Travel Theme: Entertainment

There are many different kinds of entertainment and music is probably my favourite. I've attended some formal concerts in wonderful settings, like St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London with its amazing acoustics.  I've also come across some memorable musicians playing outdoors.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London

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)

Opera and Shakespeare in Verona

This week I’m back to my posts about Italy, picking up in the north as we journey from Lake Maggiore towards the Adriatic coast. At mid-day we stopped for lunch in  the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Verona, a city best known as the setting for Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet as well as its Roman ruins and summer opera festival.

The Verona Arena

"V" is for Vivaldi

One of my favourite composers is the Baroque genius Antonio Vivaldi who hails from the city of Venice. I love his stirring set of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. If you’d like to listen to my favourite concerto, follow this link to a performance of Spring on YouTube. 

Gardens of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

The Cap Ferrat peninsula in the south of France is home to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, a spectacular pink mansion in the grand belle époque style. The villa is famous for its gardens - nine different themes featured in all.

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Cap Ferrat

Dan Brown's Inferno: The Art

Dan Brown's latest bestseller, Inferno, centres on the writings of 14th century Florentine poet Dante Alighieri. The Divine Comedy details the journey of the departed as they descend through the various levels of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven, and the images conjured by Dante influenced artists for centuries to follow.

Portrait of Dante, Botticelli
(WikiPaintings)

French Wine, Chocolate and Music

Tournon, July 2012 - This morning we entered the Ardèche region of France, which is known for its chestnuts. We began our day with a walking tour of the town of Tournon, on the west bank of the Rhone.

Tournon sur Rhone, France

3 Things I Learned from Rick Steves

Before I depart on a vacation overseas, I love to do lots of research. And I start by reading guidebooks. Many, many guidebooks (I currently own 28). Browsing through the pages and compiling a list of things to see and do is a big part of the enjoyment of travel. Then I go to the Internet for more information on the items that made my list.

Rick Steves' series of European guidebooks is my favorite. He offers great tips on affordable hotels and restaurants; useful maps and walking tours; and personal recommendations on some very special experiences.

These are my three favorite Rick Steves recommendations:

1.  St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London

St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London

Royal London

London, May 2010 (Bank Holiday) - We had been in London for three days. But this was our first day of touring on Trafalgar's Contrasts of Europe train tour, starting with a morning of London sightseeing.

A local guide showed us sights such as Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey, London