Newby to Expert Traveler

Exploring Vernazza: A Seaside Gem in Cinque Terre

Posted on December 13, 2024March 5, 2025 by David Cox

Vernazza is a gorgeous village along the coast in the Liguria Region of Italy. It is one of the five towns that make up Cinque Terre which is both an Italian national park and a UNESCO world heritage site. It has a population of about 700 and dates back almost a thousand years. Traditionally, Vernazza was a town that relied upon fishing, olive oil and wine production. Although those industries still exist today, Vernazza is now mostly a tourist destination.

Getting to Vernazza

The only practical way to get to Vernazza is by train. Technically you can drive to Vernazza, but it takes twice as long and parking would be a challenge. To enter Cinque Terre National Park, you must enter the park through La Spezia on the south end of the park or Lavanto on the north end. You can buy a day pass for unlimited rides on the Cinque Terre Express in either of those towns. You can also buy them through the Trenitalia app.

Buildings were built into the hillside in Vernazza.

During high season (basically April through October), trains run every 20 minutes. During the off season, they run either every 30 or 60 minutes. You should keep a general idea of when the next train will arrive so that you don’t find yourself waiting too long for a train between towns.

For up to date timetable and prices for the trains in Cinque Terre, visit the official website.

Experiencing Vernazza

The Cinque Terre Express lets off right in the middle of the town. From the moment you descend from the train platform, you are surrounded by four story buildings on either side and terraced vineyards behind you. In front is Via Roma, the main road through Vernazza that slowly descends into the Ligurian Sea.

Walking down Via Roma, there are restaurants and gelato shops on both sides. What caught my eye was the focaccia shops. Who doesn’t love focaccia after all?

Bell Tower at Chiesa di Santa Margherita d’Antiochia

It doesn’t take too much of a walk down Via Roma before you reach the harbor which is the centerpiece of the town. There are no large boats in the marina, it’s mostly just small fishing boats.

Directly in front of the marina is a plaza lined with restaurants, bars and shops. To the right is a church from the middle ages called Chiesa di Santa Margherita d’Antiochi. In the front of the plaza is a small beach and to the left is a walkway on the wing dam that protects the harbor. The boats are tied to the walkway on the wing dam.

Doria Tower

Standing in the plaza by the marina, I noticed a sign pointing up an alley that said something about a castle and I was curious. Four of us decided to find out what that was so we walked up a lot of steps through the alleyway and ended up at a ticket booth where a guy was selling entrance tickets to Castle Doria for 2 euros. We paid the two Euros and proceeded up into the castle.

The castle itself isn’t terribly impressive other than its location. It is built in the 11th Century as a defense against pirates. It was last used during World War II, when the Germans stationed anti-aircraft weapons there.

It mostly consists of a single tower and a stone platform. What makes it great is that it is perched on the side of the cliff next to Vernazza and makes for tremendous views. It not only provides a great view of Vernazza but you can also see Monterosso when looking North along the coast.

Chiesa Di Santa Margherita D’Antiochia

Following our trek to the top of Doria Tower, we walked across the plaza by the marina to take a look inside the Chiesa di Santa Margherita d’Antiochia.

The Chiesa di Santa Margherita D’Antiochia is a church built sometime around 1,300 AD. It is built directly on the marina in Vernazza. The church has gone through a series of renovations over the years, but still maintains a fairly rustic feel.

What I love about this church is the stone walls and the large stone archways holding up the wooden ceiling. I think the thing that is most striking about the church is what it lacks. You won’t see any of the giant stained glass windows, frescoes and statues that are so typical of European cathedrals and churches.

Crucifix at Chiesa do Santa Margherita D’Antiochia

What you do notice are some plain crucifixes, some small shrines, and a fairly basic altar. There are some plain wooden pews lined in rows on a stone floor. It’s dimly lit and has only a couple of arched window openings, although without glass. It is precisely what I would imagine a pre-renaissance church to be like. It was truly a treat to visit.

Windows at Chiesa di Santa Margarita di Antiochia

Leaving too Early

After visiting the church, we stopped in for a drink at a bar by the marina. We took a table in the plaza and it was an lovely day to do so. Even though it was in November, the temperature was in the mid-60s, the sun was shining and there was very little wind. It was an ideal day to sit and enjoy a beer. We also snacked on some fried frutti di mare, which had a variety of fried octopus, squid, crab, and fish served like street food in a paper cup from one of the local shops.

After the drink and a snack we decided that we wanted to go to Monterosso for lunch so we hopped on the train to go there. That turned out to be something that we regretted a little. Monterosso is a bit of a beach town and I think visiting it in November probably isn’t seeing it when it’s at its best. Its lovely but in the end it just didn’t seem to have the same charm as Vernazza, and we quickly started to wish we had stayed a little longer in Vernazza.

Cinque Terre Should Be More Than A Day Trip

We only had three full days in Florence and we devoted one of those days to this day trip to Cinque Terre. I’m glad we went, but in the end, I think we really need to devote three days to Cinque Terre to fully appreciate it. We only visited two of the five towns and it felt rushed.

Hillside Vineyards overlook the marina in Vernazza

There is an old trail that connects the five towns and I would love to spend three days hiking between the towns and really getting to know each town more than what you can in just a few hours. Each town has it’s own unique character and breathtaking views of the Ligurian Sea.

If you plan to visit Cinque Terre, but you only have a single day, I would suggest that you pick just one town and really enjoy as much as you can. I thought Vernazza was a beautiful place, and would be a great choice if you were going to select just one town.

Cinque Terre itself, however, is one of those bucket list locations that any world traveler should visit. The old world charm, the beauty, and the fact that these amazing towns are precariously perched on hillsides overlooking the Mediterranean Sea demonstrate why this area is both a National Park and a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s just an amazing place to visit and I can’t wait to return.

Mercato Centrale in Florence is Fantastic!

Posted on November 29, 2024 by David Cox

We usually make it a point to visit a local market when we are traveling. For example, we’ve visited the Viktualienmarkt in Munich, the farmer’s market in Grecia Costa Rica and the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. Of all of the markets that we’ve visited, Mercato Centrale in Florence is my favorite. If you’re planning to spend some time in Florence, this needs to be one of your stops.

Where is Mercato Centrale?

Mercato Centrale is about a 5 minute walk northwest of the Duomo in Florence. It’s also about a 5-10 minute walk east on Via Nationale from Santa Maria Novella Train Station.

Just outside of the Mercato Centrale is San Lorenzo Market. This market surrounds Mercato Centrale on three sides. It consists of leather vendors selling jackets, backpacks, purses and belts. These vendors tend to get a little aggressive as you’re walking through, but not too aggressive. From what I can tell, and I’m no expert, but the leather vendors appear to be primarily selling high quality leather goods made in Italy.

The Ground Floor is for High Quality Groceries

You will have to go through San Lorenzo Market to get into the Mercato Centrale building. The building is a huge two story iron and glass building with massive amounts of space for a variety of vendors. On the ground floor there are fishmongers, butchers and produce vendors as well as specialty stalls selling wine, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Unless you’re visiting Florence for a long period of time, and will be buying some groceries for your Airbnb, this area won’t be that useful. It is, however, fascinating to see the kinds of fresh fish, meats and produce that are available in the market. Fishmongers sell a variety of fish, as well as prawns, octopus, and clams.

Some of the available fish at a Fishmonger stall

The butchers, of course, are ready to cut meat to order. As a tourist, however, you might be more interested in picking up some cured meat that you will see hanging from the top of many of the stalls. You will also find cheesemakers in the market selling a variety of cheeses that are local to Tuscany. If you pick up a baguette from a baker at the market you can probably put together one of the best sandwiches you’ve ever made. By the way, if you have a long train ride out of Florence, putting together some sandwiches for the trip can make that train ride extra enjoyable.

