tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15978887622298086472024-02-06T20:28:53.656-08:00Travel VicariouslyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1597888762229808647.post-80274461548149786402014-03-26T09:55:00.001-07:002014-03-27T02:05:02.290-07:00Italy-Culinary and Historic Tour with CRazzzy Girls<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where does one start? We have traveled over 2000 kilometers from Ivrea, Italy (The Battle of the Oranges</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">). We went by car in the rain, in </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the day, in the night and sometimes in the sunshine from the Italians Alps to Monaco to Portofino on </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the Mediterranean, Rimini on the Adriatic, Parma, Modena, Bologna, Ravenna, Sulmona, San Marino, Herculaneum, Pompeii </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and ended in the great city of Rome. So many tastes to match the many miles. We dined in celebrated </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">restaurants, went to cooking school in Bologna, and when the road was long we dived into the AutoGrill </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">for gas station coffee. It was a whirlwind that quite frankly I have a little bit of trouble matching the </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">right faces, places and courses, thank heavens for digital cameras.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whirwind tour by car and I think we all still love each other, amazing.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me speak briefly of my touring team: Hubby, who we have talked about before as to not having an adventurous palate but willing to do his part at exploration of beer. We will call him, Brew-haha; Jeffie </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the adventurous Vittle Viking who led the charge into the wonders that the internet can provide when willing to venture; Beanie (hey that’s how she pronounced her name when she was two) </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the Pour Panach-ie, the team’s expert at regional hard liquors always willing to try the unique drink. And </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">last but not least me, Cautious Crumpet, emphasis on Cautious (we discussed before how my mind was willing but the tummy is weak). Well it is an interesting combination to satisfy for </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12 days especially since the Vittle Viking and the Pour Panach-ie are kamikaze and crazy fierce travelers. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously, fierce. We (Brew-haha and I) learned alot from our crazzzy girls and resting wasn't one of those things. They inspired us to tour as we have never toured before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our goals were to have the best (not the most expensive) of the regional wines, seasonal courses, fresh </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pasta until we didn’t want pasta anymore (and yes that can really happen), and to experience foods from rustic to fine dining. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh yes, and to walk enough to not gain weight, get gout or have an immediate heart attack from the </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">salt, carbs or the “dolce”. Some in our group of four, well all of them except me, also </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">seemed to want to guzzle the very strong coffee (I just don’t get it.) </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know the translation doesn't say their coffee is as black as ink but trust me it is.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> For some reason I do understand gelato. Who wouldn’t understand that poetry. Just as in poetry </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">there are rhymes and there are sonnets. Most gelato, as one walks down the streets of Italy, is just a </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rhyme but I didn’t know that until I experienced Grom (Turino it’s birthplace) and Ci Gusta in Rome. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are plenty of experts out there on the technicalities of the art of gelato, so I will just say there is a b</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ig difference in frozen artificially flavored milk, and a gelato sonnet. Gelato melts faster than ice cream </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">so enjoy with gusto and purpose, always try more than one flavor at a time (it is like a symphony for your </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mouth) and finally, if the display is mounded high and covered with syrup beware your tastebuds will wonder what </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is the point. It dawns on me that I don't have a picture of how gelato should be displayed, it was sublime, possibly another example of Foodie Failure? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is going to be hard to just focus on the "culinary" portion of this whirlwind tour because there are so many stories to tell, I will save those for another post. All this </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">being said let me start with the picture that we all fought hard NOT to have happen. The </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dreaded FOODIE FAILURE pic.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foodie Failure brought on by tourism "gladiator style" in Rome</td></tr>
