Post # 32: what we would change and what we wouldn't, or things we are bringing back to America

I thought of writing this post as a funny little post script. That's the best I can do to describe it, because I really want to focus on all of the little things that are either endearing or infuriating. While obviously not enough to break the bank either way (that is, to hate Europe or to decide to stay), it is funny to note.

THINGS NOT TO LOVE:
No free bathrooms
Chip and pin system
Italian left luggage
Italian strikes
No Starbucks in Italy
No breakfast...anywhere
Tricked into paying for bread
Tourist traps

THINGS TO LOVE
Good bread
Good wine
Good beer
Good coffee
New foods
Being unplugged
Walking
Futbol
Hospitality
Tourist traps

Post # 31: Paris and our final days in Europe

After leaving Milan, we are both very tired and very ready to come home, which doesn't leave us with high hopes for the remainder of Paris. Nevertheless, we push through the gloom, put smiles on our faces, and go through the process of finding our last B&B. It is located in Fontnay Aux Roses, which is a 24 minute ride from the center of town, minus the wait for the right train (multiple trains go the same way with different destinations, so you have to watch your step). Before we arrive, we aren't sure if this is a blessing or a curse.
It only takes us until that night - after check in and crawling in to bed - to figure out that this is a huge blessing. Our bed is the most comfortable of the whole trip, the place is quiet, and the landlord is super nice. Our dinner that night was exquisit (albeit found quite by accident), and breakfast the next morning was the best in days, full of fresh fruit and LOADS of coffee. We realize that by the grace of God we found just what we need: relaxation.
The next few days are full of experiencing everything that we missed on our first trip. We go to the Rodin museum, the Arc de Triomph, the Champs Elysees, bow to the emperor (Napoleon's tomb), and, of course, end in Montmartre. Our food, also, was otherworldly. House wines, duck, braised beef, salmon, omlette du fromage (that one is for you, Matt Lawton!), just baked chocolate cake, and, of course, the best cheese and bread that money can buy (but doesn't have to). Of course, there were also crepe that were so good, we went back to the same store twice (only time in the whole six weeks).
But the real story, the real reason that we had such a great time in Paris the second time, is the combination of rest and the experience. Imagine yourself relaxing on a hill in Montmartre and watching the sun set over the whole of Paris, and think about how relaxing that experience is. Or how about experiencing the ingenious trick of seeing the tomb of Napoleon, then realizing that you are bowing to Napoleon even now. What about considering that Rodin was accused of dipping live humans in molten bronze (he was that good), and then experiencing the awe inspired by Rodin's masterpiece "The Gates of Hell" or "The Thinker." Maybe a slow stroll through Champ Elysees, the Promenade of promenades, is enough to rest your soul. If not, then a slow morning in a beautiful Paris B&B, complete with full service and a morning of reading and waking up to no alarm, should do the trick. If food is the way to your heart, then how about being able to stop anywhere, on any street corner, no matter how run down the shop, for the best food in the world? Yeah, I'd say that Paris was just the trick to make us fall in love with Europe again.
With heavy hearts we make our way to the airport on our final day, both ready to go home and never wanting to leave. Our conversations turn reflective as we discuss the things we have learned and the sites we have seen on this trip. The perfect turn to cap it all off are the new friends that we met in the airport. We chat for a few hours before boarding, and share a cab on our way to the overnight.
The whole of the experience is grand, and there are things that we loved, and things that we hated. Overall, though, this trip has been life altering. We are coming back home with an experience that would take too much to explain over a blog. Maybe someday you can buy us a Florentine steak or some pork knuckle for dinner, and we can talk about it over house wine and candlelight.

Post # 30: Our Brief Encounter With Milan

Dichotomy is a quality which at once describes the very nature of every human being on God's green earth. Take the ability of an artist and consider that in capturing dichotomy in their work they become beloved. Nevertheless, man cannot serve two masters, so perhaps that is why we find it vulgar when the dichotomy of a thing or an individual or a corporation is thrust into our faces, where we attempt to describe it as hypocritical. You must either love the one and hate the other, or vice versa. It is with this philosophical treaty that I endeavor to express to you our tumultuous feelings about Milan, and perhaps bring you to understand why it has taken us so long to write about it.

