Napoli Day 2🤗

We thankfully both got a decent nights sleep so are on the way to surviving jet lag. The hotel has a nice breakfast and most importantly a magic coffee machine that instantly makes amazing cappuccino’s. I will take two to start! Our agenda for the day was fairly loose so we headed out and toward the largest church in Naples. As I mentioned it seems there is a church on every other block so we figured we should visit at least one and possibly the most important which is the Duomo or cathedral. Built in the 14th century it honors St. Gennaro Naples patron saint and has the necessary relics and vials of blood. It was Sunday morning so there was a mass happening inside but we were still allowed in along the sides and respectfully checked out the beautiful interior. Not nearly as large as the Duomo’s in Florence or Milan but still impressive.

Our next destination was to get to the top of the highest hill for the best view of Naples and the bay. We opted to ride one of the funiculars versus walking up what we discovered walking down later was hundreds of large steps. Riding the funicular was definitely more fun!

The funicular took us up to an area called San Martino. If I lived in Naples that’s where you would find me. A beautiful area with fantastic views and a quieter upscale neighborhood. We saw a darling restaurant called da Fofo Napoli with a small interior and cute outside tables so decided to eat lunch there. Friendly staff and delicious food. We shared a salad with grilled vegetables and plate of Rigatoni alla Genovese which is the signature dish of Naples according to our waiter. Rigatoni pasta in a sauce of onions and beef cooked slowly for at least 8 hours. I’m hoping I can find it somewhere when I get home.

Next we headed the rest of the way up on foot to the very top where you can visit the Castel Saint’ Elmo. It’s a star shaped fortress built in the 16th century. It’s normally 5 Euro to enter but many museums and sites in Italy are free the first Sunday of the month. Bonus! But we both said it is worth 5 Euro for the views alone. A massive structure carved from a rock and then bricks on top to make it even larger.

From the highest area you can see all the way to Capri!

We headed back down and that’s when we encountered the hundreds of stairs. Easier to walk down then up and good practice for the many steps we will be doing on our hike.

Time for a treat! We passed a cute shop selling custom cannolis and decided to try it. Just a small for each of us but so good.

Believe me when I say there are some very narrow streets here!

We passed another shrine on the way down the stairs. I looked closer at this one and it had family pictures inside of it so I suggested to Keeley that when I die she might consider building one for me in her back yard or even the alley. She was noncommittal but at least I planted the seed😂

We walked around the bay and saw the Castel Nuova which now mainly houses government offices. Around the back side of it are restaurants and bars that looked nice.

We headed back toward our hotel and happened to walk by the pizza place we tried to go to the day before that had the two hour wait. Not a huge crowd today so we decided to see if we could get in in a reasonable time. How about 5 minutes? Yes! It is L’Antiga Pizzeria da Michele and if you read Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert it’s where she ate in the book. Lots of pictures of famous people inside eating there. A very simple menu. One size of pizza in three variations and a couple of assorted soda’s. Supposedly where pizza was invented since it dates back to 1870. Fast service and definitely delicious. Keeley and I agreed the pizza was a little better than the previous day but not worth waiting two hours for. Although you can’t beat the price! Just 6 Euros and that is half what the pizza across the street cost.

And then gelato right around the corner!

That was day 2. We walked an impressive 30,000 steps and did a good job covering Naples. While it’s not Rome or Florence Naples is worth a day or two especially if you are heading to the Amalfi coast. Which is where we are heading now! Check back for the next part of our trip. Grazie!

Napoli!

We made it! And thankfully so did our checked bag with our boots and poles. Essential for the hiking we will be doing. I have been so looking forward to this trip. I’ve been to Italy a few times but never south of Rome. This trip is Naples and hiking the Amalfi coast with my favorite girl🩷 After a long day of travel Keeley and I had a fun first day in Naples. As the third largest city in Italy we knew it would be busy but we were still surprised with how crowded the streets are. Think Times Square times two. Granted it was a beautiful Saturday and the majority of people seemed to be fairly local. As per usual I had done quite a bit of research and read Rick Steves book so knew after we landed and got our luggage our best option was to take the Alibus to the main train station where we could easily walk to our hotel. That worked perfectly and our second bit of luck was that we could check into our hotel and get settled a bit before heading out to explore.

