Rain Storms and Fireworks...Bastille Day in Paris!

There's nothing that I love more than changing things up. After a few days on the French Riviera soaking up the sun I was ready to head off for my next adventure. I hopped on the train and within 5 hours was in the city of love...Paris. For this part of my trip I opted to stay in an apartment over a hostel...a decision that I'm extremely glad I made. For less than 50 euros a night I was able to stay in the center of Paris (5 minutes from both Notre Dame and the Louve), have my own space and privacy (www.airbnb.com...I would completely recommend it). Staying in a studio apartment on a small street gave me what I felt was a true Parisian experience. With a jazz club just below the apartment and cute cafes everywhere I felt completely at home.

My first day in Paris was an adventure in itself...July 14th aka Bastille Day. After an early morning walk along the Seine I was completely enchanted....the sun was shining, the coffee was fabulous, and the pastries were even better. Unfortunately by 11 the sun was gone and the rain clouds had taken over....just in time for my fat tire bike tour (http://fattirebiketours.com/). Once the rain started it didn't stop....it was honestly like a monsoon (even all the tour guides were shocked). Of course the tours are rain or shine so off we went.

Considering the amount of rain we actually managed to get a fairly good tour of the city in and four hours later we were all completely soaked (the company really made some money on long sleeved t-shirts that day). Like most challenging situations it gives people the chance to bond and get to know each other. I ended up being "adopted" by a wonderful family from Atlanta who took me out for a lovely lunch (complete with french onion soup) to warm up.

When the rain finally cleared up and I had dried out...it was time for the festivities of Bastille day. The sky displayed one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen followed by some spectacular fireworks--all with the backdrop of the eiffel tower.

The Fabulous French Riviera!

The French Riviera was everything that I had hoped for and more. I based myself in the city of Nice, the largest on the Riviera. My first activity was a biking tour of the city where I was able to get my bearings (in hopes to avoid getting lost...again) and get a little history on the city. What surprised me the most was how much Italy and England had influenced Nice. In fact, at times it was hard to believe that I was actually in France! The history of the city is complex and fascinating. The geographical features of the city include a spectacular coastline which led to it being conquered and re-conquered over the years by the Italian and French. The cuisine and architecture are heavily influenced by Italy which makes for a beautiful city with tasty food!

Nice is also conveniently located to allow for many day trips up and down the riviera. I chose to see Monaco and Cannes during my time on the coast. Monaco absolutely blew me away. In addition to the physical beauty of the place the amount of wealth and extravagance wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before. From the jewel laden Monaco palace to the world famous Monte Carlo I was in complete awe.

For another day trip I headed out to Cannes. Unfortunately I made the mistake of taking the public bus over the train (it was 6 euros cheaper)....but took over 2 hours most of which was standing up! Cannes itself was a nice town with beautiful beaches. The main attraction in the town is the famous theater used annually for the Cannes Film Festival. Unfortunately there isn't much to see there unless the Festival is actually happening. I did enjoy the scenery and seeing another town on the riviera before heading off on my next adventure....to Paris!

The Pros and Cons of Traveling Solo...

Traveling solo has its pros and cons. I experienced both sides of the spectrum while traveling to Nice. Unfortunately the trip had to begin on a bit of a sad note as I said my goodbyes to Jay (my then boyfriend of 6 months) at the train station. The day after I left for France he was on a plane to Zimbabwe for his next assignment as a US Marine. Although I was sad to leave him the day quickly turned around as I met my cabin-mates for the train ride to France. My train cabin was filled and I soon realized that the entire group was Australian. We quickly started up conversation and shared our traveling stories. They were a family traveling through Europe together (Parents, two sons, and one of the son's wife). They quickly 'adopted' me as we went through our two train changes together. As the train zoomed through Monaco and into France we stared in awe at the beautiful scenery and giggled uncontrollably at a strange man who seemed to be taking a shower using water spray at the train station.

When the train finally arrived in Nice...after dealing with about a 2 hour delay...it was time to say our goodbyes. I really enjoyed meeting this group and they were my first experience of being what I like to call 'adopted' by families of travelers, something that would somewhat define my trip to France.

