Shari's Ramblings...
PORTOFINO...
August 4 2010
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CINQUE TERRE...Five of a Kind
August 3 2010
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MONTE CARLO...
August 2 2010
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FLORENCE / PISA...
August 1, 2010
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AMALFI / POSITANO...
July 31, 2010
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SORRENTO / NAPLES...When Life Gives you Lemons
July 30, 2010
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TAORMINA...A Corleone Family Gathering
July 29, 2010
CORFU...I've Got the Blues
July 28, 2010
Just when I thought the sea couldn't get any bluer, we enter Corfu. It was hard to tell where the incredibly blue sky met the incredibly blue sea...it was absolutely incredible!!
We opt to trek to the city center..."Oh, a pleasant walk"...we overheard someone say. Yeah, it was a walk alright, kind of like when someone says "Try this...it's not hot at all" or the dentist says "This won't hurt a bit" Need I say anymore?
Shop after shop of Greek trinkets kept me busy as I wound my way through the tiny streets, marveling at every turn. As a matter of fact, so busy that I lost track of time, and knew that walk back was just to far. "Bye, bye Nautica...we'll catch you later at the next port!" I say from the dock. Nope...that was not going to happen, so I headed for the nearest taxi stand. Hmm..nearest I guess is relative, as it took a little bit longer to find one than expected. "Taxi!!" I yell, but this is not New York City, as none ar driving around. Definitely not the 2nd picture from NY State of Mind below.
So I grab a cab, and scurry off to the port, picking up some stragglers running through the parking lot to catch the ship as well. "You're the Last ones"...a phrase that will become all to common thougout this trip.
MONTENEGRO...or is this Norway?
July 27, 2010
As the ship worked its way through the fjords, I thought to myself "What happened??...we must have made a wrong turn in the night and ended up in Scandinavia." Turns out that I didn't have one too many wines as we danced the night away...Kotor is said to be the world's southernmost fjord. And it shows...the beauty of this place is outstanding.
Whoa...I thought the walk on the wall in Dubrovnik was a heart pumper...but here, we climb up the side of the mountain on uneven steps..if there are steps at all. As we make the trek in the hot sun, we see soaked individuals walking back down. "Did you make it to the top?" "Oh yeah...and you have a long way to go" Not quite the response I was looking for as I continued panting trying to catch my breath...I just wanted to know if it was worth it. Well...It was worth it!
Back in town I hunted for that little shop...you know, the one where they actually make the crafts right there, and not just peel the Made in China label off. I found it...a young woman diligently working on the most intricate pieces of art...a true find. "Hello...you have such beautiful stuff" "Hvala Vam" she said. I was hoping that was "Thank you", and not " It's Made in China and I'm peeling the label off." I scored big though...more items for the curio.
I ran across one of the ship's officers in town, who is actually from here. Hmm...he would know what local wine I should buy...and yes he did...an incredible bottle of Vranac for 6 whole Euros. At dinner later that night, the wine connoisseur in me came out as I pronounced the wine, "Yummy...with the slightest hint of tasty."
DUBROVNIK...Ha'kuna' Matata
July 26, 2010
Early morning arrival in Dubrovnik is gorgeous...the deep blue Adriatic glistening in the rising sun. This beautiful site is all the caffeine I need on an early morning...but I opt for some coffee just in case. Good thing...busy day ahead taking in the Old City. As I arrive, I can't help but think "Why did this cute little city, with it's wonderful and friendly people get bombed back in the early 90's. What the hell did they do to deserve all this damage that was done??
Have you walked the wall around the Old City?? Two Kilometers around...with a couple of steps. Alright...A LOT of steps. And steep!! Ahhh...but the views are worth every Kuna. Another hundred pictures in the bag easily. I was certainly fascinated by the locals at the beach...well, lets say 'on the rocks'. Can that possibly be comfortable??
I hear there is so much more of this area to see...but alas, I don't feel like watching the Nautica sail off into the night, while I sip my Prošek at the pier waving bye bye. So I amble to the ship...exhausted...uttering that I will make it back here...that I will spend more time...and take in ALL of Croatia...a gem of the Balkans. Next stop...Kotor.
Ahhhh...VENICE!!
July 24-25, 2010
The plane arrived ontime...the overnight flight exhausting. But a new found energy was emerging as I exited the plane, entering the Venice terminal a bit weary eyed, but raring to take this city by storm. I retrieved my baggage, walked through customs, and officially entered Italy. "BuonGiorno Venice!!! Sono arrivato!!"
