Category Archives: Life Lately

Just basic posts about my life. :)

My First Dragons, Dungeons & Drinks Game

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Last week, I went to my first Dragons, Dungeons & Drinks game. Dragons, Dungeons & Drinks is an organization that runs monthly Dungeons & Dragons one-shots at various breweries in the area. There are some events at Brühaven, a brewery in Minneapolis. Some events are hosted at Bad Weather Brewing Company, a brewery in Saint Paul. Dragons, Dungeons & Drinks has even expanded to Duluth, which is two hours north of the Twin Cities. I have been on their Discord for some time and was able to go to their November one-shot titled “Rise of the Queen”. Without knowing what to expect, I had such a fun time.

I loved how organized everything was. I arrived at Bad Weather around twenty minutes early. There was a small registration area where you checked in and were offered a name tag. After I checked in, I saw that on the desk were a ton of free dice for those who didn’t have any. I didn’t take any because I brought my own, but I liked how Dragons, Dungeons & Drinks had that available. Once I put on my name tag, I was shown to my table. Our table was supposed to have five players, but only four showed up. I have no problem playing with people I don’t know, and this table was a hoot. For not knowing each other, I felt we all got along well. There wasn’t anyone interrupting or overstepping, and we all worked together to complete the mission. It’s nice to know more people who love TTRPGs as much as I do.

As far as the characters, there were several pre-made characters to choose from. I have no preference as to what I play, so I chose last based on what everyone else wanted to play. I picked Urla, the Witch of the Circle of the Stars. She was the Elf Druid. I like how each character has their own character art. Each character has their history, so you can understand a little about them. As someone who invests a lot into the roleplay element of the game, I liked this a lot. Urla is not very charismatic, so I chose to play that out throughout the session. Each character sheet is laminated, and each DM has a whiteboard erasable marker. I found myself using it to cross off any Wild Shape or spells that I cast.

The one-shot took about four hours. Our table was one of the last to finish as our combat went long. I say that it went long, but it definitely didn’t feel that way. I was engaged from start to finish. Normally, I’m the note taker in most of my groups, so it was nice to be able to put my journal away and pay attention to what everyone else was doing. Each Dragons, Dungeons, and Drinks one-shot is said to be standalone, meaning you don’t have to play the other adventures to follow along with this one. I would say that’s true. I didn’t feel lost or that I was missing anything by not playing in the other games.

This is a ticketed event, meaning there is a cost to play. There are several cost tiers. There’s the early-bird ticket, meaning you save five dollars if you buy ahead of time. This is $30. The standard ticket is $35. There’s the Hero-Tier, which grants admission while also donating to the Dragons, Dungeons, and Drinks community initiatives. This is $40. Finally, there’s another option called the Player Ticket Reduced Rate. This is for those who may need an extra hand. I purchased at the Hero-Tier because I like the idea of pitching in for someone else or for pitching into the organization. There’s also an option to donate to the dice goblin collection, which is how Dragons, Dungeons, and Drinks can offer free dice at each one-shot. I like the flexibility in tickets, and if I’m able to, I plan to purchase a Hero-Tier ticket every time.

If you want to find out more about Dragons, Dungeons, and Drinks as an organization, I wrote this article for Twin Cities Geek recently about how the organization came to be. I am glad that I was able to go to a game, and I hope to make it to many more in the future.

Twin Cities Con 2025

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Last weekend I was at Twin Cities Con! I have been to Twin Cities Con several times, and it’s one convention I always try to make every year. As per usual, I was volunteering at the Twin Cities Geek table, which I look forward to. One thing I have always found interesting is that when I talk to people who stop by our booth, they mention that Twin Cities Con is their first convention. I love that. I’m happy to see Twin Cities Con bringing more people to attend conventions.

Image is a banner for Twin Cities Con. It's gold and it shows the Minneapolis skyline in the background. In big white font it says "Twin Cities Con"

At our booth this year, we were handing out Chainsaw Man hats. Since Twin Cities Geek is an online magazine, we get sent promotional items to hand out, which we usually reserve for conventions. These Chainsaw Man hats were rad. I don’t usually have a ton of interest in the promotional things we hand out, but these were an exception. I’m not sure the exact number of hats we handed out, but when I was walking around the convention, I saw people wearing them. Someone had stopped by and put a Chainsaw Man hat on their baby, which was really cute. It’s always fun to offer free stuff.