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T<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">he <i>Pour Panach-ie</i> was typically pretty good at preventing the team from a foodie 'loss' but this time even her good senses succumbed to the fried meatballs, fried artichokes (peak season) some incredible zucchini mousse with yummy creamy topping. We were done with the regional wine and regional appetizers before we barely caught a breath. However, the <i>Pour Panach-ie</i> also seemed to have the gift to quickly scope the menu and almost without fail pick something that was not available. The waiter would patiently say that is "finished", was it ever there? Italian menus would seem to be suggestions of what the chef is capable of doing when he is in the mood, or perhaps had the ingredients that day that inspired. It was quaint really, a part of learning about the culture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although the <i>Vittle Viking</i> was the true warrior of the menu, willing to take on the culinary challenge and always helping us with the Italian (good idea to have someone in the group that can wade through the language barrier with aplomb), our Brew-haha ordered the most beautiful dish, we all know that was accident. He can spot the beer menu from a mile (or rather kilometers) away and always tried the regional birra, so we had all the bases covered by our team.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fresh pasta with gamberetto (prawns) piled very high., the most elegant dish.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little nice wine for a birthday dinner, Vittle Viking turned 29 (wink)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0GsGbo0jems-_7BLsxRvnLlE-Wbh1taH2ww6nswftnehwZ_xh2uWzyCYMpdlCy5fikdRJAaIrqhGfquFTP3TtobGWXuax9zj69rl3Fq41cxYJbzMufFw1C4uf0q-5PCEmiqAfGkNfOzL/s1600/Rome+most+elegant+dish+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0GsGbo0jems-_7BLsxRvnLlE-Wbh1taH2ww6nswftnehwZ_xh2uWzyCYMpdlCy5fikdRJAaIrqhGfquFTP3TtobGWXuax9zj69rl3Fq41cxYJbzMufFw1C4uf0q-5PCEmiqAfGkNfOzL/s1600/Rome+most+elegant+dish+(4).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can't have a proper celebration without a few bottles of wine, right</span>?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One should have the right champagne with ones birthday Tiramisui</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a tremendous amount of fun along the way as well as some tense moments (like when the <i>Vittle Viking</i> tried to give away our guy to the stranded gypsy girls). We saw things that will never get old no matter how many times you see them and of course we saw for the first time very ancient things that we had never seen before, like Pompeii. The food was always a big driver for the day and part of the adventure.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Fuzzy One sitting on the counter of an ancient Pompeii restaurant</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For me the highlight of the trip was the cooking school in Bologna, CIBO. The <i>Vittle Viking</i> and the <i>Cautious Crumpet</i> learned how to make homemade pasta, gnocchi and Bolognese sauce. The flavor will now be the benchmark for all future pasta par-takings (I'll never be the same when it comes to pasta) and the sauce was wonderfully simple and bursting with flavor. We had fun making it, our Chef instructor Stephano was a master (favorite moments were him talking to the sauce to let it know he would be back in a bit because he had to work on the pasta, so sauce don't get worried he would be right back). </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can't wait to get home and try it, Stephano says everything matters when making pasta but call him if we had trouble. That's commitment to the art.</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.com0Montreux, Switzerland46.4360031 6.910275400000045946.3484871 6.748913900000046 46.5235191 7.0716369000000459tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1597888762229808647.post-78230384493470565122014-02-25T17:16:00.002-08:002014-02-25T17:16:52.584-08:00Foodie Failure?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me start by saying one of the goals of this trip was to <b>develop a more sophisticated palate</b> for me and especially for hubby. The developing of hubby's palate seemed 'the heavy lift' since he had declared earlier in our lives at a local deli that he just wanted a sandwich with "American bread, American mustard and American turkey"...whaaatttt? I took a step away from him and acted like I didn't know him, seriously I did. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't remember where I saw this little wit, but it is so true!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On this trip he has <b>shed the shame</b> of the deli incident and then some. Me on the other hand have discovered that there appears to be<b> two obstacles</b> to me personally becoming a 'foodie' and therefore <b> I hang my head in 'foodie failure'. </b> Obstacle number one, <b>my mind is much more adventurous than my stomach</b>, no other details needed. Obstacle number two, and to this I am assuming that there is a protocol to take pictures of the delightful meal you are about to consume, well <b>when I am particularly hungry I consume first</b>, like a child there is no holding me back. A picture of a very clean plate is not a good testimony to the actual epicurean delight that was presented.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBd8VQMRecLv-lknexYlNedMevqrOPCoxKVcIsZjMZOQx-d1hoaCi-EYGdpWfZtyyQBGny6oI_-jifOvBiGnnN0Q8gWXxfLzxd6rVzaLG1DEV33zlZkrrUcAOSxUK-f6X2MSq-szHJdDjD/s1600/endive+roquefert+walnuts+Nice+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBd8VQMRecLv-lknexYlNedMevqrOPCoxKVcIsZjMZOQx-d1hoaCi-EYGdpWfZtyyQBGny6oI_-jifOvBiGnnN0Q8gWXxfLzxd6rVzaLG1DEV33zlZkrrUcAOSxUK-f6X2MSq-szHJdDjD/s1600/endive+roquefert+walnuts+Nice+%25281%2529.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a really good thing to have a 'sponsor' to give you an assist when a momentary lapse of one's commitment to the art of dining well occurs. My sponsor is my hubby and he packs a camera everywhere we go. Last night we were having dinner in Nice, the beautiful salad below is my testimony. There is also surprisingly a capture of the <b>incredible risotto parmigiana</b> and <b>veal Milanese</b>, I do remember hubby saying something to the effect that there were children present and<b> I should stop moaning with every bite.</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFtLdCatYPPDJ-YbMdXxJBVhtbI_hTWd4SFr3297kDxJdZ55yLmZJ8wJzQkTqt0RyMBQejQP5OJBaQPTCLBQ8cSQOTciQiKKmiX6wQWKTuSTshXsd1D1PMNHspvorkTQO12DSKc8jDO5U/s1600/risotto+veal+Nice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFtLdCatYPPDJ-YbMdXxJBVhtbI_hTWd4SFr3297kDxJdZ55yLmZJ8wJzQkTqt0RyMBQejQP5OJBaQPTCLBQ8cSQOTciQiKKmiX6wQWKTuSTshXsd1D1PMNHspvorkTQO12DSKc8jDO5U/s1600/risotto+veal+Nice.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the carrots and cauliflower was good,<br /></td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are lucky to be in Nice, France as they celebrate Carnaval with a theme of ''Gastronomy of the Provence. </span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although, other than seafood, I am not sure that the area has a clearly defined cuisine. To this newbie one does have to sort through the 'tourist-ed menu's' with diligence. We have never attended a Carnaval parade and evidently Nice is the oldest celebration in the world? The floats were unique, extraordinarily detailed and celebrated the art of cooking, dining and of course 'the drink'. It also had a smoke blowing dragon, not sure why except it is a old grand tourist resort after-all. There are probably lots of stories of <b>'smoke blowing'</b></span><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKpH3sOTVm2QM9Kk1wvTsuEnGVRzlkjHvlG63ZTKgYicTTaVanR8GIfo8o_o8w47kN9CnNnwYw6ZSg-CJC3M7nUaKhzZtFROjnnRsd9P1eGho1l3vt9YCDLz2D6lp4TIFRfLay9Q0s1zg/s1600/DSC00284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKpH3sOTVm2QM9Kk1wvTsuEnGVRzlkjHvlG63ZTKgYicTTaVanR8GIfo8o_o8w47kN9CnNnwYw6ZSg-CJC3M7nUaKhzZtFROjnnRsd9P1eGho1l3vt9YCDLz2D6lp4TIFRfLay9Q0s1zg/s1600/DSC00284.