slidergirl

hmmm. That's probably the only one of my usual places that i have always made the res online. maybe it's changed. Or, all those dates are already filled or not opened up yet.., i just played around with the site and also the ResDiary site. Looks like things may be filled up. or the website is wonky. i used to do it via email which popped up if you asked to make a reservation. Times change, I guess. it wouldn't hurt to try to call.

hope @cruisemom42 knows any of these as I have not dined at any of them. To add to your list, I have eaten at these near Campo di Fiore and recommend them: Roscioli Emma pizzeria (don't let the name fool you - they have much more than that) Both are upscale-casual places that I would say are moderately priced. you can look them up on the 'net. Boh require reservations as far in advance as you can do.

Oh, i've been to Montalcino. had several Brunellos by the glass there. it's also where i shattered my leg while hiking one of the trails through the vineyards...

Melody - it's Kavu for that sling bag. I had one to use after I had shoulder surgery years ago. much more comfortable than doing the 1-shoulder backpack thing. Anita - I like a clamshell carryon that isn't a roller for when I camp. Easy to keep at the end of the tent and easy to open up and get what I want out of it. that's where the Allpas come in. the smaller one also makes a good cabin bag if I need to take a little more with me in the plane. The shoulder straps are nicely padded. The larger Allpa also had a good padded hip belt (removeable). I like the company because 1)it's local, 2)uses remnant fabric they buy up from other companies, 3) pay fair wages to workers, 4)have a very good warranty. As much as I do like other brands, I will always try to support a local company first.

Did look online at them when I was hunting for a pant to take to Europe. The only thing that took them off my list was the "stripe" of fabric down the sides of the legs. I know it's the same color, but I have a pair of the Farralon shorts with the same thing and i'm just not in love with it. But, so many of you like them, maybe I missed out. Good to see all of you recommending them.

Cynthia - you KNOW I was suggesting Armando 😉 You've been to Rome more than me lately, so nothing new on my horizon, dining-wise. And, it sure sounds like you have a lot of new ruins to explore! yep, the lack of A/C was a little on the uncomfortable side. At least my niece's house had a few ceiling fans, incuding my room, so with the fan going and the window open, sleeping without a sheet was OK. But, I'm one of those people who have to have at least a sheet covering, so it's not the best sleeping for me. the cool temp in the morning is really nice. But, it's jumping into the 80s still in th daytime. Today, it was nice and cool in the house again, but supposed to get to about 85 today and stay in the upper 80s/low 90s for the week. ugh. ootd: my tie dye hoodie again, but I'm getting ready to change to my jean shorts and a tank. Got to go to the Post Office and pick up my mail that I had on vacation hold since the 12th. I may just put my hair in a pony and wear one of my baseball hats - maybe my new Ferrari red one!!

That 64 does feel really good, especially after 6 weeks all that heat and then the last 2 weeks of having to sleep with windows open and no sheet because my first friend's AC wasn't working and my niece doesn't have AC... I couldn't bring myself to watch Roadrunner again. It was a really sad documentary. oh - if any of you get Discovery+, I saw an ad for Stanley Tucci's series reruns starting on there.

PH - have a great time! I can't believe it is TA season already! As for packing - my mantra is "outside of my passport, I can get what I forgot when I get there" 😉

I just spent several days with Bologna as my base. I also always wanted to get to Bologna. Not just Bologna, but a quick train ride gets you to Modena, Parma and Reggio Emilio for foodie fun. Get adventurous and rent a car for a day and go to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (I loved it). Have a mortadella sandwich at Mo! Mortadella Lab.

I usually say another word than queen, but it gets censored. 😉 Some of the Cotopaxi bags have permanent functions for camping things. One is my 'in case of emergency" bag that i keep in my car. The Allpas are for when i need a carryon size bag, but don't need a roller bag.

haven't look at the Brookyn stuff in person. When I was looking for pants, I saw them online. There wasn't a color that I wanted. I'd run up to Main St. to look, but it's Sunday and the street is closed for the Sunday Silly Market. Means no parking... ootd: for now, my tie dye hoodie short dress. it's 64 inside the house (i keep the living room window open all night) right now. When it warms up I'll switch to running shorts and a Tshirt.

you go girl!!! Do what you want to do, not what you think you should do. Break away from the herd!!!

If you don't want to fly into Venice, Bologna would be your next best bet for an airport.

There are instances of people doing those short-term rentals to have a party house. it's loud, brings in a lot of people & cars, and they don't clean up. AirBnB has put a "no party house' policy on it's properties, but I'm not sure how well it is enforced.

Hoping this is the only "hiccup" you encounter!!!

