While there are magnificent and amazing things about Japan, I find that after our recent trip there, the things I keep thinking about are the small, little things that somehow add up to a huge cultural difference.

1. Plastic food. People in Japan are obsessed with plastic food. Many, many restaurants display plastic models of their dishes in the front window. Here in the States, you know never to eat anywhere that does this or even has a menu with photos, but it’s not true in Japan. There are also plastic food stores. Because you never know when you might need some.

2. Payment rituals. When you buy something in a store you are supposed to place your credit card, using two hands, onto a small tray by the register. The clerk then picks it up and bows and you’re supposed to bow back. It’s then placed back in the tray (with two hands) for you to pick up. If you pay with cash, the same ritual ensues.

3. Shopping requires assistance. Many stores have one item of each type on display. If you would like to buy it, a sales clerk must get you another one. It’s not a problem though since there are sales people everywhere, swarming in to offer assistance. You do have to be sure to examine the item that you are given so that you can make sure it is not defective or different from the item you indicated you wanted.

4. Washcloths everywhere.  Every time you dine in Japan, you are first presented with a white, warm, wet washcloth. In many instances you do not have a napkin and keep this for the entire meal. Even when you ride the bullet train you are given a packaged wet wipe even if you do not purchase food.

5. Fear of shoes. Don’t even think about coming into a restaurant, temple, shrine, or inn with your shoes on. And when you take your shoes off to enter, you must do so very carefully. Your shoes must never, ever touch the wooden floor (or god forbid, tatami mat) that signals the beginning of the premises and your shoeless feet must never, ever touch the tile, stone, or flooring you entered on. All of this leads to a very complex balancing act where you must remove a shoe and get that foot onto the wooden floor or mat  and then remove the other shoe and then get that foot up too, without losing your balance and touching the actual contaminated floor. If you make a mistake or forget and attempt to enter with your shoes on, the usually reticent Japanese will shout at you. We even had some hotel employees remove their shoes before coming into our room to deliver laundry or ice.

6. Bathroom insanity. High tech Japanese toilets with music, sound effects, heated seats, water sprays and automatic flushes can be found everywhere, even in

train stations. Most of these toilets automatically begin making noise as soon as you sit on them, to disguise any sounds you might make. When you go to a restaurant or ryokan (traditional inn), there are toilet slippers you are expected to use in the bathrooms (since you have removed your shoes upon entry to the premises).  These are plastic leatherette slippers – the kind your great grandma used to wear. And yet public bathrooms have no soap, no towels, and no hand dryers.  Japanese women carry small washcloth sized towels (usually in crazy patterns) in their purses to dry their hands, but no one is using soap or hand sanitizer. Ever. Yet they are super concerned about your feet. There are many, many shops that just sell these small, brightly colored bathroom towels.

7. Get used to standing. Because we are fat, lazy, loud Americans, we are used to being able to plant our butts on a bench or chair often. In Japan there are almost no benches. We visited many parks and gardens where there was not a bench in sight. We had lunch one day at a busy department store food hall. They have no tables or benches. We were lucky to discover a few chairs in a corner so we could sit and eat. There are notes on the umbrella stands (see #8) warning people not to sit on them – because they are the ONLY possible place you might consider sitting.

8. Umbrella fear. When it rains in Japan, everyone carries a full-size umbrella. When the rain stops, they walk with it like a fun cane. No one – not a single person –

carries a fold up umbrella. Stores, restaurants, temples, and shrines have umbrella stands (some sporting signs warning people not to sit on them, because, as we saw, they collapse when a foolish tourist thinks they are a place to sit). They do not want your scary umbrella inside their restaurant or shop, even if it is folded up.

9. Overt politeness. While we certainly encountered a few people who were not friendly or were stone-faced and impenetrable, for the most part, the people we encountered were friendly and unfailingly courteous. I have never been anywhere before where everyone was so very formal and so very careful with their manners. It made me feel like a boorish American. We had a driver pick us up on time and nearly scrape the floor bowing as he apologized over and over for keeping us waiting. People who work in restaurants and shops are friendly and helpful and thank you profusely over and over while bowing many times. Even the gentlemen (and they were gentlemen) who worked in the ticket booths in the subways were professional, courteous, helpful and polite (I couldn’t help but compare them to subway workers in NYC – but there is no comparison). The train conductors who came through the cars to take your tickets would get to the end of the car, turn, and bow to the car before exiting.

