Madrid
I like to think of Madrid as the “heart of Spain”, geographically and figuratively. According to Frommers.com, the mayor of Madrid launched a new 7-year city program in 2005 aimed at transforming the capital into a world-class cosmopolitan center, with improved Metro and rail transport and the expansion of new barrios, or districts, especially in the north of the city. With this revitalization, there are numerous hotels in Madrid Norte available in the area.

If you’re like us and can’t wait to get back to Europe…add Portugal and Spain to the top of your list.

The articles not only highlight hand gestures, but also cultural practices, from driving to socializing, that are acceptable and those that are not. Because we always want to have good manners no matter where we go. In the June issue, Etiquette 101 highlights some do’s and don’ts of Mediterranean culture.

It’s all Greek to me…
Get this straight before you go…“yes” means “no” and “no” means “yes”. At least when it comes to head nodding.

As shown in the drawing above (sorry if my scan is kind of blurry), raising the head means “no” and lowering it mean “yes”. Watch how you gesture “five”…or you might just tell a vendor to go to a very “hot” place instead.

Hitting the road in Italy…
Just try not to get hit… whether your a driver or pedestrian. I never want to be the guy in scene #5.

Because of language barriers, we travelers sometimes have to use our hands to help get our point across. The article Etiquette 101: Hand Gestures reveals which gestures will do just that…and which are sure to offend the person your communicating with. We don’t want that to happen, so keep on reading…

In the future, Two JetSet Divas plan to occasionally highlight gestures from a specific country (the good, the bad, and the ugly) or the meanings around the world for gestures we use here in the U.S.




We’ll start with some common gestures:

Thumbs Up

America - Generally means “Cool” or “That’s good!”. Tilt the hand a little and it could mean “hitchhiking”.
Nigeria, Greece, Southern Italy, and parts of Russia and the Middle East - Considered an obscene gesture.
Austria, France, Germany - Means the number one.
Japan - Means the number five. So, you might think you said “That’s good” and end up ordering five more!




Okay

America - Generally means “A-OK”.
France - Means “zero” or “nothing”.
Denmark and Italy - Could mean an insult.
Brazil, Paraguay, Guatemala - Obscene gesture.

Peace sign

America - Generally means “peace”. If reversed (palm in), the gesture can mean “peace out” or “I’m gone”.
U.K. and Australia - If reversed (palm in), gesture is considered obscene.






Here’s a nice, yet complex chart of gestures from the Conde Nast article. The next time you trek around the globe, make sure you use your hands wisely.

source: Global Business Etiquette

Our last day in Rome was truly a sight-seeing marathon. We had to mark off as much as we could on our “Must See” list….Due to our late night salsa partying, we got off to a later start than anticipated. We hopped on the Metro, and headed to Vatican City. The Vatican Museum is another site that is a must for comfortable shoes, as you will be led down hallway after magnificent hallway filled with the most exquisite wall and ceiling paintings that you will ever see. Of course the grand finale is the legendary fresco paintings in the Sistine Chapel illustrated by Michaelangelo.

After grabbing some lunch at a nearby pizzeria, and some ‘frada’ bag shopping, we hopped on the Metro again to the Colosseum. Because we were on a time crunch, we opted for an independent tour of the Colosseum, but guided tours were also available.

The days are shorter in Italy in November. It began getting darker a little after 4pm, and we knew we only had a little more time left one more attraction - the Trevi Fountain. Legend has it, if you toss a coin over your shoulder into the fountain, you shall return to Rome. Consider that a done deal!




After some final shopping in Rome, we tucked in to prepare for our train ride to Venice the next morning. We boarded our train, traveled through the beautiful Italian countryside, and five hours later approached the enchanting city of Venice.

We stayed at the nice and cozy Hotel Abbazia. This hotel was also conveniently located a few steps away from the Venice train station. This close location was key to a relatively easy transport back to the airport. Because Venice is a city of canals and no roads, this isn’t always the easiest (or cheapest) thing to do…so make sure you’ve looked into ground transportation options with your hotel prior to your departure, especially if you have an early morning flight.

Venice is such a charming place that’s best taken in slowly. Our time in Venice was less fast-paced compared to our visit to Rome. We didn’t have an extensive ‘to do’ list, so we able to leisurely explore the winding walkways and bridges over picturesque canals.

