The Palazzo Reale di Napoli is a must stop on the tourist circuit in Naples. Located on the waterfront between Castel dell’Ovo and Castel Nuovo, the Royal Palace (Artecard free; otherwise €10) features a self-guided tour through 30 rooms in the royal apartments and, depending on season, hanging gardens on the roof. After picking up…
Author: Garrett and Stephanie Estep
Retired early to travel the world.
Naples, Italy. (February, 2023, Part II).
Our Airbnb is basically next door to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (Artecard free; otherwise €22 per person, or €40 per couple). We saved our visit to the archaeology museum for a cold day to avoid being outside. Unfortunately we learned too late that the museum is not heated, and it was still pretty…
Naples, Italy. (February, 2023, Part I).
Thankfully our train ride from Reggio Calabria to Naples was entirely unremarkable. You always want travel days to go smoothly and without complication. Upon arrival in Naples, before leaving the train station, we purchased Unico Campania monthly integrated metro tickets from a newsstand. For €42 each, an integrated monthly metro ticket gives us unlimited rides…
Reggio Calabria, Italy. (January, 2023).
We had no particular reason to visit Reggio Calabria other than that it was on the train line, looked like a nice place to spend a few days, and would be a change of pace from Palermo. Leaving Palermo our train followed the northern coast of Sicily to Messina. On one side of the train…
Palermo, Italy. (January, 2023, Part II).
The weather was near perfect during our first several days in Palermo, about 65° F and partly sunny. The last week, not so much. It was rainy, windy, and much cooler, typically around 50° F. At least there was a break in the rain for several hours each day so we were able to see…
Palermo, Italy. (January, 2023, Part I).
We finally witnessed a fight on a plane. Two passengers went at each other in the aisle while disembarking our ITA Airways plane in Palermo. A few pretty good punches were landed. The flight crew made, at best, a half-hearted attempt to stop the fight. Another passenger broke it up. The police were called, delaying…
The Wave, North Coyote Buttes, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona. (October, 2022).
The Wave, an iconic sandstone feature, is located in the Coyote Buttes North section of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona. This is my bucket list adventure on this trip. While Stephanie wanted to get up before dark to go to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta (blog post here), I wanted to hike miles across the…
Zion National Park, Utah. (October, 2022).
It snowed! First snow of the year in the upper elevations of Utah’s southern mountains. As we drove west across Utah Highway 9, to the east entrance of Zion National Park, the mountain tops were covered in snow. Thankfully the roads and lower elevations were snow free. So while Zion Canyon was overcast and cold…
Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah. (October, 2022).
After leaving Torrey and hiking the Lower Calf Creek Falls trail, we arrived at Best Western Ruby’s Inn in Bryce Canyon City (think small tourist trap just outside the park) in mid-afternoon. Skipping the tourist stores, we headed straight into the park. I did not expect much from Bryce Canyon National Park. I’ve seen the…
Capitol Reef National Park and Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail, Utah. (October, 2022).
We didn’t know much about Capitol Reef National Park before this trip, and we still don’t know much about it. The most interesting locations in the park, Cathedral Valley and Strike Valley, require the better part of a day to visit, either on a tour or in a high clearance 4WD vehicle as the roads…