2 Perfect Days....

I have done quite a bit of traveling for work in the 4 months that I have been an ex-pat.  And sometimes, I have even gotten to squeeze an extra day or weekend in to take time to visit whatever city I may be in.  This weekend was a bit different, as I took off for Northern Italy for a weekend at Lake Como with Maria, a friend and ex-coworker...and the intent was pure fun and relaxation!  Arriving in Milan late on Friday night, Maria met me at the airport and we headed to Como, encouraged that the predicted rain had not yet start.   Saturday morning dawned early, and I got my first real view of the lake from our balcony.  No wonder George Clooney has choosen this place to get away from it all...and no, there were no George sightings (much to Maria's disappointment :) ).

Ferries are the preferred mode of transport for the lake, so we got a day pass, and spent the day on the water, criss-crossing the lake from village to village.  First up was Belliago, where we got our shopping out of the way amoung the cobbled streets and lake-side cafes.  Maria was focused on her hunt for a Italian leather bag, while I admired the silk for which Como is known for.  After our time in the boutiques, which was successful, we visited the 12th century Basilica di San Giacomo, where I snagged my Italian geocache, and we then admired the intricate artwork and design of the church.  We ended our morning with some wine and olives at the Lakeside where we could watch the ferry come and go.  We could have spent all day in Bellagio, but we jumped back on the ferry to Varenna for some of the best views of the Lake.   Now, this might be a good time to mention that the lakes in the Lombardy area of Italy have no real shore-line.....they truly are at the base of the pre-Alpine ranges, and so the terrain is basicly straight up as soon as you hit dry land.   So as we set our sights to the ruins of Castello di Vezio, a 13th castle nestled in the hamlet of Vezio, in the hillside above Varenna, we did not quite understand that this was not a leisurly walk through the trees.   45-mins of a moderatly strenous hike up, and we were greeted with the small grouping of builidings that was Vezio, and then up to the castle ruins which lead us through an olive tree grove.  The castle is home to a falcon avary, and we got there right in time to see the falcons flying through the mountains around the castle. 

From atop the watch towers, and under the care of the castle's "ghosts", we were rewarded with incredible views of the 3 branches of the lake, and the Italian-Swiss Alps in the distance.  We descended from the castle as it began to rain, and headed for our last stop of the day, Maria's favorite village, Lenno.  There we grabbed a quick snack and some more wine, and then took to the hills once more along the Greenway del Lago di Como, a 10km route which runs along the west bank of the lake.  We did about 3km of the walk, from Lenno to Sala Comacina, taking in the Villas that line the lake, the amazing church towers, and even more incredible views.  We reached Sala Comacina with the intent of hoping on the last ferry of the day back to Argegno, but a mishap with reading the ferry schedule forced us to partake in another of the public transporation offerings of the area.  How those buses navigated on the the narrow lake road, I have no idea, but we made it back for an al fresco dinner of pizza and (of course) wine.

We woke up on Sunday to quite rainy weather, but that did not dampen our spirits as we headed out to the town of Como, at the bottom of the west branch of the lake.  We managed to find parking fairly easily, and we set out on foot to find the lake-front area.  Having no map, and little sense of directions between the two of us, we wandered amoung the narrow streets, eventually coming upon a parade of some sort, in which appeared to have a military theme.  As it was raining quite steadily, we watched for a few minutes, hidden under a store awning, before heading out to the city Duomo (Cathedral).  Now, I had already been impressed by the churches we saw on Saturday, but the attention to detail and amazing artwork in the cathedral was simply amazing.  However, given it was Sunday morning, we did walk into the middle of mass.  Not to be disrespectful, we joined in, and attended the Catholic mass service in Italian.  This is actually the second time I have attended mass accidently and in a different language (the first was in Argentina)...however most catholic services following pretty much the same script, so it was not hard to follow along.  

In the afternoon, we headed into Milan for the rest of the day, leaving the car and taking the train in from a nearby suburb.  Our main purpose of the trip was to allow Maria to vote in the Polish presidential election, but we took the oppurtunity to hit the highlights of the city...the grand Duomo and the birthplace of many of Italian high fashion.   We walked amoung streets housing the flagship stores of Dolce & Gabanna, Prada, Armani, and also a number of exclusive boutiques.  We could have window shopped all day (and yes, all we did was WINDOW shop), but as we turned a corner, the Duomo loomed above us with the magnificance of the Emerald City (without the verde tint).  The Milan Duomo was started in 1387, and the city had to build canals just to have the marble brought in.  The Gothic style and medieval specifications were adhered to throughout its long construction history, as it was only finished in 1960.  Nevertheless, the amazing facade is nothing compared to the moment you step inside.  The beauty and magnificance of the cathedral is beyond words, and I was truly speechless for a few moments (which all of you know, is a very rare occurance!). 

