Where to Go in September?

My friend Dominica (an age 62 OWL) signed up for Country Roads of Bavaria, Switzerland, and Austria tour by a company called Insight Vacations and she leaves mid-September. This tour looks wonderful. It's "an evenly paced tour with two-night stays in Munich, Vienna, St Moritz and Lucerne.. . . From the glorious cruise through the Wachau Valley to the enthralling Bernina Express, this tour offers up an Alpine world of enchantment and unrivalled beauty like no other." Perhaps I can talk my friend into telling us all about it when she returns. 

Another friend, Irene (age unknown but an OWL), scooped up a delicious price on an Air Transat flight to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Only $299 + taxes return flight Amsterdam-Vancouver. Wow! Wish I'd seen that one!

Judy (OWL age) and six of her friends with husbands in tow have booked a Tuscan villa somewhere in the Chianti for two glorious weeks. They start out in London and head over through the chunnel, somehow ending up in Florence, picking up a rental car, then driving to the villa. Hey, can I be your personal driver?

My sister Carol (a mid-50s OWL) opted for a trip to Osoyoos, BC. About a dozen of my co-workers also holiday there in the summertime. Why Osoyoos? Because it's only a five hour drive from Vancouver and the weather is hot hot hot! Even my boss owns a cottage near Osoyoos on the American side of the lake. A wonderful vacation area for the entire family. (Yes, at age 62 I work part time; I like where I work and I love the people.)

Where are you spending your September? 

Anyone else venturing outbound? Leave us a comment, we'd love to hear about it. The last of the dog days of summer are upon us and come Labour Day weekend (September 6th), kids will go back to school, but we Older Wiser Ladies will be forging ahead on our vacations!!!! I love traveling in September and October especially to Europe. Did I tell you I love traveling throughout Europe? Of course I did. However, next year I'm planning a trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland. So hello to Annie in Edinburgh, make sure you keep a bubbly for me on tap at the local pub!

Happy travels!

[Copyright M. J. Milne 2011; http://olderwiserladies.blogspot.com/] 

[Disclaimer: The ladies of OWL and M. J. Milne take no responsibility in the companies that we mention throughout the OWL blog, but please know that we usually only mention travel companies that we've personally used, or heard about through friends, or other OWLs.]

Toscana Map

Sorry, don't know who drew this cartoon-like map of Tuscany, but I love it. It's so simple and yet it shows you all the sites to visit.

Villa Highlights

Okay, so several of you wrote me requesting photos of the Villa Buonvisi. I would recommend this place to anyone but you must be willing to rent a car to get to it because there are no buses. A taxi from Lucca, the nearest town, would run you about 30-Euros and expect the driver to get lost. It took us a few times to figure out the directions. Three of the couples had iPads with the Global Positioning System (GPS). It worked incredibly well. One couple used a European plan from Vodaphone, where you buy a plan with a certain amount of minutes and get WiFi and GPS. There is free WiFi at the villa.

To book one of the five villas on the Fattoria Mansi Bernardini property contact them at info@fattoriamansibernardini.it; website: www.fattoriamansibernardini.it

From their website: "We have five holiday houses (inside the farm) for rent, surrounded by the wonderful green of hills of Lucca. Each houses is provided with its own swimming pool, satellite TV, CD stereo, video recorder and a daily cleaning/laundry service, as well as garden and swimming pool maintenance. There is also a shared tennis court among ancient olive trees. Guests can also enjoy the holidays estate’s products (olive oil), and the opportunity to visit the Luxury holiday estate "Fattoria Mansi Bernardini". Farm guest's can provide to visit farm, Lucca walls, Lucca countryside and the green hills near the luxury farm." 

In the Villa Buonvisi there are seven bedrooms of various sizes. So we had 14 people to share the rental cost. Each of the bedrooms has its own individual Tuscan country style.

[Photos copyright by M. J. Milne 2011]

LUCCA's WALLED CITY

LUCCA, a small medieval town between Pisa and Florence, is similar to Rhodes, Greece because it's also a walled city. Renting a bike to cycle the wall is one of the best activities you can do there, especially at my age cause the road is flat---no hills!

