Rae's Shopping Adventure in Florence

Time to go shopping!   I had heard there was a Brands Outlet place near Florence and decided to check it out. Just before I hopped on to the wrong bus I found out that there there are actually two outlet shopping centres near Florence, each serviced by almost identical black coaches. I had already chosen to shop at The Mall – I had not heard of the Designer Outlet place , so jumped on this very comfortable coach which proceeded to travel forty-five minutes out of Florence, high up in the foothills. Opened in 2000 with five high end brand shops, today there are over 50 stores housed in several modern buildings including a 3 story Gucci complex, in neat landscaped grounds. By far the most popular store was Burberry, which always had a queue of at least 20 people outside.  Overall the items offered were not inspiring  to me, but I did purchase some ‘needs’ at the Armani store. So The Mall has been ‘done’ and not to be again – perhaps I would try the Designer Outlet in future.

For our evening meal we were recommended several places, including the renowned Gabi – however when we arrived, its refurbishment was not yet complete  -we were a day too early!  However we managed to placate ourselves at a nearby restaurant which delivered some more delicious Italian local fare for us to enjoy.

Travelling from Chester to Dublin via Honeyhead, Wales.

I always had a dream to travel to Wales, not sure why. My concept is of coal, Cardiff, dramatic rugged beauty, caring people, a wierd language and Tom Jones. So I was thriled to find out that yes, our trip did include Wales, even though it was a two hour rail trip along the top, from Chester to Honeyhead, on the Island of Anglesea. However, much of my curiosity about Wales in that short time was satisfied. The hills are ruggedly round and knobbly, often covered with bracken, the land green, the houses tall, narrow, made bluestone or concrete and chimney pots at each end. All signage is in English, and I presume, Welsh. At Honeyhead we were bussed to the fast ferry. This trip was one of the most comfortable I have ever had on a ferry. Not only was the sea smooth, the winds light but also our seats, the view and the food. One of the great plusses of the internet is the opportunity to view something before purchasing. Having looked at the 360 degree camera view of the ‘Jonothan Swift’ fast ferry on line, we booked upstairs by the windows, in the no children zone. Peace, quiet relaxation, and if we wished to dispose of cobwebs then we could avail ourselves of the extremely cold, windy decks outside. Just the perfect way to travel to Ireland, which would turn out to be one of the busiest holidays ever.......

How to get lost on a cruise ship

For someone who goes boating on a cruise ship for the first time it is very easy to get lost. Because the main foyer or the restaurants may be several floors high one often cannot travel from one end of the boat to another on the same floor or corridor. And do not think that to ask a crew person the directions! On the 4th floor, you will be told, but you will not be informed that you must go up an additional level, around a corner then down again. And do not ask another crew person either! Oh that person was new and did not know, you will be told. Oh well, after all that stress of getting lost I think I will retire to the warm spa and solarium...... Now, purchasing that Spa package and relaxing from the crowds of passengers is more my cup of green tea...... Just a minute, are there not 6 pubs, cocktails of the day,lots of wine,dancing,shopping and art to be enjoyed? Must get travelling around this cruise ship, there is so much to discover! Now where is the library? Ah, found it on the last day of our trip when we had to queue to pick up our passports!

Our Venice Adventure and how to follow directions

Everytime we travel to Venice we enjoy a different adventure and this was no different. This was to be q short stay an overnight one before we boarded the Costa Serena for our cruise ship adventure.

By chqnce we heard that the last day of the Famous Biennalle Exhibition was on. Artists from eighty coutries including two from New Zealand were exhibiting so we went along to have a quick look. As everyone knows we all have different ideas about what modern art is and all I can say is that there was so,ething for everyone there. Take a look at my pics and you will see what I mean. Having enjoyed the exhibits at the main venue we set off to find the New Zealand Artists located at other venues in Venice. However we had forgotten than Venicians cannot or do not give precise directions. The best you might get from them is an area or locality. A main street might be a narrow alleyway; and left at the bridge might mean three bridges down the next canal. Needless to say after battling hundreds of locals and tourists Sunday walking we ran out of time to find them. Oh and did I mention it took an hour to find the locql Jazz Club which was five minutes away..... And speaking of getting lost more about that in the cruise ship item

A glimpse of Washington

We travelled from New York to Washington by rail - comfortable,you don't have to sit for hours - well - three, and best of all, we arrive at Washington's beautiful Union Station!

When it opened in 1907, it was the largest Railway station in the world. And so beautifully constructed that it looks like an upmarket Shopping Centre.

