It’s hard to believe this wall ever divided Berlin. So sad.
Hey friends! So it’s Monday, October 8th, which can only mean one thing–Chris and I are back from Europe.
Cue the violins.
Seriously though, this was one stellar, awesome, amazing trip. In what amounts to 9 full days, we managed to cover Berlin (where Chris ran a marathon), Munich (where we had so much fun at Oktoberfest!), rent a car and drive from Munich to Salzburg to Venice for more than $700 (that story will come later), see Venice in less than 24 full hours and hit up Rome for all the classics.
That’s a lot.
But despite the fact that it was a whirlwind…it really didn’t feel that way. I felt like we were able to spend a good amount of time in each place, and I actually did end up feeling rested and relaxed when we arrived back last night.
So anyway, without further ado, how about I take you on back to last Friday, when Chris and I arrived in Berlin at around 8:30 a.m…
So it’s t-minus two days before Chris and I jet off on our little European adventure…I am sososo excited!
Although, we did hit a minor bump in the European road yesterday when Chris emailed me to say that our pre-booked hotel in Rome had unceremoniously unbooked us. Apparently something with Chris’s payment information was incorrect, and he had missed the warning email.
Oops.
So there we were, three days before leaving without a place to stay in Rome.
Chris quickly booked a back-up hotel for us, but it wasn’t in an area of Rome that I thought would be central to all the lovely things we have planned. As I was searching hotels.com for something more adequate, a coworker of mine mentioned using home swap sites, like HomeAway, VRBO and Airbnb.
I’ll be honest–I’ve never actually used one of these sites before. I know plenty of people who have, and they’ve always been more than happy with the results, so I figured, why not give it a try! After about a half hour searching on Airbnb, I found a cute little studio apartment for rent in an area of Rome that seemed lovely, and that had received tons of good reviews on the site.
So…we booked it! This, my friends, will be our first forray into the world of booking through home swap sites.
Who knows, if all goes well, it might be our new norm.
Do any of you guys use sites like HomeAway, VRBO and Airbnb? Have you generally liked what you’ve found? Do you prefer one site over the others?
Let’s take a quick step back for a moment, shall we? I’d like to go back to about three weeks ago when I was in Italy, surprising my family with a trip and having the time of my life. While there was so much there that I saw that I loved, one surprising thing that I noticed was how ornate and beautiful all of the light fixtures were. Nary a bathroom ceiling was left unadorned by a fabulous, sparkly, glowing chandelier.
So, my friends, I did what any aspiring photographer would do–I took as many photos of them as I possibly could.
Welcome back friends! I’ve come to the part of my travel blogging that I always hate–the part where I write about the rest of the trip and then I’m done. It always feels so finite, like I’m actually finally done with the trip. There’s nothing left to do. The last word has been written. As long as I still have these blog posts to write, the trip is still alive in my mind, you know?
Anyway, as they say… all good things must come to an end, I guess.
So here we go, on with the final few days of my trip.
Well I’m back from my super-secret trip, and I can finally tell you where it was to: Roccella Jonica, in Calabria, Italy.
So why was this such a big secret? Well it was a surprise to my family who lives there (my grandfather’s sister and brother, as well as another sister who was visiting from Australia) that I was coming. It was a surprise that my aunt and uncle and two of my cousins were coming, as well.
Aren’t surprise visits just the best? This one totally took the cake.
Leave it to Pisa to take all the fun out of the cheap trinkets, gadgets, and goodies that we all look for on vacation (well, look for, make fun of….pick your poison).
Anyway, looks like vendors selling offensive souvenirs will be charged up to 500 euro ($713!!!) now.
So Cath just sent us a text message to say that she’s on the plane now, headed back to Aus-Town.
Sad.
It’s only been two weeks, but MAN we packed it in in two weeks! We had gotten pretty used to having that bundle of Aussie energy around…it’ll take a bit to get back to normal, I think.
Anyway, in honor of Cath’s last day, here’s what happened on our last day of adventures at Prince Edward Island….
Cath and I sat down last night so we could go over all her notes from our trip to Prince Edward Island (a trip she’s been wanting to take for quite a while now). So without further ado, now that I’m fairly certain all of my details are accurate, here’s a rundown of our trip to Canada….
