Ahh....Barcelona, all Gaudi...all the time. Such an architecturally beautiful city. From all of Gaudi's buildings to the wide boulevards to the charm of the Eixample...just simply amazing. Jesse and I spent a week in Barcelona in March, and loved every minute of it. La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's catherdal masterpiece, is slated to be completed in 2030. Probably the most impressive catherdral I've ever visited with the influence of nature apparent inside and out. It was the very first place we visited after stepping off the plane and checking into our hotel.
The trip was a role reversal of sorts for us-going to a country where Jesse knew the spoken language. I picked up what I needed to get by, but Jesse was the communicator. We stayed in a great boutique hotel on the outskirts of the Eixample district, a ten minute metor ride from the heart of the city, Placa Catalunya.
Our days were spent wandering the city, soaking up the sunshine while walking La Ramblas, browsing the La Boqueria, and exploring Parc Guell. We went to a La Liga football game, Valencia vs. FC Barcelona at the 98,000 seat Camp Nou. It was an incredible game, with Lionel Messi scoring a hat trick for FC Barcelona, sealing their victory.
We traveled outside of the city one day on a day trip to the Montserrat Shrine, and then to a Catalonian organic wineery. Such a great tour with fanastic weather.
Our time in Spain was much too short, but Spain has earned a place on the "places I really want to return" list. A very hard spot to achieve. So miss it.

Italy: Best and Worst (is it possible?!?!)

Best activity: wine tour
Best weather: Sunday in Venice/Florence after the rain
Best food: Spaghetti with fruitti di mare, Grand Canal, Venice
Best gelato: any
Worst weather: Rain in Venice on the first day
Most uncomfortable: On the vaporetto to Lido
Most relaxing: Cafes in Florence/beach in Lido
Most out of character: Sleeping in without an alarm 2/3 days. Nice! and still go to see plenty
Most educational moment: Understanding the DOCG in Tuscany from Illaria, our guide
WTF moments: 1) passport control at CDG 2)any Italian bathroom
Funniest: 3 for 5 at glass shop on Sunday in Venice
Most pleasant surprise: Hotel on first night (Dona Palace). Most decadent hotel I've ever stayed in for a fraction of the price. When have I ever had a STUDY in my hotel room?!?!?

A week's worth of observations...September 4, 2009

***Could not believe the international out pouring over Ted Kennedy's death. Absolutely astounding.

***Would do a wine and food tour in Tuscany any day - it was fantastic! Traveling in a minivan all over Tuscany as part of a six woman group - priceless!

***Italy smells of leather and pizza and I could be fine if those were the only smells I experience for the rest of my life

***Limiting gelato to once per day is very difficult

***Not sure if I'd fly Alitalia again. Kinda sketchy. AirFrance has more of a chance, but the plane cannot compare in any manner to Virgin Atlantic - the best -that's it.

***Someday, maybe sooner than I expect, I will cash in my FF miles and fly first class - I've been amassing miles for almost 10 years with very little to show.

***I think the guy who say next to Jesse and I when we went to Paris in January 2008 is on the plane - in an exit row - of course, all those miles he accumulated from his uber-exclusive job.

***The flight is late going back to the US - one of the first times we've been this late in all my years

***My bruise from falling at the Duomo in Florence is ridiculous. Of course I would fall on my face in a dress

***Leaving Venice in a water taxi is hands down the best exit from a city. It was almost James Bond like. I could not believe that we arrived at the airport (Marco Polo) in 20 minutes. It made up for not taking the gondola ride in the city.

***Lido is the best. When I return to Venice, I'm going back to Lido and renting a cabana all afternoon - it was fantastic - the sand was so soft, the water so warm. Perfect beach day - such a fan!

***Prosecco or Bellini--love them both. Not sure which I prefer, though partial to the Bellini...

***Shopping, wine, gelato, and chocolate make for the best times on womens vacations...

***Flying transatlantic alone is just not fun. It's much more enjoyable to have someone to talk to about the food with and to make the time go by much faster.

***This has to be my last trip to Europe this year! Twice in one year is incredible. No more trips unless the US dollar tanks even further.

***I really, really want to fly Lufthansa after all the hype I've heard. Is is really as good as its passengers proclaim???

***Finally have made it to Italy, but need to get to Rome. Where else on the list? Austria, Scandinavia, have to think about the rest...

***So glad Raegan and I rented cell phones. It made it much easier to separate. Thank goodness I got the charger to work at the Una Hotel

***Loved all three hotels: Dona Palace, Hotel Brunelleschi, and Una Hotel. All were what we needed in good locations.

***Would stay in Carneggio again. Loved being able to walk to the touristy spots, but with the relaxed vibe of the neighborhood.

