Audre & Dimitri's Traveling Love Affair

Welcome to The Introduction to our blog about our traveling lifestyle

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We've begun our fourth winter skiing Vail and we're happy to be here, although (as of New Year's 2011) we desperately need snow. On the 17th of January, we romped in 10 inches of fresh snow (and -13 degrees F temperature at the bottom of Chair 7) and we hoping for more! Click here to start reading about the beginning of the season. In 2011, we spent our first summer in Vail and it exceeded all of our expectations. We were mountain biking, hiking, socializing, getting cultured and Dimitri's shoulder is 95% back to normal after his rotator cuff surgery and his physical therapy. Click here to start reading about it.

Audre + Dimitri biking at the iconic rock-Uluru or Ayers Rock, Australia

It all started in 1993 when Audre got a contract for a World Bank project in Indonesia - that was the beginning of our Odyssey or worldwide traveling or vagabond globetrotting... call it what you will (Dimitri likes "global meandering" the best). A year and half later, Dimitri planned a 9-month trip from Jakarta to Istanbul. It was supposed to be just an interlude between contracts. However, six months into that trip, while meditating on top on Mount Sinai, Audre saw the light! A couple of weeks earlier, Dimitri had calculated that we could most probably live on just the appreciation on our mutual funds (without our touching our capital) and had proposed retirement to Audre's initial shock and dismay. So, on Mount Sinai, Audre got the message from above that it is perfectly okay to retire and go traveling throughout the world at 49 (Audre) and 54 (Dimitri). We have been retired and have been global meandering since 1995. See our tab above "About our traveling lifestyle" to read more about how we do what we do.

This blog site was started in 2006 during our South American Explorations (click here to begin reading at the beginning of our blogging and keep clicking on "Older Post" at the bottom of each post). Consequently the travelogues about our first 9-month trip from Jakarta to Istanbul, our nine months in Turkey (click here to see the map of our travels through Turkey), our six years in the rest of Europe, our three months in India, our nine months in Singapore, our three months in Phuket, our one year in Australia (although the picture above is of us at Uluru and you can click here to see the summary of our 26,000km Australia Roadtrip in 2004-05), our one year in New Zealand and our three months in Tahiti, will be posted when Audre writes them.

While this blog is still in the process of being created, click here if you want to see all of our photos.

On the left margin is a Table of Contents that lists each place we have been since 1995. The descriptions of our travels begin with our posts in South America in 2006 (when we started this blog). Before that you will notice most are still "to come." Click here to start reading at the beginning of our travelogues (and keep clicking "Older Post" at the bottom of each post to continue with our travelogues).

If you are foodies, like we are, then have a look at the list of "Restaurant Reviewed by ALEDM Organized by Country and City" also on the left margin. If you click on a city, you will be linked to our blog posting of our restaurant reviews for that city. Enjoy (and send us an e-mail about your experiences)!

And, if you want to do a search for a specific place, topic or a person, use the Search Blog feature that is a box in the upper left hand corner of the screen (from here click "Control - Home" on your keyboard to get to the top of your screen).

At the end of each page of postings, there is a link labeled "Older Post." Clicking on that takes you to the next post in chronological order. Yes, it is counter-intuitive...

In November 2011 we were asked for an interview by Shane who has developed NationalRVParks.com and our interview has now been posted. Click here to read the interview.

While we were in Beijing in the fall of 2010, the China Daily (the largest newspaper in English in China) published an article about our Global Meandering Lifestyle. Our picture is on the front page of the newspaper in the upper right hand corner and the article itself is a full page.

Click here if you read Spanish and want to read an article about us from the El Comercio newspaper in Perú. Even if you can't read Spanish, you might enjoy the photo.

1995-96 Our First Nine Month Trip from Jakarta, Indonesia to Istanbul, Turkey

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This is a map plotting our route from Jakarta, Indonesia to Istanbul, Turkey (by plane, train, bus, motorcylce and bicycle). We started in July, 1995 and reached Istanbul in March, 1996. If you click on a push pin, you'll see what city we were in. Check out our photo website for the snaps we took along the way by clicking on this [http://aledm.fototime.com]. If you would like more information on our trip (costs and what we did, for instance), write us an e-mail and we would be glad to try to answer your questions. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

View Larger Map

1995 Our Month in Vietnam

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We had been looking forward to staying Vietnam for a few months. It wasn't meant to be. We stayed a month and, frankly, were disappointed. In 2010 we received the following e-mail asking us about our stay in Vietnam:

"Thank you for sharing your adventures in a blog. It is a wonderful way to gain a little insight when thinking about traveling to another country.

"My husband and I have been contemplating what country we want to retire in and Vietnam has been high on the list. Can you share with me why your visit there was so short and your view or the pluses an minuses of life there.

Thank you again for sharing and I hope you have an amazing time in Canada even though it is expensive here.
Sharon,

Hi Sharon,

Finally I am sitting down at the computer to try to answer your e-mail. ...

In 1995, we had very high expectations for Vietnam. We were starting a 9-month trip (our first long trip together) after working and living in Jakarta for a year and a half. Vietnam was getting a lot of chatter in the media at that time. It was touted as a wonderful destination. Vietnam Vets were returning to a much more wonderful place than they remembered and were talking about it. Dimitri is a fluent French speaker and had expected to find lots of people who spoke French. We had loved the Vietnamese food we ate in Los Angeles and Washington, DC (the two cities we lived in before we went to Jakarta). So, we went to Vietnam with ideas of what it would be like and, to some extent, our expectations sabotaged us.

But in 1995 Vietnam was an economy and a society in transition. And that doesn't always put the society in its best light. But, to be fair to us, it wasn't our first economy in transition. In 1992 we spent 3 months in Budapest and experienced that society's transition. It was an exciting time to be there and people were optimistic, warm, friendly and hospitable. In contrast, our recollection of the people in Vietnam was that they were generally greedy and were trying to screw us. It didn't seem to us that there was any residual hostility to us as Americans because of the war. It just seemed to us that they were trying to make a buck without giving us value.

