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 Oh the Air Up There, Austria

8/26/2016

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Style, Romance, Energy and the BEST food EVER!  Venice and Padova, Italy

8/24/2016

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Our adventures continued after spending nearly 12 hours in the airport when we finally landed in Veniza Italia! It was close to 3am and Trey and I were a bit nervous about this portion, because we had booked a hotel in the heart of San Marco, which is surrounded by water. We thought no problem, we will take a taxi...right...wrong..what water taxi runs at 3am? We grabbed our bags from the carasole and Cash sleeping like a baby in his carrier, when we decided if we had difficulty finding a way to our hotel, we would stay near the airport and try for San Marco the next day. 

Literally two steps out of the door a man approached us and in English asked if we wanted to share a cab. We were a bit unsure at first when we agree and began to walk out the doors, even more unnerving we walked up to and very built Italian man wearing all black. The man said this is our driver. We then followed this gentleman and his taxi driver aka "bodyguard" to a black Mercedes van. The man jumped in the back of the van and the taxi driver threw cash in the back seat and before we new it the Stone's were on there way once again. The man began to talk to us and continuously apologizing for what he thought was bad English, but we could understand him clear as day. Because it was 3am in the morning we all were not very talkative but manage to get the usual.. where are you from... how long have you been here etc. in! The kind man told us he was born and raised in Venice and was just coming home after a holiday in Majorca.  We arrived to the water taxi, split the cab with the kind man, and had no clue where to next. When the gentleman saw Trey and I discussing our next move, he told us we would be riding the same water taxi we would just be getting off at a later stop. He even helped us figure out how to purchase our water taxi tickets. He truly was our saving grace. I will never forget how friendly and helpful he was, when Trey and I were at our most venerable state. It reminded me to remember that offering a friendly, "Can I help you?" could change someone's entire journey.
 As we were cruising the Venice canal I realized we were getting further away from the lights and hub of it all , I asked Trey if we should ask for directions. A very happy and confident Trey reminded me of the Spanish way... Tranquillo... so tranquillo I did for a moment. A few stops later Trey suggested we get off! Looking back now on our disagreement, as we found our way back to humanity, in another country at 4:30 in the morning with 20lbs on our backs and 15lbs on each arm, it was quite a funny site to see. It was absolutely beautiful watching the sun come up in Venice. Once we got through the initial, we are lost we worked as a team to figure out where we were. It became exciting as we wondered the streets that came to dead ends and swirled around the historical building of the city built on water. It was as if we were in a maze with the city all to ourselves. Thanks to my boss giving us a guide on Venice we found our way to our hotel. We entered the code to enter the sweet boutique hotel that reminded me very much of a very familiar warm homie feeling, much like our beloved Church Street Inn. As promised our keys were on the desk waiting for us. Fresh flowers were on the veranda as we want up the stairs and on the chest just outside our room. We walked into the room and cash immediately flopped on the cold floor and fell asleep. We turned on the A/C showered and crashed. We woke up that same day around 3 in the afternoon. Feeling rested and ready to hit the town, we decided to change our arrangements and stay 3 nights in Venice instead of 2 since we had just arrived. I contacted the hotel we were staying at in Padua and they were happy to assist. The hotel we were currently staying at was fully booked so they kindly gave us a wonderful recommendation of  a near by property. The women at the desk was so friendly and she just loved Cash. She made us reservations at a wonderful place for dinner and assisted us with booking our guindola ride and opera tickets. We were all set with a game plan a ready to experience this magical city.

