 |
|
Posts Tagged ‘Italy’
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
a) 112
b) 212
c) 284
d) 348
(Scroll down for the answer…)
The Leaning Tower of Pisa was supposed to stand straight but it gained its famous sideways slant thanks to the unstable soil on which it was constructed and poor planning. It was built as a free-standing bell tower to accompany the cathedral and baptistry in the town of Pisa, Italy. There are eight floors within the tower, including the top floor that houses the tower’s bells. There are around (c) 284 steps in the Leaning Tower of Pisa. (Some sources say 284. Some say 286. I’ve also seen 297 and over 300.) The construction of the tower began in 1173 and was not completed until the mid-1300s, with wars causing delays in its completion. The town of Pisa got its name from a Greek word, which supposedly means “marshy land.” Pisa is the birthplace of noted early physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei.
Check back every Thursday for a new Travel Trivia question!
Is getting your photo taken whilst pretending to hold up the Leaning Tower of Pisa on your bucket list? Why or why not? Tell us in the comments below!
You might also like:
• A Day on the Farm in Sicily
• Rome in a Day
• Sun, Sand & Sea in Sardinia
• Vacation Savoring Lessons Learned in Sorrento & Pompeii
Photo by ameins. (Creative Commons)
Tags: Italy, Leaning Tower of Pisa, steps
Posted in Travel Trivia | 6 Comments »
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
a) Italy
b) Japan
c) The Middle East
d) China
(Scroll down for the answer…)
It has been long debated which area of the world first created noodles. With Italy’s love of pasta, many incorrectly believe noodles were invented in the Mediterranean. Others thought pasta was actually brought to Italy from the Middle East. The world’s oldest noodles, however, were found in (d) China in 2005. Radiocarbon dating indicates the noodles were about 4,000 years old. The noodles appear to have been made from domestic grasses as opposed to modern noodles, which are typically made from wheat.
Check out more Travel Trivia Questions!
Photo by jeltovski. (Creative Commons)
I’m thankful for the Chinese for inventing the noodle so I can chow down on one of my favorite dishes in the world, pasta carbonara! What’s your favorite noodle dish? Tell us in the comments below!
You might also like:
• A Day on the Farm in Sicily
• Family-Friendly Food in San Juan, Puerto Rico
• The Travel Mama’s Top 3 Hidden Gem Destinations
• Vacation Savoring Lessons Learned in Sorrento & Pompeii
Tags: China, invented, Italy, Japan, Middle East, noodles, pasta, Travel Trivia
Posted in Travel Trivia | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
I have written several stories about my family’s Disney Cruise and the new ports of call in the Mediterranean on TravelMamas.com over the past few months. Set sail with me on a journey from vibrant Barcelona in Spain to such destinations as history-rich Rome in Italy and picturesque Provence in France in this round-up post. Bon voyage!
Barcelona is the embarkation city of most Disney Mediterranean cruises. Discover what to do and what to skip in this friendly Spanish city in The Best & Worst of Barcelona with Kids.
Our stop in Sicily was the stuff vacation daydreams are made of. Find out why in A Day on the Farm in Sicily.
Although Sorrento and Pompeii were wonderful, our visit to these destinations did not go as smoothly as we had hoped. From great frustrations one can learn great lessons, as you’ll see in Vacation Savoring Lessons Learned in Sorrento & Pompeii.
After many days on the go, go, go touring historic European sites, a Sardinian beach day was just what the Travel Mama ordered! Check out the fun we had in Sun, Sand & Sea in Sardinia.
They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but could it be conquered in a day with a toddler in tow? Find out in Rome in a Day.
Lovely little Lerici, Italy made it’s way into my heart and into The Travel Mama’s Top 3 Hidden Gem Destinations. This story was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for the ebook, Tripbase Best Kept Travel Secrets – Italy.
Sometimes not having set vacation plans allows for unexpected discoveries and is the best way to travel. Other times, not having an agenda leads to poor decisions and missed opportunities. Both proved true on this second to last stop of our Disney Cruise through the Mediterranean. Read more in Monte Carlo, Nice, or Villefranche?
Tags: barcelona, Disney Cruise, France, Italy, Lerici, Luberon, mediterranean, Monte Carlo, Nice, Pompeii, Provence, Rome, Sardinia, Sicily, Sorrento, spain, Tripbase Best Kept Travel Secrets, Villefranche
Posted in Family Vacations, Restaurant Reviews, Theme Parks | 3 Comments »
Sunday, September 26th, 2010
They say Rome wasn’t built in a day. But could it be conquered in a day with a toddler in tow?
Rome was the most highly anticipated stop of our Disney Mediterranean Cruise for my husband, Phil. It was also the most dreaded for me. I worried the city’s numerous monuments would be too much tackle in one day, particularly when traveling with a two-and-a-half-year-old in the flaming heat of a Roman July. Phil is typically a “whatever you want to do is fine with me” kind of vacation-goer. However, he had made it clear it was imperative that he see all that Rome had to offer. Taking it easy was not an option.
The Roman Forum
I had visited Rome years prior during my year abroad as a student in Southern France. I fell in love with the history, culture, art, food, and vivaciousness of Rome the minute I stepped foot in the Eternal City. On my first visit, I literally (and I mean literally!) ran from site to site, more enthralled with the next ancient treasure than the last.
Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls
This time around we hired a private guide, a pleasant Roman woman named Irene (Eee-ree-nay), who drove us the nearly two hours from our port town of Civitavecchia into Rome. Our first stop was the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, also known as St Paul’s Basilica or St Paul Outside the Walls. This was a bit of a treat for me since I had not visited this lesser known church on my previous visit. It was lovely, but certainly not a must-see for first-time visitors.
Next we swung by the Roman Forum for a snapshot of the family before we jumped back into Irene’s car. Hopping in and out of a vehicle to take photos of these historic sites was not the most “authentic” way to experience Rome, but you would’ve done the same under the blazingly hot, time-crushed circumstances. Irene’s air conditioned car was our new best friend. Still, it would have been nice to spend more time here, wandering through the ruins of what was once the cultural, financial, and religious center of Ancient Rome.
The Roman Colosseum
Then it was on to the Roman Colosseum. As you know, the Roman Colosseum is the largest coliseum ever built by the Roman Empire and is famous for its remarkable architecture and engineering.
Massive lines of tourists snaked around the monument’s perimeter. Our daughter, Karissa, had fallen asleep in her car seat and Irene assured us we could bypass the lines since she had pre-purchased entrance tickets for us. So we decided to…leave our toddler sleeping…in the car…with Irene…whom we had just met a few hours prior. (ARE WE CRAZY?!)
The monstrous lines turned out to be for groups (some of them our fellow Disney cruisers) awaiting a tour of the Colosseum’s interior. They also had their entrance tickets and were none too eager to let the hubs and me squeeze in front of them in line. An Italian woman offered to sell us a personalized tour of the interior. We declined but my husband, salesman that he is, offered to pay her if she could help us bypass the line since we only had a half-hour to get in and back to our sleeping toddler. She took pity on us and marched us up to the front of the line, refusing our money. (Grazie mille, you sweet Italian lady, whoever you are!)
Soon we were inside the Colosseum (another first for me). We marveled at the network of underground tunnels and imagined gladiators fighting for their lives in this giant amphitheatre. We snapped a few photos, bought a couple of souvenirs, and departed.
The interior of the Colosseum
Phil and I spotted Irene standing outside the car bopping with our daughter in her arms, while Karissa wailed, “Mommmmmmmyyy!” I sprinted to my little girl and she quieted the minute I reached her. Irene said that Karissa slept much of the time and then woke a few minutes before we arrived. Irene played her some Italian pop music and sang to her for a bit. Then it occurred to Karissa that her parents had gone missing, which is when the screaming commenced.
Next our family stopped for a quick lunch of lasagna and cold pasta with Irene. For how laidback the Italians are supposed to be, I will tell you this: the tour drivers are anything but. Maybe it is from years of dealing with uptight Americans eager to squeeze in every Italian site possible, but when we asked if we could stop for a cappuccino or even lunch, she looked at us like we were crazy (as was the case with our driver in Sorrento and Pompeii).
The Trevi Fountain
Our next stop: the Trevi Fountain. On my first visit, I knew nothing of this fountain beyond what I had read in my Let’s Go Europe! Sure, the guidebook said it would be big. But big did not prepare me for the overwhelming magnitude of this fountain. This is the fountain to top all fountains. I defy you to find me a more magnificent fountain! On this trip, we hopped out…ran over to the fountain…gave Karissa a penny and helped her toss it over her shoulder to ensure she would someday return to Rome.
Our original plan was for the three of us to embark on a private tour of the Vatican (ahhh…the days before the economy collapsed were glorious!). However, I was on a crazy quest for a lemon centerpiece and I had already visited the Holy City, so instead Irene dropped Karissa and me off near the Spanish Steps before she drove Phil to the Vatican.
Modeling new Italian fashions (No, I don’t remember what I thought was so funny!)
The stores I encountered were intimidating, high-end fashion boutiques like Gucci, Dolce & Gabana, and Prada (none of which, curiously, carried citrus-themed ceramics). I felt odd pushing my dirty old stroller up steps and into the luxurious shops, but the air-conditioned interiors beckoned to me. I rambled along cobblestone streets searching for an indoor seat at an air-conditioned café. Finally I found one. I ordered a lemon ice over which I lingered like an Italian, buying time out of the stifling heat while my daughter dozed.
After more than an hour, I braved the heat to head toward my pick-up spot. I found a reasonably priced boutique where I purchased a silky teal shirt and a sexy scarlet dress, both size small. I should have realized that a size small American equals a size medium or large Italian, but my ego got in the way. Hence, the teal shirt was worn exactly once (on the ship that night) and the red dress was given to my tiny friend, Sona, after we returned home.
The Vatican
Meanwhile, my (Jewish) husband adored his tour of the Vatican with his personal guide, Marta. He marveled at the Pieta, the painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and thousands of other priceless works of art.
The first time I had visited Rome it was over the span of a few days and I left enchanted with the Eternal City. This time, I just left exhausted. I hope Disney Cruise Line will eventually dedicate two days of their Mediterranean Cruise itinerary to Rome, allowing cruisers to get a more genuine taste of the city. Rome is meant to savored, not swallowed in big gulps. Hopefully our Trevi Fountain coins will indeed bring us back to Rome someday so we can meander from square to square, eat leisurely meals of pasta and wine, and simply enjoy life as it should be in Italy…simple, relaxed, delicious.
If you only had one day to visit Rome, how would you spend it? Leave a comment below!
