The Weekly Tweetly | 9-13-09

Welcome back for another edition of your weekly Twitter fix! It's been a busy week over at Twitter- lots of great stuff this week.

Had a hard time narrowing down my favorites, but somehow I did it!

But, before we do, I'll just take a few moments to remind you to vote for me! My Melange was nominated for Best Travel Blog and Best Photography Blog in the 2009 Blogger's Choice Awards.

And if you woudn't mind taking a minute to vote, I would greatly appreciate it! Click here, sign up and vote. It only takes a minute. Really.

Thanks in advance for your support!

Now, let's get back to what you came for. The Weekly Tweetly….

Soultravelers3 talked all about their heavenly month in Santorini, Greece. I don't think you can see jealousy on the page – but trust me- it was oozing from me as I read it.

If you're traveling and need to find a Wifi spot, Foxnomad was kind enough to post a Wifi locator tool. It covers 140 countries!

ItalyTravel posted a cool narrated video piece on the Campo dei Fiori - the location for one of the oldest daily markets in Rome.

LuxuryTravel wrote a funny little article on the 5 Most Unfortunate Travel Domains. I dare you not to laugh!

Love olive oil as much as I do? Journeywoman pointed me to a comprehensive article on olive oil or as I like to call it – golden nectar of the Gods. Trust me, this one has EVERYTHING you'd ever want to know.

Many who have been wronged recently by the airline industry think it's time for people to take a stand. Elliotdotorg wrote about why he does not support a Passenger's Bill of Rights.

I am a wildlife and bird fanatic. I am especially fond of herons. Ron Dubin totally delivered on this close-up of a tricolored heron.

FranceVideosGal celebrates her first year in France with a video tour set to music.

And for those of you who can't travel as often as you'd like, RobertaK offered up a fabulous list of books written about the Island of Capri, which is right off the coast of Italy.

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Well, that's all folks! Hope you enjoy your reading material for this week. As always, if you happen to find these good folks on Twitter or around the blogosphere- please tell them who sent ya.

And speaking of Twitter, did you know you could follow me there as well? I am @MyMelange.

See you next week for a new edition of….The Weekly Tweetly!

The Deming House : Arlington Vermont

One of my most favorite things to do is stay at a Bed and Breakfast. Half the fun is finding one that is as wonderful as The Deming House.

As the saying goes…'We lucked out '

And maybe "do" isn't quiet the right word, because truthfully, we didn't really have to "do" much of anything, really.

Rick and Kaaron (pronounced Karen) along with LuLu, the 19 year old cat and Zoey, the ever-friendly, adorable Affenpinscher make you feel so at home, you may never want to leave!

The Deming House is perfectly located half-way between Bennington and Manchester, in The Shires of Vermont. A great location for outlet shopping, antiquing, covered bridge peeping, fishing, biking, skiing, canoeing or simply just relaxing.

The House itself was built in 1780 and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

It is loaded with lovely antiques and has a large living room with a library of books for the taking and more than 75 cookbooks. Seems that Kaaron likes to cook!

The three rooms have comfy antique beds, sumptuous linens, private bathrooms and small Franklin style stoves and are priced from $135-$175 per night. Special packages are also available.

Our room, Rebekah's Haven had an antique walnut bed which was so high off the ground, we needed a running start. The room was cool and had wonderful breezes. We kept the windows open all night and slept like babies.

The grounds are quiet and peaceful. Perfectly landscaped.

There are birdhouses, hanging flower baskets, flower gardens carved into the lawn dotted with garden statuary. Adirondack chairs and wicker furniture- perfect little nooks for book reading and nap taking.

And perhaps the best part happened every morning- Kaaron's breakfasts! Seriously, this woman put the BREAKFAST in BED & BREAKFAST.

Coffee, rather, good coffee is freshly made in the morning and can be grabbed and brought to your room. Breakfast is served whenever you want it! And no eggs and bacon grease here folks! Kaaron makes gourmet fare.

Day one was a delicious egg and cheese puff with chives, a side of rosemary fried potatoes and peppers and a glazed baked pear.

Day two was a baked apple with candied ginger and poached eggs on polenta, topped with sauteed onions and wait for it…wait for it…..truffle oil.

I can go on and on about how much we loved it here and how much we liked chatting with Rick and Kaaron. It was like old home week- and that's the best part of staying at a Bed & Breakfast.

It's the people.

Not only wouldn't we think twice about staying here again- we wouldn't think of staying anywhere else on a return visit to Southwestern Vermont!

And you shouldn't either. Tell them My Mélange sent you!

