Author: Cookie

Eight months:  a cruise, twenty-two airbnbs and multiple planes, trains and Ubers have led us to Porto, Portugal to an apartment of our own. We’re no longer schlepping and living out of a 25” suitcase!

We now live in a choice location in Vila Nova de Gaia. VNG is connected to Porto by 6 bridges which span the Duoro River. The Metro very efficiently gets us just about anywhere we need to go in Porto and Gaia. [guy -a] – Uber and walking do the rest.  Personalizing and equipping our apartment is a work in progress – but it’s fun as well.

We moved in at the beginning of December – just in time for the holidays!  The Portuguese revel in celebrating the holidays. And they do it well. We have observed and participated in many of their traditions:  the lighting of the magnificent Porto Tree of Lights [throngs of thousands attended], visiting the beautifully decorated medieval town of nearby Braga and  watching families enjoy the festive Praça de Natal [ a mini Christmas event featuring a merry-go-round, Ferris wheel, and ice skating rink and chestnuts roasting on an open fire in the civic park  – all across the street from us.  About the chestnuts…not so romantic – more like a smoky barbeque cloud. 

We have also connected with other Americans in Porto and have enjoyed the holidays at various social events. It’s a nice feeling to have a sense of community while far away from family and long-time friends.

The highlight of our Christmas events, however, was being invited and joining our Portuguese friends’ family for Christmas Eve dinner – the most significant event of the season.

Gathered around the holiday table, we shared the traditional Christmas Eve signature Portuguese  dish of codfish, boiled potatoes, cabbage topped with hard boiled eggs. Each component was cooked separately then assembled into a casserole. Not our everyday fare… but it turned out to be delicious! Even Michael enjoyed it!

As the main dish became history, the desserts were brought out. Oh. My. Goodness. Ten in all and all delicious…and of course, we had to try each one. We didn’t want to insult our hosts! What a treat! 

Three and a half hours later (I think 3 hours of that was spent on the desserts – wine and excellent port were involved as well) – interesting conversation and stuffed beyond comfort … we rolled out the door.

New Year’s Eve, we enjoyed great Duoro wine, a home-cooked turkey dinner and went out at midnight to view the fireworks over the river. Wow – what a great show!

So, here we are in 2019.

 We realize how very fortunate we are to be on this travel adventure. Life is good. We wish you all good fortune as you pursue your life’s adventures in this new year.

?c & m

 

I’ve been remiss in sending updates – life has been busy!

So, I will share small bits of some of our experiences as not to overwhelm. 

So, it’s taken awhile to get the hang of retirement. It finally happened on a warm sunny September afternoon in Lisbon.  After running an errand that took us to a familiar area we decided to saunter down the hill to a neighborhood wine bar. Warmly welcomed by Ina, we embraced the opportunity to taste  outstanding wines, excellent cheese and local bread and olive oil.

Ina and her partner, Patrick. (She, German; He, Irish) opened their wine bar 3.5 years ago. What lovely people! We so enjoyed our conversation with them about Portuguese wine and then they brought up American politics…

In every European country that we have traveled to – the general consensus of the people is that the behaviour of our current administration is, indeed, an embarrassment to the world. The comments and perceptions of the people on the European continent are insightful and intelligent. Their knowledge of world politics overall is impressive.

We steered the discussion away from politics back to wine. 

We tasted ‘green wine’. No, it’s not a St. Patrick’s Day beverage but a very young white sparkling wine. A little on the fruity sweet-side. It’s named for the area where the grapes for this wine are grown.  There are multiple wine-growing districts in Portugal. As we both enjoy ‘Vinho Tinto’, red wine, our current favourite is the robust red wine of the Duoro Valley. 

This leisurely afternoon event reinforced our decision to travel and have interesting life experiences. After years of structure, the feeling of freedom to do what we want, when we want – is even more intoxicating than the wine.

