Wolter Family Vacation (London, Venice, & Caorle)

Tuesday, August 9

Today was the day we fly out to London to meet Preston's family. He was beyond excited! It had been over a year since he had seen his family. I was lucky and actually got to see them recently when I went home for my work trip.

Preston and I's flight got in before his parents did so that gave us plenty of time to enough a nice "normal" breakfast.

Once his parents arrived we all headed over to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Mayfair. Which ended up being the perfect location for us as the metro was just a block away for us.

Today was going to be a pretty chill day for all of us. Just wandering around the city, eating in a pub...

and then at night a Jack the Ripper tour, which was actually pretty interesting. We got to learn why the still mysterious murderer was named Jack the Ripper, see where some of the murders took place and walk in there footsteps and even see some of the gruesome pictures from the murders. Very interesting tour and especially if you want to know more of the spookier/gruesome side of London.

After this tour it was time to get some sleep before our full day of touring tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 10

Today we did not have anything planned for the morning, but we did have our Harry Potter tour booked for the afternoon. Which I was beyond excited for! So this morning was for exploring around London on our own.

First we hopped on the tube right by our apartment to bring us a little closer to Buckingham Palace. Once getting off we walked through Green Park towards Buckingham Palace. Very peaceful in this park.

(Princess Diana Memorial Walk)

 Now of course to take pictures in front of Buckingham Palace.

Then we got to see some of the guards riding down Constitution Hill or "The Mall" towards Buckingham Palace.

Along with some other monuments along the way.

We walked down The Mall up to Trafalgar Square where we saw Nelson's Column.

And then of course had to stop and take pictures with the infamous red phone booths!

Then we continued down Whitehall Street to see The Women of World War II memorial, then a little further down to Big Ben and a statue of Winston Churchill.

This brought us down to the River Thames, where we would hop on a river boat to take it up and down the seeing all the sights along the river. Across the river where we got on the river boat you could see the London Eye; we did not go on that this time but Preston and I did the first time we came to London and it was very pretty at night!

Very relaxing to just sit and enjoy the views going down the river.

(Bridge in Harry Potter)

(London Bridge)

We went all the way down to the Tower of London and then turned around and went back to our starting point. This is a great way to see a lot of sights if you don't have time, plus it's very relaxing. Right by Big Ben there are so many different companies you can purchase tickets from for tours up and down the Thames River, all with varying prices depending on what you want to see.

(Entry to the Traitors Gate)

(The Tower of London)

(Cleopatra's Needle)

After the river boat cruise, we still had some time left until we had to meet for our Harry Potter tour. So we headed over to see the Westminster Abbey.

Then off to find a quick lunch before the tour!

Time to hop on Hogwarts Express to the Warner Bros Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter! The bus ride was about an hour away from London. But while on the bus you got to watch one of the Harry Potter movies to keep you occupied.

You can tell how beyond excited we were when we got there!

The lobby of the Studio.

(First movie)

(Last movie)

There are many different time slots you can go into the Studio; we had one of the last time slots for the day, which for our day was 4pm. Some days are different with their last tour times. Which made it nice since we did not have hundreds of people coming in behind us getting in our way.

I felt like a little kid again walking into the world of Harry Potter and seeing all of the props used in the movies!

(The Sorting Hat)

(Weasley's House)

Of course when we got to the food I had to try their Butterbeer. Definitely different than the one I had in Universal Studios in Florida, not as sweet.

One thing I really wish I did while walking through the Studio is the flying on a broomstick. I'm so upset I didn't get to do it, but the line was super long and plus we still had the whole studio to walk through and we were a part of the last group to go through, so did not want to spend my whole time waiting in line there. Maybe another time :)

This tour is definitely worth it! If you like or even love Harry Potter, try and make your way over to do this Studio Tour.

By the time we were finishing it was dark out and time to catch the bus back to London.

Thursday, August 11

Today was our guided morning tour around a few parts of London. Our tour departed from Victoria Coach Station, which is generally where most bus tours leave out of.

The first part was driving us around to see some of the major sites in London, such as Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, The London Eye, and then driving down the by The River Thames to get to our first hop-off location, The Tower of London.

At The Tower of London we had a guided tour with a Beefeater, which they are technically called Yeoman Warders. They are the guards of The Tower of London. Our tour guide kept it interesting and did not make it boring for us, he was also pretty funny. He told us about the history at The Tower of London, some of the different tortures and murders that happened here, along with some of the items they have on display for us to go see.

(Tower of London)

(Tower where the boys were supposedly murdered)

(Place where multiple people had their heads chopped off at)

Next on the agenda was to hop on a river boat again down the River Thames to make our way to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. But first we got to go by St. Paul's Cathedral, see Shakespeare's Globe, and then onto see Westminster Abbey before hoping off.

(Boat ride down the Thames River)

After watching the Changing of the Guard, we decided to leave our morning group tour to find somewhere to eat for lunch, as the only stop left of the tour was just to see Buckingham Palace, which we had already seen the day before.

