Wednesday, May 30, 2007

May is quickly coming to an end and June is right around the corner. Ok, that's not news. How was your Memorial Day Weekend?

I decided to take a drive and explore a portion of my neighborhood. For those that don't know where I reside, see the pictures, but to assist in locating my abode on google, you can type in Top of the Ledge Campground, and you might find nothing. I'm about 3.5 miles from downtown Stockbridge which is about 8 miles south of Sherwood and maybe 9 miles from Hilbert and not that far from Potter which is somewhat close to Chilton, my favorite place.

So I headed North to High Cliff State Park and after wandering through a residential area, I find the park. Sorry, 7 bucks to get in was too much, for this trip. I will be getting a seasonal pass, but not today. So I checked out the golf course and club house. You know you're in Wisconsin when you read this: $40 for 18 holes, includes cart and lunch. Lunch consists of a Bratwurst, Cheese curds and a Leinenkugle Ale. Gotta love Wisconsin! No I didn't golf, just scoping things.

Next stop was downtown Hilbert and a place called Village Hearth Stone. Great place! Their taps include Rowlands Nut Brown Ale and Pilsner, along with a New Glarus Spotted Cow. They specialize in Wood Fired Pizzas, Potato Spun Shrimp in an orange/ginger sauce, Pan Fried Walley Pike, and an 8 ounce Tenderloin for $13.45.

One of the coolest things about this place is that they serve Andretti wines for a great price. The Andretti's frequent this place while attending the races at nearby Elkhart Lake raceway.

Third and last place was Rowlands Brewery in Chilton. No more has to be said about this place because it will make the pub crawl.

Supper's on, it's raining, thundering, and lightning...cool!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007
I played chef and tried an Italian dinner last night with Pete & Sharon as guests. I began with a 2-year old White Wisconsin Cheddar with slices of a crisp Gala apple topped with a few roasted walnuts and drizzled with Roberson Oregon honey. (sorry Jamie, the store had no pecorino and pears) This first course was served with a chilled Australian Chardonnay. The word pulchritude comes to mind. (look it up) The main course was Garlic & Basil linguine alla carbonara made with Italian parmigiana that I had purchased in Rome last Sunday. This was served with another Australian wine a Shiraz/Cabernet. For desert we sampled several Italian chocolates with a 10 year old Tawny port. It actually turned out quite nice, if I have to say so myself. And I just did.
No leftovers, but I have enough ingredients to repeat the meal. You’re invited! One of my goals is that I attend cooking classes in Italy. Someday!

This is what I like about Wisconsin. I snapped this shot on Sunday evening as I crossed the border going 75mph, I mean 65 mph. It was amazing that Wisconsin did this just for me. And since they didn't know exactly which road I was taking, I heard they put them up at every entrance into Wisconsin. Hey, they missed me! Or is it my business they missed.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Want to add a few more thoughts on my return trip from Rome on Sunday.
I want to thank my Pennsylvania friend for recommending that I purchase some 10 year old Balsamic vinegar. I had a couple hours in the Fiumicino (Rome) airport so I checked out the duty-free shops and decided on the vinegar, a couple kinds of Italian chocolates, and some Parmigiano cheese. (they didn’t have the pecorino that I really wanted) They checked my boarding passes and gave me a sealed bag so I could carry the items. My bags were checked long before I could get to these shops. When I landed in Zurich, I had to go through another security check to get to my plane. It was painful to hear the agent tell me that I couldn’t take the $15 bottle of vinegar on board. His compromise was that he could dump it out, and give me the bottle. Thanks, Brenda! I have the EMPTY bottle on my fridge, so I’m reminded every time I open it. (frequently) But the day wasn’t over, yet.
When I boarded my second flight, an older Slovakian women was sitting in my really nice aisle seat in the bulkhead. My command of the Slovakian language was….non-existent, and being a gentleman, I took the middle seat. Imagine that! Just love being touched by hot sweaty stangers on both sides. But not for long.
I scoured the plane for 2 empty seats, and two rows back I found them. The doors closed and out came the heavy sigh. Poor leg room, but great elbow room. Swiss Air has complimentary drinks, so after a couple of glasses of wine, three 2-hour movies, 3 sitcoms, two newspapers, and some writing, we were landing in Chicago, on time.
After an hour waiting for luggage and a bout with my scheduled taxi service and waiting for over an hour, I finally arrived at my dead battery. Sweet! Now I can try my new mobile power source that I had purchased before leaving for Mexico. It paid for itself after the first turn of my key. Thanks, Lord! It only took a little over 2 hours to get from Chicago to Fond du Lac. Absolutely no traffic on Sunday night.
As I pulled into Pete & Sharon’s place, they had cold IPA and fresh grilled bratwurst waiting for me. Gotta Love Wisconsin! A great way to end a long day of travel. Thanks Pete & Sharon!

