St. Simon's Island -- Georgia's Lovely Barrier Island Full of History and Charm

While on a jaunt up the East Coast from Miami to New York City, we stopped for two days on St. Simon's Island. I 'm not the first to sense that coming to the barrier islands that border Georgia is like coming home. Maybe for me, it's because of summers I spent as a child on a barrier island further north, and something about the look, feel, and most importantly the smell of these isles that reminds me of those summers.

I look over the sea grass and tidal creeks as we cross over the Sidney Lanier Bridge and ride along Route 17 past Brunswick and onto the causeway that connects to St. Simon's. The nostalgic aroma of the salt marsh brings on a most pleasant, comforting sensation, and even without directly connecting in memory to summers long past, I know my senses have already brought me there.

The state of Georgia is barricaded from the ocean by a chain of these small islands along its more than 150 mile coast line. Georgia's barrier islands, I learned from the film shown at the Maritime Museum at the Historic Coast Guard Station, are growing as opposed to similar barrier beaches further north which the sea is reclaiming despite man's attempt to hold on to them.

Shrimp boats lingering at the horizon at dusk remind visitors of what should be fresh in the many seafood restaurants here. Pamphlets and posters around the island proclaim the values of wild local shrimp vs. the imported or farmed fish with less nutrition and more potential for contamination. Unfortunately, the cheaper imported and farmed variety is driving the price down for the wild shrimpers..making it more and more difficult to make their living at this long-standing industry. I did manage to enjoy some Shrimp and Grits at a favorite spot on the Island: Barbara Jeans.

St. Simon Island also has a rich colonial history...going back to the early settlement, established on the island in 1732 at what became Fort Frederica, by General James Oglethorpe. The stated purpose of the settlement was relocation of poor Londoners, but Ogelthorpe's main mission was to establish a stronghold against further encroachment by the Spanish who claimed rights in Georgia. The remains of Fort Frederica (mainly excavated foundations of houses that made up the military town and the Fort) are now a National Monument worth a visit -- a short film provides a good orientation to the grounds and the history. It's a lovely setting cluttered with large live oaks draped in Spanish Moss. Many of the Revolutionary warships were made from St. Simon's oaks, including Old Ironsides.

St. Simon's is linked by a causeway to Sea Island, home to one of the top resorts in the country, The Cloisters of Sea Island, with a bit of history itself. At the Lighthouse Museum on St. Simon's, there is a photographic exhibit on the G8 Summit held on Sea Island in 2004.

In addition to visiting the National Monument, Lighthouse, and Maritime (with a great little video on the Coast Guard), we ventured up Lawrence Road which is dotted with historical markers telling about the plantations that once thrived on the Island. (Many very wealthy, powerful South Carolina planters and slave owners came to Georgia in the early 19th century and established plantations with cotton as a primary crop.) Today the road winds under canapes of Oaks with long strands of moss hanging like icicles creating an eery, yet sensual atmosphere. Large, splendid mansions line the edge of the savanna and river on the right of the road ending at the Hamilton River Club Marina where you can depart by boat for Little St. Simons's Island (A private island with 7 miles of untainted beaches that can be toured by reservation only).

Another restaurant we visited on the Island was Catch 228 in Redfern Village. A smallish local place, it might look like a hole-in-the-wall, but go on in. The food is outstanding, fresh fish of all kinds, and the service is friendly and efficient. I had the blackboard special of blackened mahi and shrimp with cheesy grits and the most delectable hush puppies ever.

For other particulars on visiting St. Simon's see www.comecoastawhile.com, the visitor's site for Brunswick and the Golden Isles. Their driving tour brochures are excellent.

World Tourism Day -- A Day to Celebrate Travel for Travel's Sake

Today is world tourism day--the 30th commemoration of this day celebrated by The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) every year since 1980. As a passionate leisure traveler, I dedicate my blog today to the sheer joy of leisure travel. Having just deposited a good deal of my discretionary currency into the world economy on my recent journey, I can personally attest to the economic benefits of tourism.

