Great expectations

Ahhh...travel...

I'm a bit of a Hemingway or Fitzgerald when it comes to traveling. What I most enjoy about visiting new cities is experiencing the new place in the eyes of its residents. I first learned this approach from my favorite novel, The Sun Also Rises, in it Hemingway depicts ex-pats seeking authentic life experiences via the cafe cultures of Spain and France. If I learned anything from Lady Brett Ashley, and the other misfits, it's that you need to get drunk in a city to really understand it. Perhaps I should say you need to put on your booze-colored glasses or, better yet, BTB! Bring-the-booze! Hehe.

Then there are other times when you simply want to see the sights. I'm not talking about the typical Diva in Distress sights like

an Italian Man dressed perfectly in red pants (yum!),

rays of sunshine bathing squatters in front of the Palazzo Pitti, or

 the studded-kitten heels from Valentino that you have been craving for months.

I'm talking about Historical monuments like the Colosseum or the Taj Mahal. Places that maintain a heartbeat after centuries and have a history so rich that, with a little imagination, you can see the visitors of the past. Places where you don't feel lame (like you did when you had dinner next to Bono and couldn't stop staring) being awe struck.

Italy, rich with culture and well-dressed men definitely met expectations.

Tell me Puppets - where have you been that met or exceeded your expectations?  And, please, feel free to say Barneys if that's your mecca! Stay tuned for a DID list of life experiences that met expectations.