Sicily.

Posted on by lisadnovak

April 2024

Thoughts. 

Para mi, Sicily was long-standing bucket list, long before The White Lotus made Taormina an American tourist hot spot. We only had a long weekend so we limited ourselves to one corner of the island. We focused on Cefalu and Palermo – super easy to fly into and get around, even if one lands at 11pm and realizes they forgot to bring their driver’s license while at the car rental kiosk 😉 

Our base was Cefalu, with one night in Palermo. Cefalu is a delight – touristy but not overly so, great food, beautiful beaches and rocky cliffs. It’s small and easy to get around. Palermo is gritty, loud and fun as hell. We were marveling that Sunday evening at 10pm seemed livelier than a midday workday.

I would keep the same itinerary with the time we had, but with any more days, we would have traveled around more of the island. I craved time in the mountains and would have loved to see Mt Etna. But there isn’t a better way to soothe oneself than with mountains of arancini. Sicily, we will be back.

Stay. 

  • Cefalu / Casanova Suites. Delightful family-run b&b on the coast with a pretty balcony where they serve a delicious breakfast. We stayed in the family room. Highly recommend, and if you do stay there, let me know first! 

Eat.

  • Cefalu / Rossorubini Enoteca. Great wine bar on the main street with delicious bruschetta. We went twice we liked it so much.  
  • Cefalu / Sfrigola Cefalù. It may be a chain, but this is delicious arancini. Admittedly, there was no bad arancini in our Sicilian daily arancini binge. 
  • Castlebuono / Fiasconaro. Panettone that even the Pope loves?
  • Palermo / Cannoli & Co. You pick the filling. You cannot go wrong.  
  • Palermo / Nni Franco U Vastiddaru. Great sandwiches, long lines to prove it.

Play.

  • Cefalu / Rocco di Cefalu. Hike up the mountain to explore old ruins.
  • Cefalu / Jeep tour. Tusatrophy excursions in Madonie National Park. Visited Castlebuono
  • Palermo / No Mafia Tour. In-depth tour on the history and modern day take on the Mafia. 
  • Palermo / Quattro Canti. The heart of Palermo is marked with four beautiful sculptures at each side of the intersection. Stroll in any direction and you’re inundated with shops, bars, bachelorette parties and every street food you can imagine. I liked Colori del Sol for beautiful textiles. 

Morocco.

Posted on by lisadnovak

March 2024

Thoughts. 

Morocco is complicated, chaotic, wild and wonderful. It is a country at the intersection of religion and culture, so close to neighboring Europe and so far away. I think of our time there as the first real “travel” the kids have done, vs “vacation”. It sometimes felt hard – noisy, smelly, raw. There were long drives and sometimes not much to see. It was also Ramadan when we were there, but for me, that offered even more context to our visit. But for a few days, we were not just on vacation, we were a part of a place that more closely resembles much of the world. That made it feel worth it. 

I tried to put the trip together myself as I usually do, but this one felt intimidating. I couldn’t figure out the order of places / how to move around / the right sights / proper tour guides. So for this one, I gave in and Martha at Strong Travel helped me. She’s an experienced travel agent with great taste and inherently understands family travel. We’ve worked with her several times over the years and her partners at Experience Morocco helped pull it all together. 

We visited Fez, Rabat, Marrakech, and the Agafay Desert. I regret not going to the Sahara but we couldn’t stomach an 8 hour drive each way. Because of the travel agency management, it’s harder to recommend some of the guided experiences, but there are definitely landmarks not to miss. 

In general, Morocco felt very expensive, much more than I expected. I’m not sure if it’s the way we did it or just the tourist experience there. If I did it again I would definitely skip Rabat, and go a little longer to make the Sahara drive less painful.  And I still think I’d work with a travel agency, but perhaps educate myself a little more about the kinds of activities I wanted to do, or places I wanted to see. Most of my recommendations are in Marrakech, in part because some of the things we did in other cities were not as memorable. If you decide to head to Morocco, let’s talk about it live.

Stay.

  • Caravan by Habitas Agafay. Hipster cool, fabulous scenery, great food. I loved the tent vibe even despite the two-day windstorm. 
  • Dar Rhizlane. We did not stay here, but I dream of this riad. We walked in for dinner and were overwhelmed by its beauty and architecture. 

Eat. 

