April 25: Paris

Got up late again - wow. Weather was looking iffy. But we got up and went to Chet's favorite boulangerie. The chocolate almond is still totally amazing. The flavor and the texture. We wandered around a bit and made our way to the Jardin du Luxembourg and, although it was cloudy the flowers they had there surrounding the statues and small palace were the best we've seen anywhere. The flowers were combined in many, many waves of color in the style of Penelope Hobhouse. Chet took many photos, and we are hoping for a sunny day there also. We did more aimless walking around, and Lynne found her favorite rose shop and got some rose water to bring home. They have rose petals strewn on the ground outside the shop too. It's pretty cool, on a street between St Severin and the Jardin.

We wandered more (wandering's fun in Paris because you never know what you will find), and we went to the Monoprix on Rue de Rennes, a couple of blocks from our hotel. Chet was searching for cough drops for Lynne (who didn't think she needed any) - well it turns out that you can only get cold remedies in the pharmacies, and none carries the cough drops Chet favors. So we wound up picking up a few other things, like water, apples, tomatoes, and some biscuits. Monoprix is like a half food store (with ten varieties of camembert, for example) and half Target-like. The weather was spotty, so we decided to take a break back at the hotel.

A bit later, we went out again and wandered to our favorite cheese shop, Barthélemy, which we happily call the "fromage doctors" because they all wear white coats and have a very serious demeanor about their cheese. We noted that they were going to be closed for the next two days;l so we HAD to get some. They pepper you with questions like "how soon will you eat this cheese" since they will sell you the properly aged/runniness level, based on that. It's a very rare treat, and we'll be going on a fat-free vegetarian diet once we return home. But for the moment, we were just basking in the scents in the small 12x10 shop where there were maybe 5 cheese doctors and 10 eager customers who all knew they were somewhat special. If only they could bottle that smell; oh well, you can replicate it by gathering some dirty diapers and old, smelly socks and leaving them in a small hotel room. Odd, though; it really does taste great. We bought some camembert, some chevre, and some bleu d'auvergne. The same cheese doctor helped us as last time (about a year and a half ago), but he did not remember the insult that Chet so carelessly hurled when he suggested that we ask for "cheese with mushrooms". We didn't want to be "banned" from the cheese shop, you know, so proper cheese etiquette was followed. Barthélemy is on Rue de Grenelle by Boulevard Raspail. It's closed Sunday and Monday. Go there if you can.

We forgot to mention that there was a protest of some sort about a block from our hotel, and Chet was suspecting that it was the French protesting the pasteurization of cheese since we saw some of this in the supermarket and were disappointed to see cheese subjected to such treatment! (It robs the flavor.) We asked the hotel guy and he said it was a protest about "whatever it is today"; apparently there are a lot of protests. Chet was disappointed he missed taking some photos of the protest, but we are sure there will be another chance.

A bit later, we went to our favorite restaurant/café for dinner, and we ran into the same very friendly wait person who helped us a year-and-a-half ago, and she remembered us and we remembered her. It was kind of like a reunion of sorts, although not in a big way. The food was great.

April 24: Driving to Paris

We said our goodbyes to Rosetta at the Casa dei Limone and it was a fond farewell. We started driving around 9am and headed North. The driving was slow and we barely avoided a near accident in one of the tunnels. We figured out that Italians put in tunnels almost anywhere they could. In the Alps, all you go through are tunnels. I know there are many roads that are not tunnels but we didn't go on any of them. We did see a little snow-rain mixed at the Ital-France border. We also think we saw the Mattterhorn and its glaciers and it was very impressive even for a guy who used to live in Alaska.

Drove drove drove and upon arrival in Paris got into a massive traffic jam. It took an extra hour to get to the airport to return the car.

Returned the car after some hassle finding the car return location and then loaded ourselves up like pack animals and to the RER train to the Chatelet-Les Halles where we took the local train to St Sulpice which was a half a block from our hotel. Lynne is really on top of the train systems here. She has earned the name GPS girl. Our hotel is called Hotel St-Germain and is at 50 Rue du Four in Paris. The room is good, a bit small but not unexpected. Freshly painted which the smell of bothered Lynne a little.