With that as background, I want to quickly add that we met some wonderful Vietnamese people and had some great and truly memorable experiences. To answer your question as to why we didn't stay longer, I will give a bit more of an introduction. We had a one-month visa and had planned to extend it once we were there (which our research indicated we would be able to do). Some date in August, 1995 was an important holiday in Vietnam (an anniversary of something) and that may have been the source of our problems.

We had been traveling slowly from Saigon to Hanoi, stopping along the way for a three days here and three days there. We went to government offices in the cities along the way to get our visa extended and we were being stone-walled. It appeared to us that as independent travelers we weren't going to get an extension to our visas (maybe they were afraid independent travelers would incite something during the holiday period). If we had been willing to buy a group trip we could stay as long as the US$250 a day trip lasted (but not longer). So when we got to Hanoi near the end of our one-month visa and still found that it was not possible to extend, we flew out of Hanoi to Hong Kong (without taking one photo in Hanoi). And, to be frank, we had a sour taste in our mouths. There was an arbitrariness to the way the government workers dealt with us which we have actually encountered in other dictatorships that was unpleasant for us. (As an aside, in India we also couldn't extend our visas in 2003 without leaving the country and returning with a new visa. But the government workers were pleasant and forthright about it and about being unable (even with a bribe) to help us.)

So, back to the month we did spend in Vietnam. Here is what I wrote a while back--closer in time to our actual visit--about our stay:

"We spent a month traveling from Saigon to Hanoi in 1995. We think that Vietnam has been over-hyped. In Saigon we stayed in Cholon-where the movie The Lover was made (Dong Khanh Int'l Hotel, 2 Tran Hung Dao B Blvd. Dist. 5, HCM City Tel. (848)352-410, Fax:352-427). We ran with the Hash House Harriers. Saigon is not scenic or charming. City Hall and the PO, as well as a handful of villas, are architecturally interesting. Otherwise, not at all. It is noisy (with horns and old engines), very dirty and decrepit and poor. There were more churches than we expected, less cars and more bicycles and scooters. There is a miniature business every 10 feet (bike repair, etc.). The weather was hot and almost everyday it rained. The restaurants were good. Sitting out is common but the exhaust fumes were choking. There were many new hotels but the prices were high." Click here to see our Saigon photos.

"The ingredients used at the restaurants in Vietnam weren't not as good as the ingredients we had in our Vietnamese food in the US so while the food was good, it wasn't as tasty as our recollection of how good Vietnamese food should taste. We are kind of foodies (maybe we are food snobs) so you should take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. We found one old man in a laundry who spoke some French. Other than that man, we didn't hear any French. We did see lots of people with baguettes under their arms and that made us smile (along with La Vache qui Rit cheese sold at road side stands).

"We went north from Saigon, to Dalat. We took an uncomfortable bus. The rather nice and modern Golf Hotel in Dalat, where we stayed, had a bordello in the back--little cubby holes with windows into the rooms so you could see the girls sitting on beds. We had a nice time in Dalat, however. Click here to see our Dalat and Nha Trang photos.

"We took another uncomfortable mini bus to Nha Trang from Dalat. Our hotel in Nha Trang, Cau Da Villas, was a former palace that had just been renovated. Room 203 was great. We had two of the most wonderful and memorable experiences in Nha Trang. We were set up on the beach with a tent-like structure and beach chaise lounges (all for rent at a very reasonable price) like the ones below.

Generally the beaches in Vietnam had vendors to rent comfortable chairs and tents

"At about 11 a.m. when a woman with a big (huge) cauldron on her head walked by, stopped, took the cauldron off of her head and opened it. Inside were crabs being steamed. We told her to come back in an hour and she did. We ate crabs that she cracked open for us, presenting us with tasty, sweet morsels of crab meat (and no sand, we might add). This was a once in a lifetime experience and we didn't take a picture!

"Another day, we went riding on our rented motorcycle (then at about US$5 a day) along the coast. At lunch time we started looking for some place to eat along the coast (wanting more shellfish). There was absolutely nothing. We started fantasizing amongst ourselves how we would come upon a restaurant on the sea with wonderful shellfish. But there was nothing. Just a beautiful coastline and a dirt road. We had decided to give up and turn back to town, when Dimitri said: 'lets go around that one more curve ahead and then turn back.' We went around that one more curve and found the most wonderful place. There were soldiers eating lunch there. The owners were a man, his wife and two children.The way he kept his seafood in the water in basket-cages insured that it was fresh.

Seafood in baskets in the water at the fantastic restaurant

"The restaurateur's two little girls were fascinated by us

The restaurant owner's little girls

"and took us up the hill where they (and their parents) showed us the artistic and touching photographs framed on the wall that their father had taken. The father was a talented photographer and was able to pursue that to some extent. We memorialized this once in a lifetime experience, thankfully.

"From Nha Trang we visited Hoi An and Danang and on to Hue before Hanoi. Click here and click here to see more of our photos. We had been budgeting US$50 a day for hotels and it turned out for most of our trip we spent much less than that for very good and new accommodations (except in Hanoi which was exorbitantly expensive). Food and transport were also much less than we had budgeted at the time.

"We had originally planned to take a train from Hanoi to Yunnan Province in China (almost directly north) through some remote countryside that we understood would be beautiful. When we weren't able to extend our visas (oh yes, and we couldn't get a visa for China in Vietnam at that time either), we stopped thinking about that idea. Later other travelers told us that the train we were supposed to have taken was flooded out by torrential rains and was stopped for many days. The only way that those travelers got out was by walking with their backpacks or whatever for a very, very long way. (We were traveling with at least 6 suitcases and that would not have been a possibility for us. Once again in our travels we adopt Voltaire's quote as our philosophy: 'Whatever happens is the best in this best of all possible worlds.'

"When we left Hanoi we flew to Hong Kong, got a long term China visa in one afternoon (with no problem) and off we went to Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet."

So there you have our experiences in Vietnam. As for us, we aren't ready to settle down (and we hope that we never have to) so we have not considered where we would 'retire from our global meandering lifestyle'.

