Welcome to Z Michelson Travel Podcast

Speaker 1 0:02

Welcome to the Z Michelson Travel Podcast, where every journey is a story waiting to be told. I'm your host, z Michelson, and I'm so excited to take you on a ride through the world's most incredible destinations, hidden gems and unforgettable experiences. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just starting to plan your next getaway, you're in the right place. Each episode, we'll be diving into everything from must-see landmarks to off-the-beaten-path treasures, speaking with locals and travel experts and sharing stories that will inspire your next adventure. So sit back, relax and let's wander the world together, one destination at a time. Are you ready? Let's get started. Hey, it's Zee.

Speaker 2 0:51

Michelson here and I am with Diana and we are wrapping up our Italy tour. We're so excited. We've been all around and we were talking about the Villa Casadrande that everybody stayed in. Now today is kind of the last day of Italy.

Speaker 3 1:09

I'm so sad.

Speaker 2 1:10

Nobody wants to leave Italy. No, but I hear they had a lot of fun on this last day. It was a lot of fun. So what happened on this last day?

Speaker 3 1:19

Well, we did a cooking class and then we went to Arezzo.

Speaker 2 1:24

Oh, so we're doing cooking again, and is it Mama Anna? It's Mama Anna, yes.

Speaker 3 1:29

Mama Anna does a cooking class again. So remember, the first one that we did was a pizza making class, right? So this one is actually a cooking class with pasta, and she actually made a lasagna, oh, and with the vachonel sauce, oh, and then fricaccia and bruschetta, oh, and she made this amazing chicken salad I want to tell you about.

Speaker 2 1:56

Oh, wow, okay, All right. So what everybody?

Speaker 3 2:00

got up that day and had breakfast.

Cooking Class with Mama Anna

Speaker 2 2:01

Oh yeah, do breakfast, and I always suggest, even with the cooking class, because we did meet at 10 in the morning to start the cooking class, but you're cooking for like three hours, right, so you're a little hungry, yeah, and especially with all that food.

Speaker 3 2:13

And Mama Anna does not let you sneak a piece here and there, no, no, no Finger slapping. Finger slapping, no nibbling, no nibbling, no nibbling. So, yeah, you want to make sure that you start off with breakfast and of course, breakfast is included in our tours, all of our tours. So we start off with breakfast, and then she met us all in the lobby and then took us to the kitchen, which was there De La Casa Grande.

Speaker 2 2:34

It's a fairly large room for cooking. Yeah, we had 27 people total. 27 people total cooking in one kitchen.

Speaker 3 2:42

In one kitchen, but it's a huge kitchen. It's a very, very large kitchen. I would not suggest doing more than 25. A few people they didn't cook, they kind of just sat down and sat back and watched everybody.

Speaker 2 2:53

I'd watch everybody cook and then I'd want to be the official taster Exactly.

Speaker 3 2:57

Exactly, exactly, but they did get to, of course, enjoy the lunch.

Speaker 2 3:01

You know, as I sat there and watched everybody else, she started doing. What bruschetta first?

Speaker 3 3:06

Yes, bruschetta, bruschetta. Now we get bruschetta, yeah, bruschetta, so, yeah. So she went ahead and divided up everybody and we started chopping the tomatoes and cutting up the garlic and then putting in the olive oil, the olive oil. Yeah, the olive oil, and then you just kind of let that sit aside. That's all that was in. It was tomatoes, olive oil and garlic. That was it. That was all that was in it. Wonderful.

Speaker 2 3:31

Wonderful yeah.

Speaker 3 3:33

And everything was fresh. Oh yeah, Fresh tomato.

Speaker 2 3:36

Everything was fresh. Even the olive oil was fresh.

Speaker 3 3:37

The olive oil comes from the villa, from they make their own olive wine and their own wines. Wow yeah, so it was really good. Okay, really good, now they made the bruce head. So it's sitting aside. So it's sitting aside and it's resting. It's kind of absorbing all the flavors, right. And she puts a little salt in it as well, not too much, but just a little. Just a pinch. Yeah, just a pinch. Then we had to start on Thank you so much.

