Thursday, March 30, 2006

Venice, Italy.








A small Caprihana at the Westin bar, Canalside…14.50EU ($17.40)...
A Single Cappuccino at a café in San Marco Square…9.50EU ($11.40)...
A one way Private Water Taxi for two from the airport to San Marco Square (approximately 4 km)….90EU ($108)...
Watching Pigeon-phobic girl freak out in San Marco Square while her friends sprinkle her with bird feed and the Pigeons swarm….Priceless




I have the slightest urge to say that Venice is a tourist trap, not because it has been an unpleasant place to visit, but because of the outrageous number of tourists and the exorbitant prices that are charged. That aside, it really is a beautiful and romantic city, literally a maze of alleys and canals, and no cars. It is a unique place, a place like no other that I have seen. If you can get past the throngs of tourists, and explore an alley and discover an empty square all on your own, this makes life all the better.

I am upset, though, that some of these establishments get away with charging these outrageous prices. I mean, $17 for a small cocktail? Geez, good thing it was a strong one, because when the bill came, the buzz from the booze made the shock of the price not as..well, shocking.

So, to keep with our budget, we took to searching out the good deals. Typically, better prices are found farther away from San Marco Square. I even made it my mission to find one of three grocery stores in town that I knew of, which wasn’t entirely easy. It seems so interesting to me, that there are so few supermarkets.

Does anyone actually live here?

Supposedly, the population of Venice dwindles as the city sinks, and as the amount of tourist’s increase. I actually think that the city, on a given day, has more tourists than locals. I can definitely understand why the locals might want to flee. Rising waters aside, I would want to get the heck out if my city was invaded by thousands of map-wielding, loud and lost people on a daily basis. It almost seems like the city was made solely for the tourists, which I know is not entirely true, but it seems difficult to find the amenities that you would normally find in a city setting. (like Dental Floss and Visine for instance…)

So, we opted for exploring the maze like alleys and the Modern & Asian Art Museums over waiting in lines and paying high price to see some of the Churches and other major sights here. I feel like, for me, seeing a city isn’t all about seeing the insides of all the churches, but seeing how the culture behaves and experiencing it through sitting outside a Café in a square where Musicians are playing, and the music is reverberating off the buildings just perfectly, or getting so turned around by the mazes of alleys and discovering a cute Café in the process..

Even on a budget, I realize that one of best things about Italy is the food. Some of the simplest and cheapest meals have been the best ones:
* A Panini sandwich, for instance, toasted, with Prosciutto, Tomato, Cheese and Arugula…and the best part, a drizzle of Truffle Oil.
* Gelato. Pistachio and Stracciatella (chocolate chip)…need I say more??
* Breakfasts have included a good pull of Espresso and Sweet Raisin Bread Rolls from this great little bakery that we discovered.
* After three days of finding this one pastry shop, with great looking hunks of Torrone (nougat) in the window, closed, today I made it my mission to ‘happen’ by it one more time. This time, it was open. So, I bought a sizeable chunk..with almonds. I was not disappointed.



* Many of these little sidewalk to-go type Cafés sell these wraps, which are basically like a rolled up Pizza, with a spicy Salami, Arugula and Cheese. For the last two nights, we have had these, grab and go style, while we walked around the canals..
* And Today, I had my first Italian Pizza. Bianco style, which means hold the tomato sauce, just give me Cheese and..more Cheese, Per Favore. Grazie.



After giving ourselves a few days to get into the rhythm of Venice; to submerge ourselves into the crowds, and weave ourselves out of them, I am able to say, that despite all of the people, we really had a pleasant and relaxing stay here. I think that a little bit of the Italian Culture, in its slowness, has rubbed off on us. It helped too, that all of T’s travels in the past have paid off in the form of hotel points. We were able to redeem some here and enjoy a great room with a great view, where after long days getting lost in the alleys, exploring and braving the crowds, here, in our home away from home..there was peace.

Saturday, March 25, 2006

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. CARRIE!!!!! (and Happy Greek Independence Day!)