We ended up going to Hard Rock London, which is actually the first and oldest Hard Rock in the world; it was opened on June 14, 1971. It's always really cool to see whose items of clothing or instruments they have displayed on the wall.

(Jim Morrison jacket & Jon Anderson harp)

(Eric Clapton guitar)

(George Harrison,  Paul McCartney & John Lennon shirts)

(John Bonham's drums from Led Zeppelin)

(Jimi Hendrix outfit and guitar)

Lunch...

Plus, at this location if you go in their gift shop next door they have a special private room downstairs you can ask to go see some more belongings from famous artists and musicians.

(Red Hot Chili Peppers)

(Jimi Hendrix)

(Jeff Beck)

(Madonna)

(Sting)

(David Bowie)

(Duane Allman)

(Adam Clayton)

(Bob Dylan)

(B.B. King)

(Black Sabbath)

(Elton John)

(Bruce Kulick)

After this it was time to go back to the hotel to get all of our stuff ready, as our flight left later that evening to go back to Italy.

Friday, August 12

Even though we just got back from London late the night before, there was no time to relax, not if Preston's family wanted to be able to do everything they had wanted to. So this morning we hopped on a train down to Venice.

Instead of taking the boat down to the main square, Piazza San Marco, we all decided to just wander through the city and eventually find our way there. And along the way we had to stop and take a gondola ride. Every time I go on a gondola ride there always seems to be a big group, 6 to be exact, so it is always very funny to see our boat go by as it is usually lower than most hehe

I always enjoy the views through the city on a gondola, so pretty!

Next stop was to Piazza San Marco. Always a very lively square!

Then to take a picture in the same spot Preston and I did the first time we came down to Venice.

(Same spot we took our first picture in Venice)

We then found a place by the water to eat lunch. Which ended up being pretty good!

Then time to wander back to the train station. 

But first, gelato!

Saturday, August 13

Beach day!! Another reason why I love Italy and summer. There are beaches within an hour of base, can't beat that!

We decided to take Preston's family to Caorle beach, as this is one of our favorite beaches to go to. Only about an hour away and there's so much space that it never feels crowded. Plus, there is more room to lay out your own towels, instead of having the for rent beach chairs all the way up to the water like at some beaches.

After setting all of our stuff down and relaxing for a little, we decided to rent 2 paddleboats and 2 paddleboards for all of us. This was probably one of the best times I have ever had at the beaches here! We were all just playing around, having fun going down the slides and watching his family try to paddleboard.

Today was fun and relaxing day!

When we got back we had to take his family to one of our favorite places to get gelato sundaes before they continue their European adventure; as tomorrow is when Preston and his family do an Italian tour through Italy. Unfortunately I could not go and had to work because I needed to save up my leave anyway.

Recommendations

Hotel: 
Holiday Inn Mayfair
3 Berkeley St, Mayfair, London W1J 8NE, UK

Tours:
Premium Tours - Royal London Morning Tour
https://www.premiumtours.co.uk

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London
Harry Potter Tour
https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/

Jack the Ripper Tour

Hiking to Mezzomonte

Sunday, August 7

I had been wanting to go hiking since I got here 2 years ago, but never ended up going until now. I had even bought hiking boots the winter prior and still had never actually had the chance to break them in. My friend Ashley goes hiking all the time, so I was a little nervous at first that I was going to slow here down.

We ended up meeting at Sorgenti del Gorgazzo, which is actually where an underwater cave is located. The water around it is so blue and very pretty and relaxing to sit by. At this location is where you can hike up a few different trails up the mountain. We wanted the one that went up to Mezzomonte, which is only about half way up the mountain. Which was perfectly fine with me, since I had not been hiking in a long time.

Starting off we actually had a little difficulty trying to figure out which way to go at the bottom as it seems like you would go up by the underwater cave but it was blocked off. Luckily, we saw a couple who looked like they were about to hike up it and followed them to the different paths. As we were walking up the trail split and of course we went one way and the other couple went the other.
And to my luck we ended up going up the harder side. I'm glad I was in somewhat shape otherwise, I think I would have been a baby and had to stop a lot. Hiking definitely works different muscles than I am used to!

Ashley had brought her dog with her, so I was so happy when he had to keep stopping cause he was so hot cause then I didn't have to be the one asking to take a break :)

The views going up were amazing! We could see all of Aviano and the surrounding towns. Very pretty!

(Just getting started)

(Break time)

(Pictures don't do it justice with how pretty the view was)

Well after taking a few breaks along the way (well say to enjoy views, not me dying lol), we made it to Mezzomonte! We ended up walking around the town or a little to relax and just enjoy the views. There was also a very small market going on; it also looked like they were setting up for an event later with one of the big white tents with a stage and a drink stand setup. The town is super small, it is just a town half-way up the mountain with maybe 2 places to eat at, a church, and then a handful of houses up there.

