"must buy" in ports

[Tania]

I bought a LLadro in Barcelona and I don't think I got a great deal. The only reason I did so is because it was a Gaudi piece which they say you can only purchase in BCN. I've found better deals in the Caribbean: the small girl at the computer, for example, was 25% off the duty free price in Aruba last Christmas. I had been looking to buy this for two years so it worked for me.

 

Excellent prices on Lladro are found at the Amex Duty free stores along the Canada-US border, again if you find a piece that works for you.

[Queenk2]

In Corsica..I bought the lovliest French underware.. Matching sets...much less expensive than Paris. Ladies ..,it is very easy to pack to take home!

[DasCruise]

Is Greek or Italian olive oil better?

 

Also, what are some unique liquors that can be purchased from: Greece, Croatia, France, Spain, oe Italy? I saw many posts about Limoncello, but I think I have noticed it here in the US also.

 

Thanks!

[Florida_cruisers]

I heard that Spain has the best Olive oils, but that Italy has greater quantities

[elin]

Elin... are you still out there????? Please tell me more about the beautiful pottery in Portugal. Did you go to Lisbon? We'll be there in April and wondered if you have any shopping suggestions for Lisbon!!!!!

 

Hi Zebra,

Not sure if you are checking this still or not. I haven't been on this board for a little while (it's that nasty thing called work that keeps getting in the way!:rolleyes: ). Any the pottery in Portugal is very beautiful and incredibly reasonable. This was several years ago that I went, but I bought a beautiful handpainted (both sides) bowl ($40 CDN) and large plate ($35 CDN) from "Porches" pottery in the Algarve.

Friends we were with from London, bought an entire dinner set (all different plates, bowl etc.) and brought them all back to London in their suitcase!

I have not been to Lisbon, but I was very interested in the "port cradle" that was previously discussed.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at my work address.

Thanks.

Elin

[zebra]

Thanks Elin as always for the useful info. We are leaving tomorrow for Portugal and ceramics are No 1 on my list!!!

[elin]

Have a great trip Zebra, send me a report when you get back to my work email. I'd love to hear how the trip goes and any good finds you have!

When are you travelling to Istanbul etc.?

Send me an email if you get a chance when you get back elawrence@qmc.ca.

Safe voyage!

Elin

[Blamar]

I am tired of bringing home stuff that my DW complains about dusting. There are a few 'travel-gems' like our glass from murano or the Venice Mask, oh and the New Orleans mask too. I have a small painting from Haiti and some really tacky t-shirts from mexico. I keep growing out of my t-shirts so Marla has sown a bunch of them together into a quilt cover. Its warm and cool all at the same time. But the best thing we have been collecting lately is Key Chains. I try to get one in every port and use them as Christmas decorations on the tree. They are great reminders of where we went in the years gone by.

[dbh62ark]

Another great idea for key chains that we've done at our house is to get a shadow box frame and hang them against a fabric background like black velvet. We had our shadow box frame custom made (with space to add of course), but you can find these in the craft store like Hobby Lobby and Michael's. It's a wonderful walk down memory lane to look at the box.

 

I love buying things that I can use daily to remind me of our trips like the key chains (we frame some and use some), soaps from Provence, leather purses and briefcases from Italy, etc. I also love art as a souvenir and have some wonderful paintings of Venice and some small villages in Tuscany and the French Riviera. I love the Italian ceramics too--there are some great places to shop along the Amalfi Coast--and most of all my Murano glass!

 

Happy travels to all,

Donna

[EmJakeBubbie]

I keep growing out of my t-shirts so Marla has sown a bunch of them together into a quilt cover. Its warm and cool all at the same time. But the best thing we have been collecting lately is Key Chains. I try to get one in every port and use them as Christmas decorations on the tree. They are great reminders of where we went in the years gone by.

