Traveling Olive exploring the Colosseum (or Coliseum) in Rome, Italy

What made you decide to take this trip? 

My husband and I (sadly) had never been to Italy.  He’s a huge history buff and especially into Ancient Roman History, so Italy was at the top of our travel list.

Will you go back again?

We absolutely want to go back!  Florence and Rome were our favorites and we’d also like to explore the coast.

Where did you stay?

We stayed at the Hotel Palazzo Manfredi.  It’s literally steps away from the Coliseum and Forum, which make the views incredible.  The terrace restaurant, Aroma, is a must even if you’re not staying at the hotel.  The views are to die for and the food is just as scrumptious.  It was a perfect hotel for our trip to Rome.

Hotel Palazzo Manfredi

What surprised you most about Rome?

The amount of Basilicas the city has and the rich history that each carries.  Whether it was the only gothic church in Rome or the first Jesuit Church, they all had an unique and very significant addition to history.

What was the best treasure you discovered while in Rome?

Agneau de pre-sale while dining at Aroma.  It’s lamb from areas in Normandy and Brittany that have fed on grasses often drenched with seawater and salty winds from the ocean.  This results in a meat that’s incredibly tender and juicy.  We loved it and will always remember our first agneau de pre-sale!

What aspect of Rome could you do without?

The huge tour buses and massive crowds! 

Inside the Colosseum

Any tips for people traveling to Rome?

Wear comfy shoes and purchase tickets in advance!  

Also, strongly consider a reputable tour guide. We used a tour company called Walks of Italy.  They took care of our tickets so we didn’t have to wait in line and they were super easy to work with.  Walks of Italy specializes in small group or private tours, which allows you to customize the tour both in content and speed.  I couldn’t help but see other larger tour groups and cringe at the thought of spending the day like that.

Lastly, we found Rome to be the least crowded on Saturday mornings, so we would recommend touring the main sites during that time.

Do you collect something special from every destination you visit?

We always collect corks from the wine we have at dinners…and ok…sometimes lunch.  Then we bring it home and place in a special dish in our dining room.  Seeing the dish filled with corks reminds us of the wonderful experiences we’ve had.  We’re also fans of local art, so we always try to bring home something local to hang on our walls.

What’s next on your travel itinerary?

Australia/New Zealand are in the plans for 2012, and in addition we’re hoping for Africa.

Read more about The Petersons trip to Italy at A few of our favorite things…in Italy 

http://www.vowstotravel.com/

If you would like to take Traveling Olive on your next trip drop me a line @TravelingOlive or Shannon@TravelingOlive.com

A creative spin on the typical jack o'lantern

See more than 4,000 individually hand-carved, illuminated jack o’ lanterns in this elaborate walk-through experience.  Meander through an 18th-century riverside landscape and discover a breathtaking display – all made of jack o’ lanterns! See slithering snakes, a giant spider web, an undersea aquarium, super-sized dinosaurs, pirates, ghosts, and a collection of creatures based on Greek and Roman mythology. Spot spooky sheep skeletons ‘roaming’ the Van Cortlandt grounds and gasp at a cemetery where huge headstones are created from three-foot-high pumpkins. Be awed by a mammoth jack o’ lantern ‘King Kong’ perched on a tall building high above!

Come gawk and gaze at more pumpkins than ever before. Tens of thousands of visitors experienced last year’s sold-out Blaze. Complete with original, atmospheric music, sound effects, and elaborate new synchronized lighting, this not-to-be-missed spectacle is the area’s most innovative Halloween happening.(http://www.hudsonvalley.org/events/blaze)

The entrance to Van Cortlandt Manor

Van Cortlandt version of The Great Lawn

Van Cortlandt Manor turns into one scary place

Just a few of the 4,000 carved pumpkins

Follow the illuminated path...

What a warm welcome...