Nafplio, Greece










At first, I felt sorry for Nafplio. Not because it is a bad place, in fact, it is quite a charming place. We came here directly from Santorini, so, in my opinion, at that moment, everything paled in comparison. It was hard to leave Oia. It was truly a magical place. And, we had grown quite fond of our new found friends, especially Lucky Chovy, the cat. We were even trying to figure out a way for us to bring him home. In the end, we decided that he had it pretty good there, aside from being minus an eye.

We arrived in Nafplio via bus from the Athens ‘A’ Bus Station, which was purported to be in the unsavory part of town. Luckily, we got out of there with no problems to report. The bus ride was a little over two hours, and it took us through a few small towns and some hilly areas, which are covered in Olive and Citrus Groves.

I thought that Nafplio would be a good central destination to explore some areas that T has really wanted to see, like Ancient Sparta and Olympia. What we discovered was that Nafplio itself is worth checking out. There are three fortresses in town, one that sits out in the bay, and two that sit perched up on the cliffs overlooking town. There are also numerous cafes, old time tavernas and nice shops in town, with good opportunity, we found, for some people watching. Just outside of town, there are also a few more reachable Ancient Ruins, at Mycenae and at Epidavros. Unfortunately, the trains don’t run here like they do in other parts of Europe so we looked into Bussing it to some of these sights. This wasn’t as flexible of an option, either.. So, we decided to brave the Greek driving system and rented a car. T drove, and he did a great job. I think he started to enjoy it after a while… whizzing around the curves, waving to everyone and honking, just like a true Greek. It turns out that Sparta and Olympia are both a few hours away, and since these other sights are closer, we decided to visit them instead. We were not disappointed.

Mycenae
The first day, we went to Mycenae. We discovered quickly that it is in fact pronounced My-keen-ess, not My-sin-eh. When we pulled over the first few times in our bright cherry red Fiat, map in hand, and asked, “My-sin-eh?”, pointing in the general direction of the road which we thought was the right one, we got a few perplexed responses..then, “ah, yes, My-keen-ess?”… after a few wrong turns, we got it right, and we were on our way…




A little background: Mycenae contains the ruins of an ancient kingdom that was the most powerful in Greece between 1600-1200 B.C. At the entrance is the oldest monumental structure in Europe, the Lion’s Gate. (where T is pictured) There is much more history here than I will detail, but basically, the grounds include a Royal Cemetery, Agamemnon’s Palace, Artisan’s Quarters, a Secret Underground Cistern, and various Tombs. Also on the grounds is a museum that houses many of the treasures that have been excavated from the site.

The next day we jumped back into the Fiat Cherry and headed to the Ancient Site at Epidavros.




A little background: Epidavros was known as sanctuary to the God of Medicine, Asclepius. The Sanctuary provided treatments in the healing arts, including herbal medicines and diet instruction, along with the occasional surgery. There was also an entertainment venue, which is what the site is most well known for. The 3rd century Theater is one of the most well preserved classical Greek buildings and has amazing acoustics. Perhaps you have seen the “Rick Steve’s—off the beaten path” episode, in which he visits this ancient theater and demonstrates the dropping of a coin in the very center? Well, the acoustics are still so good, that you can hear the coin ‘tink’ up in the very top row of the theater.

Aside from our excursions and our many Greek Salads and yet more Baklava, we visited the clifftop fortress just behind our hotel..which was quite the workout…up, up, up many steps. What we discovered there was a gorgeous view of the town and the water, with the mountains..some covered with snow, beyond. The fortress itself was one of my favorite sites so far. What made it so beautiful for me, aside from the old remnants of the buildings and the stunning views, was the amount of Wildflowers, in bloom everywhere. It was so peaceful, and you could just hear the buzzing of the honey bees..

Today, we headed back to the craziness of Athens. We had intended to attack the town on our last day in Greece, but when we arrived, our taxi was unable to get us to our hotel. This is because Greece celebrates their Independence Day today and the whole Plaka area was roped off. So, we decided to hoof it…and, sans map, we ended up walking with our heavy packs for almost 2 hours before we found our hotel!! So, as you can imagine, we were already wiped out, and it was only 11am. So, instead of attacking, we settled into our hotel, had a nice snack and soon, I will head down to the Sauna and Pool for a nice dip…ahhhh.

