Puerto Rican Paradise

My husband and I just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  As we often do, we try to see how many anniversary celebrations we can recall - where did we go, what did we eat? Our recollections seem to get fuzzier as the years go by... We spent our first anniversary in Niagara Falls.  As residents of upstate NY at the time, it wasn't a long-distance trip, but certainly a memorable one. We traveled to Puerto Rico for our 2nd anniversary. It was a great opportunity as I was out of work at the time, but the Puerto Rican Tourism Department was running a promotion to kick-start tourism after the general downturn in all travel after 9/11.  I saw the promotion on the Today Show, called the number on the screen, was on hold for a looooong time, and bought ourselves a very affordable trip to the island!  Time well spent! 

It was our first trip to the island, but we had a little inside intel as my dad used to live on the base there when he was a kid.  We decided to stay a bit off the beaten path in the town of Rincon on the west coast. The area has beautiful beaches and as it turns out Rincon is a pretty big surfing destination. My husband and I are SCUBA divers, so that was our water activity of choice.  We stayed in a sweet inn, the Lazy Parrot. The staff there could not have been any more accommodating throughout our visit.  We really enjoyed our stay there. We went on several boat dives during our time in Rincon and not only did we see some amazing sites - tropical fish and all - but we met some amazing people. We also enjoyed some pretty fantastic fresh seafood. 
 
We also had the opportunity to take some field trips around the island.  We saw the sleeping giant of Puerto Rico, Gigante Dormido. We drove out to Aguadilla to film the former Ramey Air Force base for my dad.  We also visited the island's tropical rainforest, El Yunque. That was a phenomenal experience that I have not forgotten 15 years later. The hike through the forest was otherworldly.  We saw so many lizards and birds.  It was hot and humid.  And then there would be a break in the trees, and you would come across beautiful waterfalls.  They were a welcome - and refreshing - reprieve from the tropical heat. Swimming in and under these falls was an amazing experience and a lovely memory to this day. 

Another unforgettable experience was our boat dives out of La Parguera. We were able to go on a couple of trips out from there, and the visibility and marine life were great. On one of our trips, we did an evening dive in the bioluminescent bay.  What a completely surreal and unforgettable experience.  The people we met there were also pretty incredible, so kind and friendly.  We even went diving with a local dignitary from San Juan. On the way back from one of our dives we encountered a nighttime street festival where we enjoyed delicious seafood, live music, and beautiful people. 

We did enjoy a couple of days in San Juan before we headed home.  I loved the historic feel and vibrancy of the city.  On our last night, we had our anniversary dinner on a rooftop deck that we had all to ourselves. Oddly enough, I remember having my very first plantain during this meal - and history was made.  I pretty much always order them now when I see them on a menu. The view was magnificent, the food was delicious, and my company was perfect. 

It has been a month since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico.  They are still experiencing widespread devastation on the island.  Please consider donating to help their cause.  And when they're ready, please consider visiting this island treasure and boosting their tourism industry once again. They need our support.

Taking it Slow

Italy has been on my mind lately - really since my last post. Looking back, I think our Italy trip was a turning point in how I prefer to travel.  We had certainly traveled to quite a few places before Italy, but those trips seemed more like a race to fill our highlights reel before we had to head home. It was more about seeing as much as we could, and less about gaining an understanding of our hosts.  We traveled for breadth, rather than depth...

The Amalfi Coast was the first time we stayed in one place for most of our trip, and seven years later, our memories are all the richer for it. We became travelers and not just tourists. We got to know the people of Praiano, their rhythm and even the stray dog, Luca, who waited for the local bus with us each day. We spent time just sitting in the square watching children play football after school.  We paid multiple visits to the same restaurants, giving us a chance to explore not just the menu, but the area's cuisine. We had a favorite bartender, Enzo, who made our favorite drink -- even learning that the reason our drinks were so good was that the mint in Italy is a bit milder than what we grow in the U.S.

We spent our mornings sleeping in because there was no rush to get through the day's planned itinerary and we spent our evenings staying up late, enjoying beverages and the companionship of the locals. And in between, we had time to slow way down and actually relax on our vacation.  We were able to soak up not just that beautiful Mediterranean sun, but the incredibly friendly and welcoming residents. We still saw the local sites, the beaches, the shops, the islands, the precious towns clustered along the mountainsides - but what we really saw was a group of people that appreciate the true essence of life and what it offers each of us.

The downside to a vacation such as this is that it makes leaving all the harder.  You know what you will be missing when you leave -- and you leave a piece of you behind. I think Greg put it best when he said, "When you stay in one place for a week and a half, you put down a few roots, and even small roots are hard to tear up when it's time to leave."