A glowing Triceratops

Special thanks to Ryan Horvath for the spooky photos.  For more photos from The Blaze visit Traveling Olive’s Flickr album 

The Blaze is open until November 4th! Just remember you must buy your tickets in advance! Adults, $16; Children 5-17, $12  (Saturdays $20, $16) 

For more information on The Blaze visit:  http://www.hudsonvalley.org/events/blaze

To get there:

From Manhattan by MTA - Metro-North’s Hudson Line trains depart from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan and stops at the Croton-Harmon station (under an hour from Manhattan). Grab a cab at the station and head to Van Cortlandt Manor which is just a 5-minute cab ride (I wouldn’t walk).

For driving directions from Westchester Country, Lower Connecticut, Rockland County and Manhattan visit Hudson Valley’s website

Nearby Attractions:

Kykuit: The Rockefeller Estate - explore John D. Rockefeller’s 40-room grand house

Washington Irving’s Sunnyside - visit the residence of Washington Irving,  America’s first internationally famous author, best remembered for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

Lyndhurst  - tour America’s finest Gothic Revival mansion and get lost in the 67-acre park

Keep them coming!

My friend Jessica, a twenty-something marketing director in Manhattan, recently took Traveling Olive on a weekend getaway to Montreal. Thanks Jess for answering some of my favorite travel questions…

Traveling Olive in Montreal

What made you decide to take this trip?

I wanted a mini (3 night) vacation to a cosmopolitan city within a 7 hour driving distance radius from NYC.  Montreal definitely (one may argue exclusively) fits the bill.  You feel as if you just drove to Europe because French is the official language, and yet you have the comfort of home because the locals can almost all speak English too.

 Where did you stay?

Hotel Place d’Armes in the heart of Old Montreal on Rue Saint- Jacques.  The hotel has very contemporary finishes yet is housed in an old, beautiful building.  Just steps from the door (valet service!) down the cobblestone street is the famed Notre Dame Cathedral.  The hotel has three high-end restaurants (translation: excellent room service food), including La Terrasse Place d’Armes, a rooftop bar/restaurant (perhaps the only one higher than 3 stories?) with sweeping 360 degree views of the city and a lively happy hour scene.

Hotel Place d’Armes

La Terrasse Place d’Armes

What surprised you most about Montreal?

The Parc du Mont-Royal!  They call it “the Mountain” (be careful not to call it a hill in front of any locals) and I understand why.  After trekking from our hotel past McGill University (a relatively steep uphill journey), we entered the park.

Park entrance is just above McGill University, already at a rather high altitude

The climb begins almost immediately upon entering.

There is a very long circular path around the interior of the park that is do-able with approx. 3 hours of brisk walking, but the map doesn’t indicate how steep an incline this path is.

Aerial shot of the park

Choosing to bear left on the path, we quickly got bored of the endless forest-lined path, we took a shortcut on a slightly beaten trail up a hill.

An endless forest-lined path

This decision paid off, as we realized we had taken a shortcut to a breathtaking view of a lake and park, with a sloping grassy hill to sit and enjoy the view.

The shortcut...

The shortcut paid off...what a view!

Journeying back on the path, we reached the Kondiaronk Belvedere.  The grand semicircle of a promenade is the perfect frame for the amazing view of Montreal before you.  We realized now just how high we’ve already climbed.

Kondiaronk Belvedere

View of downtown Montreal from the edge of the overlook

Continuing on the path, we passed the famed Mont Royal Cross, a modern landmark with roots to the city’s earliest days.

The famed Mont Royal Cross

Finally, we reached the top, where there were views of the other, more residential side of Montreal (away from Downtown and Old Montreal).

The...long...descent...down...

Now came the hard part – the descent down a very winding road with no sidewalks.  In retrospect, taking one of the buses available at the top of the hill would have probably been safer.  Mile End, a supposedly hip (although not from what we could see) micro-neighborhood, is within walking distance from this exit – wander into a bar there for a much needed beer and snack.  We seemed to be the only tourists in Mile End, as evidenced by our server communicating exclusively in French.  

Total trek estimate: 5 miles, 1 vertical mile.

 What was the best treasure you discovered while in Montreal?