Tomorrow, we head EARLY to Venice, so Ciao, for now….

Monday, March 20, 2006

Please check out the Flickr link for some photos of Santorini and the Dogs Of Oia. I am unable to upload to the blog at this time!!

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Oia, Santorini.

Heaven on Earth.







I think that there are many places to be considered paradise.
I think that we have stumbled across one.
I think this is an ideal day.

This morning, I awoke to the sound of church bells, bright sun and blue skies. It is Sunday here and the town is vacant. Most people have gone to church, so the town is quiet. Since it is March, there are very few tourists. Thank God. From what I can tell, Santorini is swamped with people during the summer. I am so thankful that we seemed to have missed that, and instead, we have the town to ourselves. The only downfall, if you can call it that, is that the town seems a little disheveled, as if it is recovering from the onslaught of the last tourist season, the winter and the rains. Many places are boarded up…many shops, restaurants and hotels have yet to open for the season and repairs are being made with shop, road renovations and the repainting of the buildings….. the stark white and the bright blue. (the winds and rains reek havoc on the paint, we are told)

I find a bakery that is open and buy breakfast and some instant coffee. Nescafe is quite popular here, in Greece. It seems that most people opt for it over a nice pull of espresso. Funny how that is. I come home with a sweet ‘challah’ like bread, a molasses cake with raisins and nuts, yogurt, greek honey and a sweet called Galaktoboureko, which is basically a flan-like custard in between flaky phyllo pastry, drizzled with honey.

The church bells ring again and I head out to explore. I walk down the mainstreet past cafes, jewelry stores, a bookshop, a souvenir shop..again, most closed, but I do get a sense of the community here nonetheless. Everyone knows each other and as they make repairs, they chat, sip their Nescafe, soak in some sun and gaze out to the caldera.

I wonder if they know just how good they have it here. All of it is breathtaking, the view, the colors, the way the houses are built into the side of the hill, as if they were literally carved out of the rock..

I picture myself here. I even picked out my bakery location. It is a place that is perched on the cliff, along with everything else. There is a patio on the side with the stunning views of the water and the islets beyond, and inside as well, windows cover the whole wall, facing the caldera. Attached to the bakery, would be my bed and breakfast…and next door on the other side, would be a bookshop (hmm, this could be a family business…)

We spend the day walking around, making friends with the many dogs and cats that roam free here. We take a walk down to the water accompanied by our friend “Ruff”, and when we come back to our patio to relax and have an afternoon drink, our friend “Lucky”, or “Anchovy” as T calls him, is waiting to greet us. He is a vocal guy who stakes out our patio and cries or follows us if we leave. He looks just like Marley, the cat… (not to be confused with the Thompson dog) Min, I believe he has begun another good life here in Oia, lazing in the sun and gazing at the sea…

Pictures to follow...

Friday, March 17, 2006

Live from the Acropolis….









Athens is a bit like So Cal, Mexico and Europe all rolled into one. So Cal for the weather, the smells of the ocean and the flowers, citrus and olive trees…Mexico for the hustle and bustle, traffic, quaint little markets and local stores and Europe, well, for the Euro…and maybe the Tavernas.. After hearing so much bad press about Athens..how, we shouldn’t spend more than a day here… that it is crowded, loud and dirty, we expected just that. I have to say that we have been very pleasantly surprised. It is no more loud, crowded or dirty than many other European city that we have seen, although it seems many times larger. We really have enjoyed it here. I really enjoyed the fact that the weather was warmer, for one…the flowers were blooming and the people have been friendly.

We even made a friend when T and I were walking up a steep hill. A woman was struggling with her cart of produce. T offered to help her, so we followed her back to her house, which was just below the Acropolis, up a winding and narrow side street. She motioned for us to follow her, pantomimed and said the word “Coffee?” We accepted, of course and were welcomed into her quaint and rustic courtyard where she sat us down and prepared for us some sweetened Greek Coffee and Toast. (like Zwieback)..Our conversation consisted of much pantomime, combined with T’s efforts to read from our glossary of Greek Phrases. From this, we were able to introduce ourselves, ask how long she lived in Athens and tell her “Thank You”, “It was good to meet you” and “Goodbye”.. There was a lot of laughing, and “I don’t understand, I’m sorry” was uttered a bit, but it was a wonderful experience.

