Heavenly Hotels: The OOOH and AAAH Test

I loooove traveling and am one of those people who loves planning the trip almost as much as making it.   Hmmmm, that must be why I have this career!

Choosing hotels is one of the most dicey things as you want to get it just right. Many of us are members of "loyalty clubs" so always book with one chain. Often these are cookie cutter properties devoid of personality, but certainly are adequate.
 
Sometimes, though, a trip calls for something different.   Maybe it's a celebration.  Maybe you want to, just once, pamper yourself.  Or maybe you will begin or end the trip with something special, just because, and save $$$ the rest of the time.

I  like to look for the "aaaahhhhh" factor.  The feeling you get when the room welcomes you at entry.  And if I can also get the "ooooooh" factor it's a double whammy.   This can be harder to find, depending upon what gives you that feeling.  For me it could be the whimsical, the non-traditional, the imaginative, the history, the great locale....things that set it apart.

Although some of them are expensive, not all are.  I don't need an 800 thread count on my Egyptian cotton sheets and bathroom amenities with a label that says "ca-ching."

But I do love a wow factor, sometimes paying for it, sometimes not.

Take, for example, Washington D.C.   Everything from drop dead luxurious to standard digs are there.   I chose, on my last trip, the Willard.    For the Abraham Lincoln connection, and the location.  Our most important president ever, as judged by many, hid in plain sight here for the time between his arrival in Washington and his inaugural. It served as his "pre-White House"  I'm sure I traced some of his footsteps (building replaced in 1904, but is in the same place).   In the next block over is the Treasury building and in the block beyond that, which covers acres, is the White House.  

 The view from our room was toward the Washington Monument and they very nicely ordered lightning for us one evening which lit up the area beautifully.   This was a higher than average priced hotel, but the atmosphere, location and history were the intangibles that I couldn't have found elsewhere.  Both oooh and aaaahh factors.

I chose this next hotel for the view and location and I bet you'll never guess where it is (tongue in cheek) by the view from my balcony!  The Park Hyatt Sydney is almost under the Harbor Bridge  at the foot of The Rocks,  the "old town" of Sydney.  It was an easy and just-what-the-doctor ordered walk around the shoreline of the bay to the Opera House and along the way you can enter historic buildings, see ruins of the some of the original structures of Sydney, pass by parks, restaurants, and shops.  The hotel itself has huge and comfy rooms,  a restaurant with floor to ceiling bay and Opera House views, and the best breakfasts I have ever had, high praise coming from someone who doesn't care much for her morning meal.  (I think it was the mini pots de creme studded with raspberries that did it.  What a way to get your fruit!)

 We were there to board a cruise ship and imagine our surprise the day before embarkation when we went out on the balcony to get our morning breaths of sea air...and there was our ship!

This was, again, an expensive hotel.  Something more in the center of town would have cost less, but the feeling of being enveloped by the most interesting neighborhood of Sydney, and the convenience of being able to walk to so much  made it well worth it.  The thrill of going out on the balcony to see the Opera House, only obstructed by passing watercraft,  is my best and most lasting Sydney memory.   Both oooh and aaaah.

I found this  little boutique hotel in Stockholm completely by accident.  Don't ask how.  Not too expensive, not a deluxe hotel, but with a superb location on Gamla Stan(the oldest, original part of the city).  As is sometimes the case in older sections of towns, a couple of buildings were cobbled together and it was like a rabbit warren of rooms.   Small and outdated, with older but functional bathrooms.  About a two minute walk from a subway station and just a block off the busier streets of this area, we found the hotel itself to be most satisfactory.  Then the next morning I went into the breakfast room in the basement and saw the thing that I look for in my travels:   ruins!

This is the only remaining fragment of the city's original medieval defenses ( part of the base of a tower) built during the 1300s...and by my calculations I was sleeping a couple of floors above it!  To the right, the accompanying artwork depicts Stockholm at that time, and if you had a magnifying glass you could see this actual tower.  But how amazing that they were able to identify this chunk of brick and mortar, and obtain a painting that shows it as it originally was.

The owners have several small hotels and they have filled them with Lord Nelson memorabilia.  We stayed at The Victory (named for his ship) and it's decor was a marine history buff's dream:   model ships,  figureheads,  pictures, like a mini-museum.  Not much aaahhhh factor but plenty of oooooh!