The Deming House ● 3929 Historic Route 7A ● Arlington, Vermont

* Photo Credit – Photo of Rebekah's Haven courtesy of The Deming House

Scenes From Vermont Road Trip

I love a good road trip. Well, a close road trip. Like within a few hours road trip. And Southern Vermont fit that bill- and then some.

Here are some of my favorite Vermont shots from the road.

And if you happen to be tuning in, hoping for photos of Covered Bridges, no worries- those will be coming up in the next week! Along with a review of our B&B and cemetery photos.

And a special thanks to my driver, who had to stop the car, turn around or simply slam on the brakes and veer onto the shoulder, safely, on more than one occassion while I fumbled to get my camera ready to catch some of these shots.

Travel Tip Tuesday – 5 Things I Do Upon Return From Travel

It is so easy to throw down your bags and not want to move a muscle when returning home from traveling. Usually exhaustion has set in and you might just be wanting to toss everything aside for that comfy spot on the couch at home.

But honestly, spending a few precious moments when you first come home, can save you time and energy in the long run.

Here are five things I always do when I first get home from traveling.

5. Unpack. The most daunting task of them all. But, I travel so light that it really doesn't take that long at all. And you can usually just throw most of the clothes in for a load of laundry. It really only takes a few moments- and it beats tripping over your luggage until you deal with it!

4. Re-pack. Yep, not a typo. After all my clothes and shoes are put away- I refill all of my liquids and replace any toiletries I used up entirely. Toothpaste, soap, facial cleanser, etc. I put my wheelie away fully charged and ready to go the next time sans clothes.

3. Organize Photos. Whether or not I have been uploading my photos all along during my trip- I really like to tackle this task head on. I upload, delete and organize my photos while I am still excited about the trip and seeing how well I captured it.

2. Organize Trip Lit. I am forever grabbing business cards, brochures and maps from my travels. Whether I am going to write about a destination, recommend it to friends or return myself in a few years, it's important to write down specific details while they are fresh in my mind and then organize and file it away.

1. The most important thing I do when I get home is grab my packed passport- and immediately put it in it's secret, safe, secure hiding place. I can't tell you how many stories I have heard about people who can't find their passport right before a trip because they don't remember where they put it! If you only do one thing- make it this one. It could save you alot of unwelcome aggravation!

{On a side note, my most favorite thing to do when I return home is to start planning another trip! But that's for another day entirely….}

Tell me what you do when you return home from travel?

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Now, let's see what travel tips Cherrye has for us today!

The Weekly Tweetly | 9-6-09

Hope you are all having a swell Labor Day weekend.

I'm secretly excited about the onset of the Fall season. It is one of my favorite times of the year – especially in my neck of the woods where it means leaf peeping, apple picking and cider donuts. Oh those cider donuts!

As you read this, I'll be enjoying a lovely weekend in Southern Vermont, complete with a romantic B&B, covered bridges, antiques, nature, homemade local products and even a nostalgic visit to my Grandparent's cottage on the lake where I used to spend summers when I was a wee little lass. I haven't been back in 30 years.

Enough chit-chat, let's get down to it, shall we?

Here is this week's edition of The Weekly Tweetly…

Love your photos as much as I love mine? Gadling shares how to protect those digital memories.

But first, you need to capture those travel memories, right? Brilliant Tips offered up great info on Simple Travel Photography.

GoPlanit shared a New York Times article about traveling Chicago by water taxi!

Journeywoman led me to an Examiner article on how to make your own luggage tags.

For all you vegetarian foodies out there, MsGourmet made a mouthwatering Savoury Baklava with Tomato, Feta, Almond and Dates.

Tired of traveling the traditional way? BootsNAll published 7 Tips to Break the Mold.

Velvet Escape talks about group travel in his travel etiquette series.

Ever wonder what Manhattan looked like before it was developed? Erik Hazard shared a fabulous article from National Geographic, complete with stunning before and after pics.

And since Fall is fast approaching, Travel Editor timely shares 5 Fabulous Fall Festivals.

World Hum discusses the recent trend of recommending even first-time travelers skip overrun tourist and historic sites. What is up with that?

Well, that is all for this edition folks! Don't forget – if you should make your way over and comment anywhere, don't forget to tell them who sent you!

See you next Sunday for The Weekly Tweetly!

Travel Photo Friday : Portofino

Here we are again, traveling somewhere lovely, by photos! I can't believe it has been a month since our Travel Photo Friday in Tunisia! Where has the summer gone?

This month, we are headed to somewhere in Italy that I have yet to visit. I am always excited about the images of places I haven't been yet.

