Well, it's been a while since I've had a big trip, but finally my next trip is planned: Peru. I'm going to be spending about a week in Cuzco and Aguas Calientes with a trip (of course) to Machu Picchu.
I was hoping to stay at Inkaterra, a resort in Aguas Calientes, and I was even willing to splurge a bit. However, when I found out it would be $1800 for two nights, I couldn't justify it.
It's going to be an expensive trip. I hope it's worth it and I don't get altitude sickness! Hope that coca tea works!
Monday, May 18, 2015
Saturday, June 16, 2012
France and Italy 2012
I just got back from just over 2 weeks based in Nice, France and I didn't want to come home! Usually you're ready for the comforts of home, but I could picture myself coming back year after year.
Nice
People asked me when I got back what was my favorite location, and it was Nice itself. There is a ton to do, the food is good but expensive, the people were very nice, and it was close to a lot.
Most things are closed on Sunday, but a lot of the museums are open. So go then! Or, to the beach.
Venture out of Old Nice and check out the other neighborhoods for different food that's usually a better value. For something different, Nice has something that seemed like a Chinatown slightly southeast of the train station.
Favorite bits:
Old hilltop town with narrow, winding streets. Cute, but very tourist-trappy. Most of the shops contained absolutely nothing I would ever consider buying, but it was worth the bus ride (although I'd say barely). I happen to go on the day of the Monaco Grand Prix so I had a little bit of trouble getting a bus back to Nice. They were "complet".
The restaurants don't open for dinner until at least 7 but the last bus to Nice is at 8. :-/
Villefranche-sur-mer
Cute, small town that's close to Nice. It's very close (I think it's about 20 minutes by bus and I think you could technically walk in a pinch) and worth a visit.
Calvi, Corsica
Gorgeous, probably my second favorite location on the trip. The scene was breathtaking when I first arrived, especially at my hotel which was outside the downtown area and uphill.
On my second day I walked to Notre Dame de la Serra, stopping downtown to buy a hat (I had already gotten a little sunburned on the ferry ride over). It was hot, I was wearing jeans, and I thought I was going to die getting there, but it had great views.
View Walk to notre dame de la serra in a larger map
St. Paul de Vence
Eze-like. But in general, prettier, although it took longer to get to. If choosing between the two, go to St. Paul de Vence.
Monaco
Monaco was all right but not what I expected. I expected it to be more... shiny and expensive looking, I guess. I went the day after the Grand Prix and the guardrails and fences were still up, which was a pain in the rump. Even without them, though, the sidewalks were inconsistent (or absent) and it didn't strike me as a particularly pedestrian-friendly area compared to the other places I had visited.
San Remo, Italy
An hour and half (or so) train ride from Nice, it was nice to pop on over to Italy basically for lunch. The town itself is small (with the standard old section, pedestrian only) with not a huge selection of things to see and do, so we only spent a few hours. Lunch was great though. Carbonara!
Advice
Nice
People asked me when I got back what was my favorite location, and it was Nice itself. There is a ton to do, the food is good but expensive, the people were very nice, and it was close to a lot.
Most things are closed on Sunday, but a lot of the museums are open. So go then! Or, to the beach.
Venture out of Old Nice and check out the other neighborhoods for different food that's usually a better value. For something different, Nice has something that seemed like a Chinatown slightly southeast of the train station.
Favorite bits:
- Jardin Botanique
- Amorino Gelataria
- La Pizza restaurant
- Chagall Museum
Old hilltop town with narrow, winding streets. Cute, but very tourist-trappy. Most of the shops contained absolutely nothing I would ever consider buying, but it was worth the bus ride (although I'd say barely). I happen to go on the day of the Monaco Grand Prix so I had a little bit of trouble getting a bus back to Nice. They were "complet".
The restaurants don't open for dinner until at least 7 but the last bus to Nice is at 8. :-/
Villefranche-sur-mer
Cute, small town that's close to Nice. It's very close (I think it's about 20 minutes by bus and I think you could technically walk in a pinch) and worth a visit.
