Perched 600m up on a hillside Cortona is a medical town with narrow and steep streets and architecture. The city overlooks Chiana Valley and Lake Trasimeno, scene of Hannibal’s ambush of the Roman army in 217 BC. Legend has it that Cortona was built some 273 years after the Great Flood. After Arezzo it is the […]
Bypassing the usual tourist sites and sticking to what we know about Siena we stuck to a lot of gelato, a bit of espresso and a whole lot of shopping which was not only productive but also very satisfying with exception of Evelina who opted to save her cash!
We either come here for gelato or to have lunch but mostly for gelato since it is the closest place to Sant’Anna. I am not sure for how much longer we can keep up the 3 square meals per day plus gelato once or twice a day. The rest is Sant’Anna getting ready for the first concert […]
Since our flight on Sunday was cancelled due to inclement weather we were happy and thrilled to re-book it for this morning. Six in the morning, generally speaking, is not our idea of fun hour but there are exceptions and this certainly was it. There is really not much more to say other than – what […]
Pizza making class is always a blast, especially at Podere il Casale. Making great food together is a great way to spent time with friends and family. A bit of good wine helps too. We love coming here, we love the stories and the experiences Sandra shares and are always in awe on how rewarding […]
While pretending to know where we are going without the use of the GPS we took the wrong traffic circle exit out of Montalcino but luckily ended up here. This is an old Benedictine Abbey dating back to 813 A.D. Like most of Tuscany it fell under the influence and rule of either Siena or […]
It is the one and only day it is supposed to rain mid day today so we are not going to the thermal baths, but taking a short scenic drive to Montalcino and catching up on dealing with hundreds of pictures which need to be sorted, edited and posted.
Internet out, WiFi down, power out and biblical thunder, lighting and rain. That is the kind of evening and night we had. At least the temperature dropped below 40C which was a relief.
I think everyone knows or at least has seen Cappella della Madonna di Vitality. Alternatively if you have seen a calendar from Tuscany or have visited Val d’Orcia or drove between Pienza and San Quirico d’Orcia then you should instantly recognize this UNESCO protected landmark. This time we drove up closer to the chapel and took a […]
Last time the four of us were here was almost 7 years ago. Things have not changed much!
Bryant Park is a beloved, year-round New York City destination. Known as Manhattan’s Town Square, the park is famous for its lush seasonal gardens, free activities and al fresco dining. Located adjacent to the New York Public Library and surrounded by iconic skyscrapers, Bryant Park is visited by more than 12 million people each year and […]
While there might have been better places on the ground to watch the fireworks for the 4th of July we decided to stay on the top of the Rockefeller building. After enjoying the views we stuck out for the fireworks. Macy’s fireworks this year were the biggest since year 2000. They were fired from 5 […]
The distinctive triangular shape of the Flatiron Building, designed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham and built in 1902, allowed it to fill the wedge-shaped property located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway. The building was intended to serve as offices for the George A. Fuller Company, a major Chicago contracting firm. At 22 […]
I think we are all very excited about this one. We have seen some great museums and some amazing artifacts on our travels so it is hard to imagine what The MET can offer that the French or the British have not gotten to ‘acquiring’ first. [br] [br]
The premise for the day is – how far can we get in a 47C heat without collapsing. Apparently there is a Shake Shack on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge so that is the reward and motivation for enduring this unusually debilitating heat – we march forward. [br] [br]
As bad as this sounds – it had to get checked off the to do list. It turns out – everyone other tourist in New York was also there with the same idea as us. This must be the equivalent of the Spanish Steps in Rome, it even looks similar. [br] [br]
This is our first family trip to the Big Apple. It’s blistering hot – 37C and humid. We are going to take it easy today and ease ourselves into this holiday. Lot’s of walking, lot’s of shopping and even more people. [br] [br]
All hellish travel has its rewards. Today – we forgot about the airplanes, lineups and sleepless nights, and were rewarded with a spectacularly gorgeous day – we couldn’t ask for more. [br] [br]
What a gong show this journey was. Long story short British Airways cancelled the flight after an issue with the engine – so we got stuck in Seattle. We were booked to go through Houston, then London but by the time the reservation was confirmed, printing issues, we were too late to go through security. […]
Finally we got to see some fog in the morning, covering the Tuscan hills. We did not get up at the crack of dawn to see the sunrise because – we ate and drunk far too much last night. Still, though, this was a great view, right here from Sant’Anna. SaveSave
There are a few things that are easier to make than pizza. Apparently, things which appear simple are quite complex if you break them down. Long story short – I have been doing every aspect of the pizza making, right down to holding the dough all wrong, absolutely every single part, all wrong. This was […]
On the way back to Sant’Anna in Camprena from Montalcino we stopped a few times to take in the magnificent vistas and enjoy the serenity of this spectacular landscape. This truly is a wonderful place and the pictures simply don’t do its justice.