We set out for a walk with Cash and noticed there were dogs everywhere in this city. Cash noticed them too sniffing 100 miles a minute! We were starving so we stopped in this sweet little café for a panini, and oh my goodness was it incredible. The homemade bread was out of this world. We walked along the winding maze like streets leading into central plazas where everyone gathered. We then went back to the room to get ready for our dinner reservations. When we arrived to the restaurant a gentleman who looked to be the manager greeted us. I told him we had reservations. He told us to wait one moment and he would seat us. Then another gentleman approached us and went to seat us. I tried to explain to him that we had already been helped but he insisted that we follow him. Not even 5 minutes after we sat at a table near the front door and next the waiter station the manager approached us and said, " would you like to go to your table now?" We got up from the table and the manager walked to us the far right corner of the outside seating area facing the plaza. He said to us "best seat in the house enjoy!" We were thrilled and when we looked at the menu we got even more excited. This dinner was very special Trey and I talked about everything and I couldn´t help but beam with joy. From time to time we would hear a man belting beautiful Italian lyrics in the distance and couldn´t figure out where it was coming from. When we noticed a man in the plaza with a brown paper bag propped up on the side of a church. Trey said hey look its coming from over there I responded no way that man is drinking, lo and behold though that beautiful random singing was coming from the man with the brown bag.  Reflecting on our life together and talking about our future was truly magical, it was one of the most romantic nights of my life. After our dinner Trey suggested that we head back to the hotel to get Cash and go for an evening walk to find out where our Góndola ride would be in the morning. The city was quite and the water was clam. All of the store windows were lite up and the street lights led the way to canal. We finally decided it was time to call it a night and head to back to the hotel.
​It was around 9am and we headed out for our morning Gondola ride. We shared out with one other couple. It was fascinating to see the way this civilization managed for so many years traveling through canals. I know I know super touristy right...well we didn´t care because how many times in your life can you say you rode in a Gondola in Venice? 
​We headed back to our hotel to pack up and move hotels. We knew that we were not going to be able to go to our new room right away but we had to be out so hoped they would hold our luggage for us. We entered the new hotel Cash by our side and the Guest Service Representative immediately came out from behind the desk and started to pet him and asking all kinds of questions about our little guy. She looked at me and said, "Wait one moment Mrs. Stone". She came back from the back office, with whom we later found out was the owner and her dad,  and he said, "We can check you in about 10 minutes, but while you wait here is some water for Cash." It turns out it was a family owned hotel for 3 generations and they loved dogs! Cash did it again, aided us with making new friends in Italy and getting into our room early so we could continue our exploring Venice. Cash got lots of attention and two treats while waiting to go up to our room so he was tired. We left him in the 20 ft high ceiling room with an authentic Italian blown glass chandelier and  Venetian fabrics for an afternoon nap, while we explore more of the city.
​We went straight for San Marco. It was a beautiful afternoon and the sun was sparkling on the canal. We took a "few pictures". When I say a few, I mean 30 or 40. When Trey says a few he means 200 or 300...something we are still working on. I will let you know the outcome of our differences in perspective in a few months. We then toured Doge's Palace. It was very interesting to see that even back then working  from home was valued. He lived on one side and worked on the other. Connected to   the same building where Doge laid his head every night was the jail, where he sentenced and had many prisoners tortured. What a lullaby...yikes! The murals and ceiling detail were unbelievable. We spent close to two hours exploring the area when we decided it was time for us to go back walk Cash and get ready for our evening out on the town.
