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!