In and Out of the Garden: A Blog

I found out this week that I am going to Switzerland at the end of September. I'll be spending about 5 days in Lucerne on a business trip. Then since I'm all the way over there, I'll extend the trip at least another week and see something new. I'm in the midst of travel planning hell right now — I think I've researched every spot from Italy to Hungary to Austria and my brain is fried. But right now I'm leaning toward Amsterdam. I've never been there but everyone tell me that I would love it — great art, beautiful canals, fantastic Indonesian food and really nice people. If I can find a nice apartment there, I'll be set.

I got this idea from one of my favorite blogs Persnickety Tutu. Since I'm leaving soon, I thought now was the time share a few of my trusty travel packables.

1. Kipling New Rita Shoulder Bag in black nylon. I have used variations on this type of bag for travel before and it seems to be the best compromise of enough storage space without being too big and bulky. I also like the cross body strap and the fact that it zips securely. Kipling is a cool Belgium brand with a loyal following - it must be the furry monkey logo that is attached to every bag!

2. CAbi Reversible Skirt - I love the concept of a reversible skirt for travel. I brought a short one on my last trip and it was great. The fabric defies wrinkles and when you’re tired of one pattern, you flip it over to the other side. I just got this longer version in a fall colored floral pattern on one side and a subtle animal print on the other. I have to attend a couple of dinners on this trip and I can’t think of a more perfect solution than this skirt. It can also be made to look more casual with a t-shirt and sweater.

3. MAC Emergency Eye Treatment - this super small tube of eye cream de-puffs and soothes under the eyes. Perfect for those tired eyes after 12 hours on a plane.

4. Aveda Foot Relief - My feet take a pounding when I travel. No matter how good my shoes are, by the end of the day my feet are beat. This foot cream makes an amazing difference. It’s cooling, soothing and smells great.

5. Frommer’s Travel Planner Journal - Last trip I used a much prettier black leather travel journal, but for this trip I was talked into the practicality of this one with all it’s tabs and categories and helpful bits of travel info. In contrast my attractive black book had things like mountains of the world and a page of shuffleboard rules, which I hate to say never came in handy. The Frommer’s book has a handy pocket in the front and some business card pockets in the back and the whole book can be held together with an attached elastic band.

So, there you have it. Now I just need to pack it all up and go!

Last weekend we attended a most amazing gathering of people from Slow Travel. It was hosted by Palma and Brad in their beautiful home in Palm Desert. And I have to digress for just a moment and say how much I love the name Palma and the fact that this particular Palma lives in Palm Desert. Palma is also an exceptional cook, a master of entertaining and her love of Italy and all things Italian shows in everything that she does. So, this was a get together that was not to be missed.

We started at about 4:00 on a quite warm afternoon and I don't think we left until 1:30 am or so. What on earth did we do that whole time? Well, eating accounted for a lot of it. Talking was almost continuous and laughter was the glue that held it all together.

After lavish appetizers, we had a leisurely three course sit down dinner and later we had dessert. Every bit of food was delicious and I still cannot get over how amazing those chocolate dipped homemade caramels sprinkled with sea salt were.

And lest you think it was all about eating, let me reassure you that there was quite a bit more going on. Palma performed for us by singing her own words to classic songs, and she was backed up by a group of "slow chicks" adorned with feather boas. There was also a clever "show and tell" game where people brought something Italian in a bag. One of the favorites was Grappa in a Spray Bottle!

But by and large the main purpose of the event was for us to meet old and new friends, so the non-stop talking and laughter was ample evidence that the party was a roaring success. My thanks to Palma and Brad for giving so generously of their time, their hospitality and their friendship.

For more perspectives on the get together, check out Palma's blog, Jerry's blog, Sandi's blog and the Slow Travel Photo Album (that has over 180 photo from the event!). Video footage may be coming soon, I'll keep you posted.

For some reason I didn't take many photos on our recent trip to Paso Robles. I guess I was busy eating, drinking wine and socializing. But on the drive from Castoro to Tablas Creek Winery we pulled over to the side of the road so I could take this shot. The whole drive was one of those beautiful picturesque country drives, and this image in particular really stood out. If you are ever in Paso Robles, please do make the scenic drive along Vineyard Dr.

I got this meme from Blonde Momentos and it looks like fun.

1. What book are you reading right now? Do you like it?
I’m reading Living for Design: The Yves Saint Laurent Story by Axel Madsen. It’s probably out of print since it was published in 1979. It was in a bag of books that my mother gave me that she wanted to get rid of. I thought I’d read my way through any that looked interesting before donating them. This one is interesting but it does feel a little dated.

2. What was the last book you read on a plane?
I read White Rose (War of the Roses) by R. Garcia y Robertson on the plane on the way back from Amsterdam. It was a bit of fluff to get my mind off the fact that the vacation was over. The basic premise was that a woman from modern day Hollywood is transported in time back to England during the War of the Roses. The disappointing part of it was that it was the third book in a trilogy, but the ending was completely up in the air. So, either the author plans to write another book, or we are left completely guessing. Either way I’m not sure that I recommend it.

3. What was the last book you read on a roadtrip?
On the way back from San Diego on New Year’s Day I was reading Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl. A good foodie book, I really enjoyed it.

