Readers Report … Tips from Real Travelers
Readers Report … Tips from Real Travelers is one of my favorite reoccurring Travel Tip Tuesday themes. Sure Fortune 50 execs, travel writers and flight attendants have the money - and experience - but I like to know what works for you. And it is even better when they come from someone, like today’s guest, who is an experienced traveler and travel industry insider.
The next two weeks of Travel Tip Tuesday tips are coming to you from Leanne of From Australia to Italy. Leanne is a frequent traveler who has lived in several countries and many regions throughout Italy. She has worked in the travel industry and many of her tips come from assisting others with their travel needs.
Without further delay, I present to you …
Part I of Leanne’s Readers Report … Tips for Real Travelers
1) If you are on medication always carry it in your hand luggage with a doctor’s note that gives you permission to take it on board - and be sure to take the prescription boxes with you.
A lot of customers leave their medication bags here there and every where and have to contact their doctor back home to get a refill. This is time-consuming and can be difficult given time differences. If you have the box bring it, or just write down what is in the medication then an international doctor or pharmacy can help get a suitable replacement.
photo credit: Mr. T in DC
2) Never take a taxi from someone who approaches you in the street. In most countries there are legal taxi ranks and the have meters. This might sound foolish, but make sure you can see the meter so there will not be any ’surprises’ when the journey ends.
Be sure to come back next week for Part II of Leanne’s Readers Report … Tips from Real Travelers.
In case you missed it, the first two installments of Reader’s Report can be found here and here
Do you have some great tips you’d like to share? If so, contact me and you can be featured right here on Travel Tip Tuesday.
In the meantime, let’s go see what travel tips Robin has up her sleeve.
Until next time … Buon Viaggio!
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Tweet ThisCelebrating the Epiphany in Italy with La Befana
Tomorrow, January 6 is the Epiphany, a date commonly celebrated in the Catholic church and cherished throughout Italy. If you aren’t sure what the Epiphany is, you can read up on it here. But please come back.
I grew up in a large Catholic family in Texas and have never celebrated the Epiphany. In fact, I was usually back in school by the time this post-Christmas holiday rolled around.
But it is quite different for Italians.
See this little witch here?
Well … she has something to do with how Italians celebrate the Epiphany. I wrote a blog post two years ago - when I first started My Bella Vita - about the legend of La Befana.
I’ve included part of it for you here today.
…
La Befana is one of Italy’s oldest and most celebrated legends. Each year on January 6 Italian children awaken to see if La Befana visited to their house. This day marks the day the three Wise Men arrived at Jesus’ manger. Apparently, over the years this has been a more celebrated holiday for the children of Italy than even Christmas.
According to the legend, the three Wise Men were searching for the Christ child when they decided to stop and ask for directions. (Now - I have a problem with this part of the story for 2 reasons - 1) why didn’t they keep following the star, and 2) men NEVER stop and ask for directions, especially if there were three of them … but anyway, along with the story!)
Upon knocking on the door of a small house, an old woman holding a broom opened the door slightly to see who was there. Standing at her doorstep were three colorfully dressed men who were in need of directions to find the Christ child. The old woman didn’t know who they were looking for, and could not provide them with directions. Prior to the three men leaving they asked the old woman to join them on their journey. (Sure, three colorfully dressed men are going to ask an old raggedly witch on a broom to join them??)
The old woman declined saying she had too much housework to do. However, after they left she felt as though she had made a mistake and tried to catch up with the men. After hours of searching she could not find them. Thinking of the missed opportunity, the old woman stopped every child to give them a small treat in hopes that one was the Christ child. Each year on the eve of the Epiphany she sets out looking for the baby Jesus. She stops at each child’s house to leave those who were good treats and those who were bad a lump of coal.
Have you ever celebrated the Epiphany? If so, how? Does Santa bring your stocking on Christmas Eve or does La Befana bring it on January 6?
Buon Natale and Happy New Year!
By the time you are reading this post I have already flown through England, soared above the Atlantic and have (hopefully) landed in Texas.
Christmas is here and to fully celebrate the holiday season with family and friends in the US, My Bella Vita is taking a break.
