From Florence with Love

Today was great despite more frustrating internet problems.  It was so great that I'm just now getting around to telling you.  We had a wonderful morning, afternoon, evening, and now - we just need to have wonderful dreams from today.

Thanks to all the folks who sent kind words about our travels - your wishes for us came true today and hopefully will keep coming true.  Know that we miss home and friends and family, but today, things were were just nice.

Emily or I will fill in the details tomorrow - and yes, there may even be pictures.

Firenze or Florence

We've safely arrived in our wonderful flat in Florence.  It feels very 15th century.  We even have laundry although unfortunately, one of my shirts has fallen of the drying line and into a forlorn courtyard.  Hopefully, I'll get it back tomorrow.

On the train ride in, I finished reading The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie, which was strangely not as appropriate as I guess it should have been.  Still, it was nice timing.  We had dinner in tonight.  It was melon and prosciutto and pasta with pesto sauce and I had a fair bit wine, which may explain the writing, along with the Rushdie.  It was a generous meal served up for a bargain by my wonderful wife.  Now, all I have to do is wash dishes.

Anyhow, it is wonderful to be back in Florence or Firenze.  This city doesn't change drastically.  I'm one of the people who has no claim to the city but comes here anyway.  All of the wandering travelers feel like they are a bit in my way but then, it is like looking in a mirror.  Of course, I've come for the food, the art, and the views and I'm not sure why some of the others do.  There is certainly fashion here and culture.  I think traveling in Italy always feels a bit like it has been mucked up somewhat by the progression of time.  I want to go back to the Renaissance when Florence was a jewel of the world and not an antique.  I could do without the wars, the plagues and the antisemitism, though - I'm glad we're a little past some of it here.  But enough snobbery.  I think that the strangeness of how others feel and act towards this city only enhances the joy when I feel that I've found a little piece of my own imagined Italy.  When we stumble across the authentic family restaurant or know  (as much as anyone does) what a piece of art means or why it was made.  But I can share the views of the Duomo, the Arno and the San Lorenzo market (inside more than on the street).  I have no choice and every once in a while a person who sees it with the same light shows you a better angle and makes it all the better.

This is why you should not write blog posts after your wife tells you she does not like the wine and you feel obliged to get your 6 Euros worth from the bottle all by yourself.  Forgive me.  We are exceedingly well, a little sick for home, missing our Wally and friends and family, but happy and enjoying our journey.  There are moments where I understand nothing about why I've come and the things I see and moments where the reason for the sometimes uncomfortable, stretch of travel is a sparkling, translucent and beautiful thing.

We saw many beautiful things today but took no pictures.  I am sorry.

Last Night in Milan

This is the point in the trip where I don't think I'm doing as good of a job keeping the blog up to date as I probably could be.  My excuse?  We've been going and doing or working or reading or eating, which is why we came.  So, I can't say I'm sorry, but I know that at least a small number of folks back home want to know what we're up to and that we are safe.  For the latter part, I can assure we are and have been.

Since my last long post, we left Paris.  The night before we left was the solstice.  I have to say I just cannot party like a Parisian.  My prohibition against excessive public drunkenness and urination just keep be a bit gauche (not cool, but I think literally, left).  Still, that evening we'd had a lovely dinner in a truly authentic Parisian cafe and strolled down by the Eiffel Tower in what proved to be a great send-off.  Sorry, we forgot the camera.  Which I'm sure was a relief to the drunkards that evening, if they had any shame at all.  Also that evening, we encountered a strike which caused the metro to overflow as people were unable to board the regional trains as normal.  I still haven't fully understood the Paris Metro but what I do know is that the people seem to take it as a community challenge to see how many can fit into the cars, which were laid out by someone who clearly had never actually traveled on the Metro.  Me and the Paris Metro?  Not good friends.  I'd love to go back to Paris and try again.  Next time we go, we'll make sure to stay somewhere chic, eat lots of pain au chocolat, hire a driver, rent the Louvre to ourselves for the day and hit the fromagerie when it is open.  Oh, and more crepes and fallafel.  I really did have a good time, but it was a city of extreme highs and lows for me.

