The Greek Islands.
Just a few miles off the mainland is an hour boat ride from the port of Piraeus, are what begins the series of Greek Islands. One of the most infamous is the island of Hydra.
Hydra is an hour's ride by boat through choppy waters (close eyes turn up iPod and fall asleep before things get too rough).
Hydra is unique to say the least. Motorcars are not allowed on the island (there are 2 here: a trash truck and a maintenance truck owned by the government). All other transportation is by foot or donkey. Yes, donkey.
Something else about Hydra is there is not much to do here. This is an ideal vacation relaxation city. There is one museum, that is passable to say the least. There are a handful of overpriced shops and some breathtaking views and restaurants.
This is one of those places that is in the vacation brochures. This is one of those places that has houses on the side of the hill with clay tile roofs. This is one of those places.
This was what I needed. Ive needed relaxation. Yes, go ahead and say it. "you're in Europe, you are on vacation, etc. etc." but I needed it. I needed a day that didn't involve extreme site seeing, museums, and crowds. This is what I needed. This is one of those places where the term island time comes to life.
My food adventures on the island brought me to a quaint bakery where a little old lady was running and through her broken English, and my lack of Greek managed to get a cookie that resembled wedding cookies, made with fruit dusted in powdered sugar and baklava. Usually, traditional dishes are a bit more conservative than their American interpretation. This is an exception. The baklava was around 3 inches tall of ooey gooey crispness. For dinner I had fish that was served head and skin on along sliced cucumber and tomato.
I walked around the island a bit more and took in a beautiful sunset before heading back to Athens to grab a late night snack of a Gyro.
Sometimes leaving behind modern convinces, you can find a part of life you never knew was missing.
Until-
Matt
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Day 52-> Its all Greek to me
I love good museums.
What makes a good museum?
First, it must have a point. It can't be just a mess of stuff in one spot. From there, it needs to be logically organized. Well lit, easy to navigate, explanations, etc. are all requirements to be classified as a good museum.
Athens' national archeological museum is one of those museums that qualify as being a good museum. In fact, it may qualify as being a great museum. The museum covers Greek history from the ancient to the respectfully modern. All of the exhibits have english explanations and are laid out in a fashion that is in chronological order.
It was quite amazing to see art evolve from man experimenting with sculptures in 5,000 B.C. yes that's five thousand years before Christ. or 7,000 years ago. to the different ages of Greek style (Golden, Bronze, Archaic, Classical, etc.) One of the most interesting things about the art is the evolution of the human body. Man has seemed to always strive to explore what is the perfect human form. There also scenes on pottery of sports, sex, and other daily activities.
Aside from the sculptures, the most impressive aspect of the museum is the collection of pottery and glass. The pottery collection spans as far as the eye can see, with a gallery dedicated solely to the pottery. The collection of glass is breath taking. To see glass lamps that are thousands of years old that are see through because of the age.
After leaving the museum, I went on a self-guided tour of the city. This is where the fun started.
I began my tour outside the parliament house in Syntagma Square. The square is is the home to the birth of democracy in Greece and continues to be a spot where protestors gather to well, protest. This is the heart of modern Athens. My tour took me past various sights throughout the city that are rather un-notable aside from the home of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Part of my tour was to take me back to the Acropolis, which I visited yesterday so I decided to skip that part of the tour.
This is where things get interesting. I decided to head to the next stop on the tour, and got a bit turned around to say the least. This is where my day got fun (at 6:00 in the afternoon). I the more i thought knew where I was the more lost I got. I could not seem to gain my bearings. Yet, it was one of the most scenic views of the city as well as handfuls of various temples that varied in purpose and size. After 5 hours I finally made it back to my hostel. In no ways am I complaining about getting lost. First, I didn't have any plans for the rest of the day. Second, I feel that it is the best way to get in touch with the city and the people that live there.
Take in the moment before it passes you by.
Until-
Matt
Day 51-> A date with Athena
There are a handful of sights in the world that are synonymous with their location. The coliseum, eiffel tower, houses of parliament, empire state building, and the Parthenon.
The Parthenon is the oldest out of all these structures, and perhaps one of the oldest man-made structures in the world, aside from the pyramids.
But more on the parthenon later, first to the acropolis museum.
The acropolis museum is the largest collection of artifacts from atop the acropolis in Athens. The museum opened in 2009 and is Athens' newest. The museum sits atop a archeological dig site covered by glass. As you enter the museum, the you can see where workers continue to excavate the ruins of an ancient community that thrived in the shadow of the acropolis. The glass floors continue throughout the museum along with glass and concrete walls creating an ultra-modern feel that is juxtaposed with artifacts that date to several centuries BC.
Normally, I love museums. I love soaking in history and seeing artifacts that give me a glimpse into how people used to live. However, this museum does not qualify as one I would enjoy re-visiting. The artifacts are not laid out in a logical order. Instead, they are spastically arranged on lower levels of the museum with a large central staircase providing guests access to what seems to be the crowing jewel of the museum, a re-construction of the facades of the Parthenon. Really cool, right? yes and no. If anyone recalls my previous post from when I was in London and visited the National museum you will also recall the fact that it was the single largest collection of artifacts from the Parthenon including much of the friezes that surrounded the top of the building. So what is on display in Athens are poorly reproduced plaster copies of what is in London.
After going to the museum, which in theory would provide more of an insight of the Acropolis prior to visiting. So off to the Acropolis. For those who do not know what the Acropolis is, its the central hill in Athens. It was the home to the temples of the gods. Perhaps the most infamous is the temple of Athena, the Parthenon. Before you can get to the Parthenon, you must climb to the top of Acropolis hill.
The journey to the top of the hill involves a winding path through a forrest of olive trees and pass a two theaters, one that is in excellent condition and has been restored and is still used for events today, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and Theater or Dionysus which now isn't much more than a pile of rubble. After passing these sites winding up the hill taking a path that has been taken for over 2,000 years it hits you: I am really here. I am really walking in the same path that accent Greeks took in their togas. Once atop the hill, the Propylaea greets you.
The Propylaea is the entrance gate to the top of Acropolis hill. The remains are grand to say the least. Even the remains are grand. Large Ionic columns greet you as you enter through the structure. To the left and right are "lesser" temples that have been reconstructed and restored over the years. As pass through the structure, you cannot help to think of the fact that this is the same way that Athenians would enter during the grand celebrations.
Before you lies the remains of two sites: the Parthenon and Erechtheion. The Erechtheion is perhaps the more architecturally impressive though greatly overshadowed by the Parthenon on the right. This too, served as a temple to Athena but also Poseidon. This is the place where Poseidon and Athena battled out for control over the city, the victor is still apparent through the naming of the city, Athens.
Across from the Erechteion is the crowing jewel of the Acropolis, the Parthenon. The Parthenon is Athena's temple. It took less than a decade to complete. An engineering feat in itself. The structure of the Parthenon does not need to be described, it is infamous. Tall columns: a series of Ionic, Doric and Corinthian all arranged to give a sense of grander. The inside was divided into a series of rooms with the inside being where only the most elite were allowed in where they were greeted by a 40 foot statue of Athena with Nike which was decorated with elaborate gowns that were made from the finest materials along with offerings.
The rest of the hill is mostly ruins along with an incredible view of the city and even the port.
After my visit to Acropolis hill, I made my way down to Mars hill then Ancient Agora. (fast forward several hundred years along with ups and downs of wars, victories, losses, and foreign rule)
Mars hill is a rocky mound made out of marble that is quite slippery even in the hot, dryness of Athens. The hill has great significance for not only Greek history but also Christian history. It was from this hill that the Apostle Paul preached to the Athenian people converting them to a newly established religion known as Christianity.
Next was Ancient Agora. Ancient Agora is on the backside of Mars Hill. Ancient Agora was the spot in Ancient Greece. This is where politics were talked, worshipers worshiped, shopped, socialized and were entertained. All here. This area also has Biblical significance as well. This is Acts 17:15.
Today, the area is mostly ruins as well but does feature a quaint museum that is free with admission into the area.
After my stroll through Ancient Agora, I headed back to the hostel then went out for dinner.
Sometimes you may be walking in the footsteps of history and may not realize it.
Until-
Matt
The Parthenon is the oldest out of all these structures, and perhaps one of the oldest man-made structures in the world, aside from the pyramids.
But more on the parthenon later, first to the acropolis museum.
The acropolis museum is the largest collection of artifacts from atop the acropolis in Athens. The museum opened in 2009 and is Athens' newest. The museum sits atop a archeological dig site covered by glass. As you enter the museum, the you can see where workers continue to excavate the ruins of an ancient community that thrived in the shadow of the acropolis. The glass floors continue throughout the museum along with glass and concrete walls creating an ultra-modern feel that is juxtaposed with artifacts that date to several centuries BC.
Normally, I love museums. I love soaking in history and seeing artifacts that give me a glimpse into how people used to live. However, this museum does not qualify as one I would enjoy re-visiting. The artifacts are not laid out in a logical order. Instead, they are spastically arranged on lower levels of the museum with a large central staircase providing guests access to what seems to be the crowing jewel of the museum, a re-construction of the facades of the Parthenon. Really cool, right? yes and no. If anyone recalls my previous post from when I was in London and visited the National museum you will also recall the fact that it was the single largest collection of artifacts from the Parthenon including much of the friezes that surrounded the top of the building. So what is on display in Athens are poorly reproduced plaster copies of what is in London.
After going to the museum, which in theory would provide more of an insight of the Acropolis prior to visiting. So off to the Acropolis. For those who do not know what the Acropolis is, its the central hill in Athens. It was the home to the temples of the gods. Perhaps the most infamous is the temple of Athena, the Parthenon. Before you can get to the Parthenon, you must climb to the top of Acropolis hill.
The journey to the top of the hill involves a winding path through a forrest of olive trees and pass a two theaters, one that is in excellent condition and has been restored and is still used for events today, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and Theater or Dionysus which now isn't much more than a pile of rubble. After passing these sites winding up the hill taking a path that has been taken for over 2,000 years it hits you: I am really here. I am really walking in the same path that accent Greeks took in their togas. Once atop the hill, the Propylaea greets you.
The Propylaea is the entrance gate to the top of Acropolis hill. The remains are grand to say the least. Even the remains are grand. Large Ionic columns greet you as you enter through the structure. To the left and right are "lesser" temples that have been reconstructed and restored over the years. As pass through the structure, you cannot help to think of the fact that this is the same way that Athenians would enter during the grand celebrations.
Before you lies the remains of two sites: the Parthenon and Erechtheion. The Erechtheion is perhaps the more architecturally impressive though greatly overshadowed by the Parthenon on the right. This too, served as a temple to Athena but also Poseidon. This is the place where Poseidon and Athena battled out for control over the city, the victor is still apparent through the naming of the city, Athens.
Across from the Erechteion is the crowing jewel of the Acropolis, the Parthenon. The Parthenon is Athena's temple. It took less than a decade to complete. An engineering feat in itself. The structure of the Parthenon does not need to be described, it is infamous. Tall columns: a series of Ionic, Doric and Corinthian all arranged to give a sense of grander. The inside was divided into a series of rooms with the inside being where only the most elite were allowed in where they were greeted by a 40 foot statue of Athena with Nike which was decorated with elaborate gowns that were made from the finest materials along with offerings.
The rest of the hill is mostly ruins along with an incredible view of the city and even the port.
After my visit to Acropolis hill, I made my way down to Mars hill then Ancient Agora. (fast forward several hundred years along with ups and downs of wars, victories, losses, and foreign rule)
Mars hill is a rocky mound made out of marble that is quite slippery even in the hot, dryness of Athens. The hill has great significance for not only Greek history but also Christian history. It was from this hill that the Apostle Paul preached to the Athenian people converting them to a newly established religion known as Christianity.
Next was Ancient Agora. Ancient Agora is on the backside of Mars Hill. Ancient Agora was the spot in Ancient Greece. This is where politics were talked, worshipers worshiped, shopped, socialized and were entertained. All here. This area also has Biblical significance as well. This is Acts 17:15.
Today, the area is mostly ruins as well but does feature a quaint museum that is free with admission into the area.
After my stroll through Ancient Agora, I headed back to the hostel then went out for dinner.
Sometimes you may be walking in the footsteps of history and may not realize it.
Until-
Matt
Day 50-> tales of the plane
Lunch in Berlin, dinner in Athens.
Lunch, schnitzel with a spicy tomato sauce with fries and a beer. €5.
Dinner, pork gyro and an unnamed savory cheese custard in phillo. €4.
Snack of fresh orange juice and watermelon at the airport €10.
Flying takes forever. My 2 hour flight took me heading to the airport, which the line was down about half way which made me hail a cab, unsuccessfully then found a cab stand where I got to the airport just in time.
One in Athens, I had to head to the metro which I waited 15 minutes for which sat on the platform then another 1hour ride. So, my quest to the airport which started at 12:45 ended at 10:45 pm. All for a 2 hour flight.
Earlier in the day, I explored the city a bit, in the sun before grabbing lunch and heading out.
Flying sucks.
-Until
Matt
Lunch, schnitzel with a spicy tomato sauce with fries and a beer. €5.
Dinner, pork gyro and an unnamed savory cheese custard in phillo. €4.
Snack of fresh orange juice and watermelon at the airport €10.
Flying takes forever. My 2 hour flight took me heading to the airport, which the line was down about half way which made me hail a cab, unsuccessfully then found a cab stand where I got to the airport just in time.
One in Athens, I had to head to the metro which I waited 15 minutes for which sat on the platform then another 1hour ride. So, my quest to the airport which started at 12:45 ended at 10:45 pm. All for a 2 hour flight.
Earlier in the day, I explored the city a bit, in the sun before grabbing lunch and heading out.
Flying sucks.
-Until
Matt
Day 49 -> Concentrate.
The Holocaust.
This is perhaps Germany's darkest point in history.
A country in despair from an economic crisis as well as a soviet rule is looking for hope. They grab at straws for anything they can find. Hitler makes his rise to leadership. There is hope, there is a promise of prosperity, for the German people.
However, their leader and his staff sought more than prosperity for all peoples, they sought in creating a pure race. This race would be free of Jews, homosexuals, Christians, and anyone else who spoke out in opposition to or simply didn't meet specifications of the government. But what to do with these people?
Just to kill them would be unethical. And why would you kill someone who though they oppose you can help you.
How about they be sent to labor camps. These camps we will teach these people through hard work, excersise, and other methods that the third reich is good, is divine, is what is ideal for not only Germany but the world.
I decided to visit a concentration camp today. Why? I feel that it serves as both a memorial as well as a learning experience. This is not something that is meant to be joyful, nor is it meant to be something even to be called good. Because it's not. There are no two ways around it. What happened here was horrible. There is no excuse or logical reason behind it.
The camp I visited was Swachausen (sp). It was built in 1933 amongst the Olympic games. It is just north of the town of Orenburg, approximately 45 minutes by rail north of Berlin.
The camp was a smaller camp during the war and was used primarily as either a hold for transfer camp or a labor camp. Its uses varied as people were shipped there.
Today, the camp is a memorial to those lives lost there. Much of the camp was destroyed while it lay empty after its use up until 1955. Yes, 1955. 10 years after the wart was continued to house prisoners by the soviets. When the camp was liberated after the war, not all prisoners were let free.
After the camp closed in the 50's it "reopened" as a memorial for those who had survived giving them the opportunity to revisit. A bias museum later opened not acknowledging any harm done, yet deaths from natural causes and it was used to help the war effort. The barracks were left to fall apart as interest diminished during the height of the cold war.
After the reunification of Germany, an interest in the camp was regenerated and parts were restored and a more proper museum opened. When the museum opened in the 90's there was a lot of extremist movements including the burning of one of the reconstructed barracks.
Today, the camp continues efforts to teach guests what happened there. A more accurate reality, if not even more than what we see in the states. This can be contributed to the fact that it is one camp's story that is being told.
I would write more of the history, numbers, facts, design, etc. But I feel that would be purposeless. It is one of those things that must bee seen first hand. During my visit, it was cold and rainy. I had to walk close to 2.5 miles to get to the camp parts in the mud. However, the entire time, both during my visit and traveling, I couldn't help to think how the prisoners must had felt. They would be naked, forced to stand outside for hours on end, prohibited to move. My misery was noting in comparison.
In the museum, there were moments where my heart dropped. One of them was displays of children's items. Another one was a measuring stick used for periodical physicals. Where it appeared the height marker slid up and down was slit that was open to the room next door. They would be shot in the neck or head unsuspectingly. The final moment was on my way out. There was a building I skipped on my way in. I walked in and there was a uniform of an SS officer. The presentation of the uniform made me catch my breath.
To describe how I felt would be impossible. I didn't physically cry, but the inside of me was weeping. My soul cried out for the victims, it morned with them.
Sometimes words can't do justice.
-Until
Matt
This is perhaps Germany's darkest point in history.
A country in despair from an economic crisis as well as a soviet rule is looking for hope. They grab at straws for anything they can find. Hitler makes his rise to leadership. There is hope, there is a promise of prosperity, for the German people.
However, their leader and his staff sought more than prosperity for all peoples, they sought in creating a pure race. This race would be free of Jews, homosexuals, Christians, and anyone else who spoke out in opposition to or simply didn't meet specifications of the government. But what to do with these people?
Just to kill them would be unethical. And why would you kill someone who though they oppose you can help you.
How about they be sent to labor camps. These camps we will teach these people through hard work, excersise, and other methods that the third reich is good, is divine, is what is ideal for not only Germany but the world.
I decided to visit a concentration camp today. Why? I feel that it serves as both a memorial as well as a learning experience. This is not something that is meant to be joyful, nor is it meant to be something even to be called good. Because it's not. There are no two ways around it. What happened here was horrible. There is no excuse or logical reason behind it.
The camp I visited was Swachausen (sp). It was built in 1933 amongst the Olympic games. It is just north of the town of Orenburg, approximately 45 minutes by rail north of Berlin.
The camp was a smaller camp during the war and was used primarily as either a hold for transfer camp or a labor camp. Its uses varied as people were shipped there.
Today, the camp is a memorial to those lives lost there. Much of the camp was destroyed while it lay empty after its use up until 1955. Yes, 1955. 10 years after the wart was continued to house prisoners by the soviets. When the camp was liberated after the war, not all prisoners were let free.
After the camp closed in the 50's it "reopened" as a memorial for those who had survived giving them the opportunity to revisit. A bias museum later opened not acknowledging any harm done, yet deaths from natural causes and it was used to help the war effort. The barracks were left to fall apart as interest diminished during the height of the cold war.
After the reunification of Germany, an interest in the camp was regenerated and parts were restored and a more proper museum opened. When the museum opened in the 90's there was a lot of extremist movements including the burning of one of the reconstructed barracks.