Lobster poutine at Garde Manger – a hip restaurant in Old Montreal favored by 20 or 30-something  locals in the know.  Reservations at least 2 months in advance is required!  Definitely worth the effort though.

Reservations (2 months in advance) are required!

A close second would be Bloody Ceasers – a cousin of our Bloody Mary’s.  

Third place – their custom of swiping the credit card at your table with a handheld machine, enabling the ability to punch in your tip – this certainly speeds up the exiting process.

What aspect of Montreal could you do without?

The slooooooooow service.

Any tips for people traveling to Montreal?

Explore neighborhoods beyond the typical tourist destinations of Old Montreal and Downtown.  Every neighborhood in our guidebook (Lonely Planet) was surprisingly walk-able from our Old Montreal hotel – we never had to venture into the subway although cabs were often in order late at night.

The Latin Quarter, in particular, is a younger,  bar and restaurant-filled  neighborhood I would equate to Greenwich Village or the East Village in Manhattan.  An enormous bar (over 3 stories at night) called Le-Saint Sulpice has a huge backyard beer garden by day…and yes they serve poutine with that beer.

The beer garden at Le-Saint-Sulpice in the Latin Quarter

Le-Saint-Sulpice

What would be in your essential Montreal travel kit?

Credit card (to avoid currency exchange), walking shoes, Lonely Planet guidebook (offers a great explanation of the different neighborhoods – and it directs you to the main arteries of each).

If you want to take Traveling Olive on your next trip drop me a line @TravelingOlive or leave a comment below.

My friend Tom, a twenty-something graphic designer in Manhattan, just recently got back from a two week trip through Eastern Europe (his first European passport stamp). He snapped this photo of Olive hanging out at Schloss Schönbrunn in Vienna, Austria.

Olive at Schloss Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria

The Schönbrunn Palace is the most important cultural monument in the country so I asked Tom to give me a brief summary of his experience at the monument:

Schloss Schönbrunn (Schonbrunn Palace) was the summer residence of the Habsburgs (The Austrian royal family). As you would expect from a royal palace it was loaded with huge sculptures, hallways, and windows. My particularly favorite spot was the gardens. They appeared endless, though in the far distance on a large hill was the Gloriette, a looming Roman-esque structure. Very cool. Overall I’d recommend spending a few hours there as it’s a bit out of the way from central Vienna. You could get carried away and spend half of your day there but much of it is repetition.

Close up of Schönbrunn Palace

The Gloriette at Schönbrunn Palace

The gardens at Schönbrunn Palace

And he couldn’t get out of answering my favorite travel questions:

What made you decide to take this trip?

My cousin Allie was studying in Milan, Italy. We met up with her in Budapest, Hungary then spent 2 weeks working our way back to Italy.

 

Where did you stay?

A nice little hotel right near all of the main attractions. For the life of me I cannot remember the name of it. This hotel was the only place I stayed in Europe to offer a hot breakfast – a rarity!

What surprised you most about Vienna?

Unfortunately, Vienna’s famous Sachertorte (chocolate cake) was rather overhyped and overpriced. Everyone we met told us we couldn’t leave without trying it, but we could have…

Sachertorte, Vienna's famous chocolate cake

What was the best treasure you discovered while in Vienna?

Paprika. They love it there. And I, too, have a newfound love for paprika. It’s great on chicken!

What aspect of Vienna could you do without?

Though I was one, I could have done without the massive amounts of tourists…

Any tips for people traveling to Vienna?

Stay near the Naschmarkt! It was central to everything.

The streets of Vienna

The subway is your friend. It was the easiest subway to navigate of all the transit options in Europe I encountered.

Ride the Riesenrad at sunset. It’s the big old fashioned Ferris Wheel in the Prater (think Central Park with an amusement park). It takes 20 minutes to make 1 loop and if you time it right you’ll see some amazing views of the city as the sun drops.