Trey and I decided we when in one the most romantic cities in the world why not dive into a little romantic culture...so we booked tickets to the Opera.. We walked through a different part of Venice we had yet to venture to it was winding roads and alleys full of shops with art, clothing, and accessories. We walked over the bridge just as the sun was setting and the colors over the historical city over powered me with awe. I remember many many times over the course of this trip looking at Trey, sighing, and saying I love our lives, but moments like this where its as if time stops and the world your looking at is so beautiful its like a painting, so real, so alive, it almost doesn't feel real. We continued our walk hand in hand and stumbled upon a little Italian restaurant where we had our first authentic spaghetti, it was by far some of the best spaghetti meals I have ever had, Grammy don't worry your's is still up one of my favorites! The noodles were mouth watering. While I ate it I thought about the work of gentle hands that made these fresh noodles daily. This wasn't a machine that produced hundreds of thousands of noodles, but just one person hand making these noodles everyday. It may have felt like time stopped while we on the bridge but it hadn't we unfortunately had to hurry along with our meals to ensure we made it to the show on time.  It was a quant little Opera in an old historical church. We rushed Church and were lead to our seats.  It was an audience of about 30 people and it was beautiful. It was traditional Opera with the masks and a  five piece orchestra. They had voices of angels and I loved hearing the Italian lanugague sung. Towards the end they all sang and involved the audience. Trey was invited to dance with one of the singers while they were serenaded. When he came back to his seat he asked, "How did I do? I did good didn't I." I told him those dance lessons we took before our wedding did him some good. Thanks Fred Astaire Dance Studio, Charlston, SC. Lauren you would have been proud. After the intiamate production we headed back to our hotel through the charming lit city streets. The water was calm and in the distance we could hear music coming from all directions the city was full of energy and romance. It truely was an unforgettable evening.  
We woke up the next morning at our leisure we didn't have to check out until 11 and we wanted to take the train by 1:00pm to our next destination Padova. We went the the breakfast room where they had a nice spread and the balcony doors open. We could see out directly onto the canal and toward the end of breakfast Trey and I took our coffee and tea over to the window to admire the view. Shortly after our breakfast we packed up our backpacks and Cash's bag too and said our goodbyes to Venice. As we were boarding the ferry to head to the train station it began to rain for the first time on our vacation. We felt it was a sign that we had left just a the right time. Padova here we come!!
 We sat in a little waiting area for our train to arrive. Cash, drew some attention from a couple across the room and they woman came over to give him a pet. When I noticed she began speaking to him in Spanish, I thought it would be a perfect time for me to practice. She was from Argentina, and said she had two dogs at home that she had missed very much. They were on a European holiday for 3 weeks touring all of Italy. She was lovely and I throughly enjoyed talking to her. We spoke about the difficulties of learning a new language and all the beautiful things we had done while in Venice, and she just couldn't get enough of the Cashman! It was time for us to board the train so we said our goodbyes, and we were off. We arrived to Padova in an about 45 minutes. The rain had subsided and Trey, Cash and I walked to our next accommodations for the next 4 days. We unloaded our things to make ourselves comfortable and showered after our travels. We then went to the front desk to as where a good place to get an authentic local dinner would be. We told him we wanted to go somewhere he would eat! He sent us to a little place about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. It wasn't open just yet, so we decided to sit on the bench just outside, we talked about our adventure so far and our upcoming plans, goals, and ambitions while we waited for it to open. 
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Lacando Art Deco Venezia
Hotel Centauro
Doge's Palace Video
Scuola Grande del Carmini Opera Balletto
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Livin la Vida en Mallorca

