How to Pack Smartly on a trip

Packing is so important to a successful and enjoyable trip. When done correctly, you can use carry-on luggage only and have plenty of clothes to wear. By using the proper types of clothing, you can have lightweight, wrinkle free clothing that packs into a small suitcase. Taking only 3-4 outfits means you wash your clothes in the bathroom sink at your hotel and hang them to dry overnight.

Watch my YouTube video below on how to do this and stop lugging endless suitcases with you on your trip. Travel smart not heavy!

– Ciao
– George

Movery – An Italian Travel planner

Movery is a platform designed for travel planning. It is an intuitive and easy-to-use portal where you can create your own journey by choosing the destinations to visit. On the website you can easily find all the information about the points of interest in the area, including the lesser-known ones that are outside the usual tourist routes. The content is created by authors who know the area well, so that using this portal is a bit like having a trusted friend who recommends to you the best places to visit, allowing you to experience the area as a true local.

Their claim is “Movery amplifies your travel experience”, and their intent is precisely to assist travellers in creating and managing their personal tour.

The first step is to create a profile with your travel preferences, so as to start immediately the search for the best points of interest to add to your itinerary. In this way you have the opportunity to optimize the time to organize your journey.

The recommended destinations on the portal can be viewed both on the map (in order to plan the itinerary also based on the distance between one point of interest and the other) and through the “Destinations” section, divided by city.

To give further ideas in the planning of the itinerary, the Movery Blog offers recommended routes divided by theme:

• Travel for All: recommended routes for travellers with specific needs: those travelling with a 4-legged friend, those travelling with children or those who need information on routes without architectural barriers.
• Typical Tastes: itineraries dedicated to the discovery of the food and wine excellence of the territory.
• Settings of Endless Stories: collects paths inspired by films and books.
• History Travellers: paths dedicated to history enthusiasts, in order to retrace the places that have acted as a backdrop to great events or the passage of great personalities.

It will soon be possible to share your itinerary created on Movery with your travel companions (and in general with friends, via social channels). At the moment the project is dedicated entirely to the Campania region, but they aim to gradually expand it to cover the entire Italian country.

My YouTube channel. My aim in my BLOGs and VLOGs is to provide quality information on Italy to make your trip easier and more fun. Movery meets these goals.

Movery Information:

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Ciao,

– George

Cicchetti – The Spanish like Tapas of Venice

Title: Italy – Cicchetti in Venice

Countries: Venice, Italy

Watch our video on Cicchetti in Venice:

What is Cicchetti? Cicchetti is similar to Tapas in Spain. They are small plates served in bars and small restaurants around Venice. Sometimes the plates are free with the purchase of a drink. Most of the time there is a small charge of a few Euros for each plate. The food is fresh, homemade and cheap. Tired of the very expensive ristorate near Piazza San Marco? Wonder a bit or look up Ciccetti on your smart phone to find one near you.

Eating in Italy is about local food, freshness, taste and presentation not about cost! Locals eat Cicchetti. Do yourself a favor the next time you are in Venice and try Cicchetti. Bacari are wine bars that serve Cicchetti. Tray a glass of Ombro, the local wine.

I southern Italy an American concept of Happy Hour has taken over. You buy a drink and get food for free. Italians do not believe in drinking without food. Their purpose to drink is not to get drunk but to enjoy the flavors along with food.

 

Ciao,

 

George

 

Frankfurt Germany

Frankfurt is the center of the European Bank for Euros. It is a large modern city with an old wonderful center (Romeberg). The Main River flows through Frankfurt. It has wonderful pedestrian bridges over it. On the other side of the Main is where all the museums are located. They are all together so you can easily chose which you want to see and visit them.

The best way to see Frankfurt and get around is the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus & boat. Frankfurt is a very walkable city as well. It is an easy walk to everywhere. From the airport, take the ICE train (23 minutes) to the Central Train Station. We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel while in Frankfurt and at the Steigenberg Airport Hotel 3 weeks later on our way home.

Things to see:

• Main River
• Palm Garden (Botanical Gardens)
• Hop-On-Hop-Off bus & Boat
• Central Train Station
• Farmers Market
• Galleria shopping mall
• Old Opera House
• Romeberg (old section)
• Goethe Museum
• Iron pedestrian bridge over Main River
• Saint Bartholomew’s Church

Come walk with us through Frankfurt Germany:

– George

Italian Drinking Fountains – A User Guide

The water in Italy in usually safe and delicious. There are water fountains everywhere. They can be used to drink water or fill a water bottle. This video is short and shows how simple it is to use these fountains.