Today, the camp continues efforts to teach guests what happened there. A more accurate reality, if not even more than what we see in the states. This can be contributed to the fact that it is one camp's story that is being told.
I would write more of the history, numbers, facts, design, etc. But I feel that would be purposeless. It is one of those things that must bee seen first hand. During my visit, it was cold and rainy. I had to walk close to 2.5 miles to get to the camp parts in the mud. However, the entire time, both during my visit and traveling, I couldn't help to think how the prisoners must had felt. They would be naked, forced to stand outside for hours on end, prohibited to move. My misery was noting in comparison.
In the museum, there were moments where my heart dropped. One of them was displays of children's items. Another one was a measuring stick used for periodical physicals. Where it appeared the height marker slid up and down was slit that was open to the room next door. They would be shot in the neck or head unsuspectingly. The final moment was on my way out. There was a building I skipped on my way in. I walked in and there was a uniform of an SS officer. The presentation of the uniform made me catch my breath.
To describe how I felt would be impossible. I didn't physically cry, but the inside of me was weeping. My soul cried out for the victims, it morned with them.
Sometimes words can't do justice.
-Until
Matt
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Day 48-> beautiful, wet, Berlin
After an overnight train ride and little sleep I made it to Berlin.
I checked into the hostel around 5:45 am and got some sleep before taking a guided tour of the city.
I usually pass on guided tours, but I knew very little about Berlin geographically and a lot of historic places aren't marked (what a shocker)
Our tour started in Paris Platz. This is the location of Brandenburg Gate as well as the American and French embassies and the hotel that Michael Jackson showed Prince to the crowd.
The gate (archway) is riddled with history. First it was built to commemorate a German victory. It was later stolen by the French (I believe) then brought back here after another German victory. It used to be the gates into the old city from the King's grounds.
The famous footage of German troops marching past Hitler under an arch with Nazi banners on it occurred here.
The Berlin wall was built just on the other side of the gate.
The backside was west Berlin (England, France, US). This was the site where Reagan gave his famous "tear down this wall speech", it also is the spot where David Hasslehof celebrated along with thousands of other Berliners.
The next stop was the reittstag. This building has always been the seat of the German government. But more than that, it plays a pivotal role in Hitler's rise to power. The building was set fire to in Feb. 1933, Hitler, who had just been sworn as Chancellor asked to have 30 days to conduct an investigation against the soviets who were linked to the cause. From there, he had fee reign to imprison anyone. A good portion of the Reittstag's seats were occupied by the communist and there was an upcoming election. Hitler decided to begin a smear campaign against the party giving a smaller party known as the National Socialist party more seats and boosting Hitler to power. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.
Our next stop was the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. Please note the title. This is the official name. Not Holocaust memorial, but the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. It opened in 2005. The monument is made up of concrete blocks all the same size, with varying heights that create a wave pattern when viewed airily. The monument creates a maze like feel when inside and is impossible to see when someone is coming or where they went. This is one of the biggest theories surrounding the design, to create the feeling of those who felt lost during the war. During it's construction there was lots of controversy, not only because it only recognized Jews but also because the company that dug the footings as well as the chemical coating for the slabs also produced gas for the gas chambers at concentration camps.
A block away from here was our next stop, a parking lot. However, this was no parking lot. Underneath this lot was the location of Hitlers bunker. This is the bunker where he spent the last years of his life away from the outside world, went crazy, got married, then killed himself. The body was then burned, partially then captured by soviets who took it and buried it. They didn't tell anyone they had the body, instead told the Allied forces that Hitler had escaped to South America. The bunker was partly demolished after the war, again in the 1950's and another attempt in the 1990's. A small portion still exists but it's entrance is unknown to the public. A small marker wasn't placed at the site until 2006.
Our next stop was Checkpoint Charlie. This was the final checkpoint to get into West Berlin and in the US territory. A museum and rebuilt photo op checkpoint now mark the location.
After a short stop for lunch we went to tachless. Tachless is a building in which squatters live and produce art. It is covered in graffiti and features some of the coolest urban art I have ever seen. Everything from homed jewelry to paintings to decoupage that would sell for hundreds at urban outfitters. This place is cool. However, it also is in a part of town that has caught the eye of investors. Sounds familiar to a musical set in mid 90s NYC... minus the AIDS storyline.
Then it was off to the west gallery, this was commissioned after the fall of the Berlin wall and is the longest gallery in the world. This wall is a section of the wall that artists from all over the world were commissioned to paint murals on. The some of the murals are obvious in meaning, while others are more obscure.
Finally was Mustafa's Kebap. Rumor has it that kebaps started in Berlin. A kebap is meat, chicken roasted on a rotisserie, shaved and served in a flat bread along with garlic sauce, veg, tomato, and a few fries. Think Gyro sans pita. It was bangin' which was expected judging by the 30 minute wait at 4:30 in the afternoon, in the rain.
Speaking of rain, did I forget to mention that all of this was in the rain? Downpours to showers all day long. Yet, i find the weather most fitting for Berlin. The city is known for it's dark, wet past, and well it's what makes it beautiful.
Sometimes cold rain can provide the perfect setting, even when site-seeing.
-Until
Matt
I checked into the hostel around 5:45 am and got some sleep before taking a guided tour of the city.
I usually pass on guided tours, but I knew very little about Berlin geographically and a lot of historic places aren't marked (what a shocker)
Our tour started in Paris Platz. This is the location of Brandenburg Gate as well as the American and French embassies and the hotel that Michael Jackson showed Prince to the crowd.
The gate (archway) is riddled with history. First it was built to commemorate a German victory. It was later stolen by the French (I believe) then brought back here after another German victory. It used to be the gates into the old city from the King's grounds.
The famous footage of German troops marching past Hitler under an arch with Nazi banners on it occurred here.
The Berlin wall was built just on the other side of the gate.
The backside was west Berlin (England, France, US). This was the site where Reagan gave his famous "tear down this wall speech", it also is the spot where David Hasslehof celebrated along with thousands of other Berliners.
The next stop was the reittstag. This building has always been the seat of the German government. But more than that, it plays a pivotal role in Hitler's rise to power. The building was set fire to in Feb. 1933, Hitler, who had just been sworn as Chancellor asked to have 30 days to conduct an investigation against the soviets who were linked to the cause. From there, he had fee reign to imprison anyone. A good portion of the Reittstag's seats were occupied by the communist and there was an upcoming election. Hitler decided to begin a smear campaign against the party giving a smaller party known as the National Socialist party more seats and boosting Hitler to power. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.
Our next stop was the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. Please note the title. This is the official name. Not Holocaust memorial, but the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. It opened in 2005. The monument is made up of concrete blocks all the same size, with varying heights that create a wave pattern when viewed airily. The monument creates a maze like feel when inside and is impossible to see when someone is coming or where they went. This is one of the biggest theories surrounding the design, to create the feeling of those who felt lost during the war. During it's construction there was lots of controversy, not only because it only recognized Jews but also because the company that dug the footings as well as the chemical coating for the slabs also produced gas for the gas chambers at concentration camps.
A block away from here was our next stop, a parking lot. However, this was no parking lot. Underneath this lot was the location of Hitlers bunker. This is the bunker where he spent the last years of his life away from the outside world, went crazy, got married, then killed himself. The body was then burned, partially then captured by soviets who took it and buried it. They didn't tell anyone they had the body, instead told the Allied forces that Hitler had escaped to South America. The bunker was partly demolished after the war, again in the 1950's and another attempt in the 1990's. A small portion still exists but it's entrance is unknown to the public. A small marker wasn't placed at the site until 2006.
Our next stop was Checkpoint Charlie. This was the final checkpoint to get into West Berlin and in the US territory. A museum and rebuilt photo op checkpoint now mark the location.
After a short stop for lunch we went to tachless. Tachless is a building in which squatters live and produce art. It is covered in graffiti and features some of the coolest urban art I have ever seen. Everything from homed jewelry to paintings to decoupage that would sell for hundreds at urban outfitters. This place is cool. However, it also is in a part of town that has caught the eye of investors. Sounds familiar to a musical set in mid 90s NYC... minus the AIDS storyline.
Then it was off to the west gallery, this was commissioned after the fall of the Berlin wall and is the longest gallery in the world. This wall is a section of the wall that artists from all over the world were commissioned to paint murals on. The some of the murals are obvious in meaning, while others are more obscure.
Finally was Mustafa's Kebap. Rumor has it that kebaps started in Berlin. A kebap is meat, chicken roasted on a rotisserie, shaved and served in a flat bread along with garlic sauce, veg, tomato, and a few fries. Think Gyro sans pita. It was bangin' which was expected judging by the 30 minute wait at 4:30 in the afternoon, in the rain.
Speaking of rain, did I forget to mention that all of this was in the rain? Downpours to showers all day long. Yet, i find the weather most fitting for Berlin. The city is known for it's dark, wet past, and well it's what makes it beautiful.
Sometimes cold rain can provide the perfect setting, even when site-seeing.
-Until
Matt
Day 47 -> I AMsterdam
Aside from the Anne Frank house, beautiful architecture and a notorious counter culture, the city also offers a handful of museums and interesting eating.
Being museumed-out I wanted a change of pace, a change of scenery, so I walked across town to the Van Gogh. The museum is set in a modern park surrounded by lush green grass, fountains and public art, including the I AMsterdam sign which could be equated to I heart NY.
Van Gogh began his career as a painter at the age of 27 with no experience in Holland. He had been a missionary yet felt called in a different direction, so decided to start painting. The museum has an ass load of works from Van Gogh, the single largest collection in the world. Yet, only 3 or 4 pieces of notoriety. Everything else is well, everything else. However, it was cool to see how his style changed in the 10 years that he painted. This contributed to by both geographical location and those around him.
Next I went to the Heineken experience. Before I start getting bashed let me explain. It is a museum built on the site of the first heineken brewery in 1864. The museum takes you through the history as well as shows the process of brewing including original tanks, explanations and demos from real people throughout and videos. It is quite an experience. There of course is a tasting room where guests are shown the proper way to taste beer. In comparison to the World of Coke in Atlanta, this place is awesome. It is educational, hands on and it seems the staff cares about it's visitors rather than moving them through.
Speaking of food. The food in Amsterdam has been rather unique. Amsterdam doesn't have a food scene of it's own, yet it seems like a stoner's paradise of munchies from china town to kebabs, shitty pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers it can all be found here in mass quantities. However, there does seem to be one thing that Hollanders are on to and that's breakfast. It seems that this is the birthplace of American breakfast. Eggs, bacon, and pancakes are all the norm. Most restaurants have either a brunch menu or just serve breakfast late (until 2 pm or so). First up are pancakes. They're thin and filled with savory ingredients like bacon or cheese. However, these are NOT CREPES. These are thin pancakes that are flat with the savory ingredients cooked into them. Second is eggs and toast. This is fried eggs atop toes with you guessed it more protein (bacon or ham) and cheese on top. Heart attack on a plate to say the least, but delicious nonetheless.
Anyway, I'm now on the night train off to Berlin where I will spend a couple of days before beginning my last week of travels.
History tells us a story, it tells us why things are the way they are. History is the answer to life's never ending why?
-Until
Matt
Being museumed-out I wanted a change of pace, a change of scenery, so I walked across town to the Van Gogh. The museum is set in a modern park surrounded by lush green grass, fountains and public art, including the I AMsterdam sign which could be equated to I heart NY.
Van Gogh began his career as a painter at the age of 27 with no experience in Holland. He had been a missionary yet felt called in a different direction, so decided to start painting. The museum has an ass load of works from Van Gogh, the single largest collection in the world. Yet, only 3 or 4 pieces of notoriety. Everything else is well, everything else. However, it was cool to see how his style changed in the 10 years that he painted. This contributed to by both geographical location and those around him.
Next I went to the Heineken experience. Before I start getting bashed let me explain. It is a museum built on the site of the first heineken brewery in 1864. The museum takes you through the history as well as shows the process of brewing including original tanks, explanations and demos from real people throughout and videos. It is quite an experience. There of course is a tasting room where guests are shown the proper way to taste beer. In comparison to the World of Coke in Atlanta, this place is awesome. It is educational, hands on and it seems the staff cares about it's visitors rather than moving them through.
Speaking of food. The food in Amsterdam has been rather unique. Amsterdam doesn't have a food scene of it's own, yet it seems like a stoner's paradise of munchies from china town to kebabs, shitty pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers it can all be found here in mass quantities. However, there does seem to be one thing that Hollanders are on to and that's breakfast. It seems that this is the birthplace of American breakfast. Eggs, bacon, and pancakes are all the norm. Most restaurants have either a brunch menu or just serve breakfast late (until 2 pm or so). First up are pancakes. They're thin and filled with savory ingredients like bacon or cheese. However, these are NOT CREPES. These are thin pancakes that are flat with the savory ingredients cooked into them. Second is eggs and toast. This is fried eggs atop toes with you guessed it more protein (bacon or ham) and cheese on top. Heart attack on a plate to say the least, but delicious nonetheless.
Anyway, I'm now on the night train off to Berlin where I will spend a couple of days before beginning my last week of travels.
History tells us a story, it tells us why things are the way they are. History is the answer to life's never ending why?
-Until
Matt
Day 46 -> the other side of the dam
There is more to Amsterdam than the sex, drugs, and fast times.
In fact, Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful and unique places I have ever visited. The city was not hit hard during WWII, just occupied so a good amount of the original architecture is still in place.
Brick buildings, hundreds of years old lean, bow, twist and turn their way out into the canal lined streets. The building at any moment appear as if they are going to topple. Beautiful adornments on the top in stark white to provide contrast between the dark, charcoal grey or reddish brown brick buildings. It truly is a sight to behold and something terribly unique.
The canals are spread throughout the city, cutting most roads down the middle with trees on either side. Traveling amongst them is a way of life. In fact, living on them is too. There are houseboats off the major canals on the smaller ones. These houses are like any other, except small and efficient. This can all be seen on several episodes of house hunters international (a guilty pleasure of mine). In fact, I think I saw those episodes a time too many when planning for this trip.
Speaking of houses, there is a famous one here. One that many know of, yet not it's location. It is the secret annex of Anne Frank. I visited the now museum. Words cannot describe this place. The museum includes the warehouse where Otto, Anne's dad ran a business. He later had to sign over the business because he was Jewish. Anyway, the family went into hiding here just after the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. They hid in a two story apartment behind a moveable bookcase u until their discovery in late 1943. The family was taken to a concentration camp. Anne, her sister, and mom all died at the camp. Anne just a few weeks before the liberation. Otto survived, retuned to Amsterdam where he was given Anne's journals from where a family friend rescued them after the family was taken away. He later published them fulfilling Anne's dream of being a well known author. The museum is unfurnished, per Otto's request. However the rooms were re created for photographs in 1999 which are on display. The annex is very small and hard to maneuver around in. It is almost hard to believe that two families lived in here. The room Anne shared is still covered in postcards and clippings that she placed there while living in the annex. Nothing has been changed, just furniture removed. Thankfully, photos are not allowed creating an awing museum that rival's DC's holocaust museum.
Everything isn't what it seems on the surface. Dig a little deeper and it could get lighter or terribly dark.
-Until
Matt
In fact, Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful and unique places I have ever visited. The city was not hit hard during WWII, just occupied so a good amount of the original architecture is still in place.
Brick buildings, hundreds of years old lean, bow, twist and turn their way out into the canal lined streets. The building at any moment appear as if they are going to topple. Beautiful adornments on the top in stark white to provide contrast between the dark, charcoal grey or reddish brown brick buildings. It truly is a sight to behold and something terribly unique.
The canals are spread throughout the city, cutting most roads down the middle with trees on either side. Traveling amongst them is a way of life. In fact, living on them is too. There are houseboats off the major canals on the smaller ones. These houses are like any other, except small and efficient. This can all be seen on several episodes of house hunters international (a guilty pleasure of mine). In fact, I think I saw those episodes a time too many when planning for this trip.
Speaking of houses, there is a famous one here. One that many know of, yet not it's location. It is the secret annex of Anne Frank. I visited the now museum. Words cannot describe this place. The museum includes the warehouse where Otto, Anne's dad ran a business. He later had to sign over the business because he was Jewish. Anyway, the family went into hiding here just after the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. They hid in a two story apartment behind a moveable bookcase u until their discovery in late 1943. The family was taken to a concentration camp. Anne, her sister, and mom all died at the camp. Anne just a few weeks before the liberation. Otto survived, retuned to Amsterdam where he was given Anne's journals from where a family friend rescued them after the family was taken away. He later published them fulfilling Anne's dream of being a well known author. The museum is unfurnished, per Otto's request. However the rooms were re created for photographs in 1999 which are on display. The annex is very small and hard to maneuver around in. It is almost hard to believe that two families lived in here. The room Anne shared is still covered in postcards and clippings that she placed there while living in the annex. Nothing has been changed, just furniture removed. Thankfully, photos are not allowed creating an awing museum that rival's DC's holocaust museum.
Everything isn't what it seems on the surface. Dig a little deeper and it could get lighter or terribly dark.
-Until
Matt
Day 45-> tales of a counter culture
Amsterdam.
Such a bad rap.
Sex, Drugs, and Gambling. All legal here.
The Real Sin City.
Yes, it's all true. So let me tell more.
Let's start with the red light district. It is an area of the city, where as the name suggests, working girls work. They have doorways that they stand in, dressed in everything from sexy underwear to school girl outfits. The variety is endless, from white, Asian, to black, skinny, big, short, and tall. All types are here. They watch as tourists and perverts walk buy. Catching the lucky one when they make eye contact, open up their door and begin to do business. From there, they go in the room where the curtain is closed and whatever the deed may be is done. Sources say that on an average night a "good" girl can make €500. As any working person, they are licensed and file taxes.
If you're not feeling sex and rather take care of business personally, there are always one of the dozens of shows and movie rooms. I'm not talking about the west end anymore either. For a small fee, €5-10 a little show can be seen to assist in business matters. If you want to watch your films at home or take souvenir back to the bedroom there is always one of the countless sex shops that cater to every fetish and orientation imangiable.
Next is perhaps the most infamous drug culture. Amsterdam is notorious for it coffee shops. And I'm not talking about starbucks. Here patrons can buy their choice of cannabis, take it with them or enjoy it there if they have a smoking room. Yes, you smell some pot as you walk by the shops. No everyone is not stoned all the time. If anything, use is tightly regulated and to see someone without looking into a shop is rare. Hard drugs are strictly illegal and tightly enforced. I would say, after seeing this culture from the outside first hand, marijuana should be legalized in the united states. Everyone seemed a lot less stressed and less rude. I have no issues with legalization, in fact, tax it and use it to help subsidize the deficit that is such an issue. Legalization does not mean everyone will smoke. For instance, I along with millions of other Americans can buy cigarettes and we don't smoke, why would this be any different? Saves money in law enforcement, makes money in taxes. The branches of the government to enforce are already established (tobacco and firearms) so it seems to me a win, win situation.