Speaker 2 4:01

I don't remember how we were talking. Is that a?

Speaker 3 4:03

brand? Yes, it is, yeah, but it's a very, very long process. So Mama Anne actually prepared the dough ahead of time Because it is a very long, long process. Right, probably because the dough has to rise. It does, it has to rise, and then they have to put it out and rise again. So there was a lot to it, right To the it to the fricotta. So what she did is she went ahead and divided up again and took the dough and let everybody kind of play with the dough. She gave everybody the recipe. Of course you know how it was made and all that.

Speaker 2 4:32

Oh, so everybody gets the recipes, of course they get the recipes.

Speaker 3 4:35

They're going through a cooking class, of course. Then they went ahead and she showed everybody how to actually lay out the dough, and it was very, very specific, you know of how you had to push the dough with your fingers and lay it out.

Speaker 1 4:48

She did, she did.

Speaker 3 4:50

But this was like you had to spread it out onto the pans and you had to put your fingers on it and kind of spread it.

Speaker 2 4:56

It was very, very specific. I know when making dough, if you don't do it right, it gets too hard, right?

Speaker 3 5:04

So yeah, yeah, so I can understand that Very, very specific on how it had to be done and prepared.

Speaker 2 5:08

So what were you using the focaccia for?

Speaker 3 5:11

Well, that was part of our meal.

Speaker 1 5:14

I'll tell you more about focaccia. So you know, it's a bread. It's a bread, yeah, it's a bread, so it was part of our meal.

Speaker 3 5:20

So then we stretched it out, laid it out in the pan, and then with her fingers and everything, and then she had to put it on top of the ovens, because she does have a large oven there. She put it on top of the ovens to let it rise again, Rise again.

Speaker 1 5:29

Yeah.

Speaker 3 5:31

So there was a lot of, like I said, a lot of things that she had to do ahead of time, so it was good.

Speaker 2 5:35

And I do understand that because I make my own Italian bread and to make that it calls for a lot of flour and a lot of rising, Like three or four times. Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 3 5:46

Yeah, and there is this specific flour that you have to use with focaccia, right, it's like it's not all the same, it's like one is like a zero flour and the other is like a zero, zero flour you know, and it has to be perfectly proportioned.

Speaker 1 6:01

And it just.

Speaker 2 6:02

I don't know if I can ever make it again, I don't know that I will try, but I was going to go back to the lacoste Exactly.

Speaker 3 6:08

Well, you'll have to twist my arm, I'll be there, yeah. So then we went on to making the pasta dough for the lasagna. Fresh dough, fresh pasta, fresh pasta dough. So again with the Italian flour and the eggs, and how she actually puts it in a little mound with the eggs in the middle, and how you had to fork the eggs.

Speaker 2 6:29

I was going to say because I always see when they're overseas and the Italian women are cooking, they put the flour right on the table and they, you know, they don't put it in a bowl or anything, it's right there on the table.

Speaker 3 6:39

Is that how she did it? That's exactly what she did. She just put in. Everybody did it. The class is divided up like two, three people each, so everybody had their little mound and doing the eggs and she's telling everybody how to do it. And then she's telling everybody how to knead it with the fingers and the hands and push it through. And it was very, very interesting. I did not do that, I did not partake in that, but it was interesting to watch everybody else really really get involved in it, really get into it. Yeah, what a good advice, yeah.

Speaker 3 7:06

And then she gave after the dough was all done. She gave everybody a little ball and everybody had to roll it up, because this is lasagna, right, you know. So we didn't use a pasta machine. We actually, you know, rolled out the dough and it had to be cut out in strips for the lasagna. So they actually cut the strip, yeah, and it had to be really really thin, very thin, wow, and they do not cook it ahead of time. It's actually cooked with the lasagna. Oh, so it wasn't. So once, yeah, so once the dough was done, we just went ahead and set it aside and we went on to the bechamel sauce. Oh, wow, yeah, which was oh my gosh.

