“Crkva Gospa od Zdravlja” ( “Our Lady of Health”) church, Kotor bay, Montenegro. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
By the time you read this, I will have started a two-week trip that begins in Barcelona, hugs the coast of Italy, stops in Kotor, Montenegro, and back. As part of a cruise, I’ll be stopping in Nice, Florence, Rome, Venice, and Malta.
I lucked out on this trip when friends had to cancel at the last minute and kindly offered me their cabin. I just had to get to Barcelona! I learned about this less than a week before the trip started, so I’ve been getting my work stuff in order and madly doing research on things to see and do in these towns. I will admit that I don’t remember hearing about Kotor before this week, but I’m looking forward to that stop more than any other. We will be in Venice for three days, so I suspect I will have plenty of time for one of my favorite travel activities, which is sitting on a sidewalk cafe, sipping adult beverages and watching people.
I bought a few of my favorite travel guides, which are the National Geographic Traveler series. Short on hotel reviews, these guides instead describe the history, highlight noteworthy or unusual sites, and have a few walking tours, complete with maps and interpretations. For restaurants and such, I can refer to TripAdvisor or similar apps on my phone. My ideal travel is to have a general plan, read up on history and cultural sites I think I want to see, and then more or less wing it when I arrive. And with the short notice, that’s exactly what I will be doing!
I plan on posting a bit while I’m gone, and hope you enjoy sharing my trip!
Ciao!
Two Different Girls 
Enjoy! Looking forward to hearing about your travels – say hi to lovely Barcelona for me!
Sounds like you are having a fun trip. Keep the pics coming.