As far as cosplay, I cosplayed both Friday and Saturday. On Friday, I cosplayed as The Punisher. Several years ago, I bought this Punisher bodysuit from Amazon. I only wore it once to C2E2 years ago. As I was contemplating what I wanted to cosplay, I found this at the bottom of my cosplay dresser, and forgot I had it. This bodysuit is really comfy! There’s enough room that I could wear leggings underneath if it were cold out. The bodysuit comes with white gloves and a white belt with velcro pockets. On Saturday, I cosplayed as an NPC (non-playable character) from our D&D campaign. I don’t have permission to share her character art since I don’t own the image. She has red hair, is wearing a black bralette, tight black leggings, and a dark, navy blue cardigan. She’s a Bard, so she also has a Violin. I wore the same wig that I wore for Scarlet Witch, and instead of wearing a black bralette, I wore a black, cropped athletic top. I found a navy blue cardigan online that’s not an exact match, but I think it’s a close resemblance. I didn’t take any photos on Saturday, so I don’t have anything I can share, but I was happy with how it came together.

The final thing I wanted to mention was the changes from this year’s Twin Cities Con and last year’s Twin Cities Con. I wrote about this last year, but the security line wasn’t set up the best. This year, the security line was set up differently. Once you walked through security, you had access to pretty much everything. The exhibit hall, panel rooms, and the gaming room where Badwolf Adventure Studios was set up. The only thing outside of this area was the main panel room. I was reading posts online, and everything was really positive. People said that everything ran smoothly. I’m glad that Twin Cities Con made these changes, and the changes made a difference.

It was another successful Twin Cities Con, that’s for sure. I can’t wait for next year.

Grim Reaper and Pumpkin Coffee – Halloween Shopping

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Last weekend, my husband needed to go to Home Depot as he was working on replacing our bathroom faucet. He asked me to go with him, and I declined. I’m not a home improvement person, and unless it’s decorations or gardening, I don’t go. With that said, my husband came home and informed me that Home Depot had its Halloween decorations in its seasonal section of the store. Luckily, my husband needed to go back to Home Depot for something he missed, so this time I tagged along.

Image is a photo of a Grim Reaper holding a scythe. It's an outdoor Halloween decoration and has a stand. Next to the Grim Reaper is a brown and black tabby cat looking at it. The Grim Reaper is on a fireplace mantle.

There were so many options! I settled on a Grim Reaper along with some outdoor Peanuts decorations. I am trying to convince my husband that we need the 12-foot skeleton; that’s a work in progress.

On top of that, I needed to go to Trader Joe’s to pick up food for dinner. I found my all-time favorite Fall item in stock. It’s their Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Concentrate. I don’t like Pumpkin Spice Lattes because they are too sweet for me. I use a little of the Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Concentrate, coffee, and almond milk. It tastes like a cinnamon-y cup of coffee. It’s perfect because I get the flavor without the sugary aftertaste.

Image is a photo of an orange bottle from Trader Joe's. It says "Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Flavored Cold Brew Concentrate" and i thas cinnamon sticks on it along with pumpkins.

There are so many things that I love about Fall and I’m glad its here.

Uncrustable Burger – Minnesota State Fair

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I took a little bit of a blogging break which I felt was needed. There were more events on my calendar than usual and it was nice to live in the moment versus figuring out what I needed to write next. I’m happy to be back! This year, I went to the Minnesota State Fair twice and each time, we took my in-laws. My in-laws have never been to the state fair before, so it was fun to see their thoughts and reactions. I wanted to share some photos along with some of the food I tried including an Uncrustable Burger.

Before getting into it, I wanted to talk about the Minnesota State Fair in greater detail. Our State Fair is huge and crowded. I’m the type of person who prefers to go to the State Fair once every three to four years. My husband though, he goes twice a year and more if he’s able to. Going twice this year was big for me. Every time I go, I always take the bus. Several metro stations have buses dedicated to pick up and drop off at the fair. It’s the best way to go in my opinion because parking is a nightmare. This year was no exception, I ended up taking an Uber to the transit station, so I didn’t even have to drive once. We went on a Tuesday and on a Saturday, so my in-laws could experience the weekend crowd versus during the week. I always go during the week because it’s easier to take PTO and have it be less busy than try to manage on a weekend when everyone is there.

Image is a doughnut with Jalapenos, bacon, and cream cheese. There's a yellow drizzle on it which is honey. It's sitting on a pink polka dot paper to eat on.