I’ll be back to posting at my regular schedule on Monday, January 5, 2009.
But first, here are a few of my favorite things about Christmas …
What are yours?
Merry Christmas everyone and have a super-duper New Year!
Photos compliments of: 1. It’s Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas!, 2. Christmas Santa 2006 - 044F, 3. Christmas on the Champs-Élysées, 4. Christmas Stockings, 5. Gift Wrapping, 6. Christmas in Venice, 7. Another Christmas? Yes … Another Golden Christmas!!!, 8. La Befana, 9. Texas christmas, 10. cookies!, 11. Mosaic Portrait: Father Christmas, 12. Christmas cards, 13. Christmas Snowman14. Not available15. Not available16. Not available
Sila Fridays: McNduja in Mancuso
Today is the final installment of Sila Fridays …
Wait. Wait.
Don’t be sad.
Today is the final installment of Sila Fridays until I get back up there and tour a different area.
By now you know about getting to La Sila, you know of quaint Villaggio Mancuso, you know where to eat and sleep and today, you will learn where to shop!
Nope. You didn’t misread that sign.
It really says McN’duja.
As you enter the main street in Villaggio Mancuso, you will be greeted by Ronald’s nemesis, McN’duja … but don’t be fooled - the real name of the shop is Sglobalizzatevi.
I have no idea what that means.
But it is a charming shop.
A pellet fireplace sits in the corner of the wine section, warming the entire store.
Fresh Silan meats and cheeses are offered as aperitivi and homemade jams and liquors can be taste-tested before buying.
You can even pick up some McN’duja to take home.
Across the path is Sglobalizziatevi’s sister store, A Putica, owned by the same young couple - Davide and Francesca - who grew up down the road from my husband in Catanzaro.
This is the ’shroom store.
Every kind of mushroom you could want is waiting inside.
See?
We spent almost an hour at the two stores, visiting with the owners and stocking up on homemade black cherry jelly and hard-to-find wine.
Davide and Francesca can also help you with personalized tours of Il Parco Nazionale della Sila.
For more information, you can contact them at info (at) aputica (dot) it or visit them in person at
A Putica / Sglobalizzatevi
Villaggio Mancuso
88055 Taverna (Catanzaro) Italy
Did all this food talk get you hungry? If so, head over to Michelle’s where she baked up some chocolate chip cookies for this week’s La Buona Cucina Americana!
Three More Funny Things Italians Do in Everyday Life
Last month I wrote a post about some of the funny things Italians do in everyday life. Lucky for us they keep doing them.
Here are Three More Funny Things Italians Do in Everyday Life.
1. If you have ever been to Italy you know the leap of faith required to get behind the wheel of a car. Well a few weeks ago my husband I were en route to Catanzaro Lido - he was driving and I was telling an undoubtedly fascinatingly intriguing story.
Suddenly, I was interrupted with a “Che Ca^Zo, ma vaffanC%lo …”
Shocked, I looked at my normally gentile, non-aggressive partner.
“So,” I continued …
“B@stardo!”
I tried to shrug it off, but I have no patience and couldn’t continue without pointing out the obvious.
“Pep! You have interrupted me three times (so I exaggerated!!). Is it really that important?”
“Yes, it is. He has to learn.”
A giggle escaped.
“HE has to learn?” My sarcasm was lost on my husband.
“Yes,” He told me … slightly irate. “He can’t pull out in front of people like that. He has to learn a lesson.”
“But he isn’t learning anything!” I stated. “You are yelling at me.”
2. Remember Zio Joe from last month’s post (#2)? Well that is one active guy, lemme tell you.
Recently he thought his garden needed a face lift and asked his youngest son to help him trim some of the limbs. Young Marco climbed the tree and started cutting the upper-level branches.
He glanced down to help his eyes adjust to the sun and saw his dad cutting lower limbs.
“Dad! Dad!” He yelled. “Basta!”
His dad stopped cutting and looked up at him.
“What?”
“Dad. Stop! I’m standing on that limb!”