The condo HOA where I work has a strict "no third party" rental policy. The property management company i work for is also a vacation home rental company. If an owner wants to rent out the unit, it has to go through us. We provide the HK, concierge service on behalf of the owners as well as for the owners themselves. We are a hybrid, I guess. But, in my neighborhood, our HOA prohibits overnight rentals, must be at least 6 months so that we can rent seasonally. Workers in the area can't find places to live because so many people who own condos/houses have gone the VRBO/AirBnB route.

Laurie - if you want to stand out from the tourist herd, look at the daypacks from Cotopaxi. Being the bag hoarder that i am, I have multiple packs and bags from them. My latest aquisition was the Taal bag. It is a convertible bag - use like a messenger/tote or a backpack. It is 16L. I wanted a bag that I would be able to put all my "in the plane" things and then use it for my everyday bag. It ended up exactly what I wanted and it didn't look like just another pack. I also have: Allpa 35 and 28L travel packs, Tasra 16L daypack, Batac 16L daypack, Luzon 18L pack Bataan hip pack and Mariveles 32 duffel. The duffel went with me - it folds down flat to take up very little room in a suitcase. I used it as my 'cabin bag' when I did my 2 Coasts trip last week so I could have a little more room in my roller bag (I checked because it's free for me) to put my cowboy booties plus I wanted to put my toiletries bag and stuff in there. I was bringing back some stuff from the Mennonite store so I needed that room. no judgement, please...

I found Native deodorant this Spring. First scented deodorants I can stand. The one really nice thing is that they have mini sizes of several of the scents. I bought 2 to take on my monthlong trip - even with multiple uses sometimes during the day (multiple showers sometimes), 1 mini lasted the month. I have a full-size at home, the Vanilla/Coconut sensitive formula. They don't have the minis all the time, but it's worth looking from time to time. They do have unscented, too. And i will say their shampoo and conditioner are working well for me, too (Coconut/Vanilla). I've been a decades-long user of Lush solid shampoos. I do have a problem with scents, so I go to the store and smell them out. I was a 'Godiva' bar user. Alas, it's gone and I haven't found a good replacement yet. Another thing - if you use conditioner, be sure to bring a little with you if you do a land trip. i was rather surprised to find out that most of the places I stayed at in France and Italy had shampoo, but no conditioner. With high heat and humidity, I sure needed some to keep from going "Bozo the Clown" with my hair! I guess my hair took a real vacation with no conditioner, no product, very little blow-drying.

no furniture gnawing was needed. I picked up food and gassed up the car. And, I ordered some pork products from my favorite on-line ribs & bacon supplier (Pig of the Month). Good for at least a few days. I didn't realize you were doing these trips to italy!!! Cruise, land trip... I have to say I'm jealous. Yes, even after my trip, i'm jealous. Where in Campania are you visiting??? More ruins that you haven't visited?? As for the 'one dinner' in Rome, I have a few suggestions 😸

I stayed in hotels for all but one 3 night part of my trip to France & Italy last month. The one was a studio apartment in Aix-in-Provence. I saw it pop up on several blogs. It was in a perfect location on the Cours Maribeau. I went in with my eyes wide open about apartment rentals. It went problem-free. That said, I will always pick a hotel over a rental IF the location permits. I didn't notice the hotel pricing in Europe and Washington DC (a few days ago) to be what it has been for awhile. And, the hotels were full. What was surprising was the rental car prices for both. I rent the manual transmission "econo box" cars in Europe and it was more than what I remember paying a few years ago. DC was a shocker - $1000 for an econo box for 6 days... hint on vacation rentals - stick to the people who are "super hosts" as they have passed certain over-and-above standards.

yay for a good hotel!!! Enjoy your breakfast and have a relaxing train ride to Seward.

It is all a big blur for me right now. I can't even remember the few days I was at home in between trips! Good thing I took lots of photos and the iPhone nicely labels the location automatically. I lived vicariously through all y'all's vacations and cruises lately, so it was my pleasure to take all y'all on my trip! This group inspired me to "go big"on the trip. It was definitely worth it!!! OOTD: didn't make it to the market yesterday. I may try today. Different running shorts and Tshirt.

Yes, it was Florence. Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco. If I can find Brunello by the glass, I go for it!

If your ship actually docks in Bordeaux, it is a very easy and pleasant walk around the city to see the sights. It's all flat except for a very little incline to get to Cite du Vin. I was just there the beginning of August for a few days and was able to see all I wanted to see/do with just my feet and an excellent tram system. Let us know where you are docking and what you want to see/do and we may be able to help a little more than this.

Water: When you are at a restaurant/cafe and order water, chances are, unless you specifically ask for a type of water, you will be asked "still or sparkling". Those of course, are the bottles they charge for. You can say "tap" and you will be brought free tap water. It's perfectly fine. It's a way to save a couple of Euro on you meal.