Wiener Riesenrad

The view from Wiener Riesenrad

Sunset from Wiener Riesenrad

You must see the Austrian National Library (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, abbreviated “ÖNB”), it took my breath away. The magnitude of the space itself coupled with its rich ornateness was beyond impressive.

The Austrian National Library (German: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek)

The Austrian National Library

What would be in your essential Vienna travel kit?

Euros, Sunglasses, Camera, Subway Map, more Euros.

Do you collect anything from every destination you visit? (I collect ornaments because I’m obsessed with Christmas.)

Wine corks. Though interesting thing is that all wine bottled from Austria is a screw top, so they really messed up my plan. (The Vienna Review looks into this)

What’s next on your travel itinerary?

I think the next one needs to be a little more relaxing. Caribbean? Though Ireland and Spain are tops on my list when I get back over to Europe.

Visit Flickr for more photos of Tom’s trip to Vienna 

If you want to take Traveling Olive on your next trip drop me a line @TravelingOlive or leave a comment below.

Escape to Yoga Island

My fellow yogis and I boarded the Governor’s Island ferry from the historic Battery Maritime Building located at 10 South Street, adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry in Lower Manhattan.

Thirteen classes taught by top NYC yoga teachers were offered throughout the day – kicking off at 10:00 a.m and ending at 5:00 p.m. The main stage offered hour-long classes for beginners coupled with live music by yoga DJ Derek Beres and Dana Slamp and Kirtan led by Nahdi Devi and her band. Three smaller “studios” were situated along Colonel’s Row which offered 90-minute intensives like Yoga for Athletes, AcroYoga and Hoop Vinyasa.

From the main stage

Acro-Yoga class

The food options were extremely limited. One Indian tent cooked up samosas and aloo gobi and Soft Serve Fruit Co., a dairy and gluten free frozen creamery, offered Blueberry and Banana frozen treats (disappointing flavors). There were a handful of vendors promoting their healthy concoctions – Beyond Kombucha, Hint Water (Mango-Grapefruit was surprisingly refreshing), BluePrint Cleanse and Tumeric Alive. Thankfully, I packed lots of snacks and water to keep me energized.

Tumeric Alive (I really wanted to like this)

Soft Serve Fruit Co. (Mango is my favorite)

I grabbed a shady area on the main lawn and waited for yogi big-wig Sri Dharma Mittra to start the class. Acro-yogis Matt Girodano and Chelsey Korus kept us entertained as they wowed the crowd with their insane strength.

Acro-yogis Matt Giordano and Chelsey Korus

Strength

Check out this amazing video:

Unfortunately, the sound system was not cooperating and it was nearly impossible to follow Dharma Mittra’s commands so I spent most of my practice snapping photos and wondering if I could ever become strong enough to attempt Matt and Chelsey’s Cirque du Soleli-like moves.

Intensive 90-minute class at Colonel's Row

Being the first-ever yoga festival on Governor’s Island, the turnout was impressive. The Laughing Lotus and Lululemon staff were very helpful and the classes were diverse offering something for every stage.

I wish Lululemon sold these shirts at the festival.

Next year I hope to see more food options (I’m thinking fruit smoothies, hummus, falafel, Mediterranean salads), vendors selling some good ole’ fashion H2O, a Lululemon merchandise table (with those awesome Escape to Yoga Island shirts and tanks), and information on yoga studios around New York City.

Visit Flickr for more photos from Escape to Yoga Island

For New York Yogis, here are some free outdoor classes you can take advantage of before the summer ends:

• August 14th | 10:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m. | Dharma Yoga for New York City | Governor’s Island 
• Tuesdays | 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. | Lululemon | Bryant Park Upper Terrace
• Wednesdays | 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Laughing Lotus | 10th Ave btw 14th & 15th 
• Thursdays | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. | Lululemon | Bryant Park Lawn 
• Thursdays | 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Lululemon and Bend & Bloom Yoga | Prospect Park Long Meadow

Don’t forget about Yoga to the People, a donation-only studio with four locations in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn – just arrive early because the studios fill up…fast!

Namaste! 