3. In my spare time I teach English to underprivileged children in Catanzaro. Ok. Well, really I teach English to a little family who lives nearby and well, they pay me.
But anyway.
They have a son. He is four years old and can rarely sit, stand or play with one toy long enough to get past “dog.” Last week we were listening to a song in English and the little singing girl kept saying “Hello.” “Hello.”
I finally encouraged the kid to repeat … “Hello.”
“Bravo! Do you know what that means?” I asked him in Italian.
“Yes, I know!” He told me proudly.
“Great!” I told him. “What does it mean?”
“Vaffanculo!”
Mah! I tried.
Ok, expats and travelers, weigh in. What are some funny things you have noticed lately about people in new countries? You can tell us … I did!
** Congrats to Michelle of Gone on Arrival-Unable to Locate … My Mind for winning a copy of Diane Spechler’s book Who By Fire! **
Seven Fishes Feast: Pasta al Tonno
Christmas Eve, or La Vigilia, is one of the biggest feast days in Italy … but, wait. We’ve already talked about that, haven’t we?
Known as “The Feast of the Seven Fishes” because southern Italians traditionally served seven different types of seafood, this custom has been passed throughout generations of Italian-Americans, written about and blogged about.
Two of my blogging buddies, MaryAnne of Finding La Dolce Vita and Joe at Italyville have teamed up to create an Italian-style Christmas Eve feast like none the blogosphere has ever seen.
And they asked for help.
If you have a great seafood recipe to contribute to the Seven Fishes Feast, here is what you do!
Create a fish or shellfish dish and post it on your blog.
Display the “Seven Fishes Feast” badge and link back to both Maryann and Joe.
Send your entry to joe (at) italyville (dot) com and put “Seven Fishes Feast” in the subject line.
Include your name, blog name, url, the name of your recipe with a photo and a link to your post.
They will post the recipes as they arrive… so check in with them throughout the week!
Oh, also they will chose a name at random on December 19th and the winner will receive a super-cool Calabrian-inspired gift basket.
So count me in.
This pasta dish is easy, peasy and is a staple at our house year-round.
Pasta al Tonno
(Serves 2)
Ingredients:
>> Canned Tuna (one small can per person)
>> Penne Pasta
>> Olive Oil
>> Parsley
>> Garlic
>> One Fresh Red Pepper
Directions:
1. Lightly brown garlic in a small amount of olive oil.
2. Drain the tuna and add to the pan.
3. Slice the pepper in half and add it in with the tuna.
3. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add parsley.
Enjoy.
** See? I told you it was easy peasy! **
I’ve already said this is a staple at our place. What are some of your favorite meals to quickly whip up at the end of a long day?
Travel Tip Tuesday: 10 More Gift Ideas for Practical Travelers
There is just over a week left for last-minute shoppers to check off those lists, stuff those stockings and tie those last ribbons.
What? You still need ideas? Well last week Robin and I offered you 10 gift ideas for practical travelers and gift ideas for under $25.
Well, ok then. Here are 10 More Gift Ideas for Practical Travelers.
Now get to shopping, already!
Noise-Canceling Earbuds, from $12.00
These small headphones are ideal for reducing train or plane background noise and small enough to fit in your pocket. If the traveler on your list would appreciate a little quiet time on his next trip, consider these babies for a stocking stuffer.
TSA-Approved Locks, from $12.99
These trendy locks not only help your favorite traveler keep her things protected, but also help her identify her bags and let her know if the TSA went snooping. This comes as a set with two locks and matching cards.
International Travel Voltage Converter, from $17.00
Ideal for frequent travelers needing access to hairdryers, clothes steamers or other high voltage electronics when abroad. I could have used one of these when I moved … before I blew up my Chi.
Cookbook from Favorite Region or Country, from $28.00
I admit it. I love Italy. There, ya caught me. I don’t know about other Italophiles, but I’d love to have this book - In Etna’s Shadows - to add to my collection.
Travel Blanket and Pillow Set, from $28.00
This all-in-one travel blanket set comes in a zip storage pouch that doubles as a pillow case for an inflatable pillow. It is complete with a pocket for your cell phone or MP3 and comes in nine colors. This a great gift for travelers like me who are always cold and who don’t want to pay extra for a used airline blanket … nasty!
