New Year's Resolutions

Image found here.

New year's resolutions seem to be falling out of favor, but I enjoy making them. I like giving myself goals to achieve or creating a guide for myself to live by for the next year. Now that I have started a new chapter in my life as a married woman living in Florida, I feel like a re-set is a great idea for creating the life I want for this new beginning! 

Here are my new year's resolutions in 2025 (in no particular order):

These are some healthy potato nachos I made! You can find the recipe here.

1. Eat healthier. This is a nicer way to say "lose weight." Not that I particularly feel overweight, but I know I could be better to my body and eat foods that are nutritious, not just tasty. This is very difficult when I have SUCH a sweet tooth: I LOVE desserts. I think part of this was instilled in me when I grew up, because my dad always had to have dessert after dinner, whether it was cookies or ice cream. So now I like to have dessert every day, too! Having a sweet or two every now and then is okay, but I've been going overboard lately. My husband is better about it because he doesn't buy sugary things; if treats aren't in the house, he can't eat them. But I like to have sweets available should a craving come over me, but now that means I have two half gallons of ice cream sitting around and any baked goods I make myself (or ones I've bought from Crumbl). 

So first of all, I need to stop buying sweets. I have already started weaning myself off of Crumbl, so that's good. Secondly, if I do want a dessert, I just need to change the portion size. I never feel guilty eating ten M&Ms after lunch at work; that's so small! It's more like when I eat a good-sized piece of pumpkin pie five days in a row after I baked the pie to begin with. Less is more in this case!

Along with eating less sugar, I also want to eat more nutritious foods in general. Now that I go into an office every day, I have to get back into meal prep, which I haven't truly done since pre-COVID. And while noodle casseroles are quick and easy for that, pasta drenched in alfredo sauce is not exactly healthy. I want to try new recipes with mainly proteins and veggies, and just natural ingredients in general (maybe I'll use Hello Fresh for inspiration). I don't want to make boring meals of chicken-veg-rice, but healthy versions of food I like, especially Mexican and Indian cuisine. Thank goodness for the endless recipes I have at my fingertips with the internet!

AND I want to drink less. Alcohol is a poison in the end, and is full of empty calories. It's so easy to drink though when you're at a party or out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. I find myself drinking almost every day, and even if it's just one glass/drink, I feel like that's too much. I can also tell myself I'm saving money every time I go out to eat and don't get a drink along with my meal. I won't put a number on it, but I will try to be more conscious about my drinking and just go for seltzer water instead.

Image found here

2. Exercise more. This sort of ties in with #1. Before I moved to Florida, I was working out two times a day regularly, alternating between Pure Barre and Orangetheory (whichever one I didn't take in the morning was the one I took at night). But since I have moved, I spend so much of my time commuting that I have a harder time being able to work out as often as I'd like. I have already bumped down my OTF membership to just eight times a month instead of unlimited, and I frequently find it difficult to make even that happen! And while I do have a gym in my community, most of the classes offered are held during the day when I work, so I only occasionally make it over there to ride the spin bike for 45 minutes. 

So next year, I am going to attempt the Pure Barre Platinum Barre Challenge. I have never tried this before even though I have been a client for years and have now been teaching since August of 2023. The challenge is to take 15 classes every month, so 180 classes for the year. I think I can do it! I already take class about three times a week (i.e. the weekday mornings when I'm not teaching), which means I would only have to take three extra classes on top of that. The past few months I have been trying different gyms, like F45 and Barre3, but for next year I will focus on Pure Barre so I can complete this challenge!

Me with some of my Theta sisters in DC. I miss them!

I grew up with Rachel and Marshall, so they are some of my oldest friends!

3. Keep in touch with friends better. Now that I have moved, I have to make more of an effort to stay in touch with my friends. I can no longer email them about meeting up for dinner or seeing a show together. I actually had a similar resolution many years ago: I spoke with a friend on the phone who didn't live near me once a week. And I did it! So if I did it before, I can do it again. But just like trying to schedule times to meet up, it can be tricky to match up calendars for even a phone call. I have been trying to talk to people when I'm in the car (since it usually takes me almost an hour to get home after work), so maybe I will just lean more into that. Even quick calls are better than letting friendships slip away!

