The handsome, perspiring gondolier cheerfully explained the day’s primi (appetizer) and secondi (main course) before taking our order. Wandering just off St. Mark’s Square in Venice, in the midst of throngs of tourists awaiting gondola rides in the humid, 100 degree heat, I noticed a nondescript open door set back from the canal. Curious, I thought—if this was a restaurant, it might provide a memorable experience. Indeed, it was one of the highlights of the trip to Venice. The male owner gestured for us to be seated while serving two tables filled with gondoliers and another table with local, smartly-dressed women. With no written menus, the owner shared the daily offerings. Due to our limited Italian, even hand signals were not enough to understand the day’s menu. To the rescue came a gondolier who sprung from his seat, translated the menu options, took our order and served us our wine! As more locals entered, each immediately went behind the small bar and retrieved water, wine or sodas. In the meantime our food was being skillfully cooked by the owner’s mother in the small kitchen in the back. Keeping a watchful eye over the family’s osteria is the Nona (grandma) whose large picture hangs in a prominent position near the entrance. The wafting aroma of garlic and fresh herbs signaled the impending arrival of our meals. The homemade pastas, grilled chicken and lamb were simple, yet delectable, the hallmark of good Italian cuisine. The locals appeared to be running tabs, but we settle “il cuonto” with cash, as no credit cards are taken. I don’t recall the name of the establishment and couldn’t find it on any restaurant websites or travel resources. Even if I knew its name, I wouldn’t reveal the location of this local gem.
After a fab train trip on Venice Simplon Orient Express Istanbul to Paris route last September (2023), I was searching for a new travel experience. I had previously taken an overnight train from Paris to Venice, which was a disaster. With the success of the recent delightful, luxurious Orient Express trip, I dared to explore boat travel in Europe.
I was looking for a small boat that would offer daily ports of call where I could disembark and explore. My initial searches yielded many popular destinations with excursions, like castles and other iconic sites but they included many cities and historic sites that I had already seen. I find no reason to repeat visits to a castle or many of the other historic sites that I had previously explored.
I happened upon European Waterways tours, which occur on a comfortable barge, with scheduled stops at or near smaller towns, and only a small number of passengers. They describe their barge tours offering “a balanced daily blend of gentle cruising and fascinating experience.” I elected to take a week-long river barge tour of Burgundy with the major cities being Dijon and Beaune. Each barge cruise offers a tailored itinerary, for example, mine focused on gastronomy and the acclaimed wines of Burgundy. Other options are tours which focus on outdoor experiences such hiking and biking, etc. Hot air balloon rides are offered on some tours.
Our tour departed by two comfortable vans around 1:00 p.m. (1300) on Sunday from a very centrally located hotel in Paris in which we could stay or there was an option to meet them there for the departure. To keep things simple, I chose to stay at their scheduled hotel departure location. The transport took about three and a half hours each way between Paris and our Burgundy location. Another tour with a different itinerary departed and returned on our same dates and times.
Our comfortable, well-appointed “barge” featured six good-sized rooms, with more space than I expected including the bathroom. Our group consisted of four couples, and two single women. One of the couples had done previous river barge tours, and thus had booked this for the latest one. All Americans, the people on our boat were amiable, interesting, intelligent, well-travelled, kind, with not a single negative comment or interaction with staff or fellow travellers. We had communal breakfasts, lunches and dinner around one table, and we elected to change seats at each meal for changing experiences. The French chef was spectacular in providing delicious regionally-inspired dishes, adjusting meals to the special dietary restrictions of two passengers. Stephan personally presented information about the impending meal, including ingredients, preparation and other details. Since I am a “foodie” I briefly spoke with him about his last work experiences which included Mozambique and Zanzibar (places I had travel connections with) and the latter where he had a restaurant until Covid struck.
Staff on the boat (two to one passengers to staff) were professional, courteous, and attentive, including noting individuals´ preferences and special needs of the passengers. All of the passengers thought it was a stellar experience. The only disappointment some of us had was that we had envisioned the boat would pull into the towns on our itinerary where we could disembark and wander at our leisure. None of the towns on our itinerary we went to were on our boat´s dockings, so we had to be transported by the two vans to those locales, led by our boat´s conceirge. From the barge´s docking site, there were riverside walking and biking trails, with bikes available from the boat.