I loved this quiet little town. There are no big bus tours cruising in and out, which means no throngs of people. The big tour companies bypass Lucca mainly because there are no major sights.

For our first evening at the villa we drove our free upgrade rental car, a silver Alpha Romero, into Lucca. There are lots of places to park outside the walls. Remember to pay the meter and get a ticket for the dash, and park only in the blue designated spots, never the yellow ones.

Walking inside the gate called Porta Elisa we eventually came to the Ristorante Canuleia, Via Canuleia, 14, Tel. 0583 467470, www.ristorantecanuleia.it/. We reserved for dinner and I had asked for gluten-free pasta which they cooked with care. Later I discovered that you can buy gluten-free products at the pharmacy, believe it or not! Bread, pasta, cookies, and crackers were mostly made with corn flour. Pharmacia shops have a green neon cross.

After a wonderful meal and good service we walked along the quiet streets, overhearing a concerto in a church, children playing in the main piazza, the birds at dusk, and music from other restaurants spilling out into the cobblestone streets. Then we visited the cathedral of Lucca known as the Duomo of San Martino. In the Piazza S. Michele is where the S. Michele in Foro (St. Michael in the Forum) church is located.


Searching for the amphitheatre we expected to find a Roman theatre similar to Verona's, but it turned out to be a piazza, the Piazza del Mercato in the shape of an amphitheatre. Built during the 1st and 2nd centuries, it could accommodate over 10,000 spectators.

The other sights in Lucca are smaller but no less delightful experiences to savour. One night we went to a church concerto which offered two operatic singers performing songs by Puccini  and Mozart.

[Photo copyright M. J. Milne 2011: #1 Gate to Lucca; #2 Lovers in Piazza del Mercato.]

 

Villa Buonvisi

La Fattoria Mansi Bernardini in the hills outside Lucca, Italy is a beautifully lush piece of property consisting of four separate villas for rent, each a pool and garden, an olive tree orchard and olive oil press, and a vineyard. The views are extraordinary, overlooking peaceful valleys and other Tuscan estates. Thirteen of us have come to stay for one glorious week. The first day it rained so hard it reminded me of that movie "Enchanted April" where the British ladies arrive from rainy London and are so depressed to find Tuscany just as wet and gloomy. But in the morning they open their shuttered windows to glorious sunny views.

Our first few days were spent exploring the area with rental cars. For example, driving to Torre del Lago the home of Puccini; then to Viareggio's seaside resort area which was completely empty of people with rows and rows of empty beach chairs ~ as if an alien spaceship had beamed everyone up. Very odd. And also to Pisa a wonderful town in itself even without the leaning tower; the hilltop village of Barga; and course my favorite little medieval walled Tuscan town of Lucca. This place make you forget about the past and enjoy each moment, Italian style.

[Photos copyright by M. J. Milne, 2011]

Rome to the Villa Buonvisi

Roma is an amazing city, full of urgency, vibrant life, the best gelato, some of the best sites in Italy, and a mecca for young adults and students. It can also be grueling. Walk don't drive in the city.

I arrived at the train station, taking the Leonardo Express from the airport, then a taxi cab whose driver ripped me off with the ol' exchange a 20 for a 5-Euro bill routine. I love you dear Rome, but enough with rip-off taxi cab drivers!

I visited all my favorite outdoor Rome sights and a few I'd never seen, but this trip was more laid back. A few years ago I had stayed six nights in Rome and enjoyed all the major sights including the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, all the famous piazzas and fountains, plus Trastevere across the river, and the Jewish Ghetto, etc. This trip I enjoyed the street scenes along the Via Condotti off the Spanish Steps (photo #1); the quiet and quaint Via Margutta off Piazza Popolo (photo #2); and the even quainter Via Guilia which parallels the Tiber River.

For your first visit I suggest an orientation bus tour, either in a Hop-On Hop-Off bus, or the red double-decker bus, or a professional bus tour to get yourself orientated to this huge city. Then again there's always the electric bus No. 116 that goes to all the major sights and costs next to nothing.

