Early in 2017 I started planning a trip to Spain with my sister, my absolute favorite destination. It was to be her 1st time visiting so we (well, mostly I) struggled to find an itinerary that would fit her 10 available days, give her a chance to savor a few of the many flavors of … More Hurricane María and The Unexpectedly Solo Trip
2017 has not been an easy year. Matter of fact it has been a hell of a year. The kind of year that has left most of us battered, bruised, and bleeding. Yet, at the end of it, most of us remain here. We are still standing. No small feat. The ‘badness’ actually started in … More A Year to Be Proud
I’m just getting over a nasty cough I have had for over a month. A dry, hacking cough that would not get better and made everyone around me think that they need to call 911 to keep me from dying. My lungs were not congested, it was not asthma, I could exercise without problems, and I … More The Porcupine In My Throat
We started our day in the town of Amalfi and made our way to Salerno via ferry boat without much effort. Forget buses, trains or taxis; boats are the way to move along the coast. The Europcar office was a 3-minute walk away from the dock.The rental car package I had selected included basic insurance … More The Road From Salerno to Paestum
There was a very specific reason for choosing Amalfi to spend these two nights in the region. And it had not been an easy choice; my heart kept hearing the siren’s call of picture-perfect Positano. I had dreamt of sitting high above the endless sea, on a bougainvillea-shaded terrace with a magnificent view, sipping overpriced white wine … More Unassuming Amalfi
Of course daybreak came brighter, mostly blue and without a trace of wind. Of course. Though I had not inquired yet, I knew that the Blue Grotto would be open. Of course it would be. I had to make a decision. Go to the Grotto in the morning and push our arrival to Amalfi to … More The Ascents: The Positano Summit and The Ravello Rollercoaster
I was afraid to look out the window. We had heard the wind blow outside for most of the night and it was not bright sunshine sneaking around the edges of our not-fully-closed blackout shutter. Sigh. The sky was whitish gray and we could see the waves rolling even from our perch on the hill. I … More Captivating Capri
There is just something about Mediterranean Blue. A sense of depth and wisdom so very different from the colors of my native Caribbean. Their intense sapphire and lapis lazuli contrasting against our sparkling turquoise and topaz. Until the moment we headed out to take the ferry from Naples to Capri we had only seen the … More Uncompromising Capri
Technically today’s agenda was not as aggressive (ambitious?) as yesterday’s, but there was a big caveat: a lot of terrain needed to be covered as almost everything we (I) wanted to see was far apart. A lot of thought (read potential overthinking) had gone into setting things up in The Spreadsheet. Though it was not the #1 … More Up and Down (and Down and Up) Old Napoli
I will start with a disclaimer: I know that this kind of ‘walkabout’ is not for everyone. I tend to plan ‘aggressive’ sightseeing schedules and this day certainly met that criteria. I adore visiting churches and the only thing I love even more are cloisters. I subscribe to the ‘leave no cloister unseen’ travel philosophy. … More A (Very Long) Walk Through Old Napoli
Stella's Spoon 