A Journey’s End
June 11, 2008
After two weeks of walking through the streets of Italy and London, Bobby and I arrived at Heathrow Airport for our return flight home with time to spare. The train from Paddington Station (directly below the Hilton hotel where we were staying) took only 30 minutes to reach our destination and we were fortunate to breeze through check in and security. In fact, we didn’t have any problems whatsoever with check in or security at LAX, Heathrow or Fiumincino on this trip. We zipped through each airport; this always left us with plenty of time to spare before boarding a plane. Heathrow was rather packed this Monday afternoon, though, so Bobby and I took our coffee, hot chocolate and pastry and sat down off to the side of a corridor, avoiding the crowd.
The night before, we had eaten a traditional Sunday roast at the Swan Pub, located in the Bayswater neighborhood near Notting Hill, across from Hyde Park. We sampled both the roast beef and pork roast along with a pint of ale. We sat outside amongst the local Brits, who drank and smoked with pleasure. It was a beautiful day, one which we spent simply strolling down Oxford Circle and Carnaby Street, checking out the local shops, bumping elbows with other tourists and sampling tea in an intriguing boutique, its shelves lined with unusual blends of flavors hard to resist.
By the time we boarded our American Airlines flight for the 10 and a half hour flight back to LAX, we were relaxed and relieved to find that we had two seats along the window and aisle, without being flanked by other passengers. We spent the duration of the flight watching movie after movie (me) and playing Tetris for hours (Bobby) and trying to complete a Mensa test and a crossword puzzle (we managed). Since we flew in daylight this time, I was able to check out the sights below. We saw Iceland, Greenland (the most interesting to me; check out the photo), Canada and the mountain ranges of Utah and Montana. Pretty groovy.
On the agenda: planning our next trip. 
Arrivederci, Roma
June 9, 2008
Bobby and I spent our last day in Rome walking…and walking…and walking some more. We started off the day by raiding my parents’ frig, trying to eat all the leftover food so it wouldn’t go bad. We had six eggs left, so we decided to make three-egg sandwiches for each other, using both the eggs, sandwich bread and a delicious cheese, prima sale (one of my sister’s favorites). Needless to say, it was a very filling meal…perfect to get us off our feet and ready for a long day in the city.
We left for Rome at 12:00 p.m. and returned at 1:00 a.m.! We hit the Spanish Steps, where all the super high-end fashion stores are located as well as a mob of people, and then stopped for lunch (yes, we were actually hungry again, after walking 1 mile to the train and then waiting nearly an hour to get to our destination in the city) at a really good restaurant called Life. It was about five minutes from the Spanish Steps, where a pasta dish would normally cost 25 Euro; our dishes at this place cost 8 Euro. The food was delicious.
We then took off to the Pantheon, a beautiful, HUGE building built a really, really long time ago with a super-duper large hole in the ceiling (136 feet in diameter). A portion of the area inside was blocked off due to rain from the night before…it was pooled on the floor. Guess that’s gonna happen when you have a hole overhead!
There was a very large crowd of people outside, but someone was kind enough to ask if we’d like our photo taken (another English-speaking tourist), so we didn’t have to try to prop our camera on the fountain to take a shot. This area had gypsies around, so one has to be careful about thieves (ladroni!). We then walked to another fantastic tourist locale: the Trevi Fountain. It was sparkling clean — and hardly any coins were in the fountain’s base! Years ago, you’d see tons of coins deposited in the fountain (for good luck). I suppose with the way the Euro has affected both the Italians and tourists, there’s simply no change to spare. We didn’t stay long; it was too jam-packed with people.
We spent the rest of the day walking through other hot spots: Campo de’ Fiori (the flower marketplace), St. Angelo’s Castle (where we saw an impromtu dog park — a ball-crazy Lab! — and teenagers trying to find quiet spots to get some, um, alone time). We browsed the local swap meet, walked along the Tiber River and strolled through Piazza Navona (where my mother used to work years ago), observing the cafes lining the square, the artists selling their work and all the performance artists entertaining the crowd.