Me with the Ladies of Umbria (i.e. the women who live on my street!)

4. Create lasting friendships with new people. In hand with staying in touch with my friends back in DC and elsewhere, I would love to make true friends down in Florida. My husband and I have been SO lucky to have already met so many wonderful people. Our street is very social, and our neighbors frequently host parties; they always invite us and make us feel welcome. I have also met other people through a local synagogue, the Junior League of Sarasota, and the fitness community.

But most of these friendships are surface-level, which I guess makes sense, since I have only known everyone for a few months. But next year, I hope I can hang out with more people in smaller groups, rather than large parties, to really get to know them. I am going to aim for doing a double-date twice a month (unless a neighborhood party is scheduled and we know we'll see them there), and aim for more ladies' dinners, particularly after my workouts (now I could actually get to know some of the women from Pure Barre instead of just taking class with them!). Friendships are one of those things that you get what you put into them, and I want to put a LOT of effort into making new friends so I feel like I have a full circle of support in my new home of Florida. 

Image found here

5. Less screen time, more reading. This kinda of goes against #6 (see below), but ever since I started my Instagram account, I find myself getting lost in the scrolling, especially before bedtime. I tell myself I'll only look for ten minutes, and then I look at the clock and it's well past my bedtime! So next year, before I even climb into bed, I am going to turn my phone off. That way, when it's time to turn in, if I'm not quite sleepy yet, I will read a book or magazine. It's better not to look at the blue light of a screen before you go to sleep anyway, and I am very embarrassed by the low number of books I have read since moving to Florida six months ago (umm, I think it's two).

I brought so many novels and non-fiction books with me in the move, so I better start reading them! I have nature books, lots of (auto)biographies, and just brainless fun books. After a month or two into the beginning of COVID, when we all realized the pandemic was going to last longer than we ever imagined, I told myself to read more, and I did. I only read books by female authors, and I really liked setting this mini-challenge for myself. I truly love reading, and I just need to carve out more time for it. Just like with exercise: if it's important to you, you'll make the time. I think my first book of the new year will be Amy Poehler's Yes Please. I lugged it all around Italy with me and never opened it up, so I'm going to read it for real this time!

Gotta fill up my Instagram profile!

6. Continue to build my Instagram presence. While I want to stop staring at my phone right before I go to bed, I do want to stay active on my newest platform. I started my Instagram account before I moved so that my friends at home could stay in touch and see what I'm up to. And it's been working! I love seeing all the little hearts from people liking my photos or their comments on my posts. But as a Millennial, I'm in between an older generation that doesn't care about social media and a younger one who LIVES online. I don't naturally think about taking a photo wherever I am, but I want to get better about that. This is especially true when I do social things: I have been to SO many parties and yet didn't take any pictures! So in 2025, I want to work on recording my shenanigans through photos and posting them online. Similar to this blog, Instagram can act as an online diary for me to remember all the fun things I've done and the wonderful times I've spent with many amazing people. 

There are other things I'm tempted to add here, like going to Shabbat services once a month. But I want to set myself up for success, and this list is already somewhat daunting. Hopefully I can make all this happen!

Recipe: Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

 

My mom found this recipe on Pinterest (originally from the Lynseylous blog) and wanted to make it while we were together for the holidays. The recipe was pretty easy, and it was delicious!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup + 1 tbsp sugar, divided
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups fresh cranberries, washed and dried

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8” or 9x9” pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Toss cranberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and set aside.
3. Combine remaining flour, salt, and baking powder to a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
4. Place butter in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add 1 cup of sugar and lemon zest and beat until light and fluffy.
5. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until just combined.
6. Alternate between adding some of the flour mixture and some of the buttermilk to the batter until all mixed together.
7. Add the cranberries and gently fold in using a spatula.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Place in the preheated oven and bake about 35 minutes, increasing time as needed.