Namaste

View of Easton's Beach from Cliff Walk

After a short one-hour drive from Mystic, we headed straight to the Cliff Walk.

Cliff Walk

This National Recreation Trail runs about 3.5 miles through Newport’s National Historic District.

Cliff Walk details

The walk starts at the western end of Easton’s Beach at Memorial Boulevard and runs south ending at Bellevue Avenue. There are a few exits – the last one being Ledge Road.

Beautiful

The trail is sandwiched between the Atlantic shoreline and Newport’s famed mansions. The first half of the walk is flat and simple. The path is lined with New England greenery but be careful of the poison ivy which can be a problem in the area.

Ocean to the left, mansions to the right

If you only have a short amount of time, start at Memorial Boulevard and end at the Forty Steps (my favorite part).

Forty Steps

Step #21 out of 40

Waterfall by the Forty Steps

After the Forty Steps, you’ll pass Salve Regina University, the Breakers, Rosecliff, Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Chinese Tea House, and Gull Rock Tunnel.

I call this the "Love is Life" tunnel

From here, the second half of the walk gets more challenging with no easy exits. You will find yourself hopping from rock to rock with 70 foot drops alongside of you.  Turn around here if you’re wearing flip flops!

Very slippery rocks!

The second half of the path turns into a little rock climbing

After completing the entire walk (about 2 hours if stopping for photos), you can turn around and walk back (no, thank you!) or take the 67 Yellow Line/Gateway/Via Bellevue bus line for a quick 15 minute ride back to Long Warf Mall. If you’re planning on touring any of the mansions, this would be a good time since the bus drops you off at the entrances of the most popular mansions.

By now you will be starving! If you’re looking for lunch, head to Diego’s at Bowen’s Warf – mexican food with a modern twist. Grab a seat on the patio and order a bunch of small plates to share. Ideal order: Grilled Mango Chorizo, Crispy Pulled Pork Ancho Springroll, Toro Corn, Salsa 4 Ways and The Hermosa Pizza. Don’t forget a margarita!

Diego's

After lunch, raid the stores for nautical inspired clothing and trinkets, visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame or take a sailboat ride around the harbor.

Whatever you do, just be sure to head over to Castle Hill to watch the sunset. Find an Adirondak chair on the massive lawn, check out their impressive wine list (recipient of Wine Spectator Magazine’s Award of Excellence as one of the best wine lists in the world), and watch the sunset.

Stay for dinner (dress code is business casual) or head to Bannister’s Warf for the quintessential Newport dinner at Clarke Cooke House. Here you’ll find The Candy Store, Bistro, the 12M Yacht Club Room, porch and private dinning along with The Boom Boom Room – a night club drawing an electric crowd.

Sailors enjoying some ice cream at Bannister's Warf - Clarke Cooke House in background

Enjoy a nightcap at Forty 1° North - a new boutique hotel perfectly positioned on Newport’s Harbor. Grab a dockside table and ogle over the massive yachts docked in the marina – a perfect way to end a perfect day!

Visit Flickr for more photos from Newport

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum by Traveling Olive

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

1071 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street

http://www.guggenheim.org

Current exhibit: A Chronology: The Guggenheim Collection, 1909–1979 presents a visually dynamic time line of this extraordinary metamorphosis from private collection to public. On display until September 11, 2011.

As host for several series on the Travel Channel, Samantha spends most of her year traveling the world and sharing her once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I’m beyond jealous.

The crew shoots Samantha as she enters the famous Angkor Wat temple. (Photo from TravelChannel.com)

Samantha and Trinh Tien Trung tour the Vong Vieng Floating Village in Halong Bay. (Photo from TravelChannel.com)

At The New York Times Travel Show this year she shared with the audience her “must-have carry-on” items. The quirkiest (yet genius) items were two pink bouncy balls. I know, it’s random but she’s totally on to something.  After a long flight or a 12-hour day of walking around cities, She rolls these pink balls under her  feet and on the back of her neck, she even lays on top of them (in the privacy of her hotel room) and massages her back

Only someone who spends 200+ days a year traveling would come up with that!