A three and a half week eight country Abercrombie and Kent luxury African trip and safari was my first “trip of a lifetime” in 2008. The highlights, for me, were the animal safaris and local tribes or organized groups who performed songs and dances in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mali (including Timbuktu), and Morocco. I had previously been to Kenya and Tunisia, so this made a total of ten African countries I had visited. More on some of the special experiences in upcoming posts, but having recently seen a lot of interest about elephants on tv and blog posts, I felt compelled to share one of my favorite animal citings: a big group of elephants.
Elephants, Elephants, Elephants. Note “bull” (male elephant) protecting crossing. He was “in musth.”
On one of our drives at Mala Mala in South Africa, bordering Kruger National Park, we first saw a few elephants crossing the road and then going down a gulley. I anticipated the typical small herd of elephants, but more and more kept coming. and What I found particularly interesting is that even though we were on one of the safari vehicle roads, the elephants coming out on the road from the large trees and ground foliage were largely unnoticeable, until crossing the road. Then they quietly disappeared down the gulley.
Following time-robbing Covid and a serious physical injury, I decided my first major trip in several years would be the Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE). At the time of my booking, this once-a-year historic, luxury train trip had two route options: Paris to Istanbul, or Istanbul to Paris. Even booking a year in advance, this special itinerary was already almost sold out. So I quickly booked one of the few remaining cabins for my middle son, Michael, and myself, both of us train aficionados. The only openings were for the Istanbul to Paris route, which in retrospect seems to have been the better option, as this route provided (to us) an increasing level of interest and sophistication.
We arrived in Istanbul with two nights to explore the city (and, in the event of unexpected mishaps, to make sure we would not miss the train’s departure). I had been to Istanbul previously with my youngest son but enjoyed the fresh perspective of this more recent visit. We took in some of the usual tourist sights like the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, in addition to the Hippodrome. We also explored the Grand Bazaar, ending up at the restaurant of internationally-known chef Nusr-Et Steakhouse Etiler, a.k.a. “Salt Bae” – he now has 16 restaurants worldwide. We also lapped up all the varying different, interesting and delicious foods. My son found a great live music spot, Nardis Jazz Club, with a stellar vibraphonist.
On Friday afternoon we eagerly headed to Istanbul’s train station, where we were greeted by festive décor and welcoming, costumed staff. The train was stunning and inviting. Being greeted by our future staff, especially the chefs, cooks, and sommeliers, led to even more heightened anticipation. While I usually only eat one midday meal daily, the food was so delectable and exquisite that I ate both the lunch and dinner meals. Meals onboard the train were consistently the best foods I have ever had in one place, and I have been to lots of fab places worldwide – from many three-star Michelin restaurants to delicious dives.
Décor in the train’s shared areas was elegant, including the three themed dining cars and the bar/lounge car. In the lounge was a grand piano where live music was played much of the day and evening by a pianist who has been playing on the train for many years, and who was very responsive to the audience.
The two-person cabins were surprisingly small. Even though the booking information indicated that there was only a sink in the cabin, and a shared water closet at the end of each carriage, we were nonetheless a bit surprised. There was no room in the cabin to store luggage and no closet; only a bar on which to hang your clothes for the current and next day or two. The always available stewards promptly retrieved our luggage any time we needed to pull out new attire and re-pack items no longer needed. In spite of its small size, the cabin was comfortable and sumptuous. A bottle of my favorite champagne was in the room upon arrival, and just about any beverage of your choice was readily available, along with cabin service during the trip. With the exception of the formal meal on the first day, a light but delicious breakfast was brought to the cabin every morning, and snacks could be ordered any time.
We initially proceeded through Turkey and Bulgaria into Bucharest, where we had our first overnight hotel stay at the Athénée Palace Hilton, where we could enjoy a bath or shower, hotel amenities, and nearby attractions. That evening we were treated to a traditional Romanian feast at a Caru’ cu Bere, a gorgeous turn-of-the-century beer hall. Entertainment was provided in the form of live music and traditional dancers.
