We are not that smitten with celebrity. Celebrity news makes us yawn – especially if those celebrities are Hollywood royalty – and we have ignored every bona fide celebrity we’ve crossed paths with. Michael Douglas on a street in Toronto; Judy Dench on an airplane. So, what were we doing at the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco in December gawking at Princess Charlene’s wedding dress and then Prince Albert’s collection of vintage and modern cars? We were being tourists. And like any self-respecting discerning traveler, we were taking advantage of the opportunity to be tourists at a time of year when there were few others about.
We were walking in the old city of Monaco near the palace when on impulse we decided to buy a ticket for the exhibit. Yes, the Oceanographic Institute seems an odd place for such an exhibit, but it’s one of the few large exhibition spaces in Monaco and it’s close to the palace.
The Armani dress was stunning!
We had been there before, but this time it was quiet – so quiet that we had an opportunity to get up close and personal with the myriad gigantic photos of both the civil and the religious ceremonies that took place last year. We have never seen a bride who looked sadder, but her dress, designed by Giorgio Armani, was spectacular – in fact a work of art, and as we have discussed before, searching out works of art while traveling is a singular pleasure.
Just to balance the fashion foray, we decided to then visit the Prince’s cars. We had walked by the door of the exhibit housed in a building above Carrefour (a humongous super-market) in Fontvieille and had never thought that it would be worth visiting. But we were beginning to run out of things to do so decided to give it a ry.
Princess Grace's little green car
With the place all to ourselves, we had a chance to take a trip through history and imagine what it must have been like in Monaco in the late 19th and early 20th century. We imagined what it must have been like to see Princess Grace flying along in her little green car; we could practically see Prince Rainier driving the Rolls through the streets of Monte Carlo. And of course, there was the current Prince Albert’s Mercedes McLaren which sells for about half a million dollars (!)– it made us wonder if he ever takes it out for a spin. We know we would!
Erte's Manhattan Mary hanging in her permanent home above our fireplace -the shot doesn't do her justice!
We doubt that there is anyone among the discerning travelers of the world who has not spent inordinate amounts of time visiting museums and galleries when on vacation. This is perhaps especially so in Europe, but it can happen anywhere. Whether it’s the Louvre or the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, or even – believe it or not – on a cruise ship, art has often been a memorable part of our travels.
It happened most recently last summer when we were visiting London for a few days before ticking a trans-Atlantic voyage on a Cunard Queen off our bucket list. Patty had a yearning to visit the V & A to find a handbag once owned by Napoleon that was reported to be in the museum. Museum folks (and librarians) are among the most helpful of people and like nothing more than to be asked to help in a quest – the more obscure the better. But alas, it was not to be. We never did find that handbag (which plays a central role in a book she’s currently working on). What we did find, however, was a piece of art that has great meaning for us.
The original design for the Equus horses' heads now on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London
Among the permanent exhibits at the V & A is their magnificent Theatre and Performance Galleries which include an extraordinary collection of artifacts from West End theatres in London. One of the plays that featured among the most interesting was Equus. You might be more familiar with a more recent revival of this play in 2007 on Broadway starring Daniel Radcliffe making his break-out debut post-Harry Potter. But this exhibit was from the original play dating to the early 1970’s by playwright Peter Shaffer whose story is of a psychiatrist treating a teen-aged boy with a pathological fascination with horses – resulting in him blinding them. A chill-inducing premise to say the least. What we found in the display, however, we eerily reminiscent of a piece of art that hangs high on a wall in the great room of our home.
The Equus horse's head hanging in our home.
Created for Neptune Theatre’s production of Equus back in the late 1970’s by designer Linda Whitney, our piece resembles the original, stylized horse’s head costumes that were worn by actors playing the unfortunate horses. It’s a piece of sculpture that Art had when we were married and has followed us from one abode to another since then. To see it’s provenance during our travels was to feel connected to the wider world of art and culture that transcends international boundaries.
But there have also been other ways that art has played a part in our travels.
One of the aspects of cruise travel that we would caution anyone about is the art-at-sea spectacles. Many of the cruise ships we’ve traveled on have carried on board large collections of artwork pieces of which are regularly auctioned through the week or ten days of the voyage. The art auction typically consists of free champagne and lots of salesmanship – not to mention a collection of pieces that is eerily the same from one ship to another. Every once in a while, though, a cruise ship actually has on board pieces that are more appropriate for the discerning art collector.
A few years ago, we were aboard the Regent Seven Seas Navigator on a Caribbean cruise when we happened on a piece of art that matched our aesthetic. A limited edition, signed print, it was a piece of work by French artist and designer, Erté. It had been created by him in the late 1970’s based on a series of works he had done much earlier in his life. For reasons that you cannot possibly understand unless you know Patty’s alter-ego, the piece had to make it home to be with us. Manhattan Mary was not among the pieces that were shown in the art auction – rather it was hanging in one of the stairwells and was framed in the most god-awful frame one could imagine. After negotiating with the art rep and ensuring that the piece would be reframed in a more appropriate style, we had it shipped home. And now it hangs above our fireplace.
