Queen for a Day?

In the dead of winter, gardeners are poring over their seed catalogs longing for spring, athletes are counting the days til they can jump in the pool, and travelers are dreaming of far-off destinations. 

Here in Tucson, David and I are toying with trip possibilities.  We'd love to escape the desert summer heat by visiting Canada, but, then, would we be disloyal by not first exploring the pleasures in our newly adopted state?  The Flagstaff/Grand Canyon area of Arizona is just the right temperature in the summer and has much to offer a sightseer.

Then, too, David has a hankering to see Hawaii again while I find it difficult to contemplate any trip that doesn't involve France.  Since we just received these photos of Corsica, the French island with gracious harbor towns, it is difficult not to heed that siren song.

Or maybe we shouldn't worry so much about location and concentrate instead on living like nobility--if only for a few days.  Several places in Germany are on our must-see list, and we could try royalty on for size by staying in a castle.

Apartments can be surprisingly tightwad-friendly in castles where owners are struggling to pay the electric bill for these cavernous, drafty mansions. At the Schloss (German word for "castle") Sommersdorf, we could rent the luxuriously furnished, spacious Gabriele or Bird apartment, complete with kitchenette, for €58.50 per person per night.  That's a little higher than David and I usually spend, but it might be worth it to be Lord David and Lady Dru for a week!

I suppose we will spend the remaining winter months deciding on a destination, and that's just fine with us.  There's nothing more delicious than  thumbing through guidebooks contemplating exotic locales while sitting in front of the fire here in our cozy house in Tucson.

Practicalities -

This link will give you more information about rental rooms/apartments in castles in Germany.

Citrus in the Air

Look at this tree.  Can you smell citrus in the air?  Is there just a whiff of the sea carried on the breeze?  Do the glossy leaves remind you of cerulean waters, Renoir-blue skies, and red-roofed white houses clinging to mountainsides?  Can you envision those meandering village alleyways tumbling down the hill to the harbor below?  If not, you surely aren't seeing all this photo has to offer.  

For this is an Italian lemon tree.  The tag on this tree David wasn't sure I should buy (Would it live in our kitchen?  It won't survive in the Arizona desert heat if planted outdoors.) says, "Italian lemons are...more commonly known as Sorrento lemons.  They are highly prized for their use in Italian cuisine and as the basis for the refreshing Old World liqueur Limoncello."

What more could I want in the dead of winter?  The view from my study window is gray skies and a steady drizzle.   But in the kitchen....ah, in the kitchen, the whole Amalfi Coast is waiting for me.  There I have brilliant blue skies and a sea to match.  I can remember the villages sprinkled along the sides of mountains, savor again the lemon-crusted chicken from the little deli one block from the Sorrento piazza,  and conjure travel dreams that will carry me far away--far, far beyond January and into the sunshine.

Lake Chapala with the village of Ajijic in the foreground   - photo by Mike D'Cruze

             

No advertisements--that's my policy--so I'm not going to break that rule now.  Instead, I'll tell you about the place I used to live and some friends of mine who just happen to have opened one of the loveliest bed and breakfasts on Lake Chapala. 

Ajijic, a village nestled in the Sierra Madre mountains, clings to the banks of the largest lake in Mexico.  Although thousands of expatriates from all over the world live on the shores of Lake Chapala, Ajijic is still very much a Mexican village. It's a place where a peddler plays a tin flute advertising his services as he strolls through town; where friends (and you will always run into a friend no matter where you go) stop on the cobblestone street to chat; where the market, offering a dozen roses for a few pesos and produce so fresh it's still warm from the earth, is a weekly event no one misses.  Yes, crime has touched parts of Mexico, but it's virtually unknown here.  This is a place that time seems to have forgotten although you'll find that hard to believe when you dine in one of the cosmopolitan restaurants catering to expats.

It's also the place where friends of mine have opened one of the loveliest boutique bed and breakfast's, with three very private suites, in the Lake Chapala area.  Mike, from England, met America, from Mexico City, when she was studying in London; after traveling the world, they relocated to Ajijic to fulfill a dream.  That dream, which took almost four years to create, is named Las Cupulas.