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a balloon celebrating those who serve the dishes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4pJkfdYt9y_XJ12A1YqchLnRuoF_g8vZuMrRkAt8QM6bR0UIGRBdXZPO3XI_uowBJbekAclsuN5MQJ6PELjVv0alNLxbstBsSJVpetdSRXpKKbMMQuF50rGlV-aq-GeBqDEziiujfvuH/s1600/DSC00292+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4pJkfdYt9y_XJ12A1YqchLnRuoF_g8vZuMrRkAt8QM6bR0UIGRBdXZPO3XI_uowBJbekAclsuN5MQJ6PELjVv0alNLxbstBsSJVpetdSRXpKKbMMQuF50rGlV-aq-GeBqDEziiujfvuH/s1600/DSC00292+(2).JPG" height="208" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One must celebrate those who have joy in the drink</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroHsw25bwvJkTuAuuNNwUX8g5yDMi_aF1SKt1iI1WGtRbuHR4uGokcbs5e_8Ta2ifNvJmlmgbECU_A9TTC5XdY4rNqCPflgAtOWp9nhyYxrkIhznatXobraVPWN0k66v0HFbeZC6ZIbRE/s1600/DSC00299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroHsw25bwvJkTuAuuNNwUX8g5yDMi_aF1SKt1iI1WGtRbuHR4uGokcbs5e_8Ta2ifNvJmlmgbECU_A9TTC5XdY4rNqCPflgAtOWp9nhyYxrkIhznatXobraVPWN0k66v0HFbeZC6ZIbRE/s1600/DSC00299.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This huge balloon with a levitating multi tasking chef was eye popping</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsG-u3wAsXqAleHmZ9zrP08vKJQ4le8MI5kzGcX9UvhVODAVk7OTnhqtMX_8qgd1ZRx05jSF1o3kjsAM94eqIGhRl2a6-pU-FmgNzZsPSLrSlM-Zrl7Z9rr1I3gKV-1PFBWi1Ie0JBplke/s1600/DSC00293+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsG-u3wAsXqAleHmZ9zrP08vKJQ4le8MI5kzGcX9UvhVODAVk7OTnhqtMX_8qgd1ZRx05jSF1o3kjsAM94eqIGhRl2a6-pU-FmgNzZsPSLrSlM-Zrl7Z9rr1I3gKV-1PFBWi1Ie0JBplke/s1600/DSC00293+%25282%2529.JPG" height="320" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gigantic smoke spewing dragon</td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The parade became the star of this post only because it happened to be today. There are so many food happenings which I will try to post by city tomorrow from Paris, Venice, Barcelona and Turin. You will notice that there are <b>very few dessert pictures</b> and that is because of 'foodie failure'. I assure you that they were wonderful, the pastries are demanding of ones attention and <b>extreme need to walk more</b>.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1597888762229808647.post-52149358496569947812014-01-27T18:12:00.001-08:002014-01-27T18:14:17.566-08:00Fashion from the Streets of Italy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For years I have heard that various
colors ‘is’ the ‘new’ black well it’s not going to happen in my humble opinion. Black will always be the ‘new black’ cut a
different way, adorned with something a little different (exposed zippers, reversed
darts, hemlines that will rise or float, you get it, etc.) what will change is
the accessory color. There is the color institute that determines the fashion colors each year for each season, evidently 2013 fall was orange, it is a good read if you get a chance. My earlier posting
from Paris was somewhat bemoaning the lack of color regardless of how beautifully
styled or designed it seems fashionably overwhelming when you see it <i>‘en masse’. It takes time to get from the store window to the street.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what is going on with fashion in
Italy? First let me qualify that the
parts of Italy that I have seen so far, Turin, Venice, Verona, little spots of
Milan (much more Italy to see and post at a later date) Italians love black as
well, however as you will see in the pictures they have a flair for the more
colorful. That being said the key to
fashion remains boots, slender leg coverings, scarves…I think I forgot to say
even for the Paris post….puff coats, slim cut, black almost always.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNYTXYR0HcOdDNErU3qg6cmIjCC3WkkMdscxrsbkP2QdOYSsRNVjSG2wbhCiQxM-yY9SwwLnAJ83U2Ls_V1GBUTWFX_cvnbUd10Wf0ex18kAGfBugEiZyHp8Rhpf_jD6GZxNWC0Igckhb/s1600/IMG_0600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNYTXYR0HcOdDNErU3qg6cmIjCC3WkkMdscxrsbkP2QdOYSsRNVjSG2wbhCiQxM-yY9SwwLnAJ83U2Ls_V1GBUTWFX_cvnbUd10Wf0ex18kAGfBugEiZyHp8Rhpf_jD6GZxNWC0Igckhb/s1600/IMG_0600.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The two people walking away from the camera are male and female both with cross body bags and puff coats</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6wFlEN2TKsQps1iuQI7SOlenWxInjkSN8ObCVyT0Dndkiyv7gwk3cZNmzv4J2tzstm1QTsTkvkvMN3mZjpt1mSmY1depjbfzn2Hg-5iZZEqkWK0fChfUSmq2sV1F1KR44QFSfU8S9VQG/s1600/IMG_0396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6wFlEN2TKsQps1iuQI7SOlenWxInjkSN8ObCVyT0Dndkiyv7gwk3cZNmzv4J2tzstm1QTsTkvkvMN3mZjpt1mSmY1depjbfzn2Hg-5iZZEqkWK0fChfUSmq2sV1F1KR44QFSfU8S9VQG/s1600/IMG_0396.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an older gentleman, at least 60, in his purple jeans and Timberland lumberjack boots. </span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6L3FQPxlEL9WbpUsrrHaGrYOLkLvWIUIs8W8BmYJAE1E5Ss6A2uhUcN3-up2RC3aytBACnHH5J1Rj-xpZywYh8GJ9URTUKMBWx0t4sbBY3FHLLQGTAUfm47yVbRsGItYIZFpH4hsphG5/s1600/IMG_0624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6L3FQPxlEL9WbpUsrrHaGrYOLkLvWIUIs8W8BmYJAE1E5Ss6A2uhUcN3-up2RC3aytBACnHH5J1Rj-xpZywYh8GJ9URTUKMBWx0t4sbBY3FHLLQGTAUfm47yVbRsGItYIZFpH4hsphG5/s1600/IMG_0624.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One guy two ladies great cross body hand bags</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The slender cuts prevail, just as they
did in Paris. I was so out of style with
my straight leg cuts of pants that I had to break down and go buy slender
tighter legged pants. As the sales lady
told me, “fuller cuts just make you look fuller.” Well, that seems simple enough and certainly
prevails in the fashion hearts of not only the <i>signoras</i> but also of the <i>senors</i>. The rather amazing thing is that the slender
cut is for all ages and sizes. Always,