***Will wear dresses and skirts when it's hot on vacation. So easy and much moe comfortable than shorts.

***Loved the market in Florence. Loved shopping with Raegan. We had the perfect girls getaway.

Catching up on the last day...September 4, 2009

Arrivederci Venezia...

This was the trip to Europe where I broke all my rules, rigid travel rules, and the result, was a most fantastic vacation:
**multiple days of sleeping in without alarms
**leaving museums unseen and being OK with that
**spending hours in cafes
**going to the beach (and having a cabana!)

Italy was the best - wish I had more time. One week, and we did a lot but I would love to visit Rome and Sicily (and Naples...to see my family's home).

But for what I saw...and lived...six days was plenty. And then can I go back? My backpack is even lighter than when I left...a first!

Observations during that week in Italy...

***Taking the train in Italy is very similar to taking the train in France. Why can't Amtrak get its act together and run itself more efficiently?!?!

***Would love it if the US had piazzas, but it would be overrun with teenagers on skateboards and laden with crime. It's too bad I am so cynical about the US but I think it really speaks to the differences between US and European cities/cultures.

***Can Rick Steves hire me as a freelance archivist?

***Trains are efficient. Have taken them about 90% more in Europe than in the US:

1997 September to November:
*London to Stratford-Upon-Avon
*Stratford-Upon-Avon to Edinburgh
*Edinburgh to Inverness
*Inverness to Edinburgh
*Edinburgh to London
*London to Paris

*Paris to Rennes
*Rennes to Strasbourg
*Rennes to Geneva
*Rennes to Bruseels
*Brussels to Amsterdam
*Amsterdam to Berlin
*Berlin to Paris
*Paris to Rennes
*Rennes to Paris
*Rennes to Charles deGaulle (CDG)

2008:
*Paris to Rennes

I heart SNCF. TrenItalia is pretty OK too!

First impressions of Italy...August 29, 2009

Ahhh....the Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge, my first day in Italy



Here goes...transcribed from journals....

My backpack and I have landed in Italy. After a crowded flight from Boston to Rome with only two hours of sleep, I'm now waiting to board a flight to Venice.

The Rome International airport is a sprawling facility, complete with the standard European mall just after you clear the initial customs area. The security check was probably one of the most chaotic I've experienced. The late passport control was a first - at the last minute before entering the domestic terminal.

I still can't believe I'm in Italy. I kept my eyes glued to the window as we landed this morning. I was thinking about all the early morning European landings I've made - 8 to be exact - and this probably the sunniest and the warmest. Traveling in the shoulder and off-season is usually less expensive but tends to be chillier or even down right cold since I've been to Europe three times in the winter!

I remember the first time I came to Europe, landing in Brussels being in awe of the hot towels distributed just before landing. The Brussels airport is huge and I had a six hour layovers, so Shannon and I traveled into the city - lounging in the Grand Place and eating Belgian waffles with Nutella. We continued on to Heathrow where I had to produce my return plane ticket to passport control to prove I actually was going to France to study in 10 days. Hard to believe I was 19 and so naive, wearing my flannel shirt and Mom-like Levi's - how things have changed.

It's a sunny, warm morning and as I gaze out the window, I see Alitalia planes, too numerous to count. I'll be getting on another one soon to continue my journey. This will be one of the first times I've landed in another country, where I don't speak the language and I will navigate on my own to Raegan's hotel. Flying long distances by yourself is lonely, the worst was going to Australia, but this has the added challenge or a language barrier. Should be entertaining.

Random observations:
***It's really funny that whenever I hear a foreign language I revert to French!!! Even in Italy when I'm not even remotely speaking French. (This happened after buying a croissant at an airport snack bar...)

***It's really surreal to be sitting in an airport in Italy and watching news updates from Ted Kennedy's funeral. I had no idea of the importance of his death outside of the United States.

Ahhh...Italy....dispatches from last summer

So, I went to Italy last summer for the first time, and had an amazing time with my friend and travel buddy Raegan (my roommate in Boston for 7 years). Though I haven't published in a while, I haven't been totally silent. I blogged old school while in Italy. I hurried into the Borders Express at Logan right before boarding my flight to Rome...and searched...and searched...and searched some more before finally finding a set of notebooks. Maybe a little fancier than I would have preferred, but still I was feeling the need to write...so I did. About Venice, about Florence, about trains, my gut instinct to respond in French no matter what language is posed to me. And finally, here are the results...