World Tourism Day, hosted this year in Ghana, coincides with the anniversary of the date (September 27) in 1970 when the UNWTO Statutes were adopted, a milestone in global tourism. According to the UNWTO website the purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the role of tourism within the international community and to show how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide. This year’s theme "focuses on the world’s cultural wealth and the important role sustainable tourism plays in revitalizing local traditions and making them flourish as they cross other cultures".

England is credited officially as the first country to promote tourism as an activity. With the Industrial Revolution and growth of the economy in England and other parts of Europe, leisure travel became popular among the rich and eventually the middle class began to spend some of their income and leisure time touring. Over time many forms of tourism have evolved including adventure tourism, cultural tourism, heritage or historical tourism, eco-tourism, medical tourism, war tourism, wildlife tourism and sustainable tourism. According to the World Tourism Organization, in 2008, there were over 922 million international tourist arrivals with world tourism receipts reaching $944 billion. By 2020, the number of international tourist arrivals is expected to reach 1.6 billion.

I sometimes think that many people view travel as a necessary burden for business endeavors or as a thing to do for vacation or retirement. Obviously, travel is much more vital to our world than this. Tourists are discovers learning about new places, terrains, and most importantly people. They are jolted from the everydayness of the life they are comfortable with. They see and hear new things, smell new smells, taste unique and sometimes bizarre new foods and meet people very different from those they associate with in their day-to-day life. They come in direct contact with the diversity of their world, and yet in that same foreignness discover the similarities in their universe in a child's play, a mother's smile, a stranger's kindness. As this happens the world becomes a closer place, a better place.

I first witnessed travel through the eyes of a soldier returning from war...despite the hardship of conflict, he came home with stories of adventure and awe at places and things he saw, he gave to me what my mother called my "wanderlust." May it be in the future that more of us wander first as tourists...so that the children of the world will first learn about travel through a tourist's eye.

Happy Tourism Day!

Seduced by An Enchanting Hotel Above the Hills of Florence -- Villa San Michele

It was a hot Sunday in Florence...very hot... but high above in the hills of Fiesole a pleasant breeze blew and birds tweeted incredibly entrancing songs. I had decided to visit Fiesole on my next trip to Florence after having read "Loving Frank," the fictionalized story about Frank Lloyd Wright and his mistress, Mamah Borthwick Cheney. The descriptions of Fiesole and its appeal to Lloyd Wright and Cheney drew me there.

Some travel advisors say "skip it"...well perhaps if you only have a very short time in Florence. But for me, it would have been a mistake not to have seen this magnificent view and experienced for a few hours what attracted people like Lloyd Wright, Gertrude Stein, and other artistic people here. For afterall, you don't go to Fiesole for Fiesole, you go to see Florence spread before you in all its magnificance.

The tourbooks advise that one of the best places to enjoy the view from Fiesole is the small Parco della Rimembranza on Via di San Francesco, public gardens with benches, shady trees and a panoramic view. But I also wanted to visit the well-touted Villa San Michele situated on the site of a monastery founded in the early 15th century.

So we took a taxi from Florence and stopped by the Villa for lunch to sip cokes and nibble on lovely sandwiches on the terrace of one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever visited. The present building with its facade attributed to Michelangelo dates from 1600 when it was enlarged and renovated by Giovanni di Bartolommeo Davanzati. The property was owned by the Franciscan monks until 1818, when Napoleon dissolved monastic orders returning the Villa to secular use. One can imagine the monks walking the loggia of the then monastery and wandering through the now public rooms of the hotel. Inside the hotel, antique chairs, altars, stone walls, frescos and other religious artifacts all come together to create a sense of spiritual retreat somewhat at odds yet strangely compatible with the current purpose.

One of the public rooms that is used now as a lounge and informal dining space off the interior restaurant was the refectory of the old monastery. A magnificent fresco, completed in 1642, and later restored by Orient-Express Hotels, the current owner of the hotel, adorns the back wall in a three-part alcove. This is only one of the many interesting public spaces where you can sit quietly and read or write (as I noticed several hotel guests were doing.)

The guests rooms are either in the main building of the old monestary or in the new space blended into the setting in the garden area. There are also junior suites on the hillside between the garden and the pool and in the old Limonaia. The most coveted room I was told is the one situated in the former chapel with perhaps some of the most magnificent views.