always hosiery, mostly black, usually textured, patterned, opaque. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurvWpaYdm6FD-_IfjysqQd6OuUqTPJJDntigIXzbGMKN5HADVL3jC_rrr8-fnjGE1RTe-1VoH3DgB4WqRfUQRZEobZk5BoKq61sFDZ28KsXZRIxf_Ide7wM6bkMq7gHU7cJWCg_mrrYND/s1600/IMG_0628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurvWpaYdm6FD-_IfjysqQd6OuUqTPJJDntigIXzbGMKN5HADVL3jC_rrr8-fnjGE1RTe-1VoH3DgB4WqRfUQRZEobZk5BoKq61sFDZ28KsXZRIxf_Ide7wM6bkMq7gHU7cJWCg_mrrYND/s1600/IMG_0628.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Burnt velvet leggings, great boots, puff coat</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5DTbqE7TgP7fEyRQAHKSQh524X-6NFhbR5wUaMXvg2Hjh2KiYVux4k_-AyLltD3kfx3a06LajhrfnCt4DoSx9JmmmuTc1Hj0Zi3RUEUW1B5IRY5gmMGrAKJyEA2KJuaRDQMuMgTy4IIz/s1600/IMG_0765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5DTbqE7TgP7fEyRQAHKSQh524X-6NFhbR5wUaMXvg2Hjh2KiYVux4k_-AyLltD3kfx3a06LajhrfnCt4DoSx9JmmmuTc1Hj0Zi3RUEUW1B5IRY5gmMGrAKJyEA2KJuaRDQMuMgTy4IIz/s1600/IMG_0765.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Black textured hoisery the boots were very nice, I just wouldn't put them together</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFJ0XLM7ok8NyGRWTk22DVGNbNl4Lre1TJN5_R6Ed6igoKVblr5wb0vqR_qgP1YIhdn_6vOTkeEL4-Cfcs8LAbN7doEqjo0uJjEpyChvWQxPUrqq0XZNbpGVxj23VvP9onouNn8jjdZyo/s1600/IMG_0394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFJ0XLM7ok8NyGRWTk22DVGNbNl4Lre1TJN5_R6Ed6igoKVblr5wb0vqR_qgP1YIhdn_6vOTkeEL4-Cfcs8LAbN7doEqjo0uJjEpyChvWQxPUrqq0XZNbpGVxj23VvP9onouNn8jjdZyo/s1600/IMG_0394.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Camouflage with great boots, it was amazing the amount of camo</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps you remember in an earlier post
that in Paris it seemed Parisian’s were very aware of body appropriate attire
and one never saw body parts that shouldn’t be seen or crotches that hung to
ones knees. Well, in my travels so far
in Italy let us say kindly that the passion for slender fit with tunic or short
skirts perhaps should not be worn by everyone. To be more blunt, there are
thunder thighs in Italy. Still no baggy
crotches (<i>multi grazie</i>). Athletic wear is ONLY worn when one is being
athletic, in the area where we are staying is on the River Po and there is a large park where
runners and cyclist abound. Segue…it is amazing to see cyclist hard at it while
they struggle to get a puff of their cigarette, hmmmm?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scarves are the primary accessory for
all sexes and ages, even the little toddlers with pacifiers have cute little
scarves wrapped stylishly around their little chubby necks. Hubby and I capitulated to the scarf fashion
and were really surprised how warm it keeps you, better than a hat and they don’t
mess up your hair. Pretty smart really
and easy to get a splash of personality to your ensemble. Also, on the days that it is really polluted
you can use your scarf to filter the air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Venice in December, cold, wet polluted. We still had alot of fun.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a difference between the fashions you see in the store windows
vs the fashion walking around everyday, just like everywhere else. When one travels in the winter there is going
to be a lot of coats, boots and scarves.
So window shopping was especially fun, some of the most innovative
things were actually seen in Venice.
Black of course is dominate, the accessory color for this winter is
orange, red and sometimes gold. The belts are very narrow. The boots are simply beyond fancy and of
course you don’t get this fancy without spending 100’s of euros.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cf58LfNZ2dHdYwCZJGBjogO0-aNbTiRdRmd7e1fR5PLA-7PIsXwACOg5yRq3OT2TArFPx1Z114roqvonSqneZza7K3HLGaZtMBtrqV9z8jJwIfumdThykMoEHExSKogz6lNcvwX6Y1aR/s1600/IMG_0353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cf58LfNZ2dHdYwCZJGBjogO0-aNbTiRdRmd7e1fR5PLA-7PIsXwACOg5yRq3OT2TArFPx1Z114roqvonSqneZza7K3HLGaZtMBtrqV9z8jJwIfumdThykMoEHExSKogz6lNcvwX6Y1aR/s1600/IMG_0353.JPG" height="297" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are my dream boots for me, the leather looks like kid suede the fur is fox. </span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Four different colors of suede absolute stiletto heel</span></i>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFGyV67-jXR36V2-OwTbyV3H2TPT7hHelpID8CWDF-BL9JN7B1u1KdJBzH0le8kfBNiAdVy3ocofzJPcTfIQ_K3lxV8WrdyAbt67AOR3cuXC8kcLHjTfGu1X4tLkTTNH2hnHSXJFJ3YBK/s1600/IMG_0377+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFGyV67-jXR36V2-OwTbyV3H2TPT7hHelpID8CWDF-BL9JN7B1u1KdJBzH0le8kfBNiAdVy3ocofzJPcTfIQ_K3lxV8WrdyAbt67AOR3cuXC8kcLHjTfGu1X4tLkTTNH2hnHSXJFJ3YBK/s1600/IMG_0377+(2).JPG" height="292" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Burnt Umber and heavy metal, well what else can you say?</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Narrow belts, fingerless gloves, black hoisery...Venice</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79gGUWXWE_vG9v9fLSfdyleEwzJ2Bw0fIBg1k8hsIblQaIW2g6MPWxjJUB6Owg71KsJWbje0tutBTFnxW-uTqsK8zMipN8Oos8WEBnlXgXbqu1fxM0Dps8WDlAH33c_qaCukyIUPBWkjo/s1600/IMG_0635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79gGUWXWE_vG9v9fLSfdyleEwzJ2Bw0fIBg1k8hsIblQaIW2g6MPWxjJUB6Owg71KsJWbje0tutBTFnxW-uTqsK8zMipN8Oos8WEBnlXgXbqu1fxM0Dps8WDlAH33c_qaCukyIUPBWkjo/s1600/IMG_0635.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Loved the black dress with the heavy lace back</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPPnAQ8roSJFuDYMLy9JIIqVDs57YrIR8Hg0Iezb50CmfzxJnYyyuNR86KeDS-8QZuEij1M5mJ-v-Q87Gbg92GWXuizIGPgqlfS_NDJWS45-MHAxPjxcQ-Y5q4QtBQh1ROuv3oR4obKkk/s1600/IMG_0649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPPnAQ8roSJFuDYMLy9JIIqVDs57YrIR8Hg0Iezb50CmfzxJnYyyuNR86KeDS-8QZuEij1M5mJ-v-Q87Gbg92GWXuizIGPgqlfS_NDJWS45-MHAxPjxcQ-Y5q4QtBQh1ROuv3oR4obKkk/s1600/IMG_0649.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The picture doesn't do this one justice, the straps are different one is orange one is black, <br />orange lining slit up to holy moly</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We didn't even cover food this time, but we will on the next post. And of course what post can I make without
saying something about the little fuzzy one. In Paris
she was very frightened of the pigeons it was the first time she had seen
them. She got over her fear in Venice
and was amazed that they could fly until the
attack by the chubby pigeons on our breakfast table in San Marco’s square. The little fuzzy one was sitting on my lap as
about 5 of them decided that we had eaten enough and now it was their
turn. No barking, just trying to sink
inside my coat as the waiter shewed the food pirates away.