After a two-hour delay out of JFK into Charlottetown (in which we flew in what is seriously the tiniest plane I have ever been on), we didn’t end up arriving at our bed and breakfast—The Sonata Inn on Grafton Street—until after 11 p.m. We were starving, but Charlottetown reminded me a bit of Salzburg in the fact that no restaurant would be open at such a late hour.
Luckily for us, though, Dale, the lovely owner of our B&B, took our delay and late arrival into account, and upon letting us in and giving us a tour, he also informed us that he had left a small basket of food in the room just in case we were hungry. This, my friends, is one of the benefits of staying in a friendly little B&B.
Thanks for the chips, fruit cups, and granola bars Dale!Our cute little room, which happened to have a large, walk-in closet that was haunted by a light ghost. That’s right, a ghost who kept turning the lights on and off.
After a restful night on the comfy beds at the B&B, we all headed down to the breakfast on Friday morning before we started our day. As this was my first B&B experience, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I knew some socializing would be on the agenda, and that we would most likely be sitting with other groups of people at the table.
Turns out it wasn’t half bad! That morning we ended up sitting with three couples—one of which happened to be the two most adventurous 80-year-old people I have ever met in my entire life (seriously, they’ve been skydiving and zip lining and para-sailing…they really live it up!)—while we chowed down on muffins, fruit, yogurt, and homemade eggs and ham (I skipped out on that brekkie, as you could probably have guessed). It was actually kind of nice to get a chance to meet some other travelers, to hear about what they had already done on the island, and to get some pointers on things we should check out.
After breakfast, and after Chris had picked up our rental car…
Then we hit the open road. We took a scenic drive along the coast, stopping to have lunch at a fantastic little place on Brackley Beach called The Dunes, overlooking the Green Gables Shore. The cafe sold food and drinks, sure, but it also was an artsy venue, as well as a flower garden and pottery studio.
It cost us $20 to get onto the beach, which is a bit much. But it definitely was pretty
Eclectic artwork at The Dunes CafeThe gardens at the CafeCrab cakes….oh my!My delicious Pho soup with the famous PEI musclesThere was awesome furniture in the outdoor area that had all been carved out of driftwood
After our fabulous lunch, we all loaded back into the car and drove up the coast to North Rustico, this adorable tiny little fishing village.
Then it was on to the famous Cavendish to partake in the history of Anne of Green Gables, which included seeing the house where L.M. Montgomery’s cousins lived, which is believed to have been the inspiration for her stories, as well as the site of where the home of her grandparents used to be, which is where L.M. herself grew up. We walked the trails surrounding the little green Anne house, read some of the history of the place, and took lots of photos.
Full disclaimer: I’ve never actually read the books. Oops. But don’t fret, friends. I purchased my very own copy of Anne of Green Gables directly from Prince Edward Island, so it will be the very next thing I read.
The famous green house of Anne of Green GablesAnne’s roomOn the trails behind the Anne house
After we’d had our fill of Anne, we tried to check out Avonlea, as well, but there was a big music festival happening the same weekend, so unfortunately it was closed off. So instead, we headed over to Cows Ice Cream (seriously some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had) in Bay View for a treat and a bit of a rest before hitting up our final destination of the day—New Glasgow for The Toy Factory, where Cath picked up some cute things for the kids in her classroom and her granddaughter.
New Glasgow scenery
After a full day of driving and site seeing, we were definitely starved. So after New Glasgow we headed back to our hotel to freshen up for our dinner at Lobster on the Wharf, where Chris and I would eat our first of three lobster rolls on this trip (Lobster Roll Rating No. 1: 3.5 for good lobster, but not enough of it, and the roll was just a bit hard (hey, we wait a long time for lobster rolls, we deserve to rate them! The potato salad was homemade and delicious, though, as was my Bloody Caesar drink (the Canadian version of a Bloody Mary, made with clam juice, so says Chris).
We ate out on the deck, which was beautiful, until I got so cold I couldn’t feel my right hand anymore and I had to ask if we could please move this party inside. Cath and Chris happily obliged.
Sunset at Lobster on the WharfCalamari and scallop appetizers…yum!Lobster roll No. 1Enjoying a little lobster
So it was a busy day, my friends. But even so, when we arrived back at the hotel after dinner we borrowed London Suite from the B&B video library to watch.
And I promptly fell asleep.
