April 2023 Newsletter Vol 2
Candalada
ITALY, SWITZERLAND, France everything you need to know : From planning to execution
The purpose of this detailed newsletter is to help anyone in the mist of planning a trip. It is more robust than highlighting food and sharing pics. Topics include:
Trip Background
Ticket Details
Hotel Research
Overall Routing
City Planning
How Prince Issa and I Escaped a Possible Abduction
Lessons Learned
Good To Know
How Driving a Tesla Affect The Trip
Food
Hotels
The Spa : QC Treme Milano
Picture Story
Trip Idea Background:
After reading several articles comparing Venice, Italy and Paris, France. I still could not choose between the two locations. I decided to go with Italy. Mainly because Issa has been talking about it for at least three years compared to France, which he just mentioned to me this year. Once I decided on Italy I had some nagging thoughts. When we will make it back to see France? Wouldn’t a surprise trip in a surprise trip be the ultimate surprise? I set out to see if a two for one was feasible.
Dulles International Airport
Ticket Details:
The total flight time to Venice was 10 hours, on the way back the layover was a bit obnoxious; 8 hours in Istanbul Airport. Istanbul Airport is the largest airport in the world and it has hotel inside of it called the Yotel on the landslide. I would love to tell you about it but I slept in a chair.
Istanbul Airport
The tickets to Italy were purchased on March 14th and cost $1401.20 total, $559.32 for mine and $552.85 for Issa’s. I chose Turkish Airways because the baggage allowance is a carry on, a personal item and 2 suitcases up to 23 kg each. The baggage allowance was more gracious than any other airline. You must go online to make special request for vegan or kosher meals. It seems no matter how swift the flight they, feed you a meal.
Initial Hotel Research:
Most hotels were $124 - $220 a night with the exception of Paris around $300 a night. Next, I began to plan routing.
Overall Routing:
The plan was to fly in to Venice arrive at 1:30PM, spend one night, at midday take the bullet train to Milan (3hr ride), spend a night , take the bullet train to Paris (4hr ride) spend two nights.
For the route back, take the train to Geneva, Switzerland (a small piece of Switzerland wedged between Italy and France; a common train change stop on rides back to Italy) spend one night. Then finally from Geneva, Switzerland back to Venice for two nights, to really relish in the canal vibes before leaving.
City exploration planning based on vegan food and places of interest:
I spent a few days on blogs and happy cow and made a list of the food places that looked most appealing. I selected hotels based on their proximity to food or places of interest.
Venice planning was complex to navigate with many water routes. I was unsure of how to make it to certain places until I arrived and was given additional assistance. Coming in I stayed somewhere easy to access from the airport by bus in Dorsoduro. At the end of the trip I made extra effort to stay deeper in Venice in San Marco to visit the shops.
PLAnning vs reality
Milano Centrale
*Venice Actual 4/11/22 11am-5PM headed to airport although booked through the 12th.
The first room I booked I entered the wrong check in date. I placed the date we started flying instead of the day after when we actually arrived. It was non refundable, even though I called one second later and told them it was a mistake no refund was issued. That is Travelocity for you.
We got stuck in Milan and extra night on the way to Paris. I was unable to get catch a train to France due a planned train strike I did not know about. I purchased a flight to Paris that morning and it was cancelled later that evening. It took a total of 30 days to get a refund. This cancellation caused a delay and domino affect for the rest of trip. I missed some reservations completely and I was a day late for 2 day reservations. With limited options for leaving Milan, I rented a car from SIXTY and drove to Paris. I left around 3:30PM and arrived at 3 AM. The travel time was 12hrs (charging increased travel time).
After day two of the trip I was booking new reservations while missing out on the reservations I already paid for elsewhere. This was a complete waste of any savings and blew the budget planned for the trip. I had no travel insurance on the rooms and missed all the cancellation periods. No refunds were issued to me. Both Hotel Hoy and Hotel Bernina offered gracious special rates for the unplanned extension.
On the voyage back we got at suck in Milan again because trains don’t run late night on Easter Monday and we missed the last train out at 8:25pm. We spent a completely unplanned night in Milan. This was the most disastrous night of the trip.
