Sydney, Australia (aka My Kind of Town)

After leaving the cool weather and clean air of Tasmania, we headed back to the big city. Luckily, there was plenty of fresh air and warm (but definitely not hot) temperatures in Sydney as well. We spent a fair amount of time sitting in scenic areas, drinking beers, and people-watching but did a whole lot more walking here too.

We stayed in an area of Sydney called The Rocks at the Lord Nelson Pub and Brewery. It's the oldest pub in Sydney (yes, they brew their own beers too) and there's also a hotel attached. Some rooms have adjoining bathrooms but since we're cheap and Sydney is expensive, we opted for the traditional inn-style of a shared hallway bathroom. Luckily, it wasn't a problem to share and the hotel kept things very clean. The rooms were small but well decorated and we really loved the atmosphere (plus the stumbling distance to the room after a pint or two).


The first two days after we'd hit Sydney, we were lucky enough to catch a street fair in The Rocks, right on the street leading to the water. We came accross it the same way we come across most things while on vacation - by wandering around. The first day, the market was oriented to cheese and locally made foods (think olive oils and jams rather than veggies) with a smattering of arts & crafts and clothing. The second day (I think it was a Saturday), the market had quadrupled in size and had almost everything you could possibly want. We continued our tradition of buying a Christmas ornament to mark this new country and admired how the stalls were covered with a roofing reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House.


Speaking of the Opera House, we decided to stop by the box office on our first full day and were pleased to discover that there were reasonably priced seats left to the theatrical production of "Our Town". We went back later in the evening and though it wasn't in the grand auditorium, the production was great and it was really need to be there and have our intermission cocktails on the deck, admiring the lights of the Opera House. Mark got another great view of the Opera House a couple days later when he completed the Sydney Bridge Climb! On an escorted tour, he strapped in and climbed to the top. I joined him later to take the steps to the top of the turrets along the side of the bridge (can you see it in the picture below?) and since even the views there were great, I know that what he saw was amazing.


A friend from my wild Paris days left Paris shortly after me to return to her native Australia. Six years later (my, how time flies) she's married with an adorable baby. We were lucky enough to meet up in her 'hood of Manly Beach. We sat in a cafe, played with baby Poppy, took a walk along the shore, and caught up. At nap time, Mark and I explored the rest of Manly (including yet another street fair) and wished that we'd had more time to surf (or in my case, learn to surf).

Our visit to Manly only made us want to spend more time on the beach so we hopped on a bus from Circular Quay to the famous Bondi Beach the next day. The sky was blue and sun shining so it was nice to take off our shoes, roll up our pants, and stroll in the sand. We saw a group of kids running off to surf school with their boards and sat for a couple hours just talking and taking in the waves. Put Sydney on my "dream assignment" list for the future.

Arches National Park

After a wonderful couple of days in Santa Fe, we climbed back into the car and headed to Moab, Utah. Moab is in a really special location, near to both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. We elected to go to Arches first during our three and a half day stay and it was a good thing as the weather just got windier and windier.


Located within the park's boundries are over 2000 natural sandstone arches along with quite a few other rock formations. It's in the "high desert" which means the altitude is high but not high enough to cause any sickness. The landscape was incredible - I've been to a lot of places but Arches might be the most beautiful in the world. We did the 32 mile drive through the park, stopping at overlooks for photos and pulling into the trailheads for various hikes. Balanced Rock (see below) was one of the easier ones - just a short trail around the base of the rock. Nearby were views of Park Avenue (called that due to the tall formations that appear like New York skyscrapers) and the Three Gossips. With a little imagination, you can easily pictures all kinds of other figures and shapes built into the canyons and out of rocks.

Our favorite hike was between the Sand Dune and Broken Arches. Sand Dune Arch was incredible, tucked inside quite a few other rocks and well-shaded, the sand beneath our feet was cool and fine. My shoes have mesh along the outside and was letting in quite a bit of sand so I ended up going barefoot as I walked around. The downside was that the wind had been picking up and with the shape of the rocks, really whipped the sand around. We headed to the Broken Arch from there. Usually a pretty each walk (it was under 2 miles), it became a bit tougher by the fact that we'd forgotten water and that the wind was blowing sand into our faces.