– George

Oslo Norway

We recently spent 3 weeks in Scandinavia. It was a wonderful trip. we visited Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. This vlog is about our trip to Oslo Norway. We stayed at a wonderful hotel in Oslo that was central to everything. We went in the beginning of April. It was cold but not freezing. We had several sunny days that felt warm and wonderful.

The waterfront was our favorite area. Here you can rent boats, take a boat ride, walk on a boardwalk and find endless types of restaurants. Oslo is a very walkable city. The Central Train Station was only 13-minute walk from our hotel and another few minutes to the Palace or waterfront. You can also rent a bicycle or your hotel may lend you one.

Come see Oslo with us in our YouTube Video below:

-George

Breakfast in Italy

Breakfast is an important meal but Italians eat a light and sweet breakfast because they eat dinner so late. Hotels and B&Bs serve breakfasts of pastry, yogurt, meats and cheeses, rolls, and of course coffee or tea. If your hotel does not serve a free breakfast … DO NOT BUY ONE! go to the nearest bar and eat like all the other Italians. Order a coffee, espresso or cappuccino and a cornetto. Cornetti look like croissants but are softer. They come filled with cream, chocolate or jelly. Be an Italian while you are in Italy. I look forward to breakfast at a bar.

Some bars are PATISSERIES and have a huge selection of pastries and cakes. These are special experiences but can affect your waistline.

Join us in the YouTube video below as we show you the different breakfasts of Italy:

– Ciao
– George

Travel in Europe

Getting to Europe is easy but can be expensive for most of us. See my tips on cheaper airfares. Once there, you need to move around between countries, between cities in a country and around a city. There are many ways to do this including:

• Airplanes
• Trains
• Metro (Subway)
• Ferries
• Funicular
• Boats
• Trams
• Cars
• Car Services for hire)
• Motorcycles or Vespas
• Tour Busses (Hop on Hop Off)
• Walking

Watch the YouTube video below for ideas on using these modes of transportation:

 

– Ciao
– George

Rome 2

Rome or Roma in Italian is a wonderful city to walk around. There is good and safe public transportation but if you enjoy walking, you can walk everywhere in Rome. The food and wine are first class. Of course you can find great pastas and pizzas but Rome has so much more to offer including great fish.

This is my second VLOG on Rome and brings the familiar places and some not so familiar. I hope you enjoy this video and get to experience Roma!

Come walk with us around this amazing capital city. Watch my YouTube video below and discover Rome and these sites:

• Spanish Steps
• Trevi Fountain,
• Temple of Hadrian
• Pantheon,
• Campo dei Fiori,
• Old Rome,
• Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verita),
• Aristo Campo Trattoria in Trastevere,
• Saint Peter’s Basilica,
• Vatican City Museum & Sistine Chapel,
• Colosseum,
• Arch of Constantine,
• Pizzaria San Marco,
• Orvieto,
• Tivoli,
• Villa Borghese and the Museum,
• Trolley ride in Rome.

 

-George

Venice, Italy

Venice is one of the most unusual and beautiful cities in the world. Imagine a city but on Trees. These trees support the city over the lagoon. Venice has many touristy sites in Piazza San Marco that should be seen at least once. After you have done the tourist thing, go to the back paths of Venice. Explore, get lost, find new areas and enjoy the real Venice. There are many bridges and many of them have steps but it is worth the effort. Discover hidden churches, bars, restaurants, islands and markets. This is where the Venetians live.

Many bars serve Cicchetti, which is a form of Spanish Tapas unique to Venice. Some bars will give you free small plates with the purchase of a drink. Others will charge a small fee. This is a way to try several Venetian dishes and discover new favorite ones. This way of eating is cheaper than in the restaurants especially around Piazza San Marco.

Come watch the YouTube video below and walk with Rory and I around the touristy and back areas of Venice. We also go to Murano to see glass blowing and the Lido to walk around and see the beach. We missed the Venice Film Fare by a week, which is held on the Lido Island.

You get to these Islands and the Train Station & Airport vis vaporetto (Water Taxis).

Ciao,
George