Family Adventures

Quebec City – The arrival!

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

This year for Christmas, we tried to make a point to tone down the “things” and focus more on experiences and memory making opportunities.  Our first family experience is a road trip to Quebec City, Canada.  We left today, the day after Christmas, and I would love to share a bit of our day to day with you as we go!  Here is a snapshot of our our travel day and first experience walking around when we arrived!

We left our house in southern Maine around 8:15am.  My husband, daughter, son, my son’s girl friend and my daughter’s BFF were in for a 7 hour ride!  It was a great ride – we stopped once outside of Skowhegan for lunch, gas and a potty break, then stopped once more for a coffee break once we got into Canada.  The border crossing was easy (5 passports and 1 birth certificate and government issued ID) and we thought we made great time!

We arrived at our hotel – the Hotel Royal William – and checked into our two rooms (girls and boys)!  Note: when traveling to Quebec Province, make sure you know a little French!  We all know a bit and do our best to ingratiate our hosts by trying to speak French, but everyone here also speaks English, so a happy Bonjour goes a long way!!

We got settled then hit the road to explore!  We are staying about a mile outside of the Old City and it was 13 degrees when we left the hotel this afternoon around 4pm, so we bundled up and started our hike up hill!  And I mean UP HILL!  Walking around Quebec City isn’t for the faint of heart – but we enjoyed the brisk air and exercise after being hold up in the car for 7 hours!  The walk was lovely since we were hitting it at sunset and we reached the Old City in no time!

The city is so beautiful all decked out with lights for the holidays.  This is our first time in Quebec and so far, we love it!  We found an adorable little restaurant for dinner and had bison burgers, meat pie, lobster bisque and a plethora of maple desserts!  After dinner, we headed towards the Chateau Frontenac, where we spied the boardwalk, funicular and toboggan run!  Check out these fun pictures!

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After the toboggan run (with a lot of screaming, praying and our lives flashing before our eyes), we headed down the funicular to the Lower City to wind through some gorgeous old world streets!  We checked out a few shops, tasted some macarons and took some more gorgeous pictures – then we started our walk back UP to the Chateau area, then back to our hotel.  Check out these gorgeous night time pictures of this magnificent riverside city!

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Tomorrow, we are headed first to the Siberian Spa (woot woot), then perhaps tubing?  Skating? Cross country skiing? More city walking??  Who knows!  Until then – good night; bon nuit!

PS – Can I just say that I love the word, “funicular”!  I mean, the word starts with FUN!!!!!

 

 

To adorn and be adored…

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Last week, my whole family went to go see Mary Poppins Returns.  It made me smile the WHOLE time!!!  It was such a Disney-esque movie – the music, the animation, the signing, the sets…..I loved how they took the original, ran it into a sequel, but made a wholly unique movie all at the same time.

Something that was woven throughout the movie was the idea of memories.  I love the memories I make when I travel – whether with family, friends or for work.  I gather together pieces of knowledge, memories of destinations, winding roads and unexpected journeys.   I started thinking about some of the “things” I treasure most from my travels, and right now, those things include the ornaments I try to collect from each destination.  Sometimes I forget, but I usually remember to get some small trinket/ornament every new place we go – except for Disney- we try to get one each time we go and we are starting a rather nice collect:)

Along with the picture books I have made of our travels, these ornaments serve as a tangible memory of a place seen and experienced.   Year after year, they restart a conversation of times past, adventures taken, dreams accomplished, destinations enjoyed and precious memories with people I love.  I feel joy each year when I hold them in my hands to put them on our tree to adorn and be adored.  And after every New Year, I tenderly put them away to await their reveal for the next Christmas Season.

Recently, I have been on a kick of purging personal items – I feel we have too many “things” that we don’t need and these “things” own us.  I read somewhere that when thinking about keeping or getting rid of something, I should ask myself if it has a constant purpose or if it gives me joy.  These ornaments are some of the few “things” I have that truly give me joy and they won’t be headed out with the purging boxes:)

Here are some pictures of a few of my favorite travel ornaments, where they came from, and a memory I have of these places experienced!  Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Disney ornaments

Some of our Disney favorites – I love the one in the foreground that is the Mickey ears representing the Haunted Mansion! Right near Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom, there is an adorable ornament shop I love visiting each time we go to Disney! Next month, my daughter and I are going to Disneyland Paris and we will get a lovely ornament there, too!

San Gim ornament

I picked up the gem of San Gimignano, Italy when I was there in June of 2018 with my step-mom and sisters. It was their first trip to Italy and I got to be the tour guide. San Gimignano is a beautiful Tuscan hill town with so much charm and flare and happens to have TWO amazing gelaterias in the same common square!

San Marino ornament

San Marino – the third smallest country in Europe, was a delight to visit! We were road-tripping in Italy and stayed overnight in Remini on the Adriatic. We were driving across country to Sorrento but HAD to make a stop in San Marino and I am so glad we did! It was gorgeous but BOY was it windy!!! I have a picture my husband took of me standing at the top of one of the guard towers and it is so windy my hair was swirling on top of my head like a tornado!