I’m told I didn’t miss much.
Bis bald, friends! Stay tuned tomorrow for an update on Saturday’s adventures…
Hi friends. So we’re back from Prince Edward Island! It was a whirlwind trip that culminated in a 7 a.m. Sunday morning flight back into the city. But that’s okay, because the early flight leaves us with enough time for brunch at Jane, which we are all getting ready for right now.
While we’re waiting, I figured I’d throw up some photos from our adventures last weekend. Here are a few highlights:
Our first beach stop on the Jersey Shore—SeabrightWe ate lunch at a great little restaurant in Seabright called Dive
The Spirit Line lunch cruise we took on Saturday gave us great views of the skyline
On Sunday it was off to Brotherhood Winery and....WhitecliffOn the way home from Newburgh, I snapped this photo of the sun setting over the Hudson at the Beacon train stationThen it was back to the city to catch the fireworks over the Hudson from the rooftop of the Saatchi & Saatchi building
So that was last weekend! Stay tuned for a Prince Edward Island update soon…but I’ll say this—it’s as quaint, beautiful, and serene as you would imagine it to be.
As a person who has visited Mexico twice in the past three months (first to Cancun, then Cabo), I’m saddened by all the recent headlines about the huge drop-off in tourism there. It’s not that I can’t understand why people wouldn’t necessarily chose this particular time to visit —just last October a Canadian tourist in Acapulco was found dead in his rental car, and another was shot in the leg during a firefight in Mazatlan.
And as much as a tourism company or media outlet can say over and over again that the violence isn’t, for the most part, directed at tourists, for some that reassurance simply isn’t enough.
I, for one, wasn’t the slightest bit worried when I went to Cancun and Cabo. Firstly, my own high school was a breeding ground for drug and turf “wars”—I don’t need to travel to Mexico to see that. Secondly, I live in New York City, and let’s be honest, this isn’t necessarily the safest of places in the world, either.
But more importantly, I knew that the places I was traveling to were as safe as they possibly could have been—large tourist destinations during months where (in previous years) and lot of other tourists would be traveling as well. What exploring we did during those trips was not too far from the hotel, and always at the advice of hotel staff or other tour guides. To be honest, I felt more unsafe around the hoards of drunken American Spring Breakers than I did out and about in the town in Mexico.
Seriously, drunk kids can do stupid things sometimes.
Having said all that, I would never, ever, in a million years recommend to someone that they should travel to Mexico if they felt even the slightest bit uncomfortable or unsafe. Mexico is beautiful. And it’s fascinating and fun and exciting. You can’t experience all of that when you’re constantly looking behind you and worried about whether or not you’re going to get shot by a drug lord.
Sadly, it seems that until these senseless, disgusting acts of violence in Mexico are over, the entire place will suffer…..
P.S. Check out this sobering graph, courtesy of the WSJ, to see just how badly Mexico really is suffering:
Welcome to Grand Solmar (still under construction!)
So as you may or may not remember, I was invited a while back to attend a press trip in Cabo San Lucas for the grand opening of the new luxury Grand Solmar Resort & Spa. Having never been on a press trip before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
Turns out I should have expected a pretty amazing time—because that’s exactly what we had. On top of the awesome hotel, the breathtaking views, the flowing drinks, and the tasty food, we also had a few days-worth of really fun off-site adventures, and the other people on the press trip were totally sweet and fun, as well.
Our Delta flight had us flying out of JFK at 6:20 a.m. on Thursday, which is obviously super early, but at least that meant that we would arrive by 12:30 Cabo San Lucas time, so that was the good part about it.
And here’s the thing about Grand Solmar—when they say luxury, they really mean luxury. Grand Solmar is not a hotel where I could ever afford to stay in the future (unless of course I become a wildly successful travel writer some day 🙂 ), which means it was that much nicer to stay there this past weekend, and Steph and I could appreciate it so much more. The views were beautiful, and the rooms were spotless (complete with comfy robes, turn down service, and tasty treats left every night), with huge porches overlooking the ocean. As this was not an all-inclusive, meals and drinks were a bit pricey (I bought two bottles of Fiji water for almost $20, people. $20). But everything that was included by the press company—dinner at restaurant/tequila bar Hacienda El Coyote (which, by the way, is owned by the same family who owns Grand Solmar) in the town on Thursday night, the outback camel safari with Cabo Adventures including lunch and tequila tasting, appetizers and drinks on Friday night, swimming with the dolphins and a fancy, ocean side dinner on Saturday night, were all amazing. The food was quite tasty—and this time, no revenge (knock on wood!).