10. Wrapping is an art. When you buy something in a shop in the States, it’s usually chucked into a plastic bag and handed to you. When you buy something in Japan, plan to stand there for hours and wait while it is packaged. Price tags are removed. Items are wrapped in tissue paper, foam paper, bubble wrap and usually boxed and then wrapped in wrapping paper. I even had one item wrapped in tissue, foam, bubble wrap, then boxed the then wrapped in bubble wrap again. Your item is then placed in a bag and the bag is sealed shut with a sticker or colorful tape. If it is raining, the bag is then covered with a special rain cover. Some stores provide seating so you can sit and wait while you purchase is packaged, because it is a lengthy and complex process.

11. Buttoned up, until they’re not. When you walk through a train station during rush hour, everyone around you is wearing black, blue, and white. There is no other color on anybody in sight. The women are very buttoned up in high necked blouses and prim suits and dresses. You could hear a pin drop in the station even as the entire place is crawling with people. It’s like being in the middle of worker ants. Each is steadfastedly and silently intent on its own journey. No one speaks. No one laughs. No one makes any noise. The only sound is the rhythmic movement of feet. It’s eerie. But on the weekend these same people don crazy costumes and bright gaudy, weird clothes to go out and about. It’s almost like they have to rebel on the weekends against the very serious and straight-laced working culture .

 

While there are magnificent and amazing things about Japan, I find that after our recent trip there, the things I keep thinking about are the small, little things that somehow add up to a huge cultural difference. 1. Plastic food. People in Japan are obsessed with plastic food. Many, many restaurants display plastic models of … Read more →

A recent fall getaway to the Adirondacks allowed me to scope out the best places to shop. No outlet malls on my list (If you want ’em, they’re in Lake George)! Here are my top 5 places to visit to find great artisan, antique and unique local finds.

1. Keene and Keene Valley. These two little towns don’t seem to be worth stopping in and in fact we drove through them twice before I insisted we put the brakes on and check it out. You will want to go in The Birch Store, which is next to the Noon Mark Diner. Then head a tiny bit north and pop into Dartbrook Rustic Goods for a true Adirondack experience. I bought an amazing artisan-crafted hemlock basket here. Within walking distance is a soap shop and a few other shops to pop into. I didn’t notice most as we drove past but once I got out and walked, there were a lot of places to go. ADK Market  and Rivermede Market are also worth a stop. We bought some truly amazing Nettle Meadow Cheese here which made nearby. Keene Valley is also a beautiful spot for photos. There is a dilapidated barn in a field that is probably the most photographed spot in town. There

are also lots of little turn offs for creeks that are very picturesque.

2. Bolton Landing I was taken by surprise by Bolton Landing. The town of Lake George is a super tacky tourist town with nothing I wanted to buy. 15 minutes down the road, Bolton Landing surprised me. There are tons of fun little shops all packed together in the town center on Lakeshore Drive. I really enjoyed Trees, a book and gift shop. Be sure to stop in at Lakeview Trading, Indian Teepee Gifts (kind of touristy, but I checked it out), Serendipity Boutique, Adirondack Trails, and Lakeview Antiques, a tiny little shop set at the end of a driveway inside an old garage. It’s bigger than it looks and we bought a couple of things in here.

3. Saranac Lake. Saranac Lake is about a 10 minute drive from Lake Placid, so it’s definitely easy to add it to your itinerary. At first glance, there’s not much here, but we found

two galleries worth a stop. Adirondack Artist’s Guild  is a cooperative gallery and we bought an original watercolor (not cheap) as well as some amazing pottery decorated with driftwood from the lake (cheap). Northwind Fine Arts is the other gallery in town.

4. Lake Placid. There is plenty of shopping to be done in Lake Placid. Main Street is very walkable, once you find a parking spot (there was plenty of parking on the fall weekend we visited, but it clearly becomes crazy in the summer). We stopped in at Saratoga Olive Oil. If you’ve been in a shop that sells a variety of flavored oils and vinegars this will be nothing new to you, but we thought it was fun. They have other locations, including one in Saratoga Springs. Other shops in town worth a stop include Lake Placid Christmas, , Fanfare, The Haus on Mirror Lake, The Glass Blowing Shop, and The Adirondack Trading Company. We really like the Adirondack Popcorn Company which has

a lot of very thoughtful and nicely made flavored popcorns and caramel corns. Buy some of their locally themed flavors like Adirondack Jack or Firestarter. Outside of town, we also stopped at The Adirondack Store and the antique shop next door where I bought a nice Fire King Jadeite bowl for a good price. If you’re in the market for an Adirondack chair, you’ll find several furniture shops in town.

