We actually traveled for 48 days, plus spent 2 days traveling to Milwaukee to pick up Luna & Fabio. Here are some fun stats from our trip. I feel a bit tired after typing all these: 4 CONTINENTS America – Europe – Asia – Oceania 12 CITIES London – Florence – Rome – Milan –…
Day 50: Home Sweet Home
We woke up “early” to pack our bags, the dogs bags and head home. We wanted to get home early and be able to rest before work. We had breakfast “A-la-chucky” and said our goodbyes to Grandma and Grandpa. Got the dogs settled into the car and we were off: The drive was easy and…
Day 49: Milwaukee
We landed in Chicago yesterday and immediately drove to Milwaukee to see our fur babies. We were exhausted but really wanted to get there soon. When we arrived, the dogs went bananas! – us too 😉 We spent the night catching up with Marissa’s parents, telling stories about the trip and hearing all about the…
Day 48: Adios Mexico
Today is our last day of international travel. We’ve had a trip of a lifetime. We feel so full of love from the people and places we experienced on this journey. It’s hard to process it all at this time, but we’re very happy we were able to experience this together. We look forward to…
Day 47: Golf cart scouting
We knew it would be a bit cloudy and rainy today so we decided to rent a golf cart to go down to the South side of the island. We headed to our other favorite breakfast place, Mango Cafe, and had another amazing breakfast. Since we were more mobile we did a little scouting of…
Day 46: Tuesday Beaching
There’s not much to say here. We’re pretty much in time-adjustment mode. We wake up. We eat. We go to the beach. We lounge. We put sun block. We get in the water. We watch the sunset. That’s the simple life of Isla Mujeres.
Day 45: Tiny hammock
Island life is always simple. That is why we love it here so much. Today was another slow day. We spend our time eating, lounging on the beach, small shopping break, watching the sunset, and eating more. During our shopping break, we went out to look at some of their beautiful arts and crafts. We…
Day 44: Island jet lag
We got up and left the hotel as fast as possible today which wasn’t very fast. Got on the 11am fast boat ferry to Isla and headed straight to our hotel to drop off our bags. First stop is always Rooster, our favorite breakfast and coffee place on the island. It definitely didn’t disappoint today….
Day 42 & 43: Up in the Air, again
We have a loooong 33 hours of traveling ahead of us today and tomorrow, but will arrive yesterday. So confusing. Christchurch ~ Brisbane (Qantas) Short and sweet flight. Brisbane ~ LAX (Qantas) Flight was fine just really long. Neither of us do well sleeping on planes, especially Sandra who has had zero sleep the whole…
Day 41: Hot Springs & Jucy Snooze Take 2
Tekapo hot springs We woke up, had breakfast and packed quickly so we could enjoy the last little bit of time with Natalie, Matt and the kids. They took us to the Tekapo Hot Springs to play in the pools. There are 5 pools ranging in temperature and, of course, the scenery was beautiful. After…
Day 40: Hooker trail
Natalie had been dying to take us to Mt. Cook for some biking and hiking. We were too nervous to go mountain biking but the hike was more our speed. So we headed out for about an hour drive towards Aoraki/ Mt. Cook, the tallest peak in New Zealand. Aoraki means Cloud Piercer in the…
Day 39: Puzzles, Views & Fluffies
We woke up this morning to tiny voices… the boys were up and we couldn’t wait to see them! We were super excited about this giant puzzle we got the boys and couldn’t wait to put it together with them. The puzzle was a huge success because they are obsessed with “diggers”, firetrucks, trains… basically…
Day 38: Queenstown to Lake Tekapo
Today we had another beautiful day driving from Queenstown to Lake Tekapo to spend a few days with Sandra’s cousin Natalie and her family. We got up early so we could enjoy breakfast in Queenstown before we hit the road. A few views from our super cute hotel before we leave. Breakfast in Queenstown Along…
Day 37: Milford Sound
We couldn’t come to NZ without going to Milford Sound, New Zealand’s “8th Wonder of the World”. We booked a Jucy Tour ( same company as our Jucy Snooze hotel): 4 hr coach bus ride to Milford with a few scenic stops along the way, 1.5 hr boat cruise out into the Fjord (it’s not…
Meanwhile, in Milwaukee… Part 2
