Today was another travel day. We went from Riomaggiore to La Spezia to Pisa to Florence to Rome. We spent most of the day on the train, although we did pass through some beautiful, green countryside.
Our only real stop was Florence because we didn't have time to leave the station elsewhere. We went to lunch nearby the train station and had some pizza and gelato. We tried mango, strawberry, and raspberry sorbet, tiramisu, which Amy and Sarah didn't like, plain yogurt, and kinder bueno. Because there were no stand out flavors, we didn't settle the vote there.
When we finally reached Rome, we checked into our hostel, which nice but the bathroom is very smelly. However we are in the center of town conveniently located right to four gelaterias. Naturally, after a delicious dinner at an Italian restaurant with Irish influences--hmmm, potato and leek soup!--we got more gelato. We tried a new kind of chocolate, giaduja, and pear. The pear was delicious and unanimously won Flavor of the Day.
Sorry, I have no pictures today. Hopefully, I'll get some good ones tomorrow!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Day 14 & Day 15: Creme de Limone del Monterosso and a no flavor day
On Day 14, we woke up early to do the first part of the Cinque Terre hike between the five villages and then hopped down to the beach. At the beach we had a delicious lunch of focaccia sandwiches and a pesto pizza. Pesto and focaccia are local specialties. We ended the meal with gelato at a nearby place full of new favors. Amy had the winning meal, as the vote came down to her two flavored: creme de lining was a specialty if the shop, so it won the Flavor of the Day vote, although the tiramisu gelato she also chose was delicious and much better than the tiramisu we tried in Venice. Other new favors were kiwi, which was very sour, and bianco e nero, which was dark and white chocolate mixed, but turned out to be kind of plain.
We spent the afternoon beaching and then went to Vernazza, the town next door, for exploring and dinner. We had a great meal there: Amy and I had a lovely octopus potato salad as an appetizer, Sarah and I both tried the swordfish for dinner, and Amy had ravioli with walnut sauce as her main entree. There ended the meal by sharing a delicious flan.
The next day, we started our morning with crepes a hot chocolate (photos below) at a local place where we have become regulars. Then we grabbed some focaccia at a nearby focaccaria (photo below). The pastries looked good so we tried those too. Lastly, we stopped by the fruit market for some fresh produce and walked down to the beach to snack.
After sitting on the rocks nearby watching kayakers, we decided to give kayaking a go. It was fun, and it as Amy's first time.
Lastly, we finished up the second part of the hike and then went to dinner in Cornigila, another nearby village. We had another meal full of delicious food. Amy and I had swordfish, again, this time in a lemon sauce. Sarah gave the famous local anchovies a final try in a dish with potatoes and tomato sauce. While the dish was good, the anchovies were still not very flavorful.
Today, we didn't try and new gelato favors because our local gelateria was practically out of flavors by the time we went by this evening. We will try to find a new flavor tomorrow in Rome!
We spent the afternoon beaching and then went to Vernazza, the town next door, for exploring and dinner. We had a great meal there: Amy and I had a lovely octopus potato salad as an appetizer, Sarah and I both tried the swordfish for dinner, and Amy had ravioli with walnut sauce as her main entree. There ended the meal by sharing a delicious flan.
The next day, we started our morning with crepes a hot chocolate (photos below) at a local place where we have become regulars. Then we grabbed some focaccia at a nearby focaccaria (photo below). The pastries looked good so we tried those too. Lastly, we stopped by the fruit market for some fresh produce and walked down to the beach to snack.
After sitting on the rocks nearby watching kayakers, we decided to give kayaking a go. It was fun, and it as Amy's first time.
Lastly, we finished up the second part of the hike and then went to dinner in Cornigila, another nearby village. We had another meal full of delicious food. Amy and I had swordfish, again, this time in a lemon sauce. Sarah gave the famous local anchovies a final try in a dish with potatoes and tomato sauce. While the dish was good, the anchovies were still not very flavorful.
Today, we didn't try and new gelato favors because our local gelateria was practically out of flavors by the time we went by this evening. We will try to find a new flavor tomorrow in Rome!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Day 13: Orange
Today, Sarah, Amy, and I started the morning with a breakfast of crepes. Then, we decided to have a relaxing day in town. For Sarah, relaxing means running up and down all the stairs she can possibly find in order to "explore." For Amy and I, relaxing means enjoying the scenery and sunshine. The scenery was lovely. The ocean is very clear and the buildings are all sorts of colors. (pictures below.)
We explored the beach. Here in Riomaggiore, the town in Cinque Terre in which we were staying, the beaches are rocky and sort of pool-like, and quite a few people were cliff diving. Amy and I enjoyed the water while Sarah trampled around on the rocks.