Like the rest of the world, we, too, experienced intense heat this summer. No bueno!  While it was pretty unbearable in Bucharest in July – it got even worse in Croatia. [August]  In Zagreb & Split, I needed to get up about 6:30 a.m. so I could go out and get some walking exercise before temperatures hit the high 90’s in temperature and humidity.  [I really miss Aquafit!] It’s a good thing that we made sure to have air conditioning in our summer Airbnbs!

One of our Croatian discoveries is that their wine is VERY good!  We found a beautiful wine bar in Zagreb [cool & comfortable] and experienced a private wine tasting. We learned a lot about the wine regions which helped us to order wine with some semblance of knowledge. Croatians refer to themselves as a Boutique Wine Country – since they don’t export very much. We like boutique!

In spite of the heat and thanks to Uber, we enjoyed a variety of local restaurants. Our culinary adventures have been delectable! One of our more unique dishes was at Otto & Frank’s: The ‘Zagreb Breakfast’ consisted of Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream, Horseradish as the base, Grilled Ham, “Crispy Poached Eggs” [cooked sous vide and the rolled in a delicious light breading] fresh spinach, radish & spring onions on a slab of toasted bread. Whew! Michael diversified by having scrambled eggs instead of the poached. My variation was without the Cottage Cheese and Sour Cream – but the Sous Vide Poached Eggs were awesome!!

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Eventually, we pushed ourselves away from the table and went off to enjoy the Museum of Illusions. Fun stuff! 

 A picture is worth a 1000 words.

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After a week of eating and drinking in Zagreb, we headed south to Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Where is and what is a Plitvice, you ask?

From the their website:

The oldest, largest and most visited of seven Croatian National Parks, Plitvice Lakes became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It is a complex of sixteen lakes linked together with a series of travertine waterfalls. Although the lakes surface covers only two square kilometers, the park area stretches over 200 km2 to surrounding mountains and adjoining rivers. 

It was gorgeous and an awesome opportunity to hike – for me.
Michael needed to opt out. He had been experiencing quite a bit of pain from Plantar Fasciitis and the 14 miles that I hiked over two days would have been unbearable for him. He rested in the peace and quiet of our B &
B, Villa Lika, enjoying the clean country air, surrounded by verdant hills. Upon returning from my hikes, I  shared my pictures, (of which there are many), with him. I’ll post a few  – hopefully, they’ll convey the natural beauty that Mother Nature has provided.

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Leaving the calm of the country we headed further south to the coastal city of Split. We had heard that August is the height of the tourist season. Just about everyone in Europe is on holiday for the entire month. Turns out – it’s true!  And they were all in Split- or so it seemed. It’s one of the most  popular destinations for a European holiday [aka vacation]  in spite of the heat.  When the crowds subsided in September, we could tell that the tourist season was finally winding down and school was resuming for the young’uns. The difference in population was significant.

Over 1000 islands are off the Croatian coast in the stunning crystal clear blue-green Adriatic Sea. One of the closer islands, Brač, ‘called to us.’ We ferried over to the island [an hour] & then bussed [another hour] to the white pebbled – make that ‘rocky’ Golden Cape beach near the town of Bol. It was lovely. Lots of trees for shade, restaurant/bars, chaise lounges, umbrellas, parasailing, paddle boarding etc. We lounged, people watched and napped. A very successful outing!  I’m starting to catch on to this thing called ‘retirement’. It’s taken awhile!

We have a few more restaurants to hit and another beach outing on our agenda before we head to Western Europe.  We’ll be heading to Lisbon, Portugal.

I feel like I’ve been living in a British novel.

We’ve spent most of June in England. I love the British accent, their unique phrasing and unusual terminology.

Seeking ‘chill time’ – our focus was to spend time in the country. We started with Newark on Trent, a well-preserved medieval town. It was charming, friendly and welcoming. We easily slowed our pace and learned the ways of the town. We walked everywhere, found shortcuts and revelled in the humour we found in the town … notes outside of businesses cracked us up. We fell in love with the town square and daily farmers market- great fresh produce and baked goods.