You might also like:
• A Day on the Farm in Sicily
• Disney Cruise – The Ideal Family Vacation
• Sun, Sand & Sea in Sardinia
• Vacation Savoring Lessons Learned in Sorrento & Pompeii
A note from the Travel Mama: My family paid for this cruise and I did not receive any compensation or goodies from Disney related to this story. I will always let you know if I receive any money or products related to a blog post.
Tags: civitavecchia, Colosseum, Disney Cruise, Italy, lemon ice, mediterranean, Rome, shopping, St. Paul's Basilica, toddler, Vatican
Posted in Family Vacations | 12 Comments »
Sunday, September 12th, 2010
My sail down memory lane continues with the fourth port of our Disney Mediterranean Cruise - Sardinia, Italy. After many days on the go, go, go touring historic European sites, a beach day Sardinian-style was just what the Travel Mama ordered!
This day we signed up for a Disney beach excursion. My husband, two-year-old daughter, and I boarded a bus with other cruisers to reach La Cinta Beach in Olbia, Sardinia. The sandy beach was quite the treat since many Mediterranean beaches have pebble or rock bottoms, which require tough feet or water shoes when taking a dip in the water. The tall grasses sprouting from the sand along the perimeter of the beach reminded me of Cape Cod. As part of our excursion fees, we were provided with two lounge chairs and a blue and white striped sun umbrella.
For lunch we snagged some unimpressive-looking tomato and mozarella sandwiches from the snack bar. Even these pre-made plastic-wrapped sandwiches were quite tasty. Italians sure do know how to do food!
After a couple of hours of splashing in the calm waves and digging in the sand with Disney-provided sand toys, we reboarded the buses for our hour-long journey back to the ship.
One of my sanity saving and vacation savoring tips is to schedule down days after busy days and to be sure to include activities that meet the desires of all trip-goers…parents, kids, everyone! Was this the most momentous day of our cruise? No. Was it a wonderful day nonetheless? Absolutely.
Some might say there are beaches in the U.S. and spending a day seaside was a waste of our precious vacation time. I believe relaxation should be part of any itinerary and a day spent playing at the beach recharged our internal batteries, allowing us to do the unthinkable…tackle Rome in a day with a toddler! Check back for my story on that one!
The current Disney Mediterranean Cruise no longer includes a stop at Sardinia. Instead, cruisers visit Tunis, Tunisia on the Northern tip of Africa. Visitors can explore on their own, visiting this Muslim city’s famed Zitouna Mosque, tasting Tunisia’s flavorful, exotic cuisine and shopping for handicrafts, jewelry, and spices in the city’s center medina, or marketplace. Disney excursions are available too – with day trips to the ruins of Carthage and Moorish village of Sidi Bou Said or the town of Nabeul, known for its pottery. The Bardo Museum and Medina for Families excursion includes a special youth activity, where children can create their own mosaic with Disney Youth Counselors to bring home while parents explore the museum’s beautiful artwork.
I love that Disney Cruise Line is always working to change and improve its cruise destinations and excursions. It makes taking another Disney Mediterranean Cruise someday even more tempting as I daydream about what activities my family would choose in each port!
Which would you rather visit, Sardinia or Tunisia? Leave a comment below!
You might also like:
• A Day on the Farm in Sicily
• Disney Cruise – The Ideal Family Vacation
• 5 Favorite Islands (Not Your Typical List!)
• Vacation Savoring Lessons Learned in Sorrento & Pompeii
A note from the Travel Mama: My family paid for this cruise and I did not receive any compensation or goodies from Disney related to this story. I will always let you know if I receive any money or products related to a blog post.
Tags: beach, Disney Cruise, Italy, La Cinta, mediterranean, Olbia, Sardinia, Tunis, Tunisia
Posted in Family Vacations | 1 Comment »
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
I have a love affair with islands. No matter where I go in the world, from Shelter Island that’s almost in my backyard, to more far-flung locales - islands conjure up a dreamy melding of adventure, romance and relaxing satisfaction. Here are five of my favorite isles.
1. The Azores, Portugal
The nine islands that make up the Azores are a delightful mix of the traditional and the contemporary, along with plenty of dazzling and quirky features. Each island has a distinct personality and I’ll give you my take on just a few.
The town of Furnas on Sao Miguel is a land of boiling hot springs, steaming geysers and bubbling mud pools. Don’t miss watching the locals and the staff of the Terra Nostra Garden Hotelcooking pots of cozido, a stew of chicken, sausage, beef, cabbage and kale, in the hot earth alongside the lake. Then have a hearty bowl for lunch and afterwards, take a romantic stroll through the garden past exotic plants and rocky grottoes.
On Faial, you’ve got a wonderful contrast of the lively port city of Hortawhere the quayside’s walls are decorated withbold murals painted by visiting yachtsmen, the twisty roads edged withtall hydrangea hedgerows and the stark western edge of the island where abandoned houses poke above the thick black ash, thanks to volcanic eruptions fin the late 1950s.
I’m a cheese lover and that made Sao Jorge a perfect visit. Sao Jorge has eight factories and, when I visited one, I observed milk being delivered, learned how cheese is manufactured, and even got a taste of the tangy product.
2. Sardinia, Italy
On Sardinia’s less developed west coast, the picturesque town of Alghero makes a perfect base for a multi-day trip. Rather than settling on my beach blanket day after day, I did a self-guided audio tour where I climbed the 70-foot-high terrace of the 16th century Porto Terra Tower for panoramic views. Then, I rented a bicycle – though you could just as easily drive the route – and peddled to Palmavera Nuraghe to explore the ruins of this prehistoric village.
