One of the statements I found myself saying in many of the villages and cities I visited was “I could live here”. And it is so true of Salzburg. Even though the weather when we first arrived was rainy and a bit cold, it did not preclude us from walking to Old Town, as Salzburg is an easily manageable and walking city. Now also because of the weather, I consented to take the very touristy tour of the Making of the Sound of Music and I must admit, it was worth it. Not only did we see the fronts/backs and grounds of many of the places the movie was filmed, we also traveled to the lakes above Salzburg to the area the famous first scene was filmed and to the church where the wedding scene took place. On a rainy morning it was a wonderful way to see Salzburg and the surrounding countryside which sits in the heart of the Alps.  I admit… I highly recommend it.

The home of Mozart has an Old Town that is filled with narrow streets, large squares and Gothic churches. The great shopping street in the old town is Getreidegasse which bears a blend of baroque and Renaissance buildings which are adorned with wrought iron guild signs that hang above the doors. In earlier times, before most of the population could read, the signs indicated what goods the shop sold or the guild the shop owner belonged too. Salzburg is also a city of parks, surrounded by mountains, forests and hills with the river Salzac running through it. The restaurants are plentiful, affordable (mostly) and serving local cuisine in an elegant yet friendly way. Our favorite was Zum Fidelen Affen or The Flying Monkey. The atmosphere and staff were so friendly we returned 2 nights later for a late night glass of wine.  Our perfectly located Pension called the Hotel Trumer Stube is run by the Hirschbichler family. Marianne, the daughter (also the mother) speaks impeccable English and is a wealth of Salzburg knowledge.  The breakfast was a wonderful spread of local breads, cheeses, wonderful yogurts and meats. I just love the European breakfast.

Coming soon… Lofer, MariaZell, Vienna, The Danube and Budapest.

We had a late night so I only ended up sleeping about 5 hours, but the bed was so comfortable that I was as rested as I would normally be after 8 hours sleeping in my own bed.

We had a lovely breakfast at Urban Farmer. I had an Avacado Benedict that was seriously one of the best I’ve ever had.  The home made English muffin was perfect, crispy enough to keep the sauce for soaking through, yet still soft and delicious. And speaking of the sauce, it was fantastic! A little touch of something tart (mustard maybe?) to keep it from being too creamy, but still rich and yummy!

Here are a few pictures that I took, they don’t do the room justice (I forgot my good camera and had to take these with my cell phone). I highly recommend The Nines if you are in Portland.

My recent stay at Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora was everything I had imagined. We arrived at Bora Bora airport and were welcomed with a fresh lei greeting by the staff. After our bags got tagged, we were escorted on board the Four Seasons navigator catamaran. Check in was done in less than 10 minutes. Our Bungalow was 419 on East Pontoon with magnificent views of Mt Otemanu. The staff was at a ratio of 5 per guest and there was always one person asking you if you need anything and always greeting you with La Orana. 

Here’s aerial view of the islands of Bora Bora, French Polynesia. Definitely one of Polynesia’s most beautiful lagoons.  The barrier reef is entirely closed and is drawn in thousands of shapes.

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The thing about Honolulu is, it just keeps getting better!

In addition to water sports, shopping and fooding, Honolulu Waikiki is great for people-watching. Kalakaua Avenue, where my hotel was located, has a mostly upscale crowd but I still came across some fascinating characters. It really does pay to just run amok. For one thing, there’s the free outdoor entertainment: Guitars and hula under the banyan trees, parrots and their trainers, street musicians, mimes (yes, I said mimes), and some performers that are strange enough to defy description.

Almost got whiplash noticing the cute surfing instructor guys carrying boards and leading crowds of students to the beach across the street. Ah, the surfers! My moment of zen is letting my mind meld with the blue sky and ocean breezes, and watching young, bronzed demi-gods and -goddesses ride the surf. A frosty mai tai would have made it complete, but I didn’t want Five-0 yanking me out of my happy place. So I “settled” for shave ice almost as big as my head.

Think you can handle paintin’ the town with some high-octane nightlife after a long hard day of chilling out? You’ll find everyone else had the same idea! Lounges, clubs, and don’t forget to take in a dinner show. These shows ain’t your grand-daddy’s luau; they’re theatrical productions with multi-media effects and modern hulas. Not cheap, but so worth it!

If you’ve never seen a tropical sunset, you are missing out! Everyone, even the bodyboarders, had stopped what they’re doing and just watched, waited. More people walked over to the shore. The sun blazed brighter each second, even as it descended, and the world was covered in gold. Imagine vivid fiery tones of every color just before the stars come out.

Sounds like a perfect moment? It was. And you should’ve been there!

With an expansive array of high-energy and bliss-out options, Honolulu’s Waikiki area is ever-changing and always, ALWAYS throbbing!

But that all changed last week thanks to El Niño (or whatever you wish to call it) and the Wasatch Range near Salt Lake and Park City is now loaded with fresh new powder. On January 16th, I skied Alta which had about a 50” base and hadn’t really had fresh snow for weeks. In fact, the good snow was during Christmas week. Fast forward 9 days and Alta has had anywhere from 8 to 18” each night for 7 nights. Now the settled snow depth is 98” and we’re talking floating through knee-deep powder in and out of trees and bowls and forgetting that a week ago we were skiing on concrete. A glorious difference thanks to multiple storms off the Pacific.

What makes the Utah snow so light and fluffy? The water content — or lack of it as the case may be. By the time it comes off the Pacific, dumps heavy, wet snow on the Sierra (still fun skiing there, don’t get me wrong) and marches across the western part of the state, it has shed most of its moisture and presents itself in the form of wispy, soft, ice crystals that just love to hang in our 9000 – 12000’ mountains. And here’s the greatest news of all: for the 40+ inches of new snow that fell in the mountains last week, almost none fell in Salt Lake. I feel a little like Camelot. While the leaves don’t blow away completely at night time, the snow does, for the most part, fall in the mountains and in Salt Lake it’s clear and sunny.

So come skiing in Utah! The temperature is in the 20’s, the snow is perfect and you have 7 resorts no more than 30 miles from the Salt Lake airport. In short there’s simply not, a more congenial spot.

Why am I telling you all this??? Because 8 weeks later I found myself driving to St Remy de Provence, in the south of France, when I passed the signs for Chateau Romanin. What a thrill to pull into the winery of this fabulous red I had tasted and purchased in Red Lodge, Montana just a few months ago. And the proprietor was quite pleased to hear my story. This Chateau sits at the base of a mountain in the Alpilles region — 50+ acres of vines primarily Cabernet, Grenache, Syrah,  and Mourvèdre grapes all guarded by the ruins of a medieval castle. It is a stunning location, rugged and windy. You can certainly understand why the wines are so rich with texture and depth. The 2003 and 2005 French Reds are as good as any I’ve had in France — I bought 6 bottles and transported them all home safely in my suitcase. And each bottle I open will bring back two memories — Red Lodge Montana and Provence.