One of the biggest draws to the State Fair is the food. There are always new food to try and often, I like to map out where everything is. This year, I tried the Jalapeño Doughnut and the Uncrustable Burger. The Jalapeño Doughnut is a doughnut with jalapeños, cream cheese, and honey drizzled on it. The doughnut was huge and I could have split half of this with someone else. The doughnut was savory versus sweet. The honey drizzle was a nice touch, but made it messy to eat. I only ate half the doughnut before a hornet wouldn’t stop buzzing around me and I had to throw it away. I’d buy doughnuts from this place again, but prefer my doughnuts to taste sweet.

Image is of what appears to be a hamburger in a white paper dish. Instead, it's the Uncrustable Burger. The patties are a fried orange color and there are little swirly lines around it indicating that it is an Uncrustable Burger.

The Uncrustable Burger was something else I tried. The buns weren’t hamburger buns, but were Uncrustable Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches that were fried. My brother-in-law bought this and let me have a bite. Making the Uncrustables the buns seems like a great idea, but the more my brother-in-law ate, the more the sandwiches dissolved. It was difficult to eat as peanut butter and jelly went everywhere. I only had one bite and I had jelly all over my fingers. Was this good? Yes. Would I order it again? Probably not. Besides trying new things, I had my usual favorites. Sweet Martha’s Cookies, Deep Fried Pickles, and French Fries. French Fries sound so basic, but there’s something comforting about getting fries at the fair.

It was fun to attend the Minnesota State Fair this year, but I think next year, I will pass.

LARPing for The First Time

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I am a part of four different LARP (live action role-playing) Discord groups at the moment. I had been meaning to go to a LARP, but every time I put the event on my calendar, something else would come up and I’d have to miss it. Last month, I was able to dedicate the time, and I went to my first LARP session! I wasn’t sure what to expect or if I would like it, but I ended up having a blast. I wanted to share a little bit more about what LARPing is, the game that I played, and the character I created.

LARP stands for live action role playing. Essentially, I’d describe LARP as playing a TTRPG, but instead of rolling dice, you act out what your character does. Players can set up objectives that they want their characters to meet and interact with other players through their characters. Gamemasters exist in LARP, and they come up with different events that all players can partake in. This is an over-simplified explanation of LARP, and as someone who has only LARPed once, it’s less of a refined definition and more of how I can explain LARP in my own words.

The LARP I went to was for the game Wraith: The Oblivion. Wraith: The Oblivion is a World of Darkness game, which may sound familiar as it exists in the same world as Vampire: The Masquerade. In Wraith, players play as ghosts who died in the mortal world and now exist in this darker underworld. Depending on how players died, players are sorted into legions. There’s a legion consisting of ghosts who died of old age, or those who died from acts of violence, or those who don’t remember how they died. There’s a mystery to it as to why your character didn’t move on after death. Why are they still here, and what do you hope to accomplish throughout the game? This was my first time playing Wraith, as I had heard about the game before, but hadn’t had a chance to play.

My character is named Mia. She was an emergency room nurse who remembers leaving work, but then she wakes up in the underworld. She was told that she had died, but she simply doesn’t remember what happened to her. Mia belongs to the Legion of Paupers, meaning a ghost who doesn’t remember what happened to her. How does Mia find purpose in her existence? I liked the idea of her finding value in her career and what that would mean for her as a character. I thought it was an interesting contrast for someone to believe in science and reason, and now has to think about things differently. On top of that, I wanted to make her death a mystery. I thought it would be easier to roleplay since I don’t know as much about Wraith’s gameplay mechanics.

Before the game, I was chatting with one of the storytellers on Discord. They helped share tips for crafting a character while also giving me space to come up with something on my own. When I arrived at where the LARP was held, that same storyteller helped me fill out my character sheet. For someone who had no idea how to play the game, I liked that someone took the time to walk me through it all. After that, I was partnered with another storyteller. We had a conversation in which Mia woke up in a darker emergency room of sorts, where she was told that she had died. After Mia got the rundown of the world, she was led by the storyteller to where the other players were.

I was a little nervous, because I didn’t know everyone there. There were two people whom I had played Vampire: The Masquerade with before, so not total strangers, but the idea of going up to people in character was a little intimidating. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. All of our characters were talking with each other, and time passed quickly. The session was four hours in total, and I didn’t find myself bored or losing interest. After the session ended, it was clear that Mia had plot points and things she wanted to accomplish in the next session.

My first LARP was a positive experience! I want to try out some of the other LARPs in the Twin Cities area, but this one will be one I want to continue with. I am proud of myself for trying something new and putting myself out there. While I go to conventions by myself, it’s something I feel comfortable with, and LARP was new. I can’t wait to LARP in the future, and maybe I’ll come in costume next time.