Farther along, the little-visited Regional Forest of Porto Conte – appropriately dubbed Noah’s Ark – has some curious creatures wandering about, including white donkeys, petite horses, and Tibetan goats. Though most visitors sign up for a boat tour to reach the famous Grotto di Nettune with its cave network, a more memorable journey for me was walking the 654 steps of the Goat’s Stairway down the cliff face.
3. Corsica, France
Most people flock to accommodations along Corsica’s coast, but I found that walking, hiking, and driving in the mountainous interior provided a more authentic experience. In even the most remote areas, you’ll come upon a village, like Casamaccioli, that provides some of the most spectacular views of the island’s high peaks. Because some villages are situated far from markets, another unusual feature that you’ll find are grocery trucks that stop like school buses, bringing produce to the locals.
One of my favorite and, again, off-the-beaten-track areas of Corsica is La Balagne where an artisan’s route allows you to drive from hamlet to hamlet where men and women are practicing age-old craft traditions, from pottery to glass blowing. A purchase at any of the workshops along the way makes for a perfect souvenir.
4. The Lofotens, Norway
With an intriguing name like Å, how could I not make this Norwegian town my ultimate destination? Making my way in the pristine Lofoten Islands from the town of Svolvaerto 19th century Å, I easily lost track of time as I passed soaring cliffs, fisherman’s huts (known as rorbuers) that are perched on stilts, as well as snug harbors.
Among the highlights of my journey to the Lofotens was eating cod fish tongue -who even knew they had tongues? I also enjoyed staying overnight in a fisherman’s hut that had a hole cut in the floor in case I needed to drop a fishing line.
5. Bozcaada, Turkey
In Turkey, Bozcaada Island inspires disparate opinions. One couple I met told me they planned to spend four days and were leaving early because there was nothing to do. Another pair thought the island would make a perfect locale for a summer house. I fall into the “wished I had more time” category of visitor.
I rented a bicycle and pedaled past old stone farmhouses and thick pine forests that open up to a long row of wind turbines. Everyone on the island flocks to Ayazmar Beach but you can bicycle to two slivers of sand, Sulubahce and Hubbele, in quiet coves that see few visitors. Other lanes wind between vineyards and even more desolate stretches of sand.
Vineyards and wine tastings are a highlight of any visit to Bozcaada but you can’t get away from the island’s history. After climbing the battlements of the island’s fortress that Venetians and Genoese once occupied, I found ancient urns, cannons, tombstones, and columns inside the walls. All of these sights plus a handful of contemporary art galleries means that a three-day stay isn’t enough time to enjoy everything Bozcaada has to offer.
Travel and food writer Jeanine Barone is a native New Yorker who travels the world looking for little visited venues. Her articles appear in National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure, the Boston Globe, and a variety of other magazines and newspapers. Her blog, J The Travel Authority, is very much about what she calls hidden treasure travel (writing about boutique hotels, restaurants, galleries, shops, trails, and other sights that are often missed by many a visitor).
What is your favorite island escape? Leave a comment below!
You might also like:
• A Day on the Farm in Sicily
• Family-Friendly Singapore
• Morocco with Kids – A Unique Journey for the Senses
• The Travel Mama’s Top 3 Hidden Gem Destinations
Tags: Bozcaada, cheese, Corsica, France, hiking, islands, Italy, Jeanine Barone, Lofotens, Norway, Portugal, Sardinia, The Azores, Turkey, Vis, wine
Posted in Grown-Up Getaways | 4 Comments »
Sunday, August 15th, 2010
Our stop in Naples, Italy was the most frustrating day of our Disney Mediterranean Cruise. Rather than explore the port town famed for its glorious pizza, we opted to hire a private driver/tour guide to take us to Sorrento and Pompeii. It’s not that these locations were bothersome or not worthy of a visit – quite the opposite, in fact!
From great frustrations, one can learn great lessons. Here’s what I learned about how to make the most of your precious vacation days, even when things don’t go exactly as you hoped…
L’Agruminato Citrus Grove Garden in Sorrento
More Expensive Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Better
Hiring a private guide seemed like the best way to visit both Sorrento and Pompeii in one day with our then two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Plus, this was before the economy crashed so we were doing pretty well financially and could afford such extravagances. In retrospect, I wish we would have just taken the Disney Sorrento and Pompeii Excursion and saved ourselves a lot of money and frustration!
Go Your Own Way
The tour company we hired had specific suggestions for how to spend the day, but I’m pretty type-A and had my own ideas; this didn’t seem to go over too well. I requested that we tour the Pompeii ruins in the morning to avoid the heat of the day and then head to Sorrento for a relaxed lunch and shopping. However, at pick-up our driver informed us that our private archeological guide would be meeting us at 2:00 pm so we would have to drive to Sorrento first and eat lunch in the town of Pompeii instead. During the two-hour drive, I sat in the backseat with my toddler, Karissa, reading books aloud, playing with lace string boards, and trying (without much luck) to keep her entertained.
Stop to Smell the Roses & Taste the Limoncello
Once we arrived in picture-perfect Sorrento, my husband and I took our daughter first to L’Agruminato, a darling citrus garden recommended in Rick Steves’ Italy. There Phil and I tasted and purchased a bottle of Limoncello liqueur, for which Sorrento is famous. This mixture of vodka, sugar, and citrus is mostly sweet, a little tart, surprisingly strong, and all together good.
