Our postcard from Bologna

Posted on by
Reply

We are spending eight days in Bologna — the food capital of Italy. Sounds crazy to spend eight days in a city not named Paris or London — yet we are looking forward to it.

When in any new city we like to begin with a “lay of the land” walking tour — just to learn things and get our orientation. So off we go the first morning for a five hour walking tour. As expected, we learn a lot about the history of Bologna and a little bit about the food scene. We also learn that our apartment has a great location. It is in the middle of the old city, and everyplace (except one) we want to visit is walkable. Yet it is amazingly quiet.

The highlight became learning about the porticoes.

The porticoes date back to 1041, when additional housing was needed. Today no city in the world has more porticoes, and the porticoes of Bologna enjoy UNESCO World Heritage status. They are everywhere, and the locals joke that one does not need an umbrella. You will only get wet when crossing the street — and they also provide wonderful shade.

The porticoes have always belonged to the owner of the building. They are spacious, and beautiful. Originally the owner was allowed to drive his horse and carriage on his portico. They were held up by wooden beams preserved with cow urine. When the wood began to deteriorate after hundreds of years it was surrounded by brick or stone, then replaced. Access had to be guaranteed. A minimum height was decreed, tall enough for a horse and rider or carriage. The portico floor has to be the same material used for the interior ground floor, and most are mosaics. A number have frescoes in the arches and even on the ceilings. Today it is the building owner’s responsibility to leave them clean at sunset every day, and also to promptly make any repairs. They are revered by the public, and seem to escape graffiti and other nuisances.

Our “home” is a lovely two-bedroom apartment with a fabulous and large outdoor patio surrounded by flowering bushes. Very quiet, has an elevator and A/C, and a washer/dryer. Our stay here marks our departure from our tour group, so we are now on our own. We have a rental car and a private garage.

Our postcard from Milan — The black saffron martini

Posted on by
Reply

This postcard is about an experience. What is the real job description for a mixologist? I thought it was mostly to make superb classic cocktails, while creating a few new ones or mix up a custom one featuring favorite ingredients. Then we got to experience a superb example. Crafting a cocktail to symbolize history by starting with the location, then choosing ingredients with special meaning.

The story began when a mixologist in Milan was given the opportunity to create a martini for Stanley Tucci for one of his filmed segments. The former coal cellar for the Duomo was chosen as the location because it was the heartbeat of the less fortunate — with a lovely twist. Those who gathered there during the great plague somehow escaped the disease, and coal is credited with having some magical properties. Naturally it had to be one of the ingredients. Saffron symbolizes trade with Persia. The mixologist behind all of this (one of the most in demand in Milan, Morris Miramaldi) has become legendary as a result of the Stanley Tucci feature. We got to experience him making it for us, in the historic place. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the artistry behind a true mixologist.

Here is a link to the short story and his recipe. https://www.tastingtable.com/1108200/the-black-saffron-martini-mixed-up-for-stanley-tucci/ And here he is adding the final touch, Cardamom spray, for us.

Our last postcard from Croatia

Posted on by
Reply

We wrapped up our many beautiful days in Croatia with a visit to Opatija and Kvarner Bay. Opatija is not on many lists of places to see, yet it is where tourism to Croatia began — in 1884. The first hotel built on the Adriatic sea, when this was still part of Austria, was the Kvarner Hotel. It still stands proudly today as an operating and luxurious hotel. Opatija was also declared the first sea side resort in Austria at that time.

This is a beautiful little town with a six mile long promenade along the sea. While much of Croatia features meat dishes and a lot of cottage cheese Mediterranean fish is the diet staple here. This statue symbolizes an invitation to take a tour in a rowboat.

And the “Maiden with a seagull” statue erected in 1956 symbolizes the peacefulness of the waterfront. Their version of the little mermaid in Copenhagen.

We had amazing weather throughout our time in Croatia. We wanted to really appreciate this country — its history and its beauty. Most of the places we visited were islands, and seeing it by sea was really the only way. Entering these beautiful bays and seeing the villages facing the sea was a treat every day. So now we can truly say that we have seen and experienced Croatia — and move on to other destinations remaining on our bucket list.

Our postcard from Montenegro and Dubrovnik

Posted on by
Reply

The fjords of Montenegro were everything we anticipated. Two hours of very slow morning cruising with the sun glistening off the many hillside houses and churches along the way.