Finally are the casinos. They are big and flashy, like any other casino, not much else left here to say.
There is a line between can and will. Just because you can, doesn't mean you will.
-Until
Matt
Such a bad rap.
Sex, Drugs, and Gambling. All legal here.
The Real Sin City.
Yes, it's all true. So let me tell more.
Let's start with the red light district. It is an area of the city, where as the name suggests, working girls work. They have doorways that they stand in, dressed in everything from sexy underwear to school girl outfits. The variety is endless, from white, Asian, to black, skinny, big, short, and tall. All types are here. They watch as tourists and perverts walk buy. Catching the lucky one when they make eye contact, open up their door and begin to do business. From there, they go in the room where the curtain is closed and whatever the deed may be is done. Sources say that on an average night a "good" girl can make €500. As any working person, they are licensed and file taxes.
If you're not feeling sex and rather take care of business personally, there are always one of the dozens of shows and movie rooms. I'm not talking about the west end anymore either. For a small fee, €5-10 a little show can be seen to assist in business matters. If you want to watch your films at home or take souvenir back to the bedroom there is always one of the countless sex shops that cater to every fetish and orientation imangiable.
Next is perhaps the most infamous drug culture. Amsterdam is notorious for it coffee shops. And I'm not talking about starbucks. Here patrons can buy their choice of cannabis, take it with them or enjoy it there if they have a smoking room. Yes, you smell some pot as you walk by the shops. No everyone is not stoned all the time. If anything, use is tightly regulated and to see someone without looking into a shop is rare. Hard drugs are strictly illegal and tightly enforced. I would say, after seeing this culture from the outside first hand, marijuana should be legalized in the united states. Everyone seemed a lot less stressed and less rude. I have no issues with legalization, in fact, tax it and use it to help subsidize the deficit that is such an issue. Legalization does not mean everyone will smoke. For instance, I along with millions of other Americans can buy cigarettes and we don't smoke, why would this be any different? Saves money in law enforcement, makes money in taxes. The branches of the government to enforce are already established (tobacco and firearms) so it seems to me a win, win situation.
Finally are the casinos. They are big and flashy, like any other casino, not much else left here to say.
There is a line between can and will. Just because you can, doesn't mean you will.
-Until
Matt
Days 43&44 -> Brussels Sprouts
Rarely do I visit a place and not enjoy it. In fact, I can't name a place I did not enjoy. Yes, there are places I wouldn't go back to ( a handful) but there is no where that I did not enjoy one bit.
That was before Brussels. Yes, I know I shouldn't bash a city. That's why i am writing this 48 hours I have left that city. To give it time to sink in. To let me think about it. Not stew, because I was off enjoying another city. But to give it a couple of days to allow me to think about everything.
The bottom line is, I disliked Brussels. Let me explain why.
First off it was rainy nearly the entire time I was there. Not just rain, but downpours. When it wasn't raining, it was cold and gloomy. Depressing weather. But, I've never let a little rain get me down. Hell, when I was in Paris it rained a good bit.
Second, the transit system. It's confusing. There is no subway or bus map. Instead, it is all one map. Not really a problem eh? Let me explain, when you have a line number for bus and metro be the same, yet different colors, yet another line uses the same color and stop names. On top of having a tram as well whose lines are marked on top of everything not to mention the names of the lines. For instance, the 3 &4 line (same line until the last two stops will have a name. There is also the end of line name which may or not be the same as the line name. Confused. So was I. I consider myself pretty good at figuring out public transportation.
Third, the city has an identity crisis. They speak French and German as well as English. Yet, will switch between the three in the middle of a conversation. They fly both the French and German flags. Are they a new city or old city. I say outdated city. It seems they are still riding the wave from the worlds' fair that was held in the 50's and the fact that they are the seat of the EU.
Fourth, there in nothing to see, nothing to do. The main attraction is the Manekin Piss. Yes, a statue of a pissing baby that is dressed up periodically. There is also the atomic statue that was built for the worlds' fair. But unlike the Eiffel tower, this structure leaves you going.. That's cool.. What's next? But wait, there isn't.
The optimist in me believes that I should take a moment and point out the good things the city has to offer: the food, culture, and well, there isn't anything else.
The food was great. Brussels does qualify as a food city. The French fries are great (double fried like they should be) and the chocolate is to die for. One of the most unique things is mitraillette. Mitraillette is a sandwich, but not any ole sandwich. It starts with a hamburger patty that is sliced in half, from there, salad mix is added (think green and red cabbages along with shredded carrots). From there caramelized onions and an ass load of French fries are added. To top it off is mayonnaise, either plain or spicy (I went spicy) this is all placed on a hoagie that has been slightly toasted on the outside and is slathered on the inside with more mayo. Yes, amazing. Another thing Brussels is known for is the mussels, by the bucket full. They are steamed in the oven in cast iron pots with the slightest bit of celery, onion, a squeeze of lemon juice along with water of course. Served with fries and a beer. Beer is beer, not true. But beer here is good. Light, pale beers are typical, think bud light, but actually good.
The culture here is also a strong point. It seems that it is very laid back. The I don't give a fuck mentality. It's not the I don't care mentality. Instead, it's blunt honesty. Dry sense of humor, have a dance party in the street a block away from a sporting event that's taking place in the city center five blocks away from a carnival all while getting shit done mentality. This is what makes Brussels unique. This is what makes Brussels dare I say, likable. This is it.
In the end I can see why, and how, Brussels sprouts got their name. They are good in small quantities. They have to be prepared just right and take a special knowledge to do so. They are best in moderation. And above all else, never quite fully understood.
Here's to Brussels and sprouts!
-Until
Matt
That was before Brussels. Yes, I know I shouldn't bash a city. That's why i am writing this 48 hours I have left that city. To give it time to sink in. To let me think about it. Not stew, because I was off enjoying another city. But to give it a couple of days to allow me to think about everything.
The bottom line is, I disliked Brussels. Let me explain why.
First off it was rainy nearly the entire time I was there. Not just rain, but downpours. When it wasn't raining, it was cold and gloomy. Depressing weather. But, I've never let a little rain get me down. Hell, when I was in Paris it rained a good bit.
Second, the transit system. It's confusing. There is no subway or bus map. Instead, it is all one map. Not really a problem eh? Let me explain, when you have a line number for bus and metro be the same, yet different colors, yet another line uses the same color and stop names. On top of having a tram as well whose lines are marked on top of everything not to mention the names of the lines. For instance, the 3 &4 line (same line until the last two stops will have a name. There is also the end of line name which may or not be the same as the line name. Confused. So was I. I consider myself pretty good at figuring out public transportation.
Third, the city has an identity crisis. They speak French and German as well as English. Yet, will switch between the three in the middle of a conversation. They fly both the French and German flags. Are they a new city or old city. I say outdated city. It seems they are still riding the wave from the worlds' fair that was held in the 50's and the fact that they are the seat of the EU.
Fourth, there in nothing to see, nothing to do. The main attraction is the Manekin Piss. Yes, a statue of a pissing baby that is dressed up periodically. There is also the atomic statue that was built for the worlds' fair. But unlike the Eiffel tower, this structure leaves you going.. That's cool.. What's next? But wait, there isn't.
The optimist in me believes that I should take a moment and point out the good things the city has to offer: the food, culture, and well, there isn't anything else.
The food was great. Brussels does qualify as a food city. The French fries are great (double fried like they should be) and the chocolate is to die for. One of the most unique things is mitraillette. Mitraillette is a sandwich, but not any ole sandwich. It starts with a hamburger patty that is sliced in half, from there, salad mix is added (think green and red cabbages along with shredded carrots). From there caramelized onions and an ass load of French fries are added. To top it off is mayonnaise, either plain or spicy (I went spicy) this is all placed on a hoagie that has been slightly toasted on the outside and is slathered on the inside with more mayo. Yes, amazing. Another thing Brussels is known for is the mussels, by the bucket full. They are steamed in the oven in cast iron pots with the slightest bit of celery, onion, a squeeze of lemon juice along with water of course. Served with fries and a beer. Beer is beer, not true. But beer here is good. Light, pale beers are typical, think bud light, but actually good.
The culture here is also a strong point. It seems that it is very laid back. The I don't give a fuck mentality. It's not the I don't care mentality. Instead, it's blunt honesty. Dry sense of humor, have a dance party in the street a block away from a sporting event that's taking place in the city center five blocks away from a carnival all while getting shit done mentality. This is what makes Brussels unique. This is what makes Brussels dare I say, likable. This is it.
In the end I can see why, and how, Brussels sprouts got their name. They are good in small quantities. They have to be prepared just right and take a special knowledge to do so. They are best in moderation. And above all else, never quite fully understood.
Here's to Brussels and sprouts!
-Until
Matt
Day 42-> Two Abbys and all that jazz
The Beatles. What more can be said that hasn't already been said? Abbey road. Zebra crossing outside the studios, we all know the scene. Well, it is in London (if that wasn't already known) and is only 1 stop on the underground from my hostel. The neighborhood is very quiet, extremely residential. To think that this is the spot where not only the Beatles recorded all of their UK singles and albums but also where pink floyd and all music from star wars was recorded. The studio continues to be a working studio and is closed to the public. However, the road is there begging you to take a picture with it, so I did.
After my mini photo shoot, I headed to Harrods, the worlds oldest department store. This is where luxury lives. From the handbags to the waygu beef tenderloin for £128 a kilo, it can all be found here. However, I believe that prices here are also inflated. For instance, a Ralph Lauren Polo polo that would be $75-80 was £99 or $160 USD. I decided to have lunch, which was a open faced chicken melt with a spring salad for £18. It was good and a wonderful experience. On the bottom floor of Harrods is the Diana-Dodi memorial. For those who don't know Diana and Doty were dating at the time of their ummm...accident. Dodi was the son of the former owner of Harrods, Muhamed Al-Fayed.
After lunch, I went to the tower of London to find that the ticket office was closed, even though the tower was not. So I headed over to Westminster Abby to go inside. However, the cost is £18. I refuse to pay that much to go in a church. In fact, I refuse to pay to tour a church at all. I don't care where or what it is. I shouldn't have to pay to go in a house of worship. Period, bottom line.
A short walk brought me st. James' park. This is the park in front of buckingham palace. It is beautiful, with a quaint cottage feel complete with ducks, geese, and a dozen or so other aquatic foul. The park also features large grassy areas whet Londoners go to relax after a long day. At the end is Buckingham Palace, one of the queen's residences. Like the queen, it is stately, classic, regal, and somewhat petite in appearance, yet packs a powerful importance.
I then went to the West End to catch another show this time Chicago for £35. The show is about to end it's 11 year run in london and is featuring Christie Brinkley for the next month. The show is a classic, yet can still relate to a modern audience. However, the performance was missing that spark at the end of the night.
Don't go through life trying to make history, because you already are wether you know it or not.
-Until
Matt
After my mini photo shoot, I headed to Harrods, the worlds oldest department store. This is where luxury lives. From the handbags to the waygu beef tenderloin for £128 a kilo, it can all be found here. However, I believe that prices here are also inflated. For instance, a Ralph Lauren Polo polo that would be $75-80 was £99 or $160 USD. I decided to have lunch, which was a open faced chicken melt with a spring salad for £18. It was good and a wonderful experience. On the bottom floor of Harrods is the Diana-Dodi memorial. For those who don't know Diana and Doty were dating at the time of their ummm...accident. Dodi was the son of the former owner of Harrods, Muhamed Al-Fayed.
After lunch, I went to the tower of London to find that the ticket office was closed, even though the tower was not. So I headed over to Westminster Abby to go inside. However, the cost is £18. I refuse to pay that much to go in a church. In fact, I refuse to pay to tour a church at all. I don't care where or what it is. I shouldn't have to pay to go in a house of worship. Period, bottom line.
A short walk brought me st. James' park. This is the park in front of buckingham palace. It is beautiful, with a quaint cottage feel complete with ducks, geese, and a dozen or so other aquatic foul. The park also features large grassy areas whet Londoners go to relax after a long day. At the end is Buckingham Palace, one of the queen's residences. Like the queen, it is stately, classic, regal, and somewhat petite in appearance, yet packs a powerful importance.
I then went to the West End to catch another show this time Chicago for £35. The show is about to end it's 11 year run in london and is featuring Christie Brinkley for the next month. The show is a classic, yet can still relate to a modern audience. However, the performance was missing that spark at the end of the night.
Don't go through life trying to make history, because you already are wether you know it or not.
-Until
Matt
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Day 41 -> off to see Churchill
The British empire. It used to be one of the largest and most powerful in the world. To commemorate the empire, they opened up a museum in London full of artifacts they stole, errr.. I mean brought back to share and preserve. This includes the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world. Dozens of mummies, carvings, sculptures, entire tombs raided for display here including the Rosetta stone. It's one of those feelings I have had over and over again. The "wow is this real? This is so surreal feeling" the collection also includes half of the remaining sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens and a handfull of roman artifacts along with every other culture in the world a Brit has set foot in.
After leaving the museum I wandered over to Chinatown to get lunch. Yes, Chinese food in London. London is known just as much for fish and chips as being a culinary melting pot for the rest of the world. Most notably India. But, I wanted Chinese. I had crispy pork, rice, and fried dumplings of which a little old lady was making in the window. The food was impeccable along with the mango bubble tea like drink I had.
Following lunch, I went over to Westminster Abby to take photos and then to the Winston Churchill war museum. The museum is housed in the command center that was used during WWII. This was THE SPOT where the entire British defense was ran from the beginning of the war until 1945. The bunker was self sufficient with bedrooms, kitchens, map rooms, BBC radio transmitter, trans-Atlantic phones, strategy rooms, everything. The bunkers ran 24-7 during the war. There was always a handful of people standing by in case of immediate need of defense. The day that the war was over, everyone left the bunker, turned the lights off and closed the door. It stayed this way until the mid-1970's when the bunker was re-discovered. It opened as a museum in the 1980's and is set up exactly how it was during the war. The museum also includes a wing dedicated just to Churchill and is one of the most interactive and informative museums I have been to. It traces from Churchill's birth to death as well as including artifacts that belonged to him.
Once I left the museum, I headed to the west end to go see the wizard. Yes, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This came recommended from mike blanchard. This is Andrew Lloyd Webber's newest show, and it does not disappoint. The effects are amazing, set design and costuming are wicked-esque and the vocals are outstanding, with the exception of Dorothy who is played by a girl who won a talent contest in search of the role. The show left me in awe afterwards. This is also one of the most audience participatory shows I have seen. Cheering, clapping and even booing the wicked witch of the west. Hopefully the show will last. However, the set is very intricate with a stage that has hydraulic lifts breaking into 4 pieces that can rise and lower around 7 feet while spinning, huge sets and a couple of flying people. The music was classic with a few new songs added as well as parts of existing songs rewritten for the stage. Hopefully the show will eventually co,e to the states, however with the £ 5 million price tag ($7.5 M usd) I doubt we will see a production across the pond anytime soon.
"you had it all along, you just had to find it" -the wizard
-Until
Matt
After leaving the museum I wandered over to Chinatown to get lunch. Yes, Chinese food in London. London is known just as much for fish and chips as being a culinary melting pot for the rest of the world. Most notably India. But, I wanted Chinese. I had crispy pork, rice, and fried dumplings of which a little old lady was making in the window. The food was impeccable along with the mango bubble tea like drink I had.
Following lunch, I went over to Westminster Abby to take photos and then to the Winston Churchill war museum. The museum is housed in the command center that was used during WWII. This was THE SPOT where the entire British defense was ran from the beginning of the war until 1945. The bunker was self sufficient with bedrooms, kitchens, map rooms, BBC radio transmitter, trans-Atlantic phones, strategy rooms, everything. The bunkers ran 24-7 during the war. There was always a handful of people standing by in case of immediate need of defense. The day that the war was over, everyone left the bunker, turned the lights off and closed the door. It stayed this way until the mid-1970's when the bunker was re-discovered. It opened as a museum in the 1980's and is set up exactly how it was during the war. The museum also includes a wing dedicated just to Churchill and is one of the most interactive and informative museums I have been to. It traces from Churchill's birth to death as well as including artifacts that belonged to him.
Once I left the museum, I headed to the west end to go see the wizard. Yes, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This came recommended from mike blanchard. This is Andrew Lloyd Webber's newest show, and it does not disappoint. The effects are amazing, set design and costuming are wicked-esque and the vocals are outstanding, with the exception of Dorothy who is played by a girl who won a talent contest in search of the role. The show left me in awe afterwards. This is also one of the most audience participatory shows I have seen. Cheering, clapping and even booing the wicked witch of the west. Hopefully the show will last. However, the set is very intricate with a stage that has hydraulic lifts breaking into 4 pieces that can rise and lower around 7 feet while spinning, huge sets and a couple of flying people. The music was classic with a few new songs added as well as parts of existing songs rewritten for the stage. Hopefully the show will eventually co,e to the states, however with the £ 5 million price tag ($7.5 M usd) I doubt we will see a production across the pond anytime soon.
"you had it all along, you just had to find it" -the wizard
-Until
Matt
Day 40 -> on the rooftops of London, oh what a night
After a short, and rather interesting ride in the chunnel I made it to London. I have previously been here too. It is the only other city that I am visiting that I have already been.
Last time I was in London, I was jet lagged and tired for most of the visit. Therefore, I feel like didn't get the opportunity to really enjoy the city. This time I plan on seeing the city in a new light and with a new sense of admiration. If it's anything like it's been thus far, I don't think this is going to be an issue.
I arrived to my hostel. Beautiful. It is in a historic hospital ( I believe) in the Swiss cottage area. It is a short walk to the underground which is only 3 or 4 stops to the main sights. The building is a ivy covered brick building with English oak parquet floors, wood paneling, stain glass transients around the main entrance and fireplaces in every room with mosaic and stone hearths. The best part is the price. Three nights were £40 or right around $60.
After checking in, I went out to find some food. On my way I saw posters for several shows in the west end, London's broadway. I decided to go to TKTS to see what was available. To my surprise, there was no line. I looked at the board at the shows running. I asked the lady at the counter how much tickets to a couple of shows would be. I ended up getting 4th row center tickets to Jersey Boys for £35. More on that later.
