Au revoir, Paris!

Alas, it's time to leave. We spent so much of the day yesterday (Tuesday) dashing around picking up those last few gifts that I never was able to sit down at the computer. We're packing up and off to the airport in a couple of hours, but I still have many pictures and adventures to share with you once we're home.

Monday afternoon I met up with the fabulous Tish from A Femme d'un Certain Age, who gave me the Monoprix tour, and oui, I'm convinced. It's a superior place, 11/10. Oui, I did leave with a couple of "marcels" (tank tops) in a wonderful cotton, and also a little cotton marinière dress, white with red stripes. I was tempted by a pair of open-toe espadrilles with a little bow, but dommage, they were sold out in my size. After that we strolled and had intended to window shop, but were so busy talking that we decided to sit down at a cafe for a glass of wine instead. Last night le monsieur and I had a lovely dinner with Tish and her RFLIF, who is a delightful and charming gentleman! I miss Tish already, and am trying to figure out how to get back here again before another two years go by.  Isn't the internet a marvel? It's brought fabulous friends into my life, and I am so grateful.

The railing on this bridge is covered in locks and ribbons. Not certain what they mean, but I'm sure someone will clue me in.

~

Paris Parfait - Part 1

La Tour Eiffel, un verre du vin, and chatting with a good friend...it just doesn't get any better!

In Italy, the espressos were unbelievably good, but the regular coffee was horrible. Here in Paris, the espressos are still pretty good, but the regular coffee is great. Strong, dark, and flavorful. And the lovely young man at our hotel's breakfast buffet lets me take a pot and a cup back up to our room so I can have my brain-starter while le monsieur sleeps in. I'm enjoying a cup now as I type this.

After breakfast yesterday, we started out toward the Musée Cluny (Moyen Age) as it's one we've wanted to see but couldn't work in on past trips. But as we passed by Saint Sulpice church, we noticed that the doors were open and couldn't resist a look inside. This trip, we've so enjoyed the churches, even though neither one of us is Christian. The beauty of them, and that feeling of sacred space is a heady combination. Many churches did not allow photography inside, but this one did.

Look at this vaulting, isn't it gorgeous?

To be continued....
~

Room With A View - Paris!

Senat et Jardin du Luxembourg

It's so good to be back in Paris! The city feels like an old friend, familiar and welcoming, even though we saw some new sides of her yesterday.

After a light breakfast of coffee and croissants (nobody makes them like the French, nobody!!) we took a brief stroll around the Jardin du Luxembourg, dodging hordes of joggers at every turn.

Still, it's a beautiful and peaceful place early on a Sunday morning.

After that, it was off to the 11th to meet up with Karen, who has lived and worked in Paris for many years.  She suggested a walk to the Père Lachaise cemetery before lunch, and as we hadn't yet been there, it sounded like a great idea.

We visited the grave of Abelard and Heloise,

and of course, Jim Morrison.

After a lovely brunch at le fee verte (sans absinthe), Karen suggested we visit the Marché des Puces at Cligancourt and offered to go along to show us around.  We'd never been there either, and jumped on the opportunity for a guided tour from a local. There's definitely a trick to it. When you come out of the metro, you're in an area that's a bit dodgy, with guys aggressively hawking counterfeit designer bags and sunglasses along the sidewalk. You run that gauntlet, then pass by an area that looks like what you'd think of as an outdoor flea market, but it still mostly cheap, mass-produced crap.  Go another couple of blocks, and then on the street to the left is the real deal. A mixture of mazes of outdoor stalls and indoor permanent buildings, the Marché des Puces is an incredible and random mix of junk, real (and expensive) antiques, posters, old magazines (I was particularly tempted by a 1955 French Elle in very good condition) and various odd parts, like watch faces and these dolls' eyes:

Creepy!! Click to embiggen

I would've taken more pictures of the interesting merchandise, but most vendors prohibit photography. Still, I surreptitiously snapped one more:

According to Karen, June 29 is when schools here traditionally let out for the summer, and family holidays commence. One could definitely spend all day just exploring the MdP, and after a couple of hours we'd seen probably only a third or less. But the day was wearing on and getting rather hot, and now that we know how to get there and where to go, we'll definitely plan a few more hours here on a future visit. We'll also plan to have lunch at the Espace Django Reinhardt and listen to some of the fabulous live guitar music.

Karen was such a lovely hostess, and thanks to her we were able to see two bits of Paris that we probably wouldn't have visited on our own.

Today (Monday) we're off the the Musée des Moyen Ages in the morning, and then this afternoon I'm meeting up with Tish (!!!!) of A Femme d'un Certain Age to do a bit of shopping. I can hardly wait!
~

Room With A View

Grand Canal from our Venice hotel window

We're in Paris now, it's early Sunday morning, and I couldn't wait to show you just a few pictures of Venice. I feel a bit like I'm cheating on Paris, but I must say that we did fall head-over-heels for Venice, and will definitely be going back in the future.  I'll write in detail about all of the rest of our Italy journeys, but here's a little visual amuse bouche.

