Scrat and his acorn

Scrat keeps looking.. maybe by the rose window of the Basilica od St Clair?
Nope.

Maybe on a horse?

And then,... he found an oak tree at the truffle farm
He got SO excited!  And, low and behold..
Success! He spent the whole evening as elated with his acorns as wee were with our truffles! 

Of Truffles and sunsets

We met two amazing truffle hunters and their handler.
Thanks to the rain the other day (was it yesterday or a week ago?!) they found a bunch of black truffles! One was the biggest our guide Trina has ever seen!
We then had a traditional dinner where each course included a healthy amount of truffles (except dessert). Yum! 

We were treated to an AMAZING sunset! If this looks this amazing with my Iphone 5, imagine what it really looked like!

Such a great life here! Although the economy really sucks...those who can eat really well!

Assisi and becoming Itailian

Today, day 2 of Montilfalco, we went to Assisi to see where St Francis got his start, and where he died. He grew up in a wealthy family, but renounced worldliness to serve the poor and fight against corruption. We STILL need him today! There were winderful frescos in all 6 churches we went to today! Here's a baroque church!

We always have plenty of time to wander in our own, so of course we headed right for food. I was after panchetta, and found a great little deli that has, as is typical here, multiple generations of a family working there. So, as the son made our sandwiches, the father fed us samples of truffels, aged balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. We of course bought some!

Every way we turn, the Umbrian countryside is beautiful. Olive trees, vinyards, limestone clocktowers, it's just...wow!

Now we're back to our villa for a relaxing afternoon IN THE POOL!

It's a PERFECT day! Humidity is down, temp about 80, and I finally got some good medicine (I hope) for my rash. Next up...watching how dogs hunt truffle this evening, then another fabulous dinner! 

Ok, gotta go now, the pool is calling again!

Montelfalco

Wow, we've arrived! Umbria! I almost wept as we arrived at our villa....it's just as I thought it would be! We're staying at a restored villa from the 1700s. It's so beautiful!

We did a quick change and found our way to a traditional 'slow' dinner. THIS is what I came for!

This was my appetizer

 

Peccorino soufflé and a pear cooked in Sagrantio. About the most wonderful thing I've ever had!

Primi was this

Pasta with a wild boar ragu. Very wonderful! We had a sagrantino wine, which is the wine of this region. It's big, tannic, and very flavorful, with lots of black pepper flavor. 

I totally forgot to take a picture of my secundo...which was roast pork loin. I could almost cut it with my fork! The flavor was so much better than any pork I've ever had! Dessert was a fresh strawberry dish, shared with my neighbor's ginger gelato., which was the second most amazing thing I've ever tasted!



And then....out came the Grappe! I learned what it is...distilled from the pressing material after the grape crush in making wine! Tonight was moscato grappe. Still kind of like lighter fluid....but better than the first one in Padua!

By now...3 bottles of wine and grappe later, we stumble back to our beautiful villa and sleep very soundly!

Ravenna

Ravenna is known for it's moasics. In one short afternoon we visit 3 Unesco world heritage monuments! Ravenna is literally built on sand, so heavy buildings are literally slowly sinking, especially large buildings like churches! Our first stop is the Basilica di San Vitale, built in AD 540. It is a very interesting early Christian church that integrates Eastern and Western influences. The mosaics are brilliant, and the church's octagonal design completely different from the later more rectangular ones. We also saw the Mausoleum of Galle Placidia. It was built to be the burial place of the Roman Emporer's sister, but she outlived her residence in Ravenna and died instead in Rome. Also amazing mosaics...and 90% original! Then we saw the Neonian Bapistery, also with amazing mosaics!

It dates from around AD 400. This glorious building has sunk 10 feet over the last 15 centuries! 

Ravenna is next to the Adriatic, built on sandy swampland. It's only about 6 feet above sea level. Today is very humid, about 73%, which combined with 80 degrees is hot. Today I finally figured out my rash, which was not helped by the cortisone cream from the apokothy in Berlin. It's prickely heat! Fortunately I brought medicine for that, unfortunately it's in the bus's hold till we stop. Relief is in sight!!

For Dante fans...we found him! He spent is final three years here before dying of mosquito born maleria (remember...swamp), so his tomb is here! Divine Comedy, anyone?

First Italian language lesson

I already knew 'andiamo' cause that's the name of our ski boat...'let's go'. So far our waiters have spoken some english. Not likely going forward.

Today we're on our bus, which is called a pulman here. At the Autogrill I went up to the counter where the Italian countergal was the equivent of the Seinfeld soup nazi, glare and all. While she was yelling at someone else, she took my order..."vourey, un caffe machiatto". Pay my 1,10, take my ticket, walk over to the bar, and assertively belly up, make eye contact with the barrista and shout 'caffe machiato'. Success! These little shots are a quick pick me up!

Still in Padua!