Eventually, we made it to our dinner destination: L’Orso 80, an off-the-beaten path restaurant recommended by my dad. Located on a narrow street beyond Piazza Navona (on Via di Orso) you can nearly walk by the place and miss it. Step inside and you’ll be delighted by all the platters of antipasti and the scent of simmering sauces. We thought we were the first to arrive (7:30 is very early by Italian standards; usually no one goes out to eat until 10:00ish), but when we rounded a corner to the dining area, we were greeted by tables of … other Americans enjoying an early dinner. We sat there for two and a half hours — with about 30 minutes of that simply trying to get our bill (Italian restaurants do not rush you out the door). Ultimately, we missed our train and had to wait an hour and 15 minutes for the next one (the last one out of the city), and while we cursed our waiter while sitting on the train platform, we could not deny that we had a really good meal (a large portion of antipasti, good house white wine (vino bianco), veal and a simple fettucine.
We walked all the way back to the train station, stopping to check out St. Peter’s Square one last time. It was very empty at this hour of the night and was all lit up and glowing. A few other tourists lingered nearby, taking evening shots behind us. It was a swell way to end the evening. By the time we got off the train, we made the seemingly agonizing one mile walk back to the Santa Marinella house, exhausted.
We woke the next day and packed our suitcases with a few hours to spare before heading off to the Fiumicino airport. We had a light lunch in the town’s plaza (gnocchi, of course) and then grabbed our bags and left for London. A few hours later, we were standing in the lobby of our hotel — amazed at the deal we found. Bobby’s friends Jill and Mark (the couple we had dinner with in Cinque Terre) had recommended a Web site for us to check for hotel reservations in London (www.lastminute.com).
They have a section called “Secret Hotels” where you can select a hotel based on price and description (all hotels are four or five stars), but you don’t find out what hotel it is until you pay for the room. So we took a chance. Keep in mind, we went totally cheap-o on the way in to London, nearly two weeks ago, paying 50 pounds for a hole-in-the-wall hotel that had beds with no padding and barely enough space for two people to move around. We now found ourselves greeted by a REAL lobby with actually professionals dressed in hotel garb — it was “flash” as Jill’s husband Mark called it — very fancy. The hotel turned out to be the Hilton Paddington, very Victorian on the exterior but very art deco inside. The place is enormous, too. We got the room for only 63 pounds a night! Quite a deal. (A dive around the corner was advertising for 75 pounds a night).
Our room is very spacious, very pretty with a very high ceiling (it looks like it’s 20 feet high). Top of the line bedding (so plush!), heavy curtains and high-end fixtures. We felt like we struck oil or something. By the time we put down our luggage, it was already close to midnight. We ran outside, looking for a place to eat and a pint to drink. We hit five different pubs/restaurants, all turning us away (they stop serving at midnight). We ended up grabbing a falaffel at a very small place around the corner, and taking it back to the hotel, where we sat in the (very nice) bar area with other guests, eating our take-out and enjoying a pint (the bartender obliged since we were guests).
Today, we’ll stroll around London, checking out Oxford street shops and enjoying the beautiful weather. Tomorrow we leave for Los Angeles. 
Beautiful Cinque Terre
June 5, 2008
Bobby and I spent the past several days exploring Cinque Terre, the five ancient fishing towns north of Rome. The cities: Riomaggiore, Corniglia, Vernazza, Manarola and Monterossa, are lined up along the coast, each city nestled along the mountain and spilling out onto the rocky shore. It’s quite a sight to see. It took us roughly four hours to get to Cinque Terre by train. Bobby and I managed to sit in the first class section all the way to Pisa (nearly three quarters of the way) before a train conductor checked our tickets and booted us out to the second class section of the train.
We arrived early in the afternoon on Monday and walked through Monterossa looking for a place to stay for two nights.
Within an hour, we found a lovely room to rent for 80 Euro, which isn’t too shabby (hotel rooms probably start around 130 Euro). Many locals rent “rooms” to tourists; in this case, our room was located within an apartment which had been renovated into three rooms. You walk into a foyer and there are several doors around you, each opening to private room with a bathroom. This particular place was really nice: each room had heavy mahogany wood doors with a card key entry; inside was a very pretty wardrobe, end tables, ottoman, table for two with chairs, a double bed and a flat screen TV with satellite on the wall. The bathroom was rather modern, and everything looked brand new. (We had seen another room across the street which was not nearly as nice and you had to share a bathroom with other renters.)
