Best Restaurant - Collile Emilaie in Rome.  Fabulous food in a homey setting that was one of Fellini’s haunts and includes his sketches on the wall. 

Best Steak - Pandimonio in Florence. Ok, we really feel these two restaurants are tied for the best restaurant, but the Tuscan steak was outrageously good, and "mama," the owner, takes great care of her guests. 

Best Pizza - Amalfi. . . Didn't get the café’s name, but here is a picture.

Best Hotel - Queen Mary 2- What can we say (ok - it's not a hotel in the traditional sense).  Beyond reproach and offers just about anything anyone could want or need, and then some.  The service is outstanding and exceeds expectations.  Considering this is all accomplished on the water . . .bravo!  If we have one “complaint” it would be the coffee.  We need some with a more “robust” taste, but they receive “E” for Effort.  FYI- even our British tablemate prefers coffee to tea. .  and complained.  Thank goodness it's not just us!

Next Best Hotel- Beau Rivage Hotel, Ouchy - stunning view, Beaux Arts design that conjures up its glorious past, outstanding room service (everything was hot and all delivered in 15 to 25 minutes), and of course, Swissly efficient.  However, while polite and courteous, the staff did not make an effort to “warm up” and one particular person (the young woman attending the hotel shop) bordered on rude.  The reservation desk attendant who handled our check out was also a bit snippy and had an “I am so put out” kind of attitude. Tsk, tsk.  They could also benefit from having a restaurant that offers more practical and familiar food.  Not all of them should serve Haute Cuisine and be gunning for Michelin Stars.

Best Cruise - Yachts of Seaborne, Italian Idyll - service beyond our expectations, new friends that made the trip more enjoyable, and destinations and tours that exceeded our expectations.   The staff was top notch, friendly and made every effort to get to “know” their passengers.  Well done!

Best Driver - Nino from Sorrento.  He drove us from Amalfi to Florence to Pompeii and rescued us from the Naples train station.   Thanks Nino!

Best Meal -Hands down, Mama Agata's in Ravello.  Nowhere else can you have a meal overlooking the Amalfi coastline from high above, drink wine made from grapes in their own garden and be taught how to cook the entire meal by a wonderful Italian mama and her delightful daughter. 

Best Relaxation - Hotel Santa Caterina in Amalfi.  Take an elevator down the side of the cliff to a location where you can watch the mega yachts (what does one have to do to afford one of those?), swim in the Med or a saltwater pool, or sip Granitas from the comfort of your chaise. 

Best Spa - The St. Regis in Rome. This little spa with Asian flair exceeded our expectations in terms of what a massage is really all about – delightful.

Best View - Tie between the Santa Catarina in Amalfi and the Beau Rivage in Lausanne. 

Best People - Wherever you are. . .practically everyone we met (ok with the exception of the woman in the Alps that would not let Jan use the bathroom), was pleasant, warm and welcoming.  From the street vendor who sold us kebabs in Montreaux, to the dining room manager at the St Regis. Fantastic people, and every one of them have a story.  And, we were all ears.

Best Pasta - St. Regis in Rome. Perfectly cooked, sauce (carbonara or pecorino with pepper) -  just outstanding. 

Best Wine - Europe.  Everywhere we went, wine was inexpensive, and wonderful.  We always went for the local production or house wine, and were never disappointed.

Best place to sit and watch the world go by- It’s a triple play.  Our first choice should logically be the QM2, but honestly, we were so busy on board, we did not have time!  The views of the Amalfi Coast and Lake Geneva in Lausanne were absolutely stunning and peaceful.

Best Transatlantic Cruise - The Queen Mary 2 (truthfully the only one we tried), but everyone going to Europe should try it once. You can book a cabin for about the same price as a business class ticket and in many instances, less.  

On the heels of Hurricane Danielle and in the face of Hurricane Earl, the turbulent day we posted about recently was only the beginning.

The day started out great; a good workout at the gym, a leisurely morning around the ship, life is good. Jordan and I played a little Blackjack, (Lady Luck was not with us) so we retreated to the slots for a short time. Jordan entered a poker tournament that lasted even a shorter amount of time; we won’t go into the details, but let’s just say Lady Luck was a no show again!

After our mutual lackluster performances, a light lunch at the pub and two rousing games of darts (I won!), we decided to visit the game tables (not gaming) and play some Yahtzee. No sooner had we arrived, than we both observed the quick change in motion and highflying waves. I said “I can’t do this” and Jordan suggested we “run for the bands”- motion sickness bands that is. Good idea, as my head started throbbing and we both parked ourselves with Dramamine, a blanket and a nap (nap is a loose term as we really just dozed due to the ships’ motion).