Monday, May 21, 2007
Back in Wisconsin, after a long day of travel. A 24 hour-long day. With a 2 hour flight from Rome to Zurich, and then a 9 hour flight from Zurich to Chicago, there’s loads of time to reflect on the past 12 days in Rome. Even though she was immersed in finals, my daughter found time to ‘guide’ me in a new/old country. I’m most gracious for her efforts. I know that her major is Art/History, but one of her minors should be juggling. Juggling schedules, homework, internship, papers, classes and gelato tasting. Thanks, Jamie! Couldn’t help but think of my weekend in Tuscany/Siena while I was watching one of three ‘chick’ flicks on my long flight. I believe it was called, “Because I Said So!” There was a line in the movie that said, “Haven’t you ever traveled to Siena and sampled their Brunello’s?” We did! I was reading a travel book on Rome and they listed the top twelve must see sights while in Rome. They are:

x 1. Colesseo (the Coleseum)
x 2. Pantheon
x 3. Spanish Steps
x 4. Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel, Vatican
x 5. St. Peters
x 6. Berninie’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiume in Piazza Navona
x 7. Palatine/Foro Romano
x 9. Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano
x 8. Catacombs (we visited the ones at di Priscilla)
x 10. Basilica di San Clemente
x 11. Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
x 12. Trevi Fountain

You might note the x- mark by each one. Thanks to my tour guide, Jamie, I was able to visit all of them. A person could visit all of these in 2-3 days, if they pushed it. I didn't.

Saturday May 19th PM, 2007
Ok. Just a couple more pics of my last night in Rome. Jamie and I went to our favorite Roman restaurant, that sounds so ancient. The Pantheon is what she calls it, even though that’s not it’s real name. Again, fantastico! Afterwards it was relatively early so Jamie and I met her friends at one of the local pubs, Scholars, where I selected it has part of my pub crawl. A nice pint of Guinness to finish my trip to Rome. Maybe it should have been a Peroni, but oh, well. Non-importante!

The fourth and final stop was at Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale. Belini, chief architect of St. Peter’s, built this church for free as a gift to the Jesuits. It is designed to create a sense of grandeur in a tine space and every surface is lavishly decorated. Very cool! Jamie and John are shown in one of the pics. The incredible ceiling is the other.
This concludes my incredible tour of Rome & Italy. (unless I take some more pics tonight) Most enjoyable. Incredible weather. The best tour guide a dad could have. Thanks, Jamie! And thanks to all your great friends.

The third stop was on the steps of Sant’ Maria della Vittoria, which wasn’t open at the time. Although the ‘gang’ was always ready to strike a pose. John, Jamie, Jordan, Elizabeth, and Amanda. Not all of Rome's pics need to be of buildings or paintings or sculptures.

The second stop was at Basilica de San Giovanni in Laterano. I have an interior and exterior view of this church. San Giovanni was built around 313, on a site given to Pope Melchiades for the purpose by the Emperor Constantine himself. Little remains of the original bascilica due to wars, earthquakes, and fires.

Saturday, May 19, 2007
Last day in Roma! Today I had two more sights on my ‘must-see’ list and I met Jamie at bus stop #75. The first was Basilica di San Clemente which was fantastic. The pictures show only the top level. San Clemente is a church on top of a church on top of even older, Imperial Roman buildings; the composite is one of the best examples of Rome’s chequered architectural past. We were able to descend several flights of stairs going deeper into Rome’s past. It was incredible.

And finally, pictures of Piazza Navone, including the sculptures. Besides these great works of art, I was fascinated by the artists. I tried capturing a few of their works as shown in a couple of these pics. It was also amazing that the piazza wasn't that crowded. The church in the background is Sant' Agnese. The dome inside was amazing. Had to be there to appreciate it.
It's back to the apartment, emails, and nap. Meeting Jamie and friends later this evening. Ciao!