  • Tajine all day. Moroccan food is amazing. The couscous, harira soup, breads, the braised meats, the salad plates and my favorite – the pastilla – were delicious everywhere. My favorite meal was sitting amongst the street vendors in Jemaa el-Fnaa, the main square in Marrakech, where you can try a taste of everything.
  • Le Jardin Marrakech. A lovely cafe in a breezy courtyard in the heart of the medina for lunch or dinner. We appreciated the variety of food after extensive (and amazing) tajine. 
  • La Terrasse des Epices. Fabulous rooftop restaurant near the edge of the medina. Definitely need reservations but worth the unique French / Moroccan cuisine. 
  • Bacha Coffee. Super touristy spot with rumored amazing coffee. It was inside the archeology museum and had a 2 hour (!) wait. But the interior is beautiful, and you can imagine yourself sitting next to Winston Churchill smoking a cigar. 
  • Bo Zin. I think I recommend it? It’s a total scene and totally outside of what I expected of Morocco. So maybe go for that.

Play. 

  • Atlas Mountains. Experienced the mountain landscape in between two major rainstorms. Hiked up (or in Nola’s case, took a mule 😉 to a mountain hut to prepare a tajine with a local family. By far, my favorite activity. I can recommend a guide if you want one. 
  • Camels and ATVs. Oh my. We didn’t do the ATV but heck yes we rode some camels. There were hundreds of places to do both on the road through the Agafay Desert. 
  • Les Bains de Marrakech. I knew I wanted to go to a bathhouse for a scrub. When we last went to Istanbul, I missed out and so this was bucket list. It didn’t disappoint for its … thoroughness.  
  • Medina Wander. The medinas are mind blowing. It’s what I always dreamed it would be and so much more infinite. You can buy anything as long as you bargain for it! One place we loved was the apothecary near . But in general, I loved the medina in Fez as much as the one in Marrakech. It’s a cultural experience you can’t miss.

London.

Posted on by lisadnovak

March 2024

Thoughts.

There is so much about London to love, and no shortage of people to tell you where to fall in. It had been years since I’d properly visited, but my girlfriend was there for work, so I went too. It was so much more beautiful – and more green! – then I remembered. All I really did was eat, drink and stroll past all of the parks and charming shops / pubs / cottages with three amazing women I know from totally different stages of life. 

Stay.

Eat 

  • DUCKSOUP. Natural wines, cozy space and good people watching. 
  • Bubala. Middle Eastern vegetarian vibe in Soho. Super creative, delicious food.
  • Blandford Comptoir. Sweet spot in Marylebone, especially if it follows the required pub visit with an old friend. 
  • The River Cafe. Liz, you have made this restaurant iconic to me. What a fabulous place, even if you show up to the wrong River Cafe at first. 
  • Gail’s Bakery. Scones. I really love scones and these were fantastic.

Play.

  • Borough Market. This market is so much fun to walk through and sample all the bites. We walked there just to burn off the morning scones so we could try it all. 
  • Stroll. Sit in Parks. Repeat. It was full on spring when I arrived. Everything was blossoming and I even saw the sun! This was the very best part of my visit. 

Val D’Isere.

Posted on by lisadnovak

February 2024

Thoughts.

I knew nothing of skiing in the Alps. My skiing is adequate at best, and was originally limited to Poconos ice. But after seeing how ski mad David, Milo and Nola are, and then learning how fabulous everything surrounding skiing in Europe, I must say, I’m equally there. 

So, how to explain Val. Authentic, expensive, extensive, gorgeous, delicious. There are crepes. And our friends were there. This made for a great ski holiday. I’d definitely go back.

Stay.

  • Hotel Ormelune. It didn’t set the world on fire, but it was close to the slopes and lots of breakfast.
  • Chateau Izia. Our friends stayed here. If I went back, I’d look into this apartment option.
  • Victoria Lodge. One last hotel option I really liked, but it was booked.

Eat.

Play.

  • Ski ski ski. Get the 6 out of 7 day ski pass. Fall in love with the terrain up the Olympique Gondola
  • Mountain Masters. Gathered a group of kids and created our own group.

Carcassone.

Posted on by lisadnovak

January 2024

Thoughts.

The truth is, I had never heard of Carcassone, France and now I’m an evangelist. David and Milo went skiing that weekend, so Nola and I wanted to take a long weekend somewhere less than 3 hours from BCN. The plan was to meet our friends from San Francisco living their own adventure with a year abroad in Paris – somewhere? And along the way Abby suggested Carcassone. 

I later learned about the board game with the same name. And in the process, fell in love with this little village full of history, medieval sights, great food and a vibrant town.  

Stay.

Eat.

Play. 

  • Castle Tour. Awesome Get Your Guide tour with Anna. She was funny, knowledgeable and engaging with the adults and kids. 
  • Wandering .. we climbed the castle walls and roamed the cobblestone streets in search of food stuffs sprinkled with truffles.
  • Shopping .. the “new” town has fun boutiques to marvel at how chic every French person is.

Venice.

Posted on by lisadnovak

December 2023

Thoughts. 

