Katie,

would it really be breaking the rules to share the Caribbean favorite moment now that you got us all curious?

no one would report you or anything... promise!

gruezi

In answer to Katie H.--the agriturismi we stayed at on our 2007 Italy trip are as follows:

Ca'del Baldo, www.cadelbaldo.com, which is at the foot of Mt. Baldo--7 km. from Lake Garda and 30 km. from Verona. It is on the edge of a village called Caprino Veronese. I searched online for many, many hours/days to find this place. It is run by a young couple, Roberta and Carlo. Roberta speaks 4-5 languages. The apts., pool and grounds are beautiful and we would stay here again. Check out their website for pictures--it looks just like the pictures!

They bought the property 10 years ago and renovated the bldgs. If I remember right, they have only been open for 3 years or so. They are planning on adding a vineyard and olive trees in the future.

There are 4 apts with A/C--2 of them in the former hayloft (1st floor), which is attached at the end of the home that the family lives in and 2 in the former stables (ground). All apts. have private terraces with tables/chairs and the ones in the former hayloft are covered. We loved having this terrace and being able to just step out there with our morning coffee, etc.

The second week we stayed a few km. outside of Assisi at a place called La Fornace, www.lafornace.com. This was also very nice but we were on the 1st floor (I knew this when I booked)and missed not being able to just step outside with our coffee or wine so probably wouldn't stay here again for this reason. There was a nice brick patio with tables below our apt., lovely grounds and pool.

This place was in the Rick Steves' 2007 Italy book and I found out later it is also in Karen Brown's book. It was a great location for exploring many of the Umbrian villages.

We have stayed at agriturismi on previous trips and we really love having our apts. on the ground level. Also, as most people know, you really must have a car if staying at an agriturismo. Let me know if you would like more info.

I love this thread!

Just one moment?!?! 2007 was our final year in Germany and we traveled every chance we could get, so it's tough to single out one experience. I have to go with this one (yes, another Rome story!):

I took my mom to Rome for 4 days in June - my third visit, and her first. The whole trip was wonderful (it was the second time in our lives that the two of us had traveled together without other family) but my favorite moment was when we stumbled on the Teatro di Marcello in the early evening and got to listen to a pianist warming up for a concert. We stood there for a long time watching and listening as strains of Chopin floated up to us, echoing off the arches of the theater, the whole scene bathed in golden light. Absolutely magical!

I think walking into the Cathedral at Como was probably my favourite holiday moment of 2007. Breathtaking. A wonderful atmosphere. Doubly so, after visiting the much larger, in-your-face gothic Duomo of Milan, even with all its spires and treasures.

We went to Venice for a week and the whole trip was magical but I do have two stand out moments.

First, sitting with a nonna on Burano and watching her make lace and talking with us (in Italian) was a magic moment. It felt like I was a little girl again and sitting with my grandmother while she quilted.

Second, on the vaporetto late at night a man ahead of us has a huge bouquet of flowers of lilies, tulips, etc. Giacomo and I have been in the business so we notice these things, and I comment to Giacomo how lovely it is. The gentleman must have overheard and turns around and extracts three tulips and gives them to me. I am astonished and thank him profusely. Only in Italy can a man have the confidence and gentlemanliness to give another Italian man’s wife flowers right in front of him. Another memory to always bring a smile…

Thanks BellaItalia--- just curious for my own personal files. Photos of that first one look beautiful. A potential trip "one day" to Italy with my extended family came up over the holidays and I thought that securing several apartments at an agriturismo might be a good way to go.

We entered an uncrowded Retiro park in Madrid on a warm, beautiful day in March. Near the lake, we saw a man with a beret, sitting on the ledge, playing "New York, New York" on an accordion. We sat down on a park bench to savor the moment and realized that it doesn't matter where you go, you can always find a reminder of home.

Lunch on the deck of the Windstar in the port of Monte Carlo, nice wine, fresh seafood, sitting in the sun, looking at all the yachts and the harbor,feeling like one of the rich and famous for an hour.

Ditto for lunch of the deck of our canal barge in Burgundy in early November--sunshine, great food and wine and the absolute peace of the beautiful countryside.

Walking the streets of Ronda.

Riding on a VIP (no, i'm not one...) catamaran in the mediterranean off Valencia watching the America's Cup races, culminating a wonderful Spanish holiday.

Definitely visiting the St. Stephan's Cathedral in Vienna. What a sight!

I went to Turkey and Greece last September. My friend and I spent the first three days in Cappadocia before arriving in Istanbul. After dropping off our bags, we went and sat on the benches in front of the Blue Mosque and listened to the call to prayer. We sat there people-watching for the next hour. The next five days were amazing, but there was nothing like that first evening when we tried to soak it all in.

