Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Do you remember your first time . . .
This weekend is the Los Angeles Marathon race and it started to bring back a flood of memories for me.
It only seems like yesterday that I decided to train and run in my very first marathon ever! It was a true journey
for me and my life has never been the same since.
I think that the experience challenged me and made me believe that I was capable of doing just about anything that I
set my mind to doing.
Then last year, I found myself planning and going on my very first solo trip back to Europe.
So this month's picture is dedicated to that life changing experience of training and running in my very first marathon!
Here's to all of the first times in our lives . . .
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Like a kid in a candy store . . . .
Well, the planning stage has begun. The most difficult part is establishing the main structure of my itinerery.
That is: What cities to book my arrival and departures. A smart traveler saves valuable time by booking open jaw
tickets. I can save time by eliminating the need to return to the same City for my departure flight. I can
go into one city, travel one way to the next city and then take my departure flight home. I can literally
save one whole day.
When I looked at the map I soon began to realize that there are literally endless possibilities. Go in here .
. . so I can day trip there . . . rent car here . . . so I can explore there . . .
I feel like a kid in a "candy store."
To help me to sort out my thoughts I created a new webpage to record my options and wild ideas.
Check it out!
Friday, February 16, 2007
LAKE COMO, ITALY . . . Here I come!
I did it! I made up my mind. I could no longer resist. My friend can't do South America with me this
year so I'm off on another Solo trip and this time my destination is going to be beautiful LAKE COMO ITALY.
For this trip I want to immerse myself in daily life. So here's the plan: I'm going to RENT AN APARTMENT for the very first time (thinking outside the hotel box)! I'm
going in sort of the off season (end of September into October). More importantly, I'm going to slow it down to
TWO WEEKS for the first time. Told you I was going to do it on my next trip!
I'm going create a new webpage for this trip as I begin the planning stages and link to it from my Future Travel
Plans page. Afterall, planning is part of the fun!
Whoo Hoo! The Gelato, the fine wine, the great Italian food,
the fabulous people, and the very beautiful Lake and surrounding little towns I can explore.
Life feels so good again! Happy Dance time. . . .
Sunday, February 11, 2007
So where to?
I
spent this entire weekend at the Los Angeles Times Travel Show and I'm still more confused than ever on where I should
visit next. I did manage to attend some pretty good workshops though. I attended a workshop by Pauline Frommer
(daughter of famous Arthur Frommer of the "See Europe for less than $10 a day fame").
I
was really surprised that I actually enjoyed her workshop. She was probably one of the best speakers there. Very
engaging and great personality. She gave some good tips on where to find good deals out there. She talked about thinking outside the “hotel box”, flexibility (going to places where the dollar is stronger),
timing (going when it is off season). She gave an example of being in Paris
in March (wet season) and how the Louvre was so empty she actually saw the Mona Lisa Painting by herself. Her workshop was so popular that the room was packed. People
were literally sitting on the floor and the space for that was even limited.
I
was really surprised that she mirrored some of the SlowTravel's concepts, namely "using vacation rentals rather than hotels".
She said it will not only save us money but it will also allow us to experience living amongst the locals
in residential neighborhoods rather than touristy spots.
She
was providing tips on several travel websites to check out good vacation rentals and air deals. I kept thinking
that she should be mentioning SlowTravel too. So, I just had to approach her after her workshop. I asked her if
she had heard of SlowTravel and its founder, Pauline Kenny. She asked me if it was an off shoot of Slow Food?
I told her that it was a Travel Website and gave her SlowTravel's concept. I told her that ST also has a community of experienced
travelers worldwide who provide very updated and credible Vacation Rental Reviews and Hotel Recommendations.
I told her that they helped me to plan two of my trips. She said that was great, that she had not heard of SlowTravel
and she will check out the site.
I
then asked her which lake in Northern Italy was her favorite. She said Lake Como! Everything seems to be pointing
to Lake Como, Italy
for me this year.
Another interesting
workshop I attended was by professional photographer, Jaine Lemos, about digital photography. She was not as good
of a speaker as Pauline Frommer, but she had some very good tips on taking vacation pictures using our digital camera.
She spoke about dealing with flash, zoom, using digital software and sequencing our photos to share with others.
I
purchased a few lonely planet books and a DK book and picked up a few brochures. I'm very torn between visiting Lake Como (a place in Italy I have not yet been) or going somewhere completely different. Maybe
another Eastern European Country again like Poland or Russia. Or maybe even South America (but I
have to save that for when my friend can go on the trip with me-I'm still hoping to hike Machu
Picchu).
Decisions, Decisions . . .
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Show me the way . . .
This weekend is the LA Times Travel Show and I'm going to attend it in hopes of getting ideas for my 2007 trip.
There will be several great workshops and I'm really excited to learning from these experienced travelers:
Pauline Frommer
Colin Angus
National Geographic Adventurer
Don George
James Gilden
Jaine Lemos (Making the most out of Digital Photography)
Katherine Hamm (Travel Writing Tips)
Rick Steves
Huell Howser
It's funny but as soon as I read the line up of speakers I immediately thought about the members of SlowTravel.
the founder, Pauline Kenny, and a group of the regular board members could literally take over the workshops. There
are expert travelers, adventurers, foodies,, wine experts, photographers, writers, travel consultants . . .
I could easily substitute the names for all the workshop speakers to those who have the same expertise in SlowTravel.
This thought just sort of occurred to me as I was reading the workshop descriptions and the speaker's accomplishments.
Hold on to your hats, I may have my next destination "Come Monday": (as Jimmy Buffet would sing) . . .
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Prince is definitely King . . .
Prince rocked during the Superbowl Halftime Show Extravaganza! I think people overlook the fact that Prince is
an exceptional guitarist and tonight he RIPPED!
I saw 3 Prince concerts two summers ago (his tour opener in LA, Las Vegas and San Diego). Watching the audience
during his performance tonight reminded me of that unbelievable Music rush you get when watching Prince perform live!
But dude . . . what was up with that head scarf? I am soooo glad you finally took that thing off!
PRINCE YOU TOTALLY ROCK!
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Where else . . . but Vencie?
This month's picture was taken in Venice, Italy in honor of
Valentine's day. I hope to return to this beautiful City soon!
DON'T FORGET, to watch Prince during Superbowl Sunday's Half Time Extravaganza!
Here's a picture of an old Concert Ticket Stub that I took while visiting the Rock Museum at the Olympic Park
in Munich,Germany (November 2006).
