Catching Up

We had some technical difficulties with our blog.  They wanted verification of Angel’s email address and we didn’t have her email set up on the laptop we brought.  The internet was often times too slow to allow us to down load it.  We were finally able to down load and get it back working.  So I will try to catch up.

Maria

I found a pet shop that sold puppies and met a little Shizhu named Maria.  She was so cute and happy to have someone give her some attention.  I went to visit her almost every day.  I even considered taking her home with us but knew that was not an option. 



Maria



I was scheduled to take a cooking class but they cancelled it because I was the only one signed up for it so I decided to go back to Portovenere and did some shopping and had a very nice lunch.

Trip to Rome

The trip to Rome started a little rough.  When Angel got to the six seat compartment it was full and two older men were in our seats.  When Carlos informed them that they were in the wrong seats and tickets were pulled out, one of the men conceded that he was not entitled to the seat.  The other refused to get up.  The two men were on the right car and the right seats just not the right day.  Angel took the seat while Carlos dealt with the baggage and tried to find one of the Train Attendants.  The obstinate little old man proceeded to argue with all the ladies in the compartment about how he had the right to the seat even though his ticket was not valid.  When the attendant arrived little mount vesuvios lost it and the attendants where threatening to just have the police remove little Mousselini.  Carlos spoke to the attendant to just find us two other seats before the little angry (wrong) man had a heart attack.  (See Carlos really is the nicest guy in the Navy.  Realize little angry man refers to the fact that he was barely 5 feet tall and maybe was 100 pounds soaking wet.  It really could have been a seen from a movie, “Throw grandpa (angry little man) from the Train, starring Carlos, The Nicest Guy in the U.S. Navy!”)  Any way the attendant found us two seats in a compartment with a quite older couple and the rest of the trip to Rome was fairly uneventful.

      We checked in to the Grand Hotel Plaza around 3pm, and found probably the most beautiful hotel either of us has ever seen.  See the following link for the website, http://www.grandhotelplaza.com/en/gallery.html , but even the website does not do it justice.  We will  try and include as many pictures into the blog. The reception attendant informed us he would be upgrading us to a corner executive room.  We settled into our room and then took our first walk along the “Via Del Corso to the North until we came to the Piazza Del Popolo .  It was incredibly beautiful.  We stopped on our way back to the hotel for a quick snack and then reorganized our thoughts and headed off to see the Coliseum.  Again we walked along Via Del Corso but this time to the South.   There is a little vehicle traffic on this road but for the most part it was a Sea of Humanity and any driver that dared brave this road found his path slow and highly impaired.  We arrived at Monuento A Vittorio Emanuele II, were we went to the top of the monument and took several pictures of the Roman Skyline and got our bearings for our trek to the Coliseum.  On our path to the Coliseum we passed a large excavation of the old roman city that was totally breath taking.  We made it to the coliseum only to realize that the excavation did not compare to the splendor and the engineering feat of this great structure.  Carlos had watched a special on the history channel on the making of the gladiator.  The computer graphics that were used to bring the coliseum to life were spectacular but standing inside that structure really did bring to light the significance of this structure that was 2000 years old.  At the end of our walk through the coliseum we decided to head back to the hotel.  We stopped at a restaurant that we mistakenly thought was recommended to us.  The food was fabulous but the service was trying for a spot on the Godfather.  Over three weeks we really have had nothing bad to say about any restaurant in which we have dined however the Twelve Apostles in the Piazza S.S. Apostoli gets the “Double O negative” from both us on hospitality and just plain good behavior.  Though on the good side, we did meet three young men from the Australian Military that were in Rome for the 65^th Anniversary of the Italian Republic. 



Inside the Coliseum




Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II




Coliseum



We had breakfast Sunday morning in an area of the Hotel that was part of the main Ballroom. The room was incredible; it is hard to believe that this place was once a private residence.  After breakfast we headed off to the Vatican City.  We signed up for a guided tour and headed to the Vatican Museum.  We had to pass through security and Mr. Fish failed to pass the radar scanner.  It was traumatic for Mr. Fish when the Vatican security guards frisked him.  The Vatican museum was truly impressive and the Sistine chapel required your presence to truly understand how spectacular it really is.  After this tour we went through Saint Peters Basilica.  It was so beautiful inside that the pictures we took do not do it justice.  Carlos said that he had never really expected to get anywhere beyond Saint Peters Square but to walk throughout the Vatican was truly beyond his expectations and wildest hopes.  We stopped for a snack of wine and bruschetta (I have found a new recipe for this that I will be trying out once we get home).  We then went to the Pantheon (another 2000 year old structure that looks every bit as functional as it probably did the day it was finished) and the Trevi Fountain.  I will post pictures of these but pictures cannot do these landmarks justice.



Angel & Mr. Fish outside of St Peters Bascillica




Facing the Main Alter in St Peters Bascillica




Inside the Bascillica




Inside the Vatican Museum




St Peters Square



We finally found the restaurant that a good friend of ours recommended and ate dinner.  It was every bit as good as he said it would be, down to the Green Sambuca.

