Barcelona, Florence and Rome, here we come! A quick post on mode of transport while in Europe. After the butt-numbing 13 hour flight on KLM to Amsterdam…the thought of more airtime really weighed heavily on our psyche. So here is the dreamy Marketman post on how to get around the continent with style. From Amsterdam to Barcelona, rent this fantastic silver BMW motorbike (also rent outrageous leather outfit if that is your thing) and cruise at 140kph for several hours until you cross France and into Northern Spain… Send your maletas by fedex to your next destination and obtain helmets for Mrs. Marketman and find a way to squeeze in the Kid…
After dropping off the BMW in Barcelona, (btw, those out of country drop-off charges can be wicked pricey!) and touring the city for several days, head to the docks 
beside the Barcelona Aquarium to board a friend’s spectacular 150 foot yacht that can comfortably sleep 12 with a crew of 8 on board. Relax in calm Mediterranean waters as you cruise along the French Riviera sipping champagne and consuming jamon jabugo like it was your last meal on the planet. Take your green Philippine passports out before docking at Positano in Northern Italy and hope the local customs officer doesn’t think you are there to jump boat and seek work on land.
After finding one’s balance back on land, I am not that fond of boats, and 
perhaps after a lunch at the restaurant of the Splendido Hotel, figure out how to gracefully squish 3 people into a nice bright red Ferrari that the rental agency has delivered to the hotel parking lot for the next few days of sightseeing in Tuscany. My daughter screeched when the idea that she would be left behind at the hotel cropped up during lunch. As the cypress trees, beautiful vineyards and olive groves pass in a blur caused by the near 160kph average cruising speed, my cellphone rings and it is the folks at American Express telling me they have shut down my card for excessive dreaming…and I snap back awake.
It doesn’t hurt to aim high, right? Heeheehee.
10 Responses
MM – Spooky naman your photo with the pixelized treatment of the face… Straight out of “The Ring” if you ask me…
Anyhow, it doesn’t hurt to dream big indeed … Dream on…
:)
Gigi,
And hope that you get wake up with that dream!
Heehee, didn’t aim for the spooky effect but I thought putting a smiley face would ruin the photo completely…
Sayang. I thought now, I can put a face to your name. I guess I will have to wait for the chance to meet you in person—but I am not holding my breath. I know, I know, it’s a matter of privacy and maybe, security.
Marketman,
Is it the extra clothing or is you just had a fantabuous time binging(?)…hee hee…
Ivan, ANG SAMA MO!!! Geez, talk about achilles heels. The rest of the trip was spent sucking in my stomach for the photographs!!! My daughter was under strict instructions not to photograph me from “below”…heeheehee. Actually, I realize that jacket was the worst from an aesthetic perspective…but it was a really cold day and I actually have a t-shirt, shirt and a cashmere sweater under the jacket to keep warm! Yikes, can’t hide from folks who actually know what I look like! Please note my more svelte profile in lighter weight yellow rain jacket near the yacht! Heeheehee.
Marketman,
Haha…You dont look that uhhmm…binged out(!) hee hee…and even if you did, who could blame you? Great cities, beautiful weather and even better food…isnt that the perfect recipe? Hee Hee
Speaking of which, is the photo with the BMW motor bike and yacht a giveaway of the ‘other’side of Marketman? the one who’s into high-speed toys-for-big-boys??
Food and Speed, a very unlikely combination! heehee..
Ivan, I like nice cars, get seasick so never aspire to a yacht or sailboat, and have threatened to get a motorbike but my wife and daughter have prevailed upon me to give it up for safety reasons…
Fast cars and good food…hmm…lets see the connection there…?!?
Well, I did read an article once in Food Magazine about this family who tried to cook steak (wrapped in aluminum foil)on top of their car’s radiator from point A to B!
Konek!?! hee hee
A BMW motor was one dream that got away. I am a tad too ripe alas for too much sensation of speed on the open road although I can still claim some bragging rights for something in my posession that takes me to 160 in a matter of seconds. My bathroom scale.