Whilst there, we climbed up inside a 900 year old castle. A real estate promo for the place might read: “Interesting, cold, dark, minimalist decor with a great view. Turn-key for boiling oil and armaments.”

After Newark, we headed north to the Lakes District -A three train travel day. It was well worth the trip. We stayed in village of Orton at Orton Hall, a 600 year old manor. It was surrounded by 6 acres of lush green – towering trees of varying species – each one with its own personality – and so many different shades of green! This was a thriving habitat for birds, bunnies and the endangered red squirrel. It was absolutely gorgeous and we never tired of gazing out of the bay window at a bit of Mother Nature’s finest work.

Our suite, the Royalist, featured a lovely living room with a hidden panel bookcase. The bookcase opened to reveal the hallway to the kitchen, bath and bedroom. Clever! There was a common area with a pool table, baby grand piano and a general seating area. While inviting, the musty smell was a deterrent to staying there too long.

Village life was quite agreeable. A five minute walk brought us to the village pub. Jennings Hotel George is quite the gathering place – especially for watching the World Cup competitions. But even more importantly, it provided good home cooking – no microwave pub grub!

That same five minute walk also landed us at Kennedy’s Chocolate Shop & Coffeehouse. Yummmm! A daily stop for chocolate seemed like a moral imperative. On one such visit, I had the delight to talk with a couple who were motorcycling their way from north to south. He was 78, a weathered, rugged, white hair, pony-tailed fun guy with his female companion who was a bit younger. They were enjoying their road adventures.

And then there were the ‘walkers.’

Turns out, Orton is smack dab in the middle of the Coast-to- Coast Walk.
[a charted route] People from all over, walk from the west coast of England to east coast. (or vice versa) Orton is a popular stop for them to rest for the night. From the folks we chatted with, we learned that the average amount of time it takes is about two weeks. Armed with their walking poles, they cover as much as 15 miles per day!

Ten days of peace & quiet – unbelievable quiet- pastoral views, sharing the roads with the shorn sheep, cattle and horses was good for us. We worked on making plans for where and when we’ll travel next. Travel research and planning takes quite a bit of time. Our plans and ideas have evolved with the time we’ve spent on the road. We’re no longer thinking of going to Prague to teach.  I know that I’ve decided to stay retired and not teach English as a foreign language. Michael still might. But we are both enjoying being retired and being foot loose and fancy free. After years and years of structure and ‘have to’ we are wallowing in quality time together and doing what we want -when we want.

Now we’re leaving the country for a bit of city life – heading south to London for some theatre, art & history.

Cheers!

Greetings! Hope everyone is well!

Italy traveler’s tip XXIV: Seeking local directions? Ask a woman. She knows or she doesn’t and will say so. Males often feel honor bound to help, even when they have no idea. And a group of Italian men will get into an argument over the best route. I hear rumors this holds true in Spain, Portugal and Romania.

We are comfortably ensconced in Orton Hall, a tad south of Scotland.
Looks and feels like the ancestral home of a Scottish Laird.
Construction dates from the 1600’s.

A pullout bookcase (no kidding!) leads from our great room to the kitchen, bath and bedroom. (“Put the candle back!!)

The winner of this month’s best sign in the UK award, several strong contenders notwithstanding, is the one on on the condom vending machine exhorting customers to, “Play Hard!!”

Honorable mention (restaurant): “Leonardo di Caprio never ate here.”

Driving UK is a challenge. Wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road. After so many years, perhaps driving becomes more autopilot than we care to admit. Winding, narrow picturesque country roads especially so.

Years ago in Nova Scotia I was introduced my host’s friends as, “Mike, from away.” Away? Not America, California or LA, but from “away.” The sole qualifier being from another place, elsewhere. Anyplace elsewhere.

