Cinque Terre

If you have been there, just saying 'Cinque Terre' likely brings a smile to your face, flashes of pictures across your brain and fond memories welling in your heart. Not to sound like a Hallmark card... but this is the stuff dreams are made of.

The water is ogle-worthy, the hiking is one of a kind, the terrain ocean-side, vineyard/orchard lined, picturesque. Every day we sat on rocks in the sun for lunch: eating just-made paninis and drinking Prosecco or Italian beer while 'the cousins' climbed rocks, beach-combed and chased geckos.

We went to Cinque Terre for 5 days in April: Janelle, Anthony, Caleb plus cousins Sam, Jack, Aunt Cindy and Uncle Keith. We hiked between every city---sometimes twice. We explored trails and climbed down to beaches, drank the local wine and ate seafood. We sampled grappa and limoncella, snapped photos, ate daily gelato, climbed a castle tower, visited churches, marveled at the different beaches (rocks, sand, pebbles), found favorite jewelry/souvenir/wine shops and established lunch spots. 

I loaded an album of our visit to Cinque Terre, since these few token pics don't do it justice.

Souvenirs: the boys and I bought t-shirts, Caleb bought a leather bracelet with a shark tooth and picked up still more rocks (at this point his suitcase-going-home will be all rocks/gems). 

Cities in order from North (1) to South (5)

1. Monterosso: the northern most and largest of the five cities, Monterosso boasts two beaches (one with rocks, one with sand---see Anthony's smile?), ample souvenir shops and many cafes. I got 'lost-on-purpose' while following my nose on a trail above the city and found a gorgeous lemon orchard and some paths lacing the edge of an ocean-facing hill. (A nice hike to this city, but I probably wouldn't choose accommodations here).

2. Vernazza: arguably my favorite city. If I only had time for one city, this would be the one. It has boats lining the water, picturesque umbrellas and a little beach-space in the heart of the city. It is full of cafes, is bonafide 'quaint,' had our favorite pizza-for-lunch-spot, fantastic souvenir/jewelry/food/ceramic shops, and two churches.

3. Corniglia: you climb almost 400 steps to get up to this hill-top city. It is quite small, and had the best gelato we found (don't go to the first gelato you see, walk toward the water from the little center piazza (one street---it is easy to find); take a right (only option) and you will be on a short stretch that includes some fantastic looking restaurants and the best artisan gelato---sorry I don't know the name!). My new favorite gelato flavor? Honey. (very small city, I wouldn't stay here either. Nice for a quick visit and some nice views).

4. Manarola: boys loved the big rocks-on-the-ocean for climbing (see picture, below). Cute little souvenir shops, great 'extra' trail that you can take through the vineyards and look down on the city, below. Famous nativity scenes reside on the hillside and are lit for a month or so during Dec/Jan time-frame.

5. Riomaggiore: we stayed here and would stay here again. The best-kept/most famous and shortest trail is between Riomaggiore and Manarola. Favorite wine shop (best butter cookies---we bought them everyday for or 'walking packs.'), a few good restaurants and a fantastic rocky beach where we spent hours one afternoon building rock piles and bathing in the uncharacteristic April sun.

Worth noting:

• You really don't need hiking shoes. Tennis shoes are just fine---high heels are not. 
• We bought the walking day passes then just paid for the train-as-needed (instead of the walking plus train pass, which cost so much more). 
• Note the cemeteries: every city has them located with the highest, best views possible. They are ocean front, cliff high, top-and-center---venerated.
• It was quite cool to stay right in one of the five cities. Many other places would feel too far away; though a friend of mine stayed at a hotel in Levanto (city north of Cinque Terre---take a train in every day) and said it was great.

Murano Glass

All four of us want to take glass-blowing classes. Why not? We are curious, love to create and think its cool. And walking around Venice---then Murano---inspired us even more.

Did I mention Anthony blew glass? We were touring Murano Island---off the coast of Venice---and saw a glass-blowing demonstration. It is part of the lure on Murano, to show people glass-blowing, in hopes that they will buy from your vast array of glass accouterments. And by accouterments I mean anything from necklaces to vases, earrings, bowls, collectible figurines of fish, bugs, penguins, roosters... wine stoppers, bracelets, wall-hangings and the like.

So the guy showing his talent with a bit of fire and calculated exhale---allowed Anthony to do the same. Anthony made this cool little glass candy that he will undoubtedly keep forever. We were interested in the art of blowing glass before, but now it is a must on our life list... (I have my cousin to thank for the concept of 'life lists' I am so working on mine and hope to post soon).

OH and my sister-in-law Cindy and I bought bracelets from this same said shop. So, I guess the lure-al 'a-demonstration works? We bought matching bracelets and snagged a bit of deal for buying two instead of one. Success all around. It made all-of-our-day!