The Plaka, the area in which we have stayed, has been perfect for exploring little side streets, Tavernas, churches and getting lost all while using the Acropolis as a beacon, to guide us back. Of course, then, there is the Acropolis. I had also read in the past that it had lost a lot of its splendor, due to its many constant restoration efforts, but it is still a very impressive place. The Acropolis houses many more things than just the Parthenon, and it took us a few hours to soak it all in, to explore the full grounds of the ancient past that is buried and unburied here.

On that note, I’m afraid that I may have offended someone when we were up at the Acropolis. T and I have taken a few funny Yoga shots, here and there, and I thought, a perfect shot would be doing the Warrior 3 in front of one of these ruins….well, once I got into the position and the camera took the shot, we heard the yells and the whistles blowing…I thought, ‘geez, what is all that noise…someone is really in trouble’ …well, that someone was me. I was so ashamed and embarrassed when the guard came over and demanded that we erase the photo. It turns out that photos are allowed, but the photo that I was posing for may have been considered a mockery of their religious site, something that I feel horrible about doing. At the time, it didn’t occur to me, but now that I think about it, I feel like it was so foolish of me. Here is something that has been preserved for ages, in which Gods have been worshipped..and I went and “cheapened” it, all for the sake of a silly photo. Lesson learned..

Anyway, back to Athens..
We spent a little time also wandering around the open air markets. We also stumbled into a meat market. It was something like I have never seen before.

Definitely, not a place for the vegetarians or the “blood and carcass” wary.

There were whole animals hanging, piles of goat(I think) heads, skinned rabbits, chickens, all hanging, blood dripping on the ground, butchers busy chopping up animals out in the open, blood on their aprons, pieces flying.. People all around. It was a sight to see.
On a sweeter note, we also found ourselves in a lovely bakery in which we sampled the local flavors of Halva (YUM!)…Baklava (very sweet, but YUM!) and Turkish Delight (also very sweet, and good..) This was lunch.

After a few homemade Caprihanas, (liquor purchased from the duty free store, limes from the market) we headed to a Taverna, for some authentic Greek food. We ended up in a Creperie, in which I had a crepe with spiced meat, feta, onions and tomatoes, and T, a crepe with feta and chicken.. To top it off, we strolled the alleyways, and I soon found myself at the counter of a local gelateria ordering up a cup of straciatella, or chocolate chip gelato. It was a great way to end the day.


Next Stop, Santorini….

Wednesday, March 15, 2006









Budapest Part Two:


I think everyone should experience Budapest. The food AND The pastries AND The wine alone is worth the trip. The historic coffeehouses scattered throughout the city were just a few of the many places to indulge. I had read about the coffeehouses and knew that we had to make them a regular part of our days there, merely for the sake of stuffing our fac..er, I mean…conducting “bakery business” research of sorts. Hmm, now that I think of it..can I write this trip off?

I was pleasantly surprised by just how good the food was there. I guess thoughts of Hungary didn’t automatically equate to “Foodie Capital” in my mind… but that was before I had the Beef Goulash with Egg Noodles and Iced Pickles.

The First night, we ate at a place called Bock Bistro,which was somehow connected to the hotel that we stayed in. For two decent sized meals, wine and bottled water, we spent the equivalent to 25$..AND, the food was really good. We got lucky that night, because the each night after, we tried to get a table there, and it was fully booked. We then discovered our next favorite spot, Abszint, another equally cute bistro, complete with accordion player, AND free wireless internet. (quite the rarity here) We dined here twice and had many Caprihanas…which for those who have inquired, is NOT a coffee drink that you can get at Starbucks :), but a cocktail made with Brazilian Rum, Muddled Limes and Sugar. I also tried some interesting desserts; Crepes with a Cherry Compote, that somewhat resembled refried beans (not my favorite) and a Pear Torte, in which the Pears were so candied, they were almost date-like. (sticky and sweet)