We spent a good amount of time exploring the Duomo, going down to the lower chapel, which housed the Eucharist, and also the final resting place of Saint Carlo Borromeo, who died in the 16th century.  We left the Duomo in search of a little cafe to grab lunch, and noticed that the local police were hurrying everyone off the piazza in front of the cathedral.  We were curious, but our hunger won out, and we found a place off a side ally to grab a bite.  On the way back with passed the Opera house (which was locked), and wandered back through more shopping areas.  As we approached the Duomo on our way back to the trainstation to leave the city, we realized why the police were clearing the area.....in the center of the piazza, there was a very large screen set up and playing on it was the Italy v New Zealand world cup match!  Now this is a place serious about their football!  With that, we decided to head out of town as quickly as possible, as the Kiwis were winning 1-0 and we did not want to stick around with the rest of the city to watch the rest of the game!

Beer + Mussels + Waffles = Brussels!

There is something to be said for seeing a new city, and a new country, through the eyes of someone familiar with it. There is a special feeling you get sitting in outdoor cafes and enjoying non-tour book restaurants as the rest of the tourists are huddling into the "must see" attraction as professed by Fromers. This is how I was going to experience Brussels, as I hopped the Eurostar to meet James on the other side of the chunnel. At first, I was quite excited about traveling at 180+ miles an hour under the English Channel, however, it was a bit unsatisfying as I only realized that we were on the Continent when I saw cars driving on the right-hand side of the road. No matter, as I was on my way to Belgium! And 2 hours after leaving St. Pancreas station, I was happily walking with James to drop off my bags.

We immediately set out to visit the only independent, traditional brewery remaining in Brussels for a self-guide tour and some tastings. Cantillon is a family-owned business, started in 1900, and is now run by its 4th generation. We chatted with the brewers as they treated us to tastes of their Gueuze, Kriek and Lambic brews. I especially enjoyed the Kriek, which was true to tradition with its strong sour-cherry flavor, however this one was much less sweet then others I had tried.

Having started the weekend off right, we strolled through the streets of the city, soaking up the energy, and exploring side alleys and hidden corners. We also spent lots of time during the weekend in the Grand Place, an amazing collection of buildings which now house a wonderful collection of bars, cafes, and restaurants that all have al fresco dining that is perfect for some prime people watching! Our wanderings eventually took us to one of the best seafood places I have ever been to. Now I have heard about the legend of La Maree from James for the last year and a half, and every word turned out to be true as I had the best mussels in my life!

I did feel that I should not leave Brussels without at least seeing the infamous boy that has become a symbol for the country. So we followed the throngs of cameras and found the Mannequin pis on a not-so-quiet street corner. We found the best viewing to be at an outdoor cafe right across the street where we could enjoy a couple of beers in true Belgium style!! And of course, we could not neglect the female version of this unique statue, so we headed across the Grand Place to the Jeanneke pis....which unlike her very visual brother, is locked up behind an ornate gate. She is not without company, as the Delirium Cafe shares her alley, with the most number of beers as recorded by Guinness World Records!

My favorite time of the weekend was early on Sunday morning, when we took a last opportunity to walk the streets of the city while the rest of the city was just waking up. We were able to get some great, unobscured pictures of the aforementioned icons, along with taking a peaceful stroll through the gardens near the Royal Palace. All too soon, we were all packed up and heading to Mechelen for the night before heading to work the next morning (for me) and back to the US (for James). I can’t wait to come back for more of the non-tourist side of Brussels!

The heart of Poland

“And no invader has ever conquered the heart of Poland, that spirit which is the inheritance of sons and daughters, the private passion of families and the ancient, unbreakable tie to all those who came before.” (James Michener)

I arrived in Poland with impressions from those friends and co-workers who had visited here before, and I had set myself up to see very grey and run-down towns, with an overall aura of sadness and heaviness. And stepping off the plane at the Warsaw airport only served to confirm my initial expectations as the terminal building had a bit of an industrial feel and the staff was all quite serious. So I was in for quite a shock when I met up with Kasia (my translator and colleague for the first part of the week) and we headed out of the airport towards Lublin, about 2 hours away. The road to Lublin took us past parks and green areas, through small towns with towering churches and stone monuments. The area very much reminded me of the road from Raleigh to Greenville in North Carolina (the greenery, not so much the buildings). Not at all what I had set my mind to expect!