When we made it to the Broken Arch, we crawled up the rocks to hit the other side (my hiking partner is pictured below) and made our way through the last part of the trail. This is when the need for water really kicked in but we hit the local campground (and water fountain) right in town. The wind started to pick up again as we left but we weren't quite ready to call it quits yet.

We drove around the park, trying to decide where to return to for sunset. We'd picked up some sandwiches in town and were planning on a picnic. Since we'd decided to do Delicate Arch the last day, we headed back to the Double Arch you see below. You can't really tell from that photo but you can actually climb all up and down the rocks between the arches quite easily and find the perfect spot to watch the sun set.

When we returned to Arches two days later, the wind was worse than ever. The sky in Moab was red and sandy when we woke up and the sand gusts were painfully strong. With our sunglasses, baseball caps, and jackets zipped up to our chin, we looked like celebrities dodging paparazzi! We made it out to Landscape Arch (below) where, in 1991, a chunk 60 feet long feel from the top. No need to dodge debris that day, just the sand. Unfortunately, it was a little to tough to make the longer hike to Delicate Arch. We vowed to make it back sometime soon - no light promise since the three and a half days we spent wasn't nearly enough.

Day 3: Gondoliers Looking for Action, Venice

Day 6: Piazza della Signoria, Florence

Yesterday, I shared that we spent our Florentine nights at the Piazza della Signoria, listening to street artists. We spent quite a bit of time during our days there as well. The grand piazza is part of the social and political history of the Florentine Republic and still a civic figure today. The Palazzo Vecchio is the de facto city hall of Florence, the Loggia dei Lanzi houses great Renaissance sculptures, and a replica of the famous David is right there. Let's not forget the fancy cafes and shops (Chanel, among others) that also surround the piazza.


The bell tower atop the Palazzo Vecchio would ring when Florence was threatened (like by the Duke of Milan) and would summon the militia. The real "Bonfire of the Vanities" took place here in 1497, when Girolomo Savonarola burned books and valuables to "teach" fellow Florentines to be less occupied by material possessions. Savonarola's revolution lasted until the follwing year, where he was burned on the stake by his follows in the exact same place as his bonfire.


We enjoyed a late afternoon aperitivo at Rivoire. That orange drink is a spritz Aperol, a cocktail I first had in Trieste last June made of prosecco, a splash of sparkling water, and Aperol. Aperol is a somewhat bitter aperitif made by Campari (much less bitter than Campari though). It's usually topped with a slice orange and is an incredibly refreshing cocktail for a warm weather patio.

Day 17: Florence's Bridges, Four Ways

Bologna

Bologna goes by many nicknames: "la grassa" (the fat, lots of pork and pasta here), "la dotta" (the learned one), and "la rossa" (refering to the red roof tops) and during our short day trip, we found them all to be true.

The "Due Torre" or two towers of Asinelli and Garsendaare at the center of the city and represent the power struggles of medieval Bologna. While you can usually climb the Torre Asinelli (335 ft tall) it was off-limits during our visit, meaning we couldn't see first-hand the tiled red rooftops that Bologna is so famous for. Instead, we started at the Piazza Maggiore, the main square that is surrounded by famous buildings including the Palazzo d'Accursio with a 13th centry bell-tower, elaborate porticos, and the basilica of San Petronio (above). Construction on the basilica began in the 14th century but the Bolognese never got around to finishing the facade, leaving the dark red bricks exposed. Inside, there's a mixture of unpainted walls and dramatic frescos.

The church of Santo Stefano was another amazing view of the day. It's not quite a church, more like seven churches built on a single complex. According to my visiting aunt, making a wish every time you enter a new church for the first time will bring you luck. I wish I'd known that when we first moved to Italy! The church(es) were amazing to see and the progression of architectural style is evident when you can literally move through different rooms and periods.