I climbed up the hill near the small 17th century building to take some photos and get a glimpse of the view the hotel guest in the chapel might have. Ah I thought, some day I will stay here. From here I truly knew why Mamah Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright loved Fiesole so much.

Some tweeps I followed for Florence:

www.twitter.com/toscanamia -- for Italian Cooking Lessons in Florence

www.twitter.com/tuscanyvillas -- for Information on Florence

www.twitter.com/aroadretraveled for Information on Florence

www.twitter.com/TuscanyTourism

Another interesting blog article about Villa San Michelle.

Arriving in Venice

There is nothing as special as arriving at a travel destination....especially when it's Venice, Italy -- one the world's most beautiful cities. Here is a slide montage of photos I took while on a vaporetto on the Grand Canal.

Lunch with a View -- Visiting the Cipriani Hotel

Directly across the water from the Piazza San Marco in Venice on Isola della Giudecca, the Cipriani sits in its all its contrapuntal splendor of old and new. Contemporary amenities, including spa, red-clay tennis court, outdoor heated pool and modern accommodations have been seamlessly integrated into the remnants of a 16th century cloister. Reading the reviews of the hotel from recent visitors provide a schizophrenic picture...




Some complaint about the price, of course, in today's value conscious world, some have issues with a few rooms needing remodeling, but, then there are the raves about the service, the peace and tranquility, and, of course, the views. We didn't stay the night, but the afternoon was lovely, though expensive. Worth it, yes. But I went particularly to see the view and to experience the world the owner of Harry's Bar was trying to create...an oasis of peace and privacy within minutes and site of perhaps the most famous, photographed and beloved squares in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.


I never tire of arriving anywhere by boat, it always seems special. But arriving on an island in the Hotel Cipriani's launch is more than special, it is to enter for a moment the world of the privledged. It is also to enter the place that Harry created....and remarkably just as he envisioned, the first thing that is evident especially after leaving the hustle and bustle of St. Mark's Square is the quiet serernity.





After a morning of museums and shopping in Venice, wandering through Cipriani's garden and along the waterfront near the hotel was indescribably pleasant. And sipping prosecco on the flower-adorned terrace of the Cipriani's lovely restaurant, sheer bliss.

Arrived Milan, Luggage Did Not.. The Joys of Flying

Our journey begins--three weeks in Italy. After being deposited at the airport in Florida Monday night expecting to take a short flight to Atlanta at around 5 for our 10:55 overnight to Paris with a connection to Milan, we learned that our Florida connection had been delayed until 7:30 making it practically impossible to catch the Paris flight. Or so we and the Delta counter representative thought, which resulted in our being booked on another flight the following day at 10 p.m. direct to Milan, meaning a night and day in Atlanta. A day shot.

We took the bumpy commuter ride to Atlanta arriving, of course, with enough time to race to the gate of the Paris flight...only to see the plane sitting at the gate and to be told that the flight was closed. But magically we learn there is another flight to Paris in a half hour leaving from the same terminal we are in. We are assured by the agent who rebooks us on this new flight that our bags have been moved as well, they will arrive in Milan with us. This we confirmed several times. Why I wonder didn't the agent in Florida know about this flight? Well, we find out that this flight was actually for passengers who after waiting on a plane on the tarmac for nearly three hours had been transferred to this other plane now scheduled to leave at 11:30 -- ala this mystery flight to Paris. We're ultimately shuttled onto the plane with a contingency of unhappy, tired travelers bound for Paris. And then finally at around midnight the mystery flight takes off.

Arriving in Paris, after a night of half sleep on a plane, again we rush through Charles De Gaulle, which could be in addition to the recognized world's worst, the most confusing airport in the world. The path to the connecting flight took us up and down escalators several times through corridors here and yon, past phenomenal looking cafes where travelers were drinking wine and eating scrumptious looking baguette sandwiches under the light of adorable petite lamps that only the French would think to put on a countertop in an airport diner. We reach the embarkment place and are herded with around one hundred others onto a very hot bus, taking us out to the tarmac to our plane bound for Milan.

