Statia

Chilean Chardonay for me tonight and I got to thinking about this Friday night's topic since my 2003 Italy trip report was somehow topped on the European forum. In it's topping, I got to reading it again and relived many memories since I hadn't read that report in nearly two years. Thanks to those who led me to relive the memories.

I have been to many states in the US, along with Mexico, and ten countries in Europe. I still have a LONG way to go on my travel wish list, including more countries in Europe and Asia, as well.

However, my topper trip is still Venice....as if you didn't know that already. There are a few close seconds and thirds and so on. But, one must have a favorite....no?

So, what is your poison and what's your all time favorite travel destination? Feel free to indulge us with some memories if you care to.

Have a good Friday night and a great weekend all.

GoTravel

No poison, I have a race in the morning.

My all time favorite trip was a trip I took to Islamorada Florida with my male roomate, two of my girlfreinds, and one of my girlfriends brothers. We took his boat with us.

We decided a week before we left to go and make it a cheap trip (we were 21-24 years old).

We left New Years Eve, drove to Palm Beach dragging a boat behind us, and crashed a wedding reception. By the end of the night, we were dancing with the bride and groom.

The five of us stayed in peak season at the Key Lantern Motel paying $38 per night total for a suite with a kitchen.

We would gas up the boat, load the tackle, make lunches, and pack the coolers full of beer and liquor and be out on the water every morning by 7AM.

I think I spent a total of $300 for a ten day trip.

One of the best impromtu vacations of my life!

beachbum

Even thought it's only 4:30pm on the left coast, and I'm still at the office, a nice glass (or two) of Napa Valley chardonnay is ushering me into the weekend.

Your question immediately evoked memories of my first trip to French Polynesia, and the ferry trip across the Sea of the Moon, cloudless blue sky, gentle wind, water of colors I had never imagined, and escorted by spinner dolphin and flying fish.

Aside from several other S. Pacific trips, Paris last fall was a close second (if I don't count pedaling around Europe for 10 months as a 19-20 year old, but I guess that was more of an adventure).

Thanks for prompting the memories, Statia. A great weekend to you, too.

dcespedes

Greetings Statia! Hard to believe, I know, but I have a definitive answer for you tonight! First of all I am enjoying a California Merlot... immensely! ;-) My favorite trip of all time was to Paris because 1. I dreamed of it for so long--why I don't know but I did, and 2. our first attempt at going there (plane tickets and all!) was dashed due to the tragic events of 9/11 (fear had nothing to do with this--my husband is in the Air Force and all leave, understandably, was cancelled). So, when I finally reached this destination that had intrigued me, and kept me at bay for so long, it meant that much more. Standing beneath the Eiffel Tower...walking down the stairs (the elevator freaked me out)...visiting Versailles...seeing the Louvre lit at night!...a sunset cruise down the Seine...all of it was heaven to me. It was a short visit--much shorter than what we had originally planned so we must go back some day--hopefully, sooner than later. Now, I am just as excited and equally curious about our upcoming trip to Italy this fall.

GT, I hope the race doesn't get rained out this weekend!

JJ5

Just some coffee (regular)and a quiet night tonight, as two events to attend in the next 2 days plus a lot of other stops. My brother is coming home from Iraq during the week, and a big welcome in a Knight's of Columbus Hall in the city is being planned by his buddies from the Chicago Pol. Dept. for next Fri. night. Think I may stay with bottled water until then. Wish he was home to stay; he's going back for 4 more months.

My favorite trip??? Ummmmm. I think it was the trip to the Amalfi Coast I made all by myself just after my 50th birthday. But it is almost tied with one I made, much like Go Travel's on a shoestring and very serendipity, to Sandusky Ohio with 2 pre-teenagers and a baby in a broken down Chevy Celebrity, many years ago. Roller coast heaven and the kids were totally un-jaded. They still remember it as their favorite vacation (not the baby though- he doesn't remember it at all.) He doesn't even remember getting buried by his siblings on the beach/ Lake Erie; but I have the pictures.

indytravel

Hey Statia! Nice to see the "poison & travel" thread. It's been a hectic few weeks so I haven't really looked for it. New software with a month end, an NYC GTG (woohoo!), Indy 500 weekend with 6 guests for 3 days at my home, the usual.