If you visit Venice, you might think of grabbing a ferry to visit Murano. You can buy a one-day (12 hour) 'boat pass' for around 15euros ($20). We all bought one and used it to grab a boat and tour Venice's entire canal, then caught another boat out (and back) to Murano. Why not use water for transportation?

Gubbio, Perugia, Assisi

Since the boys are on holiday (until January 7), we decided to take advantage of a few days free from school/soccer/life requirements. So we scooted south until we left Tuscany and entered Umbria. We squeezed in a visit to Gubbio, taking our time to walk the streets stairs. We found a gorgeous park and poked our heads into the baroque-heavy church.

Next was Perugia, where the boys enjoyed the hotel pool before we headed up into the city. We walked the streets during the passegiata, getting a feel for the long descending stairs, finding the infamous 5k aqueduct (now a footpath) and selecting individual Perugia chocolates for tasting (Caleb found one with marshmallow, Anthony chose strawberry, James' was studded with hazelnuts and mine was filled with caramel).

We cannot help the pull to buy souvenirs, Anthony has a rapidly growing collection of painted tiles (with city names---and now one with St. Francis' prayer) and Caleb seeks out the gems/mineral stores in each city. In Gubbio he purchased Bizno---a rock that grows with straight lines and is metallic/shimmery. I bought a tiny little ceramic creamer---I couldn't resist the tiny bird motif.

On day two we woke up to snow and cold. Fortunately we had explored Perugia the night before, so we gathered out belongings and drove to Assisi. My only regret is that we didn't have more time in Assisi (had to return for soccer games that same night). Assisi is touristy for obvious reasons, but the city has embraced that fact and in many ways beautified their city (due to the time of year and the weather, we were lucky that the tourists had slowed to a mere trickle). They have an impressive parking garage, lovely cafes, numerous well-kept shops and quite a few art galleries.

We fell in love with one artist's work, and would have loved to have purchased a piece. Perhaps one day we will order one; check out Massimo Cruciani.

Anthony summarized it well: Assisi was special because of their unique churches. They have 'a church inside of a church,' and a 'church on top of a church.' Which is true! Assisi's original tiny little hamlet church resides inside a large cathedral (this is below/outside the city). It was surreal.

San Francesco is the church in Assisi (it includes one church on top of another), where you can still go at midnight to experience the monks' cantor. The 'bottom' church is glorious, well-kept and beautifully frescoed. This original church, Caleb noticed, was in the shape of a Greek cross. It was built by the Franciscan brothers; the church on top is more traditional in shape and height, with frescoes depicting St. Francis' life. We bought little wooden crucifixes, postcards and snapped photos among the flitting snowflakes.

All in one weekend: the leaning tower of Pisa, touring San Gimignano, dining in Volterra

Loved our touring blitz. I call it that because we have been renting a car and taking a day out of our weekends to explore cities other than our own. Three weekends ago we skimmed Montepulciano and Pienza, two weekends ago we soaked up the festivities in Bologna (see Anthony's post), and this past weekend we fit in Pisa, San Gimignano and Volterra. No worries: the boys actually had Monday and Tuesday off this week, so blitzing some cities over the weekend wasn't a complete loss of sanity---we had two days for putting up our throbbing feet.

And these are all cities that we have been meaning to visit.

Pisa's leaning tower was insanely expensive to climb... but we are here, so we bit the bullet and bought tickets. And how weird: climbing the stairs of the leaning tower felt awkward. While climbing, we were adjusting our bodily angles, putting our hands on the walls for extra support and 'vertigo' crossed my mind more than once... but the views were beautiful. Although it is early December, we enjoyed sunny, clear vistas for our Pisa experience (FYI travel in non-tourist months. Little lines, fewer tourists, no boiling hot sun. Add a coat and you are free to roam and enjoy at a pace all your own).

One other must-mention for Pisa: the cathedral was stunning. Just stunning. We all remarked that it was one of our favorite so far in Italy---an unexpected surprise.

In Pisa we also toured the Chagall museum (temporary exhibit). WOW. I want to go back and stare some more. I wish I could own one of the paintings, so it was permanently affixed in my abode and I could stare at length.

San Gimignano is famous for its towers. If I remember correctly there were near 100 and 17 remain intact (unusual for towers to retain their height; with all the fights and family feuds, towers were regularly lopped off). Because it is touristy, we dared not expect authenticity. But in fact, it was quaint and we were wowed by its streets (esp. San Matteo), markets and stores. The boys scored: Caleb found a store with gems where he purchased an amethyst gemstone, and Anthony bought a city tile (he is collecting hand-crafted small tiles from different cities). I bought a small ceramic pitcher and a 10 euro brown knitted hat from a market vendor, James bought wild boar and wine-cured salami---plus 2 bottles of Vernaccia white wine.

