Julie

Home again, home again: <BR>Our flights home on Alitalia from Frankfurt to Milan and then Milan to Boston were uneventful. Though we arrived timely in Boston and had checked the previous day to see that all our flights were still scheduled, we were told that our flight there had been cancelled. While our counter agent made an initial attempt to reschedule us in the 20 minutes remaining until the last available flight to Mpls, she quickly gave up and seemed to become quite nervous as she explained that we’d have to wait until the following morning. I presumed this was because she feared dealing with yet another irate passenger but it may have been because we’d been coded “yellow S” some kind of security coding meaning that at every stop we were searched twice. Must have been our profile or something. At any rate, we spent the last night of our trip at the Logan Hilton with our bags in our room still on the smarte carte that we wheeled from the airport direct to the hotel through a very ritzy reception and wheeled right back again the next morning. <BR> <BR>Our next day flight on Northwest from Boston to MSP was notable only for the presence of an unusually burly steward who seemed unfamiliar with how to open orange juice cartons and replied to a man who thanked him for freshening his drink with a “you betcha” and a thumbs up. We wondered if he might have been a disguised sky marshal, I must say that he didn’t seem like your standard flight attendant. <BR> <BR>Happy to answer any questions for those of you who made it all the way through this lengthy recounting. It was a swell trip with lots of variety, generally good weather (seemed to rain mostly on travel days when we didn’t mind), and great food. Planning pays off. <BR>

BTilke

Julie, <BR>That was a very thorough report and I'm sure many Fodorites will file it away. I will. Thank you! We were in Alsace in August and missed the villages you mentioned, but did go through Niederbronn les Bains which I thought was an unexpected pleasure. Very much like Baden Baden without the tourists. <BR>I have done Oktoberfest just once (1997) and the only thing I can add is that when you have a lot of people drinking a lot of beer and eating a lot of sausage and a lot of onions you get a lot of...farting. Whoa! The Germans are literally sitting on a new energy supply during the fest-- ;-) <BR>BTilke

Tim

Julie: I am highly impressed by your posting. I just wonder how you carried the $27,566.13 you spent on the hotels, wine and food.

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

Very impressive Julie, <BR>You are obviously a great planner. This is a complex itinerary that must have called for many hours of work. I wish I had your food budget--you must be real foodies. Wondeful report.

erica

Julie - I loved your report; fun time, well-written, beautifully detailed. <BR> <BR>Check out slowtrav.com. We'd be happy to have you there and you'll read about people who almost exclusively rent villas for their holidays, primarily to England and Italy. Many agencies and rentals have been reviewed. I also wish you'd post, at least the Italy portion of this trip report there. <BR> <BR>Thanks again.

Brian in Atlanta

Wonderful reading, Julie. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

karen

Great report. Unfortunately most of us cannot afford your itinerary. <BR> <BR>Just out of curiosity just how much weight did you gain on this trip?

ohoh

Fabulous trip. Someday I'll need to talk my husband into the German itinerary. Our budget will be more modest...however, some of these snide posters seem not to realize that you are quoting Canadian dollars. So that $27,000+ some wag has totalled up is really only about $3000 US (just kidding!)

russ i

Julie, <BR> <BR>That was a fantastic report and I envy your budget. For the vast majority of us who must operate on a 1/4 of that amount, a bit of advise. <BR> <BR>Having lived in Bologna for 2 years and taken numerous trips to Tuscany and the Lakes (no more than 2 hours to the north or south of Bologna) it is possible to have 90% of Julie's experience and 25% of the cost (but how I would love to do it Julie's way.) <BR> <BR>We have stayed many times in Agriturismi (farms that let rooms) in Tuscany for $25 - 40/night per person, including dinner and breakfast. I am talking home grown vegetables, locally raised meats, homemade pasta, and several courses until you want to burst. One of these was outside Siena with a view of the city. Another was just outside the gates of Montalcino (La Chiusa), a few hundred feet from the Banfi winery. <BR> <BR>We did have lunch once at the Locanda San Vigilio on Lake Garda, and as Julie says, it was fantastic; however, with the Veneto and Tuscany being a great wine producing regions, we were not disappointed with the house wine ever. We were also able to the enjoy the grounds for a couple hours before proceeding to Limone sul Garda. We then contented ourselves with sleeping in a comfortable 4 star hotel for $90/night in Limone. <BR> <BR>Julie is right in saying that Italian food is not nuanced, and I think, the better for the straight forward flavors derived from using only the freshest, local ingredients, prepared in a non-fussy and uncomplicated manner. Remember that Italians refuse to eat bad food, so you can find great food at even the inexpensive places (but keep away from the tourist places in Venice and Florence; if the menu is only in Italian, you're probably safe). <BR> <BR>So don't despair Fodorites. Although Julie's choices were impeccable and her descriptions spot on, you can have an experience every bit as wonderful, at any price point.

Julie

This is fun. I'm enjoying the responses. To the person who inquired about weight gain--Miss Piggy here gained nary an ounce. We do far more walking while on vacation than while we're home which seems to balance out the rich food. The weight gets gained when I return home and continue to eat like I was still vacationing while getting only finger exercise typing my Fodor report. Never expected to get such a response on the prices of things, provided them mostly because those are the things I see most often questioned when Fodorites respond to postings. In general I try to book into three star hotels in the $150 to 200 range, hopefully staying on the low side. Sometimes I make a special point to try to vary lower priced stays with some in the middle and only one or two at the high end. This trip got driven up because of our desire to stay at a couple of special hotels and because of our lack of choices in Lucerne and Frankfurt. Our meals too tend to run the gamut from pretty inexpensive to quite high. I never detailed the food on several of the lower priced meals because while perfectly fine they weren't the showstoppers so many Fodorites seem to debate about. Special thanks to Russ for pointing out how easy it is to enjoy the same itinerary for considerably less cost. One of our most memorable stops and meals was at the Frauendorfer in Garmisch (technically Partenkirchen) where our meal for 4 with great beer was only $86. On the question of how to carry the money to pay for all of it, my response taken straight from The Graduate is "plastic."