Corner table at Harry's Bar with an $18 Bellini. We'd wandered around for an hour trying to find the place!

~

Taxonomy

We've recently classified two unique and particularly noxious varieties of species Touristus americanus. In close proximity, (e.g. next dinner table) encounters with these two subgroups will result in premature departure (e.g. before dessert and espresso).

The first variety of T. americanus is youngi east coastus self-importantus. They can be identified by their distinctive calls: name-dropping of desirable geographical locations (e.g. "they invited us to their wedding in Monte Carlo, but I just didn't know them that well," "...her place is in the East Hamptons, but the good part") and a continual vapid patter about "art" and how fat people are in the midwest (e.g. "I mean, I had to take a picture!"). Unfortunately the author cannot describe their plumage, as I was doing my best not to give them the attention they apparently craved.

The second variety has been given the name loudus steroidus maximus, and is considered particularly deadly toward a pleasant ambiance. This group's call includes, but may not be limited to, a frequent use of "Dude!" and throaty recounting of drunken exploits (e.g. "dude, he still had a beer in each hand when the bouncers threw him out!") or details of particular football contests. Their calls increase notably in volume in proportion to bottles of wine consumed. Their pack leader may or may not be addressed by the other members as "Big Daddy."

Both subgroups should be avoided when four or more individuals are clustered together, lest an otherwise perfect dinner be ruined.

~

Venezia!

I'm going to have some amazing pictures to share once I get my mitts on some real internet. It's staggeringly beautiful here.

First impressions:

Venice is such a study in contradictions. The buildings are old, yet one sees graffiti everywhere. Men motor 25 foot skiffs loaded with engine parts, construction supplies, etc. through the tiny canals. A man in a suit on a razor scooter and his two kids on skateboards glide through a campo next to a church dating to sometime in the 1500's.  The little streets are charming, but also secretive. Le monsieur put it brilliantly I thought, "a mixture of romantic and sinister." There are centuries of flirtations and betrayals written in the stones.

We did a bit of exploratory walking in the area around our hotel, and yes, did get lost several times. Yesterday afternoon going from bright sunlight into a dark church I didn't see a step and fell hard on my right knee on the stone floor. I'll probably be limping for the rest of the trip. But I'm eager to get out and explore some more after breakfast.

We really haven't done a lot of shopping on this trip, or at least I haven't. Le monsieur picked up a couple of lightweight shirts in Florence to help him cope with the heat, and other than little souvenir-y gifts for folks back home, I just haven't been inspired, plus our schedule has been so packed there really hasn't been time for anything more than cursory browsing. We've been warned that most of the "local" glass and lace shown in the shops here is actually made in China. It's all just as well, as the exchange rate is still abysmal, though has improved slightly in recent days.

One of my plans for today is a foray over to Harry's Bar for a Spritz (pronounced "spreetz"). It's a drink with either Prosecco or white wine and bitter Campari. Another contradiction: bitter yet somehow quite refreshing.
~

Bloggus Interruptus

We're in Venice now, and it seems that our new hotel has a miserable internet connection (though it's fabulous in every other way), which won't accommodate picture uploads. So either I'll try again once we get to Paris, or will continue the updates once we're home in a week.

Venice is lovely, and yes, we've already been lost today.  I'm taking lots of pictures to share when technology allows.
~

Under the (blazing) Tuscan sun...

Temperatures here in Florence have been hitting 89F/32C daily. It's about 10F degrees warmer than we'd anticipated, even factoring in that so far this spring in Europe has been warmer than normal. So when I saw the small van that would be taking us on our tour of the Chianti Classico region, and the number of people who were in the group, I was worried that we'd be in for a very uncomfortable day.

The van was well air-conditioned however, and even loaded up with nine people was relatively cool. We drove south for about an hour before arriving at the first winery, Villa Cafaggio. After a brief tour of the winemaking facilities we sat down to taste four red wines, from a very young and spirited Chianti Classico to a more sedate and complex red blend called Cortaccio. We learned about the wine classifications in Italy, and that for a wine to earn the DOCG designation the grapes must be grown and the wine produced under very specific rules, which vary from region to region. DOCG wines aren't necessarily better wines than others, but just considered the most traditional. Our guide explained that for a wine to be labeled Chianti Classico DOCG it must consist of at least 80% San Giovese grapes. Chianti Classico is usually a more fruity, acidic wine, lending itself well to pairing with traditional foods of the region.