The next day it was, of course, a pleasure to be back on board, with the delicious food, wine, new friends, and live piano music. We were particularly impressed with the sommelier. When I learned most the staff were from the Veneto region of Italy or nearby towns, I mentioned many of my prior travel locales in the area, not just Venice, but Marostica, Bassano del Grappa (home to grappa from the Italy/Austria area), Padua, Asolo, Verona, buildings designed by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. Thus they were eager to recommend and serve us many fabulous (and some relatively rare) wines, mostly from the Veneto, but also other areas of Italy and France.
After another overnight on the train, we arrived in Budapest, Hungary. In spite of the extensive damage the city suffered during WWII, it has been beautifully restored and is one of the most stunning cities I have ever seen (in my travels to over 40 countries). Interestingly, they have the second largest synagogue in the world, after New York City. Again, we also had free time to explore. In the evening, we were treated to a grand private event at the Museum of Fine Arts. The evening began with a champagne reception under the portico, followed by a private tour of a gallery by an art historian, a five-course meal, and best of all, a performance of arias by the first soprano of the Hungarian Opera. Afterward, we enjoyed another relaxing overnight stay, this time at the well-appointed, luxurious Four Seasons Hotel.
Reluctant to leave Budapest, (I will be back), we boarded for the last leg of our train expedition. The 6th and final day of the trip, as we proceeded through the Champagne area of France, staff from Moët & Chandon boarded for a tasting to accompany our last lunch on board. They provided us several of their champagnes including Dom Perignon. I was never a fan of Dom Perignon, but hadn’t tried it for 40-ish years, so I tried it again: my opinion remained unchanged. My son and I both preferred the Moët & Chandon dry rosé, which one of the hosts said he also preferred. Unfortunately, they had no more of it on hand, but one of the enterprising VSOE wine staff brought us one from their ‘cellar.’
Stellar trip. Reluctant, but happy departure to our 2 days in Paris, where we enjoyed some of our favorite Parisian activities and dishes. Pricey but worth every penny.
The landing of Perseverance on Mars reminded me of some interesting past experiences. Bear with me as I do a sort of stream of consciousness that came to me watching the landing and communicating with friends. I have three friends who have worked for NASA, one of whom helped develop the Hubble space telescope. When this friend was working in Houston on the Hubble, he sent me a yellow page ad for a woman with my name, Dawn Starr, who was a “balloon stripper.” HAHA. When my youngest son was taking an aerospace class in junior high school, I mentioned to his teacher that I had a friend who helped develop the Hubble. She asked if he would come to present to the class. I was reluctant to ask, but he graciously agreed and did a great job. He lived only a few hours up the California coast, and brought with him some artifacts from the Hubble. He explained how they kept it charged all the time: in the sun, the batteries would recharge, then when dark they would rely on the batteries that had recharged in the sun.
Perseverance Mars Landin
As I mentioned the Dawn Starr balloon ad to a friend, we had a funny exchange about balloons and I mentioned there are balloon fetishes, as well as multiple other fetishes. There used to be a program on HBO called, “Real Sex,” which featured many types of fetishes, including but not limited to latex, dressing like babies, riding small ponies, etc.
So when my middle son went to be filmed for an HBO film, “I Have Tourette’s But Tourette’s Doesn’t Have Me,” I was surprised when I learned the film’s director was Ellen Goosenberg Kent, the same person who directed and produced “Real Sex.” I said nothing to my son until he was an adult. This 2005 film one an Emmy.
Hollywood was pretty run down when they filmed, but I found a nice, new hotel, The Delano, which had a sister hotel we had visited in Miami. Our friends, whose sons were also being interviewed and filmed for the film, had a different experience. Their boys wanted to know what the floor to ceiling pole was in their hotel room.
When I went across the street to an upscale restaurant, the woman sitting next to me at the bar was friendly. She was originally from South America. She said she worked doing ads for a weight loss pill. She was thin, so I asked her how much weight she had lost. She laughed and said none, that they had altered her ¨before¨ photos to make her look fat.
So those of you know me probably know I have three sons I love dearly, well at least most of the time. They have some neurological and psychiatric issues. Here is a confession of things I have said or done, which won’t likely be on the list of recommended parenting techniques. This is only a partial list.
Whenever your kids say something about planets, and you immediately say something about “Uranus.”
When you go into your son’s room with OCD and move his CD’s into a different place.
When you move other sons’ Playmobil characters into the wrong settings or change their hair or clothes to be a different gender or person.