Tonight's poison started with a perfectly crafted VO Manhattan. Not so perfect from my labors but from the Noilly-Prat red vermouth tpatricco gave me at the NYC GTG. Thanks Trish!

Next I'm going to switch to Michelob beer from the keg refrigerator. Fired up for the summer I loaded in a pony keg of Mic last weekend for friends. Unfortunately Budweiser products are not my brother's favorite. So I have to bite the bullet and finish the last couple of pitchers off in the next few days. Oh how I hate life's challenges! (and I'm truly thankful that I don't have the hardships so many must face.)

My best all time ever trip was when I turned 40 a few years ago. Though I'd love to say it was yesterday it was really 4 years ago. I spent 8 weeks in Europe for my 40th birthday: 3 by myself, 2 with a friend, the other 3 with my Dad, niece & nephew.

I had a blast in Scotland, England, Holland, Belgium and France. I saw some out of the way places which taught me to love those: Saumur, Angers, Liege, Katwijk, Winchester. I also traveled alone in Europe for the first time to see if I would like it. Like it? I love it now.

lvk

Hi Statia,

I finally have something interesting to post on the "Poison" thread! I just made a pitcher of Caipirinhas, substituting Costa Rican Guaro for Brazilian Cachaca. Luckily, my guests will be my neighbors, so no one has to drive home.

My favorite all time trip would have to be our delayed honeymoon in Europe. We flew into Munich, and visited with my in-laws for a few days. We then stole my FIL's Mercedes and took off. No itinerary, no reservations, just driving through the countryside. If we liked a place (Lago di Garda), we stayed longer. If not (Zurich), we hit the road.

For two weeks, we drove through Austria, Italy, Switzerland and back into Germany. Back in Munich, over dinner with friends, we decided to go to Paris for a few days. We threw an overnight bag in the trunk, hit the road again at 11 pm, and were in Paris by morning. Again, no reservations, no itinerary.

Now I plan a trip to death - but have fun doing so! Thanks for letting me relive the memories!

Have a great weekend everyone!

makai1

Aloha...

Enjoying a crisp Mezza Corona Pinot Grigio... listening to Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald sing some jazz.

I love this thread Statia. Someday I'll get to Venice. Until then, I must say my favorite memories sail from St. John, USVI in Nov 2000 to celebrate my 40th birthday.

DH & I had a really rough year and for a few months just hadn't had enough... er... well, you know... romance

Anyway, we left the cold late fall of Chicago on Thanksgiving Day... I will never forget the ride over to St. John from St. Thomas on the downtown ferry in DH's arms on the bow of the boat.

Notes from my journal... "We snuggled into a wonderful spot, with a bird's eye view of St. Thomas & the passage on to St. John. We watched the bustle of the downtown area fade into the wake. Directly overhead we were blessed with the guiding flight of a lovely gull with the most crisp and languid lines I have ever seen... a spit tail and a smooth sail. He was wonderfully guiding us along to a new destination. My hair was flying everywhere, giving me a sense of freedom not felt in a long time...

Every minute of this 10 day trip is etched in my memory... the moonlight dancing on our cliffside private patio over Hart Bay, an excursion to St. Thomas for a special surprise anniversary bracelet gift on my b-day, aaaahhhhhhhhh the memories are sweet...

Just like you say, Statia, we all have a favorite, no?

Fodorite018

Crystal light for me, once again. I will be playing chauffer to the kids in a little bit and have to be up early and drive to Eugene for a track meet for DS, so more chaufferring, lol! Plus, DH is on a climb and I need to stay coherent incase anything unplanned happens.

Hmmmm...favorite all time trip...hard to pick just one. Can I pick two?

One would be Portugal. It was my first trip overseas, and it was just the kids and I. I was so scared to go by myself and not knowing any of the language. I remember being on the plane thinking "what in the hell am i doing?". What made it so special was that my DH had been deployed for 3 months already and we were meeting him on a port stop.