I liked the history and art of Rome but found it to be loud and crowded. Sunday there were parades of people in the street cheering for an Italian soccer team that was playing a championship game tonight.  It was crazy, kind of like New Orleans after the Super Bowl.



Bottom of stair case at Grand Hotel Plaza Lobby




Nutella Purse





The Dome inside the Patheon




The Patheon




The Trevi Fountain



Breakfast room at Hotel



The Train Workers Strike???

Yeah, apparently transportation workers strike here on a not so irregular basis, so today’s trip to Parma was cancelled due to lack of interest from the train conductors.  After our disappointing walk to the train station we returned to the hotel and asked at the desk for other suggestions for sites to see within bus distance.  The winner was the little town of Lerici around the south side of the La Spezia bay.  According to our quick internet search prior to hopping on the bus, this is a town often ignored by tourists.  Lerici and San Terenzo are both beautiful beach resorts within a stone’s throw of each other.  Lerici has a huge castle at the top of a most impressive climb which has been turned into a museum.  (Guess which museum was closed for repairs?).  Still the view from the castle grounds of the beaches and across the bay to La Spezia and Portovenere were spectacular.  We walked the markets and shops in Lerici and then walked to San Terenzo along the beaches.  San Terenzo also had an impressive castle but fool me once only.  We decided to have lunch in one of the beach side restaurants called “Straluna.”  We had an appetizer of cheese and a truffle sauce followed by an almond and fish lasagna for Angel and  fish ravioli with shrimp and calamari for Carlos.  This was another excellent meal.  After a short walk of the markets and beach walk we decided to head back to the hotel.



Castle in Lerici




Harbor in Lerici




Harbor in Lerici with castle in background




This one is just right



Many people enjoying the sun in San Terenzo

Saturday, May 21, 2011 Cinque Terre and Mr. Fish

Today we decided to explore four of the five cities of Cinque Terre.  Four because, frankly we thought we would be unable to handle all walking around all five.  So it was the town of Corniglia that we decided not to visit.  We boarded the train around 1000, and immediately discovered the plight of the sardine when it is stuffed in a can.  We were going to the town of Monterosso, farthest away from La Spezia.  Luckily, more than fifty percent of the people riding the train were headed to the town of Riomaggiore and the train quickly emptied at the first stop.  We arrived in Monterosso about twenty minutes later and found a beautiful seaside resort with incredible views of the mountainside and the fine gravel beach.  While we were there Angel and Mr. Fish decided to partake of the cold Mediterranean waters.


Angel and Mr.Fish putting our feet and fin in the Med



  We walked through the town that was separated by a cliff that extended out into the waters of the Med.  On top of that cliff was a small church.  The other side of the town also had a beautiful beach and apparently was a large producer of lemons.  We obviously found lemonade, and limoncello, lemon cookies and yes even lemon flavored olive oil. 


All the lemons



Monterosso



  We decided to take the ferry to the second stop in Cinque Terre but we tried to leave a few minutes after the ferry’s took their two hour lunch break.  So we had lunch in Monterosso at a restaurant named “Ciak”, and no I did not misspell that name.  You can find them on the internet at (www.ristoranteciak.it ), though the web site doesn’t seem to have the pictures of the chef that was dressed up just like Popeye the sailorman.  All joking aside we had a seafood risotto with two types of clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp and some other types of shrimp like sea beings that we have yet to find their names.  The dish came out in large pot similar to what paella is served in.  It was by far one of the best dishes we have eaten in Italy.  We left Monterosso on the ferry at 2:15pm headed to Vernazza.  On the ferry ride we got to see the coastline, it was breathtaking.


Mr. Fish was appalled at some of the souvenirs





Mr. Fish looking at the locks on the Via Del' Amore



    Vernazza was another seaside town that was smaller than Monterosso but just as beautiful.  (Vernazza and the rest of the towns were more fishing villages than beach resorts.)  We walked around for about an hour and headed to Manarola via the train.  Manarola was similar to Vernazza.  We decided to walk from Manarola to Riomaggiore via the “Via dell’Amore”.   It was a beautiful walk on the side of the mountain overlooking the Mediterranean.   After spending some time roaming this town we headed back to La Spezia. 

Mr. Fish Goes to Portovenere

Today was another beautiful day here in La Spezia, the weather is perfect!!  Today we set off for Portovenere along with Mr. Fish.  (He was excited about getting out of the hotel room.)  The scenery was beautiful on the road there but it did not compare to the beauty of the town and the surrounding landscape.   We walked the narrow streets up to the San Lorenzo Church and then continued up to the Andria Doria Castle also known as the Portovenere Fortress.  The view from this height above the town was breathtaking. We then walked back down to another church (San Pietro) that was built in the 6^th century on a peninsula.   The church has some incredible views.  They were also preparing for a wedding as we walked though.  We walked down to the harbor and had a late lunch at a waterside restaurant.  We saw the wedding party pass by and then the bride passed in a small convertible.  We returned to La Spezia around 6pm and then enjoyed dinner later that evening in a fine dining restaurant. I believe we will be returning their next week.  And yes we ended our day with our nightly gelato run.  (Life is good!)