Our balconyThe beach—only a few feet from our hotelThe outdoor lobby areaGotta love a pool bar! (and 2-for-1 Happy Hour!)I’ve had some decent Mexican food in NYC, but no one does Mexican food like this here
So on Friday morning, Steph and I set out on our camel and safari ride with the group. We took a huge open-air truck through the jungle and hiked up along the mountains. Then we headed to the beach where we literally rode camels, and then it was off to a tortilla making class, a great lunch, and a tequila lesson (the best tequila will have bubbles that last for at least 30 seconds when you shake it. And also, there is a certain type of tequila that people take a shot of and then follow with a cooked cricket chaser. Yes, really. A cricket cooked with salt, pepper, and garlic. I abstained from experiencing cricket on my little Mexico adventure).
Camel riding in CaboOur fabulous camel—Slim. Thanks for the ride, Slim!Our journey started here, in this Mercedes 4-wheel JeepOur desert trek brought us along some pretty high hills
Our tour guide explaining how they make corn tortillas in MexicoOur delicious, homemade Mexican lunch on the safariTequila and crickets. No thanks!Fancied up for appetizers and drinks by the ocean
Saturday we headed back over to Cabo Adventures for our session to swim with the dolphins. If you know anything about me, friends, you’ll know that I’m an animal lover. I wanted to be a veterinarian for a long time, have always volunteered with animals, and am a vegetarian. So heading into this little adventure, I was a bit apprehensive, to say the least. But still, it was something I’ve always wanted to try, and why not try it when it’s free, right? Who can blame me?
Unfortunately our little session only proved me right in terms of feeling apprehensive. Don’t get me wrong—the actual rides with the dolphins (which included a “belly” ride where you hold on to their fins as they swim upside down and a “dorsal fin” ride where you ride on top), and the kisses and the “dancing” you do with them, all of that was super fun. Dolphins are cute. And friendly. And apparently very patient.
Except for that Saturday. These dolphins seemed to have about had enough. It all started when the first dolphin that Steph was supposed to ride with absolutely refused to come over and be a part of our little show. He wasn’t feeling it. Maybe he had a fight with his girlfriend that morning—who knows. Then, a girl in the group next to us had her foot cut on the tooth of a dolphin who came up behind the one she was riding and she accidentally kicked into his mouth.
That was the first time we were ordered out of the water.
The second time we were ordered out of the water was when the same girl (poor girl!) and her friend were taking their photo with the dolphin. Another dolphin came up behind the one they were taking photos with and tried to start playing with him. Both dolphins got antsy and jumpy, the girls got knocked in the head, and we were yet again ordered out of the water, this time so they could “let the dolphins be dolphins for a while,” meaning let them swim around crazily and play and not perform.
This is where the dolphins live. Would you like living here if you were an over 600-lb wild animal?
All in all, a bit of a sobering experience. I say—let the dolphins, free people! It’s not that important to take photos with them, and they clearly aren’t all that happy being held in captivity. Just let the dolphins go!
After our morning with the antsy dolphins, Steph and I headed out to the marina where we found a restaurant on the water that had $1.50 fish tacos with a fixin’s bar that allowed you to throw on all the guacamole, salsa, cole slaw, and other goodies that you could ever want. Delish.
Fish tacos. Yum!
On our final night we attended a ribbon cutting in honor of the naming of their new check-in bar area—Infinity (a Grand Solmar Facebook fan had won the contest to name the bar, along with an all-expense paid trip to the hotel that same weekend. Oh the wonders of Facebook), then we all headed to the ocean-front dinner, complete with live music and “casual elegance” attire. We had five courses, along with different wines for each course and a tequila liquor to finish it off.
Cabo, my friends, is everything everyone says that it is, and I can certainly see why celebs love the place. The only sad thing, if it can be called that, is the fact that it’s hard to find a spot in Cabo where you can actually go in the ocean. The waves are monstrous—I mean really, monstrous. Much larger than anything I have seen in Hawaii or Australia.