We didn't have buttermilk, and while we could have added vinegar to the milk to make our own buttermilk, we didn't bother. But plain milk worked fine! We liked how moist the cake was, and the fruit flavors are just right. My mom liked the recipe so much she said she'd definitely make it again!

Recipe: Cottage Cheese Brownies

I have been seeing lots of healthy recipes on Instagram featuring cottage cheese. I don't really like cottage cheese on its own, but I figured it can't taste too bad if it's main into a dessert, right? I couldn't find the exact video I saw online, but I googled "cottage cheese brownies" and found this recipe from Matt's Fit Chef. With only four main ingredients, I figured it had to be pretty easy!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 scant cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup and 1 tbsp granular sweetener (I just used regular white sugar)

Optional Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp coffee powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Chocolate chips chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and fold a 7-inch x 7-inch brownie pan with parchment paper.
2. Add to a blender cottage cheese, egg, cocoa powder and granular sweetener. Optionally, add baking powder, coffee powder, and a pinch of salt. Blend until all ingredients are combined into a smooth brownie batter.
3. Transfer cottage cheese brownie batter to the prepared pan, and optionally sprinkle with chocolate chips on top. Bake in hot oven for 22 to 30 minutes – mine took 25 minutes. Let cool completely at room temperature before slicing.
4. Once cooled, seal and store in the fridge for a maximum of 4 days.

I think I did include all of the optional ingredients except the coffee powder (What is coffee powder? Ground-up coffee?), and I don't think the chocolate chips are optional. While they make the brownies less healthy, they taste MUCH better with the chocolate chips (and look cuter, too). And they last WAY longer than just four days in the fridge; I made mine weeks ago and only just recently finished the last one (and it tasted fine!).

Are these the yummiest brownies you've ever had? Absolutely not. They are not fudgy or fluffy; they actually are kind of grainy. BUT the fact that each normal-sized brownie is only about 100 calories is really nice. I never felt guilty about eating one, and they still satisfied my sweet tooth. I don't think I'd make these for a party or share them with others to show off my baking skills, but I might make them for myself again. 

Recipe: Turkey Pot Pie

The first turkey I've ever cooked myself! I tore through the skin to put rosemary under there (not as neatly as planned).

While I did not officially cook for Thanksgiving, I did get a free Butterball turkey from BJ's, so I had to do something with it! So the morning of Black Friday, I put my 17-pound bird into the oven to cook for FOUR hours. After I let it cool, I began thinking about how to use all that meat. We were already getting a little tired of turkey after hosting my family for early Thanksgiving the week early and then having more of it on the actual day of Thanksgiving. But I couldn't let this bird go to waste! I immediately started looking up recipes, and I found one recipe for turkey pot pie from AllRecipes.com that sounded delicious. I had to try it!

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
• 2 cups frozen green beans
• 1 cup sliced celery
• ⅔ cup butter
• ⅔ cup diced onion
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon celery seed
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
• 1 ⅓ cups milk
• 4 cups cubed leftover cooked turkey
• 2 (14.1 ounce) packages pastry for a 9-inch double-crust pie

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
2. Place frozen peas, carrots, and beans in a saucepan with celery; add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until celery is tender, about 8 minutes. Drain.
3. While vegetables are simmering, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add flour, salt, pepper, celery seed, onion powder, and Italian seasoning and whisk until a paste forms, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in chicken broth and then milk until incorporated; bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens, 3-5 minutes.
4. Remove thickened sauce from the heat; add cooked, drained vegetables and cubed turkey and stir until filling is well combined.
5. Set out two 9-inch pie dishes. Fit one pie pastry into the bottom of each dish. Spoon 1/2 of the pot pie filling into each dish, then lay remaining pie pastries over top. Pinch and roll the top and bottom pastries together at the edges to seal. Use a sharp knife to cut several small slits in each top pastry to allow steam to release while cooking. Place pies on baking sheets.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Check the top crusts for browning; if they are browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil. Continue to bake until the crusts are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 15-20 more minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

I simplified the recipe (as usual). I thought I had seen other recipes that used cream of chicken soup in pot pie, and I realized that's what step #3 is here. So I grabbed a can of cream of mushroom soup (I figured my husband would never be able to taste the mushroom in a pot pie!), along with frozen veggies that you can microwave in the bag for four minutes, and saved myself more than ten minutes! 