We stumbled upon two coffeehouses that are pretty well known and very historic. The first and our favorite, we discovered while up on Castle Hill. This part of Budapest is known as the Buda side, whereas the city center and the other side of the river is known as the Pest side. The Buda side is hillier, with many paths, quiet side streets and its share of stunning city, Parliament and river views with churches, statues, castles and museums. Of course, the Pest side has this as well, all among the hustle and bustle of the people, cars and public trams.Ruszwurm was a tiny place, stuffed with hoards of people, all vying for the Cream Cake and the other specialties of the house. We ordered a Cream Cake (which is exactly as it sounds, heavy whipped cream between two layers of pastry) and an Apple Strudel…and then, we had to have an additional two slices of Chocolate Cake…um, this was our lunch…and, we DID do a lot of walking, so………

ugh. Sugar. Too Much…

We had a great time in Budapest, and I think that because of our hotel, we were able to relax and spread out a bit. We were upgraded to a suite when our room wasn’t ready, and we ended up paying much less than it was worth. This helped in our decision to forgo our travels to Vienna, which was supposed to be the other 2 ½ of our 5 days away. Because we had this extra time, we were able to have a lot of time to relax and read, and I ended up doing a ton of walking, just to explore. It was nice not feeling pressed for time..like we had to see everything squeezed into 48 hours. Every day, we would see one or two things, and the rest of the day, I would wander aimlessly (I felt completely safe) and T would relax, reading. I think that the highlights of Budapest for me, aside from the culinary delights and random wanderings was an interesting visit to the Gellert Spa, which is an oldschool public bathhouse and seeing a great old castle within a city park, where great smelling Pizzas were being fired in a outdoor oven and Gluwein was being brewed just beyond the castle gates. There were other great moments too. I really enjoyed the breathtaking views of the city seen from the Fisherman’s Bastion, a great fortress like structure perched on the top of the hill. I could go on, really. I felt as if Budapest was pretty magical. It felt the most foreign, so far, of the cities that we have seen, and I think this enhanced my experience that much more.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Budapest Part One:

The wind, The snow and My haste… a little story of love and loss.
Aka: Ode to my colorful wool cap (as seen in this photo)






(As sung to the lyrics of, “I left my heart in San Fran-cis-co”..)

“ I left my hat in Bud-a-pest-OOOooo..”

Born to me on December 25th, 2004---left the comforts of my pocket, on a snowy morning on the street of Dob Utca, Budapest---March 13th, 2006.

While on my way back from the Budapest Central Market, the unthinkable happened. I was rushed, with a bag of newly acquired pastries under my left arm and an umbrella in my left hand. In my right hand, thrust into my coat pocket, my camera was firm in my grasp….

My hands were full, and DARN IT, my head was HOT. So, in my haste, I removed the hat and stuffed it, albeit a little haphazardly, into my left coat pocket.

(sniff)

That was the last I saw of it.
I was so worried about the welfare of my bag of delectable looking pastries.. a chocolate croissant and a pinwheel, if you MUST know… all the while trying to keep the umbrella from folding inside out…
…..the hat must have just fluttered to the ground below, only to be stepped on by racing feet and smeared into the mud and the snow.

Poor little guy, didn’t deserve it to end like that.

After the initial shock had passed, and I had my appetite back, I looked again to the pastries, for a little solace, to fill the void..
Alas, the flaky, buttery and rich chocolate croissant that I had envisioned sinking my teeth into was merely a stale, cold and much inferior counterpart….
…definitely not hat worthy; SO, The search goes on.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

MBA....check!



After almost two years of toiling and grinding, I am pleased and proud to announce that T has completed his MBA program. Today was his last class and presentation; yesterday, his last two tests. We will no doubt be celebrating tonight, as we break open a bottle of Barolo & a Chocolate Bunny, and ride the rails to Budapest…
Proscht! T!