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking through Monterossa (the largest city of the five) and then jumping back on the train to travel five minutes back down the coast to have dinner in Riomaggiore, where Bobby remembered a particular restaurant from his previous trip four years earlier. He had his heart set on some gnocchi con gamberi (“shrimp”). We also enjoyed some octopus salad, which was delicious. The restaurant quickly became crowded — mainly with Americans, who seemed to have discovered beautiful Cinque Terre with a vengeance. The place was packed with American college students and families, many of which came with their dogs (large dogs!). Dogs are even allowed on the trains!
Later that day, as Bobby and I set out to visit Vernazza, he realized that he had spotted an old friend from college in Australia walking in front of us! He quickly called out her name and when she realized who it was (they hadn’t connected in 11 years), she was shocked. We made arrangements to meet up with her and her husband, Mark, for dinner the next evening. Turns out Jill has been living in London for the past seven years; she has both an English and Australian passport because her father was born in England. She was married one year ago to the day (we ran into them on their anniversary) and the two had been traveling around Europe for nearly two months. At dinner, we sat and talked for more than three hours over a spread of yummy antipasti, pasta and good red wine.
Bobby and I spent the rest of our visit in Cinque Terre enjoying the amazing views, relaxing on the beach, climbing 365 steps to the top of Coniglia, chatting up Canadian and American students and simply taking it easy. Our last afternoon, we sat on a bench on a high rise of Manarola with two slices of hot pizza (tomato and pesto plus one with mushrooms and prosciutto) and a couple glasses of wine leftover from the night before, watching the ocean and people. It was terrific.
We returned to Santa Marinella early in the evening on Wednesday, with just enough time to run home, freshen up, then dash into Rome with Charlie and Luisa to meet the family for a night out on the town. We ate at Pizzeria da Baffetto, a famous joint amongst Romans (and now tourists, to the Italians’ chagrin). It was a dinner filled with much laughter from the 11 of us gathered around a small table upstairs by ourselves (no large tables downstairs with the rest of the crowd). Luisa spent a good deal of time translating back to Charlie, Bobby and me while carrying on a jovial conversation with all the aunts and cousins. The pizza (mine was a simple Margherita) was absolutely delicious. Everyone (except Luisa, who eats like a bird) polished off their individual pies, plus three pitchers of red wine.
Thursday: back to Rome, where Bobby and I will enjoy more sights and scenes.
Casual Days in Rome
June 1, 2008
We decided to take it easy for the past couple of days, spending an afternoon in Civitavecchia (the port city, which is somewhat vacant at this time of year until summer season rolls around) walking around and enjoying some gelato and espresso.
Bobby and I joined my parents for dinner in Rome at our cousin Angela’s penthouse apartment near St. Peter’s. She has a lovely patio setting, where you can clearly see the cuppola of St. Peter’s. She and a couple aunts made us homemade pasta, lemon-rosemary chicken, tons of antipasti and, of course, dolci. By the end of the second course, we were all stuffed beyond reason.
The food was delicious. Bobby impressed the relatives with his effort to speak in Italian, and when he asked for milk (“latte”) with his after-dinner espresso, he got a few laughs … and then one of my elderly aunts decided she’d give it a shot, too, and insisted on some milk as well, which got quite a few laughs. The ladies all seemed very eager to please both my father and Bobby.
This morning, we got up very late (11:00!). I developed a nasty cold/sore throat overnight and after all the late days and endless miles of walking, we were pooped. Sleep was very necessary.
My parents took pity on me and instead of driving us into the city to see the Spanish Steps and Piazza Narvona, they drove us to a local vineyard, an amazing cheese stop on the side of the road, and a castle just down the street. Tomorrow is a national holiday for the Italians (their version of the 4th of July), so the beaches were teeming with city folk. Bobby and I just sat on some giant rocks on the beach toward the front of the castle and people watched for a bit.
For dinner, Bobby took everyone out to dinner at a local restaurant, where each of us enjoyed some delicious antipasti (octopus!), a variety of fresh pasta dishes and a couple of shared desserts. I think we waited for more than 30 minutes for our check, though. It was “rush hour” at the restaurant … at 10:45! Tomorrow Bobby and I will jump on the train and head to Cinque Terre for a couple of days, exploring the coastal cities and simply soaking in the ambiance.
