Our trip to Italy and Spain began with a trip to Portland. A small group of mostly Rotarians and spouses from Tacoma traveled to Portland for two nights. Early Friday afternoon we took Amtrak south, stayed at the Fifth Avenue Suites, and watched live entertainment (improvisation and legitimate theatre). By Sunday we were checked out of the hotel and waiting for the return train at Powell’s Book Store.

As we sat in the coffee shop at Powell’s we talked about vacations and where we would love to visit. Tuscany was everyone’s favorite choice. Someone mentioned they had heard that if you rented a villa, it wasn’t very expensive. I returned home and searched the internet. It was true. Many of the villas I found, when divided by several couples the prices became relatively inexpensive. One of the figures that I came up with showed that if I had paid for three nights at the hotel in Portland, it would have cost me more than my share of a villa for a week. I shared the information. In those terms, we got serious. We knew that a vacation to Tuscany was possible.

Our initial group was six couples. Four couples involved Rotary. One were neighbors of a Rotarian couple, and the other were friends with a Rotary couple.

Our planning lasted a year and a half. We lost one couple, who are eager to join us the next time we travel . . . and we will. One of our great joys of the vacation to Italy and Spain was the friendship. For nearly eighteen months we all gathered information, bought and barrowed books on Italy and Spain, poured over internet print-outs of villas and hotels, made assignments, booked reservations, and ate Italian food together about every two months. One couple would host a get-together and we would make decisions over laughter, wine and dinner. Then a month or so later, another couple would host a dinner.

By involving everyone in the planning and decision making, everyone was an active participant in the adventure. We enjoyed ourselves for a year and a half before the trip even began, for five couples it lasted another two and a half weeks in Italy and for three of the couples it lasted an additional week and a half in Spain. What’s even better is that we have memories, experiences and friendships that will last a lifetime.

There were a few strange things that happened in Spain. For some reason I stopped drinking wine and switched to beer. It wasn't until I arrived back in the states that I realized I never drank one glass of Sangria. None of us did. That's outrageous. If you visit Spain you should have at least one glass of Sangria. Also, while I prefered the Italian food over the Spanish tapas fare, two of my favorite three dishes from the trip were found in Spain. At a restaurant on the main Ramblas in Barcelona I had a mellon gazpacho with sauteed scallops that was absolutely wonderful. My other favorite Spanish dish was a smoked salmon salad in Barcelona that I could eat everyday. The strangest food I had in Spain were fried sardines. They might not really have been sardines, but they were thin and about as long as my little finger. They were coated and cooked whole. That's how you ate them, too. With a little lemon juice they were quite tasty. My favorite Italian dish was the original peasant fare of zuppa made with fresh tomatoes and bread crumbs. Of course my list goes on and on of Italian dishes that I loved.

Everyone's favorite place (outside of our villa, The Castello di Pastine - http://www.pastine.it/) was Venice. Eveyone had their individual favorite places, but as soon as someone mentioned Venice everyone shook their head affirmatively. Our worst time in Italy and Spain was rental car problems. My favorite place in Spain was Sagunto. Almost everyone agrees with that, although Barcelona was probably everyone's favorite as a place to live in Spain.

The main thing I missed from Italy and Spain was the fresh orange juice. It was more common in Italy and there it was usually made from Sicilian blood oranges. I ordered this with every meal I could. In Italy they had fruit juices with a mixture of vegetables combined in them. My favorite was an orange juice base mixture with other citrus juice and carrot juice added. Back in the states I'm trying a few juice combo wannabes, but nothing is coming close.

The one original couple who didn't make the trip were invited to the settlement party, where we all presented our bills and paid each other off. It was still a party, however. There were BBQ steaks and beer and wine and the unveiling of Rob's Folly, as he calls the piece of glass art he bought in Murano to celebrate his 30th Anniversary. His wife loves it . . . and so does he.

What is really interesting about the trip is the change in our own people. Some of them voiced the opinion that this was a once in a life-time trip and that they would never return. Now, the most opinionated of the group is already considering returning.

They say that travel changes everyone. They must be right.

Don Doman is a published author, video producer, and corporate trainer. He owns the business training site Ideas and Training http://www.ideasandtraining.com , which he says is the home of the no-hassle "free preview" for business training videos. Don and his wife Peg also travel in the Pacific Northwest and the world writing of their fun and adventures. You can read their stories at Vacation Adventures http://www.vacationadventures.us