5. Glenwood Manor in Queensbury.  If you’re visiting Saratoga Springs or Lake George, this is within 20 minutes and is worth a drive. I kind of lost my mind in this antique store. It’s three floors of a huge, huge old house and

each room is a different dealer. There is simply tons and tons of wonderful old things to look at and there is also one room that is a gift shop with new items.  They say the third floor is haunted, which simply adds to the appeal. I left with a couple boxes of finds, at very good prices.

6. Oscar’s Smokehouse. I was skeptical about Oscar’s Smokehouse which is located in Warrensburg, very near Lake George. If you think you’ve heard of Warrensburg, it’s because they have the world’s largest garage sale every fall and we happened to be in town for it. My advice is to skip the garage sale unless you want to spend at least an entire day combing through piles of everyone’s junk. We were told that lots of dealers come and set up booths here but I didn’t seen anything worth stopping for.  Instead, head into Oscar’s. Rachel Ray is from this area and touts Oscar’s. She’s dead on. It’s basically a butcher shop with cases of smoked everything you can imagine, all smoked locally. I would be more excited if the meats were organic, but I made an exception. You’ll want to get bacon of course, but we also brought home smoked turkey, chicken, pheasant, pork chops, mozzarella, brie, and cheddar. We also bought some sausages (not smoked) which were all wonderful. The counter staff is a bit rough and tumble and we got some attitude when we asked about gluten (“In my day we didn’t have gluten, we just had cholesterol.”). Oscar also lets you order from their web site, so you don’t have to come in person with your cooler like we did! So far we’ve enjoyed the turkey, pheasant, sausage and cheese and it is all excellent with a very delicate smoke flavor. Nettle Meadow Cheese is located about 10 minutes away from Oscar’s so that is something else to add to your itinerary.

A recent fall getaway to the Adirondacks allowed me to scope out the best places to shop. No outlet malls on my list (If you want ’em, they’re in Lake George)! Here are my top 5 places to visit to find great artisan, antique and unique local finds. 1. Keene and Keene Valley. These two … Read more →

Every summer my mom and I visit a shop called Crossroads Country Antiques, in Lima, New York, at the western edge of the Finger Lakes. It’s an old church that’s being used as a shop. It’s divided up into little cubbies or sections for different sellers. The place is filled with just about everything you can imagine – dishes, clothes, hats, photos, jewelry, linens, utensils, furniture, baskets, toys, purses, holiday decorations, collectibles –  things you would find at an estate sale or garage sale and more. In theory, everything is an “antique” but in practice, most of it is just vintage (meaning old, but not old enough to be an antique) and some of it is just stuff that’s sort of recent but you couldn’t find it in a store today. The biggest kick I get out of this place is running across things my mom had when I was a kid and seeing what they’re worth (I’m always asking her “Do you still have this? Well it’s worth $12!”). My mom loves it because not only are the prices pretty decent, but the vendors seem to have rotating sales, where everything in one cubby is 25% and another one might be 30% off, so it’s even cheaper than you think.

Every time we go, the merchandise is different and you never know what you will stumble upon. It’s like a treasure hunt. My mom is always looking for vases and containers to put plants in. I’m usually keeping an eye out for antique glass, but have brought home vases, napkins, tablecloths (the one in these pictures is actually from there), an area rug, and more. My college age daughter has bought some really cute old purses (one decorated with ostrich feathers) and vintage costume jewelry and can’t stop herself from trying on every single hat in the store.

At this visit, I came home with a set of 8 celadon dessert plates (more than I normally pay for stuff here at $22 but I just loved them), a set of 5 blue and white napkin rings for $3 (I figure I will mix and match if I have more than 5 people at the table), a teal glass serving bowl for $5, and a set of 8 blue and green water goblets for $18.

It’s all about the thrill of the hunt for me and the joy of discovering something beautiful hidden among the junk. Do you like to go to junk shops like this?

Every summer my mom and I visit a shop called Crossroads Country Antiques, in Lima, New York, at the western edge of the Finger Lakes. It’s an old church that’s being used as a shop. It’s divided up into little cubbies or sections for different sellers. The place is filled with just about everything you … Read more →

Check out my second guest post on My Itchy Travel Feet about buying unique and special mementos on your travels.

Check out my second guest post on My Itchy Travel Feet about buying unique and special mementos on your travels.