So, what about the learned reputation? The oldest university in the Western world (University of Bologna, founded in 1088) is located in the heart of the city and still plays host to tons of international students each year. We paid a visit to the Anatomical Theater where Bolognese medical students studied human anatomy on corpses laid out in the center of the room. The decorations are quite ornate - the maple walls have risers built out from them and there are bronze sculptures of mythological creatures surround the room. The bodies were laid out on a marble slab though very little of what's pictured above is actually original. The Archiginnasio complex (original center of the university, now home to a library and exhibit areas) was bombed by the Allies in 1944 and had to be nearly completely rebuilt. That means the frescoes lining the portico ceilings near the courtyards were also painstaking reconstructed (see below).

Bologna is deservedly well-known for its culinary reputation. Bolognese sauce (ragu alla bolognese) has gone international and the capital city of the Emilia-Romagna region is the center of the production of cured pork products like salami, mortadella, and prosciutto. Mortadella, by the way, is the far back ancenstor to modern American baloney but bears little resemblence these days. Mortadella is a SPECTACULAR sausage seasoned with black pepper, pistachio, nutmeg, coriander, and myrtle berries and likely dates back to the early 1300s - it's no Oscar Meyer (thank goodness). So you can see where the "la grassa" reputation comes into play. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Da Cesari, sampling the mortadella, famous ragu, and homemade tortellini stuffed with pumpkins and ricotta (two separate dishes).

After lunch, we wandered around the narrow streets behind the Piazza Maggiore that still host butchers and fishmongers, though not quite in the numbers they used to. Nowadays, the streets are lined with small pastry and bread shops, selling homemade tortellini to take home and tons of Easter treats (well, at least in the weeks prior to Easter). I even found the Bologna outpost of Eataly, the slow-food centric shop that I first visited last year in Turin! While visiting Bologna meant that we could cross another city off our "list" before leaving, it was a bittersweet moment as we realized we should've come here long ago and returned many times in between.

Da Cesari, Via de'Carbonesi, 8 (at Via Massimo D'Azeglio), tel: 051 237 710

Barolo Wine Country

With family in town for the week, I played hooky and we crossed another item off our "places to see in Italy before we leave" list. We've spent plenty of time in Piedmont but never visited Alba or Bra.

Alba is home to the great northern Italian festival for the white truffle. That's usually in November so our timing was a bit off but we had beautiful weather and strolled around town, visiting the Duomo (photo at top) and taking in the red brick buildings. We had a wonderful meal in town at a restaurant recommended by the Osterie d'Italia. Lalibera specializes in cuisine of the region and was heavy on veal, rabbit, pigeon, and other delicacies.


After lunch, we hopped into the car and headed to the Langhe hills and the infamous Barolo wine-growing region. Our appointment was at the Renato Ratti cantina for a 45 minute long tour, followed by a wine tasting. The tour was extensive. While we've visited a few cellars and producers during out time in Italy, Renato Ratti is the biggest producer (though they're considered medium size). They produce a couple kinds of Barolo, plus a delicious Nebbiolo and the typical Barbera and Dolcetto d'Alba of the region. We came away with a few bottles of Barbera and Nebbiolo as "souvenirs" of our time. The tasting was generous and delicious, we sampled their nice Barolo (retails for $60+) and did I mention it was all free?


Not wanting to spend the last hours of daylight in the car heading back to Milan, we decided to head to Bra, another nearby town, for dinner and a stroll. Bra is the home of the Slow Food movement (so don't mention McDonald's!) The movement was founded in 1986 to fight against the globalization of food and unhealthy eating habits. Now, there are over 80 thousand members in over 100 countries! The provincial town is also rich in architecture - the church of San Andrea was designed by Bernini - and we enjoyed some star-gazing and another round of the region's wines before heading back to the bright lights of the big city.

Lalibera: Via Pertinace, 24A, Alba
Renato Ratti: Frazione Annunziata, 7, La Morra

Nafplio

Nafplio, aka Nafplion, is a lovely little seaside town a couple hours away from Athens. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon following our road trip and overnight right in the middle of the city. After getting to town, we strolled along the waterfront to find a bite to eat. A platter of souvlaki hit the spot and was enough to tide us over until our 10pm dinner. (!)