She always makes me smile, I think others thought that she should have
gone into watch dog mode….that mode is not the nature of the fuzzy one. She doesn't understand when others are not
kind, especially chubby pirate pigeons.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1597888762229808647.post-63412796684196825182013-12-23T14:49:00.000-08:002013-12-23T14:49:30.702-08:00The Learning Curve is Long Hard and Steep and the Path is Interfering with My Sleep!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry Robert Frost, I
love your works and this poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, has
greatly been in the front of my mind these last two weeks. Moving to another
country with 5 suitcases, a very delicate but adorable little Shih Tzu, a
medical condition or two without speaking the language and a husband that is
not known for his flexibility is much more difficult than I thought it would
be. AND I’M A PLANNER! I’ve been planning this puppy for months. <b>There have
been highs to be sure but yesterday I bottomed.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Setting up house has its
</span><b style="font-size: 13.5pt;">newly married aspect</b><span style="font-size: medium;"> to it and the apartment is as advertised. Spacious in a
200 year old mansion, in a lovely old residential neighborhood surrounded by
other stately old mansions. The views of the River Po and the majestic Alps
bring a smile every morning. The very narrow road (</span><i style="font-size: 13.5pt;">strada</i><span style="font-size: medium;">) is cobblestoned and the first time we tried to find our
place we totally dismissed it as someone’s driveway versus the road. The road
wound up a mountain and we were</span><b style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> transported to another time in another country</b><span style="font-size: medium;">,
lovely truly lovely. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sentry kitty's on top the columns to our apartment</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The first night was a
little rough</b> but we didn’t have anything other than the things we had brought
with us, certainly <b>not enough to feel nested</b>. <b>Tomorrow</b>, we said, <b>tomorrow </b><i>(domani)</i> we
will put our little nest together, go do some more Christmas shopping, find a
FedEx spot, and get the little fuzzy one her hypo-allergenic pet food, <b>yep we
can do this, we’ll be ready for our journey.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2RkdYtGYqW9nmKwfuxIJ778PUkoOApQkobQ5AVq2nFjTMSV7iqMIn1R-FIV4q0pZR-OstVQJ2kN7TsnC5C4wOz1tFgSRj21Kt52I1ocNONDuDAvdm6iZbVJJjQnJeSrwjQima2wzu5gj/s1600/IMG_0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2RkdYtGYqW9nmKwfuxIJ778PUkoOApQkobQ5AVq2nFjTMSV7iqMIn1R-FIV4q0pZR-OstVQJ2kN7TsnC5C4wOz1tFgSRj21Kt52I1ocNONDuDAvdm6iZbVJJjQnJeSrwjQima2wzu5gj/s1600/IMG_0320.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were having trouble finding her special food</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has now taken almost
three weeks to accomplish the ‘nest’ and all of the core things we felt needed
to be done so we could start taking our next steps. Let me correct that, VPN
has not, so far, been as easy as we thought it would be. <b>Keeping in touch</b>,
which is what in part this blog was to be about, continues to be sporadic because
of weak signals or loosing connection all together. We have one English
speaking<b> television </b>station and it is <b>EuroNews</b> with about a 30 minute repeat
cycle for 24 hours and my favorite of all is the portion of <b>EuroNews that runs
intentionally with ‘no comment’, whhhaatt?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>So what is the hardest
part?</b> It may be a <b>three way tie</b> between the <b>street names not clearly marked</b>,
actually they are barely marked with carved signs on the corner side of the
building about 6”X16” and they aren’t lit and there may not be a side of the
building that you can see while driving through a huge roundabout at 35 miles
per hour. Okay that’s one, the second is <b>shopping</b> in a one stop manner is not
the preferred way of doing things in Turin, it seems they <b>prefer sole
proprietor shops</b> that may be <b>scattered all over</b> a very difficult town to get
around in, that’s two.<b> Language</b>, it is challenging to even purchase things like
cream for your coffee, half of a pound of ham for sandwiches <i>(parmacotto</i> is ham; <i>dodici fette</i> is 12 slices) but perhaps more importantly <b>products
are not necessarily even used here</b>, such as diet soda, salad dressing,
breakfast cereal is extremely limited, there is no maple syrup for pancakes.