I’ve got a guest post up on Donna Hull’s amazing travel site, My Itchy Travel Feet with advice and tips about how to find unique souvenirs on your travels that will make excellent mementos. I hope you will check it out!

I’ve got a guest post up on Donna Hull’s amazing travel site, My Itchy Travel Feet with advice and tips about how to find unique souvenirs on your travels that will make excellent mementos. I hope you will check it out!

I’m halfway through my posts about all of our stops in Italy, so let’s take a rest stop and talk about shopping (don’t worry, there will be lengthy foodie posts to come as well!)

Pre-Shopping

Before I leave on a trip, I try to find out what the specialty items of the area are. For Italy, I determined that I should look for handmade glass and lace (and locally made lace is hard to find and expensive since most of it is just made in factories in Asia now) in Venice, handcrafted paper and leather in Florence, and lemon products and custom-made sandals in Sorrento. Cameos are another specialty in Italy. I also read about glass or stone mosaics throughout the country.

I have several specific collections I am always looking to add to: bookmarks and magnets are the cheapest, although bookmarks can be hard to find. I always am looking for Christmas ornaments, Easter eggs and cups, handmade baskets, locally made soap, fun food items to bring home, and watercolor paintings depicting the area. It helps to have specific things to look for.

Venice

The shopping in Venice was fantastic. There were so many stores, it was hard to focus. This was also our first city, so we were jet lagged and trying to adjust to the terrible heat! We took a vaporetto to the island of Murano which was

an amazing place to visit, but they had so much glass that is made there on the island that it was hard to choose! Some of the glass is very expensive. One shop had a few glass mosaic pieces, but none were right.

I found two great bookmarks in Venice, one with a tassel (which they sell many of in Venice) and one with Murano glass.

We bought our Venice painting from an artist in the campo right in front of our hotel, next to a canal. It was one of those perfect settings.

Florence

There was a lovely shopping section in Florence on the far side of the Arno, just past the Ponte

Vecchio, but I wish it had been bigger. This area had some terrific artisan shops where we bought leather items and a beautiful painted tray. My husband bought a wallet and we got the leather trays I photographed. I found bookmarks here and little books of paintings from each city which will hang on my book tree in my office.

I bought my painting in Florence (the long narrow on in the front of the photo below) in a small courtyard outside the Uffizi where artists were selling their work. Artists were also selling things in the Plaza Repubblica at night. I find that areas where

tourists gather in the evenings are good places to find local paintings that are inexpensive. I rarely pay more than $20 for paintings like these.

I looked at gorgeous stone mosaics in Florence, but could not bring myself to spend a minimum of 250 Euros for one. So those have now taken up residence in the museum in my mind (all the things I wished I had bought and didn’t on all of my trips!).

Rome

Rome was a challenge for shopping, but we did find a nice little grouping of shops near the Pantheon. Everything else was junky souvenir shops or expensive designer shopping. There were several shops with nice pottery in Rome.

I bought a painting in Rome, but it’s a print that I saw lots of street vendors selling. I could not find any artists selling original paintings.

I saw a gorgeous handpainted leather purse I came very close to buying, but the back of it had some scratches. They didn’t have any others. Another item added to the museum of my mind.

Pompeii

We took a tour of Pompeii and I did not expect to buy anything there other than my fun little cheap magnet (I buy one every place we go and they decorate the file cabinet in my office). However, our guide took us into a cameo store, where an elderly man sits hand-making cameos.  They were beautiful and my daughter and I each bought one (ok, I bought two). The artist signed them on the back and also wrote our

initials on the back. I really wanted a blue cameo, but they told us those are always made in factories. The ones we bought are handmade from shells.

Sorrento

Sorrento had a wonderful shopping section, very quaint with narrow

alleys and cobblestone streets, just off the Tasso piazza. It was a shopper’s paradise. There were so many shops selling leather purses that I was dizzy!

My daughter had sandals handmade for her here (you go in and pick out the elements you want on them and they have it ready the next day: they do not actually hand-make the sole however – they just put together the pieces you select). Limoncello is a big product here, but I bought lemon soap and honey since we don’t care for alcohol.  My husband bought a beautiful leather bag and a belt here.

We had dinner one night down in Marina Grande, a tiny little beach area. There was an old woman selling lace just behind the beach. She was sitting and doing lacework, so there is a chance the lace I bought did not come from Asia, so I bought one lace doily.