CONvergence 2025

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I was at CONvergence last weekend, which is always a blast. I look forward to CONvergence every year, and it’s always a highlight of my summer. I counted, and this is my 9th CONvergence. While I have attended CONvergence nine times, I always either learn something new or think about something I want to do next year that I didn’t have a chance to do this year. This year, I went to a photo meet-up, won a board game in a raffle, and debuted a new cosplay.

CONvergence is a four-day convention, although I go for three full days and skip Sunday. Sunday is my day where I recharge my social battery. Since I live close to the Hyatt Regency, I don’t reserve a hotel room. With the constant commuting and high energy of conventions, I need a day to unwind. On Thursday, I volunteered at the Twin Cities Geek table like I usually do. I spent four hours talking to geeks and handing out free swag that we received. From my time at the table, I always get people handing me badge ribbons. Badge ribbons are big at CONvergence, and once you get a badge ribbon, you stick it to the end of your badge. I always have several ribbons by the time the convention ends, and usually it’s because I’m talking to people who happen to have badge ribbons with them. Thursdays are the chillest day because I’m only at the con for a max of four hours. I don’t want to get too burnt out too quickly.

Image is a photo of three women in Scarlet Witch cosplays. We are smiling at the camera.

Friday is the day I’m at CONvergence the longest. I always arrive in the morning and don’t leave until 11:30 PM or later. After volunteering for Twin Cities Geek, I went to a cosplay photo meet-up. I didn’t start doing this until last year, but at CONvergence, there are several pre-planned cosplay meet-ups. They go for an hour, and it’s where cosplayers can get professional photos taken. Photos are uploaded two or three weeks after the convention ends. This year, I went to the Marvel photo meet-up as I cosplayed Scarlet Witch. I cosplayed as Scarlet Witch at Planet Comic Con this year. The only difference is that I was able to find a copper red wig to wear. There were two other Scarlet Witch cosplayers, and we were able to take a selfie together and have our photos taken. I can’t wait to see how the photos turned out!

Besides the photo meet-up, I played at one of the Badwolf Adventure Studios tables. I tried a new TTRPG that I have never played before called Monster of the Week. I would describe Monster of the Week as Scooby Doo meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The system itself is easy to learn as it utilizes two six-sided dice for every roll. Our table was high energy, and I liked being able to sit back and watch the story unfold. The session was two hours, which flew by. Towards the end of our session, someone came to our table and offered us raffle tickets. I entered to win a copy of Distilled, which is a game I demoed at Gen Con. I was not expecting to win, as I saw the number of tickets in the jar for this game. Several hours later, I got a text saying I won the game! I can safely say that Distilled is a heavy game to lug around for several hours at the con.

After gaming, I went to two panels. The first panel was tips for how to be a good Gamemaster (GM). Five panelists shared their experience with GMing a variety of systems, including one GM who had experience putting together a LARP (live-action roleplay). They took questions from the audience, which helped tailor the discussion to topics the audience would be most interested in learning about. I have always wanted to be a GM, or I think it would be fun to be a GM for one game. If I were to GM any system, it would be Vampire: The Masquerade or Call of Cthulhu. I like Dungeons & Dragons, but as a system, I’m not passionate about telling a story within that system. The second panel was a cosplay-themed panel where panelists discussed their costuming horror stories. This was an easy panel to listen to, and the panelists were knowledgeable but engaging. Some of the stories were hilarious, and the panelists themselves kept it lighthearted.

To end the day, I went to two comedy events: the first featured several comedians with their ten-minute sets, and the second was Vilification Tennis. Vilification Tennis is an event I never miss. It’s where comedians will stand up and insult each other. The insults are downright diabolical. This show is inappropriate, hence why it’s always at 10:00 PM on a Friday. After Vilification Tennis, my plan was to wander the party rooms. However, my wig headache was wearing on me, and I had my new copy of Distilled that I didn’t want to lose, so I left shortly after the show.

Photo is of me in cosplay as Moonshine Cybin. I'm wearing dark green rain boots, blue overalls, a bikini top. There's a possum sticking out of my overalls. I'm wearing an orange wig that I have braided. I'm wearing a mushroom floral crown.