We walked around and enjoyed the mosaics the town is famous for (photo below.) On the way we had our daily gelato at a gelateria full of new favors. Amy tried the pineapple in addition to getting a scoop of bacio, which has become a favorite flavor. Sarah had the watermelon, which was very sweet, and tried the bacio for her first time. She wasn't as much of a fan as Amy and I are. I had the orange along with a scoop of chocolate. The chocolate was not as impressive as other chocolates we have had. The vote came down to a race between the orange and pineapple, but in the end, orange was Flavor of the Day. grabbed take out food and picnicked on a ledge by the water. Amy spent her time throwing food to the seagulls, which, as it turns out, has become one of her favorite hobbies.
We explored the beach. Here in Riomaggiore, the town in Cinque Terre in which we were staying, the beaches are rocky and sort of pool-like, and quite a few people were cliff diving. Amy and I enjoyed the water while Sarah trampled around on the rocks.
We walked around and enjoyed the mosaics the town is famous for (photo below.) On the way we had our daily gelato at a gelateria full of new favors. Amy tried the pineapple in addition to getting a scoop of bacio, which has become a favorite flavor. Sarah had the watermelon, which was very sweet, and tried the bacio for her first time. She wasn't as much of a fan as Amy and I are. I had the orange along with a scoop of chocolate. The chocolate was not as impressive as other chocolates we have had. The vote came down to a race between the orange and pineapple, but in the end, orange was Flavor of the Day. grabbed take out food and picnicked on a ledge by the water. Amy spent her time throwing food to the seagulls, which, as it turns out, has become one of her favorite hobbies.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Days 11 & 12: Apricot and Creme of Hazelnut, respectively
My apologies for the lack of blogging in the last couple days. Wifi here is scarce. I'll do my best to remember the details of the past 2 days.
We left off in the evening of our first night in Milan. Amy, Sarah, and I went out to dinner quite late. We couldn't find many places open, but a local pointed us in the direction of Via Orti, where we could find places serving food late. We ended up at Ristorante Setteorti. This was the bet meal we have had in Italy, by far. Amy ordered a delicious lasagna with tomato, sheep cheese, and a special kind of noodles.
Sarah had a pasta with basil-mint pesto and sundries tomatoes. I had fried octopus and shrimp kabobs on an arugula salad. All three dishes were incredible. Even though we were quite full, we stayed for dessert because we just wanted to eat more yummy food! I ordered a chocolate cake, Amy had a blueberry tart, and Sarah had what is called, "coffee cream," which was a cold ball of ice cream-like coffee with a slight crunch. All the desserts were just as delicious as the meal. (photos of all this food below.)
After our fabulous dinner, we had the adventure of getting home. It was close to midnight and the teams were just about to stop running for the evening. Amy, Sarah, and I saw a tram from far away and tried to reach it but we didn't think Amy could reach it because she cannot run. Instead, we started heading toward the next stop and waved down the driver to stop for us...and at the next stop, he did! He stopped for so long that he missed the green light while we tried to hurry along, making Amy walk her absolute fastest. By the time we got there there was quite the traffic jam. However we got home safe and sound.
The next day was our trip to Lake Como. The lake was gorgeous and the town was full of interesting statues. We accidentally took the slow boat across the lake instead of the fast one wasting two and a half hours of the day. We enjoyed the town a bit before it started to rain and we had to head home. There we had our daily gelato, of which our favorite was apricot.
Once we arrived back in Milan, we went out for dinner in the Brera neighborhood, which was a lively area full of students and young people. Getting there was a challenge. We waited for the metro for almost an hour. When we finally got there we were super hungry. I tried the Milanese risotto, made with Milan's famous saffron, and Amy had a different saffron pasta. We were not that impressed with the famous Milanese saffron, but it was certainly interesting.
The next day was another travel day. We woke up early so we could eat Belgian waffles and a nearby breakfast place. While the waffles were very sweet, they were delightful. (photo below)
Then we headed to our train. The ride was scenic and comfortable. We somehow even ended up in first class when we only bought a second class ticket. When we got to Cinque Terre we had to walk up a giant hill to reach our hostel, where we had a room connected to a living space shared with six other girls. While the bathroom is quite busy with so many people sharing, we do have a full kitchen. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach and having dinner at a restaurant near the hostel. The place smelled wonderful but the food was average. Amy and I tried stuffed mussels, which were interesting but slightly overwhelming in their flavor. Sarah tried the fresh anchovies famous to the area in a pasta. The anchovies were actually pretty flavorless.
After dinner wandered the town and went down to our rocky beach to enjoy the rest of the evening.
