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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103

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Well, time to start a new one.  

Only one more planned trip at the moment in 2018 (June 13-July 8, Amalfi Coast, Rome, Provence, and Paris).  Two already being planned for 2019 (April/May 2019 for The Netherlands and Belgium and September 2019 for Sicily and Malta).  

I would like to go somewhere for Thanksgiving, but nothing solid planned yet.  Might end up in England to visit my friends.

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PenelopeWitherspoon
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Over a week in, and having a great time.

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At Changi starting the two day journey back to NYC.  Here are some Singapore pics.  

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Billy Pilgrim

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When you're in Cassis- hit up the calanques.  We did a boat tour in April and they looked amazing but way to cold for a dip. Would love to go back in the summer time and take a dip.

 

BTW- we took a Mediterranean cruise and hit portoferrario in Elba. Anyone else ever been there? A really cool island, would love to go back and spend more time there.

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103

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Thought I would throw the schedule for the trip in June/July up.  It is still being planned.  Admittedly, the Paris piece is more planned than the others, but that is mainly because I am just that more familiar with Paris.

June 13 - FLY IAH to Chicago.  Dinner and drinks with a friend in Chicago at Bavette's.

June 14 - FLY ORD to FCO vis ISTANBUL.  Flying business on Turkish.  I have never flown them, but I heard good things about the business cabin.

June 15 - Arrive FCO and pick up one way Rental Car.  Staying at the Sheraton Parco Medici as most of us get in in the evening and do not want to risk having to go into Rome with a rental car.

June 16 - Leave for Amalfi Coast.  The villa we rented in Praiano has check in after 3, so we are going to take our time getting there.  Possible stops on the way down are Monte Cassino, Vesuvius, and Caserta.

June 17 - June 22 - Amalfi Coast.  So far, we really have no plans.  Definitely going to do a boat cruise along the coast.  Probably head out to Capri. 

June 23 - We have to check out by 10, so we are going to get up, get the one way rental and head into Rome.  We have an apartment near the Colosseum for the next two nights.  No plans as of yet.

June 24 - Rome

June 25 - Start out in Rome, flights out.  My friends all head back to London/US, and I head to Marseille on an Alitalia flight at 5:30 pm.  Will pick up a rental car and head to Aix en Provence where I have a rental for three nights.

June 26 - First day in Provence.  Will spend this day in Aix en Provence.  Still doing research, but looks like the must visits include the Les Duex Garcons Cafe and the Atelier de Cezanne.  Other than that, will basically just wander around the town.

June 27 - Day in Cassis.  Still doing research, but will definitely try and visit the Calanques.  Really plan on wandering around and seeing what all is there.  Will return to Aix for dinner and drinks in the evening.  

June 28 - Have to pack up and leave my rental, which is not a problem given my rental car. Planning on doing that early so I can go to the Carmague for the day.  After spending time at Carmague, will head into Arles where I am staying.  Dinner in Arles that night and wandering out the town taking it in at night.

June 29 - This is my day in Arles.  Still figuring out what all is there, but I am sure it will be great.  Dinner that night, thinking about heading out to Les Baux de Provence and the 2 star Michelin restaurant with amazing views there.

June 30 - Pont du Gard and Nimes during the day.  Also my last night in Arles.

July 1 - Heading out of Arles early and into Avignon.  Will spend the day exploring Avignon before heading to Rousillon to check into my rental.  

July 2 and 3 - Exploring the Luberon and CDP and Gigondas

July 4 - Have a train from Marseille to Paris that leaves Marseille at 12:56 and arrives into Paris at 4:20.  Planning on dinner at Le Servan in the 11th.

July 5 - Margiela Exhibit at the Palais Galliera, Margiela the Hermes Years at the Arts Decoratif Museum.  Will most likely spend time walking around and shopping.  No lunch or dinner plans.  

July 6 -The Louvre and the Musee Delacroix are doing some Delacroix exhibits, so I am planning on popping in to see both of those.  Will probably do Musee Delacroix  in the AM.  Spend most of the day wandering Paris (maybe up in Montmartre), then back to the Louvre in the evening.  Dinner is either at Restaurant Montee or Le Chateaubriand (am visiting one on Friday and the other on Saturday).

July 7 - Musee Rodin and wandering around the city.  Most likely more shopping.  Dinner is at either Restaurant Montee or Le Chateaubriand.

July 8 - Early flight out from CDG to IAH, with a layover in Istanbul.  

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thunderlounge

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That’s one hell of a trip! 