We also stumbled upon a truly fantastic HUGE store called Gargiulio and Januzzi. They sold inlaid wood boxes and plaques, some glass jewelry and a big room of amazing Italian pottery and linens. Downstairs was a big room with marquetry inlay furniture which was gorgeous. I had to get out of that room or I would have had the entire thing shipped home. I bought some pottery and a table runner, as well as an inlay wood box (all still being shipped home, so no photos). Very high quality items and very good customer service. The shipping was free which was a nice bonus.

Capri

We visited the island of Capri on a tour, but only went to the town of Anacapri where the shopping was rather limited. I had high hopes for Capri, but didn’t buy much, other than the beautiful hydrangea glass plate I’ve photographed with my Murano glass. My daughter and I bought the lace bracelets I photographed with the lace doily here.

I could not find a painting on Capri (there was one shop in Anacapri with paintings and the owner was so aggressive, I could not even really look at his work. We ended up buying one in Sorrento of Capri the next day, so that worked out ok.

Not pictured are t-shirts and sweatshirts other members of the family brought home, as well as a couple pairs of earrings my daughter bought and promptly put into use!

We also had to make an emergency suitcase purchase at a train station! My daughter’s suitcase zipper broke. The train station in Rome had a big suitcase shop and we got a nice one for about 50 Euro, which was a nice bargain. We tried to throw out the broken suitcase, but everyone we asked told us to just set it outside the main doors of the station and someone would take it!

Overall, it was a successful trip in terms of shopping and now I am trying to figure out where to put it all! I have to get the paintings framed, which is always a challenge. I can often find frames and mattes at Michael’s but sometimes they are not standard sizes and I have to have them framed.

I always feel as though I am buying a ton, then I get it all home and it really isn’t a lot. It’s always so nice to have lovely little items to remind me of our trips!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m halfway through my posts about all of our stops in Italy, so let’s take a rest stop and talk about shopping (don’t worry, there will be lengthy foodie posts to come as well!) Pre-Shopping Before I leave on a trip, I try to find out what the specialty items of the area are. For … Read more →

We used to rent a cottage on beautiful Cayuga Lake every summer when our daughter was little.  We had the greatest times there: fishing, swimming, feeding the ducks, and exploring the Finger Lakes of NY. One of our greatest finds was a little store run by Mennonites, called Sauder’s Store, in nearby Seneca Falls (and if you aren’t aware, Seneca Falls, NY is the town used in It’s A Wonderful Life called Bedford Falls in the movie and is also home to women’s voting rights: the women’s rights convention was held here and began the movement to give women the right to vote – they have a museum about it you should visit if you are in the area).

At the time we used to visit yearly while staying on Cayuga, it was a well-kept secret: hard to find if you didn’t know it was there. It was a small little place that sold Mennonite baked goods, bulk items, produce and specialty items from the area. We used to get up early to get there to have the greatest selection of baked goods! Since we stopped staying on Cayuga Lake, we try to drive out every couple of years to the shop. We hadn’t been in a while, and my parents’ house on Conesus Lake gets us about halfway there, so this past weekend we decided to make the trek (about an hour and a half from the lake house, about 2 hours from our house if we drove from here).

The store has expanded over the years and carries more items than ever before, as well as handmade wood furniture, handmade wagons, Amish quilts (they only had one when I was there, but I looked!), and plants. We filled a cart and brought home many wonderful items:

• birch beer (I bought 2 cases since it can be hard to find!)
• sassafrass soda
• Utz potato chips
• bulk spices
• butterscotch peanut butter
• bulk cake decorations
• smoothie mix
• Lebanon bologna (looks like salami, tastes like bologna or thuringer)
• smoked cheddar cheese
• blueberry cheese
• rolled butter (made from whey cream instead of sweet cream; it’s supposed to have an amazing flavor: I’ve never tried it before and will report back when I have)
• smoked pork chops (now you can buy these in the grocery store, but back when we used to come here, you couldn’t, so they were a special treat and I still think theirs has much better flavor)
• German hot dogs with cheese in them
• beef sticks
• cinnamon rolls
• whoopie pies (chocolate and pumpkin)
• pickles
  

  Sweet Corn puff snacks

• jam
• alphabet noodles (I can’t find these anywhere, ever, so I was thrilled to stumble on them)
• shoofly pie
• Himalayan grain mix
• canned vanilla peaches

and much more. The aisles are jammed with bulk candy, spices, pastas, cooking mixes, flours, snacks, baking products, sodas, and it is all very different from what you can find at a regular grocery store.

We also bought an Amish-made basket as a gift for my mother-in-

law (signed on the back and dated, which is nice).