Speaker 2 7:43

Which is going to be used for?

Speaker 3 7:44

the lasagna. That was for the lasagna.

Speaker 2 7:46

Oh, now what exactly is?

Speaker 3 7:48

bachemin, it's a butter, flour and milk and there was a secret ingredient, so butter flour and milk.

Speaker 2 7:56

That's kind of basic, yeah, very basic.

Speaker 3 8:00

So she mixes it up. That's what Italians do. They're basic. You know they don't put a lot of stuff in their recipes. It's very, very basic and you can taste the difference in it. Yeah, so it was just the Béchamel sauce, and she went ahead and actually made meat ahead of time as well. She kind of did the ground meat. So, and the secret ingredient for the Béchamel sauce was nutmeg.

Speaker 2 8:23

Nutmeg Never would have who would have thought Right Now, was she making the sauce in a pot or pan?

Speaker 3 8:29

Yep she was blending it and cooking it. Yep, she cooked it in the pan and she showed everybody how to do it, and you know how it was actually prepared Right, because that's very tricky.

Speaker 2 8:38

It is you know butter and cream and cooking it. It is, it's a hurdle?

Speaker 3 8:42

Yeah, absolutely, and with the flour on top of it yeah, I could definitely get into like chunks, you know. So, again, didn't get involved, just let Mama Anna do it, because I didn't want to ruin the entire thing of lasagna, you know. And then her secret ingredient in the sauce was the nutmeg, and yeah, Well that's an interesting ingredient, I know, I know, I know who would have thought no, I was like okay, wow that's interesting.

Speaker 2 9:04

It must bring out the taste.

Speaker 3 9:07

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 9:08

That's pretty interesting. Yeah, Everybody was making the sauce and they made the lasagna noodles.

Speaker 3 9:13

Yeah, they made the noodles. And so then, after everything was said and done, and again, like I said, mama Anna cremated the meat, the ground meat ahead of time and then they started layering. Everybody started layering the lasagna, the ground meat. You put a little bechamel sauce on and then you put layer the dough for the lasagna. You just layer it and you just layer it up and that was it, but it's not a red sauce no. And they do not put ricotta no ricotta. Cheese no ricotta in their lasagna.

Speaker 2 9:45

I can understand, because the bechamel sauce it's almost like a pitcher sauce, Right exactly. And it's not red, it's not a red sauce.

Speaker 3 9:54

It wasn't a red sauce when we go here to the restaurant and you order lasagna.

Speaker 2 9:57

you're seeing a red sauce Right.

Speaker 3 9:59

It's like a bolognese or a meat sauce that you typically get here when you order a lasagna. This is not.

Speaker 1 10:04

Not there.

Speaker 3 10:05

And again I think I mentioned this in the last cooking class the things that you learn over there when you're doing these cooking classes. It's just really amazing. But the different places in Italy the north, the south, the east, the west Everybody does something differently.

Speaker 2 10:19

They have their own little spin on stuff.

Speaker 3 10:21

They have their own way of doing things, so this was their way of doing it.

Speaker 2 10:26

In Tuscany and I know the Tuscan region does have a different way of making dishes they do, they really do. So that's interesting. So now, everybody did that and then the lasagna went.

Speaker 3 10:37

Yeah, they did sprinkle parmesan fresh parmesan, ground parmesan. So they did it between the layers, but just sprinkled it.

Speaker 1 10:43

It wasn't like covered, so it wasn't like. Again you get the lasagna here with all of the cheese dripping from it or anything like that.

Speaker 3 10:50

It wasn't anything like that, so just a little bit of sprinkle.

Speaker 2 10:52

I have a friend who doesn't particularly care for a lot of Italian foods because she doesn't like all of the cheese. This is something she made look like.