One thing that is confusing about this recipe is the use of plurals in steps #5 and #6. Yes, there are two pie crusts, but there is only one dish, and you only lay one over top (not two "pastries"). And it's only one top crust that could potentially brown, so I don't know why the recipe reads "crusts." So I had to read this a few times to be sure I wasn't completely confused on what I was supposed to do. 

I did not end up eating the pie the night I made it, but the next day (after microwaving a piece, of course), it was DELICOUS! I already love pot pie anyway, and now that I've made it myself, I will definitely make this recipe again, either with turkey or chicken!

Recipe: Irish inspired Potato Nachos

We were invited to not one but TWO Thanksgivings last Thursday, so we decided to watch the first football game at the one house and then see the second game (and have real dinner) at the second house. The second hostess insisted we didn't need to bring anything, so I just brought some mini pies from Crumbl (which are so cute and yummy!). But for the first house, I wanted to bring some good football-watching food. I found this recipe on the Clean Food Crush blog, and I had never heard of healthy nachos before. I thought this was a cool alternative, and it didn't seem too difficult.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 Tbsps avocado oil, or olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 slices nitrate-free bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 vine tomato, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, peeled and diced
• 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, scallions, or parsley leaves

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400˚ F. Rinse and scrub potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt. Pat excess moisture with a paper towel or allow to air dry.
2. Slice potatoes into 1/4-inch thick, even, rounds and place them in a large bowl (may want to use a mandoline for even slicing.)
3. Season your potatoes with oregano, thyme, sea salt and black pepper, drizzle oil on top.
4. Gently rub and toss to get them coated evenly.
5. Place the potatoes onto a large baking sheet (or 2) in a SINGLE layer and roast for 20 minutes until golden and crispy, flipping once during roasting.
6. Once the potatoes are done, carefully remove from the oven and transfer to a skillet or oven-safe dish. I covered mine with parchment for easy clean up!
7. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for additional 6-8 minutes until cheese is nice and melty. To assemble your nachos, add a generous dollop of yogurt in the middle.
8. Crumble crispy bacon on top, then sprinkle with tomatoes and onions as shown.
9. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro, scallions, and/or parsley and serve immediately.

I didn't follow the recipe to a T, and I didn't use all the ingredients. I don't eat bacon, and I used sour cream instead of yogurt. I also just topped my "nachos" with cheese, sauteed yellow onion and bell pepper, and sprinkled in a little green onion. I did season the potatoes with LOTS of cumin so that they would taste more like real nachos. And even though it was a little tedious flipping the little potato slices one by one, they turned out to be really good (although they got cold very quickly, so microwaving was necessary later). This could be good for a Superbowl party, I think!

Recipe: Dump-and-Bake Chicken Alfredo Casserole

Image found here

Get ready because I'm going to be posting LOTS of recipes this week! It's that time of year when you're hunkered down at home because the nights are chilly, it's the holiday season, and you've got LOTS of leftovers (and lots of football to watch, too!).

I made this casserole recipe from the Seasoned Mom blog, less to do with the reasons listed above and more because I think casseroles are great for meal prep. I have to go into the office five days a week with my new job, which means I eat the majority of my lunches (and actually my breakfasts as well) at work. So I have to prepare ten meals a week just for that! And casseroles make it easy. And this recipe is easy, too, with only three steps!