All is forgiven and forgotten. The plane trip from Paris to Milan on Air France was spectacular. First, the seats are comfortable and the flight is only half full so we are able to move away from two kids who are kicking the back of our seats. Secondly, shortly into the flight, a petite, tantalizing tray of luscious bites of food arrived including a small wrap, a dollup of creamy crab stuff, a slice of cheese, crackers and two petit fours -- sure beats a choice of peanuts or cheese crackers. Third, and best of all, the French and Italian flight crew were incredibly friendly asking us about our trip, making suggestions. And then about 40 minutes outside of Milan we crossed the most breathtaking vistas --- the Alps peered out of the clouds in their steel majesty, and we could see snow-covered mountains with pristine, icy-turqoise lakes and streams. As we descended into Milan, Lake Maggiore was visible dotted with its lakeside resorts and punctuated by boats skirting across its waters.

We look at each other as we walk from the plane in Milan and simultaneously say, "Well, we're here." And congratulate ourselves because despite the setbacks we had gotten to Milan on time as planned.

We had arrived. Our luggage had not.. Unfortunately, it was supposedly in Atlanta waiting for the flight the next day direct to Milan--the one that we had orignally been rebooked on when our flight from Florida had been delayed. The one we had been assured in Atlanta that it was not on. Explitive!

Well as we we sat sharing a glass of chianti and a marvelous meal on a patio overlooking the Italian countryside that evening (and this was at a contemporary airport hotel), it didn't seem to matter. We were in Italy afterall. And as a wise woman once said "Tommorrow is another day."

Revisiting Virtually -- A New York State of Mind

It is Sunday in New York City and we've  just moved into the Parker Meridien Hotel for our annual stay in "the city."  We're tired and hungry....and I want breakfast.  Of course, Norma's is there, the most fabulous breakfast place ever, with their wonderful oatmeal mixed with apples and pears topped off by a crunchy carmelized brulee or their to-die-for banana macadamia nut pancakes or take a look at the menu yourself.   But I realize there are many other options..I'm in New York after all.  There are the deli's on each of the nearby corners that serve up solidly good standard fare at close-to reasonable prices, but there is also Seppis, the charmingly French bistro with a Swiss chef, directly connected to the Meridien through a door by reception.  

And I am tired, so Seppis it is.  Sitting at the bar , I read my Times, and order an omelet with cheese and spinach -- not on the brunch menu, but it's what I want and they make it with pomme frites ( I can't call them French Fries -- they are just too good to be called French Fries -- thin delicate potato slivers,  gently fried and salted, no grease -- perfect.)  The room is pleasantly tan and beige with interesting period posters, mirrors and prints covering most of the wall space.  The jazz piano player starts tapping on the keys signaling the start of brunch. Seppis serves a delectable brunch, with many of the dishes as the chef explains in the restaurant's YouTube interview  oh so slightly hinting of chocolate, and with a full chocolate-lovers buffet table to boot.  But I just want to savor my omelet and sip my wine, and listen to the refrains of the jazz group now playing "I'll remember you." 

Yes, I will remember you...this New York moment.  For years I lived and worked here, then visited often, now too infrequently.  But I realize that living in a virtual age has made New York a keystroke away.  Within seconds I'm zooming in front of the Parker Meridian on Google Earth, walking down 56th Street, and spotting the deli I ruled out in favor of Seppis.  Viewing the rooms at the Meredian website, I recall  the exquisite functionality of the hotel - and as described there the "traditionally French, but decidedly New York" style, expressed so well in the glib writing, e.g.,  "Hi-speed internet: what do you think?"

If I choose I can browse over to the MOMA and check out favorite paintings or move over to Carnegie Hall and listen to bits of music as I peruse upcoming concerts.  On YouTube alone there are almost 400,000 video pieces  covering  some part of the city, 40,000 covering Central Park .  Then, of course, through TripAdvisor, Virtual Tourist, Trazzler, and many more travel sites I can read, view pictures and vicariously experience New York through the words, pictures, and videos of thousands of visitors and people who live there.  Not to mention, the bloggers...and tweeps who can be questioned to help retrieve a memory of a restaurant, attraction or other experience.  

