FUN-photos: Rimini to Palermo, Italy

November 11, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-photos: Rimini to Palermo, Italy 

We arrived in Rimini the afternoon of October 15th. We were there for the TTG Incontri Travel & Tourism Industry Show where Susan spoke. On the morning of the 19th we picked up another car and headed south with our first stop in San Marino and then on to Sorrento for 3 days where we visited Capri, the Blue Grotto, Pompeii & Herculaneum. We continued south along the Amalfi Coast with stops in Positano & Amalfi and spent the night in Tropea. We drove to Villa San Giovanni where we picked up the ferry to Sicily. Our first stop there was Taormina for 2 days, then off to Ragusa for 2 days with stops on the way in Giardini-Naxos, Siracusa & Noto. Our last 2 nights were spent in Terrasini, a small seaside town next to the airport since we had a very early flight out on the 29th. We stopped and saw the Greek ruins in Agrigento & Segesta as well as seeing the fabulous church in Monreale on the outskirts of Palermo.

If you click on the first picture it will allow you to create a slide show. And it turns out they are in ascending order (in other words, the first is actually the last) So if you click the back arrow you will see them in order. Enjoy!

FUN-travel: Rimini, Italy – Full Day 3

October 25, 2013 by · 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

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What I LIKE

Rimini, Italy 2013 31

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
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Sabrina & Viviana

  • 9:30 – tired & ready to pack up for tomorrow
  • 11:00 – exhausted & ready for  night night

What I DON’T LIKE

Rimini, Italy 2013 42

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.

Rimini, Italy 2013 29

FUN-travel: Rimini, Italy – Full Day 2

October 25, 2013 by · 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

Rimini, Italy 2013 13

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
Rimini, Italy 2013 17

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!

    Rimini, Italy 2013 16

    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.

FUN-travel: Rimini, Italy – Full Day 1

October 22, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Rimini, Italy – Full Day 1 

Day 31 – Wednesday, October 16 – Rimini, Italy – Full Day 1 – light rain turns to sun, breezy – low 6o’s

What I LIKE

  • *8:00 – wake up

    Rimini, Italy 2013 2

    Augustus Arch

  • real cappuccino, not push button
  • UMR – usual morning routine
  • sun comes out
  • 11:00 – begin stroll to sites
  • 1st stop – Augustus Arch – grand stone gateway to walled city still standing
  • 2nd stop – Montanara gate – rock arch is all that’s left
  • 11:40 – headed to Sismondo Castle – totally blocked by swap meet/farmers market vendors selling – shoes, clothes, purses, etc – meat, fruit, veggies, etc
  • row upon row circling the entire castle on two levels
  • 12:20 – cross Tiberius bridge – continue wandering walk
  • discover lovely neighborhood of colorful houses – most w/personalized murals & plaques on facade
  • 1:20 – arrive sea shore
  • 1:30 – arrive Grand Hotel – really grand & beautiful w/gardens surrounding
  • walk back to old town along boulevard of mansions
  • **2:00 – Teatini Restaurant for lunch
  • 3rd stop – Pinecone Fountain in Piazza Cavour! – more swap meet people
Rimini, Italy 2013 3

Tiberius Bridge

  • 2:15 – lunch – Osteria della Piazzetta – grilled zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms – pasta w/clams & tagliatelle w/meat sauce & peas – food just so so – $18 Euro Vivian 2010 San Valentino sangiovese, syrah, montepulciano  blend really good – $55 Euro
  • nap

Rimini, Italy 2013 7

  • 8:30 – meet Pierpoalo, Monica, Marianna & Alfredo for dinner – locals fish restaurant using ancient recipes – 6 courses served family style – pasta w/seafood, steamed baby clams, calamari, mixed green salad w/sardines, pasta & white bean soup, gambas (huge shrimp)

    Rimini, Italy 2013 14

    Castle

  • ***12:30 – arrive back @hotel
  • 2:15 – night night

What I DON’T LIKE

  • *it’s sprinkling – tired of all the rain
  • **it’s not open
  • ***wide awake
  • unisex bathrooms – no toilet seats & pee all over the floor – disgusting!

FUN-fact – Pierpaolo saw me speak in 1995 in Palm Beach. He connected me with the planners of the Italian Hotel/Motel show and I spoke for them 1996 & 1997 in Rimini.
More FF – There are no Starbuck’s in Italy.
More FF – On a recent trip to Vienna his 16 year-old daughter wanted a Starbuck’s travel cup/bottle. How’s that for the power of branding!

FUN-travel: Venice to Rimini, Italy – End of Seabourn Cruise

October 20, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Venice to Rimini, Italy – End of Seabourn Cruise 

Day 30 – Tuesday, October 15 – End of Seabourn Cruise – Venice to Rimini, Italy – foggy & overcast – 62

What I LIKE

Split, Croatia 2013 6

Split, Croatia

  • 7:00 – my usual hot capp arrives
  • 8:20 – walk out of room
  • 8:40 – breakfast & sandwich to go
  • 9:30 – walk off ship
  • *sit in ship terminal to post & check email
  • 11:00 – take public ferry to train station – only costs $14 for both
  • they have ramps covering steps so easy to schlep bags
  • only have 4 stops before St. Lucia train station
  • 11:20 – arrive
  • **11:30 – locate bag check next to Track 1
  • 11:50 – pizza break – Pizzeria Vittoria – Trip Advisor sign
  • no cover or service charge
  • 1 each diavola & funghi w/drinks only $20 Euro
  • more wandering the alleyways & narrow streets & dead ends
  • 2:00 – head back to train station
  • ***2:42 – board train – have reservations
  • 2:57 – depart on time
  • no changing trains
  • 5:34 – arrive on time
  • elevator @ very end of platform!
  • TI – outside station
  • +taxi to DuoMo $10 Euro
  • 5:50 – arrive hotel – really modern – nice big room w/2 balconies – small but like the fresh air
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Venice

Brindisi, Italy 2013 9

Brindisi, Italy

  • free & fast internet
  • 8:15 – little hungry – Mattia @ front desk recommends Spazi – half block up and around corner
  • Veggie salad w/tuna, tomatoes, onion & caprese (best ever!) homegrown tomatoes & divine buffalo
  • mozzarella melt in your mouth – nice $30 Euro bottle of local wine (grown 15 miles away) 2008 San Valentino Terra di Covignana Sangiovese – total dinner cost $60 Euro & Bellisima!
  • 9:55 – back to hotel for night night

Question to Ponder – How would you like to be the Fed Ex delivery person here? They carry packages on a large dolly/cart. Going up and down the steps proves to be quite challenging as the packages fall off. Then when they have a delivery they leave the cart in the middle of the alley/street and leave it. Made me wonder how many people steal packages off the unattended cart?

What I DON’T LIKE

  • 6:30 wake up
  • no answer for room service hot cappuccino
  • 8:00 – supposed to be out of cabin
  • *still have 25 unused expensive internet minutes!
  • **costs $5 Euros per bag – 5 hr minimum & only need 3 hr
  • ***required & costs additional $29 for 2 and plenty of seats
  • starts spitting rain
  • +no meter & not far (like 500 meters) & really worth about $5 Euro
Katakolon, Greece 2013 6

Katakolon, Greece

FUN-fact – Conde Nast readers vote Florence as #1 favorite city every year. I’m convinced it’s because they can read the map and get where they want pretty easy. Venice is not as easy but you will never be lost very long if you have a map.