Naples is where pizza was invented and we couldn’t wait to sample it. Not hard to find. It is everywhere and all looks delicious. The place we intended to go at noon had what appeared to be 200 people in line to get in so we went right across the street and got a nice table outside immediately and ordered the traditional pizza. Delicious! We may try the other place during the week if it is less crazy but how much better could it be? Keeley waited somewhat patiently for me to snap this picture before diving in.

Then we just started to wander in the direction we had tickets for a later stop at the most famous museum in town. Naples is an old city and in the late 1800’s was the countries wealthiest city. When the capital was moved to Rome their fortunes plummeted but it’s still so historic and is really the Italy America thinks of as far as pizza, spaghetti and the people that immigrated to the US. Here are a few pictures from our walk.

I was hoping to see evidence of the basket system they use here to make deliveries. Success! The building are tall and most have no elevators, so instead of walking up 5 stories they hang baskets off their balconies for food deliveries. Lower the basket with your list and cash and people shop for you and then you hoist the basket back up to your apartment. Like Door Dash but on foot!

So many churches! Seems like every block or two. Also not uncommon to pass these mini shrines.

Made it to the Archeological Museum that was amazing. Much of the collection is from Pompeii. We decided not to take a day and go there for a bunch of reasons so since they brought the best to the museum we figured it was worth a stop.

This is called the Sundial Hall and was my favorite of the museum. So beautiful!

They also had a room with a cool model of Pompeii and a movie of how it looked originally and then at the end Mount Vesuvius blew up. Keeley’s comment was wow that was dark!

More walking down toward the Bay of Naples. We stopped at the beautiful Galleria Umberto I. It opened in 1890 and is so amazing. That’s me with my favorite travel guide from Rick Steves!

We headed back toward our hotel to grab a quick dinner of salad and shared a piece of lasagna. Not really photo worthy but since we were totally on fumes by then adequate. No sleep and walking close to 20,000 steps will do that to you. Oh wait we forgot to eat gelato! Done! We look exhausted! Off to sleep as another day to explore is coming. Thanks for coming along! 🩷

Arizona Part 2 - Sedona🌄

I was so fortunate to be invited by my friend Joy to join her for a hiking/yoga and wellness retreat in Sedona. With all the chaos going on in the world it sounded like a perfect opportunity to go to a beautiful place and just spend time in nature nourishing my spirit with great healthy food and peaceful meditation. It was organized by two lovely women Joy knows through previous classes and retreats she has been on with them. I know Julie planned all the delicious meals and Diane taught the yoga and planned the hikes. The other 7 of us were their devoted fans very quickly. I can’t think of a single thing that could have been any better.

We stayed at a brand new amazing AirBNB that was setup for exactly this kind of gathering. Had a large main area for a living/dining and kitchen space and then wings on both sides with the bedrooms and bathrooms. Plenty of room in the main area for yoga and even had brand new yoga mats, blocks and straps. A hot tub, fire pit and rooftop deck. Plus spectacular views of the red rocks.

The schedule was to take a hike in the morning that was usually about 4 hours after a fantastic breakfast buffet of avocado toast, a yogurt/granola and fruit bar, some type of eggs or overnight oats, and even a salad if that was your thing. Julie even made from scratch a fresh blueberry compote for your toast or yogurt or whatever you wanted to put it on. Maybe ice cream I’m thinking🧐 Joy put this great pic together of some of the plates people were having one morning.

After the hike you had a few hours to do whatever you wanted. Head into town for lunch and shopping, back to the house for the hot tub and relaxing, taking a nap etc. One afternoon Joy and I drove up through Oak Creek Canyon all the way to Flagstaff and had lunch. It’s listed as one of the prettiest drives in the country and you elevate quickly on switchbacks through the gorgeous trees. Your ears will be popping! Here we are at the top.

The dinners were fantastic. Especially for someone like me that doesn’t like to cook so resorts to making large amounts of soup and eating it with a salad every night. We were there 4 nights so every night 2 people helped Julie with the prep for the meals she planned. We had chicken kabobs, salmon, turkey taco bowls and shrimp. Always great sides with at least two or three fresh vegetables, quinoa or wild rice. She even made us treats! Chocolate dipped strawberries and chocolate haystacks. Sara, Cindy and Julie the night we had salmon. Great job ladies!