Second trip was to a few places in Europe, about a week after DH returned from a different deployment. This time he was over in the gulf when the USS Cole was hit. So when he returned, we were more thankfull than usual. Anyway, on that trip we visited Normandy. Seeing the look on dh's face while standing in the American Cemetary and on Omaha Beach is something I will never forget.

GoT and Beachbum--I loved those type of trips. When you are so young you just go and don't think about everything.

Dcespedes--My father had finally been convinced to travel overseas, and they went to Paris. He too took the stairs at the ET...but he slipped on the last two steps and tore his rotator cuff. We can't convince him to go back, lol!

JJ5--Enjoy your time with your brother!

Indytravel--My best friend and I are going to Scotland to celebrate our 40th bdays. I have been before, but she hasn't. I just hate having to wait til the fall for the trip though.

beachbum

mms, Was it the Portugal trip when you unexpectedly saw DH's sub coming into port?

Best of luck to DS in tomorrow's meet. And, if you're trackin', Go Beavs.

okay... make that three glasses of wine!

Statia

I am just in awe at reading all these wonderful travel memories! I have so many great ones myself, but you have made me want to post about our special memory in Venice and one of the reasons it holds a special place in my heart.

I will never forget the moment when we began our slow cruise down the Grand Canal to renew our wedding vows for our ten year anniversary. All I could think was...WOW! It was a totally different experience than on the vaporetto, being lower in the water, just gently gliding. There was so much to look at and so much to see, and it was such a unique experience.

Of course, I'm sure the special occassion had a lot to do with but my husband turned to me and said, "Pinch me....we're not really here doing this!" So, of course I pinched him, which our photographer got a fantastic photo of as we were both grinning like a couple of five year olds. (It's actually our favorite out of all the vow renewal photos taken).

After awhile, we had somewhat contained ourselves and our delight, yet still hadn't been able to wipe those silly grins off our faces. We finally veered off onto the smaller canals in the Dorsoduro area, and Sergio (our gondolier) was great about picking out a route that was practically void of any other people, so we were alone to begin our ceremony.

Our vow renewal consultant and officiant wrote and conducted the ceremony beautifully. There were many tears of joy shed as my husband and I each read the vows that we'd written, not knowing what the other was going to say until it was said. We also put our Venetian glass beads around one another's neck after we each spoke, and the whole ceremony was actually even more meaningful for us, after ten years of marriage, than it was the first time we said our wedding vows.

Once the ceremony was concluded my husband kissed his bride and and gave our officiant, and by now our dear friend, his hanky since she was tearing up as well. Then, she gave us a beautiful Murano glass antique ink pen as a gift, which was so thoughtful and totally unexpected. She'd also included a beautiful card and said the pen was to continue writing our memoirs.

By this point, we both felt so happy and serene. It was as if we were living a dream. We continued on with the traditional "wedding walk" through St. Mark's Piazza, and past the Basilica and Doge's Palace.

We then boarded the launch to HOTEL CIPRIANI for dinner. The captain was most gracious and we felt really special having that beautiful mohagony boat all to ourselves for the ride across the bay to Guidecca.

Once we arrived Hotel Cipriani, we were greeted by beautiful gardens and an wonderful staff. We were seated on the terrace, right next to the water, for our sunset dinner.

After dinner, we wandered to the piano bar, which overlooked the gorgeous pool area, and had an after dinner limoncello. The bar only had a couple of other patrons in it, so it was nice and quiet, rather than crowded and stuffy. The piano player wandered in and asked my husband what he'd like to have played for "his bride." My husband told him "You Look Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton. The piano player obliged and it was very touching.

Truly one of the most memorable days and nights of my life.

JJ5

Wow, that's a wonderful memory.

Statia

I have to apologize for my typos and also for capitalizing Hotel Cipriani in my post.

That wasn't meant to happen, but I was trying to conserve time since I've got a few things going on here at once....copying, pasting, condensing, cooking, answering the phone, and having a Chardonay.

iceeu2

It's a pinot noir in our household this evening.