Winsor ornament

I love this beautiful ornament from Kensington Palace. When we visited the palace in May of 2015, all of Britain was on royal baby watch for Princess Kate and Prince William’s second born. This baby would be a girl – born the morning we visited Kensington – and she would be named Charlotte. I have my very own princess Charlotte and she was thrilled to learn the baby’s name while we visited!

Positano ornament

Oh, Positano – breathtaking!!! On our first visit there in 2016, we had rented scooters and scooted our way up and down the Amalfi Coast! What an AMAZING day! Our first stop was Positano and we parked our scooters and walked down to the shore. There, we enjoyed the peace and quiet of an early April morning with some coffee and a view that was indescribable!

Firenza ornament

Florence, or Firenze to the Italians. This city is steeped in history, gorgeous architecture and a surprise around every corner! I have visited twice, each for one day, and both experiences have been wonderful. On my first trip it was a rainy April day. We climbed the dome of the cathedral and although it was raining when we got to the top, I cannot imagine what the view would have been like had it been a clear day – because even with the rain it was wonderful!

Cozumel ornament

This little beauty is from Cancun, Mexico – something I picked up while on a girls trip on a 5 night cruise out of Tampa. My usual girl’s trips involve a beach, so this one was a bit different, and while I hit the hay every night around 10pm, my BFFs partied until the wee hours! No worries – we all go on vacation for different reasons – they went to dance; I went to sleep!

 

 

 

A Different Way to Stay

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Do you know what I think is the BEST stay in Italy right now?  It’s the Agriturismo.  For those of you who may not be familiar with the agriturismo, they are “farm stays” in Italy. Kind of like renting a room on a working farm but with pizzazz!

Now, I’m not talking about a small cottage in the middle of nowhere and you have to milk the cows to earn your keep – although I bet you could find something like that if that is your cup of tea.  The agriturismos I have stayed in have been elegant, beautifully restored family homes that now accommodate guests in a setting similar to a bed and breakfast, but the key difference is the fact that the agriturismo must produce a certain percentage of agricultural goods – like olive oil, wine, limoncello, livestock, grains, veggies or fruits.

The original idea was to help support the dwindling number of family farms and save a way of life that is being forgotten; to preserve history.  To allow guests to wrap themselves in a true Italian experience and honor their family-based roots. I think the US could take a lesson here!

Agriturismos can be found in other place in Europe.  In my humble opinion, agriturismos are amazing!!!  They TEND to be less expensive than a traditional B&B (around $40 per person per night including breakfast) or hotel, and the food is fresh off the farm; the people are genuine, engaging and delightful, and the accommodations are typical fairytale-esque!  I have personally stayed in three different agriturismos, and while each of them have been different, they each had gorgeous qualities that made me want to return!!!

Let me tell you about my agriturismo adventures!  

When my husband and I traveled to Italy together in April 2016, we stayed in two agriturismos – one in Sorrento, operated by a lovely Italian Mama and her 3 sons, and a Tuscan vineyard agriturismo outside of San Gimignano, operated by the family that produces Palagetto wines.  

The Antico Casal Agriturismo in Sorrento was lovely – our first trip to Sorrento and our first farm stay.  We arrived late in the day after driving from Rimini that day (on the Adriatic side of Italy) and were welcomed with smiles, invitations to dinner and a beautiful room with a view of the incredible Sorrento hills – lush with citrus trees and olive groves.  Antico Casal boasted an amazing view of Sorrento from the rooftop terrace, where we first enjoyed the famous Aperol Spritz – my husband’s favorite summertime beverage. This is one of only a handful of agriturismos in Sorrento and took advantage of the sloping Sorrento geography with terraced plots for lemons and livestock.  

One fabulous story I would love to share (there are many – including finding my brother-in-law’s long lost brothers) is about the night we ate three pounds of fresh steak!  No kidding! So that morning, we got up early to do some sightseeing. We enjoyed our breakfast (fresh squeezed orange juice, pastries with NUTELLA in them – I have noticed a severe lack of peanut butter all over Europe – but at least they make up for it with nutella!), fresh yogurt and fruit.  We headed outside to take a quick walk out on the terrace and noticed a massive side of beef strung up under the pergola and the butcher hard at work. We learned that a week before our arrival, one of the beef cattle went to slaughter and here he was, returned, for our dinner! We marveled at the sheer magnitude of the butcher’s work ahead of him, and then left for the day dreaming of a gorgeous steak for dinner.

