Travel Archives - Read. Think. Act.

(September 2014) A wonderful trip to the Amalfi Coast with Da Mimmo Italian Tours. This tour is so unique: it’s only twice a year in June/July and September. It’s a 10 day all inclusive tour put together by Mary Ann Cricchio, the proprietor of Da Mimmo Italian Restaurant in Baltimore, MD, and her Chef Masood Masoodi.

They are part time residents of the town of Maiori and have many established relationships with chefs, restaurants, hotels, merchants, small businesses and local transportation providers. It’s the very best “insider tour” of the Amalfi Coast with people who know it well and speak both English and Italian flawlessly. The tour is built around creating memorable experiences with food and wine in addition to seeing well known tourist sites like Pompeii, The Blue Grotto, Revello and Capri. The tour is limited to 20 people which makes for a surprisingly intimate group. After 10 days together, there is a camaraderie and friendship we didn’t expect and that is priceless! This is the first tour group we’ve ever joined and we know it is the exception and not the rule. We enjoyed every minute of it. More information can be found at http://InsideAmalfi.com or on Facebook.

(October 2012) My husband Tom and I traveled to Paris in October for a week’s stay at the Hotel Observatoire Luxembourg, located on the left bank in the heart of the Latin Quarter near the Luxembourg Garden. We connected with friends from the states, Len and Betsy Homer, who have a flat nearby off the Rue Mouffetard Market in the 5th arrondissement.

Our first evening in Paris was spent with them and included a tutorial on how to navigate the Metro and some subtle cultural cues that might otherwise have escaped us. It works well to have “cultural navigators” on hand who speak the language and can help with some basic understanding of French customs. We had a wonderful time doing all the things tourists do and look forward to a return trip someday.