Some our favorite places and things in Venice:
Murano glass
Venetian masks
Fat and greedy pigeons in San Marco Piazza
Gondola ride down the Grand Canal (the more the merrier….and cheaper!)
Gelato, gelato, gelato
Street vendors at Rialto Market
Vaporettos (Waterbuses)

Good Eats in Venice:
Cafe Brek
Great little spot for a cappucino and one of their delicious sandwich wraps.
AeOche
Cute little American-style pizza chain. Good for a quick bite. Ever had a fried olive stuffed with mincemeat? Well here’s your chance.

Italy was an incredible trip. There is definitely so much more to explore in this beautiful country. Our sampler was definitely an appetizer, and can’t wait to come back and experience the full course!
For more details on our Italy vacation check out the discussion board at our JetSet Globetrotter Community

Forbes Traveler features a yummy collection of its 10 Signature Drinks from around the world. If you’re adventurous enough, follow that drink!
This round’s on me…

1. Singapore - Singapore Sling
2. Denmark - Akvavit
3. Cuba - Mojito
4. Brazil - Caipirinha
5. Spain and Portugal - Sangria
6. China and Japan - Sake
7. Peru and Chile - Pisco Sour
8. Iceland - Brennivin
9. South Korea and Japan - Soju
10. Italy - Negroni

Our 8 hour flight on Air Alitalia (a partner of Delta), was a breeze. Because we were traveling the day after Thanksgiving, the airports were not quite as busy, and our flight was not full at all. We each had a row to ourselves…talk about leg-room!

The first leg of our trip was Roma for 3 days. We discovered in our pre-planning that our hotel was only a few blocks from the main train station in Rome, Termini. So instead of a catching a taxi, took the Express train from the Fiumicino Airport to Termini station. After a 30 minute ride, we were off and on the streets of Rome headed to Hotel Mariano. The hotel was quaint, and our triple room was a surprisingly comfortable for European standards.

After getting settled in our hotel room, we were jetlagged and hungry! It was 4pm and it was time for find food. We we discovered the hard way that Italians generally eat dinner around 7pm. Every restaurant we passed was preparing for dinner…but no one was serving it quite yet. Our growing hunger was saved but a small cafe that was serving light meals. Of course, our first Italian meal wouldn’t be complete without gelato from Ornelli Gelateria.








Our next day began early (6am in Italy, 12am EST). We boarded a chartered tour bus for our day trip to Naples and Pompeii, which was about 3 hours south of Rome. Our visit to Naples was relatively brief. We were led on our walking tour of a portion of this fast-paced city. During our tour, we somehow got in the midst of a massive bread distribution. We still never figured out why free bread was being distributed, but I sure wish we could get free bread here at home! Our tour concluded in front of Castel Dell’Ovo, which translates Castle of the Egg. Interesting, huh?

The remainder of our day was spent in Pompeii, exploring the excavated ruins of this city destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius (which, by the way, is still considered active). A word of advice, Pompeii is not a place for cute shoes. If you want to get through the excavation site with an ounce of feeling left in your feet, make sure you wear extremely comfortable shoes! If you have the chance to visit Pompeii, definitely do so. It is truly amazing to view a city that has been literally preserved for thousands of years.






Although our day trip left us weary, ‘when in Rome do as the Romans do’….so it was time to find dinner and then a party! The party/club guru, Ebonee, found Caruso Cafe de Oriente, which turned out to be a salsa club. Now, me being a lover of salsa dancing was in heaven. What were the chances that we’d end up salsa dancing the night away in Italy??

Up Next…more Rome and Venice.

1) Paris, France - The City of Lights and the foundation of all classic love stories.









2) Italy
Rome- A visit to the Trevi Fountain to wish for true love is a must.




 
Venice - Who wouldn’t love to end the day with a Gondola ride. (An easy 5 hour train ride from Rome…kill two birds with one international plane ticket.)






 
3) Ithaca, Greek Islands - Home of Odysseus an intial suitor of Helen of Troy. Destroyed by fire years ago, no building on the island is over 50 years old.

4) Aruba - Crystal clear water and white sand beaches….need we say more??

5) New York City - Much closer to home and filled with romantic attractions.








For other suggested cities, AOL as their own list of Romantic Cities.
Do you have a suggestion? Tell us about your romantic rendevous!

Surprise your sweetie with a little JetSet love…Check out these Valentine’s Day Escapades specials from Air France .