Joy, Julie and I on our night. We made the shrimp, wild rice and asparagus. It was delicious! (Thanks to Julie! Joy and I just did what we were told - as always very nicely from Julie😊)

Getting up the first morning I got back was a little sad. Just me and a sad English muffin. No fresh blueberry compote☹️

Then after dinner and some relaxation we would do a yoga class. It was so relaxing that I think there was the thought that at the end when we were in Savasana (corpse pose) we would all just fall asleep. We did manage to move our bodies to the beds but what a great way to end those perfect days. Diane is a wonderful teacher and even did her online class with us from Sedona.

The first morning of hiking was in the snow! Nothing stops us and it wasn’t that cold anyway. You could spend weeks in Sedona just hiking. The plan was to hike the Mescal Mountain Trail to Devil’s Bridge.

We made it!

Day 2 was hiking Bell Rock to Space Ship Rock. Sedona is famous for its vortexes and Space Ship Rock is one of them. In 1987 there was a rumor that a spaceship would emerge from the top of Bell Rock and depart for the Andromeda galaxy. I think they are still waiting for that. In a nutshell a vortex is an energy source. The whole area of red rock is considered to be a vortex but there are a couple of spots where people have experienced an even stronger surge. I’m not going to disparage what people have experienced. I will say it’s so beautiful it’s safe to say if you take it in you can feel a stronger sense of peace and less anxiety. That definitely gives me more energy.

Our last day we took on our most challenging hike. In Boynton Canyon there is a climb not even listed on the tourist information hiking maps. It’s called Subway Cave and not recommended for children, people without hiking boots and poles, or fear of heights. Diane had found out about it from a hiking blog so that was our goal. First we made a stop at Boynton Vista - another important vortex to get some additional energy. Diane said you get energy through your back so laying down would help. I’ll give it a try!

Now off to find Subway Cave. We asked another hiking group if we were heading in the right direction and they said yes - look for the arrow. They forgot to mention it was an arrow made of rocks on the ground! Luckily one of our eagle-eyed group spotted it. I was starting to feel like Indiana Jones!

We made it! And it was a challenging climb but so worth it. Spectacular views!

Have you heard of a Javelina? I have not but we saw tons of them in Sedona. They look like a wild pig to me, but actually in the peccary species. It’s a hoofed mammal that lives in herds and eats plants, insects and garbage. When we saw them there was always a group of them in varying sizes. They were just walking on the streets and through people’s yards looking for food. It’s illegal in Arizona to injure, trap or kill them. They seemed to leave people alone but I wasn’t tempted to get very close and try and make friends with them.

Two other stops worth mentioning are the Chapel of the Holy Cross right as you’re driving into Sedona from the highway, and Montezuma Castle close to Sedona on your way north from Phoenix and right off the highway.

Joy and I stopped at Montezuma Castle on our way to Sedona. It can be a quick stop as you only need to walk about a quarter of a mile from the parking lot to see the main attraction. If you have an America the Beautiful Pass it will be free for everyone in your car. The castle was built by Southern Sinagua farmers between 1100 and 1300. It’s a five-story, 20 room dwelling and occupies a cliff recess 100 feet above the valley. They originally had exterior ladders to move between the levels and access the dwelling. There was a good water source at the base of the rock that they used to irrigate their crops.

On our way out of town we stopped to see the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The chapel was commissioned by local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswick Staude. She initially attempted to build it in Hungary with the help of Lloyd Wright son of Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1930’s, but that attempt was unsuccessful due to the outbreak of World War II. She later decided to build it in her native Arizona and it was completed in 1956. The architect was August K Strotz.

I have been in a lot of churches in my life and I think it has the most beautiful cross I’ve ever seen. If you go up to the alter on the left side and look up it is as if Jesus’s eyes are looking right at you.

