My fantasy vacation is this month’s theme on Romancing the Genres. I love to travel,
although I don’t get to take-off as often as I’d like these days. So, for me
and all the other armchair travellers out there…this is a perfect excuse to
wallow a while in fantasy-land.
If I had to choose only one perfect vacation spot…I’d choose
two. Ha! I cheated. It’s my fantasy and I’ll make up the rules as I go along. Italy and Spain are at the top of my list of amazing
countries I’ve visited. Any fantasy vacation would have to include visiting
those two destinations again…
That’s amore!
Once I had my bags packed and managed to round up my husband
and two boys, I’d be off to Italy. In First Class, of course. I’ve never
actually sat in First Class but it’s on my bucket list. Why not travel across
the globe in style, sipping Champagne, then actually lie down on
an overnight flight?
Photo of Florence – the city at sunset
The city of Florence in Tuscany, Italy, is arguably the most
gorgeous and romantic city in the world. I had a chance to travel there twice
so far, once in 1999 as part of a university study tour to several European
companies. I spent a lot of my spare time there just wandering through cobblestone alleys and winding streets and eating gelati ice-cream.
Then in 2005, I got to travel back with my husband on our
honeymoon. One of my favourite things to do there is climb the hill on one side
of the river Arno, for the view right over the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio,
and the whole city. I took some photos and stumbled across a small chapel with a group of monks inside singing Gregorian chants, like I'd stepped back in time to the middle ages.
Both times I visited, the city hit me with a double-whammy
of romance and history. I’d go back to the Uffizi gallery in a heartbeat to
admire one of my favourite paintings in the world – Botticelli’s Primavera. And of course I’d say hello
to the statue of David and tour the renaissance buildings such as the palaces
and old monasteries in the Tuscan countryside.
Detail of woman in a Botticelli painting
Since this is my fantasy, I’d also eat as much as possible
without putting on any weight. The best gelati ice-cream in the world,
delicious pasta and steak, and the Chianti wine made by traditional winemakers
in the hills. While I’m imagining, I’d stay at a luxurious palazzo with a
swimming pool and enjoy the summer sunshine without the heat we get in Australia.
Fiestas of fun
I visited Spain for a month in 2010 when a family member got
married there. On this trip I had both my husband and our little 13 month old son
in tow! He actually learned to walk in the El Retiro Park in central Madrid, toddling
around on the grass. Later, he had hours of fun running up and down the pedestrian
mall outside our hotel.
Royal Palace – Madrid
On my fantasy trip, I’d spend hours or maybe days wandering
around the Royal Palace in Madrid, before making my way down south to the
equally magical south of Spain. I’d let my boys run wild in the acres of park
land and then take a trip down to the wonderful Medieval hilltop city of Toledo about an hour away by train. We'd stay somewhere with banquets of paella and Spanish flan, then go see some
flamenco dancing.
When I visited Barcelona with my family, the city was in
full-swing summer festival mode. A massive stage had been setup by the
waterfront for free concerts, the popular boulevard La Rambla was packed with
people rambling each night, browsing market stalls and eating tapas. And there
were random art shows and performances around every corner. I loved wandering
around discovering things such as a parade of giant marionette puppets
representing historical characters.
I’d take my boys to the Gaudi-designed cathedral, La Sagrada
Familia, which looks like something conjured from a fairytale. We’d buy swords from
the traditional armour-makers in some of the old parts of the city and play
pretend knights in an old-world hotel that used to belong to nobility.
La Sagrada Familia – Barcelona
No fantasy trip of mine would be complete without shopping,
so I’d be ready with indestructible credit cards to hit all the Italian and
Spanish boutiques. Especially shoes, boots and handbags. Don’t ask how many pairs
of shoes I brought back from my last European trip…but considering I only have
two feet, and I had to buy a new suitcase, it was a few.
Finally, I’d stop off at a few places I didn’t get enough
time to see last time, like the seaside resort town of Malaga or the island of Majorca and just relax at
the beach.
P.S. – Remind me to actually finish writing the book I have
in draft, with a few chapters set in Spain!
P.P.S – My debut novel, Girl on a Plane, has a lot of travel in it too. It's on sale now for 99 cents US! Buy links - www.books2read.com/girlonaplane
About Cassandra O’Leary
**Winner of the global We Heart New Talent contest run by HarperCollins UK. Nominated for BEST NEW AUTHOR in AusRomToday 2016 Reader's Choice Awards for excellence in Australian romance fiction**
Cassandra O’Leary is a romance and women’s fiction author, communications specialist, avid reader, film and TV fangirl and admirer of pretty, shiny things. Her debut novel, Girl on a Plane, was published in July 2016.
Cassandra is a mother of two gorgeous, high-energy mini ninjas and wife to a spunky superhero. Living in Melbourne, Australia, she’s also travelled the world. If you want to send her to Italy or Spain on any food or wine tasting ‘research’ trips, that would be splendiferous.
Read more or sign-up for Cassandra's newsletter at cassandraolearyauthor.com
