FUN-travel: San Marino to Sorrento, Italy
October 26, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: San Marino to Sorrento, Italy
Day 34 – Saturday, October 19 – San Marino to Sorrento, Italy – overcast, foggy turns to full on sun – 60 to 70’s
San Marino
- 2:00 – road heads west into big mountains
- colorful array of fall foliage
- getting warmer as we go
- *3:00 – gas stop @ service area (AKA car/truck stop)
- 3:40 – pizza break @ next service area (this is not Pizza Hut)
- really good! – 2 huge homemade pizzas only $7.90 Euro
- +5:45 – coming into Napoli
- it’s 75 degrees!
- only 30 more miles to go
- 7:00 – still in gridlock traffic
- know we’re close to center of town
- **pull over @ 1st acceptable hotel – Hotel Central
- ask how much & to see room
- lovely Elisabetta takes me to
- ++4th floor w/balcony facing bay of Naples – quiet – (2 blocks from sea)
- clean & no cucarachas – only $120 Euro
- Chris starts whining (thinks internet should be free)
- she throws it in @ no charge because we stay 3 nights
- 7:15 – order 2 cold Perroni beers @ bar
- unpack & repack bag for much nicer weather to come
- +++go back to bar for wine glasses for room
Sorrento
- checked TripAdvisor & we got a very good rate!
- Comfort Inn 3 star next door actually has high TA ratings
San Marino
- 9:00 – shower perked me up
- 9:15 – sitting on balcony drinking nice bottle of wine from Mauro
- could be best twinkle ever seen!
- like dazzling, shimmering jewels dancing in the distance!
- see fireworks too!
- full moon coming up
- not really hungry so munch on Kirkland almonds I brought
- cheapest food day ever!
What I DON’T LIKE
- * hungry & food choices don’t look that good
- + looking for internet café to book room for Sorrento & can’t find one
- **have to get out of this car!
- tolls cost $31.50 Euro to get here
- 6:00 – traffic comes to a grinding halt on the narrow, twisty, winding road to Sorrento6:30 – still not there yet
- & really tired of being in car so long
- ++parking is $15 Euro per day extra & they charge $15 Euro for internet (3 days)
- slightly obstructed view – 3rd story roof next door & several TV antennas
- only have plastic cups in room
- +++told Maitre‘d won’t let us have them, so take pina colada glasses to room
Sorrento
WATCH (What Are The Chances) – Chris parks car @ Hotel Central & sees internet café across the street!
FUN-fact – New addendum to my travel motto: It’s 5:00 somewhere, and I want to be somewhere by 5:00!
More FF – Sorrento is magnificently situated on the top of a rock plateau which drops sheer to the sea below and is rich in citrus fruits, gardens and vegetation.
FUN-travel: Rimini to San Marino
October 25, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Rimini to San Marino
Day 34 – Saturday, October 19 – Rimini to San Marino – overcast, foggy turns to full on sun – 60’s
San Marino,
What I LIKE
- 7:00 – wake up
- 9:00 – quick breakfast & to go sandwich
- 9:15 – Mauro graciously picks us up for ride to airport
- *9:30 – arrive for car pick up
- 9:50 – drive off w/Mauro leading
- headed to San Marino
- 10:30 – arrive top of mountain w/full sun up here (fog & clouds below)
- find free 30 min parking
- move care to free one hour parking
- find cheapest price yet on souvenirs for grandkids! Only $27 Euro
- wind through more narrow streets (with church & castle)
- 11:30 – cappuccino break
- **12:00 – hit road south – along east coast
What I DON’T LIKE
- *reserved mid-size automatic
- only have 1 compact Audi
- luggage doesn’t fit in back
- sitting on back seat
- **trying to figure out how toll roads work
- think we’re in wrong lane & end up in north bound lanes & we’re headed south!
- put car in reverse
- go back & press button for ticket
San Marino
FUN-fact – San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino and also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, is an enclaved microstate surrounded by Italy, situated on the Italian Peninsula on the north-eastern side of the Apennine Mountains.
Rimini
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #481: Charismatic
October 25, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #481: Charismatic
Charismatic – possessing personal magnetism that enables an individual to attract or influence people.
Who of the people in your life is charismatic? Do you have a strong handshake? Are you good at making eye contact?