April 23: Real last day in Monteroso

We began our ¨extra¨day in Monterosso not really extra but more like forgotten. We decided to take a boat to Portovenere. I asked Lynne if she really wanted to do this since she was coughing like a person with whooping cough. She said yes and it was very fun and we got a new view we didn't have before on the Cinque Terre just because we saw them from a new angle on the water. Portovenere was very nice and there was a large castle and a very old church which was built in the 1300s. Very nice and Chet bought Lynne a nice necklace and Chet got some Trofie pasta mqde with basil. On the way back Lynne had a nasty coughing spell on the boat.

April 22, 2009: Monterosso false last day

Got up late because Lynne has been sick with Bronchitis and was seeming to be getting worse, probqbly because we've been busy doing stuff. So we decided to make our last day in Italy a restful and relaxing one. We had our breakfast and then hung out in the room and read qnd took in the view out the window which was of a mountainside full of green trees so it was very pretty and we had a nice deck to sit out on and read also. Later in the day we finally went to the internet cafe and did our blog entries.

Then to break the day up we decided to go read along the Meditteranean at the beach in Monterosso.

And then finally at like 7pm we were going to pay our Bed & Breakfast bill and we went to pay it and she had us staying for another day. Lynne had mixed up the days. We all had a good laugh about it.

April 21, 2009 Vernazza

Took the train down to Vernazza and walked around town for a bit.Lynne was coughing a lot so wanted to take it a little easy. Vernazza is nice and a little prettier than MonteRosa. We had been trying to restrain ourselves on buying things since we can only carry so much after we return the car in Paris at the airport.

Monday, April 20, 2009: Riomaggiore, Manorola & Corniglia

Woke up to a nice hotel breakfast, and took the train to Riomaggiore, which is the southernmost town in the Cinque Terre. Very short ride of about 20 minutes.

Got off the train and walked around the town, which we enjoyed quite a lot. Chet took some grate photos, and we decided to have lunch here after walking up and down the stairs and seeing the sights both from the hills and the waterfront. We had the best lunch in a small self-service restaurant right at the entry to the Via dell'Amore, overlooking the town and the sea. Lynne ordered a fresh caprese salad with tuna, and an anchovy sandwich with tomatoes. Absolutely the best lunch we've had so far, with fresh fish, tomatoes, cheese and bread.

Then we walked the Via dell'Amore to Manorola, the next town over. Manorola is rather small, so we didn't spend much time there, but walked on to Corniglia, which is up on a hill above the Mediterranean. There, we took the green bus to the top of the hill for a bit of a wander before heading back to the train station and back to Monterosso. We ran into Rosetta (who works in the hotel in the mornings), who was on her way back from La Spezia.

Back at the hotel, Chet helped Maria and Marcello figure out how their light timer worked and - as a thank you - they offered us some homemade anancino (orange liqueur, similar to limoncino - which is nothern Italian for limoncello). What a treat! She and Marcello also told us about their lives there during WWII, when the town was bombed three times by the allies in order to break up the railway lines running from Northern Europe all the way to Sicily. Germans had occupied the town, as well - taking the finest villas for themselves. Families fled to the surrounding countryside - her family to the former farmhouse that is now our hotel, his family to a hut higher in the hills. Marcello told us how his elderly aunt used to scream when she saw big birds flying overhead, thinking they were planes coming to bomb the town. And the monks at the top of the hill would ring the bells whenever they saw airplanes or warships in the distance so the townspeople could take cover.

Maria and Marcello have been married nearly 50 years, having been engaged for 11 years - since she was 15 and he was 17 years old. She is now 75 and he is 77. But when he went down the hill to buy bananas, we noticed that he wasn't even short of breath when he returned from town - up that hill that leaves us winded still....

Sunday, April 19, 2009: Monterosso al Mare

Mostly relaxed, explored the town a little bit, and enjoyed the peaceful surroundings. It's nice to have a day off, even when one is on vacation!