If you’re bringing a checked bag, and would like to bring a bottle of wine home, I would suggest checking out the wine shop. Any wines that are truly local will be marked with a designation of DOC or DOCG. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata which basically just means that it’s up to quality standards for a wine of that region. DOCG essentially means the same thing but it adds ‘Garantita’ (guaranteed) to the end meaning that it has higher standards than DOC. Also, if you don’t have room in your checked bag, you can always just drink a bottle or two, no one’s stopping you, you are in Florence after all.

The more likely thing you might want to pack in a checked bag would be balsamic vinegar and olive oil. If you’re used to the olive oil that you find at an American supermarket, Italian olive oil is an eye opener. I’m used to the flavorless olive oil from Aldi, and essentially every restaurant we went to in Italy would have a bottle of olive oil sitting on the table that was just outstanding. People who brag about the quality of olive oil in Italy aren’t lying, seriously, grab a bottle, throw it in your suitcase, you won’t regret it (unless it breaks during the flight of course).

The Second Floor is for Prepared Food

All of that being said, we didn’t spend much time on the first floor. We weren’t planning to cook and I didn’t bring a checked bag, so the place that I really loved was the second level.

The second level is primarily devoted to prepared food. It’s a great place to get a snack or a full meal.

Cafeteria seating on the second floor with additional seating on the third floor

The first thing I noticed, and immediately went to, was the bar. I love craft beer, and when you’re in Italy, it’s not the easiest thing to find. However, the bar at the market has a number of beers on tap and even more in the bottle. The owner of the bar does an excellent job of choosing beers that not only cover a variety of styles, but also compliment the prepared food by the other vendors on the second level. He also has chosen beer that is of good very good quality, including some Trappist ales.

We sat down at one of the tables, and a server came out to take a drink order. I think you can order food from the vendors from the table, but we just chose to get up and look around and order it from the counters. I wanted to get a good look at all of the available food, anyway.

Scattered around the second level you will find vegan options, sushi, barbecue, and burgers. If you are looking for something a little more Italian, you will find crostini, arancini, and lots of sandwiches made with schiacciata and focaccia.

Sandwiches, Quiche and Baked Goods at Mercato Centrale

We visited the Mercato twice during our trip, and the first time I grabbed an arancini on the way out of the door. It was so good. It had just a little bit of ham and some cheese rolled up in a rice ball and fried. That was the first arancini I had ever tried and after that I was grabbing one wherever I found them.

On the second trip to the market, I grabbed some smaller arancini made with meat and tomato sauce and some fried stuffed olives. They were good as well, but I definitely preferred the arancini with the ham and cheese.

Lorenzo de Medici Cooking School

Also on the second floor is the Lorenzo de Medici cooking school. The cooking school offers two hour classes that instruct students on how to make a Italian Dishes. These dishes include pasta, bread, and desserts. Most of the classes cost 80 euros to attend, but some are a little more expensive. A full list of the classes being offered can be found on their website.

Visiting Mercato Centrale is a Must

If you are going to Florence for longer than a couple of days and you love food or wine, you absolutely have to go Mercato Centrale. If you will be in Florence for a week and have access to a kitchen I would absolutely pick up some groceries from the first floor of the market. They are of high quality and you will have an opportunity to talk with the vendors to get some input on how you should use their products.

If you are like us and only have a few days in Florence, you still should go, but the second floor is where you will probably want to spend your time. There is a variety of prepared food that should allow for you to do some taste testing and really try some foods that you might not normally order in a restaurant. And, of course, if you’re a beer lover, you’ll want to check out the bar. It’s got a great selection of beer and will be a nice change of pace from all of the Italian pilsners that you’ll drink while in Italy.

Also, if you have time, you might want to check out the cooking school. If we had been in Florence longer than three days, I might’ve done a class. Who doesn’t want to learn to cook like an Italian after all?

Points Check October 2024

Posted on November 23, 2024 by David Cox

Much of our time in October was spent preparing for our trip to Italy. Our trip included our good friends Bill and Theresa and Jenn’s Parents. None of them had been to Italy before and we wanted to make sure that they had a great time. I spent a decent amount of time researching places to visit, things to eat, train tickets, etc.

Meanwhile, Jenn spent a good deal of the month making ensuring that our kids had everything they needed to survive while we were gone. Emma and Alex are 19 and 15, respectively and they are definitely at the age where leaving them for another continent is questionable. I am, however, a firm believer that giving children challenges is a great way to turn them into functioning adults.

I can tell you that Emma passed this challenge with flying colors. She was not only responsible for taking care of Alex while she was gone, but she also was working, going to school and taking care of Jenn’s Parents’ dog. On top of that, she was coaching a youth basketball team. She took care of all of that and made sure that our house didn’t turn into a scene from Lord of the Flies. We couldn’t be prouder of her.

Citi Strata Premier Card

Right before we left for Italy, Jenn applied for, and her application was accepted for the Citi Strata Premier card. This is Citibank’s premier card and it’s a pretty good one. It has a $95 annual fee and has some pretty good bonus categories.

10x on Hotels, Rental Cars, and Attractions booked through the CitiTravel.com
3x on Groceries
3x on Restaurants
3x on Gas and EV Charging stations
3x on Flights and Other Hotel Purchases
1x on Everything Else

Getting 3x on groceries, restaurants and gas means means the cardholder can get 3x on a large portion of their spending without worrying about using one card for dining, and one card for gas, etc. It is a great credit card for people who don’t want to think too hard about points and miles.

This card currently has a 75,000 point welcome offer when the cardholder spends $4,000 within 3 months. Citi points are valued at 1.8 cents per point by The Points Guy, so that bonus is worth $1,350. In order to get that 1.8 cents per point value, you would need to use one of Citi’s transfer partners, including some of my favorites like Air France/KLM flying blue and Avianca Lifemiles.

It has a $100 credit on a hotel purchase of $500 or more using the Citi Travel site. It also has some trip protections and no foreign transaction fees. Overall, it’s a really solid travel credit card and especially good for people who don’t want to manage multiple cards.

Ok, On to the Point Check

This was not a great month for spending on non-bonus cards. We’ve gotten a little lazy about what card to use. For the vast majority of the month, Jenn didn’t have a card where she was working on a signup bonus. She is usually the one yelling at me that we need to sign up for a new card, because she can’t stand not working towards a signup bonus. Because she didn’t have a signup bonus to work towards, she just used her IHG Premier and her Amex Business Gold, neither of which were particularly great choices.

Card Used	Spend	Points Earned	Point Value	Points Per $	Return on Spend
Amex Business Gold	$1,143	1,310	$26.20	1.1	2.3%
IHG Premier	$814	2,695	$13.48	3.3	1.7%
Ink Cash	$561	2,783	$57..05	5.0	10.2%
Venture	$372	745	$13.78	2.0	3.7%
Wyndham Business	$284	1,588	$17.47	5.6	6.2%
Total	$3,174	9,121	$127.98	2.9	4.0%

This month’s spending not devoted to earning a signup bonus

Because of that, the return on spend on cards where there wasn’t a signup bonus was 4%. I like to keep that number above 5% and lately we’ve been over 6%. Note to self – make sure Jenn has a signup bonus to work on.

Besides the spending on the above chart, I spent over $3,200 on my US Bank Triple Cash card, earning a little under $50 in cash back. That puts me more than halfway to the $6,000 in required spend to earn the $750 bonus on that card.

That meant that we finished the month with:

296,700 Amex Membership Reward Points
217,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points
141,700 IHG Points
104,800 American Airlines Miles
85,400 Capital One Venture Miles
71,900 Marriott Bonvoy Points
30,400 Citi Thank You Points
11,300 Hyatt Points
5,000 Delta Miles
2,700 United Miles
$220 Cash Back

Using the Points Guy’s valuations, all of this totals to an all-time high for us of $15,800 in points, miles and cash back. We have some pretty big travel plans for 2025, so we’re going to need a big stash of points available. Hopefully I see some Black Friday deals so I can lock in some plane tickets!

