I recently read a book called Growing Up Italian by Dr. Ed Iannuccilli and it brought back a lot of great memories for me. My dad was an Italian born in the USA, but his parents came from a little village/paese in Italy called “Foggia” near Naples.
Growing up we’d trudge to my grandmother’s (who we [...]
It’s no secret that one of the most appealing themes in touring is exploring gastronomic creations in the world’s most fascinating destinations. After all, we like to eat. Culinary tourism is a growing niche as we travel-lovers seek out opportunities to integrate food and drink into our vacation plans. My husband for one would rate food [...]
This evening we split up into two groups and travel by coach to the homes of two Buenos Aires families where we have been invited to dine this evening. Home hosted dinners are something Collette does in various cities and countries it visits as a way to culturally immerse its passengers in the destination. It [...]
While you could spend a month in Mendoza and not see everything, having three nights in Mendoza gave us a good taste of what this city and its beautiful surroundings offer. So this morning we bid a fond farewell to the ‘land of sol y vino’ and another new friend, Fabian, and we head to [...]
Outside Mendoza city, we wind and weave along Los Camino del Vino through vast dry valleys with the beautiful snow-capped Andes dominating the breathtaking views. Fabian tells us that melting snows and glaciers in the Andes Mountains runs into the Mendoza desert through extensive man-made irrigation systems. The question on my mind was how wine production [...]
I will try my best to convey this evening but may have to rely on photo and video to help as it is quite late (remember what I said about things getting started late in South America?).
Debbie and I along with Kevin, Pat and Bob, Maggie, and Carolyn and Elizabeth from Texas –those from our [...]
It’s early in the morning but I wanted to get up and check out the fitness facility at the Hotel Huentala Boutique.We arrived here last night, the last leg of our Andes drive reminding me of America’s Grand Canyon National Park—colors seem to shift from reds and oranges to blues and grays. Cutting a ribbon [...]
Debbie and I board the vintage train and grab seats up in the front of the car which our group has been assigned. Burgundy velvet seats and wood paneling gives the 1913 train a nostalgic feel.
I must admit I’ve never been much of a train person …it brings me back to family vacations when my [...]
Today we will climb aboard Chile’s famous wine train, the Tren del Vino and Debbie and I are excited for our journey through the Colchagua Valley which is often compared to California’s Napa Valley.
Late yesterday on the way back to the hotel from Vina del Mar… (see video)
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The rest of the morning was great today! With the briefing behind us, Debbie and I take our information-addled brains to a money exchange with Kevin and a few other passengers.
Armed with Chilean pesos, we are now ready for our afternoon city tour of Santiago, a city of 6 million inhabitants wedged between the Andes [...]
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