The shop is owned and run by Mennonites (basically Amish-light) and many, many Mennonites from the Finger Lakes area shop there. My great-grandmother was a Mennonite and I recognize the little caps they wear as one she wore in a photo I have of her. They have a huge selection of books about the Amish and Mennonites. They also sell wooden toys, and things like puzzles, sticker books, stationery, and other interesting little gift items. I am always on the lookout for narrow shopping list pads that are magnetic to keep on my fridge. I like to change them out for the seasons and holidays. They had an entire wall of these (I thought I had died and gone to heaven).

Shopping here always feels like stepping into a different world. There are now several

stores like this scattered throughout the Finger Lakes, but we’ll always go back to Sauder’s since we’ve been customers for almost 20 years and it reminds us of the wonderful times we had staying on Cayuga Lake. And I love that the foods we bring home are simple country-style items.  I love to make complicated meals, but I also love to eat things that are just simple and delicious, and that’s what we find here.

We used to rent a cottage on beautiful Cayuga Lake every summer when our daughter was little.  We had the greatest times there: fishing, swimming, feeding the ducks, and exploring the Finger Lakes of NY. One of our greatest finds was a little store run by Mennonites, called Sauder’s Store, in nearby Seneca Falls (and … Read more →

Yes, a whole post devoted to shopping. That’s how important shopping is! When we go on vacation, I always want to bring back items that will help me remember the true spirit of the place we visited. I long to buy items made by craftspeople and artisans who live in the place we visit and which are made with local products. Having these souvenirs keeps the trip alive for me and lets me take a piece of the place home. I have many treasured trip souvenirs: a sailor’s valentine from Cape Cod, English bone china from England, sheep from Scotland, a sea grass basket from Charleston, painted tiles with ocean scenes from Maine, a photo of the ocean and a sea turtle from

Hawaii, a lightship basket from Nantucket, as well as bookmarks and Christmas ornaments from many places. Because of this, a vacation is always judged by how good the shopping was!

People say there is good shopping in the Bahamas, but those who say that don’t understand the kind of shopping I crave. Yes, there are tons of t-shirt shops and straw items made in China, as well as jewelry and designer purses that are supposedly sold at good prices in Nassau. I wasn’t interested in any of that. Yes, we visited the Straw Market because you can’t go to Nassau without going there. The Straw Market is in temporary housing under a tent after a fire wiped it out years ago. It’s a tightly filled space with tons and tons of cheap junk for sale.  Interestingly, I have a straw purse my grandmother bought there when she went in the 60s and the items they sell today are identical. We didn’t buy a single thing.

After walking up and down Bay Street in Nassau where all the shops are clustered, I started to worry. I couldn’t find anything to buy! Soon after I discovered a small shop, Uniquely Bahamas, in our hotel that sold items made in the Bahamas. It was the mother lode. They had jewelry made from conch shells. I bought a bracelet and pendant. Teen Martha got earrings and a bracelet there. I also bought a fish carved out of conch and a small print of the ocean.

When we visited Atlantis, we took a walk through the Marina Village, a shopping center placed in a marina. In between gawking at the giant yachts, I managed to find a nice shop called The Plait Lady. This shop sold authentic Bahamian-made straw baskets. They are incredibly heavy and are water tight. I bought one of those as well as a Christmas ornament carved from conch. I also picked up a magnet – I’ve decided to buy a small magnet each place we go and stick them on the file cabinet in my office.

One last shop that I stumbled upon was in the Wyndham hotel, next to our resort (don’t stay there though – it doesn’t compare to the Sheraton – see my previous post). They had some very interesting wire sculptures. I bought one that has a woman sitting on a piece of coral, with a straw basket at her feet, holding a blanket that has the names of the different islands on it.

When we visited Goodfellow Farms for lunch (again, see previous post), I picked up their cookbook, Living Off the Land and Sea. I haven’t had a chance to read it, but it looked very interesting, with lots of recipes for seafood and tropical fruits. I’m thinking I need to start buying cookbooks on trips too!

I was happy that I came home with a few authentic souvenirs, but was surprised they were so hard to find. It was a stark contrast to Hawaii, which was filled with many beautiful shops selling handcrafted, gorgeous items.

Where have you done your best vacation shopping?

Yes, a whole post devoted to shopping. That’s how important shopping is! When we go on vacation, I always want to bring back items that will help me remember the true spirit of the place we visited. I long to buy items made by craftspeople and artisans who live in the place we visit and … Read more →