Speaker 3 10:59

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 11:00

Wow.

Speaker 3 11:01

Yeah, and then once it went into the oven actually during that whole process of us doing the lasagna she put the focaccia into the oven.

Speaker 2 11:09

So that way we have the focaccia. Picturing it in my head how many ovens she must have in this kitchen.

Speaker 3 11:14

Well, really, she doesn't Really. She only has two ovens Really, and they're not that large. Wow, probably I would say, I don't know, maybe 10 feet or something. So, like one industrial size. Yeah, exactly, I think it's two of them Exactly.

Speaker 2 11:30

Wow, yeah, that's pretty good. So now the lasagna's in the oven.

Speaker 3 11:34

So the frittata is done, the frittata is done. Actually, she takes out the frittata and then we put the lasagna in and we cut the frittata and then we put the lasagna in. The lasagna only cooked for about 15 minutes, right.

Speaker 2 11:42

So it was really nice, just to make sure, the noodles, the noodles, all the pasta noodles, or however we're folding it is done.

Speaker 3 11:49

Now, we had to put something on the frittata right, so we already made the bruschetta Right, so we're going to put that on the frittata Right. Then we're going to go ahead and make something else, something else to put on there, and where were we? So we are actually making a chicken salad, a chicken salad. She took a chicken breast Okay, a chicken breast, right, and she fried it up, right, with some olive oil, right? Not one seasoning or anything like that, just fried it up. Then she took a bottle of pearl onions. Now, pearl onions are hard to find over here. Ask me why? Why?

Speaker 3 12:20

because I tried to make this chicken salad I tried to make it curl onions anywhere they were very popular in the 50s. They were very popular so, but it was really difficult. So, anyways, curl onions, chicken and mayo, and you, just that's it. Regular mayo, regular mayo, not much mayo, just enough, you know, to give it a little you know Exactly, and you put it all into the food processor, you grind it up and you have an amazing chip and salad.

Speaker 2 12:50

That is, you add any salt or pepper into it. Nope, nothing else, just the onion, the chicken.

Speaker 3 12:55

The pearl onions, the chicken and the mayo. Yeah, it was.

Speaker 2 12:58

So she made it almost like a sip.

Speaker 3 13:00

Yeah, yeah, and she put that on the fricaccia, oh.

Speaker 2 13:04

Yeah.

Speaker 3 13:05

Yeah, so it was very good. And pieces of bread, because not everybody wanted fricaccia, so she put it on also, like the bruschetta bread, a little piece of bread.

Speaker 2 13:12

So yeah, wow, I know Okay. So now they've made the bruschetta, they made the pasta dough from the lasagna, they made the lasagna, they made the sauce for the lasagna and it's called bachamel Bachamel, bachamel Bachamel sauce. Yeah, that's an interesting word. I know, I know I'd never heard of it before.

Speaker 3 13:33

Something like flour and milk. I've never heard of it before, but anyone who cooks would.

Speaker 3 13:40

They know exactly what that is. It's like a flour, it's made with flour. They all made the chicken salad, and then they made the chicken salad and then everything was done. They went ahead and brought it to the little restaurant area where everybody was able to enjoy this wonderful meal and their creations, and they were able to, of course, have some great wine with it Because, remember, mama Anna is a sommelier Right. So she was able to tell okay, let's try this with this and this with this.

Speaker 2 14:09

So she is Right because she had the chicken on the bread but she had regular meat in the wasabi Right, exactly, ground beef, yeah, very nice, very nice, and I'm sure she probably just ground the meat.

Speaker 3 14:19

Yeah, she didn't tell us that was already pre-done. Again, right, it was one of those things and I think it was just. Honestly, I just think it was ground meat. I don't think it had anything else in it.

Speaker 2 14:27

Well, I know a lot of Italians mix pork meat with beef meat when they're doing the crumbles in the insanis, I think this, and I will be back to tell you exactly what it was. So now everybody was eating. It must be probably around lunchtime.