We would be glad to answer any other questions that you might have (and we promise to do so promptly!) With all of our best wishes, Audre Engleman and Dimitri Moursellas"
E-mail: aleanddm@gmail.com

1995 Hong Kong

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We flew into the old Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong from Hanoi during a typhoon. Coming over Victoria Harbour in a shaking, vibrating, wobbling plane was an experience neither Dimitri nor Audre is likely to forget. Kai Tak Airport closed in 1998. When we returned to Hong Kong in 2009 we flew into the new airport. Click here to read about our 2009 stay in Hong Kong. Sometime in the future, we'll write about our 1995 stay. In the meantime, click here to see our photo website and the snaps we took in Hong Kong in 1995.

1995 Southwest China

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We will write about our trip when we can. We visited Kunming in Yunnan Province, Dali and Lijian in Yunnan Province, Chengdu in Sichuan Province (where we took no pictures because it was so ugly) and Lhasa in Tibet. If you click on the names of those places you will be linked to the photos we took in those places. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com, we'll try to help you.

1995 Tibet

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We will write about our trip when we can. Click here to a link of the fabulous photos we took in Tibet. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com, we'll try to help you.

1995 Nepal

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We will write about our trip when we can. We visited Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitnan & Bhaktapur in southern Nepal. If you click on those place names you will be linked to the photos we took there. If you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com, we'll try to help you.

1995-96 India

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We will write about our trip by train down one coast and up the other later.Our photo website includes albums for the pictures we took in Calcutta, Orissa state, Madras, Pondicherry, Madurai & Kovalam, Kerala, Goa and Bombay. Click on the place name and the link will take you to the photos we took there. And, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail and we will try to help you. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com.

1995 The Maldives

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We will write about this trip later. In the meantime, click here to see the photos we took in the Maldives. And, if you have any questions, send us and e-mail and we will try to help you. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com.

1996 Egypt

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We spent time in Cairo with friends, went down Dimitri's memory lane where he was born and raised in Alexandria and Port Said, and visited the Sinai. In the Introduction to our blog about our traveling lifestyle you can read about how it happened in the Sinai that Dimitri and Audre decided to retire and make traveling their lifestyle. If you click on a place name you will be linked to the photos we took when we were there. We will write about our trip when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com, we'll try to help you.

1996 Cairo, Egypt

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We will write about our trip when we can. In the meantime, click here to see the photos we took in Cairo. If you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com, we'll try to help you.

1996 Alexandria, Egypt

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Dimitri was born in Alexandria and we took a trip down his memory lane. Click here to see the photos we took there. We will write about our trip when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com, we'll try to help you.

1996 Port Said, Egypt

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Dimitri lived in Port Said before he immigrated to the USA. We had a look around his old haunts. Click here to see the photos we took. We will write about our trip when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com, we'll try to help you.

1996 Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

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We will write about our trip when we can. In the meantime, click here to see our photos. If you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com, we'll try to help you.

1996 The Sinai, Egypt

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In the Introduction to our blog about our traveling lifestyle you can read about how it happened in the Sinai that Dimitri and Audre decided to retire and make traveling their lifestyle. Click here to see our photos of the Sinai. We will write about our trip when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com, we'll try to help you.

1996 Jordan

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We took a ferry from Nuweiba to Aqaba. Aqaba harbor was the only place on our whole trip where there was a half a mile treck to the bus station and no one to help with our 200 pounds of luggage. A nightmare. We visited Aqaba, Petra and Ma'In & Jerash. If you click on a place name you will be linked to the photos we took in that place. We will write about our trip when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com, we'll try to help you.

1996 Our Five Months in Istanbul, Turkey

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We explored Istanbul, Turkey from March, 1996 to July, 1996. At that time we were A-type personality tourists--everyday there was a new attaction to see and a new food to try. And the city captivated and enchanted us. We will write about the fabulous time we had discovering Istanbul later. Click here to see the photos we took in the meantime. If you would like more information before we the post is written, send us an e-mail and we would be glad to try to answer your questions. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

By the way, we stayed at Hotel Princess Istanbul, room 2201, Buyukdere Cad. Ucyol Mevkii N. 49, 80670 Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey, Tel. (90-212)285-0900, Fax: (90-212)285-0951 or 0952. It was great, with plenty of space for us! In July, 1996, we took our rented car on the road for four months touring the Turkish coast to Antalya.

1996 Roadtrip From Istanbul to Antalya, Turkey

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From July to October, 1996 we slowly traveled the coast of Turkey in our rented car, stopping to see the beautiful and archeologically significant places along the way. Click here and click here to see the photos we took. And, click here to see a map of the places we stopped along the way. We'll write about that fabulous exploration later. If you would like more information before we the post is written, send us an e-mail and we would be glad to try to answer your questions. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

1996 Roadtrip Map Istanbul to Antalya, Turkey

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This is a map of the route we took around Turkey during our 4-month roadtrip around Turkey in our rented car.

View Larger Map

1996 Sea Voyage to Venice, Italy

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We cruised into Venice, Italy passing by St. Mark's Place along the way in October, 1996. We rented a car in Venice and drove up to Cortina d'Ampezzo that day. We'll write all about that trip later. If you would like more information before we the post is written, send us an e-mail and we would be glad to try to answer your questions. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

1996-2002 Our Six Years in Europe

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Each winter from 1996-2002 we would rent an apartment in a ski area and spend the winter skiing that area. It was a fabulous experience that we have tried to duplicate in 2006 Chile and in 2007 in Argentina. We'll write more about that later.

Each summer we would pack up our car (with our two bikes on top) and explore a different part of Europe. We'll also write more about that later too. In the meantime, if you have any questions, e-mail us, we'll try to answer them. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

1996-98 Ski Seasons in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy

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We skied in northern Italy two seasons, using Cortina d'Ampezzo as our base (latitude 46° 32’ 00.92 N). The ski pass we bought allowed us to ski in 12 different areas. We actually skied in 9 out of the 12. The others were too far to drive to and ski for the day. This is a map of the areas we skied (click on each push pin to see the name of the area):

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What was amazing to us was that our pass was electronically readable in 1996 (meaning we never had to take it out of our pocket to show it). What made it even more surprising was that each of the areas (even some of the lifts) were individually owned. Even so, the owners were able to agree to the system and make the investment in it. At the end of the season we could find out how many times we took any lift. In 1996-97 the season was 141 days and we skied 61 of them or 43%. In 1997-98 the season was 143 days and we skied 71 of them or 50%! We're getting more dedicated!