Seize Opportunities Before It’s Too Late
While wandering through the Sorrento’s plentiful shops, I found several beautiful ceramic centerpiece towers of lemons. This is exactly what I had envisioned purchasing in a town known for its lemons and pottery. I knew it would be perfect in my rustic, yellow dining room with the long white table. I couldn’t decide which to purchase and knew we were on a strict timetable, so my husband and I dutifully marched back to the car.
Here’s my dining room. Hmm…what’s missing?
I asked the driver if we had time enough for me to dash into a store to purchase one of the centerpieces. He told us that he was illegally parked and we really had to hurry to get to our fabulous lunch reservation in time and besides, I need not worry because these items could be found anywhere throughout all of Italy. Needless to say, I spent the remainder of our trip searching for my beloved lemon centerpiece to no avail.
I have searched and searched for something similar and have found but a few options stateside – all of which are three to four times more expensive than what I could have bought in Italy. This has convinced me that we are destined to return to Sorrento, if only to finally purchase my long sought-after ceramic sculpture!
Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Up!
After our one-and-a-half-hour drive to Pompeii (throughout which, again, I attempted to amuse Karissa), we pulled up to a “restaurant” literally across the street from the Pompeii ruins named simply, Snack Bar. It featured giant, laminated photos of pizza and other eats on its outdoor menu. I asked our driver if this was the place where he “made reservations.” When he said yes, I requested he drive us to a different restaurant for lunch. We came all of the way from California and food is part of the joy of Italy. We did not want to waste a precious lunch snacking on tidbits at the fast food joint across the street from a tourist destination. He protested, but my stubbornness won out.
We dined at a small, unassuming café in the modern town of Pompeii. I was feeling a bit stressed out by the hurried schedule of the day and our tour guide’s insistence in telling us all we were missing by not including a visit to his hometown of Amalfi (which was part of their standard tour package). I, therefore, ordered a bottle of red wine to accompany our lunch. Our meal was beyond delicious, as you can tell by this photo of Karissa gobbling up a huge bowl of penne.
Pasta Lunch in Pompeii
Make Your Needs Known
After a giant plate of pasta and half a bottle of red wine what you really don’t want to do is go walk around in the sweltering sun for a couple of hours. But that is exactly what we did. Now, my husband knew that I had been entertaining our little one in the car all morning. He also knew that I was really excited to see Pompeii as it had been on my bucket list ever since I was ten-years-old and I had learned about it in elementary school.
Our archealogical guide knew none of this and therefore seemed quite put off by the fact that I kept leaving my poor husband to chase after our over-tired, red-faced toddler while I snapped photos and asked questions. In retrospect, it would have made sense to explain our situation to our guide so that I could have just listened and enjoyed while Phil and Karissa ran about. Instead, our guide kept pulling my husband in and re-explaining things to him (which Phil had little interest in), drawing out our tour even longer and making Karissa all the more antsy.
Plan Your Day According to the Weather
I hate to say “I told you so,” (not really!) but my plan to visit the ruins in the cool of the morning to allow for a relaxing lunch and shopping in Sorrento would have been ideal. I don’t know if there was much I could do to change this. I made my desires clear when booking our tour. It’s not that I don’t like tours of any kind – booking a tour can be less stressful, easier, educational, and fun but you give up control of your vacation itinerary when you go the tour route. I guess if I wanted total control, I should have rented a car.
The ruins at Pompeii
Make the Most of Your Trip, No Matter the Glitches
Even in the stifling heat, with a rambunctious toddler, and an annoying start to the day, I loved Pompeii. Since sixth grade I had tried to picture this ancient, doomed city that was covered ash in a volcanic eruption by nearby Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. In fact, the first piece of fiction I remember writing was about Pompeii as part of an assignment for my English class. (Oh! How I wish I could find that story now!) There is something so magical about being someplace you’ve tried to imagine nearly your whole life. For me, seeing Pompeii ranks up there with seeing the Eiffel Tower or the Roman Coliseum for the first time.
Besides, like those citizens of Pompeii from so long ago, you never know when you’re time will be up and you may be covered with a heap of volcanic ash. As long as you’re here, you might as well seize the day!
The outline of a body of a Pompeii resident who died in the catastrophic volcanic explosion in 79 A.D.
Keep Dreaming
Cruising allows you to take in a lot of sites in a short period of time, with little planning, all while unpacking only once. But it also means making compromises due to limited time in each port.
The next time we come to this region of Italy, I hope it is for longer than just one day. I dream of days filled with leisurely lunches of pasta and wine, strolling through shops unburdened by the restrictions of a timetable, and finally bringing home my darling Italian ceramic centerpiece of lemons.
Have you ever passed up purchasing or experiencing something on vacation that you later came to regret? Leave a comment below!
You might also like:
• A Day on the Farm in Sicily
• Disney Cruise – The Ideal Family Vacation
• The Best & Worst of Barcelona with Kids
• The Travel Mama’s Top 3 Hidden Gem Destinations
A note from the Travel Mama: My family paid for this cruise and I did not receive any compensation or goodies from Disney related to this story. I will always let you know if I receive any money or products related to a blog post.
Tags: Disney Cruise, Italy, l'agruminato, limoncello, Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, tour
Posted in Family Vacations, Travel Tips | 6 Comments »
Sunday, May 16th, 2010
Here’s what I have been telling anyone who will listen ever since I set sail with Mickey Mouse and friends in 2007: A Disney Cruise is THE ideal vacation for families. Whether you have a baby, kid, or teen…everyone’s needs (and wants!) are met on a Disney Cruise. Plus, the children are so entertained and catered to, parents are free to do something so rare on a vacation with kids…relax!
