Tag Travel

Florence, Italy… I miss you!

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I was taking to my Italian mother the other day. She said was one of her cousins was in Florence and it felt so strange. There aren’t many tourists, so to be able to walk and “see” the city was an eery feeling. We are used to so many tourists that we are elbow to elbow with them. Instead, my mother’s cousin arrived in Piazza Della Signoria with open eyes, as if seeing the Piazza for the first time. BEAUTIFUL!

I remember that feeling years ago. I was in Florence in June, it was so packed with people that I could not enjoy the city and I wanted to leave. I thought, I am DONE, I do not need to visit Florence for a long time.

THEN, one year, I visited in late November. I was walking the streets, hardly any people. Like my mother’s cousin, I had this strange feeling that something was wrong. Where were the people? My next thought was… ah, it’s late November – no tourists – this is GLORIOUS!

Fast forward to COVID 2021. My friend is in Florence right now. She said that August is SO HOT, over 100 degrees, she can see why the Italians go to the seaside the whole month of August. She remembers going around town with me, but couldn’t remember where restaurants and shops were.

So, I marked up this quick map for her. Once I did that, she had her bearings. She said there are not that many tourists. When outside you don’t need a mask, but inside you must have it. Also, because of COVID there were no new things to see in the market place or the shops. Everything seemed as it was from 2 years ago. Oh… this was funny. She was looking forward to a good dish of pasta. The pasta came, but it was SUPER AL DENTE. Not good.

My Italian girlfriend said her husband did that sometimes. I mean, there is AL DENTE, and there is ULTRA AL DENTE. She would tell her husband, “You must have been REALLY HUNGRY to serve pasta like this! YUK!”

Anyhow…

Traveling right now is challenging and different, because COVID rules / regulations keep changing.

If you are traveling… BE SAFE!

Florence… I miss you. I’ll be back.

Traveling… Idaho – A Potato Hotel?

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I think many of us would agree, we like to EAT potatoes, but would we like to SLEEP in one?

Due to COVID travel restrictions, we’ve been exploring fun trips in our own country.

Somehow, I came across the, “Big Idaho Potato Hotel.” Yes, IN IDAHO. It’s a HUGE 6 ton potato near Boise, looks like these russet potatoes. You’ve got to check it out. YouTube: Tiny House Giant Journey: Want to Sleep in a Potato? The Most Unique Airbnb in Idaho!.

This hotel was designed by Kristie Wolfe. She also designed a Hobbit House in Orondo, Washington about 160 miles from Seattle.

I would LOVE to stay at the Hobbit house, wish it was closer to Chicago for a weekend getaway.

Have you found anything interesting like this during COVID? Amazing what is out there.

San Diego: Ships, Horatio Hornblower…

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When I was in San Diego I saw these two ships. I immediately wanted to climb aboard and stand at the helm like Horatio Hornblower OR Errol Flynn as the pirate. If you haven’t seen the Horatio Hornblower series (1998 – 2003), I highly recommend it. While it’s an older show, it’s not outdated. You will be engaged the entire time.

Take a look:

Here was another ship I saw. I didn’t have enough time; otherwise, I would have signed up for the tour.

It’s amazing to see these ships up close. A few years ago when I was in Sardinia there was a tour ship that was on the horizon. It looked BEAUTIFUL, I longed to see it up close there is such a mystery around these ships. In San Diego, I got my chance, they are a work of art. Intricate with all the details. I did not see a plank.

I hope you enjoy these ships as I did.

LAND AHOY!!

San Diego: “Save the Kiss”

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I came to San Diego for a few days. It’s quiet here, not so many people because of COVID. Also, the weather is cool and cloudy.

This is an amazing picture and a bit deceiving. It looks like real people. That’s the beauty of this statue, it looks real. As you can see it’s gigantic, I was amazed to see it.

Here is the description:

As I was walking, ZOLTAR spoke to me in a deep voice, asking to read my fortune. So funny. I almost put a $1 in to see what he would say, but I didn’t have the proper change.

I’m an Aquarius, I read somewhere that it is my Emerald year. I wish I could remember where I read that. Somehow the planets are aligning for it to be the year of Aquarius. When I think of emerald, I think of the Wizard of Oz, and going to meet the all powerful wizard.

After our crazy COVID year, I’d like to hear what the powerful wizard would tell me.

ZOLTAR – I might just find that $1 and hear what you have to say…. just for chuckles!

Italy – The Uffizi Gallery prepares for overtourism in Florence…

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Yesterday, I read an article in CNN’s Travel section, Italy has a new way to combat overtourism, by Julia Buckley. My mother was born and raised in Florence, so I immediately stopped what I was doing to read the latest news. This article is specific to Florence and The Uffizi Gallery.

