The ABCs of Travel

In reading some new blogs lately, I've stumbled upon some interesting themed posts that I've decided to try out for myself. Though this one has taken forever to write, it's a pretty cool way to revisit some of my best memories.

So, this is the ABCs of Travel...and you can find some other bloggers similar posts linked here.
Amy and the Great World
We Took the Road Less Traveled

A) Age you went on your first international trip

When I was 14, I convinced my parents to send me on the school Spanish language trip to Portugal and Spain. It was 1992. I remember hating Portugal. That was the spoiled American teenager in me. I loved visiting El Escorial outside of Madrid and being scared by the aggressive leather salesmen in Tangiers. While I've been back to Spain since, Portugal is still on the to do list.

B) Best foreign beer you've had and where

Well, this is nearly impossible to narrow down, but two beers immediately come to mind. First is the house made lambics in Brussels at A La Mort Subite. They had a variety of flavors and were so delicious. Even though we were only in Brussels for a couple of days, we managed to stop by this local hot spot twice.



My second choice is the Einstok Icelandic White Ale that I discovered this summer. I just really liked it when I discovered it during our road trip.



C) Cuisine (favorite)

Not necessarily related to my travel experiences, but my favorite cuisine is currently 'anything but Italian'. The flavors of Italian food always seem to be in the same vein and, while delicious, feel so limited. While in Milan, we often frequent Asian and Indian restaurants and I've developed a true affinity for Chicken Tikka Masala. Basic? Yes, but so delicious!!!

D) Destinations- favorite, least favorite and why?

I've loved a lot of places, but a top tier fave is definitely Dubrovnik. I had the best few days there this past summer. Least favorite? Probably Naples. Places where I feel like I have to hang on to my purse for dear life are never comfortable.

E) Event you've experience abroad that made you say "Wow!"

Hands down- Jokusarlon Glacial Lagoon in Iceland this past summer. If you've seen my pictures, you don't need any explanation.

F) Favorite mode of transportation

Well, I love a good car that allows you to come and go as you please, but I'll take a good train trip any day. No airport security lines. No arriving two hours in advance. No hour long train to get to your departure point. Trains. One of Europe's greatest amenities. 

G) Greatest feeling while traveling

Sitting at a historic place, that you've heard of all your life, and never really believed that you'd have the opportunity to experience. Those are the best moments. And I've been blessed to feel it many times over.

H) Hottest place you've ever traveled to

Don't laugh. LONDON. Summer of 2013 my mom and I went to the UK for two weeks. They had a crazy heat wave. And, who'd think to worry about air conditioning when booking places, since it is rarely necessary. I carried my 50 pound bag to my rented room...up to the 6th floor of a walk up...in a building without AC. Who'd of thought?

I) Incredible service you've experienced and where

Ummm...struggling a bit with this one...but we did love our stay at Agriturismo Marciano just outside of Siena. It was super close to the city, the owner and cook were really nice and we had the most excellent meal with the other guests while we were there.

J) Journey that took the longest

Besides traveling back and forth to the US, most of my journeys aren't too long. When I traveled to Iceland this summer my plane was delayed and then I missed my connection to Reyjavik. This resulted in having to spend the night in Dusseldorf. No big deal. I was put in a decent room at a nice hotel without a problem. The next morning I had to fly from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt to catch a flight to Iceland. Soooooooo....it did take a bit longer than I expected to actually get to Iceland.

K) Keepsake from your travels

I love to buy souvenirs. I mean, it's hard to resist handmade items, native to a certain country, like handmade pottery. So I have quite a collection starting.

Main picture: bowl from Morocco; Clockwise from top: Murano glass from Venice, small bowl from Istanbul, handmade mug from Sicily from a friend, handmade mini pitcher from Bruges, Belgium, medium sized pitcher from Levanto, Italy, small bowl from Slovenia (gift from Sheila), and Murano glass from Venice

L) Let down sight- where and why

The Bock Casemates, Luxembourg City...why is everyone so excited about this on the various travel guide sites? Unfortunately, we were bored.

M) Moment when you fell in love with traveling

As soon as I moved to Europe, the travel opportunities just kept coming. In my first four months, I visited the South of France, Florence, Pisa, Lake Como and Munich. Feeling the vibe of different cities, seeing the locals, tasting the food...how can you not love traveling?

N) Nicest hotel you've stayed in

Stayed at Hotel Bristol in Vienna. It's directly next to the Opera House. We had a small balcony that we could look over to the opera's outdoor screen and our room was a series of rooms instead of one. It was old school traditional, but felt pretty fancy!

O) Obsession- what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling and why?

I'm not necessarily obsessed with taking pictures of any certain thing, but I am obsessed with taking pictures are weird and odd angles. I find pictures so much more interesting when they are taken in this fashion. So, my friends know that if they hand me their camera the likelihood they'll get a picture that is perfectly horizontal or vertical is slim to none.

P) Passport stamps- how many and from where?

Currently, 41.

Q) Quirkiest attraction you've visited and where?

The only thing that comes to mind is more weird than quirky, and that's the mixed gender hammam in Turkey. It was such a crazy, weird, and slightly creepy experience.

R) Really frightening: where's one place you felt unsafe or uneasy?

Since I already mentioned Naples, another place that had moments of unease was definitely Morocco. We ended up having a great trip, thanks to our trusty and highly recommended guide, Mohammed, but our first few days in Marrakech did intimidate us from time to time. Maps were impossible to read and not feeling like many of the locals around could be trusted for reliable information made it difficult to relax and really enjoy the surroundings.

