I was going to resume travel tales, but it sounds like a lot of you are in the process of planning your own trips, so advice would be more timely than pretty pictures. So, let’s talk hostels.
The best way to book hostels is online. I used Hostelworld - you can read reviews, sort by ratings [...]

Wednesday, November 28, 2007 | general | No Comments

Thanks so much for the really insightful questions. I’ve tried to lump your questions into common categories, so that I can answer them thoroughly and quickly (not an easy feat with jet lag!). It seems like money is one of the biggest unknowns in planning a trip abroad. So, let’s start there.
How much did I [...]

Monday, November 26, 2007 | money matters, travel tips | No Comments

I’m having a hard time getting my head together - I’m sure this is just one of the usual symptoms of jet lag. Isn’t it? I know you’re supposed to be really tired, but mostly, I’m just scatterbrained.
When I get my neurons working again, I’ve got a few words to share on Italian dessert, a [...]

Thursday, November 22, 2007 | general | No Comments

No curfew, no official lock-out during the day (though, expect a bit of testiness if you tread on the newly mopped floor), and a laid-back staff. The location right across the Grand Canal from the train station couldn’t have been more convenient and I remember thinking that my pillow was particularly comfy (could have been [...]

Monday, November 19, 2007 | hostels | No Comments

Lucca is a medieval walled city in Tuscany, about an hour and a half train ride from Florence. And it was the place that made me fall in love with Italy. I mean, head-over-sensible-walking-shoes in love.
I found about a million and six things to appreciate in Lucca, but I don’t want to tire you. So, [...]

Friday, November 16, 2007 | general | No Comments

I had a hard time loving Florence. Maybe it’s a fulfillment of the prophecy, or maybe it was that when I arrived, the city was gray and chilly and constantly on the verge of rain. And crowded. So very crowded.
After Venice, where there were no cars, no mopeds (gah, the mopeds!), the congestion of Florence’s [...]

Wednesday, November 14, 2007 | general | No Comments

I don’t have a clue what people eat here during warm weather, but for me, Italy is all about the soup.
I started my quest for the perfect soup in Venice, where I had some great zuppa di verdure (vegetable soup) but it wasn’t until Florence that I found the absolute BEST EVER at Trattoria [...]

Sunday, November 11, 2007 | eats | No Comments

If Italy is the Capital of Awesome (well established fact) and the National Cinema Museum is Awesome’s official museum, then Venice is its official amusement park - its Disneyland.
A friend once told me that either you are a Florence person, or you are a Venice person. And that no one likes both with equal [...]

Friday, November 9, 2007 | don't miss!, general | No Comments

The place couldn’t have been easier to find. My bed was enormous, comfy, and equipped with two (two! unheard of!) huge pillows. With free wi-fi and an uber-friendly host (who will kindly direct you to the cinema on English movie night) it should have been a steal. But my god, it was loud.
My window faced [...]

Tuesday, November 6, 2007 | hostels | No Comments

Milan is like New York City - only with better food and creepier street people. And because I had just grown tired of and moved away from NYC, I was a little put off at first. Or a lot.
Especially after a couple days in sleepy Turin, the metropolitan rush of Milan was a shock. [...]

Tuesday, November 6, 2007 | don't miss!, general | No Comments