CheBird,
When we were in Sorrento in 2004, we saw so many beautiful inlaid wood things. In one shop, I fell in love with a magnificent tray.

We, of course, didn't buy it.

Imagine my amazement, delight, joy! when on Christmas Eve we opened a package from our friends who travel with us. Yep, the tray!

It's as pretty as ever, in a place of honor on a marble-topped table in the living room.

We also remember a table in Orvieto that we didn't buy...

Byrd

That I didn't have a few more days in Rome. There is a lot I didn't get to see and I was just in awe of the city but at the same time, I really didn't like it all that much. So, if I had a little more time I could have seen a lot more...love the history..because I'm not sure at this point I'll ever see it and with time and available money, it's not high on my list of places to return to.

Arriving in Delphi ,climbing the steep hill,reaching the top and then being told they were closing in 5 minutes!
We still loved it and were overawed by the magnificence of what had been there,but if only we had arrived earlier.......

You said it, BTilke. My DH and I got married in September and headed to Spain and Portugal for our honeymoon. Of course, while we were planning months before, we planned a 3-week whirlwind tour starting and ending in Barcelona. We had never been to either country, and we wanted to get a good taste of them!

Then came the pre-wedding activities, guests staying with us, the wedding itself, the day-after BBQ, and then the honeymoon. When we arrived in Barcelona, we were exhausted, and we were staying 2 nights, then heading on for more 2 and 3 night stays in other cities for the entire 3 weeks. I was most relaxed in Portugal, where we spent 3 days and only drove to the beach and back, and in Barcelona where we spent an additional 3 days at the end with no car. By the time we got home, I felt like I needed a week at the beach! :p

If I were to do it over, it would be 1 week in Portugal to start, then head to Spain and do an additional week in Seville and a 3rd in Barcelona.

I regret not finding this site sooner! And I regret passing on an opportunity to visit Brugge.

Not getting a better camera sooner for many of my trips.

Allowing my dad to be in charge of videotaping on our last Ireland trip. He got no video at all!

Not being able to stay in Ireland, Scotland, England or Wales on each of our trips there. I mean stay as in not come home!!! :)

Greg, if it makes you feel any better maccarons should be eaten the same day as they are made. 2nd day they aren't as good.

We traveled to Austria in January of 1983 and the dollar was very strong. I passed up opportunities to buy things: a loden coat for me (luckily my husband bought one for himeself) - they were only around $100. We found some art that we loved in Innsbruck, but bought only a few small prints and nothing signed by the artist himself (who had recently died). We have the prints framed in our bedroom, but wish we had more.

Not purchasing the antique chandeliers in Amsterdam ....dammit :o)

I regret not traveling around more when I was a student in Provence. I also regret not returning to Europe for over 17 years after my semester abroad. With children and elderly parent responsibilities now, it is almost impossible to get away.

Radiofanatic: did you happen to attend school in Aix or Avignon?

Actually, Marsha, I was based in Toulon but the school I went to had a branch in Avignon as well so we had some coordinated events there too. Loved Avignon and Aix. That six months in Toulon was the best time of my life other than marrying my hubby. When were you over there? I was there in the Spring of 1993.

If you had ever taken a charter flight to Spain from Kansas City with a full load of drunken veterinarians you wouldn't have to ask, but it was free.

In 2004 some friends and I rented a villa in Tuscany (Gaiole in Chianti) for a week. On the last full day there we were relaxing and decided to just take a drive through the countryside and check out wineries and castles.

We were following signs for what we thought was a castle when the road turned to a dirt path that led to a beautiful home. We thought it was a castle. We pulled the car up in what we thought was the parking lot, but we were the only car there. A friend went up to the front door and walked in thinking there would be some kind of desk to purchase tickets.

You can imagine the surprise when it turned out to be a private residence and our friend was standing in the owner's living room. We quickly realized our error but the owner was so gracious he invited us in to share some wine from his personal vineyard!

We were so embarassed that we politely declined and continued to apologize while backing out of the house and parking area.

I still regret not taking up the man on his offer, it would have been a wonder afternoon. But on the bright side, on the way back to the villa we found a little tiny town and stopped in a little store/tobacco shop to ask if there was a restaurant in town. Turned out the store owners had a restaurant upstairs but it was already closed for the day. But they "rustled" up grandmother to cook and we had one of the best meals of our trip at that little restaurant with an absolutely beautiful view of the Tucan country side form the enormous picture window in the second floor restaurant of this little store.

Even the memory of it brings a smile to my face!

For me, one regret is not having the 5th graders we met in Croatia write their names and addresses on the post cards from home I gave them... I would have liked to mail them to them and start a pen-pal relationship.. in case they ever come to the states. How fun would that be?!?

Also, in hind-sight, last years trip to Ireland would have been at a much slower pace.. So what if I didnt see the entire southern half all in one week? I have since learned to RELAX on vacation.. and enjoy it so much more now.

I regret not getting my feet rubbed by Tibetian masseuses while in Prague. Those cobblestones hurt my feet!

My regrets (in chronological order)
1) 18- not going out at night in Barcelona despite my travel companion's constant pleas.
2) 19- deciding to stay put because I was "kind of seeing" this guy, thus not seeing any of what I had wanted to that summer.
3) 20- oversleeping for 2 days straight in Iceland. Not being able to get to the Hague to see the "Girl with a Pearl Earring."
4) 21- being in Dallas for 3 months and not going to Austin to visit my friends.
5) 22- forgetting my ID while out in Honolulu and not being able to get in anywhere one evening. Not spending Spring Break in Miami because I "needed to work on my thesis."
6) 23- no regrets. What a great year!
7) 24- not jumping on the chance to date my best friend (still bitter about this one). visiting Milan and not seeing the "Last Supper."
8) 25- not going to my cousin's wedding in Mexico. Going to Albuquerque to cover a flamenco festival.

Of all those mentioned, if there were one I would have undone it would have been dating my friend. It just makes me want to cry.

<i>Non! Rien de rien!
Non! Je ne regrette rien!
Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait,
Ni le mal, tout &ccedil;a m'est bien egal!</i>

What stands out is something I <b>don't</b> regret: Last year before we left for Venice, we paid a tour co. in advance for a day trip to Ravenna, to see the mosaics. Once in Venice, I was so jet-lagged I couldn't stand it. Looking at my bleary-eyed reflection just a couple of hours before the tour, I thought, &quot;Oh, dear Lord, just let me <b>SLEEP</b>!&quot;

If we hadn't paid a goodly (nonrefundable) sum beforehand, but had instead planned to take the train, then I would certainly have passed on Ravenna in favor of a long nap. I would have missed some of the most glorious art ever.

Then I really would have had something to regret.

My biggest regret is not having bought the lovely townhouse off the main quai in Honfleur for only $13,000 back in 1973. I remember discussing it with friends and family and coming to the conclusion that I'd have to sell drugs to make that kind of money!

Oh well, St-Cirq isn't a bad alternative.....

Hi, Radiofanatic: my semester in Avignon was in 1977 - ages ago! Isn't it a great opportunity to study in a different country? It is an experience that changes you forever.
And, smalti, I wondered when someone would quote the lines from Edith Piaf's song!

As I just read through this thread, it wasn't until I got to smalti's comments that I realised I had subconsciously started palying Edif Piaf's &quot;No Regrets&quot; as I started to read this thread. How's that for coincidence? I've been rather into this song since planning for my trip to Paris. I'm planning on using it as the background music to my Paris travel video/photos.