On Saturday, I debuted a new cosplay. I had been putting together this cosplay for a bit. I cosplayed Moonshine Cybin from the Dungeons & Dragons podcast, NADDPOD. I am so excited about how this cosplay came together. I’m going to break this down in a later post. After my volunteering hours at Twin Cities Geek, I went to the Geeks Without God panel, which is a live recording of the podcast. Geeks Without God has been a long-running podcast, but I didn’t start listening until last year. This episode was about AI, and the guests included a college professor and someone who works in publishing. I liked hearing the perspective from the professor, as it shows how much has changed since I went to school. They covered a variety of different topics, and the episode itself was fascinating to watch. After the panel, I was exhausted. For next year, I’m going to arrive on Saturday later in the day. I wanted to stay and go to the party rooms, but I was tired. Friday was a long day, I woke up early to get ready, therefore I left earlier on Saturday.

CONvergence was so much fun. Besides arriving later on Saturday, I want to commit to volunteering at CONvergence. As mentioned, this is my ninth CONvergence, and it’s about time that I pay it forward. I won’t miss anything if I volunteer, and for me to enjoy the con for all these years, volunteers made that happen. I’d like to be able to make that happen for someone else. Additionally, I’d love to get back into being on panels. I was a panelist several years ago, and I keep missing the cutoff for signing up to be a panelist. Those are my goals for the next CONvergence and the one after that.

The Black Hills – South Dakota

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Italy was our big trip this year, but before we planned out Italy, we booked a trip to The Black Hills with my husband and his parents. While I live in Minnesota and South Dakota is a bordering state, I have never been to The Black Hills. My husband’s mom is from South Dakota and wanted to book a trip, so I could experience The Black Hills for the first time. I have been to South Dakota before, but the farthest I have been is Mitchell where the Corn Palace is. I had no expectations for this trip and one of the biggest takeaways was how beautiful this area of South Dakota truly is.

Photo is an image of Mount Rushmore behind us with me and my husband smiling at the camera.

We were in The Black Hills for two full days and were able to cram in a lot. On our first day, we went to Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and Needles Highway. While driving to Mount Rushmore, all the roads were uphill and you end up driving through the hills to get to it. As we parked and walked up, there’s a walkway taking you straight to the scuplture. Lining the bridge are all the U.S. state flags. My mother in law was sharing how much Mount Rushmore has been built up since she was a little girl. There are several walkways to get closer to the presidents and plaques with the history of how Mount Rushmore was built. It was more extravagant than I thought it was going to be since I thought it would be Mount Rushmore and nothing else there.

This is a photo of a corn field with a few trees. There are at least a hundred buffalo within walking distance from us.

After Mount Rushmore, we went to Custer State Park. There’s a loop within Custer State Park called Wildlife Loop where you’re the most likely to see buffalo. We saw plenty of prairie dogs and a few antelope. It wasn’t until we took a detour that we saw buffalo up close. By up close, I mean they were a few steps away from our vehicle. I have seen buffalo before when I went to Wyoming last year, but nothing like this. There are many signs that state to not approach the buffalo which makes me laugh because it wouldn’t surprise me if there was someone who rushes the buffalo for a picture. Buffalo are aggressive animals and that would end poorly.

To finish off our first day, we drove on Needles Highway. Needles Highway is a scenic drive and the roads are so narrow. There are tunnels that only have room for one car to pass at a time. Thank goodness I wasn’t driving because that would have stressed me out. You would have to look ahead to see if a car was already in a tunnel before making your way through. There are these rock formations that are narrow and tall that are nicknamed needles hence the name Needles Highway. I’m glad I wasn’t driving because I could look out the window and take it all in.

Image is a photo of Crazy Horse. It's a monument and you can see the head and a crane above the fingers.

On our second day we went to Crazy Horse and The Mammoth Site. Crazy Horse is a cooler version of Mount Rushmore. It’s a sculpture dedicated to indigenous tribes, but what’s unique about Crazy Horse is that it didn’t take government funds to build. It’s entirely self funded. They started Crazy Horse in 1948 and as of 2025, they aren’t finished yet. However, they have the face all carved and parts of the fingers. It’s estimated that they could be completed in 10 – 20 years from now. They also have a bin of rocks that they collected from sculpting Crazy Horse that are free to take. We now have a portion of Crazy Horse in our garden.

Image is a photo of a dig site that's indoors. There's a wooden roof and yellow, bright brown dust. There are several bones that can be seen on the various dirt structures.

After Crazy Horse, I wanted to go to The Mammoth Site. The Mammoth Site is a live excavation where palentologists are still finding preserved Mammoth bones. As you walk in, there’s a big dig area and each portion has audio recordings, so you can listen and match what you’re looking at. There are several walkways and plaques describing what was occurring. Interestingly enough, the mammoth is a relative to the elephant, so sometimes scientists will reference elephant anatomy if needed. Isn’t that neat? Once you exit the dig area, there are several stations where they tell you about this time period, what happened to the mammoths since they are extinct, and the different areas in the world and what was going on there. It was like a mini science museum devoted to mammoths.