8/4/2016

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Day 1: It was time for The Stones to begin our big European travels. 21 days 3 different countries 9 different hotels, and true hunger for exploring! We put on our packs and were heading out the door to catch our first means of transportation...a plane to Majorca. Just has I had my hand on the door knob,  I received a text saying that our flight had been cancelled. We were ready to go, bags packed, Cash on leash and he was ready. We were not going begin our vacation on that note...so we headed towards the airport in hopes to catch another flight. When we arrived we were informed that the pilot had taken ill so we would not be flying out until the morning. They graciously told us that they would shuttle us to a hotel with a dinner voucher and would shuttle us back to the airport to catch a 7am flight to Majorca for the inconvenience. We kindly accepted and began our holiday. As we boarded the bus cash was not enjoying being in his crate, especially in the unbelievably hot Spanish heat. So once we got our things settled we put him on my lap where he let his white hair blow in the air conditioning, a leisure amenity that we all had left behind in the states but not forgotten!!! A distinguished polished looking couple sitting a few rows ahead took notice of our silly Cashman enjoying the bus ride and we began small conversation as we all were heading to the hotel. We learned they too of course were going to Majorca to visit family. We all herded off the bus and into the hotel to check in. When we got to the desk we told the receptionist we had our dog with us and I tried to tell her, in Spanish, we had proper documentation for Cash to be in a hotel room with us, because he was a service animal. She refused to look at my papers and told me they could put him in a room with the luggage but animals were not allowed in the hotel room. Our new friends overheard them giving us a hard time and stepped right in telling the guest representative that he was in fact a service animal and it was the law to allow him to stay with us. She immediately apologized and said, "I didn't understand he was a service animal that is fine he stays with you if that is the case."  I AGAIN gave her the documents translated in Spanish stating Cash's certifications. We received our keys and headed to our room. When we entered Cash immediately sprawled out on the cold wood floor directly underneath the A/C vent. We couldn't help but laugh at him but we too were just as excited to be in air conditioning as he was. It had been over 3 months since we had slept in an air conditioned room. We turned it up full blast and went to dinner and looked forward to walking back into a freezing room. We ran into our friends just as we were finishing dinner and they invited us for a drink in the lobby bar. There is nothing better than meeting someone who speaks both English and Spanish because you can exchange assistance with the other language. We talked for nearly 2 hours when realized it was 1am and needed be on the shuttle to the airport at 4 am so we decided to call it a night. It was wonderful meeting them and we hope to meet with them again back in Madrid after the holidays.

Day 2: We arrived in Majorca around 9am headed towards our week retreat at The Bella Colina 1953! This wasn't just any day either, it was a special day...Trey's Birthday! When we arrived to the beautiful entrance of the hotel I remember thinking this was going to be the best vacation of our lives. We walked in and were greeting by the receptionist Linda. She was very hospitable, and made us feel very welcomed. She showed us to our room and answered all of our questions with the ending phrase..."I will do that for you...you are on vacation ENJOY!" We felt like royalty! 
We unpacked and looked out of our french door balcony overlooking the gorgeous pool and sea just about 300 meters from us. It was a dream come true! We put on our swimsuits and headed to the pool. When we asked if it was okay for Cash to sit with us,  without hesitation Linda said, "of course and I have a little pool for him." When we got out to pool there was very large blue bucket with water in it for King Cash. He jumped in cooled off and the Stone's spent the entire afternoon poolside basking in the warm Spanish Island sun. I remember feeling my heart beating in my head and the sweet sweat dripping down my face as I woke up from my slumber in the sun. I sat up and without giving second thought plunged into the pool. I sunk to the pool floor and felt as I was completely weightless. As I poked my head up out of the water for air I sighed with utter satisfaction. I looked at my sweet family sitting in the beach chairs and thought out loud..." This is the life." Trey hearing my thought he, mumbled back at me, "yeah it is!"
 It was time for us to get cleaned up for dinner and I wanted to make sure this was one we wouldn't forget. We were celebrating Trey's Birthday after all! I looked up restaurants near me and looked at several Trip Advisor reviews and came across the Gran Tortuga! As I read off a few items from there menu to Trey...his quick response was yes yes lets go there. I called to see if they had availability and made reservations. We took Cash on a happy hour walk, which became a nightly tradition in Majorca. We walked up to the winding road up a hill to our destination. The views of the sea were breathtaking and the sun was just beginning to go down.(insert inspiring, tranquil music here). Words cannot describe the beauty of this island and pictures don't do it justice but the way I felt that evening was as if we were the richest people in the world. We walked down 4 flights of stairs to make it to the base of a rock where we over looked the sea. It went as far as the eye could see. Trey and I discussed all the different colors of blue and how it changed as the night progressed. We began by ordering a bottle of Spanish Cava. The traditional starter is fresh olives, aioli  and bread. I of course could live off of this traditional starter but didn't want it to make me full in anticipation our fried goat cheese salad we were about to receive. Oh the flavors, we both scrapped the plate clean and were temped to use our fingers to ensure we ate every morsel but decided against it since we were at a nice restaurant. Next, was our main course. Trey ordered the sword fish with wok vegetables and I order the spinach stuffed local fish over risitto. We had such great conversation it was a night that will never be forgotten that is for sure. Our fine meal was followed by a Bailey's and coffee for me and a local grappa for Trey. Food coma aside we walked back to our hotel and looked down at the quite beach. Trey suggested we go on a night walk with our little buddy. I couldn't think of a better way to end the evening. We let Cash off the leash and away he ran! We noticed in the distance an outline of a very large animal. As we grew closer it we realized this large figure of an animal was a beautiful Greyhound. Cash was so excited to meet Luna and they ran up and down the beach chasing each other until Cash came and sat right on our feet to tell us he was tired and ready to go to bed. There was a perfect summer breeze in the air and the moonlight on the beach gave us just enough light to find our way to our room. We slept with the doors open that evening letting the cool sea breeze put us in a very deep, Happy Birthday sleep.