As I mentioned at the beginning of my post...traveling alone has its pros and cons. Unfortunately I faced a con upon my arrival in Nice. As I got out of the train I noticed a man staring at me and quickly made the effort to find my way out of the station and follow the directions to the hostel to the best of my ability. He really creeped me out so I hastily began walking where I thought I needed to go. However in my efforts to appear like I knew where I was going I ended up getting severely lost. After some hopeless wandering wi

th my luggage in tow I finally made it back to the train station and hopped on the bus that I thought would take me directly to the hostel. Luck was not with me at that moment and after about 30 minutes on the bus, sitting next to a man who practically sat right on top of me I got fed up and moved seats. An lovely older French woman asked me where I was going, but with my lack of French language skills I ended up trying to show her. She told me to ask the bus driver, which I did. He was less than friendly, or helpful, and in fact just complained that I should have paid better attention and that it was all my fault. As the only person left on the bus I assumed that he would head back into town (at this point we were on the top of a huge hill above Nice), but no...it was apparently time to take a cigarette break outside the bus.

On the verge of tears I sat their waiting, and waiting, for what seemed like forever, until finally the bus began to move again. As soon as I felt that I was close enough to the seaside, I hopped off the bus and onto one that the hostel had recommended that I take (during the infamous cigarette break I phoned the hostel). After finally making it to the hostel I had just enough time to drop off my bags and race down the promenade to make it just in time for my bike tour of the city.

Firenze Ancora!

In addition to my trip to Parma, I was also able to head to Florence for a day. Since this would be my third trip to Florence it was less for sightseeing and more to meet up with my great friend, Nora. I couldn’t have asked for things to work out better! I was able to take the fast train down from Milan and enjoy a lovely day in Florence. Most of the day was spent talking and reminiscing about the past. The last time I had seen Nora was in California about 4 years ago.

Something that did surprise me about Florence this time around was the fact that I head more American accents than Italian being spoken. It is certainly one of the most touristy cities in Italy, especially in July. It was almost a bit of a culture shock. I have become so accustomed to hearing so much Italian around me that it was extremely strange to hear the majority being English.

Although I had been twice before I had never actually gone to the top of the Duomo…something I am so glad that I managed to do this time around! The views were spectacular as was the interior of the cathedral. I was also able to see Michelangelo’s David. The last time I had seen this magnificent work of art was when I was 15 and traveled to Florence in high school. At that time I didn’t fully appreciate how amazing the sculpture really is. Seeing it again was a fantastic opportunity…especially since I was able to go for free (after 7 pm its free and the lines are far shorter!).

Seeing a friend from California, exploring a beautiful Italian city, and seeing famous works of art…..what more could a girl ask for?

Parma Ham and Cheese...Yes Please!

An unexpected week off of work gave me the chance to explore a little more of Italy. The historic town of Parma, just a two-hour train ride from Milan, is a perfect getaway. The town is famous for its cheese and meats (hence the names of Parma ham and Parmesan cheese). Its also well known for its theater and music, most notably the opera, something I read about in John Grisham’s Playing For Pizza. However, I didn’t realize how much importance performing arts had on this town. Although I missed the tour at the opera house (the last one is at 12) I was still able to appreciate the theatrical elements of Parma.

One of the highlights of my trip was the Castello dei Burattini…The Puppet Castle. This little museum was a pleasant surprise. A comprehensive history of Italian and some European puppetry is given as you admire these impressive works of art by famous Italian puppet-makers. I really appreciated the museum and made sure to take plenty of photos for my Uncle who has been working in puppetry himself. In the same San Paolo complex is the camara di San Paolo—displaying some of the most famous ceiling frescoes by Correggio. The medieval cathedral and baptistery in Piazza Duomo are also unique and the bapistry with its rose colored marble exterior is particularly breathtaking. Just behind the Piazza Duomo is a tiny little gelato shop called, K2, here they will create your gelato into a tiny flower that looks too pretty to eat! After lunch, I took a stroll through the shaded Parco Ducale, it was a fantastic way to get out of the hot summer sun.

Parma itself is a cute town with some interesting museums, fantastic archeological sites (many of which are actually inside the museums), and of course great food! I would certainly recommend this town as a rich cultural center worth a visit. The museums are all extremely affordable (1-5 euros) and display some of the best in Italian art. Take a trip to Parma and enjoy not only the food but an immersion into Italian art, music, and theater!