My surprises continued when we went to a Greek/Italian restaurant called Oregano Café on Sunday night for dinner. Kasia said the place came highly recommended by some friends, so I ignored the English name, and the empty restaurant and choose my dinner with an open mind. Now, I don’t think that British cuisine is as bad as its reputation; however this was by far the best food I have had in Europe. The highlight of the meal was the homemade baklava with orange blossom honey and served with fresh orange slices. I guess the closer to Greece you get, the better the baklava!

Kasia took me on a walk thru Old Town Lublin on Monday, and I took the opportunity to learn about the changes that Poland has undergone in the last 20 years, first with the fall of the Communist state, and then with the entrance into the EU. Living in a free market all my life, it was captivating to listen to such a different life and way of looking at the world. Enjoying the architecture of the once-walled city, I was especially struck by the mix of the building which had fallen into disrepair ever since WWII standing next to a beautiful façade that had been artfully restored to its former glory. It very much solidified the drastic transformation that Poland is currently undergoing. Lucky for me, Kasia jumped at the chance to practice English and so she was eager to share her views on everything from the history of the area, the political atmosphere, and the general outlook of the Polish people, all while enjoying some local Polish dishes and beer at a small pub.

As the second half of my week began, Kasia left and Magda took over as my translator and unofficical guide.  In her, I found a passion and pride for her country that was unmatched in almost anyone I have ever met.  And once again, she was very happy to share with me her experiences, impressions, and opinions on life in "old" and "new" Poland.  On Wed evening, she took me to a small villiage named Kazimierz Dolney, about 90 km from Lublin.   Here, it was if we stepped back in time, surrounded by buildings from the 13th and 14th century, children playing the central square, and as I have began to expect from Poland, some amazing foods.   This time we enjoyed a small Jewish resturant, and more Polish dishes. 

My trip ended with a whirlwind car tour of Warsaw by Magda as she took me to the airport, and an invitation for a better and more complete tour whenever I had a free weekend.  And that is an offer that I am going to have to accept!

Quite unexpectedly, I have become very interested in seeing the other regions of Poland, to witness how so many changes to the political and economic structures of the country manifest themselves in the everyday lives of its people.

An unexpected treat

A few weeks ago, my friend Sharon shot me a note saying that she was going to be in England for a wedding of a childhood friend, and would I be free for a visit at all during her trip? Hmm...let's see...a visit from an incredibly fun friend who I rarely see (as she is a West Coaster) and with whom I also end up with some excellent (if not accident filled) stories, and all this occurs over a bank holiday weekend? Sign me up!!! As the original planned trip of 9 days got drastically reduced due to some home repairs for Sharon (gotta love ownership), I was not able to show her around Reading and London, so Saturday morning, I hopped a train heading back to the north country, to Newcastle, where the wedding was taking place. I arrived around 7:30 pm, and caught up with Sharon briefly at the hotel to grab the room key and get in a quick nap before joining her, her friend Hana, and the rest of the wedding guests for the post-reception party at the hotel bar at about 11. The nap was an essential part of the evening, as Sharon was still working on California time, and we drank, laughed, and caught up until 2:30am!

I have to say, I am impressed with our resolve, as the 3 of us (Hana, Sharon and I) were up and ready to go by 10 on Sunday morning. Now the question remained....where to spend the day? Newcastle was notable only for its nightlife, and its scantily clad population, so we thought it best to grab a train to a nearby town (although, I have to give props to the ladies who can wear that little clothes and that high of heels without a) dying of hypothermia and/or b) having a least one or more wipe-outs while navigating the cobblestone streets). Having been told that York was one of the "must-see" places in North England, we decided that was our destination for the day.