This week’s WOW is the follow up to last week’s Henry DeVries article titled, “Five Ways to Win Someone’s Trust Without Speaking,” taken from Marvin Brown’s book “How to Meet and Talk to Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime: Simple Strategies for Great Conversations.”
3. Use a handshake to intensify the moment. A strong handshake is absolutely essential, no matter what your gender. But this underused gesture is for more than meeting someone the first time. A handshake when ending a conversation delivers a physical punctuation mark that makes your encounter more memorable.
4. Add an extra second of eye contact when shaking hands. Always look the other person in the eyes for a full second, while smiling, before letting go of your hand. This extra moment has a tremendous impact; it makes you seem charismatic.
5. When listening, complete the “communication circuit” with your eyes. Give face-to-face attention and make eye contact with the person who is speaking. This simple gesture completes the invisible connection between speaker and listener.
“Experts say it takes anywhere from five seconds to five minutes to make a first impression,” says Brown. “Either way, the process begins immediately – even before you speak. That’s because you’re already communicating – using body language.”
This week’s focus is on being charismatic. How often do you shake hands at the end of a conversation? Are you good at making and keeping eye contact with your customers, guests, members or clients? Are you a good listener?
FUN-travel: Rimini, Italy – Full Day 3
October 25, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Rimini, Italy – Full Day 3
Day 33 – Friday, October 18 – Rimini, Italy – Day 3 – full on sun – high 60’s
What I LIKE
Me, Alfredo & Marianna
- *7:30 – wake up
- one more run through of speech
- 10:20 – breakfast
- 10:35 – pick up to go to convention center
- 11:00 – arrive
- filled w/hundreds of booths & thousands of attendees
- pick up pamphlets/books for Campania (where we’re going next)
- **11:30 – meet w/interpreter
- go over program info
- 12:15 – quick lunch
- 1:15 – go to meeting room
- computer & LCD works!
- ***2:10 – program begins
- 4:45 – finish
- Chile has hosted wine & snack party!
- 6:30 – drive back to hotel
- 7:30 – party hosted by TeamWork @ duoMo
- beautiful display of food & drinks
- lots of good conversation
- Viviana & Sabrina (mother & daughter) saw me in 1998
- meet Mauro’s lovely wife Laura
Sabrina & Viviana
- 9:30 – tired & ready to pack up for tomorrow
- 11:00 – exhausted & ready for night night
What I DON’T LIKE
Pierpaolo & Monica
- *so sleepy – don’t want to get out of bed
- **meeting room being used – have to go to press room
- ***thought interpreter would be like last time – attendees wear headsets for Italian – if not, you listen in English – interpreter in another room – this time interpreter stood next to me and translated – difficult as I had to keep stopping – never got my momentum
FUN-fact – I was in Rimini for the TTG Incontri convention. It is the biggest travel and tourism show in Italy with vendors from all over the world.
FUN-travel: Rimini, Italy – Full Day 2
October 25, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Rimini, Italy – Full Day 2
Day 32 – Thursday, October 17 – Rimini, Italy – Day 2 – full on sun – cool morning turns to warmer – 62 – bellisima!
What I LIKE
Pinecone Foutain
- 8:00 – more real cappuccino
- spend time going over program info for tomorrow
- take short walk to
- take photos of Pinecone fountain & Piazza Cavour (no local vendors today, only Wednesday & Saturday)
- 2:30 – lunch @ La Mi Mama (another Mattia recommendation) caprese salad – home made tagliatelle w/ancient ragu sauce (like Bolognese) – VG $20 Euro
Mauro, Cecilia, Toni, Nicola, me & Chris
- room R & R
- 8:30 – dinner w/Mauro, Cecilia, Toni & Nicola (from TeamWork who sponsored my speech) @ local fish restaurant – located in oldest building in Rimini – served family style – lots of dishes keep coming – have no idea what I’m eating – octopus, fish & scampi is all I recognize (& some of its raw)
- early night – only 11:30!
Dinner
What I DON’T LIKE
WATCH (What Are The Chances) – nothing I can think of!
FUN-fact – Rimini was founded by the Romans in 268 BC and today is a seaside resort town with nine miles of sandy beaches. (This time of year it’s nice for us because it’s not filled with tourists)
More FF – This is the hometown of famous film director Frederico Fellini.