I’m starting to list out individual days for my trip this summer. May just list out places of interest that cover a days time, then pick from that each day.

No idea about the December trip yet. Have to figure out the overall locations (other than Sheffield/London) first. 

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103

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A friend is now joining me for most of the Provence leg (potentially all of it).  Due to that, we are going to spend the 26 and 27th in Cassis.  The first day, we are going to do a boating tour of the Calanques (do the boat trip of all 9) then visit the wineries in the afternoon.  Dinner will be that night in Aix-en-Provence.  Then on the 27th, we are going to get up bright and early and head back down to Cassis.  Going to hike the Calanques so we can picnic and swim in Calanque d'En-Vau.  I assume we will be spent after that hike, so we will head back to Aix-en-Provence.  

Have been researching wineries near Cassis.  Have found a number of them, but honestly, have no idea.  If anyone has any thoughts, it would be appreciated.  

The wineries around Cassis include:

Clos Sainte-Magdeleine

Domaine du Paternel

Château de Fontcreuse

Domaine du Bagnol

 

 

 

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PittsburghTiger

PittsburghTiger 6,190

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11 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

A friend is now joining me for most of the Provence leg (potentially all of it).  Due to that, we are going to spend the 26 and 27th in Cassis.  The first day, we are going to do a boating tour of the Calanques (do the boat trip of all 9) then visit the wineries in the afternoon.  Dinner will be that night in Aix-en-Provence.  Then on the 27th, we are going to get up bright and early and head back down to Cassis.  Going to hike the Calanques so we can picnic and swim in Calanque d'En-Vau.  I assume we will be spent after that hike, so we will head back to Aix-en-Provence.  

Have been researching wineries near Cassis.  Have found a number of them, but honestly, have no idea.  If anyone has any thoughts, it would be appreciated.  

The wineries around Cassis include:

Clos Sainte-Magdeleine

Domaine du Paternel

Château de Fontcreuse

Domaine du Bagnol

 

 

 

Will be in St. Tropez from May 19 - 27. There are some interesting wineries down there. Been to a couple, don't remember the names but that rose' goes down quite easy when your toes are in the sand. Sounds like you will be on a great trip.

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103

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Getting a couple of things planned for Amalfi and Rome.

 

On June 16th, when we drive down, we are still thinking of things to see since we need to waste some of the day. Thinking about Monte Cassino and Caserta.

On June 18th, we are doing the cruise along the coast.  We have a private boat and a skipper from 9 am to 5 pm, with prosecco.  YAY!

On June 21st, we are doing a day trip to Capri.

On June 23rd, that night, we are doing the night tour of the Colesseum including the underground and the arena floor.  

On June 25th, we are doing an early morning tour of the Vatican, to be able to go into the Sistine Chapel before it opens.

That is all I have planned so far for that part of the trip.

Still planning things in Provence and Paris.  

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103

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Ok, we are researching wine bars in Rome. The ones I have listed so far are:

Vinoteca Novocento

Ai Tre Scalini

VinAllegro

La Barrique

Mimi e Coco

Il Goccetto

Anyone have strong thoughts about these or other similar places?

I should have our detailed June 15-25 plan soon.  Still working on details as well as a lot of things for Provence.  This is just a lot of work.  Sigh.

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thunderlounge

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On 5/20/2018 at 12:35 PM, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

This is just a lot of work.  Sigh.

Yes it is. I’m in the early stages of a December trip still, but still need to finalize my summer run. Summer is almost set though. Couple minor details to sort yet. Like Aberdeen to Manchester, for example. Train with a 2hr stop in Edingurgh, or just say fuck it and fly. Probably going to end up as option 2, unless train tix (just went on sale for my dates) come down in the next week or two. 

No idea about where I’ll eat yet, but I planned $200/day for 2 people. So options abound. Still need to check into a few tours/sights. There is a stonehenge/bath day trip that looked promising. 

 

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103

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3 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

Yes it is. I’m in the early stages of a December trip still, but still need to finalize my summer run. Summer is almost set though. Couple minor details to sort yet. Like Aberdeen to Manchester, for example. Train with a 2hr stop in Edingurgh, or just say fuck it and fly. Probably going to end up as option 2, unless train tix (just went on sale for my dates) come down in the next week or two. 

No idea about where I’ll eat yet, but I planned $200/day for 2 people. So options abound. Still need to check into a few tours/sights. There is a stonehenge/bath day trip that looked promising. 

 

At least it is fun work.  Unfortunately, I still have my day job, so just doing it when I have a couple of free hours or so.  Working on it now.