We got to York by noon and set out to explore the city. Our only knowledge of York was that it had a magnificent Minster (cathedral) and was a place of both Viking and Roman domination, so we decided to take one of those city bus tours that give the history of the place and serve as an all day taxi service with the hop-on, hop-off benefit. Our first stop was the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey, which once entertained Henry VIII and his fourth wife, Katherine Howard. We spent some time taking in the gardens that surrounded the ruins, the hopped back on the bus for the next site. Like many of the cities in England, York was once a walled city, and much of the original Roman walls are still intact and open to the public. We got off at one of the 4 remains bars (gates) of the walls, Bootham Bar, and climbed up to walk the wall while catching glimpses of the Minster towers as it rose above the city. As we made our way along, we realized that the yogurt pots we had grabbed that morning were no longer sustaining us, and we came upon a tea room, which seems to be an obvious choice for a quick bite in a very English manner.

Relaxing on comfortable sofas and chairs, we noshed on scones, tarts, soups, and cheeses, (and of course teas). We even got to witness Sharon's mad tea skills as she attempted to dilute an over-sweetened cup by pouring it back in the pot. The anticipated mess was avoided, and we continued our tea-time in peace!

As nice as the tea room was, the afternoon was marching on, and we continued our trek along the wall to the next gate, Monk's Bar. Here we strolled through the narrow city streets, towards the centre-point of the skyline, the York Minster. The Minster is the largest Gothic-style church in Northern Europe, and took 250 years to complete.  Even after seeing quite a few Cathedrals, Chapels and Abbeys in my short time in Europe, I still am overwhelmed and amazed at the beauty of these buildings. The incredible detail in the stone workings, ceiling design and stained glass windows are constantly breath-taking, and I don't think I will ever tire of visiting these amazing buildings (everyone else might get tired of seeing all the pictures :) ). With an £8/person admission fee, we pool our resources and I was sent in after being voted "Most Likely to Take the Best Pictures". I spent some time taking in the beauty of the enormous cathedral, while Sharon and Hana did some browsing in the surrounding shops.  By far, it was the stained glass which had me most captivated.  The Minster houses half of the surviving medieval stained glass in England.

We reassembled, and hopped back on the bus in search of the York Castle remains.  Along the way, we passed the Jorvik Viking Centre....definitely something to see, but we were running low on time, and decided that it would be added to the "next time" list.  The York Castle is no longer around, however one of the defensive towers, Clifford's Tower, is still intact and can be climbed for some of the best views of the city.  We ascended into the tower, and up the narrow, stone, spiral staircase to the top of the tower (the British sure do love this method of going vertical.  Visitors be warned...any sort of heeled foot-ware is no recommended while touring the British Isles).   As promised, the view from the top proved to be a good one, and we walked along the circumference of the tower before descending the steps.  Our day in York was coming to a close, and we headed to a pub, as all good days in England should end!

Sharon and Hana are somewhere over the Atlantic now, and I am enjoying the free Wifi on the train back to London.  I am so happy I got to spend my weekend with the both of them, and here's to the next adventure with whoever may pop up in England next!

Where Old meets New...at World's End

Ahhh.....Edinburgh. My favorite city on earth. Granted, I don't have the biggest sample size to draw on, but each time I go somewhere new, no place can compare. The feeling of peace, the mighty castle, the bustling Prince's Street, the perfect marriage of Old Town and New Town, and the friendliness of the people. Well....there is nothing better! And it seems that this trip was just meant to be, with a warm spring day ready to greet us as we stepped off the train, ready to start my birthday weekend!

No sign of the volcanic ash in the sky, as we dropped our bags off at the hotel, and hit the city headed straight to get some Aqua Vitea (as the Scots refer to their national drink). Scotch is more James' thing then mine, but I am always up for trying to find one I like :). And I have to admit, the Scotch Whiskey Heritage Center has quite the collection of ones to try. From there, we took a stroll down the misnamed Royal Mile (its longer then a mile, and contains more history of murder and deceit then royalty...wait, now maybe that is appropriate) and came upon Deacon Brodies Tavern. Now, this is my kind of place! The day went fast, and we enjoyed a late dinner on the Leith Docks at a place called Skippers....what great fish!! And add a bottle of wine to the beverages of the day, and well, we were all set for a long, restful night......expect for the bagpipes. We should have known better then to stay at a place called the Royal Scots Club, which caters to members of the Royal Scots, the most senior regiment of infantry in the British Army. Obviously the hotel part of the club is open to the public, but members of the Royal Scots still hold gatherings, and when they do....out come the bagpipes. Right outside our room....at 11pm. Not exactly a lullaby......