In September 2009 we received an e-mail asking about Cortina and our European skiing experiences. Here is our response "as is":

We're glad you wrote and hope that we can be helpful to you. We spent six seasons (November to May) skiing in Europe between 1996-2002 (each summer we drove our car to a different area of Europe and spent the summer months exploring). Two ski seasons were in Italy and four were in France. When we arrived in Italy in 1996, we were intermediate skiers and many lessons and ski days later, we were experts and wanted back country, ski touring terrain so we reveled in Val d’Isere, France.

We loved the two 5-month ski seasons we spent in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Cortina is an easy 2-hour drive north from Venice and it is gorgeous. Click here to see a snap we took from the balcony of our apartment. Cortina has always been Italian whereas much of the surrounding area of the South Tyrol was taken over at various times by Austria. It is very Italian and very chic—the Romans and the Milanese arrive in their furs to walk the passeggiata in winter and in their lederhosen outfits in summer. It was a wonderful introduction to the Italian culture. While it’s an international resort and many foreigners go there to ski, it retained its cultural identity. We were able to make friends there and had a social life too. We’re not night-lifers, however, so we can’t tell you anything about that anywhere in the world.

Cortina itself has 3 ski areas; and is considered one area for the season lift ticket purposes. The Ski Dolomiti pass includes 12 areas (see the map above of the areas we skied in Italy):

1 Cortina d'Ampezzo 1224m: Freccia nel Cielo:, Tofana 3243m, Cristallo 3216m (Rio Gere), 5 Torri
2 Plan de Corones/Kronplatz 2275m
3 Alta Badia (Sudtirol) Corvar, Colfosco, La Villa, Pedraces, S. Cassiano
4 Val Gardena
6 Arabba
7 Alta Pusteria
8 Obereggen (too flat)
9 San Martino di Castrozza
12 Civetta
Canazei/Campitello
We skied all 12 of them except for: #5: Val di Fassa e Carezza, #10 Valle Isarco, and #11 Tre Valli. They were too far to go for a day of skiing. If you do ski Cortina, you should be sure to do the SellaRonda, an all day ski excursion from tiny town to tiny town.

In 1996 in Cortina d'Ampezzo very little English was spoken. Fortunately Dimitri spoke some Italian and we did find Alessandra Pompanin and she spoke good enough English to introduce us to her aunt. Her aunt has a fabulous apartment which we rented. Dimitri and I both took Italian lessons in Florence and I had a local teacher near Cortina named Charlotte Orani in the next town (down valley) called San Vito. She is English and is married to an Italian doctor in Cortina. Click here to see just some of our Italian photos in our photo album. There is an fascinating system of ownership in Cortina—the surrounding mountains are owned by the ancient Cortinese families (like the Pompanins). There has been a wonderful system of conservation over the centuries and it’s a very special place.

After we tearfully tore ourselves from Cortina, we spent 2 seasons in Courchevel 1850 in a ski-in/ski-out apartment that cost us twice as much as our Cortina apartment. Courchevel is in the Trois Vallées and it bills itself as the largest ski area in the world. It is truly fantastic. We found fabulous snow, great chutes and terrific back country. The ski school (incredibly) had an all day ski tour for (at that time) US$100 which introduced us to places (using lifts and with a little hiking) we would never have been able to find on our own. Click here to see our first season snaps from Courchevel.

Dimitri is totally fluent in French and even so, it was only with much effort that he was able o find our rental for the entire season. We encountered great resistance to entire season rentals.
Finding accommodation in 1996-2002 was entirely different than it is now. Internet was not used. We found our place in Cortina by word-of-mouth and the place in Courchevel through a real estate agent called Courchevel Agence. After 2 seasons in Courchevel we moved to Val d’Isére where Dimitri found our rental from a tiny ad in the Figuaro Sunday newspaper. It was my dream French mountain chalet and twice as expensive as the first Courchevel apartment we had rented. Fortunately, the US stock market was rising and we felt we could afford it! It was really fabulous. And so was the skiing! Click here to see the chalet and here and here to see our skiing snaps from Val d’Isére.

Recently, we have used craigslist and also vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner) with some success. There is no substitute for being in a place and looking, however. By arriving after the Christmas high season (although the 8th of January may still be considered Christmas-New Years), you may have more to choose from.
We loved our European skiing experiences and highly recommend them (if you can afford it—the dollar has plunged since we left in 2002). In 6 seasons we only had one marginal one. The descents are awesome. We thought that we had been so spoiled there was nowhere in the USA that would have as large a ski-able area, with steep and challenging enough terrain to entertain us for an entire season. We are delighted to report that Vail and Beaver Creek did in fact entertain us well during the 2008-09 season. The 20009-10 season in Vail will be our Tenth Entire Ski Season Skiing Somewhere in the World (and our second in the USA)!

We'll write more about the fabulous time we had later. In the meantime, click here to see all of our photos. If you would like more information before the post is written, send us an e-mail and we would be glad to try to answer your questions. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

1996 Audre Runs the Venice Marathon

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Just before Audre's 50th birthday, she ran the Venice Marathon in under 5 hours. Dimitri and Audre had been training for the marathon since they were in Istanbul in May 1996. Then in Kapadokya, Turkey in September 1996, Dimitri's back started hurting. He had a herniated disk and it didn't repair itself for an entire year. He couldn't run the marathon in Venice, Italy so Audre had to do it herself. Audre was in the best shape of her life at 50 years old. (Fortunately, Dimitri's herniated disk did not interfere with Dimitri's skiing.)

Audre Finishing the Venice, Italy Marathon

Click here to see all of the photos we took in the various trips we took to Venice.

1997 May Roadtrip Salzburg, Austria

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We spent three nights in Saltzburg and had a glorious time. We stayed at Salzburg Hotel Pension Nonntal, Pfadfinderweg 6-8, Salzburg, tel (43-62) 82 95 07, fax (43-62)829-4346.