While we did a lot in two days, this could easily have been a week long trip. We didn’t have time to do Devil’s Tower in Wyoming or Wind Cave. This would be a fun trip to do with kids since there’s enough going on to keep them interested. The Black Hills was fun to visit and I want to go back. As far as the rest of my travel plans for this year, this should be the last trip. I’m looking forward to being home for the rest of the year and planning out trips for 2026.

Naboo – Our Trip to Lake Como

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This is the final post in my three-part Italy series. When we planned our itinerary, I told my husband that we had to go to Lake Como. Lake Como, specifically Villa del Balbianello, is where portions of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones were filmed. Lake Como is located in the northern part of the country, close to the Switzerland border. We took a train from Florence to Milan, stayed in Milan for a day, then took a train from Milan to Lake Como. Lake Como was gorgeous and one of the trip’s highlights.

Image is a photo of Lake Como. In the center is the lake. To the left, middle, and right of the photo are these grassy mountains. The clouds look like they are touching the mountains. There's a big ferry coming into dock.

When we got to Lake Como, the train station was right near downtown. Lake Como is a small town with shops and several clothing stores. Approaching the lake, Lake Como is surrounded by grassy mountains. Lake Como is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. It makes sense that portions of the prequels were filmed here. I was in awe of how pretty the lake was. I don’t want this paragraph to be repetitive, but I can’t help it. Lake Como was stunning.

Image is a photo of Lake Como from the view of a balcony. The balcony has an arch and through the arch is the lake and buildings on the grassy mountain.

After checking into our Airbnb, my husband suggested we take the Cable Car. There’s a cable car nearby downtown that will shuttle people to Brumate, a town on the mountain. I don’t do well with heights, but I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t do it. The line for the cable car can be long; however, two cable cars run simultaneously, so I felt that it kept things moving. It was cloudy by the time we made our way to the station, so the line wasn’t very long. The ride up to Brumate was smoother than I anticipated, especially because it was at a steep incline. At the top, there are several hiking trails, one leading to a lighthouse. We walked around, but only ended up staying for about thirty minutes before taking the cable car back down. We lucked out because about an hour after that, it started to rain. It was good timing that we were able to buy tickets, hop on the cable car, walk around, hop back on the cable car to make our way back to Como, all before the rain started.

View from the top of the cable car. It shows an orange roofed building and a great view of all the mounains.

The real question is, did we visit Villa del Balbianello? We didn’t. Most of the villas that we could tour weren’t within walking distance of where we were staying. For Villa del Balbianello specifically, there was a bus you could take to get there, but it doesn’t drop you off right in front of the villa, so you’d have to walk up to get there. We could have taken the ferry, but the lines for the ferry were extremely long, much longer than the cable cars. It was odd because you think that for something so well-known, it would have been easier to get there. It would have taken us a full day to navigate there, and I didn’t want to take up that much time. While I didn’t visit the exact villa Star Wars was filmed in, I was close enough to Naboo, and that was good enough for me.

If I could describe our time in Lake Como with one word, I would say it was relaxing. Our first day was packed with the train, walking around, checking into our Airbnb, and riding the cable car. The other days we were there, we had no plans, and it was needed. I enjoyed the time when my husband and I would get an espresso to go, and I’d bring my book to read while we sat on the bench near the lake. After spending a good amount of time on the lake, we took the train back to Rome, toured the Vatican, and flew home.

It’s been fun to reminisce about our trip to Italy! With that said, I’m looking forward to being home for the rest of the year. I don’t have any other travel plans for this year, and I’m perfectly okay with that.

Cooking Pasta in Florence

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This is the second post in my three-part Italy series. We spent a few days in Rome before taking the train up to Florence. Florence is about an hour from Rome and is known for its wineries. We didn’t do a wine tour, instead, my husband booked us a cooking class where we learned how to make three different types of pasta. The cooking class was one of the most memorable parts of our trip, and while we were only in Florence for a few days, we made the most of it.

Once our train arrived, we were able to check into our Airbnb early and drop off our luggage. One of the most notable places to visit in Florence is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. This cathedral is massive! It’s so exquisite to see up close. If you look at any photos from Florence, I can almost guarantee that the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore makes an appearance. Earlier in the day, there was a torrential downpour of rain, but fortunately, it didn’t last long, and the sun came out. All these photos have not been edited in the slightest, it was that nice while we were in Florence.