Our ship, Disney’s Magic
During my cruise through the Mediterranean, I was accompanied by my husband and then two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. My son was stowing away in my belly too, as we discovered while onboard the ship! Some of my favorite memories as a family of three took place during this vacation.
Here are just some of the reasons I am such a big fan of cruising Disney-style…
Incomparable Service
The service we received aboard Disney’s Magic was beyond belief. Our waitress cheerfully brought us extra dessert when we couldn’t decide on just one and even stopped by to cut up our daughter’s pizza while inquiring about our day. Our room steward made sure our cabins were kept in tip top shape, always greeted us by name, and transformed regular bath towels into bunny rabbits and stingrays each night. Everyone went above and beyond to make sure we had an unforgettable experience!
It was a treat to return from dinner every night to find a different towel creature, like this elephant, waiting for us
Delightful Dining
During our 10-night cruise, most days we chose to eat room service breakfast on our stateroom’s balcony, taking in the view of various picturesque port towns as we nibbled on fresh fruit, yogurt and baked goodies. On our last day at sea, we attended a character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch doing Elvis impersonations and dancing the hula in one of the ship’s restaurants.
Our lunches, for the most part, were eaten onshore. During at sea days, we grabbed quick, easy meals from the ship’s eateries, like Pluto’s Dog House (which serves hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, and the like), Pinocchio’s Pizzeria, or Goofy’s Galley (with healthy options like wraps and fresh salads).
Each evening, we were seated with the same family (a wonderful foursome from Eden Prairie, Minnesota) and we kept the same wait staff for every dinner. However, we rotated through three restaurants: Lumiere’s (with a French ambiance), Animator’s Palate (with walls that start out black and white but which come alive with Disney characters in colorful lights), and Parrot Cay (with a Caribbean theme). The menus on our cruise were themed to the Mediterranean, serving Spanish, Italian, and French meals plus some standard American options and kid favorites. Even the meals onboard a Disney ship are magical - just as our little one would start to get too squirmy, Beauty and the Beast would come waltzing through the dining room!
Dressed up for formal night at Animator’s Palate
Carrying the tradition over from Disney’s Caribbean cruises, one night’s theme was Pirate Night, during which diners sported free pirate-y bandanas or dressed up in more elaborate garb brought from home or purchased on the ship.
The crème de la crème was Palo, an adult-only fine-dining restaurant that requires reservations. We partook of the scrumptious brunch and a to-die-for dinner but didn’t have time enough to book a high tea this time around.
Awesome Kids’ Clubs
A Disney Cruise is paradise, especially for children! Instead of offering a casino like most cruise lines, Disney puts that space to use for its various clubs for kids of all ages. Parents can indulge in a spa treatment, relax by the adult-only pool, or dine at Palo sans kids without guilt, knowing their offspring are having the time of their lives at the onboard kids’ clubs.
Our tablemates even had a hard time convincing their six-year-old and nine-year-old sons to join us for dinner each night because they wanted to stay at Oceaneer kids’ clubs (for ages three to 12 years) and play, play, play! There is also a teen club on each Disney ship, where kids aged 13 to 17 enjoy dance parties, board and video games, and Karaoke.
Most cruise lines’ childcare programs do not accept children until age two or three, but babies as young as three months are welcomed in the Disney Cruise Line nurseries. We worried when we dropped off our daughter at Flounder’s Reef Nursery the first time and she began to wail. But then we stopped by five minutes later to take a peek at her though a giant one-way window and saw her happily playing with the counselors and a rainbow of toys. This put our minds at ease, allowing us to enjoy our date night free from worry.
On our last night my husband, Phil, told Karissa she was all done with Flounders, which set her off crying and carrying on once more…this time because she wanted one last chance to return to the nursery!
Entertainment
The live shows aboard a Disney Cruise are Broadway caliber and feature favorite characters from movies like Toy Story and Cinderella. Even our wiggly toddler stayed entertained through most of the performances.
Karissa was in awe of Minnie Mouse in her gorgeous gown following the Golden Mickeys live stage show
There’s even a movie theatre aboard the ships in which new-release Disney movies are shown on screen. For example, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was in theatres on land and at sea during our sailing.
There are bars and nightclubs onboard the ship too but we were never up late enough to explore those much. Instead, Phil and I enjoyed a glass of wine or two on our stateroom’s balcony after our daughter was tucked in for the night. I have heard the party scene aboard a Disney ship is much more subdued than other lines though. So, if you’re looking to party-hardy – a Disney Cruise is probably not up your galley!
Family-Friendly Staterooms
Not only are Disney’s staterooms larger than most cruise lines, but also they offer some special amenities that cater to families’ needs. First of all, they offer not one but TWO sinks to make getting ready for the day easier.
Disney is the only line I know of that offers a privacy curtain that can be pulled shut to separate the adult sleeping area (with a queen bed) from the kid sleeping area (which is usually outfitted with a single bed or bunk beds, depending upon which room type you book). This is absolutely fabulous for parents traveling with young children whose bedtimes are much earlier than their own. Rather than turning in before sunset, Phil and I were able to quietly watch television, read in bed, and snuggle up a bit!