Bebe

Julie <BR> <BR>Awesome trip report! I was able to relive our recent trip to Italy as well as a trip to Germany in 1998. I was glad to read your report on the Hotel Monteriggioni. We also visited the town last month and loved it. We vowed to go back and stay overnight at the hotel someday. It is even possible we were there the same day as you. We were there on September 18th and also saw the filming going on there. Thanks for the report.

russ i

Julie, <BR> <BR>LOL. Enjoyed your Graduate reference. I'm planning my first trip to Italy since moving back to the US 2 years ago, and you have given me much food for thought. Thanks.

Julie

Bebe, sorry I missed you. Yes, we were in Monteriggioni on the 18th, having breakfast and packing after our night there on the 17th. This is the second time I've been someplace where a commercial was being filmed. Saw one other in Ramatuelle, France where a Dockers ad was being filmed at our hotel, model jumping about on the roof in odd positions. I'd sure like to see the results of one of these sometime.

Sal

Julie: Great report! <BR>2 questions: 1. In Montepulciano and Montalcino (uphill streets and parking problem), are there any buses to take you into the center of town? 2. Did you happen to notice the store price for those 2 famous wines of these towns? <BR>Thanks. Sal

Jason

32nd trip you announce right off the bat and then go into your listings at dinner for 2 at $300 as "pretty reasonable" and $476 dinner for 4 as "not high" and $350 dollar LUNCHES <BR>while you stay in places that run anywhere from $600 a night down to $200 (oh yes there was that bad hotel at $342, remind me not to stay there. Forgot only royalty like you and Prince Charles, or as you call him just Charles, can stay at places like this. Tim figured it out step by step I guess as I just averaged it out as your costs for 2 people only hotels and lunch/dinner at $16,500.

TROLL

Those prices for meals were ridiculous! One can dine just as well for under $100 for a couple, including a nice bottle of wine. Get real!

Julie

Sal, thanks for your question. Aside from the person who asked how much weight I've gained this is the first question I've been asked from my report. Although we are foodies, we don't just eat and drink while we vacation. My husband has 4+ hours of excellent video and between us we shot 32 rolls of film--I'll admit that many of my shots are of markets. <BR> <BR>At any rate to answer your questions, we recall seeing a bus labeled "Centro Storic" pass us several times as we tromped about the steep streets of Montepulciano. We have no such recollections for Montalcino. Though I cannot recall any particular prices exactly wine prices for Vino Nobile and Brunello must vary widely just as prices in California vary widely for Cabernet. In Montalcino especially we saw wine stores with vast selections and we know we saw bottles priced under $10 US. Even if many prices for the Vino Nobile and the Brunello are up there, both areas make a Rosso that is highly respectable and considerably less. We had a couple of Rossos that we liked a lot. If you're a wine buff, this is a wonderful area to go to. Check out A Traveller's Wine Guide to Italy by Stephen Hobley. It not only has great info on wines, it has excellent maps of the areas, good suggestions on hotels and restaurants and great pictures of the areas and their sights.

bettyk

While some of Julie's experiences are beyond the budget of many travelers, I appreciate having the information. There are times when you may want to splurge on a special meal or a special hotel. At least this way you have some input from one who has been there. Not everybody wants to stay in budget hotels. I say if you can afford it, go for it!

Julie

We made our first trip to Europe in 1973. My husband, who was born in Latvia and spent his early childhood in DP camps in Germany, remembered many sites and felt like he's returned home. I, who only went along for the ride on that first trip, fell instantly in love with the place. Lucky it was that I did. Travel is our joint passion and if one of the other had not enjoyed it, it would be very difficult to stay together with different values--the money goes to fix up the house, oh no it doesn't, it goes for our next trip, is never an argument we have. It pains me mightily to spend money on clothes or furniture, etc. when it could go instead for airline tickets, food or wine. <BR> <BR>At first we were able to go every two or three years, then gradually once a year (almost always in late Sept/early October) and then even twice or three times a year, especially when we hear of a great deal on flights, e.g. $300 or so round trip to AMS. We're retired and can't pass that kind of thing up. All of that has added up to 32 trips to Europe by age 56. I wouldn't trade a minute of them. Our love of travel must be contagious. We've passed it on to our children and to several of our friends. I take almost as much joy from the trips I help plan for them as those I go on myself.

Karen

Julie, I enjoyed your report very much. I am surprised at the negative respones you got because of the amount of money you spent. Hey, people to each his own. If she has it, let her enjoy. I appreciate all the time you took to tell us in detail your experiences rates and all. I envy your 32 trips to Italy. Next June will be the first to Europe for my husband and I. I was a military brat and have been everywhere in the US and I LOVE to travel. I do not know why it took me so long to get going. I used to fear flying. Anyway I would love to e-mail you to get some info on places I intend to go that it seems you did not go this time.I will be in Rome for 4 nights, Venice for three, Florence for 2 and Tuscany for 5. You didn't mention Greve in your list of Chianti towns by scenicness. I want to see Siena, Volterra,Chianti and San Gigmanano. I am hoping you have lots of info. I am looking for a place to base out of in Tuscany. I will e-mail you and hope for you Long response. And I say Go Girl and thank you so much for all the detailed info. Karen