La Dolce vita far niente

[moyaroo]

The sweet life - doing nothing. With another European season and an onslaught of ticket puncher questions like cn I see A B C and D while in E, it is appropriate to take a moment to remember why we go to some places. The Amalfi coast for instance is drop dead gorgeous but like all of Italy if you are in a hurry it could cause you to have a coronary. Traffic can be a killer why stress? Do what you can and enjoy it.

I was 6 times to Paris before I saw the Pyramid entrance to the Louvre much less the museum. Yes, I wanted to go but other things were calling- I will make it to Versailles yet.

Americans only get two weeks or so for vacation so we tend to think we must hurry through to get good value it is a WalMart approach to vacationing. Quantity over quality. At he end of the day it doesn't matter if your list has more check marks. The point of seeing a place like Tuscany is not to count the number of different Chiantis and Brunelllo's you sampled, but to combine the sampling of the Chianti with a rich dinner spread over two to three hours in the evening watching the patterns of light change on the hills as the sun goes down - then we look for fireflies.

Take home some peace this year!

[yarramar]

Well said Moyaroo!
A saying comes to mind "Take time to smell the roses"

[CathyCruises]

And unless you like shuffling along in baby steps packed shoulder to shoulder, skip Versailles! Ridiculously crowded on a Tuesday in February, can't even imagine what July must be like. One of my least favorite experiences ever in Europe. And no wonder there was a revolution!

[moyaroo]

Originally Posted by CathyCruises

And unless you like shuffling along in baby steps packed shoulder to shoulder, skip Versailles! Ridiculously crowded on a Tuesday in February, can't even imagine what July must be like. One of my least favorite experiences ever in Europe. And no wonder there was a revolution!

Try the Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole, any Saturday night in July.

[texancruzer]

Some of my favorite nights in Europe......

1. Piazza della Rotunda - dinner, caprese and bread with cheese and anchovies melted on top......and lots of Proseco ! We sat for hours watching the piazza ( this is the one right in front of Pantheon) Luckily for us we didnt have far to walk to our hotel either.....Albergo del Senato - after all that Proseco That is one nice thing about Italian restaurants - it is NOT about how many times you can turn over a table......they let you sit for as long as you wish.
2. Pizza joint right behind the Piazza della Rotunda (cant remember the name - doesnt matter anyway ) - no tourists here (except us ) Mostly locals - alot of younger grad student aged ones and a few older thrown in. Loud and sooooo Italian !!! Great pizza too. Just felt like we were part of the scene instead of just watching the scene.
3. Kusadasi - after a l-o-n-g day of private tour - we showered and went back ashore (ship there till 11:59 pm) for dinner. Wonderful restaurant right on the harbor - owner waited on us and we got to talking. Talked for a couple of hours. Great food - great conversation and stunning views of the sunset and our ship.

AHHHH Dolce vita indeed !

ps: seems my DV moments are all about food

[cruisemom42]

While I wholeheartedly agree with the "dolce far niente" approach, reading Tex's post reminded me again that cruises are just not well suited to this approach in general. All three of the memories she listed are evening ones, long after (most) ships have pulled up the gangway and departed.

Of course, one can enjoy a leisurely lunch, or coffee, of glass of wine during the day. But I find that even though I try to do only one or two sites on a given cruise stop, I always have that feeling in the back of my head about getting back to the ship on time that makes it hard to completely relax and do nothing. That's why I enjoy land trips to Europe interspersed with cruises. Cruises are great for some ports (e.g., Mykonos, Corfu) where distances are small and the sites are not, for me, overwhelmingly compelling. They work less well for many other places, especially major cities like Rome, Florence, etc that are a good distance from port.

[CathyCruises]

Originally Posted by moyaroo

Try the Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole, any Saturday night in July.

Ugh! No thanks! Can you spell 'tourist trap'?? I don't like going anywhere in Jackson in July and August. But the restaurants have great off season specials for the locals! My favorite is 'Dinner and a Movie' at the Wort Hotel. Beautiful room, full dinner, and tickets to any theatre in town for $119/couple! That'd be about $400 in July. . .

[texancruzer]

Originally Posted by cruisemom42

While I wholeheartedly agree with the "dolce far niente" approach, reading Tex's post reminded me again that cruises are just not well suited to this approach in general. All three of the memories she listed are evening ones, long after (most) ships have pulled up the gangway and departed.

Of course, one can enjoy a leisurely lunch, or coffee, of glass of wine during the day. But I find that even though I try to do only one or two sites on a given cruise stop, I always have that feeling in the back of my head about getting back to the ship on time that makes it hard to completely relax and do nothing. That's why I enjoy land trips to Europe interspersed with cruises. Cruises are great for some ports (e.g., Mykonos, Corfu) where distances are small and the sites are not, for me, overwhelmingly compelling. They work less well for many other places, especially major cities like Rome, Florence, etc that are a good distance from port.

Yep, the first two were pre cruise stays in Rome......the 3rd was indeed a port stop.

But I do have lots of others....... a wonderful leisurely lunch in Dubrovnik old town (port stop) a delicious lunch outside on the edge of the park in Istanbul watching the locals and tourists go by...... a yummy gyro on the edge of a caldera on Santorini as the sun sets...... or the one on Mykonos after a morning of strolling the tiny streets. I can keep going but the point is you have to MAKE the time to slow down and enjoy.

There are some cities where it is hard - Florence comes to mind. But we did enjoy a meal at a street market in Santa Croce square one afternoon.

But once you do (slow down and soak up some Europe) you will find yourself doing it more and more !

[seabreezer]

Agree with FP. I have to pare down my upcoming Rome/Cote d'Azure/Provence/Paris wishlist so I can chill out and soak up the ambiance. Cruises are great in Europe for giving you a little taste of each port but you do need to spend time before or after and have a few days without a schedule - that's a real vacation when you don't have to watch the clock! I highly recommend renting a house or apartment if you can to really get a feel for the daily pulse of a place. Hire a chef for a special dinner or have a cooking class in your home. How about homemade pizza in your wood burning oven while watching the wild boar wander out of the woods into the neighboring fields ...