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Italy, you’re an endless snack and the whole dang meal.
From bonjourno all the way to buenoserra, there is a pastime in Italy that I never tire of: eating. I’m pretty sure Italians don’t either. And as the saying ‘when in Rome’ goes, we joined right in. Teenage me would never have admitted this fondness for food. But grown up me, who knows that life and travel are both too short for bad eats, relishes in every moment to take a bite out of somewhere and something new. And in Italy, wow, is it all delicious. I’m not including coffee in this post because by default, every cup we drank – from cappuccinos in the morning to espressos and macchiatos…
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A picture is worth 1,000 words (much more in Switzerland).
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Going by currency conversion, that would put a photo’s value at approximately 1 billion dollars in Switzerland. This country is obscenely, laughably, insanely – even offensively – expensive. how do people live here? No effin’ idea. But money aside, it sure is a nice place to visit. Here are some highlights of our journey in photos. Enjoy the much cheaper experience. Our journey begins We started our journey in Basel. Which, tbh, was a bit of a bore. But, it was pretty, and we enjoyed an evening there. From boring Basel we were off to lovely Lucern. And lovely it was!…
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London Calling
For all the times I’ve travelled to London, there’s never been a reason to blog about it. It’s not that it hasn’t been fun. I’ve had some pretty good adventures in London, and made some good memories (many of which are best left undocumented – largely karaoke, for the record). This week felt worth a post though, since it’s the first time in many years that I’ve been here for fun. No work, no obligation, just wandering and seeing the sights with friends. And this guy. After a number of trips to London, it’s nice to have some people here to see! It was amazing to catch up with some…
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I saw a Sloth (and so much more!)
Sometimes, it’s hard to capture a trip in a blogpost or two. Maybe there have just been too many stories. Too many memorable moments. Or too much fun. Whatever the case, this blog just can’t do it all. Which is why we were grateful to VonTrapp it up with our extended Steele clan and write a song about the week we spent in Costa Rica. It started as a single catchy verse, and quickly got out of hand. By the time we were ready to run through it poolside on the final night of our trip, it was no wonder that the other people around the pool looked over like…
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Find your people. Take a Trip.
As colleagues, we’ve taken a few trips together (a number of them to Florida, in fact). Travel with this crew often involved good times, great eats and laughs you can’t get anywhere else. But also work. A lot of early mornings, late nights, and politics. Ugh, the politics. So when we all became Ladies of Leisure, we asked ourselves ‘what if we took a trip with all the fun, and none of the work?’ “Fuck, Yes!“ was the only reasonable answer. Welcome to Miami 🌴 Miami wasn’t our first choice destination. We considered Nashville (iffy weather), Havana (shockingly $$ flights), Mexico City (dietary complications), San Juan (connecting flights required), and…
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How did they do that? (Aka. The real travel MVPs)
A month long trip doesn’t just require good planning, it requires good gear. And, as a farewell post to this amazing trip, I thought I’d take a minute to answer some of the questions we’ve gotten and some of the endless conversations about ‘how do you pack for that’ (and in carry on!). 5. Packing Cubes I feel almost silly talking about these, because EVERYONE knows about them already, right? And yet, I’m constantly surprised that not everyone is using them! Seriously, if you’re not packing in cubes, are you even packing? Not only do these handy compartments keep your bag looking neat as a pin and create handy crevices…
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Equality for Ecuador
There’s a lot of talk in Ecuador about its even- keel geography. Situated right on the Equator, it has one foot in each hemisphere, and its very name reflects its unique and balanced position. With that in mind, it wouldn’t feel equitable not to write at least one post about our mainland activities. From our various tours, guides and discussions, it seems like Ecuador – and Quito in particular – have a bit of a complex. On a walking tour we took, the guide asked why we were all in Quito. Were we passing by on the way to Colombia? Did our cheap flight include a stopover on the way…
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Better with friends
If you’re reading this blog, we are probably friends. (And if you like reading this blog and we’re not friends yet, we probably should be). Jay and I count ourselves lucky to have so many awesome friends, and on this trip we’ve seen evolutionary proof that friends lead to longer, healthier, happier lives. Here are just a few of the exceptional examples we’ve had an opportunity to observe. A Sensation of Sea Lions I think these are actually called a colony, but whatever – they are sensational! They hang in groups, speckle beaches, and get awfully territorial when an interloper hones in on their turf. Thinking of taking a photo…
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The Floor is Lava (and other reasons to watch your step)
Footwear might just be the most important component of the perfect pack for the Galapagos. Along with headwear (which we’ll get to), good footwear is critical for the islands. There are wet landings and dry landings, and as we’ve discovered, a lot of varied levels of moist landings in between. Different shoes are required for each. We have also been on a wide variety of walks. Walks on sand, walks on gravel, walks on corral, walks on rickety wooden stairs, and, walks on Lava. Each comes with its own warning label (or should!) Walks on Lava Walking on Lava is one of the many challenges we’ve faced on this trip…
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All smiles in the Galapagos
Hola amigos, We’re way behind on sharing adventures. Sorry. Since we landed in the Galapagos almost a week ago, it’s been a non-stop, steady stream of seeing animals, photographing animals, and then talking about the animals we’ve seen. It’s left little room for sharing our animal experiences. But today is our (your?) lucky day! We have a break. How could they possibly not have had time to write a single post, you might ask? Here is a typical itinerary of our time onboard the Natural Paradise: “The Galapagos isn’t a vacation” our bartender, Alejandro, wisely noted on our first day. And he’s right. But while we’re not rested, we are…