When you tell you young (not yet aware) gay son that the gay son always takes care of his aging mother.
When your children don’t do their homework and even though you already bought a Christmas tree tell them that there won’t be time for them to decorate unless they catch up on their homework. When they don’t, we had a nude tree, but they still got presents. One got a piece of coal in his fireplace stocking.
When they turn into difficult early adolescents and you tell them they should go to another planet (not Uranus) until they turn human again.
When you take your eventual gay son to Gay Pride events and he is shocked.
When you tell same said son you will take his driver’s license away if he doesn’t take his college entrance exam. In spite of being a genius, he says he doesn’t know how to get to the local college. So he did take it, and in spite of not taking any of the typical pre-college entrance test prep classes, at graduation, it was announced he had the highest college-entrance exam score of anyone in his high school. He was also rated by one of the most admired and popular in spite of being the first person “out” in his high school.
When a son with a number of disabilities, but hugely intelligent, goes on to get black belt in Karate (even though resisting finishing), do stand-up comedy, be an avid dancer, economics degree from highly-rated University California Irvine, and now getting a master’s in Data Analytics at George Mason University.
When a son gets to be an Executive Chef at new and upcoming restaurant in DTLA, Belcampo. And is written up as chef of the week in the LA Times (yeah, that is how long things are relevant in LaLaLand). And also has done YouTube cooking videos. #family #fam #whatnottodoasaparent #belize
One of our favorite hotels in San Francisco was the (new) Palace Hotel (left is the Garden Court). Originally built in 1875, it was gutted and demolished following the great 1906 Earthquake and rebuilt. Famous tenor Enrico Caruso was performing in San Francisco, staying at the hotel at the time of the earthquake and swore he would never return there. The hotel also has rare indoor pool for San Francisco (on the third floor if I remember correctly).
When I was in Madrid I twice stayed at the Palace Hotel (right), and was surprised at the La Rotunda at the similar ceiling. I highly recommend both hotels.
Due to the inability to travel currently, I will post some photos and memories of some of my prior travels.
Leopard relaxing in Tanzania. Local author of a book on leopards told us you can spot leopards by their legs hanging from tree branches, when they otherwise are camouflaged by the tree. (This photo is not mine.)
Not long after I moved to Spain six years ago, (from the Central Coast of California), a Norwegian friend expressed interest in trying an American Thanksgiving. I was happy to do it, and invited a group of friends, not anticipating some of the challenges to come. While this year does not allow for Thanksgiving and other holiday get-togethers, I am reminiscing and laughing about a couple of past Thanksgiving celebrations.
It took some effort to find some of the American ingredients, like canned pumpkin pie filling, spices like sage for the stuffing, but found a whole turkey at the local carnicería (butcher.) When I purchased the turkey, I was asked if I wanted it cleaned. At first I said no, then asked to have her remove the remaining feathers and pins.
Surprise Thanksgiving morning as I began to prep the turkey, and discovered the giblets (internal organs) were not in the usual bag as in the U.S., but were still attached to the cavity of the turkey, so I had to detach them. No bueno. There were items inside I had never seen in the U.S. bag of giblets. Worse yet was the head was still attached, and I had to detach it, which took over an hour. I began to think there would be no turkey for dinner. Finally, got it in the oven, but the electricity in the stove and other appliances kept shutting off due to too much electrical demand, (a repeated experience at my dinner parties.)
In the end, it all worked out and the guests expressed pleasure at all the traditional American Thanksgiving offerings. Or perhaps they were afraid to give me their real opinions. I doubt I will ever make a whole turkey again.
I am reminded of my last Thanksgiving in the U.S. before I moved to Spain, which I wasn’t sure would happen. My three sons had other commitments on Thanksgiving, so I asked if they wanted a family Thanksgiving on an alternate day. All three enthusiastically agreed so they found a mutually agreeable date. Even with the standard Thanksgiving dishes, the dinner was atypical in their chosen topic of discussion: best and worst U.S. vice-presidents. I could add nothing elucidating to the conversation. As I was putting all the dishes on the table, I remembered the bread was still in toaster oven; I have an unfortunate habit of burning bread. My middle son remarked, “It’s not dinner until Mom burns the bread.” Good times.
Starr Treks 