There was no point in even considering putting on our game face and dressing up for semi-formal night. The seas (which are displayed on our TV) were now listed as “rough” with near gale force winds and waves up to twelve feet. Fortunately, we were well stocked with the supplies we needed to keep everything “in-check”, however, many others had not so well planned and the ship’s public areas were mostly deserted. The ship’s movement and the fatigue from the meds (along with my pounding head) sidelined us more than anything.

Waking this morning found the wave situation improved to “moderate” waves (ok, if you say so) and we can feel slightly less movement, although we are still shifting from side to side. We are all keeping a watch on the weather, and not anticipating danger so much as inconvenience. Seems like we are on an hour-by-hour march with Hurricane Earl to see who arrives in New York first (and where). The last thing QM2 wants is to be docked if there is a hurricane, so should we be on a collision course with the storm, we would hold out at sea to avoid the rush. Of course, this impacts many connecting travel plans for current passengers, as well as those expecting to embark in New York. But better safe than sorry. . .

Well, we will keep our fingers crossed and begin organizing and packing up some of our luggage to avoid any delays or disembarkation mishaps. We are almost home!

Sometimes you wonder if your mind is playing tricks on you, telling you that you should not feel well because the ship is rocking.  However as, the ship continued to sway I opted for Dramamine, and Jordan was not far behind.  This kept our queasiness at bay, but I was battling a low, dull headache that would not go away.  The movement of the ship continued, so we headed to the shop to purchase the wristbands (designed to eliminate sea-sickness, but make your wrists hurt,), and then to the Purser’s Office for our ration of Dramamine, not knowing how long our own personal supply would last.

My headache persisted and the Dramamine lived up to its’ “may cause drowsiness” side effect, so we opted to forego formal night, have dinner in our cabin and watch a movie.  Much better…

In case you are wondering, the wristbands work (even if it is all in our heads), the Dramamine works (for me, and always has) but even after a rough night at sea and little sleep, we are feeling better this morning.  The ship is rolling (the crew says this is “nothing” so I guess we are wimps) and we are definitely in the throes of some storm (the effects of Hurricane Danielle perhaps?) Even though we may have to catch our balance from time to time, we will carry on today.  By the way, Victor, our cabin butler says we look like tennis players with our wristbands.  I don’t think so, but thanks for the compliment.

Sometimes you are lucky in life, and today was one of those days.  We arrived at the dock in Hamburg for
our trip back to the US.  When traveling on a cruise, you are provided luggage tags to put on your bags to ensure they arrive at your stateroom.  I glanced at the boarding ticket we had just printed out, and noticed that the stateroom referenced for us, was different than the stateroom we had originally selected and been assigned.  Since the new stateroom number was on the same deck, we just assumed there was a bit of a snafu and all would be settled.

When we checked in we were given a red card that read “Queen Mary Suite”, and we were told to present it when embarking the ship.  The moment we boarded we realized we had been upgraded.  I know cruise lines do this, but it had not happened to us before.  Not only had we been upgraded, the suite we were upgraded to was one of two Royal Suites on the ship.

As we entered, one of the two Cunard crewmembers that were helping us with our bags said this “instead of going to the cabin along the usual route, we can simply take your private elevator”.  Wow! The suite is massive, with two living room areas, two bathrooms, a large outdoor veranda, a closet/dressing room the size of most rooms, a small dining area and bar, and of course a doorway to our private glass enclosed elevator.  We are situated directly below the Bridge, with one part of the cabin shaped like a flying bridge providing a wonderful view forward. We also have two very large windows (one complete with a built in seat) that look aft and to the starboard side of the ship.

The rooms are very tastefully decorated, and come complete with three televisions (including a large plasma in one of the living rooms), multiple DVD systems, surround sound (a VCR – not sure why), and a small library area.

What can I say?  The surroundings are fit for a king (or queen), and actually were designed for one.  We have been good Cunard customers, but this upgrade iced the cake for us – we are ready to book our next cruise (note to Cunard – if this is how you get customers to come back – it works).  Just when we thought the trip could not get any better – it did!  If you would like to see some pictures of the suite, I have posted them here.