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked rotini pasta
• 22 oz jar Alfredo sauce (about 1 very large 22-ounce jar or 1 ½ 15-ounce jars) (~ 2 ½ cups total)
• 3 cups chicken stock (or substitute with chicken broth)
• 2 cups diced or shredded rotisserie chicken (or other diced cooked chicken)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or Italian blend cheese)
• Optional garnish: Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, or parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large baking dish, stir together uncooked pasta, Alfredo sauce, chicken stock, chicken and garlic. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
2. Uncover; give the pasta a good stir. At this point you should check the pasta to make sure that it is al dente (firm but with a tender bite). I have had good luck with the 30-minute cook time; however, some readers have noted that it required about 10 or 15 minutes longer. If it’s still too hard after 30 minutes, just cover the dish and return to the oven until pasta is al dente. Then move on to the next step. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top.
3. Bake, uncovered, for 8-10 more minutes, or until the cheese melts. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan or fresh chopped herbs if desired.

I love that not only could I just throw everything together, but I didn't even have to cook the pasta first! I did not bother with the herbs, but I did realize later that this recipe has ZERO vegetables in it. It's already not healthy because of the alfredo sauce, but no veggies?! So when I've been eating a portion, I top it with a third of a bell pepper (diced) before microwaving it. I guess you could also make a side salad, but that's too much work (the opposite of this recipe!). 

Honeymoon in Italy: The Not-So-Good Parts

When I told people I was going to Italy for my honeymoon, all everyone had to say was, “You’ll love it! The food, the wine, you have to see XYZ!” And I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy my trip: I obviously did! BUT there were a few things that I thought were worth sharing if you are considering a trip there; I tried to list them from minor to major. I hope this helps!

·       Paying for water and the use of public bathrooms: This was probably the smallest inconvenience, mostly because this one we actually were warned about ahead of time. But it’s still shocking when this is not really an issue in the US (unless maybe you have to buy something at a Starbucks to use their bathroom). We were lucky because we pretty much always used the bathrooms in our hotels and restaurants where we were already eating (and I did sneak through the gate at one restroom in a park), so I think I only paid for a bathroom once or twice the whole time. We did pay for bottled water more often than that, but usually for $3.50 you got a liter of water, so we could easily split it between the two of us. It was very cool to use the old fountains in the cities that are connected to the aqueduct that was built SO long ago and still works! We found the most in Rome, one was right across from our hotel in Florence (although we didn’t discover it until the day before we left; you’d think the hotel staff would have mentioned that!), and we found one in a pretty park in Sorrento (although on a walking tour of the city, our guide claimed there were none. Hmpf.). It is a little ironic that you have to pay for water in cities that have free water flowing everywhere. So, this was not a huge deal, but you do need to plan accordingly. Bring your water bottle(s) with you!

·       To tip or not to tip: Everyone I talked to said you don’t have to tip Italians because they are better paid than people in similar roles in the US. And yet it was confusing to know if/when this was true. We saw other people tip taxi drivers and tour guides; sometimes we did, still not knowing whether that was protocol or not. And at many restaurants, you have to pay between $2-$4/person to sit down (in some places it’s more expensive if you’re inside rather than outside), so we kind of figured that covered the tip. But at one restaurant I was given one of those little machines that asks what kind of tip you would like to leave, and at another restaurant the waiter demanded a 10% tip (smaller than the usual in the States, but when I am under the impression I don’t have to tip, the request came as a surprise). And even when we wanted to leave a tip, like for the cleaning people in the hotel, we were only given large bills at the exchange or ATM; you don’t even have a few Euros to leave, and believe me, NO ONE will make change for you (unless you want to pay $3 for a pack of gum, of course).

·       Rip off prices for transportation: Speaking of money, the amount we paid to get around Italy, particularly in cabs and such, was outrageous. When we arrived in Sorrento, although our hotel was not far from the train station, it was raining, and we were lugging ~50lb bags, so we opted for a cab. There was a big van that picked up multiple parties at once so he could just drop us off along the way. I kid you not: he took us maybe two blocks and charged $25 just for me and Steve. RIDICULOUS! And for the hotel shuttle on our last night (more on that later), while we didn’t pay anything up front, we had to pay $32 the next day for the 10-minute drive to the airport. They really stick it to you for sure!