Image is a photo of me and my husband in front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. We are smiling at the camera and it's a blue sky with little to no clouds in the photo.

Another famous landmark in Florence is the Ponte Vecchio. The Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone arch bridge over the Arno River in Florence. While walking on the bridge, there are a variety of different shops selling jewelry, watches, and other local goods. We walked on this bridge several times throughout our time in Florence.

Image is a photo of a medieval stone arch bridge. There are several buildings that jet out of the bridge in yellow and orange. Those are the shops on the bridge.

Our cooking class was on our second day in Florence. The cooking class was in the back of a restaurant. As we proceeded down the hallway, we were led to one of two rooms. Two cooking classes were going on simultaneously, with a barrier between the rooms. Each room had three tables, two wider tables with a narrow table up near the chef’s area. Each setting has flour, two eggs, and a variety of cooking utensils for everyone to use.

Image shows a wooden table with flour and two eggs on top. There are several tools and dishes with cheese in them. Lots of rolling pins are nearby.
Image shows a cooking table with people seated in front of it. The chef is shown stirring something in the pot. There are these older, white buildings with windows with green shutters. The ceiling is completely open and you can see the blue sky in this photo.

I was slightly nervous as the cooking class approached. I like to cook, but I’m not an expert, and I’d hate to mess anything up since we have to eat what we make. However, our chef had great energy and was walking around helping out if needed. The three types of pasta that we made were: Tortellini, Ravioli, and Pappardelle. Tortellini was by far the hardest to make. Our chef showed us the process, and I was lost. He showed us again, and it wasn’t until I watched my husband do it first that I started to understand how to fold the pasta appropriately. Ravioli is easy; the pasta is laid out, the ricotta is put inside, and the Ravioli is folded and cut into squares. Pappardelle was also easy, as you simply had to cut the pasta into long strips.

Once we had made the pasta, we collected it, and our chef made the sauces for each type of pasta. We had unlimited wine in our cooking class, so we sipped on wine while we waited for the pasta to cook. Everything was delicious! Looking back, I had no reason to be nervous, as these types of classes for tourists assume that everyone is new to making pasta. This cooking class was out of my comfort zone, and I’m glad I did it.

Photo is of Ravioli that we made with cherry tomatoes in it.
Image is a photo of me and my husband smiling in our aprons before the cooking class began.

It was a jam-packed two days, but I felt we were fully able to explore Florence. The only thing we didn’t do was go to a winery or two. The wineries are up on the hillside in Florence, so they aren’t walkable. There are bus tours that can take you up into the wineries, but we didn’t want to book that on top of our cooking class. I felt the cooking class was well worth it, so I’m glad we chose to do that instead. If we are in Florence again, that’s something I’d want to do.

The final post in this Italy series will be our trip to Lake Como and Milan, which is even farther north than Florence.

When in Rome

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The first post in my three-part Italy series will focus on Rome, which is where we spent the most time on our trip. When planning our trip, we attempted to find a direct flight from Minneapolis to Italy. This proved unsuccessful, so we decided to fly out of O’Hare in Chicago instead. This was the best decision because this way we could fly directly to Italy rather than a layover somewhere else. From there, we took trains all over Italy. Looking back, this made our trip so much more relaxing. Rome was a highlight of our trip and one of my favorite places I have ever visited.

Our first day in Rome was all about navigating the city. We took the Leonardo Da Vinci Express from the airport to Rome Termini, which is the main train station in the heart of the city. My husband and I were committed to walking everywhere, which we did. Rome’s streets are older and all cobblestone, so we dragged our suitcases from the train station to our Airbnb. Maneuvering through Rome with our suitcases was a challenge. The streets and sidewalks are often very narrow, and with everything being mostly cobblestone, I’m surprised that our suitcases didn’t pop a wheel. While exhausting, I feel accomplished that I was physically able to do all that walking with my backpack and a suitcase to lug around. Our first day was mostly getting acquainted with the time zone and the city.

Image is a close up view of the Colosseum. The sky is blue with white clouds on the left of the photo. It shows three layers to the colosseum with the third layer collapsing. In the second row, there are figures that can be seen through the slots of the colosseum. There are people outside the colosseum looking at it.
Image is a phot of me sitting on a bar with the colosseum in the background. I'm smiling at the camera wearing sunglasses.

