Friday in Milano

Today was another day to just chill. J and I have both been fighting a cold and since we have a lot of traveling ahead of us, we wanted to make sure and get some rest before the rest of our vacation begins. We slept in and then headed to McDonalds for lunch. It actually was better than I expected. I had a new chicken sandwich thing and J got a Big Mac. After lunch we started to pack and get ready for the next part of our trip. I booked a couple of walking tours in Rome. We are taking a tour of Ancient Rome (Pantheon, Colliseum, Forum, etc.) and another tour of the Vatican (St. Peter’s, Sistine Chapel, etc.) We decided to rent a car in Florence since our hotel is out in the boonies. After we finished packing, we headed to the Duomo and Galleria for dinner. Earlier in the week I had seen the big Christmas tree going up in the Galleria, so I wanted to se it once it was finished. They were still working on it and it wasn’t lit up, but we got some pictures anyway. It looks like it will be a really gorgeous tree – it has ornaments of Swarovski crystals. We had an okay dinner and headed back to get some rest before our train to La Spezia tomorrow morning.

My Italian Birthday

Happy Thanksgiving! Today is my birthday and I’m so happy to be spending it in Italy!

We left very early this morning (6am) on a train to Parma. Jason made us an appointment for a tour of a Parmesan cheese factory (my favorite type of cheese) and we had to be there by 8:30. Our train was supposed to arrive at 7:19, plenty of time to get to the dairy. Well, there was an ‘accident’ and we passed a cargo train that had been derailed. This caused our train and all the others to have major delays.

We made it to the dairy just as they were starting the tour. The tour was a lot of fun, there was another couple on the tour, who were visiting from Florida. There was also a ton of kids there, on a field trip. I think they were high school students. We got to see the cheese as it was being made, we saw the whole process. At the factory we went to, they make 30 wheels of Parmesano-Reggiano a day, and we visited only one of the 600 dairies in the area who make this type of cheese! We got to see the room where the cheese is put in brine for 24 days, then the cheese is moved to a storage room for 9-36 months. The storage room was cool, floor to ceiling cheese! It was great! We stopped in after the tour to buy some cheese (of course) and then we grabbed some lunch (more pizza) in Parma.

After lunch we decided to go to Modena and were able to get a tour of a Balsamic Vinegar factory. We visited one of 120 families who make balsamic vinegar in the Modena region. We had a vinegar tasting and then got to see an area where the vinegar is aged.

The vinegar is aged for a minimum of 6 years and each year, it is transferred to a different barrel made from a different type of wood. We liked the vinegar so much that we bought quite a bit of it! I got some white vinegar. It is not aged in barrels which has a very tangy flavor and will be great for salads, a bottle of everyday balsamic, and then we bought a bottle that had been aged 12 years.

After a very long day, we decided to head back to Milan and have my birthday dinner at Limone (our favorite restaurant in Milan). What a great birthday!

Wednesday, a good day for a trip to Lake Como

I arrived in Como at about 10 am and surprisingly, the sun was shining! I was thrilled because I knew I’d have some good pictures because of the light. I got into town and did some shopping for sunglasses and then had a quick caffe and brioche and headed towards the Lake.

I decided to take the Funicolare to the town at the top of the mountain – Brunate. It was a lot of fun going up the mountain in the Funicolare and I had a great view. The ride was too short! Once I got up to the top, I took some pictures and could even see the Alps! It was a gorgeous, clear day!

I started to hike back down the mountain, but the road I was on was very narrow and I kept having to squish against the walls when cars would come so when I saw a sign that said “Pedonale e Como” I decided that a foot trail seemed like a good idea. At first the trail seemed like the road that I had been on, except no cars – great! Well, it soon became a very narrow, rocky trail and I realized that I was going to be hiking through the woods.  At first it was nice, I was just taking in the scenery, enjoying the quiet, but then I started thinking that there could be shady characters lurking in the woods wanting to take advantage of tourists like me and I started to think that this wasn’t such a good idea. Then I heard wolves off in the distance and I thought – this really isn’t smart. There could be bears or coyotes out here as well, and I don’t have anything to protect myself with. After I had sufficiently freaked myself out, I fell down on the rocky trail. I skinned up my shin pretty badly and it swelled up.

After that, I really didn’t care much about the scenery, I was on a mission to just get down the hill. I got down in about 1 ½ hours and then decided that I deserved a nice lunch after all that cardio.

I found a ristorante overlooking Lake Como and had asparagus ravioli and tiramisu. It was fabulous! I walked around the lake some more and then decided to head home to show J my bruises. What a day!

