Paris: Le Train Bleu

My first journey to the French Riviera was aboard a high-speed TGV train, from Paris in the north to the city of Nice on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The train departed from the Gare de Lyon railway station where I'd hoped to get a glimpse of Le Train Bleu, the station's posh belle époque restaurant. It didn't happen on that trip to France but I added 'dining at Le Train Bleu' to my travel bucket list.

Gare de Lyon, Paris

Flying Executive Class: The Upgrade

Last week I told you about my flights to France in Swiss Business Class, which I’d purchased using loyalty program miles. I managed to find affordable return flights in Economy with TAP Portugal, thanks to their new service between Lisbon and Toronto. But once you’ve flown in Business Class, it’s hard to go back. As if reading my mind, a few days before I was scheduled to fly home TAP offered me an upgrade – a tempting notion indeed.

The Joy of Flying Business Class

Long gone is the Golden Age of air travel. With shrinking seats on aircraft, longer lineups for security screening, and increasing reports of unruly passengers (and sometimes airline employees) the experience is no longer so pleasant. In an attempt to relive the good old days of flying in comfort and style, I added ‘a transatlantic flight in Business Class’ to my travel bucket list. Last summer I joined the jet setters en route to France, thanks to Air Canada’s loyalty program, Aeroplan.

The Luberon: Peter Mayle's Provence

With his 1991 memoir A Year in Provence, Peter Mayle put this picturesque region in southeastern France on the radar of travellers. Once I began reading his books I too dreamed of visiting Provence, and all the beautiful photos I saw of endless rows of lavender stretching away to the horizon only reinforced my dream. So the day we journeyed into the Luberon countryside was the most anticipated day of our tour.

 

The Luberon Countryside

At Last, the Venice of My Dreams

When I was planning my first trip to Venice a few years ago I dreamed of sitting on Piazza San Marco at twilight, sipping on a fruity peach Bellini while I listened to a café orchestra. But my dreams were squelched by an unfortunate spell of rainy weather. Where were the sunny skies I’d envisioned for my Italian holiday?

Rainy Day in Venice (2010)

Isola Bella, the Beautiful Island

On Lake Maggiore in northern Italy there's an island called Isola Bella which translates to English as 'beautiful island'. This island certainly is beautiful but it was actually named after Isabella Borromeo, the wife of the man who created this little piece of paradise.

"P" is for Peacock

When I think of a peacock I visualize a large bird with brightly coloured feathers. A more modest peacock with snowy white plumage lives in the gardens of the Borromeo Palace on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. And meeting these ethereal creatures was an item on my Bucket List.

White Chinese Peacock of Isola Bella

Cinque Terre: the Five Lands

On the rugged northwest coast of Italy there are five small fishing villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare. I love saying the names out loud – it makes me feel like I can speak Italian. (I really can’t.) Together these villages are known as the Cinque Terre, the Five Lands. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was once accessible only by sea and untouched by the modern world. Today the villages welcome visitors but retain their old world charm.

My Bucket List: Firenze

I’m very fortunate to have visited the historic city of Florence, not once but three times, and it took me this many tries to accomplish the items on my Bucket List. I saw great works of art at the renowned Uffizi Gallery; toured locations featured in Dan Brown’s novel Inferno; and sampled unique Tuscan cuisine. But no visit to Florence is ever long enough.

Skyline of Firenze, or Florence

My Favourite Films for Armchair Travel

I’ve been thinking a lot about movies lately, probably because it’s awards season. And the cold winter weather makes we want to curl up on the couch and escape, preferably to someplace warm. My DVD collection satisfies my wanderlust with sunny scenes from the south of France and intrigue in the shadowy alleyways of Venice. Here are my top picks from the last ten years with links to the movie trailers.

French Riviera

Great Art Museums of Florence

Our tour of Italy last summer first took us to Rome and Capri. Then we said farewell to the beautiful island of the Sirens and ventured inland and north to the region of Tuscany, a land of sunflowers, hill towns and the birthplace of the Renaissance. We arrived in Florence mid-afternoon and started our visit on a high note, touring two of the world’s greatest art museums: the Accademia Gallery and the Uffizi Gallery.

Tuscan Field of Sunflowers

My Bucket List: Villa San Michele

“I want my house open to sun and wind and the voice of the sea,

like a Greek temple, and light, light, light everywhere!”

– Axel Munthe, The Story of San Michele

Villa San Michele, Anacapri

Travel Theme: Freedom

Many people equate the feeling of freedom with travelling the open road, but I’m not a road trip kind of girl. Birds must be the freest of all creatures, not tethered to the earth by gravity. Perhaps that's why the haunting cry of a sea gull always makes me feel free.

Sea Gull in Monaco

Simply Lovely Anacapri

Of the two towns on the Italian isle of Capri, Anacapri may be smaller and lesser known than glamorous Capri town but its charm and tranquility have won me over. You'll find luxury here too, like the Capri Palace Hotel, but the town’s top attractions are more modest: ancient Roman statues, an Egyptian sphinx and a traditional majolica tile floor.

Quiet Streets of Anacapri

A Taste of Rome on Piazza Navona

The highlight of my visit to Rome last summer was dinner on Piazza Navona, one of the city's most popular squares. Located in Rome's centro storico, historic centre, the square takes its oblong shape and dimensions from the Stadium of Domitian which originally stood here.

My Bucket List: Living the High Life in Monte Carlo

The tiny principality of Monaco has more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world. So naturally you’ll find the flashy sports cars, luxury hotels and super yachts to keep them amused. While planning my last visit to the French Riviera I couldn’t resist sampling a little bit of the high life myself by adding two once-in-a-lifetime splurges to my bucket list: a ride in a Ferrari sports car and dinner at a Michelin star restaurant.

Principality of Monaco

My Bucket List: Tower of Notre-Dame

Notre-Dame Cathedral is one of the major sights in Paris. It's listed as part of the 'Paris, Banks of the Seine' UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to Victor Hugo’s fictional hunchback, Quasimodo. It’s also a great example of gothic architecture with its flying buttresses, ribbed vaulting and pointed arches. When I discovered I could climb to the top of the cathedral’s tower, I added the experience to my bucket list. And this experience put both my stamina and my knees to the test.

Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris

My Bucket List: French Riviera

Sunny skies. Azure waters. Champagne and super yachts. And then there’s Agent 007 and an American actress who became a real-life royal princess. Is there any place more glamorous than the French Riviera? I think not. A small taste of France's Azure Coast, the Côte d’Azur, is well deserving of a place on my bucket list and I’ve been fortunate to visit there twice.

Villefranche Bay

My Bucket List: Tea at the Ritz

It's Thursday, and I'm starting a new series of weekly posts about the items from my bucket list that I've been able to experience so far. Sampling the culinary traditions of the countries I visit is one of my favourite travel pastimes and what could be more British than afternoon tea? The experience was a natural addition to my bucket list so when I visited London a few years ago, we did tea in grand style at the luxurious Ritz Hotel on Piccadilly.

The Ritz London

Tossing a Coin in the Trevi Fountain

The film Three Coins in the Fountain popularized the custom of throwing a coin into Rome's Trevi Fountain and thus ensuring your return to the Eternal City. The first time I tried my luck, the currency was the lira; more recently I used a euro coin. And now I've  planned another trip to Italy, so I'd say the ritual works.

The Trevi Fountain, Rome