I last visited Venice in 1999 and fell hard. What’s not to love about a city of canals? Today, Venice is just as lovely, especially for Christmas and especially when no one else is there. Somehow our timing worked perfectly and we had it practically to ourselves. A few times we looked around some of the biggest tourist sites and were the lone wanderers. I was worried I’d miss my Delaware family too much over the holidays, but we made a point to seek out festive restaurants and activities. Venice delivered.

Stay.

  • Hotel L’Orologio. Simple, contemporary and on the water. I liked it but you can find another place that is just as nice.

Eat.

  • Cantine del Vino gia Schiavi. Cicchetti is Italian tapas. Coming from Spain, I felt vaguely snooty about the prospect, but I think the Italianos have us beat?
  • Farini. Pizza standing on the street. Always.
  • Cantina Do Spade. Ciccetti again. This is the way to eat.
  • Rosticceria Gislon. Cool spot where you sort of yell and point at things in a case you want to eat.
  • Hotel Danieli. Beautiful restaurant in an old world Venetian hotel overlooking the water.

Play.

  • The Futbol. David and Milo watched Venezia play. And bought the requisite scarf I then usurped.
  • Doge’s Palace / Bell Tower. We did a Palace tour, nothing to write home about but good to learn from a knowledgable local. I definitely recommend a guide of some kind. Then climb the tower! This was spontaneous because there was no line, but get advance tix.
  • St Mark’s Basilica. Visited for Christmas Day Mass (en Italiano) and noted the uneven tiled floors warped by the rising water.

The dream.

Posted on by lisadnovak

Wanderlust has defined my entire adult life.

I can’t explain it. But if you have it, you just know. This drive for constant motion to … discover? deepen? contextualize? feel alive? Part of the feeling is a true love of experience, of meeting the people and eating the foods and seeing the sunsets. Part of it is knowing there’s always more out there to discover. And all of it is this imperfect balance between complete discomfort and control. But wandering from wherever I am to fall in love wherever I end up is my life’s passion.

But my dad always said: every day is not the 4th of July. And not every trip / “best” food / secret beach / kid adventure / perfect cocktail / is so glorious. In writing this, my hope is to share what I learn from every place that I go. That way, when you next wander, you have every shortcut to embrace or ignore or add to.

The Dolomites.  

Posted on by lisadnovak

December 2023

Thoughts. 

We entered this trip knowing very little about skiing in the Dolomites. Skiing in this part of Italy is such a different scene – super fabulous (more fur than I’ve seen in a lifetime in Cortina alone), super laid back (no one else was on the slopes until what seemed like midday?) and super delicious food you wouldn’t expect (with a heavy German influence). We first spent a few days in Alta Badia at the NaturHotel which was wonderful. It was situated right near the lifts, served delicious food and the staff truly took care of us. 

After we moved to Cortina and I was less enamored. It’s the site of the Winter Olympics in 2026 for the second time– the first being 1956. Part of it was the lack of snow, and part of it was that it was Christmas / New Year’s with little value to be found. The people watching made up for the disastrous hotel at least. But I’d say if you have a chance to ski in Europe, we’ve enjoyed ourselves far more in Austria and France.   

Stay.

  • Miraval NaturHotel / Alta Badia.
  • Hotel Mirage / Cortina. I am only writing about this place because it was terrible. Please do not be fooled by the number of stars! 

Eat. 

  • Rufugio Lagazuoi / Alta Badia. Any restaurant you need to take a cable car to is a good restaurant to me. The views from the top of Lagazuoi were incredible   and we had the chance to hike around to peer into WWI hideouts. 
  • Il Vizietto di Cortina / Cortina. Cozy date night spot with good pasta chased by complimentary grappa.  
  • Ristorante Pizzeria 5 Torri / Cortina. decent pizza
  • Il Ponte / Cortina. Decent pizza and worth mentioning because Milo’s pizza had fries on top. 
  • Baita Fraina Enoteca / Cortina. We finally experienced “the scene” in Cortina. And it’s definitely a scene inside and outside. Despite the snow and freezing temperatures, there was a throng of people outside drinking vino…  
  • Bar Caffe Sport / Cortina. This place was more relaxed than Baita Fraina but equally as jam packed inside and out. 

Play. 

  • Dolomiti Superski Pass. Highly recommend this pass thanks to its versatility and relative affordability (for skiing).  You have access to an entire series of mountain chains that seems to go on forward. And on that note…
  • Sellaronda. I still can’t believe we did it. Or rather, that I – as the current worst skier in the family – made it. The Sella is a famous 40km+ ski circuit in South Tyrol where you circle the Sella group in one day. It was a bluebird day with the kind of winter adventure I had no idea my kids were ready for. Highly recommend.

Granada, Cordoba, Seville.

Posted on by lisadnovak

December 2023

Thoughts.