We Loved our 25 Hour KLM Stopover in Amsterdam

Posted on November 21, 2024November 21, 2024 by David Cox

Amsterdam is a city that I’ve dreamed of visiting for decades. The center of Amsterdam is a magical area where the canals and the buildings that line them are practically frozen in the 17th Century, when merchants trading goods from Asia brought wealth to the Netherlands. It was amazing to visit Amsterdam, even though it was a short stopover.

Taking Advantage of KLM Stopover Rules

We had the opportunity to take a 25 hour stopover on our way to Rome. When we planned our trip to Rome, there was a flight we liked from Chicago to Rome, but the layover in Amsterdam was only a little over an hour. That was a dangerous connection since we would have to go through immigration and security. We might’ve made it, but any delay would have made it close to impossible.

Our solution to the short layover was to fly in a day earlier and use KLM’s stopover rules to our advantage. KLM gives flyers the ability to stop in Amsterdam for up to 12 months on flight itineraries that stop in Amsterdam. This adjustment meant that we had a day in Amsterdam to defeat jet lag and do some wandering.

Check out this post for more information about how we booked the KLM stopover in Amsterdam.

Arriving in Amsterdam

The KLM flight from Chicago to Amsterdam was comfortable and we landed at the airport without incident. Amsterdam has fantastic train service at the airport and in less than 20 minutes we were at Amsterdam Centraal for about 5 Euros a ticket.

We stayed at the Kimpton De Witt near Amsterdam Centraal train station. They were gracious enough to find us a vacant room and allow us to check in at around 8:30 AM. The staff was very nice and even gave us a 15 Euro drink credit for using the current Kimpton Password.

What is the Kimpton Secret Password?

Kimpton has a secret password program that allows guests to get a little something extra if they know the secret password and tell it to the clerk when checking in. It's meant to be a fun little way to create a little buzz for the hotel. 

MyPointsLife.com has an nice article with more information about the Kimpton Secret Password.

We dropped our luggage off at the room, took a quick shower and we were off and running.

Walking the Canals

We were planning to take a nap, since we, as usual, were unable to sleep on the overnight flight. But first we wanted to walk along the canals and, more importantly, get some breakfast.

Wheels of Gouda are on display at a traditional cheese maker near our hotel.

The place we stopped at was a small but very busy breakfast restaurant called Omelegg. Seating there was a bit of a challenge. We ended up having to sit next to each other at a booth because the other side had a bench that was being used by a different table. It was a little awkward, but it was fine.

Jenn ordered the Italian Job and I got the Chicken Harissa omelette. Both were very good and served with soft slice of dark wheat bread and an arugula salad.

Row houses right on a canal. Watch out that first step out the front door is a little tricky.

The Kimpton De Witt is right on the edge of the Red Light District, so most of what we noticed at the beginning of our walk was a whole lot of weed shops and erotic boutiques. We also noticed more litter than I was used to seeing in Europe. There was a pretty pungent smell of marijuana in the air as well as cigarette smoke.

While those things are a little unpleasant, Amsterdam is so unbelievably gorgeous it easily makes up for those shortcomings. The canal houses with their narrow five story design, brick exterior and big windows are beautiful. The tree lined canals and herringbone pattern brick streets make for an amazing backdrop for a sunny crisp fall walk.

It’s nice to walk without a purpose or direction. We wandered the brick streets admiring the houseboats and tiny cars that lined the edges of the canals. It was a fairly peaceful walk with only the occasional car, bike or pedestrian that went past us. After about an hour the jet lag caught up with us and we returned to the hotel for a nap.

Trying Amsterdam Beer Culture

Scharrebiersluis bridge along the way from the hotel to Brouwerij’t Ij is a drawbridge built in 1906.

After our nap, we headed over to Brouwerij’t Ij. It was about a 25 minute walk from the hotel but a lot of it went through some gorgeous newer neighborhoods. Even though these neighborhoods didn’t have 400 year old row houses, the buildings kept the spirit of Amsterdam architecture. Many of them were block long buildings, instead of the narrow and tall buildings but they still were mostly 5 stories with shops on the first floor.

The De Gooyer Windmill sits behind Brouwerij’t Ij is the tallest wooden windmill in the Netherlands at 26.6 meters tall.

When we arrived at Brouwerij’t IJ I ordered a Tripel and Jenn ordered the Columbus. I loved the Tripel because it had less funk then many of the tripels that I’ve had in the past. Jenn had the Columbus which is an hoppy imperial beer which she also enjoyed. We sat out in their beer garden and watched traffic along the street which was mostly pedestrians and cyclists. It was lovely and we would’ve stayed longer but I wanted to check out Gollum Aan Het Water.

The beer and the atmosphere at Brouwerij’t Ij was great. I would recommend visiting when you are in Amsterdam.

Gollum has a series of bars around Amsterdam with an impressive beer selection, especially in bottles. Gollum was on my list of places that I really wanted to visit in Amsterdam. I was hoping to try some Belgian Ales that don’t make it to the US.

Just a portion of the amazing beer selection at Gollum Aan Het Water

We started with a Rochfort and an Orval then moved onto some regional craft beers and other Belgian Ales. The quality and variety of the beers served at Gollum was off the charts so I was a bit of a kid in a candy store.

Orval is a beer produced at Orval Abbey in Wallonia Belgium and the sale of the beer helps support the monastery.

To be fair, we had perhaps too many beers at Gollum. As is sometimes the case with us, we got to chatting with other folks at the bar. We met a nice gentleman, originally from England, and his Bernese Mountain dog as well as a couple of guys from North Carolina. The bartender was extremely friendly as well.

It’s always tough to drag ourselves away when conversation flows as easy as the beer. It’s even harder when those conversations are with interesting people from various countries.

Eventually, a little tipsy, we pulled ourselves away from Gollum we walked back towards the hotel. By this time, it was evening and the lights of Amsterdam were dancing on the ripples of the canals. Amsterdam is lovely during the day, but it’s even more enchanting at night. The wind was calm and the air was a touch chilly. It was a perfect night for a lovely walk through Amsterdam.

Montelbaanstoren, a tower dating to the 16th century is illuminated in the evening.

On our way back, we popped into a fast food Kebab place to fill up on hummus, falafel and fries. It hit the spot. I have yet to be disappointed by a middle eastern food in Europe. It is always so good and this was no exception.

Every McDonald’s in America should be replaced by Turkish Street Food – Immediately!

We Will Definitely Return

Doing a stopover in Amsterdam turned out to be a fantastic addition to our trip to Italy. It allowed us to enjoy one of Europe’s great cities without devoting a week to it.

Amsterdam did not disappoint us. Despite our initial negative reactions to the litter and smoke clouds in the Red Light District, Amsterdam is an almost magical city. The architecture, canals, the sheer volume of bikes just make for a uniquely Dutch experience.

We most definitely will be visiting Europe in the future and knowing just how great a stopover in Amsterdam can be, I think there is a good chance we will do this again. Next time, though, we might have to spend two days instead of one.

So You’re Going to Rome

Posted on November 3, 2024 by David Cox

Rome is unique. With most historical cities, there are eras when the city was a dominant force. Venice rose to power as a merchant and military powerhouse starting around the 9th century. The art and architecture of Venice is demonstrative of that time period. Their dominance slowly faded when their status as a merchant city was lessened by the Age of Discovery beginning in the 15th Century. At that time, Europe no longer needed to send goods from Asia through the ports of Venice and instead could simply sail to where the goods were produced rather than count on a series of merchants that controlled a portion of a trade route. As a result, places like Amsterdam, with the Dutch East India Company, flourished while Venice faded.

