Babymoon in Florida

Our babymoon in Florida was wonderful!  It was 80 degrees and sunny the entire time - dream come true after our seemingly endless winter in Chicago.  This was my first trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and I don't know why I haven't gone before.  You see, since spring of 2010 Tom has worked down there for about a week each month and we always talked about spending a long weekend there, but things always came up.  Never again! Baby E. and I will be meeting Tom in the future for some long, relaxing weekends.    

For this trip I flew out on Thursday after work, also St. Patrick's Day, and arrived in Fort Lauderdale to see everyone whooping it up. You could tell a lot of people were on spring break!  The next morning Tom and I had breakfast by the beach before he dropped me off at the Westin Beach Resort & Spa. We switched hotels for the weekend and since I couldn't check in, I made due with lounging by the pool and then getting a massage in the afternoon.  It was rough!  That night we skipped dinner and just did appetizers at the hotel bar while we watched the March Maddness games (Go Marquette!).  After the game we had some scrumptious desserts at the Atlantic Hotel. I'm still drooling over their key lime pie.

Tom and I spent the next morning at the beach and then met up with his parents.  The rest of the trip was spent relaxing on the beach, eating at some great restaurants, drinking fruity beverages, checking out South Beach in Miami, driving north to Boca Raton and taking a boat tour to see all of the amazing multi-million dollar homes and boats along the canal and beach in Fort Lauderdale.  We had a GREAT time and I can't wait to go back!

Here are a few tips for the Westin Beach Resort & Spa:  

1) If you put the "green" card on your door, they won't clean your room and you get a $5 voucher in return.  If you need clean towels, extra soap, etc., just ask!

2) Their brunch is amazing and if you just want to order off the menu, I highly suggest getting the blueberry granola pancakes.  Outstanding!  

3) Chairs by the pool and beach go fast, so get there early!  

Hanging out at the beach

South Beach in Miami

Enjoying a fruity beverage in South Beach

House from Miami Vice

Gearing Up for Florida...Literally!

I’m gearing up for Florida!  Over the weekend I did some shopping and I was really disappointed that Gap won’t get swimsuits, shorts or capri pants until the end of March.  I found this really surprising considering Old Navy already has them.  I did manage to spend my gift card on a stretchy black skirt and a few t-shirts – one that says “Baby Blooming” and a favorite of Tom’s. 

I also made a trip to Target and found a cute one-piece black swimsuit that has a chunky wood wrap that ties around the neck.  Hey, I might as well look fashionable!  Target also had capri pants, so I bought a pair in gray. 

Now what will I put my new cloths in?  I got a new wheelie carry-on bag from REI that turns into a backpack.  This will replace my current Rick Steves backpack, which I use for overseas travel, and my current wheelie bag, which I use stateside.

Tom bought the same bag in 2008 at the REI flagship store when we were in Seattle for a friend’s wedding.  He’s been raving about it ever since, but I’ve been hesitant to buy it because it’s not as big as my Rick Steves bag. However with a baby on the way, I decided to give in.

So what’s so great about this bag? 

1. It’s lightweight. 
2. The wheels roll over everything.
3. There are tons of compartments for organizing. 
4. It turns into a backpack and a flap goes over the wheels so you don’t get dirt on your cloths.

Are there any drawbacks?  Kind of…this bag doesn’t expand to hold extra stuff, but this is also a benefit because I have a hard time carrying my Rick Steves bag when I overload it.  Solution? Tom and I will each buy a small backpack to carry baby necessities and for all of those souvenirs I never travel overseas without my trusty foldaway duffel.

Of course this will probably all change the minute we try to travel with Baby E!

Spain 2007

Morocco 2008

France 2009

Italy 2010

Babymoon

I’m 21 weeks pregnant today!  That’s right, I have a little bambino growing inside me right now and I can feel his or her little karate kicks as I type this. Tom and I are over-the-moon excited and can’t wait for the big day.  The due date is June 23, which seems ages away until I start thinking about everything we need to do, including taking our Babymoon.  So where are we off to?  Spring Break in Ft. Lauderdale baby!  OK, so we won’t be whooping it up, but we will enjoy the sun, sand and surf for a long weekend at the end of March.  Now I just need to find a cheap maternity swimsuit…

Thinking About Italy

Our trip to Italy last fall really was amazing and I'm thinking about it now as I sit in gloomy Chicago. September/October is the perfect time to travel there.  And we went everywhere!  We started out south in Naples and went to the pizza place from Eat, Pray, Love.  It lives up to its reputation and worth a trip to Naples just to try the pizza.  My husband is obsessed with trying to recreate it at home and I don’t mind!  