Next up, London, known for it's abundance of world-class hotels. I chose the Egerton House just because I had a feeling about it....it was named, one year, the "Most Excellent Hotel in London"  and it's regular rooms will not cost $500 per night or more.   I was not disappointed.  The "aaaaahhhhh" factor hit me at the door.  Each room in this house is like a little Faberge egg of perfection, no two alike,  all drool-worthy.  Although the house was built in the 1840s the bathrooms  are fine and you  hate to drop even a jacket onto the bed to disturb the impeccable look of the room.  Italian ex-pat Antonio,  known in certain circles as "King of the Martinis" does make the most heavenly concoctions  in the bar and the whole staff is eager to help.  Views vary,  mine was into the  garden behind the hotel:

What a great location this is, especially if you are a walker.   It's in Knightsbridge, smack dab between Harrod's and the Victoria and Albert, so you can go from educating yourself to shopping easily.   We walked to Buckingham our first evening and then on to the Whitehall Parade grounds for the horse parade in honor of the Queen's birthday.  An invigorating stroll and a great way to see several parts of the city.

There are others on my list that I would be willing to pay a little more for,  such as the hotel near Cape Town that grows virtually all of it's own produce and has access to the home that Nelson Mandela first stayed in after leaving prison, left relatively intact.  They are willing to show it to their hotel guests even though it is not open to the public.

And the one in Morocco, very new, where you can have lunch brought to you while you are dangling your bare feet into a soothingly cool stream.  What an example of a simple pleasure!

My last hotel stay was in a small town in Southern Idaho in a perfectly decent place where the bathroom was clean, the bed was OK, the included breakfast was...edible, and even though it's only been about six months,  I barely remember it.  It won't be the last place I stay at like that, I'm sure, but I am looking forward to the next remarkable hotel that will bring me moments to treasure forever.

I'd love to hear about any special hotels you've loved and why, especially their
"wow" traits.   Please leave a comment below for everyone else to read.

My commercial:  If you want to experience a world-beater hotel I have a large stable of these with either discounts or added amenities!  Or,  I can help you find that just-right hostelry that will provide you with, hopefully, your own aaaah and oooh moments.

888-857-7379.

Collecting Olympic Sites

Who amongst us doesn't, or has never, had a collection?   The gamut runs from childhood whimsies to serious adult obsessions, but most of us thoroughly enjoy collecting things that are meaningful in one way or another.

I, for example, collect antique maps from places that I have visited.  They make an interesting addition to my home, one that people love to peruse.  They are reminders of my travels and the hunt for the maps. 

My Frequent Traveling Companion, however, doesn't collect things, he collects places.  He has always loved the Olympics and has attended several. When we began traveling together I knew that he wanted to see all possible Olympic venues. Since I drag my traveling companions everywhere I want, it's only fair that I should go along with him.  And, I have discovered some fascinating and historic places!

The first we ever visited together was  Sydney.  It was modern,  a lovely complex that has been converted into a multiple-sports and park use space.  Simple to get to,  there are frequent commuter trains from the city taking about a half hour.   Since it was  over 100 degrees, I stayed close to the fountains spraying cool water.  On a more comfortable day I would have loved walking or biking on the dedicated paths and boardwalks through natural areas.  For the more adventurous there are other diverse opportunities including trying to master the flying trapeze!  It's a classic example of what cities can do with their venues if they plan right beforehand. 

The next one we visited was the oldest of them all, at Olympia.  The first competition was believed by historians to have been held nearly 3,000 years ago.  For hundreds of years it was just one race, a 210 yard dash. The first recorded winner is a Greek cook who ran naked (maybe they all did!) in 776 BC. Thereafter two additional races of longer lengths were added and it grew from there. Fast forward a millenium. and the Romans ruling Greece cancelled the competition for lack of interest and perhaps some paganistic overtones.

With the thousand year  tradition of the competition, the complex at Olympia had grown quite large with temples, sanctuaries, dormitories, training areas, monuments (Alexander the Great built one for his father), and of course the Olympic flame.  It's a beautiful place to see.

If visiting in the summer, bring an umbrella as only part of the site is shady.  It can be extremely hot.  The museum is excellent, but the highlight for many is seeing the actual starting and ending points of the race. People love to line up against the marble slab where thousands of years ago Olympians stood, poised to run.

If you are a Greek Mythology geek, you'll love the fact that next to the site is Mt. Kronos, where Zeus battled his father for supremacy and won.   Perhaps they took a break to watch one of the early races!