Karissa tucked into her single bed in our stateroom with a stuffed Mickey Mouse
Disney’s new ship, Dream, will offer virtual portholes for interior cabins that will display a live view of the scenery, plus animated Nemo characters swimming past every now and then!
Water Fun
Most cruise lines do not allow non-potty-trained children in their pools for sanitary reasons. However, Disney offers a fountain pool with a special filtration system that allows babies and toddlers to have a splashing good time aboard their ships! There are also family pools, an adult-only pool, and even a small staff-only pool!
The new Dream ship will offer a sweet looking waterslide called the AquaDuck that will send riders out over the ocean in a see-through tube slide! Plus, the Dream’s Nemo’s Reef splash area for kids looks like buckets of fun!
Karissa and I splashing in the toddler pool
(See how dedicated I am to you, my fellow Travel Mamas? I’m even willing to post a photo of myself in a swimsuit!)
Shore Activities
During our cruise through the Mediterranean we explored the ruins of Pompeii, perused museums and shops, ate long lunches of pasta and vino, and lazed on sandy beaches. Some days we chose Disney-organized shore excursions while on other days we opted to explore on our own. Even on days filled with lots of grown-up activities, our daughter was content, especially when she was greeted with a big hug from characters like Donald Duck or Minnie Mouse the minute we returned to the ship.
Kids got a chance to roll out foccaccia dough as part of our Sicilian “Day on the Farm” Disney shore excursion
Here’s a little Mickey-shaped dough creation one of the guides made
With Disney, kids aren’t just tolerated on shore excursions, they are catered to! This year, for example, the Highlights of Rome for Families excursion includes a 45-minute puppet show for kids supervised by Disney youth counselors at Villa Borghese while parents have a bit of time to themselves to shop or sightsee. Of course, there are excursions that cater to an older crowd too, like a Cooking Lesson in Tuscany for those aged 21+ in La Spezia, Italy or the Screamin’ Eagle jet boat ride just for teens on the Caribbean cruise to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Disney Does Europe
Disney Cruise Line is sailing through Europe for the second time this summer. The itinerary for the Mediterranean cruise has changed somewhat since we took that cruise, making me drool even more over this year’s schedule! For the first time there will also be cruises through Northern Europe and Scandinavia. (Drool again!)
Join me throughout this summer as I reminisce about my Disney Mediterranean Cruise onshore experiences and dream about this year’s European Disney Cruise itineraries!
Are you dreaming of a Disney Cruise too? Why or why not? Share your thoughts with other Travel Mamas and Travel Daddies in the comments below!
You might also like:
• Carnival Cruise Line’s Onboard Activities for Kids
• Epcot’s Best Rides & Hidden Gems for Kids
• Romance at Disneyland
• Top 10 Disneyland Attractions for Babies & Toddlers
A note from the Travel Mama: My family paid for this cruise and I did not receive any compensation or goodies from Disney related to this story. I will always let you know if I receive any money or products related to a blog post.
Tags: caribbean, Cruise, disney, France, Italy, mediterranean, pool, spain, waterslide
Posted in Family Vacations, Theme Parks | 12 Comments »
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
Travel bloggers are sharing their three favorite travel secrets in a game of Tripbase Blog Tag. The goal is to eventually compile an amazing list of recommended destinations. I am honored to have been nominated to participate by my friend and fellow travel blogger, Amy at The Q Family Adventure Blogs.
Shhh…here are my favorite hidden gem destinations…
Lerici, Italy
Lerici’s harbor
I discovered lovely little Lerici during a Disney Mediterranean Cruise in 2007. Our ship docked at La Spezia, from which most cruisers bus a couple of hours inland to Florence for its renaissance art or to Pisa for its leaning tower. Since we had just tackled Rome in a day, and because my husband and I were traveling with our then two-year-old daughter, Karissa, we avoided the long drive to these popular destinations and instead opted to take a short boat ride to lesser-known Lerici.
Picture-perfect cappuccinos in Lerici
The boat ride to Lerici afforded gorgeous shoreline views of Cinque Terre and Portovenere in the distance. We pulled into Lerici’s darling little harbor with its battalion of toy boats bobbing in the water and a castle perched on a hill overlooking the town. The rain sprinkling from an overcast sky provided the perfect excuse to duck into a café for cappuccinos. When the rain let up, we wandered the quaint cobblestone hillside streets, winding in and out of offbeat Italian clothiers and antique stores.
A tiny park in Lerici
We stopped in what may be the world’s smallest park to let our toddler run free for a bit before resuming our uncharted discovery of the town. We rewarded Karissa for good behavior with a spin on the town’s unassuming carousel before loading up on more cappuccinos and taking another boat to La Spezia for lunch. We could have found our way to the castle, I suppose. But, really, a visit to Lerici is not about seeing sites. It is about walking to where the road leads you and taking a new path as it appears. It is about enjoying the world as it unfolds before you.
Montpellier, France
Montpellier’s main square, La Place de la Comedie
Whenever I tell someone I lived in France during my junior year of college, they assume I lived in Paris. No, mes amis, I lived in Montpellier in the Languedoc region of Southern France. The lan-gue-what?! Not many Americans make a point to visit Languedoc – a region perhaps best known as being the worst for growing wine in all of France.