<b>Well, that’s three and that is the end of my whining.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heavily bundled up me waiting for ham slices</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The </span><b style="font-size: 13.5pt;">days can be exhausting</b><span style="font-size: medium;">
just trying to get something to eat when you are hungry, admittedly we have an
unusual dining habit even for the states. BUT, my </span><b style="font-size: 13.5pt;">hubby has been the strength</b><span style="font-size: medium;">
and hand needed when I thought I couldn't lift myself another moment or rise to
the physical or mental challenge. The </span><b style="font-size: 13.5pt;">little fuzzy one</b><span style="font-size: medium;"> with her big beautiful
dark eyes the calm she provides that is better than any pharmaceutical but much
more habit forming and last, but in no way last, our </span><b style="font-size: 13.5pt;">lovely landlady Anna.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Anna</b>, the generational
owner of the mansion is gracious, inclusive and a phenomenal guide <b>we simply
could not have asked for a better spot</b> to begin our European journey, <b>she is
going to be very difficult to match</b>. We are here in Turin for another month and
know that every day will have its lows but also the <b>highs will be more frequent
as we learn more.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next post has got to be Food and Fashion right? See you can't get the girl down:)</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1597888762229808647.post-2743734341471642962013-12-11T12:26:00.000-08:002013-12-11T12:26:11.222-08:00Driving from Paris to Lyon, France to Turin, Italy Ohhhh Mon Dieu!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I am just wondering IF one's spouse or partner is the same sex, let's just say two <b>males</b>, do they <b>drive furiously</b> to their destination because there is some bio-genetic code that males have to <b>combat with the road</b>? Then it would follow that IF one's spouse or partner is the same sex let's also conjecture two<b> females</b> they would wander seemingly without purpose but just gathering lovely experience after experience and take forever to arrive at the original destination? Just wondering.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Certainly, I believe that IF there is a man behind the wheel there will be only combat with the road, the petrol, the other cars, the mileage..."what is a Fountainbleu? huh? yeah I think I heard of Castle Chateauneuf? Burgoyne, there was a WWII battle there right? Do you want to stop at the next truck stop, I can top off the fuel?" <b>Well, you can say this can't be a road trip, but that does not make it so.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Really the intent is to put some jest in this post and ultimately with some <b>"skillful point making"</b>, that is what they call<b> 'pouting'</b> right, we ultimately stopped at enough 'truck stops' to take a couple of pictures of the spectacular <b>Alps, Mont Blanc,</b> the almost<b> fine art road</b> signs in France that picturesquely announced what the next city or town was well known for, such as one was famous for champagne and it had bubbles on it...just lovely.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While in the ferociously moving vehicle</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I got a spectacular shot of an </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ancient church</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> literally at the top of the mountain with the </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sun making it seem as made of gold</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, don't have a clue what it was but if it was what I think it was, a church where princes and soldiers went before long journeys to receive blessings to</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> protect them on the a harrowing road ahead</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">....coincidence perhaps not! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP3qPrKwF4ZUFTwUYiHLvtST5adbUjQ9KB1oDuESqoZzsM_SGguTOrF2E40xiaj4huQHbrv4fQHdLdXBQjKVkzcxNIdxmg2EdzOsOfLN6JldHpTgCupDET7HzBhoRXXyqbXWwYvlAQBJ-/s1600/IMG_0566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP3qPrKwF4ZUFTwUYiHLvtST5adbUjQ9KB1oDuESqoZzsM_SGguTOrF2E40xiaj4huQHbrv4fQHdLdXBQjKVkzcxNIdxmg2EdzOsOfLN6JldHpTgCupDET7HzBhoRXXyqbXWwYvlAQBJ-/s320/IMG_0566.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About 500 miles all in all, the car GPS is pretty good, the streets of Lyon were a nightmare, we were not safely in bed until well after midnight. No parking had been reserved for us, so we had to seek public parking and literally haul all of the luggage to our room. Well, let me painfully honest here, the result of NOT having a bio-genetic code to combat with a road, also makes it impossible for one to haul anything but the little fuzzy one, my purse and my <b>"keep it happy damn it attitude" </b>because <b>this is a great trip., seriously a really great trip.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our <b>spirits sometimes go south when we get tired</b> but in reality we both love to solve things and <b>solving the mystery of the destination on a foreign road is pretty invigorating</b>. It would seem that the <b>major highways are funded by tolls</b>, you pay the toll based on how many km you have go from checkpoint to checkpoint. We stopped counting but think in our 500 mile journey there were approximately 6 tolls and we paid in total about 100 Euros or about $140. We felt safe at night, but we didn't take any chances just to be sure. Tolls and tunnels, since you going through the Alps there are lots of tunnels, makes the Eisenhower Tunnel look like a poser, sorry Colorado. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <b>little fuzzy one </b>is doing really well all things considered, however shy she was before, and she was VERY shy has gone a little shyer. For me <b>her tender little heart and extraordinary big brown eyes</b> make me strong for her. There is a really cute picture posted tonight of her little head resting on my neck pillow in our hotel room in Lyon at midnight <b>waiting for her humans to finally go to bed</b>. Did I mention that she has not barked once on the trip? In the hotel in Lyon, there was an ever so slight growl when she heard someone go down the hall, only if you know her will you know <b>how very slight that growl was.</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next post will be about setting up house in Turin, I miss a shopping center, and the Turin grocery store clerk tried to school me on buying produce. Well, that is a story for later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1597888762229808647.post-80413500197307938662013-12-06T16:12:00.001-08:002013-12-06T16:12:28.416-08:00Paris-Fashion and Food <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps the place to start is the color and I do mean<b> "the" color- black</b>, black did I mention black? Of course, I had done alot of research for the trip and was aware that there was going to be a preponderance of black, if one wanted to add a splash of color, then buy a scarf here, don't pack stuff that would make you scream tourist by just standing on the street. There was so much black it almost reminded me of a trip to China many years ago and there were millions of dark haired people with black clothing, almost like a uniform. Well, of course the clothing is beautifully cut in Paris and could hardly be thought of as a uniform, but then when something is <i>de rigueur</i> does it ever run the risk of being uniform because it is so common?