Leela Palace New Delhi

1. I knew I was a Princess, switched at birth.

2. All cars checked for bombs on arrival to hotel, luggage put through X-ray. What happened at the Taj Hotel will not happen here.

3. An all glass pool on the roof is amazing! Pool attendants arrive to your chaise with a basket filled with ice cold cloths, rolled into a glass filled with rose petals, in a cooler on ice, organic sunscreen, fresh lemonade with mint in a crystal glass with a sterling lid. Fashion magazines, bottles of water and a pool snack menu!

4. Staying on Executive Club floor has its perks. Breakfast, lunch, high tea, cocktail hour, and cordials after dinner. Tim mentions he likes some obscure snack mix and it magically appears next day!

5. I HAVE A BUTLER!! His name is Supratik. He will fill your bathtub with rose petals. When you return to the room after a meal, swim or excursion, it is as clean and orderly as when you checked in! I wonder if I can keep him?

6. I now know that I have no clue about how to cook Indian Food! Maybe a cooking class with the head chef here. Have learned that all you have to do is ask and your any wish is fulfilled.

7. Did not know you could even get 2000 thread count sheets!!!

8. My butler, Supratik, calls me mum, i hope that means madame!

9. Tim is making me leave hotel today on tour of Delhi with a driver, shopping in Connaught Place promised. The hotel has a Rolls Royce Phantom that you can hire to take you on these excursions. Tim is springing for the taxi, thank you very much!

10. Leaving here for Kathmandu, tea houses and 20 days in the Himalayas is going to be very difficult. Maybe we can bring Supratik along to tend to our comforts!

Amsterdam first

1. I am biased but Delta Airlines rocks!
2. Watching Bridesmaids for the 3 rd time is as funny as the first. Laughed until I was crying.
3. Tim getting a cold as we walked out the Door assures I will get it the day we arrive in Kathmandu


4. The Dutch uniform for the under 30, black tights, short boot, verrrrry short black mini, shrunken leather jacket, scarf wrapped 3 times around neck! converse to replace boots OK. All riding bikes, of course
5. Candy and tea w coca leaves make your heart beat really fast. Is this stuff legal to bring back to the USA?
6. I think my brother Michael, and my cousin Anne would have loved Amsterdam!! Glad I brought what few remains I have of them along on the trip. Everest is their final destination, but maybe a bit left here in " the Prince's" canal for good measure!
7.Heineken bike to die for !
8. Leffe ale with the BVM

Countdown

Countdown  4 days...

1.  Bring lot's of drugs.

2. We are going to have temperature extremes from 97 degrees in India, to 5 degrees at Base Camp..Packing is a challenge to say the least.

3. Two nine hour flights, One 1.5 hour flight and One 1 hour flight to get there..

4. Haircut or no haircut? That is the question of the day.

5. We will not be sleeping at Advanced Base Camps under seracs that break free in the night, causing catastrophic avalanches.

6. Being grateful for Xanax. Long flights, third world cultures, heat, cold, suspension bridges over massive rivers, no sleep above 15K feet, extreme fatigue, strange foods, dangerous water....Let the fun begin.

7. Being grateful as well for Technical clothing..

8. I am planning on smuggling in a hairdryer and mascara..come on honey, be reasonable:)

9. Amsterdam for 3 days on way will cut down on some of the jet lag..

10. Most grateful for World Business Class..Thank You darling husband of mine:)

Mark Twain's wisdom

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.     -Mark Twain.

Gearing up

As I prepare for the upcoming trip to Everest Base Camp (1 month from today), I realize that
www.rei.com,
www.backcountry.com
www.rab.uk.com
www.sierratradingpost.com
and
www.patagonia.com

Have replaced my usual sites
www.ruelala.com
www.netaporter.com
www.outnet.com
www.nordstrom.com
www.neimanmarcus.com
and
www.gilt.com

I also realize that I have now spent the equivalent of an Hermes Kelly Bag on Mountaineering gear!
http://www.rei.com/product/832232/scarpa-mont-blanc-gtx-mountaineering-boots-womens, and that these new boots are almost as stylish as my favorite Jimmy Choos!!!!

Mag speak

1. Recognizing my high school principal Sister Mary Walters in the World Club. She is the General Advisor for the American nuns in Rome. Wow, the sis can get under the hair dryer and Joe, you never fooled her.

2. Babies whining on an 8 hour flight is only accepted when they are cute, chubby, and JoAnne and I kept the wine coming.