On to Milan.  Milan has exceeded my expectations.  I thought it was going to be super expensive and stodgy. While we had some travel issues getting here, and had to secure internet via Vodaphone, we soon discovered that Milan was unique, beautiful, and even welcoming.  Their Metro is easy to navigate, there is excellent (and reasonably priced - nothing is cheap in Europe) food, and even some lovely churches.  We've been to the Duomo, which every city has, and this one is quite impressive.  We also went to the Brera museum which was nice, if not a little strange and Castello Sforza.  Emily will correct my spelling when she tells her harrowing and ultimately happily-ending story of getting to the Michelangelo they have.  Oh, and Milan has Grom.  And Milan has a Neapolitan pizza place that, I don't know how else to say, rocked my shorts.  I'd come back to Milan in a heartbeat.

What's more, today we went to Padova.  It was a two hour or so train ride through the foothills of the Alps.  In some spots it was breathtaking.  Padova is a bigger city than I realized and seams to stretch out.  We visited for the brief 15 minute stay in the Arena Chapel aka Screvigni Chapel.  It has a Giotto fresco series that was way too much to take in during the time allotted.  We'll have to go back.  It is amazing.  And Giotto, if you aren't aware, was a really mysterious and fascinating guy, without whom the Italian Renaissance of painting would have been completely different.  Disclaimer, this is my opinion, and does not necessarily reflect those experts with whom I'm traveling.  Also in Padova are some very nice Donatello sculptures and the tomb of St. Anthony.  Padova was also a city where there is a stark reminder that Italy was a major site of WWII.  It made us both want to learn more about Italy's role as they're always the third country mentioned in the Axis.  One chapel we visited was completely rebuilt and crucial works were all but lost.  While this is just art, and history, it is a reminder of the lives that people lost from that war whether they survived or not.  Also, Padova has Grom, too!

Tomorrow, barring the strike and computer failure of the regional train services, we're on to Florence.  It feels almost like a homecoming and, no exaggeration, a majority of the Emily's peers are currently there.  It should be excellent to revisit the city that was my introduction to La Dolce Vita (yes, it isn't Rome, but it is still coming up).   We'll check in from there tomorrow to let you know we've settled in.

Also, we've been taking fewer and fewer pictures.  It is a funny thing to take pictures once we're in the thick of it.  We've seen so many tourists behaving like nimnulls to get photographs, it just makes the process sort of a turn-off.  We'll keep trying, but only if it doesn't spoil our memories as we're making them.

Allora! In Milan!

Just updating that we are in Milan after another exhausting journey that began way too early in the morning.  We spent the first day wondering, getting a bit lost, but seeing the center of Milan.  This morning, we've already seen Leonardo's Last Supper.  I'm currently working, having restored my access to the web and Emily is off studying art.  We're both safe, if not, again a bit tired.  We'll replenish and I'm sure provide a bit more color to our trip.  This will have to include our feelings about Paris, which, unfortunately were not left on the best note.  Still, it's a bright future ahead, and we're well.  More to come! By the way, I've disappointed all of Lombardi by not liking Campari.

Photo Dump 2!

High Tea in London...yum.  Ethan set up the reservation as a treat for me. 

 Ethan and Bruges Zot beer - its a beautiful thing.

Ethan and more Belgian beer....

 Just up the street from the apartment in Paris - Sacre Coeur.

 Tell me Ethan doesn't look Parisian here.  I mean, all we are missing is the beret.

 Notre Dame.

 Public Park, Paris - Ping Pong Tables!

L'As du Fallafel and an Orangina.  Life is good!

Longs Walks and Long Stairs

One of the benefits of living in the Montmarte area is that we have lots of nearby restaurants and bakeries.  One of the downsides is that we have lots and lots of stairs to climb to get to them.  It's not that bad, but yesterday, I had to dig a little deeper.