I wonder though had I not smelt Nathan's  hot dogs and the other rich aromas of the City, not tasted the food and taken in the atmosphere of  New York restaurants and deli's, not brushed  up against New Yorkers rushing up Broadway or onto subways, not heard the blaring sound of taxi horns, not seen with my own eyes Central Park from a New York skyscraper, not watched Ice-skaters  nor the Today Show Live at Rockefeller Center, not mingled with crowds of people hustling into theatres would I be able to so clearly go to New York in my mind.  I don't think so.   Traveling can't be replaced virtually.   But what virtual  traveling  can do is amplify the  anticipation and memory  of a real experience. ...and oh, am I so very grateful for that.

Venice's International Art Biennale --70 Countries showcase the best in Contemporary Art -- on view through November 2009

While Venice's is typically associated with the Art of the Renaissance, it is a contemporary art exhibition that every other year draws artists from over 70 countries from all over the world.  When the first Venice Biennale Art Festival was held in 1895 the decorative arts were the centerpiece of the event. Through the years, the festival became more and more international and from 1907 on, several countries began installing national pavilions.   After World War I, the Biennale gradually changed its focus to modern art. Many well-known modern artists had their work exhibited there between the wars.

In the 1930s, under Facist leadership, several new sections of the event were established: the Music Festival in 1930, the now more famous  International Film Festival in 1932, and the Theatre Festival in 1934.  

After a six-year hiatus during  the Biennale was resumed in 1948 with renewed attention to avant-garde movements , contemporary art was introduced in the 1950s, pop art in the 1960s.   Currently contempory art is the focus of the Biennale.  

For some excellent illustrations of the art being exhibited see the Boston Globe's piece on the event. 

The exhibition, which opened on June 7, continues through November, 2009.  Ticket and venue information can be found on the Biennale's website. 

Favorite Place Travel Tweets of the Week

Here are our favorite tweets about places (we only choose those with links to a travel blog or article) for the week ending August 1.  

Place Visited: Russia

Take a train ride back to the 19th century Russia -l Theroux travels by train from Moscow ... The Guardian http://ow.ly/iNSd

Place Visited: Outer Banks, North Carolina, USA

RT @SimpleTourism: Best Bets for August in the Outer Banks: During the height of the summer season  http://bit.ly/3VwIK #travel

Place Visited: London, England, UK

A Personal Experience for students going abroad. A semester in London - The Boston Globe http://ow.ly/iRbz

RT @janelasky: Sherlock Holmes stars Jude Law Robert Downey Jr. take over 1 of London's oldest churches http://bit.ly/vFpSD

48 hours in Bath .. England that is #Travel - Independent.ie http://ow.ly/iNX6

Place Visited: Camogli, Italy (Italian Riviera)

Nice article on towns along the Italian coast S. of Genoa- Hiking along the Mediterranean Coast: Camogli http://ow.ly/iDXo #italy

Cheap Tickets, Crowded Planes, Carry-Ons Galore and $4 chips.

Flight sales continue through the Fall, e.g. JetBlue has one-way, online fares as low as $49. (You have to book before Aug. 6, and fares require up to a 14-day advance purchase from travel between Sept. 8 and Dec. 16 with Thanksgiving holiday period blacked out.) Both AirTran and Southwest have launched similar sales, and other carriers are matching suit with fares to keep pace with the competition.

While recent business travel media reports indicate that ticket sales are still off, my own observations over the past few weeks are that the sales appear to be working. Every flight I have been on in the last four weeks has been full and usually over-booked. However, as I watched a pregnant mother with a small child in toe drag a hefty piece of luggage through the plane on a recent flight, what came home to roost is how the tough climate in business travel was driving airline pricing strategies to extreme measures. Most of the major airlines have recently upped their checked baggage charge to $20 for the first bag checked coaxing budget-minded travelers to opt for the lug-onto-the-plane route. Also, I noticed that airline check-in staff have become much more diligent about charging for overweight bags, so there is no overloading one bag thinking you're going to save on a second bag charge. 


Struggling to attract customers, airlines will continue to offer discounts on fares through the Fall while simultaneously trying to compensate for cuts in ticket prices by increasing fees for such previously taken-for-granted services as checked baggage and snacks on the plane. Combining this with cost cutting measures, such as: fewer flights in all, much, much fewer direct flights, and more seats on planes with no leg room, has led to often miserable flight experiences.