Food Bits: St Gallen

Before we leave Switzerland, I wanted to document some of the more interesting food finds in this area. Some we have tried, and some we have yet to…

Olma Bratwurst: These Sausages are something that I couldn’t get enough of when I first arrived, but I think that I have had my share now. (I guess I could go for one last Brat before we leave..:)) They are a milky white Veal Sausage and are typically grilled and served piping hot..without mustard, (to my dismay) but with a Bürli. (Hefty Bread Roll)

Rösti: This potato hash-brown-gut bomb is served in many places around St. Gallen. Basically, it is HUGE fried potato pancake, in many cases served with loads of cheese, bacon or ham, and a fried egg atop. Sounds very tasty, and always smells really good as it passes our table heading for the next Coronary Victim, and for that reason, I have yet to sample it..

Cheese and Fondue: I really would like to try some authentic Fondue while we are here, and we still have some time. There is PLENTY of cheese in this area, Appenzeller, being the foremost. The cheese here is good. Most I think are made from Raw Milk, which gives the cheeses more of a full body. Supposedly, pasteurization is somewhat frowned upon by most cheese makers here because it takes away from the flavor.

Chocolate: I have sampled my share and then some of this stuff. The chocolate display in the Grocery Store is quite impressive, as is their Chocolate Easter Bunny display. They carry so many varieties of filled chocolates, plain chocolate as well as chocolate with honey nougat pieces (my favorite) and milk chocolate with raisins and nuts, (also my favorite) The latter one is called “The Tourist,” for reasons unclear to me.(maybe only the Tourists like it?) I think that the most interesting chocolate that we have had is the PopRock Chocolate Bark that we tasted the first day that I arrived here. (Milk Chocolate and Coconut is a close second)







Yogurt and Dairy: I have been living on Yogurt since I arrived. I have become also, a big fan of Birchermüseli, which is basically Yogurt mixed with fruit and Müseli. They sell almost as many types of Yogurt here as they do Chocolate. They have all the normal flavors that you would see in the US, and then they have some not so normal flavors as well. Some different ones that I have seen are Chestnut, Hazelnut, Prune and Apple. They also sell many different custards in yogurt type containers, like Crème Brulee and Flan.(something that I have also been tempted to buy many times) Something that I have yet to try is flavored Quark. It can almost be mistaken for yogurt by the packaging, but so far, I haven’t made the mistake of buying it and thinking it WAS yogurt. The Quark comes in just about as many flavors as the Yogurt does, which is pretty interesting. I am still not sure how it is consumed. Do you eat it like you would eat a yogurt? I mean, it is cheese, so that seems a little odd. Maybe it is like Cream Cheese, and you spread it on your toasted bagel? I might just have to buy one and test it out.





Bread: They sell just about every kind of bread here, but I have to say, my favorite so far, is the Finnenbrot, a seeded wholegrain and Rye bread.. (also called Volkorn bread in Germany) I am determined when I return home, to perfect this one, because it is so good. I think my second favorite bread has been a pretzel like bread that is shaped into a ring, called Silserkrantz.






Pastries: So, I haven’t been that good about trying all the pastries under the sun here. I think that is because, for me, sometimes pastries just don’t taste as good as they look. Here, they definitely look good, but most also look super sweet. I am much more of a Chocolate Person, I think, and not so much a Marzipan and Creme person.. I think the most interesting pastry that I feel as if I need to try before we leave, is called “Vermicelli.” As the name suggests, it looks like noodles atop some sort of mound of Whipped Crème with a Strawberry on top. In reality, it is a sweetened chestnut puree that is extruded through some sort of noodle making machine. In Italy, I believe that this pastry is called Mont Blanc, hmm, or is that France? I have tried the “Berliner” Donut, which was quite pleasing, filled with a raspberry jam. I had to see if the Swiss Berliner lived up to my Grandma Elsie's famous poppyseed and jam filled donut. Alas, they did not… Grandmas takes the cake, or shall I say, donut… I did have dessert one night, in which I sampled a Dessert Waffle. Had it been freshly hot off the griddle, I would have been quite pleased, but this one, was..well, stale,cold…and a little limp.