Day 3: I remember waking up to the sun shining through the blue shutters of our room. I looked over and Trey had gone for a walk with Cash and I slept so well I barely recall him leaving earlier that morning! I did my big morning stretch and opened the shutters, falling right back into the bed and looked out our balcony of the incredible sea view! Trey and Cash came back from their morning walk on the beach and we headed down to breakfast. After breakfast we went down to the information center to book a day at sea cruise and lunch. We noticed on our walk that most people were carrying rafts to and the beach. We stopped and purchased 2 rafts on the way back to float in the sea. We went back to the hotel to laze around in the pool and then headed to the beach. We used our rafts and floated out in the open sea letting the waves slowly bring us in and then we swam back out. As the sun began to descend we made our way back to the hotel where we got cleaned up, grabbed Cashman, and headed to our family happy hour. It was around 8 when most beach goers began to come out for dinner. The streets were full! We stopped at a cute place along the main street with all the restaurants and beach shops they were playing fun music and the chairs were super comfortable. We noticed alot of the customers had a Sangria so we followed suit and we were not sorry either as the Sangria was fantastic! We then headed back to the hotel scoping out where we were going to eat for dinner when we came across what looked to be great Indian! As many of you may know Trey and I love us some Indian food! We dropped Cash back off at the room and headed out for a Taste of India! It was fantastic! We finished the evening early that evening because we had a big day coming up. Another incredible day in Majorca!

 Day 4: we woke up at our pleasure, walked Cash and headed for the boat dock where we would board a catamaran with about 100 other people. We were the last to board at our stop and headed straight up to the top deck. The seats were filling fast when Trey noticed two spaces near the bar, the perfect spot! We asked the people if we could sit and discovered they were a family of four. We struck up conversation with this fun German family exchanging small talk back and forth. I can honestly say one of my favorite things about traveling is the amazing people we meet. People from all over the world doing the same thing we love most...traveling!
The captain of the ship and entertainer reminded us of our favorite Chef back in the states, Mike! He was the life of the party explaining what areas we were traveling through speaking 3 different languages. One phrase he said after every description was, "mmmmm Sangria"! A phrase all languages understood very well and toward the end of the trip we were all saying together. We sailed all day stopping at two points where we could jump off the boat and swim in the deep clear blue sea. It was a dream! In the August heat we needed those refreshing swims and tasty Sangria drinks! The captain then threw anchor and headed down to the main cabin to assist in serving us all lunch. Seafood papaya and pasta salad was on the menu for lunch and it was absolutely fantastic. In Spain you can never go wrong with a papaya! The captain amazed us as he was slinging plates for the 100 people in line and still had a smile on his face. He was a very versatile guy doing it all! After lunch we rode around Dragonera Island. It was amazing to see how these rocky islands formed and have made there way to the surface. After sunbathing for another 45 minutes it was time for us to get off the boat. We went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and enjoy a little siesta time! It was yet again time for...Happy hour! We grabbed Cash and headed to a new spot for a fresh fruit smoothie with a shot of rum and it was glorious! We then went across the street and ordered Doner Kebobs and falafel pitas and took them back to the hotel and enjoyed eating them the in hotel courtyard. We went up to our room for some creative time and opened our balcony doors to embrace the cool sea breeze when we began to hear live music coming from a distance. He was singing classic songs like "Danke Schoen" and "New York, New York". I finished reading and sat I out on our balcony listening to our personal private concert. It really felt like a personal serenade when he began to sing "My girl", which was the song I danced with my dad to at our wedding. I recorded it and sent it to my dad to let him know I was thinking about him. Another moment that made me feel so grateful to be experiencing this opportunity and be living this beautiful life. 