I also asked for recommendations on somewhere to get something to eat. She recommended a pub at which I got the sampler platter. Please note, this platter is meant to share between 2 or three people and there I was by myself eating it and enjoying a nice cold beer. Fish and chips, meat pies, bangers and mash just to name a portion of the variety of food that came out. I was in an English pub, eating English food, it was surreal.
After my feast at the pub I went to the show. Amazing. The dialects were on point with no tinge of British heard.
After the show, I decided to take the underground to see the eye, big ben, houses of parliament at night. I had the "I'm in London feeling" and knew that this is a city that I could fall in love with.
A second chance could be what it takes to tall in love.
-Until
Matt
Last time I was in London, I was jet lagged and tired for most of the visit. Therefore, I feel like didn't get the opportunity to really enjoy the city. This time I plan on seeing the city in a new light and with a new sense of admiration. If it's anything like it's been thus far, I don't think this is going to be an issue.
I arrived to my hostel. Beautiful. It is in a historic hospital ( I believe) in the Swiss cottage area. It is a short walk to the underground which is only 3 or 4 stops to the main sights. The building is a ivy covered brick building with English oak parquet floors, wood paneling, stain glass transients around the main entrance and fireplaces in every room with mosaic and stone hearths. The best part is the price. Three nights were £40 or right around $60.
After checking in, I went out to find some food. On my way I saw posters for several shows in the west end, London's broadway. I decided to go to TKTS to see what was available. To my surprise, there was no line. I looked at the board at the shows running. I asked the lady at the counter how much tickets to a couple of shows would be. I ended up getting 4th row center tickets to Jersey Boys for £35. More on that later.
I also asked for recommendations on somewhere to get something to eat. She recommended a pub at which I got the sampler platter. Please note, this platter is meant to share between 2 or three people and there I was by myself eating it and enjoying a nice cold beer. Fish and chips, meat pies, bangers and mash just to name a portion of the variety of food that came out. I was in an English pub, eating English food, it was surreal.
After my feast at the pub I went to the show. Amazing. The dialects were on point with no tinge of British heard.
After the show, I decided to take the underground to see the eye, big ben, houses of parliament at night. I had the "I'm in London feeling" and knew that this is a city that I could fall in love with.
A second chance could be what it takes to tall in love.
-Until
Matt
Day 39 ->a love letter to Paris
Today was my last full day in Paris.
I had some things I wanted to do. But mostly wanted to take in the city one last time. I walked around a good bit, something I have done every day in the city. I feel that this is the way to truly see the city. Eating a binget or a crepe walking around. This is what I did for the most part. I had planned on going to the catacombs but when I got there they had cut the line 1.5 hours before closing.
I went to the army museum and napoleons tomb. I explored the WWI and WWII wings. This is a great museum. It is interesting filled with artifacts, interactive features and pictures. It is very accurate and not too biased towards the French. Napolean's tomb is meh.. Gold, stone, etc. Way over sensationalized.
But Paris, I will miss you. I always do. Everytime I leave you, I long to return. You are truly beautiful. You do not try to hide your sleaze and trash, yet you bring class to it and call it art. You don't give a fuck what the rest of the world thinks of you, because you are great. You have a certain attribute to you that is unique.
Take care,
Amor.
-Until
Matt
I had some things I wanted to do. But mostly wanted to take in the city one last time. I walked around a good bit, something I have done every day in the city. I feel that this is the way to truly see the city. Eating a binget or a crepe walking around. This is what I did for the most part. I had planned on going to the catacombs but when I got there they had cut the line 1.5 hours before closing.
I went to the army museum and napoleons tomb. I explored the WWI and WWII wings. This is a great museum. It is interesting filled with artifacts, interactive features and pictures. It is very accurate and not too biased towards the French. Napolean's tomb is meh.. Gold, stone, etc. Way over sensationalized.
But Paris, I will miss you. I always do. Everytime I leave you, I long to return. You are truly beautiful. You do not try to hide your sleaze and trash, yet you bring class to it and call it art. You don't give a fuck what the rest of the world thinks of you, because you are great. You have a certain attribute to you that is unique.
Take care,
Amor.
-Until
Matt
Days 37 & 38 -> Be Our Guest.
Okay, anyone who knows me to a reasonable degree knows I have ADD.
I use this to my advantage in the kitchen and in much of life. However, the one area this isn't useful is traveling.
Every day, well the night before I sit down and plan out my day. In fact, before, or when I get to a new city, I have a plan on what I would like to see and do there. I rate them based on a combination of reviews and personal preference. There are some things I love: history museums, cathedrals, and going to the major sights. There are others that I place on my if I have time or am up to it list: art museums, things with boats (I get seasick) and things high in the air (read yesterdays post).
Today was no different: I had a list. Things I would like to see/ do the things on this list were mostly towards the bottom of my must do list. Therefore, not too essential.
On my way to my first place, I had to change metros at the same station of the RER A train. That means nothing to most non Parisians. However the RER A train is the train that goes to Disneyland Parc, formerly known as Disneyland Paris and Euro Disney. I saw the signs and decided that I should buy my ticket for the next day to be on the safe side. I made my way down to the tracks (4 levels down) and purchased my ticket. I couldn't resist. There it was: the train that would take me to DLP. Something I had looked forward to for years. So, I got on the train and took the 45 minute ride out to the resort.
This is where the two days merger into one. Not mentally, just here. It makes more sense than writing about the same thing twice.
The resort is composed of 2 parks: Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios, Disney Village (think miniature downtown Disney, and a handful of hotels.
Before you can enter either one of the parks, you go through security, instead of just a general bag check, here your bag is X-Rayed and you go through a medal detector.
First stop: Disneyland. Much smaller than wdw. When you walk into the park, you see sleeping beauty castle down main street without having to make a turn or anything (as in fla). The shops on main street are basically the same: Emporium, confectionary, a handful of restaurants including the original Casey's corner (not as good as fla I must say. No cheese for fries, topping bar, fountain (free) water.) However, main street USA seems to have more of a historical feel to it with gas street lights intermingled with the electric lights.
Sleeping beauty castle is truly French. Waterfalls, shaped trees, quirky lines all in pink. Underneath you can visit the dragon that lives there (smoke breathing anamatronic in a pool of water). Above in the castle is a small Christmas shop and Merlin's magic shop (He's pretty forgotten in the states).
Frontierland has it's own entrance from main street, featuring big thunder, and phantom mannor (haunted mansion) talk about scary. There were moments where I was frightened. The ghost host is an recurring anamontronic throughout the attraction. There are also 2 outdoor theaters featuring Tarzan and Toy Story. The rest of frontierland is restaurants and shops along with themed play areas.
Adventureland has a much more defined theme as compared to Orlando. There is a clear Caribbean area and middle east area. The attractions here include an Indiana Jones roller coaster (that includes a loop) and Pirates of the Caribbean. This ride was amazing. It is similar to the original but with additional scenes, no captain Jack and a restaurant (more on that later).
Fantasyland is classic. I was reminded of the plans for the all new fantasyland in Orlando including a forest feel and castle walls. There are classics like it's a small world, dumbo, tea cups, and snow whites scary adventures. There are also park exclusive attractions like Alice's curious labyrinth (a themed hedge maze), and les adventures de Pinocchio (indoor dark ride).
Discoverland is DLP's answer to tomorrowland. Like Disneyland, Captain EO and Star Tours can be found here. But they also have space mountain 2. It's intense to say the least. There is an inversion and it is a launch coaster instead of having a traditional chain lift.
Overall, Disneyland is a great park. A lot of time (and money) was spent in detailing every aspect of the park. It is the third hub design park built in the company and a clear progression can be seen in park and attraction design.
Walt Disney Studios opened in 2002 (I believe) and is like Hollywood Studios, yet improved. This park was made to be a film studio themed theme park, not a studio turned theme park. Classic attractions like rockin roller coaster and tower, with minor changes that make the ride much more thrilling along with new attractions like crush's coaster, an entire pixar area with carnival like rides, and 3 shows that are all really, really good. One about animation, another about classic movies and a third featuring stich, a la turtle talk with crush.
Parades in the two parks are good, but old. Stars and cars at studios is from Orlando, with updates being made over the years. The daytime parade at DLR is at 5pm and from 2008 (celebrate a dream come true is from 2009 so, not too much difference). The floats are huge and over the top. The night parade was originally from Hong Kong and is essentially fantasmic in parade form named fantaslusion. Both parades feature two show stops which are actually miniature shows versus a stop to play a song.
Other notes on entertainment, their character training needs some work along with casting. The heights and shapes (I'm looking at you Mickey) of the characters are off. The mannerisms of the characters while on stage isn't Disney-esque.
The foodservice in the park is well.... Meh. First the restaurants close early. Many at 9 when the park doesn't close until 11. The only place to find food afterwards is on main street. The food is decent. They have no Mickey premiums :( The parks are very buffet heavy. Reservations aren't really needed because of the size of the resort and the stay length of guests. Among the many restaurants I ate at was blue lagoon restaurant which overlooks Pirates. The food seemed good, mainly seafood, which I love. I made a reservation the day before and arrived on time for a 10 minute wait to be seated. After being seated (in the worst seat in the restaurant (between 2 wait stations and next to the steps for the main dining room)) my waitress only had a fork and no knife to give me. She went to get a knife and didn't show up for 20 minutes. I waved down a manager and told him my situation. He took my order. I ordered a crab salad and parrotfish. The crab salad came out and tasted like celery. I took 2 bites and couldn't finish it. My fish came out, hidden by an arugula "salad". The fish was horrible. Tough and overcooked. I know parrotfish is a firmer fish, however this was a chewy stringy (yes stringy) mess. I was ready to leave after 2 bites.I asked for a manager once again to explain everything to him. He told me that I could order something else and pay the difference or just pay my bill. I told him I didn't understand why I had to pay for 4 bites of food. The cost was nearly €40 so not a cheap meal. I understand from a management prospective why I should have to pay, but from a ethics standpoint, I do not. After talking to him, I asked was he the highest manager available. He went and got another manager who then came over very rudely and told me just to leave. So I left, and went to guest relations... Need I say more? The girl at guest relations was very helpful and found me antihero place to eat.
DLP's show standard is low. Cast members out of area (pirates costume on main street) and out of look policy (piercings, hairstyles and not clean shaven) also, guest service is down the toilet. It seems that the cast members have more conversations with each other than with the guests.
To end the night is fireworks. These are rather unimpressive. The soundtrack is just the music to non-Disney songs with a short introduction. All of the fireworks are low, not going above the castle, perhaps local restrictions, and shot from inside the park. Forcing fantasy, adventure, and parts of frontier lands to close an hour before the rest of the park. The show itself is good, but seems to be building up to something big that never happens.
Overall, Disneyland Resort Paris is a beautiful, amazing park that is full of bad show that can easily be fixed.
Have a Magical Day!
-Until
Matt
I use this to my advantage in the kitchen and in much of life. However, the one area this isn't useful is traveling.
Every day, well the night before I sit down and plan out my day. In fact, before, or when I get to a new city, I have a plan on what I would like to see and do there. I rate them based on a combination of reviews and personal preference. There are some things I love: history museums, cathedrals, and going to the major sights. There are others that I place on my if I have time or am up to it list: art museums, things with boats (I get seasick) and things high in the air (read yesterdays post).
Today was no different: I had a list. Things I would like to see/ do the things on this list were mostly towards the bottom of my must do list. Therefore, not too essential.
On my way to my first place, I had to change metros at the same station of the RER A train. That means nothing to most non Parisians. However the RER A train is the train that goes to Disneyland Parc, formerly known as Disneyland Paris and Euro Disney. I saw the signs and decided that I should buy my ticket for the next day to be on the safe side. I made my way down to the tracks (4 levels down) and purchased my ticket. I couldn't resist. There it was: the train that would take me to DLP. Something I had looked forward to for years. So, I got on the train and took the 45 minute ride out to the resort.
This is where the two days merger into one. Not mentally, just here. It makes more sense than writing about the same thing twice.
The resort is composed of 2 parks: Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios, Disney Village (think miniature downtown Disney, and a handful of hotels.
Before you can enter either one of the parks, you go through security, instead of just a general bag check, here your bag is X-Rayed and you go through a medal detector.
First stop: Disneyland. Much smaller than wdw. When you walk into the park, you see sleeping beauty castle down main street without having to make a turn or anything (as in fla). The shops on main street are basically the same: Emporium, confectionary, a handful of restaurants including the original Casey's corner (not as good as fla I must say. No cheese for fries, topping bar, fountain (free) water.) However, main street USA seems to have more of a historical feel to it with gas street lights intermingled with the electric lights.
Sleeping beauty castle is truly French. Waterfalls, shaped trees, quirky lines all in pink. Underneath you can visit the dragon that lives there (smoke breathing anamatronic in a pool of water). Above in the castle is a small Christmas shop and Merlin's magic shop (He's pretty forgotten in the states).
Frontierland has it's own entrance from main street, featuring big thunder, and phantom mannor (haunted mansion) talk about scary. There were moments where I was frightened. The ghost host is an recurring anamontronic throughout the attraction. There are also 2 outdoor theaters featuring Tarzan and Toy Story. The rest of frontierland is restaurants and shops along with themed play areas.
Adventureland has a much more defined theme as compared to Orlando. There is a clear Caribbean area and middle east area. The attractions here include an Indiana Jones roller coaster (that includes a loop) and Pirates of the Caribbean. This ride was amazing. It is similar to the original but with additional scenes, no captain Jack and a restaurant (more on that later).
Fantasyland is classic. I was reminded of the plans for the all new fantasyland in Orlando including a forest feel and castle walls. There are classics like it's a small world, dumbo, tea cups, and snow whites scary adventures. There are also park exclusive attractions like Alice's curious labyrinth (a themed hedge maze), and les adventures de Pinocchio (indoor dark ride).
Discoverland is DLP's answer to tomorrowland. Like Disneyland, Captain EO and Star Tours can be found here. But they also have space mountain 2. It's intense to say the least. There is an inversion and it is a launch coaster instead of having a traditional chain lift.
Overall, Disneyland is a great park. A lot of time (and money) was spent in detailing every aspect of the park. It is the third hub design park built in the company and a clear progression can be seen in park and attraction design.
Walt Disney Studios opened in 2002 (I believe) and is like Hollywood Studios, yet improved. This park was made to be a film studio themed theme park, not a studio turned theme park. Classic attractions like rockin roller coaster and tower, with minor changes that make the ride much more thrilling along with new attractions like crush's coaster, an entire pixar area with carnival like rides, and 3 shows that are all really, really good. One about animation, another about classic movies and a third featuring stich, a la turtle talk with crush.
Parades in the two parks are good, but old. Stars and cars at studios is from Orlando, with updates being made over the years. The daytime parade at DLR is at 5pm and from 2008 (celebrate a dream come true is from 2009 so, not too much difference). The floats are huge and over the top. The night parade was originally from Hong Kong and is essentially fantasmic in parade form named fantaslusion. Both parades feature two show stops which are actually miniature shows versus a stop to play a song.
Other notes on entertainment, their character training needs some work along with casting. The heights and shapes (I'm looking at you Mickey) of the characters are off. The mannerisms of the characters while on stage isn't Disney-esque.
The foodservice in the park is well.... Meh. First the restaurants close early. Many at 9 when the park doesn't close until 11. The only place to find food afterwards is on main street. The food is decent. They have no Mickey premiums :( The parks are very buffet heavy. Reservations aren't really needed because of the size of the resort and the stay length of guests. Among the many restaurants I ate at was blue lagoon restaurant which overlooks Pirates. The food seemed good, mainly seafood, which I love. I made a reservation the day before and arrived on time for a 10 minute wait to be seated. After being seated (in the worst seat in the restaurant (between 2 wait stations and next to the steps for the main dining room)) my waitress only had a fork and no knife to give me. She went to get a knife and didn't show up for 20 minutes. I waved down a manager and told him my situation. He took my order. I ordered a crab salad and parrotfish. The crab salad came out and tasted like celery. I took 2 bites and couldn't finish it. My fish came out, hidden by an arugula "salad". The fish was horrible. Tough and overcooked. I know parrotfish is a firmer fish, however this was a chewy stringy (yes stringy) mess. I was ready to leave after 2 bites.I asked for a manager once again to explain everything to him. He told me that I could order something else and pay the difference or just pay my bill. I told him I didn't understand why I had to pay for 4 bites of food. The cost was nearly €40 so not a cheap meal. I understand from a management prospective why I should have to pay, but from a ethics standpoint, I do not. After talking to him, I asked was he the highest manager available. He went and got another manager who then came over very rudely and told me just to leave. So I left, and went to guest relations... Need I say more? The girl at guest relations was very helpful and found me antihero place to eat.
DLP's show standard is low. Cast members out of area (pirates costume on main street) and out of look policy (piercings, hairstyles and not clean shaven) also, guest service is down the toilet. It seems that the cast members have more conversations with each other than with the guests.
To end the night is fireworks. These are rather unimpressive. The soundtrack is just the music to non-Disney songs with a short introduction. All of the fireworks are low, not going above the castle, perhaps local restrictions, and shot from inside the park. Forcing fantasy, adventure, and parts of frontier lands to close an hour before the rest of the park. The show itself is good, but seems to be building up to something big that never happens.
Overall, Disneyland Resort Paris is a beautiful, amazing park that is full of bad show that can easily be fixed.
Have a Magical Day!
-Until
Matt
Day 36-> tales from the tower
Landmarks day.
First stop: Notre Dame. I heard quasimodo ring the bells then went inside to see the beautiful stained glass windows and hear a choir sing. This is the pinnacle of gothic architecture. Perfectly symmetrical from the inside and out, that's why I like this place. It's architecture is grand, embellished with chandeliers reminiscent of Versailles and infamous gargoyles on the outside. The backside of the cathedral is what makes it an amazing piece of architecture. The flying buttresses.
The buttresses were added after the cathedral was built because the back wall was bowing and would had eventually collapsed if nothing was done about it. So they added perhaps the greatest part of the structure, the flying buttresses. What's so great about them? The detail, the effect, the gradure that is created. Underneath and around is a garden that is dominantly roses, pink, red, yellow varieties.
For lunch, I went to a cafe nearby down a tree lined street. I ordered duck, rare. Apparently rare does not translate well, even if the waiter is bilingual. My duck came out and appeared to be rare. However, when I bit into it it revealed to be a tough overdone piece of meat. They had sliced the seared loin then seared it on one side. After much discussion, they re made the dish for me. This time cooked properly.
I continued my stroll to the lourve. It's huge to say the least. However, only a fraction of the collection is worth looking at including Mona Lisa, venus de Milo, and Napoleon's coronation. Afterwards I headed to the Eiffel Tower, this time to go up.
The lines for the tower were incredibly long. To save time, I decided to take the stairs. Yes, the stairs. All 670 of them. When I got to the second floor, I looked out to see incredible views of Paris. The lights of the city were twinkling as the sun disappeared into the abiss.