Saturday, April 18, 2009: Leaving Venezia

Got up, packed our bags, had breakfast, said our good-byes to the friendly inkeeper at the Apostoli Palace, and left. We walked back, past the train station to the Piazzale Roma, where we caught a bus back to Mestre. Stopped a half block from our parking garage - much easier than the long walk to the train station!

We zipped out of town and headed toward Modena and the Museum of Balsamic Vinegar (who knew??). After lunch in a small family-run pizzeria, we took the very brief tour and then Chet bought some aged balsamico to bring home. Then we went across the street, and he bought some more!! (Lynne swears the shopkeeper saw him coming ....)

Past Modena, the landscape changed and became very beautiful and mountainous. We wound our way down highly curved roads and finally got a glimpse of Monterosso al Mare, which is the northernmost of the Cinque Terre towns. We found our lodgings at the Case dei Limoni, with the charming and friendly hostess and host, Maria and Marcello. They quickly offered us a glass of fresh lemonade and chatted as they checked us in. The room is nice, clean and fresh with a lovely wrap-around balcony that gives us a view of the hillside, over the town and the Mediterranean. We were both pretty tired, and in order to get up to the hotel you have to carry your baggage up a stone path that climbs probably around 250 feet. We both agreed, though, that it was worth it once you arrived.

Friday, April 17, 2009: Last Day in Venice ... for now!

Chet got up early and dashed down to Piazza San Marco to photograph the early morning light with clear skies and good weather. He made it there and back to the hotel in less than an hour!

We went to the Basilica today, and got another dose of amazing and opulent sights. This building has Byzantine, as well as medieval and Renaissance architectural elements - not surprising, as construction began before the 11th century. The mosaics are amazing in their color and their detail, and they have been very well preserved. Lynne loved Napoleon's horses (hah!), really Constantine's horses, probably Greco-Roman in origin. The originals are now inside the Basilica museum, while replicas stand over the basilica door on the loggia. Splendid and so very life-like.

Being in Venice is like stepping back into the 18th century, since cars don't exist here and most of the buildings are from this era as well. You are living and breathing the history every minute you are there. Quite an amazing place in that they've been able to keep the past alive. There are stone wall memorials to people who lived, loved and died in this home - that have dates from 1756, and that are probably much the same inside and out as they were then (well, with the addition of running water, electricity, and TV dishes, anyway!).

After visiting the Basilica, we jumped on to one of the vaporetti and took it up to Murano, the island where the glass-blowers ply their trade. We didn't know it, but there are many different glass artisans there who all compete for business. It was also interesting to see a sign in one of the windows declaring that all the glass inside was locally made and that "glass made in China is killing Murano". An interesting insight into global competition. No doubt, the glass makers in Murano could never afford to live on the low wages of the Chinese.

Walking around Murano was a lot of fun - although there is an awful lot of cheesy Murano glassware. And the nicer stuff tends to be quite expensive. Nonetheless, we did manage to find some very nice glasses that were practical and beautiful without being exorbitant. Chet promised to carry them home .....

Finally, we took the vaporetto back to the Fondamenta Nove, near our hotel, stopped off for a bit of a rest, and went back to San Marco to take the Vaporetto 1 up the Grand Canal. Quite a different sight, seeing Venice by water. We went up as far as the area known as the Jewish Ghetto, which is quite near our lodgings, and found a nice place to have dinner. It was a more local spot, where we enjoyed a lovely caprese salad with mozzarella di bufola, and a spaghetti with monkfish. Yummy.

Thursday, April 16: More Venice!

Got up and dragged a comb across my head (Chet), had a hotel breakfast, and finally made it to the internet cafe. It was nice because they had English keyboards, and the keys were where we expected them to be! But our hour ran out, and we wandered to La Fenice, which is only open for visiting between 1 and 2:30 in the afternoon. It's quite a jewel box of a theatre, originally built for a society of box-holders. Maria Callas premiered there, as did several operas of the bel canto age (many years before Callas, of course!).

Then we went to see the Doge's Palace to see where the rulers of Venice lived and operated for about 1200 years. Theirs was a seafaring nation, based on trade and commerce and generally fostering prosperity for the citizens of Venice. You can tell that this has long been a mostly prosperous area. It was only after America was discovered by Europeans in 1492 (depending on who you ask), and the Atlantic became the new trade route with wind-powered ships, that the Venetian empire began to decline.