We started our our day by heading down to the Louvre.  We visited the galleries and saw so many works that are of a sort as to be the focus of a lesser collection.  It seems that there is no prohibition of photography of any kind in the museum.  The result is that you can pose with the Mona Lisa, The Venus Di Milo, Michelangelo's Dying Slaves, or whatever else you would like.  So, people generally elbow their way up to the works, turn their back on it, strike a pose, pause to throw another elbow in the back of the unworthy traveler there to see the priceless treasures of humanity, and have their picture before they venture off for their next photograph.  Hence, I have no pictures of myself with art or in the Louvre and I generally think photography should be banned and those who persist in taking these idiotic photos drug out in the street, and before they are shot, they should have their elbows filed completely off.  Despite this, we enjoyed the Louvre and had a very nice time.  Emily was, as usual an excellent tour guide.

About half way through the day, we ducked out for lunch.  The city of Paris gained a few points back from its deficit due to wretched signs, transport that defies logic and late opening tourist shops.  In a public park near the Louvre, where Emily found us lovely sandwiches, the city provides public ping-pong tables.  I advise that on this point alone, America take note.

After the Louvre, we trekked down the Champs-Élysées, which is only 1.5 miles, but felt like quite a bit more through the beautiful, but soft and muddy Tuileries Garden and then played dodge-em people through the retail district.  There were some lovely views and we stood in front of the Arc de Triomphe as yet another shower moved in over Paris.  Kudos to the Paris Metro (do I have to?) for having a stop right there that took us home for some much needed R&R before dinner, up the hill.

More wonderful views to be had on top of Montmartre before heading back home to collapse into bed.

Today we have another exciting day to meet up with friends, get great food, see great things... oh la la!  Look at the time!  I'll check in tomorrow.

Oh but before I go. We're both enjoying Paris - but would have loved to be with our Dads today.  Happy Father's Day to our Dad's who brought us up right, even though we abandoned them for Paris. We'll be home to celebrate you soon.

In Which Emily Orders Snails...

...and is not the most adventurous diner at the table.  Ethan just had to one up me and order pig's ears.  Both of our dishes last night were really good (if a bit rich) at Georgette's, a bistro a short walk from our apartment.

We are staying in the 18th arrondissment, or neighborhood of Paris, which is the same neighborhood frequented by artists in the 19th century and where Amelie was filmed.  Today, it is a bit of a tourist hot spot and has a penchant for racy shows and clubs. It does, however, have a bakery that won the top prize in Paris for its baguettes in 2010.  We are liking Paris so far and Ethan has really taken a shine to both the french bread and cheese....in fact, I am not sure what else he has eaten besides pigs ears, bread, and cheese....need to ask him about that.

We spent our first full day in Paris in the apartment...I am recovering from some nameless infection, thanks to medicine and a full day of rest.  Yesterday we went to Notre Dame and Ethan came back to the apartment to work for the afternoon.

I went to the Cabinet de  Dessin (Drawing Room) at the Louvre to look at some Michelangelo drawings.  Most drawing catalogs are tucked in basements or back rooms in museums, which, I suppose, is also the case with the one at the Louvre.  The difference is that a back room at the Louvre ends up being a gilt and frescoed ballroom left over from some 17th century expansion of the palace.  It was quite a trip to sit in a room being watched by the Goddess of Love herself in both painted and sculpted form and study Michelangelo drawings.

We are off this morning to the Louvre proper so that Ethan can see the vastness of their collection.  We'll do a photo dump sometime soon - by which I mean I'll upload some photos when I find the cable that connects the camera to the computer.

A bientot!

Paris!

We are arrived in Paris.  We have internet in our flat - hence forth known as apartment.  I'm walking on the right side of the road.  Parisian transportation is tre stupid.  Anyhow - more info to come.  We have a date to keep at 10 and are still settling in.  For notice, we are now 6 hours ahead of EST.

Quick Check-In

Today is our last full day in London and the weather is extraordinary.  We're feeling a little flush today since yesterday a local hit TV show used our flat to film a scene.  It was sort of like a British (iTV) version of Bones or something (withholding the name for now).  Anyhow, they paid rather nicely; I can't imagine how the flat's owner, who arranged the deal, made out.  So to celebrate, we'll be taking a proper tea this afternoon which should set me up for a nice walk through one of London's parks.  At least I'll have that much time outdoors.  Tomorrow afternoon we'll be on to Paris.  I wish for lots more time in London, but I know I have to keep working and we have to keep moving so eventually we can go home.  Signing off for now but I'll be sure to update with some pictures and notes from Paris.  We'll have internet at home there, which should make checking in much easier.