A Gray Day in Italy

Piazza in Ravello

As my family heads to Italy for a Labor Day holiday, I have been reflecting on our own visit to Italy several years ago.  We visited the Amalfi coast for about two weeks, and have so many warm memories from our time there.

The experience I recall the most vividly was the one rainy day during our vacation. Our trip thus far has been quite active – taking in all the sites of the coast – and climbing lots and lots and lots of stairs. It was a gray and rainy day, and we were looking forward to a low-key day of relaxation at Hotel Le Fioriere in Praiano.   We slept late that morning, and even though it was overcast, we woke to lovely views of Positano, Capri and the coastline. We headed out to the local (and charming) market to pick up some provisions for an early picnic on our covered terrace. The sandwiches with local cheese, fresh bread and a tasty olive spread were amazing. We forgot that we didn’t have any cutlery to accompany our lunch.  So, while tearing apart some bread with our hands was easily accomplished – the cheese was a different story.  Luckily, Greg had an unused nail file from our mortgage company that did the trick in a pinch.  What we won’t do for fantastic cheese! And definitely memorable too…

The day looked to clear up just a bit after our early lunch, and we decided to make the most of what was left of the day and hopped on a bus to the mountainside town of Ravello. The bus ride is amazing.  How can this place just keep getting prettier and prettier?! But it does. It’s so lush and beautiful up here, especially when combined with the low clouds and a bit of fog here and there. We make a turn toward Ravello itself and are treated with an aerial view of the south that makes us exclaim loudly, “Oh, wow!” How the mountains fall sharply to the sea are absolutely amazing, with their heads in the clouds and their feet in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The views are awe-inspiring, and once we arrive in Ravello, the City of Music, we fall in love. It has a great mood and ambiance to it. It is so very beautiful, old and quaint. It has a very different vibe from the other towns we have visited on the Amalfi Coast so far. I am instantly smitten with this town, and now I can understand why THIS is the place all the locals have been telling us we must see. It is truly magnificent. The bus can’t navigate the tiny roads into the center of town, so we take a short walk to the piazza, with its large church on one end and another magnificent view of Scala on the other.  Scala is across the range from Ravello – and looks even higher.

We continue to explore all the nooks and crannies – or most of them anyway. Each one is just enchanting. The town is so amazingly quaint – and ancient. Each direction off the square is interesting.  One way goes past beautiful, tiny vineyards, barely the size of a typical backyard. Other walkways go through tight streets of casbah-like shops.  Another way goes up to a convent which houses an art gallery and also has its own small vineyard. Everything about this place impresses us – even the scary enclosed walkways that lead down the hill and out of town. With genuine ruins, great views and being an overcast Monday afternoon, it is blissfully quiet and serene. Additionally, the views of the surrounding area are just as storybook magical. Speaking of storybook magical, we also purchase the requisite Italian tourist souvenir here, a wooden Pinocchio ornament for our Christmas tree. I just love everything about this place – the dark walkways, the old buildings, the moodiness of it all on a gray day – it’s just perfect.

After some delicious gelato, we decide to catch a bus back to Praiano.  The bus ride is again a memorable one, and I especially enjoy our stop in Scala.  I later read that it is the oldest town on the Amalfi Coast. I make a mental note to stop here again someday.  We asked the bus to drop us off at Il Pino Ristorante in Praiano.  Il Pino was another recommendation provided by a local resident. We are greeted warmly by the host, despite the very late hour.  Our meal was flawless and delicious! We started with a heavenly tuna tartare with mozzarella and pomodoro; it was light and perfect. We made sure to accompany our meal with prosecco – and of course wine from Ravello! We also had orecchiette with pesto – which may have been the best I've ever had.  The sauce was so good that I used the last bit of their amazing bread to sop up each drop. Then, our next course was the salt-crusted sea bream, which was out of this world.  They bring it to your table, remove the salt dome and the fish bones, and then serve. Greg and I couldn’t recall if we’ve ever had any better! Our meal was outstanding, and as it was close to midnight at this point, we opted out of dessert.  But the server brought us a complimentary pastry all the same – it’s delectable and thankfully, light.  But then, the table of resident “Praianoians” next to us are celebrating a birthday, and as we are singing with them, they serve us birthday cake too! It is a delicious lemon cake.  How nice to be included in their celebration. The people here are so, so kind, warm and welcoming. 

What a great day for such unfortunate weather – I couldn’t have had a better time.  Even gray days can offer bright memories!