Still, I plan to go back some time friends, and I would highly recommend a trip there for anyone who loves the sun, appreciates fabulous Mexican food, and enjoys tequila.
And it was fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. As our flight arrived back at 12:30 last night, and we didn’t make it back to my apartment until after 1:30, and I had to work this morning—I obviously haven’t had time to download photos and/or blog about the experience yet. But I will! As soon as possible!
As a preview, check out me and Steph on the beach camel ride above. Yeah. The trip was pretty amazing.
Destination—Grand Solmar Resort, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
This is it—my friends. It’s the day before I can finally answer the question of “Are you traveling for business or pleasure?” with an emphatic “Business!”
Not that I don’t love traveling for pleasure (obviously, I do). It’s just that I have always, always wanted to travel for business, and this, as my first ever true “press” trip, is all too exciting for me.
I received mine and Steph’s full itinerary today for the Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa in Cabo San Lucas, and here’s what we have to look forward to:
We arrive Thursday at noon, and we’ll hit the beach…hard.
Thursday at 7:30 we have dinner reservations at Hacienda El Coyote
Friday morning we’ll be swimming with the dolphins
At 6:30 we’ll have a welcome cocktail on the Don Luis Restaurant Terrace with other press guests
On Saturday morning at 8 a.m. (I know Steph loves that time), we’ll begin our outback & camel safari
At 6:30 we’ll attend a ribbon cutting ceremony
At 7:30 we’ll attend the ‘casual elegance’ attire Gala Dinner on the Land’s End Terrace.
Sunday is our last day. We’ll probably hit the beach for a bit, then the farewell brunch, and then we’ll be off to the airport.
I can’t think about it all too much or I’ll throw up, I’m so dang excited.
Bis bald friends! Details of all our crazy adventures when I get back!
Rodent waste anywhere is gross, don’t get me wrong. But on a plane—that’s just wrong.
According to this WSJ article, Delta is going to need to keep up a bit more stringently with their cleaning practices after U.S. health regulators found rodent waste on a plane in Atlanta earlier this year.
According to the FDA letter, “numerous rodent excreta pellets” were found near areas of the plane where the food is prepared. Some were even found above door panels and passenger seats. Additionally, the “rodent excreta pellets” were “too numerous to count.”
Just ick! Unfortunately my press trip to Cabo was booked today, and guess who I’ll be flying with? Yup. Delta. Hopefully they’ll get their s*&% together (pun intended) before May.
Well friends, we’re back! And Mexico was, I must admit, pretty much everything I thought it would be and more. The beaches were the most unbelievable blue. The people were so ridiculously friendly. Our all-inclusive hotel was, well, the epitome of all-inclusive (to include a mini bar and liquor cabinet that was refilled every two days).
Click below to read more about my amazing birthday trip to Cancun, and my recommendations for you should your travels ever bring you there…
Well folks, the time is finally (almost!) here. Today is moving dreadfully slow, but I do think I have my ducks in a row.
Applied for New York State drivers license this morning so I’m not leaving the country with an expired one? Check.
Boarding passes, hotel reservations, jungle excursion reservations printed? Check.
Note written for sister to take care of animals while we’re gone and food left readily accessible? Check.
Nails painted a lovely shade of bright, sunny Mexico? Check.
And the pedicure is on for tonight. I’m half-packed. I have three bathing suits in my bag, and some work out clothes for our jungle adventure. That’s right friends—our jungle adventure. Chris and I have booked a Hummer Jungle Tour for one of our days in Mexico, and by the looks of things, it’s pretty friggin’ awesome. Some of our adventures include:
Driving a hummer though the jungle and swamps
Exploring Mayan ruins(el Rey) and feeding more than 300 iguanas
Visiting a private Mayan reserve
Swimming and snorkeling in a sacred crystal cenote and using a zip line
Experiencing an amazing interactive zoo with real crocodiles
And I look forward to all these things, friends!
So until next time, with much more detail, bis bald! And have a fabulous weekend!
Well my friends, it’s almost here—only three more wake-up days until we depart for Cancun. I thought it would never come.
And yet, as the vacation I’ve waited so long for fast approaches, I’m still wary of articles like this (especially since my family keeps sending them to me). Sure, there’s a bit of a drug mess happening in Mexico right now, so Chris and I promise to keep our eyes and ears open while we’re there. Plus, in my own defense, the craziest thing I plan to do in Cancun involves a book, a drink, and a chair by the side of the pool. And I thoroughly look forward to it.