Fortunately, the event only died out in fact, not in lore and legend, and a French Baron spurred the movement to bring them back, with Athens being the logical choice for the first games in 1896.  That stadium, white marble, still stands near the center of the city on a busy thoroughfare.  Unfortunately I was there before the days of digital cameras so no photo but it is a beautiful stadium in its simplicity. 




Another very early stadium that makes an interesting stop is in Stockholm.  Built for the 1912 Olympics,  it's still in use today.  When we visited, there were junior runners from  as far away as Africa competing.  The stadium is a block or so from  a stop on Stockholm's nifty subway system (see my earlier post).  Well worth a quick visit for the sculptures at the entrance and seeing the beautiful architectural details of the day.

If you are visiting the Scandinavian countrys, go check out Helsinki's stadium which has an interesting history.   Built for the 1940 Olympics, it had to wait another dozen years to host them because WWII broke out.  In 1952 more world records were broken there than at any other Olympics.   I was planning to visit it and snap some fab photos but couldn't, due to a bicycling accident earlier that day.  Please don't ask me about this as although several very large dark areas appeared on various parts of my body, my pride was hurt more than my physique.  They made me stop the tour too which I was loving, but I digress.

I found seeing the Berlin complex fascinating and emotional.  It is  way out of town but of course their transportation system is efficient and fast like everything else the Germans do!  There is still a lot left here but few tourists were there when we visited.  Seeing where Jesse Owens won gold, and where Hitler refused to present the medal to him, made me proud of and angry for him at the same time. 

I found the contrast between Stockholm and Berlin to be most interesting, because they were built only two dozen years apart.  One of brick, one of stone.  Obviously Hitler meant it to be a symbol of the substantial power of Germany.  The complex is impressive and holds the pool and the  Reichssportsfeld  outside of the stadium where other events were  held.  The spaciousness of the site allows you to feel echos of the throngs that attended these games.

The pride in their vision of perfection of their youth shows both in the statuary and in the Bell Tower and Langemarckhalle at the bleacher side of the field (photo below).  The thousands of young volunteers who were ordered to attack near Langemarck in Belgium during  WWI, and who subsequently died in droves,  were glorified by the Nazis as a "selfless sacrifice of youth" instead of senseless death.  Gazing at the monument that explains this glorification, I found myself wiping away tears for the young who die for their country.

 

 Nowadays the venues seem to be spread out, especially where Winter Games are involved,  because you usually don't find world class ski areas with space for the rest of the events, and constructing new buildings that wouldn't have a lot of use afterward is not financially feasible.  Such is the case with the Winter Olympics in Vancouver last year.  It was here that I attended my first Olympic Games and I am hooked!  

The city fathers and mothers did a superlative job in ferrying people between the city and the gorgeous Whistler ski area.  Everything worked beautifully.  The city events were housed mostly in already existing facilities...Vancouver is a good Canadian city that loves it's winter sports!   The flame was placed along the downtown waterfront area and walking around during the beautiful city's evening time was such fun, hearing so many languages being spoken.  There is no complex or spectacular stadium to photograph but the exquisite outdoors and sunny weather are more lovely than anything manmade.

Do you "collect" sites, making it a point to visit something in  a specific category, while you travel?   I, and other readers, would love to hear from you about this...new ideas about travel are always welcome.   Please go to the comments section below and post what your favorite things are to see while traveling.  Or, just post any comments you would like to make about this or any of my posts.   If you wish to contact me regarding travel needs, I am at 888-857-7379.   I have great contacts for travel to all sorts of  legendary sporting events from the Masters to World Cups to my own favorite, the Rose Bowl, and more.

Capri, Just Fluff or the Right Stuff?

Oooooh, Capri.  A romantic name, a romantic island, and a place where people flock to visit.   Today it’s the rich and famous (followed by the seekers of the rich and famous) and two thousand plus years ago it was  Caesar Augustus, who swapped the nearby isle of Ischia to Naples for Capri.  He was smitten, as we are today.  Pronounce it Cahp- ria, as told to me by a local.  (She said many words are pronounced with a lingering “a” at the end.  I thought that was just a bad fake accent.)

It’s even become part of our lexicon.  Now women wear Capri pants in warm  weather and the ensalada caprese is a standard in most  Italian restaurants.  

It’s a tiny chunk of rocks, where people love to shop, dine, and take in the views, as well as the boat trip to the Blue Grotto, weather and currents permitting.   Not all of us, though, are content to only shop, dine, and take in spectacular views.    Could someone who  doesn't have the euros to shop till they drop, and really doesn't care about spotting celebs,  find fascination here?   