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are <b>three more words to add to the Paris fashion scene</b>;<b> boots</b> (very good boots of all heights, heels, colors, well not all colors); <b>scarves</b> (<i>oooh la la</i> do they take their scarves seriously men and women), <b>leggings</b> (well this for the benefit of briefness let's consider leggings as also hosiery, tights, skinny tight pants almost always black). If</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">madame/mademoiselle wore leggings they were paired with a tunic or mini skirt. I don't remember a single ensemble that wasn't beautifully pulled together from head to toe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Men</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">however are much more likely to have on Docker-like or jeans in jewel tones, yes green, red, bright yellow. Saw some men in velvet trousers, navy blue velvet, one gentleman had a pair of royal purple velvet trousers, beautifully tailored he walked much too fast to get a picture, intriguing to say the least. Oh yes I forgot about corduroy...really does anyone wear corduroy anymore? I try to think of the conversation that it would take to get hubby into a pair of colorful corduroy trousers....nope, that's not happening.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It should also probably be said that simply <b>NO ONE wore clothing that was not body appropriate to them.</b> NO ONE flashed underwear of any kind, belly rolls, cracks hopefully you know what I mean etc. However that being said it is the city of 'love' so of course there were several couples that I thought shouldn't they just get a room! One such couple sat next to us at dinner, the tables are very close, let's just say that kind of smacking would be rude if only food was involved. Really, it was rude, time and place people, time and place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And now before I sleep tonight let me fondly say that it is not possible to get a bad meal, snack, dessert. Parisiennes walk alot and they walk fast, which is good because the food is <i>magnifique. </i>The <b>hot chocolate</b> is the best I have ever had in the world, the delicious <b>crusty baguettes</b> which citizens looked like they bought daily so many were carrying them under their arms as they rushed home. We even had <b>game foie gras</b>, something that I would never do in the US, don't even want to ponder how it is made. It is <b>oyster</b> season and we love them so, but of course they had to be sampled. <b>Cheeses</b> paired with <b>wines (lots of wine it is France afterall)</b>, wonderfully yummy <b>desserts</b> with <b>coffee</b> (hubby says the coffee is very good, I don't have a taste for it no matter where we are). </span><br />
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmM8WtLi1d0lhXvVKY-Z250_pNByLZ8Gl-ZWmTq4d6b5pl1DQQMZoq3R-yfdxeymfNMJpU9si7tiHndAxnfVlZrlWphKMS1ajVoAG7Rltli5Ypc0HUm-HSDH_qE_u14KARlPnSDFZkZrQt/s320/TwixOnSteriodsPARIS.JPG" width="320" /><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKbBp9ZlslmxXE8Y54dKvmOiriZMMD6HsT07zKETZzxWoOEJXxpN9NwhRcJYWdQT8kfq4KAr3oYJ3ein0X5AcYZEO77oUf0wDFL96VJbpNW2LvL_zPRKe_Lmo77fmTRTrzw73sDZuAZER/s320/first+breakfast.jpg.JPG" width="320" /><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Probably, <b>breakfast was our favorite</b> because the little fuzzy one got to sit next to us in a chair observing great puppy manners and watching, she seems to always understand what her humans are doing. Enjoy the pictures we enjoyed gathering them. We are <b>off to Italy</b> in the morning, and the little fuzzy one now has her European Pet Passport. <i> Bon soir</i> Paris. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1597888762229808647.post-79068025288613247262013-12-04T12:57:00.000-08:002013-12-04T12:57:20.602-08:00PARIS-Day 1<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's exciting to be here, it is only kinda sorta sinking in that perhaps this may be more than just a long vacation. I think it will help when we get to Italy on Saturday and set up housekeeping. Okay, let's talk Paris.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's start with customs....the months of <b>preparation and paperwork</b> to make sure that the fuzzy one wasn't put into quarantine or denied admittance wasn't even looked at...in a way it was a little like a lost opportunity to "proudly show" the attention to detail to insure her acceptance into the European Union. Well, they checked our passports and said "bienvenue". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> We leased a car and <b>my adventurous husband drove like a maniac </b>just like the other Parisiennes. Lanes are kinda suggested, motorcylcles pretty much drive wherever they want at high speeds, there are lots of roundabouts (what else would you expect from a city laid out like a huge wheel) and GPS says make a right turn on the 4th turn in the roundabout...but there may be 8 main turns and 4 minor turns....it may take you a couple of passes on the very large roundabouts. <b>We were in such a great mood that it simply didn't matter, we laughed and said okay let's try that again.</b> Although hubby had already read a book on international driving, we had gotten our international drivers licenses, nothing prepares you for a highly mobile city of over 9M people with signs in a language that you only studied for two years in high school. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were very tired, no sleeping on the plane, so we got to the hotel (sweet little boutique hotel wtihin two blocks of the Eiffel Tower and truly pet friendly we love you Hotel Motte Picquet) and got us and the fuzzy one settled in snugly. <b>So far so good,</b> everyone had treated us very well and at least acted like our lack of French was endearing. We somehow were able to stay up until 5 o'clock Paris time after flying all night, trying hard to slam shut any jet lag. <b>I forgot to tell the little fuzzy one the plan</b>, she woke me up about 3 a.m. Paris time and wanted to eat, go potty and get a drink. Really, it was very sweet and reminded me of when my babies seemed to not know what time it was and only I could tend to their needs. Of course walking a busy avenue in Paris at 4 o'clock in the morning is a lonely place to be, <b>but for a brief moment we had Paris all to ourselves,</b> she always makes me smile.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So much more to say and of course <b>fashionistas and foodies</b> there are some really great pictures coming tomorrow.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1597888762229808647.post-56649555188853342742013-12-01T13:43:00.000-08:002013-12-01T13:43:21.882-08:00Toronto Residence Inn-Ants are Okay but your paying pet is a nuisanceWe have been staying at Residence Inns' for years, it is the only Marriott that takes pets. As a pet owner that travels with their pet you learn that getting nice accommodations with a pet is increasingly more difficult. One also does sympathize with hoteliers that all pets and pet owners are not well mannered and respectful of the property and other guests. I do not have a solution to that and understand that simply me saying that my little dog is the most docile, quiet and obedient dog that I have ever seen little less having the privilege of being her human has probably been heard before by the front desk and proven untrue.<br />
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Now of course is the HOWEVER, if you say you accept pets, and you charge $100 regardless of how long they stay they shouldn't be relegated to the floor and perhaps the room known to have an infestation of ants. <br />
We should have said something when we went into the room and there were no less than 5 ant traps. We mused that since it is December and very cold someone had just not picked them up. Well of course you feed your pet in a bowl that you put on the floor. <br />