After our late lunch, we explored the winding streets that led away from the water. M and I bought some Greek honey to take home for ourselves and a couple other goodies for our dog-sitting friends back in Milan (thanks again, guys!). Worry beads are a major fixture in town. If I hadn't seen my fix in the shop windows (or at the town museum), I'm sure I would've felt sated by all the local older men, fiddling with the traditional beads. The Syntagma Square, or Constitution Square, was occupied by couples drinking coffee and aperitifs as well as children playing soccer. When we'd walked up an appetite for dinner (and after enjoying a cocktail or two) we dove into some of the fresh seafood and salad available in town. Yum.

The next morning, we hopped into one of the small boats near our hotel and headed out to the Bourtzi fortress/prison built onto a rock in the middle of the port. While the Venetian-built fortress was neat, the amazing blue of the water and feeling of the sun on my face seemed even more magical.
Like so many other towns in Greece, Nafplio has been around since ancient times and has been occupied by the Byzantines, Franks, Venetians, and Ottomans - making it VERY popular. The Venetians built the castle that sits high on a hill overlooking the city. The castle of Palamidi was built during the 17th century. We headed up before leaving town on Sunday and weren't sorry to spend the time. The view was gorgeous and the castle was even bigger in person. We were sad to leave the slow but beautiful town. Instead of a good-bye, we're choosing to see this trip to Greece as just the preliminary scouting trip before our next vacation (islands next time?).

Greek Road Trip

After our brief stay in Athens, we joined our friends on a weekend trip to Nafplio, a seaside town on the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece.

We drove from Athens (and back again), each time taking a different route that showed us the historic sights of Greece. Our first stop on Saturday morning was the Corinth Canal. A technological achievement of its time, the canal was built in 1893 to link the gulf of Corinth to the Saronic gulf of the Aegean Sea. While now it's mainly used for tourist ships, it originally saved 400 kilometers off the journey of trade ships. But to us, it was a cool sight. The blue was vivid and the bridge just rickety enough to make a fraidy-cat like me hold my breath.

Our next stop was the Theater at Epidaurus. The acoustics here are noted for being perfect. From the center of the stage, noise is audible even to the highest portion of the theater. Naturally, we tested the theory ourselves and found it to be pretty credible. That's my dear husband standing in the middle of the theater in the photo below. He pulled a coin from his pocket, dropped it on the dirt, and sure enough we could hear it from the top of the rows.

On Sunday morning, we got an earlier start on the trip back to Athens and visited a few more sights, exploring the Mycenaean world. The Treausry of Atreus was our first stop and we were doubly lucky that it was 1) free and 2) completely empty (at least, until our way out). The lintel stone above the doorway weighs over 120 pounds! Can you even imagine how that was lifted and used during the Bronze Age (around 1250BC)?! Mind-boggling. The interior is an underground dome that was richly decorated and served as a tomb.

After exploring the citadel of ancient Mycenae (the photo at the top of this post is from the height of the fort) and taking a cheesy group picture under the Lion's Gate, we hopped back into the car and headed for stadium at Nemea (below). This athletic facility may look like a field of dirt but the flat surface was run by many an athlete and is still used for reenactments these days. Around the corner is the 'changing room' facility where the athletes disrobed (they competed naked) before running into a tunnel that empties to the stadium. The NFL (and many colleges) have picked up on this tradition so clearly athletes have always loved a grand entrance. After a woman snuck in to view as a spectator, all visitors were also expected to disrobe and watch the competition in the nude. Thanks goodness this is an Olympic tradition that hasn't continued.

While on the road, it wasn't all about ancient sites and historic figures. It was, naturally, about wine as well. When we passed a vineyard that our friends were familiar with, we stopped for a brief tastings. Naturally a couple favorites from the Terra Leone vineyards in Greece made it into our suitcases. Thanks goodness we booked our return on Olympic Airlines - EasyJet doesn't allow for free bag checking! It wasn't all about the fancy wines, our friends stopped to get some unmarked bottles of the good (cheap) stuff at a roadside stand. We were highly tempted by the olive oil and amazing-looking citrus for sale but restrained ourselves, knowing it'd probably leak all over our suitcases!