I decided that I would take the elevator ride to the top (there are no open stairs). It did not occur to me that a. I was going up on the highest point in the old city. B. The structure that surpassed this in height was the empire state building and C. It was a glass elevator within a open structure.
In my travels in the past year I have discovered something new about myself and that is I don't like heights. New York was challenging, I have opted out of climbing to the tops of cathedrals partly because of this fear. Elevators escalate this fear. Perhaps it's the numerous times I've ridden tower of terror, but I'm scared of the cable breaking.
This ride was no different than the others. In fact it was worse. Unlike Rockefeller Center where you get a really cool movie or empire state where you can't see, here it was all opened and crowded. So there I was 2 things that cause me high anxiety: crowds and heights, ohhh and tight spaces. A panic attack seemed unavoidable. Those in the car with me gave me the international "are you okay" look and I gave teem get me the hell out of here before I pass out look. We finally arrived to the top. Not too shabby. Looking out I was okay. Looking down, not so much. I walked around, used the restroom (yes there is a toilet up there) and came back down (also taking the stairs). Once at the bottom, I awarded myself with a nutella crepe (number 5 crepe in 2 days) before calling it a night.
Push yourself beyond your fears to new possibilities that you never thought you could do. It will create memories to last and may change how you see yourself.
-Until
Matt
First stop: Notre Dame. I heard quasimodo ring the bells then went inside to see the beautiful stained glass windows and hear a choir sing. This is the pinnacle of gothic architecture. Perfectly symmetrical from the inside and out, that's why I like this place. It's architecture is grand, embellished with chandeliers reminiscent of Versailles and infamous gargoyles on the outside. The backside of the cathedral is what makes it an amazing piece of architecture. The flying buttresses.
The buttresses were added after the cathedral was built because the back wall was bowing and would had eventually collapsed if nothing was done about it. So they added perhaps the greatest part of the structure, the flying buttresses. What's so great about them? The detail, the effect, the gradure that is created. Underneath and around is a garden that is dominantly roses, pink, red, yellow varieties.
For lunch, I went to a cafe nearby down a tree lined street. I ordered duck, rare. Apparently rare does not translate well, even if the waiter is bilingual. My duck came out and appeared to be rare. However, when I bit into it it revealed to be a tough overdone piece of meat. They had sliced the seared loin then seared it on one side. After much discussion, they re made the dish for me. This time cooked properly.
I continued my stroll to the lourve. It's huge to say the least. However, only a fraction of the collection is worth looking at including Mona Lisa, venus de Milo, and Napoleon's coronation. Afterwards I headed to the Eiffel Tower, this time to go up.
The lines for the tower were incredibly long. To save time, I decided to take the stairs. Yes, the stairs. All 670 of them. When I got to the second floor, I looked out to see incredible views of Paris. The lights of the city were twinkling as the sun disappeared into the abiss.
I decided that I would take the elevator ride to the top (there are no open stairs). It did not occur to me that a. I was going up on the highest point in the old city. B. The structure that surpassed this in height was the empire state building and C. It was a glass elevator within a open structure.
In my travels in the past year I have discovered something new about myself and that is I don't like heights. New York was challenging, I have opted out of climbing to the tops of cathedrals partly because of this fear. Elevators escalate this fear. Perhaps it's the numerous times I've ridden tower of terror, but I'm scared of the cable breaking.
This ride was no different than the others. In fact it was worse. Unlike Rockefeller Center where you get a really cool movie or empire state where you can't see, here it was all opened and crowded. So there I was 2 things that cause me high anxiety: crowds and heights, ohhh and tight spaces. A panic attack seemed unavoidable. Those in the car with me gave me the international "are you okay" look and I gave teem get me the hell out of here before I pass out look. We finally arrived to the top. Not too shabby. Looking out I was okay. Looking down, not so much. I walked around, used the restroom (yes there is a toilet up there) and came back down (also taking the stairs). Once at the bottom, I awarded myself with a nutella crepe (number 5 crepe in 2 days) before calling it a night.
Push yourself beyond your fears to new possibilities that you never thought you could do. It will create memories to last and may change how you see yourself.
-Until
Matt
Day 35-> bonjour! Bonjour, Bonjour, Bonjour
Last night I got in from Milan around 11:30 and checked into a hotel for the night. To say this place was nasty would be an understatement. But you're in Europe, their customs are different than yours some would say. But this was just nasty. Nonetheless, this was a place to rest my head for the night and get some needed rest.
I woke up this morning and looked out and saw the Paris skyline: white buildings with distinct terra-cotta roofs and the tip of the Eiffel Tower peaking out the center. I was here. Paris is the first city that I have been to on my trip that I have already visited. I was last here in 2006 with school and fell in love. Yes, I know so cliche. But truly, Paris is my favorite city in the world. I don't know why it is. Perhaps is the beauty of the architecture or mabie the food, or is may be something in the water. Whatever it is, I love this city.
After checking out (if you can call giving the key to the guy wearing a stained wife beater cleaning up from breakfast checking out (he was also the receptionist)). I headed to my hostel for the next few days. This place is nice, perhaps the nicest I've stayed at.
I checked in and was off to see the city. I have a list of things I would like to do over the next couple of days. However, if I don't do them all, it's an excuse to come back again.
First stop: arch d' triomphe. Last time, we just rode by it, but this time I climbed the 300 and some odd stairs to the top. Once again, there's lots of cool history surrounding the monument (look it up). The views here were incredible. Champs de Elise to the front, along with the oblique and the louvre to the right the Eiffel Tower and behind me the new city. This is Paris. After taking in the scene, I was off to walk down the Champs de Elise. This is the acclaimed shopping row of Paris, Louis Vuitton flagship, Mercedes (let's not talk about that one (Some of the most beautiful cars in the world including one of the firsts, fully restored)), and a few others. However, a turn towards the Eiffel Tower will reveal the true shopping gem in Paris where the tourists don't go and luxury brands seem like starbucks in NYC.
Another turn will bring you to a monument of the torch of the statue of liberty. Under this torch is ironically the place in the tunnel where Princess Diana was assassinated, err.. I meant had a car accident. The statue has now become a shrine to her with notes flowers and pictures on the monument as well as writing from all over the world on the wall behind it.
Then I took a stroll down the banks of the seine river. This is Paris' central river, and what the city is built around. I crossed over the river in search of a cafe to eat a early dinner/ late lunch at. I came across a bustling cafe in the middle of the afternoon. This place must be good. I took a seat and looked up to see the Eiffel Tower peaking through the trees ahh there I was. I was so overcome by emotions, I pulled out my notebook and started writing. There was nothing else I could think to do. I placed my order: beef tartare. My waiter confirmed with me that I realized what I was ordering. I ensured him I knew and I was estatic about it.
The crowd was right. This place was amazing. My plate came out and was perfectly seasoned with the quaintest raw egg atop it. I was in love. I was full about half way through the dish but couldn't stop eating. The flavor of the dish changed as the meat came to room temperature. I cleaned my plate of the meat and potatoes.
Next stop, the Eiffel Tower. Breath taking. Simple, yet classic. Like much of Paris. There's an elegance that you can't put your finger on. A nice stroll, several dozen pictures and I was back to the hostel to move my bags to my room.
I then went out to do a night walk of the city. My goal: from the lourve to the Eiffel Tower. Simple. In concept and daylight that is. However, it was dark and I got lost. Not quite the smartest thing to do. There were a couple of moments where I felt that there was someone following me, and I'm pretty sure they were. In the end, I found my way to the tower, the opposite side to which I was headed.
A creiprie greeted me with it's glowing lights, a reward for my near death, or so it seemed adventure. I went for the jamón and formage. Ahhhh... Ham and cheese in a crepe.
Exhausted, I looked forward to my good nights sleep, which came at nearly 2am.
Crepes are not thin pancakes, they're crepes. Magical sweet or savory filled paper like bread created with love.
-Until
Matt
I woke up this morning and looked out and saw the Paris skyline: white buildings with distinct terra-cotta roofs and the tip of the Eiffel Tower peaking out the center. I was here. Paris is the first city that I have been to on my trip that I have already visited. I was last here in 2006 with school and fell in love. Yes, I know so cliche. But truly, Paris is my favorite city in the world. I don't know why it is. Perhaps is the beauty of the architecture or mabie the food, or is may be something in the water. Whatever it is, I love this city.
After checking out (if you can call giving the key to the guy wearing a stained wife beater cleaning up from breakfast checking out (he was also the receptionist)). I headed to my hostel for the next few days. This place is nice, perhaps the nicest I've stayed at.
I checked in and was off to see the city. I have a list of things I would like to do over the next couple of days. However, if I don't do them all, it's an excuse to come back again.
First stop: arch d' triomphe. Last time, we just rode by it, but this time I climbed the 300 and some odd stairs to the top. Once again, there's lots of cool history surrounding the monument (look it up). The views here were incredible. Champs de Elise to the front, along with the oblique and the louvre to the right the Eiffel Tower and behind me the new city. This is Paris. After taking in the scene, I was off to walk down the Champs de Elise. This is the acclaimed shopping row of Paris, Louis Vuitton flagship, Mercedes (let's not talk about that one (Some of the most beautiful cars in the world including one of the firsts, fully restored)), and a few others. However, a turn towards the Eiffel Tower will reveal the true shopping gem in Paris where the tourists don't go and luxury brands seem like starbucks in NYC.
Another turn will bring you to a monument of the torch of the statue of liberty. Under this torch is ironically the place in the tunnel where Princess Diana was assassinated, err.. I meant had a car accident. The statue has now become a shrine to her with notes flowers and pictures on the monument as well as writing from all over the world on the wall behind it.
Then I took a stroll down the banks of the seine river. This is Paris' central river, and what the city is built around. I crossed over the river in search of a cafe to eat a early dinner/ late lunch at. I came across a bustling cafe in the middle of the afternoon. This place must be good. I took a seat and looked up to see the Eiffel Tower peaking through the trees ahh there I was. I was so overcome by emotions, I pulled out my notebook and started writing. There was nothing else I could think to do. I placed my order: beef tartare. My waiter confirmed with me that I realized what I was ordering. I ensured him I knew and I was estatic about it.
The crowd was right. This place was amazing. My plate came out and was perfectly seasoned with the quaintest raw egg atop it. I was in love. I was full about half way through the dish but couldn't stop eating. The flavor of the dish changed as the meat came to room temperature. I cleaned my plate of the meat and potatoes.
Next stop, the Eiffel Tower. Breath taking. Simple, yet classic. Like much of Paris. There's an elegance that you can't put your finger on. A nice stroll, several dozen pictures and I was back to the hostel to move my bags to my room.
I then went out to do a night walk of the city. My goal: from the lourve to the Eiffel Tower. Simple. In concept and daylight that is. However, it was dark and I got lost. Not quite the smartest thing to do. There were a couple of moments where I felt that there was someone following me, and I'm pretty sure they were. In the end, I found my way to the tower, the opposite side to which I was headed.
A creiprie greeted me with it's glowing lights, a reward for my near death, or so it seemed adventure. I went for the jamón and formage. Ahhhh... Ham and cheese in a crepe.
Exhausted, I looked forward to my good nights sleep, which came at nearly 2am.
Crepes are not thin pancakes, they're crepes. Magical sweet or savory filled paper like bread created with love.
-Until
Matt
Tales of the missing mail.
The joys of the Italian mail system. Just over a month ago, I mailed 13 post cards from the post office in Florence. I paid nearly 18 Euro and the lady at the counter put stamps on all of them. From there, I was in trusting that my letters from abroad would make it home safely. Each card featuring a specific picture and a heartfelt letter on the backside. I used all of the addresses that were sent to me via Facebook and only 2 of these arrived home.
Needless to say I am a bit pissed off that they didn't make it. And even more worried due to the fact I have a package headed back home with gifts, souvenirs, and all my notes from class.
Today I mailed off another set of post cards that I put together in Rome. This time, I placed the stamps on them myself and placed them in the mailbox. Here's to hoping they arrive safely.
If you would like for me to send you a post card and I do not have your address, please send it to me on facebook.
-Until
Matt
Needless to say I am a bit pissed off that they didn't make it. And even more worried due to the fact I have a package headed back home with gifts, souvenirs, and all my notes from class.
Today I mailed off another set of post cards that I put together in Rome. This time, I placed the stamps on them myself and placed them in the mailbox. Here's to hoping they arrive safely.
If you would like for me to send you a post card and I do not have your address, please send it to me on facebook.
-Until
Matt
Day 34-> a last supper in Milan
As I write this, I am on the train surrounded by 4 languages all at once, a bit cool if I say so myself.
The Last Supper. This is one of the worlds' most famous works of art. Wether you are Christian or not, you can recognize this image. However, there is a story behind it that is overlooked. No, not the DaVinci code type story or anything like that. But real, authentic history.
First off the location. It is in a church.. Wow, how novel. In Milan (hence why I am writing about it) in a dining room that was once used by the monks, priests, etc. DaVinci was commissioned by the Solfetzo family (Milan's royals at the time) to create the work in exchange for burial rights at the church (which they never got).
Next is what the picture captures. It is the moment when Christ tells his disciples that one of them will betray him. The painting captures all of the disciples personalities as they are recounted in the Bible.
Furthermore, Leonardo's use of light and perspective is impeccable. There is the understood light from the windows in the back and a ambient light representative of God. The light however is not shining on Judas, who also is the only one making eye contact with Jesus. The prospective of the picture lines up with the ceiling lines of the room.
During WWII Milan suffered great destruction, including the church where the last supper is. One of the walls of the room was torn down along with the ceiling. However, the painting was left unharmed.
Since the war, the painting has undergone extensive restoration. The room where the painting is is extremely climate controlled from an air purification, humidity control, precise temperature, nothing is left un controlled.
I got to experience the masterpiece for myself today. After a short tour of the church and Sofitza castle grounds, it was time to enter in the room. There was a series of 4 doors to get to the room. The door behind had to close before the dour in front could open. Visits to the room are limited to groups of 25 for 15 minutes exactly (the doors are timed).
As I stood there, I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. There it was. Ahhh... Having seen the Mona Lisa and being unimpressed, I didn't have extremely high expectations. Instead, it was more of a I'm doing this to say I have kind of thing. Was I wrong. I was in Awe. I know it seems I'm that way quite a bit, but this was something different, something more. First off, I'm not a painting/fresco person, I like sculpture. But there was something about it, something spiritual. I could had stood there studying the masterpiece for hours, and would had if there were tickets available.
After my spiritual connection, I got some food. A brunch of sorts. I went to a local bar (please understand that the term bar differs in Europe from the states) that had food. I got a coke and what quite frankly was a tortilla with cheese, eggplant, tomatoes, and lettuce then was all toasted. It was filling, cheap, and good. Three of my favorite things.
I purchased a pass to ride the trolley up to the duomo to take in the sight one lad time before heading to the train station to book tickets for later this month and write some post cards.
As I finish writing this, I am on the way to my next city. This city was a major catalyst in me traveling this summer. I can't wait to arrive.
"love one another as I have loved you" -Jesus at the last supper.
-Until
Matt
The Last Supper. This is one of the worlds' most famous works of art. Wether you are Christian or not, you can recognize this image. However, there is a story behind it that is overlooked. No, not the DaVinci code type story or anything like that. But real, authentic history.
First off the location. It is in a church.. Wow, how novel. In Milan (hence why I am writing about it) in a dining room that was once used by the monks, priests, etc. DaVinci was commissioned by the Solfetzo family (Milan's royals at the time) to create the work in exchange for burial rights at the church (which they never got).
Next is what the picture captures. It is the moment when Christ tells his disciples that one of them will betray him. The painting captures all of the disciples personalities as they are recounted in the Bible.
Furthermore, Leonardo's use of light and perspective is impeccable. There is the understood light from the windows in the back and a ambient light representative of God. The light however is not shining on Judas, who also is the only one making eye contact with Jesus. The prospective of the picture lines up with the ceiling lines of the room.
During WWII Milan suffered great destruction, including the church where the last supper is. One of the walls of the room was torn down along with the ceiling. However, the painting was left unharmed.
Since the war, the painting has undergone extensive restoration. The room where the painting is is extremely climate controlled from an air purification, humidity control, precise temperature, nothing is left un controlled.
I got to experience the masterpiece for myself today. After a short tour of the church and Sofitza castle grounds, it was time to enter in the room. There was a series of 4 doors to get to the room. The door behind had to close before the dour in front could open. Visits to the room are limited to groups of 25 for 15 minutes exactly (the doors are timed).
As I stood there, I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. There it was. Ahhh... Having seen the Mona Lisa and being unimpressed, I didn't have extremely high expectations. Instead, it was more of a I'm doing this to say I have kind of thing. Was I wrong. I was in Awe. I know it seems I'm that way quite a bit, but this was something different, something more. First off, I'm not a painting/fresco person, I like sculpture. But there was something about it, something spiritual. I could had stood there studying the masterpiece for hours, and would had if there were tickets available.
After my spiritual connection, I got some food. A brunch of sorts. I went to a local bar (please understand that the term bar differs in Europe from the states) that had food. I got a coke and what quite frankly was a tortilla with cheese, eggplant, tomatoes, and lettuce then was all toasted. It was filling, cheap, and good. Three of my favorite things.
I purchased a pass to ride the trolley up to the duomo to take in the sight one lad time before heading to the train station to book tickets for later this month and write some post cards.
As I finish writing this, I am on the way to my next city. This city was a major catalyst in me traveling this summer. I can't wait to arrive.
"love one another as I have loved you" -Jesus at the last supper.
-Until
Matt
Day 33-> Saffron a la Millinaise
Saffron, the worlds most expensive spice. It's origins can be traced to the middle east. Today the flowers that provide the bright red stamen can be found in warm climates all over the world.
But why am I talking about saffron in Milan? Is it the newest trend in fashion, no is it native to this area, no. However Milan plays an integral role in it's culinary use. In fact, Milan is the birthplace of the use of saffron for culinary purposes in the western world.
A glass maker from Venice was hired to make stained glass windows for Milan's centerpiece: the duomo. The large cathedral is peppered with hundreds of statues on the roof and around the sides and facades and beautiful stained glass windows that date from the 1300's up to the 1980's. The reason for the vastness in years is because Milan was battered hard during WWII and its effects can still be felt today. Anyway, back to the saffron. The glass maker was brought in and he loved to use saffron. He would use it un nearly all the glass he colored. Rumor has it that someone joked about he used it so much, that he should just eat it.
The glassmaker took the joke seriously and fir his daughter's wedding had the chef use it in a dish. This dish would later become as risotto milinase. It is a very simple and basic dish, risotto made with saffron. However the floral characteristics delivered by the saffron create a dish that is complex in flavor.