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thunderlounge

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15 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

At least it is fun work.  Unfortunately, I still have my day job, so just doing it when I have a couple of free hours or so.  Working on it now.

 

Same here. Although now and then I slip a daytime search into the mix when I need to do so. Or read a couple things if I have a few (rare) minutes of downtime. It’s fun, but maybe in a slightly masochistic way. :D

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103

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Same here. Although now and then I slip a daytime search into the mix when I need to do so. Or read a couple things if I have a few (rare) minutes of downtime. It’s fun, but maybe in a slightly masochistic way.
Yeah, I'll admit I've been doing a bit of research today. It keeps me safe as I'm reviewing memos.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

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thunderlounge

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18 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Yeah, I'll admit I've been doing a bit of research today. It keeps me safe as I'm reviewing memos.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

 

I’ve considered in/out of Rome in December. As bad as I want to go back, I’m not a fan of how the flight schedules line up for the internals. :(

Looks like Brussels or Amsterdam is going to be the point of entry. 

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103

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Struggling with my Paris plans.  

At the moment, this is what I have.

July 4th, arrive in Paris from Marseille via train at Gare de Lyon around 4:30.  I am staying right across from the Jardin du Luxembourg, so I need to go check in, etc..  Now here is where it gets interesting.  I am thinking I relax, unpack, and just take my time, then head over to La Rotonde or Le Select and have a glass or two and then head to dinner. ( If I do not do that, then I am going to try and hit up Goyard to get my birthday present (Happy belated birthday to me!)).  Have an 8:30 PM reservation at Restaurant Montee.  The last time I went (last April), it was amazing.  Since then, it got a Michelin Star, so I am excited to go back.

July 5th, Will head to Du Pain et des Idees for a pastry and coffee at Ten Belles.  Will enjoy both at Canal St. Martin.  At 10, I have entrance tickets to Palais Galliera for a restrospective on Martin Margiela.  After that, I think I am going to pop next door to the relatively new YSL museum.  Should be done there around 1, so it is time for lunch.  Now this is where it gets tricky.  I am debating between Papillon in the 17th and La Condesa in the 9th. Both are supposed to be absolutely excellent. I am leaning towards Papillon with La Condesa for dinner on Saturday night. After lunch, will visit the Museum of Decoratif Arts as there is a retrospective about Margiela's years at Hermes.  As I am in the area, will probably wait and go to Goyard on this day.  Afterwards, can hit up La Coupe d'Or and Maison Maison for a drink or two and excellent people watching.  Will then walk back to my place.  For dinner, a lot more choices.  Have heard good things about The Dude (not to be confused with the bar Le Dude) in the 10th (http://thedude-restaurant.fr/).

July 6th, Probably going to grab something from Mokonuts for breakfast (heard good things), then head to Musee Rodin and walk through it.  Am meeting with John Talbott and his wife for lunch on Friday.  No idea on location yet.  Having them pick.  Then will hit up the Delacroix Museum around 2:30 and plan to go to the Louvre around 5 for the Delacroix exhibit (which I am really excited about).  Dinner on Friday will most likely be at Le Chateaubriand.  Wanted to revisit it since my experience in 2015.  They just received their Michelin star this year.  Will be interesting to see if it is as good as I remember.  After dinner, might hit up bar Etna which is on my way to my place.

July 7th, I am going to head up to Montmartre and go get some good views from Sacre Coeur.  Probably wander around a bit.  Then want to head back down to the left bank and hit Les Climats for lunch so I can enjoy their terrace (and wine).  Dinner will be at La Condesa.  

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VABuckeye

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St. John next Wednesday until June 4th - a couple birthdays (mine included), a catamaran charter and a boat charter with friends to Jost, etc. 

June 21-July 2. 10 days sailing the BVI followed by 2 nights on Jost Van Dyke

September 12- 28  Lake Como, Alba, Gaiole in Chianti and Capri, Italy with 2 nights in Madrid on the way home.

November 9-14  Havana, Cuba  - just exploring and enjoying the music, the people and the rum. 

We know St. John and the BVI like the backs of our hands.   It will be interesting to see the changes and recovery since Irma .  We have a lot of friends down there  

Italy is with a group of 12 close friends.   It isn’t a clingy group so if a smaller group wants to do their own thing one day no one gets offended.   There will be a lot of vineyards and enotecas and good food.  I’m very excited about Capri.  

My wife is half Cuban and she’s excited to see where many of her relatives were from.  It should be a blast.

 

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103

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1 hour ago, PittsburghTiger said:

Check about the planned strikes.  When I got to Germany last month that weekend they were having a planned rail strikes in France. I also saw two more weekends they already had booked for strikes in France.