In Bruges

On Thursday, we went to the British Library.  If you weren’t aware, I’m currently enrolled in an Information Sciences program, which is American Library Association accredited.  This could possibly read Library School.   So, I’ve been thinking a lot about space design, collection and access.  The British Library takes an approach which I am sure has been written about to a much greater degree by people with a much greater perspective.  For my perspective, it was incredible (I may be over using that word, but hey, that is what this trip is about.  I didn’t mention the particular car on the Tube; because, it wasn’t incredible, so please forgive me).  The space was masterfully designed to allow for a museum and rotating exhibit, a meeting space, a café and of course the many reading rooms and business centers.    I could go on about the collection and the museum, some pictures to come, but take a look for what they have.  A sample is Leonardo’s notebook, the first recorded codex of the New Testament, hand written letters from numerous scholars, the notebooks from the doomed first British Antarctic expedition, letters and notes by Darwin and of course, Beatles memorabilia, etc., etc., etc…. It was fantastic.

After some scholarly time, we went back to the Borough Market for a proper fish and chips and Fish! Market.  We also finally had mushy peas.  I’d skip the pea soup next time, but the fish was quite an improvement over the corner shop from last time.  Having had proper fish and chips, a Full English, an ale and English Football, I feel like I’ve properly experienced a good bit of British cuisine.  We’re still planning on doing a tea, but it looks like that will be next week.  Sadly, the markets are mostly closed for the duration of our trip in London since they’re mostly on the weekend.   Desperation is beginning to set to do the last of the things I’d like to do in London.  The city has grown on me and I hope to return someday, but for now, it’s a focus on what time we have left.

So why won’t we have the weekend in London?  This morning, and 8:20am (local time), we departed from Heathrow and around 1pm (local time) we arrived into Bruges.  Bruges has been sort of a joke since it was added to the itinerary.  Everyone I have spoken with about it has said something to the effect of, “Oh Bruges!  It’s beautiful!  But you’re spending more than a day there?”  There is also of course the weird flick In Bruges which has us using foul language on every utterance of the fair city.  Okay, so jokes aside, we’re here.  The airport was fine (we had one silly event where an automatic door failed to open and the entire plane stood, myself included, completely clueless as to how to compel a door to open that normally does so on its own.  Finally one brute from the flight forced the door open.  Could you imagine?  Manually opening a door?  Really!) and the trains were orderly if not a bit late, as expected on the continent.  Arrival into the Bruges station was followed by about a mile journey into the city.  It is lovely, as described.  Old, narrow roads snake through suddenly turning without warning in a disorganized manner that leaves a weary traveler ready for waffles and beer. 

Our charming hotel is picturesque next to the canal, which smells a bit so it cuts both ways and a little out of the center, making it quiet and comfortable.  The whole of the city is no more than a mile across, as our walk proved.  After settling in, we ventured out to see the chocolate shops, the waffle peddlers and the beer – and a Michelangelo (the reason we’re in Bruges).   After losing and finding our way again, we happened upon an inviting salon that served us some much needed water, the Bruges Zot beer (Zot = Fool) and a waffle that made the snobbish waiter’s manners welcome.  The beer was exquisite with fruity notes and a sharp flavor.  The waffle was light and yeasty, not entirely sweet.  It was topped (our choice) by tart cherries, sweet fresh whipped cream and powdered sugar. It made the trip to Bruges worth it. We haven’t even had the chocolate yet! 

Oh yeah, then we went to the church that houses the Michelangelo.  It does not deserve the short shrift I’m giving it, but I imagine Emily’s forthcoming book will cover it much better than I can.  Needless to say, it was moving and fascinating in the way that his sculptures always are.  We left the church to the heavens having opened up.  Making our way back to the hotel through the rain made the city feel much bigger than it was and as I sit here drying off, and hoping my only pair of shoes are also, the warm computer is quite nice. 