4. What is the most unusual place you found yourself reading?
Some people think it’s unusual that I can read while in motion, on the train or in the car (while someone else is driving of course). I don’t find it unusual, though. I like to read whenever and wherever I get the chance.

5. What books would you take to keep you occupied on a 2 week vacation to the beach?
Can it be a vacation to a beach in Italy? Let’s see I think I’d take five:

The Wedding Officer: A Novel by Anthony Capella. This the same author who wrote The Food of Love, a charming story of a girl who goes to Rome and falls in love with a cook. This book looks like it takes place in Naples and carries on the tradition of mixing romance with cooking, so I’m sure it would be a fun thing to read on vacation.

The Italian Lover by Robert Hellenga. Here’s another safe bet that I’m interested in reading. It’s the sequel to Sixteen Pleasures, which I really enjoyed.

Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy by Michael Tucker. It’s always nice to read a travel memoir while on vacation. This one is by former LA Law star and takes place in Umbria.

A Donna Leon “Commissario Guido Brunetti” mystery. I’ve only just recently read one of this series (Aqua Alta), so any of the others will do. It’s nice to have one page turner mystery in your beach bag.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón - This one takes place in Barcelona, not Italy (but perhaps my vacation is a week on the Italian Riviera and a week in Southern Spain, that sounds like a nice plan.) Anyway, Kim just mentioned this one and it sounds like a good read.

Here is my valentine tribute to that most romantic of cities—Venice. I created this collage out of some drawings, maps and cards that I picked up from our travels there several years ago. I think I was also inspired by these blogs which have had entries lately about Venice, collages and digital scrapbooking.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The last few days I've been going through photos of my trip last fall to Europe. I'm putting together an iPhoto book specifically of photos from the Switzerland portion of the trip. But somehow I strayed into the Amsterdam photos, and this one caught my eye. I remember exactly when I took it. We had just had lunch at Wagamama and came across this group of people playing chess on the streets of Amsterdam. I wanted a photo, but I didn't want to make people nervous. So I snapped just one photo as quickly and discretely as possible. I wasn't expecting anything fantastic, but I'm happy to have captured a little slice of life on the streets. And, I have to say that I think that guy's Puma bag is pretty cool.

A view from the window of our bed and breakfast in Lucca. Since I have a fascination with open air markets of all types, this was the perfect view for me. We were only in Lucca for three nights on that trip, and I have been thinking about going back for a longer stay ever since. And next time it will be in an apartment, so that I can shop at all of the wonderful markets.

It's April Fool's Day over at Slow Travel, and they have announced some exciting new ventures: Slow Travel Tours. In 2005 they brought you Slow Tours (my personal favorites were the Hidden Florence and the Uffizi Tour.)

In 2007 Slow Travel Planning Services were announced, with the brilliant addition of a special Slow Pets tour.

And this year, what everyone's been waiting for: SlowAir, because, really, who hasn't been looking for an airline that would slow things down?

But who could forget 2006, when Slow Villas was launched? I'm still on the waiting list for the Apartment in Florence. And here's my review for the Apartment in Rome:

Vacation Rental Review

Apartment in Rome
Agency: Slow Travel Villas, etc.

When
April 1, 2006, 1 week

Location
Outside the city center, but quite convenient if you don’t mind mastering the public transportation system, approximately 2 hour and 43 minute walk to Pantheon or approximately 2 hour and 36 minutes by bus, metro and tram. Not a good idea to try to take a taxi to the apartment as most taxi drivers refused to drive into that neighborhood for some reason.

Nearby Amenities
Fabulous pasticceria, only a 45 minute walk away. Convenient hardware store about 2 blocks away, but most things we needed there were so large that we opted to have them delivered anyway (new front door, a shower unit, etc.)

The House/Apartment
The apartment is on the 6th floor (7th, American), with no lift. The 5-6 foot ceilings could be a problem for taller people, but we didn’t mind and got used to waking hunched over a little.

Garden
We were told by Paolo that there would be a roof top garden terrace, but this turned out to be not the case. Perhaps there was a garden at one time, but the neighbor appeared to be expanding his apartment onto the roof. The noise was not an issue at all, as we were making a bit of noise ourselves.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas
The furniture was an eclectic mix of antique and just plain old. The apartment was as clean as could be expected, given a little construction debris.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms
It had the largest bathroom we have ever seen in Europe, but unfortunately it was not quite finished and we needed to work on it a little before we could use it. After the walls went in, it really wasn’t quite as large as it had first appeared. In the bedroom, the straw filled mattress was quite comfortable the first few nights, but did not hold up well and we ended up buying a futon and using that for the rest of our stay.

Kitchen
The kitchen was in a small cupboard that opened off the hall a couple floors down. Interesting antique appliances that I had never seen before. We ate out for all meals.

Problems or Bonuses
The only problems we had were related to the construction. We thought most of the projects would be simple and take a few minutes, but most extended to fill the entire week, isn't that always the case? The bonus was that we had quite a sense of accomplishment by the time we left.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?
Of course, but with a couple of caveats.... not for the faint of heart (literally, that climb will really do a number on you!). Also, would really be best for someone who is a licensed contractor. But we loved it and would stay there every time we come to Rome!