One of those churches is a Catholic church named Our Lady of the Rock. It is a beloved legend that began in 1452 when two fisherman returning from a voyage in stormy seas saw an icon of the Virgin Mary on the rocks. Believing that it was a sign that a church should be built on the site fisherman began a tradition of adding a rock at the end of each voyage, until there was room to build the church in 1792. That is the church you see in this picture on the left. It remains active today for Sunday services and weddings. What a spot!

The fjords of Montenegro are serpentine. Here is the view from high above, reached via a road with 27 switchbacks. Our ship is in the lower right. Quite a feat in a bus, and either we or cars from the opposite direction had to back up a handful of times.

Here is another view while sailing out in the evening. Amazing how the setting sun lit up the cloud.

We fondly recall a cafe on the harbor in Dubrovnik from our visit twenty-two years ago. Betsy had a beer and I had a sundae, and we just paused to watch the beautiful harbor. Going back was high on our list, and it did not disappoint. Here she is then, and our photo from brunch yesterday. Still just as beautiful, and great place to pause. They even comped my dessert when I showed them the pic from 2001.

We have also discovered that all of these small harbors in Croatia are incredibly busy. This one always had a half dozen boats in motion, and is so small that we had to tender in from our cruise ship.

Our trivia for this postcard is that arguably the necktie originated in Dubrovnik. The ladies used to make red scarves for the men going to war. The French thought that was an elegant look, and evolved it into the necktie we know today.

More Croatia to come in the days ahead.

Our postcard from the Caribbean

Posted on by
Reply

We are on our way back from our ten-day Caribbean cruise with good friends Bob and Sheree Martin. Once again we have had spectacular weather. Every day in the 80’s, with no rain. We visited the Dominican Republic, San Juan Puerto Rico, St. Barths, Dominica, St. Vincent and St. Kitts – in that order.

Betsy and Sheree got to snorkel four times. Bob and I played golf at Royal St. Kitts. As always on Oceania, every meal was fabulous. We always enjoy time in the art studio. This time has been different. The artist in residence has been giving lectures on how to replicate perspectives, shading and even how to paint with a palette knife. We have worked on one project for the entire cruise. I am trying to paint this picture we took during our January trip. Safe to say we hope that it is the effort that counts.

And just one other picture. A rainbow woven between the clouds early in the morning as we approached St. Barths.

Our postcard from St. Barths

Posted on by
Reply

St. Barths ended up being the highlight port of our trip — because we discovered a lot of its natural beauty. Instead of a tour of any kind we elected to rent a car (EV) for the day with our travel buddies Dan and Kelley. Our plan was to drive to a number of beaches and other beautiful viewing spots. When we found one we liked and was good for snorkeling we stayed for an hour or so. And when we found one that had a good place to eat lunch, same thing.

There are truly many beautiful spots in St. Barths. Most of the houses have incredible views.

Our beach choice was great for snorkeling. A number of very large turtles, and some great fish. The same beach had a very nice beach restaurant — one where we could dine while wiggling our feet in the sand under us.

After an obligatory stop at the airport to watch the planes dive into the short runway, we headed back to the port. And it was a no shopping day! Based on last year’s visit we all knew the crazy prices and limited selections.

Our postcard from Nevis and St. Kitts

Posted on by
Reply

Betsy and I are in the deep Caribbean with another couple from our Vagabond cruise in 2020, escaping the cold to enjoy 80 degree weather and some beautiful scenery. Nevis and St. Kitts was our first stop, after cruising two days and nights from Miami. So what does one do for two straight days and nights on a cruise ship?

Art. I have never been an artist — as in painting and drawing. Yet during COVID and on our past few trips we have taken advantage of a number of art classes. Our ship has a superb one, and here is one of my attempts. All free form, done with crayons made from oil paint. Just fun to express oneself in different ways, yet clearly still not an artist. Will not make any money on it at an art gallery (because my father is not President), yet still fun.

Crepes. Making and eating them. Our ship also has an outstanding culinary teaching facility and they adjust the recipes to the local area, so we learned how to make coconut shrimp and crepes with a sauce containing brown sugar, butter, rum, Grand Marnier then topped with coconut. In these classes you eat what you cook. Yum!