Home is a moveable feast. It’s where we are today, and where we’ll be next. And next. The journey is the destination.
The world is big. I want to see all I can before it gets dark.

Got a new UK phone number, which will hopefully work everywhere in Europe: +44 7365 003407.

Very Best to All!

Mike + Cookie

La Spezia

The Florentine steak is now a fond memory as we headed to La Spezia adjacent to Cinque (cheen-quay) Terra. This area is composed of five hamlets on the coast of the Ligurian Sea. You can hike from one to the other – a more than daunting task – or take the train from one to the next or travel on a boat. Taking the boat was a wise decision for us. We opted to visit two of the five: Riomaggio and Vernazza, tiny towns carved into the cliffs. Quaint and scenic pretty much sums up our visit.

We really enjoyed La Spezia where our airbnb was. It was sort of like ‘European town square meets [new] Pasadena. It was very cool. It was small enough that we able to really get around town by foot – and we did! Now Heathyr will tell you that Italian doors been an obsession of mine ever since I first visited Italy in 2000. Usually wooden, they exude great character. Michael & I came across this grandiose porto in La Spezia – you can get an idea of its size and scale. [below] We also discovered a beautiful park down by the marina. After living so long in drought-stricken Southern California, I am drawn to lush, green, giant trees.

Milan

Ahhh, Milano. Molto bene!

We discovered ”Hidden Treasures of Milan” on a bike tour. This city is truly beautiful. Towering trees, lush and green … and the terrain is flat! Barely an incline. This was greatly appreciated since our bikes had no electric assist. Our tour guide was a young Russian woman who spoke 5 languages and has been living in Milan for 8 years. We keep meeting so many interesting people! Our fellow bikers were mid-thirties Belgian couples. We kept up – no problemo!

We enjoyed the sites and were surprised by a few: the modern sculpture below is ‘squarely positioned’ as a gesture to the city’s financial district.

and Napolean’s Arc – fashioned after his Arc d’Triomphe in Paris. It is said that the Milan Arch of Peace is positioned in a straight line geographically with its Paris sibling. I had no idea how much impact Napolean had in Italy. We have learned that he played an integral part in the history of Rome, Florence, Milan. He was a busy guy.

We further broadened our horizons by taking a city walking tour which included a visit to the magnificent Duomo and a viewing of Leonardo da Vinci’s original Last Supper. What a treat!

Even though it rained steadily, we ignored the weather and enjoyed tour. The Duomo defies description. It’s taken 600 years to build. Its spired exterior design is impressive. However, the size and scope of the interior is staggering. There are 3400 statues alone. Each stained glass window is a work of art. The pillars… like I said, defy description – it just needs to be seen.

Michael and I are big fans of da Vinci. So, visiting The Last Supper was a special event. We could see and feel the emotion that he incorporated in this work! He painted it on the dining room wall at a monastery. [who knew?] Bombing during WW II threatened to destroy it but it was protected by sandbags.

As you are probably aware, Milan is known for fashion and style. And it’s noticeable everywhere. From the cosmopolitan air of the city to the well dressed Milanese. I felt so ’under-dressed’ by comparison. There’s only so much fashion one can pack into a 25” suitcase.

Out in front of the main Metro Milan Station stands this symbol of the city: Needle & thread in 4 colors of the city metro lines.

Ciao for now!

Arriving at the train station in Sant’Agnello, well in advance of our planned departure time for Florence, we found it odd that the ticket office was closed. Inquiring minds needed to know…what the heck?! Communicating with other would-be passengers of many different languages, it became apparent that there was a Rail strike.The strike was to be”on” from 9:00 to 13:00. Interesting. Seems they even publish – in advance – when they will strike. Of course, it’s published in Italian in newspapers & on their website. Sigh. Well, we decided to wait them out since the alternatives were not any more helpful than waiting. We took turns taking walking breaks while the other stayed with the luggage. The 3 sets of extremely steep stairs with two 50 lb. bags was an effective deterrent to both of us leaving at the same time. Schlepping the bags up & down and then wheeling them everywhere was a non-negotiable. 13:00 eventually arrived. Tickets were purchased. The first train was packed – SRO. So we waited for the next one. A wise decision. We were able to get a seat & have space for our luggage for the one hour trip to Napoli to catch our train for Florence. It was a long travel day.