Also on the alter they have a frame with relics from all 12 apostles, Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas on display. On the terrace behind the chapel are amazing views of the red rocks. Top left Cathedral Rock, lower left the mother and child, lower right is an eagle - but we all thought it looked like a Jayhawk😂 The top right is a granite head of Christ from the Cathedral in Chartres, France and I have visited that beautiful place in September of 2023.

Well that was our wonderful time in Sedona. I highly recommend putting it on your list and don’t think you would be disappointed. We ate almost all our meals at the AirBNB, but lots of good restaurants if that’s what you are looking for. A legendary place that has been there for decades is called the Coffeepot - because it has Coffeepot Rock right behind it. I had lunch there twice but forgot (or was just too hungry) to take pictures. Very casual but well known for its 101 omelet menu, Mexican food, sandwiches and daily specials.

At some point you reach the end of the trail - or in my case the end of the trip. But I’m going to try and keep the feeling of reduced anxiety and peace with me as long as possible. I wonder if I can order a delivery of vortex energy when I’m running low? Take care of your mental health friends. Take a break when you need it and focus on what you can control🩷

Arizona Part 1🌞

An opportunity fell into my lap to join a friend at a wellness retreat in Sedona Arizona, and I said yes immediately. If you haven’t been to Sedona definitely put it on your list. So that will be the Part 2 of my Arizona trip - Part 1 is a few days in Phoenix preceding the retreat. Warm weather and sunshine always seems like a great idea if you live in the Midwest and have survived the January and February gloom. My lovely niece Angela lives in Phoenix and always tells me I have an open invitation to visit anytime. So warm weather and time with Angela is a great combination. I arrived and picked up the rental car and headed to her place. Big surprise waiting for me! My brother David and Sister in Law Dee were there too! They kept it a secret for a month even though I kept saying I wish they would come too from Seattle. If you know David no surprise he is holding a snake in this selfie😂 So a bonus that I got to spend time with them too🩷

Since I am a huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright it was an absolute MUST that I make a trip to Taliesin West in Scottsdale - one of his 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Luckily I had booked my ticket at least a month in advance because when I arrived there they were sold out for the day. If you like architecture you should visit if you’re in the area. But don’t go thinking you’re going to see a Prairie structure. Wright built Prairie where there was a prairie. His goal was to build buildings that fit into the terrain around it so this compound fits in with the desert. The tour is an audio self guided tour and initially I was disappointed I wouldn’t have a live person. (I always have so many questions😂)But actually I thought they did a great job with the content, and there were people in strategic places that you could ask questions to which was nice. My goal here is not to reiterate the tour but post what I think are some cool pics that might encourage you to make a visit.

The entrance! You have arrived!

Wright started spending winters in Scottsdale starting in 1935, but it was literally a camping site. His permanent resident was in Spring Green Wisconsin at Taliesin (after he built in Scottsdale Wisconsin was East and Scottsdale called West) but he was looking to escape the cold winters. In 1937 he bought the initial property and started construction. The site now is almost 500 acres and over the course of years the architecture school he headed there had 635 apprentices in total - 50 per year. Wright lived there in the winters until he died in 1959 and that is his final resting place.

Wright loved geometric shapes and here in Oak Park there are so many octagons. At Taliesin I would say hello triangles! They are everywhere you look.

These chairs definitely look more comfortable then his Prairie period ones😂

Wright loved Asian art his entire professional life and I will make another visit when I’m in Arizona just to hone in more on all that are on display here. Something in particular that caught my attention were 12 Shiwan Theater vignettes Wright purchased at a shop in San Francisco in 1955 and has displayed around the structure.

And here I am taking it all in and ridiculously happy to be there😍

I was blown away by the size of the drafting room. It was huge! So that’s why one of the questions I had was how many apprentices were there at one time. The apprentices didn’t just work under Wright. They did everything that needed to be done. Cooking, cleaning, building, gardening etc. It was a totally immersive experience.

The apprentices all lived at Taliesin too, so there were enrichment experiences happening all the time. In addition to their architecture talent many of them played instruments, and other entertainers were invited by Wright so a Cabaret Theater was built. Cocktail tables and chairs and almost perfect acoustics of course!

To the right of the screen is a baby grand piano and a stage for performances.

