Trip Planning

While I am busy writing my library blog at http://www.livelylibrarian.blogspot.com/ almost daily and finishing the grad school projects before graduation in May, I am still thinking about my next trip.
I'm planning my July trip to Ireland and September trip to Germany. So far the itinerary includes learning to surf off the coast of Galway in Ireland and planning sidetrips around Oktoberfest. I'm already working on my St. Pauli beer girl costume...

Door County

So our friends Thom and Kathy invited us to Door County Wisconsin this past weekend to tour their vacation farm and to participate in Winter Fest 2008. I've never been to Door County, and while a cold winter weekend may not be the best time of year to enjoy a penisula, it was a great Wisconsin style getaway.

A couple of firsts for me:
Using a gas station bathroom (I didn't pull a Britney, I am just more of a rest stop or restaurant kind of girl)
Cheese curds (I don't really know how to explain this experience, but they are yummy)
Wisconsin Wineries (sweet wine often made from cherries and apples, friendly people)
$57 a night hotel (half naked hairy men eating breakfast in the lobby...)
The Hashbrown Breakfast Contest of Champions (The perfect cholesterol food when hung over, 3 winners, not me, see picture of John "Pedro", Tom and I)

Outdoor Bowling (I bowled a 9!)
Cherry Pit Spitting Contest (I rocked at this, 23 feet! All those years of spitting gum paid off, see picture)

Thanks Thom and Kathy, it was a great weekend, can't wait for next year!

Favorite

At a party in my home last night friends and I were discussing travel. With the weather turning cold in Chicago I am busy planning trips that will take me to warmer climates. Next Friday I fly to Las Vegas and am thinking perhaps Nashville or New Orleans in February.
As friends and I discussed upcoming vacations, we exchanged thoughts on favorite trips we've taken in the past. Where we went, who we traveled with, best hotels and restaurants....It got me thinking about my favorites.
For me, it's not only where I've been but who I've been with. Friends, family, strangers, lovers...
There was one trip, my birthday, a church at midnight, a guitar. Or another, an island at the end of the world, dancing, treehouses. Another, Elvis and Greyhound. And another, an Irish castle and a simple meal in front of a fireplace.
It's not all sunsets and beaches or cabins in the mountains.
My favorite trips have been the ones where strangers become friends and memories were made after dark.

Back from Icky Italy

No excuse really for why I haven't posted since I returned from Italy other than I really wasn't in a rush to rehash the trip. Italy was breathtakingly beautiful, the food was delicious and the wine is as good as you would expect. Italy also tops my list of places I have no intention of returning too. Why I didn't like Italy: 1) many of the Italian people we met were shockingly rude 2) absolutely the most expensive country to travel in that I have ever been too
On the flip side, Italy also has lovely cultural traditions and fantastic restaurants, hotels, churches and art. The highlight of the trip was seeing the Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece The Last Supper in the church Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Standing in front of that painting was absolutely one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Another highlight was visiting the Portofino Coast of the Italian Riviera, mainly the cities of Camogli and Portofino. I will dedicate a blog to this part of Italy and the wonderful seaside hotel we stayed at. I will also blog about Milan and the Lake Como area and post some pictures.

Leaving for Italy

I leave in 24 hours and will be back in mid October.
I'll post pictures when I return!
Ciao!

From LA to Milan

So I am just back from another trip to Los Angeles. Explored the area around 3rd and Fairfax, West Hollywood, Pacific Palisades and the beach at PCH and Topanga. I really love LA, but HATE the over crowding and people who can only talk about the "biz". May elaborate later on my favorite past times while there, shopping and house hunting.
I am now planning my trip to Italy, I have 1 month to finalize plans before I fly out on October 6th. Seriously, planning this trip has been the most difficult of my travels. So far the plan is Milan, then Bellagio on Lake Como and then the Italian Riviera.

London calling

London. In a past life, I was English. In this life I am a committed anglophile. As far back as I can remember, I have loved everything English and it seems as though I have waited all my life to live there. On my first trip over a decade ago, I fell in love with the city, like someone might fall in love with a lover. Passionately. When I first stepped off the plane, I cried, seriously it was pathetic.
In 2004 I took my son to London and enjoyed the city even more by showing it to someone I had talked about it with for his entire life. He loved it almost as much as I did. I had waited 12 years for him to be old enough to remember and to appreciate the trip.

So what is "my London". Well it's the sections of the city that I love. It's the history, the language, the tradition, all the silly things really that Americans love that we don't have here in the US. Where do I stay? Well I have stayed in the big hotels and the small B&B's, in the homes of friends and in small charming townhomes. The worst by far was a small hotel, near Victoria Station. I honestly don't remember the name, but I remember the place. Tiny, entrance was under the street and the room...god, it was awful. The bathroom was so small, that to shower, you sat on the toilet and water poured through a hole in the ceiling. Where the water came from I have no idea. That was when I traveled in my 20's, I no longer have the patience or the desire to "rough" it while backpacking.

One of the best places to stay, is a lovely little hotel called the Luna & Simone on Belgrave Road, SW1V. The location is terrific, the #24 bus stops right in front of the hotel and takes you to Victoria Station, Westminster, Leicester Square and more. The price can't be beat, the rooms are clean and the breakfast is delicious. The staff is very friendly and helpful and make you feel at home. The room I stayed at in 2004 was large, 2 beds, 1 tucked in an alcove, and a nice bathroom.

Other delights in London, the food. I have had excellent sushi, Indian and African food in the capital and could dedicate an entire post just to the gastronomical delights. Wanna spend a fun hour looking at food delights, then visit Harrod's. What a treat, and food I have never seen before or since.

For a few hours a day, I can enjoy visiting the tourist sections of London, the Tower, the Dungeon, the museums, the bridges, Big Ben, Parliament, Kensington etc. Westminster Abbey is amazing, and the audio tour is well worth the time and the donation. When I was there in 2001, my mother, sister and I nearly ran into the Queen's husband Prince Phillip. I have a funny picture that was snapped in a rush as he stepped into his private car.

How do I enjoy an afternoon? Tea, shopping, Highgate Cemetery, Hampstead Heath, Kew Bridge, Tate Modern, and pubs. A weekend, shopping in Notting Hill, house hunting in Highgate Hill, boats at St. Catherine's Dock, Kensington Roof Gardens, St. Martin in the Fields, and then dinner at a chanced upon pub.

I think I will blog soon about my time in London during the week after Princess Diana's funeral. Surreal and absolutely unforgettable. The flower tributes, the sadness, the candles, the utter loss the people felt, it was overwhelming.