We just took off from Geneva airport headed to Hamburg to board our ship back to the United States. The view from the plane as we left and took off toward the Alps was indescribably beautiful. As we turned slowly towards the Jura Mountains, we could see Geneva with it's famous jet d'eau and Mont Blanc In the background.

One interesting factoid we picked up about the Geneva airport is that when taking off, the runway crosses through two countries. It seems some years back Geneva needed to expand the runway, however, there was nowhere to build, except by extending into France. An agreement was worked out (knowing the Swiss and the French. . .that took some doing), and today it even has it's own custom's office.  Fortunately, they don't stop you as you cross into the other country.

Customs is something that you do have to deal with. Not so much to get into the country, but to get out. . . with the money owed back to you by the government for the value added tax (VAT) you have paid when making purchases.  Most of the goods bought in Europe include a VAT.  I guess the theory is that since as a foreigner you don't benefit from the tax, you should get it back.  This however is not an easy feat.

First of all, it seems that shop owners don't have a common way of handling this process.  Some fill out paperwork requiring that you get it stamped by customs as you leave, and a private company returns your money (minus a handling charge). Others require that you give them your credit card, which they imprint but don't charge, but require you get the paperwork stamped and returned to them.  At this point, your charge form will be destroyed.   If you fail to return the document within 30 days, they charge your card.

Jan is convinced the entire scheme has been worked out to provide jobs to a large number of people who deal with processing the paperwork. All I know is that it makes for a real hassle, and of course, the customs officer wants to see the goods purchased, so you have to open suitcases to get the items out. Even though Jan had this relatively organized with all the purchases packed in one location, Swiss customs is different (since they are not a member of the EU) so we will have to go through the process one more time when we dock in South Hampton for our purchases made in Italy and France.. Since the tax is around 7% of the total purchased, where the seller was willing to deal with the paperwork, it makes sense to undergo the hassle.   Now, all we have to do is wait for our refund.  Tick, tock . . .

• The older you are the shorter the distance from one place to the other.  The drive to Geneva used to take forever.  It is actually very close and the drive takes about an hour.
• The younger you are, the bigger things seem.  The school used to seem like a massive, towering, structure – it is in fact quite small.
• Troubles fade over time – it was difficult and troubling being away from home as a child; I remember being homesick and lonely.  As I walked around again, most of what I remembered were the good things, the friends, the fun, the mischief.
• The older you are, the closer yesterday seems.  I was only at the school for a few years, however, at the time it seemed like forever.  I was at the school decades ago; today it seems like a few years.
• Hills grow steeper over time (I don’t actually even remember them being here when I was young – not the alps, but the hilly streets).
• A second language is like a gold bracelet no one can take away (this is what my father told me when I was living here and learning to speak French).  Over time, I thought I lost my French due to lack of practice.  My father will be happy to know, I still have the bracelet – everyone here understands me.
• Some things never change – I remember Switzerland as a stunningly beautiful place with massive mountains, nice people and good wine (at my age back then, any wine was good wine).  Today Switzerland is a stunningly beautiful place with massive mountains, nice people and good wine.

It’s nice to see some things actually do remain the same.

By now you have probably read Jordan’s post about the drive through the Alps and the lack of friendly “facilities”(if you haven’t, click here before reading on), so after this twenty minute layover and completion of the legal paperwork, we were on our way again and anxious to find some type of rest stop.  Winding through the Alps is not necessarily known for its amenities, but after about another 90 (long) minutes, we reached our goal. I bounded in, waited (due to WC traffic), opened the stall door and stood in shock and awe.  What I found could best be described as a stainless steel sink set into the floor with two foot outlines on each side (you can view a new similar one for sale on the excellent European decorating site, decofinder).  This was it.  I turned, planted my feet in the appropriate spot, and grabbed the handles and did what Jordan describes as “hang on for dear life”.  

Adding to my toilette firsts, the shower in our current hotel comes complete with a footrest to aid in leg   shaving.  I suppose this makes up for the phone booth size shower (not really).

Garlic - chopped finely

White Wine

Guyere Cheese

Vacheron Cheese

Water

Corn starch

Put the garlic and wine on to simmer.  Slowly add the cheese (grated) and stir constantly over a low heat.  The two cheeses are used in equal quantities (if you see this on a menu in French it will be called Moitié/Moitié).  Just before serving, mix the cornstarch with water and add a bit to thicken the mixture.  Won't know if this works until we try it, but if you do, and it works, let us know.

Oh - and pour a glass of white wine and drink it as you eat.