Anyway, the Doge's Palace is amazing, even though there were a lot of tourists there. And the odd thing is that they don't seem to allow people to use their cameras inside the museums, even if you don't use a flash. We aren't clear, and our only theory is that they want to sell more books in the museum stores! But that seems like overkill, so maybe there is some other reason. Hopefully this is not the case in France!

So we walked around again (for 12 hours this day), and had a good time. We were tired, but are getting used to walking around a lot. Desk jobs don't really prepare you for the walking, but it does feel good.

We had a great dinner this evening - risotto with scallops and basil, taglietelle with lobster, a nicoise salad, and octopus with lemon and olive oil. This, we agreed, was the meal we enjoyed the most so far this trip.

Wednesday, April 15: Sempre Venezia

We got up and breakfast at our hotel, the Apostoli Palace, located off the Campo dei Santi Apostoli in the Cannareggio district. It's a residential area, but quite conveniently located about five minutes walk from the Rialto. We went off the Rialto first thing, to cross the bridge and find the market - said to be the best market in the world .... and possibly so. It's really big and is super nice, with all sorts of fish, vegetables and tons of people. It's great for photography - colors everywhere - so Chet, of course, had a field day.

From the market, we wandered through to the Dorsoduro to find the Accademia, which has many works - including paintings of old Venice dating from the 1300s. What's most fascinating is that the views from San Marco remain strangely unchanged - and the gondolieri, although dressed differently, use the same technique to pilot the same boats. Chet was getting "museum fatigue", though, so we continued our walk through town, exploring our way to La Fenice, the local opera house. In the course of all of this wandering, we buzzed through the Campo Santa Margherita searching in vain for the Chet Bar. A few people gave us directions, but - as it happens - none actually led to the bar and one woman finally told us that she had simply never heard of it. Very sad for Chet.

Wending our way back to the hotel, we passed over a bridge and heard serenaders riding along the gondolas. Accompanied by accordians, they sing old or new Italian songs to the passengers while passing under a sunlit bridge. Chet got most of this on his HD quality video. We got back to the hotel room after a good 7 hours of walking around and both promptly fell asleep. After this short nap, we got up and walked to the north shore of the island to check out restaurant menus and hunt for a place to eat. Wound up back in our neighborhood at Da Bepi, where we had yummy pappardelle with mushrooms, spaghetti with clams, and a mixed seafood fry which is a local specialty. That was the day!

Tuesday, April 14: Milano to Venezia

Had breakfast at the Brunelleschi, which was very good, as always. Said "good'bye" to our Apple-loving waiter friend, who had waxed quite poetic about his new uni-body laptop and iMac when we'd had dinner at the hotel our first night in.

Chet went to get the car and couldn't figure out the payment system; fortunately, a nice person helped him out. He went to the hotel to pick Lynne up - patiently waiting with the baggage - and we set off for Venice! The drive to Venice is easy, and we parked the car in a garage in Mestre - on the mainland - and walked to the train station to go to Venice proper.

Chet, who'd never been here before, was almost in shock with the beauty of the city when we first arrived. There are beautiful sights in every direction - from the costumers and masks to the gondolas and water taxis, the Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge. It just goes on and on. We also plan to visit the "Chet Bar", which is named after Chet Baker - and for whom Chet Shannon is also named.

The Piazza San Marco is amazing and jaw-droppingly beautiful. There were at least three different groups playing music on the square in front of the various restaurants. The beauty is just amazing. We got back to our hotel room ar4ound 7:30, and Lynne wasn't feeling well (the pesky cold Chet brought home from the midwest!), so Chet went out to get some food for dinner.

April 14, 2009: Last Day in Milano

Hmmm .... Easter Monday and another holiday in Milano. Shops and restaurants closed for business. Just as well, as Milan is fashion central and the shops are quite expensive. Much better to just window shop!