In Florence, the history of the city revolves around the renaissance. Florence rose to prominence around the 14th century, mainly because of the wool trade, and remained a dominant force in Italy for a couple of centuries. Driven by the wealth of the powerful Medici family, the art and architecture of Florence displayed today are dominated by works from that time frame.

Rome however, rose to prominence in the 3rd century BC, more than a millennium before Venice. Rome not only became the center of a huge empire that lasted centuries, but they also later became the center of the Catholic church. Rome is also the modern capital of Italy. Because of this, Rome has layers of history, with art that goes back to the Roman Empire and continues through the Renaissance and into the modern age. There is so much history, everywhere that you just stumble across it while wandering the streets. It’s practically a museum that people live in.

Attractions

Parco Archeologico

Many of the remnants of the Roman Empire reside in one location, the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo. This includes the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. We might also be able to see the remnants of Circus Maximus which you might remember from the chariot races in Ben Hur.

According to legend, Rome was founded by twin brothers around 750 BC named Romulus and Remus. They were supposedly raised by a she-wolf who does appear in many Roman works of art. The founding of Rome was at Palatine Hill and many wealthy Romans lived there during the Republican Era (509 BC to 44 BC). It’s no surprise that so many important buildings such as the Forum, the Circus Maximus, and the Colosseum were built in and around Palatine Hill.

There are different types of tickets you can buy at Parco Archeologico, but the start at 18 Euros.

The Vatican

The Vatican is obviously the worldwide headquarters of the Catholic Church. But, in my opinion, it’s surprisingly new. St Peter’s Basilica wasn’t completed until 1626. The Sistine Chapel was built by Pope Sixtus IV and completed in 1481. Michelangelo painted the ceiling from 1508 to 1512. The Vatican didn’t even become it’s own country until 1929.

What most people visit when they go to the Vatican is the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. This is likely to be wall to wall people, but the Vatican is packed with amazing pieces of art, scientific exhibits, and maps dating back thousands of years. A lot of the exhibits are from the Renaissance to the present, but there are a surprising amount of secular pieces from the early days of Rome.

My favorite parts of the Vatican Museums was the map room and the Raphael Rooms which feature Raphael’s artwork commissioned by Pope Julius II. Raphael did some amazing work in those rooms, with one of his most famous frescoes “The School of Athens” being one of the pieces.

The Sistine Chapel is also amazing, but you aren’t allowed to take pictures and you basically have to stand in a square and stare at the ceiling, so that can be a little disappointing.

The Pantheon

The Pantheon was commissioned by the emperor Hadrian in AD 126 as a temple to all the Gods. Nearly 2 millennia after its construction, it remains the world’s largest unsupported concrete dome.

In 609 AD, the Catholic church didn’t like all those pagan gods and renovated the Pantheon into the Basilica of St Mary and the Martyrs. Tickets for the Pantheon cost 5 Euros.

Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain is a baroque fountain designed by Nicola Salvi and completed in 1762. You are allowed to throw coins in the fountain and the coins are collected and donated to a Catholic charity. You are absolutely not allowed to strip down and bathe in the Trevi Fountain – I won’t make that mistake twice.

Spanish Steps

There is a lot of talk in travel blogs and videos about visiting the Spanish Steps, and I’m not sure I get it. Pope Gregory XIII first envisioned a set of stairs that connected the Piazza di Spagna to Trinita dei Monte church in the 1580s. A french diplomat left money for the construction of the stairs when he died in 1660 and the stairs were finally completed in 1725. So yeah, 145 years to build steps.

Apparently, it’s illegal with a penalty of 400 euros to sit on the steps and if you attempt it people will whistle at you to get you to stop. Anyway, it’s pretty close to our Airbnb and also close to a subway station, so we might end up going past this a few times.

Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona is a large Piazza built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian. Because of that, it is a large oval shape. It has three main fountains and a lot of restaurants. It’s just a relaxing, beautiful place. They have excavated a portion of the Stadium of Domitian under the Piazza, so you can see a little of that it was like, or you can just sit down at a cafe and enjoy a beer.

Food

Gnocchi

Gnocchi is a Thursday tradition in Rome. It’s related to the fact that Catholics don’t eat meat on Fridays during lent, so they think they need to eat something heavy the day before and gnocchi does the job. It sounds like something that should be served at a number of restaurants on Thursdays, and might not be on their regular menu. My knowledge of gnocchi ends at the dry packaged stuff at Aldi, and that’s pretty good, so I’m imagining fresh gnocchi in Rome must be amazing.

Cacio e Pepe

This is one of those dishes that’s too good to be that simple. Its pasta, pecorino cheese and pepper. That’s it. It’s also amazing.

Maritozzo con la panna

Maritozzo con la panna is a sweet brioche style bread, split and then filled with whipped cream. Apparently it’s a big deal in Rome.

Cannoli

If you haven’t had a cannoli by this time in the trip, you’re running out of time.

Craft Beer Near the Vatican

There seem to be a number of places to get craft beer near the entrance to the Vatican, like a siren song luring folks away from the Holy See. Honestly, it’s a little weird considering the lack of real beer bars in Rome. For them all to be located near the entrance to the Vatican seems like the work of, Satan, maybe? Oh well, best not to think about it.

Birreria Martini Esperienza Tedesca – German themed Restaurant with a very Italian name
Be.Re. + Trapizzino – Gastropub with 24 taps, if it’s been a week or two since you’ve had a proper stout, this might be the place to get it.
Angrypig Birretta e Porchetta – It’s really a sandwich shop, but in a photo on Google, it shows a really impressive bottle collection of hard to find beers, specifically Belgian ales.
Aeternum Beer Shop Roma – Sandwich shop/pizza, but with a really impressive tap list.

So You’re Going to Venice

Posted on November 3, 2024 by David Cox

Would you like to visit a swamp filled with a bunch of people who get drunk and dress in costumes right before having to cleanse themselves for Lent? No I’m not talking about New Orleans, I’m talking about real debauchery, Venice!

Carnival began in Venice to celebrate a military victory in 1162. They enjoyed the party so much that they began to hold it annually and the celebration changed to be a pre-Lent sinful blowout. In fact, the masks that people associate with Carnival were worn to facilitate anonymous trysts as well as trips to brothels and casinos.

We are visiting in November, not February so keep those masks off and those pants on!

Getting Around Venice

Venice was laid out by Satan himself. It’s an absolute shit show. Literally all of the buildings seem to be dropped at random. Any place where there is a decent space between buildings is called a Campo, which serve as plazas.

There are addresses in Venice, but the numbers aren’t always sequential or frankly even logical.

Campos are pretty much the best way to identify where you’re at. If you say “I’m near Campo San Polo” that might be understood, but if you say I’m at 3433 Dorsoduro that may be the address, but it’s completely meaningless, because, you know, designed by Satan.

So you might be asking “Why are we going to a swamp, where it’s impossible to find anything and it’s filled with a bunch of drunken sex perverts?” Good question, and the answer is “Because it’s awesome!”

Attractions

St Mark’s Basilica and St Mark’s Square

Unlike the Duomo in Florence, St Mark’s Basilica has a distinctively Byzantine Style because the Byzantine Empire ruled over the region off and on over many centuries.

The Basilica was built in 828 and was built to house the body of St Mark. His body had been stolen and moved from Alexandria, Egypt. Apparently the head of St Mark the Evangelist remains in Alexandria because, I don’t know, maybe the skull just fell out of the thief’s hands when he was walking and he just couldn’t pick it up. I mean, who does that? Steals his body and then leaves the head? Anyway, the church looks cool, even if they only have like 90% of a saint interred there.

There is also a campanile which is 323 feet tall. It was rebuilt in 1912 after the previous campanile had collapsed a decade earlier.