Washington, the city area around the White House, is spacious - wide streets and footpaths. All the commercial buildings are around the same height, and mostly plain and square, with a few exceptions - mainly some older buidings. Monuments are everywhere - statues, buildings, plaques but the streets are not named after people - they are numbered!! And Washingtonian designers seemed to like pillars, - many of the government buildings feature these. More about these when I get my pics up.

Our most favoured place we visited during our brief visit was the Smithsonian Museum of Air and Space - everything you could imagine about those topics were featured - including moonstone which you could touch, rockets, and some stunning art by Alan Bean - one of the first Astronauts on the moon.

We then visited the Museum of Natural History. You may recall the "Night at the Museum" movies - you can actually spend evenings there but I do not know if the animals come alive. I kept looking over my shoulder waiting for Robin Williams to appear on his horse...

One of the most recent museums to open in Washington was the National Museum of the American Indian. Housed in a beautiful purpose built building the museum tells of the struggles and survival of the Indian peoples - very touching, forthright and forgiving. The whole place is a work of art.

Like many cities, Washington pulled down many old buildings until their history and heritage was realized. The Old Post Office, thanks to a very outspoken Lady called Nancy Hanks rallied around and saved it. Today it is a well maintained and dramatic multipurpose building, and visitors may ascend to the clock tower and have a view of the city - which is not a view to die for - but the building is worth the visit!!

So after the necessary tours around the Capitol, Lincoln and Korean Monuments the Reflecting Pool and the War Memorials it was time to travel back by rail to NewYork

Thoughts on our Cuban Holiday

It is quite some time since I wrote about our winter holiday, and to say that I have been very busy since our return is true, but not a great excuse.

However, I am still reliving my Cuban holiday! Last weekend I met someone else who had been holidaying in there a few months before I did.

I would like to have enjoyed the Casa experience, as he did. And enjoying a Cuban resort, as he also did. Staying in a Casa, or local home is like a Homestay - one up from back packers I guess. My associate's casa was in the very old part of Havana, and the decor was sixites/seventies. I have heard that staying in a Casa is a great way to experience the Cuban way of life. And a Swedish relative who had also recently visited Cuba, confirmed this. Especially as his hosts were most hospitable. I asked him, "Did you go to ..." and "Did you do...???" "Er, no" was the reply. "We were too busy partying."

Chris and I decided to stay in a Hotel, and after considerable internet research, including inspecting, on google earth, the hotel swimming pools - well, I did - we settled on the Hotel Mercure Sevilla Havane, Havana. The Hotel Sevilla has a most interesting history, and a couple of walls in the foyer with the forever stopping elevators are dedicated to this. There is a huge array of photographs, mainly black and white, with detailed captions. It makes you feel as if you are in a time warp! We found out that we were staying in the room directly above the one which Al Capone slept in.

I have never spent so much time in a hotel foyer, as I did at the Hotel Sevilla. There was so much happening! The decor, people coming and going, and live bands playing from breakfast time til after supper. We very quickly found out that it was cheaper to give them a tip/donation rather than purchase a CD which worked out at NZD$20. But we inadvertently acquired a very good Cd with great compilations of Cuban music.

If one likes partying, then Havana is the place to be. Not only is there music everywhere, Rum cocktails are so cheap - at around NZD $3 each, and delicious! I wonder if it is because Havana Rum is most generously applied to each drink? Much better than NZ rum, but I do know of a couple of barpeople in Ponsonby who make mojita's which taste almost as good as the Cuban ones.

If you are not into rum, but you cannot help foot tapping or evening dancing a bit of Salsa to the lively Cuban music, you do not even have to go into any of the bars or cafes. Just do as the locals do - hang in the windows! The glassless window shutters are always open to let the air circulate, and the openings are always full of people leaning in from the street, enjoying the ambience and music. Just watch where you put your bag, though...

The food, after reading about how not to go to Cuba for the cuisine or shopping, I enjoyed. Simple, with not much variety of ingredients, it was always cooked beautifully and well presented.

So there are the basics. Oh, and I had better mention the weather. January is ideal for Travellers - not hot and muggy, but a bit cold for the locals. There was not all that many travellers or back packers about, which suited us very well. Too cool, in my opinion to languish around the swimming pool, but I did take a couple of quick dips. And yes, as all the travel articles say, the pool is overlooked by a dilapated apartment building!

More about that later....

Travelling in winter from London to Milan

We flew from London to travel to Milan Italy (and left the last of my cold behind, thank goodness!!!) and had spectacular view over London city before flying into clouds.