We left off in the evening of our first night in Milan. Amy, Sarah, and I went out to dinner quite late. We couldn't find many places open, but a local pointed us in the direction of Via Orti, where we could find places serving food late. We ended up at Ristorante Setteorti. This was the bet meal we have had in Italy, by far. Amy ordered a delicious lasagna with tomato, sheep cheese, and a special kind of noodles.
Sarah had a pasta with basil-mint pesto and sundries tomatoes. I had fried octopus and shrimp kabobs on an arugula salad. All three dishes were incredible. Even though we were quite full, we stayed for dessert because we just wanted to eat more yummy food! I ordered a chocolate cake, Amy had a blueberry tart, and Sarah had what is called, "coffee cream," which was a cold ball of ice cream-like coffee with a slight crunch. All the desserts were just as delicious as the meal. (photos of all this food below.)
After our fabulous dinner, we had the adventure of getting home. It was close to midnight and the teams were just about to stop running for the evening. Amy, Sarah, and I saw a tram from far away and tried to reach it but we didn't think Amy could reach it because she cannot run. Instead, we started heading toward the next stop and waved down the driver to stop for us...and at the next stop, he did! He stopped for so long that he missed the green light while we tried to hurry along, making Amy walk her absolute fastest. By the time we got there there was quite the traffic jam. However we got home safe and sound.
The next day was our trip to Lake Como. The lake was gorgeous and the town was full of interesting statues. We accidentally took the slow boat across the lake instead of the fast one wasting two and a half hours of the day. We enjoyed the town a bit before it started to rain and we had to head home. There we had our daily gelato, of which our favorite was apricot.
Once we arrived back in Milan, we went out for dinner in the Brera neighborhood, which was a lively area full of students and young people. Getting there was a challenge. We waited for the metro for almost an hour. When we finally got there we were super hungry. I tried the Milanese risotto, made with Milan's famous saffron, and Amy had a different saffron pasta. We were not that impressed with the famous Milanese saffron, but it was certainly interesting.
The next day was another travel day. We woke up early so we could eat Belgian waffles and a nearby breakfast place. While the waffles were very sweet, they were delightful. (photo below)
Then we headed to our train. The ride was scenic and comfortable. We somehow even ended up in first class when we only bought a second class ticket. When we got to Cinque Terre we had to walk up a giant hill to reach our hostel, where we had a room connected to a living space shared with six other girls. While the bathroom is quite busy with so many people sharing, we do have a full kitchen. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach and having dinner at a restaurant near the hostel. The place smelled wonderful but the food was average. Amy and I tried stuffed mussels, which were interesting but slightly overwhelming in their flavor. Sarah tried the fresh anchovies famous to the area in a pasta. The anchovies were actually pretty flavorless.
After dinner wandered the town and went down to our rocky beach to enjoy the rest of the evening.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Day 10: Passion Fruit
We are halfway done with our trip!
Our day consisted of a lot of travel. We woke up early, chowed down some breakfast, including delicious pear chocolate pastries. Then we hopped onto the vaporetto, which was slow as usual, then onto a bus, and finally found our train. It was a long ride, but luckily we passed through a beautiful countryside.
Upon our arrival in Milan, we learned how to navigate the metro and trams after a lot of trouble and finally made it to our hostel. We settled down, in the right room this time, grabbed a crepe (photo below) and went out again to go to the Duomo, a large cathedral. Unfortunately our skirts were not long enough so we were not let in.
Instead, we wandered around the square and through and area filled with tons of designed clothes. We noticed that, while the women were dressed very fashionably, many of the younger men looked slightly thug-ish. Is that the new and upcoming fashion for young men?
As we circulated the area we chanced upon delicious food. I had a delicious gelato today including a lemon-mint and a passion fruit. We al voted for passion fruit as Flavor of the Day. We also passed some pastry shops filled with goodies! (food photos below) Lastly, Amy and Sarah were delighted by the McDonald's play place her in Italy. They have DDR and sationary bikes on which to race, and mazes. (photo of Amy and Sarah playing on the bikes below)
Our day consisted of a lot of travel. We woke up early, chowed down some breakfast, including delicious pear chocolate pastries. Then we hopped onto the vaporetto, which was slow as usual, then onto a bus, and finally found our train. It was a long ride, but luckily we passed through a beautiful countryside.
Upon our arrival in Milan, we learned how to navigate the metro and trams after a lot of trouble and finally made it to our hostel. We settled down, in the right room this time, grabbed a crepe (photo below) and went out again to go to the Duomo, a large cathedral. Unfortunately our skirts were not long enough so we were not let in.
Instead, we wandered around the square and through and area filled with tons of designed clothes. We noticed that, while the women were dressed very fashionably, many of the younger men looked slightly thug-ish. Is that the new and upcoming fashion for young men?
