See the World with Carol

05/05/2024

Starting April 2024, visiting Venice takes a small fee but promises a richer experience.

Discover why this change was necessary and how you can still enjoy the magic of Venice sustainably.

https://www.vaitravel.com/navigating-venice-the-new-entry-fee-for-day-trippers/

05/03/2024

I just realized I did not post pics of one of my favorite little cities, Brugge (in Flemish) or Bruges (in French). Originally part of the Roman Empire, its history runs deep. We skip many centuries and find ourselves still feeling like we are in medieval times. The architecture, cobblestone walks, beautiful canals, and the food, it's hard not to love.

04/09/2024

Is been a whirlwind in Belgium after we left the ship. This has been my shortest post trip but we managed to get it all in. One day in Gent and one day in Brugge and our evenings in Brussels. (Aka Ghent and Bruges in French).
We had wonderful guides, absolutely gorgeous weather and for to experience just a bit of Belgian culture!
This first set is Ghent.

04/09/2024

With All About Travel by Laura – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

04/04/2024

Not sure I posted this Pic of all of us at the Captains Welcome Dinner.

04/03/2024

Really enjoying the Netherlands. Today was my day of work so about 6 other people and I stayed on the ship, went through locks and I was able get get alot of work done. Fortunately my group sent some wonderful pictures. Just a few below! Tomorrow, Maastricht and paying our respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, at the American Cemetery.

04/02/2024

More from MOCO museum and then the Keukenhof, Tulip Festival. Pictures don't do this place justice. Note text below pics if interested.

04/02/2024

Pics pics pics! Clips!

04/02/2024

My oh my. Been a busy few days. The group dynamics on this trip is just amazing. Love all these women, fun, smart, sassy and so friendly to all the new travelers. We are on a Uniworld river cruise from Amsterdam to Brussels. Here is the evidence! Day 1,2,3.

03/28/2024

Food? Lol. The Mercado Centrale is only a little under 200 years old. That's considered new in this part is the world!

03/28/2024

Always happy to be back in Firenze, visiting friends, eating well, a little culture and of course, people watching. My favorite overheard conversation was an American couple walking across the Saint Trinita Bridge. He says to her, we just spent 1500 euros at a Michelin restaurant and I'm hungry. Lol. Stick with Nonna's recipes!
Here are several pics from the last few days.

03/25/2024

First day in Firenze. It's my 59th first day since my first time here, alone, in 1976. Always happy to stop in, visit friends, check out some hotels and restaurants. Today though i was just enjoying the day before the rain comes. It is true, I never get tired of the history of the Renaissance and how the plague reset the world as we know it. And Florence was at the center of it all. Here are some random photos.

03/25/2024

I love the bells and then a beautiful ceiling in a very small church. There are 930 churches in Rome; well over 90% Catholic.

03/25/2024

A Sunday morning stroll. I used my Brooklyn accent on this one. Lol.

03/24/2024

Ah Roma! I never tire of this Eternal City. The last few days have been great overall. A slight mishap put a little kink in the trip which I will explain in another post.
See pics below. I leave tomorrow for Florence. Always feels like home.. but in Roma I stayed at the beautiful W Hotel. A little outside my typical neighborhood but it worked out well because of how packed the city is for Palm Sunday and Easter week. A few short videos will follow.

03/24/2024

Good morning from crazy busy Rome, the beginning of Easter Week. Before I send those pics I wanted to share my last day (Friday) in the Villa in Sicily. Villas are a fantastic way for friends and family to spend time together in a much larger space. I'm a huge fan and so are my clients.
Anyway we went back to Cefalu for a bit of retail therapy, a wonderful lunch and a beautiful walk.

03/22/2024

On Thursday several of us decided to take the train down to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. I love taking trains in Europe, fun, easy, wifi, plugs, cheap.
The Valley is an astonishing place filled with relics, temples, etc from the 5th century BC. Here are just a few pictures of this wonderful day!

03/21/2024

Yesterday we headed over to Piazza Armerina and the famous mosaics at the Villa Romana del Casale. At the gates of Piazza Armerina, in a picturesque valley, the Villa Romana del Casale, built in the 4th century AD and decorated with enchanting mosaics is considered to be the most beautiful and best preserved of their kind. Take a look!

03/20/2024

It's been busy here in beautiful Sicily. We spent yesterday in Cefalu. It's still possible to just hop a train and pick a seaside town and have a wonderful cultural experience without planning ahead.
Sicily is a part of Italy. It is not a separate country as some might believe. There are differences just as two States might be completely different culturally.
Unlike Italy, which is almost entirely Latin based, Sicily has elements of Greek, Arabic, French, Catalan, and Spanish over thousands of years.

You can easily drive in Sicily (with WAZE!). And even though you might get a little lost, you never know what adventures you might find!

03/17/2024

What a perfect way to start a three week trip to Europe; some work and some play. Six friends and three dogs staying for a week in a Villa in Sicily. A gorgeous day and evening spent making some day plans. Three humans and their pups staying for two months. What a dream. Here are a few pics of the day. No villa pics, it was unpacking day! More to come!

03/13/2024

10/09/2023

And the adventure continues! Here are some pics from our last couple of days. Yesterday 13 amazing, funny, beautiful women flew back home while six of us (also amazing 😍) women continues on for a little extra time in Florence and Rome. Enjoy!!

10/06/2023

Today we went to two prosecco tastings; delicious and very different from one another. More pics later@

10/05/2023

Today was Venice Day. Everyone had the opportunity to enjoy a Grand Canal Boat Tour, a walking tour and then time to do whatever it is one does in Venice. Venice has such a fascinating history. There is really no place like it anywhere else.

10/04/2023

Fabulous day. And finally a few clouds! Wonderful guide, and a great overview of this historic city.

10/04/2023

Padova.. we have 5 days here with a day trip each day. Today we stayed in Padova for a 3 hour walking tour with the rest of the time free. Dinner later tonight!

10/03/2023

Hi all. Busy day. Here are some pics from yesterday, Oct 2. We spent the day in Bologna, one of the great cities and one of the first university towns from the 11th century. Bologna is also called "The Fat One" because it is one of the most gastronomic places in the world. Then we went to Dozza to a wonderful winery to taste 5 different wines. Delicious!

10/03/2023

A lovely time closeby to the Adriatic Sea. In Ravenna for two days to enjoy their world famous 1500 year old (ish) mosaics. Sometimes it is hard to believe the people who created these masterpieces were just like us; lived, loved, drama, politics, family, laughter. Just trying to make our through another day.
These are from two days ago. Sometimes things happen on travel to throw you a bit off schedule! I'm posting twice today to play catch up!

09/29/2023

What a day! First, the weather is perfection. We spent the morning on a walking tour of Parma, had an amazing lunch and then on to the Parmiagiana Reggiano "factory". Enjoy the pics!!