Then we flew over the Swiss Alps. What a spectacular view!! There were narrow blue lakes following the contour of the land, snow covered mountain ranges which looked as if they had been combed, sharp snow covered peaks, some of which seemed to have large footprints on them, and snow covered towns nestled in white valleys. As we descended into the Po Valley we flew closer to the alps, as close as we sometimes fly to the Remarkables Mountain Range, in Queenstown, New Zealand.

Then we flew lower into the Po Valley, over many snow covered villages and fields - uh oh -
what is that up ahead? A very large and low bank of thick cloud was smearing its way towards us. We knew the clouds were low because there were several tall chimneys belching out snow through the top of the clouds.

We few into the clouds, and according to the captain, had 20 minutes before landing! It seemed to take a very long time to fly, around and around, just above the clouds. Round and Round. Was the pilot looking for Milan? How would he know when and where to land? After a very long time we slowly descended into this mass of grey cotton wool. It took 20 seconds, because I counted, to go through the clouds, which were as it turned out, at ground level.
Welcome to Milano Italy! And to our next adventure....

A winter shopping experience in London and a Surprise Exhibition

Shopping at the winter sales in London is an experience not to be missed.

Not only is it warm in the shops, there are plenty of bargains to be had.

The best time to go is ealy in the morning, before the locals and visitors come out in droves later in the day, and then you can try anything on, without queueing!

Window shopping is great too. The clothes in the central London area, especially in the more expensive shops, are beautifully made and presented. But one must remember that we do not need warm winter wear, London style, in New Zealand!

The biggest surprise we found, was the National Geographic Shop, not far from Piccadilly Circus. Only open for 7 weeks, since just before December 2008, it is the flagship shop for National Geographic, to raise awareness and funds for the National Geographic mission to fund its research and travel activities.

In it we found 4 horses, life size, made of driftwood, which were constructed in honour of the 4 horses in St Marks Square, Venice. As we watched the sold sign was placed on them - at £5,800 each!

Also in the shop was a photographic exhibition - photos of famous National Geographic people, including Our Sir Edmund Hilary and Jacques Cousteau, logoed clothes, binoculars and other items needed for expeditions, adventure gear, books, maps, gifts - and unless you purchase something, it is all free!

But you might like to buy a delicious hot chocolate at the National Geographic Chocolate shop.....

Travelling around London

When visiting a city like London for more than the first time, it is a good idea to stay in a hotel in a different area for each visit. That way you can get to know the city better.

This time we stayed in a suburb just north of Mayfair around the corner from Madame Taussards Wax Works, in Marleybone. Our hotel is one of a small street of boutique hotels, and very well appointed. We even have our own computer!

The whole area is on the outskirts of the Centre of London. According to a story in a local pub, the area was owned and developed into a fashion urban district. it was orginially inherited by a Miss Henrietta Cavendish and her successors, through the female line, have carefully developed the area. We can step out of our London Hotel, and within a few minutes walk through the boutique shops and numerous cafes of St Christophers Place to Regent St. We are also around the corner from the handy Baker St Underground Station, which can take us anywhere around London.. There are also many bus services in the area. The best way to get a round easily is to purchase an 'Oyster Card' and load it up with the cost of the fares. That way you can jump on and off double decker busses, sit right up at the top, and travel around, enjoying the sights.

You will have noticed that we have not reported much on our our activities. That is because we have not done much! During our first visits we rushed around all the tourist traps - Tower of London, London Eye, The Tate Gallery, etc, but we do not have to do so this time.

Also, it is winter, and cold. As mentioned in previous blogs, winter is a great time to travel. Nobody is about! (Except at the London sales, of course!). So we do not have to jump out of bed early and travel for hours on the bus or train, and we do not have to queue!!

Most mornings we breakfast at 9am latest, then start the day when the winter sun and temperatures have risen, at about 10am. Some times we have not even decided what to do! In London we have been enjoying spending time with family and friends. The best place to do so is in one of the many English pubs, but that is another story!

Qantas International Airlines Best Kept Secret

Ever sat, slumped in your airline seat when travelling overseas and wondered how you can eat your airline food without it spilling down your front?

Qantas have a solution, and it seems, from observing other flying passengers, that very few people know about it.

Next time you fly on Quantas have a look at your serviette, or table napkin. You may find that it has a small button hole in one corner.

The purpose of this button hole is so that you can put your top shirt button through the hole. This means that the serviette or napkin covers the whole of your front and any food accidentally spilled does not land on, and ruin your clothes.

Oh, and don't forget to wear a shirt or top that has buttons....


Have a happy, safe, and no spills journey!!!

Rae