There is something special about seeing your name on a sign as you exit the airport...especially one that takes you to your private ride to the ship. "Ciao Ms. Kavalin...Comè Va?" "Benè..Grazie!!" Ahhh...Venice...to be in Italy once more...truly heaven on earth. Nothing but 12 days of pure bliss...and gelato!!
I boarded my ship...the wonderful Oceania Nautica...found my room, washed my face, cleaned up the "overnight funk" that one gets when traveling the red eye, threw on some fresh clothes,...and headed out to explore. No time to waste!! Let's see, what's on the agenda. Italian wine, Piazza San Marco and Doge's Palace, Rialto Bridge, Italian Wine, The Grand Canal, gondolas, and oh yeah, Italian wine. Only 2 days here...so I need to get my fill!!
Time flies...yes!!...but in this case, 2 days flew by faster than my gelato melting in the hot sun. July in Venice is hot, but coming from Florida, I knew what to expect and embraced the sunshine, the heat...as I wound my way around the small alleyways...marveling at every turn. The architecture...the people...the food...and the wine...I've already gone through 300 pictures...and we've only just started. Next stop...Dubrovnik, Croatia. Never been there...can't wait!!!
... NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
April 25, 2010
I walked off the plane at La Guardia; late enough in the day that I got some work done before leaving
Hollywood International and early enough to slip into Midtown before the Friday night rush hour.
Sunny enough, and not freezing (not like my December trip when they closed the airport soon after
I arrived and my eyelashes grew ice crystals as I waited for a cab) … no, this was a sunny
New York summer day and I was glad to be back in the City
Coming down the east side of town, I told the driver to take me through the Park (“You know how I love the Park”)
and I looked up at the leaves and the clouds and the buildings; then down past the Guggenheim
toward the heart of Midtown ... the Sherry-Netherland where my Mother used to stay (part of it turned co-op, I heard…)
The lobby was nearly empty except for the bar with its blue light slowly filling up for Friday night. I scooted up
to my suite and had the bellman get me a bucket of ice; just enough to tuck a split of chardonnay in it that had
made the trip … waiting to assist in my wind-down on the rare outdoor patio space in the Big Apple.
I sighed deeply. The weekend had begun. As it started to get dark my phone began to buzz with my Manhattanite
friends glad I was in town, but tonight, I had a different agenda. Down to my favorite people watching corner at Blue Fin
underneath the specter of the Marriott Marquis, I perched until everyone had settled into their evening pattern,
then thought of grabbing a cab south. I normally cab it to dinner, then walk it off home, sometimes logging
30 or 40 city blocks on a pretty night even AFTER dinner and wine!
Would it be I Tre Merli tonight? Cozy with it’s warehouse doors thrown wide to the street in SoHo ... one
of the first restaurants crafted from a warehouse downtown with its two story brick walls and
endless wine bottles running up them … the paper thin tuna carpaccio and an oversized glass of wine.
Or the little neighborhood Italian place ... so popular they had to open a sister restaurant across the
street ... way down in Greenwich. When one is full, you just cross the street; no one
seems to care – it’s all the same. Cheap eats, honest pour, all locals. Always a good call.
Yet, so hard to grab a cab home from there ... maybe Guastavino’s under the 59th Street Bridge? (yes, just
one train stop from Brooklyn .. thanks for the memories, Simon and Garfunkle.) Architectural mastery,
precision design, elegance in menu and service, and incredibly romantic…. But no! I hear they are
now only open for private parties - so then what?
Undecided, I ponder. OK, so I have been running all day, and have a busy weekend planned, so I walk
over to “21” and slip downstairs where they always seem to fit me in – in the Bar Room with toys
and aerial
memorabilia suspended from the ceiling. I waited as the waiter pulled the table out into the center of the room
and slid onto an impossibly small bench seat, as he closed me back in again. (I joke that I am small and fold up easily!)
Now I am elbow to elbow with my convivial new friends on either side of me for the next two hours. It is
Restaurant Week and I could have done the amazing full prix fixe menu for a ridiculously low price,
but I instead ordered a plate of black truffle risotto and a mesclun salad with goat cheese rolled in toasted
pecans, and a stunning glass of wine, and I am done.
I dawdle with my wine and pass on dessert, and watched the crowd as I unwound, trying not to listen to
all the conversations around. Funny I would come to a fast paced city like New York to relax, but that’s just
what it does for me. I paid the check and walked the couple blocks past MOMA and other landmarks back
to my hotel home; crawling into my big fluffy oversized bed. Tomorrow will be a big day……