Three days and I was off from Rome to Pisa by train with my friends J & B. A comfortable three hours later we were lugging our luggage to the Hertz rental car shuttle bus. Then off toward Lucca, a 20 minute drive that ended up taking three hours because we missed one little sign. URRRRRG! The road signs are terrible! Drivers beware, alert your navigator in the passenger seat.

Finally pulling up to the Villa Buonvisi twelve kilometers north west of Lucca, we turned into a long driveway to see a magnificent villa---then realized we were at the wrong one! Oops! So doing a quick u-turn, we tried another driveway and yes, we recognized it from the photo on the website. Everyone else had already arrived to the Villa Buonvisi, Segnomigno in Monte. All thirteen of us popped our first wine corks around the pool overlooking an olive grove. To be continued...

A 20-EURO LESSON

From Rhodes to Rome in the blink of an eye--and with suitcase, too. Amazing! Not 45 minutes after arriving from the airport, hopping the Leonardo Express train to Rome's Termini station was I ripped off by a taxi driver. After being thrashed about in the backseat and hanging on for dear life, we arrived close enough to my hotel in the via dei Coronari. The driver said he couldn't drive into the street (a lie). And then it happened, the ol' slight of hand trick. He said it cost 25-Euro (2nd lie: the taxi metre was hidden). So I handed him a 20-Euro bill. He handed me my suitcase and while I fumbled with it and looking for another 5-Euros, he slipped the 20 into his back pocket and pulled out a 5-Euro bill, then said I still owed him another 20!!! I could have yelled for the police, but it's his word over mine and after getting up at 4:00 a.m. for my flight I was in no mood for 3-hours of Italian police paperwork. So this wise old bird just became wiser and was warned to watch more carefully when handing over money to anyone. In fact the first time I purchased something I counted out the euros so loudly everyone in the shop heard me! Hahaha!

Rome is more grueling then I remember it. It's more crowded, too. June 1st and the tourists have descended on the Roman ruins, ruining my view. The Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, and all the other hot spots are bursting with lookie-lou's. However, it's the Italian version of July 4th and a long weekend, so the throngs are not all tourists but Romans out for a good time. They fill the streets for shopping, eating, hanging out, watching the celebrations and parades, listening to the President speak, watching the army march, and drinking their vino, experiencing a typical holiday spirit. Seeing the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi after his scandal was interesting. I also heard that the Italians plan on vetoing his nuclear power plant policy. The Italians will vote "No Nukes!" just like the Germans did. Thank goodness.

[Photo Copyright by M. J. Milne, 2011]

CYBER CAFES

I must thank the boys at the little "Au Bon Cafe" at Karpathou and Stoarolkou [tel. 22.41.03.60.75] in Rhodes Town, especially Stamatios, because for the cost of a cappacino you can sit for as long as you want at the cafe's two laptops. It is here that I write my blog posts. Very nice.

Most of the other Internet Cafes on the island of Rodos that are listed in the travel guides have closed down, gone belly-up for various reasons. Some hotels have the coin-operated computers but not many. Seems to be the way of Greece and the world, many closures.

There are demonstrations in Syntagma Square in Athens, although the news is in Greek, of course. The sound of Vespa scooters still resonates in the airwaves, so people can still afford to buy gasoline! The pretty Greek boys still smile at you when you pass their shop; nice for us older gals of a certain age, eh. Make fond memories even in the downturn times! Hey, we're tourists on holiday having fun and spending our hard-earned money, supporting the country's economy, right? So here I go, leaving the cyber cafes behind going out into the sunshine.

[Photo copyright by M. J. Milne 2011]

LOVE IN LINDOS

LINDOS, RHODES -- Beautiful Lindos, the tiny village with white-washed homes, an Acropolis, a wonderful beach, turquoise water, and lots of donkey shit for the tourists to slip on. Ride a donkey to the top of the Acropolis and save your feet for shopping in the tiny shops.