Cookies: In this area, the most well known cookie is called Leckerli. It is basically a soft ginger bread type cookie with honey, spices and sometimes candied fruit of some sort. I bought some that was dipped in dark chocolate, and it was really good. Meringues are also seen quite a bit around this area. The concept of Meringue (egg whites, sugar) was actually invented in Switzerland, in a town called Meiringen. Macaroons are another cookie that I have seen around. In Zürich, I bought a box and was able to sample all nine flavors. These Macaroons are like the French kind, colorful and sandwiched together with some sort of buttercream filling. I didn’t really think that I was a Macaroon person, but after sampling these, I changed. The filling was a little sweet, but the contrast in texture of the cookie and the flavorful filling was, mmm, oh so good.




Beverages: Aside from Wine, Beer, and the usual Sodas & Sparkling Waters, one drink that is common in this land of dairy is called Rivella. It is a soda made from milk serum…um, milk what? I think that if I didn’t know that, I may have tried one by now. Another drink that we have had a bit of, to warm us on these chilly nights is Gluwein, a warm spiced wine, served with a twist of orange. Of course, we have been drinking a few Caprihana’s as well. These are actually not that easy to find here. (surprised?:)) Many places don’t do cocktails, just Beer, Wine and some basic Liquor.





Stay tuned for more Food Bits from around..

Monday, March 06, 2006

Adventures in Baking…


A while back, while T was coping with the aftermath of "The Incident of the Eyebrow", I attempted to bake something, for the first time since leaving Ithaca, in an oven the size of my New Purple Shoe..




My first attempt was something easy, Brownies. For which, all I had to do was translate all the Ounce measurements into Grams and for the oven, translate Fahrenheit into Celsius. I also had to find a pan small enough to actually fit into the oven. I am guessing that not a whole lot of baking has taken place in this oven in the past, because the only baking pans that I could find that would actually fit were some little disposable ones from the market…

…which ended up working quite nicely.

My recipe was doctored a bit, since I was unable to find “unsweetened” chocolate amongst the rows and rows of chocolate bars. When attempting to ask the question to a store clerk, she pointed me in the direction of the “sugar free” chocolate, which instead included some type of synthetic substitute…not exactly what I wanted…
Instead, I found the darkest Chocolate that I could, and I cut back on the sugar just a tad and added a little fresh Vanilla Bean (which here costs a fraction of what it costs in the States) to my other “top secret” ingredients and...Voila,

the brownies turned out good and fudgy, just how I like ‘em…

Amsterdam. Land of the Red Light, Brown Cafes and Bikes..

Oh so many bikes.








Maneuvering the streets in Amsterdam is like taking your life in your hands. If you aren’t being run over by the many hoards of stoned and rowdy tourists, you have to watch that you aren’t in the tracks of the many trams, or in the path of the few cars that actually drive the streets here…and if you can jump out of their way, you are bound to be standing in the “cycling path,” which pretty much consumes the rest of the street. The cycles rule the roads here, something that we had to learn oh so quickly as we exited the train station and made our way to the hotel. Funny, there are so many people here, yet, pedestrians have barely enough room to walk, without being the target of the bikes, cars AND trams. In a city where smoking Marijuana is legal, this is a recipe for disaster..I would think.

Amsterdam is full of canals, so the actual streets in the city are too few to support the growing city..and all the tourists. As a remedy, the city has started a HUGE construction project of building a subway system..something that made the city even more dirty and unkempt… We found that, so far, Amsterdam is by far the most crowded and hectic of the places that we have traveled. (even more so than Torino during the Games..) We were probably the only two of the many tourists, that didn’t frequent the coffeehouses or the underbelly of the Red Light District..although we did walk through one day only to be mildly repulsed..(what did we expect, you ask?) I was even offered Cocaine as we walked through an alley, while trying to escape the Red Light for the sane part of town.

Hmmm…NO THANKS.

Amsterdam is to Europe, what Vegas is to America. Sin City.

Aside from all of that, I think Amsterdam is an interesting place. Once we got out of the main tourist area and as far away from the Red Light and the Marijuana stench as possible, I found the canals, houseboats, alleys and architecture quite charming. We spent our days wandering the streets, in search of the perfect Caprihaña, and along the way, found some good food in quaint cafes along with a few open air markets filled with tulips, and more.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Blindekuh..