·       Problems with accessibility: Luckily I am an able-bodied person, because I FEEL for anyone who travels to Italy and uses a cane, rides in a wheelchair, or otherwise is physically disabled. Of course many of the roads are still made of the original stone, so the streets are uneven and very slippery when wet (good luck if you try to wear heels!). The sidewalks are not much better, and they are VERY narrow. Usually you could barely walk two abreast, so you’re trying to walk single file, but so are the people walking in the opposite direction, so someone ends up walking on the road, and you’re just praying a motorbike doesn’t wiz past you at that very moment (the same goes for when the sidewalk just disappeared and you had no choice but to walk in the road). Elevators were hard to come by as well. Steve and I usually don’t mind walking, but when you have to carry those heavy suitcases up five flights in your hotel, it’s not great. And in Sorrento, we walked down the back-and-forth path to the coast, and if you wanted to take the elevator back up, you had to pay. You’re telling me a person in a wheelchair has to PAY to use the lift?! The ADA laws in America would never allow for this (granted, those laws were only passed in the 1990’s, which is pretty sad on its own…).

·       Do NOT take the Campiani Express: This is the train our travel agent suggested we use from Naples to Sorrento (we only traveled through Naples from Rome). Up until this point, we had only taken rather nice passenger trains: the kinds that have bathrooms and the staff give you drinks and snacks, much like an airplane). This Express train is NOT that. It is like riding the New York subway for 90 minutes, but everyone else on the car is also carrying huge luggage with nowhere to put it. So the suitcases are either blocking where your legs should be so you’re sitting sideways, or they’re in the middle of the aisle while people are trying to walk through, or they’re in the way of the doors (which in and of itself is not a big deal because the staff only open ONE car door anyway, no matter how many people are getting on the train) with no one to hold the bags, and the bags would shift and roll all over the place. This was the most uncomfortable travel experience of the entire trip, and I cannot recommend it whatsoever. If there is any other way to get to Sorrento, please do so.

·       Lack of signage: This is by far my biggest complaint, and it makes it obvious what poor communication skills the Italians have. The maps we were given by the hotels at the start of each leg of the trip were not great. For starters, these ancient city roads are not built in grids, so you can’t count the streets or avenues like you can in New York or D.C. (The Romans could build structures like the Pantheon that survived a THOUSAND years but could not figure out how to make squares with their streets?). Streets curve randomly, turn into new roads without announcement, and criss-cross willy-nilly. The streets are sparsely labeled, and even if you did know the name of the street you wanted to be on, chances of you finding a street sign were zero to none. Instead of street signs, the buildings have plaques with the names of the roads on them. But only some of the roads have these, and only at certain corners. So while we never got truly lost (the cities are only so big, and even if you end up walking in circles, you find your way eventually), I did get turned around a lot, which was frustrating when I usually take the lead. This came to its peak on our second-to-last day at the Rome airport when we were trying to find the location of the hotel shuttle bus. The airport has NO signs inside mentioning ground transportation or shuttles, and when we asked multiple airport employees for help, we only received the correct answer half the time. There is ONE small sign, in the middle of the road, that shows a diagram (you cannot call it a map) with multiple hotel logos and the number of the location where you were to find each one. But we didn’t see those numbers anywhere! We saw big pillars starting with the number 5 for larger buses and that was it (we wanted number 2). At this point I am in TEARS because we had been traveling all day from Sorrento to Rome, we had just taken our THIRD train of the day, and I was physically and mentally exhausted. Finally we saw that there are parking spots with tiny numbers on the asphalt. That’s how you find the shuttle. That’s it. In the States those hotel logos would have been posted everywhere, and there would be no confusion on specifically where the hotel shuttle pick-up location is. I feel like, even as big as the US is, you can figure out where you’re going much more easily. All you need it to LABEL things! Is that too much to ask?

I am in NO way telling you not to go to Italy. There is so much to do and see in these old cities, and the history is amazing. So if you are privileged enough to take a trip there, do it! But just be warned about some of these differences compared to the US. And when people tell you how great Italy is, just remember it’s not always rainbows and butterflies.