HOw PRINCE ISSA AND I ESCAPED DANGER AND POSSIBLE ABDUCTION
The unplanned night in Milan was the night I experienced the most stress on the trip. Driving back from France seemed take forever. We did a lot of day driving. I almost always drive at night but I wanted to see the fountain catch the shops Switzerland and we left there at noon. The day driving had us stuck in excessive traffic and we didn’t return the rental until 9PM. We took an Uber from the rental location to the train station. The rental place did not have 24hr personnel but they gave us a gate code. It was a dark isolated business park. The Uber arrived pretty quickly so I didn’t have much time to worry.
We took an Uber from the rental office to the train station. It cost $45 dollars although the app quoted $30. At the station, we received confirming news we missed the last train back to Venice. We were given the option by security to stay with the police and sit on a bench from 11PM until 5am in the morning or to get a hotel a cross the street because the station closes at 1AM.
The security guard recommend a place and told me to be careful crossing the street. The hotel was 650 feet away according to my GPS and a I still unknowingly missed the right turn I was supposed to make and walked too far up. Even though our luggage was push luggage it was cumbersome and loud. We passed four men smoking and my stomach sank, I felt odd. I asked Issa if he thought we would be ok and he said, “no we need an Uber.” After just paying 50 dollars to get the the station, I proceeded to walk.
A black Mercedes van passed me several times, first vertically with a passenger, then perpendicularly at the bottom of the street. Then he was parked and smoking something that smelled like grapes. He looked into my eyes and I looked down.
Seconds later a man approached me saying, “My sister I feel in my heart that man is following you and will steal your daughter, let me help you, where do you want to go?” I continued to decline his help and he insisted I was in danger. I called the police they put me on hold for a translator. I called back, the second person spoke enough English to ask where I was. I couldn’t read the signs or pronounce my location with certainty.
I could see the headlight of the van at the top of the block. This is now his third time circling the block. The man with the pink fanny pack claiming to have my safety as a priority said, “Don’t go to the top of the block.” I felt tears in my eyes. My phone was at 10%. I called an Uber, it was 4 min away and taking forever. The van drove down the block rolled down the window. It was a shiny black Mercedes van and the windows were pitch black. The driver said, “Would you like a ride?” I said very loudly, “No, thank you. No ride, no help”. I walked briskly to the top of the block. I saw a man and women walking by and called out to them, “excuse me what is the number for 911 here, if I need help?” He said, “Don’t talk to them, they are Italian. They do not care about you!” The couple said, “We are not Italian!”, got offended and walked away. I wanted to leave with them and hoped my question would alert them I was in trouble and that did not workout.
I quickly requested a second Uber. The driver was one min away. While we were waiting, the man with the fanny pack tried to take Issa’s luggage twice, as I screamed, “Give it back!” I called my uber and asked him to please hurry. He said, “I am driving mam, no talking and driving.” He pulled up in a black Mercedes sedan and I ran to the car but not quicker than the man who would not leave me alone.
The Uber driver was bout to close his trunk an leave me in annoyance of whatever was being said to him in Italian. I said, “I am a US citizen.” showed him my passport and told him, “I must leave right now, please.” I began to throw my luggage in the trunk when he re-opened it. He took it out and said, “calm”. I ran into the car and took Issa with me. The driver put my luggage in while screaming at the man with the pink fanny pack in Italian. He kept telling him he was calling the police and “fuck off”.
When we finally pulled off I started crying and saying, “thank you”. He did take me to the hotel I couldn’t find and it was 2 block behind us. 2 blocks! The check in process took forever and attendant asked for everything but a blood sample. Issa and I didn’t take off our clothes, we were in shock. We Face-Timed family and friends to tell them of the experience until we were calm enough to go to sleep.
The hotel was extremely secure, so much so we could not work the elevator in the morning without the access code and missed our train. Luckily I paid an extra $9 for flexibility and they moved us to the next train at 8:15 am.
The day is filled with challenges. This bullet train didn’t go directly to the part of Venice I was trying to get to, known as the island. I barely got off at the correct stop in time. Thank goodness I did or I would have ended up deep in some other part of Italy.
We had to take a local train from Venezia Mestre by the airport to Venezia S. Lucia. Buying the tickets online on the platform was easier than actually getting on from the customer service desk. The line was out the door. The local train ride was 11 mins and tickets cost approximately $3.
