Barcelona.

Calling All Artists.

Oh Barcelona, you are so saucy and so much FUN. If you need a place of inspiration, a playground for your craft, or simply a place to relax and have a good ol' time, Barcelona is the place. As my intro to Spain, I could not have been more pleasantly surprised at the awesomeness of this city. Barcelona is eclectic, doesn't take itself too seriously, and celebrates its charming, over-the-top bohemian vibe. The skyline is like a cartoon, characterized by it's willowy modern architecture and tropical waterfront. We spent the day strolling down the Ramblas, munching on paella and seafood tapas and wandering in and out of artisan shops. I fell in love with Barcelona, which was the most pleasant of surprises.

// We juiced up. //

Stevie "Taking Charge" in Barcelona from Kristen Hale on Vimeo.

// Sagrada Familia Basilica //

Cathedral Hunger.

The crowning glory of this town is (in my opinion), the Sagrada Familia Basilica, which is an epic church on the edge of town that was designed by Antoni Gaudi  himself. This is the first cathedral-type church that I've been in that I felt like I could actually attend. Like for church. In fact, I wanted to sign up to become a member right there on the spot. And it's not just because I'm churchy. I'm really not that churchy. It's just that I've never been in a church that embraced and invested in such a radical display of artistry (and for those of you who don't know, I've attended some super cool, uber radical, artsy Jesus institutions, so that's saying quite a lot.) But this building was the most incredible work of top-to-bottom creativity, completely free of religious pretension and creepy omen-art. You could call it a modern design, but that just does not do it justice. When I think of modern design, I think of Ikea, and that just cheapens how I mean to describe this monumental structure. It was like a fantasy land out of Star Wars. Plus Jesus. AKA THE DREAM. Well, it's missing Yoshi, but that's about it. Sheesh I can't even talk anymore about it. Everyone must visit and see.

// Inside this crazy cathedral //

Sagrada Familia Basilica from Kristen Hale on Vimeo.

// La Rambla //

Pab.

We visited the Picasso Museum, which was a ridiculous amount of fun and super educating. I had no idea how classically trained and talented Pablo Picasso truly was. His early work was completely traditional, characterized by spot-on portraiture and impressionist-style landscapes. Absolutely lovely; I think his early work is sorely underrated. His art radically changed as he spent more time in Paris in his mid-late 20's, which is when we begin to see his use of stark colors and bold shapes that ultimately defined his body of work as we know it today. This museum is so great. I've never appreciated his work as much as I do now, after walking through and seeing the transition in his lifetime of creativity. I have to admit, I surprised myself by falling in love with his Dovetail series (also called Les Pigeones), which are some of the last pieces he ever painted. Divine. I might have snagged a few prints while I was there. Not exactly in the budget.

Give Me More!

One day in Barcelona is stupidly too little. We were disappointed to get on our night train to Madrid and leave the sparkle of this city behind. Our day was like an appetizer (or tapa, if you will!), but it just gave me a hunger to return to Spain in the future, armed with more time and less agenda. This is a city you purposely get lost in. It begs you to visit, stay a while and deliciously appreciate the come-as-you-are vibe.

Ravello: Ancient Gemstone in the Amalfi Coast

Amalfi.

Here's the deal. The Amalfi Coast is as exotic as it sounds. Ravello is an ancient village tucked away, high in the cliffs of the rugged Italian coastline. This is a land richly swelling with fruits and flowers and humidity. Fat lemons sigh heavily from the luscious outstretched trees above my head. Butterflies frantically flock to and fro, kissing my shoulders for a fast moment as they bar hop from the hydrangeas to the birds of paradise. This is the home of limoncello, my newest favorite Italian discovery.

Our B&B hosts a quiet 4 rooms of visitors, welcoming its guests on a common shared patio. More like an orchard. More like... the most breathtaking views I've ever seen. EVER. And I've seen some pretty crazy stuff on this particular trip. The B&B, Ravello Rooms, sits on the edge of a cliff, with a 380 meter drop off into the Mediterranean Sea teeming below. It is sunset. It is perfect. The sky is cotton pink froth, misting into the sea with an indistinguishable route that makes you question where the sky ends and the water begins. Our B&B host, Guiseppe, has never left his hometown of Ravello. I can see why.

What We Do.

Breakfast is served on the patio. We make it last for a minimum of two hours each morning. Because these are $10 million views.