Tuesday Tour of Milan

Today I took a tour of the major tourist sites in Milan. We visited the Duomo, the famous gothic cathedral that took over 300 years to build. Inside, there are many impressive things, including the floor – which is inlaid with 3 different colors of marble – black, white, and rose. I also saw an impressive statue of St. Bartholomew. He was skinned and the statue shows him holding his skin as a cloak.
After the Duomo, we walked to the Galleria, the shopping area and then we walked to the La Scala Opera House, stopping along the way to view the statue of Leonardo da Vinci and his 4 pages. The La Scala Opera House was beautiful. It’s known for it’s great acoustics. We got to go inside a theatre box to see what it would be like to see a performance there. There were no operas playing during the time we were in Milan, maybe someday we’ll be able to return and see one. The tour then took us to the Castello Sforzeco and we learned the story of the duke who lived there – he had 35 children and a lot of personal drama.

After the Castle, we went to see Leonardo’s famous fresco, The Last Supper. It was by far the most amazing fresco I’ve ever seen! It’s a miracle that it withstood the bombing in the 1940s. The fresco was painted in a room where the monks used to eat their meals. It was painted in a way that the monks felt as if they were eating at the table with Jesus during the last supper. The guide was very knowledgeable and pointed out things about the painting that I’d never noticed before.

After the tour ended, I decided to explore the Duomo area for the rest of the day. I climbed the stairs to the upper portion of the Duomo to get some shots of the exterior and all of the great statues and architecture. On my way up the very long, very narrow, stone staircase I got a little freaked out. It was very claustrophobic but eventually I reached the top!

I had a great view of the city from the top of the Duomo and spent a lot of time up there taking pictures. I then headed back down, had a nice lunch at a little pizza place, and then went back to the hotel. J was only working a ½ day so it was nice to spend the rest of the afternoon with him.

Venice - Palace of the Doges & Bridge of Sighs

After our trip to Burano, we jumped on the water bus and came back to Venice. We toured the Palace of the Doges and the Venetian Senate and also saw the courtroom made famous by Venice's "Terrible Ten" - a group that had a history of doling out large sentences to Venetians who engaged in small crimes. They would often sentence Venetians to large prison sentences and torture in the palace area and once sentenced, the Venetians would have to cross over a canal (on the bridge of sighs) to the prison. The bridge of sighs is called that because many prisoners would sigh as they looked through the openings, out at the Adriatic sea knowing that it would be their last glimpse of freedom. J took a picture of what it must have been like to look out of the bridge (see below)

After a very full day, we got back on the train to Milan. The next day (Monday), I got to sleep in and then Jason took me on a tour of the manufacturing plant here and we had dinner in Monza. It was nice to just have a lo-key day after all that go,go,go!

Lace making in Burano

Hi friends!

After our glass making experience in Murano, we decided to take a water taxi to the island of Burano (about 15 minutes from Murano). We were given a tour of a lace making museum and got to see a woman making lace by hand. Many different lace makers work on one piece because each lace maker has a stitch that she specializes in and she only does that one stitch, then she passes the piece along to the other lacemakers.

The island of Burano was very quiet and peaceful - no cars allowed and there wasn't nearly as much hustle and bustle as there is in Venice. All the houses in Burano are painted different colors and it's a family tradition that gets passed down. Our tour guide said she lives in a violet colored house with her family.

Venetian Glass

We slept in today and checked out of the hotel about 11. We were taken by water taxi to the Island of Murano to visit Fornace Mazzuccato (Muzzaccato Furnace). We were given a private show by a master glassmaker.

The glassmakers don't receive any formal training - it is a trade that is passed down from generation to generation. Usually fathers bring their young sons in and train them from an early age. To be considered a master glassmaker, you need at least 15 years experience. The master we saw today had 45 years of experience!
He even let me turn the glass in the furnace! He made 2 items during the demonstration - a simple vase and a glass horse (See photos).



The master made both items in about 5 minutes. It was so neat to see him create a beautiful horse from a ball of hot glass. He just pulled the glass with tongs and made legs, ears, a tail, etc. It was so amazing! He made it look so easy! It was an experience I'll always remember.

After the glass blowing demonstration, we were taken into a showroom that had the most amazing works of art. There were vases, glasses, sculptures, bowls, chandeliers, tea sets, basically anything that you could ever want made of glass. Jason said that for my birthday I could pick anything in the store. I felt like Reese Witherspoon in "Sweet Home Alabama". :) It was very shi shi - they even gave us a little Prosecco (Champagne) when they realized that we were there to shop for my birthday present and we all toasted.