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I prepared her dish from freshly opened packages that I had brought with me placed her dish on the floor. In her typical Princess fashion she did not immediately wolf it down (it's hard for a Shih Tzu to wolf), in probably 5 to 10 minutes I went to check to see how she was doing with eating in a new place...to my horror she had eaten about half of the food and was sitting in front of her bowl shaking her little fuzzy head vigorously, hmmm, I looked in her bowl and there was about 100 ants! I should have taken a picture, but my immediate reaction was to make sure she was okay. <br />
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I grabbed the bowl wrapped it in a plastic bag then started an in depth examination of Miss Ambassadorable. I gave her a thorough exam, washed her face, chest, paws, gave her a prescription ear wash that we carry for her because of allergies. When she seemed calmer I took the bowl to the front desk. The front desk manager was seemingly as horrified as I was and did in about a half an hour switch us to an upper floor. We were told that we could not have an upper floor when we checked in because we had a dog, dogs had to be on the first floor. <br />
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In fairness to the Inn, they did move us and comp'd our last night, they provided a name of a vet in case we needed to take the fuzzy one for an exam. Think how delighted I was after months of planning for our long trek to Europe with a pet, that we might miss a plane because the hotel had such infestation that my precious little one got too sick to fly...little less be imported to Europe. I was shaking down to my core.<br />
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She seems to be fine no more head shaking, she is adorable and cute and fluffy and in about 3 hours we are on a flight to Paris. Thank you front desk hotel clerk from righting the best you could a stunning hotel experience, but I am done with Residence Inn by Marriott. Pets are not welcome.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1597888762229808647.post-47792220819204881592013-12-01T10:15:00.001-08:002013-12-01T10:15:11.771-08:00We Did It! Colorado to Toronto-First Leg of an Undetermined Legged NEXT!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So much has happened since the last post when I said triumphantly that we were going to buy tickets, which we did....but it is stunning how difficult it is to travel with a pet in-cabin across the Atlantic. Thank you Air Canada! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So much planning has gone into this trip, months in reality, and it hasn't been without the help and support of our children and grandchildren.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The family was almost all together for a wonderfully big Thanksgiving Dinner, a great way to begin a big adventure.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Thank you, even the tiniest baby helped with her beautiful little smile when</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> we cuddled her bye bye for now. The tallest grandbaby gave us sweet hugs and we hold them dear forever. Daughter you were instrumental in getting the last of the house ready for our extended trek, we simply could not have stepped on the plane without your organizational push, no wonder you are so good at what you do, thank you. Son, thank you for the ride to the airport with sister it was great to get the extra time and funny stories, we love you both so much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are spending a couple of days in Toronto in order for us and Miss Ambassadorable to rest up for the flight to Paris. Being OCD when it comes to planning we have a couple of errands to do today before we get on the plane tonight....and of course have a little time to watch some of our Broncos today...go Manning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is much more to say....but I will do that later. The next topic will be Marriott Residence Inn Toronto, Ants and their Pet Policy. The pic is Miss Ambassadorable patiently waiting on her Princess pillow in our new room that is NOT infested with ants</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUajLRAhzEFuqc0YoV4aeNyjHbQxuanAn-UQcsA8uBHwgy7q75_JVf1xLse9EA5gnDgljD-bT9g0oLHSBioAqNWPcXbkOTjnY6LD3pBhgHjhyMwhq1ehd1XNDBzJDym3R2MQsuhOOeURrn/s1600/Toronto+Ambassadorable.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUajLRAhzEFuqc0YoV4aeNyjHbQxuanAn-UQcsA8uBHwgy7q75_JVf1xLse9EA5gnDgljD-bT9g0oLHSBioAqNWPcXbkOTjnY6LD3pBhgHjhyMwhq1ehd1XNDBzJDym3R2MQsuhOOeURrn/s320/Toronto+Ambassadorable.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1597888762229808647.post-40771383852295096012013-09-07T23:15:00.000-07:002013-10-09T16:51:21.637-07:00How on earth did I get here?How did a little girl born in poverty of a 15 year old mother and a father who was almost twice her age and with a very sketchy past get to this spot in life of wondrous anticipation? Well, the truth of it is that is was hard, required a lot of determination to NOT be what I saw all around me. There just had to be more. There is more, every step of the way, there is simply more if you reach and if your hand gets smacked you reach again.<br />
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Not to ramble about with this blog thing but perhaps I should say what wondrous thing is going on. I retired, my husband is about to retire and we are going to <b>Europe for at least 6 months</b> to wander around, learn, see, meet, experience, reach for more. <b>Tomorrow we buy the tickets.</b><br />
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It is a big step. We will rent out our home, we aren't going on an organized tour, we do know our first couple of locations but after that we will methodically find together the things we have read about all of our lives. Oh, I forgot to mention we are taking our <b>beloved little Shih Tzu</b>. We have been talking of this trip for 5 years and planning it for the last year. Did I mention tomorrow we buy the tickets?<br />
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There is a lot of planning and research that goes into a trip like this and the <b>'next' people</b> we are becoming. This blog is just one example. This week I will link all of the key resources that we have been using to give us our high degree of confidence to<b> travel vicariously</b>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.com0Colorado, USA39.5500507 -105.7820674000000233.2362192 -116.10921590000001 45.8638822 -95.454918900000024tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1597888762229808647.post-47779018624707953592013-08-24T22:30:00.000-07:002013-08-24T22:30:03.487-07:00That Which Seems Like the End is Only the BeginningWell, here I am in an unexpected place, a person that has always been pretty private, with a small group of friends. But something big is about to happen and it's time to change my ways. Perhaps the something big is just for me and my little niche of my world, but nonetheless to me it is big. This "blogging" thing is not the first step in all of the changes that have been taking place the last couple of years, it is a vehicle to facilitate MORE.<br />
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Travel Vicariously will be talking about a journey to be sure...but it is so much more than planes trains and automobiles. Travel Vicariously will be life learning, loving, moving on and perhaps endings. Shouldn't all of life travels have been for something? Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03095023245288749271noreply@blogger.com0