Speaker 3 14:49

Oh gosh, it was after 1 o'clock because we started at 10. So 10, 11, 12. It was 1 o'clock 1.30.

Speaker 1 14:54

Right lunchtime.

Journey to Arezzo, City of Gold

Speaker 3 14:55

Yeah, lunchtime. So yeah, it was lunchtime, and then everybody ate and enjoyed and got nice and full, nice and full. And then I said okay, everybody, all right, top, top, let's go. We're going to Arezzo. And they looked at me like we're going, what, what, where are we going? Come on, I just ate this big meal. So I can tell you that not everybody went with us to Arezzo.

Speaker 2 15:21

And again, I want to remind everybody that it's Celtic Tours that is putting all of this together for people, and Celtic Tours is very easily reachable Celtictourscom Yep. Very piece of cake. Or call your travel advisors Yep the travel advisor. You tell them I want to go here, I want to meet Mama Anna, yeah, and Celtic Tours will get you there.

Speaker 3 15:40

Yes, yes, absolutely You're getting everybody who's full.

Speaker 2 15:45

I want a nap.

Speaker 3 15:47

We did, yes, we put them on a butter cushion which was fine because Alenzo is, it was about a 45-minute drive, so some people did fall asleep, but some people decided again not to go and they stayed back and took naps or you know whatever they did, because Dilip Faisal Jandik and they stayed back and took naps.

Speaker 2 16:04

Or you know whatever they did Because Villa Tesla, john, has a lot of things to do there.

Speaker 3 16:07

They have the pool, they have the jacuzzi, the spa, they have the spa.

Speaker 1 16:13

And again, you can walk around the town.

Speaker 3 16:14

You know which is right there. So for those who didn't want to nap but wanted to walk, around, they could do that. So yeah, but I went to Orenzo, we went to Orenso.

Speaker 2 16:20

We went to Orenso. Now we pile on the motor coach and we're going to Orenso, which is about 45 minutes away, and I'm sure the ride around these areas must be gorgeous because it's all billy.

Speaker 3 16:30

It is, it is, it's beautiful. I mean, tuscany itself is just absolutely beautiful. If you've never, ever been to Tuscany, I highly recommend at least making it over there once. Just all of the hills, the mountains, the ruins. As you're going down the highway, you see all of these old homes and some of the ruins and it's just, it's a beautiful, beautiful landscape.

Speaker 2 16:51

And again, you had the motor search that you were taking, which you were with Yep, which Celtic tours provided. Yep, you had tour guides when you went into these towns, which again Celtic tours provided, that's right. And you also had a train. If you wanted to go on a train, yeah, yeah, we could, yeah absolutely so.

Speaker 3 17:09

For example, I think I said in one of my other days that I just decided I'm going to go into Florence in the afternoon, right? So I went into Florence, and the train station is about a five to ten minute walk, depending on how you walk.

Speaker 2 17:21

It's not bad at all, yeah.

Speaker 3 17:23

And it'll take you right to Florence.

Speaker 2 17:27

And at all, and it'll take you right to Florence. And again, I remind everybody that when you go into these places, wear comfortable shoes. Oh please, because there is walking involved. Yeah, and some of the streets are cobblestones. Yes, so, don't wear your high heels, don't wear high heel sneakers.

Speaker 3 17:40

Wear comfy shoes that you can walk around in. Yeah, I highly recommend very, very casual. Don't bring any dressy, dressy clothes or anything like that, because it's not necessary. It should be very casual. You should just be able to enjoy your vacation. It's nothing where you have to dress up or anything like that.

Speaker 2 17:58

Now, when you went to Arezzo, what did you do there?

