Aloha Kauai

As predicted, our first morning in Kauai, Mark and I were up pretty early. I was in and out of sleep between 3:40am-5:30am. Mark and I gave up on sleep, got ready, and headed to a local grocer called Kukuiula Store. They have a couple of different shops within the store where I picked up some pastries, coffee, and breakfast for us and the girls from Rise 'n Shine. 

After we filled our bellies, we jumped in the car and headed north and west to Waimea Canyon for a hike. It was challenging, but beautiful!! There's a reason people call it the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. I underestimated the need for proper hiking shoes. While we made it in our regular walking sneakers, it was precarious because the loose dirt caused us to stumble and slide more often than we'd like. I'd recommend that people where hiking shoes if possible. There were a lot of older folks and young kids who did the hike, so it's not impossible, but I also wonder how stressful and difficult it was for them. However, I'd still highly recommend it!! Check out some of the photos we took. These photos don't even do the landscape justice. However, keep two things in mind...For the challenge of the hike, the journey there is the best part because the waterfall at the end of the trail was pretty "meh". ALSO, the red dirt will get all over your shoes, but if you brush off as much as you can, soak the shoes in water and detergent, and run them through the wash, they can be recovered. That's what worked for us!

When we got back to our car, a Scottish couple flagged us down and asked to use one of our phones because their rental car had a flat tire. Unfortunately, the cell service was virtually non-existent in this part of the island. Mark drove them to the nearest lookout point where some park employees were stationed while the girls and I waited. When they came back it turns out the employees were no longer there, so being the great guy Mark is, he volunteered to help them put on the spare tire so they could at least drive out of the canyon and into town for help. We hope they got the help they needed. A flat tire is never fun!

By the time all that was done, it was well after 1:00 and we were famished. We chose Tiki Tacos for lunch and they really hit the spot. Keep in mind that the tacos are larger than most, so 1-2 was more than sufficient. And despite being full, we made room to stop by Longie's in Hanapepe.

We got back to the hotel and headed to the pool before dinner at Mucho Aloha Brewhouse. Grace and Keira were big fans of the tacos there. They preferred them to Tiki Tacos earlier in the day.

It was a full first day and were were still fighting jet lag so we were back to the hotel around 8:30pm where we watched TV and read for a bit before lights out around 9:30pm. 

Getting to Kauai

We recently returned from a very enjoyable summer vacation to Kauai and Oahu. One of the best parts was being able to take Gracie with us. Keira was over the moon to have her join.  The biggest challenge after landing in Kauai was staying awake. We landed just before 5pm which would've been 10pm at home. By the time we got our baggage, rental car, and dropped our bags off at the hotel, it was 7pm. The good news is Sixt upgraded our standard SUV to a Jeep and Koloa Landing upgraded our room from a studio to a one-bedroom. Whoo hoo!! Things were going really well already. Despite being exhausted, we made our way into Old Koloa Town and had dinner at Kenji Burger . Gracie especially enjoyed their sushi burrito. I think we were all asleep by 9:30pm (2:30am in MN) - zzzzzz.

Arrivederci! Final Thoughts.

 Here's a quick summary of thoughts and tips regarding Italy (Rome, Sorrento, and Naples that is). We know we barely scratched the surface, but hope the following will help others when visiting. This is just a brain dump and in no particular order. 

• Skip the line tours are a MUST especially when visiting popular sites like the Colosseum and Vatican. Small tours are more intimate and manageable if possible. We'd especially recommend this for multi-city/town tours like for the Amalfi Coast. It allows flexibility between you and your guide.
• Pompeii can be toured on your own unless you want more depth of information.
• Amalfi Coast - There was more to do in Sorrento and it was easier to navigate than what we saw of Positano and Amalfi. It felt like a nice blend of the surrounding towns. 
• Toilets - many don't have toilet seats, so it's good to be prepared with soap leaves, flushable wipes, sanitizer, and other toiletries that may be helpful in this situation. Have 1 or 2 Euro coins for serviced restrooms when they're available. These have all the amenities you need.
• Adapters - a must! Bring a converter if you bring your own hair dryer. Otherwise, an adapter is sufficient for charging devices or using a curling iron/flat iron.
• Unless you have a voracious appetite for every meal, splitting food will allow you to not get too full while being able to try more items.
• Tipping - Similar to other European countries, tipping is not expected. At all. But it's still appreciated when you receive good/exceptional service. Carry 1-2 Euro for tipping. We tipped 10% for excellent service. 
• Trevi Fountain - Go earlier or at night to avoid large crowds, but check for fountain cleaning times.
• Gelato - Avoid places with many flavors and have mounds of gelato on display. While they're yummy and aren't bad by any means, the quality isn't the same. Opt for places that have less flavors and keep their gelato in metal containers with lids on them. You won't be able to see the gelato. Order the size first and pay. Then you hand your receipt as a ticket, tell them cone/cup and then you pick flavors - almost all places allow you to pick two flavors even with the smallest size. We recommend all the fruit-based gelatos and sorbets (mango, lemon, banana) but if you're looking for something sweeter, we really liked "Biscotto Della Nonna".
• Getting around...In most places, especially Rome, you need to walk across streets with confidence or you may get stuck for awhile looking both ways. The traffic is kind of nutty. But watch what the locals do and follow suit and you'll be fine!
• Clothing - I was really stressed about not dressing sloppily for fear of being frowned upon and I also didn't want to stick out like a tourist. In the end, I reminded myself that I don't care about strangers' opinions and I AM a tourist. However, out of respect for their culture (including dress), we wore jeans, no baseball caps, no sweats/athleisure, and wore our nicest street shoes (that were comfortable for walking miles). If nothing else, just wear black/white/gray and you'll fit right in!
• Train - Rome rail station was very nice. Your destination will be displayed on the board, but platform won't show for 10-20 minutes before departure time. Make note of your coach # - that is your train car # that you will look for when you get to the platform. There is limited space for medium-large luggage, so getting to your coach earlier is beneficial.
• When flying out of Naples, keep in mind to leave time to get through their checkin process. Not sure if it was too early in the morning, but the queue to fly to Rome was really long. Thankfully we were able to use the priority line because of my status with Delta. It looked like folks we saw in the regular line made it too, but avoiding unnecessary stress is always a plus in my book! Also note that you may board a bus which will then take you to the plane. Boarding from the ground onto the plane seems to happen in Europe. We experienced it the first time in Ireland so weren't too thrown off when this was the process in Naples.
• If you fly Delta and via a Sky Team member airline, know that even at the lowest tier of Silver Medallion, you're considered a "sky team elite" member so can get priority check in and boarding.