Honeymoon in Italy: Mount Vesuvius

From the bus we could see the "sleeping giant," which was a face the mountain ridge created.

I realize it's been almost a month since I returned from Italy; time is running away from me! But I am still thinking about my wonderful honeymoon. And I haven't written about one of my favorite parts yet: hiking Mount Vesuvius!

Now, we didn't hike the whole thing. It's more than 3,000 feet tall, which is manageable, but we didn't have time for that. Instead our bus drove us most of the way up, and we hiked the last bit to the summit. We were given 90 minutes in total, with this rough breakdown: 30 minutes to hike to the summit, 30 minutes to take photos, and 30 minutes to come back to the bus.

I packed my hiking boots for the trip specifically for this excursion, and I am glad I did. I think it would have been okay to wear sneakers, but I felt more comfortable on the dirt path in real boots. I also had a back-pack full of snacks, water, and layers of clothing (semper peranda, always prepared!). Now that we’ve moved to Florida, there is no hiking (there are no hills, let alone mountains), so I was very excited to go on even a short hike. The crater itself is not that exciting (it is indeed a hole), but the views were so cool. I couldn’t believe people still live at the base of the volcano knowing what happened so long ago (and it’s still an active volcano), but since 79 AD, there have been 49 eruptions and none of them that bad, mostly slow-moving lava from which people can have time to escape. I guess it’s like us moving to Florida knowing hurricanes are getting worse, or people who live in California understanding the dangers of earthquakes. You take your chances!

We took some photos while climbing up, but of course the best pictures were the views at the top. I felt like you could see everything!

This is not a great panoramic photo, but you can see the crater at the summit.

Another hiker offered to take our photo, and of course we returned the favor afterward!

The view at the top was so beautiful! You could look down onto the cities and towns as well as see islands in the distance.

I thought this plant was so cool! It's called "Old Man's Beard" fittingly.

This pretty pink flower is a type of Valerian.

After the long drive back (we both took naps), we went out for drinks at Bar Ercolano in the heart of Sorrento. The town is much cuter when it's not raining! After our happy hour, we enjoyed one last pasta dinner at Mamma Che Pasta. I liked that you could pick your shape of pasta and your sauce, and then you could add items to the dish like meatballs. Yum!

This was our last full day of vacation! The next two days were travel days: one to train back to Rome (we took THREE trains that day), and the other to fly back to the States. So we ended on a literal high note!

Honeymoon in Italy: Pompeii

When we chose Italy as the destination for our honeymoon, I KNEW I wanted to visit Pompeii. This was the ONE thing I insisted upon doing on this trip, and we are SO glad we did! This was our favorite part of the whole vacation!

I first learned about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD when I took Latin classes in middle school. I was (morbidly) fascinated by how terrifying that experience must have been; the casts made of the bodies that remained in the ash really showed the humanity at that scary moment. More than 1,500 lives were lost that day. The eruption is said to have had the power of 33 atomic bombs, and people would have died from the heat of the ash, breathing in the ash, or being weighted down by the ash on top of them. When archeologists found coal in stoves and the seeds of fall fruit, as well as some writing listing dates (and letters from Pliny the Younger, who witnessed the eruption from afar), we can rather confidently say that the eruption happened on October 24. It is incredible how we can pin-point even the exact day!

This is a cast of someone covering their face so they wouldn't breathe in the ash or get it in their eyes.

But other than seeing the casts in person, I wasn't really sure what else to expect from Pompeii. But after a long bus ride in the rain, the skies cleared for our tour of the ancient city. Pompeii is the second largest archeological site, made up of more than 160 acres (and a third of the city still has yet to be excavated!). The ruins were first discovered in the late 1700's (after Herculaneum, another city destroyed by the eruption, was found); throughout the years of excavations, some things were lost (for example, the bones left of people were mostly removed as trash), but there is still A LOT left that remains, and in amazing condition at that!