Bis bald, friends! I may or may not get to write again before I leave, but if I don’t, expect plenty of updates when we return next week.
Welcome my friend Amy, who just returned from a well-deserved trip to Italy.
Thanks for the post, darling!
I just got back from a five-day trip to Florence, and one of my favorite parts was a day trip to Tuscany. I booked the trip (Tuscany in One Day Sightseeing Tour) through Viator, and the tour guide, Becky, was awesome. We left Florence at about 8:30am and drove through the countryside.
Our first stop was in Siena, a beautiful medieval town. We walked through the town, first stopping to see the Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the oldest surviving bank in the world. We also ventured through the Siena Duomo, where four statues are attributed to Michelangelo. We also saw the Piazza del Campo, which our tour guide told us is the third most beautiful square in the world. (Piazza San Marco in Venice is supposed to be the second most beautiful, and I can’t remember what No. 1 is!) We got a bit of free time to walk around the city, and I bought a beautiful cutting board made of olive wood and some homemade doughnuts. Yum!
We then drove to an organic farm and vineyard called Poggio Alloro, in San Gimignano, another small Tuscan town. We did a wine tasting of four wines and had an amazing lunch of homemade pasta, cheeses, and salads. The food was so fresh, and we had a typical Tuscan dessert (almond biscotti dipped in dessert wine). After lunch, we drove to the town of San Gimignano and had some free time to walk around and view the amazing scenery.
Our last stop was Pisa, which is much more touristy than the other towns—but it was so much fun to see the Leaning Tower. All in all, the day was filled with great scenery and great food. I definitely recommend taking this tour if you have an extra day in Florence!
Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (the oldest surviving bank in the world)
The Occidental Grand Cozumel. Don't you want to be here?
So you might remember that I mentioned a little trip Chris and I have coming up to Cancun? I know I briefly mentioned that we booked with a sale, and I figure I should spread the love. So here’s the deal. If you need a little sun in your life some time soon, Mexico seems as good a place as any. Just head over to here, and get $50 off when you book a minimum $500 order at any resort sold on Mexico.com. Book from now through Feb. 28 and travel between now and Sept. 20.
I think you deserve a little trip to Mexico, too—don’t you?
Bis bald, friends! A friend and I are taking a day trip to New Brunswick, New Jersey this weekend. I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to travel far to feel like you’re on vacation. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Well it looks like there may be a trip to Cabo in my future anyway, friends. After having never been to Mexico before in my life, I now have two trips planned—one with Chris to Cancun next month and now another press trip to Cabo at the end of May. I’m very excited! I’ll be heading out on May 19 and staying at the Grand Solmar Resort.
If you are, these 10 cities are the World’s Most Romantic Cities, according to Frommer’s. There’s Paris, of course, and Florence, but a few of the others surprised me. Jaipur, India, and Bruges, Belgium? Really? Isn’t there a whole movie that basically centers around the idea that Bruges is boring?
Maybe not. If Frommer’s says it’s romantic, I’m sure there must be something romantic about it.
Also exciting? Sydney, Australia made the list. What didn’t make the list? Any city at all in the U.S. Ha.
As for my romantic Valentine’s day, I realized a few nights ago that this will be mine and Chris’s first Valentine’s day in four years in New York City.
For our first Valentine’s day, Chris was living here.
At the ripe old age of 27, I’ve decided it’s time to embrace my heritage—my Italian heritage, that is. After an eye-opening trip to visit my Italian family in Melbourne last year, I realized how much a part that culture is in their every day lives, and I desperately want that. In fact, while we were there last Christmas, another of my grandfather’s sisters who still lives in Italy called. It would have been amazing to have been able to actually speak with her—but alas, she spoke no English, and my Italian was limited to ciao and grazie. Not very scintillating conversation.
Now I know—I will probably never, ever be able to speak fluent Italian (actually, according to my (adorable) Italian grandmother, if I don’t speak it every day I’ll just end up forgetting everything I learn anyway. Thanks nonna.) But I’m undeterred. It’s something I threw on my bucket list years ago, and so when the Groupon landed in my inbox offering five lessons for a pretty good price, I took the bait.