Speaker 3 18:02

So we did a guided tour again. So as soon as we got off the bus the guided tour was there and we did an entire tour of Arezzo. We were only there about three hours, so our tour took probably about almost two hours. Then we had a little free time, so what is Arezzo known? For so it is actually known as the city of gold in high fashion. Gold, Gold, I like that Gold. Oh yeah, Jewelry stores, you know these shopping, you know because I'm all about the shopping.

Speaker 2 18:32

Right.

Speaker 3 18:34

So really had a lot of artists in the Renaissance period that lived there in Orenz, they couldn't afford to live in Florence. So back in again. We're looking at the 18th century Romance. It's like a barter colony?

Speaker 3 18:47

Yeah, exactly, it's exactly what it is, and even to this day, when you walk in the streets, you'll see a lot of street artists that are doing things on the street. Yeah, so it's a beautiful, beautiful town. Again, we had a walking tour. She told us all about the Romans and 311 BC, and then she talked about Napoleon Bonahart, who actually conquered Arezzo One of his reigns yeah, one of his reigns. And then she talked about the Germans and how the city was impacted back in 1944. So, again, I don't want to give too much information because I want people to go visit and learn the history of it. I heard this already. Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly. She even talked about Pope Benedict XVI, who actually went to visit there. So it's one of the most beautiful cities in Italy, I have to say.

Speaker 2 19:35

So people are living there. There must be shops there. Oh yeah, now you say also high fashion. You know, when you think of Italy and you think of high fashion, you don't think about it.

Speaker 3 19:46

No, Well, that's what it was known for back in the day. I mean, they still had little boutique shops and things like that. But I don't know that it's still known for that. It was just known for that back in the day of the Renaissance period. So the gold and the fashion. You know how different little towns like Paris is known for fashion.

Speaker 1 20:03

Right.

Speaker 2 20:09

So this arezzo was also done for that back in the day.

Speaker 3 20:10

Wow, and again, when you're there in the town and you're getting your tour guide, we said the actual tour itself was about two hours and then you had some free time to wander around, had a little free time before we all met back at the motor coach, which was always nice because people enjoy the free time of wandering and we have some shopping that they can do?

Speaker 2 20:26

There's some wandering. Does the tour guide stick around? Okay?

Speaker 3 20:32

No, they excuse themselves. They'd say thank you, Thank you for your time you know. Thank you so much. If you really really liked your tour guide, we do suggest giving them a couple of euros.

Speaker 1 20:41

I was just about to hear that Giving them absolutely.

Speaker 3 20:44

I always, always tip my tour guide just because it is a nice courtesy to give them something.

Speaker 2 20:50

A little extra.

Speaker 3 20:51

Yeah, it doesn't have to be a lot. I give them usually three to five euro, so it's not. It doesn't have to be a lot, right.

Speaker 2 20:58

You know, considering a bunch of people are doing the same thing, absolutely.

Speaker 3 21:02

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Just, you know, it's just a little something. I saw people give two euro, you know, and this tour guide made out a little bit better because they were the last tour guide, so people were trying to get rid of because you know, in euros in Europe are coins, Right?

Speaker 3 21:17

So they were trying to get rid of their coins. So the one euro is in all the extra change and the two euro, you know. So they were trying to get rid of all of their extra. Yeah, they didn't want to bring it back to the state. Exactly, exactly. So this tour guide kind of made out a little bit.

Speaker 2 21:31

It's nice to be the last tour guide. This particular tour guide was a woman. Yes, correct. She gave you the hall and you still had the whispers. Yep, still had the whispers. Yeah, which was fabulous. And now what happens is this is the end of their tour. And now what happens is this is the end of their tour.

Speaker 1 21:47

It is.

Departure Preparations and Travel Tips

Speaker 2 21:48

The end of their time in Italy. I mean, now they're getting back on the motor coach and they're heading back to the villa Yep, and there they go, back home. Now, did any of them go?