If I could recommend a restaurant, not solely for its food, but for a most unique experience, I would definitely recommend Blindekuh. I have never experienced anything like it in my life. Blindekuh is a restaurant (two of a kind, one in Basel and one in Zurich) in which you dine in COMPLETE darkness. Most of the staff is blind with the exception of the Chef. This experience allows you to walk, or dine in this case, in the shoes of the visually impaired.

When we arrived, we were a group of 8 non-German speakers, so the receptionist had to explain to us the menu, which was illuminated on the wall in front of us. (it was not dark in the lobby) Once we had decided on what we would be dining, we were told to lock our bags and jackets in the lockers provided, to prevent any tripping-type casualties in the dining room. We were then told that our server, Monica, would be out shortly to escort us into the dining room, to our table. Soon, Monica arrived. She was blind. She gave us some instructions. She told us that if we needed to leave the dining room for any reason, not to get up on our own, but to call out her name. She would then come and lead us back into the light. She then told us to form a line and put our hands on the shoulders of the person in front of us… she proceeded to lead us into the depths. Right away, I felt as if I was about to embark on a journey, almost the feeling I used to get when I would get onto a roller coaster, and strap myself in, pulling the crossbar down across my chest. I was nervous and my stomach felt unsettled as well. We descended into the depths and it was Pitch Black. You couldn’t see anything and your eyes would struggle constantly to adjust, without any luck. Once we entered, all we heard were voices and the clanking of silverware. It seemed so loud, almost like right away, our ears were trying to make up for the lack of sight by tuning in.

Monica led us to our table, and then came around, touching each of our shoulders, then our hand, and placing our hand on the back of what would be our chair. We all managed to sit down without any issues, but I felt like I was on drugs, it was all so strange…a sensation that is hard to describe. surreal and unpleasant. We were all laughing nervously for the first few minutes, just trying to take it all in, trying to adjust to the darkness, still, without any luck. Every once in a while, we would see a flash, presumably from the kitchen, but it was still not enough to illuminate the room in the slightest. Monica came back and we ordered our drinks and food, which was quite amusing in itself…just knowing when she was talking to you, or not. I felt myself wanting to grasp T, just to know that he was still right next to me. It was not a comfortable feeling, not to see. He ordered a coffee right away, and when it came, I think that the whole table smelled it. Our sense of smell was greatly heightened, even within minutes of being robbed of our sight. I think we were all nervous about the drinks and whether we would be able to bring the glass to our lips without having a major spillage, but I think most people were able to grasp this quite easily. My hands began to come in handy (no pun intended ), feeling around the neck and lip of the bottle, as I poured sparkling water into my glass, trying not to pour too much. When our food came, many of us didn’t yet have silverware. I actually found that “seeing” the food with my hands was much easier than using a fork anyway, so I ate most of my meal (shrimp and scallops) with my fingers. The rice and tomato sauce was a little more difficult to navigate, so I did use the fork, but also, I used my fingers as a guide, to give me an idea as to where the rice was moving on the plate, and to “see” just how much I had on my fork at any one bite. My fingers were also a gauge, to “see” just how drippy and messy a particular bite might be.
All through dinner, I have to say, that I felt pretty unsettled. I couldn’t get that nervous stomach to go away, and my eyes felt like they were straining to see, so much that I started to get flashes of light, almost like I was having a head rush. It was almost more pleasant to close my eyes, for then I knew that, “of course it is dark, my eyes are closed.” It didn’t feel as foreign.

We all passed on dessert, which for me is usually a main part of my diet, but, I honestly had reached my limit. I definitely appreciated the experience, but I was feeling like I had reached my maximum dis-comfort level.

Although this wasn’t the most relaxing and enjoyable of dining experiences, it was the most enlightening. You never can imagine what it is really like for the visually impaired until you do something like this. A blindfold doesn’t cut it. This was truly a remarkable experience, and it made me feel both thankful that I have my sight and also amazed by those who are without it and their ability to continue normal lives. It was also interesting to be in this situation; the visually impaired were the ones, comfortable in their element, showing us, the sighted yet temporarily blind, the way.