Beach time during the day. Alfresco dining each night. Moonlit midnight walks home along the mountain tops. My head swimming with fantastic frenzy. My skirt swirls softly around my legs in the warm wind that channels along these cliffs. I am not making this stuff up. This town. Is as crazy perfect as it sounds.

We never stop staring at the sky. It looks like Peter's Never Neverland. Maybe it actually is. And I don't EVER want to grow up.

Pompeii

Full Disclosure.

We are back in the States! We are so ridiculously happy to be home. And to finally be catching up on some much needed Zzz's. However, I still have a treasure trove of good stories to share about our European adventures! Each time I hopped onto a plane, train or bus, I would pull out my tiny toy-like computer and go mad typing about the day's wild experiences. So with that being said, I have a few more tales I'd like to share with you... like this one:

Pompeii.

We had a big day. Traveled from Rome, stopped in Naples for a hot minute (and for a pizza!), and then trained down to Pompeii to see the oldest preserved city in the world. Post-Pompeii, we drove further down the coast to crash on the Amalfi Coast for a bit.

But for now, let me just tell you about Pompeii. Because wow.

History.

In 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted and emptied itself out over the city of Pompeii. Because of this shocking and unprecedented event, the entire population was caked in lava and thus, has been preserved for mankind to explore for over 2000 years. Absolutely incredible. I mean, really really sad (I would never wish for a people group to get wiped out by a volcano eruption), but incredibly informing about life back then. It's an archaeologists' playground. It's also holds many amazing and strange parallels to the world as we know it today. Back then, people lived in big houses. They had kitchens. They had gardens. Fireplaces. They decorated with mosaics. I mean, we do all of that today! It was really amazing to see such OLD ruins and think about the hundreds and thousands of years of life that have gone on, all the while that pile of rubble has just been sitting there. Baking in the salty air and sunshine. It just blows my mind.

So we explored the giant preserved city. It was hot. We found some gelato (praise the Lord for SOME updating to Pompeii) and we cooled off. I'm not a scientist or a serious history buff, but I was fascinated by this site and learning about the people back then. Being able to see where they walked (those cobblestones are seriously worn), how wide their doorways were (not very, ha), what kinds of kitchen utensils they used (all preserved!) was just really humbling.

// Don't freak out. These are casts made from the erupted material found in Pompeii. Excavators found that there were hollow spaces in the debris (where bones and flesh of people once were) that were long disintegrated. The air space formed a hollow, a "mould" which allowed archaeologists to fill the mould and see what peoples' last positions were. Kind of freaky, yes. But incredible, too. //

// Mmm we rocked our Merrells and Rick Steves Audio Tours with pizzazz. //

Mmm Reflections.

This rambling tour made me realize that all people, well, they are just people. No matter which era they lived in, no matter which language was spoken or which deity was honored. Whether it was 2000 years ago or 20 years ago or 20 minutes ago, we all need air to breathe. Water to drink (sometimes wine, let's just be honest.) And a good laugh, for the love of God. Oh, I am so thankful. Pompeii has made me thankful for this gift I often take for granted. Go ahead, take a deep breath and hold it in. Just for a moment. Feel your full belly and hear your heartbeat. Think of the few, most important people in your life and how truly beautiful they are. Now exhale. Realize, this tiny bit of life is an absolute miracle. Go on now. Enjoy your God-given day!

Naples. The Best Pizza. On Earth.

Napoli.

Naples could be described as the seedy underbelly of Italy's tourism gelato cake. People don't go to Naples to tour around and see museums. Naples isn't “on the map” for American tourists, who only want to see the sparkly and romantic Italy. Naples is chaotic, sweaty, dodgy and dirty. Naples is loud. Naples is grimy. Naples is exciting and infuriating. Somehow even endearing. But more than anything, Naples is home to the world's greatest pizza.

Named for the Queen Margherita, the first pizza of the world was, you guessed it, the Margherita pizza. Even the Italian flag commemorates its greatest culinary discovery: the red represents the homemade tomato sauce, the white represents the bufala mozzarella cheese and the green represents the fresh basil.

“Put on your fight face, Hale,” I warned, as my husband and I walked purposefully toward our unknown, yet highly anticipated, destination.

We had an address, but I dared not pull out my shiny white iPhone in this dodgy neighborhood around the Naples train station, even to double check the street name. We were looking for a pizza place; apparently THE pizza place. This was supposed to be the best pizza in the world.

