Naples

My friend Susan and I came across an opera house in Naples. They were performing a show in the next half hour so we bought last-minute tickets. It's great when you don't plan things and are open to unexpected opportunities that end up working out.

Pompeii

Pompeii has such a tragic story. The community was completely obliterated with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Walking through the Roman villas and visiting the old bathhouse sites was surreal.

Beaches of Capri

The beaches in Europe are a little different from what I'm used to in California...there's no sand - just little pebbles. But it was still breathtaking.

Capri

Capri reminded me of an upscale version of Catalina Island...

More Rome

ROME

The thing about Rome that blew me away was the incredible art that surrounds you at any given place in the city.

Athens

My first trip to Europe was in 2009 and started in Athens. It was a unique experience visiting one of the oldest cities in the world. I was excited since I didn't know what to expect but my only regret was not staying longer to visit the islands. We had a few more places to squeeze into this trip so I'm hoping to come back again for Santorini and Mykonos someday.