This green glass contraption on top of the barrel of fermenting wine was actually invented by Leonardo da Vinci and has changed little over time.  It allows the gas created by fermentation to escape, while not allowing air back in.

We also tasted some olive oil, some jam made with the grapes grown at the vineyard, and some chocolate. By the time we finished tasting (and purchasing) it was time for lunch, which turned out to be quite special.

VEGETARIANS, LOOK AWAY NOW!! (as Faux Fuchsia would say)

This ain't your mama's meatloaf!

DARIO + is legendary among foodies. The restaurant serves a variety of meat dishes, family-style, including meatloaf, pork roast with rosemary and herbs, and an incredible steak tartare. 

Dario - Butcher and Entertainer

Downstairs is the butcher shop, which offers tastes of salami, and seasoned lardo to spread on bread. Yes, that last one is what it sounds like and is incredibly delicious.

We'll be off soon to catch our train for Venice, and I still need to finish re-packing.  Second installment of our wine tour and more delights of Florence coming in the next installment.
~

Room(s) With A View

Santa Maria Novella, Florence

This really is the view from our hotel room. At least the one we moved to today, after one night in a room that was a few feet above a somewhat rowdy Irish Pub.

View from top floor of Uffizi

We've only been here a few minutes short of 24 hours, but have already decided we'll want to come back.  Today was a full day, with the Uffizi Gallery in the morning, and the Academia in the afternoon, and some wandering around in between trying to figure out where to eat lunch. As I mentioned previously, it's a good thing we're doing a lot of walking, as we're eating well and often. From anywhere in Florence just about, you could throw a rock and hit at least three gelaterias. Le monsieur has been enjoying a daily gelato, and I've knocked back an espresso or two.

One of many frescoed ceilings at the Uffizi

We're off to dinner in just a bit, and tomorrow we have a guided wine and charcuterie tasting tour in the Chianti region. Looking forward to seeing some Tuscan countryside!

Some nekkid guy at the Galleria dell'Academia

Travel Tip:
For popular museums, reserve ahead if you can. When we arrived at the Uffizi this morning, the non-reservation line was already 2 hours long at 9:30am. We'd fortunately been given the heads-up, and so had made multiple museum reservations a few weeks ago.  It limits how much you can play with itineraries, but avoiding wasting hours standing in line is worth a bit of planning.

I wish we'd done a bit of reading up and research about the Uffizi before we went, though. It's a large collection, and not organized either chronologically or by artistic style or movement, that we could discern anyway.  (And some collections were in temporary display rooms while their permanent  quarters were in the process of restoration.) If we go back on a repeat visit (on another trip) I'll try to be better prepared.
~

Arriverderci, Roma...Pronto, Firenze!

River Arno, Ponte Vecchio in distance.

And alas, still not enough bandwidth to upload pictures!  Changed rooms and now have a better wifi connection!

We arrived in Florence late yesterday afternoon after having missed our intended train from Rome, due to a mis-reading of our pre-booked tickets. After standing in line for 30 minutes or so, we were able to purchase two more tickets on the next train, and arrived only two hours later than originally planned. Our first big snafu, but a good object lesson. 

When I can post some pictures At some point soon, I'll share the sights, sounds and impressions in detail, but will say that while I'm certain we didn't even scratch the surface of what Rome has to offer, we were relieved to get away from the insane crush of other tourists and frenetic energy.  There are still plenty of tourists here in Florence, but in smaller numbers and the feel of the place is a bit more laid back. And what we've seen of the town so far is charming and gorgeous.

A few more quick impressions before we pop downstairs for breakfast and then over to the Galleria Degli Uffizi for our morning round of museum-going:

• Limoncella after meals is an entirely lovely and civilized concept, and something we think will translate nicely to our outdoor entertaining.
• It's been one big carb-fest. Fortunately we're doing a LOT of walking.
• High speed trains are amazing. We NEED one of these between SF and LA.  At some points we were going over 240 kph and the ride was smooth as silk.  
• I've been happy with my clothing choices so far. I've been comfortable, felt well and appropriately dressed. Layers are essential: while it may be unseasonably warm outside (according to the desk clerk at our hotel, temperatures we're experiencing this week are the norm for mid-summer), the museums and other interior spaces are often well air-conditioned, and I've been glad to have my 3/4 sleeve top or lightweight jacket to throw on over a tank.

~

Rome - A Few Impressions

Internet connection is mind-numbingly slow this morning, so am having trouble uploading any pictures.

