Thursday, August 26, 2010

August Market











Visited the Ivory Vintage Market this past weekend. I've been on the lookout for cute photo props.... I found a pretty vintage turquoise glass jar from Birch + Bird, a cute aqua blue creamer from Vintage Home and the adorable bird cage (see pic above) from Ivory Home Furnishings. Next market is Oct 16 at the Ocean Park Hall.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Beauty

"People need to see more beauty these days. I don't think the world in these diffucult times has enough." Manolo Blahnik, Vogue September 2010

June 18 - Modern Rome


Ara Pacis


Ara Pacis


Ara Pacis


Ara Pacis


Open Colonna


Open Colonna


Open Colonna


Open Colonna

So sad... our last day in Rome before flying home the next day. I decided I wanted a relatively relaxing day, as I knew I would be hitting the ground running when I returned home. I figured that while the previous day was very much ancient Rome, I wanted to discover a bit of modern Rome. I was reading my Wallpaper* City Guide, and found a place called B-Gallery in Trastevere. It was a bookstore/cafe/exhibition space, with photography, architecture and design books. It sounded like a lovely way to while away the afternoon.

It was such a stunning day, I decided to walk from our hotel to Trastevere. I walked along the river in the shade of the trees, it was such a pretty walk, stopping on the way at a place I had spotted the day before for lunch. Casa & Bottega is a fresh food cafe, with white built-in bookcases and booths. Lunch was so tasty and fresh: le carpaccio di tunno fresco con pele rosa e crostini complete with a bottle of San Pellegrino and finished off with a cappuccino.

From lunch I walked to B-Gallery. I wandered around, back and forth in the square where it was meant to be and could not find it. Finally, I found out from some shop merchants that it was closed on Fridays! Number one rule of travel, find out if the place you are headed to is open that day. So many galleries, museums, places of interest, are closed on random days of the week. To save disappointment, call ahead! Don't walk 5km like I did, only to be met with a closed door!

Feeling pretty bummed, and having no Plan B, I sat down on some steps and opened up the Wallpaper* City Guide again. I had no idea where I was, and had walked miles away from everything. In the 24 Hours section of the guide, there was a picture of a very cool restaurant called Open Colonna. I thought it might be interesting to take a look, and then would put me back more in the center of Rome to meet up with the others later on. Having had enough of walking, I hopped on the Metro line to take me to Repubblica, where I could walk a short distance to the restaurant. At one euro a ride, the Metro is definitely the way to get around.

Turns out that Open Colonna is part of the Palazzo delle Esposizioni art gallery. While wandering around, looking for the restaurant, I realized that the art gallery was pretty cool. I decided to have a wander around the neoclassical exhibition hall. (Thanks Wikipedia!) The day continued to improve when I found out that one of the exhibits was a famous Italian photographer, Mimmo Jodice. It was a real treat to wander through the cool, quiet, exhibition rooms admiring large canvases of black and white photos of modern, yet timeless Italian life. The sea series were my favorite. (If this is your kind of thing, do a Google image search on Mimmo Jodice for his images. They are stunning.)

Feeling peckish now, finally headed to Open Colonna. The space was stunning and I immediately wanted to move in. The walls and ceiling are glass, then rest of the space is white save for the punches of color in the lime green and hot pink furniture. Upon closer inspection, the colorful furniture was actually painted foam. How cool is that?! I was the only customer there, and when I entered, the waitress told me they were closed for lunch. I explained I just wanted a snack, did she have anything? She promised she would go look, and to have a seat. Of course I chose the pink couch! She returned with a dessert plate; chocolate pistachio cake and a tiny raspberry custard tart. The cake was simply divine, it was such a happy moment in time.

Later that night, we returned to the Trevi Fountain to say goodbye to Rome. Legend states that if you throw three coins over your left shoulder with your right hand, this ensures your return trip to Rome. Here's hoping...

Friday, August 20, 2010

June 17 - Part II: Vatican City












As mentioned in the previous, the others had the right idea of going back to the guest suite to escape the heat of the day. I continued on the bus to the Vatican City. The entrance to the Vatican Museum closed at 3pm, and I was hoping to avoid long lineups. I had no idea where the entrance was to the museum, and spent an unnecessary hour in the heat wandering around, looking for it. (It's to the right of main entrance of the Vatican City, around several corners and about 5,000,000 steps!)

