CHAO BELLA ITALIA!

If you are looking for a spring or summer vacation, lets talk about Italy. Vast history, architecture, art, music, design, scenery and culinary experience awaits you. There is so much to see and explore in Italy, that you will probably need visit more that once; for first time travelers I would recommend to start with a basic 8 night vacation visiting Rome, Florence & Venice.

In Rome, important places such as The Spanish steps, The Colosseum, The Trevi Fountain, The Roman Forum, The Pantheon, The Palatine, The Arch of Constantine, The Victor Emmanuel Monument and not to forget Saint Peters Basilica and The Vatican museums with its famous Sixtine Chapel. A short train ride away will take you to Florence, birth of the Renaissance that started in 14th Century and extended through Europe in the 17th Century.

Florence is a walking city, nearly all the major sites can be discovered on foot. The city is split in two by the Arno river, the left and right banks are spanned by eight bridges including the famous Ponte Veccio (ladies, have your credit cards ready for jewelry shopping spree). Don’t miss the Galleria de la Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David as well The Uffize Gallery and The Pitti Palace among others.

A nice and comfortable train will take you to romantic Venice, were you will enjoy a visit to some of the islands such as Lido, Burano (photographer paradise), and Murano (famous for its glass). Walking through The Rialto bridge, The Bridge of Sighs, the small covered bridge which links Doges Palace with the Piazza delle Prigioni (were the prison cell blocks are). Unquestionably the heart of Venice is the Saint Mark’s Square with the eleventh century Byzantine Church and its radiant gold alter piece. In this ancient city of trade you can also take a gondola ride.

Want to see more? Have more than eight days, then Italy is waiting for you. From the lakes and mountains of the North, to the rolling hills in the Tuscany area, to the Amalfi Coast and Sicily in the South, the array of possibilities and choices are endless. You can choose from the comfort of an organized escorted tour, to an individual vacation package, or just renting a villa in one of the small quaint towns in the Tuscany area with a car rental to explore on your own, or just an Italian rail pass to visit Italy at your own pace, everything can be done.

FRANCE SUMMER VACATION

Following our prior first Paris article, I would like to share with you the rest of my vacation experience in France. I went that Summer with friends and family to this phenomenal country on the 14 day tour “Best of France”. We visited so many areas that I am glad we went by bus on an escorted tour with Marie, a professional French Tour Director, otherwise it would have been impossible to do this long and complex itinerary on our own.


First, we stopped in the Burgundy area, where we visited a local wine cellar as well as the small town of Beaune continuing our trip to Lyon, famous for offering probably one of the best gourmet cuisines in France. Our next stop was in the Provence area where we visited Avignon with the Papal Palace and the famous bridge (remember that old song “Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse, on y danse…….”?), continuing to the spectacular French Riviera where we had a chance to drive all the way through the three corniches (mountain roads) visiting the glamorous Monaco with its casino followed by Nice where we stayed in the old town, visiting the port as well as the beach flanked by the Promenade des Anglais, a 6 mile long boardwalk where you can either stroll, jog, run or bike.

From Nice the tour took us to a Parfumerie where we learned the procedure of soaps, lotions and parfums; then, we visited the medieval towns of St Paul de Vence and Eze, both offering spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea as well as the country side, filled with art galleries and upscale boutiques; our perfect day ended up with a delicious dinner with typical dishes while enjoying the magnificent views of the coast.

Driving west to Carcassone, we passed by the seaside resort of Cannes going back to the Provence region through lavender fields. We stopped in Arles, where we enjoyed tremendously a walking tour with a vast explanation of Vincent Van Gogh’s life, continuing through the Camargue region to Nimes visiting the Roman ruins and arena. After a long day, we finally arrived in the walled city of Carcassone, where we felt being transported in history.

Our journey continued to the Pyrenees, bordering with Spain where we visited the religious site of Lourdes followed by the seacoast upscale resort of Biarritz, elegant, fun where we were able to enjoy some night life as well as gambling in the opulent casino.

Driving north, after a short stop in St Jean de Luz, small cute village in the French Basque region, our next stay was in Bordeaux where the famous red wines come from. This is a very elegant city with clear contrasts of modern and old architecture. A must stop in this area is St Emilion, charming medieval town surrounded by vineyards where local wine which is not commercialized is offered in local markets. I still remember that nice gentleman who “forced” me to taste all kind of wines and finally convinced me to buy more than what I was thinking of! Merci Jean Luc, merci!! These wines were absolutely out this world!! Not to mention the foie gras and crackers accompanying the wines………..