Amazingly the nighttime entertainment did not hamper our spirits, and Day 2 began with a stroll up to the Castle. Now, we were very quickly noticing that Edinburgh is a city of steep hills and therefore is a city of stairs. Definitely had no guilt for skipping the hotel gym this weekend! The castle is quite magnificent, and seeing the various additions over the years all the way from Medieval days really makes you appreciate the history. And the views of the city from the top of the castle...WOW! We spent the rest of the day exploring the portion of the Royal Mile situated in Old Town (the original part of the city contained within the medieval city walls). Edinburgh once had hundreds of narrow alleys (called Closes) that ran through the cities, where the wealthier merchants living closer to the High Street and the less fortunate living closer to the river. In some areas, the buildings creating the alleys were up to 8 (very rickety) stories tall, making for very dark and dodgy areas. Most of closes were leveled when more "modern" buildings (18th/19th century) were built, but we took a tour of some of the underground areas of Edinburgh where some of the original closes were still intact. Highly recommend if you are in the area, and taking the tour at night simply adds to the atmosphere!

Our third day was a bit damp and cool....much more typical Scottish weather, but we headed out to the Palace of Holyroodhouse....the Queen's official residence in Scotland. The Palace is built on the grounds of the Abbey Church of Holyrood, and the ruins of the Abbey still remain in the back of the Palace. The Palace does not have the grandeur of Windsor, but the gardens on the grounds are simply stunning! And the Palace does have the best view of Arthur's Seat, the highest point in Edinburgh which was formed by an extinct volcano. We had plans to hike to the top, but the rainy weather caused us to postpone until the next visit, and we made our way up the New Town section of the Royal Mile to World's End...the pub that marks the border between Old and New Town. Quite a fitting place to grab a pint before heading back to catch our train to Reading!

What I have learned after 6 weeks

It seems hard to believe I have only been here for 6 weeks, yet some days it feels like I just got here. However, I do have some things that I have learned about life in the UK:

**The best clothes shopping is in Italy and Spain...the prices are cheaper and the quality is better. Now I just have to find out for myself....

**The best place to be on a sunny Saturday afternoon is the town center. There you will find the weekly produce stands, fish and butcher markets. No better fresh foods around! Now that its spring, there are flower stands set up every 100 ft or so. The center is lively, and all the shoppes have their doors open and inviting.

**Having a milk delivery service from the local organic dairy farm makes all the difference

**Waitrose is the best grocery store around (yes, Meagan, you were right!)

**A 2 mile walk to get to a store, pub, or park is not really that far

**When a sandwich comes with pickle, its not the cucumber soaked in vinegar kind...its a relish made of red onions and spices. Very tasty, but a little puzzling at first.

**Eventually, you barely even notice walking in the rain. As long as its not a monsoon, rain is not a reason to stay indoors.

**Once you get away from imitations of a country's food, the difference is amazing. There is nothing like sausage from a Polish shop, Guiness in Ireland, and hand-pumped English Ale.

I wonder what else I will learn in the next 6 weeks!

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates...

Ok....so I could not think of a better way to open a blog devoted all to chocolate! Cadbury chocolate to be more precise. What a way to celebrate mom's birthday then at Cadbury World in Bourneville, UK (about 4 miles outside of Birmingham). What was originally thought to be the basic factory tour, we quickly realized that the story of Cadbury is a more then expected. We got to see exhibits detailing the history of cocoa bean, from being used as Aztec currency to the fall of Montezuma, to the introduction of drinking chocolate to Europe by Cortez. Then onto the history of the company. Cadbury was started by John Cadbury over 170 years ago in a tea shop on Bull Street in Birmingham. With his sons, George and Richard, they introduced eating chocolate. With more and more products, they grew the company, and drawing on their Quaker background, looked to move to a more country location where the factory workers would have a better quality of life. Bourneville was planned and developed as a community around the Cadbury factory, with an emphasis on community, to include housing for all the workers, recreation clubs, swimming pools, meeting houses, churches, and schools for all ages of children. The Cadbury's introduce
d bonuses, a 5.5 day work week, and shares in the company (these being unheard of in Victorian England). Even today, Cadbury is invested heavily in the communities where it has plants.

After the history, we got to learn how chocolate is made, including Cadbury's best selling product
Dairy Milk. We also got to see how the infamous Cream Eggs are made! A limited tour of the manufacturing and packing areas followed, and then onto the advertising area. We even got to design our own Cadbury ad. And in true tourist trap style, the tour ended in the worlds largest Cadbury shop. All in all, a good day. Of course, the 3 chocolate bars we got as part of admission just sweetened the deal :)