Tickets to visit the Basilica are free, you can purchase skip the line tickets, but I don’t know if that is necessary in the off-season. I would like to visit this and climb the campanile if possible, we did not do this the last time we were in Venice.

Doge’s Palace

The Doge was the name given to the leader of Venice from the 7th Century all the way up to 1797 when Napoleon Bonaparte ended the reign of the last Doge, Ludovicio Manin. As you can expect from the leader of one of the most opulent cities in the world at the time, this is an enormous palace with lots and lots of art and other grandiose displays of wealth.

Tickets to the Doge’s Palace run around 30 Euros.

Rialto Bridge

Rialto Bridge is an iconic bridge spanning the grand canal in Venice. The Rialto Bridge is near our Airbnb, so we will cross it multiple times. There also is a market nearby called Rialto market that we should visit.

Leonardo Da Vinci Museum

Okay, this isn’t a huge attractions for Venice, but I’ve always been interested in Leonardo Da Vinci and they have an exhibit of his inventions, sketches, etc. The cost to get in is 9 euros. More information here

Murano Island – Glass Blowing

Murano Island is well known for it’s industry of craft glass blowing. There are several glass shops and glass factories on the island. Many of them have demonstrations. One unique place on the island is The Glass Cathedral which is an old cathedral that has been converted into an events center. They also do glass blowing demonstrations that take around 25 minutes and cost 14 euros.

Food

Cicchetti

Cicchetti is a term used for small finger foods. They are often sold at wine bars known as enotecas or bacari. We went to Archicchetti Bakaro the last time we were in Venice and it was definitely a favorite of the locals. Very good. We ate crostini which are little open faced sandwiches similar to bruschetta.

Cicchetti can be found all over Venice, especially at wine bars, You will also find little crustless sandwiches named tramezzini, croquettes, and even salted mashed cod formed into balls called baccalà mantecato (looks like a better version of canned tuna fish)

Risotto

Have you ever watched 12 hours straight of the Food Network and convinced yourself that Squid Ink Risotto sounds delicious? Well now is your chance to try it! You’ll find it all over Venice on the menu as Risotto Al Nero di Seppia. Honestly, you will see a lot of squid ink dishes on menus, and they will all be labeled with ‘Nero di Seppia’.

I’ll stick with vegetable risotto known as risotto primavera. There is a similar dish known as Risi e Bisi which translates as rice and peas which is more of a thick soup.

Places to Eat

Mare Magno – This place has 4.9 stars on Google (370+ reviews). It’s a little pasta restaurant on the Grand Canal run by a couple. Maybe 6 dishes, mainly pasta, that change daily on the menu, around 15 euros a plate, open 1-3 and 7:30-10. I assume you need to be there at 1 or 7:30.
Antico Forno – Pizza near our Airbnb, and the Rialto bridge. Known for it’s Sicilian style thick crust pizza, but also has a traditional thin crust.
Archicchetti Bakaro – This is where we tried cicchetti when we were in Venice last time. There were so many locals there, I have to believe its one of the best. Bonus – they had Birra Morretti Rossa on tap. Oh and its very cheap.
Al Merca – A little wine bar that has a ton of little 2 euro sandwiches.

The Vaporetto

The Vaporetto is the only form of public transportation on the islands in Venice. They travel around the outside of the main cluster of islands in Venice as well as through the Grand Canal. They also connect the main part of Venice with other islands such as Murano, Burano, and Lido. A map of the main lines of the Vaporetto can be found here.

We should be able to buy Vaporetto tickets at the train station. Ticket prices for the Vaporetto depend on how long you want the ticket.

60 minute pass – 7.50 Euros
24 hour pass – 20 Euros
48 hour pass – 30 Euros
72 hour pass – 40 Euros
7 day pass – 60 Euros

I know we are only in Venice for a few days so we will have to make a decision about whether we want to spend the entire time in the main cluster of islands or if we want to venture off using the Vaporetto. I did find some interesting places on other islands if we choose to go wandering off.

Murano Island – glass blowing factories, shops, demonstrations
Lido Island – It’s likely too cold to really enjoy this, but its the beach area for Venice, there are a number of beachfront bars, such as Bluemoon Spiaggia Lido di Venezia
Guidecca – Skyline Rooftop bar, on the roof of the Hilton Milano Stucky. This looks a bit bougie, but the views of Venice would be pretty amazing

So You’re Going to Cinque Terre

Posted on November 3, 2024 by David Cox

We are going to be heading to Cinque Terre after the tourist season is over, so this is going to make things perhaps a little trickier but perhaps better? I would expect that we won’t be waiting in any lines and we won’t be fighting crowds but the trains only run once an hour during the off-season and some of the stores and restaurants will be closed, unfortunately.

What is Cinque Terre?

Cinque Terre is actually a national park and a UNESCO world heritage site. It consists of 5 Italian villages that are perched over the Mediterranean Sea. In order along the train from La Spezia those towns are:

Riomaggiore
Manarola
Corniglia
Vernazza
Monterroso Al Mare

Villages of Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore

The first town on the list is Riomaggiore. Cinque Terre is well known for the wine produced in the area. The most famous wine from the region is Sciacchetra, a sweet, strong wine made from grapes that have been slightly dried over 50 days.

I wanted to try to get a tasting/tour at Terre Di Bargon but they only offer that on certain days and we weren’t going to be there at the right time. I think we might be able to see if they’re open for a glass of wine, but their website is not helpful. Either way, we should be able to try a glass of Sciacchetra in any number of wine bars throughout Cinque Terre.

If it’s early we can head to a bar for a cappuccino, because bars usually are open for coffee in the morning.

Manarola

Manarola is the second town as we head north. We will have to get off the train and into a tunnel for a walk to the town. Manarola has a small church built in 1338, Chiesa di San Lorezno. There is basically one main road that snakes through the town with restaurants, bars and shopping along it.

There is one offshoot road that goes north along the coast and leads to an overlook and a restaurant that I would really like to visit. Nessun Dorma is well known for their pesto, tagliere (charcuterie), and especially bruschetta. It has an amazing view of the sea from the terrazzo. Their hours are super short from 4:30 PM to 7 PM or 8 PM depending on the day, so this might not work out.

Corniglia

I suspect it is going to be difficult to do all of the towns in one day, and I assumed we would have to skip one or two. This is one I think we would want to skip. I didn’t find anything that made me think we had to go. But the number one reason not to go is the ridiculous number of steps from the train station to the town. It looks a little strenuous.

Vernazza

Vernazza is going to be super accessible as the train station is right smack dab in the center of town. While we definitely should visit as many enotecas (wine bars) as possible in Cinque Terre, there is a funky bar called the Monkey Artpub that I’d like to pop in for a visit.

The marina in Vernazza looks pretty awesome and has the Chiesa di Santa Margarita di Antioch right on it. The church is from the 14th century and hopefully the doors will be open and we can peak inside.

The most famous view in Cinque Terre is the view from the hiking trail overlooking the marina in Vernazza. We might manage to sneak up there if we have time.

Monterossa Al Mare

Monterossa Al Mare is the only one of the five towns that has a sandy beach. Like Vernazza, the train station is very close to the center of town and makes it very accessible. This area is much flatter than the other towns and actually has multiple streets rather than one narrow street in a valley. There are quite a few restaurants and shops that are in this town and we can probably just wonder around and see what we see.

Monterossa is separated into two parts by a large hill in between. On top of that hill is a monastery. Walking by the sea will be the best way to get around that hill. The area to the east has more restaurants and shops. The area to the west also has shops, but it also has a giant statue which is interesting.

Order of Operations

So in order to see as much as we can see, I think the optimal way to approach this is probably to go to Riomaggiore in the morning and then skip to Vernazza, then Monterossa Al Mare. If we have time, I would like to head back to Manarola to go to Nessun Dorma.