As we circulated the area we chanced upon delicious food. I had a delicious gelato today including a lemon-mint and a passion fruit. We al voted for passion fruit as Flavor of the Day. We also passed some pastry shops filled with goodies! (food photos below) Lastly, Amy and Sarah were delighted by the McDonald's play place her in Italy. They have DDR and sationary bikes on which to race, and mazes. (photo of Amy and Sarah playing on the bikes below)
Monday, July 2, 2012
Day 9: Mango
Today was Sarah's first day really seeing Venice. We had saved the tour of the Doge's palace for today because we thought Sarah would want to see it to. The palace has a beautiful courtyard and rooms decorated with gold. My favorite room had very large, highly inaccurate maps on the walls. Amy really enjoyed the rooms with red and gold walls. Sarah liked the Senate Hall because it was huge, and Sarah thinks bigger is better. There was also a collection of weaponry, including some swords that were far too large for anyone to draw and some pretty crazy horse armor. (photo of us in the courtyard below.)
We went to lunch at a nice restaurant where I had some very al dente ravioli with smoked ricotta and Sarah had her first Italian pasta. Amy tried the melon and ham that we have seen many locals eating. Amy did not think it was that great.
Next we visited the Basilica of San Marco. Amy and I had already been, but Sarah enjoyed the tour. Afterwards we wandered the streets and took Sarah to our favorite glass shop. At the shop we asked the shop keeper his favorite gelateria. He pointed us to a gelateria where we'd already been and had tried the dark chocolate which was the winner of that day. Amy and I both got the dark chocolate, which was still excellent, but we felt we could not pick the same flavor twice. I also tried the mango, Amy's second flavor was raspberry, and Sarah had the mango in addition to the lemon. All three of us picked the mango as Flavor of the Day.
As we wandered further into the city, we ended up in the Jewish ghetto, which was preserved in honor of those people that died in the holocaust. Here we enjoyed a beautiful square and some monuments. (photos below)
Finally we went home after a stop Aat our local grocery store. Tomorrow we head to Milan!
By the way, Sarah claims this seagull (shown below) is not fat. Your thoughts?
We went to lunch at a nice restaurant where I had some very al dente ravioli with smoked ricotta and Sarah had her first Italian pasta. Amy tried the melon and ham that we have seen many locals eating. Amy did not think it was that great.
Next we visited the Basilica of San Marco. Amy and I had already been, but Sarah enjoyed the tour. Afterwards we wandered the streets and took Sarah to our favorite glass shop. At the shop we asked the shop keeper his favorite gelateria. He pointed us to a gelateria where we'd already been and had tried the dark chocolate which was the winner of that day. Amy and I both got the dark chocolate, which was still excellent, but we felt we could not pick the same flavor twice. I also tried the mango, Amy's second flavor was raspberry, and Sarah had the mango in addition to the lemon. All three of us picked the mango as Flavor of the Day.
As we wandered further into the city, we ended up in the Jewish ghetto, which was preserved in honor of those people that died in the holocaust. Here we enjoyed a beautiful square and some monuments. (photos below)
Finally we went home after a stop Aat our local grocery store. Tomorrow we head to Milan!
By the way, Sarah claims this seagull (shown below) is not fat. Your thoughts?
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Day 8: Peach, Melon, or Latte
Today was hot. We woke up on time for a nice breakfast at a local shop that served drinks and pastries as well as some packaged foods. Amy had a delicious raisin tart and I had a slice of. Cake in addition to my croissant, plus a fresh squeezed orange juice. There were six oranges in it!
Then we took a bus to the Malamocco, a 15th century town. Unfortunately, we are not sure whether or not we found it. He bus stop marked Malamocco had only a few buildings that looked like they could have been that old.
Then, we went into the city to pick up Sarah from the train station, took her home, and then head straight away to the soccer game. Again the crowd was lively. It was very difficult finding a place to sit. We ate some delicious bruchette, which is kind of like a bread-y pizza and paninis. Unfortunately, Italy did not win which ended the night on a disappointing note, but if was fun to have Sarah in our mist.
Then we took a bus to the Malamocco, a 15th century town. Unfortunately, we are not sure whether or not we found it. He bus stop marked Malamocco had only a few buildings that looked like they could have been that old.
Then, we went into the city to pick up Sarah from the train station, took her home, and then head straight away to the soccer game. Again the crowd was lively. It was very difficult finding a place to sit. We ate some delicious bruchette, which is kind of like a bread-y pizza and paninis. Unfortunately, Italy did not win which ended the night on a disappointing note, but if was fun to have Sarah in our mist.
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