Besides the Coliseum, I believe the Pantheon is the most photographed sight in Rome. Just my opinion. One could sit in this piazza and just gaze on this work of art. Huge is small adjective in describing this ancient structure. Finally, 4 years of Latin pays off.

I have to cross the fiume Tevere (Tiber) river to get from Trastevere, the area I'm staying, to central Rome. The other pic is what I call "When Cultures Clash" The cheeseburger was ridiculous. 2 euros. (no, I didn't eat there) (really)

Friday, May 18, 2007
Explore day. I’ve now taken 256 pictures just in Rome. What you see on this blog site is only a small sample. Today the target was Piazza Navone and the fabulous sculptures including Berninie’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiume. I also slipped by the Pantheon one more time. It was yet another perfect day, weather wise. Actually, any-wise. A pro- photographer would go ‘pazzo’ in this city.

These two pics are normal Rome sights. One a pasta shoppe, the other...you can name that one yourself.

Thursday, still.
11am, found wine store. Falanghina de Beneveto for the white, and Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo for the red. Total cost: €4.50 for 3 liters.
12:30 pm, found one grocery store called “Ouisse” which was located in the basement of a department store. Of course! Wandered the store for 30 minutes just searching for … I had forgotten my list. Non importante! Of the ten items I could easily recall one of them. The other nine were tougher. So I just checked prices. Left and took a tram, yep the #8, and found my way to another and somewhat larger grocery. Picked up the bucatini which is one of 30 different kinds of pasta. (it looks like long hollow spaghetti) Also found Miele Ambrosoli, which of course is honey, and I found the Nóce Sguscia, walnuts. Hey, this shopping isn’t easy in Italy. Like I can just ask a clerk for honey and nuts. Cost with my coupons: €5.52 Happy with my savings, I trotted home. (no, don’t picture that)
Met Jamie at the store about 8pm, yes 8pm, they don’t start dinner until this hour. Might eat by 10pm. Finished the shopping (€27.91) and hopped on the tram (no.8) and headed to Amanda/Elizabeth/Elenora’s place. The dinner was fantastic. (I might over-abuse that word, but I can) Pecorina Fumaggio (cheese) with 3 kinds of pears, drizzled with honey and topped with walnuts. Yumm! Two kinds of olives, one that was stuffed with feta cheese. Double yumm! Of course the main course was the bucatini alla carbonara. Delissimo! The other John also cooked up some meat to add to the feast. Everything was great. Finished with some assorted chocolates/cookies and Limoncetta.
The photo shows the dinner party. Amanda, Jamie, Elizabeth, John, Eleonora, and Jordan. Eleonora is an Italian working in Rome, although she just landed a job in Milan. Congratulations to her. She speaks fluent Italian and English and is hired to assist American students studying and living in Italy. She lives with Amanda and Elizabeth. Very interesting person, as is the whole lot. It indeed was a great pleasure meeting and dinning with Jamie’s friends. I suspect that the arrivederce’s will be tough. Mine will and I’ve only known them a week.

Yesterday was highlighted by a fantastic pasta dinner at Amanda & Elizabeth’s, seen here prepping for the feast. The group photo has John, Amanda, Jordan, Jamie, and Elizabeth patiently waiting for the camera man. The great evening ended with another buck euchre lesson. (not saying who was giving or getting the lesson!) Happy Birthday Eugene! Did you know that one of the meanings for the word 'euchre' is "to cheat or swindle"? That might explain a lot.
Today is shopping day. Grocery store shopping. Yes, I have to find the store first. Let's see, formgaggio is what?

Thursday, May 17, 2007
The Sacred Area of Largo Argentina was uncovered during demolition work begun in 1926 in the district bounded by via del Teatro Argentina, via Florida, via di S. Nicola de’ Cesarini and Corso Vittorio. Four temples are visible to this day, fronting onto a paved square. It is believed that the fire of 111 BC destroyed this area. The name Torre Argenitna (Tower Argentina) derives from a nearby house of a 16th century bishop Hans Burckhardt from Strasburg (in Latin Argentorum), who called his residence Torre Argentina.
Largo Argentina was a kind of ancient Roman square with four temples facing a courtyard to the east paved with travertine, that is why it is also named Area Sacra (Holy area). Its origins come from the Republican epoch starting from the 4th century b.C..

Today, besides being a great piece of history, it is a cat sanctuary. (really!) Can you find 10 cats in the one photo?