Little did we know that we would ONLY have steak for dinner!!!  Well, and a salad and dessert – but seriously – our hosts explained that they had spend ALL day butchering a preparing the beef so they had little time to prepare fresh pasta or another side, so we literally had a slab of beef each with a fresh bed of new greens!  Talk about meat sweats! Holy Cow! But it couldn’t have been fresher or any tastier! Oh and so you know, many agriturismos offer dinner with your stay for an additional cost – we have found that typically the dinner is about $25-$35 per person and that includes a started, one or two main courses, dessert, wine, limoncello and cappuccino – well worth the quality and quantity of food, but you are not obligated to eat there – just let them know in the morning if you will be there that evening so they have enough fresh food prepared.

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In Tuscany, we stayed at at the Torre Palegetto – about a mile from the ancient gates of San Gimignano – we had met up with my lovely sister-in-law and brother-in-law in Sorrento and enjoyed the second half of our trip with them.  We stayed in a two bedroom ancient tower (Torre) that was complete with a living room with an magnificent fireplace, a dining room and an adorable kitchen – and did I mention the TOWER!!! FAIRYTALE! It was enchanting and I cannot even describe how many checks on my wish list I got to mark after this stay!  

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Most recently, the amazing agriturismo we stayed at outside of San Gimignano this summer is called La Lucciolaia.  It is one of a few sister agriturismos owned by the Palagetto winery and they have renovated traditional Tuscan farms and towers into these beautiful rooms and homes away from home!  We were VERY pleased with our stay! We had two rooms on the lowest story of the farmhouse complete with our own patio with majestic views of San Gimignano in the distance! We stayed here for three lovely nights and used this centrally located base as our jumping off point for lots of sightseeing.  We spent time in Florence, took a train from Florence to Venice for a day, toured San Gimignano, took an amazing winery tour at the Palagetto Winery just minutes from our agriturismo and also had a private cooking lesson at our agriturismo from our chef the night we arrived. It was fantastic!!! I will expand on this more when I write about how we ate our way through Italy!

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Well, that was quite a Travel Tangent – but I highly recommend that if you are going to go on a do-it-yourself tour of Italy, you check out Agriturismos for at least some of your stays!

Eleuthera or Bust!

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Eleuthera..the Isle of Freedom.  I call it paradise.  Eleuthera is one of the Family Islands of the Bahamas.  It is a 20 minute plane ride from Nassau and just this side of heaven. Right now I am on a plane coming home from Eleuthera, and the departure is bittersweet.  My family and I just enjoyed eight nights on Eleuthera and we were joined by another family as well (their first visit).  We rented a home on the beach in Tarpum Bay – a home we used to own.  We hadn’t been to the island as a family in almost four years (I was on a girls’ trip – that post to come later) and my kids were eager to remember the place they had spent long winter weeks of their early childhood. It was great to renew our love for this island and her people.  In time, I will share a whole lot more about Eleuthera, but I wanted to introduce you to Eleuthera and how we ended up in this amazing place!

 

 

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Fast forward to this past week (February 2018) and as family and friends, we reacquainted ourselves with this little slice of heaven.  

The Family Islands, or Out Islands of the Bahamas, offer the adventurous traveler an opportunity to witness unspoiled beauty; the opportunity to live like locals and kindly insert themselves into a society that is friendly, welcoming, open and kind.  A place where you can still walk to the local dock at noon and buy fresh fish from the fisherman there.  A place where you can visit a new beach everyday of the year and probably not visit them all – oh and not just ANY beach – I am talking the beach of your dreams beach – with silky white or pink sand, crystal clear blue/green waters and not another soul in sight!  No seriously – if peace and solidarity are what you are looking for, I encourage you to visit the Family Islands of the Bahamas – particularly Eleuthera!  

The home we used to own, Parlay at Sunset, is located in the pristine fishing village of Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera.  “Our” beach has more shells that I thought were in the sea, and every day is an adventure in shell hunting!  The water is calm most days and the sandy sea bottom allows waders to enjoy shallow snorkeling or floating for 100 yards or more from shore.  It is perfect for kids (and girls’ trips), honeymooners and families looking for something different to explore.  The beach at Parlay presents travelers with no shortage of wonders, including sea stars, tropical fish, rays, sea urchins, sea biscuits, sand dollars, sea cucumbers and the occasional black tipped reef shark!  We have loved every encounter!  And while you could easily entertain yourself at your home away from home with swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboarding or just lying around in a hammock, Eleuthera has so much more to offer!!!

I could actually write about Eleuthera for what would amount to a doctoral dissertation, but I want to milk this beautiful topic for all it’s worth – so I will leave you hanging with some pictures from my most recent trip and remember, all the pictures on my blog are MY own photos (unless specifically referenced) taken with either my phone or our underwater camera!  Knowing this should really highlight the majesty of this amazing heaven on earth!

Stay tuned for what may end up being an Eleuthera series in posts to come – I will tell you all about what Eleuthera has hidden up her sleeves!  If you have any questions about traveling to Eleuthera or the Family Islands of the Bahamas, please let me know!  I will do my best to help!  And if you have wonderful stories of your own adventures, please share them as well!