This year we went to visit our daughter and son in law in London, and made a five day side trip to Amsterdam. I think the highlight was being at Kukenhoff gardens just at the peak of the tulip blooms, and renting bikes outside of the gardens and going for a nice ride along the tulip fields

Toss up;

Walking the streets of Sarlat as the son rose and walking the canals of Brugge at night.

Sigh.....

This will be hard to narrow down to one moment, so I'll pick two....

1) <b>the feeling I got when our train rounded the corner entering Cinque Terre and seeing the Mediterranean Sea for the first time</b>. All the months of planning or photos I've researched couldn't hold a candle to what I was seeing. I couldn't help but put my nose outside the window to smell the sea air. And the look on my husband's face while I did this was priceless.

2) <b>When I realized what a gift it was to be in Vernazza</b>. That moment were I felt I had died and gone to heaven. We fell in love with the town, people, food and energy of such a special town that we only spent 4 days of our life there. Such a special place...aaahhhh.

can I cheat and add one more?

If you let me...<b>the moment when I realized that this was the first of many trips I'll be taking to Europe!</b>

Favorite trip: Taking my Mom to Italy for 15 nights, in May. We visited Varenna (Lake Como) for 3 nights, Venice for 3, Florence for 2, Val d'Orcia for 3, and Rome for 4 nights.

It's so hard to pick a &quot;single favorite moment&quot; because it was all so wonderful, but a few of them were the after-hours tour of the Vatican with Helen Donegan, and the ballooning in the Val d'Orcia. Mom loved the whole trip but the highlight she said was the ballooning (this from a woman with a pronounced fear of heights, and until her daughter started flying, hated flying, full stop.)

Now I don't think I can keep her away from balloons. I expect our next trip will contain a balloon ride somewhere.

My husband and I were on our way to the Doria Pamphilj gallery in Rome when we were startled by three Jack Russell terriers who had come running up to a wrought iron gate we were passing. Since we were missing our own dog back home we stopped to say hi and then continued around the corner to the gallery. We quickly realized that these dogs actually lived in the house attached to the gallery and throughout our visit we'd hear them barking--we could see them in the courtyard and it was so funny to watch them madly barking and running toward the gate whenever someone walked past. There was a fountain in the middle of the courtyard and at one point all three of the dogs were running around the rim.

The gallery was a real highlight for me--the Velazquez portrait of Pope Innocent was fantastic--but it was the three naughty little dogs that made it my single favorite European travel moment for 2007.

Being reunited with my luggage after 5 sweltering days in Rome! Thank goodness we had an apartment with a washer/dryer!

Gotta say, when we were at the Edinburg Tattoo...it was, as always, spectacular. We were spellbound for over 2 hours. Also, we found a marvenous restaurant just a few doors down the Royal Mile..went there before and after the performance, waiting for the crowds to thin out.

An Italian Tuscan vacation for two weeks in late Sept and October and then 4 glorious days in Cinque Terre.
Swimming in the cleanest, most azure blue water in the Ligurian Sea, and then having gelato. Specialty in the region is pasta with pesto! That was fabulous. Or hiking through the ancient villages!
Another....seeing the statue of David in the Accademia in Florence and marveling at his curves and stature.
Another...eating at Enotecca Pinocchorri in Florence which is a three star Michelin restaurant. Having over 10 courses of the most heavenly food, served on elegant china, drinking delicious wines, and getting the royal treatment from the staff. Ahh...Italy!
Or a wonderful capuccino with biscotti people watching in the cafes...everyone is alive and active.

I there are many from our one trip to Europe this year, but to pick two:

Watching our daughter explore Raglan Castle, exclaiming that this was the coolest thing ever - we were the only ones there.

Flirting with the peacocks when we spent the night at Gwydir Castle.

How can I pick just ONE??? How about two? (1) a one-week Adriatic Sea cruise along the coast of Croatia, with Dubrovnik being my favorite destination (absolutely gorgeous, pristine scenery all along the way); (2) spending parts of two days walking among the natural beauty in Plitvice National Park in Croatia (waterfalls everywhere).

Visiting Cyprus in January

watching people ski - then driving down to the beach (30 mins) and watching people sunbathing on the beach.

Peter

Walking upon St. Gervais Church in Paris one night, and upon entering the church, saw nuns singing at front of the altar. It was a very solemn experience.

Having cocktails (venetian spritz, of course!) at the 500 year old Bancogiro on the Grand Canal of Venice. Breathtaking.............

Well, I only spent two days in Europe in 2007 (I know - horrors!), but I'd have to say that walking out the door of the hotel LOML and I were staying at in Amsterdam after arriving really late the night before from Kenya and looking up and seeing the most amazing rainbow gleaming over the canals was pretty fine.

My family was in Grindelwald, Switzerland, walking in the snowy dusk last March,when we heard the sounds of an orchestra playing at a church.
It was a concert of professionals, a full orchestra, and the sound was so amazing coming from this beautiful, old church, complete with cemetary in the shadow of the Alps...Oh my, Im back there.........Jane