I took The Discovery boat from Mandraki Harbour in Rhodes/Rodos, about a two hour trip with 180 other tourists. Once we arrived in Lindos it started to rain. I was going to be on the beach, but instead walked the little streets---very slippery in the rain because of the little stone walkways. Luckily, being a westcoaster used to living in a rainforest (Vancouver, Canada), to me rain is "liquid sunshine."

I enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Stefano's out of the rain and met a Romanian couple who were obviously on their honeymoon. He was a big guy who was very attentive to his young lover. Very nice to converse with a timeline of centuries passing by in moments and glimpses of past lives together.

On the return journey, I sat with three ladies from Poland who were on an aerobics tour. There were about twenty of them who do aerobics together in Poland. How odd that I never thought that aerobics would be anywhere else but North America, but then I never thought about it before. Everything known to us is everywhere. I forget that the only boundaries between us are in our own minds.

Lindos is a special place and definitely worth a visit. For great views of Lindos, watch the older movie entitled "High Season" starring Jacqueline Bisset.

[Photo copyrights by M. J. Milne 2011]

STOP X STOP

For those of you brave enough to rent a car or scooter in Europe, but particularly  in regard to driving in Greece and Italy, please remember that they DO NOT STOP AT STOP SIGNS. Hear me now. When approaching an intersection that has a STOP sign for the other driver, know that the driver will probably NOT STOP. Instead, YOU be the defensive driver and slow down. Do you hear me now? Good. I learned that lesson on Crete, Greece, and also in a tiny village in Provence, France. Blessings to all intersections!

[Photo copyright by M. J. Milne 2011]

MOSQUITOS & CHICKEN BREASTS

Here on the Greek island of Rhodes the crush of the cruise ship crowds are annoying, sorry but it's true. They swarm the medieval Old Town of Rhodes giving you no chance to hear the ghosts of the Knights of Rhodes, the horse hooves on the cobblestone streets, the flash of a door opening and seeing into a past life, dressed in a knight's armour. Wonderful memories of being here in quieter times. But I will return at night or early morning when the ghosts speak to me.


Now I am immersed in present moments, very present, because I have been eaten alive by mosquitos!!!! My face and eyes swollen up, I resemble Quasimodo the hunchbacked face of Rhodestown. I spent my first night sitting up in the white marble tiled bathroom with a frozen chicken breast on my face! It helped with the swelling and was the only thing in the fridge. So what to do?

My friend Perry whose apartment I am staying at, had to go to Kalymnos Island to get his boat out of drydock and ferry it to Rhodes and then to Lindos for the summer tourist season---I was supposed to go with him but not with swollen eyes.

BTW, if you go to Rhodes, visit Perry at his boats along Mandraki Harbour or moored in Lindos. His two boats are the Free Spirit and the Discovery.

Desperate, I called his mobile. Perry told me to go to the supermarket and buy a little mosquito machine. Huh? I asked his friend Irini about it and she agreed. So I went and the shop owner knew immediately what I meant. For those also suffering with the scourge of European travel in Springtime = mosquitoes, it's a little plug-in thingy with a liquid bottle and it puts the bugs "to sleep" and keeps them away 100%. What it does to your own lungs I have no idea, but I figure it's not for long. Springtime in Rhodes (May) is beautiful only if you use this little machine like all the Greeks do, every household. The next night I slept like a baby all night, and even ate the defrosted chicken breast for dinner!

Here is a restful contemplation to do from my friend back home that helped me to sleep (soulflow.ca):

"Time to take another deep breath and relax. Come into yourself letting everything else go and say, 'Just me'. Sit quietly. Just be with yourself for a few precious seconds letting everything else go. Be there long enough to feel what's going on inside. Are there emotions bubbling up that need to be addressed or is there an emptiness that gives way to a sense of feeling grounded? Just let it be. It is perfect the way it is so just let it be. When you're ready intend to let inner healing carry on inside and come back to the space you're in."

Yasou!

[Photo copyright by M. J. Milne 2011: Free Spirit Boat; Perry Painting His Boat.]