The awe inspired by each of our "tourist" destinations is a sharp contrast to the chagrin felt in travelling between each of these destinations. In most of our destinations thus far, the "trinket peddlers" have been prevalalent but not worth the mention, as they are easily passed by with a smile and a "no thank you." Milan's trinket peddlers, however, seem to reflect the city's self importance and arrogance, such that on more than one occasion we had to run away for fear of being physically accosted. This is in accord with the booth operators, peddlers, and other merchants, who at once seemed to be disgusted at the presence of such an ugly tourist and determined to abide them until every last penny was wrung from their pockets. All this in a city which seemed more akin to walking through downtown Atlanta than anything that should be in Italy.

However, the moments in between are so memorable that they almost beg forgiveness of the city's faults, and it is easy to pick out only the awe inspiring memories which left us in good spirits, as so often happens. In such cases, we were sure that we had stepped into a fairy tale. After check in on our first night, we happened upon a small pizza shop. So crowded was this pizza shop, with its singing chef and brick oven right at the door, that patrons spilled out into the street while waiting for a table. And after 45 minutes of waiting (on a Tuesday at 9, no less!), we discovered why: this shop (Trattoria Maruzzella) cooks the best pizza in the world! As we ate our best pizza in the world, serenaded by a Super Mario-esque chef, time seemed to stand still.

Follow this up with a few hours in the Duomo (yes, Milan has one too). The Milan Duomo in size rivals St. Peters Basillica (the second to do so, by the way. The other was in Florence), such that you would think that you were stepping into a gothic St. Peters. Enormous stained glass windows, altars, chapels, and of course, the world famous statue of St. Bartholomew. Bartholomew was purportedly skinned alive, and this statue depicts the saint after the fact, wearing his skin like a robe. It is at once elegant and grotesque, and wholly fascinating, such that I don't believe that pictures can do it justice. This statue, of course, only adds to the ambiance of a church which makes one feel humbled by its grand nature.

Enter thereafter Castello Sforzesco (good luck saying that three times fast). Although heavily rebuilt because of bombings from WWII, and previous heavy military use, it still very much feels like a place where nobility would live. Now, however, the rooms have been turned into museums, one of which, the Pinacotecca, houses Michelangelo's last work, the Rodanina Pieta. From there, the back of the castle opens into the most comforting and well kept park that we have happened upon recently. Quite expansive, there is enough room for hundreds of bikers and runners and ball players, a stream, and several restaurants, while at the same time you feel as though you can get absolute privacyin an instant by walking off of the path.

Although this is nowhere near the end of our adventures -these include the pinacoteca de brera, the best risotto alla Milanese in Milan, and our new friends found at dinner - we still can't help but battle with our mixed emotions about this city. Perhaps we are simply spoiled by the bevy of perfect experiences that we have had in our other cities. Or, maybe we are being too harsh. Either way, Milan left us with experiences which we shall not soon forget, regardless of whether or not we ever decide to return.

Post # 28: Munich

I feel really bad for Munich. That Munich is a fascinating city can hardly be underscored enough, and yet it must carry on with its sordid past hanging high overhead. WWII was bad enough, but whenever I thought of Germany (before coming here), I always thought of the Nazis. Munich seems to have gotten the worst of it, too, as It must survive allegations of its inhabitants attempting to forget WWII (stemming from the perfect rebuild of the city after WWII). And yet, Munich maintains a population of people which are so enthralling that they have made Germany our favorite country.

Upon taking power, Hitler asserted that Munich would be the capital of his Germany, he loved it so. The people, in response, recognized the danger that lay in store, as their beloved city would shurely be destroyed. So a plan was hatched for saving the city: plans for all of the city's buildings and descriptions of such things as  streets layouts, lamp post designs, floral arrangements, etc., were all collected and hidden underground. This allowed them, with little difficulty, to put the city back just the way it was after it was ravaged by WWII. In fact, so eerily correct was their reconstruction that they were accused of trying to erase the occurrence of WWII.

Munich natives also had the opinion that WWII monuments were much more powerful if they were subtle. As such, throughout the city you find little oddities which force you to take to the internet in search of an explanation. In one part of town you find yellow bricks, reminding us of an underground resistance led by Germans who disagreed with the Nazis. Elsewhere, we see plaques in memory of defiant Jewish shop owners and the citizens who supported them. Rather than being huge, unmistakable memorials (as is the holocaust memorial in Berlin) with ignorant tourists playing on and otherwise disrespecting them, these monuments honor victims of WWII in a memorable subtlety that invites a somber reverence rather than a disrespect.