I had two days in Sorrento, and since my magnetic north always points to ancient ruins, I knew I would spend a day at Pompeii.  I didn't feel Sorrento would captivate me for a full day, lovely town though it is, so for the next day it was a tossup between checking out the Amalfi coastline, just behind Sorrento, or hopping the ferry to Capri, just in front.  Capri won,  partly because the Amalfi coast seems to cry out for more than one day.

So onto the ferry, thinking about a blank slate of a day with no specific objective in mind.  Arriving at the port what did we find first?  Refreshments!

Booths and stands of all sorts of treats for a hot summery day, but whether or not you love coconut like I do, you have to admit this is about as charming a presentation as you will ever see!

Of course the port area is not the best of Capri,  so it was time to head up to the town of Capri, and then the little town of Anacapri.

Your first upward journey is typically taken on the funicular:

Vesuvius is in the distance.    A fun little ride, but it's the only easy was to get up to Capri.  Poke around Capri a bit if you please, then catch the bus that switchbacks up to Anacapri, where the views are even better and the shops more exclusive.

After a light lunch, we thought  about what we could  do that might be a bit out of the ordinary?  We chose to walk down a mountain.

This is a place where you go up-up-up.   Anacapri is as high as a lot of people go.   Some  then will take the chairlift (a little old and creaky, with not a lot of safety features, but if you are a wee bit nervous about heights just sit very still and you’ll be fine, I kept telling myself) to the top of Mt. Solaro, the highest point of the island. 

My Much- Braver-Than-Me friend Susan (the black speck in the middle of photo,  left) hopped on the chair in front of me and gave me an encouraging wave as we sailed very slowly, and very low, over homes and backyards.   I felt a little like a voyeur but you can't help but want to peek at and admire their ingenious terraced gardens, below.

 Your eyes scan  Ischia to the north, then see Naples in the distance,  Mt. Vesuvius directly east, and swing south toward the peninsula that hides Sorrento from your view, and down toward the Amalfi coast.  Turn around and you can see much of the west side of the island (only sparsely populated)  as well as the Mediterranean stretching to the horizon.

The cost of the chairlift is E9 round trip, and E7 one way.   Yes, you can walk one way,  and I recommend gliding up the mountain and stumbling down it.   Just kidding.   But, it’s not paved, graded, or even smooth so it is not for small children or anyone who is not capable or desirous of walking steep-ish and uneven terrain at some points.  The top of the path is right next to where the chairlift begins, so don’t make the mistake of taking one of the other paths that wind downhill behind the snack bar area.   

Allow plenty of time, because you will need to watch the pathway to avoid tripping on a root or a rock, yet you still want to savor the views.   So take a few steps, and stop to check the view.  A few more steps, and another view stop.    An old rock wall here, the town below, a meadow there,  a look at Vesuvius next and…what’s this?  Are we in Israel?  The plaque imbedded in a stone frame before us sure looks like a depiction of a Station of the Cross!

Yes, it is.    We’ve come across the 10^th Station and decide to detour on the pathway to the right (a much smoother and flatter pathway I might add) as we know there is a 13^th century monastery  down the way.  You most likely will not find the monastery open but it’s a nice little side stroll.  Follow the Stations to the final one at the base of the monastery and then sit for awhile or move over to a stone pergola-like building for more excellent viewing.

On a beautiful sunny mid-May afternoon we encountered few people (but were accompanied by a couple of friendly dogs) and the occasional tiny lizard/gekko/ (right) as we returned to the main path and proceeded downhill, seeing the Stations of the Cross in reverse order.  If you are religious or  orderly, you might want to walk up the mountain to see them in order and ride down instead, but be sure to purchase your ticket in Anacapri before you begin your hike.  By the way, these are not old but were just a quaint little surprise on the journey downhill.

Capri has other delightful walks too, of varying length and difficulties,  so if you don’t mind missing royals and movie stars and uber-chic shops  it is a wonderful way to get moving, to breathe in that fresh air,  and to justify your next delicious dish of gelato.

My commercial:  Those of you who are my customers and receive a complimentary subscription to our award-winning travel magazine, Virtuoso Life, please be sure to read the current issue.   I happily discovered an article on a walking tour of the Amalfi region and it did include walks on Capri plus others in the area.  This is a Butterfield and Robinson trip,  the company that is renowned for their excellent walks in places that just beg to be explored inch by inch.  Call me at 888-857-7379 if you'd like to hear more!