I walked straight into the Vatican Museum, no lineups for me! However, I wasn't prepared for another marathon walk to get to the Sistine Chapel. Miles and miles of corridors covered with tapestries and paraphernalia of thousands of years of the Catholic Church. Miles of corridors, then up stairs, down stairs, through tiny rooms, and more stairs and finally you're in the Sistine Chapel. By this time, you're so exhausted, I don't think you can fully appreciate it. A bit of cynicism had crept into me; "Nice ceiling some guy painted. Now, where can I get a coffee around here?"

Funny you should ask. The museum cafe is located outside in the gardens and offers gorgeous views of the buildings, fountain and formal gardens. I think I enjoyed it more than the art... but shhhh... don't tell anyone!

June 17 - Part I: Colosseum







Colosseum

Ah, what is Rome if you don't overdo it? The ancient Romans went over the top with their feasts, and buildings and taking over the world. We overdid it with sightseeing. Well, I did at least. The others were sensible to cut the sightseeing into two days. I wanted to get the sights over with so I could relax one day before flying home. (More on that in the next day's post.)

Back to my story. We hit up the Colosseum in the morning. We bought tickets on one of those tourist open air bus dealies... you know, when in Rome and all! ... Anyway, it was a cooker of a day, and sitting on top of the bus, you had some idea of what it would feel like to be a meatball in a frying pan. By the time we reached the Colosseum, we were feeling slightly well done.
Peddlers were peddling their wares as soon as we disembarked off the bus... and thank you, I will take that pink umbrella for €5. Best money spent on the trip! We snuck into the Colosseum by paying €20 to a guide that would skip us straight to the beginning of the line. Again, money well spent. Despite the temperature in the high 30s, it didn't take away from the awesomeness of the Colosseum. To imagine them building it almost 2000 years ago, with the tools of the day, and the crowds attending the insane events they held there... it really is amazing.

June 16 - Rome


Egyptian obelisk from Ramses II in the center of Piazza del Popolo


Looking up at a church in the Tridente neighborhood


Trevi Fountain


Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain


Lamp standard, Trevi Fountain


Pantheon


Pantheon, close up

There are the places you have on your travel dream list: Paris, Barcelona, Venice, New York. Then there are places you've never considered, which was Rome for me. (Though I'm happy to travel anywhere. I'd go to the backwaters of Iowa if it meant escaping work and responsibility for a while.) So I had zero expectations of the city itself. I'm embarrassed to say I don't know a whole lot about Roman history. Something to do with aqueducts and gladiators?!

Maybe it's good to go somewhere without a preconceived idea... as I loved Rome! Loved the woman in an impeccable with suit and black stilettos, on a motorbike, her purse tucked in under the steering column. Loved the outdoor cafes that were swamped with people at any given time of day, enjoying a cold drink and one anothers company. Loved the architecture, that goes without saying, but I had to say it! The sun shone brightly, and everything was alive!

I must have walked off 5 lbs in Europe... thank goodness for Birkenstock's! Rome was no different. Just when I thought I couldn't walk another step, there were still miles to cover. We stayed in a guesthouse in the top part of the Tridente neighborhood, close to the Piazza del Popolo. Not far to walk to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Piazza Navona. We passed Museo dell'Ara Pacis... which is a brand new modern museum which houses the Ara Pacis. (Side note: Ara Pacis was an altar built to celebrate the peace following Augustus's military conquests. So the Peace Arch at the Canadian/US Border is just an extension of Roman times!)
That's enough sightseeing for today... because there's still so much left for tomorrow...

Thursday, August 19, 2010

June 15 - A Taste of Tuscany
















It's funny... when the trip was originally planned, the idea was to spend three weeks in Tuscany. When all was said and done, and the route mapped out, we only ended up with half a day in Tuscany. How beautiful it was, though. It was about our only day of rain in two weeks... so, not ideal for scenery shots, but perfect for closeup flower shots - my favorite kind!

We took the No. 7 bus, which was conveniently located out the front of our guesthouse, 20 minutes into the foothills of Tuscany, to a town called Fiesole. The nice thing about rain... it scares off the tourists. For us who live on the West Coast, it's just another day! We happily wandered around the hilly village, admiring the views, taking in the local life, and of course, snapping away at flowers. Is there anything more Tuscan than lavender? We also got to see a few Cypress trees, which are also quintessentially Tuscan. I love their tall, slender shapes.

