While enjoying my busy California life, I’ve been considering my next vacation. It’s hard to write about travel without itching to get on a plane. Though at the moment I’m not daydreaming about just a plane; I’m fantasizing about Mediterranean Cruises. I’ve never been on a cruise, though I have been to the Mediterranean more than once. My friends who have sampled the cruise ship life talk up it’s advantages. You get on the boat and then you don’t have to worry about anything but having a good time. No frantic rushes to the train station, no tracking down lodging, just beautiful water and floating from destination to destination.
My Mediterranean travels were a lot more hectic, but still gorgeous. I spent a month traveling around Italy a few years ago. Of course I went to all the standards and I dove headlong into the museums. It was like a crash course in art and history. I marveled at David, stared at The Birth of Venus, and even saw the Sistine Chapel. The art alone was worth the trip.
But you know why you really go to Italy? The food. Pasta, sure, but more importantly, artichokes, which were in season while I was there. Not to mention cheese, which served with fruit and honey is your dessert, or buffalo mozzarella with tomato slices and basil. Then there’s the dreamy olive oil, the addictive coffee (I don’t even drink coffee in my normal life!), and all that gelato. Seriously, I ate gelato every single day because there were just so many flavors. Plus, the pizza. Don’t just think round bread–think gorgeous square slices loaded up like crazy and available by weight for a couple of euros. Think pizza in Naples. Think saffron-and-orange risotto. Oh, risotto, you are so labor-intensive but when served in Italy, you are so creamy and perfect.
Now set the whole thing against a stunning backdrop, sprinkle charm, and say it in Italian. It’s a little less fun when you’re trying desperately to get directions from the bus stop to your youth hostel, but still I have nothing but love. And of course, a lingering desire to pause, take a Mediterranean cruise, and sample every flavor of gelato.