We walked around the store for about an hour and I finally decided on a gorgeous bowl. It will be custom made by Master Costentino with 55 years experience. I chose a bowl with sculpted edges like the orange one in the picture and with the colors of the round bowl. The bowl will have gold filigree as the base color and then ribbons of amber, aquamarine, and silver around the outside. The pictures don't do it justice - it will be magnificent! I should receive it in about 4 weeks.

After we finished, they offered us a water taxi to the island of Burano where they make lace by hand. We took them up on it and left right from the dock. Here's a picture of us on the way to Burano. I have more to blog on the rest of our trip to Venice, but it will have to wait. I need to get ready now - I am going to visit Jason's plant and get a tour. Ciao!

Venice - Day 1

Buon giorno from Venice! We took the EuroStar train this morning (1st class) from Milan to Venice. We arrived in Venice about 9:30 am. We checked into our hotel which was right across the canal from the train station and then went out to check things out. We took the water bus to the Rialto bridge and checked out the Rialto market - lots of tourist items and fresh fruit and vegetables and a huge fish market.


After that, we walked to St. Mark's Square and looked around. What an amazing place! There were vendors in the middle of the square who were selling bread to feed to the pigeons for 1 Euro. We watched some people do it - they would just get mauled by pigeons. Pigeons would land on them and everything - so gross! Freaked me out just watching it!


We headed over to the famous Harry's Bar for lunch. We had a beautiful table overlooking the water. I had Lobster Thermidor for a whopping $61 euro and J had a basic pasta for $43 euro - ouch! It was a great experience though and now I can say that I've had a Bellini from Harry's bar. :)

After lunch we went into the Basilica San Marco. It was pretty dark inside (probably because there was a light rain outside) but we could still see most of the amazing mosaics that decorate the inside and the ceilings. We went into the treasury to see the treasures that St. Marks' has obtained over the years - chalices, goblets, candelabra, and some skulls and bones of some people. :) We then climbed a steep staircase t the Marciano Museum and the Loggia dei Cavalli where we saw the famous Triumphal Quadriga (the four houses looted from Constantinople by Venetian crusaders in 1204). We also walked out onto the loggia for a great view of Piazza San Marco (see photo).

After all that, sightseeing we came back to the hotel and took a nap and then headed out to dinner. We first went to an Irish pub which was a lot of fun and then went to Ristorante San Marco where we sat between and English couple (that kept cracking me up - the guy was kind of a jerk and kept telling his date to "Shut up! Just Shut up!" in the funniest English accent and an Italian couple. The Italians were very nice and we chatted with them quite a bit. Well, that's it for day one...can't wait to explore the rest of Venice tomorrow!

Last day of cooking school

Today was my last day of cooking class. It was fun and I learned a lot but I'm glad that it's over. I'm glad that I won't have to keep getting up early every morning. It doesn't feel like much of a vacation when you have to wake up at 6:30. :(

After class I went to the Aquarium (free!) and walked through the Parco Semipone. I took a lot of pictures, but won't be able to post any until Sunday night or Monday. We already packed up our hotel room because we are leaving for Venice in the morning. We are taking the Eurostar 1st Class from Milano to Venizia at 6:55 tomorrow morning. It should be a lot of fun - I am looking forward to doing some sightseeing with Jason and I can't wait to see Venice (or "Vince" as my sister Bekah used to call it). After the aquarium, I walked to the Brera region and went to the Pinoteca di Brera which is a wonderful art museum. Then I headed home on the very crowded Metro and now we are getting ready to go out and grab a pizza. We want to make it an early night because we are catching such an early train tomorrow.

Buona notte!

Fun Thursday in Milano

I had a lot of fun today - it's cold & rainy here but that didn't stop me! I had a cooking class in the morning and then walked to the Galleria, Duomo, and did some shopping. I bought a few cute shirts at H&M and then sat at a cafe under the Duomo and had insalata caprese with a glass of wine. It was very peaceful and mellow, just sitting watching the Milanese until I started getting molested by sparrows. The birds were so brave - one even ate a piece of Mozerella off my plate!

Tonight we went out for sushi and sat next to a man and his wife from Japan. We had a nice conversation, he is a Master Black Belt for 3M and has been to the facility in Camarillo 3-4 times. Maybe he'll give us a call the next time he's in town. After dinner, he took our pictre and then took a picture of Jason with his wife, then Jason took a picture of me and him. Very cute couple. :)

Well, have another class tomorrow, need to get to bed soon.