​ Day 5: This was the first day I woke up to an alarm because I made an appointment to get pampered. I headed down the strip to get a manicure and pedicure! I walked into the little salon and was greeted again in 3 languages, Spanish, German, and English! I told them I spoke English and a little Spanish. They were so friendly, offered me a cup of coffee and made me feel right at home. I have such wonderful conversations with the manicurist everytime I go. The first time I went in Spain she gave me my first Spanish lesson. Here we talked about our travels, what brought us to where we were, what we both wanted for our future, family, and of course Cashman! She thought it was so funny we brought our dog on Holiday with us and remarkable we brought him to Europe with us period. By the end of the mani-pedi I felt like we had been friends for years. A great start to another beautiful day! When I got back to the room Trey had already walked cash and had an enjoyable morning himself. We decided to go for a walk along the beach and check out how we could book tickets to take a tour to the Cuevas del Drach. Since I missed breakfast we stopped in this little tiki restaurant with swings as seats for some toastado con tomate (Toast with tomato. A very common breakfast here and my favorite) and Trey had a smoothie and fresh eggs. We had great conversation and discussed our afternoon plans. We decided that today was a beach day! After booking our tour we grabbed our floats and headed for the beach. When we first arrived we plopped our floats on the shore and basked in the sun. We began practicing Spanish verbs and conjugating them, since we were in an area that was mostly Germans this was the most we spoke in Spanish while in Majorca and we began to miss it. We had two other countries where we knew would not be speaking Spanish so we tried to practice what we had learned thus far so we wouldn't forget. We then took our rafts and floated out in the sea for 3 hours. It was glorious and the water felt so good. We would hold on the the rope that split  the swimmers and boats floating in silence listening to the waves slowly wisk under us. We began to get hungry and most of all thirsty. Trey and I decided to make our own happy hours this time before our reservation at Playa 5. We went to the store and got strawberries and Cava. We then went to a restaurant and ordered assorted meat, cheese, bread and olives. We went back to the hotel courtyard area and enjoyed yet another happy hour. We headed out shortly after for Playa 5. We again made reservations and  were lead to the most beautiful table in the house overlooking the ocean. We dined on fantastic curry soup and a surf and turf which included a great steak and the biggest most beautiful prawns we had ever seen! After dinner we walked along the beach front, people watching and engaging with each other  in conversation about our future. Our minds were clear and it was yet another magical evening!

