It’s been a week of big travel news, although some of centered around flying hoaxes.  That’s why you need to read these blogs posts that will give you real scoop!
SoSauce (travel geek blog) an Indian cooking lesson, including Naan.  Yummmmmmm!
LA Times Travel compares and contrasts Halloween activities at Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios.
PlanetEye Traveler – Philippine Culture (formerly Filipina Soul) shares a delicious and easy  lumpia recipe.  I’m going to give it a try.
Intelligent Travel asks us if we’d take the Titanic cruise.
Consumer Traveler debates the issue of whether airport lounges are worth the price of admission.  For …read more

In celebration of Columbus Day, today’s post harkens back to my summer vacation in Italy.
Lake Maggiore, with its low key atmosphere, has an extensive network of ferry service around and across the lake.  In fact, ferries have landing stages in nearly every town along the lake, making it quite easy to get most places by boat.  In addition to the traditional (and slower) ferry, there is also hydrofoil service.  Not only is it a faster boat, but it has more direct service, rather than stopping at all the smaller towns.  The boats generally operate between 7 am – 8 …read more

I have a short list of travel posts this week, not because there was any shortage in great stuff, but because I had a little health scare that landed me in the emergency room.  I’ve spent a rather low key week as I’ve been nursing myself back to health, and so I just haven’t had the typical online time that I usually do.  Still, I think you’ll find plenty to like from these posts:
The Vacation Gals entreat the airlines and the FAA not to allow lap children.  The fares are cheap these days, but the costs add up.  Still, …read more

This summer was my second trip to Italy, and while some of the familiar things from last year were incorporated in to the journey, it was important to me to add on some new experiences as well.  I knew our intrepid group would be flying into Milan, and then three of us would have a few days that weren’t otherwise booked, before heading to Tuscany to pick up our fourth traveling companion.  We were up for anything, but the planning was going to fall to me.
I started mapping out what was do-able from Milan, and would still allow us to …read more

I hope you’re enjoying the long Labor Day Weekend, but also hope you’ll make some time to check out some of these great blog post from the past week.  It’s always hard to pick the best of the best, but these captured my attention this past week:
Up, Up, and A Gay, a recently discovered blog from another Flight Attendant, dishes about why we’re always dishing about work.  It’s true, too!
Los Angeles Times tries to makes sense of the security rule regarding exact name matchups.  There may be flexibility now, but what little there is will be going away soon.
The …read more

Ancona is a seaport city in the Marche region of Italy.  We drove here from our farmhouse in Tuscany, and it became a bit of a mountainous drive.  We were glad when we finally dropped down onto the coast and could see the water and the city.

We didn’t spend much time in Ancona, it was merely the embarkation point for the ferry trip to Split, Croatia.  We went on Jadrolinja, although Blue Line International and SNAV sail to Split as well.  From here you can also catch a ferry to other destinations in Croatia, as well as Greece and Turkey.
I …read more

While normally I am a big fan of public transportation, and opt for trains, planes, and buses while on vacation, our trek to Italy and Croatia required covering a lot of ground to remote locations.  A car was a necessity.
Although the driving was left in the hands of the guys, we’ve covered enough ground that I can make a few observations (albeit from the passenger’s seat) about driving in Italy.

People drive fast on the Autostrada.  Really, really, fast!
Tailgating seems not only permissible, but encouraged.  Even when you’re going fast on the Autostrada.  Leaving any discernible gap between the car …read more

It seems like there are certain constants no matter where you happen to be.  No matter how far I go, it seems that I can’t escape McDonald’s and its golden arches.
Needing a bit of a stretch break, along with wanting some coffee and a bit of nourishment for the road, our band of travelers stopped at the “ristop” just off the autostrada (A-1) south of Milan.
I’m not a McDonald’s kind of gal.  No apologies – it’s just not my fast food preference.
Fortunately for me, right next to the burger and fries counter was a wonderful selection of pastries, paninis …read more

I’m traveling in Europe for a bit, and spent an enjoyable few days at Lake Maggiore.  While I’ll have more in depth posts after I return home and have a chance to marshal my thoughts, I’ll be posting a few photos and quick thoughts from the road.
Lake Maggiore isn’t the largest of the Italian Lakes, but it is the longest, stretching about 40 miles from Sesto Calende at the Italian end to Magadino at the Swiss end.  The east side of the lake is in the Lombardy region and the west in Piedmonte.  The lake area is considered pre-Alp, and …read more

I’m under three weeks and counting down before I leave for Italy.  I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to go back – well, actually I can tell you and probably will!  Many times!
Among the other travels planned, I’ll be spending two weeks in Tuscany, staying in an agriturismo – an apartment located in a farmhouse that’s on a working olive orchard and small vineyard.
One of the many things that I like about Tuscany is the slower pace of things.  For me, touring there consists largely of visiting the various hill towns, sitting in cafes drinking coffee …read more