In honor of history and tradition, I made today about the one thing I wanted to experience in Milan: risotto milinase.
I began my day where the inspiration began: the duomo. This cathedral is the 4th largest in the world. The inside is dark with bright stained glass windows. It is in severe need of restoration, which I don't believe has been done on the inside since WWII. The outside is currently under restoration, making most of the structure covered in scaffolding, perhaps in preparation for the 2015 worlds' fair. The stained glass in the back behind the altar is awe-ing. There is golden color created by the obsessive use of saffron in the glass and is themed after a rose. This is by far the church's piece de resonance.
After seeing the origins, I wanted to taste the product. Risotto milinase and osso bucco. I decided to have a splurge meal considering my not so stellar meals the day before and settled down in a nearby restaurant. The restaurant was situated in an gallery built in the 1800's the gallery has a glass roof and is home to such shops as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada. Before anyone starts freaking out, my lunch was €35 with a drink and cover, so not too much of a splurge.
The osso bucco was cooked perfectly. The fat melted in my mouth and the meat fell off the bone, like a killer pot roast but veal and cooked in a tomato infused stock. Then there is the marrow. I can remember getting fussed at when I was younger for sticking my finger in the ham and eating the marrow. I knew I was on to something then, and here was the dish of all marrow eating. I scraped every bit of marrow out of the center of the bone and ate all of it, short of sucking the bone ( if I wasn't at such a nice restaurant I would had). Needless to say, the risotto was incredible. Bright yellow, a bit runny. Al dente. This was worth the money.
Before I forget, the bread they served was quite different from anything I have had in a restaurant. They served 4 types of bread: a caper berry roll, almond, walnut, and traditional white bread.
After lunch, I decided to take part in the other thing Milan is known for: fashion. I visited countless stores (only spent money at one that was having a really good sale) as well as the Abercrombie & Fitch flagship store. This store was amazing. Everything was perfectly folded, even mor amazing considering the crowd.
Dinner once again was a flop. Milan isn't like the other cities I have visited that have nightlife and restaurants that stay open late. In fact, I saw only a handful of bars open and no restaurants that were notable.
Everything we eat has a story behind it. Take a moment and learn a bit about it, it may change both the way you eat and see the world.
-Until
Matt
But why am I talking about saffron in Milan? Is it the newest trend in fashion, no is it native to this area, no. However Milan plays an integral role in it's culinary use. In fact, Milan is the birthplace of the use of saffron for culinary purposes in the western world.
A glass maker from Venice was hired to make stained glass windows for Milan's centerpiece: the duomo. The large cathedral is peppered with hundreds of statues on the roof and around the sides and facades and beautiful stained glass windows that date from the 1300's up to the 1980's. The reason for the vastness in years is because Milan was battered hard during WWII and its effects can still be felt today. Anyway, back to the saffron. The glass maker was brought in and he loved to use saffron. He would use it un nearly all the glass he colored. Rumor has it that someone joked about he used it so much, that he should just eat it.
The glassmaker took the joke seriously and fir his daughter's wedding had the chef use it in a dish. This dish would later become as risotto milinase. It is a very simple and basic dish, risotto made with saffron. However the floral characteristics delivered by the saffron create a dish that is complex in flavor.
In honor of history and tradition, I made today about the one thing I wanted to experience in Milan: risotto milinase.
I began my day where the inspiration began: the duomo. This cathedral is the 4th largest in the world. The inside is dark with bright stained glass windows. It is in severe need of restoration, which I don't believe has been done on the inside since WWII. The outside is currently under restoration, making most of the structure covered in scaffolding, perhaps in preparation for the 2015 worlds' fair. The stained glass in the back behind the altar is awe-ing. There is golden color created by the obsessive use of saffron in the glass and is themed after a rose. This is by far the church's piece de resonance.
After seeing the origins, I wanted to taste the product. Risotto milinase and osso bucco. I decided to have a splurge meal considering my not so stellar meals the day before and settled down in a nearby restaurant. The restaurant was situated in an gallery built in the 1800's the gallery has a glass roof and is home to such shops as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada. Before anyone starts freaking out, my lunch was €35 with a drink and cover, so not too much of a splurge.
The osso bucco was cooked perfectly. The fat melted in my mouth and the meat fell off the bone, like a killer pot roast but veal and cooked in a tomato infused stock. Then there is the marrow. I can remember getting fussed at when I was younger for sticking my finger in the ham and eating the marrow. I knew I was on to something then, and here was the dish of all marrow eating. I scraped every bit of marrow out of the center of the bone and ate all of it, short of sucking the bone ( if I wasn't at such a nice restaurant I would had). Needless to say, the risotto was incredible. Bright yellow, a bit runny. Al dente. This was worth the money.
Before I forget, the bread they served was quite different from anything I have had in a restaurant. They served 4 types of bread: a caper berry roll, almond, walnut, and traditional white bread.
After lunch, I decided to take part in the other thing Milan is known for: fashion. I visited countless stores (only spent money at one that was having a really good sale) as well as the Abercrombie & Fitch flagship store. This store was amazing. Everything was perfectly folded, even mor amazing considering the crowd.
Dinner once again was a flop. Milan isn't like the other cities I have visited that have nightlife and restaurants that stay open late. In fact, I saw only a handful of bars open and no restaurants that were notable.
Everything we eat has a story behind it. Take a moment and learn a bit about it, it may change both the way you eat and see the world.
-Until
Matt
Day 32-> bonjourno from Milano!
Woke up this am to the sound of thunderstorms, great. The day I'm traveling and it's rainy. I shouldn't had spoken too soon. By the time I got ready and packed, the rain had disappeared leaving a cool overcast morning.
Oli and myself had decided to go to the National Museum of Rome. This is a smaller museum but features an impressive collection of ancient artifacts and sculptures.
Afterwards, we walked through the city and got lost a bit. We came across a restaurant and decided to grab lunch before parting ways. The lunch was meh, but the company was nice. We continued our culture discussion this time talking about politics and government. After lunch, we parted ways. Oli off to meet his family that was coming into town and myself to the train station to head to Milan.
After a short train ride and a 1.5 mile walk, I made it to my hostel in Milan. The place I am staying is a bit far from the major sites as well any nightlife. Instead, the area is quite residential.
I took some time to rest up and take a relaxing long shower before heading out to get some food and calling it a night.
Mediocre food can become good when enjoyed in the right company.
-Until
Matt
Oli and myself had decided to go to the National Museum of Rome. This is a smaller museum but features an impressive collection of ancient artifacts and sculptures.
Afterwards, we walked through the city and got lost a bit. We came across a restaurant and decided to grab lunch before parting ways. The lunch was meh, but the company was nice. We continued our culture discussion this time talking about politics and government. After lunch, we parted ways. Oli off to meet his family that was coming into town and myself to the train station to head to Milan.
After a short train ride and a 1.5 mile walk, I made it to my hostel in Milan. The place I am staying is a bit far from the major sites as well any nightlife. Instead, the area is quite residential.
I took some time to rest up and take a relaxing long shower before heading out to get some food and calling it a night.
Mediocre food can become good when enjoyed in the right company.
-Until
Matt
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Day 31-> an Aussiem Fourth of July.
4th of July. This is the American holiday. Barbecues, pick-nicks, family, friends, and fireworks. In Rome, not so much. July 4th means nothing more than the 3rd or 5th.
Today we had reservations for the Vatican museum and the Sistine chapel. The museum was like Versailles without the bedrooms and a storage room of marble sculptures. There was 1 thing that this museum was leading up to. Past the amazing works, frescos, tapestries that would be the centerpiece in any other museum were un important compared to the star, the Sistine chapel. Read up more on the history of it, it is pretty cool. Simple at first, but as your eye studies the detail, and the room, you realize how incredible it is. I can't begin to do it justice, so I won't attempt to.
After saying goodbye to my friend that has been my travel companion for the past 4 days, I was on my own. It struck me for a moment, this is it. I am doing this. Me, myself and God.
Off to st. Peters Basilica, this is the worlds largest church. It doesn't seem massive in comparison to the rest of the square, yet proportional. An design success. The inside however is huge. This has been the site of coronations, funerals and also the crucifixion of St. Peter prior to the building of the church, which is what give it it's namesake.
I pondered climbing the dome of the basilica, however the clouds looming above deterred me from doing such. Instead, I headed back tom the hostel to freshen up and find somewhere to have an American dinner. Before I could finish finding a place, my roommates for the night came in. A couple from California, a med student from Tasmania Australia (Oli), and a orchestra conductor from South America. After some quick chatting, Oli suggested we all go out for dinner. So us four guys headed out to a pizzeria. Yes, pizza on the fourth of July. We talked more about where we come from and also how the rest of the world sees our country.
After dinner, myself and Oli decided to hang out a bit and perhaps grab a couple of drinks at a bar. We ended up going to the Spanish steps and enjoying a shitty European beer before heading back to the hostel.
This was by far a fourth to remember. There was no fireworks, pig, or red white and blue. Instead, I shared about my culture and where I come from with someone and in return learned about their culture.
God Bless Americia!
-Until
Matt
Today we had reservations for the Vatican museum and the Sistine chapel. The museum was like Versailles without the bedrooms and a storage room of marble sculptures. There was 1 thing that this museum was leading up to. Past the amazing works, frescos, tapestries that would be the centerpiece in any other museum were un important compared to the star, the Sistine chapel. Read up more on the history of it, it is pretty cool. Simple at first, but as your eye studies the detail, and the room, you realize how incredible it is. I can't begin to do it justice, so I won't attempt to.
After saying goodbye to my friend that has been my travel companion for the past 4 days, I was on my own. It struck me for a moment, this is it. I am doing this. Me, myself and God.
Off to st. Peters Basilica, this is the worlds largest church. It doesn't seem massive in comparison to the rest of the square, yet proportional. An design success. The inside however is huge. This has been the site of coronations, funerals and also the crucifixion of St. Peter prior to the building of the church, which is what give it it's namesake.
I pondered climbing the dome of the basilica, however the clouds looming above deterred me from doing such. Instead, I headed back tom the hostel to freshen up and find somewhere to have an American dinner. Before I could finish finding a place, my roommates for the night came in. A couple from California, a med student from Tasmania Australia (Oli), and a orchestra conductor from South America. After some quick chatting, Oli suggested we all go out for dinner. So us four guys headed out to a pizzeria. Yes, pizza on the fourth of July. We talked more about where we come from and also how the rest of the world sees our country.
After dinner, myself and Oli decided to hang out a bit and perhaps grab a couple of drinks at a bar. We ended up going to the Spanish steps and enjoying a shitty European beer before heading back to the hostel.
This was by far a fourth to remember. There was no fireworks, pig, or red white and blue. Instead, I shared about my culture and where I come from with someone and in return learned about their culture.
God Bless Americia!
-Until
Matt
Day 30-> when in Rome
This was the day. The theme of today was quintessential Rome.
First stop, The coliseum. We emerged from the metro station and there it was. Wow. It is huge. We made our way to the entrance with our jaws still on the ground awaiting the inside.
There we were, inside the massive, landmark that is more roman than any other landmark. The vastness I can't emphasize here. Imagining the spectaculars, bloodshed, thumbs up, thumbs down, etc. That all happened here. We wandered through the structure like lost children in a wonderland of history. The visit, that we were planning on lasting an hour or so lasted over 2.
After a quick lunch and resting our feet, we were off to the forum. The forum was the heart of Rome during ancient times. Here was the birthplace of laws, legal system, the layout of the modern church (a basicilla here was later used as a church, giving the name basicilla to all churches that followed. This also was the home to Caesar. Yes the Caesar. The location of beware the ides of march, the place where his body was cremated. It all happened HERE. I was having a history gasam. Every direction I turned there was something else. Afterward, we headed up to palatine hill. The birthplace of the name palace because of the lavish houses that used to top the hill. The site now is being excavated, and has been for over one hundred years. The lives of those who lived here were extravagant with rooms covered in frescos, mosaics, statues, and indoor pools. This was the beverly hills of ancient Rome.
After a quick rest up at the hostel, we were headed out for the night. Our goal, the Spanish steps. These steps are a hangout for locals, tourists, and school groups. There was a group of German students playing guitar and singing a variety of songs, mostly American. We bought a couple of cheep beers from a seller and enjoyed the moment. I was having another awe moment where it hit me what I was doing. I them, the group starts singing "don't worry, be happy" after the song is over, a drunk man comes up to the girls next to me singing "hakuna matta". There it was again, don't worry, no problems. Just what I needed to hear after some major stress during the afternoon while planning stuff for later this month and stressing over my future.
After savoring the moment a bit more, we decided to head back to the hostel, walking instead of taking the metro. We took time every so often to just sit and take in the city, it strikes a note in your heart that is undescribable. It is the I'm meant to be here, this is it kind of feeling.
Hakuna Matta
-Until
Matt
First stop, The coliseum. We emerged from the metro station and there it was. Wow. It is huge. We made our way to the entrance with our jaws still on the ground awaiting the inside.
There we were, inside the massive, landmark that is more roman than any other landmark. The vastness I can't emphasize here. Imagining the spectaculars, bloodshed, thumbs up, thumbs down, etc. That all happened here. We wandered through the structure like lost children in a wonderland of history. The visit, that we were planning on lasting an hour or so lasted over 2.
After a quick lunch and resting our feet, we were off to the forum. The forum was the heart of Rome during ancient times. Here was the birthplace of laws, legal system, the layout of the modern church (a basicilla here was later used as a church, giving the name basicilla to all churches that followed. This also was the home to Caesar. Yes the Caesar. The location of beware the ides of march, the place where his body was cremated. It all happened HERE. I was having a history gasam. Every direction I turned there was something else. Afterward, we headed up to palatine hill. The birthplace of the name palace because of the lavish houses that used to top the hill. The site now is being excavated, and has been for over one hundred years. The lives of those who lived here were extravagant with rooms covered in frescos, mosaics, statues, and indoor pools. This was the beverly hills of ancient Rome.
After a quick rest up at the hostel, we were headed out for the night. Our goal, the Spanish steps. These steps are a hangout for locals, tourists, and school groups. There was a group of German students playing guitar and singing a variety of songs, mostly American. We bought a couple of cheep beers from a seller and enjoyed the moment. I was having another awe moment where it hit me what I was doing. I them, the group starts singing "don't worry, be happy" after the song is over, a drunk man comes up to the girls next to me singing "hakuna matta". There it was again, don't worry, no problems. Just what I needed to hear after some major stress during the afternoon while planning stuff for later this month and stressing over my future.
After savoring the moment a bit more, we decided to head back to the hostel, walking instead of taking the metro. We took time every so often to just sit and take in the city, it strikes a note in your heart that is undescribable. It is the I'm meant to be here, this is it kind of feeling.
Hakuna Matta
-Until
Matt
Day 29-> eat, pray, pizza
As a culinarian, I am always in search of the best food. Wether it be raw product to make an amazing dish, a memorable dining experience that costs upwards of $100 (a rarity for me), or the best of a certain dish.
In my quest for the best I have tried some amazing food in cities around the world. Cheeseburger in New York, Gelato in Sicily, chili cheese fries in DC, and now pizza in Naples.
On the way to Rome, we (the three of us going to Rome together) decided that we would like, and should try pizza. In theory, the best pizza in the world is in Italy, the best pizza in Italy is in Naples. And the best pizza in Naples is at da. Michelles. Therefore, the best pizza in the world is at da Michelles.
Off to Naples we were, we arrived with the addresses of three victims in mind and 3 hours to take them down. We researched our game plan ahead of time, knew where they were, etc. etc. Sounds easy, right? not so much. We left the train station to find that 1. Naples does not like to use street signs. 2. The traffic makes NYC look like Charlotte and 3. We will be lucky if we don't get mugged or at least pick pocketed. Needless to say, it is a dangerous, dark and nasty, yes nasty city. It seemed that the public trash cans hadn't been emptied in a week, spilling out into the street, broken glass and trash all in the sidewalks and rotting liquid everywhere. This was the Jersey of Italy, yet worse.
We can do this, we can fin this restaurant. After 45 minutes, we found st. Michelles. We reached the peak of a hill in the road, to look down and see her there greeting us with her green neon sign. Saying to us, "come inside, and sit down". The smell of the pizza wofted into the street from 50 yards away, this was going to be good.
Those who have read, or seen Eat, Pray, Love will know what I'm bout to explain. This is in fact, the place featured in that story. Needless to say, it is quite popular. They have been in business since 1870. The walls of the restaurant are tiled with green and white tiles in a geometric pattern about half way up. The rest of the space is very simple, white floors, white ceilings, white walls covered in pictures and articles featuring the restaurant, with a big black pizza oven in the rear of the room where a red, roaring fire is stocked with the pile of wood on the floor.
We sat down to order. The menu was in a picture frame on the wall 2 pizzas, 3 options each. Talk about simple. Margherita or Manara. 5 options for drinks. I chose a small Margherita (sauce, a few pieces of mozzarella, and four leaves of basil wilted from the heat of the oven.) The pizza and my coke arrived to the table in less than 10 minutes, a rarity for European service. The crust was perfectly cooked, with a light char on the bottom and bubbled cheese in a few spots. The crust makes ny thin crust look thick as a piece of bread. The sauce was simple. Fresh tomatoes, oil, salt and pepper. There were no secrets here, the kitchen is open, ingredients listed on the menu for the sauce and crust dough. I took a bite of this masterpiece. I had to fold over the tip of the pizza and then in half. Indescribable. Burst of flavor in the perfect ratio. Just the slightest amount of grease. This was worth the trek, from florence and hell, from America. It was that good.
We left the pizzeria to eat at another one of Naples top rated pizza place, de Matteo. Yes, it matthew's pizza. Their specialty: deep fried pizza. We had the option to sit down or take away. We chose the later in order to reach the train on time. The deep fried goodness cost €1 for a pizza. It was a piece of dough folded in half stuffed with ricotta and deep fried. This was totally different from Michelle's pizza. The greasy dough was like a fair food sent from heaven with the creamiest ricotta on the inside.
After a short journey to Rome, we took a short breather before going out to enjoy the city. Our first stop: the panthenon, then dinner, followed by Rick Steeves night walk through Rome. It was during this journey I fell in love with the city. I know, love at first sight. The culture here is different from anything else. The walk led us to perhaps the best gelato I have yet to have. I know, I say that every time. But this was by far the smoothest and creamiest gelato topped with a big dollop of whipped cream. Besides, two other people told me about a gelato shop near here, so I'm pretty sure this was it. As we strolled we reached the end point of our journey: the trevi fountain. Tourists from all over the world throwing coins in hopes of returning to Rome. I did the ritual as well, doubting it will fail me.