There appears to be about a thousand wine shops in this village. There are places where you can sample over 100 wines in a single wine store. It’s bonkers! However, our search is for some food, because it has been at least 3 hours since our last meal, and to find another gelato place, because […]
Promptly after breakfast today we drove out to a small family run winery nestled just below the quaint town of Montalcino. This place produces only 18,000 bottles of wine one Rosso and one Brunello, (read no cheap and pricey) The local oenologist, Maria, who is Spanish, gave us a great tour and a great wine […]
I think this is our 3rd or 4th time in Florence and finally we know the place enough to not get lost 4 times trying to walk 100m in a straight line. Once again we visited the Uffizi and the Academia for the first time. The cathedral is still there and just as magnificent as […]
San Gimignano is synonymous with the very finest of gelato, some great artisan shops and phenomenal galleries. There is no shortage of the run of the mill tourists traps like the Museum of Torture and other junk stores but for a refined gelato junkie this place is a paradise. True to form, we parked the […]
The idea was great, the plan brilliant, the execution none of the above. We did not find the right hill to see the sunrise, I guess you have to be in the know to be in the right spot at the right time. We will do better next however as we have acquired a map […]
About 10 min drive from Sant’ Anna is Pienza. A small town that came to prosperity and prominence under one of the Popes. But we did not came here for religion, we came to experience something much more spectacular, something much greater than god – a stunning Tuscan sunset. We also scoped out some places we would […]
We are back. We love being back and it is easy to see why Sant’ Anna in Camprena is the best kept secret in Tuscany. Quiet and quaint, with amazing hosts, Stefano and Ornella and breathtaking views of the countryside. The food is amazing and the atmosphere second to none. We just love this palace […]
Today we are travelling to Sant’ Anna in Camprena. We stayed here last year in the spring and loved it so much we thought we would come back and bring some friends with us to enjoy. However, because the drive from Rome to Camprena is not long we are taking some detours. First on the […]
Today is our last day in Rome, tomorrow are going to pack up and head for the Tuscan Hills. Having said that though, there are still a lot of places to explore. This morning we started with Eataly and a lot of food sampling and a huge lunch – naturally. Then we wondered around through […]
Getting around Rome and seeing the sights is not for the faint of heart or bad shoes. Our agenda for today was pack, but it started slowly with a breakfast at the local coffee shop. 6 cappuccinos and an espresso later we set out to conquer Rome. Colosseum, Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Palatine Hill, Borghese […]
We are back in Rome. This is the start of our 12 day mini holiday. We will be here until Sunday and then head out to Sant’ Anna in Camprena. This trip was a long time coming and this time we are joined by Susan and later on by Chris and Tamara in Tuscany. The […]
This is the kind of trip it was – over 30,000 km both on the plane and in the car. I think we would do it again in a heartbeat, maybe even throw in a balloon flight for a good measure as well!
This morning we are setting off for Nairobi with our trusted driver Joseph. However, because we are in such a remote part of the park Manfred will drive us down the mountain in the Land Cruiser, we will cross the river and meet up with Joseph on a much more accessible road where his off […]
This is our final game drive – and once again it exceeds our expectations. You always hope or wish but certainly never expect that city slickers like us would happen upon some hyenas and vultures feeding on a small giraffe that a pride of lions has taken down a night before. This is some National […]
This morning we are mixing things up a bit. Up at 6am, quick coffee and a cookie and out in the car by 6:15am. We did not even get 20m into the drive when we spotted a couple of giraffes and then another 10m later a herd of elephants. They really are not kidding when […]
These are our two tents. Kids on the right and we are on the left. Same rules apply here as did at the Basecamp – no one is allowed outside on their own after dark which here is at 6:30pm. You get escorted by two Maasai guards, armed with spears and knives against lions, elephant and hippos. We have […]
After about a 90 min drive we arrived at the Eagle View Camp – literally in the middle of nowhere. Perched on the top of the hill is a little slice of paradise. From the lodge and the rooms you can sit back and enjoy amazing vistas below where animals come and go in all shapes […]
Eagle View Camp, where we are going to be spending the next two nights, is nicer than the Basecamp, or so the locals tell us because there are more animals there. We can’t possibly imagine there being more of what we have seen already, but it does not take long for us again to be sitting […]
This morning, for once, we were actually on time. We made a conscious effort to be in the Land Cruiser by 6:30am to catch the best view of the sunrise, and we almost did. Right by the car giraffes were grazing so we couldn’t just leave, it is so hard not to be impressed by […]
It is still quite early but we are signing off for the night – it’s been a long day. Good night.
This interaction literally lasted about 10 seconds, too fast for the camera to focus and for us to do anything other than be frozen in amazement. The baby elephant, which is about the size of the Land Cruiser tire, got up, charged at the car, either wanting to play, or pretending to scare us. The mother trumpeted […]
Manfred really stepped it up today when out of nowhere in the middle of nowhere under some ordinary unassuming bush he found a band of brothers, well fed and sleeping. They did not even raised their heads when we pulled up. Having said that, I think the only thing that stopped the lions from eating […]
We had two requests this morning for Manfred, our guide and driver. We told him that we need to up our expectations and would like to see a pride of lions and a herd of elephants – half jokingly. Well he derived on the elephant this morning and in the afternoon and certainly in the […]
What is better than one solitary elephant minding his own business. Well a herd of 40 or so elephants with lots of babies. The tiny babies were hardly 3 feet tall, hardly sticking above the grass. So far I think this is the best and most memorable and mesmerizing experience for all of us. […]
One of the great sightings this morning was a mama and cub cheetah. The cub was nursing at first then grooming, then playing and stretching – playing nicely for all to see. Manfred spotted a wagging tale from about 300m. I honestly don’t know how these guys do it, I think the animal tracking is […]
Every time we go out for a game drive there is something new. This morning was the best one yet. We sit in the Land Cruiser in total amazement and astonishment as the Savannah life simply unfolds in front of our eyes. It seems that every 3 or 4km the landscape is totally different, from […]
Our evening game drive was quite exciting. We got stuck trying to cross a bit of wet land and sat there for about 20 min smoking tires and rocking the Land Cruiser back and forth. Actually the driver did all the work since we are not allowed to leave the car. We were permitted to […]
We are up at 6:00 am. Quick coffee and at 6:30 we are out for the morning game drive. By 7:00 am it seems like it’s noon the sun is so high up and it is so hot we are happy to be moving in the car to catch a bit of a breeze. The […]
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