Grandma and Grandpa have been enjoying their time with their furry grandkids. They traveled to Minnesota for Christmas with them, where they got to meet their Schnauzer cousins and see aunty Andrea. This past week, Marie and Chuck went to Door County to celebrate Gail’s birthday and while they were gone, Joe and Mark…
Day 36: Glamping
After our nice night at the Jucy Snooze we headed out for our first day in New Zealand. We picked up the rental car repeating “Stay to the LEFT” over and over. The day was really cloudy and gray and we honestly were starting to feel a little bummed that we wouldn’t be able to…
Day 35: Blue Skies
After such an amazing night at the yurt we had a jam-packed day of driving and sight-seeing ahead. First stop was Oamaru, the Steampunk capitol of the world. Next we went to see the Moeraki Boulders, and lastly we needed to make it to Queenstown before it got dark to enjoy the scenery. Oamaru Oamaru…
Day 34: Bondi & Jucy Snooze
Our last day in Sydney was a bit of a whirlwind day. We couldn’t leave without seeing Bondi Beach but we both had a lot of work to wrap up before we took the next two weeks off. And we had to get to the airport by 3pm. We decided to push to make…
Day 33: Sydney Opera House
Today we decided to head towards the Opera House and see where the city takes us. And it took us right to a giant Nutella crepe of course. We signed up for a tour of the Opera House and learned all sorts of interesting facts about how the building came to be. There was a…
Day 32: Sydney Festival
Today we decided to walk from our offices in the CBD to Hyde Park to see some of the Sydney Festival grounds and events. On the way we stopped at the QVB, Queen Victoria Building, to shop and look around. What a beautiful building! Sydney Festival in Hyde Park The Festival had so many weird…
Day 31: AquaSonic
We were really lucky that the week we are in Sydney is the first week of their Sydney Fest, which is kind of an awesome mix of unique artsy performances and free events scattered throughout the city. We wanted to do something unique and different while in Sydney and this seemed like the perfect fit. …
THANK YOU.
We wanted to take an opportunity to thank every one of you, our dearest family and friends. This trip has been a once in a lifetime opportunity and we couldn’t have done it without your help. You’ve made this possible. Thank you! We’ve learned so much from this experience, not only about other cultures, but…
Day 30: WFS – Working from Sydney
It’s Monday and we’re back at work – from Sydney offices. We started our day trying to figure out our way around the train system but got to work without issues. The public transportation here in Sydney is super easy to follow – M for Metro, T for Train, B for bus, F for Ferry….
Day 29: Koalas & Kangaroos
Today we got up early so that we’d have time to fit in as much as possible during our last day in Brisbane. First breakfast, of course, at a super cute restaurant right outside of Manuel and Kitty’s apt. They really know how to do a huge yummy breakfast here. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary After getting…
Day 28: “The Sunshine State”
We had a lazy start this morning. We were supposed to wake up early and go to have brekky (also known as breakfast) around the corner. That didn’t happen, instead, our own personal chef conjured this delicious dish: This meal definitely gave us the energy we needed to head north to the Sunshine Coast –…
Day 26/27: Traveling to Sydney
Today we are leaving Bali and making our way to Australia. We are taking the last fast boat to the mainland this afternoon, so we decided to spend the morning on the beach and at the pool before we leave. Today the beach had a lot less coral at the shoreline so it was much…
Day 25: Half Way Point
It’s Day 25 of our 50 day trip and we’re going to spend the whole day on the beach doing nothing and enjoying the sun. As we reflect back on the first 25 days of our trip we’ve had an amazing time but we are tired. So today we rest and relax. We miss…
Day 24: Last day in Ubud
It’s our last morning in Ubud. Below are some photos of our tranquil Bali hotel. Breakfast first. Lotus Temple Before we left Ubud we wanted to spend some time walking through the town and seeing the Day Market. On the walk to the Day Market we saw this incredible lotus pond from…
Day 23: That Monkey stole my phone!