 

Egypt....My Appetite is Whetted! (Plus an Invitation)

When I was a little girl I had ceramic horses prancing across my dresser as  I was sure I was going to be a horse rancher when I grew up.  But as I approached my "double digit" years I discovered Egypt and the Pyramids and a lifelong love affair with archaeology was ignited.  If I had a bumper sticker it would say  "I heart ruins."  And I have seen some of the best and most famous, including Machu Picchu, Ephesus, Greek and Roman ruins, and was even able to visit some not-yet-excavated ruins in Mexico when they were out in the middle of nowhere and we had to hike into them.  (Today they are excavated and on display in  the center of the country.)  

But I had yet to visit the Pyramids which is why I jumped on the opportunity to spend two days in Egypt earlier this year, one at Port Said and another at Alexandria.   Little did I know how much I would enjoy the beautiful city at the intersection of the Mediterranean and the Nile!  More about Alexandria in a minute....

You have probably seen a million images of the Pyramids at Giza so I will only say we were there on a day of horrendous smog and high heat, sorry I can't airbrush blue skies in, and really I am not intending to talk about Cairo anyway right now....as I had no time to see the best of it.  Yet despite the conditions, it was indeed a thrill to see the very

thing that originally stimulated my interest in archaeology, which caused me to want to travel.  You can even enter one of the Pyramids, if you are willing to bend way over as you walk down, down, down then back up to reach the chamber.  Not much to see, but at least you can say "I was in a Pyramid."   Also the shorter you are the better (for once.)




The following day we came to the port of Alexendria with superbly blue skies.  Known  for hosting one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and its storied library, which tragically was destroyed by fire more than once (what a wealth of information it held, never to be replaced).  I visited a fort close to the port, (former) royal residences and the NEW library, which I consider a wonder of the current world!   Driving through the city itself is fascinating as much from its past has been preserved and it's well known that I am a history geek.

I won't show you much of the fortresses and castles as I thought the library was truly the best thing to see here.  So here are just a couple of images before we go on to the bibliotheque.

These two were guarding a former palace, now a hotel; I would have chatted with them but these two lions turned out to be Sleepy Cat and Scardey Cat.

The best part of my day was our time in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.  Even without the knowledge and collections gathered inside, the building is stunning.  Add (naturally) books, several museums,  permanent and temporary exhibitions, a planetarium, galleries, research centers, shops and more and you have a vibrant, busy, interactive and thoroughly fascinating place to spend some time.  You would need a full day to see everything in depth.

When you come through the entry area/lobby and enter the main space, be prepared to have your breath stolen away!  To the right,  we are looking down toward an exhibition of very early printing presses.

One of the many galleries and exhibition areas.

 The design for this most unique structure won out over more than 500 entries and millions and millions of dollars were donated by various governments....the check from Saddam Hussein and Iraq cleared the bank just before he was overthrown.  The building is constructed at a slant with much of it being underground.  The natural elements of air, light and water were all incorporated.  Strolling around the building is fascinating.  When you arrive at the wall below, remember that the words and symbols imbedded in it are all incarnations of peace.

 The quick jump from the coast to Cairo/Giza only made me realize that I was seeing just a whisper of the treasures of Egypt,  and now I am longing for more. 

The commercial, with an invitation:   As a travel advisor, I frequently am invited to join webinars---online presentations---about a particular company, itinerary, part of the world, or what have you.   These are geared normally to travel professionals.   However if you are interested in learning more about Egypt travel, with impeccable accommodations and Egyptologists as guides and your safety as the utmost concern,  I can invite you to a webinar to take place at 5pm PST time Monday, the 6th (or 8pm if you are on the east coast, etc).   If you would like to see this one hour presentation, email me at anne@specialtycruise.com and I will send you the link.   This is with Lindblad, one of the top few of the expedition style companies and one I highly recommend.

A Charming Day from Seattle

OK here is a little poll....how many of you have visited, or live in, Seattle?   Raise your hands so I can get a count!   Hmmmm.... 14, 17, 20, 37, 42....lots of you, a majority of you I'd say.

Now, how many of you have visited the grave of the great Chief Seattle?  Oh oh.  I see only a few of you wiggling your fingers up.  And how many of you went because I made you?  I see my relatives' hands!