Portovenere



Mr. Fish relaxing by the fountain on his way to visit the castle



Front of San Lorenzo Church




A view from Castello Doria looking at San Pietro Church




A View of Castello Doria



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Mr. Fish looking out at the Med from San Pietro Church

Mr. Fish really wanted one of these T-shirts

Life is Good!!

I have some very bad news for Tom.  Domenico’s Enoteca has a new sign hanging outside of it and we had someone translate it for us.  “Proxima apperatura Noveau Guestione,” apparently it means, “Next Opening New Ownership.”  So it seems that Tom drank and ate them out of food, drink and a business. Sorry we missed it Tom, because so far all the other places you recommended have been outstanding. 

Tonight we experienced Bolle in Pentola for the 7 item antipasti and it was great.  It consisted of a bulgur wheat, mussels and calamari salad, spinach stuffed mussels and spinach stuffed sardines, a potato cake with a piece of white fish on top, fried polenta balls (as Carlos called these Heaven on a plate), cheese stuffed calamari and raw shrimp (the shrimp here are different from our shrimp at home, they are very sweet)   We would have stayed for dinner but Angel had prepared a plate of antipasto prior to leaving the hotel room of three local cheeses, olives, the biggest capers known to man and a bottle of Chianti.  (Life is good!)  So after the second course of antipasti we cried uncle and fulfilled our nightly ritual of gelato.

Still no dinner invitation from that Armani dude, he must not know we are here in La Spezia.

I know I mentioned the apparent lack of Health Department inspectors (due to all the dogs in restaurants) well they don’t  have social services lurking around every corner here either.   You see mothers and grandmothers smacking their kids all the time and disciplining them, the other day I saw a grandma yelling up a storm and smacking her grandson in the head.   No one paid any attention to her or tried to interfere.  They just kept walking by like that was normal behavior.  It’s good to see good old fashion discipline still exists in some parts of the world, no time outs or counting to three here.   

Monday, May 16, 2011 La Spezia

Today Carlos went to work and Angel explored La Spezia.  First she walked to the harbor and spotted the big black yacht (it is actually dark green) that Tom had mentioned in his blog.   (click link to see whose boat this is)

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-articles/giorgio-armani-yacht 

No sign of that Armani dude yet.

 Later she went to the grocery to pick up some wine, soda and salad makings.  Afterward it was on to the market to pick up some fresh tomatoes for the caprese salad she was making for dinner. 

We have kept forgetting to mention the dogs in our posts; they will allow dogs to go into restaurants and the grocery stores here.  Dogs are allowed most everywhere people are.  Guess they don’t have the health department to deal with.

We also purchased a bottle of Sciacchetra to try (per Tom’s recommendation) and it was worth the cost. 
http://www.buranco.org/Productssciacchetra.html

Saturday, May 14, 2011 Cannes

Today we went to the Cannes Film Festival.  It was literally an ocean of humanity.  We saw no stars but took a lot of pictures.  Let me back up by saying that we decided to stay in Monaco because the Marriott fully booked in Nice and Cannes and we wanted to ensure that we would find English speaking attendants since Carlos can’t remember much of his French.  Well, that really turned out to be a blessing.  When we boarded the Train we were boarding empty train cars, but once we reached Nice the cars were flooded by tourist and paparazzi that were hoping to catch a sight of some movie star.  Now let me tell you what was more fascinating.  The quantity of luxury and sports cars was amazing (Kendall you would have loved this.) 

    The police were dressed and ready for (it looked like football to me) battle.  Their shin guards and shoulder pads were interesting. 

    For lunch we stopped at a restaurant called Au Martin Pecheur.  Carlos got salmon served on pasta with a buerre blanc sauce and Angel got beef carpaccio salad, both was outstanding (ok Donna maybe not as good as your roast beef but a close second).   Later that afternoon we went to a bakery and purchased a few pastries that melted in your mouth.

    When we returned to Monte Carlo we decided to walk around the harbor, the yachts were huge!!  They also set up for the Grand Prix.  We were told it took 6 weeks to set up the city for the race and another 4 weeks to break it back down.  While taking pictures of the harbor and the race track set up we decided to eat at a restaurant that is located at the west end hair pin turn, called the Restaurant Quai Des Artistes.  Angel had the Caprese Salad that was again different than any other caprese sald in that the tomatoes appeared to be sliced on a meat slicer, paper thin and perfect along with some tomatoes that were cut only in half but had the skin removed.  Carlos had an artichoke salad in which some of the artichokes were pickled others were boiled and finally others were roasted.  Angel’s main course was a Seafood risotto that had three types of scallops, clams, mussels, crawfish and calamari.  Carlos had a veal and beef ravioli, the entire meal was outstanding.