Today was our second day with Wayan and we also had a full agenda. Balinese Dance We started the day out with an suggestion from Wayan to see a Balinese dance performance. We figured that would be a great way to start the day. Unfortunately, the performance was more like a bad community theatre performance…
Day 22: NYE Bali
First full day in Bali and we have a full agenda. We’ve hired a driver to take us to many places today. Wayan, the driver we’ve hired, is going to take us to 6 sites. Temples, hot springs, rice terraces and views of the volcano to come. Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) Temple Next Wayan drove…
Day 21: Sleeping Bali
We arrived today after 17 hours of flight, bodies aching and two days of no sleep. No biggie, we are in Bali. When we arrived, our driver was waiting for us ready to take us to our hotel – one hour away from the airport. Everywhere you looked there were impressive temples, sculptures of Gods…
Day 20: Up in the air…
We’re finally done packing and saying our goodbyes. They’re never easy. We woke up at 4am to catch our 8:30am flight from Milan to Doha, then Doha to Bali. With our layover and fly time, we’ll be pretty much spending our day up in the air. 17 hours total. Claudia and Giovanni drove us to…
Day 19: Milano Finally!
We woke up to the first day of clear skies and sun all week!! Today is our day to finally go into Milano! Yay!! We had breakfast at the house and then all took the train into the city central. Our first stop was the Duomo. It was also he first stop for every family…
Day 18: Rain & Games
Today our plans to go to Milano were put on hold again due to and entire day full of rain. Sandra and I decided to cook a big breakfast for everyone and just spend the day at home resting. Monopoly: We started an epic game of Monopoly last night and decided this rainy day was…
Day 17: Bergamo & Fog
Our plan today was to wake up early and all take the train into Milano and do some sightseeing, but we woke up to a day of rain and fog and decided to stay more local. We took a drive to Bergamo instead. Today the city of Bergamo is one of the wealthiest regions in all…
Day 15 & 16: Feliz Navidad ~ Merry Christmas
Food!! Eating and Dancing Chamos! Los Hijos La Familia
Day 14: Ciao Roma! Hola familia!
Today we left Roma to spend Christmas with the Franco’s and Lombardo’s in Milano. It was very important for us to make sure to spend time with Sandra’s family on this trip since they are all in Europe at this time. We took another fast train from Roma to Milano, but this time the ride…
Day 13: Battle of the Flu
Today we both woke up really feeling terrible. Our slowly evolving sickness was full blown today … but at least we were feeling like 💩together. We eventually got out of bed and headed to the Colosseum. Everything in Rome seems huge when you finally see it in person. The Colosseum was no exception. The history…
Day 12: “No Photos Please”
Leaving Florence >> First day in Rome We took the express train from Florence to Rome. The train station in Florence was filled with school children’s chorus singing Christmas songs. The train fide was beautiful and we were able to take a nice nap. We loved the train! Tiny elevator at our AirBnB: Marissa…
Day 11: Venus & David
We started the day, again, walking to catch the bus #12 to go to Piazzale Michelangelo. After waiting for 30 min we realized that bus might not be operating during the week. We decided to head to the Piazzale by foot – 30 some minutes away and up a mountain. We definitely need to go…
Meanwhile, in Milwaukee…
Luna and Fabio are having an extended vacation with Grandma Marie and Grandpa Chuck. The are being spoiled and loved all day. We’d like to think they miss us but i doubt it. Cuddles from Grandma On our way to Hugo MN to spend Christmas with our cousins.