S) Splurge- something that you have no problem spending money on while traveling

Chances are, when you travel to a destination, it might be your only visit there. If there's something you want to do, I'm a big believer in just doing it. You might not be back. Do what you want. You can't take the money with you. So...splurging to take a hot air balloon over the mountainous terrain of central Turkey? Do it. No regrets.

T) Touristy thing you've done

In Istanbul we wanted to see the 'whirling dervishes'. These shows are put together just for the tourists and are super 'touristy'!! But, at least it was still super interesting to see them spin

U) Unforgettable travel memory

There are so many it's nearly impossible to choose but a huge highlight was getting to visit the famous grounds of Wimbledon during the 2013 tournament with my mom. My family has been avid tennis watchers for years, and to experience the 'queue' and then make our way to a grass court for a 5 set men's match. Hard to beat.

V) Visas- how many and for where?

Two. My Italian work visa and the visa required to enter Turkey.

W) Wine- best glass while traveling?

Let's just do the best glass of wine period. During the wine course I took last year we tasted a red wine from Calabria. It smelled of soap, but had the most delicious and smooth flavor. It appears to be available online to purchase...I might just have to go spend a few bucks.

X) eXcellent view and from where?

Top of this hill overlooking the harbor of Split, Croatia. I wandered up some stairs and found this perfect overlook, as recommended by my favorite travel guru, Rick Steves. The view was AMAZING!

Y) Years spent traveling

Well, I've traveled here and there throughout my life but the travel opportunities have really picked up since moving to Europe in 2011.

Z) Zealous sports fans and where?

A couple of years ago a couple of us went to an A.C. Milan v. Napoli game. I thought the Naples' fans were crazy! I don't really have much to compare it to in Europe, but it was insane to see flares being lit and the sound of canons firing throughout the game.

Favorite travel memory of your own? I'd love to hear it!

It's Just Like Riding a Bike

Italy being the good Catholic country that it is meant that last weekend was a long one for us! For the first time since moving here, some friends and I decided to rent a car and drive to an agriturismo outside of Siena. You can learn more about agriturismi by clicking on the embedded link, but generally it's a small, family owned farm that allows guests to come and stay on the property. But, more on the agriturismo in a minute...other exciting parts of this adventure must be detailed first.

Love this city.

Awhile back, Caitlin, Grace, Katie and I started discussing the possibility of this trip. I found the place to stay and Caitlin said she'd take care of renting a car. I said, "Great! I don't want any part of driving, so have at it!"

Fast forward to last Thursday night. I get a text message that says, "No automatics available, so we got a manual car." This is probably a good time to mention that the girls that rented the car do not have any experience driving stick shift cars. How they drove it home that night is beyond me.

Friday morning, three of us met at the car and packed it up and were prepared to head to Opera to pick up Katie. And, then, we stalled, a time or two or three or more! I lost count!! We finally got going, only to be told by a nice Italian man when stalled at a green light, "Metti la prima! Vai!" (basically, put it in first and you go!) Yes, we know that.  Somehow we made it to Opera, picked up Katie and her full mug of tea, and began our road trip.

Caitlin, pre-stalling, Friday morning

A few more stalls later and Katie's mug was no longer full. And, me, the one who didn't want anything to do with the driving, found herself behind the wheel. (Once in a blue moon, like 18 years ago, I was the proud driver of a bare bones Toyota Tercel 5 speed.)

There was a ton of traffic headed out of town, so instead of taking about 4 hours to get to Siena, it took more like 6. We had plans to meet up with my landlord's (Luisa) family to pick olives, but arrived too late to actually pick anything. But, we did arrive in time for the sunset and a lovely time with Luisa and her family. Her parents are just about the cutest people ever.

sunset in Tuscany
view from just outside of Vescovado di Murlo

We headed to Siena for dinner and I was thankfully smart enough not to drive up a huge hill that would have lead into the city. We took a recommendation from a friend of Grace and we enjoyed plenty of freshly made pasta and delicious food.

Our agriturismo was great. It only allowed for a handful of people to stay there, was clean and inviting, and had some amazing homemade bread (among other things) for breakfast.

the view from our room

The next day we taxied back to Siena to spend the day in the town. It's such a beautiful place. We spent our time in the Duomo and then went to an exhibit of photography by Steve McCurry, the photographer made famous for his Afghan girl with the mysterious eyes back in the day. We had sandwiches from a crazy meat shop (boar salami) and dined on them in the middle of Piazza del Campo. It was another one of those moments where I was reminded how the life I'm able to live seems so surreal.

Christmas "balls" were for sale in many shops.
I'm kinda obsessed with this photo.

Siena is probably most famous for it's twice yearly horse race, the Palio. The 17 different neighborhoods, known individually as a contrada (plural- contrade), each have a representative compete in the July and August race. The race takes place right in the heart of the city, in front of the city hall and around Piazza del Campo. Last year I read an amazing book called The Daughter of Siena by Marina Fiorato that had a fictional palio set in the early days of the race as a focus of its plot. It might be a good one to pick up if you're interested in learning more.

handpainted bells, decorated in the colors of different contrade

We had made arrangements to have dinner at the agriturismo that night. The owner gave us a tour of the wine tanks and barrels and talked to us about their wine production each year before dinner. Joining us that night were two American couples and one Italian couple. Dinner was really good and served family style so it was nice to have this experience and share it with others.

family style.

We topped off the night with a few competitive rounds of Sequence, a game that no one except Grace has ever heard of. But, we loved it and I can't wait to play some more!

Sequence. Have you ever played?

Some other great pics from the weekend...

olives in Tuscany

the horse hooks used to hold-- you guessed it-- the horses!

Siena's Duomo

City Hall and the Tower