I imagine we’ll head out to dinner shortly, hopefully to more agreeable weather.  By the time I post this, it will likely be Sunday or Monday as we are without internet.  I’ll add pictures then, too.  Bruges seems like a lovely weekend get-away and I’m looking forward to the FULL day tomorrow with Emily.  Perhaps, more details to come – if you don’t mind the short novel I seem to be writing.

PS - No pictures yet, Emily has the camera.  For an update this morning, we found excellent beer in Bruges: Oerbier.  It was incredible.  I highly recommend it.  We had it at a great pub that was recommended to us during a brewery tour.

In more important updates, our flat has been without internet for a few days now, sadly.  This is minimizing the contact we have from home.  I'll try to be in touch from the office a bit, but of course, that requires me to be in the office and likely, for you not to be.

Hitting a Stride

I feel like I’m finally hitting my London stride.  I managed to go the full day without getting lost.  I’m looking the right way down the street, I’m saying “quid” instead of bucks, cash, dollars, etc. and more importantly, I’m really enjoying the flow of the city.  I’m also thinking in pounds, which is good because 10 pounds for a meal really isn’t all that great a deal.  The past couple of days were a little trying.  I brought two pair of headsets, and they’d both broken.  My sandals broke right before the trip and worse, it’s been too cool to wear them.  We did laundry and we haven’t got a dryer, which made drying clothes in the rain mean our flat was now a jungle of underwear and blue-jeans.

So, how do you get into the stride of things sooner when you visit London?  First, think left.  Cars go on the left hand side of the street and so do passing pedestrians.  Fortunately, most of the roads have very neatly labeled reminders of which way to look for cars and bicycles (let me know if you’d like pictures of this).  Second, things are expensive.  Get over it.  Go to the Co-Operative or Tesco and get some pasta and cook it some nights.  Turkey sandwiches have been quite nice, too.  By the way, London supermarket cheddar is like what we would consider gourmet.  The Wensleydale is good, too and for all of those Wallace and Gromit fans, so fun to say.  Next, Boots is a pharmacy, but they only sell healthcare stuff.  If you want hardware, like superglue to fix your sandals or headsets or twine to hang your laundry inside, you’ll need to go Robert Dyas (the pronunciation of which is somewhat up for debate).  Also, Fish and Chips are great, and I want more of them, but the food of the newest arrivals is cheaper and quite delicious.  In our neighborhood, this is a lot of Hallal style food (Pakistani mostly) and Indian food.  Speaking of cheaper, bring cash.  American credit cards don’t have the crucial pin chip, so we have to swipe which is a big deal requiring IDs, signature validation and often phone calls to international agencies.  Just bring cash.  Finally, they have a show here called Top Gear.  If you like cars, or have ever seen a car, or better yet, if you hate cars, find this show.  It’s awesome. 

The local neighborhood has a restaurant called the Hayfield Masala, which used to be The Scream (a hip English bar) and before that the Richmond Tavern (a traditional English pub).  It gives you an idea of how the neighborhood changes.  We spoke with the owner who told us that the neighborhood was the Jewish bricklayer community before it was gentrified by the English.  We’re planning on visiting the surviving bagel (or Beigal) joint soon.  Then, probably about the time of partition, it was populated by Bangladeshi, pushing the English west (I’m speculating now).  There is still a fair amount of English people here in the town, but it is much easier to find Saag than mushy peas. 

So, things are going very well.  Work remains work, which is a good thing, I’m still washing dishes most nights and I’m still probably walking about a mile and a bit a day.  It’s almost too bad we’ll be leaving in a week (with the weekend dedicated to beer, waffles and French fries/chips in Belgium). 

We most recently visited the Tower of London, the British National Gallery for an amazing highlights tour conducted by Emily, the British Museum, which was an overwhelming but incredible meander through unmarked spread-out galleries, and Westminster Abbey.  The Abbey was breathtaking in magnitude, but very interesting as a study in conservation.  I saw lots of important British dead people, but everything was worn down because as humans, we like to touch things.  Emily will post pictures soon – sorry, internet connection has been a little spotty in the flat.  Well, sorry for being so lengthy.  It’s quite the trip so far.  Tomorrow, with Emily going to Oxford to see more Michelangelo stuff, I’m going alone to the British Bank Museum.  Can’t understand why she doesn’t want to see that one!  More reports to follow.