The night was getting late after siting at the fountain for a while so we decided to head back to the hostel before our big day tomorrow.
Eat. Pray. Love.
-Until
Matt
In my quest for the best I have tried some amazing food in cities around the world. Cheeseburger in New York, Gelato in Sicily, chili cheese fries in DC, and now pizza in Naples.
On the way to Rome, we (the three of us going to Rome together) decided that we would like, and should try pizza. In theory, the best pizza in the world is in Italy, the best pizza in Italy is in Naples. And the best pizza in Naples is at da. Michelles. Therefore, the best pizza in the world is at da Michelles.
Off to Naples we were, we arrived with the addresses of three victims in mind and 3 hours to take them down. We researched our game plan ahead of time, knew where they were, etc. etc. Sounds easy, right? not so much. We left the train station to find that 1. Naples does not like to use street signs. 2. The traffic makes NYC look like Charlotte and 3. We will be lucky if we don't get mugged or at least pick pocketed. Needless to say, it is a dangerous, dark and nasty, yes nasty city. It seemed that the public trash cans hadn't been emptied in a week, spilling out into the street, broken glass and trash all in the sidewalks and rotting liquid everywhere. This was the Jersey of Italy, yet worse.
We can do this, we can fin this restaurant. After 45 minutes, we found st. Michelles. We reached the peak of a hill in the road, to look down and see her there greeting us with her green neon sign. Saying to us, "come inside, and sit down". The smell of the pizza wofted into the street from 50 yards away, this was going to be good.
Those who have read, or seen Eat, Pray, Love will know what I'm bout to explain. This is in fact, the place featured in that story. Needless to say, it is quite popular. They have been in business since 1870. The walls of the restaurant are tiled with green and white tiles in a geometric pattern about half way up. The rest of the space is very simple, white floors, white ceilings, white walls covered in pictures and articles featuring the restaurant, with a big black pizza oven in the rear of the room where a red, roaring fire is stocked with the pile of wood on the floor.
We sat down to order. The menu was in a picture frame on the wall 2 pizzas, 3 options each. Talk about simple. Margherita or Manara. 5 options for drinks. I chose a small Margherita (sauce, a few pieces of mozzarella, and four leaves of basil wilted from the heat of the oven.) The pizza and my coke arrived to the table in less than 10 minutes, a rarity for European service. The crust was perfectly cooked, with a light char on the bottom and bubbled cheese in a few spots. The crust makes ny thin crust look thick as a piece of bread. The sauce was simple. Fresh tomatoes, oil, salt and pepper. There were no secrets here, the kitchen is open, ingredients listed on the menu for the sauce and crust dough. I took a bite of this masterpiece. I had to fold over the tip of the pizza and then in half. Indescribable. Burst of flavor in the perfect ratio. Just the slightest amount of grease. This was worth the trek, from florence and hell, from America. It was that good.
We left the pizzeria to eat at another one of Naples top rated pizza place, de Matteo. Yes, it matthew's pizza. Their specialty: deep fried pizza. We had the option to sit down or take away. We chose the later in order to reach the train on time. The deep fried goodness cost €1 for a pizza. It was a piece of dough folded in half stuffed with ricotta and deep fried. This was totally different from Michelle's pizza. The greasy dough was like a fair food sent from heaven with the creamiest ricotta on the inside.
After a short journey to Rome, we took a short breather before going out to enjoy the city. Our first stop: the panthenon, then dinner, followed by Rick Steeves night walk through Rome. It was during this journey I fell in love with the city. I know, love at first sight. The culture here is different from anything else. The walk led us to perhaps the best gelato I have yet to have. I know, I say that every time. But this was by far the smoothest and creamiest gelato topped with a big dollop of whipped cream. Besides, two other people told me about a gelato shop near here, so I'm pretty sure this was it. As we strolled we reached the end point of our journey: the trevi fountain. Tourists from all over the world throwing coins in hopes of returning to Rome. I did the ritual as well, doubting it will fail me.
The night was getting late after siting at the fountain for a while so we decided to head back to the hostel before our big day tomorrow.
Eat. Pray. Love.
-Until
Matt
Friday, July 1, 2011
Day 28-> goodbye college. Hello real world?
Ahhh, here we are July 1.
Canada day. The day my application enters the pool for full time job placement. The last day of study abroad. The last day of well, my college career. It's hard to believe I'm here. It's hard to believe that it has come and gone. Wow, what an experience. In the past 3 years, my life has changed in incredible ways. Gains, losses, upsets, celebration nave all been along the way. They have made me who I am today. I would not trade anything for where I am. I can say with full confidence, that I am happy where I stand.
We are off from Siracusa to Florence for dinner at Ganzo. This will be a nice way to say farewell to everyone that has become family for the past month, as well as those who have lead us along the way. It won't be bittersweet, yet just sweet. I am writing this post a bit different from my other posts. I usually write at the end of the day, or the morning after. Instead, I am writing this one looking forward. Because that is what I feel I am doing now in me, looking forward.
I am looking forward to the next 29 days.
I am looking forward to seeing the world in a new way.
I am looking forward to saying I have friends all over the world.
I am looking forward to getting home.
I am looking forward to spending time with a few friends in my next city.
I am looking forward to seeing my puppy (I miss her).
I am looking forward to seeing my family.
I am looking forward to catching up with friends.
I am looking forward to finding out about Disney.
I am looking forward, I can't take too much time to look back or may miss what is in front of me.
Always look forward, but use the rear view mirror of your soul to look back.
-Until
Matt
Canada day. The day my application enters the pool for full time job placement. The last day of study abroad. The last day of well, my college career. It's hard to believe I'm here. It's hard to believe that it has come and gone. Wow, what an experience. In the past 3 years, my life has changed in incredible ways. Gains, losses, upsets, celebration nave all been along the way. They have made me who I am today. I would not trade anything for where I am. I can say with full confidence, that I am happy where I stand.
We are off from Siracusa to Florence for dinner at Ganzo. This will be a nice way to say farewell to everyone that has become family for the past month, as well as those who have lead us along the way. It won't be bittersweet, yet just sweet. I am writing this post a bit different from my other posts. I usually write at the end of the day, or the morning after. Instead, I am writing this one looking forward. Because that is what I feel I am doing now in me, looking forward.
I am looking forward to the next 29 days.
I am looking forward to seeing the world in a new way.
I am looking forward to saying I have friends all over the world.
I am looking forward to getting home.
I am looking forward to spending time with a few friends in my next city.
I am looking forward to seeing my puppy (I miss her).
I am looking forward to seeing my family.
I am looking forward to catching up with friends.
I am looking forward to finding out about Disney.
I am looking forward, I can't take too much time to look back or may miss what is in front of me.
Always look forward, but use the rear view mirror of your soul to look back.
-Until
Matt
Day 27-> Holy Cannoli
Day 27
Free day in Sicily, sans dinner. Slept in and left the hotel around 1 to go grab lunch. The quest was on. Abunch of culinary and pastry students off to find food. This is always something fun to do.
After much searching and deliberating, we finally came across a sandwich stand with a neon cowboy on top. We looked at the menu: chicken sandwich, boars meat, bacon (yes a bacon sandwich), and hoarse meat. Yes, horse meat. You guessed it, I tried. I had to. I couldn't resist. When else would I get the opportunity to do such? I put aside my humanitarian urges and took the plunge.
They took the ground meat and cooked it on a flattop, served it on a hoagie with Swiss cheese, topped with mayo, jalapeño juice, lettuce, and a spicy cous-cous like condiment. The taste was like a mcdonalds cheeseburger with a slight gamey taste. I'm not sure if I would eat it again, yet would not change the fact I did eat it. I feel that it is what I am called to do as a culinarian, try new stuff and push my limits.
On the way back to the hotel, we decided to stop and grab cannoli. I had a traditional ricotta cannoli that was amazing in texture and consistency. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel where I finilazied a few more plans for this weekend and next week.
For dinner, we went to the same restaurant where we had to cook the other night. Our menu, ironically was what we ate the first night in Sicily, yet prepared properly. For dessert, the chef came out and gave us a lesson on the history of cannoli and ricotta. If you would like to know, I would be more than happy to show you the 40 minute video.
After his demo, we had the opportunity fill our own cannoli and then eat, the best part. The freshness of the cannoli was amazing. The cool, creamy ricotta juxtaposed with the crisp slightly warm shell created a dessert that was sweet ending to an incredible day.
Take time to challenge your palette and loose your inhibitions, you may learn a bit while eating, what a novel concept.
-Until
Matt
Free day in Sicily, sans dinner. Slept in and left the hotel around 1 to go grab lunch. The quest was on. Abunch of culinary and pastry students off to find food. This is always something fun to do.
After much searching and deliberating, we finally came across a sandwich stand with a neon cowboy on top. We looked at the menu: chicken sandwich, boars meat, bacon (yes a bacon sandwich), and hoarse meat. Yes, horse meat. You guessed it, I tried. I had to. I couldn't resist. When else would I get the opportunity to do such? I put aside my humanitarian urges and took the plunge.
They took the ground meat and cooked it on a flattop, served it on a hoagie with Swiss cheese, topped with mayo, jalapeño juice, lettuce, and a spicy cous-cous like condiment. The taste was like a mcdonalds cheeseburger with a slight gamey taste. I'm not sure if I would eat it again, yet would not change the fact I did eat it. I feel that it is what I am called to do as a culinarian, try new stuff and push my limits.
On the way back to the hotel, we decided to stop and grab cannoli. I had a traditional ricotta cannoli that was amazing in texture and consistency. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel where I finilazied a few more plans for this weekend and next week.
For dinner, we went to the same restaurant where we had to cook the other night. Our menu, ironically was what we ate the first night in Sicily, yet prepared properly. For dessert, the chef came out and gave us a lesson on the history of cannoli and ricotta. If you would like to know, I would be more than happy to show you the 40 minute video.
After his demo, we had the opportunity fill our own cannoli and then eat, the best part. The freshness of the cannoli was amazing. The cool, creamy ricotta juxtaposed with the crisp slightly warm shell created a dessert that was sweet ending to an incredible day.
Take time to challenge your palette and loose your inhibitions, you may learn a bit while eating, what a novel concept.
-Until
Matt
Day 26-> hot chocolate
Chocolate, one of the most universally enjoyed foods. Sweetened, milked, bitter, bittersweet, semisweet, just to name a few of the ways it is prepared around the world.
However, chocolate has more to it than it's industrialized popularity and global love thanks to World War II and Milton Hershey. In fact, chocolate has been used as currency, just as valuable as gold in some markets, a drink of the gods, an aphrodisiac, a hallucient, and a way to bring cultures together before Coke was even thought of. In fact, Coke's origins, and well all sweetened drinks could be contributed to Chocolate.
Chocolate as we know it today, can be traced back to the early 15th century. However, prepared chocolate has been around much longer than that. The Myans in South American would take the fruit from the cacao tree, harvest the beans, dry, shell them and grind them into a paste to create a drink, hot chocolate. This drink was very bitter compared to today's chocolate.
It was during the Cortes' exploration that chocolate was introduced to the rest of the western world. It was also at this point that chocolate became the sweet treat we know today. The addition of sugar cane and roasting, etc. helped develop chocolate into what it is today.
Today we had the chance to experience some of the best and most primitive, non industrialized chocolate in the world. Yes, that's a ballsy statement, but let me explain. The Chocolate of Modica (Modica royalty married Spanish royalty brining chocolate to Modica) is the only chocolate in the world to have regulations regarding it's title, similar to wines, vinegar and cheese, there are strict regulations regarding the mop (method of preparation), percentage of sugar, amount of coca from each place (chocolate is grown around the world along the 20th parallel) and the amount of coca butter in the chocolate. This creates a unique mouthfeel, texture and taste.
The chocolate factory we visited was ran by a 4th generation chef who is also one of 14 master gelato makers in Italy (needless to say the gelato here was the best ive ever had). He demonstrated on how the chocolate is made. They receive the coca nibs, roast them in small quantities for longer periods of time as compared to the two second burn that industrial productions do. This creates a less bitter and more quality product. From there, they are pressurized, extracting the coca butter from the solids. From there, the two are combined in proportions and melted. Unlike mass produced chocolate where artificial and unhealthy fats are added, the only fat that is added is the coca butter. After it is melted, granulated sugar is added, along with any flavors creating an uniquely gritty texture. However, this texture quickly melts when the chocolate is eaten, leaving a smooth clean palette.
After our amazing chocolate visit, we had lunch at a small trattoria where they waited on us hand and foot and showed us the upmost hospitality. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel where I got some nice needed r&r before going out to dinner.
The restaurant we ended up at reminded me of the infamous scene from lady and the tram complete with an accordion player. Just another moment where I was struck by my surroundings and caught in awe.
Eat pure, good food in incredible surroundings, life is too short for anything less.
-Until
Matt
However, chocolate has more to it than it's industrialized popularity and global love thanks to World War II and Milton Hershey. In fact, chocolate has been used as currency, just as valuable as gold in some markets, a drink of the gods, an aphrodisiac, a hallucient, and a way to bring cultures together before Coke was even thought of. In fact, Coke's origins, and well all sweetened drinks could be contributed to Chocolate.
Chocolate as we know it today, can be traced back to the early 15th century. However, prepared chocolate has been around much longer than that. The Myans in South American would take the fruit from the cacao tree, harvest the beans, dry, shell them and grind them into a paste to create a drink, hot chocolate. This drink was very bitter compared to today's chocolate.
It was during the Cortes' exploration that chocolate was introduced to the rest of the western world. It was also at this point that chocolate became the sweet treat we know today. The addition of sugar cane and roasting, etc. helped develop chocolate into what it is today.
Today we had the chance to experience some of the best and most primitive, non industrialized chocolate in the world. Yes, that's a ballsy statement, but let me explain. The Chocolate of Modica (Modica royalty married Spanish royalty brining chocolate to Modica) is the only chocolate in the world to have regulations regarding it's title, similar to wines, vinegar and cheese, there are strict regulations regarding the mop (method of preparation), percentage of sugar, amount of coca from each place (chocolate is grown around the world along the 20th parallel) and the amount of coca butter in the chocolate. This creates a unique mouthfeel, texture and taste.
The chocolate factory we visited was ran by a 4th generation chef who is also one of 14 master gelato makers in Italy (needless to say the gelato here was the best ive ever had). He demonstrated on how the chocolate is made. They receive the coca nibs, roast them in small quantities for longer periods of time as compared to the two second burn that industrial productions do. This creates a less bitter and more quality product. From there, they are pressurized, extracting the coca butter from the solids. From there, the two are combined in proportions and melted. Unlike mass produced chocolate where artificial and unhealthy fats are added, the only fat that is added is the coca butter. After it is melted, granulated sugar is added, along with any flavors creating an uniquely gritty texture. However, this texture quickly melts when the chocolate is eaten, leaving a smooth clean palette.
After our amazing chocolate visit, we had lunch at a small trattoria where they waited on us hand and foot and showed us the upmost hospitality. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel where I got some nice needed r&r before going out to dinner.
The restaurant we ended up at reminded me of the infamous scene from lady and the tram complete with an accordion player. Just another moment where I was struck by my surroundings and caught in awe.
Eat pure, good food in incredible surroundings, life is too short for anything less.
-Until
Matt
Day 27-> hot chocolate
Chocolate, one of the most universally enjoyed foods. Sweetened, milked, bitter, bittersweet, semisweet, just to name a few of the ways it is prepared around the world.
However, chocolate has more to it than it's industrialized popularity and global love thanks to World War II and Milton Hershey. In fact, chocolate has been used as currency, just as valuable as gold in some markets, a drink of the gods, an aphrodisiac, a hallucient, and a way to bring cultures together before Coke was even thought of. In fact, Coke's origins, and well all sweetened drinks could be contributed to Chocolate.
Chocolate as we know it today, can be traced back to the early 15th century. However, prepared chocolate has been around much longer than that. The Myans in South American would take the fruit from the cacao tree, harvest the beans, dry, shell them and grind them into a paste to create a drink, hot chocolate. This drink was very bitter compared to today's chocolate.
It was during the Cortes' exploration that chocolate was introduced to the rest of the western world. It was also at this point that chocolate became the sweet treat we know today. The addition of sugar cane and roasting, etc. helped develop chocolate into what it is today.
Today we had the chance to experience some of the best and most primitive, non industrialized chocolate in the world. Yes, that's a ballsy statement, but let me explain. The Chocolate of Modica (Modica royalty married Spanish royalty brining chocolate to Modica) is the only chocolate in the world to have regulations regarding it's title, similar to wines, vinegar and cheese, there are strict regulations regarding the mop (method of preparation), percentage of sugar, amount of coca from each place (chocolate is grown around the world along the 20th parallel) and the amount of coca butter in the chocolate. This creates a unique mouthfeel, texture and taste.
The chocolate factory we visited was ran by a 4th generation chef who is also one of 14 master gelato makers in Italy (needless to say the gelato here was the best ive ever had). He demonstrated on how the chocolate is made. They receive the coca nibs, roast them in small quantities for longer periods of time as compared to the two second burn that industrial productions do. This creates a less bitter and more quality product. From there, they are pressurized, extracting the coca butter from the solids. From there, the two are combined in proportions and melted. Unlike mass produced chocolate where artificial and unhealthy fats are added, the only fat that is added is the coca butter. After it is melted, granulated sugar is added, along with any flavors creating an uniquely gritty texture. However, this texture quickly melts when the chocolate is eaten, leaving a smooth clean palette.
After our amazing chocolate visit, we had lunch at a small trattoria where they waited on us hand and foot and showed us the upmost hospitality. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel where I got some nice needed r&r before going out to dinner.
The restaurant we ended up at reminded me of the infamous scene from lady and the tram complete with an accordion player. Just another moment where I was struck by my surroundings and caught in awe.
Eat pure, good food in incredible surroundings, life is too short for anything less.
-Until
Matt
However, chocolate has more to it than it's industrialized popularity and global love thanks to World War II and Milton Hershey. In fact, chocolate has been used as currency, just as valuable as gold in some markets, a drink of the gods, an aphrodisiac, a hallucient, and a way to bring cultures together before Coke was even thought of. In fact, Coke's origins, and well all sweetened drinks could be contributed to Chocolate.
Chocolate as we know it today, can be traced back to the early 15th century. However, prepared chocolate has been around much longer than that. The Myans in South American would take the fruit from the cacao tree, harvest the beans, dry, shell them and grind them into a paste to create a drink, hot chocolate. This drink was very bitter compared to today's chocolate.