Panarea è il Paradiso

I can say with utmost confidence that Panarea, the smallest of the Aeolian Islands, has been one of my favorite travel destinations thus far. The island has a magical quality, from the many geckos that you begin to regard as friends to the perfect way that the moonlight hits the Mediterranean Sea. In all honesty, Panarea was somewhere I would have never set on a travel itinerary of my own. It is an isolated place that I’d never heard of until quite recently. I am so lucky that the family that I work for has a beautiful casa on the island. When I heard about their house on this tiny island I just assumed it would be another long two week ‘break’ with full-time childcare duty. While the above was true, and I was working, I managed to absolutely absorb and enjoy every detail that this little gem in the Mediterranean had to offer.

After the long trip, which took about as much time as my journey from Hawaii to Italy last year, it was such a treat to gaze upon the serene island in the Mediterranean. Upon arrival it seemed as though the pace of our lives completely slowed down…which is remarkable with children. Our days were spent soaking up the sun on either one of the little beaches or on small rented boats. As an avid distance runner I knew that training would be difficult on this tiny island of only 2.1 square miles. What I hadn’t anticipated was that what Panarea lacks in distance, it makes up for in height. With limited roads the only place to run is up!

As the end of June grew near the islands occupants began to increase. Panarea’s only discotech –La Raya (the hotel’s classy restaurant converted after hours)—began to come to life. I headed to La Raya several times with a fellow nanny and some island locals. Nightlife in Panarea is limited and therefore the hot spot for people of all ages. I loved the architecture of the building, it is truly representative of Panarea’s white cubist (yes very Greek looking) architecture. La Raya also boasts three floors, taking advantage of the spectacular views from all angles. The music is great and if you’re lucky you might have a celebrity sighting or two!

As much as I loved the island I also loved the people. The island only has about 200 residents year round, from all over the world. Some of the people that I met—locals and tourists alike—were entertaining and interesting enough to fill up many blog posts. Among the island locals I met was D, a Scottish transplant who does all the ironwork on the island. He was kind enough to take Virginia (my Aussie nanny friend) and I under his wing and show us around. I also became even more convinced about how small the world really is when I met an Italian man who had lived in Waimanalo, Hawaii! We quickly managed to find a group of pretentious Americans whose extravagant jet-set lifestyle was almost comical when combined with their ignorance. Other interesting characters included an eccentric yacht captain who loved mojitos, a Romanian lifeguard, and a group of stuck up Sweeds.

One of the highlights of my trip came on the last two days we were in Panarea. For those of you unfamiliar with Italian cultural traditions—every city or town in the country has a Patron Saint. For the island of Panarea, this Saint is San Pietro and he is celebrated on June 29^th. The celebrations began at 10 pm on the 28^th with lively dancing and music played in the main square. At midnight, the celebration was kicked into gear with a spectacular fireworks display. The 30^th was filled with live bands processing up and down the only main street on the island. The final procession began at the church in the early evening and concluded with a statue of San Pietro being placed on a ship where the procession continued out at sea. The celebration brought visitors from neighboring islands and was in my mind so typically Italian…I loved it! Just like the previous night the people of Panarea danced the night away and watched in awe at the firework spectacle. It was a wonderful way to conclude my two weeks spent on an island in the sun!

The Longest Road Trip Ever....

After making the trek to the Aeolian island of Panarea I completely understand why it is a travel destination for the rich and famous jet-set bunch. A. The island is a paradise but B. Its also a horrendous journey (unless you have your own personal yacht or helicopter). I never anticipated a trip...within the same country...taking as long as my journey from Hawaii to Italy. Although I guess I never made that trip with children either. Our two week vacation began on June 17th in the early morning. We drove down through Italy (with me in the backseat with the boys....I certainly don't envy any of you who had little brothers growing up on road trips). Unfortunately a few hours in we had a major mishap...vomit. P threw up all over the backseat of the car making me feel completely queasy as well...5 more hours in the heat didn't help either.

After finally arriving in Naples we drove through some traffic to make it to the Ancient Roman city of Herculaneum (preserved by the volcanic ash of the same eruption of Mt. Vesuvius as Pompeii). After a quick tour....we're talking 20 minutes here...we headed back to the car and off to the docks. From there we embarked on the longest leg of the trip...a 12 hour ferry ride from Naples to Panarea. Luckily we had little rooms and were able to get a full nights sleep. When we awoke the sun was rising above the sea and I got my first glimpses of where my next 13 days would be spent.