Ancient Rome, Revisited
May 31, 2008
Today, Bobby and I hopped on the train and headed into Rome, determined to make it to the Colisseum on our own. First, we missed the Santa Marinella train by five seconds… Once we got into the city, we decided to stop at a local pizzeria near my grandparents’ former flat to feed Bobby, who was afraid “Mr. Hyde” would make an appearance. Alas! I got tomato juice and olive oil on a new pair of pants while eating my tasty pizza treat in a small park and Bobby got mud on his tush. We then decided to use our train tickets to board an inner-city bus to head to the Colisseum roughly two miles away and, of course, we missed the bus by a hair. Bummer! By then I was cranky, so Bobby thought if we took some cranky face photos it would cheer us up (okay, cheer ME up)… It totally worked. You can’t help but laugh at yourself when you try to make a sour face.
So, the Colisseum sits adjacent to the Forum and Palentine Hill, where Augustus the emperor and his wife, Livia, once lived. The area is massive and quite breathtaking. Your mind can’t quite wrap around what the villas and buildings looked like centuries ago, and the amazing architecture that has been standing for hundreds of years is simply stunning. To imagine what ancient Rome once looked like…is mindblowing. Everything is larger than life.
We spent a few hours walking through the Colisseum, listening to an audio guide (such tourists!) and examining particular areas of the arena.
The Colisseum used to be covered in marble way back when; it was taken years ago to build other buildings and now the brick is exposed. Even so, it is quite impressive and it’s really breathtaking to see how organized the Romans were back then with stadium seating: all citizens had assigned seats — which were numbered — with staircases and entrances/exits which are the models of our current modern arenas. To see the ruins below, where the gladiators prepped for fights and lions were kept waiting is fascinating. Much of the Colisseum is tatered, but your imagination can fill in the blanks.
After exploring the Colisseum, we crossed the street to Palentine Hill and checked out Augustus’ villa and the Forum spread. It takes hours to get through this section of ancient Rome, there’s so much to see. One ruin after another, and another. The crowds were not so bad at all on this side of the ruins; most people were interested in the Colisseum. Little did they know, their Colisseum tickets got them into the Forum (we made the mistake of buying another set of tickets but quickly realized our mistake and ran back into the ticket office: 22 Euro is a lot of money!). The grounds around Augustus’ villa are very beautiful, tree-lined and slightly overgrown with flowers and shrubs. It is very picturesque and you really don’t want to leave. We often came across another tourist, laying down on the grass, snoozing in the cool breeze. How many people can say they took a nap on the Forum grounds?! (BTW, Bobby and I both went potty in the Vatican AND I peed in the Colisseum while Bobby took a leak at the Forum. We’re trying to mark as many historic sites as possible.)
For those of you who don’t know, the Forum is the area where the ancient Romans used to do their “business”. Mainly, legal and governmental business. The senators met here and the lawyers … well, they did what lawyers do (lawyers in ancient Rome?!). There are temples paying tribute to the gods and former emperors and there is even a villa for the “vestal virgins”. The ruins are HUGE and it’s hard to imagine them intact and actually standing next to one another; it is overwhelming as is. To picture the buildings complete is astronomical. The streets must’ve been incredibly crowded … But that so much remains standing after thousands of years is a tribute the advanced Roman technology. After all, they had running water in their homes! Heated running water!!
We decided to have fun with my new camera and the really cool, flexible tripod gadget my sister Sam gave me for Christmas and take some outlandish photos. I have to say, other tourists stared in amazement at the tripod gadget, wondering what the @#$& it was. Perfect when traveling without someone to take photos of you!
We spent our day in the Forum, working through the ruins at a comfortable pace. We had intended on visiting the Spanish Steps, but maybe we’ll do that tomorrow. It was a beautiful day today and the Forum seemed like the perfect place to be. We even popped open our Trader Joe’s bag of trail mix and had a snack while staring at Caesar’s temple. So cool!!
And in case any of you are wondering why I’m sporting curly hair … my flat iron ($$$) was killed by the cheap London hotel and my hairdryer blew up within seconds of turning it on. C’e la vie! Tomorrow: We’ll take the train to Civitavecchia and then return to Rome for dinner with a lot of relatives.
When In Rome
May 30, 2008
The rainstorm couldn’t keep us from walking around Rome yesterday. We took the train from Santa Marinella to St. Peter’s, roughly a 40 minute ride. Riding the train provides a birds-eye view of the countryside and it gave Luisa plenty of time to fill Bobby and me in on how to navigate around Rome once the train arrived.