After basically walking through the whole town we decided to head back down. So glad going down is so much easier. Plus, we knew to go the opposite way down than we came from, so we could be on the easy trail.

(Heading back down)

(Random place we ended up at the bottom)

But when your with me, nothing stops there. We ended up getting a little lost for a few minutes but eventually found our way back to Gorgazzo.

Today was a super fun day! I'm so glad I finally was able to go hiking again, it had been way too long! There are so many other hiking trails that are close to our house that I am kinda upset I haven't taken advantage of them until now. The easiest way to find the trails, obvioulsy is to go with someone who has already been. Or you can always Google hiking trails near Aviano and you can find tons that way.

Now this made me want to go hiking more, even if I was a little out of breathe going up, it was still fun :)

Fun Times at Caorle Beach

Saturday, August 6

Since we had not been able to go to the beach until the weekend before we were definitely trying to make sure we took full advantage and went as much as possible the rest of the summer!

Today we decided to go to Caorle Beach, this year this beach I think became our favorite beach. There was plenty of beach area for people to lay out their own towels, the beach was just all beach chairs you had to rent, like most beaches are. And plus there were paddleboards! Even though we had to walk a little down the beach they still had them. I loved paddleboarding in Florida! Also, one of my friend's from work came with us, her name is Ashley as well. She ended up being the one paddleboarding with me, Preston feel asleep on the beach.

When we were out on the water paddleboarding, it was a little windy, which made it harder for me to move anywhere. But I still had a lot of fun! I had wanted to buy one when I lived in Florida, but we ended up moving out here instead. Now I just need to convince my parents to get one for their new beach house in Florida for when I visit :)

Today was a nice relaxing day at the beach. I'm so glad we could go again this weekend, we had no school work or anything to worry about which made it even better!

By the time we got home we had time to shower and then go out to dinner. It ended being just Preston and I going on a sushi date. We both have become obsessed with sushi. I can't believe it took us both this long to even try it.

These pictures are only a small portion of the amount of plates we did have, as you have to take full advantage of all-you-can-eat sushi!

Then to end the day with a pretty sunset out of bedroom balcony.

Kimberly's Baby Shower

Sunday, July 31

Today I got to celebrate my friend Kimberly's baby shower!

I seem to know a lot of people who are having baby's soon, all around the same time too. (Nope Preston and I are not having any kids anytime soon) :)

Two of her friends put on a baby shower at Area D (people can rent out this base for different events). Even though it was downpour the baby shower was so cute! I'm also glad I finally got to see Kimberly since it had been so long!

We got to play a game where you get to guess the circumference of the mommy's belly. I was pretty good at guessing, not sure if that is a good or bad thing. But I was only a few cm off from exact, but someone actually got even closer with an exact measurement.

Glad I was able to celebrate this day with her!

Jesolo Beach

Saturday, July 30

Today was the first time Preston and I could actually go to the beach! With me traveling all the time for work and also us going on vacations, we had no time until the end of July! How crazy is that! Last year we went almost every other weekend starting the beginning of June. Oh well, at least we got to go now.

We decided to go to Jesolo because we told our friend we would also pick him up at the airport in the afternoon and this was the closest beach.

As per usual for any beach trip or any adventure we go on, we have to stop at the shopette for snacks. Were a picture of health...ha, I get my usual powdered donuts and now since they have Krispy Kreme Preston gets a few of the crullers they have.

Now were ready!

If you want to go to the beach anytime at the very end of July or all of August, you have to leave early, otherwise you can sit in major traffic!! One time it took our friends 4 hours just to get to the beach.

I love getting to the beach mid morning and there being like nobody there! So relaxing!

Preston and I were so happy we could just chill and not worry about anything for a while. It had been way too long since we didn't have a jammed packed weekend full of homework and chores (At least we finished our hw for the week already). I even got an Aperol Spritz and Preston a soda to enjoy our lazy day.

Even though we only got to spend a few hours on the beach, I was happy and satisfied, since I could finally say I had been to the beach this summer. Now to go as many weekends as possible to the beach :)

Fun Friday!

Friday, July 29

You know you love your job when you get to go to events on base and play all the games there and still market for your job as well.

People are always scared to be the first ones to try games or activities that are offered at events but I went straight for them!

First one I went to I'm not sure the real name but, I had always wanted to try one of the big bubble ball's that you get inside and roll around in and finally today I got to try one! They are insanely hot inside! All the sweat and nastiness is stuck inside with you. But they are a lot of fun! Instead of just rolling around this one the had bowling pins set up to roll and knock over. I will say I was pretty good, I got all strikes!

Next thing I got a group of us to do was the rock climbing wall. 

One of my coworkers is horrified of heights, just like me but I do things with heights all the time. But I got him to actually climb it! He was hilarious to watch and listen to. 

I wish my job could be like this everyday! I would never want to go home :)