Little Black Guidebook

2233390578_2fc98b4c80_b, originally uploaded by designspongeshop.

So lovely I had to post it, even though it isn’t Friday.

Een gewone brug in Amsterdam, originally uploaded by Breno Peck.

I am currently looking at plane tickets for a trip this summer for our fifth wedding anniversary. Wow, I can’t believe its been that long. I am daydreaming of Amsterdam, Paris, Zagreb and Barcelona, but we’ll probably narrow my list of like 40 places down to 2 based on airfares. I’m finding tons of fantastic fares. Some business class seats are less than coach, just because NOBODY searches for them assuming they are thousands of dollars. Well they are usually. But I can get me and hubby to Amsterdam from New York business class on British airways for less than $500 which is pretty amazing. And I can get us to New York on miles. Soooo tempted… I found even better deals through delta which is having 57% many of their European routes right now for economy class, but I really hate flying American owned airlines for more than 12 hours, the service just isn’t the same.

One airline I won’t be flying is Alitalia. Even though I can get San Francisco to Rome for $89! Long time readers understand my beef with the Italian train system. I have only posted so far about Me vs. Trenitalia and their booking system. The actual trip was even more of a hassle and ended up costing me a chocolate tour of Paris we had booked! Maybe I’ll tell that story later. Well here is further proof that nationally owned transportation systems aren’t always the most reliable, because honestly, they don’t have to make a profit, they are bureaucracies that aren’t accountable to share holders. Famous traveler and photographer/journalist Michael Totten has a blog where he posted just 2 weeks ago about his joys with traveling on Alitalia. My jaw was on the floor from nodding so hard. Cheap is good, but do your research, fare compare may get you a good deal, but go to the Flyer Talk forums to get real advice from the road warriors who aren’t trying to sell you anything.

Have a cup of tea. It revives you. Take the time and brew a pot. To brew the perfect pot of tea, you need to warm the pot first. When the kettle has boiled, pour a couple inches of water into the teapot, put the lid on and wait till the lid is warm. Discard water. Fill teapot with more hot water, add four tea bags (for four people) and let steep 5 minutes—for a really strong pot—before serving.

Grass is starting to bloom (is that the right word?), and I love the combo of blue and green in this photo by prop stylist Jen Everett. Have a cup of tea. It revives you.

Opatija (1) – Croatia – Croacia, originally uploaded by Paco CT.

Back from LA where it was a balmy 70. The 50 degree increase in temperature was nice, even if I wasn’t out in it for long. Not much to say, its LA, once you’ve done Universal and downtown there isn’t much to do except shop and go out with friends.

The thing that made me smile the most this weekend was browsing the Borders book store in the Seattle airport and coming across a book by the title: “The Pirates! in an Adventure with Communists” That’s about the strangest book title I’ve seen in awhile. Apparently its a reprint of an old vintage title.

Instead I left with Berlitz Croatian dictionary and audio lesson cd which was on sale. Why Croatian? Well, a close friend is from there and who wouldn’t love a country with Mediterranean beaches and cuisine, lovely mountain regions (close enough to drive to Austria and Switzerland if there isn’t enough skiing for you), and 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 8 national parks. Now add in the fact that I could couch surf and stay at his families private island and you’ve got a recipe for major wander lust.

I always try to get functional in the language of a country before going there so I’m starting now.

I’m on a plane again, on my way to LA for the weekend. When I get to Seattle it’s going to take a cup this big to revive me and I know just where to get one, Dilettante Chocolates and coffee in the center of the terminal. You should have a cup next time your there, or try their ultra-dark hot chocolate, both are great at reviving the weary traveler.

Have a cup of tea. It revives you. Today I’m wishing I had one of these mugs. Your drink also flows into the handle itself making your tea (or coffee) time more of an experience than a routine occurrence. At $48, this is a little rich for my blood, but many good things are. This mouthblown cup is made out of sturdy and heat resistant Pyrex.

Manufacturer: Laurence Brabant, France

I stayed with a good friend in DC last year. She was off to Italy for 2 weeks with 2 checked bags and two carry-ons. That was me 4 years ago. Her ratio of items was totally different from me though. She had one checked bag of toiletries and another with three-quarters shoes and one-quarter clothes. I would have had two bags almost completely full of clothes, you know, just in case I got invited to a wedding or something. Now I have always struggled with the shoes thing, finding the perfect pair to go through many outfits is a toughie and deserving its own post. But an entire suitcase of toiletries? Sure, if you’re moving for a year to Africa maybe.

The fact that I’ve come a long way was emphasized this weekend when I followed a friend into the hotel I was staying at in Salt Lake. I asked her if she was extending her stay after the conference she was attending over the weekend and she said “No, I just like my gels.” as she dragged in a suitcase almost as big as she was. When she looked at my small roll-on, she was astounded and asked how I do it. So here you go, my two cents worth.

Basic daily must-haves for purse size makeup bag are: pressed powder compact, travel-size cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen combo, lip balm, lip color, mascara, travel-size hand sanitizer and breath mints. Anything more is probably extra and hard to justify. Ask yourself why you need it.

1. Need a facial scrub? Grab packets of regular white sugar from the restaurant. Just lather up your face with a cleanser, then scrub in the sugar using your finger tips in small circular motions.
2. Q-tips work just as well as brushes, don’t pack a ton of brushes.
3. Don’t pack blush. You can use a great lipstick color as a cream blush or buy a lip/cheek stain. Choose lighter shades and blend on after foundation but before powder.
4. Shampoo & conditioner are available in 99% of hotels. If you’re going the hostel or couchsurfing route I would suggest solid shampoos from Lush rather than fooling with more items in your 3-1-1 bag.
5. Don’t use the size of your toiletries as an excuse. You can alway repackage them. You can find some really cute toiletry bottles to repackage everything in. The ones below are from the UK, but you can get them almost anywhere.
6. If you really need to scrimp, your hotel can probably provide you toothpaste and a toothbrush once you get there, but I wouldn’t chance it.
7. Use hair conditioner instead of shaving cream.

The items above are a picture of my typical travel toiletry bag for trips less than 3 weeks. In addition to the list above, I usually add in hand lotion, undereye concealer and deep cleaning wipes. The wipes are great when on a plane because really, who wants to wash their face in an airplane bathroom? All the liquids easily fit in a single quart-size bag. Take a look at your toiletries, and you’ll probably be able to trim it down to the point where you can fit it all in your carry-on. When I travel these days I fit all of my toiletries, wet and dry in my 3-1-1 bag if its a less than 1 week trip. Unbelievable to think.

Kitchen Accessories

After I finished cleaning yesterday I had a spotlessly clean kitchen. My first instinct was to cook something. Unfortunately I haven’t been grocery shopping for almost a week, so there really wasn’t much to cook with. I finally scrapped together enough ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies after begging a 2nd egg off of my neighbor. I am now definitely in a baking mood. Combined with my spring cleaning mood this has me craving sleek modern and colorful kitchen accessories. The image above is a roundup of items I’ve had bookmarked for awhile. I especially want the apron from Anthropologie, tea stick from the Moma store and kitchen timer from the National Palace Museum of Taiwan.