Speaker 3 21:58

to dinner tonight. So, yes, again, freetown, right. So some people were still full, a couple of people, a couple of people, A couple of people. I was one of those. I did not have dinner that evening. But a few people actually went to the little cafe and had a gelato or something and a lentil, so they weren't hungry. When they got back A lot of people were okay, I just need to pack, we got early flights, you know that kind of thing.

Speaker 2 22:22

So now, because it is a tour, people will have to go to the airport together, whether they're flights at 9 o'clock in the morning or 6 o'clock at night.

Speaker 3 22:33

Correct. Yes, that can happen. Now we did have some people and this can all be arranged through Celtic Tours as well who went heading to the train and went to Milan, or they went to Raleigh and spent a couple of days in Raleigh.

Speaker 1 22:46

So they're doing a post-tour.

Speaker 3 22:48

Well, I know that while you're in Europe, you might as well take advantage of it, right? So we did have some people who didn't leave that day, but they were leaving the villa, so they went to other locations, other places in Italy, and again we just made those arrangements for them. We booked the additional two nights here or all of that, so it was really nice.

Speaker 2 23:08

So if they don't want to go that day, they can go to the next stop, just like Kelton Tours. Now, I'm assuming that it's been all arranged before they even got to the villa.

Speaker 3 23:16

Of course, yeah, you have to do that before the villa?

Speaker 2 23:19

Yes, so they would talk to their travel agent, or? Their travel advisor and say okay, I want to go to the Village Festival, I want to spend seven days there doing the whole thing, but then after that I want to spend another five days in Italy, and then Celtic choice is okay, what do you want to do?

Speaker 3 23:36

Let's get it both. Yep, absolutely, and we can do that for you. Train station again, super, super easy. There is an app that you can actually download for those who are savvy, or you can just go to the train station and get the ticket there, so you don't have to be app savvy.

Speaker 2 23:51

Now a lot of people do ask how easy it is to communicate with the locals.

Speaker 3 23:57

So easy they actually I mean, I didn't even have to communicate when I went to the train station. Oh nice Because they have little kiosks and it's in English. You just push English and it's in English, so you can actually go ahead and get your tickets. You don't have to speak to anybody. But it really really is quite easy.

Speaker 2 24:11

A lot of people speak English over in Italy and I always recommend learn a few words. Oh, please, thank you. Please, can you help me? Where is Things like that? Where's the bathroom Exactly?

Speaker 3 24:24

Exactly, or how much? How much If you shop a lot like I do.

Speaker 2 24:30

So now they're done for the day, they're tucked in, and now the next morning, keltychers is going to provide Zebrazoi full transport.

Speaker 3 24:39

Correct. Correct, it is one transport. So if you are leaving, we did have a. I did have a few people who left. I don't know why they did this, but their flight was at 6.30 in the morning, so they had to be in Florida. It's about a 40 minute drive, right it could be a little bit longer by medical coach, right, but they had to be leave at 3, 3.30 in the morning, but there's no train at that time, no, so we had to do a regular cab. So I don't know that they do. I don't know that they do have an Uber, because I asked one gentleman.

Speaker 1 25:15

He says no, we don't do Ubers here?

Speaker 3 25:16

He said that the services there, the taxi services, I guess they oh.

Speaker 2 25:20

I don't know the whole story, but yeah we arranged.

Speaker 3 25:24

We arranged it for them. I actually went to the front desk and just made sure they got it.

Speaker 3 25:30

And so we had actually several people who were leaving. I had one that was leaving at 730, so he shared the ride with them. So we had, I think, about five people. So they just shared one shuttle and they split the cost. So it was very cost-effective because the transfer that's included to and from the villa is one transfer. So if you want to come early or you want to stay later or something like that, the transportation would be on your own, okay.

Speaker 2 25:56

So if the transportation was included, that transport was at what time? 6.30 in the morning, 6.30 in the morning, correct?