Emergency Articles

BTW, the emergency articles I chose to keep with me and not check with my small wheelie suitcase in case of the ash cloud disruptions consisted of a change of underwear (one to wear, one to wash), simple sleepwear, toiletries (under 100 ml), a change of clothes, vitamins or medicines, and ALL VALUABLES: your camera, iPOD, and chargers; jewelry, etc.. And of course your "primary" which should consist of your wallet with driver's license, medical card, credit card, bank card, and some currency; and your money belt with passport, extra currency, one extra credit card and extra bank card in case of the cards getting ruined in the ATM machines, lost or stolen. And keep this "primary" with you at all times while traveling place to place, and lock it up in the hotel safe, or hide it in your hotel room. The locks of most European hotel rooms are easily picked open. I once lost a camera in Amsterdam. I went out for dinner, leaving my camera in my hotel room, only to return and find it had disappeared. The lock had been picked. Luckily the camera was insured and I replaced it immediately.

I've heard many stories of professional pickpockets quickly fingering a wallet out of your purse or back pocket as quick as a wink. They usually work in pairs and tourists are easy targets. Also beware when getting onto and off trains or buses. A friend told me she allowed a stranger to help her with her bag while getting onto a train and he stole it instead. A helping hand might just help themselves to your belongings.

Yasou!

[Photo copyright by M. J. Milne 2011]

ARRIVAL OKAY

Monday May 23-24 was a very long day and night. The flight Vancouver to Amsterdam was nine grueling hours stuffed into a window seat. Ugh. And then another flight to Athens, and then to the island of Rhodes. Now I remember why I book 4-6 weeks in Europe cause it takes so friggin long to get here.

Sitting next to me was a retired couple returning to Finland after 43 years living and working in Vancouver. They retired and wanted to move back to be with the rest of their family. The husband buildt houses in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver and still spoke with a strnge Finnish accent. The woman was reading a book entitled "Disappearance of the Universe" by Gary Reanrd, it had been translated. I know this book, written by A Course in Miracles follower. It shifted my travel woes and I took it as a sign---sitting beside a spiritually based couple.

Another sign was a flash of blue light on the small TV screen in front of me, and the brilliant blue blankets the cabin stewards handed out. Why did I need these signs to comfort me? Well, I'd been worried about the flight and travelling, what with the Icelandic ash cloud, half thek world under either flood waters, fire, or hurricanes, or war. I was picking up all these negative vibrations of energy circulating the planet. I even took the precaustion of packing a packsack with all the esstentials needed for overnight stays just in case I got stuck anywhere.

You no doubt wonder why the colour blue is important to me? It's always been a special colour and means to pay attention.

Yasou! from Rhodes!

[Photo copyright M. J. Milne 2011: "Arrival in Rhodes"]

All Roads to Rhodes

Rhodes, Greece is my first stop, other than landing in Amsterdam and Athens to get there. It will take an entire day's journey to finally smell the Aegean ocean surrounding this amazing Greek island. I'm hoping my checked suitcase lands with me!

"Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands and one of the largest in the Aegean sea. It is situated approximately 17,7 km from the coasts of Turkey. The population is about 130.000 persons , of which approximately 60-70.000 reside in the city of Rhodes. Rhodes called from its local people the Rose of the Aegean and deserves its name because is one of the most beautiful Greek islands." Info from www.rhodestravels.com

Hi,

This 'What To Pack' list is a guideline only, but it is a list that has been methodically thought out after all my years of traveling. But you will have to personalize it. It also may include articles for hotter climates like Greece. So with that in mind, here we go!

WHAT TO PACK

RULE 1: TRAVEL LIGHT!
If you cannot carry your suitcase one city block, you are in trouble! Try it before you go.
- Basically, it's one small pull-along suitcase and one/day bag (or briefcase).
- Try to pack not more than 20-25 pounds in a 9"-by-22"-by-14" bag on wheels or packsack
- Then accessorize, accessorize, accessorize with a few bobbles, scarves or ties. [For business trips, take one all-weather day suit, one dress-up evening suit or dress, and one casual outfit, with two pairs of shoes (a casual pair, and a business pair).

RULE 2: EXPECT EVERYTHING TO GO WRONG, AND LET GO! ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

RULE 3: WEAR & USE A MONEY BELT OR POUCH!

