Every morning I wake up and DON’T have to commute to ANYWHERE but the mile and a half to the inn, I rejoice.

My gratitude extends to many more things, but early-on I’m reminded of the grim reality faced by hundreds of thousands of Californians: driving to work.

Since we live so close to the inn we’ve taken to walking to work several days a week. This is a direct by-product of our “Italian Holiday”…twice over. I liked how I felt when I was walking again. Carol liked the idea of me loosing what was beginning to resemble early pregnancy.

I had been amazed how quickly I had been able to literally “tighten my belt” in Rome, after just a few days walking. And, oh yeah, CHANGING what and how much I was eating.

On vacation we had been eating a pretty full breakfast, a light lunch, and splitting dishes for dinner.
Our wine consumption was probably a bit more, but only by half a bottle and we burned that off with the walks back from dinner. Turns out we were doing just what the “experts” suggest…and I have the proof right in my lap.

Coming back from vacation it is difficult to keep from falling back into old habits.

We’ve learned over the years to make an effort to practice some of the “new things” we enjoyed on holiday. For me it was getting back into my walking. It’s the little changes which add up to a whole new point of view.

I like to put the vacation pictures right onto the computers and run them as a screen saver slide show.
It sure beats sticking them away in a dusty box or photo album. And they remind us day in and day out of the wonderful places saw.

And a picture is worth a thousand memories.

We discovered years ago that “Travel” changes more than just your view. By getting away, out of one’s personal rut, one uses brain cells, problem solving skills and muscles gone flabby.  You return to your “old life” with a whole set of new habits and attitudes.

Carol and I just got back from an epic vacation in England and Italy as a celebration of our 35th anniversary. We were first hosted by a dear friend in southern England. Next we were  introduced to Rome, cruised to Pompeii, Sicily, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Hvar and finally dropped off in Venice. This epic journey over three and a half weeks taught us more than mere the geography; it was more a lesson in living.

We are able to get away because we have excellent staff and family who will take care of you, our guests. Travel is how we got into the B&B business. It continues to be both our passion and our teacher.

I learned a deep and abiding respect for the work that a good Travel Agent does by planning all aspects of the trip my self. Although it wasn’t the first international vacation we have taken, it was one of the most complicated. There were lots of “firsts” coupled with plenty of connections and a myriad of important details.
Uncharacteristically I started literally MONTHS before the trip to plan the 5 “Ws” and the “H:” Where, When, What, Why, Who and How. Some of the questions were easily answered. Like Why: Too many anniversaries have been spent working.  I knew I wanted this VERY special anniversary vacation to be as unforgettable as our life together.
This helped with the Where. We simply could NOT go to Europe without staying with our dear Lynne in England.  And using London’s Heathrow for our arrival and departure allowed us to burn traveler miles, not dollars.

Although we had been to Italy twice before, we’d never been to Rome. We love to walk and while Rome is a major European city, it is entirely walkable. From our Hotel San Francesco in the Trastevere neighborhood we were within an short walk of the landmarks of the entire ancient city. Rome is absolutely steeped in history and crammed with incredible architecture.
We had also never been on a cruise. The idea of sailing into the sunset with three to four thousand strangers in a floating hotel just never appealed. But the Windstar Line is more like the Beazley House: Small and Special. Our ship, the “Windsurf” had just 150 staterooms accommodating some 300 pampered passengers. And it had SAILS!
“When” had been a crucial component of our planning. We’re used to a mild NORTHERN California climate, so visiting Rome and southern Italy in the heat of summer was out. In addition, we hate to be away from the inn in busy months, so mid May to early June was perfect. We weren’t disappointed, the Roman weather was delightful.
We learned the true meaning of the old saying: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” To avoid the heat of the day savvy Romans indulge in a long, luscious lunch, take a two to three hour “nap,”and go back out for the evening. We quickly adopted this approach, taking advantage of streets cool and un-crowded. We had lunch alongside Romans in tiny Trattorias eating wonderful fresh salads, grilled veggies, real Buffalo milk mozzarella and saved our wine for dinner. Refreshed and full, we would retire to our hotel room and sleep like kittens.

Around 6 p.m. we would arise, and prepare to explore Rome at night. Dinner was never before 8:30 and frequently at 9 p.m. The evenings were balmy and the Trastevere piazzas and neighborhoods full of strolling lovers, families and friends. We ate fresh, seasonal cuisine splitting dishes and sampling the lovely Italian Pinot Grigios.

We soon discovered we could stroll along the Tiber River on broad cobbled ways free of traffic and pedestrians. we made better time than taking direct routes described in our guidebook because we were NOT pausing to cross busy streets, dodging suicide drivers and  not getting LOST.

The Windsurf was a very good first cruise. The service was excellent, the ship beautiful, but the stops were way too short at each port and Carol and I may just not be cut out for the “cruise culture.” We met some lovely people who became “instant friends.” But it became clear the ship’s routine revolved around drinking, lounging, drinking, eating and watching others drinking, lounging and eating. The “shore excursions” were extra $$$$$ but they did take us places we would have otherwise missed. If viewed as a “first look” at these wonderful places, the cruise was a perfect fit.