Shopping! What would a trip be without shopping? Just joking, but really, Edinburgh is a great place to purchase cashmere since it is one of the main exports of Scotland. During our time in downtown Edinburgh we were able to get some beautiful cashmere scarfs for Christmas gifts. This was the first time during our […]
Entries from September 2009
Cashmere Scarf Shopping in Edinburgh
September 30th, 2009 · 3 Comments
Tags: General
Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2009
September 28th, 2009 · 1 Comment
Every August, Edinburgh plays host to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We didn’t know it when we planned our trip but it certainly made for an entertaining few days in Edinburgh. They called it the Edinburgh Festival Fringe but this year it went from August 7th – 31st. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest arts […]
Tags: Journey Notes
Our First Hours in Edinburgh, Scotland
September 21st, 2009 · Comments Off on Our First Hours in Edinburgh, Scotland
After our wonderful time in sunny, hot, and absolutely beautiful Cinque Terre, we made our way to Pisa for our flight to Edinburgh. We were able to make an early train from Vernazza to Monterossa. From there it was a direct train to the central Pisa airport. One word of advice, always leave with plenty […]
Tags: General
Cigarette Warnings in Europe
September 14th, 2009 · Comments Off on Cigarette Warnings in Europe
The photo above is of a cigarette package we found in the Jekyll & Hyde pub in Edinburgh, Scotland. Note the huge warning: Smoking seriously harms you and others around you That’s one of the tamer ones too! On one side of the pack, it says “Smoking kills” or the note above. Then on the […]
Tags: Journey Notes
What Does Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Mean?
September 10th, 2009 · Comments Off on What Does Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Mean?
While we were in Cinque Terre, we wanted to buy some food related souvenirs for friends and family. Cinque Terre is known for, among other things, olive oil. At one store, whose name escapes me, we asked the owner what her favorite bottle was. She took us over to the olive oil shelf and started […]
Tags: General
United States $10 Tourist Fee Proposed
September 6th, 2009 · Comments Off on United States $10 Tourist Fee Proposed
At the moment, there’s a bill in Congress proposing a $10 entry fee for visitors into the United States. It’s part of the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 and the $10 fee would be assessed on any visitor and the proceeds would be used to promote tourism. That’s right, tourists would be, in part, paying […]
Tags: Travel News
Relaxing on the Beach at Monterosso al Mare
September 1st, 2009 · 2 Comments
After our somewhat epic hike between Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare, and after a couple slices (well, a couple pies), we did something we longed for while we were on the trail itself – we hit the beach. The interesting thing about the beach, at least the section beside the train station, is that they […]
Tags: Journey Notes