4-Port USB Charger, from $29.00
Forget about searching through the hotel room for enough outlets for your family’s electronics. This charger has four USB power points to allow users to charge their phones, MP3s and PDAs at the same time. How efficient!
Skype Internet Phone Handset, from $33.50
Make it easy to talk to your frequent flyin’ friends by buying them a Skype Internet Phone Handset this Christmas. No more headsets or headphones … it will be like a real phone call.
Hand-held Weather Forecaster and Clock, from $39.99
Imagine a travel alarm clock that predicts the weather. Crafty, eh? Well, this pocket-sized clock gives a 12-24 hour weather forecast with local temperatures and humidity so you never have to guess on where to stick the umbrella.
Personalized World Traveler Map Set, from $99.00
No one loves reliving past trips or planning future vacations than frequent travelers. This full-sized world travel map will showcase your favorite traveler’s favorite destinations, dream vacations and previous globe-trotting with color-coded pins. Nice!
Electronic Translators, from $99.00
This hand-held translator knows 200,000 words and 23,000 phrases and translates among 10 languages including English, Japanese, Russian and Italian. Oooh, muy bien…
So are you all set for Christmas now? How many presents do you still need to buy? I’ve bought two! Eeek!
Don’t forget to visit Robin today and see what travel tips she has up her sleeve.
Until next time … Buon Viaggio!
Blog My Blog: Christmas Edition
All of the Christmas talk around here has me decking halls, caroling carols and rockin’ around the Christmas tree. Well … the decorations.
What?
Doesn’t everybody?
And all of this good cheer is just too much to keep to myself. So today I’m gonna borrow a theme from Bleeding Espresso. I hope you all will play along and
Blog my Blog
Here’s how it works:
1. I’ll kick it off with a question.
2. The first commenter answers my question and leaves a new question for the next commenter. It can be a general question, fill in the blank sentence, a “tell me about a time when,” etc.
3. The next commenter answers that question and asks a new question for the following visitor.
4. And so on and so forth.
5. This is a family blog folks (or, well … it could be) so let’s keep it clean. My mama comes here.
6. In a situation where two commenters have answered the same question and you’re next to answer, please either choose one of the questions or answer both; if you don’t answer both, you are free to pass along the question you didn’t use or come up with a new one. Apparently this was an issue at Bleeding Espresso. Thanks for the heads up!
And now the first question …
What is one thing on your Christmas list
you really hope Santa brings?
And you are up!
La Buona Cucina Americana: Three Ingredient Dessert - Texas Mud
With less than two weeks to finish buying gifts, wrapping presents and decorating the tree it might be hard to find time to bake all of your traditional homemade goodies.
Need some help?
This easy to whip up, no-bake Texas Mud recipe was a staple at my busy mom’s table and now it is global. My Calabrese hubby loves it, my English-speaking expat buddies love it, even my 10-year-old English student loves it.
And it isn’t it pretty?
Yum!
Texas Mud Dessert
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
>> Vanilla pudding (instant, 2 cups)
>> * Whipping Cream (1 cup) / Container of Cool Whip
>> Oreo, or similarly yummy chocolate and cream cookies (10 ounces)
* We always use a regular-sized container of thawed Cool Whip in Texas, but I substitute whipping cream in Italy. It is much lighter with Cool Whip!
Directions:
1. If using whipping cream, whip the cream and set it aside.
2. Pour half of the pudding into a large bowl and crumple cookies, folding with a large spoon occasionally.
3. Slowly fold in the whipping cream. This dish should be very light, so be sure not to over-stir or mash the cookies.
4. Continue alternating the pudding and whipping cream until you have reached the desired consistency.
5. Pour into a serving bowl, crumble more cookies on top and decorate.
Enjoy!
In Italiano!
Ingredienti:
>> Budino al gusto vaniglia (450 ml)
>> Panna per dolci (200 ml)
>> Biscotti Oreo o Ringo (300 gr.)