Elgin Marbles at the British Museum

Emily in front of Westminster Abbey

Photo Dump Ahead

In order to fill you in on what has been going on the past few days, a photo diary....

Windsor Castle - They let me look at the drawings in their collection!

More Windsor....

And a bit more....

The National Gallery, London

Trafalger Square (National Gallery behind me)

Needoo Grill - wonderful Pakistani food! The Naan was filled with pumpkin puree.

Borough Market....organic, local, eaten near a Gothic Church....
Change Alley!

The Tower of London...

The Tower Bridge.

Stay Tuned! More to come!

So Far, So Good

Ethan, here.  I've had a few misadventures so far.  Nothing serious.  The SNL London office is in a wonderfully easy to get to and central location - directly next to the the Bank of London, and between two major Underground stops, it even has a sign for the number right outside.  Still, those who know me will not be surprised that on my first solo attempt to reach it, I circumnavigated the office for a full 35 minutes.  I'm now very familiar with the area and leading tours on my lunch breaks of all of the alleys that dead end.  Speaking of which Change Alley, featured prominently in one my favorite novels, is next to SNL London.  Don't go there - it is the Bermuda Triangle of London.  I survived, clearly, but I may never be the same again.  Don't worry, I made it there fine the second day.  On the plus side, I've been outfitted with a cell phone (Blackberry), and been led to the Borough Market - where I plan to return, with Emily this time, today.

Next, I bought beer.  An endeavorer I had not found so difficult since I was 19 and in college (sorry Mom).  This is probably one of those you-had-to-be-there stories, but first, the can was not sold as it was displayed (as a single), then the four pack had no bar code (upgraded to the pint size can - much bigger than the expression), and my credit card did not have a "chip" (the latest technology not at all necessary in Amercuh).

Lastly, yesterday evening we went for Pakistani food and the Needoo Grill.  Pictures to follow.  It was awesome.  We're 2 for 2 on restaurants (which is good given their price).  Beautifully spiced lamb and eggplant lentils.  Tremendous naan with pumpkin in the middle.  Two types of Lassis that served as resets from the array of flavors.  It was resplendent.

Okay, well the morning is wasting and there is a English friendly later today - so off to the London Museum, the British Library and who knows where (if Emily has a say, Liberty of London).  I promise I'll figure out how to work Emily's camera and post some of the great pics - or I'll have Emily do it when she posts about her incredible trip to Windsor (yes, that's a teaser).

  

Reunited and it feels so good!

Ethan made the flight successfully across the pond and reunited with me at around 11 am local time.  I couldn't be more impressed - he figured out the London bus and tube system before I did.

After getting settled in, we headed out for a spot of lunch.....

Fish and Chips, Baby!

Then, we headed into the neighborhood known as "The City."  Ethan's overseas office is near the Central Bank and Exchange in a very nice section of London.  He is already set up in the office with a spot to work and is reconnecting with colleagues.

We then headed to St. Paul's Cathedral...

It's kind of impressive, don't you think?

After touring the inside - lots of famous people are buried there - we wandered over to the nearby Millennium Bridge.

Love the panorama feature on my camera!

Then, off to our first London dinner at Albion, which specializes in fresh, well-done British food.  Our selections: Barnesley Chop (lamb) with mushrooms, cress, and a roasted tomato, Kedgeree (a curry, fish, and rice dish left over from "the days of the Raj" as our server told us), and a side of Cauliflower Cheese (I could have taken a swim in the sauce).  We had beer and cider to drink and Eton mess for dessert.  It was yummy, the service was excellent, and, for London, it wasn't too expensive. 

Shortly after taking this picture, Ethan succumbed to jetlag and we made a bee-line for our flat.  He initially fell asleep with shoes still on...don't worry, Karen, I woke him so that he could brush his teeth.

On the docket for tomorrow: National Gallery for Emily, work for Ethan!