Our last stop before heading direct to the Athens airport was Temple of Zeus at Nemea. The Nemean Games were founded here and were part of the Panhellenic games cycle in ancient Greece. With the blue skies and warm air, it was a perfect bookend to a fabulous long weekend in Greece. We're keeping our fingers crossed to return again someday (we still have quite a few islands to visit!).

Athens, Greece

Ah, Greece. Athens is just about the only place in Europe with an older and richer (still-existing) history than Rome. In both cities, the word "archeologist" is practically a dirty word since you can't stick a shovel in the ground without hitting an ancient cup, or arrowhead, or something. We arrived on a Thursday and spent that evening, along with Friday, touring the city with our friend from Dublin. We were set out straight by our Athens-living friends who mapped out our route and briefed us on the history. Thanks to them, we also had some amazing meals (who would've thought a beet and spinach salad would be so delicious) and learned a lot (one friend has his Master's in Greek history).


Thursday evening, after a visit to the Benaki Museum and a general overview of Greek history, we spent some time walking around town. We saw the presidential palace, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the guards (aka Evzoni) who protect them. The ceremonial unit has quite...um, interestingly...dressed. Thick tights, pom-pommed shoes, and a tasseled cap were the highlights. When they did their ceremonial marching, they made their pom-poms touch in the air.


After a late dinner near our friend's home (well, late only by American standards. Our 9:00 reservation was early by Greek standards and the earliest we'd eat all trip), we walked around a bit more and visited the Hellenic Parliament and original Olympic stadium. Ok, "original" isn't quite the right word considering that the Greek Olympics have been around for thousands of years. However, the Panathinaiko stadium was used in the 1896 Olympics and then again in the 2004 games (as host to the archery competition and finishing grounds for the Marathon).


The next day, we began our trek to the Acropolis by a visit to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Construction on this site took over 650 years, beginning in the 6th century BC and finishing during the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian. Years of pillage and neglect took their toll, now there are only 15 of the original 104 columns still standing (one lays on the ground).


The "must-see" of Athens remains the Acropolis. While 'Acropolis' means 'highest city', in my mind, it's basically synonymous with the temples and buildings here in Athens. There's only one way up the 500 foot rock and that's on foot. It looked crazy high before we started but as we hiked, the views provided an excellent distraction. We kept looking forward, behind, and side to side to check out the city and sights. Everything was spectacular, including the warm February weather, and we quickly peeled off our sweaters and jackets. When we made it to the tip-top, we peered down on the Theatre of Dionysus and the expansive city of Athens. Gorgeous. After climbing down, we spent some time at the new Acropolis museum before our hunger finally took over.


We metroed to the Plakas neighborhood from the museum for some Greek souvlaki. It was warm enough to eat outside and our restaurant owner seemed to have a crush on our friend. We walked around the neighborhood and did a bit of shopping. I picked up a pendant of the famous phaistos disc and a silver bracelet of Greek coins. We called it an early birthday/anniversary present! After meeting up with our working friends for a happy hour, we eventually made it to our 10pm reservation for taverna-style music, dinner, and dancing. I was practically sitting on stage but it made for a great view of our friends doing a traditional Greek dance in the middle of the room! Despite not making it home until past 2am, we somehow managed to rise the next day in time for breakfast and the beginnings of our little road-trip...

More on Greece, coming soon...

The Triennale Design Museum

Wanted to write a whole big post but am just...tired. Better rest up before our ski trip and fun New Year's Eve party! Here's a shortie with some photos of the super-cool Triennale Design Museum. Of course, Milan is known (even within Italy) for its forward-thinking fashion and design. Here is a museum dedicated to the best in design of all kinds of non-fashiony stuff. Obviously, the museum itself is going to have a cool design - like the bridge arching over the marble staircase.


Chandeliers and a kickass minicar.


A garden gnome for a table. I've actually seen this little guy in the store windows at Knoll and thought he was awesome. Most recently, I've seen him painted gold in the window. I am seriously considering asking for him for my birthday. Perhaps as a new bedside stand? Our bedroom furniture is black so he'd match....

All of these books hanging down were by different artists and part of a special exhibition. Most were in Italian but there were some in English for my visiting friend to enjoy as well.