We took a little vacation to Salzburg, Austria from our full time vacation in Cortina d'Ampezzo

To see the rest of the photos we took in Salzburg, have a look at this album on our photo website. We'll write more about what we did there and where we ate later. In the meantime, e-mail us if you have any questions. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

1997 June-July Roadtrip Map Amsterdam, Brussels, Brugge, London

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We started out from Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy and we were heading to the Netherlands. Here's a map of where we stopped along the way.

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Click here to see the photos we took along the way.

1997 Roadtrip June-July: Amsterdam, Brussels, Brugge, London

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We drove from Cortina d'Ampezzo to Milan and stayed a few days. Then we drove to Megeve, Aix les Bain, Pouilly sur Loire, Fontainebleau and into Paris, France, staying a few days in each place. After Paris we drove to Amsterdam and stayed 2 and 1/2 weeks. Then we drove to Brussels, Brugge, Belgium and returned to Cortina d'Ampezzo through London. We will write about this roadtrip later. In the meantime, click here to see our photos.

And, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail, we'll try to help. E-mail: aleanddm@gmail.com

1997 July-August Roadtrip Map Italy to Pelopponnese,Greece and Back

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We left Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy for another home exchange in Koroni, Pelopponnese, Greece. We didn't stay long there (the other people got the better deal with our Cadelverzo di Sopra apartment) and explored the Pelopponnese instead. Here's a map of where we went.

View Larger Map

Click here to see our photos.

1997 Roadtrip:July-August Italy to Pelopponnese, Greece and Back

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We left Cortina d'Ampezzo in our little Opel Corsa, with our 2 bikes on top and traveled down the east coast of Italy. We hopped on the ferry in Brindisi and hopped off in Greece. Check out the map (by clicking here) where we along the way. And, click here to see our photos.

On the way back from Greece, we stopped for one night in Maratea, Italy. For dinner that night we had the best (really, we dream about them) gigantic prawns at Ristorante Vincenzo a Mare (di Schettino Vincenzo), Via Porto, 85046 Basilicatta: Maratea (Portenza) tel (39-973)876-002.

We'll write all about our trip in the future. If you have any questions about our trip before we post a blog describing what we did and where we ate, please write us an e-mail and we'll try to help you. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

1997 Roadtrip Map Tuscany, Italy

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In October, 1997 we drove from Cortina d'Ampezzo to Florence to take a two week Italian course. We really enjoyed our courses (Dimitri was in the advanced class and I was in the beginner class) and the time we spent in Florence. We really liked the apartment we rented too. It was in the in Monte Alle Croce area, Via Dante Da Casteglione 7, 50125 Firenze.

After the course, we drove south to Terme di Saturnia. Along the way, we stopped for lunch at Osteria Vecchio Castello, (di Susanna Fumi) Via delle Chiesa 2 Loc. Triana (GR) Roccalbegna, tel. (0564)989-192. There we had the best truffles of our lives.

Here's a map of where we went on our trip:

View Larger Map

Click here to see our photos.

1998 Our Six Days in Chamonix, France

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Because the snow wasn't great around Cortina d'Ampezzo in February, 1998 we drove to Chamonix and skied there for six days. Our first two days we stayed at Le Morgane, 145, avenue de l'Aiguille du Midi, 74400 Chamonix Mont-Blanc France, tel (04-50-53-57-15 fax 04-50-53-28-07. We then upgraded our accommodation and stayed at auberge du bon prin, Les Moussoux, 74400 Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France. tel. 04-50-53-33-51 in Room 11. We were much happier.

The highlight of our skiing experience was the excursion we took to the top of the Aiguielle du Midi and skiing Le Mer de Glâce. Otherwise, we weren't enthralled with the skiing at Chamonix. Having to take a bus from place to place to ski the different areas wasn't fun. We like big interconnected areas. But skiing Le Mer de Glâce is reason enough to go to Chamonix!

Click here to see our photos. And, if you have any questions about Chamonix, send us an e-mail and we'll try to help. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

1998 Roadtrip to Cinque Terre, Italy

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In the spring of 1998, we went hiking in Cinque Terre, Italy. It was magnificent and we will write more about it later. In the meantime, have a look at the gorgeous pictures we took by clicking here. If you have any questions before we write our blog post, send us an e-mail and we will try to answer them. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

1998 Our 2 Mo. Trip to the USA, Japan, Tawain, Singapore & Thailand

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To Come. In the meantime, if you have any questions about our trip, send us an e-mail to: aleanddm@gmail.com and we'll try to answer your questions.

1998 Trip to Boston, MA, USA

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We hopped over to the USA to clean out our storage facility and to see our relatives. Click here to check out our Boston snaps.

We'll write about that later, but if you have questions in the meantime, write us an e-mail and we'll try to answer them. E-mail: aleanddm@gmail.com

1998 Trip to Washington, DC, USA

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We hopped over to the USA to clean out our storage facility and to see relatives. Check out our Washington, D.C. snaps by clicking here.

If you have any questions, send us an e-mail and we'll try to answer them. E-mail: aleanddm@gmail.com

1998 Trip to Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

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We hopped over to the USA to clean out our storage facility and to visit relatives. Click here to see our Fort Lauderdale snaps.

If you have any questions, we'll try to answer them. E-mail us at aleanddm@gmail.com

1998 Trip to Los Angeles, CA, USA

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We hopped over to the USA to clean out our storage facility and to visit relatives. Click here to see our Los Angeles snaps.

If you have any questions, we'll try to answer them. E-mail us at aleanddm@gmail.com

1998 Trip to Japan

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On the way back to Europe from the USA, we stopped in Japan for Audre's first visit. We had a fabulous time, loved it and want to go back for an extended stay (if the Yen ever gets cheaper, the dollar appreciates and the Financial Meltdown recovers). In the meantime, click here to see our snaps. And, e-mail us if you have any questions: aleanddm@gmail.com

1998 Trip to Tawain

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On our way back to Europe from the USA, we stopped in Taiwan and were very glad we did. We had a lovely trip, met lovely people and did lovely things. We will write about it later. In the meantime, click here to see our photos. And, e-mail us at aleanddm@gmail.com if you have any questions. We'll try to answer them.