There is , however, in addition to lower ticket prices, another bright spot-- more on-time arrivals. Chicago O'Hare has reported a 20 percent increase in on-time arrivals, and, just as an observation, in the past 10 flights I have taken over a one-month period, not one was late and most arrived ahead of time.

Regardless, I'm addicted to travel, so I'll munch on my $3, or maybe even, $4 bag of chips, while a not-so-frequent and discourteous budget-vacationer sits in my lap, and a guy coming up the aisle with a humongous back-pack bruises my shoulder. Ah the things we do for love.

Brown Palace Hotel -- a Presidential Experience in Denver

My first solo hotel stay as a working young adult was at an historic hotel --Brown's in London. This marvelous hotel set the bar for what I would expect from accommodations far higher than what could reasonably be required for  a business hotel. Brown's was not just a hotel -- it was an experience, a time tunnel back to another more gracious era. From that all too brief stay, I learned to look for more from each and every hotel encounter from the little motel on the prairie, to the B&B by the sea, to the convention hotel in Chicago, to the grand hotel in Paris or Monaco. There had to be something out of the ordinary--whether it was a journey back to another time, a trip into exciting new living features that weren't yet the standard for ordinary homes, a full immersion into the culture of the city or town I was visiting, or even just something quirky that would give me a story to tell.


Tall order, but having the bellman tell me as he pushed our luggage towards reception that every President with the exception of Coolidge from Theodore Roosevelt through to George W. Bush had stayed in the hotel got my attention. Then as we walked into the lobby of the Brown Palace (no relation to Brown's in London) as high tea was being served in the atrium and the sounds of 30s style piano music wafted through the air, my eyes swept upward capturing almost instantaneously the cast-iron balconies, stained glass ceiling, huge American Flag, and remnants of a massive fireplace.  It was then that I felt that tumbling back in time sense that only an assiduously maintained historic hotel can deliver.  I knew this was going to be an experience.

Competing now with a number of stylish, boutique hotels that have opened in recent years in Denver, the Brown Palace still manages to set a contemporary standard (including an excellent spa) while maintaining it's elegant and historic charm.   From its dramatic eight-story atrium lobby adorned with Mexican onyx to clubby restaurants and quaint, comfortable bars to its high ceiling guest rooms with attractively remodeled bathrooms, lovely furnishings and finishes, and slanted windows that let the sun stream in, the Brown Palace exceeds expectations.

While gradually modernizing, the Brown Palace has retained the feel of an historic Denver and American West. The triangular Colorado red granite and sandstone building has been continuously operational since opening in late in the 19th century.   And as you walk into Churchill's Bar, opened in 1996, you can easily imagine turn-of-the-century gentlemen drawing on their cigars while discussing the politics and business of the day in such an establishment. And more of that somewhere-in-time feeling has been created by the historic artifacts and paintings that adorn the public rooms. The windows near the entrance to the Palace Arms and Churchill Bar, for instance, contain French military band figures carved by a French doll maker imprisoned during the Napoleonic wars. Replicas of flags prominent during the exploration of the American continent and dueling pistols said to have belonged to Napoleon can be observed while dining in the Palace Arms Restaurant. An incredible painting, "The Sultan's Dream, a part of the hotel since it's opening in 1892, can be viewed in the Churchill Bar. Touches throughout like an antique black phone, an historic postal box, and changing displays of memorabilia such as old guest registers, menus and brochures in the entry lobby further sustain the historic character and feel of this grand old hotel.  

And beyond the building, service is as gracious as you would expect from a hotel that has catered to Presidents and other world dignitaries.  If Mr. Obama chooses to keep their record of Presidential stays going, I am sure the Brown Palace will not disappoint.

And just to demonstrate how an older lady can keep up with the times, there is a tweeter for the hotel, with whom I made the arrangements for my stay:  BrownPalace. After I tweeted my compliments, BrownPalace tweeted: @thetraveltweet So glad to see you enjoyed your time here. Hope to welcome you back. Please let us know if you need anything in the future!  To be sure @BrownPalace thetraveltweet will be back.  

I love Twitter.