If we want to really simplify things, I think skipping to Vernazza and then going to Monterossa Al Mare makes sense. Those two towns will probably be the best two to visit.

This place is a major wine region, with a lot of wine styles that can only be experienced in Italy. We should do our best to visit as many enotecas as possible and hopefully get some tips from the store keepers.

We will always have to be mindful of the time, because we are off season in Cinque Terre and the trains will only come once an hour. Since there is a very good chance this turns into a high class pub crawl, someone needs to stay sober enough to get us to the damn trains on time.

So You’re Going to Florence

Posted on November 3, 2024 by David Cox

In a few hours, you will be landing in Fiumincino “Leonardo Da Vinci” Airport. This airport was named after one of the ninja turtles, who outside of fighting crime in the sewers, also created major artwork around Italy. It is very likely you will be seeing work by Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Rafael during this trip.

It sounds like you guys will be there before us, but hopefully if everything goes according to plan, we will be meeting around noon.

The signs in the airport will be Italian on top and English below, so you shouldn’t have any issue navigating the airport. I’m not sure about the bathroom signs, but it’s really important to know that Donne means women and Uomini means men.

Once we have met up, and you’ve gotten that coveted Italy passport stamp, we will move to the train station where we will be getting on our train to Florence.

Attractions

The Duomo

Everyone refers to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore as “the Duomo.” Duomo means “Cathedral” in Italian. The Duomo dominates the skyline in Florence and was completed in 1436. It is 500 feet long 295 feet wide and 295 tall to the base of the lantern.

To visit the crypt of Santa Reparata, the museum, and the baptistery, it costs 15 euros, if you add a trip to the top of a the campanile (tower 414 steps, no elevator) it’s 20 euros. To add the campanile and the top of the Duomo (463 steps, no elevator) it’s 30 euros

For more information visit: https://duomo.firenze.it/en/discover/cathedral

Naked Guys named David

In the Galleria Dell’Academia you will find the original Statue of David by Michelangelo. Other artwork in the Galleria is from the 13th century through the renaissance and contains paintings of Botticelli and statues from Michelangelo.

What is weird about David is that he appears to be uncircumcised, which is an odd choice considering King David’s history with the practice. You see, King Saul offered his daughter Michel’s hand in marriage but he wanted a dowry in exchange. The King was seeking revenge from their Philistine enemies and asked for a different sort of dowry.

He decided to send David and a group of soldiers on what is one of the weirdest scavenger hunts of all time. King Saul asked the young man to go into the Philistine camp and return with the foreskins of 100 Philistines. Being an overachiever, he returned with 200 foreskins. Unfortunately, it is unclear from the King James Version if David told Saul to “Eat a bag of dicks” when he presented Saul with the dowry. You don’t believe me, do you? Fine read it yourself!

Either way, I would assume that David was circumcised based on that Bible story. I also question my Mother’s decision to name me after a prolific penis mutilator.

Tickets to see this historically inaccurate todger cost 20 euros.

There is a replica of the Statue of David in the Piazza Della Signoria if you don’t care if you see the original.

Piazzale Michelangelo

The Piazzale Michelangelo is across the Arno from the main part of the city. It is known for being a beautiful place to view the city and see a sunset. This is probably the furthest point on my list from our Airbnb, but its still only about 2.7 km away. We might need a couple of aperol spritz stops to complete this journey.

Getting Alcohol

We will be embarking on a much more pleasant scavenger hunt. Instead of foreskins, we will be looking for wine windows.

Wine windows were a result of nobles attempting to sell wine during the black plague. Selling wine through windows allowed the seller to socially distance themselves from their clients. There are over 200 of these windows throughout the city and they do allow you to purchase wine through these cute little windows.

Native Wine Varieties

Chianti is the most famous variety from Tuscany
Vinsanto is an Italian sweet red wine made from a high sugar must due to drying Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia Bianca grapes
Moscadello di Montalcino DOC is similar to Moscato

Most of the wine in Florence will be dry and most of those will be red.

Beer in Italy?

Yes, there is beer in Italy. Thank God. Most common will probably be Birra Morretti, which is an Italian Pilsner. If you can find the Birra Morretti Rossa, get it, it’s delicious. There is also Peroni Navarro Azzurro and Menabrea which are also Pilsners. Navarro Azzurro means “blue ribbon” so Italian PBR?

Also keep in mind bottiglia means bottle and al spina means on tap. Rossa means red, ambrata means amber.

There are a surprising amount of Irish bars in Florence, but if we’re looking for a craft beer bar, we can head to Alibi Craft Beer and Kitchen. 17 taps, not sure if it’s their own or purchased.

Aperitifs and Mixed Drinks

Aperol Spritz – Aperol, Prosecco, soda and delicious
Negroni – gin, vermouth, Campari – a classic Italian cocktail
Lemoncello – had it, don’t remember it, sounds good

Getting Food

Panini

In Florence, everyone raves about the panini. It’s made with Schiacciata bread which is like focaccia but thinner and more chewy. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a sandwich shop, but if we can’t then we need to find Vinaino Fiorenza, which has some great looking sandwiches and vegetarian options.

Pizza

We’re going to eat pizza, this is non-negotiable. Some highly rated pizza shops include Gustapizza, Bondi Le Focaccine, and Antica Figgitoria Dell’Alberto.

Street Food

It won’t be hard to find street food, but Ará é Sicilia looks really interesting if we get a chance for a snack.

These are Arancini di Riso or fried rice balls. Essentially there is an item in the ball, like proscutto which is mixed with rice and balled up, breaded and fried.

Different Kinds of Italian Restaurants

You will notice a few terms on restaurants that identify what kind of restaurant it is. These terms are semi-interchangeable but they do give an indication of what kind of experience that you are likely to have in that restaurant.

Osterias – Simple rustic restaurants with rotating menus.
Trattoria – Family restaurants that serve regional cuisines, typically affordable, and no-frills
Ristorante – A little more high-end, better service, higher end wines, more curated menus
Enoteca – Wine bar that may have evolved into a restaurant, although it would be a wine forward restaurant.
Bar – Most bars will serve coffee in the morning, and maybe a pastry. In the afternoon and evening it switches to small bites and alcoholic beverages

For a much better and more complete explanation of this visit curiousappetitetravel.com

Reading an italian Menu

If we do end up in a Ristorante (this can also be true of some Osterias or Trattorias), you will find a little more complex menu then we are used to in the US. Most of the time, the menus will be set up the same, however. The menu will be split into sections.

Antipasti – Appetizers (like good appetizers, not mozzarella sticks or boneless wings)
Primi – First Course, typically pasta, risotto, or soup (although soup could be under a section called zuppa)
Secondi – Second Course, heartier dishes, which could include beef, fish, shellfish, etc.
Contorni – Side dishes – chances are your Primi and Secondi won’t come with any sides
Dolci – Dessert
Digesti – After dinner liquors such as limoncello, grappa (made from grapes), mirto (made from blueberries)

You don’t need to order from all of the sections, you aren’t required to eat a 6 course dinner. Typically I was satisfied by just eating pasta from the Primi menu, considering we eat all day on vacation, but obviously that’s up to how hungry you are. There is a good article on Italian menus at walksofitaly.com.

The Bill/Tipping

As far as tipping is concerned, there will be some fees added to the bill and that will determine whether it is customary to tip. If there is a coperto only (sitting fee), you should perhaps round up your bill, but you’ll need to tell the server that before they take your payment. If there is a servizio added, they already took your tip, and you can just pay the bill.

One other thing, a lot of restaurants will put a basket of bread on your table, don’t be surprised if it shows up on your bill. It shouldn’t if you don’t eat it, and it might be complementary, but I wouldn’t expect to eat free bread.

