San Vito Lo Capo

Sometimes it's easy to forget that I live on an island that is actually a vacation destination for many people. Some sometimes it's nice to be a tourist closer to home. So a weekend back in May a friend and I spent the weekend on the other side of Sicily at San Vito Lo Capo. It was a four hour drive but lots of it was very pretty. 

Example A. This is a turn off past Palermo as you head up the peninsula. 

Of course I went for a run. I miss living by a sandy beach. 

The nearby mountain in the morning. 

Statue at the end of the jetty. 

Freshly raked beach before it's covered in chairs and umbrellas and people trying to sell you stuff. 

We also went for a hike in the Zingaro Nature Reserve not far away and I would say it was the highlight of the trip. 

Secluded rocky beaches. We didn't realize there would be so many places to swim and lay out or we would have brought our suits. 

Beautiful rock formations. 

Huge cave that has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years apparently. 

Really it was just a nice weekend away from responsibility. 

Romania

Romania, a magical place full of history. I spent the weekend enjoying castles, monuments, architecture, and food. The biggest lesson I learned was do not, I repeat DO NOT rent a car in Romania. DO NOT DO IT! It seemed like a great idea, "hey look! it's only $17 a day." except it wasn't. The mark up was about 800% and then someone hit the car and I ended up not getting any of the ridiculously high deposit back. Anyway, other than the incredibly creepy and way too expensive rental car it was a fun weekend. Starting with Dracula's Castle. 

Bran Castle, about 2 hours outside Bucharest. Yes it's known as Dracula's castle, but only because in the 1300's Vlad the Impaler tortured and killed people and probably lived there. It has also been home to members of the royal family. 

Very imposing. 

Next was Peles Castle which is gorgeous inside and out. Completed in 1883 it was the first castle in Europe lit completely be electric power. It also has a central vacuum system. 

On the way back I also saw a crazy huge cemetery, yes it's strange but I stopped in to take a couple of pictures. 

Memorial for the Revolution in 1989 when Romania threw off communism. 

Vlad the Impaler bust. 

Michailv Voevodv, don't really know what he did but it's a sweet statue. 

I spent a good amount of time just walking around and seeing all the amazing buildings around the city. 

Largest parliament building in Europe. 

Opera house.

Carol I University Library. 

Stavropoleos church, 

And food!! The pork knuckle at Caru' cu Bere. Worth it!

Serene Scilla

So I'm fairly sure I've found my favorite place on the planet, I mean, so far. It's a big place. Thankfully it's only a two and a half hour drive from where I live now, with a 20 minute ferry ride along the way. It's Scilla. I've seen about a million pictures on Pinterest so decided to take my Friday off and spend some time up there. If I ever run away this is probably where I will go. 

On the ferry crossing the straights of Messina. 

I spent the entire afternoon walking around the city taking in it's beauty and serenity. Walked all around the famous castle, had some swordfish (which the area is known for), and then took a nap listening to the waves outside the balcony of my seaside B&B. Basically it was perfection. Here's just a bunch of photos from around the city. 

Before I got on the ferry back to Sicily I made a quick stop in Reggio-Calabria to see the Riace Bronzes. They are over 2000 years old, estimates put them at about 450 BC, and were discovered in wreckage in the Straights of Messina in the 1970s. They have been amazingly preserved and are real masterpieces of metal work.