A quick walk from the train station brought us to St. Peter’s, just a few blocks from the apartment where my mother grew up and my sister and I used to spend many weekends as kids. It all looked so familiar! The rain kept many tourists out of St. Peter’s main area, so it was the perfect time to snap a photo.
The rainy day provided the ideal opportunity to check out a museum, so the three of us headed into the Vatican to view the beautiful statues, Vatican gardens, paintings, tapestries and, of course, the Sistine Chapel. As expected, it was crowded and often we had to scurry ahead of very long lines of tour groups whose guides seemingly intended on taking over rooms as they entered. Everyone was enthralled by the amazing art.
To get to the Sistine Chapel, you must make your way through a maze of rooms and up and down various floors of the Vatican.
On your way, you walk through large rooms featuring a specific type of art: paintings by Rafael, statues discovered throughout regional cities over the years and enormous tapestries of maps depicting Italy from one region to the next.
It took us roughly three hours to get to the Sistine Chapel, where guards were furiously trying to quiet the (very large) crowd. There are signs throughout the room asking visitors for silence and to turn off cameras. The signs also ask that you do not lay down on the floor to view the beautiful ceiling.
Back in the day, cameras were not permitted. Seems times have changed and everyone was snapping away. Needless to say, the crowd was not quiet and everyone was taking pictures … including me. BUT..I didn’t use flash.
We admired the art and then made our way through the chapel, exciting through St. Peter’s and going downstairs to the catacomb to see Pope John Paul’s grave as well as all the other popes’. Eventually, we made our way outside, where the sun had finally decided to show up. The rest of the day was spent walking the streets of Rome, checking out postcard shops, stopping for espresso and simply enjoying the ambiance. Tomorrow: the Colisseum.
Arrivati a Roma!
May 28, 2008
We made it! Bobby and I boarded an Alitalia flight at 6:00 a.m. this morning (after waking at 4:00 a.m. to head out to Heathrow, where we quickly breezed through security) and landed in Rome at 9:30 a.m. Everything was prompt about our morning, except for the baggage service, naturally. I knew we’d have somewhat of a wait when I noticed everyone on the plane had boarded the shuttle (which took us from the airplane on the tarmac to the actual airport) and no one had started unloading the cargo yet …
Luckily for us, our luggage was within the first five bags to hit the conveyor belt. Yippee!! See, it actually helps when you get to the airport half an hour later than you’re supposed to and your luggage is the last to make it on board.
We made a beeline for the exit (l’ uscita!) and looked for Charlie and Luisa, who were no where to be seen. We decided to call them on Mom’s cell phone, and while exchanging some pounds into euro dollars, Bobby spotted Luisa standing in the crowd. Reunited! The parental unit had just pulled up outside. Perfect. We sped away in a tidy Peugot toward the Santa Marinella house, zipping down the highway at what felt like neck breaking speed, thanks to Charlie’s lead foot. I think Bobby now understands who my sister and I get our driving habits from …
We hit the local grocery story in Civitavecchia (the “Coop”) to stock up on prosciutto, veggies, fruit, meat, acqua naturale and other odds and ends. Bobby found some wild baby strawberries, and some of his favorites such as red cherries and sun-dried tomatoes. This store had everything from fresh food to shoes, fans, outdoor furniture and clothes. After hitting the Coop, we picked up some new plants for Luisa’s garden then headed home for lunch (pranzo) on the patio, ocean breeze flapping the awnings overhead. Charlie proceded to keep our wine glasses filled throughout the meal, going through two bottles of Grecco di Tufo. It should go without saying that Charlie, Bobby and I happily retreated for a siesta following the meal and vino, while Luisa planted her fiori in the garden.
We wrapped up the day eating at a local restaurant. Bobby and Charlie had gnocchi with seafood while Luisa and I ate fettucine with mussles and clams. Delish! At the moment, Charlie is getting Bobby toasted on grappa out on the patio. I’m pretending not to hear Luisa telling Bobby one childhood story after the other about me. Oy vey! Basta!
Tomorrow: we head into Rome. Family connections will get us in the back entrance of the Vatican so we can see the Sistine Chapel without having to stand in a very long line with tourists. Supposed to rain tomorrow, so spending a few hours at St. Peter’s sounds perfect. Ciao for now!