But, strangely enough, it is the beer culture that is most inviting about this community. Rather than playing host to drunkards and malfeasance, the celebration of beer in Munich (yes, it is celebrated; just observe their maypoles and festivals) brings people together. This isn't a matter of trying to get drunk; it is a matter of making friends, laughing together, and enjoying life. One visit to a beer garden will confirm this. Strangers will sit next to you and become fast friends with you in a short time; children run and play in the shade; meals are eaten slowly over intimate conversation rather than in front of a TV. Beer is about community here, which is very heartwarming.

We realize all to late that we have not allotted enough time to stay in Munich. But then again, a week could not have been enough time. However, our short time here has already impressed upon us so much, and we are eager to return. Next stop, Florence.

Drew and Nicole

Post # 29:Self Guided Walking Tour

vp_The following rendition is an adaptation of a self-guided walking tour I found on About.com. We decided to follow this tour to the best of our abilities,and it happened as follows:

Notes: Things in parenthesis or brackets are our words. All other writing is instruction authored by About.com for the tour. Also, we highly recommend looking at Google Maps while you read; you can almost exactly follow our route.

Our tour starts in Piazza San Marco. Coming from the S.M.N. train station, walk on Via Navionale to Piazza Independenza, then turn right on Via Ventisette Aprile. From the Duomo (which we saw) and Baptistery (which we did not see), walk on Via Martelli and continued straight on Via Cavour.

When you arrive at the square, have a coffee, standing at the bar to save money, in the Grand Caffe San Marco (which we did; decent cappuccino, good pastries. However, a little pricy.)

Cross Piazza San Marco to the San Marco church and look inside to see the altar crucifix by Fra Angelico. (This is pictured below, and was beaitiful in person as was the rest of the interior of the church. It was odd from the outside though because it hardly looked like a church.)

Then go into the Museo di San Marco beside the church. This is not your usual church museum, in fact [the author of the About.com article] found it to be one of the more interesting museums in Florence. (We also found it quite beautiful and insightful. Getting to read about the history of monks, and their artistic talents was really a treat.) Inside are frescoes by Fra Beato Angelico, relics of Savonarola, and artifacts from medieval Florence.

The San Marco museum is housed in what was the cloisters of the monastery, taken over in 1437 by the Dominican order and funded by Lorenzo de Medici. Fra Angelico was one of the monks who lived there and he painted frescoes in many of the monk's cells. Upstairs is the Annunciation (a photo of which is below and was illegally captured might I add), one of his most famous works, and cells along the corridors where you can see frescoes.

Another famous resident was Savonarola,a righteous monk who decried the decadence of Florence's art to end the Renaissance period; and you can see his cell and relics. The large library with an exhibit of important manuscripts was where Savonarola was finally arrested in 1498.

Downstairs are paintings and frescoes by Fra Angelico and other 15th century artists, including a large Last Supper in the bookstore. A long hallway holds interesting relics from what was once Florence's medieval center, destroyed to make way for modernization and the Piazza della Repubblica in the 1860's [more about that when we get to Piazza della Repubblica at the end of our walk.]

Next we'll make our way to the central market. Turn right at the exit and walk past the Galleria dell' Accademia (which we did not get to see), then turn right on Via degli Alfani and left on Via Sant Orsola.

As you approach Piazza dell Mercato you'll see stalls outside selling leather goods, clothing, and souvenirs (pictures below). Continue through the stalls until you see a door into the large building that houses Florence's central market, San Lorenzo Mercato Centrale.

The central market was once the main shopping center in Florence for fresh foods but as supermarkets sprang up and more people had cars, the market became less important (which is a complete tragedy!) Recently foreign immigrants, tourists (like Drew and Nicole), and a renewed interest in fresh, local foods have helped the market stay busy.

Even if you don't want to buy anything (we got two more cappuccinos and some trail mix), it's worth taking a look around the market. You may see foods you've never seen in a market before, like several kinds of cow stomachs and intestines at the Tripperia. There are stands selling all kinds of fowl, meats (including wild boar), and fish.

(Next we were supposed to) Walk down Via Sant Antonino toward the train station. Turn right toward the station, continue in front of the station on the road that curves to the left and heads to Ponte Vespucci, the bridge you'll take to cross the river for lunch at an inexpensive trattoria. (But we did not do this exactly... from the central market we had to sprint back to the S.M.N. basilica, in order to take an actual tour called the Medici tour. More on that later... After our actual tour-guide guided tour, we resumed our self-guided walking tour, but did not take the above route.)