Fortunately, many of Padua's sidewalks are covered...good in this morning's torrential rain shower, equally good in this afternoon's intense heat! For the rainshower we ducked into a piazza bistro and had spritzes (drinks of prosseco and either apernol or campari), and tramezzini (little yummy sandwiches). For this afternoon's heat we ducked into 4 different churches, both to cool down and to see amazing art, from Giotto to Donatello. 

Here we are at the Basilica of St Anthony. St Anthony is the patron saint of lots of things, so besides seeing amazing art  we saw many people tearfully praying and plunking their $ into handy receptacles. They're big into relics here...the better the relic the more important the church is. Well, they have St Anthony's tongue and jawbone with intact teeth and vocal cords (miraculously exhumed after 32 years of internment).

For lunch, we decided on pizza. 

Yes, you read correctly...we ate a horse! When in Padua...but it's probably the last time we'll fo THAT. I could have had a caprese salad!

Now we're hanging with a couple of drinks at a piazza in the city center. In reading Francis Mays' books about Italy (which was the main inspiration for this trip), her husband loved to drink Grappe. So, I ordered one, willing to be surprised. Will someone look up what this is??? I think it's straight tequila. Danger, Will Robinson!!

So....after drinking 1/2 of the double-shot portion, I'm investing in tomorrow and quitting. I'll stick with Spritzes! Now it's 8:00pm and it's finally cooling off, so the piazza's are filling up! We're off in search of some dinner. Can't wait to see what we find and where we find it!

Padua art

I had no idea Padua was so renowned. In fact I'd never even heard of the place! In fact, it's place in history stands firm. Quite a few greats went to university here, including Galileo, Copernicus, Dante, and Petrarch. It's still quite a university town, students are over 1/4 of the population. This is where the human body was first disected....before that all the medical texts were based on animals. We saw the Anatomy Theater, where students would watch bodys, donated by the church, being disected. Wow.

On to Scrivegni Chapel, were We really marveled at Giotto's frescos. Oh my...I'm hooked. I've found my calling...roaming around Italy searching out all of his works! 

This work is amazing! It remunded me of an earlier version of the sistern chapel. It's considered by many to be the first work of modern art! I can totally believe it, as I see both middle age and modern influences here. Totally breathtaking! 

Italian bathrooms Take II

Oh no....quad burner!

Italian bathrooms

How do we use this??! George says face toward...I say face away.

Italy day one!

How does one land at the Venice airport and NOT go to Venice on the way to meet our group in Padua??? So, we snuck in a quick water tour and a gelato in St Mark's square before taking a train inland. 
We were the last to arrive at out hotel, and have met our group! We've been warned...rural Italy has terrible internet connectivity...so...I may have to take a forced 'unplug' from time to time. Scrat has already attracted much attention. We told everyone he would pose in their pictures for lemoncello. Kind of pimping him.

Tonight our group took an orientation walk thru town and had a welcome dinner in the traditional Italian style....aperativo, prima, secundo, dessert. Two diffent local wines. Fabulous! I'm likely to gain a good 5 lbs on this trip! 

Knotty alps

Doesn't everyone practice knott tying while flying over the alps??

Enroute to Venice

All set for the 30 min ride to the airport! I love these regional trains!

I love the million surprises travel brings, and the insights into cultures they bring.

Wanna know how to find the way from the train to the Shoenfeld airport? I thought I was pretty bright thinking to follow other suitcases. Really, one just follows the yellow brick road!

Now we're in 'wait' mode again, so what is there to do? Well, eat, of course! 

Starbucks take notice...the best museli yogurt I've ever had, nutela muffin, and whatever coffee drink you want...in this case a macchiato. Surprisingly (to me anyway), people just look at me funny when I ask for a mocha...even after I describe it. 

So, a fond farewell to the land of currywurst and brotschen, gelato and olive oil, here we come!

Scrat climbs the Berlin Wall

 Scrat, again looking for his elusive nut, this time on top of the Berlin Wall, in Mauer Park!

Last day in Berlin

Today we split the day between culture and hanging with the locals. After all, it was our last chance to relax before our Italy tour...and we need to save some ibuprofen!

We went up the glass dome atop the Reichstag (German parliment) building.

The headfone narrative was informative about the government, the building, and the sights and history of the city. Three million visitors a year take this dome tour! 

We could indeed look down and see into the legislative chamber, which is open to the public...Germans take a transparent government very serious!

As we were leaving, a counter protest was starting to gather. These were left leaning groups. The other side was gathering elsewhere, (some next door by the Brandenburg Gate) and we heard they were headed here for a potential clash. 

Scrat has officially now been in a political gathering! It was very peaceful....lots of love, inspiring speeches, and good music. We did, however, have to find a way around all the public transit disruptions. The haupbanhoff we    thought would be out of the way was actually one of the gathering areas for the protestors ('right' side)!

There was a VERY high number of police,  and NONE of them were smiling. Many had really big guns. George advised not taking pictures of them...but trust me...it was very uncomfortable. I'm not sure if their presence made me feel safer or if the neccessity of them having to be there made me feel more endangered. Both, I guess. 