Speaker 3 26:04

So if you had like a 10.30 flight, you would be good, correct, correct, and we kind of arranged that. I arranged the transfer to make sure that it was convenient for everybody. So we didn't really have anybody who's leaving later in the afternoon. So we had I think the latest flight was like at 11.30, 12. So we had plenty of time to get there. And I do suggest, when I'm talking to the travel agents or to people, that they book their flights within the transfer window.

Speaker 2 26:33

Yes, that makes a lot of sense, right, because you don't want to get your transport at 630 in the morning and not fly out until 730 at night because you're sitting there at the airport tweeting.

Speaker 3 26:42

Exactly, exactly. So you don't want to do that.

Speaker 2 26:44

Yeah, you want to book it it's not a private transfer.

Speaker 3 26:47

It is one shuttle, one motor coach. Transfer Right, one motor coach, yeah.

Speaker 2 26:51

So now you also said that they got a little box breakfast. Do they eat it on the box? So some did it.

Speaker 3 26:59

I did not. It was just a box lunch with little snacks and you know things like breakfast.

Speaker 2 27:06

you know A little munch.

Speaker 3 27:07

I said yeah, box breakfast, not box lunch. But, yeah, so they just had little munchies and it was nothing hot or anything like that. It was. The restaurant is not open that early so they made sure to give everybody a little box breakfast it had. I think I had like a pineapple juice in there with a package of nuts and some cookies and you know little things yeah exactly, exactly it was, it was, so it tied you over to the airport. Only thing I had was the pineapple juice, so I really, really needed coffee.

Speaker 3 27:39

I needed coffee. They didn't have coffee, so I had to get to the airport have coffee, because, remember, I've been drinking a double espresso latte every morning. So here I am jonesing for my Right, because you had to be up and running quite early?

Speaker 2 27:53

Yeah, exactly, because if the bus was leaving or the motorhose was leaving at 6.30 in the morning, you had to be up and running prior to that, absolutely.

Speaker 3 28:00

Yeah, I was up about 4.30.

Speaker 2 28:02

Oh yeah, so yeah, long travel day, so you had quite the adventure in Italy.

Speaker 3 28:08

It was such an amazing, amazing experience. This is not my first time in Italy, but my first time actually exploring Tuscany and seeing everything that Tuscany had to offer, and it was just such an amazing adventure. I look forward to going back and showing everybody everything all over again. That would be wonderful. It's just such a beautiful, beautiful country that would be great Historic scenic, lots of wine, lots of food, you know, lots of shopping.

Speaker 1 28:37

Lots of shopping, lots of shopping.

Speaker 3 28:39

So it is a country that needs to be seen at least once, and Tuscany it just it delivers.

Speaker 2 28:47

That's great, that is really good. And again, celtic Tours makes it easy. Yes, you can pack and I'll pack, and just contact your travel advisor and say I want to go on Celtic Tours, I want to go and see this villa, I want to go here, I want to do this, and Celtic Tours can put it all together.

Speaker 3 29:05

Yes, yeah, and it'll be all taken care of for you all in one nice little package with a ribbon on it Packed, and don't worry about a thing Exactly.

Speaker 2 29:14

I like that Well again, thank you for telling me and sharing your Italy experience with us.

Speaker 3 29:19

I can't thank you enough for having me on this journey. It's just been amazing speaking with you, so thank you so much.

Speaker 2 29:24

You're welcome, and I can't wait to hear what Delta Tours has for us next.

Speaker 3 29:28

Yeah, something special, I'm sure Great.

Speaker 1 29:35

Well, that's it for today's episode of the Zine Michelson Travel Podcast. I hope you enjoyed our journey and found some new inspiration for your next adventure. Remember, the world is full of stories and sometimes all it takes is a plane ticket to start your own adventure. If you loved today's episode, be sure to tune in every week and don't forget to share your favorite travel moments with me on social media. I'd really love to hear about where you're headed to next. So until next time, keep exploring, keep discovering and, as always, keep traveling with your heart wide open. I'm Zee Michelson and I'll see you on the next adventure.