Yes, I know—five lessons isn’t much. I’ll probably end up signing on for more at the end of these five weeks. But last night was my first two-hour session at the Rennert school (which just happens to be conveniently located across the street from my work. Seriously, it was meant to be), and it was pretty intense, but exciting. With only six students in the class (all girls, very interesting), I really feel like I could learn a lot in 10 hours. Luca, our teacher, seems to have the patience of a saint, so that’s always helpful as well.
I’m off to Brooklyn to dog sit again this weekend, which I always enjoy, and I’ve brought along my Italian homework as well. I’ll keep you updated as to my progress, and maybe (just maybe!) I’ll have an Italian-written post some time in my near future (it’s always good to shoot for the stars).
Well we did it, we booked a trip to Mexico. Cabo turned out to be a bit too far to trek for just a few days, so we went with the classic Cancun instead. Still, I’m beyond excited. It definitely gives us something to look forward to when it’s 9 degrees outside (seriously, it’s literally 9 degrees outside right now).
Anyway, we booked the all-inclusive RIU Cancun in what will allegedly be an ocean view junior suite. That definitely sounds like somewhere I want to be. And I’ve never done all-inclusive before (besides the Toilet-of-the Sea cruise to the Bahamas, of course), but they promise to include everything like daily meals and snacks, unlimited local and imported alcoholic beverages, regularly restocked minibar and liquor dispenser, unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, hot tub access, access to sun loungers, parasols and towels, gym and sauna, nightclub entrance, tennis, non-motorized aquatic sports equipment, entertainment, taxes and gratuities. It sounds too good to be true. We did our research, though, and all the reviews seem to say that it really is what it says it is. I certainly hope so.
The only downside to the experience of booking the trip was discovering just how little our airline miles for United actually got us. First were the blackout dates and restrictions. We were able to book an outgoing flight that was pretty decent, but there was nothing available for purchase using our miles to get us home, so that meant we had to pay for it. Then there were tons of fees associated with booking with our miles. About $55/person, actually. All in all, using miles to book the trip probably saved us about half the cost, or a little more, but I was more than a little disappointed with the flight availability and the ridiculous fees. Next time, I think I’ll be booking with a different airline.
Living Social Daily Deals, if they’re offered in your hood, my friends. The site is in the realm of the Groupon’s of the world, but Living Social has something a bit more fun—travel deals.
In my inbox right now sits a 4-night, all-inclusive deal for two to a spa in Cancun.That’s drinks, food, and even a 1-hour Swedish massage. For $1,335.
That sounds pretty great right about now, how about you?
Let’s talk about my upcoming vacation. The second Chris gets home from Australia I told him that we’re going to sit down and discuss Mexico.
See, Mexico means a lot to me. Mexico is a trip that seems like it’s been a long time in the making. Three years ago now I decided to take a little trip for Valentine’s Day since Chris was in Canada. That was my trip to Hawaii. Then the following year Chris and I headed to the Bahamas together on our Toilet of the Sea Cruise. So you can see how in my head I had decided that going on vacation for Valentines day had become my “thing.” I liked this “thing.” So I decided that last year Chris and I should take a trip to Mexico together for Valentine’s Day.
But I got over it. It was the trip of a lifetime for Chris, and Mexico would always be there for us to visit another time.
And that time has finally come. While Valentine’s Day weekend isn’t the best weekend for us to travel, since it’s so close to the time Chris will be getting back from Australia, we’ve decided to push it back two months—but I’ll still consider it my Valentine’s Day travel, just for the sake of it all.
I can’t really remember how we landed on Cabo. I think it may have been the photos I saw a few weeks back of a bunch of celebrities who were vacationing there. Whatever it was, I now have my heart set on Cabo, and so in honor of the impending trip, let’s talk a little bit about it.
Cabo is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur
According to the 2005 census, the population was 56,8111 people
Cabo is known for its sandy beaches, world-class scuba diving locations, balnearios, and abundant marine life
It is thought that the first humans came to the southern end of the peninsula 1,400 years ago
Cabo San Lucas is less rainy than San Jose del Cabo, although hurricanes can bring heavy rain for long periods. Average rain in the year: 9.63 inches or 244.7 mm
Bis bald, friends! I’m thinking of warm, sandy, Mexican beaches on this cold, rainy, snowy Tuesday New York City night.