Calvi, Corsica
Gorgeous, probably my second favorite location on the trip. The scene was breathtaking when I first arrived, especially at my hotel which was outside the downtown area and uphill.
On my second day I walked to Notre Dame de la Serra, stopping downtown to buy a hat (I had already gotten a little sunburned on the ferry ride over). It was hot, I was wearing jeans, and I thought I was going to die getting there, but it had great views.
View Walk to notre dame de la serra in a larger map
St. Paul de Vence
Eze-like. But in general, prettier, although it took longer to get to. If choosing between the two, go to St. Paul de Vence.
Monaco
Monaco was all right but not what I expected. I expected it to be more... shiny and expensive looking, I guess. I went the day after the Grand Prix and the guardrails and fences were still up, which was a pain in the rump. Even without them, though, the sidewalks were inconsistent (or absent) and it didn't strike me as a particularly pedestrian-friendly area compared to the other places I had visited.
San Remo, Italy
An hour and half (or so) train ride from Nice, it was nice to pop on over to Italy basically for lunch. The town itself is small (with the standard old section, pedestrian only) with not a huge selection of things to see and do, so we only spent a few hours. Lunch was great though. Carbonara!
Advice
- At least in the spring when I went, bring an umbrella with you just in case, unless you don't mind getting caught in the rain. The weather is a little unpredictable and kind of like Florida. Sunny in the morning, but often cloudy and/or rainy in the afternoon, clearing up again in the evening.
- Say "Bonjour" to the shop keepers when you enter and "Au Revoir, merci." when you leave. In talking with others, this might be where they went wrong. From what I understand, it's considered rude if you don't do this. They'll be rude back, apparently, although I don't think I encountered a single rude person in a shop.
- Don't wear jeans if you go to Notre Dame de la Serra. hehehe.
- If you're in Nice, it's tempting to go to Fennochio with its 1000 flavors, but try Amorino on Rue Massena. All natural, awesome texture.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
On Deck for 2012
2011 wasn't a big travel year for me, but 2012 is definitely looking up!
Planned destinations:
Planned destinations:
- Nice, France
- Belgium
- Brazil
Any suggestions for day trips from Nice or Ghent, Belgium would be appreciated!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Top Destinations
Trip Advisor publishes its top 25 destinations - with categories of World, United States, Europe, Caribbean & Mexico, Asia and lots more. Check it out. What a great way to plan your travel bucket list.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/TCDestinations
http://www.tripadvisor.com/TCDestinations
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Windsor Locks Canal Trail
 |
| From Connecticut |
The trail itself is raised so you can't really get near the water except in a few places. Near the parking lot is a small spot with sand.
I saw what I think is a muskrat swimming along me in the canal and I'm definitely going to have to ride down on my bike. There were a decent amount of people out with kids and dogs and everyone is friendly.
Check out the State of CT's site for a map of state parks.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Naples
I flew down to Naples, FL to check it out. Never had been, but heard great things. I'm in the airport on my way home and I can't wait to get back. Naples is very pretty but BORING. Boring.
If you like the beach and golf you're ok. If you want much else, you're out of luck. The food is expensive and not that great. The most enjoyable food experience I had was a Mama Mia's where I got a couple of slices of good NY-Style pizza. I had some crappy cupcakes for dessert at a nearby cupcake specialty shop. I saw a reviewer on Yelp ask "Do the old people in Naples lose their tastebuds?" I have to agree.
The beach - pretty beach, but just beach. And you park at a meter and pay .25 per 10 minutes. Mmm kay. The big attraction is the fishing pier. It's just a pier. It's kinda long.
I did go to the zoo which I liked, mostly because I got there before all the kids poured in and it combines a zoo with a botanical garden. The plants were great but it was a little depressing to see the beautiful lions pacing in boredom. They have little islands with primates which are fun to watch.
Watch out for the old people drivers. They are TERRIBLE!
If you like the beach and golf you're ok. If you want much else, you're out of luck. The food is expensive and not that great. The most enjoyable food experience I had was a Mama Mia's where I got a couple of slices of good NY-Style pizza. I had some crappy cupcakes for dessert at a nearby cupcake specialty shop. I saw a reviewer on Yelp ask "Do the old people in Naples lose their tastebuds?" I have to agree.