We figure that each day that we change location is a work day. This is not a complaint but a reality that is part of ‘the adventure’: Up early, packing, check out, getting to the train station, figuring out the tickets, platforms and proper coaches. And stairs -always the stairs. No lifts. Stairs, steep and multiple staircases. Then it’s anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to our next destination. Upon arrival, we venture out into our new city to find our Airbnb. It can be challenging – especially with the terrain. Cobblestones, uneven pavement, uphill, streets with no names etc. By the time we arrive, we’re spent. Next, it’s unpacking, settling in and determining what to do that night about dinner. It’s all for a good cause and with a worthy outcome. But it’s work.

Thank goodness we stayed in Florence for a full week. That gave us a bit of a break.

First of all, we loved Florence, the birthplace of gelato. Si, it’s true! We celebrated its birth each day that we were there. Yum!

Our walking tour guide, Ricardo, introduced us to the city and shared its history. We strolled through piazzas, learned more about the Medici family who governed Florence during the Renaissance. They were exiled 3 different times & came back each time. (Like yo-yo’s) Powerful people! We hiked over bridges that span the Arno and we’re able to navigate this city quite well.

We spent an entire day in the Chianti hills, visiting a Castle that is also a winery and enjoyed an exquisite lunch prepared by a guest chef … with lots of wine – multiple bottles of wine for each delicious course after course… for 6 of us in our group. A delightful day!

We also spent a day participating in an Italian Cooking Class. We went to an amazing market – all under one roof – with everything from cheeses, pastries, fish, all kinds of meat, gorgeous produce and more. I would love to shop there all the time! Then we were whisked off to the outskirts of town to a palatial villa where we were all sous chefs. We made the most outstanding bruschetta I’ve ever had. And there was wine. The kitchen was state-of-the art. A stove & ovens to die for. We made a pesto for pasta that was fantastic. And we made pasta – from scratch – Si! ’we’. Michael was a willing and fun participant as well. He did everything. And there was more cooking. Bolognese sauce. Pork roast. Tirimisu. The class was large -30 -but the kitchen accommodated us easily. We even had a separate work area for making our pasta. Of course, after our afternoon in the kitchen, we enjoyed the meal. A delicious finish!

We were told “When in Florence, eat like a Florentine.” We were encouraged by Ricardo to eat ‘beefsteak’ – served only rare and 4 fingers thick. We took his recommendation for an authentic Osteria that was known to make the best. OH MY! What an experience. When presented table side, it was about 2.5 lbs. – for the two of us. Granted, there was a bone. It was uniquely grilled and flavored and oh sooooo delicious. The carnivore in both us was satiated.

We were told that it’s a law in Florence that it’s a crime to cook steak any other way….

Ciao for now!

It seems that all roads DO lead to Rome … and you have to walk all of them. Well, that’s the way it felt. But we realized that Rome wasn’t conquered in a day – it was a nine day campaign for us.

The ancient Romans had chariots. We opted for Electric assist bikes to get around the first day. OY! Centrale Roma was a zoo. Pedestrians on their May Day holiday weekend, shoulder to shoulder, elbow to elbow, oblivious as to how their movement affects others put our bike-adventuring group through some unexpected and stressful maneuvers. Perhaps chariots would’ve been a better choice. The E-assist on the bikes though, was awesome – we effortlessly scaled the hills of Roma. Up and away from the masses.

