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  • european vacation
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May 2, 2026
Curiosity is a great thing! from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

Thanks everyone for your comments! I must go back and digest them! There's a lot to be said about traveling light, but if you have or want a decluttered environment at home, it's a lot easier to "declutter" what you take on vacation. BUT --- and the airlines tell you this repeatedly -- DO NOT check your medications, important papers, laptops --- basically anything that cannot be easily replaced --- do NOT check it. Clothes? You can buy clothes anywhere, but you can't easily renew a prescription. 

And not having checked luggage gives you 100% flexibility to change flights (if yours ...

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May 1, 2026
Off the beaten track in Rome from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

Sadly, this was my last day in Rome. I’ve got everything arranged and checked in for my long flight home tomorrow — well that will be today. I’m writing this the night before, so you have something to read. And then hopefully on Saturday everything will be back to normal - whatever that is. So as you read this, I’ll likely be on one of two planes. DH and I splurged on the fare, so don’t feel sorry for me and the long flights. 

As I’ve mentioned, I love traveling solo because I can do whatever I ...

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April 30, 2026
Visit a city using a Hop On, Hop Off bus from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

A quick note about traveling by yourself. It can be intimidating and it can be extremely overwhelming, but I took the bull by the horns and just did it! And yes —- there are a few times when you think - maybe this isn’t a good thing, but once you get used to it — there is no turning back. Yes — I will travel more with DH, but he has to KNOW every single detail in advance and that’s just way too structured for me. Imagine me saying that — I’m a Virgo!!!

But if you don’t want to travel ...

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April 29, 2026
When in Rome from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

You are absolutely correct!!! Many places are not accessible for handicapped people or even people with trouble walking. I will say that Rome is better than Naples for cobblestones on the road and sidewalks, but it would definitely be a challenge. And even if you are not impeded in anyway, you still need to keep your wits about you as it would be very easy to fall. 

I was off to the train station early (but not too early). In a place that I don’t know, I do like to be in the right place well in advance of ...

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April 28, 2026
My 1000th geocache!!!! from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

And another wonderful day of solo travel. I wasn’t too ambitious, but I managed to fill the day. I had three goals - visit the Archeological Museum, get that elusive geocache, and eat the most famous Napoli pizza in Italy! Mission accomplished!! Here’s what happened. 

I must admit that thanks to Google, it’s easy to get around almost any place in the world. It’s hard to believe how much mapping and resources went into creating Google Maps. The one thing about Google Maps is there should be a setting to avoid hills!! I swear I would walk ...

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April 27, 2026
The light at the end of the tunnel from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

I had a chuckle when I read the comments about finding a hotel room. I have had to search sometimes! I remember being in Kingston, Ontario and shocked to discover that there were no rooms. Turns out there was a hockey tournament! I found something, just not at the hotel I would typically book. I’ve always found something - just not always my first choice. And we won’t mention the sketchy Airbnb I had to stay at one time. 

Speaking of hotel rooms, it was only when I was out and about yesterday that I realized that I needed ...

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April 26, 2026
Transition day - trains and ferries from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

Transition days on vacation are never fun, but you can make the best of them by being patient. 

There has been a lot of goodbyes in the last couple of days and yesterday was the last of them as I am now on my own as Dillon and M had one day left in Taormina on their own, and DH is off to play golf with his buddies on their annual golf trip. He was going to Spain and well, his travel plans didn’t go as planned and I’m not going there. Some things are best left unsaid ...

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April 25, 2026
Mount Etna from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

 Oh my goodness - we went back and forth on this one. The decision was not about going there —- it was on our list, but who to go with. It was part of the events for the wedding week, but we weren’t sure we wanted to go with that large group or to go on our own. 

As the week went on and I had still not made a decision, it was during lunch on the wedding day that we talked to the bride and we were once again invited and we just went for it. 

Being part of a ...

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April 24, 2026
The amphitheater from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

And so ends another exciting day! After I wrote the blog yesterday, I was exhausted from not much sleep the night before, so I went back to sleep. It was raining anyways and we had an outdoor activity planned. That got put on hold for a couple of hours. We had yet another lunch yesterday! It was the 30th birthday of the bride’s only daughter so we had a family lunch. 

It was just a short walk from our apartment, so it was great. A short walk is 15 minutes. We are getting the hang of where we are ...

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April 23, 2026
The wedding from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

I am so tired today!!! I will definitely be having a nap later on. I have so many pictures that I don’t even know where to start! 

Yes — we are in Sicily, particularly in Taormina, but I have been in other small villages in Europe and the architecture is somewhat different because of the location, however, the willy nilly way the streets are created is pretty similar. Let’s just say there is NOT a lot of planning. When these villages were built, there was no town planner to say this goes here and that goes there. 

The cathedral ...

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  • european vacation
  • Page 1 of 1 ( 10 posts )