WOW!!! tnx f/sharing your ideas...how clever about making a quilt out of t-shirts!!! they shrink + we do tend grow out of them;) I like this idea! as well, collecting key chains to use for XMas tree ornaments....I don't do a tree, but I still like the sound of this idea. how clever! ok, so on the best buys for just about anything one can find in foreign ports is ......ta dahhhhh.... COSTCO! I find the olive oil, the candies from around the world, jewelry, llardro, pottery, handbags/leather items....etc.etc. I mean this stuff is the same!! Once I carried home (oh boy what a mess) a Large tin of Maple Syrup from Canada...only to find the exact item in Costco!!!! DH still laughs at me for that "find".... Admittedly, there are just some things one wants to schlep home from that foreign port.....ya gotta know what you are getting and be careful about jewelry in any foreign port - if you can't use a jeweler's loop, don't buy it!!! the naked eye just can't see missing prongs, cracks, etc. :eek:

[GrammaZ]

Posters from museums or galleries are easy to bring home all rolled up in a tube that fits crossways in most larger cases. Then when we get them home we take them to Costco and for under $40 have them dry mounted and have a great memory of a trip. We have an amazing one from The Louvre with hundreds of tiny reproductions of their famous art (2x2 squares) that hangs in our kitchen eating area. Everytime I look at it I remember the wonderful day we spent with Mona.

 

Reading the story of the maple syrup from Canada reminds me of my husband's dream visit to the Dehilleron store in Paris that supply the famous cooking schools with their kitchen essentials. He had planned on purchasing a special fryingpan. So with great care and with the help of store staff he chose a stainless steel one with a lid. He couldn't wait to get home and make his omelet with his new French pan. A few weeks later as I was washing it I noticed the brand. Paderno. I still haven't told him the factory is here in Canada in Prince Edward Island. I think they do make some in Italy as well but the one we bought and carted all the way back to Canada in our daughter's backpack was probably made here. But we had a very special couple of hours that we will never forget.

[Tania]

Gramma. I just discovered the joys of Costco framing myself. I just had my daughter's Grade 8 piano certificate framed. HALF the price of an independent framer...

[EmJakeBubbie]

I was hesitant to mention Costco but oh boy, guess I'm not alone;) There is a definite memory one makes when shopping on foreign soil; certainly, some items are found only in one area (like the puppets in Prague). Noteworthy for a shopper's consideration is to remember so many widely used items are obtainable on our own soil w/o that schlep-factor;) W/jewelry purchases, I like a local store who will back that pricey purchase, should the piece develope a problem in the future. I still like the idea of making a quilt out of t-shirts...I would never have thought of that, which is why I participate in CC:D

[lindberg]

One of my favorite threads! So lets bump this up. I guess I should contribute with my favorite finds in the Med.

 

I purchased some fabulous carved cameos at the little stands at the exit to Pompei. The were very reasonable and I enjoy looking at them like miniature pictures. These are unset. Someday I may set them in a nice pin setting. The ship tour also took us to a "cameo factory". Cameos were much more and seemed like a rip off.

 

I also found some little Merano millifiore pendants in Rome. These made great little gifts for my kids and friends.

 

For myself I found some gold and blue enamel earrings in Santorini and a lapis and gold pendant in Napleon. I really liked the gold byzantine jewelry in Oia. Maybe on my cruise on the Grand Princess in September I won't be able to resist.

[Cleopatra]

I think much of the joy of shopping while traveling is derived from the memories attached to the purchase. Yes, many imported items are available at Costco and Marshalls, but there is no story to tell about how you acquired your "find." I once bought a pretty pottery dish in Portugal to give as a hostess gift and later found an identical one at Marshalls for about half the price. However, had I bought it in Marshall's in the first place, I'd not have remembered to write about it now. Some of the best things we've purchased either hang on our walls or have been crafted from postcards or travel documents and framed. We don't purchase food or wine to take home - doesn't last long enough.

[winewanderer]

Re: Lemoncello,

 

What is the cost these days in Naples vs. the US?

 

Can anyone tell me a liquor store to go to in Naples (also interested in buying a bottle of wine) and how to get there from the port (walking preferably).