We also enjoyed Jobe, the Neil de Grasse Tyson of Roman history. What a great tour guide! He regaled us with stories of Rome through the ages – not your everyday history lesson.

The Colosseum especially blew Michael away. Talk about bringing history to life – bigger than life! As we stood in the emperor’s box and looked out over the ‘field’ it was easy to imagine “games” of the past and the people being entertained on so many levels.

While we rocked the Metro system with ease, Roma has a few geographical quirks. Did you know that streets in Roma change names about every 30 feet? Well, that’s if the street actually has a name. Many do not. Oh, and addresses seem to be optional. Those facts frequently presented navigational challenges. Yes, it is easy to be lost in Rome. And we were. But eventually we got found – every time! We have come to love Uber.

We dipped our toes into cultural waters at The Borghese Art Gallery. It is truly a Mecca of art treasures. While in Rome, we have become huge fans of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. His impact throughout Rome is most impressive. While Michelangelo brought form and scale to sculpture, Bernini sculpted stone into life with emotion and movement. It’s pretty awesome.

Because it’s now considered one of the wonders of the modern world, we toured Vatican City and its museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Simply amazing. Books have been written about all of this. Well, I’ll just say from our point of view, Michelangelo’s masterpiece – the ceiling is jaw-dropping. The scale and extravagance of St. Peter’s is mind-boggling. From the perspective of a librarian, I am impressed that the Vatican library is beautifully preserving history.

The Piazza de Fiori hosts a ginormous farmers market everyday. We browsed and sampled fresh fruits, vegetables, aged balsamic vinegars and lovely olive oils as part of a food walking tour. Now, I found myself wondering why we don’t see these healthy items offered on most menus in restaurants throughout Rome. We have seen that ‘Bars’ which proffer various delivery forms of caffeine, gelato, all kinds of delicious pastries, a full bar and wine seem to lack any form of protein or veggies. These Bars appear in every block. Then there’s Pizza. Roma style-thin crust, sitting under warming lights and looking fairly unappealing. It’s everywhere. Every other store front. Then, perusing the posted menus outside, in front of ‘sit-down’ restaurants, we note that the majority of each menu is pizza, pasta and pane (bread). How do these people stay slim and healthy? Well, they’re not obese. Enough about food. I’m getting very hungry!

We enjoyed Roma at night. Especially, the night we joined ‘Blitch’ [no, we didn’t ask] our Ghost & Mysteries storyteller. He led 4 of us around Central Roma sharing interesting, sometimes gruesome, and always entertaining tales. Definitely a highlight of our visit to the Eternal City.

Sant’Angello

So, after ‘conquering’ Roma, we headed south on a fast train. It was pretty cool. – a smooth and quiet ride. We stayed at a lovely ‘villa-type’ Airbnb. Our intent was to visit Pompeii & climb Vesuvius and then visit the Amalfi Coast. Well, it turned out to be 2 out of 3. We were rained out for our Amalfi Coast boat adventure. We’ll be back in better weather to enjoy the Amalfi.

Pompeii is an archeological wonder. It was fascinating to see the excavation. Turns out the people of Pompeii in 79 AD were quite the party people. Life was short and they knew how to have a good time. The public baths were very popular hang outs. There was even a Red Light District – as many as 25 bordellos. Seems they also considered the penis as a symbol of good luck. The archeologists have found the symbol carved in stone all over town. See pic below.

Now those are some stones! Gives a whole new meaning to rock hard. [I just couldn’t resist.]

Vesuvius was quite the climb! No, we didn’t start at the very bottom but it sure felt like it. Our coach took us to the start of the hiking trail. We huffed & puffed about a mile, zigzagging our way up into the clouds. Arriving at the crater, that’s exactly what we saw – clouds & fog.

Well that’s enough for now. We’re ‘fast-training ‘to Florence as I type. And that’s a whole ‘other Oprah – a story for another day.

We hope all is well in your worlds – we still can’t believe we’re really here…