You would never guess that you didn’t have to leave the mainland USA to find an Island with lush gardens, oceanside views and fabulous food all minutes away from downtown San Diego. I wondered what exactly we were heading towards, an Island in the middle of a city? It sounded slightly absurd, never-the-less, we drove onto the property of Paradise …
Standing six feet tall in her bare feet, strikingly attractive, with a relaxing glow of self-confidence and the posture and demeanor of a former fashion model, Celia Abernethy is an expat from Long Island, New York, enjoying an ongoing love affair with Milano and the city of Lecco, her Lake Como home. The ideal Travel Consultant and Itinerary Designer for Milano and Lake Como, she offers remarkable assistance to visitors world-wide. Discovered by a modeling agency at age 16, Celia had her modeling career up and running after graduating high school. She first set foot in Milano as a fashion model and was successfully highlighted in the challenging world of fashion for some ten years, working the fashion trail in London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Tokyo, New York, and Milano, among others.
So there I was, at the Sulphur Springs Mud Bath in St Lucia, being smeared with green mud all over my body. Two layers first to exfoliate. Then sprinkled with black mud, a guide creating designs in stripes and handprints as if my arms, face and chest were a canvas. I felt like I was in a pool full of zebras. Okay, zebras with black handprints all over dotting the mud masterpiece. Allegedly, the mineral waters in which we were submerged washed off 10 years along with the mud palette. I'm pretty sure my husband didn't notice any difference…
Our wooden vessel glided along Ha Long Bay’s jade green waters. Located off the coast of Northeastern Vietnam, its stunning 620 sq miles of seascape is one of the country’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Hundreds of towering karsts dotted the horizon. Vendors in little skiffs tapped on the side of our vessel, selling unfamiliar exotic fruits – mangosteen, rambutan (aka Harry Cherry), longan, star and jack fruits.
As I window shopped along the pristine streets of Monaco’s Golden Circle, where the chic clothing venues of Hermes, Christian Dior, Gucci and Prada are located, I decided then and there I would save my Christmas shopping for later. Passing the legendary Casino de Monte-Carlo, it occurred to me that I could fatten my billfold at the palatial establishment.
Well, I’m still basking in the memories of my cruise experience aboard Holland America’s ms Veendam. At the end of each day’s illuminating tours of the ports of call – Lucca and Pisa, Malaga, Barcelona, Monaco and Gibraltar – I would excitedly rush back to the vessel to my favorite lounge, the Crow’s Nest, where I’d compile my notes over a crisp, full flavored Budweiser Budvar (circa 1245).
It’s almost impossible not to fall under the spell of this dreamscape where round, domed houses known as trulli rise from gentle hillsides. Alberobello will make you feel like you’ve stepped into the pages of a fairy tale, but this small town in Italy’s southeastern Puglia region is decidedly of this world, fashioned from limestone, surrounded by centuries-old vineyards and olive groves, and home to 11,000 residents.
Naturally we started our trip off with a glass of wine at lunch. After all, it was too late for breakfast… Deux verres de vin rouge – um, uh -- pas sec. Un peu… Finally I just threw my hands in the air and laughed. I meant well but it seemed unfair to make our poor waiter suffer for my lack of versatility with the language. Our waiter obliged with two glasses of wine and a hearty, Welcome to Provence!
How was your journey? The Gambardella family, several generations of whom are usually on the scene, have been asking this question ever since they began welcoming guests to their villa-like retreat on the edge of a cliff along the legendary Amalfi Coast of southern Italy in 1904.
I was about to begin a magical journey through 6000 years of history. And then accept the hard truth. How do you recapture 6000 years of history in 1200 words, the social media-inspired limited attention span requirement that travel editors now impose on their writers? Usually my articles weave a story; this one's not going to. I think all I can do is let you experience a little bit of Egypt the way I did.