Pretty much at any restaurant in Europe, water isn’t free and it’s not tap water. If you ask for water, they will ask you if you want still or carbonated and they will bring you a bottle.

Oh yeah, and you might have to tackle the waiter in order to get another beer or your bill, they will pretty much leave you alone unless you want something. Once you do manage to tackle your server, don’t expect them to split the bill for us, apparently that’s not a thing in Italy. We will have to have one person pay and split it ourselves.

Special Food Terms

IGP – means Indicative of Geographic Province, which is a term indicating a product that is only produced in a specific region. You’ll see this on salamis and cheeses

DOC – means Denominazione di Origine Controllata or in English, Controlled Designation of Origin -basically the same thing as IGP, just with wines

DOCG – means Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita or Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin – the same as DOC only this time they’re super serious.

DOP – means Denominazione di Origine Protetta – means Protected Designation of Origin -you know how Eskimos have like 100 words for snow?

PDO – means Protective Designation of Origin – seriously why are there so many terms that mean the same thing? Dammit Italy you’re giving me a headache. Ok, so if you see any 3 letters after a wine name, it means its a unique wine from the area it says its from.

Shopping

San Lorenzo Market – Well known for clothing and leather goods
Ponte Vecchio – Well known bridge/landmark, its a place to buy jewelry and souvenirs
Mercato Central – World Famous Farmer’s Market

Learn A Little Italian

It shouldn’t be difficult to find someone who speaks English virtually everywhere we go. However, Italians will appreciate it if you put in a little effort to speak a little Italian. Here are few words/phrases that you might recognize but are helpful to know.

Ciao – Hello/Goodbye
Arrivederci – Goodbye
Buongiorno – Good Morning
Buonasera – Good Evening
Buona Notte – Good Night
Vino – Wine
Birra – Beer
Scusi – Excuse Me
Non Parlo Italiano – I Don’t Speak Italian
Parlo Inglese – I Speak English

Exploring Beer Culture in Ontario’s Wine Country

Posted on October 27, 2024 by David Cox

One thing that surprised me about our trip to Ontario was the number of wineries and vineyards that exist in the area between Niagara Falls and Toronto. According to Ontario Wine Appellation Authority, cool weather varieties thrive in this area, like Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.

We were staying in Hamilton, having parked our camper for the week at Fifty Point Conservation Area. From where we were staying, it seemed like every exit along the Queen Elizabeth Way had signs for at least two wineries.

Maybe we should have popped into a winery and checked out what was special about the wine in the Niagara region, but we were more interested in checking out the beer scene. While we were in Ontario, we noticed that there were a few differences between beer culture there and beer culture in Iowa.

Production Breweries vs Brewpubs

Our first night in Ontario, we decided to go to Newark Brewing Company. It is a pretty large production facility set in an industrial area. There is, however, a large grassy side lot that makes the tap room feel like it’s much more out in the country. In fact, our server told us they were part of Harvest Hosts which is a group of wineries, breweries and other attractions that allow you to camp on their site for free. So that grassy lot might just be available for camping.

This was the first of many production breweries we visited. Throughout our visit, one thing became fairly clear. Most of the breweries we visited were full scale production breweries first and taprooms second. It’s a different vibe from most of the breweries we visit in Iowa where most of the beer goes straight into kegs to be served at the brewpub. Some canning is done at these brewpubs, but a very low volume is sold, mainly at the taproom itself for carry out.

Session Beers and Low Alcohol Drinks

I love how the beer culture of Iowa has really grown over the last 20 years or so, but if I had one complaint it’s that Iowa craft brewers (and frankly most US craft brewers) brew too many high alcohol beers.

High alcohol beers are rich, flavorful and delicious but they tend to lack drinkabilty, and aren’t refreshing on a hot day. They also, predictably, make the drinker inebriated at a quicker pace, which creates its own series of problems.

At the first brewery we went to, we noticed that there wasn’t a single beer over 6% and most were 4%-5%. I had the Dunkel while we were there which was right at 5%.There are breweries in Iowa where finding a beer under 6% can be tricky, so being at one where everything was 6% or under was refreshing.

The next day we visited Collective Arts. That is a super funky production brewery in a highly industrial area in Hamilton. They served a micro pale ale at 2.9%. I had never heard of a pale ale that low in alcohol.

Later in our trip, we went to Fairweather Brewery which had a series of fruited ales that were 2% alcohol. They were called Chuggy, Jenn tried one of them and really liked it.

Throughout our trip, the focus that most of the breweries had was on beers with traditional alcohol content not Imperial or Double beers. The fact that a few also had beers under 3% was a nice little bonus. I wish this was something that we saw a bit more often in Iowa.

Our Favorite Breweries in Ontario

This isn’t really a full assessment of breweries in the Ontario area since we were only able to visit a few breweries in the week we were there. But I can definitely tell which ones we would’ve been visiting multiple times if we lived in the Hamilton area.

Collective Arts

I found this one by searching around on Google Maps and it didn’t disappoint. They have an amazingly funky vibe. Art is everywhere around the facility with murals on practically every wall. It’s a huge facility but they have a cool patio area where we sat for a beer. Next to the patio area is a large industrial room that looks like maybe its used for canning and barrel aging (I’m not sure about that, I didn’t go snooping). That room also has a bunch of cafeteria style tables in it for when its too cold for the patio.

Barrel Aging at Collective Arts Brewing.

Collective Arts also has a good carryout facility and we did pick up some beer for the camper. The cans also had some great artwork. The beers that we tried, both at the facility and back at the camper, were very well done. If we lived in this area, I think we would visit regularly. For more information on Collective Arts, visit their website.

Bench Brewing Company

Bench Brewing Company is a large production facility set off in the middle of wine country. The facility is in a very scenic country setting with an apple orchard and several wineries nearby. They actually have their own hop farm on site.

It has a little bit of an modern industrial vibe to it. The bottle and gift shop is actually two shipping containers that you have to walk past to get to the tap room. They have a large patio area and a large restaurant. Since it was a weekday afternoon, they were only offering service in the restaurant so we sat in a covered deck seating area at the restaurant. We had a little snack and a couple of beers. Everything was well done, the beers that we tried were all of session strength and well made.

I would have liked to have spent some time in the patio area. Bench Brewing is in an idyllic and peaceful location, being at the restaurant wasn’t taking advantage of the location. If I were looking for a place to relax on a nice day, this would be the place I would want to sit outside and have a beer. More information about Bench Brewing can be found here.

Trust The Locals

We always like to ask the folks who work at breweries where they go for a beer. Most bartenders and servers at breweries are beer lovers themselves and tend to have very good suggestions. A couple that came up were Merit Brewing and Fairweather Brewing.

We did go to Merit Brewing and I understood the hype. There is some creative brewing going on at this facility. I’m not into sours, but I did have to try a small pour of the Wild Years, which is a brett saison with peaches and muscat grapes. Hats off to the brewer on this one, that’s a very creative beer and if you’re into sours, definitely worth a try. I also tried Young Rival, which I thought was a very good IPA. More information on Merit Brewing can be found here.

We also managed to make it to Fairweather, which wasn’t my favorite mainly because they did have a focus on sours, which again, I avoid. Jenn loved the low alcohol Chuggy beers. They are doing some creative things with sours. Right now they are serving a beer called Apsara that is a sour with peaches, milk sugar, vanilla and chai. If you love sours, I think this is a great brewery to visit. More information on Fairweather can be found here.

Silversmith Brewing

My personal favorite was a little brewery set in Virgil Ontario called Silversmith. It’s located in a little church that’s been converted into a microbrewery. It has a little patio out back where we enjoyed the warm weather and a couple of pints.