We hope that Venice is more interesting, and that it will be open for business!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Woke up to the sound of quiet. We found out it was another holiday: Easter Monday. We felt like we had finally gotten over our jet lag. We both still have colds dragging our energy down a bit. Got up and walked around various neighborhoods, which was nice but somewhat unremarkable. We walted to the Castello, and walked around the somewhat run-down park behind it. The park was loaded with people enjoying their day off, but it was as unkempt as the public park. There was no feeling of the elegant beauty you'll find at the Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris. More places were open than on Sunday - I would estimate that only 30% were open, though. We wen to the Teatro Museo della Scala, and Lynne really enjoyed this. Truly like visiting an important spot. We both enjoyed the visit. Unfortunately, they were also taking the holiday week off, so we couldn't see anything there.

We went to the hotel late in the afternoon, then out to dinner. Lynne had linguine with shrimp and bottarga (which she declined to split!! .... although she *did* share some .....) and a red tuna with spinach. Chet had a risotto Milanese, and torchie with pesto and beans, both of which he deemed "okay". The bottarga was memorable; the rest not so much.

Addendum: on Sunday, we went to dinner at Obika, a place we'd recently read about in the NYT. It was an apperitivi bar, which specializes in fresh mozzarella. For the price of a glass of wine or a cocktail, you get all you can eat off an extensive appetizer bar. Yummy!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Got up, still tired from our 30 hours of travel to get here. Went down to the biggest breakfast spread we’d ever encountered in Europe. Hot and cold food. Wow.

Finally got out of the hotel and went around the corner to the dramatic Duomo – went inside and caught the end of the Easter service. It was quite beautiful inside and out. Chet took lots of photos, and then we went to the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuel, which is a glass-covered arcade filled with shops and people milling about on Easter Sunday. Most of the businesses were closed, as one would expect. The galleria runs between the Piazza di Duomo and the Piazze della Scala; holy ground, one might say, and location of the Teatro della Scala (or La Scala, as it is more widely known).

We wandered around, through the public gardens (which pale alongside New York and Paris), and down the Via Spiga, premier shopping district for the well-heeled. Every famous designer appears to have a showroom there, highlighting their latest designs – some of which were hits and some of which were misses, for us. We were sure that none was affordable, though, even had we wanted any.

Milan is very industrial feeling, and doesn’t exude the history that Rome does. There are many not-very-interesting cement buildings, some of which were constructed while Benito Mussolini was Italy’s imperial ruler.

Saturday, April 11, 2009: Drive to Milan

So by 9am on Saturday April 11th we were starting our marathon drive across France to Italy. We would be driving and the traffic would slow to a craw for no apparent reason. We crossed the Alps without difficulty. The weather was grayish and cloudy so it wasn’t ideal for seeing the beauty of the mountains.

We finally got to Italy around 6pm and we were 70km from Milan and the traffic stopped dead on the road. People got out of their cars and party – community event ensued where people chatted, walked their dogs and generally cavorted. We sat there and napped for about an hour since we hadn’t slept much since we left the US. Then we finally rolled past the crash site and there were two violently rolled over and mashed cars with their contents strewn all over the roadway. It was pretty ugly. People tend to tailgate here – maybe that was a problem here too.

We arrived in Milan shortly after passing the crash site and we were happy to be there after 30 hours of traveling. We were very glad to have the GPS, as the street signs are smallish and unlit on the sides of buildings … very difficult to read at the best of times. Luckily, with Lynne navigating (with aid of GPS) and Chet driving, we stumbled our way to our hotel. The Brunelleschi is a very nice hotel, and we had a huge room. They had upgraded us to what was undoubtedly the largest room we’ve ever had in Europe (or anywhere else, for that matter). It was clean and modern, and had a nice balcony. We arrived the day before Easter, though, and the city is mostly shut down. This was good in the respect that we were forced to relax, maybe more than we otherwise would have, and we are both still at the tail end of colds.

Friday, April 10, 2009: The Voyage

Got up way too early compared to our normal wake-up time. Emmie (our gracious neighbor) very kindly gave us a ride to the BART station where we caught a train straight to the airport. We had an uneventful ride on US Airways to PHL and then on to Paris. At which point we rented a small car and Lynne already had her second compliment on how good her French was. One person even said “why do you speak French like that- did you used to live here?”