Although we don’t expect to find a piece of art to hang on a wall during our upcoming travels to three Hawaiian islands, one time in St. John’s, Antigua we did find a piece of art that hangs on a gold chain around Patty’s neck . Maybe there’ll be another of those!
[A note: In Canada, pieces of original art are not subject to duty. If you are going to buy art work when you’re travelling, you should check in advance about customs and duty regulations in your country to save you a nasty surprise in the form of a whopping bill for duty owed.]
The serenity of the yoga pavilion at La Source, Grenada
In the mid-1990’s Herman Wouk wrote a novel (which subsequently became a Jimmy Buffet musical) called Don’t Stop the Carnival about a displaced advertising exec who finds himself on a Caribbean Island managing a beachfront hotel. If you ever thought that you’d just like to escape the northern climes to move permanently to the tropics, and perhaps manage a little hotel, you need to read this novel first as a bit of a cautionary tale – or so said one of the managers of the spa-hotel La Source who recommended the book to us when we spent an eventful week on the idyllic island of Grenada.
A few years ago, we decided that we wanted to experience a spa vacation of sorts. We had never been to the Caribbean island of Grenada, and it looked like a place we might really enjoy. So, on closer inspection, we noticed that the hotel La Source billed itself as a place where those spa-like activities were all part of the package. The place looked like exactly the sort of place a discerning traveler might spend a relaxing week being pampered in gloriously tropical surroundings. So, with the full knowledge that the property was just re-opening a month before our arrival after having been closed for a couple of years (it was hard-hit by hurricane Ivan), we set out for a week of relaxation and spa treatments.
When we arrived, everything looked wonderful – the newly planted vegetation in the central courtyard was just starting to take root, and our beachfront room with its mahogany four-poster bed and high-pitched ceiling was lovely.
Our accommodation at La Source from the beach
We did note, however, that the building directly behind ours was not quite renovated. The pool looked inviting and the beach dazzling. The resort’s two boats (one to take us water-skiing or biscuiting, and one to take us on dives) were moored in the cove. But where were the people? Well, they were there – all 50 or so of them, but the place seemed deserted. Being lovers of seclusion, we thought that was just fine.
The first evening there we happened to meet a member of the management team over drinks in the bar. This was just as we were listening to other guests regale us with their stories of what had occurred the week prior to our arrival. Their two-week sojourn had begun with a week where the pool was empty as a result of lack of water on the premises and – you guessed it – no water for several days in the rooms. We were appalled! During the week that we were there, we had only one day when there was no hot water, but at least there was water. This all sparked off the conversation with the manager who told us that running a high-end spa in the Caribbean, especially one that had been devastated by a hurricane, was not for the faint of heart.
There had been personnel issues, construction woes, water difficulties, materials deficiencies – just the sort of story that Wouk’s book detailed. But that had been fiction.
Patty with the aquatics director facing her fear!
We had been well aware that the place had just reopened. We went with our eyes wide open, which is more than can be said for some of the people we met that week. However, most seemed to take it all in stride. We found the people who worked at the property all polite and personable in a reticent kind of way. It’s part of the culture, and as slightly reserved Canadians, we understood this kind of cultural approach. We enjoyed the lack of people and wondered what it would be like with 200 – the capacity – rather than the 50 or so who were there the week we were.
Art looks out over St. George's from the fort.
We both wonder now if Patty would have been as inclined to go in a biscuit with Stanley, the head of water sports (since she has a fear of the water) if there had been more people around. And we wonder if Art would have been inclined to make his way to the spa for his daily treatments wearing a spa robe, as everyone did. Neither activity is within our individual personalities – but La Source just seemed to bring it out in us!
The view from the Ocean Grill in Grenada
We happened to be in Grenada again last winter during a day trip when we were cruising the Caribbean. We got off the ship and hired a taxi to take us back to La Source. When we arrived we found an amenable front-office staff person who gladly took us onto the property (after assuring herself that we were presentable and would not accost the guests) so that we could see the finished renovations. What had been newly planted gardens were now lush and full, and there was a new boutique in the spot where an empty building had stood. It still seemed to us that there were few people around, although she assured us that the resort was full. Ahhh, we thought. It would still be a great place to take a spa vacation week. We then headed back into St. George’s for a beer at our favorite water-front bar, The Ocean Grill.
After our week in Grenada the first time, we did read Don’t Stop the Carnivaland it was as if we were on holiday again. Bottom line: if you’re planning a winter escape this year and are looking for a great beach read, this is it. Bon voyage!
The Ocean Grill -- the perfect place for a cold beer!
While fellow travelers worried about how (or when) they'd get home, we lunched in St. Mark's square.
It was something about a volcano. And volcanic ash. And closed airspace. And we found ourselves marooned in Venice (our article in the magazine Our Canada).