Our destination for the day was Mauer (Wall) Park, a park where locals go to hang. There's food, flea and craft market, and lots of entertainment. The highlight is a really fun karoke gathering. Predictably, we saw some really talented people, some really terrible performances, and some really drunken ones. We even saw someone we knew! Carin, our bike tour guide from yesterday! He needs to keep his day job!

All in all, a wonderful day in Berlin! The vibe here is definitely young and hip, energetic, new, and forward looking!

I join Kennedy in his sentiment in that famous speech...Ich bin einer Berlinet!

Last day in Berlin

Today we split the day between culture and hanging with the locals. After all, it was our last chance to relax before our Italy tour...and we need to save some ibuprofen!

We went up the glass dome atop the Reichstag (German parliment) building.

The headfone narrative was informative about the government, the building, and the sights and history of the city. Three million visitors a year take this dome tour! 

We could indeed look down and see into the legislative chamber, which is open to the public...Germans take a transparent government very serious!

As we were leaving, a counter protest was starting to gather. These were left leaning groups. The other side was gathering elsewhere, (some next door by the Brandenburg Gate) and we heard they were headed here for a potential clash. 

Scrat has officially now been in a political gathering! It was very peaceful....lots of love, inspiring speeches, and good music. We did, however, have to find a way around all the public transit disruptions. The haupbanhoff we    thought would be out of the way was actually one of the gathering areas for the protestors ('right' side)!

There was a VERY high number of police,  and NONE of them were smiling. Many had really big guns. George advised not taking pictures of them...but trust me...it was very uncomfortable. I'm not sure if their presence made me feel safer or if the neccessity of them having to be there made me feel more endangered. Both, I guess. 

Our destination for the day was Mauer (Wall) Park, a park where locals go to hang. There's food, flea and craft market, and lots of entertainment. The highlight is a really fun karoke gathering. Predictably, we saw some really talented people, some really terrible performances, and some really drunken ones. I'll try to post a video on a separate post so it'll have a better chance of uploading.

All in all, a wonderful day in Berlin! The vibe here is definitely young and hip, energetic, new, and forward looking!

I join Kennedy in his sentiment in that famous speech...Ich bin einer Berlinet!

Scrat looks for his acorn

Is it up the Berlin TV tower?

Is it on a fat tire bike?

Still looking!

Berlin Fat Tire tour

What a great way to see Berlin! I am, however, glad we did it on a Saturday rather than a busy weekday!

We spent 5 hours touring the city, seeing everything from naked people in the Tiergarten (sorry, no pictures) to Angela's offices! She unfortunately doesn't work on weekends, cause we didn't see her.

We stopped at a most amazing Jewish Holocaust Memorial.

The artist placed  2711 stones of differing shapes, heights, and orientations in an area close to the Brandenburg gate, close to the Reichstag, all the embassys , etc. It's incredibly valuable land...but Germany makes a statement by dedicating this land to acknowledging and healing from this terrible wound. As we wandered through, I was deeply moved. Other people appeared and disappeared constantly. The ground beneath me rose and fell as the obelisks silently and smoothly stood as if testifying. Sometimes an obeliske was missing from where it should have been. So silent, yet the memorial screamed of atrocities. I felt such sorrow. I felt anger. We. Must. Never. Forget.

This memorial was later in the tour...which was also a history of Berlin from Prussion times, thru WWI, the desparate state of affairs after the Treaty of Versailles, then the very convoluted  coming to power of Hitler. The lead up to WWII along with all the horrors of the Third Reich...the war...I have fresh perspective of how horrific this time was. It was strangely satisfying to see the spot, now a simple parking lot, where Hitler took his life while hiding in a bunker with the Russian forces closing in. Then, as if that wasn't enough for people to bare, the building of the East West wall, then the building of the Berlin Wall...

I can hardly believe this history is so recent. I visited a really good presentation of the history of the wall in pictures, featuring a huge panoramic view of one section of the wall. Here's a part of it looking East

And another looking west

See that VW rabbit? I had one of those. It might have been that same year. This put the timing of this wall into terms I could fathom. 

This all serves as a backdrop to what we saw of the current government buildings...lots of glass, inferring transparency in government. I'm looking forward to going up the Reichstag dome tomorrow!  We also saw the place Hitler first burned books, saw where he held his huge Third Reich speeches, and so much more. 

On the brighter side, we also had lunch in a huge beer garden and had some excellent local pilsner! It's SO amazing that Berlin has come from the horid past to become one of the most tolerant, forward thinking cities in Europe! The wall's end was only 28 years ago. Berlin is still being rebuilt! It's 3rd in amount of construction in the world, behind only Dubai and Shanghai! Certainly there are cranes everywhere!

Phew. That's enough for now. We're going out to watch as Berlin winds up for the World Cup, find some Indian food, and find an apokothy/drugstore  to ask what to put on this strange rash I have above my ankle.