It was during the Cortes' exploration that chocolate was introduced to the rest of the western world. It was also at this point that chocolate became the sweet treat we know today. The addition of sugar cane and roasting, etc. helped develop chocolate into what it is today.
Today we had the chance to experience some of the best and most primitive, non industrialized chocolate in the world. Yes, that's a ballsy statement, but let me explain. The Chocolate of Modica (Modica royalty married Spanish royalty brining chocolate to Modica) is the only chocolate in the world to have regulations regarding it's title, similar to wines, vinegar and cheese, there are strict regulations regarding the mop (method of preparation), percentage of sugar, amount of coca from each place (chocolate is grown around the world along the 20th parallel) and the amount of coca butter in the chocolate. This creates a unique mouthfeel, texture and taste.
The chocolate factory we visited was ran by a 4th generation chef who is also one of 14 master gelato makers in Italy (needless to say the gelato here was the best ive ever had). He demonstrated on how the chocolate is made. They receive the coca nibs, roast them in small quantities for longer periods of time as compared to the two second burn that industrial productions do. This creates a less bitter and more quality product. From there, they are pressurized, extracting the coca butter from the solids. From there, the two are combined in proportions and melted. Unlike mass produced chocolate where artificial and unhealthy fats are added, the only fat that is added is the coca butter. After it is melted, granulated sugar is added, along with any flavors creating an uniquely gritty texture. However, this texture quickly melts when the chocolate is eaten, leaving a smooth clean palette.
After our amazing chocolate visit, we had lunch at a small trattoria where they waited on us hand and foot and showed us the upmost hospitality. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel where I got some nice needed r&r before going out to dinner.
The restaurant we ended up at reminded me of the infamous scene from lady and the tram complete with an accordion player. Just another moment where I was struck by my surroundings and caught in awe.
Eat pure, good food in incredible surroundings, life is too short for anything less.
-Until
Matt
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Glutentag (yes, it's a culinary pun) from Frankfurt (Day 2)
Ahh the germans.. Engineers of wonderful things- Volkswagen, Mercedes, yeagermister, beer, and Heidi Klumn to name a few... One of the areas they're lacking.. Airport design.
We landed shortly before 7 this am (a few mins behind schedule) and we got off the plane into an ikea-esque maize of way fining signs to get through customs just to go back through again. When we (a few of us from Jwu) finally found where we needed to go it lead us through the baggage pick up, up stairs, down stairs, and back up again. The layout of this airport makes ATL and Newark look smaller than Charlotte. In the end it took me over an hour and half to make it to my gate (luckily I had a long layover)
So on to the flight tale.. We left CLT around 4:45 and made it here like I said above 7 am local time. I think this flight helped me begin to get me over my hatred of flying..
As we took off, I looked out the window to see the Carolina ground and familiar sights such as Carowinds bid me adeu as we flew up into the clouds. Once again, I found myself in Awe of God's glorious creation. The colors of the sky that artist have tried centuries to capture against the white fluffy clouds that resemble a pristine tundra all there reflecting God's Majesty. I have to admit, I found myself a bit choked up and a couple of tears creeping out the corner of my eye.
So it's time for me to get on my next flight(hopefully getting an hour and a half nap) then off to Florence, school, apartment, and sleep. By the end of the day I will have been up almost 30 hours solid..
Until-
Matt
Okay I was going to end it there, but I decided to add a little footnote that's not worth a full post.
I am now on the plane to Florence, perhaps one of the most unique experiences to get to the plane. First they changed the gate, then to board we had to travel down a maize of steps to a shuttle bus that dropped us off outside the plane, which we had to go up in the plane.. Interestingly enough the seats are more spacious, comfortable and nicer than my international flight.
It's always interesting to see who is on the flight with you, this flight is made up of businessmen (both obnoxious American and not), noisy Asians, students like myself and most interestingly enough a man who I swear is crazy Lisa's twin (those who go to JWU Clt know who I am referring to)
So once again,
Faith Hope & Love~
Matt
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We landed shortly before 7 this am (a few mins behind schedule) and we got off the plane into an ikea-esque maize of way fining signs to get through customs just to go back through again. When we (a few of us from Jwu) finally found where we needed to go it lead us through the baggage pick up, up stairs, down stairs, and back up again. The layout of this airport makes ATL and Newark look smaller than Charlotte. In the end it took me over an hour and half to make it to my gate (luckily I had a long layover)
So on to the flight tale.. We left CLT around 4:45 and made it here like I said above 7 am local time. I think this flight helped me begin to get me over my hatred of flying..
As we took off, I looked out the window to see the Carolina ground and familiar sights such as Carowinds bid me adeu as we flew up into the clouds. Once again, I found myself in Awe of God's glorious creation. The colors of the sky that artist have tried centuries to capture against the white fluffy clouds that resemble a pristine tundra all there reflecting God's Majesty. I have to admit, I found myself a bit choked up and a couple of tears creeping out the corner of my eye.
So it's time for me to get on my next flight(hopefully getting an hour and a half nap) then off to Florence, school, apartment, and sleep. By the end of the day I will have been up almost 30 hours solid..
Until-
Matt
Okay I was going to end it there, but I decided to add a little footnote that's not worth a full post.
I am now on the plane to Florence, perhaps one of the most unique experiences to get to the plane. First they changed the gate, then to board we had to travel down a maize of steps to a shuttle bus that dropped us off outside the plane, which we had to go up in the plane.. Interestingly enough the seats are more spacious, comfortable and nicer than my international flight.
It's always interesting to see who is on the flight with you, this flight is made up of businessmen (both obnoxious American and not), noisy Asians, students like myself and most interestingly enough a man who I swear is crazy Lisa's twin (those who go to JWU Clt know who I am referring to)
So once again,
Faith Hope & Love~
Matt
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Frankfurt airport (terminal A13)/ Lufthansa Flight 312
Day 25 -> under the Sicilian sun
8am, wake up. Still exhausted from yesterdays activities. All I want to do is sleep in. I have become red from the sun, slightly burned. The room is cold and my bed is warm.
I go downstais to meet the group and get on the bus that will take us to today's sights: winery, tomatoes, and lunch. The my conscious is telling me, "it's going to be a good day".
First stop winery, 9:30 am. I look around, no grapes, no vines. Okay, maybe we're going to go inside and see the process after picking (but wait, it's June, harvest isn't until the fall). We walk into a room that reminds me of a church fellowship hall, with the addition of a bar and a few hundred bottles of wine. There are is the normal tasting set up there before us, glasses, plate, and a tasting list. Surely we are not tasting now, it's 9:30 am. Not only am I half asleep, my taste buds are too and my stomach is empty. The list before us is 7 wines. 7. That's crazy. Most tastings are with a maximum of 4 wines at once, but 7??? Up comes the first one, I am a combination of embarrassed and upset when I try it. I taste nothing, I smell nothing, the translator doest know wine vocabulary, I'm fucked. Numbers 2-6 follow the same pattern, little flavor here and there, slight aromas, but nothing that I would be proud of. They lovingly paired food with every wine. The 7th wine was a muscato, a favorite of mine. The sweet flavor greeted me like an old friend, but at 10am? This was a bit too early for this reunion. And then came special no. 8 a 1993 muscato. The sweetness that had been bottled for the past 18 years greeted me and made me smile just a bit and reminded me that I do love wine. However, nothing of the morning was extremely notable, yet passible.
After we left the winery, we went to the vineyard, a bit unexpected. We got to see where they grow the grapes alongside an artichoke field. Here I learned the most today, how they trellised the different grapes, the trimming of the leaves prior to harvest to increase the sunlight on the grapes to develop color.
Afterwads, we went to a tomato place. Yep, that's right a tomato place. It is a co-op where farmers send their produce to be packaged all types of tomatoes, about a total of 6 that were being packaged for distribution to grocery stores across Italy. The co-op prides themselves on selling the best produce depending the season. They have strict regulations on both pesticides, and fertilizers that can be used.Today they were packaging tomatoes and hybrid miniature watermelons. We got to taste the produce, perhaps the sweetest tomatoes I've had but the watermelon was passable, not quite the South Carolina 4th of July classic.
The facility was a large warehouse on the side road out in the country. One side had several loading docks, the other side had places for pickup tucks from the field to be unloaded with a forklift. From there they were taken to a large room where they were placed on a conveyor belt and repackaged into smaller retail size containers, weighed and labeled for sale.
After the tomato plant, we went to lunch at a small restaurant on the side of the road in the middle of no where. The food started off promising and went down hillcourse by course. By the time we got to dessert, everyone was ready to leave and go to the beach.
We went to a small, little beach that was dotted with locals playing sports and making out on the sand. The water was littered with seaweed and palm pieces. I sprawled out on the sand and took a nice relaxing sunbath for nearly 2 hours. Resulting in a nice red color that will hopefully turn golden brown in 48 hours.
Afterwards, we returned to the hotel where I caught up on my blogs and got ready for dinner.
Dinner was all around good, I had a scampi mouse ravioli with a tomato and scampi cream sauce. It was nice to break away from the larger group and just a handful of us go out to eat and enjoy the walk back to the hotel instead of rushing.
Sometimes simple is better, take time to enjoy the simple things in life.
-Until
Matt
I go downstais to meet the group and get on the bus that will take us to today's sights: winery, tomatoes, and lunch. The my conscious is telling me, "it's going to be a good day".
First stop winery, 9:30 am. I look around, no grapes, no vines. Okay, maybe we're going to go inside and see the process after picking (but wait, it's June, harvest isn't until the fall). We walk into a room that reminds me of a church fellowship hall, with the addition of a bar and a few hundred bottles of wine. There are is the normal tasting set up there before us, glasses, plate, and a tasting list. Surely we are not tasting now, it's 9:30 am. Not only am I half asleep, my taste buds are too and my stomach is empty. The list before us is 7 wines. 7. That's crazy. Most tastings are with a maximum of 4 wines at once, but 7??? Up comes the first one, I am a combination of embarrassed and upset when I try it. I taste nothing, I smell nothing, the translator doest know wine vocabulary, I'm fucked. Numbers 2-6 follow the same pattern, little flavor here and there, slight aromas, but nothing that I would be proud of. They lovingly paired food with every wine. The 7th wine was a muscato, a favorite of mine. The sweet flavor greeted me like an old friend, but at 10am? This was a bit too early for this reunion. And then came special no. 8 a 1993 muscato. The sweetness that had been bottled for the past 18 years greeted me and made me smile just a bit and reminded me that I do love wine. However, nothing of the morning was extremely notable, yet passible.
After we left the winery, we went to the vineyard, a bit unexpected. We got to see where they grow the grapes alongside an artichoke field. Here I learned the most today, how they trellised the different grapes, the trimming of the leaves prior to harvest to increase the sunlight on the grapes to develop color.
Afterwads, we went to a tomato place. Yep, that's right a tomato place. It is a co-op where farmers send their produce to be packaged all types of tomatoes, about a total of 6 that were being packaged for distribution to grocery stores across Italy. The co-op prides themselves on selling the best produce depending the season. They have strict regulations on both pesticides, and fertilizers that can be used.Today they were packaging tomatoes and hybrid miniature watermelons. We got to taste the produce, perhaps the sweetest tomatoes I've had but the watermelon was passable, not quite the South Carolina 4th of July classic.
The facility was a large warehouse on the side road out in the country. One side had several loading docks, the other side had places for pickup tucks from the field to be unloaded with a forklift. From there they were taken to a large room where they were placed on a conveyor belt and repackaged into smaller retail size containers, weighed and labeled for sale.
After the tomato plant, we went to lunch at a small restaurant on the side of the road in the middle of no where. The food started off promising and went down hillcourse by course. By the time we got to dessert, everyone was ready to leave and go to the beach.
We went to a small, little beach that was dotted with locals playing sports and making out on the sand. The water was littered with seaweed and palm pieces. I sprawled out on the sand and took a nice relaxing sunbath for nearly 2 hours. Resulting in a nice red color that will hopefully turn golden brown in 48 hours.
Afterwards, we returned to the hotel where I caught up on my blogs and got ready for dinner.
Dinner was all around good, I had a scampi mouse ravioli with a tomato and scampi cream sauce. It was nice to break away from the larger group and just a handful of us go out to eat and enjoy the walk back to the hotel instead of rushing.
Sometimes simple is better, take time to enjoy the simple things in life.
-Until
Matt
Day 24-> Get off the boat and cook your own dinner.
We got to sleep in a bit today before heading out on a guided tour of the city.
Our local tour guide actually grew up here in syracusa and was a child during WWII (if that gives you an indication if his age). He would stop to point out little details that we would had walked by as well as told us about the way things used to be.
As part of our tour, we got a chance to visit the local market. Those who read my earlier post know how I feel about markes. This market was no exception. Being on the coast, the market offered mostly seafood along with some fresh veggies towards the end, mostly tomatoes and peppers. The seafood was amazing, there were whole swordfish that were over 7 feet long along with tuna that was 2 feet in diameter, not to mention the piles of octopus, sea bass, and prawns. Amongst the orgy of fish were the vendors hawking their goods to the shoppers in the street.
After the market, we headed to the city's old center where the cathedral is. We had a chance to go inside, the church was very simple in design, mostly white marble and loads of ironwork.
Then it was time for lunch, a group of us were determined to end our bad food streak so we found a seafood restaurant that seemed promising. It was amazing to say the least. I hada seafood risotto that was LOADED with calamari, mussels, clams, octopus and just a touch of tomato paste. The streak was over.
After lunch, we went out down by the harbor where we discovered a miniature beach and an abandoned concrete dock. We decided to stick our feet in the water and literally, sit on the dock of the bay.
The afternoon brought us to our boat tour of the harbor. We all thought it would be the typical large boat that makes it's typical route and heads back to port. This was not the case. We arrived to find a party raft for a lack of better terms blasting techno music waiting to take us out. We headed out on our journey and were informed that we would have the chance to go swimming off the boat if we wanted to. We stopped after about 40 minutes, dropped our anchor and several of us jumped into the crystal blue, Carribeian like water, including our chef.
After the boat tour, and some seasickness, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We were informed in the lobby that the chef would be doing a cooking demo for us when we got to the restaurant, what a cool, pleasant surprise.
We got to the restaurant around 7, sat down and awaited for service to start. After about 5 minutes, the chef and a translator come out to inform us that we would be making our dinner. Normally, hardly any of us would have a issue with this, in fact, many of us would jump at the opportunity to work with a Sicilian chef in a fine dining restaurant. But the thing is, we weren't expecting to cook, hell, we didn't know about the demo until we had all gotten ready. Most of the girls were in heels and dresses and the guys, including myself were in kakis and a button up (and flip flops, of course).
If there is anything I have learned as a professional it is safety in the kitchen begins with proper clothes and footwear, neither which we had. Plus, not to mention, we were all tired and hungry (and slightly irritable).
But here we go, talk about being placed in a difficult situation in the workplace. We were going to have to cook our dinner under the instruction of a sicilian chef who spoke little English with a translator who doesn't know food, and in a kitchen we have never seen (in Europe).
Dinner was finally served starting around 9 pm.
It started with buchetta
Followed by fresh ricotta cheese
then capanotta
pasta with spicy tomato sauce
pork stuffed with breadcrumbs, cheese, eggplant, peppers, and ham that was breaded then baked (the dish I worked on)
for dessert was an almond pannacotta that had too much gelitian.
Dinner was finally over at 11:55, which was followed by a walk back to the hotel. By the time I made it to my room, it was 12:30. I was drained.
Lesson for the day: 7p's as learned from Chef Ted McCall: Proper Prior Planning, Prevents Piss Poor Preformance
-Until
Matt
Our local tour guide actually grew up here in syracusa and was a child during WWII (if that gives you an indication if his age). He would stop to point out little details that we would had walked by as well as told us about the way things used to be.
As part of our tour, we got a chance to visit the local market. Those who read my earlier post know how I feel about markes. This market was no exception. Being on the coast, the market offered mostly seafood along with some fresh veggies towards the end, mostly tomatoes and peppers. The seafood was amazing, there were whole swordfish that were over 7 feet long along with tuna that was 2 feet in diameter, not to mention the piles of octopus, sea bass, and prawns. Amongst the orgy of fish were the vendors hawking their goods to the shoppers in the street.
After the market, we headed to the city's old center where the cathedral is. We had a chance to go inside, the church was very simple in design, mostly white marble and loads of ironwork.
Then it was time for lunch, a group of us were determined to end our bad food streak so we found a seafood restaurant that seemed promising. It was amazing to say the least. I hada seafood risotto that was LOADED with calamari, mussels, clams, octopus and just a touch of tomato paste. The streak was over.
After lunch, we went out down by the harbor where we discovered a miniature beach and an abandoned concrete dock. We decided to stick our feet in the water and literally, sit on the dock of the bay.
The afternoon brought us to our boat tour of the harbor. We all thought it would be the typical large boat that makes it's typical route and heads back to port. This was not the case. We arrived to find a party raft for a lack of better terms blasting techno music waiting to take us out. We headed out on our journey and were informed that we would have the chance to go swimming off the boat if we wanted to. We stopped after about 40 minutes, dropped our anchor and several of us jumped into the crystal blue, Carribeian like water, including our chef.
After the boat tour, and some seasickness, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We were informed in the lobby that the chef would be doing a cooking demo for us when we got to the restaurant, what a cool, pleasant surprise.
We got to the restaurant around 7, sat down and awaited for service to start. After about 5 minutes, the chef and a translator come out to inform us that we would be making our dinner. Normally, hardly any of us would have a issue with this, in fact, many of us would jump at the opportunity to work with a Sicilian chef in a fine dining restaurant. But the thing is, we weren't expecting to cook, hell, we didn't know about the demo until we had all gotten ready. Most of the girls were in heels and dresses and the guys, including myself were in kakis and a button up (and flip flops, of course).
If there is anything I have learned as a professional it is safety in the kitchen begins with proper clothes and footwear, neither which we had. Plus, not to mention, we were all tired and hungry (and slightly irritable).
But here we go, talk about being placed in a difficult situation in the workplace. We were going to have to cook our dinner under the instruction of a sicilian chef who spoke little English with a translator who doesn't know food, and in a kitchen we have never seen (in Europe).
Dinner was finally served starting around 9 pm.
It started with buchetta
Followed by fresh ricotta cheese
then capanotta
pasta with spicy tomato sauce
pork stuffed with breadcrumbs, cheese, eggplant, peppers, and ham that was breaded then baked (the dish I worked on)
for dessert was an almond pannacotta that had too much gelitian.
Dinner was finally over at 11:55, which was followed by a walk back to the hotel. By the time I made it to my room, it was 12:30. I was drained.
Lesson for the day: 7p's as learned from Chef Ted McCall: Proper Prior Planning, Prevents Piss Poor Preformance
-Until
Matt
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