3. Said I would never ride a bike in Amsterdam; Katy proved me wrong. 9 am to 5pm and had the time of my life.
I even had Nea for a time on the back of my bike.

4. Standing in 100 degrees waiting for the bus to get us to our rental cars. The only thing that kept me going was the possible FIAT 500 in the end. BINGO!!

5. Realize in some other life I was Italian, born to drive the on the A1 and narrow steep cliffs, with speed.

6. No words can describe Tuscany and our villa. I feel like I am in Fellini movie...wait I am!

7. Katy and JoAnne prepared our first dinner and it was fungi perfecti.

8. Skinny dipping at night with the smell of rosemary, wisteria, and oleander.

9. Did I tell you how much I love driving the FIAT in Cortona?

10. Thank god we are here when Porcini mushrooms are in season! Mooto bella!!!

(typed by Linnea, verbatim by Maggie.)

JoAnne chimes in!

1. Totally in touch with the Amsterdam casual fashion style. Don't know if it is because of the pot in the air or the strawberries I ate.

2. Grooving at the gay pride street party. Was it the naked chaps or the gorgeous queens? No it was the spontaneous bookending by two fun guys who jumped into Denise and I's Gay pride picture.

3. Now to the driving part; Florence to Cortona in the back seat of a FIAT 500 with two crazy woman in front. I thought when Maggie was talking about going 80 or 120 she was talking about MPH but she was refering to KPH.

4. I closed my eyes and prayed to Jesus and I am not even sure about Jesus.

5. It was worth it! Going on a vertical road on a ridge to La Certosa at 80 KPH was a thrill I think, but my eyes were closed.

6. La Cielo, I am little more sure about Jesus.

Driving with two of the Hens by Linnea

1. Getting up at 6 am sucks!

2. Standing in 100 degree hot sun is stressful.

3. Driving without a GPS in Florence will not work.

4. One needs to know how to drive a stick shift if you are going to drive a stick shift.

5. Speed limit on the A1 is 80 KPH not 60 KPH so if you want to stay with Maggie Andretti, step on it.

6. Food at Italian gas stations is much better than American restaurants.

7. Big hills in Cortona with a stick shift are hard. Smoking engine is not a good sign.

8. Fire very bad.

9. Italian men can be of help. WATER WATER WATER!!!!!!!!!

10. Donetella is an angel from heaven and it helps that she speaks Italiano!

Leaving Holland, Italy here we come!

1.Maggie Rorke makes a wonderful travel companion!

2. Getting up at 5:45 AM, Holland time or 11PM Minnesota time, is really difficult.

3. The Hotel Toren on Keizergtacht in Amsterdam, is a hotel experience one can only hope for when traveling abroad!

4. No matter how easy going, sweet, darling a 13 year old girl is, she is still 13!!

5.The alps are pretty impressive from the air!

6. The Dutch take Gay Pride week very seriously. We were lucky to be there and experience what tolerance and acceptance really means! Wake up America!

7. It is really a big treat to have dinner with some of your closest friends who happen to be in Amsterdam at the same time. Thanks Lor, Herbie, Charlie and Jazz. See you in a week!

Observations August 1

8/1
1. A beer in Vondel park is 2.20 US
a water 4 dollars!

2.N Y lawyers are no less annoying abroad. Their kids are just as obnoxious. I swear I've seen this family on the Tewinott chair lift in Jackson Hole!

3. American teenagers are a big part of the reason Americans are not well liked in other countries! Spoiled, entitled, complaining, whiney, loud!

4. A KLM 747 flying down Prinzengracht canal is an amazing sight! 2 in a row even more impressive!

5. Sitting in a cafe, reading The Diary of Anne Frank, across the street from her hideout house, tells me that 70 years is not that long ago!!!

6. It also tells me that we have not evolved as far as accepting religious freedom! I think the Dutch have!

7. Bees sting in Holland same as home!

8. It would be a lot of fun to have an old wood Chris Craft boat, a bucket of Champs, and a load of great friends with which to cruise the Amsterdam canals !

9. Most people in Holland can fit all their belongings into a 4 or 5 room flat....I can barely fit my belongings into 2 large houses!

10. When you sit down to dinner it is 70 degrees without a cloud in the sky. By the time you get your first course, downpour!!!! By desert, sun out again!