1998 Trip to Singapore

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In 1995, when we left Singapore we left some stuff in a bank deposit box. We returned to pick it up and had a fabulous time staying at the Regent. We'll write more about that later, but if you have any questions in the meantime, e-mail us at aleanddm@gmail.com. We'll try to answer them. And, click here to see our photos.

1998 Trip to Thailand

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As long as we were flying across Asia from the USA to Europe, we decided to stop in one of our favorite resorts for a beach vacation: Thailand. We had a blast staying at the Banyan Tree in Phuket and at the Shangri La Hotel in Bangkok. We'll write more about that wonderful trip later. In the meantime, if you have any questions, e-mail us, we'll try to answer them.

1998 July in Cortina d'Ampezzo

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We will write about this when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com and we will try to answer them.

1998 August in Meribel, France

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We will write about this when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com and we will try to answer them.

1998 August in Anduze, France with the Hills

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We will write about this when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com and we will try to answer them.

1998 August in Marseille, France

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We will write about this when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com and we will try to answer them.

1998 September in Italy from Garlenda to Sicily

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We will write about this when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com and we will try to answer them.

1998 October and November in Tunisia

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We will write about this when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com and we will try to answer them.

1998 November Trip from Tunisia to Courchevel, France

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We will write about this when we can. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail to aleanddm@gmail.com and we will try to answer them.

1998-2000 Skiing in Courchevel and Les Trois Vallees, France

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To Come. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail and we will try to answer them. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

1998-99 Ski Season in Courchevel, France

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To Come. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail and we will try to answer them. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com

1999 May in the South of France

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To Come. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail and we will try to answer them. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com.

1999 Roadtrip and the Summer in Scandinavia

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To Come. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail and we will try to answer them. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com.

1999 Our August Hop to St. Petersburg, Russia

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We went to St. Petersburg for a weekend in 1999. We were concerned about traveling there with our car and stuff (we heard about kidnappings for ransom and theft) so we flew over from Helsinki (leaving our car and stuff locked up there).

We arranged for a car, driver and guide to meet us at the airport and for 2 days we toured and had a fine time (without incident, we should quickly add).

Audre with our guide, car and driver in St. Petersburg

The only problem was that our ATM card wouldn’t work and Dimitri had to stand in line in a bank (with a guard pointing a gun at him or something like that). One night we ate at the Austeria at the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Audre and Dimitri at the quaint Austeria

We stayed at the Grand Hotel Europe (Nevsky Prospekt, Mikhailoskaya Ulits 1/7, 191011 St. Petersburg, Russia, tel (7-812)329-6000, fax (7-812)329-6001, email:gmass@ghe.spb.ru) and one night we had dinner there. It was fine and the only thing that we remember is that Audre had caviar that was very expensive and not very good.

The third night we had a quaint meal at Dacha Restaurant, Doduorie, (7-812)465-1399.

Have a look at all of our photos from St. Petersburg on our photo website. Click here to go to the Scandinavia album, which (at the end) includes our St. Petersburg snaps.

If you have any questions, send us an e-mail and we will try to answer them. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com.

1999 September Roadtrip From Scandinavia To Courchevel, France

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To Come. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail and we will try to answer them. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com.

1999 Courchevel, France to Find a New Apartment

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To Come. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail and we will try to answer them. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com.

1999 The Fall in Lyons, France

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To Come. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail and we will try to answer them. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com.

1999-2000 Ski Season in Courchevel, France

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To Come. In the meantime, if you have any questions, send us an e-mail and we will try to answer them. E-mail address: aleanddm@gmail.com.

2000 The Summer in Spain and Portugal

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We toured Spain and Portugal in 2000 when the exchange rate was 175 ptas for $1.

We wrote these suggestions for touring Spain when a couple we knew was going there. If you have any questions, write us at aleanddm@gmail.com and we’ll try to answer them. Also, have a look at our Spain & Portugal album on our photo website by clicking here or going to:
http://www.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/pictures?userid={8911F498-9A7E-483B-AFA9-A6F402139C50}&AlbumId={9C5AF69F-C501-4797-A6CA-D466DF9A1EC0}&GroupId={7FE96B2F-08A6-4347-B9AA-16D5085B4B51}&nt=g

Spain Suggestions

Driving is easy but you need to leave a day for each city change. We thought that the "Spain and Portugal" guidebook by Lonely Planet was good for general background. We found a great restaurant and hotel guidebook (in Spanish) once we got to Spain. It is called "Gourmetour" and it also has a website, in Spanish:

http://www.spaingourmetour.com/icex/cda/controller/pageInv/0,2958,35868_2604600_3074913_0__en_,00.html

One of the best restaurants in Spain (and the world) is north of Barcelona, near the French border. It is too far to go for lunch, in our opinion. Up in that area, in Figares, is the Dali museum and theatre (that he created). It is extraordinary and, if you have any interest in his art, a must see. If you can get a reservation at the famous restaurant, El Bulli (http://www.elbulli.com/), then stay up in that area overnight and see the Dali museum at the same time. [El Bulli (chef: Ferran Adriá), Colle Montjor, 17480 Rosas (50 km from Perpignan), tel (34-972) 15.04.57, (closed Mon. and Tues.) A hotel nearby is Almadraba in Rosas but I have no idea what it's like.]

We tried to get a reservation for lunch at El Bulli in May and were told that the first available table would be in August. Since we weren't in the east of Spain in August, we were unable to sample his food at El Bulli. However, we stayed at a hotel outside of Sevilla called Benazuza (see below) where he had just taken over the restaurant. We had a fabulous "tasting menu" dinner and the next morning we had the most unusual and delicious "tasting breakfast." We adored it really and we are still talking about it.

Barcelona Hotel:

The best place to stay is the Arts Hotel which is part of the Ritz-Carlton chain. Its location is very good, by the water. We tried to stay there but it was fully booked months in advance. Consequently we don't know how the rooms are but we think that the view would make up for any other deficiencies. Address: Carrer de la Marina, 19-21, Barcelona tel (34-93)221-1000 Reservations: 800-241-3333 Website: www.lhw.com/ritzbarcel

In Barcelona we stayed in the Montjuic (Jewish mountain in Catalan) section, near the fountain with the dancing water. It was a big convention hotel but we liked it because it was near a good park for our jogging. Barcelona Fira Palace, Av. Rius i Taulet 1-3, 08004 Barcelona, Spain, tel. (34-93)426-22 23, fax (34-93)425-50-47, e mail: sales@fira-palace.com, Internet:http://www .fira-palace.com We got a special deal for Suite 626. And we can tell you not to stay at the Rey Juan Carlos I because it is too far away from everything.