Chat with our friends — about a myriad of topics.

NOTHING! Nothing wrong with nothing! Read, rest, enjoy the scenery.

And then there is always more eating on a cruise ship. Oceania has the best cuisine among all cruise lines. One of their specialty restaurants is Jacques, named after legendary chef Jacques Pepin. It has the elegance and excellence of a top restaurant in Paris — and one can order anything without thinking about the check. So dining there capped off our first day.

And once we got to Nevis we were quickly reminded that while we consider Alexander Hamilton a founder of our nation he was actually born in Nevis. And that may partly explain the tempo of the music in the huge Broadway hit about his life.

Our final postcard — from Santiago de Compostela

Posted on by
Reply

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the destination for the Pilgrims from all of the various paths in Europe. Some walk maybe 30 miles, and others hundreds. In addition to some amazingly reflective time on the trails they receive forgiveness for their sins upon completion. The emotions displayed by those just completing their pilgrimage were palpable. I wish I could have captured them in a photo — but that felt like an invasion of privacy. They made so many sacrifices for that moment.

We found that we were very lucky regarding timing. Going through a special door that leads directly to the tomb of Saint James also provides a pardon of all sins. But it is only open every 7 – 10 years, and was open when we visited. The first picture is the tomb of Saint James. The second is the amazingly detailed nave of the Cathedral. I do not recall seeing another so ornate.

This concludes our Postcard from series. Our goal was to share things that either intrigued us or inspired us. Many of you have commented on various postcards, which we appreciate. We hope you enjoyed them — and thanks for listening.

We made it safely home on Wednesday, October 12. Thanks to a lot of washing hands and still wearing our masks whenever in a crowd, even on the ship, we remained healthy. Not even a cold. Six flights, with no delays, no baggage adventures (even our wine suitcase made it unscathed) and good flying weather for all trips. And over seven weeks during the Europe transition from summer to fall we only needed an umbrella while out and about for a total of 2 1/2 hours. Rain was forecasted for a number of days, then the clouds departed and the sun came out instead.

This was a wonderful trip. So many great experiences — about people, the beauty of our world and history. Hard to believe, yet over seven weeks we visited 15 countries. Some of them twice. All of the Continental Europe Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland). All three Baltic countries (Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia). Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands (twice). Then the UK, Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal.

Our postcard from the Camino de Santiago — Following the shells

Posted on by
Reply

We have heard about the Camino de Santiago – the pilgrimage many make each year to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. There are several routes. On a previous trip we found ourselves in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port France, watching the pilgrims register for the 40 + day journey and reserve their place in the hostels by hanging their backpack on the door.

Oviedo is where the first pilgrimage began in the 9th century, shortly after the discovery of the tomb of Saint James the Apostle and because of the devotion of King Alfonso II. He made the first pilgrimage. Knowing that we would be in Oviedo motivated us to at least try a small bit of the pilgrimage. The starting point is the Cathedral of Oviedo. Bronze shells mark the path, and we followed those shells for almost an hour through Oviedo. While clearly not the experience of a true pilgrim it was still very moving.

Our postcard from Dublin — The Famine Sculptures

Posted on by
Reply

Ireland was devastated by the great potato famine in the 1800’s. Potatoes had become a diet mainstay, and a source of income as well. When a blight destroyed the crops in 1845 they assumed it was a one-year problem, and “weathered the storm”. When the blight also ruined the next year’s crop it became devastating. Over four years at least one million died from starvation, and many more departed for other countries. Many landed in Boston, for example. The population of Ireland during that period dropped from 8 million to 4 million.

Those deciding to leave everything for a new country would go to the dockery area of Dublin to seek space on a boat. Often they waited too long, and many did not survive. The Famine Sculptures graphically capture their plight along the riverside. The man in the back right lost his family except his daughter, who was very weak from hunger. He carried her to the food line, but arrived too late the first day. The food was all gone. He arrived earlier the second day, yet was still too late. The third day he arrived in time to get her food. When he laid her down to feed her she was already dead. In a bit of morbid humor, the dog in the left rear was there to make those who died his own meal. So very touching.

The ship pictured on the far left was one of the boats used. Many perished on these boats, from disease and famine. For some reason this boat never lost anyone on its voyages.