Delicious!

We made a stop to Pompeii on our way to the Amalfi Coast and it was really cool to see how people lived almost 2000 years ago.  They even had fast food restaurants.  The Amafli Coast is just breathtaking - cliffs, blue sea and lemons everywhere.  We did a lot of hiking up and down the endless steps that lead down to the sea and up to the hill towns.  On our way to Rome we decided to take a really scenic route that involved a boat ride and a stop in beautiful Capri where we did some more hiking.  With all the hiking we did, I worked up an appetite and the food did not disappoint. It was all so fresh!  

Amalfi

The next leg of our trip was in Rome where we spent a long weekend and saw all of the major sites.  It's such a vibrant city with amazing restaurants, architecture and shopping.  We stayed at a convent and, while convenient and affordable, the 10:00 curfew put a dent in our evenings.  It was like we were in high school trying to get home on time before our parents (aka nuns) locked the door. 

I made it to Rome!

Tom's brother (who lives in Belgium) met us for the next leg of our trip, which was driving around Tuscany. We made it to 7 hill towns in 2 1/2 days.  Quick trip, but we'll definitely be back.  I love the medieval feel of the towns and I'm kicking myself for not getting any of the pottery.  

Tuscan Countryside

Our next stop was Cinque Terre which is on the east coast and we hiked between the 5 fishing villages.  We stayed in Vernazza and they don't have any hotels, so you have to rent a room from a local.  We did it when we got there and outside our window was the drying rack where we hung our cloths out to dry.  I must have done it wrong, because the woman we rented the room from rehung everything for me.  We also had THE BEST focaccia bread and pesto there.  I'm still dreaming about it.

Vernazza

After that we went to Lake Como for a few days and just relaxed and took the ferry to the different towns. There are so many gorgeous villas and gardens there. Finally our last stop was Milan were we saw "The Last Supper" and had the best happy hours.  They serve tons of snacks for free with your beer or wine.  

I can’t wait to go back to Italy, but until we do, I have a lot of wonderful memories stored away.

Lake Como

Live Like a King...at Least for One Night!

When we went to France last year, we picked up the Paris Museum Pass.  We purchased the 2-day pass for 35 euros and saved a lot of money! We went to so many museums in two days, I felt like we were reenacting National Lampoon’s European Vacation. 

One of our stops was the Palace of Versailles and I was just listening to an NPR story about how one of the buildings will soon be turned into a luxury hotel.  The site is a mansion built in the 1680s to house the offices and home of the king’s treasurers.  It will undergo $7 million worth of renovations and is expected to be completed in January 2012.  Guests of Hotel de l’Orangerie will have the opportunity to experience a slice of life at Versailles and the views will be priceless.  Hopefully one day I’ll make it back to the Palace of Versailles AND stay there! 

Inside the Hall of Mirrors

View of the gardens

 

Christmas Traditions in Europe

Rick Steves is our all time favorite travel guru and so of course I listen to his radio show (via podcasts).  Here is a great episode on Christmas traditions in Europe: http://www.ricksteves.com/radio/archive.htm#34b

Rick takes listener calls about travel during the holidays, and phones a few of his friends in Europe to find out how they're celebrating Christmas. We'll also hear about guarding traditions in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Ireland and Portugal, and how some traditions are changing with modern times. And we'll even find out about some of Santa Claus's relatives, back in the "old country."

Enjoy and have a very Merry Christmas! 

Madrid - December 2008

West Virginia, Mountain mama, Take me home, Country roads…

Our latest trip was for another wedding, this time on the east coast.  The ceremony was on a Friday in Washington DC and the 2-day hootenanny (aka 2-day reception) was at a state park in West Virginia.  

I have been to DC a few times for fun – once when I was 13 and again in 2009.  On our last trip we didn’t have a lot of time to see the Smithsonian Museums.  So, after the ceremony Friday morning, we made our way to the American History Museum. I was dying to see Julia Child’s kitchen.  After our trip to France last year, my husband and I really got into cooking French cuisine, especially Julia Child’s recipes, so it was a great treat to actually see her kitchen and all of her gadgets.  She and I even have the same Kitchen Aid Mixer in cobalt blue. 

After the museum we hit the road to West Virginia and yes, John Denver’s song was going through my mind the entire trip, especially when we got lost on those country roads.  NOTE TO SELF: BUY A GPS FOR THE CAR.  Luckily we saw a house with the lights on and the old man who lives there was very helpful.