12. Dutch guys are ruggedly adorable! Who needs to shave, really?

13. Leave the beef to Americans, stick with fish in a country surrounded by water !

14. We cannot even begin to complain about humidity in MN, the Dutch get that honor!

15. Europe has the greatest sunscreen anyplace!!!

Observations 7/31

7/31
1. When you are young And skinny, you can wear a white Mini skirt with black leggings!

2. There is no surgeon general in Holland. Smoke up everyone you have national health care to take care of you!

3. One never need ask for a side of mayo for your fries. Waiting patiently while your fries get cold, soggy, eaten. Fries always come with mayo in Amsterdam!

4. The Dutch do amazing things with tomatoes. Always get the tomato soup!

5. It is difficult to truly experience Amsterdam if you are unwilling, unable or afraid to ride a bicycle!

6. Embrace frizzy hair. It drizzles, sprinkles, rains or pours several times a day. Everyone looks a bit disheveled!

7. When the sun comes out, it is blinding!

8. Whining babies are just as annoying when whining In Dutch as they are whining in English!

9. If you have frizzy blonde hair, ride a black granny bike, and have on dark colors, you will be stopped multiple times a day and asked directions in Dutch!

10. No one actually speaks Dutch besides the Dutch!

11. Stoned teens are just as stupid here as they are at home, maybe more so!

12. I regret never having had a bachelorette party in Amsterdam!

13. There is a plaque on the side of the hotel where Chet Baker died of an overdose!

14. Never ever ever stand in a bike lane in Amsterdam! Always look before crossing a bike lane. Getting hit by a bike that weighs 40 lbs traveling at 20 mph is gonna hurt you a lot more than the rider who jumped off long before hitting the ground!

15. If above happens to you, you will be the one at fault. Bicycles ALWAYS have the right of way over pedestrians!

16. This is the perfect city in which to have a Gay Pride Parade! As it happens this Sat, I am sorry I am going to miss it!

17. You can ride a Vespa with a huge Chocolate Lab.He will sit on the floorboard with his tail dragging along on the street!

18. There is a bike with a cart on the front. In the cart are 3 small kids, in the back of the bike is a child add on bike, and a baby seat on the handle bars. This is a Dutch mini van. Add another bike for mom w 2 kid seats and 9 people travel in style with no emissions, no cost, and they are ALL smiling! Go figure.

19. There is no such thing as a bike helmet here. I wonder what the statistics are. No one seems very worried. I guess everyone knows the bike rules the road here.

20. Flowers are everywhere. They sure have figured out horticulture!

A note from Linnea

I am so excited to go to the villa that I have once been before as a little cell in my Mom's stomach. I don't quite remember it, but I am sure it will all come back to me (just kidding :)). I can't wait until I can step outside the airport in Amsterdam; it will feel so different to be on another continent. To experience a different culture will be a new reality for me. Everything will be different: clothing, language, food, arcitecture, and art. Although the most exciting thing will be to sustain my incredible relationship with my Mom's family and my loving Godmother. Although I will miss my Dad, I am happy that I get to have this great experience.

Could be Anne

It is moments like these that let me know with certainty that Anne Marie is here with us!

Santa Margherita, Patron Saint of Cortona

As Linnea said at a party recently, "I was made in Italy!"  Cortona is where Anne and Larry went on their honeymoon, and we all know what happened on Anne's honeymoon. We also know who showed up 9 months later. We return 13 years later to the exact same house where she was" made."

It's not a coincidence that St. Margaret is the patron Saint of Cortona.. Santa Margherita had a very saucy start before devoting her life to God.. She also lost her mother at a very young age. So it makes sense that our beloved Maggie(Margaret) Nea's Godmother, is joining us as we head to Italy.

I know as we all prepare to go we are excited and joyful, but we also have heavy hearts... We all know that there is a huge hole here, that Anne should be with us......Maybe she will be there,,stay tuned ;)

Travel quote of the day

" There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler who is foreign."-Robert Louis Stevenson

Katy, Maggie, Denise, JoAnne, Phyllis and Linnea do Italy

Gearing up, shopping and making final arrangements! Not an easy job getting 6 people on the same page.I am sure there will be loads of great stories of our adventures, so stay tuned.

Coming soon

Off and running.....This blog is just getting started so be patient with me.
We are gearing up for our big trip to Nepal in October, but swinging by Cortona, Italy for 3 glorious weeks this August.

Hit REI yesterday, loads of gear for our most accomodating Sherpas to porter for us in Oct.

More posts to come, as soon as the adventure begins..In the meantime, lots of hills to climb.