Well, at the moment, my favorite all time trip was the state of Hawaii. That's where I was this time last Friday, so it's a pretty fresh memory.

I guess next to that is Denmark. My grandfather came to the US as a stow-a-way in 1888. He was 18 years old. Never saw his parents again. I never met him, but my daddy always told me how kind he was. That's how all of the people in Denmark were...loving and kind. Guess they knew I was a decendent.

Great thread, Statia..Salute!

GoTravel

Statia, you had me crying! Wow! What a beautiful fairytale story!

jacketwatch

1. Scotch. The best I have had is an 18 yr. old McCallan.
2. Fiji, with the BI as a close 2nd.

indytravel

Beautiful story Statia!

OldSouthernBelle

Pain killers ...learned the recipe/drink in the USVI/BVI and it's been a fav of ours since!!

A fav trip when our sons were teens was Yellowstone in the winter snow!

Also, Mount Rose, where I learned to ski (at the ripe old age of 40!).

Belle.

Jocelyn_P

Hello all,

I'm not drinking anything at the moment, although I just finished the season's very first tomato from our backyard garden. There are few pleasures as sweet as the taste of a home grown tomato.

My favorite all time trip? That's so tough. Whenever I ask myself that question, the answer is always the last trip I took, perhaps because it's fresh in my mind. But, if I had to objectively choose one, it might be the abbreviated trip DH and I took to Banff, Alberta. The plan was to spend 5 days there, then drive to the next province for my grandparents' 50th anniversary celebration. A day or two before we were scheduled to leave for Canada, my grandfather got really sick. We decided to spend just two nights in Banff (since we were flying into Calgary anyway), then go to Saskatchewan early so we could spend more time with Grandpa and the rest of the family. Knowing the emotionally painful visit that was ahead of us, DH and I saw Banff with a renewed appreciation for all that God has to offer. My favorite and most vivid memory is taking a canoe out onto Lake Moraine (the most beautiful spot on earth as far as I'm concerned). We were the only people in sight. The temp was probably a crisp 65 degrees with a bright sun shining through the surreal flourescent blue water. While we were enjoying the silence out on the water, raindrops started to fall from the sky. We never did find the rainbow--that would have been just too perfect--but I kept thinking I wish I could bottle the emotions I felt right then, and I feel like I did, because the memory remains so vivid after gosh, ten years?

Thanks for all the stories. Best wishes to all.

seetheworld

Good evening Statia and my fellow Fodor friends! First, Statia, that was a beautiful story -- what a wonderful memory for you both!

Tonight, we had a wonderful dinner with our sons and the oldest's DS's girlfriend who is visiting. Lots of California Chardonnay -- I think I had too much, lol!

Anyway, I think my all-time favorite trip would be the one we took as a family to Scotland. Our kids were rather young, 3 and 6, as we flew to England for the first time to visit my SIL, who was like a second mother to our kids. Everyone was so very excited.

During the middle of our stay, we rented a car and took a 4 night trip to Scotland. I think it was the absolute first time there was ever complete silence in our car -- the scenary and beauty of a completely unknown territory just took everyone's breath away.

As we approached the "rock" that borders England with Scotland, there was a bagpipper playing. We all got out of the car to listen. I remember there was a fellow who was so gentlemanly and we asked him for some directions. Both my DH and I nodded with complete appreciation and then returned to our car, looked at each other, neither one of us had any idea of what this kind man said, LOL

We found our way to Edinburgh and the Holiday Inn, which at the time was not very child friendly. We did lots of sightseeing. I have lots of pictures of us in the Castle prison -- I don't know why, we just do. We also hiked up an extinct volcano (I wish I knew the name of this place). I have terrific photos of the kids slumped over and fast asleep in the car There was also this huge monument with large white pillars (I wish I can remember the name of this place too). I have fantastic pictures of the kids who looked like ants while standing next to the massive size of this structure.

SIGH...sometimes I just want to turn back time.

Happy Friday, everyone!