Barcelona Places to Eat:

Our favorite in Barcelona (asterisk represents Michelin stars):

*El Raco de'm Freixa, c/Sant Elies, 22, 08006 Barcelona, tel. (34-93)209-7559, fax (34-93)209-7918 email: freixa@chi.es (19785 ptas and excellent/$113)

Hotel Arts Carier de la Marina 19-21, 08005 Barcelona, tel (34-93)221-1000, fax

(34-93)221-1070

Outside Barcelona (good for lunch):

***El Raco de Can Fabes (Sarti Santamaria), St. Joan 6, 08470 Sant Celoni, Catalogne (30 min. from Barcelona on te A7 highway) tel (34-8470) 93-867-2851, fax (34-8470)93-867-3861, email racocanfabes@troc.es (price: 28141 ptas/$160)

Outside Barcelona:

More on El Bulli (Ferran Adriá), Colle Montjor, 17480 Rosas (50 km from Perpignan), tel (34-972) 15.04.57, http://www.elbulli.com/, (closed Mon. and Tues.) A hotel nearby is Almadraba in Rosas but I have no idea what it's like.

Grenada Restaurant Recommendations:

For Lunch: La Pesqueria, c/Capuchinas 14, Plaza de la Romanilla, Granada. tel (96-958) 52-15-55 (Have mezza there, and there also may be 'pecebes' (barnacles) they are great

Outside Grenada Recommendation -- a very special place:

La Bobadilla, Finca la Bobadilla, Apartado 144, 18300 Loja (Granada) Esp. tel.(96-958) 32-18-61, fax (96-958)32-18-10. Web: www.la-bobadilla.com, e-mail:info@la-bobadilla.com. Jr.Suite #24 at 51800 ptas, incl BF (It was described as a dream in the Karen Brown Guide. We were skeptical but it delivered in every respect.)

Cordoba:

We took a great walking tour of the city in Cordoba. Our guide was terrific. We stayed at the Parador there but it’s wasn’t impressive. (Since we looked at practically every room in the parador, I’m pretty sure we had the best room there.) Parador de Cordoba, Avda. de la Arruzafa, s/n, 14012 Cordoba, tel (957)27-59-00, fax (957)28-04-09. Room 501, 18000 ptas, 3600 ptas BF.

Near Cordoba and Sevilla is Ronda:

A very picturesque place with a great restaurant: Rest. Tragabuches, c/.Jose Aparicio no. 1, Ronda (Malaga), tel (95219) 0291, 11556 ptas and excellent. We stayed at the Parador and were happy there. If you stay in Ronda, take a drive to Zahara de la Siena--it's exquisite

Outside of Sevilla is a gem:

Sevilla Sanlucar la Mayor: Hacienda Benazuza, 41800 Sanlucar la Mayor, Sevilla, tel (955)703-344, fax (955)703-410, E-mail: hbenazuza@arrakis.es Room 205: 39000 ptas, It was 5600 ptas. for the tasting breakfast—and worth every penny. (Ferran Adria***from El Bulli and Rafa Morales—his right hand man).

In 2011 the hotel is now called Hacienda Benazuza El Bulli and the website is: http://www.benazuzahotel.com/index.html

We actually split our time in Sevilla between outside of town and in town. Sevilla is such a great place we wanted to be right there for several days. In town, we stayed at Hotel Alfonso XIII, San Fernando 2, 41004 Sevilla, Espana, tel (954)222-850, fax (954)216-033, web: www.luxurycollection.com/alfonsoxiii-com Room 345, 30000 ptas, incl BF, 2250 ptas parking. It’s part of the Starwood chain.

San Sebastian:

Since you are foodies, we will share our favorite San Sebastian eateries. We loved the city of San Sebastian and its food. Not to belabor the point, it really is a world class city for eating. It is also beautiful, with it's bays and hills. We were there in Oct. and the weather was mild. If you want to do some walking, it's a great city for walking along the seafront.

Our favorite restaurant (* indicates the number of Michelin stars) was out of town and a bit difficult to find. Worth the effort, however:

**Mugaritz, Otzazulueta Baserria, Aldura aldea 20. zk, Orereta 20100 Gipuzkoa, tel (34-943) 522-455, fax (34-943)518-216. e-mail: mugaritz@euskalnet.net 24209 ptas and excellent Outside of Granada is a very special place:

Second favourite:

**Martin Berasategui, Loidi Kalea 4, 20160 Lasarte. Gipuzkoa. tel (34-943) 366 471.e-mail: berasategui@relaischateaux.com 30126 ptas and really good

The second most famous restaurant in Spain and certainly worth the money:

***Arzak, Alto de Miracruz 21, 20015 San Sebastian, tel (34-943)272-753, fax (34-943)272-753. e-mail: arzak@jet.es 29885 ptas and very creative

In San Sebastian, we stayed at the Maria Cristina (a Westin) in suite 503 for 60000 ptas (special price) and loved it.

In San Sebastian I think we found barnacles/percebes at a meza restaurant for lunch called: Meson Las Migas, Ujue tel (34-948) 759-044. 3856 ptas excellent or Alberto, 31 de Agosto 19 b, 20003 Donostia, tel (34-943)428-884 (call first).

Another North Coast Suggestion:

Between Bilboa (65 km) and Santandar (35km) we stayed at a Relais & Châteaux hotel and thought it was great, one of the best values we found: *San Roman de Escalante, Carretera de Escalante a Castillo, km 2, 39795 Escalante (Cantabria), tel 942-67-77-45 fax 942-67 76 43. e-mail sanromanescalante@mundivia.es, www.relaischateaux.fr./escalante. Loved Jr. Suite 11 at 25000 ptas, incl BF (Chef Joseba Araba + Victor Fernandez -- very good)

Madrid Suggestions:

We liked our hotel in Madrid very much. It is not as central as the Ritz or some of the more famous ones but it is small and personalized. Hotel Orfila, Orfila 6, 28010 Madrid, tel (34-91)702-77-70, fax (34-91)702-77-72. e-mail: hotelorfila@sei.es. Web: www.hotelorfila.com. Room 40: 53000 pts incl BF + pking. (Room 40 is worth asking for because most of their rooms are small and 40 is big.) Many Americans stay at the Hotel Villa Real. We looked at it and thought it was too expensive for what was offered and the rooms are too small.