I had The Black Lager, a schwarzbier which was delicious. I don’t know why schwarzbiers aren’t at every brewery to be honest. They are drinkable, flavorful, usually around 5%. They are just perfect all around beers that can be enjoyed year round. Silversmith not only brewed a great beer style, but they nailed it on the execution.

Silversmith is a converted church so I guess you can say you went to church if you go there.

Silversmith seems to focus on well executed classic beer styles and I appreciate that. There are so many breweries now that are going out of their way to invent new kinds of beer, and I applaud the creativity, but sometimes a well executed classic styled beer hits the spot. They are classic beer styles for a reason, after all. More information about Silversmith Brewing Company can be found here.

Belly Up to the Bar

The best thing about beer culture in general is the people. Wherever I am in the world, sitting at the bar is a fantastic way to talk to friendly people. Canadians have reputation for being extremely nice. Our week in Ontario confirmed that stereotype. We’re known in Iowa for being “Iowa Nice” and I can confirm that the folks in Ontario are just as warm and welcoming. Someday we’ll have to visit again.

Points Check September 2024

Posted on October 14, 2024 by David Cox

September was a fairly normal month for us. No traveling this month other than Jenn and I did spend a night in fabulous Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the luxurious Residence Inn. I know that sounds funny, but we had an expiring Marriott hotel certificate. Unfortunately, we just didn’t find a use for it until it was close to expiring.

The funny thing was we just didn’t want to drive too far for a one night stay, and the only places that seemed interesting enough to drive to within a couple of hours was Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. It was the day of the annual Iowa Hawkeyes/Iowa State Cyclone football game so finding a good use for that hotel certificate anywhere near Iowa City on that weekend was tricky, since the hotels were pretty full.

We ended up staying in a hotel that frankly was a little run down, but it was fine and we had a little night out in Cedar Rapids. It was fun to visit a city nearby that we hadn’t had a chance to experience yet. It was also a good reminder to stay on top of those free night certificates.

Rebooking a Positioning Flight

We had a couple of flights booked to go to and from Chicago O’Hare from Moline at the beginning and end of our trip to Italy. With the new ability to transfer points to Alaskan Airlines through Hawaiian Airlines from American Express, we rebooked the exact same American Airlines flights we had already booked. I know that sounds nuts, but I swear it’s all perfectly logical, and I explained my reasoning and the method in a previous post.

The flights now cost a grand total of 18,000 Amex Membership Reward points and $72 instead of the original 30,000 American Airlines miles and $22. Since I really value American Airlines miles, I was glad to have those returned.

Keeping It Loosey-Goosey

I’ve been spending a decent amount of my time getting ready for our trip to Italy. When we went to Europe last summer, I made sure to book all of our train tickets, museums and tours in advance. That was necessary, in my opinion, during high season. This time we’re going during November, which I’m hoping means that we can be a little bit more relaxed about our schedule. It is a bit of a gamble, but I think it will pay off.

The way I see it, if we plan to visit the Colosseum one day and the Vatican a different day, and it rains on the day we go to the Colosseum, that’s not great. By keeping it open, we can watch the weather forecast and visit the Vatican on the day it rains and the Colosseum on the day it doesn’t. Unfortunately, by not buying skip-the-line tickets ahead of time, it might mean that we’re waiting in line. With it being off-peak, however, I don’t think it will be too bad. That being said, I’m not certain what off-peak season is like so I’ll just cross my fingers that we’re not making a horrible mistake.

Instead of tediously planning out a bunch of activities, I’m just keeping a list of things we can do, with the thought that we can make those decisions on a day to day basis. Hopefully that will turn out to be the best approach.

What’s The Value of a Hotel Certificate?

Jenn earned her bonus for her IHG Premier card this month which was 5 free night certificates worth up to 60,000 IHG points each. What does that really mean?

Free night certificates are hard to value. As noted earlier in this post, they’re usually only good for one year and they expire. They also have a maximum value that cannot be exceeded. One thing is almost assured, and that is that we will never redeem any of those certificates for a stay at an IHG property that is charging exactly 60,000 points for a stay. Finding that one hotel room that you need at maximum value is very close to impossible.

So what is the actual value for those certificates? For some people, they would try to maximize the value of those certificates by searching for the best hotel and if they have to go out of their way to maximize the value of that certificate, they will. We really use certificates because we need to stay somewhere, often for just one night, and that might mean on a stopover on a long flight. The most important thing to me is location and Jenn likes a free breakfast. Considering how we use certificates, the chances of us getting full value out of our certificates is basically zero.

That being said, we already used one of these certificates to book the Kimpton De Witt in Amsterdam. We have a 25 hour stopover in Amsterdam on our way to Rome and this checked a lot of boxes for us. It was a short train ride from the airport, right by the train station and downtown by the canals. We were going to have to leave for the airport too early for breakfast, so the fact that they didn’t have free breakfast is irrelevant. This hotel is going for 47,000 points per night, so we used almost 80% of the full value of the certificate. Honestly, that is about as good as you can reasonably expect. The cash value of the hotel room was $302, so I’m not mad about the free night.

For the sake of simplicity, I just value certificates at half of their maximum value. So if I can get a hotel room worth more than 30,000 IHG points with one of these certificates, I’ll be happy. With IHG points being worth around half a cent each, I would say the sign up bonus that Jenn earned was 150,000 points at .5 cents or $750. Considering the first certificate we used saved us $300, I think we’re already ahead.

US Bank Triple Cash

I signed up for the US Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business Card. This is a card with no annual fee. It earns 3% cash back on gas, EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone providers and restaurants. It earns 1% cash back on everything else. There is also a $100 per year credit for recurring software purchases, like Quickbooks.

The signup bonus is $750 after spending $6,000 in 6 months. I’m always a big fan of having some extra time to complete a spending requirement, so 6 months is great. This bonus will give us a little cash back to pay for some of those annoying taxes and surcharges when booking award flights.

American Airlines Aviator Red

I also signed up for the American Airlines Aviator Red card, under the assumption that it was going to disappear and this was my last chance to get the 70,000 American Airlines miles bonus for just one purchase and a paying the $99 annual fee. It’s just too easy to pass up. I already met the requirements now and I’m just waiting for those sweet, sweet AA miles to show up in my account. For more information about that card, read my post.

On To The Point Check

We did a pretty good job this last month continuing to use the bonus categories on some of our existing credit cards which led to a total of 6.3% return on all of our spend not devoted to earning a signup bonus.

Card Used	Spend	Points Earned	Point Value	Points Per $	Return on Spend
Amex Gold	$592	1,862	$37.28	3.1	6.3%
Ink Cash	$558	2,772	$56.83	5.0	10.2%
Venture	$547	1,094	$20.24	2.0	3.7%
Wyndham Business	$352	1,955	$21.51	5.6	6.1%
Citi	$297	667	$12.01	2.2	4.0%
Amex Business Gold	$190	546	$10.92	2.9	5.8%
Total	$2,536	8,898	$158.78	3.5	6.3%

This month’s spending not devoted to earning a signup bonus

Aside from the spending in the above chart, Jenn spent around $4,300 on her IHG Premier card earning her 19,000 IHG points and the signup bonus of 5 free night certificates worth up to 60,000 points per night. I spent a little over $500 on my US Bank Triple Cash card earning around $13 in cash back. At the end of the month, we were left with:

293,000 Amex Membership Rewards Points
214,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points
139,000 IHG Points (includes 4 free night certificates)
104,800 American Airlines Miles
84,700 Capital One Venture Miles
71,900 Marriott Bonvoy Points (Includes 2 free night certificates)
43,000 Wyndham Points
30,400 Citi Thank You Points
11,300 Hyatt Points (includes a free night certificate)
5,000 Delta Skymiles
1,900 United Miles
$170 in cash back

Using the valuations from the Points Guy, those points are worth a grand total of nearly $15,600. We’re going to need them, because we have big plans for 2025.