Good point.  So far so good.  Sounds like it might be done in July, which is good since I train from Marseille to Paris. The time we are in Provence, we have a rental car.

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thunderlounge

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4 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

There is a whole thread in Help about it.  Long and short, some dumb lady did something really dumb and my car was the casualty.  I actually had to move my flight to Chicago to tomorrow AM to deal with insurance stuff this afternoon.

Well that fuckin sucks. :( Sorry to hear about it. I missed the thread, but will catch up. Enjoy your trip!

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PittsburghTiger

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13 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Good point.  So far so good.  Sounds like it might be done in July, which is good since I train from Marseille to Paris. The time we are in Provence, we have a rental car.

Have a great time! My trip last month was really good, and stress free, until the day I was to fly home. Ten days at the beach in France was quite a tonic.

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103

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Love Chicago and The Drake hotel is my favorite. Hope you are not suffering as a result of the accident and that things go smoothly across the pond.
Actually, my bruises are all turning a nice yellow color, and I think all the walking today was beneficial.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

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HenryJames

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On 5/25/2018 at 5:42 PM, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Struggling with my Paris plans.  

At the moment, this is what I have.

July 4th, arrive in Paris from Marseille via train at Gare de Lyon around 4:30.  I am staying right across from the Jardin du Luxembourg, so I need to go check in, etc..  Now here is where it gets interesting.  I am thinking I relax, unpack, and just take my time, then head over to La Rotonde or Le Select and have a glass or two and then head to dinner. ( If I do not do that, then I am going to try and hit up Goyard to get my birthday present (Happy belated birthday to me!)).  Have an 8:30 PM reservation at Restaurant Montee.  The last time I went (last April), it was amazing.  Since then, it got a Michelin Star, so I am excited to go back.

July 5th, Will head to Du Pain et des Idees for a pastry and coffee at Ten Belles.  Will enjoy both at Canal St. Martin.  At 10, I have entrance tickets to Palais Galliera for a restrospective on Martin Margiela.  After that, I think I am going to pop next door to the relatively new YSL museum.  Should be done there around 1, so it is time for lunch.  Now this is where it gets tricky.  I am debating between Papillon in the 17th and La Condesa in the 9th. Both are supposed to be absolutely excellent. I am leaning towards Papillon with La Condesa for dinner on Saturday night. After lunch, will visit the Museum of Decoratif Arts as there is a retrospective about Margiela's years at Hermes.  As I am in the area, will probably wait and go to Goyard on this day.  Afterwards, can hit up La Coupe d'Or and Maison Maison for a drink or two and excellent people watching.  Will then walk back to my place.  For dinner, a lot more choices.  Have heard good things about The Dude (not to be confused with the bar Le Dude) in the 10th (http://thedude-restaurant.fr/).

July 6th, Probably going to grab something from Mokonuts for breakfast (heard good things), then head to Musee Rodin and walk through it.  Am meeting with John Talbott and his wife for lunch on Friday.  No idea on location yet.  Having them pick.  Then will hit up the Delacroix Museum around 2:30 and plan to go to the Louvre around 5 for the Delacroix exhibit (which I am really excited about).  Dinner on Friday will most likely be at Le Chateaubriand.  Wanted to revisit it since my experience in 2015.  They just received their Michelin star this year.  Will be interesting to see if it is as good as I remember.  After dinner, might hit up bar Etna which is on my way to my place.

July 7th, I am going to head up to Montmartre and go get some good views from Sacre Coeur.  Probably wander around a bit.  Then want to head back down to the left bank and hit Les Climats for lunch so I can enjoy their terrace (and wine).  Dinner will be at La Condesa.  

Go to Arnaud Nicolas in the 7th. Eat some charcuterie. Drink some Beaujolais. Order the baba au rhum. 

 

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,103

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Well, we all finally made it into Rome. The O'Hare international terminal is shit. Also, while the Turkish Airlines Business Lounge is pretty amazing, the airport itself sucks. Allegedly, there is a new one being built in Istanbul, but the current airport cannot handle the traffic. Case in point, my flight arriving from ORD, we disembarked on the fucking tarmac and had to be bused to the terminal. That and a late departure from ORD due to an issue with ground equipment (ORD issue, not Turkish Airlines) caused me to miss my connection resulting in a 4+ hour layover in Istanbul.

Unfortunately had to spend most my layover fixing a rental car issue because the rental counter was closed by the time I was scheduled to arrive. It was not a great start.

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