BrightSpot
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2005
- Messages
- 2,547
Hi all,
I hope everyone is well & enjoying the summer so far. I wanted to thank all of you that gave me such wonderful advice for my trip to Paris & Barcelona last summer. I had a sinking feeling I forgot to update you guys once I returned home. I just found my old post & I was right.

TGal, Maribel’s guide was a huge help for Barcelona. It also helped me find my hotel (Hotel 189
Mara, how was your trip to Barcelona? I thought about you when I was there & hope you had an amazing time.
Some Barcelona highlights: strolling on Las Ramblas (clutching my purse, of course), Gaudi (Park Guell & Sagrada Familia), shopping at the Boqueria, Tibidado (amusement park on top of a mountain!), paella at Can Majo, Picasso museum, a day at the beach, a super helpful bus tour, tapas, and a pitcher of sangria every day!
Some Paris highlights: Boat tour & picnic on the Seine, the Eiffel tower, which was amazing, taking silly pictures with the statues at the Rodin museum, d’Orsay & Louvre museums (the latter was a bit overwhelming), feeding the pigeons at Place de Voges, bizarre art at the Pompedou Centre (including a dress made of meat—ick!), the wonder of Versailles, and just savoring the beauty everywhere!
A note on pickpockets: in a moment of panic, I purchased a “slashproof” purse for my trip, which may have been overkill.

So, I’m finding myself in Europe again this summer, but this time in Italy. I’ll be attending a 3-week long opera program in Tuscany this summer & would love recommendations. I’ll be in Greve in Chianti, which is 20km from Florence, singing during the week, but will have the weekends off to travel & sightsee. Any suggestions for places to see/things to do that are feasible on a weekend trip from Tuscany? I’ll have 3 weekends free. Also, I’d love any advice you have for travel in Italy or any personal experiences you’d like to share. I’ve read a few threads about Italian travel & am getting really excited for my trip! (LaurenthePartier, I especially enjoyed seeing your gorgeous photos!)
Thank you so much for your help!