Lucy's Fabulous European Vacay

By Lucy the Jet Set Pet May 24th 2012

European planes, trains and automobiles. That was my life this spring as I hopped from Spain to France to Italy. Even though I'm a well-traveled pooch, I admit I was dog-tired (pun intended) before my three week trip ended. But looking back, being tuckered out was for a good cause. It's the price I paid for being treated like the star I think I am when I travel.



I'm no stranger to trains but this was the first time I took an overnight train from Madrid to Paris. Pooches are allowed on Rail Europe's Elipsos Train hotel, which is a pretty cool way to travel if you're not in a hurry. My owner and I had our own tiny compartment, and I had no trouble sleeping as we sped along the tracks. I woke up in Paris feeling refreshed.

As you may recall from my last blog post, I received the royal treatment at Hotel Villa Magna in Madrid. But that was just a primer for what was to come at Mandarin Oriental Paris, which rolled out the red carpet for moi with a satin bed pillow that read "Happy Dog," my name in pink embroidery on a linen mat, pretty feeding bowls, a charm engraved with my name and a welcome letter from Archie, a border terrier and the mascot of the hotel.

I even got to meet Archie, and the next day went to a square in the Louvre with him and watched the other dogs play, hoping they didn't come near me. I don't care how well the French treat le chien (that's French for dog in case you didn't know), it doesn't mean I have to be nice to other dogs.

From Paris, it was on to Italy, where I used to live. No surprise that everyone still remembered me, especially at my favorite restaurant Il Latini, and Palazzo dal Borgo, where I stayed. I wasn't sure what to expect in Franciacorta, Italy because I had never been there before. It's about an hour drive from Milan and very pretty with lots of vineyards and a lake nearby. I stayed at L'Albereta Resort but wasn't the only dog in the house. There was a frisky Jack Russell named Bixby that wanted to play with me. By then I was pooped and had no energy. Not that I would have played with another dog anyway.

I slept almost all the way on my Iberia flight from Madrid to Los Angeles and it took me several days to get over my jet lag. Now I'm almost ready for another trip and just found out that I'm going to the south of France in June. I better get my rest now.