The Vernaccia wine is quintessential to San Gimignano; it was the very first wine in Italy to receive the DOCG quality stamp of approval. Stamps of approval, geography, grapes and processes are all very important in Italy. We went out of our way to taste Vernaccia, and bought 2 bottles of reserve... not to be opened until grandpa's birthday (Janelle's dad) in late January. (I wrote about Chiantis, DOC and DOCG labels on my other blog, talkoftomatoes).

We were running out of time (admittedly, it was hard to leave San Gimignano, as we were enjoying it immensely), but jetted to Volterra for a quick peek at the city and for dinner. It was dark upon our arrival. What you should know: Volterra is a hilltop city with amazing walls and stairs leading to the top. The stairs weave back and forth and incorporate a park---which was closed this time of night. We mean to return to better see the city, enjoy the park and visit their Etruscan museum---we had a great first impression of Volterra.

Volterra is seemingly synonymous with Alabaster (every other store sold carved and molded stone and gems). Who knew? We walked the streets long enough to find a place to eat, and were fortunate enough to find: Da Pina. We found this adorable restaurant by walking through a store and down into a wine cellar---full of cozy tables and barrel-made bookcases. I couldn't resist having my family experience tartufo: central and northern Italy's infamous white truffle, available just during the fall and championed at many a festival... We enjoyed tartufo salami, tartufo pork, tartufo honey and bacon fat smeared on bruschetta... tartufo pecorino... it was unforgettable. Our main entrees included pasta (James), wild boar (Janelle), meat in wine sauce (Caleb) and gnocchi (Anthony).

I have a hunch we will eat there again someday.

arts, crafts & games we

I actually wrote a post about the card games we played all summer---a good travel size game to fit into panniers while cycling Europe. Cards provided countless hours of fun and entertainment for our family.

But now we have landed in Florence, and have started to settle in. It seems to me that when you extract yourself from your life (in our case Seattle, WA), and plant yourself somewhere else (say Florence, Italy), you are armed with more down time. You have yet to ante up for volunteer at school, you don't know anyone so dinner dates and play dates are slow in coming. You don't attend as many meetings---because you aren't on committees. Carpools are gone (especially in our case, since we have no car); so is administering them. The boys now bike to and from school---and to and from soccer practice.

Beyond soccer, school and homework, the boys have some solid time off. Granted, we take them to tour museums, walk the bridges and visit outlying cities, but during the week when homework is done, they have some idle time. Time for their minds to linger and their creativity to be summoned.

It has been sheer joy to watch the boys organically come up with games. By virtue of the fact that they are tired of cards? Perhaps because we don't really have much in the way of gadgets or games (though Caleb bought an Italian glass chess set for Anthony's birthday---very cool).

Inspiration.
There are many street vendors here in Italy, usually with paintings or jewelry, a pile of sunglasses or mechanical cars. Every so often we see a gentleman making birds from reeds or bicycles from wire. The latter has served to provide countless hours of inspiration and ideas for the boys. We bought wire and pliers, and the boys formed bicycles. They cut up soda cans and added them for adornment. This recently morphed into wires and cans and wooden marbles and a rule-infused shooting/hockey type game. (Note: cans are either Coke, Sprite or Fanta. They are the tall skinny cans; these are the common soda options here---that or iced tea). The wooden marbles came from Sienna, each painted according to the neighborhood. Very cool souvenir.

Besides wire models and made-up games, [on our visit to Orvieto] we found hanging inside a pottery shop, a small pile of sling shots---easily our favorite purchase from Orvieto. They work well, and small white erasers (cut in two) make perfect 'bullets.' A few cardboard circles on the wall for targets, markers on the ground for distance... and the entryway for our apartment finally serves a function.

Then there are the army men. At the Euro store there are cheapish, plastic toys. One of these little bags hanging on the wall, is a mixed bag of red and green army men. We bought four (cheap entertainment: that is about $5). They have scaled books, formed ranks, strategized attacks and bombed troops (with a functioning catapult pencil sharpener/key chain---yes, really. Caleb bought two at a souvenir shop at the Tower of London).

Beyond the antics of new games and wire art, the boys also spend some of their spare time painting, sketching, walking to get gelato and scouring souvenir shops... for the next inspiration.

yes I bought a purse.

Finally. I mean how long have I been here without caving?

Our residence is smack dab in the middle of Florence's leather district; there are vendors everywhere with purses lined up like colorful candy. How have I resisted?

Well we have been settling in, shopping for apartments and tackling paperwork---so I have been distracted. And leave it to me to price shop: why would I pay top dollar when I have time to research? In passing, I have been weighing one vendor against another, having my children ask for prices and verifying among the truckloads: what purse would be my first?

