The Sweet Life

Il dolce far niente...

In Italian, this means the sweetness of doing nothing.  Such a beautiful phrase.  I love the idea that doing nothing is in fact doing something, and that it is considered beautiful by Italians.  This is what I love most about Italy, this phrase.  But alas, I am a teacher and my days of "doing nothing" (a.k.a summer) will be over as of Thursday.  So, these posts will be a little less frequent because I will be busy with my day job.  But, I am going to try my best to update as often as possible.  I still have stories to tell about  Italy as well as other cities I have visited so stay tuned!  But today, take some time to do nothing, and enjoy every second of it!

Where Should I Go Next?

I am always thinking of my next trip.  I am constantly looking for flight deals and Travis and I are always figuring out just how much money a certain trip will cost.  I am not so good with the budget thing (big surprise) so thankfully Travis can add quickly in his head what things will cost.  With that said, it takes some early planning for a big trip (like to Italy) and we had to make some sacrifices this past year which included less smaller trips during the year.  Here are a few places that we have been thinking about visiting this upcoming year.  Please feel free to offer suggestions if you have visited any of these places!  I would love some advice!

New York City:

New York City is a place that I have visited many times thanks to a pretty consistent girl trip with my mom and sister.  We just got back from this great place in July and had a great time taking in shows and shopping.  More on our girl trip later.  But, Travis has not visited NYC in a while and wants to visit again.  We wanted to go last fall, but decided on the big trip to Italy so we saved our money.  Now, we think we can do it this fall, so I have been looking up some flights and some places to stay and things to do.  We really want to visit in the fall (late October) because I think the weather will be beautiful.  The hardest thing about NYC is that it is really expensive.  A nice hotel in Boston or San Francisco that would cost between $150-250 would cost at least $250-250 a night in New York.  Also, food is really expensive, too.  We would definitely be spending more.  Any suggestions on decent hotels that are under $200? 

Buenos Aires:

 I am lucky enough to have visited quite a few European cities, so I really want to go somewhere different for our next big trip and to me, Buenos Aires fits the bill.  I have never been to South America, and everything I read on this Argentinean city makes me want to visit.  Here is Fodor's list of reasons to visit Buenos Aires and I am particularly excited about #3.  One of the biggest issues with visiting South America is the weather.  The best time for Travis and me to take big trips is during the summer, and in South America it is not summer, but rather winter.  For example, today it is a balmy 52 degrees.  I realize that every country south of the equator is experiencing winter right now, but when it has been over 100 degrees every day for the past two weeks it is hard to imagine wearing a coat in August.  

Okay, now I am getting into trips that if I had endless amounts of money, I would visit in the next year.  
Amsterdam:

 I have visited Amsterdam but I was only there for a few days and I was in college.  That is all I am going to say about that...

Anyway, I really want to visit Amsterdam and experience the museums (especially the Van Gogh museum) with Travis.  His favorite artist is Van Gogh and I know he would love to see his famous paintings.  Also, I was watching Ocean's Twelve, and the beginning is in Amsterdam and it looks awesome.  Maybe I could plan a trip with George Clooney and Brad Pitt.  It could happen. 

Basque Country, Spain:

 Ever since I saw Anthony Bourdain's episode of Spain on his show "No Reservations" I have been lusting over this area of Spain.  It has all things I love.  The beach, great weather, history, architecture, and great food.  I need to visit this place.  I think this trip alone is a reason that this teacher needs to get paid more.  I'll share pictures, I promise.  I'm just sayin...

Anyway, these are just a few places that I am lusting over.  I know Travis has his own list of places he wants to visit in the near future, too.  If you have any suggestions, feel free to share!  Enjoy!

Laissez les bons temps roulez

It has been over a year since Travis and I have visited our good friends Devyn and Brandon Smith in New Orleans.

 Ever since they moved there in May of 2007, we have tried our very best to visit them as often as possible.  This is because we absolutely love hanging out with the Smiths and also because we love visiting New Orleans.  We are lucky to have friends that live there, because they have the inside scoop on great restaurants and festivals.

One of my favorite things that I have ever done in New Orleans is attend Jazz Fest.

 It is mainly a Jazz  and Blues Festival that has artists from Simon and Garfunkel to Bon Jovi.  We did not attend this past spring (much to our disappointment) but were able to visit in the spring of 2009.  People take their Jazz Fest seriously.  You can see the flags in the picture above.  This is from people who set up shop early in the morning with their fancy lawn chairs and flags to mark their spots.  The year we visited the headliners were Kings of Leon and Bon Jovi.  While walking around you might see some of these guys. 

And after the show you might see this.

 This guy had a really good time at Jazz Fest.  Don't worry, he is still alive.  I kid, I kid. 

Both acts were great, and the street music was entertaining but the real reason you attend Jazz Fest is for the food.  Ahhhhhh, the food! 

It seems like there are hundreds of food stands with all kinds of Cajun food and drink.  Be prepared to eat more than one meal while at Jazz Fest.  My favorite thing at Jazz Fest is a sandwich called Cochon du Lait.  This po-boy does not exist anywhere other than Jazz Fest, so it is very popular food stand.  It is a pork po-boy made with milk fed pork and served up hot.  Ughhhhhmmmmmm.  I honestly don't have any adjectives to describe this sandwich.  My mouth is watering now.  My friend Devyn actually found a restaurant in New Orleans (I think restaurant is a relative term, she described it more as a guy's trunk) that sells Cochon du Lait at times other than Jazz Fest.  That is how important this sandwich is.  Go to Jazz Fest.  Eat a Cochon du Lait.

Enough about Cochon du Lait.  I realize I can't get one for lunch today so I will have to deal with it.  Moving on.  If you want a great meal in New Orleans are you are not there during Jazz Fest, visit Jacque Imo's. 

As you can see it is kind of a hole in the wall place, but it has great authentic Cajun food.  And a very personable owner.

Devyn and I wanted to take a picture with him and he jumped into our arms without any warning.  He is lucky we caught him.  Also, he was completely sober.  Just kidding.  He was not sober at all.  Can you tell?

Jacque Imo's is an all night kind of thing, so plan accordingly.

I could write a ton more about New Orleans, so I will save it for another post so as not to bore you.  If you want to eat well and meet some crazy people, visit New Orleans! 


P.S.  It took Travis almost the entire drive from Oklahoma to Louisiana to pronounce the title of this post.  If you can do it, props.

Italian Fashion

I love the way that Italian men dress.  It is so effortlessly put together and chic.  The men almost always have on nice leather shoes, slim slacks or a suit, a bright shirt and tie and the most important accessory of all, sunglasses.  With this outfit on, they will always hop onto their scooter or bike and zoom off, never sweating or getting dusty and dirty.  These photos below are a perfect representation of the quintessential Italian man. 

Courtesy of The Sartorialist

Taken by Travis at the Boboli Gardens in Florence

Not only do the men dress well, but so do their children.  I absolutely had to take pictures of these cute boys in front of the Duomo in Florence.  His brother right behind him is taking a picture of their parents in front of the church. 

Look at the jacket!  And that pose! 

And those aviators!  Classic Italian.  Clearly they start teaching their children early how to dress.  People watching is one of my favorite things to do on vacation and I highly recommend while in Italy to have a seat at a bar patio in the afternoon, drink a few beers, and watch the men (and women) on their way home from work.