 Day 6:  The alarm was set for 8am. Yahoo it was another adventure day! We read our tickets thinking we would be picked up right outside of our hotel. After all it had the address of the hotel on it so we leisurely had breakfast and waited out front for our bus. About 5 minutes after I looked at the ticket again and realized that it had another pick up lo action written in Spanish. I quickly ran to the desk and asked her where this "pick up spot" was. She said we better run but it was just down the hill on the right. Trey and I ran down the hill and looked at our watch seeing we were 10 minutes late. We thought they had left us so we had the bright idea to run to where we got our tickets. 15 minutes now went by and I thought oh let's call them. As I caught my breathe I managed to get out we didn't know where to go. Please keep in mind this was around 9am in the morning and no one except for two or three men drinking there coffee reading the paper watching these two Americans run frantically back and forth. It was quite a sight. The gentlemen on the phone said they would wait for us in front of the supermarket which we had passed already three times. We see the spot for pick up and board the bus. We weren't planning on a work out that morning but we managed to get it in! We travelled from one side of Majorca to the other to get to the famous caves. Since the island is very small it took us around an hour and a half. Once we were in the caves it felt cool and humid. We were simply in awe of this beautiful natural piece of art. I have never seen anything like this before. Centuries and centuries of water dripping in the cave to make these remarkable icecycle like rocks dangling from the ceiling and forming all over the cave walls and floors. It feels like we were in the Goonies movie! We then began to see patches of crystal clear water and when we approached the bottom of the cave we were looking at the worlds biggest underground fresh water lake in the world. The views were absurdly breath taking. They had an auditorium set up on one side of the lake where we were seated for the show. Yes a show! They lowered the cave lights and two glowing boats slowly rowed there way towards center "stage". On one boat there was an organ and on the other a string trio including the violin, base and cello. They began to play excerpts from famous classical music pieces. As they played I began to cry because I was so moved by the entire experience. They played three songs and rowed off into the cave. As the glowing boat exited the "stage" they got quieter and quieter and until the lights on the boat disappeared into the distance and so did the music. It was extraordinary and I have never seen anything like it! 
We then continued to make our way through the cave taking enough pictures to last a lifetime. We then boarded the bus again and Carmen, our tour guide, told us we were stopping at the pearl factory. The pearl factory is where theMajorca pearls are cleaned and formed into jewelry. Trey and I looked at all the jewelry and he bought me a beautiful ring as a 2 year anniversary gift. As if this trip wasn't enough... I am one lucky girl! We then all boarded the bus again and began our journey back towards our part of the island dropping people off in different parts. It was fun to see Majorca this way I feel like we got a private tour of the entire island...and we were in air conditioning. When we got back to our stop we were famished. Trey said he wanted an American meal, a hamburger and fries, so that is just what we did. We had the friendliest waiter and yet another delicious meal! 
We went back to our room to get the Cashman and take him for one last long happy hour walk in Majorca. When we began packing and Cash sat on our clothes. He was just getting used to things there and comfortable with his personal fan to keep him cool but we told him it was time for the next part of our adventure! We finished packing, all clean clothes compliments of the hotel, just another great touch and talked ourselves to sleep about the amazing time in Majorca! 

Day 7: We woke up to yet another gorgous day in Majorca ready for our next leg of our adventure Italy. Our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 11pm so we had some time to kill in Majorca. We ate breakfast, took cash for a walk and confirmed our pick up time for the shuttle. Well when I booked the shuttle I wanted then to pick us up at 7 pm since our flight left late but what I had scheduled was 7 pm departure. They always pick up 4 hours before flight departure. When I discovered this I tried contacting the shuttle service and they said unfortunately it's not refundable and we cannot change the time because the driver already had his route. Me in a frantic worry that we were getting there too early, Trey convinced me to relax and realize it wasn't the end of the world and we still had 6 hours until we had to go to the airport. The wonderful hotel clerks held our luggage and showed us where the showers were in case we wanted to go to the pool or Beach for the afternoon. We put in our suites and took our towels and Cashman out to the pool deck. We laid in hammocks all afternoon taking a dip in the pool to cool us off after sitting in the hot sun long enough. It was a glorious afternoon! We then showered up and jumped on the shuttle for the airport. Once we were there we were told we had to want until two hours before the flight left before we could board. We posted up in a spot near an electrical outlet on the floor, plugged in the computer and binged watched Breaking Bad for six hours. We hadn't seen it before and just started watching it before our vacation. We weren't going to watch it on vacation but while at the airport waiting 6 hours before our flight we thought why not. Cash grew impatient after about four hours so we walked him around outside in this little courtyard area. He loved marking his territory there. It was time to  check in and go through security. We made it on the other side in about 30 minutes. When we went to look up our gate realized our flight had been delayed. So when in doubt watch Breaking Bad! We were delayed until 1am. Tired yet too excited to fall asleep The Stones finally boarded the plane to Venice Italy!
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Compact & Bijou Darling!