It's my little bit of escapism. My armchair travel if you will.

Reader Cindy Corbett submitted her delicious photo of Portofino. Her description is listed below.

"Portofino is so lovely – the little harbor, the color of the buildings and the dark green cypress trees that dot the landscape. I spent the day there with some friends and as we were leaving we passed a scrum of photographers and media – turns out they were following Silvio Berlussconi and his wife (it was happier times). I heard later that they were staying at a villa in the area – that would account for seeing the Italian Navy patrolling along the harbor. "

Thanks Cindy!

I don't know about you, but this makes me want to hop right on a plane and take up fishing in Italy as a hobby! What about you?

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And on a totally unrelated note- did you happen to see the little brag badge on the right sidebar? Apparently, My Mélange has been nominated for Best Travel Blog in the Bloggers Choice Awards, 2009! I am very honored of course, and I'd be even more honored if you would VOTE for me! It is free and it only takes a minute to sign up!

Thanks in advance if you do take the time to vote! I appreciate your support!

I am headed to Vermont for the holiday weekend- so you can look forward to lots of posts about covered bridges, nature, restaurants and quintessential New England! The weather should be lovely- perfect for picture taking.

Enjoy your long weekend and see you next month, Friday October 2nd for our next edition of Travel Photo Friday.

Cuisine de Bar – Like Quiznos {much} Classier French Cousin

If you're in Paris and have a hankering for a quick, delicious sandwich- look no further than Cuisine de Bar.

Located in the 6th arronsiddement, near the Luxembourg Gardens. Cuisine de Bar serve tartines, (meaning 'toasts' in French), which are open faced sandwiches with local, fresh ingredients on the famous Poilâne bread. Coincidentally, the Poilâne bakery happens to be located right next door. Pretty convenient, eh?

We chose a delicious tuna and a mozzerella, tomato and basil. They were excellent!

Other tartine options are:

* shrimp and avocado

* sardine, vinegar and chive

* fois gras

* goat cheese, tomato and coppa ham

* for'bon, which is ham, cheese marjarom and olive oil

* le club, which is a chicken, garlic aioli and caper

A cute little tray of freshly-ground pepper, caraway seeds, sea salt and herbs du provence are brought to the table so that you can season as you please.

For a budget lunchtime meal, try the prix-fixe which is around 15€ and includes the tartine, salad and glass of wine.

And please, don't forget dessert!

Is it a strange goal to try and eat my way through the entire list? Nah. I didn't think so.

Travel Tip Tuesday | US Airways Raises Baggage Fees…Again!

Seems like we have been here before. And in the not-so-distant past! Our visits have become more frequent on this all to familiar topic. Airline Baggage Fees. (cue scary, dread-filled music)

And it's sad. So very sad.

Last week, US Airways announced that it is bumping up it's baggage fees yet again.

You'll now pay another $5 for your first and second checked bag. So that's $20 for the first bag and a whopping $30 for checking a second. But those are the discounted fees for checking bags on-line.

If you forgo checking in on-line, your punishment will be an additional $5 fee at the airport, bringing the total fees to $25 and $35, respectively.

And International travelers- yeah you're getting hit with $50 for a second bag on any flights to Europe! (American Airlines and Delta have already socked passengers with this fee)

The new bag fees take effect for flights on or after October 7, 2009.

And the best part- these fees only apply to those in steerage. Travelers in first class or members of Silver, Gold, Platinum or Chairman's Preferred programs are exempt.

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And speaking of annoying things that airlines are doing of late, according to Budget Travel, random flight attendants have been strictly enforcing an FAA rule that may or may not exist. The jury is still out.

The issue : putting personal items in your seatback pocket on flights.

Uh, hu-lo! I'm guilty as charged!

Seriously?! These people are starting to drive me crazy with their ridiculous rules!

My seatpocket holds my book, headphones, earplugs, and teensy toiletry bag with hand cream, lip balm and water mist. Isn't that what's it is there for?

I don't really understand what the problem is- and why this would need to be an enforceable rule. I mean, I have never seen someone put a freakin' toaster in there! Have you?

And if the plane somehow flips and starts spinning out of control in a downward spiral- I think getting hit in the head with my lip balm will be the least of my problems!

Ah, just another bone-headed way the airlines can piss off travelers to the point where we don't want to buy a ticket on your stinking airplane anymore.

Guess what. It's working!

Your turn! What are your thoughts on baggage fees and enforcing silly rules? Sound off here!

Visit My Bella Vita to see what Travel Tips Cherrye is offering up today.

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