, maybe get a (small) print as a souvenir
  35. Have a staring contest with the Mona Lisa
  36. See the Eiffel Tower and the rest of the city from the Montparnasse Tower
  37. Buy a bottle of champagne from a street vendor and have a picnic
  38. Crepes, specifically, street crepes***
  39. Bread, including, but not limited to croissants ***
  40. Macarons ***
  41. Pastries***
  42. Creme Brulee ***
  43. All of the cheese ***
  44. Prosciutto with more of the cheese***
  45. Escargot ****
  46. Take a train to the south of France
  47. See the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles
  48. Visit the Palace Gardens 
  49. See the Notre-Dame Cathedral
  50. Hot Chocolate in Paris.... I hear this is a thing?
  51. The scenic train ride to Switzerland through the Alps
  52. Experiencing all 4 seasons within 3 weeks
  53. Chocolate in Switzerland - I've heard so many glorious things!
  54. Visit the 'Top of Europe' 
  55. Hitting Daniel with a Swiss snowball
  56. Swiss Cheese!
  57. Take part in some sort of outdoor excursion in the Alps -TBD
  58. Learn how to pronounce 'Jungfraujoch' 
  59. Sing 'Do-Re-Mi' while pretending to be Maria on the side of a gorgeous mountain*****
  60. See the crystal clear waters in lakes Thun and Brienz
  61. The gorgeous train ride through Italy to the coast
  62. Hiking between the 5 villages of Cinque Terre
  63. Climb all 365 stairs to Corniglia
  64. Seafood. As much as I can possibly handle eating in two days in Cinque Terre
  65. Sciacchetra
  66. Limoncello
  67. Shipping a case of that wine back home
  68. Toes in yet another body of water: the Ligurian Sea
  69. Watch the sunset from a cliff in Corniglia
  70. Finding a seashell souvenir! 
  71. Sipping coffee in the morning while enjoying the ocean view from the kitchen******
  72. Photographing the villages of Cinque Terre
  73. Swim in the harbor in Manarola 
  74. Try to convince Daniel that we should just stay in there
  75. Successfully navigate the Europe rail system
  76. Taste true Pasta Carbonara in Rome
  77. Visit the Colosseum and the Roman Forum
  78. Seeing the Sistine Chapel in person 
  79. Visiting St. Peter's Basilica (and tomb)
  80. Everything else that the Vatican City entails!
  81. Do as the Romans do. 
  82. Eat Tiramisu
  83. Real pizza
  84. See the Pantheon up close
  85. Artisan gelato on the Spanish Steps
  86. Enjoy a canoli when I'm done with my gelato
  87. Toss a coin - or three - into the Trevi Fountain
  88. Put my hand in la Bocca della Verità... or not! 
  89. Spending whatever money we have left on one last glorious Italian meal
  90. Gaining 5 hours on the flight back home

*This is different than #15 in which I was referring to the Northern Atlantic Ocean, so it counts!

** Number 28 was offered up by my charming husband. My version of #28 reads: Watch Daniel get arrested for attempting to spit off of the top of the Eiffel Tower, then spend the rest of my canoli money on his bail. 

***If you're reading this, you're judging. Don't judge. The French know what they're doing when it comes to food and I'm only there for 4 days! I'm on a mission, people!! 

**** This is by Daniel's recommendation and if I'm EVER going to try this, it might as well be in Paris.

***** Hello, childhood dreams realized.

******Hello, adult dreams realized. 


Whew. I'm not going to lie, that was harder than I thought it was going to be. Now, you tell me... what did I miss? Comment below if there's something that I NEED to do, see, sniff, or eat while we're abroad!