MOUNTAIN PULSE: Shit's gettin' REAL!!!!!

How often does one get to say, "I just booked a flat owned by a jazz musician for 2 nights in Milan!"?!?!?! In MILAN!!!!!!!!!! I said it!!! It's so surreal in my world right now!!!!! Look how quaint this is!

It's a tiny 2 floor flat in an old converted 14th century convent facing a courtyard in the Porta Romana district down town Milan. The owners live right next door, are multi-lingual, and they have a 10 year old daughter. (Willa is very excited!) Perfect for a 2 night stay while we're there for the Pearl Jam concert.

I have spent the last 2 weeks deeply engrossed in researching a handful of AMAZING road trips for us. Starting in Venice, to Aviano, traveling through the Alps to Innusbruck, back down through Northwest Italy's lakes regions, and to the Langhe in Piemonte. Then we hit Milan, meander to the Italian Riveria for a few days, and then head back to Aviano for a 2-3 day mellow-out before heading home to Alaska. I literally could sit here all day looking into into the multitude of ideas available to us. It's a struggle to make myself stop, fold up the maps, shut off the laptop, close the books and re-enter the real world in Casa Di Pruner.

We've decided we'd like to add 4 extra days onto our trip to really give us a solid chunk of time in the Riviera as well as some rest time in Aviano. We're waiting till Monday or Tuesday to change our tickets so that we can get the lowest fee. It will still hurt the wallets....but we think it's worth it! Not etched in stone yet, but that's the plan. I've decided to nix Tuscany in favor of Piemonte. We like the bolder red wines of the region over the lighter reds and Chiantis of Tuscany anyway. In Piemonte, the rich rolling hills with the Alps as a backdrop, quaint towns and way less tourism really appeals to us.

The Langhe

I've connected with another blogger who, with his wife and new baby, are in the process of renovating an old Langhe farmhouse al la Under The Tuscan Sun. (The Langhe is hilly sub-region in Cuneo east of the Tanaro river and south of Alba). A very gracious guy who has given me some great ideas on where to stay and where to mangiando. I'm really enjoying his well written and humorous account of their adventure: Living in the Langhe – a new life in Piemonte, Italy !! I'm hoping we can stay for 4 nights here. I'd like to split the time between staying in an Agriturismo-Agriturismos are "rural holidays" were you can stay on a working farm, sample the products grown and made there, take tours, horseback ride and even help work in the vineyards! And the other half will be spent staying in a cluster of medieval buildings that have been restored into a B&B complete with it's own restaurant and wine shop...boasting fabulous Apertivi! This place looks AMAZABALLS!!!! Both accommodations are way pricier then what we are aiming for, but I think it's worth the splurge. And I'll be saving tips for the next few months to put toward surprising the fam with an extra night at that Medevil B&B/cave!

I'm really digging this new Travel Research part time job of mine!

AND! In other travel news. This just in! For this year's New York Life council meetings, Miles has already earned us the Executive Council trip!!! So we'll be spending a week in hot steamy New Orleans at the end of summer! And since he's really killin' it so far, he has a slight chance of actually making President's Council and taking us to Puerto Rico! He has a few more months to give it a shot. Either way, we'll be ending a summer of travel in one of those two places. Fuckin' pinch me NOW! SERIOUSLY?!?!?