At this point I’m running on fumes trying to at least lay eyes on the hotel I was supposed to be in the night before and at minimal get my son on a ferry so he can experience some type of a boat. I felt like cattle packing into the ferry and it took a while to get to San Marco by ferry. It was a cost effective ride, around $18 dollars per ticket.
The walk to the hotel from the dock almost killed us, tons of steps, directions were a maze. When we arrived at the hotel they revealed there was no elevator! I wanted to pass out while customer service representative was speaking. We took long showers and made the most of the 6 hours we had until it was time to leave for the airport. Nothing like I planned.
While I was shopping for souvenirs, Issa spilled Gelato everywhere, his fingers were sticky and his coat was a mess. I had to abandon gift hunting to get him cleaned up. The public bathroom cost $1.50 and smelled terrible. I decided to go back to the hotel. I still wish I was able to make it back to some of the cool t-shirt and bracelet shops. In a blink it was 5:45 pm and the plane left at 8:30pm. I thought of the shlep we had getting to the hotel and kindly asked the concierge for a taxi boat.
He said, “They are quite expensive”. I said, “Sir, I am asking you to call the boat, not how much it will cost.” We had to walk through a tunnel and a tiny path way. The walk was very short compared to all we had been through.
The sailor arrived a tiny bit late which was relief to discover. We hoped we didn’t miss him since that was the theme of the day. He loaded the luggage and took my hand and his hand touching mine was the best feeling. I could feel that a bit of fun was on the way. Once we got to the open water, the boat picked up speed and my sons’ eyes lit up. There is was. Joy after trauma. This boat ride gave a new meaning to save the best for last. 27 minutes and $150 dollars later we were at the airport. Very much on time. We were greeted and told which counter to check in at. We were guided to the expedited family security line, boarding started extremely early and just like that, we were gone.
The layover in Istanbul was 8 hours and I was wishing I booked the airport hotel in advance to be comfortable. The free sleeping area was packed and the paid sleeping pods looked like something for quiet relaxed adults not Prince Issa. When it was finally time to board Issa was about to cry when he overheard the man at the counter say we didn’t have a window seat. The attendant empathetically changed our seats to the very first row. We had tons of leg room and a window seat. Issa was so pumped and I appreciated the upgrade as well.
When we landed 9 hours later, police approached the plane looking for a passenger.At this point I was convinced I was on a TV show and no longer in my real life.
Getting that final Uber home and seeing my front door for the first time was the best part of my day. I slept for about 16 hours and I was tired for days.
LESSONs LEARNED
GOOD TO KNOW
Venice Italy
If you do not like walking this place is not for you. It is a maze, even the GPS gets confused. Some of the streets are so small you can easily miss them. I only found 60 percent of the places I was looking for. Be patient and prepared to be lost. At least everyone is walking.
Issa and I walked here at night and it has a different vibe, everyone was out walking and eating around 7pm - 10pm.
If you do not get a hotel on the canal you will be miserable. Dragging heavy bags up and down steps is not worth the savings. Hotels next to ferry stops or with water entrances are the best. Even going over a few bridges may make you feel like you are in the Olympics. You will instantly regret everything that you packed.
This is not the tropics it does get cold. Bubble jacket cold.
There is no quick in Venice, the ferry takes a while, plan an hour or even more to travel from San Marco to the airport.
Milan, Italy
Milan is Brooklyn, take that however, you want and act accordingly
Milano Centrale is a good place to get information on how to get around. I actually took the regular metro to one of my hotels because the customer service person made it that understandable
Nightime in Milano by the train stations are not safe for walking, Uber to your destination or stay inside
Paris, France
Accidentally found the red light district which is lively all night
Customer service is kind of cold you may find yourself wanting stay say, “What is your problem?” to your check out person in most places
Vegan food and bakery options are amazing
The Eiffel Tower sparkles every hour starting at 6 pm and ending at 11 pm
It is a complete zoo around the Eiffel Tower in the day time (Million Man March crowded)
Visiting the Eiffel Tower at 4am gives you a chance to have a moment. There may be no lights but is really intimate, no one is there and you can just pinch yourself and acclimate to the fact that you made it.