It started to clear up by lunch, and we got to sit and admire Florence from a distance. I did take a Holga picture of a beautiful tree from the lunch table, but I still have to have it printed. So wait for the Holga Europe Special, coming soon!

June 14 - Florence aka Firenze




Looking across Fiume Arno to the Uffizi




Belltower of the Palazzo Vecchio

Tourist stall - Palazzo Vecchio


Looking up at the neo-Gothic facade of the Duomo


Duomo dome


Duomo from another angle


I don't think we were prepared for the hordes of tourists cramming the streets of Florence, and ranting along in English. How dare they! We came to Italy for culture, and got Western tourists instead. Can you blame them? Stunning architecture, beautiful weather, amazing gelato... and oh, the shopping. The leather market in the center of town is unreal. Purses, wallets, coats, belts... all impeccably made and so cheap! There was a pale tan weekend leather bag that was just stunning... but had to leave it there... overweight luggage and all!

Apparently the Statue of David is in Florence? Also, some famous paintings at the Uffizi Museum? Didn't see them. Quite frankly, when you only have a few hours in a city, you don't want to spend them in tourist lines for three hours or more. So we crammed as much sightseeing in as we could... and did get to see the Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio and the spectacular Duomo.

Discovered a gorgeous, modern cafe/restaurant with white walls and black square stools! Golden View Open Bar cafe is open during the day, and the restaurant in the evening, with stunning views across the river back to the Uffizi Museum. (Pic #2) Afternoon latte with a stuffed cannolo was the perfect time out from the hordes of tourists. Grom Gelato also bears mentioning. It's tucked on a side street around the corner from the Duomo. Organic gelato that has crowds lined up down the street with good reason. It. Is. Divine.

June 13 - Cinque Terre to Florence

One last day in Cinque Terre... lunch at a nondescript cafe provided some of the yummiest sandwiches I've ever eaten... and I'm not a sandwich fan!  Ciabatta bread, cheese and salted meat... one salami and the other prosciutto, with a side of caprese salad.  A fine example of letting the ingredients speak for themselves!  We crossed over to the gelato cafe on the other side of the square for a final cappuccinio - some of the best of the trip.  At 1€30, we'd order them in twos and threes a couple times a day!

Florence was calling, so we said goodbye to half our travelling crew, and hopped on the train to La Spezia. We had heard rumors of yet another train strike, but of course couldn't get a straight answer from any of the Italians!  Once we reached La Spezia, we found out that that there was indeed a 24 hour train strike for the entire Tuscan area.  We needed to get a train to Pisa to connect to Florence, but no trains were running.  There was, however, a high speed train that was going to Rome via Pisa, so we grabbed that.  Once in Pisa, we found out that the trains might be running to Florence, but we'd have to go to the platform and wait to find out.  Lucky for us, the Florence train pulled in, so we wouldn't have to bus/carpool the rest of the way to Florence.  We didn't lose any time, but certainly a whole lot of patience!  The Italian train system is nothing if not entertaining.

Monday, August 16, 2010

June 12 - Cinque Terre


Riomaggiore


Riomaggiore


Riomaggiore


Lovers arch between Riomaggiore and Manarola


Steep cliffs on the walk between Riomaggiore and Manarola

Steep cliffs on the walk between Riomaggiore and Manarola

Manarola

Flowers in bloom between Manarola and Corniglia


Close to Corniglia

Easy way to see Cinque Terre... take the train from Monterrosso to Riomaggiore! Ok, ok... we did do some walking too! We started the morning off with a latte in Riomaggiore. It's an easy walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola, where we had iced coffees and gelato. A slightly harder walk from Manarola to Corniglia... which at the end, you have to hike up a million and one stairs. (We found out later, at the top, that there's a shuttle bus from the bottom to the top. Oh well, at least this way we can say we've done it once!) Lunch in Corniglia was a massive plate of seafood pasta - prawns, mussels, clams, you name it, the whole sea was in there!

We then took the train from Corniglia to Vernazza, where we had been the previous day. We had ice cold lemon soda under some more umbrellas. We would have had more, but our waiters decided that their shift ended as the World Cup came on. No matter... I think we ingested enough for the day!