Europe

I love exploring Italy, The country spans 10 degrees latitude from the southern tip to its northern borders.  The climate varies considerably from mediteranean in the south to cold continental in the north.   Italy offers a wide variety of terrains to explore as well. 

"And that you may the less marvel at my words, look at the sun's heat that becomes wine when combined with the juice that flows from the vine." Dante Alighieri

Steve and I received fellowships last October to attend the 12th edition of "Designing with Natural Stone" for architects in Verona, Italy. Classes are held in conjunction with Marmomacc, the world's leading exposition for stone and design.

Dinner is somewhat intimidating for the two of us as our Italian is highly suspect. Occasionally, Steve speaks Spanish and I speak French, thinking that we are actually speaking Italian.  When we arrive at a recommended 'hot spot' for pizza in Verona, the front reception is very well-lit and snugly packed with lively Italians gesturing in animated conversations.

"Everything you see I owe to pasta." Sophia Loren

Italian food may not transform you or me into the physical art that is Sophia Loren. But, like Sophia, the food of Italy has few peers. Italians take their food and wine very seriously.

Dinner is somewhat intimidating for the two of us as our Italian is highly suspect. Occasionally, Steve speaks Spanish and Steph speaks French, thinking that we are actually speaking Italian.

Italy - Piedmont, Cinque Terre, Verona

Food, wine, hiking and a dash of culture

May 10 - 21, 2011

Intrepid travelers, pack your bags! We're going to Italy. Three of the Good News Girlz founders, Karla Barber, Judy Dedmon Coyle, and Tamara Mattison, will lead a small group of of fun, adventurous women on an expedition to Piedmont, the Cinque Terre, Verona, and Milan.

Science can explain everything from space flight to the smallest particles of life on our planet, yet the inner workings of our minds and souls remain a larger puzzle. One of the best-known and most interesting films regarding the function of the soul and its impact on life is La Dolce Vita. This film comprises no more than seven days and engages its main character, Marcello, in an extreme descent, becoming a completely different person by the end of the film. It's no accident that the setting for this journey takes place in Italy.

I travel to England several times a year to see my daughter and grandchildren.   Although I enjoy London, I miss the outdoors existence that I have living in Colorado.  For my most recent visit, I decided to include the great outdoors in London.  I bought a copy of Time Out, Country Walks (52 walks within easy reach of London) edited by Nicholas Albery before I left home, and studied it on the flight over. 

Inspired by her life in Paris as a student and then a journalist, Rosalind de Rolon is launching spectacular insider trips to France, beginning with Mother-Daughter Paris & Royal France during Spring Break 2011. (For information, visit www.RoseJourney.com)

In 1981, as a young journalist, she was invited by the French Foreign Ministry to cover Parisian high fashion.  The senior editor of the newspaper Le Matin provided her the introductions necessary to enter that very private world. 

Inspired by her life in Paris as a student and then a journalist, Rosalind de Rolon is launching spectacular insider trips to France, beginning with Mother-Daughter Paris & Royal France during Spring Break 2011. (For information, visit www.RoseJourney.com)

In 1981, as a young journalist, she was invited by the French Foreign Ministry to cover Parisian high fashion.  The senior editor of the newspaper Le Matin provided her the introductions necessary to enter that very private world. 

Looking for something new for your vacation this year? Try your hand at volunteering with the National Trust for a different sort of holiday. This summer I've been taken on as a volunteer at Attingham Park, an 18th Century mansion run by the National Trust. Its location near Shrewsbury in Shropshire is heaven after the heat in Dallas.

There are experiences that need to be tried at least once in one's life - and possibly ONLY once. The 2010 Latitude Festival held at Henham Park in Suffolk, England, is one of them.

I may never go back there, but I did make some interesting discoveries:

Many theatres, movie studios and communities have told us their version of the "Passion Play," the trial, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ under the Christian tradition.

There's lots to do in Paris--some of it very expensive and so popular that the lines will remind you of Disney World. If you're looking for something different, fun, interesting, and cheap, check out the Drouot Auction House