On the second day we emerged from our apartment to look around. Gil and Robin took off early, taking a fast boat to Capri, where they hired a driver to show them the island. They found it crowded even though we are in early September now. They did learn a bit of the history of the island, mostly focused on a doctor who settled there around 1900 and built a villa. He…
We have been to Venice several times now, winding our way through the maze of streets, discovering something new at every turn. But this time we were with friends. Because the temperature was in the 90s and the sun very intense, several of us bought hats, applied more sunscreen and bought bottles of water. We also took a ring route around the northern part of the city rather than plunging into the…
For our anniversary we decided to have a celebration in Tuscany with thirty close friends and family. In discussing this event, we decided that we needed to do something to ensure our guests would be comfortable with a large group of people they did not know since the group invited came from all over the country. In discussions we came up with a three-part strategy. First we researched the towns and villages…
House is a restaurant in the Casablanca Valley of Chile. It is owned by the Morande winery, a pioneer who discovered a method of growing grapes in a region viewed as just too cold to produce world class wines. Thirty years later Casablanca is noted as a significant producer of world class whites, Pinots and Syrahs. The restaurant serves gourmet meals with wine pairings that challenge the expected norms of food and…
I am writing this from the Vik Hotel in Millahue, Chile. Three years ago I visited this hotel, but just on a winery tour and lunch. I looked at the price to stay here and was persuaded then that it was like Unobtainium, a rare earth element that neither exists nor could it ever for someone without a stratospheric income. However, that visit changed my mind about the experience one would have…