Wednesday, May Something, 2007
Starting to lose track of time again. Another relax day which when translated into and out of Italian means, don’t have clue what I want to do. Laundry day no. 2.
Took another walk-about today, just up the street to a place called Quattro Venti No. 110 and found a wine store. A local wine shop where the wine is dispensed in plastic jugs. How cool is that. Prices ranged from €1.10 to €2.70 per 1.5 liter. In my fluent Italian, I might have bought the entire store, but with the help of the owner, she gave me some samples and then I pointed and then pointed some more. Bought some red stuff. Tasted ok. Spent €2.55.
Wandered greatly with the intent of getting lost. Severely succeeded! Turned down some rather quaint alleys which the Romans call roads.
Stumbled across a church, see photo, that was really cool inside. No photo’s allowed. Even I wasn’t allowed. It was a short stay. Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Going to meet Jamie and Jordan at 5 something, somewhere, for not sure what. Non importante.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Laundry day, relax day, reading day, e-mail day, you get the point.
Today’s quote from one of the books I’m reading: “…or was it because he had simply started to get old, a process inevitably triggered the minute we give up our visions of the future.”
Word or phrase of the day in l’italiano: Vorrei una birra e un bicchiere de ghiaccio por favore. (I would like one beer and a glass of ice please)
Jamie and I decided to plan a meal for her friends on this coming Thursday. A simple way of saying Grazie (thank-you) and Arrivederci (good-bye) as the school year and my Italian travels come to a close.
Rome lies in the Lazio region of Italy and is noted for many foods, including spaghetti alla carbonara, in which spaghetti are tossed with bacon, garlic oil, and Parmesan cheese. The unmentioned ingredient is raw egg. This dish in one of several on our 3 course menu. Part of the fun is shopping for the ingredients in a foreign market. It’s like the Italians have a different word for everything. More on that meal later this week.
Found a 2 cent copy shop that I thought my Southern Californian siblings would enjoy.

What happens when two different cultures clash? Guinness and Pizza.

Kelley Bros. goes to the Coliseum. Monday, May 15, 2007

It appears that the Kelley Bros. coaster is nearly the same height as the Coliseum. Not true! It's larger.

This series of pictures are all taken from inside the Coliseum. Truly a 'site' to see. I walked around the entire coliseum on the upper level and was never asked for my ticket, like at an A's game. The hotdogs were a bit old but the crowd didn't care, they paid full price. As you look at these pics, you might realize that there was a 'basement' to the coliseum with a series of halls and 'cells' that may very well have housed the tenants. (lions or Christians?) In awe I devoured my sandwich and cookies whilst I gazed over this piece of history. (just gotta love that word 'whilst)

As per my the instructions of my tour guide the night before, I stocked up on some food before taking the tram (#8 of course) and a bus (yep, the #75) to the sights of the day. For the budget minded, this would be a great day. For €1.70 I got a hot pocket, Roma style. (authentic and great) I had an empty water bottle and filled it several times by using the many fountains in Rome. Really, you can drink the water from any of the small fountains located throughout the city and Italy. Very tasty. I then found a grocery-type store and bought a bag of Barilla Tarallucci. (cookies) The best surprise is when I arrived at the ruins, the normally €13.00 fee was waived. Learned later that this entire week is free as part of a celebration of archeologica (Italian version). Very cool on the wallet.

Lunedi, Il Quindici Maggio, Due Mille Sette: Fantastico day in Rome. (without my tour guide, Jamie) Almost 70 pictures later, I returned to my apartment with sore but happy dogs. The Coliseum was the highlight but close behind were the arches and the archeologica ruins in the surrounding area. Once again, the pictures don’t give you a real perspective of the gigantic-ness of these structures.

Sunday night. May 14th. 2007 End of a great weekend. Jordan and Jamie at the train station in Arezzo.

Sunday, May 14, 2007 Happy Mother's Day!

Jamie and I headed to the train station and caught an early train to Florence where we met Jordan, Jamie's friend and classmate in Rome. We had little time in Florence before we had to head to Arezzo to check out some more works of art. Arezzo was a quiet little town with great food (duh, Italy) and .... nothing else mattered. Our train was quite delayed so we played some more cards and learned some Jordanisms. These are short phrases, gems, or bursts of wisdom from Jordan. Hilarious. Some fashion window shopping and pigeon chasing were also part of the highlights in this great Italian town. A great day of travel was had by all. Ok, just the three of us.