Slow Europe

I wrote my third blog article for the Tuscany Villas website. Read the article here: Everything you need to know about Italian vacation rentals. This is the third in a four part series about vacation rentals in Tuscany. Next week is recommended day trips in the Montepulciano area.

Ann Reavis from TuscanTraveler will give recommended day trips in Chianti, an area she knows well because she lives in Florence.

The blog articles lists some of the differences between houses in Italy and what we are used to in the US. Jim from Tuscany Villas said that one thing many Americans forget is that the food shops will be closed on Sunday, so when you arrive at your rental on Saturday afternoon, you need to head out to the shops. Luckily the shops are open late because of the long afternoon closing, so you can get groceries between 5pm and 7:30pm. Some larger supermarkets are open on Sunday, but there are only a few of them in Tuscany.

As the article points out there are differences, but that is what makes travel so interesting! It is wonderful to stay in these beautiful Italian vacation rentals.

Things are changing in the world of air travel. Airlines are merging, ticket prices are going up and things that used to be included in the ticket price are being charged as extras. Meals are not always included, some airlines charge for more than one checked bag, fees for overweight bags are higher, you may pay extra for early seat selection.

On Thursday, Scott McCartney was on NPR’s Fresh Air. This was a very informative program talking about the changes and what to expect. You can listen to it online or as a podcast.

NPR Fresh Air, May 15, 2008 - Scott McCartney on Air Travelers’ Turbulent Times
Scott McCartney, who writes the “Middle Seat” column for The Wall Street Journal, joins Fresh Air to talk about the state of the industry — and the passenger.

When purchasing your flight tickets for your next trip, go to the airline website and find out what extra charges there are on top of your ticket price so that you won’t be suprised when you are at the airport.

I think some of these charges are justified and are good for the consumer. The person who travels with one checked suitcase should pay less than the person with two bags, in my opinion. I would pay extra to select my seats ahead of time (although, we all know that does not guarentee that you end up in those seats).  Some airlines, like United and British Airways, offer a premium economy seat that costs more, but I think it is well worth it for the extra legroom and seat width.

Subscribe to Slow Europe and we will email you when the site is launched (fall 2008).

A group of my SlowTrav friends are leaving soon to spend a week together in Montisi, a charming hilltown just north of Pienza (Tuscany, Italy). Several years ago we spent three weeks in a house that looked out onto Montisi and loved being in this area. You are close to several great towns - Montepulciano, Pienza, San Quirico d’Orcia, Montalcino - and lots of beautiful smaller towns. You can soak your feet in the natural hot springs that run through Bagno Vignoni, see the Sodoma frescoes in Monte Oliveto Maggiore, hear the monks chanting in Sant’Antimo, go up to Siena for a day trip.

Beautiful countryside, charming towns, art, walking trails, great restaurants - everything you need for a perfect vacation.

Who is going on the trip?

• Gail Hecko runs tours to Montisi, where a group of people stay together in a large, luxury villa and tour the area together - Gail’s Great Escapes. For this tour, a group of her SlowTrav friends signed up!
• Palma and Brad are doing the cooking for the group. Palma wrote a detailed post on her blog about what she is bringing for the trip - Palma’s Passions - Packing Light … WHY?. Palma and Brad leave on Friday and are spending a week in Rome before going up to Montisi.
• Jerry and Paul from Toronto will be there for the week. Jerry blogs at Jerry’s Thoughts, Musings, and Rants. From today’s entry, it looks like he has left already!
• Sandi (Bugalu on the SlowTrav board) will also be there. She writes the Whistlestop Cafe Cooking blog.

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I like to bring some type of “project” with me on trips, something to do in the evenings or when taking a break during the day. During our year in Europe, 20 years ago, we were traveling light so I brought a deck of cards and played endless games of Solitare. After that I went through a needlepoint phase. Needlepoint projects are good because they are small and light, but take a long time to complete, which is just what you need on a long trip. However, we now have a dozen beautiful needlepoint pillows and don’t need any more.

Last summer, when we were in Switzerland, I worked on cotton crochet slippers, which were really fun to make, but never really worked as good slippers. I think if I use a stiffer cotton and find a good insole to make them keep their shape, these will work.

I taught myself to knit in the mid 90s when we were living in Seattle and Steve had one of those jobs where he was at work all the time and I had turned into a bored housewife. I love knitting. I am not a great knitter and I knit slowly, but I love the feel of the wool and making things that we wear. The only trouble is that most knitting projects are too big to bring on a trip.

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I wrote my second blog article for the Tuscany Villas website. Read the article here: Finding Your Perfect Vacation Rental. This is the second in a four part series about vacation rentals in Tuscany. Next week is what to expect in Italian vacation rentals.

It is interesting writing about Tuscany again. It brings back memories of our wonderful vacations there. I remember the first time I saw the main piazza of Siena - Il Campo - and how I cried because it was so beautiful. Other memories: walking around Siena in the moonlight; sitting outside on the terrace of Osteria alla Piazza in the countryside near Panzano for a Sunday lunch; seeing the Sodoma frescoes at Monte Oliveto Maggiore for the first time (and the second, and the third); seeing the mountains above Carrara from the A12 and thinking it was snow, but realizing it was marble; jumping into the very cold and very salty water off the southern Tuscany coast on Monte Argentario.

These days I am writing about the Cotswolds in England for Cotswolder (soon to be launched) and about Tuscany for Tuscany Villas. Plus working on a friend’s site with her paintings of Italy (Betsy Bauer). And getting the house ready for summer (it was 75 in Santa Fe today!).

The conclusions to my article is that there is no perfect vaction rental. They all have their pros and cons as does any place that you live. But we are not striving for perfect, are we? Just for a wonderful travel experience and that is what you get in vacation rentals.

Are you a Slow Traveler, but don’t have the time to plan every detail of your vacation yourself? If you want to spend a week in one place and get to know the area, and want to be part of an organized small group, try one of the small group tours listed on Slow Travel Tours.

These are all members of the Slow Travel community whose love of travel has led them to create these travel businesses. We created the Slow Travel Tours website to have a place to list these like minded businesses.

These are not your typical “tours” with a large bus full of travelers. These are small groups led by people who know the area well and want to share their love of travel with you. Kathy Wood and I picked this group of small group tour operators who follow the “slow travel” principles that we believe in.

P.S. www.slowtraveltours.com used to be our April Fool website when I ran the Slow Travel Forums. That absolutely hilarious, and even funnier now after April 1 2008, site has moved to www.slowtravtours.com.

P.P.S I created the Slow Travel Tours website, but I do not run a small group tour. Believe me, no one would want to spend seven days traveling with me in charge! On the other hand, if you like to sleep in until 9, spend the whole morning having coffee and reading the paper, then go for lunch and after that consider a nap, then maybe I could do this. But I would make everyone on the tour be my slaves. Hummm, this is sounding like something I could do …