Check out CNN’s charming Q&A with Samantha to see how she landed this amazing gig, why Cambodia is her favorite destination and what she does when she’s not traveling…

CNN Travel: On the road with Samantha Brown

(CNN) — Caution: Traveling nonstop may result in a broken nose.

Just ask Samantha Brown, who globetrots for the Travel Channel some 230 days a year and changes hotels so often that she once found herself lost while navigating her latest room.

“I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom but there was no light and where I thought the bathroom was, was a wall and I literally slammed into it and broke my nose,” Brown said.

Call it one of the work hazards of what most people would otherwise consider a dream job: getting paid to travel to some of the world’s most beautiful destinations and show them off on TV.

You may know Brown as the perky host of several popular series on the Travel Channel, including “Passport to Europe” and “Samantha Brown’s Great Weekends.”

These days, she is also the spokeswoman for Nature Valley’s National Parks Project, which aims to fund restoration efforts that support Yellowstone, Grand Teton and other U.S. national parks.

Brown, 41, recently spoke with CNN.com about her journeys and favorite destinations during a break in her travels.

The following is an edited version of that interview.

Sam explores Ta Prohm and the ancient temples of Siem Reap. (Photo from TravelChannel.com)

The panel was inspiring but I was instantly drawn to Beth, not only because her passion for travel is pleasantly contagious but because she was able to successfully combine all my interests into one career – traveling both solo and leading tour groups, combining volunteerism with leisurely travel, writing about the adventures and all while understanding the logistics of building your own brand. I’d like to think that panel had something to do with Traveling Olive.

I'm a Wanderluster!

She calls herself a “contemporary wanderer” – a title I hope to earn very soon.

Trip Advisor just did a great Q&A with her. I particularly liked Beth’s answer to “What’s the best travel advice you could give a friend?

Travel Blogger Spotlight:

WanderlustAndLipstick.com

Have you always dreamed of visiting far-off places like India, Vietnam or Cambodia? If so, we’ve got the blog for you! Beth Whitman created WanderlustAndLipstick.com to help offer inspiration and tips to women travelers looking to soak it all in. Beth is a seasoned traveler, to say the least. According to her blog, she’s “backpacked through Nepal and hiked the Himalayan foothills in Bhutan; ridden a motorcycle solo from Seattle to Panama; worked with orphans in Vietnam through various volunteer programs; driven the AlCan Highway to Alaska; and maneuvered the back roads of France’s Dijon region in a rental car.”

And, if that wasn’t exciting enough, we found out even more about this Wanderluster in our Q&A…check it out here

Beth leads tours (both co-ed and women-only) to places like Papua New Guinea, Bhutan and Cambodia where she immerses her group in the local culture. Beth and ten explorers are departing in early August on the Papua New Guinea Mt. Hagen Show Culture Tour – the 15-day journey includes a private look inside the preparation of the Mt. Hagen Festival which is celebrating its 50^th Anniversary this year. The tribes are guaranteed to put on a a memorable show.

Sing Sing Group Member, Mt. Hagen Cultural Show, Papua New Guinea

To all the ladies who love to travel (and those who are too afraid to pack up and go), check out one of Beth’s books for inspiration.

Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo – a hip road map to creating your own adventure

The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo

Wanderlust and Lipstick: For Women Traveling to India – the definitive guide to help any WanderGal embrace this captivating country

Wanderlust and Lipstick: For Women Traveling to India

Thank you for the inspiration, Beth!

Peter gave me a great piece of advice that stuck – “write about what you know.” 

He also gave me an interesting homework assignment – he asked me to write a travel piece on Schenectady (my hometown). I never thought of Schenectady as a travel destination (and I’m sure Peter had not either) but after exploring Schenectady with a traveler’s eye, I uncovered some of the world’s lesser known treasures!

Check out my article here: Off The Brochure Travel Guide: Schenectady, New York and for some additional photos of Schenectady visit the Flickr album

The Stockade