Northern and Southern Spain are completely different worlds. Living in Barcelona now I appreciate that even more than I did when Claudia and I made our virgin voyage alllll the way back in 1999 to Seville. Or maybe I just appreciate that I could afford more than just cheap beer and pan de tomate this time around (although both staples are still greatly appreciated). 

It was a B- trip for us. Not so much about the sites as about the situation. The kids have off in December for Dia de la Constitució (Spanish Constitution Day) and La Immaculada Concepció. This is a unique to Spain holiday combo which means every Spaniard is off and every Spaniard is looking for the warmest place to celebrate. Knowing none of this we found ourselves in the midst of a fray everywhere we went.

We flew to Granada, drove to Cordoba and Seville and then flew out 5 days later. Some of the best parts of the trip were road tripping through gorgeous grape and orange tree fields and watching the storks construct enormous nests atop every utility pole– all to the Adam Sandler Hanukkah soundtrack on repeat. Some of the worst parts were all.of.the.people. Which made it harder to enjoy the rich history and beautiful offerings of this part of the world. That said, I’d go back, especially to Granada. It was lush and green with movie-set worthy rolling hills. Just not on a holiday weekend!

Stay.

  • Nowhere noteworthy. Lots of Airbnb options tho.

Eat.

  • Bodegas Castaneda / Granada. Dinner at *great* tapas spot. My favorite in Spain! Be sure to walk around the corner to find the tapas bar (vs. restaurant) as it’s much more chaotic, lively and authentic.
  • Restaurante Jardines Alberto / Granada. Beautiful restaurant with multiple terraces directly across from the Alhambra. We had lunch here but I’m sure the sunsets are beautiful later in the day. 
  • ConTenedor / Seville: Date night with David. It had a different twist on Spanish food, which is a welcome departure after my fall croqueta binge.
  • Cookie Love Love / Seville: DELISH!!!! Cookies made by a nice Texan girl.
  • Las Teresas / Seville. Lovely and authentic lunch spot in Jewish Quarter
  • Bar Catedral Seville / Seville. Themed with bulls. Lively, fun, good.

Play.

  • Alhambra / Granada. We toured with a fabulous tour guide Veronica at Alhambra Guide. Tickets were *incredibly* difficult to book and $$, although it was a holiday weekend in Spain so maybe that’s why? Still, several operators would change the tour times last minute which made it hard to plan around. But! Very worth it even though the kids were moaning about a 3 hour tour (I don’t totally blame them ;). One of my favorite sites in Spain.  
  • Cordoba Mosque / Cordoba. Truly stunning and fascinating historic site coupled by an equally stunningly bad tour. Stay far away from OWAY Tours.
  • Real Alcazar / Seville. Beautiful. We did an audio guide tour and it was decent. There was even a kids orchestra performing in the main square. Couldn’t get into Cathedral de Seville and were disappointed because we wanted to see Columbus’ Tomb.
  • Checkpoint Arcade Bar / Seville. Fun spot for a cocktail and board games. I just may have made a guest appearance in their Instagram story that night. 
  • Hercules Placa / Seville. Fun vibe, lively with a Christmas Market and cafes, just not so fun to be sleeping above it. 

Normandy. 

Posted on by lisadnovak

October 2023

Thoughts. 

Looking back on our time in Europe, Normandy stands out as a favorite. The mix of past and present felt almost surreal—are we really here? For our first long weekend, we chose Normandy for its proximity, significance, and a friend’s glowing recommendation. The World War II sites were sobering, yet balanced by vast ocean views, a sense of freedom, and incredible food. As new expats, the experience made me deeply proud to be American and grateful to share this living connection to the past with my kids.

Stay. 

  • Hotel Restaurant Chateau Saint Gilles. One of the most authentically beautiful places we’ve stayed in. It’s a carefully restored chateau outside of Bayeaux. Great recommendation from Alya. 

Eat. 

  • La Sapiniere. Again, Alya for the win! Restaurant by Omaha Beach with delicious seafood and cozy vibe on a cold day. The outdoor area looked great for the summertime.  
  • A La Dorette. We stumbled upon this casual cafe with a polo theme as we drove along the Cider Route. No one spoke English and it didn’t matter one bit.  
  • The Cider Route. Speaking of this Cider Route, it’s pretty magical and the fall colors were the closest to true New England-style autumn we’ve experienced in Europe. We drove along the windy roads and stopped at some cider houses to sample the calvados and apple juice both.  

Learn.

  • D-Day Tour. We did a half day D-Day Tour which was probably the right amount for the kids, but David and I would have been interested in more. There are many tours to suit all interest levels and amount of time.
  • Mont-Saint-Michel. This sight is so spectacular and the tides so dramatic, you can’t miss it. I remember being there in 1995 (!) and it stuck with me my entire life. We did the audio tour which was fine, but it’s worth a guided tour.