We did not go inside, however, advanced tickets are recommended to avoid painfully long lines.
Geneve, Switzerland
Experienced the rudest employees in several stores
First language is French. Only the people in my hotel spoke English, huge language barrier.
Everything was closed for Easter Monday. We were unable to eat anything from Switzerland.
TESLA ADVENTURES: HOW DRIVING A TESLA AFFected THE Trip
The Telsa route directed me to stop at some very nice Mercure Hotels on the way to Paris.
Some charge stations are in the middle of no where and seem like a mirage.
I do wish the navigation also found supercharge stations near your final destination as a courtesy to charge up one last time. For example it will route you somehwere and have you arriving at 16%. Then when you search where you can get a super charge once you arrive it can be up to 20 min away. This can cause panic or inconvenience. Especially if it is out of the way of your plans or requires backtracking.
Paris doesn’t have any visible public super chargers stations, mainly posh destination charging. This is how I ended up at the Shangri-La, Paris. I had 10% and explained I was uncomfortable driving around any further. We dined at the restaurant while the car charged. Surprisingly they had no super charger and after 3 hours and 4 courses, it was only at 60 percent!
Heated seats decreased back pain and allowed me to drive very long periods of time without stopping. I drove straight from Milan to Paris with the exception of charging.
FOOD
La Tecia Vegana: Venice, Italy || This was a highly recommend vegan restaurant. The food was really good. Ravioli is hand made by the manager. The lasagna was delicious. I haven’t had regular tiramisu but the vegan version was great. Venice winner.
Oke Zattere : Venice, Italy || The pizza and vegetables lacked flavor. The bread was great. It was a long and confusing walk from the hotel. I wouldn’t recommend it for a vegan. I heard the non vegan pizza is good. The view outside was nice; the best part of finding this place was the scenery.
Gelato Fantasy: Venice, Italy || I had the banana gelato and Issa had the chocolate. It was yummy. I am grate full they had some flavors for vegans and did not leave us out of the fun.
Flower Burger: Milan, Italy || I was excited to try this burger. The colored bun really drew me in. It was average and I was underwhelmed. It did taste house made and I was full. I requested no Chiptole mayo so I probably altered the entire experience. This location did not have the shake machine. I was very upset. They had the shake on the website and once I arrived I was told it is not available at every store.
Linfa Milan, Italy
Linfa is 100% vegan. This place is a 10 out of 10. The food was so good we went there for dinner and ended up going back the next day for lunch. At dinner the preferred dish was the Cashew Pepper noodles, for lunch the preferred option was the bacon cheeseburger. The burger was not dry and the bacon flavor was unique. It tasted nothing like bacon it was just good, very smokey. My favorite meals in Milan came from Linfa.
At dinner there was a live DJ. The cutlery is gold and held up by magnets. Issa didn’t like the juices he said it tasted too healthy.
Vegamore : Milan, Italy || We were too late for breakfast and too early for dinner. We had some tasty pastries. I tried the hot chocolate and it was very bitter with little sugar. The place is charming and the atmosphere is relaxing. Reservations are recommended in the evening.
Shangri-La: Paris, France || The decor and color and scheme of the dining area is beautiful. I ate an eggplant that I didn't hate which is a miracle. The had a special vegan shepherds pie for Easter, curry vegetables and coconut ice cream for Issa. The service was amazing. This is the priciest meal on the highlight list.
We went to visit the terrace where you can see thee top of the Eiffel Tower.
Aujourd’hui Demain : Paris France || This was my favorite meal in Paris! The pancakes are scrumptious. I took six croissants and a slice of cheesecake to go, both were delicious. The line was out the door for at least an hour. It is really laid back. I met the owner she was so chill with ripped black jeans on.
There is a vegan super market in the back and a store that sells art, books and clothing items. There are many things to purchase here. My only regret is not staying in Paris longer so I could try more things on the menu.
Patisserie Vegetale: Paris, France || I had marble cake, banana nut bread and tea. Issa had chocolate cake and hot chocolate. My marble cake was the best item in our haul. I chose this place because they offer macaroons and Issa has been asking to try some. The flavor was pistachio and it had a lot of filling. He quickly said, “no thank you”. My cashier was so rude although her eye make up was flawless. This bakery has a consistent line.