The main square area

The city was first built in the seventh century BC by Greeks, Etruscans, and native peoples in the area. It only became a Roman city in the third century BC. In the main square, or forum, there was a temple of Jupiter, as well as a large marketplace and administrative offices. The entire area had a travertine floor before the eruption; now we were walking on the ash that is still there today.

This would have been a fish market.

My favorite part of Pompeii were the bath houses. They are in AMAZING condition! The mosaic floor is still intact, and you can still see decorations along the walls, mostly sea-inspired. There were four rooms in total, and it sounds like the Korean baths I've been to (I miss Spa World!). There was the entry room or waiting room where guests could leave their clothes, a warm room where there was oil for washing and massaging, a hot room which was heated by the steam of the hot water for the spa, and a cold room to finish the experience (they believed in cryotherapy even back then!). 

There were many little statues along the walls in the bathhouse, and all of them were in great condition!

It was awesome to be standing in a spa that is thousands of years old and survived a volcanic eruption!

After going to the baths, the people may have stopped by a bar for a drink or snacks. We saw countertops like these throughout the tour, so the people of Pompeii liked eating out as much as we do now!

And we all know that even back then there was great engineering (as I said in an earlier post, we were drinking water from the ancient aqueducts!). In Pompeii, that same water flowed freely in the streets to wash away debris, horse waste, etc. So the sidewalks were elevated, and instead of flat crosswalks, there were three large stepping stones that people would use to walk across the road. I was so excited to walk on the same steps from so long ago. And why were there three stones? So the wheels are carts could still go through! And along the sidewalks at the thresholds of doors, if there is a groove at the threshold, that means it was a public place, like a store, which would have used sliding doors. 

These were the fountains from which the water would flow into the street. The streets didn't have names, so you would use the decorations of the fountains as your markers ("cow head" fountain, etc.).

This was a mill stone in a bakery; a rod would go through the square hole, and two animals attached to the rod would walk in circles to spin the top rock and grind the grain in between the two stones. Thirty-four bakeries have been found in Pompeii!

The technology for pizza ovens has not changed much!

We also walked inside a very wealthy person's home. Of course the size showed how rich the person was, but so did details like the mosaic floors and frescos on the walls. In the atrium, rain would fall through the skylight into a basin, and that water would then go into a well. That would be the household's main source of water before the aqueduct was built. There would also be a garden at the center of the home which would help cool everything down. 

One of the most entertaining parts of the tour was visiting a "lupanare," or brothel (coming from the word "lupa," meaning "she-wolf"). It was built along a curve in the road so it would be harder to see clients coming in and out. This is the only brothel that they have found in Pompeii, but sometimes prostitutes would work in the upstairs of snack bars. And while most people slept on wooden beds, the beds in the brothel were made of stone (with a mattress on top, of course); the stone was much stronger to withstand, erm...use. You can still see frescos painted on the walls that feature sex acts; the prostitutes and their clients (many of whom were sailors coming into port) may not have spoken the same language, so the clients could simply point to what they wanted, like a sexy Denny's menu. On the outside of the building, there was a phallic-looking stone pointing out of the wall, which was supposed to protect the building and those in it. That is why all over Sorrento you can find souvenirs of chili peppers or horns, like necklaces and ornaments, that are the modern-day interpretation (Note that the protective powers will not work if you buy the item for yourself! You can only give it as a gift, and then you can receive one as a present, too.).

Which position is your favorite? haha

Our tour only lasted two hours, but we were told that it would take two weeks of exploring to see everything. In the late 1800's, excavators divided the city into neighborhoods and labeled the areas by name as well as block number so they could create a map of the city. The streets were like a maze; I certainly would have gotten lost if I had not been with a tour guide. But I feel like we could have been there all day and never get bored. There is so much to see, and it's still unbelievable that this entire city was covered in ten meters of ash for nearly two thousand years, preserved in such an amazing way.

Next post: Hiking Mt. Vesuvius, the same volcano that destroyed Pompeii!