Our second day was spent seeing the Colosseum. The Colosseum was one of my favorite moments from the trip. When we walked to the Colosseum, we passed by all these beautiful marble buildings. On either side of us, there were historic pillars from buildings that were built so long ago. Rome is a historic city, and there’s so much to see while walking. Our Colosseum tickets were for a self-guided tour, and we had 75 minutes to explore. We walked around the Colosseum and to the outer ring of the arena. If you look down into the arena, there are these flaps that would lift up. This represents when animals would enter the arena, they would come out of these flaps to attack the gladiators. My husband looked this up, and it’s estimated that 1 million animals were killed during this time. While we toured the Colosseum, the weather was gorgeous! It was so sunny. We spent almost the full time walking around the Colosseum and taking a ton of pictures.

Photo is of the Spanish Steps. There are steps farther away in this photo with a fountain off to the left. There's a white cathedral type building with two pillars / domes at the top. To the left and right of the spanish steps are two Italian buildings with beige, white, and brown stone to them.

On the same day we did the Colosseum, we went to the Spanish Steps. The Spanish Steps are a monument in Rome, and it’s actually illegal to sit on them. Walking to the Spanish Steps, there are a ton of designer clothing stores on either side of the street. Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and more had storefronts in this area. I am not into designer clothing, but it’s impressive to see all the fashion designers in Italy. As we approached the steps, there was a big fountain in the middle of the cobblestone courtyard. Climbing the steps, we were treated to a lovely view of Rome. It was worth all the uphill climbing to get there.

Image is a photo of the Vatican. There are three big buildings with the Vatican at the center. The Vatican has 10 big pillars at the front with a beautiful dome and point at the top. In front of the Vatican is a huge square. Off to the right is a big column statue.

The day before we flew home, we toured the Vatican. As a fun fact, the Vatican is located in its own city-state called Vatican City. My husband wanted to tour the Vatican as he wanted to see the Sistine Chapel, which has the paintings Michaelanglo did, specifically the painting in which God is touching his finger to Adam, giving him life. When touring the Vatican, there is a strict policy on what you wear. Shoulders cannot be showing, and any pants, skirts, or dresses have to be below the knee. Anything low-cut is strictly forbidden. Outside the Vatican, there are vendors selling shawls to those who need additional coverage. We originally signed up for an Italian tour because the English tours were all sold out. As we arrived for our tour time, the woman who checked us in gave us a look and asked if we spoke Italian. We responded honestly that we don’t, but we were really looking forward to the tour, and we knew what we had signed up for. She was able to pull some strings and move us into the English-speaking tour. It was lucky, but to reiterate, we knew what we signed up for, and we weren’t expecting anyone to bend anything for us.

While touring the Vatican, there were so many different marble statues and artifacts to see. There was a statue of the goddess Athena. Our tour guide explained that Athena’s eyes were black (as opposed to having regular marble eyes) to make Athena seem more intimidating. There are also several marble statues of lions, including Hercules holding the lion’s head. Our tour was a solid two hours, and once the tour ended, we proceeded to make our way to the Sistine Chapel.

The Sistine Chapel was much smaller than I anticipated it would be. It’s strictly forbidden to take photos of the Sistine Chapel. There are several security guards stationed throughout who were yelling at people who had their phones out. The reasoning behind this is that flash photography can ruin or damage the paintings. I think this is neat because it forces people to live in the moment and take it all in, versus taking a photo to remember for later. My husband felt this was one of his favorite parts of our trip.

Photo is an image of a black kitty lounging on a rock. There's a gate that protects the kitty from visitors.
Photo is the grounds of the Cat Sanctuary. It shows brown brick barriers that look slightly damaged. There are pillars that were standing from a building that is no longer there. There are plants growing within the remains as well.

Oh, and I can’t forget about the cat sanctuary! The Torres Argentina Cat Sanctuary was the site of Julius Caesar’s assassination. In 1929, this area was excavated, and cats would hang out in the area. In 1993, two women started working on getting the cats spayed and neutered. The cat sanctuary was born ever since then! When we walked up to the sanctuary, there were kitties everywhere! They were napping in the plants, walking around the site, and if you go down this set of stairs, there’s a door that leads to the front desk. As a cat lover, I was thrilled. The Torres Argentina Cat Sanctuary is fun to see, and it’s free, so why not go see the cats?

There’s so much more that I can write about, but those were the major highlights from Rome. I’m glad that we spent the majority of our time in Rome, as there’s a lot to take in. For my next post, I will be talking about Florence, including the cooking class we took.