You don't see much about Chief Seattle (which is not the exact pronunciation as the white people were incapable of duplicating the sounds of the coastal natives' languages) in the history books, but he was a great chief who wanted peace, united various tribes, and did much for the "pale faces".  He was also a visionary because, when the earliest settlers arrived, he understood the scope of their numbers and that change was inevitable.  He was a friend to the people who named their city after them, and  beloved by both his people and mine.

Chief Seattle is buried in the modest graveyard of the Suquamish Indians, located adjacent to a tiny Catholic church in the town of Suquamish.  To get here from Seattle, drive onto the Bainbridge Island ferry (a favorite tourist ferry ride, Bainbridge itself is worth the visit.)  After docking at Bainbridge the road you exit onto will take you across the island to the Agate Pass bridge to the Kitsap Peninsula.   Shortly after crossing the bridge you will see the Clearwater Casino and Resort on the left, and here you will look for the signs on the right pointing to Chief Seattle's grave.   Look sharp, they are small!   A few minutes and a few turns  later you will see the church on the left so park in the lot, and enter the modest yet heartfelt cemetery.  You will immediately know where to go....

as this is really the only monument of note.  He was originally laid to rest in a simple plot but in 1890 a group of Seattle pioneers, who had known the chief, erected the inscribed monument over the grave.   In the 1970s, the grave was marked with four posts with sidebars  shaped like the canoes used by the local tribes.  You could physically walk up to the monument within this framework.  Recently, the grave has been surrounded by a low cement wall with imprinted phrases attributed to Seattle in both English and Lushootseed, his language.   Work is ongoing at the cemetery.         

My first visit was years ago when I was driving to visit relatives on the Olympic Peninsula.   I saw the very small sign and was curious.  What I found was a tiny corner of the world that was beautiful, peaceful, and honored a fine man.  I noticed that gifts were left, from flowers to shells to little stuffed animals to whatever someone wanted to leave.  So now I bring something too. 

Every August, his tribe honors him with a ceremony during Chief Seattle Days, started in 1911 by tribal members and civic leaders from Seattle.  Besides a graveside memorial, the festivities include an Indian Salmon bake,  canoe races, native drumming and dancing competition and much more.  Next year will be the 100th celebration.  True Indian salmon bakes used to be a staple in this area but are dwindling.  Sockeye baked over alder...there's nothing like it.   With eight children, there are still many descendants of the chief in the area so perhaps I'll go next year and hope to meet them!

The rest of the small cemetery is interesting to explore, with some markers fascinating in their simplicity.  And there are a few other things that might interest you nearby. 

Turn left from the parking lot and you will be in the town of Suquamish in about 10 seconds, perhaps have a bite to eat, but mostly so you can see the breathtaking view across Puget Sound to the high rises of his namesake city in the distance over Bainbridge Island.   The burly snow covered  Mt. Rainier further south makes the view even more of a treat.  You will have also seen signs pointing toward Old Man House, almost a pocket park, where stood the massive home where Seattle and his family lived along with a number of other chieftains.   Part residence, part potlatch site, this building was erected using traditional coastal methods sometime before 1800 but no longer stands.  The little park is on the water along Agate Pass, close to Suquamish, and has  informational signs illustrating both the ecological and historic importance of the area.  Nearby is the Suquamish Museum.  The House itself probably covered over an acre and must have been easily spotted by early explorers.  Chief Seattle said he met Captain Vancouver during his childhood,  a distinct possibility.

This is a wonderful less-than-a-day trip if you have a car.  Best to go on a sunny day as views are quite spectacular.  In the winter when the leaves are down, they are even better. Other stops can be made, too.   Although I am not a casino person, the Clearwater complex  is nice, and  the resort and the grounds are lovely with lots of Native American art displayed throughout.  Do make time to stop in Winslow, near the ferry terminal on Bainbridge.  My personal favorites are Cafe Nola,  the Bainbridge Bakery for peanut butter and jelly pull-aparts (ask them to be heated up!),  locally made ice cream at Mora's, and a while spent browsing at Eagle Harbor Bookstore, but all of the businesses here are a treat. 

My commercial: offseason travel is always a bargain.  You won't want to be doing your walking or biking tours then...but museums, cultural events, and just shopping and dining can allow you get to know places in another way.   Visiting the Christmas Markets along the Danube in Germany by riverboat,  going to concerts and shows,  and just doing some of the "indoorsy" things you wouldn't be doing during warmer months are all advantages of traveling when rates are low.  Check with me for business class air and famed hotels at (relatively) bargain basement prices.   anne@specialtycruise.com or call me at 888-857-7379 9-5 PST.