Day 10: Climbing the Duomo
Our first full day in Florence was wonderful. Our host Silvia gave us a wonderful suggestion for a coffee and a small bite to eat before we started the day. We had the most delicious ham and cheese omelette, sweet croissant 🥐 and two much needed lattes. The little cafe was bustling with groups of…
Day 09: ARGHHH….
Today was supposed to look like this. Wake up early, get to Luton Airpot, about 1hr outside of London, fly to Milano. Spend day with German and Nubia. Grab train to Florence. Drink wine and eat pizza. But NO… it didn’t go as planned. We had our first “learning” day on this trip. We underestimated…
Day 08: ☔️💂👑☔️
Our last day in London was a very wet and rainy one. We decided to stay close to our neighborhood and go see Buckingham Palace and then do some shopping afterwards nearby. We finally made it home and did laundry and packed for our next adventure in Italy. We couldn’t leave England without a proper…
Day 07: Street Art & Harry Potter
Today we feed each of our guilty pleasures. Marissa’s love for street art and Sandra’s fondness for Harry Potter. We took a free walking tour of the street art in the East End all along Brick Ln. Our tour guide, Colin, was great and had a very deep knowledge of the artists, many of whom…
Day 06: Museums & Amigos
We both finished up our last days at work today. Lots of stuff to wrap up before we unplug from work and just enjoy our vacation and time together. Cute buildings in our hood: Marissa took a quick jaunt over to the Tate to see the city lights at night before meeting Sandra and Gaby…
Day 05: Hyde Park & King’s Cross
Today, we decided to take a couple of hours in the morning to see the city during the day and work a bit later instead. We started the day with breakfast at Gail’s Bakery, just a few blocks from our Airbnb in Marylebone. Cute neighborhood full of shops, bakeries and coffee shops. Afterwards, we made…
Day 04: Pinocchio
The other night, when we were strolling around Covent Garden with my aunt Lorraine, I noticed a poster for Pinocchio. As a kid, I remember watching this movie over and over again with my family. It was one of our favorites. I couldn’t see the date of the show so I decided to look it…
Photography 101
We bought a new camera for this trip and since we haven’t used a digital camera since the 90s we’re having fun learning how to use our new toy. We’re still figuring out all the settings but it’s been fun to explore it’s functions. Every once and a while we actually get a good shot….
Day 03: Mind The Gap
Today we were starting to feel the effects of jet lag and had a rough nights sleep. But once we got our caffeine fix we were ready to go. We both went to work… yadda yadda yadda. Met for lunch near Sandra’s office and had an amazing Italian meal. Yes, that is a giant head…
Day 02: Tia Lorraine
Today we both made our ways to our respective offices in London… it took us a while, but we finally made it 😉 We decided to take the train to work together since our offices are just a few stops apart on the same line. Low and behold after Sandra got off at her stop…
Day 01: Travel to London
6.5 hour flight 🙂 3.5 movies 😀 2.5 hours in immigration 😥 We finally arrived at our Airbnb in London. It took a little bit longer than expected due to increased security at Heathrow airport. But we made it! Our AirBNB host was super patient as we didn’t arrive until almost 2am. But we got…
Prep Day
We spent our last day before our trip running last minute errands, but the highlight of our day was having brunch with our uncles Neil and David and – of course – Aunt Patty. What a surprise when we received this thoughtful Christmas gift from Neil and David: After brunch, we went home to pack….
Impromptu Trip
Luna and Fabio are the luckiest dogs. As you know, they get pampered a lot, not only from us but also from their human grandparents. Grandpa Chuck loves to feed them popcorn and Grandma Marie loves to give them lots of cuddle time. Whenever we travel, we do a “puppy exchange” at Gurnee Mills –…
Our Trip Ahead
We are less than 24 hours away from our 50-day trip around the world. We couldnt’ be more excited and a little nervous for what’s ahead. We’ve been working really hard to prepare everything we need to bring along with us on this journey for months. It just doesn’t seem real. We couldnt’ have made…
MOMOFRITA 