Travel by train is my choice, and if we had the luxury throughout the U.S. to do so in an efficient manner, I would be somewhere every weekend. So, I have to plan trips throughout Europe to experience some of the best train travel. Here’s a few I am considering, past Paris, during my next extended trip to England. How about you – do you love train travel? For some of the best adventures – go here
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 always make a pit stop in the French Riviera, particularly Cannes and spend about 3 nights at the least in a part of the world I would like to retire to someday. Usually or in the past, the weather had cooperated in early September, my annual visit to the region and I normally left for Paris on the TGV with a wonderful tan. Not so much this year. Although sunny, it’s been unusually cold and windy or perhaps usual from the locals point of view. I just have never experienced it. What I also found interesting is that this is actually the first time, there was only a handful of people at the beach. I know it was because of the weather, but still, it all seemed unreal. I did my touring, shopping, sunbathing a little, wonderful dining and a stroll along the promenade – even though I was freezing my buns off – it mattered not – I was in the French Riviera for only three days.
Okay, one week into the foggy “almost” summer in San Francisco and I am ready to plan my annual trip to Europe. Well, mostly Italy and France, of course. I’ve been everywhere else and since want to just be in Italy and France. 🙂 This year, as usual we are taking our two weeks early September to explore parts of Italy and France, I haven’t been to in a while and some I frequent every year. Paris and Rome. As I plan my rail travel route and schedule, I have to say, I am over the moon about the trip and feel the first week of September is ions away. Stay tuned on this one, I cannot wait to share. In the meantime, have a great weekend and if you feel like it, drop me a line, about your travel plans this year or just your recommends and favorite places in Italy and France.
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 …
After the hectic day we had while trekking through the Cinque Terre, we decided to take a day to just relax and what better place to do so than Portofino, Italy. From Genoa, we took a train to Santa Margherita for 3.50Euro pp each way, then for 1.50Euro pp each way, we hopped on bus no 82 from the train station to Portofino and within an hour’s time from Genoa we were in one of the most peaceful fishing villages (and a hide out for the rich) in the Italian Riviera. We spend the entire morning leisurely circling the small town on foot, then stopped for lunch at the best bakery in the area for roasted onion focassia or two or three and then climbed up a hillside to get the postcard views which I have only seen on the cover of most travel brochures promoting the region. We ended the day by sitting at a sidewalk bar/cafe to people watch while we contemplated their lifestyles and reasons for visiting Portofino. The town is small, …
For the next 17 days, I will chronicle my travels abroad to share with all those interested, how I travelled on this particular holiday/vacation. See you across the pond on Monday morning 🙂 First stop Italy
St. Tropez is a destination I include in every trip to France. Although it is very difficult and time consuming to get to the small fishing village from most anywhere in the world, it is truly a wonderful place to experience when daydreaming about the high life. I normally stay in Nice and take a train to Saint Raphael and then a bus to St. Tropez, totalling approximlately 2-3 hour travel time. It is the most ecnomical way to get there but also the longest, especially if there is traffic during the high season (May-Sept/Oct). There are also ferrys leaving from Nice and Cannes and Saint Rapael, but I have found those to be an inconvinience due to their unpredictable schedules (plus I cannot deal with motion sickness very well) There is also driving along the Riviera in a rental car and without traffic you can reach St. Tropez within an hour and half from Cannes. Of course having your very own personal yatch also helps, but that is a story for another day. The most …
We humans are conditioned to be careful as to how much time we spend in the sun on a daily basis. Now although the sun is good for us, in small doses, it is also damaging in more ways than one. I happen to worship the sun and while vacationing in the French Riviera, I must say, I have a difficult time staying indoors. So to avoid over exposure, while still enjoying the sunshine, I normally spend the middle of the day (when the UV Rays are the most damaging) walking through the backroads of the towns aligning the coast. Typically the backroads are (mostly) in the shade because of the narrow alleyway-like streets and the closeness of the buildings facing each other on either side of those “street”. This combination, not only makes for the best hideaway from the sun, but also gives me a chance to cool down naturally while enjoying the scenery. 🙂 Oh silly me. Here are some of my favorite (touched up) photos of our treks through the backroads of the …
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