Ciao!

Too much cafe....can't sleep!

Hello there,

Had a cafe after dinner - what a mistake. It's 1:17 and I'm bouncing off the walls.

Thought I would make a few random observations about my trip so far...
1. It is smelly here. There are trees on my way to the hotel that I have to avoid because there are so many birds. They'll 'hit' you if you know what I mean. :) On the sidewalk there is so much debris from the birds - it truly reeks. The subways and sidewalks smell too.
2. People in Milan are great dressers! I generally think I dress pretty well - I feel so underdressed here! The Milanese are all very fashionable and very concerned about their outward appearance.
3. People are very friendly. Sometimes, too friendly! :) Like when I was in the subway without an overcoat and was wearing my indian jeans. I got a lot of unwanted attention and ended up coming home to change. But seriously, the Italians are very nice and hospitable. Trying to speak a little of their language when interacting with them goes a LONG way and is really fun! :) Tonight at dinner I did my first kiss kiss on both cheeks thing with some of Jason's colleagues which is something we never do in the US.
4. Don't underestimate the importance of comfortable shoes. I am so serious. I brought shoes that I thought were comfortable - they are so NOT comfy. I don't know if it's the old cobbled streets or what but I am dying after just a few blocks. Mom & Bek - are you listening? Make sure you bring flats and walking shoes - everyone here wears them.

Well, that's all the random thoughts I have now. I know my blog has been mostly centered around the food - so wanted to tell you about some of the other experiences I've been having.

Miss you all,

Karyn

Milano Day Three

Hello everyone!

I had a great day today - very busy but you know me...that's how I like it! :) I had language and cooking classes today. I was with an older group of students today (16 and 17 year olds) and the dishes were more advanced. We made lasagna (of course) with meat and a white cream sauce, several appetizers in puff pastry, a spinach loaf, bread, potatoes, steak wrapped in proscuitto, croissants, and 2 white chocolate cakes - bene bene bene! After all that cooking (and all those carbs), I was pretty tired so I came back to the hotel and took a nap - it is my vacanze (vacation), after all! :)

I took the train to Monza at 6 (the town where J works) to meet J and his associates for dinner. I was able to do some shopping before dinner and had my first gelato and first encounter with annoying, persistent men trying to sell me knock-off handbags. :) I had planned to walk to the restaurant (it's about a 30 minute walk) but it was getting dark and the shops were closing up and I had never been in Monza before, so I decided not to risk it and head back to the train station to get a cab. (I put that story in just for you mom & Janet. :)

We had a wonderful dinner, there were about 10 people from the plant there. Everyone was very friendly and full of interesting stories. It was a lot of fun to chat with them and put faces with the names J is always talking about.

That's all for tonight. I didn't take any pictures today (shamo!) but I am posting some that I've taken earlier in the week.

Buena notte!

Karyn

Tonight's cooking class & photos

Jason and I just got back from my cooking class. I've attached a picture of us with our instructor Anna and her assistant Stephan. We made pasta (from scratch) with a mushroom and pumpkin sauce, risotto di tricolore, and a torta delgi addobi with rice and candied fruit. Everything was very tasty! I can't wait to come home and make my own pasta for you all. (Sorry Dad & Janet & Tim - havent been able to figure out a low-carb pasta yet..)

Here's a link to some pictures that I took today - lots of pictures of buildings and statues...nothing too exciting. :) Well, got to get to bed - have an early morning tomorrow.

http://adobe.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=7q5yth3.iblqixj&x=0&y=i89siw

Buona serra!

Milano Day Due (Continued)

Buon giorno!

Last night J & I went to Ristorante Limone. It was fabulous! We sat by the piano and had a nice dinner- primi was gnocchi with gorgonzola and black truffles which was to die for and for our secondi, J had fried calamari & zucchini and I had grilled shrimps (as they like to call them over here). The shrimps :) were molto bene!

Yesterday I found a dog park in the giardini pubblica (public garden). There were a lot of dogs out, including an all black french bulldog that reminded me of Meg and a black and white bulldog that looked like Jake. The black bulldog was hiding under the bench the way Meg does when she is at the dog park. It was cute. I am glad to know where I can get my canine fix while I am here. :)

I just finished my language lesson for the day and am now headed out to do more exploring. The arte del concivivio (where I am attending cooking class) invited Jason to come with me to the nighttime cooking class tonight. I wonder what we will make!

I hope to get some pictures uploaded soon. Jason had to work late last night so I did not get much time with the laptop.

Ciao!