The vacation started in Monte Carlo where we boarded the Regent Seven Seas Mariner for eleven days on the Mediterranean. It took us on a return trip to Tuscany and Rome. It introduced us to Sicily and Mount Etna. It gave us a breathtaking introduction to Albania and Montenegro (more about that one in a later post). That was about the point where fellow cruisers began to get nervous about the news. Had we heard? Airspace was closed. Well, we thought, nothing is going to ruin the last few days of our cruise vacation. And it did not. There’s an old saying that worrying about tomorrow is like throwing a black cloud over today – or something like that. In any case, we weren’t going to let something that might or might not happen rob us of today’s enjoyment. However, we are also realists. As discerning travelers, we simply emailed our trusty travel agent, put her on alert, and left it up to her to deal with the fall-out – so to speak. Which she did.
Art enjoying the canals of Venice while marooned.
When we arrived in Venice and were cut loose from the cruise ship, we knew that our flight had been cancelled already. Not to be deterred (and God forbid, not to be left responsible for cruisers), the ship provided us with transportation to the airport. Maybe they know something we don’t, we thought. We had booked our air as part of the cruise package – but of course, had done it through our travel agency, Maritime Travel. We decided to humor the cruise line (all the while knowing that our travel agent had already booked us a room at the Molino Stucky Hilton in Venice), and went along with their charade. When we arrived at Marco Polo International Airport, we were unceremoniously dumped on the pavement with our bags and told that the airport had been closed. We were to await another bus to take us to Padua, but in the meantime we would have to wait in the parking lot with our luggage since the bus was needed for another run. Huh?
As we waited, we took note of the desperate water taxi drivers who had no business since no one was coming in. Then we told the tour guide who had come onto the bus to ask us to get off and wait that as grateful as we were for this possible adventure, we would be returning to Venice. ‘You’re leaving?’ said one incredulous fellow passenger. Why not? We were, after all, the masters of our own domain. We had a travel agent in our corner and she did not let us down.
Patty enjoying the extended holiday in Venice.
So, while the other passengers nervously waited, we took advantage of the empty water taxi and went back into Venice. After we figured out that our travel agent had rebooked us on a flight several days later (eventually that had to be altered as well, but we didn’t have to do it), we ‘did’ Venice.
Several days later, we decided to move to a hotel closer to the airport and found scores of former cruise ship passengers who had been grinding their teeth and spinning their wheels for several days – going back and forth to the airport to see if there was any progress. We enjoyed that hotel, even taking the local bus back into the city for an adventure. Then, the day before our now twice-rescheduled flight was to leave we walked over to the airport and got our boarding passes. We then took our memories of an extra week in Venice home with us while others took home their frustration and longed to have the week behind them.
Boarding passes at last!
That’s only one story about the value of a travel agent. Of course there are times when we go ahead and book airline tickets online when we’re just planning a weekend in New York or Toronto. But anything more than that, and as far as we’re concerned, you need a real person – a real live travel agent with whom you have developed a relationship – in your corner. You need a travel agent that has a call service for those emergencies in the off hours.
Our current travel agent, Angela, inherited us when Patty’s travel agent of almost 25 years was elevated to an executive suite position in the company and asked us if he could get someone else to do the day-to-day things we needed. He would be a back-up just in case. We have never really needed him since Angela is more than competent – and what’s more important, we have come to trust her.
When we did a web search for information on the value of travel agents, most of what we could find was advertising from individual travel agencies. This is not one of those. As far as we are concerned, you can take your online travel aggregators like Expedia or Travelocity, but for our hard-earned money that we spend freely on travel experiences, we rely on a real person who knows our needs. When we book a big trip, we do the research and often even tell her what flights we want etc. But she will do the comparison shopping for us for cruises and packages if we choose one. The agency also provides excellent insurance and will even put in the claim for us. When we had our trip ‘interrupted’ by the volcanic eruption, our extra week of vacation was covered and Angela did the leg work for us.
I have never met Angela. The office she manages isn’t even in our city! But she’s the one Alan, our previous agent recommended, and we trusted him completely when it came to travel ‘stuff.’ Angela is that wonderful woman on the other end of the email or the telephone. And that works just fine for us.
Pro-Travel Tips, although they seem to be an agency themselves, have a list of 101 reasons why you need a travel agent. In our view, discerning travelers recognize several of their reasons as the priority ones…
To save time.
To have a consumer advocate in your corner.
To have a source of updated information (such as those emails we get from Angela when a flight schedule has changed. And this includes those smaller connecting flights like the three we’ll take next month in Hawaii. And to make sure you still have assigned seats on an plane when they’ve made an aircraft change – happened yesterday!)
To provide you with details of the credentials and immunizations you’ll need. If we need a visa, she’ll tell us.
To provide us with top-notch travel insurance.
To provide details of unexpected expenses while traveling.
To provide someone to complain to when a service provided is problematic.
To give you that peace of mind when you leave the country. If something goes wrong, we have one telephone call to make.
Cheers to travel agents who do their job well!
*Note: No one paid us to endorse this or any travel agency. It’s our personal experience and opinion.
The Discerning Travelers 
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