Land and Monkeys: Paris France || This bakery made my eyes big, it had a lot of options. It was like a vegan Panera. I had one of the must try cookies. It was very sweet. We over did it and bought three baguettes by the time we got to the last one it was hard. I got a sandwich that came in handy when I was starving in Switzerland because everything was closed.
Wild & The Moon : Paris, Italy || I loved that the gentleman there made recommendations because I had no idea what to try. Issa wanted to try the black lemonade but he said it was for hang overs and had canibus in it. He recommended another juice, Issa said it taste like the forest but he did finish it. The cashier was so pleasant. I also bought to go granola. I had the Banh Mi sandwich and Issa had a BBQ burger. I inhaled my food, I was hungry and the flavors blended well together.
HOTELS
4/4/2022 -4/5/2022 : Hotel Olympia
Small hotel, on the canal, with a little bar and garden, the room was super small and had a canal view which was nice.
The hotel was somewhat easy to get to coming from the airport. I took a shuttle bus. It was very challenging walking to the train station. Getting up the Constitution Bridge was impossible without the help of the local men that move luggage for tips.
I chose this hotel because it was an 8 min walk to La Tecia Vegana. My top choice for Issa’s birthday dinner.
4/5/2023 -4/7/2023 : Grand Visconti Palace Hotel
Big hotel, some of the rooms have updated decor. The room sizable, you can actually swing your elbows and not fall out of the room. They have a pool but it was closed for maintenance during my visit. It has a pretty woman vibe. It seems like back in the day it may have been the hot spot.
I selected this hotel because I was walking distance to QC TremeMilano. The spa that has taken IG by storm.
4/7/23 - 4/9/23: Hotel HOY Home of Yoga
This boutique hotel caught eye because I was on a quest for peace and I figured the home of yoga has to be a great place to find some. The front of the hotel is a flower shop which is the cutest thing. The glass ceiling of the restaurant is beautiful.
I signed up for the hot yoga class and I could barely make it thirty minutes. It was embarrassing. I was a mess. Between sleep deprivation and the fact that the tea didn’t sit to well with me, I was all over the place and I had to tap out.
I was also excited the hotel is vegan, however, the food was too healthy. I didn’t love anything I ate . I could really taste the health and earth in everything, even the croissant which I think was wheat.
We stayed for two days and switched rooms on day two, due to our delayed arrival. The first room (43) was cute. It had a well designed bathroom but I had no stretch bar. The second room (44) had a stretch bar, a breakfast in bed table and the toilet was in separate room from the shower and sink. Both rooms where tiny and we tripped over our luggage. The beds where extremely comfortable. I was in bed until 4PM!
Onsite parking was non existent but we were so lucky to keep getting the same parking space one block up.
4/9/10: Hotel Bernina ||
Hotel is in a great location. Close to the fountain, connected to a restaurant and H&M across the street from the metro.
The room was up to date with black out curtains. Unfortunately, I visited during the holiday, everything was closed and that put a damper on my stay.
Parking is bit of walk, I suggest parking and tucking in early. I was told the streets are not kind from 10 pm - 7 am.
4/10/23 : Ostello Bello
Pictures were the last thing on my mind at Ostello Bello. It was cool that there was pictures of passport stamps on the wall and this was the only place that had a patio. The bar is open 24 hours. The place is artsy and for backpackers. Everything is digital. I felt very safe due the check in process and zero access to the public through the front door or elevator without authorized entry, fabs and codes.
4/11/2023 Hotel Canalleto
Finding this place will be the test to any relationship. Mother and son, besties, couples. It is a team building exercise and a firm, never again for me. Some of the streets we had to squeeze in to find it, absolutely ridiculous. It is right in the mix of food and action but no. This is not a fun walk with luggage. Stay someplace on the water.
THE SPA
QC TremeMilano: This spa was grand. It has three levels and roof top with over 20 unique rooms to visit. I went on a solo mission to reflect and relax. I finally got to lay my eyes on the storm room from IG which is actually called the “cinema room”. It was concise visit and I still have more to discover. This is a very couple friendly spa. Looking forward to visiting again with a plus one. The people have convinced me it is necessary.
PICTURE STORY