Kyle Philips, of Italian Cuisine, took [the authors of this tour from About.com] to one of his favorite restaurants in Florence - Trattoria Sabatino. (We were starving and couldn't have been happier about trying this trattoria. Sadly, however, Italians have this TERRIBLY annoying ha it of closing all their restaurants down between 2:00-4:00p, and re-open between 6:30-7:30p. We walked all the way over inly to find it closed. Disappointedly, we went on with our tour...)

Our next stop is Gelateria La Carraia in Piazza N. Sauro by Ponte Carraia (which we were supposed to have after our super late lunch or extremely early dinner. But the tour must for on so we had gelato anyhow. They serve EXCELLENT homemade gelato in a variety of flavors. Our orders with two flavors cost one euro fifty.)

Next, we arrive in Piazza della Repubblica. Remember those remains of medieval Florence we saw in San Marco Museum? Here's where they came from.

As you enter the piazza, you'll see a big arch with an inscription on top (shown in the photo below). It refers to this area of Florence as squalor that had to be cleaned up and given new life. What was once an important market center in medieval times became the modern Piazza della Repubblica when Florence was the capital of the newly unified country of Italy, years 1865-1871.

Piazza della Repubblica is ringed with cafes with outside tables with high service charges used mainly by tourists. Florentines still frequent the cafes but you'll find them inside where prices are lower, according to Kristin Stasiowski of Context Florence.

Two cafes on the square are major cultural monuments. Donnini Pasticceria has the best coffee in Florence and great pastries, again according to Kristen Stasiowski. It's one of the historical cafes where intellectuals and writers used to hang out in the late 19th century. Inside you'll see old pictures of Florence; go inside Donnini for a coffee. (That Kristen woman was right; it is best cappuccino in Florence! It was absolutely perfect!)

Walk on the street that continues along the river until you get to the Ponte Vecchio, or old bridge, lined with shops. Built in 1345, this was the first bridge in Florence to cross the Arno River. It's also the only medieval bridge to survive the bombings of World War II.

Continue walking straight to Piazza della Signoria (slightly off to the right). This square is the heart of Florence's historic center. You'll see lots of sculptures around the square and in the loggia, including a copy of Michelangelo's David.

Next we're going to see what is probably Florence's oldest building. Exit the piazza on the north and walk up Via dei Cerchi.
What's believed to be Florence's oldest building is a tower dating from the ninth century, Torre Bizantina della Pagliuzza. From Piazza della Signoria, walk up Via dei Cerchi. Cross Via del Corso and continue straight on Via Sant Elisabetta, then look for the Hotel Brunelleschi on the left.

The restored tower and the medieval church, San Michele in Palchetto, are now part of the hotel. Inside the tower part of the hotel is a private museum with medieval ceramics found during the restoration and the remains of a Roman bath (one of the few Roman remains in Florence).
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Next we made an addition of our own to this tour. We had hears that you can go in domes and belltowers all day long, but the absolute BEST (and free) view of Florence was from Michelangelo's Palozzo. So we stares our accent on the Palozzo, which was a bit akin to hiking Kennesaw mountain... only more straight up. However, our climb was vastly rewarded, as the view was stunning! Check out some of the pictures below!

From here we realized that all we had eaten in the last 6 hours was cappuccino and gelato... it was time for dinner. What better to do than try Trattoria Sabatino again? To our delight, it was open!!!! And filled with locals...

Trattoria Sabatino has been around since 1956. They serve inexpensive lunches and dinners on weekdays only (closed Saturday and Sunday).

There's a new menu daily that includes dishes they almost always have and a few seasonal dishes. Our primi course was caserecce al sugo or weird shaped pasta with a hamburger meat sauce. Our secondi was manzo lesso can salsa verde con insalata mista condita e patate arrosto a.k.a. roast beef with a pesto-goodness with a mixed salad & roasted potatoes. We had mozzarella formaggi for dessert... that one should be self-explanatory. Plus, rose vino de la casa and some mineral water (good Italian restaurant also NEVER serve tap water; you must by it...)

Pastas and soups were priced at 3.50 to 3.70 euro. Portions aren't huge but two courses was plenty filling. Meats and fowl ranged from 4.50 euro to 5.10. Water was 75 cents, and 50cl of wine was 1 euro 20. There are a few basic antipasto dishes and several tempting desserts, too. Although nothing fancy, the food was excellent. And the price was RIGHT. We had so much, and our total bill was 27 euro! A.mazing!

So that was our day! A little out of order from the original tour, but it was still pretty awesome.