The Dark Underbelly of Stockholm

If you haven’t been to Stockholm yet, you probably imagine a beautiful waterfront  city with gorgeous, healthy ,  happy looking people crawling all over the place.  You are right.   But I discovered the dark underbelly.   I loved it.  And…I even had a free tour of it.

Is it seamy, smarmy, or smutty (one of my Swedish grandmother’s favorite words)?  Are there nefarious goings-on occurring  in backstreets and down dark smoky alleys?  Want to hear more?





Gotcha!   Underneath this amazing (I hate that overused word, but it really is the right one) city they have adorned their subway stations with some wonderful art, and if you purchase a subway ticket you can have a free guided tour covering some most interesting installations. (Note, these tours take place during the summer for certain non-Swedish languges and only on certain days, so check the website. They run year-round if you speak Swedish)  Our guide was knowledgeable and made great suggestions as to other stops to visit.     



The art itself is widely varied,  and as always,  the beauty of it is in the eyes of you, the beholder.  Tile work, wooden  cutouts,  paintings, 3-D sculptures…there is so much.  Some of the art was made elsewhere and installed, and some stations are basically rock caves completely covered by glorious painting  (see photo left).  Some is downright scarey, some breathtaking and some worth some time to study.    



From the right  



I think my favorite had to be the sports murals,  wide rectangles where the scene is completely different if you look from the left side vs. the right side.    If you stand dead center its a confusing hodge-podge of colors.    



From the left....



 The subway system of Stockholm has trains running constantly during daytime hours.  The cars are clean and you get where you want  PDF.  Pretty darn fast.   My Stockholm wish list had one site that was not close to the downtown area and it made it fast and convenient and easy to get there.  We were even able to use our pass to make a bus connection to our final destination that day.  And,  there was a stop very close to our hotel in Gamla Stan, the oldest part of the city.  Of the 100 stations, 90+ have an artistic installation of some sort or another.



Writings of Strindberg (see his head in the background?)



Please visit this link to metrobits, where you can see more spectacular (professional) photos of some of the installations, and general background info.

Plan ahead!  They don’t take reservations so be sure to carve that time out of your schedule for this treat.  It leaves from the central downtown station.  I was on a three- day pass and visited a number of other stations after the tour to see more art. 



I thought I’d love Stockholm.  My Minnesota born Swedish grandmother, Anna Albertina Hanson,  longed to visit and never did, so this visit was for her.  But it stole my heart and rocketed toward the top of my favorite cities list.   

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Ahhh, Alberobello

Move over pristine whitewashed, picturesque, to-die-for-beautiful-blue-doors-and-colorful -hanging-baskets homes in the Greek Isles. Yes, you are photogenic, and iconic. But you’ve got some  competition!

Italy has many charms with cities like Venice, Rome, and Florence and the trendy (for obvious reasons) regions of Tuscany and Umbria. The Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre lure plenty of guests too. But there is a charming and fascinating smallish village waaay over on the other side, near the Adriatic shore as you head south on the heel of the boot. You know, an area where fewer tourists go. It’s mentioned in the book with the many places to put on your bucket list, and UNESCO has named it a World Heritage Site.

The town of Alberobello is full of trulli, white circular homes built with limestone just picked up around the area, originally without mortar. This method of building goes back nearly unchanged to prehistoric times (but now of course they have indoor plumbing and electricity!) On top of the white houses go a conical, black stone roof typically peaked by a pinnacle of some sort. The charming story I heard from a local was that in “days of yore” there was a tax on completed homes. (Sound familiar?). When word got out that the tax assessor was on his way, the residents would quickly dismantle their roof and viola, an incomplete, tax-free house. Bye-bye taxman, hello to re-stacking the stones atop the white limestone.

The town looks white and gleaming in the sunlight and the word “quaint” could be defined by this place. Strolling around, popping into the little shops for local products, visiting the church, and maybe even being invited into a home to see the inventive ways they have been modernized make for a most interesting and satisfying day. I left with a bottle of luscious thick almond liqueur (the area is a major almond producer) shaped like a trullo (singular.) Nummy nummy!

I visited Alberobello on a day trip from a port call in Bari, the port of call in the region, but if visiting by land a trullo may be available for rent.