James is lucky, my favorite kind of shopping usually involves food. Though I love fashion, I have not spent a ton on accessories/clothes/jewelry (much of this is due to our dollars being spent on graduate school, babies, restoring homes---toilet wins over shoes---and now a self-invented sabbatical). But I am in Florence, which feels a bit like a permission slip: I plan to come home with a few purses. There must be some secret code, some girlie girl requirement that when you are in Florence you should not only eat fabulous food, scour historical sites and frequent Tuscan wineries, but one must also purchase some fashion flare. It is what it is!

My purse is... plum colored. And I love it. And Anthony helped me score a seriously good deal! He and I were going for a walk, and browsing the leather stand on the same street as our apartment. I had him ask the price of a few different purses, and translate. We let the vendor know Anthony knew a little Italian, so Anthony translated. The guy threw out a few different prices: € 25, € 35, € 45 and Anthony told me the smaller purse was € 25.

I finally caved and decided on my purse (for the record, my little black purse I bought in Maastricht had held out until this same morning, when the strap broke... oh DARN). So I took out the € 25 and the guy looked a little confused and said no, I said it was € 35. Anthony had made an honest mistake; I cringed on cue (okay there was no cue but I did contort my face and hesitate). He looked at the other vendor, then back at us (oh Anthony, you told me € 25! ehem, good job: remind me to thank you later). The vendor said: okay € 30. DONE. Woo-hoo!

Happy purse lady am I.

Amsterdam

It is familiar: the flavors and feel, the bright colors and sentiment, the delft and tulips, and everything dairy. I am Dutch, after all, and throwing myself headlong into my country of origin feels like taking a deep, sentimental breath.

I love that being here adds dimensions to my understanding of what it means to be Dutch. (And although I don't speak Dutch, I took years of German in high school, so at least pronunciations come easily and a little crossover applies---whew). I even got kudos this morning while at a neighborhood cafe, for my efforts in pronouncing biologisch spek, which is Dutch for organic bacon. Even funnier? On my other blog, talk of tomatoes, I actually made an appetizer using spek just a few months ago... not even knowing its origins. What a hoot!).

I am only just beginning to wrap my mind around this lovely culture and experience, but highlights most certainly include the intimacy of the city, canals everywhere, the sea of cycles and the regular bustle. We adore adore adore the well groomed sense of transportation. It made an immediate impression, and when we hit not-so-bike-forward parts of Europe, we will no doubt long for it.

The bar is set high for efficiency and smart integration: there is a lane for pedestrians, a lane for bikes and scooters, a lane for cars and street cars, and a lane (canal) for boats. And it works seamlessly. Everyone knows the drill: bikes have the right of way, pedestrians belong on the walking path (bollards sometimes separate the two), and along canals bikes, scooters and cars share the brick roads. Smallish van-like buses and boats alike, provide accessible transport. We have been spoiled---giddy perhaps---about the fact that bikes function with equal clout to cars and scooters yet when push comes to shove: cycles have the right away.

Like James, I read Lust for Life---a story about Van Gogh's life---and loved it. It brought the visit to Van Gogh's museum to life, and I loved every minute of it. I understood, then, why people can stand before a painting mesmerized and moved to tears. So many paintings made an impression (yep, a pun), above all the Potato Eaters and his infamous Sunflower painting. Both I think, were from his soul, perhaps more 'him' unleashed, than many of his other studies. And they were riveting.

We spent time at the Rijk's museum, rented a tiny motor boat and ate broot and kaas (bread and cheese) while touring along the canals. We drank beer at canal-side cafes, enjoyed neighborhood shops and cafes, walked endlessly, and played soccer in Vondel Park.

Here is a picture of Maxe Euweplein---a square that gives tribute to the Dutch world chess champion (in the 30's)---where we relaxed for some time to watch, well, chess.

Souvenirs? Stickers and postcards, beer coasters, a deck of Van Gogh playing cards and I succumbed to taking up a wee-bit of pannier space: a smallish book on Dutch Food. I am already half way through it and love the quick summaries on Dutch food culture. Consumption includes lots of vegetables (which they use to boil to death, but now cook only lightly via saute, steam etc.), with piles of fish---especially a quick herring snack, bread galore, tons of dairy and dairy products---the boys tried and loved vanilla pudding (they said: like creme brulee without the crust)---and every kind of topping imaginable for bread (most notably the chocolate sprinkles). And mom: the book includes a recipe for ollie bollen!

We are looking forward to much, much more. Today we push off from Amsterdam, and ride for about 20 miles north for a quick visit to Monnickdam (cheese makers) with a final landing in Edam. Perfectly, it stormed last night with tons of lightening laced with booming thunder, and intermittent pouring rain. We laughed and know that without a doubt, we will get caught in some showers today. But without complaint, as the skies delivered bright blue all week in Amsterdam---as blue as the new Dutch soccer jersey we bought Anthony (see pic).