In Madrid, we recommend this restaurant unreservedly, if you feel like dressing up: Rest. La Terraza, El Casino de Madrid, c/Alcala 15, 28014 Madrid, Chef Sancho, a colleague of Xanier Sancho. tel (34-91)521-8700 with Tom and Nancy Dungan 46500 ptas for 4 people ($280) --it's in an area of Madrid that you should see at night in any case. Also, .(one Michelin star) La Broche (Sergi Arola), Miguel Angel 29, 28010 Madrid Tel (34-91)399-3437. 24289 ptas

When we were in Spain in 2000, we stopped in Patones de Arriba (Madrid), before Madrid. We stayed at El Tiempo Perdido (Travesia del Ayuntamiento 7, 28189 Patones de Arriba (Madrid), tel. (34-91)843-21-52, fax (34-91) 843-21-48. Room # 4: 25000 ptas. + 2000 ptas BF, Then Room #6 (bigger) 30000 ptas. + 2000 ptas BF) and had our fabulous bike ride along the Canal de Isabel II. The town was being spiffed up and there were already noteworthy restaurants there. There was such a marked make-over taking place that we'd love to go back to see what it looks like now.

Madrid Restaurant Recommendations:

From Exotic Foods by Andrew Zimmern. He was talking about seafood in Madrid. Here's an excerpt:

"The Barnacle Bill

Today it was off to the swank side of Madrid, in the posh Serrano shopping district. We shot all morning in the trendy food stalls of the Mercado de la Paz, a 200-stall market with butchers, seafood stalls, fromagerias and so on. We ate criadillas (bull's balls) and tripe stew with the truckers and stevedores in the small cafeacute inside the market where the bar was four deep at 10 in the morning. The salt cod; cured, pressed and dried tuna roe; and the incredible array of fish and shellfish in the stalls was staggering. We saw plenty of percebes, the small gooseneck barnacles that everyone loves, and hundreds of species of langosto, crab and small rockfish. For a landlocked burg, Madrid has an insatiable appetite for seafood, one that harkens back to the days of the first two Philips, who were both fish fanatics. Madrilenos still tell stories about the royal coaches perambulating from the palace to the seashores and back, their carts overflowing with fresh catch for the royal kitchens. And this was hundreds of years ago!

"Today, the chic ladies who lunch, wealthy businessmen, the rich and famous, celebrities of all types or just curious gastronomes fall into lunch at La Trainera, the 40-year-old grandmama of Madrid's great seafood restaurants, and the one that Francis Bacon so famously touted back in the day. We had the opportunity to roll in there about three hours before the lunch crowds packed the place, and shoot in the kitchens of this remarkable eatery that is right around the corner from the Mercado (La Trainera is on Lagasca 60).

"The small, humble, blue and white storefront with the cute shutters is a pretty impressive statement about the restaurant all on its own. No bells, no whistles, just great food and a reputation for perfection ... but the stream of famous faces and the jacketed doorman out front let you know you are in for a special experience. All the fish and shellfish is gathered from small fishing co-ops sprinkled all over Spain, many from Galicia, the famous coastal city in the northwest corner of the country. When you walk in to the restaurant, you see the awesome iced seafood display, and many customers find that without a reservation you are only able to avail yourself of a meal at the bar. But that's not a bad thing since you can just keep pointing at what looks good in the case. Be careful: Almost all the goodies, from the oysters to the red prawns to the cigalas (langostos), buey crab, lobsters, percebes and the like, are sold by the gram, and an overeager diner can quickly pile up quite a bill. I had the opportunity to sit in the kitchen with the chef, where he keeps many pots of court bouillons simmering for his percebes, lobsters and crabs, and a few massive griddles for the giant prawns seared "a la plancha" served pil-pil style, drizzled with the herb-oil-chile-garlic sauce that the Basques are renowned for. Be sure to try the rodaballo, a Spanish turbot that is griddled and served with a sherry vinegar pan sauce - it's the house specialty. The percebes (gooseneck barnacles), also known locally as "dragons' feet" because of their odd lizard-skin look, are sold in 200-gram increments and can wholesale for over $50 a pound, so I tried my best to be respectful. However, standing in the kitchen with the chef and the restaurant's septuagenarian owner (who kept hitting on our 20-something Spanish production fixer), I joyfully tucked into a mammoth platter of the little buggers, which taste like a lobster-kissed, butter-tender clam. You split the skin at the base of the barnacle where it attaches to the rocks, then using the foot like a handle you slide the edible cylinder of flesh out from the sheathing and suck it down. Then you can split apart the feathery foot and eat the small kernel of meat inside the top of the percebe ... heaven. We went upstairs and ate Mediterranean clams on the half shell, langostos, three types of lobster, cigalas, giant red prawns, rodaballo, buey crab and a flurry of desserts and cheeses. Put La Trainera on your list of places not to miss next time you are in Madrid. But bring a large wallet ... Had we been paying the full freight, my little snack there, albeit enough for two to three persons, would have cost almost 500 Euros.

"We raced into our van after shooting the lunch, still reeking of shellfish, and sped to Madrid's Barajas Airport (the new Terminal 4 is an AMAZING piece of architecture). We checked in as quickly as we could with our piles of bags and video equipment and took off for Barcelona, one of the most exciting cities in the world. More on that city and my visit to El Bulli later in the week.”

January 9, 2011 addition:

There is an article in the Sunday Travel section of the New York Times on Jan. 9, 2011 on the new “must go to” restaurants in 2011. There are two in Spain. Here’s a link to the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/travel/09restaurants.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gisela%20williams&st=cse

2000 1 Month Trip to the USA

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