Preparazione:
1. Montare la panna e metterla da parte.
2. Versare metà del budino dentro una ciotola e sminuzzare i biscotti.
3. Mescolare gentilmente con la panna, da fare con delicatezza per evitare di ridurre in poltiglia i biscotti.
4. Alternare budino e panna fin quando non sarà raggiunta una buona consistenza.
5. Versare in una ciotola, sminuzzare altri biscotti e decorare.
Buon Appetito!
What is your favorite holiday dessert? It is ok … you can name more than one. I won’t tell!
** Sila Fridays will return next week! **
Who by Fire Author Interview and Book Giveaway
Who by Fire. This book has been blazing the blogosphere lately, with giveaways, author interviews and guest posts popping up at many of my favorite sites. The book sounds fantastic - there is crime, there is love, there is family … but is there forgiveness? Well, I don’t know. I haven’t read the book yet, either.
But thanks to the charismatic young author, Diana Spechler - I have to say young, she is younger than me and I am young, right? Right? - you can win a copy!
As a recent winner of the NaNoWriMo challenge, I am intrigued by the writing process of published authors, so after a few polite email exchanges, Diana let me quiz her on her writing.
Our interview is below.
But first … the giveaway!
Just leave a comment - any comment! - on this post by midnight (Calabria time) Wednesday, December 17.
One winner will be randomly selected and announced on Thursday, December 18.
The giveaway is open to anyone with a US address, but I have an idea for you overseas folks.
1) Enter the contest and use a family member’s or friend’s address in the US
2) Enter the contest and if you win, send a bonus holiday gift to a friend or family member in the US
3) Enter anyway. I’ll be in Texas for Christmas and since I am feeling the holiday spirit, I’ll mail it to you myself!
And now … Diana Spechler on her writing process.
What got you interested in writing?
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing. I was writing stories and poems from the time I could pick up a pencil. Eventually, I gave up poetry. I was a terrible poet.
photo credit: Mike Willis
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
As soon as I was no longer a student, I started calling myself a writer, because I wasn’t sure what else to call myself. But I was self-conscious. When you say, “I’m a writer,” people ask, “What have you written?” and when you have to say, “Lots of things, but none are available for public consumption,” well…it’s embarrassing. Once I sold my novel, I became more comfortable with calling myself a writer. Now I call myself an author, which feels like a promotion.
How do you develop plots and characters? Do you use a formula or do they evolve as you write?
Characters come first. Always. I’m inspired by people I meet. I love quirks and tics. I love strange accents. I love people who use big words out of context. I love when someone’s pants are too tight or when someone has the loudest laugh in the room. I love the lies we tell one another. I love when someone says the wrong thing. I love looking at two people and knowing that Person One likes Person Two more than Person Two likes Person One. My fascination with character is endless, so character development comes much more easily to me than plot. I find plot painfully difficult. I was surprised when I finished writing Who By Fire that I had written such a plot-heavy novel. In the first few drafts, there was no plot.
What books have influenced you the most?
It’s hard to say, but a couple of my favorite novels at the moment are Mystery Ride by Robert Boswell and Rules For Saying Goodbye by Katherine Taylor.
If you had to do it again, what would you change about the writing process you underwent when writing Who by Fire?
Please don’t make me do it again!
The whole time I was writing Who By Fire, I was thinking, Never again will I write a multiple-vision narration. Never again will I write about people who don’t want me to research them (Orthodox Jewish men). But avoiding particular challenges doesn’t make the writing process any easier—new challenges inevitably arise. My second novel is causing me just as much grief as Who By Fire caused me, but for different reasons.
What do you find most challenging as a writer?
It’s difficult to make a living as a writer. I have to work other jobs and squeeze the writing in, which is incredibly frustrating.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Be open to constructive criticism. Don’t be afraid to throw out twenty, fifty, or even two hundred pages; writing is really just lots of re-writing.
That is great advice, Diana and I want to thank you for your candid thoughts on the difficulties and challenges of being a writer.
Now the rest of you - enter this contest. If you can’t wait until next week, you can buy the book now. Right here.
In bocca al lupo!