Tooling Around London
May 27, 2008
We arrived in London admist raining, windy weather and headed straight to our extraordinarily small hotel room in Earl’s Court. After cleaning up, we headed outside for a look around the ‘hood. A few hours later, soggy and windswept, we headed for some Indian grub and hot, spiced tea.
After eating our Indian tapas, we headed back to the hotel and crashed on our not-so-soft bed in a room that could barely fit a bed… Despite the small accommodations, the room was clean and that’s all that really mattered.
After a restless night, we woke early to enjoy the hotel’s continental breakfast of toast (with Nutella!) and coffee (water for me, of course). No rain today! Perfect for sightseeing.
We jumped on one of the hop-on, hop-off buses and toured around the city throughout the rest of the day, armed with a ciabatta sandwich from Harrod’s, some bottled water and a bag of Trader Joe’s trailmix.
We hit the main tourist spots: the London Tower, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, the Tower Bridge, Chinatown, etc., etc. The hop-on, hop-off buses are pretty flexible, arriving at specific bus stops every 15 minutes or so, so we were able to get off, check out locales and then jump back on at our convenience.
We’re now headed back to the hotel to freshen up for another night out on the town. Tomorrow: ITALY!! Whoo-hoooo! Andiamo!
Testing Our Sightseeing Mojo
May 20, 2008
With only five (5!) days left until we leave for Italy, Bobby and I took a field trip to the Long Beach aquarium to test our museum touring skills and crowd tolerance.
We were careful to negotiate around curious, sometimes cranky kids and their patient parents and took in the vast array of fish, abalone and — ooh — sharks.
The aquarium is home to more than 12,500 ocean animals (more than 500 species!) including a giant octopus, lobsters, sea dragons, jellyfish, sea otters, seals and sea lions.
The Aquarium of the Pacific has a variety of “habitats” where visitors can touch some of the species, such as the sting rays and Zebra, bamboo and epaulette sharks. They were all very slimy and rubbery to the touch as we ran our hands over their backs.
Other habitats included all kinds of sea creatures such as sea stars and spongy species of whose names I can’t remember. It was all a bit alien.
Check out some of our favorite photos from our aquarium adventure:
The sea dragons were pretty cool to watch. The jellyfish were creatures you don’t want to tangle with.
A (Pre-) Taste of Italy
May 3, 2008
In the spirit of our pending departure to Italy (21 days left!) I decided to make Bobby a Roman dinner: lemon gnocchi with a butter lemon sauce and saltimbocca alla Romana (veal with prosciutto and sage).
Shelby, my faithful companion, oversaw the rolling of the gnocchi dough. For those who haven’t eaten gnocchi, it’s a type of pasta made out of potatoes. The Italians, particularly the Romans, have been making it since … forever.
This version of gnocchi has fresh lemon zest kneaded into the dough. After boiling the gnocchi, I tossed them with olive oil then seared them in a pan with butter for a couple of minutes. Bobby, meanwhile, played sous chef and whisked the butter and lemon sauce perfectly.
The saltimbocca alla Romana dish is a simple favorite: thin slices of veal with a layer of prosciutto and one sage leaf speared through the top. Toss in the pan for a few minutes and you’ve got one tasty dish on your hands.
Of course, this had the dogs’ noses up to the edge of the dinner table … they had a hard time resisting the tempting aromas of veal laced with prosciutto.
To top off the veal, we simmered a few splashes of crisp white wine with the veal juices left in the pan. Excellent!
Another Italian item to add to the meal: artichoke hearts, lightly simmered in boiling water then quickly sautéed with a touch of olive oil and fresh ground pepper.
Andiamo mangiare! (Translation: Let’s eat!)
So, Bobby opened a chilled bottle of Vouray (a French white wine) and, at last, we sat down to nosh on our spread of scrumptious delights. Che buono! We had to have seconds, naturally. Anything to get ready for all the delicious meals we’ll soon be eating!
Hello world!
April 23, 2008
Welcome to my travel blog! Take a virtual vacation with me and my boyfriend Bobby as we explore European destinations…
With one month remaining before we leave, we’ve got plenty of time to decide which sites to see and which we should simply S-K-I-P. Bon voyage!
[...] Road Tales [...]