On a twelve hour flight – as one might know – you either read for a few hours and fall asleep or watch television and nap in between the boring scenes or credits. I managed to do all of it of course – but actually was amazed at the selection of films I liked enough to recommend – just in case you have a planned movie night with your significant other.
I just got back from my annual trip to Europe in May, and I am already thinking about planning the next one. This year, my travel partner and I decided to change it up a bit, adding a few new destinations, seeking some adventure. We opted for Lisbon, Porto, Edinburgh, back to Madrid, then through the norm, the French Rivera, and ending up in Paris. And I have to say it was the best decision we made. Based on the article here, I would like to say that I have to agree with Porto, Salzburg, Seville, Edinburgh, Bruges, Verona being underrated destinations, but most definitely places worth seeing and exploring. As for the rest of the places on the list, I need to add to my list of places to see. The problem is, I have to wait until 2016.
I never realized juggling two major events on vacation would be so challenging and yet so much fun. I also don’t understand why the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Gran Prix were running at the same time or maybe it’s better I don’t understand these things. Anyway, we arrived in Nice for Cannes late on a flight from Madrid, past midnight to be exact and since I had a chauffeur pick up arranged for us, I wasn’t worried. Now before you pass judgment about chauffeurs and all, I had no other choice at the hour our flight landed, and public transport getting us to Cannes from Nice airport was not an option. The following morning, I got ready very early, and headed out to the film festival/tourist information office to get myself organized to see as many films as possible in the days I alloted for this portion of the trip. My travel partner however was antsy to see the Monaco gran prix and was busy organizing that bit of the trip, pushing my …
Oh it’s time. San Francisco is dreary, foggy, cold, and lately too windy. I dislike every bit of this weather, so I crave warmth, sun, turquoise beaches, poolside relaxation, and even a view from a hotel window overlooking what you consider utopia. {photo credits from here}
I do have a soft spot for the Cannes Film Festival, and although I prefer the event in the classic days of film, I am on occasion impressed by the choice of gowns celebrities wear for the occasion. From those celebs who have been photographed, I can only say, these ladies topped the best dressed list in beautiful modern classics (if you will) from top designers too many to detail here: This year’s winners in my opinion are:
Every Fall I pay homage to the farmers of America by dedicating a weekend to visit a different farming community. This year I gathered my family and drove up to Apple Hill – past Placerville, California on the way to Lake Tahoe to appreciate their hard work and give back, in this case by hopefully by picking apples and enjoying a picnic with wholesome food and local wines. What I got was much more. What I love the most about simple farming communities are the reminders of how ‘uncomplex’ life used to be up until the early seventies.; best described through Norman Rockwell paintings. I’ve always been fascinated by the era and wish I had the opportunity to live through it as a child.
I, for one, don’t photograph well, not anymore that is. My photos don’t do justice to my face or body, so I can only imagine the pressure celebrities feel when being photographed after 40. Because in all reality, untouched photos don’t lie and sometimes they bring the worst out of you, no matter how unique you want to appear. With all that cleared up, I think celebrity over 40 crowd, particularly women, missed it for this year’s gathering.
The most amazing thing about Europe is the fact, everything is connected by train, so there is no need to stress about driving nor flying. One can simply book a point to point ticket or by a Railpass (Outside of Europe Residance only) and arrange to get from any number of destinations within Europe. The beauty of having a Railpass is that the passholder can travel on the TER train – which connects all the beach town along the French Riviera by an intrecit timetable and train schedule. So, basically in the morning you could be in Cannes and within half an hour to an hour you could be in Antinbes, Nice, Monte Carlo, Menton (depending on the stops the train makes). So, of course we did just that, hopped on the TER everyday and ended up in different parts of the French Riviera. Our stops, on this trip were to St. Tropez, Antibes, Monte Carlo (for the hubby man), VillaFranche Sur Mer and Nice. Now, although every town is almost the same in that …
I love this part of our trips to Europe, the stop in the French Riviera. We took the slow train from Genoa (not intentionally) that was how RailEurope site booked it for me when I did my point to point reservation and within four hours pulled into the Cannes train station. I gladly jumped off the cart and walked to our hotel, which is always across the street from the train station. I prefer it that way. We wasted no time in freshening up and running to the promenade to walk along the shore before heading into old Cannes to have dinner. Cannes is an amazing place to stay, it has everything you need and not as chaotic as Nice is during the busy Summer season. You can spend the mornings, shopping, then in the afternoon sunbathing at a number of public beaches and then get dressed up and go to dinner at any number of indoor/outdoor restaurants along the promenade, followed by a walk along the shore. It’s definitely designed for the over forty …
I am going to go out on a limb here and discuss 50 Shades of Grey book/almost turned movie since I am a movie buff. (Ladies please don’t get offended, this is just for fun) Since there are 32Million copies of the book sold plus 14 translations, I am more than certain the book is a hit among, well mostly women. So, with that said, I have voiced my two cents worth here about the casting of Mr. Grey. Please read here and let me know what you think? Should Ryan Gosling play the lead role or do you have a better actor in mind and why?
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