 

Thanks

[joan24]

I like to get bookmarks wherever we travel to. They are great gifts that take up no room and most are totally unique to their location: marbled paper from Florence, lace from Bruges, glass from Venice. Of course I also bought a chandelier from Murano for our kitchen that was shipped and we love it.

Joan

[dmh515]

Joan,

 

Think I read in another of your posts that you used Louisette of Taxidurand. How was her tour? We have booked her to take us through the Provence area when we're docked in Marseilles a week from Sunday. Appreciate any feedback.

 

Dee Dee

[3girls]

As I sit here reading this thread I am sipping my coffee in a Belleck mug I bought in Ireland. Every morning I pick a different mug and remember where I was when I bought it. So next month I plan on buying a mug to remeber my special trip. It does end up as carry on but worth it in memories.

[joan24]

Dee Dee,

Louisette was very pleasant but I wouldn't call her a terrific guide. We had a good day but would look for someone else if we toured in Provence again. I know that other people have used her and really enjoyed touring with her.

Joan

[harrodsfan]

I think much of the joy of shopping while traveling is derived from the memories attached to the purchase. Yes, many imported items are available at Costco and Marshalls, but there is no story to tell about how you acquired your "find." I once bought a pretty pottery dish in Portugal to give as a hostess gift and later found an identical one at Marshalls for about half the price. However, had I bought it in Marshall's in the first place, I'd not have remembered to write about it now. Some of the best things we've purchased either hang on our walls or have been crafted from postcards or travel documents and framed. We don't purchase food or wine to take home - doesn't last long enough.

Totally agree...As I type this I look around and see all the fun things we have bought to furnish our home and I think of the purchase...Dishtowels in france...handcrafted Jewelry everywhere...Clothing from Mynmar..A temple bell from Thailand...Antique blue transferware from england...What fun..

[hondar]

Let's keep those ideas coming. This is a FANTASTIC thread!

[elin]

Re: Lemoncello,

 

What is the cost these days in Naples vs. the US?

 

Can anyone tell me a liquor store to go to in Naples (also interested in buying a bottle of wine) and how to get there from the port (walking preferably).

 

Thanks

 

Best Limoncello is from Sorrento. It's because they grow lemons the size of grapefruits...I'm not kidding. They are huge.

 

And, the limoncello you buy in Italy is different then the stuff that you see at the liquor store.

 

Besides, on a cool winter night after dinner grabbing the bottle out of the freezer and pouring a shot, gives you that instant flashback to your trip!

 

That alone is worth lugging the bottle over. For the record, I think the very large bottle is about $10 or less.

 

Cheers!

 

Elin

[elin]

We were in the Baltic this summer and loved St. Petersburg. The DH went a little insane and we ended up buying 4 Faberge eggs (copies of course), which now inhabit the house.

Best place to buy them (pricewise) was the "flea market" by Church on Spilled Blood.

We also bought some Faberge egg pendants for the kids (and me).

In Helsinki in the Market there is a guy who makes pendants etc. from coins. I bought a really funny "cut out" coin of the Finland lion and the DH bought cufflinks from some coins from when Finland was under Russian rule.

Very cool.

e

[ClaudiaF]

Best Limoncello is from Sorrento. It's because they grow lemons the size of grapefruits...I'm not kidding. They are huge.

 

And, the limoncello you buy in Italy is different then the stuff that you see at the liquor store.

 

Besides, on a cool winter night after dinner grabbing the bottle out of the freezer and pouring a shot, gives you that instant flashback to your trip!

 

That alone is worth lugging the bottle over. For the record, I think the very large bottle is about $10 or less.

 

Cheers!

 

Elin

I knew I loved you Elin!

Just reminded me to go to the ol' subzero and grab a shot of yummy Limoncella..

P.S. mine came in a beautiful hand painted decanter ( which is sort of a clay urn style thing ) and is worth the 10 bucks empty.. ;-)