The beach - pretty beach, but just beach. And you park at a meter and pay .25 per 10 minutes. Mmm kay. The big attraction is the fishing pier. It's just a pier. It's kinda long.
I did go to the zoo which I liked, mostly because I got there before all the kids poured in and it combines a zoo with a botanical garden. The plants were great but it was a little depressing to see the beautiful lions pacing in boredom. They have little islands with primates which are fun to watch.
Watch out for the old people drivers. They are TERRIBLE!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Brazil 2010
This year I spent the holidays in Brazil. I'm not doing a play-by-play but here are the highlights:
Bagé
Hot, humid and busy were the streets with lots of people buying sundaes and cones.
Cassino
Claimed to be the longest beach in the world, it was (thankfully) much cooler and pretty windy - though that made the intense sun barely noticeable which led to my burnt thighs.
People pushing ice cream carts honking horns, selling corn on the cob, hotdogs, sunglasses, hats and even clothes - there was always someone coming by.
At night, people walk the avenida with some parking on the grass in chairs people watching.
New Years - New Years Eve is big at Cassino Beach (Praia do Cassino) - it's tradition to jump seven waves for good luck and they set off lots of noisy fireworks - not so much of the pretty ones, mostly just the loud ones. At midnight it sounded like we were being bombed.
Our New Years Eve dinner was a little bit of a disaster. Jose set up a nice table outside and just as he was wrapping up, it started to rain. No sweat, there is a sheltered area still outside so we started moving everything there. Jose hit a outdoor shower with the table, which dumped some water on him.
Then we had trouble getting Mauricio to calm down to eat since he's terrified of fireworks and they had already started setting them off around 6 pm.
Just as we were about to eat, the power went out. It was off for about 2 hours.
Another tradition is to eat lots of little things that symbolize abundance, like lentils and grapes. We were eating grapes and Jose reached in the dark for one that was on the table that turned out to be his father's teeth.
I elected to stay home for midnight, while Jose, Michele and Cilene went to the beach. Apparently just as 2011 arrived, it poured. I hope it's not a sign of things to come for the new year!
São José do Norte
(Literally) Sleepy little town on New Year's Day - everything was closed except for a small truck selling food. It had a pretty blue and white church, though, and was a pleasant little trip via ferry.
Here are the photos...
Bagé
Hot, humid and busy were the streets with lots of people buying sundaes and cones.
Cassino
Claimed to be the longest beach in the world, it was (thankfully) much cooler and pretty windy - though that made the intense sun barely noticeable which led to my burnt thighs.
People pushing ice cream carts honking horns, selling corn on the cob, hotdogs, sunglasses, hats and even clothes - there was always someone coming by.
At night, people walk the avenida with some parking on the grass in chairs people watching.
New Years - New Years Eve is big at Cassino Beach (Praia do Cassino) - it's tradition to jump seven waves for good luck and they set off lots of noisy fireworks - not so much of the pretty ones, mostly just the loud ones. At midnight it sounded like we were being bombed.
Our New Years Eve dinner was a little bit of a disaster. Jose set up a nice table outside and just as he was wrapping up, it started to rain. No sweat, there is a sheltered area still outside so we started moving everything there. Jose hit a outdoor shower with the table, which dumped some water on him.
Then we had trouble getting Mauricio to calm down to eat since he's terrified of fireworks and they had already started setting them off around 6 pm.
Just as we were about to eat, the power went out. It was off for about 2 hours.
Another tradition is to eat lots of little things that symbolize abundance, like lentils and grapes. We were eating grapes and Jose reached in the dark for one that was on the table that turned out to be his father's teeth.
I elected to stay home for midnight, while Jose, Michele and Cilene went to the beach. Apparently just as 2011 arrived, it poured. I hope it's not a sign of things to come for the new year!
São José do Norte
(Literally) Sleepy little town on New Year's Day - everything was closed except for a small truck selling food. It had a pretty blue and white church, though, and was a pleasant little trip via ferry.
Here are the photos...
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