Feb 25, 2011

My 10 Most Memorable Travel Moments

In no particular order after #1, which started it all...

By Lisa T. Bergren

#1 Staring at the Pantheon aglow, beside husband and best friends, all of us abroad for the first time in twenty years. Stunned, we all kept repeating, “Can you believe we’re seeing this?!” (Rome, Italy) Continue reading

Feb 22, 2011

Home vs. Hotel (Part I)

An Interview w/ Lara Dunston of Grantourismo

By Lisa T. Bergren

Note: This is Part One of my interview with Lara Dunston of Grantourismo. Part Two of our Grantourismo interview follows as a separate post.

I’ve been following travel writer Lara Dunston and her photographer hubby, Terence Carter, since I heard they were going on a tour ’round the world, in partnership with HomeAway Holiday-Rentals. I was fantasizing about doing the exact same thing with my family, and love villas and apartments, so I was instantly engaged. The stories they posted on Grantourismo made me feel like I was along for the ride, and I figured they’d found out even more about rental homes that would be valuable for families like us, whether we were looking for a week away or longer. What follows is our chat… Continue reading

Feb 22, 2011

Home vs. Hotel (Part II)

More family travel chit chat w/ Lara of Grantourismo

By Lisa T. Bergren

NOTE: This is a continuation of my interview with Lara Dunston of Grantourismo. Read Part One of our interview if you’d like to know more!

Lisa: Talk to me about scouting out local grocery stores and tricks you’ve learned about getting what you want when you don’t speak the language.

Lara: You’d assume that all property owners would have a folder of information in the apartment that lists the nearest supermarket or market, but not all do. Continue reading

Oct 22, 2010

What’s in Your Backyard?

A Local's Favorite in Colorado Springs

By Lisa T. Bergren

I love to discover the “local’s version” of a foreign town—the English cheese shop with the killer Stilton; the trattoria in Venice two bridges away from the Canalazzo, crowded with families; the local’s path to a hidden park in Aspen; the chocolate mousse stand in Paris where neighbors dare to complain about the portions; the pizza joint as thick with Brooklyn accents as their crust is thin.

But why do we have to wander so far afield to savor the nuances and gifts of a place? Why does it take an outsider to help us rediscover the treasures in our own backyard? Continue reading

Sep 25, 2010

Classic Colorado Comfort Food

Rustique: Aspen, Colorado

By Lisa T. Bergren

Like most places, Aspen, Colorado is a treasure to visit off-season. Nestled among the mountains and surrounded by massive, namesake groves relinquishing their summer green to autumnal gold, the town is quiet and accessible this time of year. Continue reading

Jun 9, 2010

A Dream Realized

From an Image in a Magazine to Living It

By Lisa T. Bergren

It began with a “Room with a View” feature in Conde Nast’s Traveler.  A shot out the window from Terre di Nano that captured what I’d been longing for—a visit to the heart of Tuscany—territory in which we could just be, absorb, live like the locals. Continue reading