Their bed and breakfast, where beauty is only trumped by comfort, is just a few miles from Ajijic.  Here in this quiet retreat,  you can relax in the saltwater pool or watch the birds that congregate near the lakeshore.  Or you can do nothing at all but bask in the sun of Ajijic's perpetual-spring climate and wish that America's delicious breakfast arrived sooner than tomorrow! But no matter what you do while you're there, I do not think you will regret for a moment your decision to stay at Las Cupulas.

Practicalities - If you'd like more information about Ajijic or Mexico, my book, Retire in Mexico - Live Better for Less Money is available on Amazon.  See more book details in the column at right.

Travel Tip Roundup for January

Arizona Sunset

It's been a few months since my last post, but I have a really good excuse.  David and I moved from California to Arizona, last October. Every moment since July has been spent either finding the perfect house or arranging our belongings to make our perfect house a home.

But don't think for a minute that I've forgotten you. There might be snow in your backyard, but I know your thoughts are turning to travel.  January can't last forever.  And what better way to chase away the winter chill than with deliciously warm dreams of far-off places?

If your feet itch to get on a plane, you might want to re-read my blog post about flying to Europe for free (almost).  Since I wrote that article two years

Johnny Jet Loves Airbnb

Our Notting Hill Apartment

Can you find a room in London for $15 a night?  Absolutely!  And Johnny tells you how in this week's Johnny Jet newsletter.

When the good folks at Airbnb offered him a free place anywhere in the world so he could experience the Airbnb approach to accommodations, Johnny was a bit leery.   But he quickly became a convert when he realized how just easy it is to find accommodations that suited his needs.  His apartment rental in the Notting Hill area of London--where David and I stayed last May--soon had him feeling like a native.

If you'd like to read the article which details the necessary steps, along with a few tips, needed to find your perfect place, click here.

France & England on $98 a Day - The Bottom Line

Sign in Vernon, France

Did we make our budget? Almost. We exceeded it slightly, not because we neglected to plan but because we could not plan the weather. And it was wretched. Schlepping suitcases on subways is fine as long as nature cooperates, but it is simply too difficult to hold an umbrella and maneuver two suitcases at the same time. It's also quite difficult to picnic in the rain. Perching on a wet stone wall holding a sandwich in one hand and an umbrella in the other doesn't have any appeal. We would have come in right on budget if we had not had to take so many taxis or eat in so many restaurants, but we felt it was wiser to retain our sanity than adhere to a rigid budget.  

Can You Trust Your Credit Card Car Insurance? - Flat Tire Follow-Up

"Tire damage, unless damaged by fire, malicious mischief or vandalism, or stolen or unless the loss be coincident with a covered loss [is not covered by, for lack of a better term,  credit card car insurance]."

That's the explanation from the Chubb Insurance Company which handles claims for my credit card company, Citi Bank. 

I've rented dozens of cars, domestically and internationally, always relying on the car insurance provided by my credit card and refusing any additional insurance from the rental agent, but this is the first time I've had a claim.  And that claim was denied. (Click this link to read about our misadventure with the tire in Dinan, France.)

France & England on $98 a Day - Eurostar

The St. Pancras Rail Station in London is a beautiful and imposing building.

We enjoyed taking the Eurostar under the English Channel, going from London to Paris in under two hours and returning from Calais, France to London in one hour.  There are just a few tips to keep in mind.



View of the Seine, complete with castle, from the Vernon riverbank.

One of the pleasures of staying in a B&B or renting an apartment is that you often find congenial guests or hosts with whom you can share travel adventures and tips. In Vernon, at the lovely Villa Geraldine, we were lucky enough to share breakfast with two well-traveled Canadians, Diana and Peter, who were driving to Nice on the French Riviera after they visited Giverny. David and I talked about our travel style, gave them a card with my book information, and, in return, they shared with us some of their experiences staying in French gites.

When we got home, I was delighted to find that Peter had e-mailed some of the road rules he and his wife use to plan frugal trips. He's agreed that I can share them with you.

France and England on $98 a Day - Giverny

Lack of wi-fi prevented me from writing about Giverny at the beginning of our trip, but since this travelogue would not be complete without it, we'll leave London and go back to France for a moment.