I had a great time but now I’m hungry for lunch. Off to IN-N-OUT I go! Got my standard order when I’m there - the number 3. Single burger, fries and a medium drink. Just about the only place I eat fries because they peel and cut the potatoes on site! Yumm!

Finished the day with my friend Joy and the friend she was visiting seeing Anything Goes at the Hale Center Theater in Gilbert. My expectations were exceeded as the theater was in the round so every seat a good one. It’s a schmaltzy Cole Porter musical with some great tap dancing and catchy tunes. Of course a fabricated unbelievable story but that just makes it fun. The singing was really good so a fun night. Thanks for putting that together Joy!

Then some nice time with my family enjoying all the great food they cooked, catching up and laughing which is the best medicine. Part 2 coming next. Exploring Sedona and tracking down energy from the vortexes!

Chicago - My Kind of Town!

I love Chicago. It’s so fun for me to live in one of the greatest cities that people from all over the world come to see. My friend Cheryl came up for 4 days and we were on the go the whole time. The challenge was deciding of the plethora of things to do, see and eat what we should select. The weather cooperated and was a little chilly for the first two days, but then warmed up and not a smidge of rain or snow. You can’t ask for more than that in February.

Here is a quick rundown of the fun! It’s no secret I love all things Frank Lloyd Wright. Cheryl had seen the Home and Studio on a previous visit but was looking forward to seeing his 2 UNESCO World Heritage sites that are here - Unity Temple and Robie House. So that was on our list. Both really worth seeing. Unity Temple in Oak Park and Robie House in Hyde Park on the campus of the University of Chicago.

We visited the Driehaus Museum which is over the top gilded age - the opposite of Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s on Erie St just 2 blocks west of the Starbucks Roastery on Michigan Ave. It’s a favorite of mine and Cheryl loved it as well. They have a special exhibit now called Materialities which is a contemporary look at the materials used in the original home. If you go I highly recommend taking the tour for an additional $5. So worth it. Check the website for the hours and tour times.

If you are visiting Robie House walk across the street and see the Rockefeller Chapel. It was built from 1925 to 1928 and the completed cost was $1,900,000. Funds were provided by John D Rockefeller. It has the second largest carillon in the country and we were fortunate to be there when the beautiful bells were being played. It’s a huge Gothic building that has been meticulously maintained thankfully.

Always fun to meander down Michigan Ave stopping at whatever catches your attention so we did that too. No purchases were made but still fun to see what’s in style for spring.

Now for the food! That’s always tough too as there are so many great places. Three wonderful bakeries - is that too many in 4 days? Nope! Two in Oak Park - Broken Tart and Spilt Milk, and then the new Milk Bar that just opened February 8th in the West Loop. I only have pictures from Milk Bar but we both liked the other two better. But Milk Bar was good too.

Pizza is a must and deep dish is a great choice as long as you only eat it a few times a year. Pequod’s has been given the award for best dish dish in the country so why not start there! Only two locations and we went to the main one on N. Clybourn Ave in Chicago. Cheryl couldn’t get over how tall it was - a pizza casserole but so delicious.

We picked up food from Freddy’s in Cicero one night and brought it back to my place. Definitely a throwback Italian grocery store and restaurant with fantastic made from scratch Italian food. We got lemon chicken and a pasta dish to share but no pics of the food - but the store is the best part.

Brunch at Beatrix in the West Loop. I haven’t spent much time in that newer neighborhood in the city but will return soon as lots of cool restaurants many in historic buildings.

The Palmer House - a hotel in the downtown loop with one of the most beautiful lobbies in the world - so fun to stop there for a drink on a Friday night. Did we do that? Yes!

The last night was the best night. Dinner with Keeley, Matt and Monica at their home with a great home cooked meal. And lots of love from sweet Monica🩷

It was wonderful having Cheryl visit. She’s always up for anything, has great energy and a willingness to do all the things I had planned. It also made me feel like I was on a mini vacation as we had planned in advance to put ourselves in the happiness bubble and not even turn the news on once. With everything going on in the world we both really needed to take a break. I highly encourage you to do the same as taking care of our mental health is as important as our physical health.

If you’re planning to visit Chicago I’m always happy to offer suggestions! My town is a great town!