That’s me in front of the fountain, Les Trois Graces
(The Three Graces), during a return trip to Montpellier in 2004
But here’s what the French know. They know Montpellier is a cosmopolitan town filled with universities to which students from around the world flock. They know Montpellier’s very walk-able downtown is filled with shops with the latest fashions. They know the town’s large center square, La Place de la Comedie, is one of the prettiest you’ll find in all of Europe. The square is surrounced by cafes perfect for people-watching and is flanked by a gorgeous opera house at one end and the tree-lined Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, at the other. In the summer, the beaches just outside of town are filled with French and foreign tourists seeking sun and sand at a more affordable price than what can be found to the East along the French Riviera.
The modern architecture of Montpellier’s Antigone District
If you want art and monuments, go to Paris. If you want history, head to Normandy. For castles, the Loire Valley. For wine, Burgundy or Champagne. Skiing, Grenoble. Posh beaches, Cannes. But if you want to visit a French city with a youthful vibe and an international flair, where old world tradition and architecture collide with modern day…you must go to Montpellier.
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), Minnesota
A misty morning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) is over 1,000 lakes in a million acres of wilderness located in Northern Minnesota. Motorized boats are not allowed. There are no hotels or indoor plumbing. This is what you do. Get a permit and choose a point of entry. Follow tiny squiggly lines on a map, trying to decipher if that clump of rocks ahead is the island in the picture. Paddle all day long in your canoe, stopping for a lunch of PB&J if you must, or fresh walleye if you’re lucky. Portage from one lake to another, carrying a forty-five pound pack on your back and a canoe on your head, back and forth over land and around un-passable rapids.
A mama moose and her calf in the Boundary Waters
I have seen a wealth of wildlife the few times I have visited the BWCA with my dad. I spied on a mama moose with her calf wading through the water, pausing to take sips from the lake. I paddled past a family of playful otters that popped their heads up and peered at us, as if to say, “Whatcha doin?!” I braved a shower of fluorescent green frogs leaping from mucky black mud and into my canoe. (Have I mentioned that I have a phobia of frogs?) I witnessed a bald eagle soaring above my head, pausing to listen to the “swoosh…swoosh” of wind whipping through its wings. I have seen snakes, mice, bunnies, squirrels, and birds of all kinds. My brother and my dad even had a showdown with a bear once, but that is their story and I’ll leave it for them to tell.
Minnesota’s State Bird, the Common Loon, on one of the many lakes in the BWCA
I have heard the haunting call of loons, which sounds like a cross between a wolf’s howl and a wind flute. It is at once the loneliest and the most beautiful sound in the world. Instead of having hollow bones like most birds, these prehistoric creatures have solid bones. This extra weight restricts their habitat to the large lakes of the North, where I have watched these magnificent black and white speckled birds take off from the water, flapping their wings furiously until their bodies began to slowly rise and skim the water, and finally they soared through the air.
Camping here takes planning. And the right gear (which, if you’re like me, and you don’t camp much, you can rent from an outfitter). And more planning. And some skills – like how to pitch a tent and how to hang up your food pack at night so you don’t attract bears. I have neither of these skills, but I can follow directions like a champ. I suppose I could go car-camping sometime. I could probably manage that. But after camping in the Boundary Waters, it would seem like cheating.
A typical Boundary Waters scene
For me, wilderness does not have cars or electricity or, for the most part, other humans. Camping means miles and miles of still water, trimmed by prickly triangles of pine, jutting up into the sky and back down again into the water’s reflection. It smells like emerald green, mixed with the sweet scent of crisp leaves slowly turning soft and sinking back into the earth. It’s a nighttime so black that the bright twinkling of stars in the sky are literally all that can be seen. There is no noise beyond the gentle lapping of water, the buzz of mosquitoes wishing they could enter your tent, and the footsteps of some woodland creature padding past your campsite, all punctuated by the sweet melancholy sound of loons calling out to each other, looking for reassurance that they are not alone.
You can download free TripBase Travel Secrets eBooks packed with hidden gems and travel tips like these from me and other travel writers. My story about Lerici can be found in the Italy Travel eBook (as an EDITORS PICK!), my story about Montpellier, France is in the WorldWide Travel eBook, and the story about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota is featured in the United States Travel eBook (as an EDITORS PICK!). TripBase will donate $1 for every eBook downloaded to CHARITY: WATER to provide clean drinking water to those in developing countries. Plus, the eBooks are FREE! So…what are you waiting for? Download now and make a difference!
What are your favorite secret travel destinations? Have you visited any of my favorite hidden gem locations? Please leave a comment below!
Here are my nominations for five fabulous bloggers to join in fun and share their travel secrets:
• Meryl Pearlstein, creator of Travel & Food Notes and Fodor’s New York author, who writes for Gayot.com and has written for New York Magazine and the Boston Herald.
• The Vogel Family, authors of A Wayward Journey, a blog about the adventures of a family of four as they peddle their way around the world on bicycles.
• Andrea Fellman, creator of Savvy Sassy Moms, a site that offers tips on travel, navigating motherhood, and more.
• Glennia Campbell, whose blog, The Silent I, is about family travel adventures, both foreign and domestic.
• Lisa Bergren of The World is Calling, a blog that chronicles the travels of the Bergren family.
For more information on this topic see:
• Camping & Outdoor Pursuits
• How to Travel Like a Local
• Learn Travel Secrets & Help Those in Need Get Clean Drinking Water…for Free!
• Top 10 Most Popular Travel Mamas Blog Posts – Year One
Tags: Boundary Waters Canoe Area, camping, carousel, castle, France, Italy, Lerici, Minnesota, Montpellier
Posted in Family Vacations, Grown-Up Getaways | 10 Comments »
|
|
|
.jpg)
