Happy Poisson d'Avril! or april fish! The French apparently play practical jokes on each other on April Fool's Day and then present the victim with a chocolate fish (while crying out poisson d'avril). In keeping with my philosophy of adapting to local customs I convinced my cultural geography class that they really were having a surprise midterm exam today. I made up for it with hazelnut-filled chocolate fish though.
I am well aware that I've been slacking on the blog. I'll try to make this one short and sweet to try and encapsulate the last two weeks of our lives.
So Doug and Carol visited us and that was nice. We ran around Paris doing touristy things, but because we were showing someone else the sights, I felt somehow not touristy, but rather locally. The pictures from this period are up on the website, including the fabulous one of Finn parked, while sleeping, in front of one of the lamps outside the Louvre. I really just stepped away, shot the picture, and went back to him. Honest.
We also went to Italy. Specifically the Cinque Terre region, which is also called the Italian Riviera. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. On so many levels. We took the TGV, which is something that all Americans should experience. It travels at an average speed of 180 mph. Average. Top speed was 515 kmg, which is really moving. It was comfortable and quiet. And to think that every year Amtrack almost goes bankrupt in the US. Anyway, the conductors were great, although the Italian ones were way cooler (better fashion accesorizing - scarves, ear rings, pony tails - and this just for the men).
The pictures for the Cinque Terre are up on the site so you can look with envy at the scenic and picturesque town of Vernazza, where we stayed. Every morning we'd stroll down to the breakwater with a bag of fresh focaccia and pastries and get some cappucinos from the bar next to the sea. The cappucinos were the best I've ever tasted, and I worked in a coffee shop during college. Also they had attractive chocolate syrup swirls painted in the foam by the attentive barrista (see photo for more info). The children seemed to enjoy the local version of hot chocolate, which resembled a cup of warm pudding more than the traditional drinkable version they were used to. No one complained however. Oh, and there was a gelateria next door to the pensione we stayed at with (again) the best gelato I've ever tasted. Did I mention that the Cinque Terre region is just down the coast from Genoa (Genova), the birthplace of pesto? We also availed ourselves of locally produced pesto, pasta, and wine.
This region has been famous for its wine since Roman times. Somehow the relaxed pace of the Cinque Terre gave me hope for the future. I was struck by how little it had changed in the last 2000 years. Cars are not seen on the streets, travel is by train or boat, and the main product is wine. Geologists predict the end of cheap oil sometime around 2040. In many areas this will be catastrophic (LA for example), but I got the feeling that the Cinque Terre will just keep on keeping on. No cars? Okay we use sailboats then.
I really have to reccomend the Cinque Terre as a wonderful place to visit. I think I've run over my column space for today so I'll sign off, but I'll pick up next time with the tale of my cross-town excursion with kids and stroller and no wife to find an anarchist skateboard shop.
I am well aware that I've been slacking on the blog. I'll try to make this one short and sweet to try and encapsulate the last two weeks of our lives.
So Doug and Carol visited us and that was nice. We ran around Paris doing touristy things, but because we were showing someone else the sights, I felt somehow not touristy, but rather locally. The pictures from this period are up on the website, including the fabulous one of Finn parked, while sleeping, in front of one of the lamps outside the Louvre. I really just stepped away, shot the picture, and went back to him. Honest.
We also went to Italy. Specifically the Cinque Terre region, which is also called the Italian Riviera. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. On so many levels. We took the TGV, which is something that all Americans should experience. It travels at an average speed of 180 mph. Average. Top speed was 515 kmg, which is really moving. It was comfortable and quiet. And to think that every year Amtrack almost goes bankrupt in the US. Anyway, the conductors were great, although the Italian ones were way cooler (better fashion accesorizing - scarves, ear rings, pony tails - and this just for the men).
The pictures for the Cinque Terre are up on the site so you can look with envy at the scenic and picturesque town of Vernazza, where we stayed. Every morning we'd stroll down to the breakwater with a bag of fresh focaccia and pastries and get some cappucinos from the bar next to the sea. The cappucinos were the best I've ever tasted, and I worked in a coffee shop during college. Also they had attractive chocolate syrup swirls painted in the foam by the attentive barrista (see photo for more info). The children seemed to enjoy the local version of hot chocolate, which resembled a cup of warm pudding more than the traditional drinkable version they were used to. No one complained however. Oh, and there was a gelateria next door to the pensione we stayed at with (again) the best gelato I've ever tasted. Did I mention that the Cinque Terre region is just down the coast from Genoa (Genova), the birthplace of pesto? We also availed ourselves of locally produced pesto, pasta, and wine.
This region has been famous for its wine since Roman times. Somehow the relaxed pace of the Cinque Terre gave me hope for the future. I was struck by how little it had changed in the last 2000 years. Cars are not seen on the streets, travel is by train or boat, and the main product is wine. Geologists predict the end of cheap oil sometime around 2040. In many areas this will be catastrophic (LA for example), but I got the feeling that the Cinque Terre will just keep on keeping on. No cars? Okay we use sailboats then.
I really have to reccomend the Cinque Terre as a wonderful place to visit. I think I've run over my column space for today so I'll sign off, but I'll pick up next time with the tale of my cross-town excursion with kids and stroller and no wife to find an anarchist skateboard shop.
<< Home