We hope everyone had a warm and cozy Christmas! Clint made a tasty beef roast with roasted potatoes, carrots and a salad for our Christmas dinner. He is the designated chef on the trip (thank goodness!) and I head the clean-up crew—not much has changed from home! Our favorite bakery down the street provided the pastries for Christmas morning and the lemon cake for dessert (as shown above)—yum!
After dinner, we reminisced our last 111 days of adventures and came up with a list of our favs. It was very challenging to narrow it down for Europe has so many amazing places.
With mixed emotions, our time in Europe is coming to a close this week for US citizens can only be in the Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days (within a 180 day period).
KINDA FUN FACT: The Schengen Area is a zone where 26 European countries abolished their internal borders to allow for the free movement of people between the countries. So what is a "Schengen" you ask (I asked!)? It's a small winemaking town in Luxembourg where the Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985.
Kate's Best of Europe List:
Best Overall Country: ITALY
Why: I loved the food. Pasta is my favorite food and it was everywhere.
Best City/Town: GRANADA, SPAIN
Why: I loved the Airbnb and the town. It was easy to get around and we were close to everything. I liked my room and the living room. The decorations were neat because it had an old piano and a bike on the wall.
City/Town I Can Imagine Living In: NONE
Why: I can't imagine living in Europe.
Best Historical Site: QUINTA DA REGALEIRA in Sintra, Portugal
Why: The Gothic mansion was really cool and creepy. I want to move into it.
Best Natural Site: VOLCANO at MOUNT VESUVIUS in Pompei, Italy
Why: I had never seen the top of a volcano before. It was way cooler and the crater was much larger than I thought it would be.
Best Attraction Site: THE HAMMAN AL ANDULUS - Thermal Spa in Granada, Spain and ISLA MÁGICA - Halloween-Themed Amusement Park in Seville, Spain
Best Meal: The Italian restaurant underneath our Airbnb in Korcûla, Croatia
Why: I had the best pesto pasta and I liked that it was underneath our place. We walked through the restaurant kitchen to go up to our apartment.
Best Sweet: TIRAMISU in Venice
Best Accommodations: PORTO, PORTUGAL AIRBNB
Why: I love having my own suite. It is big and I have my own loft, bathroom and staircase.
Eating her favorite food—pasta—in Rome
Overlooking Granada, Spain at the Alhambra.
Fun decor in our Airbnb in Granada, Spain
Kate's room in Granada, Spain
The magical and fascinating Quinta da Regaleira estate in Sintra, Portugal.
Looking inside the crater of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii, Italy
Dining outside at her favorite restaurant in Korcûla, Croatia. Our Airbnb was on the top floor of the building behind her and the restaurant kitchen was below it. The service was superb and it was probably the nicest place we dined at in Europe.
It didn't make the list, but still one of Kate's favorite places—the Coach Museum in Lisbon, Portugal.