I'm taking copious notes and lots of pictures, so will have plenty to show you, but here are some top-line observations from our wanderings and eatings yesterday:

1. Rome is packed with tourists and it isn't even high season yet. Americans mostly, from what I can tell.
2. If there's any one style trend I've observed on Italian women in Rome, it's white jeans.  Usually skinnies (the jeans AND the women).  They've taken to this trend with a vengeance, and usually some black platform heeled sandals.
3. Men in Rome are on the whole very well dressed. Granted, we're in the country's capitol, but more suits and ties seen on the street than at home, and even younger men wearing well-tailored suits (often without the tie). 
4. All of the Italians we've come in contact with have been very warm, friendly, helpful and patient with our mangled Italian. Le monsieur has spent a lot of time memorizing some common phrases, and is often complimented on his attempts to speak Italian. It's a beautiful language.
5. The espresso here is everything it's cracked up to be. I could drink it all day if I didn't need to sleep at some point.

I'll try again later to upload some pictures but we have a busy day ahead and I spent a couple hours yesterday trying to resolve the e-mail issues. (It's now looking like it may have been the email server that was hacked, not me personally, but I'll probably never know.)  

~

It Wasn't Me, Really!

Damn you, varmint hackers!

Apparently my e-mail has recently been hacked*, and a virus was sent out to everyone in my address book. If you have received an e-mail from me in the last couple of days with an attachment or link, please delete and do not open!  I'm taking steps to prevent recurrence. Thanks!

*Our family MAC expert says I may have a virus. Am downloading some fixes now.
~

Room With A View

That tower belongs to the Villa Medici.

Ancient steps, a secret entrance?

The surrounding gardens are, I believe, part of the Borghese Gardens. This morning I woke early and opened the window to be greeted by a wonderful cacaphony of birdsong from the nearby trees and church bells in the distance. A nice welcome to Roma!

Statues guarding the gate.

Today we're going to attempt a self-guided walking tour around the area which includes the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and streets where Fellini shot many of his movies. (Apparently he has a monument too, from what I could gather from the driver who brought us into town from the airport. I was quite tired and suffering from caffeine withdrawal at that point, but will verify today.) And some other stuff too.
~

Traveling in Style: Cleared for Takeoff!

Here's how une femme packs two weeks' worth of clothing, plus toiletries and some other odds and ends in a 20" carry on wheeled suitcase. (The bag: Eagle Creek Tarmac 20 )

First, lay out a clean towel on the bed so your clothes won't get covered in pet hair! (OK, so our dogs are a bit spoiled...)

Then, starting with the shoes you'll be packing, stuff with socks, jewelry, spare eyeglasses, Clarisonics, electrical adapters, anything that will fit.

This not only saves space, but helps prevent shoes being smooshed. See below, nobody flies for free! Every shoe carries something.

Some people use shoe bags to prevent shoe dirt from contaminating clothing. I tend to clean shoes off with a damp rag or paper towel before packing, and pack with soles to outside walls of bag. I suppose I could wrap in plastic grocery bags in a pinch, but usually I'm just not that squeamish.

Above, you can see the "valleys" made by the structure that houses the telescoping bag handle. Some people avoid wheeled bags for this very reason, but I'd rather wheel than carry to save my neck and shoulders.

Above I've used the valleys and gaps to pack my folding duffel bag, my raincoat, and non-liquid toiletries and cosmetics bags.  You can see there are still some unused nooks and crannies.  Those might come in handy for packing small souvenirs on the trip home.

I've packed this time using two Eagle Creek Pack-It cubes for my clothing. This isn't as efficient a use of space as just rolling the clothes and placing individually in the bag, but as we're going to be loading up and changing locations three times on this trip, these help keep me organized and make that process simpler when the time comes to re-pack.

First, I start with the pants.

Above, fold flat (not along the crease line) then starting with the waistband end, roll up as smoothly and tightly as you can.

In the first packing cube above, I was able to fit the three pair of pants that I'm packing plus the long black cardigan and short jacket, all rolled.

In the second cube, all of my packed tops, plus my nightwear (including a lightweight silk bathrobe).

Here's how the cube looks all zipped up. You can really stuff these babies.

Lay the cubes flat on top of the items already packed...

with the heavier of the cubes toward the vertical bottom of the suitcase for balance.  As you can see above and below, I haven't filled the main packing compartment up to the rim, so the lid closes and zips with room to spare.

Above, all the clothing is now packed and secured using the compression straps to keep everything in place. Underwear and bras are in the mesh compartments in the lid on the right.  I still have room in the main compartment for my electrical equipment (various chargers and an adapter) if I want.

And there's another flat-ish (1-2" deep) compartment in the lid that I haven't used.  Might be a handy space for a compression bag of dirty laundry on the trip home.

My laptop will slip nicely into the padded exterior pocket on the lid of the suitcase for easy access going through security. My clear quart baggie of liquids, wrap and purse will go into my "personal item" zip-top tote.

I'm successfully resisting the temptation to pack any more. Right now, I can easily lift this bag over my head, or pick up and carry up a flight of stairs or three. I don't want to spoil the magic.

In a few hours, we're off!


~