Best of the decade

Some more best ofs to add to the initial list (travel theme)

1. Most surprising hotel – Porto Salvo in Sant Agnello (pr. anyello) Italy.  We booked the room from a combination laundrette internet cafe (Really) in Rome.  It’s a renovated monastery and was relatively cheap because it was the off-season.  After massive train delays from Naples (expect these if you ever travel from Naples to anywhere) we arrived late in the afternoon and were led through large common rooms up to our room where the window shutters were flung open and we saw the most wonderful view of the Mediterranean.  I sprained my ankle two days later and still remember it as one of the best places I’ve ever stayed.
2. Best ravioli in the world – Around the corner from Porto Salvo, purchased at a take away place and eaten on a park bench while waiting for the bus to Amalfi where I would sprain my ankle after having coffee with some Canadian medical students.  I almost cried it was so delicious
3. Most relaxing trip ever – I didn’t think it would be seeing as it centered around a wedding, but our trip to the Dominican Republic for Dana’s wedding was the best.  Our magic orange wrist bands meant we could eat and drink whenever we wanted and days were spent moving from pool to beach to nap to beach to pool to bar.  I wouldn’t want it for every trip but every other will do
4. Best vegetarian meal – Sesamo in Barcelona.  Artichokes so perfect they almost made me cry, but with happy tears.
5. Best Ice Cream – one scoop citron, one scoop mandarin, eaten while sitting with feet dangling over the Seine in Paris
6. Best view of the stars – Cowfield in Zennor, Cornwall, walking home from the Tinner’s Arms with a belly full of curry and beer.  I saw at least 5 shooting stars, the rest of my party saw none so they claimed my vision was impaired by said beer.  They were wrong.
7. Best meat inclusive meal – Pork chop and chips in Sorrento.  Deceptively simple and totally full of delicious. 
8. Best travel guide – A series of hand drawn maps created the a few nights before we went to Paris while sitting at a pub on The Cut.  He couldn’t remember any names but he could remember very specific directions so he grabbed my journal out of my hands and drew a series of interconnecting maps that took us to many wonderful places.
9. Best scary drive – The long winding, seatbelt free trip up the side of a volcano in Lipari with Kevin the grumpy British innkeeper.  The view were astounding, the dirt roads made me find a new religious fervor
10. Best Oh, yes this is my life and I like it, a lot, moment – Sitting at the edge of a canal in Venice while Jeremy looked at the map and looking up to see a wall with millions of flowers tumbling down, then to my right to see a bridge and beyond it the cemetery island and all these boats, and all this in the sun on our first full day of vacation at the almost end of a very very difficult 6 months and all I could think was ‘Oh wow, I am so happy. This is perfect.’