Before COVID, anyone who had traveled to Italy experienced first hand overtourism. In Florence, it was impossible to walk on the streets. So many tourists, we were elbow to elbow with them. It was not an enjoyable, add to that making sure you were not pick pocketed, due to the crowds.

This article talks about a new project, Uffizi Diffusi, which means “scattered Uffizi.” Eike Schmidt, Director of the Uffizi, came up with the idea of multiple (100) exhibition spaces for art from the Uffizi to be displayed all over Tuscany. This does two things, it shares the tourism burden and also allows locals to visit exhibits in their area.

COVID has allowed Florence to take a breath from the fast paced tourism. To think, plan and re-invent tourism for the future. My mother’s relatives are out in the country, it’s nice, no tourists. Selfishly, I hope it stays that way.

If you have been to Florence or have planned to go, you can read the article for more details.

World Travel: Walking / Hiking Tours

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I don’t know about you, but I‘ve definitely got Spring fever. I’d really like to travel somewhere. While that is not possible with COVID right now, we can research and plan.

Look what came to my inbox, information on walking/hiking tours. This Country Walkers site looks interesting. They have tours all over the world. They’ve been around for 40 years, located out of Vermont. I was happy to see they offer different types of tours, i.e. guided, self-guided and partially guided. Do you opt for flight in package or not, lots of things to consider price-wise.

It’s never too early to start planning. One day soon, we will have the green light to travel Internationally, I’ll be ready!

Las Vegas – Vacation pkg for remote workers, Executive Assistant included

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Photo by Produtora Midtrack on Pexels.com

Getting bored at your Home Office? Las Vegas can change that. Now that conventions, conferences and vacations are “on hold,” they’ve come up with a creative idea to drum up business and offer remote workers a NEW environment.

See,  Travel + Leisure:  Work from a Poolside Cabana and Get an ‘Executive Assistant’ With MGM Resorts New ‘Work From Vegas’ Package.

Clever marketing idea…

Remember your mask!

Travel -> Visiting Claybanks Pottery in Michigan

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Traveling in Michigan, I saw this really fun Fish fountain at Claybanks Pottery.  They opened in January 1980. Before that they had done art fairs. While I don’t buy a lot of pottery, I enjoy seeing what they are making.

Fish Fountain Michigan 2I fell in love with this fish fountain, so clever. They had some lovely fish platters, I was tempted, but where would I store it. Unfortunately, my phone was low on battery, so that ended my photo spree.

Look at their website. If you are a pottery fan and happen to be in Michigan, pay them a visit. My friend said her brother had some wine cups made by them. I’m sure you could even specify the color you would like. They had some lovely bird houses; however, they were very heavy, not sure how you would hang them.

Michigan is beautiful, I have to do more exploring there…

Travel – Where will you go?

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A few years ago… 10 to be exact, I went to Egypt on a River Cruise. My mother wanted to go on a trip. I was busy with work, so half listening as she talked. I love my mother, but Italian mothers can go on and on sometimes. You have to tell them to “get to the point.”

Suddenly, my ears perked up. She said, “I found a good deal for a River Cruise in Egypt.” My life long dream had been to go to Egypt to see the pyramids, ride a camel, be in the desert. Now, I was listening.

Today, I was reminded of our Egyptian trip when I saw an email from Sunny Land Tours, Inc saying, “Where will you go when this is all over?” They attached a $200 coupon.

This is the tour company we used. They were very good and reasonably priced. While an International trip is impossible at this time, I still went to their site to see what tours they have. I’ve always wanted to go to Morocco. Ah, Morocco, is that even a possibility? Hard to imagine.

For now, we are all investigating smaller trips close to home. This is a year for self-reflection and time spent with family. I’m reminded of when I was a child. No cell phones, no big trips, riding our bikes, reading books, pulling weeds (LOL), swimming in the Lake, blueberry picking, and picnics. It’s been good to “slow down” a little bit!

However, back to the BIG question —

WHERE WILL YOU GO WHEN THIS IS ALL OVER?

Travel to distance places… PLAY the Memory Game.

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Memory GameThis weekend was a real test of emotions. Being quarantined for three weeks does that. One day happy, one day melancholy, one day energetic – EVERY day is different.

I needed to change this around, so I started looking through my closet. That put me in a grumpy mood. Going through a closet is B-O-R-I-N-G unless we find some “old gems,” we had forgotten about.

SURPRISE – Way on the back shelf was the Travel Memory Game!

What a great find. It brought back memories from when my daughters were young. We loved to play this game. So, then, I thought of Canasta. A few years ago, I went on a Nile Cruise with my family. Every day we played Canasta. As we didn’t have playing cards, we bought some Egyptian ones.

HEY — Where are those Egyptian playing cards??? Checkers… they’ve got to be here.

Oh and the mini series, “Horatio Hornblower.” LOVE that show! Gotta find that!

Suddenly, I was on a roll!

What have you found in YOUR closet?