Yes, that’s right.  We really were in the middle of nowhere.  Cell phone coverage was zip, zero, zilch and it was very odd.  Although aside from getting lost, I really liked not being attached to my phone for a few days.  It was very freeing!

West Virginia is a beautiful state, especially in the fall with all of the changing leaves in their full glory.  We had fun hiking through the park and enjoying the crisp fall weather, which was just a memory in Chicago.  Our stay in West Virginia was brief, but hopefully we’ll make it back one day to drive those country roads.

Wine, Rain and Redwoods

Our friends got married in Sonoma, California last weekend and we flew out to help celebrate their big day.  Sonoma is a cute, small town about an hour outside of San Francisco.  It’s full of great restaurants, shops and places to taste the local wine - all within walking distance of our hotel.  When we arrived Friday afternoon, one of our first stops was Roche Winery’s tasting room just off the square.  About three weeks ago we were on a train in Italy and met Donna who works at Roche Winery.  Talk about a small world!  Of course we had to stop and although we didn’t see Donna, we did end up buying three bottles of wine.  We also went to a few more shops to try the wine, bought some trinkets (like the Gin and Titonic Ice Cube Tray) and a new winter hat from the Baksheesh Fair Trade store.  Sonoma is also about an hour drive from Muir Woods and on Saturday morning we hiked through the redwood forest while the canopy kept us dry.

The actual wedding was at a Cline Cellars Winery and due to rain, the ceremony and reception were held in the barrel rooms.  The location provided such an intimate and unique experience. We had a great time dancing the night away and toasting the happy couple!

On our last day out west we were once again faced with rain and after driving back to San Francisco to drop the rental car off, we had 9 hours to fill before heading to the airport to catch the red eye flight home.   What to do?  Well we managed to:

• Walk around Fisherman’s Warf
• Have crab chowder and fish & garlic chips
• Visit the aquarium
• See a movie to get warm and dry off
• Do some window shopping
• Walk to Chinatown for dinner
• Walk back to Union Square
• Have a few drinks at the hotel bar where our bags were stashed
• Finally go to the airport to find out our flight was delayed two hours

Needless to say, California wore us out, but we still had a great time!

Happy Hour in Italy

Italians really know how to deliver a great happy hour.  Now, they had a lot to live up to in my book after the endless potato chips and olives delivered with our beers in Morocco and how could I forget Spain, where each bar had their own special complimentary treat – olives, jamón and my favorite tortilla Espanola.  Europeans (and Moroccans) know that you need to eat when you drink.  Something bars in the U.S. fail to remember and hence the need for midnight super pretzels.  But I digress…

All over Italy we received various snacks along with our happy hour drinks.  Potato chips were a favorite, as were peanuts and olives, but nothing compared to the bars in Milan.  Our last day in Italy was spent in Milan and after a 3-hour walking tour of the city, which finished with a breathtaking viewing of The Last Supper, we needed a break.  We bee-lined to a bar we saw during our walk and ordered a few drinks.  Well, along with our drinks came mini sandwiches, potato chips and peanuts.  There was also a full snack buffet at the bar.  We were in heaven! 

After one drink we decided to make our way to another bar to compare the happy hour selection and although it wasn’t as grand as the first place, it still provided plenty of snacks to keep us happy and free Wi-Fi, a rarity in Italy.

Tom Enjoying Italian Happy Hour

Chips and Olives!

Yo Heathrow!

My first official post on traveling! My husband and I just spent the last two weeks in Italy (more info to come) and on our return trip home we had a 3+ hour layover at Heathrow. This airport, much to my dismay, is the closest I’ve been to setting foot in the UK. On this visit to Terminal 3 I stopped by the airport Harrods, did some duty free window shopping and bought the new Maeve Binchy book, Minding Frankie.  We also had lunch at one of my husband’s old favorite sushi haunts – Yo Sushi. This was perhaps the BEST airport food I’ve ever had and it was fun! We sat down in front of a conveyor belt that held different dishes on green, blue, purple, orange, pink and gray plates. We just took what we wanted and at the end of our meal they counted the plates (different colors represented different prices), tallied our bill and off we went. BONUS: Endless sparkling or flat water at our disposal from our own personal fountain-type dispenser! Trust me, that was a big deal after two weeks in Italy.

Intro

As my husband and I gear up for our trip to Italy this fall, I began to think about my old blog and how I could reinvent it. Back in 2006 I thought it would be fun to write about the music I was into. Well… two posts in and I was over it. But, since I love to write and I love to reminisce about our travels, I’ve decided to focus on traveling – here, there, everywhere!