“You can't let people see your vulnerability. Why don't you channel Sylvester Stallon?” I barked at my annoyingly smiley spouse. He just turned and looked evenly at me. “It's just gonna be okay, Kris,” he replied.

Ugh. He's so good at keeping a level head. And I am so good at blowing heads out of proportion. But our dear Roman friend Alessandro warned us about the area around his favorite Napoli pizzeria just as enthusiastically as he recommended it, and I take safety extremely seriously. So I had on my fight face. And my sunglasses. And my most masculine gait. I was walking like a gladiator, tearing through the streets. The intense humidity, and thus my outpouring sweat, only added to my swarthy effect.

“But we look like tourists!” I hissed back at him. (For visual affect, I need you to imagine each of us lugging enormous backpacks strapped around our waists and shoulders, chunky tennis shoes, pit stains and not-very-well-concealed moneybelts. Rick Steves would be proud. Coco Chanel would not.)

It didn't matter. Twenty seconds after this intense conversational exchange, we stood beneath the holy sign that read “Da Pellone” and my faux streetwise act was long forgotten. We were here. This was like finding the holy grail. Pizza in the greatest place on Earth: Napoli.

We ordered. We waited. And then it came. The beautiful ruby, cream and emerald pie of goodness. After one last glance of long-awaited anticipation, we dove fork-first into our respective quarters of the pizza pie. And oh.

Oh. My. God.

No flurry of smartly arranged explicatives can express the rapture of this moment. No combination of clever adjectives. No sound bites, photographs or video footage could ever commemorate this incredible encounter. Nothing. It's all in my head, in my taste memory, and that is where it shall remain. The pizza was to die for. I will forever long for it. I will always appreciate it's expression of Heaven. I will always try to describe it, and I will woefully do it an injustice with my mere human attempt. This pizza. The sauce, the cheese, the crust... what are they DOING to the pizza in Naples?! Some say its in the water. Some say its the use of fresh ingredients. Some swear by the mozzarella, others by the tomatoes. I can't tell you what it is. I am a lowly American, raised on Digorno and Dominoes. But my palate has been fully awakened, and I can tell you with extreme red, white and blue pride that the pizza in Naples is THE BEST PIZZA IN THE WORLD.

(The photos are minimal, and here's why. I pulled out my phone to snap a quick photo for a mere second, and our mafia-esque waiter looked in my direction and I almost peed myself. So... sorry. I was a little afraid for my life in the ghetto of pizza Heaven.)

Rome: The Vatican and St. Peters' Basilica.

Cue the Choir.

Wow. I'm not sure that there are words to use. St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican is just. Well. Stunning. Magnificent, really. It's an overwhelming work of art. It kind of makes you scratch your head. This is definitely the most expensive thing I've ever come in contact with.

// I just found these guys so funny. //

Vatican.

We spent like 7 hours in Vatican City, roaming through the endless museum rooms filled with amazing sculptures and art. Then we transitioned into the wondrous Sistine Chapel, where my buddy Michelangelo painted his masterpiece on the ceiling of the church, depicting major scenes in the Christian faith. That guy. I just want to pinch his cheeks. No photos were allowed in there (no bare shoulders or talking, either!) but we gazed up at the ceiling until our necks gave out. Then it was Italian coffee time. Praise report.

What up, St. Pete?

After the Chapel we made our way into St. Peter's Basilica, the most outrageously lavish church (or place, for that matter) that I've ever encountered. I mean, let's just talk about the gold. This place has GOLD melted into the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the sculptures... which are so great in number that they cloud your periphery. It's mega. This is a mega church. The basilica was also designed by Michelangelo (and was based on his study of Rome's gigantic Pantheon, remember? Ah, you are learning with me, I love it.) There are alters in every nook and cranny. Mary has celeb status. Peter is buried in the church (along with a zillion other popes) and we had the rare opportunity to walk downstairs underneath the church and see all the crypts of those buried there. Kind of weird, yes, but there have been SO MANY popes. In life. It's a wonder. Learning is just awesome.

Recap.

We had a most spectacular (and exhausting) day in Vatican City. But it is not to be missed. The art is incredible. If the sheer extravagance of this place offends you, just readjust how you think. Appreciate this place for its significance in human history and for the incredible art that was commissioned for the some of the world's most phenomenal artists. Including my boyfriend. Michel.

St. Peters Basilica from Kristen Hale on Vimeo.

Seriously. There aren't enough words.