8/4/2016

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We had finally figured out what country we were moving to and what we were going to do for jobs while in Spain, but finding a place to live seemed to be a bit more unnerving. For starters we had never been to Madrid so we were uncertain of the good areas to live in, what a good commute would be, transportation access... and the list continues. My employer of course was very helpful with assisting us narrow down a location and we searched two recommended sites from her... idealista.com and fotocasa.com. This helped us get an idea of price range, location and size. Trey also contact the school where he was going to be receiving his certification from to see if they had any recommendations. They advised us to a fantastic guy who owns a company called reservebookgo.com. We contacted David, the owner of reservebookgo, and what we felt like was one of the most nerve racking task, quickly became not so scary. We emailed David of what we were looking for... you know the basic must haves... one bedroom, pet friendly, heat, furnished, close to a metro station, a safe area, close to the city center, washer, and a kitchen was a requirement with a stove, oven, and a regular size refrigerator. I know many of you Americans are thinking well of course it would have a kitchen right?...WRONG!Many of the apartments we were looking at didn't have a full kitchen. Space is definitely limited when it comes to European living so they improvise. Our friends from the states that moved to Germany gave us the ins on what we needed  to communicate to our across the ocean assistance, this way  we didn't end up with an apartment with a wet bar as our kitchen, or a studio in a basement with no windows.  We had plenty of time for our search because we notified David in early Jan. He advised us to wait until it got a little closer, so we could go ahead and put a deposit on something we thought was right for us and we had a place upon arrival. It was around April and David flooded our emails with options. We had him go to a few places he thought would be for us and take pictures when he finally said, "I think I found the perfect place. " Apartments go very quickly in Spain, and many people put a deposit down site unseen, especially in a prime location. He was the first appointment of the day which was much to our advantage. He sent us pictures and we completely  trusted his judgement. Two hours later our security deposit was paid and we now had a home in Madrid.
​When we arrived with 5 giant suitcases, a dog crate, and a guitar we hailed a cab to drive us to our new place. We had no idea what to expect, but we had made it over the big pond so there was no turning back now. The cab driver looked at me and all of our luggage, he shook his head and quickly said no...he whistled loudly, calling for another cab! He mumbled a few things in Spanish but knew that we clearly tourist. He began to load some of our luggage into one cab and the rest into the other. Then he signaled for Trey to ride in the other cab, and Cash and I in his. I was in awe looking out the window at our new city. Both cabs in front of our new home Trey and I looked at each other, full of excitement and a bit nervous I said, "Here we go!"Location really is everything and we could have not picked a better neighborhood than Arguelles. We are 10 minutes to the city center and surrounded by shopping, restaurants, the culture, and the people of Spain. As we were driving to our apartment Trey told me later he thought it was a fantastic area. I couldn´t have agreed more!
  We buzzed up to our apartment where David was waiting for us to arrive. It was like a movie. We looked around and were very please with the energy of the apartment. It was very cheerful with the yellow paint and the build in books shelves and old door gave it character. We sat down at our new dining table and signed the contract with David. He had bought some towels and some bed linens, in case we wanted to shower and sleep straight away. We knew we would have to do some shopping as soon as we arrived, but since David had these items waiting for us allowed to start off with getting acquainted with our new neighborhood. I can honestly say what could have been a devastating transition was a complete dream come true because of reservebookgo.com. All in all, we were just wanting a place to sleep sound, have a warm shower, and a place to cook, but what we got was so much more than expected.  Home is where the heart is and our compact and bijou humble abode in Madrid sure has a lot of heart! 
 

Contact David Now! Reservebookgo.com
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