After continuing our trip through sunflower fields we visited the Dordogne Valley and the Perigord area where numerous castles are built on the cliffs; this is definitely an area that is not too well known here in America and it is really worth the trip!

We stayed in a XIX century chateau where we enjoyed the local food as well as the incredible sounds of the silent night, with a short walk to a XII century church, what a fantastic trip to the past!

Our next stop was Tours where we visited the Chenonceau Castle with its impressive gardens in the Loire Valley which is well known for having more than 300 castles.

And our trip is close to the end, with a short stop on Mont St Michel with dangerous quick sands and high tide making this place truly unique. We continued to Omaha Beach and the landing beaches where we visited the D-day Museum and paid respect to the lives lost here during II World War.

On our way back to Paris we stopped at Giverny to visit Claude Monet’s house and gardens with the water-lily paintings

This was not my first time in France and for sure, it won’t be the last one!

Incredible Satellite Images

The Taj Mahal - Agra, India

http://www.satellite-sightseer.com/id/2224/India//Agra/Taj_Mahal



The Eiffel Tower - Paris, France
http://www.satellite-sightseer.com/id/1983/France/Ile_de_France/Paris/Eiffel_Tower



Leaning Tower of Pisa - Pisa, Italy
http://www.satellite-sightseer.com/id/2150/Italy//Pisa/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa



Ground Zero/World Trade Center site - New York, NY USA
http://www.satellite-sightseer.com/World_Trade_Center_site



Colosseum - Rome, Italy
http://www.satellite-sightseer.com/id/2005/Italy/Latium/Rome/Colosseum

PARIS FOR JUST ONE EURO PER DAY

As our first blog, I am going to start with certain interesting points of a unique and special city for me: Paris.

Despite the extreme cost of the Euro, back on August 2008, I decided to head up to France, traveling with friends and family. We managed to have a wonderful time stretching our Dollars. We stayed one week in Paris followed by a two week tour around the country.


You are wondering, 1 Euro per day? How is that possible? Well, just think of Velib, the new bike system in the city, running with high success since last year. It was originally invented in Lyon, France and the Parisian authorities decided to try it locally and so far, it has been working really well. You can bike along the Seine River as well as almost anywhere in the city, where special lanes have been created for taxis, buses and bicycles. Everyone respects bikers, even pedestrians are respectful and everybody seems to have a good time with this new personality of the “City of Lights”.

There are three passes to choose, one annual card for locals and then two more options, a one week or a one day pass. For 1 Euro per day, one can buy the One Day Card which allows the renter to bike the entire day, as long as you don’t ride longer than 30 minutes. In other words, you pick up you bike on a bicycle station, ride to the next station where you can drop it. As a tourist, you might want to visit a site, museum, etc and once you are done you pick up another bicycle to continue your journey. So simple and convenient!! No forms to complete, just a hold of 150 Euros on your credit card for 24 hrs, no helmets, no restrictions on age, height or weight; the bicycles comes with a security lock as well as a nice basket for your belongings. The bicycle stations are pretty much everywhere, in the most touristic areas you even find them every two/thee blocks and most likely you always have one available.

It is fun, easy, fast, affordable and …………..a great way to burn the calories gained with the delicious croissants, pastries, baguettes, cheeses, quiches, foie gras and all kind of great French cuisine that for sure you are going to experience!

For lodging there is still a chance to find decent hotels with private bathroom, air conditioning and in a great location for less than $ 200.00 a night, breakfast included for two people. A Museum Pass is available for a nominal price covering up to 40 museums and local attractions with the benefit of not having to be standing on line to purchase your tickets. As far as food the majority of the local restaurants offer a fixed price menu for less than $ 20.00 per person including an appetizer, one entrée and the desert, or you can always buy a sandwich or salad at a local market, bakery or deli for a reasonable price.

If you are not so adventurous and prefer to have a more traditional vacation experience but still interested in cutting costs, think of traveling on value season from November to April, some tour companies offer excellent deals covering your airfare, transportation from/to hotel, accommodation as well as some local sightseeing tours.

Interested in more comfort or perhaps luxury? Not a problem, Paris has everything for everybody, for every budget for every taste, for every style, whatever your idea of having fun is, start planning, pack and go!

Paris is awaiting you!