TRAVEL TIPS:
Travel Tip #1: If you know all your arrival dates, a tip for you would be to schedule all your shuttle pickups from the airports to your hotel rooms. It makes it so much easier and smoother. You don't have to worry about how to get to your hotel because you haven't a clue where it is. Unless you have a large expense account and can travel by taxi. But personally, I hate taxi cab drivers in every large city throughout the world (other than London's legalized cabbies who have to pass a two-year test in order to get their license and it includes a customer service test). Taxi cab drivers will rip you off sooner than look at you.

Travel Tip #2: Pack light & wear a money belt underneath your clothes!!! Finito.

Travel Tip #3: Do not take anything you will miss if it's stolen. That includes jewelry. Leave the $500 watch at home and get a fake one that looks like it cost you $500. If you have an expensive camera, get it insured.

Travel Tip #4: When you take less stuff, it means you have to wash your undies more, etc. So bring a round flat Sink Stopper, suds for washing clothes, and a large Ziploc bag. The large Ziploc bag acts as a washing machine: dump in clothes, pour in water & liquid laundry detergent and shake-shake-shake! Take an extra Ziploc. Or use the sink in your room and the rubber sink stopper and soak clothes.

Travel Tip #5: My Favorite Travel Things I always take with me (optional):
- Adaptor plugs for all the countries I'm traveling to.
- Postcards from my hometown to give or show to people; or a Small Talking Book of photos of my home, family, friends, of my art, or activities, etc. Locals in faraway lands love looking at it.
- Pocketknife (in checked baggage only!) e.g. Swiss Knife, great for picnics & eating in your room. Check with your airline first.
- A little water heater prong (220volt), with a metal camp cup, and my favorite tea bags. I always travel with it & make tea in my hotel room. (From your local travel shop; get the correct voltage and follow the directions; in other words, unplug it before you pull it out of the water)
- A small Maglight flashlight & batteries.
- A sarong (basically a large piece of rayon or cotton cloth that the Hawaiians use) which acts as a bathing suit cover-up, dressing gown, shawl, skirt, beach blanket, a curtain, an emergency towel, a sheet on top of the over-bleached and starched bed linen (that I'm allergic to).

Travel Tip #6: Anti-Jetlag Tips:
- Drink lots of bottled/purified water on the flight (bring it with you).
- Consider drinking carrot juice before the flight: carrots offer the best resistance to the oxygen deficiency which can occur at 10,000 feet and above.
- Avoid carbonated drinks, cabbage, beans and cauliflower: these cause gas, which expands with altitude.
- Drink lots of uncarbonated liquids, eat lightly, don't drink coffee or alcohol, eat little or no sugar, and try to cop a two-or three-hour in-flight nap.
- Sounds like a recipe for right living, eh? But maybe that blows your idea of fun.
- There is also an Anti-Jetlag Homeopathic, and Melatonin.

Travel Tip #7: Have fun at a Cybercafe!
- In other words, it's fun to go into an Internet café and receive or send mail home to friends and family while you travel. For those of you with iPod Phones, download the Skype App and use it. However, leave your phone's SIM Card at home and buy one in the country you're visiting at a telephone kiosk. It's cheaper.
- If you don't have an Internet address you can access while traveling, log on to Hotmail.com, Gmail.com, or Yahoo.com and sign-up for a FREE e-mail account. And remember your email address and its password.

SHORT PACKING LIST:
- 9 x 22 x 14" wheelie suitcase
- A small daypack
- Pack no more than 20 or 25 pounds! That's a hard one. Try it!
- Look forward to running out of Toiletries
- Nylon bags for toiletries (in small bottles), shoes, medical & miscellaneous, underwear, camera/film & an extra camera battery
- Color co-ordinate most clothes
- Take clothes that dry quickly
- Take clothes that don't wrinkle or that look good wrinkled
- Wash as you go
- Summer is casual in Europe but do not look like a slob! If you wear blue jeans, look like a student, not a slob.
- Winter is dress up time in Europe but dress warm. Take only one jacket! Layer for warmth.
- Wear a Money Belt!