Wined and Dined

One of the must-dos from every guidebook was a visit to the Hunter Valley wine region. It was our first driving adventure in Australia and I'm happy to report that despite a giant SUV crossover that is definitely an unrequested upgrade, we all succeeded in our first time driving on the left! Getting out of Sydney was a big of an adventure. The highways don't really start until you're past the suburbs.

We stopped at the visitor center in Hunter Valley for a map and guidance. Using their helpful recommendations, we started with Pepper Tree Vineyards, a beautiful location with a helpful sommelier guided us through our introduction to Hunter Valley wines.

Next shop was Brokenwood, one everyone recommended. It wasn't as pretty as the first stop but the wines were good. After the two stops, we needed some food so we ate lunch overlooking the beautiful vineyards. I had a glass of the Semillion, the region's specialty. Probably never going to be my favorite, but delicious in that time and place.

After lunch we went to Audrey Wilkinson, which promises 360 degree views off the valley, and did not disappoint. The sun peaked through the clouds as we tasted a few of their wines. 

Our next stop was Cockroder's Ghost, where we had the best tasting of the day. The host was incredibly knowledgeable and personable, showing a clear love of the wines and sharing that with visitors. I'm hoping I can find some of their wines in the States because it was too expensive to ship all I wanted.

The last place we visited was Savannah Estates. The website had  promised wildlife, but it was late in the day and they were closing up.  Still, we got to try a few varieties in their small cellar door.

On the way home, we stopped in Cole's grocery store for provisions for the road trip to Melbourne and grabbed dinner at Oporto, home of the most amazing grilled chicken tenders ever!

Sydney Style!

Sydney makes a great first impression. We flew in over the opera house and harbour bridge in the magnificent winter sunshine. After dropping bags at the hotel we went right down to the circular quay to see the city's most famous sites. The weather was amazing- sunny and warm, in the 60s. That's my kind of winter!! We had lunch along the wharf at an Italian restaurant and then walked through the Rocks, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Sydney. There were fun weekend markets going on with all kinds of souvenirs and hand crafts. We wandered aimlessly, going under the harbour bridge and then back towards the hotel so we could properly check in, shower, and change. It had been a long time since Boston!

Because it's winter, the sun sets early even though it's not too cold. Our hotel is best a pedestrian mall, which we walked up looking for dinner. It was mostly stores, but eventually we found a cafe overlooking city hall.

Day two we awoke early and had breakfast near the hotel. We caught the ferry to the Taronga Zoo, which was am amazing ride. I loved seeing the city from the water. The zoo itself had some terrific views back to the city. There's an easy route through the zoo that features lots of native Australian animals like koalas, kangaroos, and wallabys, as well as some usually zoo finds like giraffes and elephants. We even got to feed a giraffe!

In the afternoon we returned to Sydney and explored the botanical gardens next to the opera house. They were lovely and there were so many people out on the beautiful day. It appeared to be a big gathering place for people playing pokemon go, which is the new thing to do this summer.

For dinner we had to try the iconic Harry's meat pies. I had the tiger pie, with mashed potatoes and peas, and it was delicious! Peppery beef in the pie, steamy warm gravy, flaky crusty-- yum!!

Getting Ready for Down Under

2016's big adventure- Australia!  A friend studied abroad there in college and since I've known her she's wanted to go back.  Those are dangerous words to say to me, because my response is "when are we going??" This was pre-Italy last year, so summer of 2016 was decided for three of us to adventure down under.  I love traveling with other teachers who have long summer vacations like me!

This is our plan:

 Fly to Sydney, spend a few days there exploring the city and a few day trips.  I'm hoping to do a harbor cruise tour, see the zoo, explore the harbor regions, and check out the beaches.  Too bad it will be too cold to swim or surf!  Though the forecast is promising 60s and I just might be tempted...   Maybe.  Side trips are scheduled for the Hunter Valley wine region and the Blue Mountains.

Then it's on to Melbourne!  We'll explore my friend's home-away-from-home city for several days, taking one jaunt down to Phillip Island to see the Penguin Parade and an overnight excursion across the Great Ocean Road.  I am SO SO SO very hoping to see whales.  I love whales.   Have I mentioned on this blog that my childhood dream was to be a marine biologist? It was dashed by a tendency toward sea sickness.  Alas.

From Melbourne, we're airborne to Cairns, then a drive north to Port Douglas, our launch point for tropical adventures.  I'm still torn between scuba or snorkeling on the reef.  Despite the devastating coral bleaching, I'm excited to see this natural wonder.  I'm so excited for all of the tropical fruit that grows in the region, and hoping to get to Daintree Rainforest for some adventures too.

Our last big stop is Uluru, aka Ayers Rock, in the Outback.  We fly out SUPER early in the morning for a few days in the center of the country.  I'm really looking forward to the stars (weather, you'd better cooperate!) and seeing the GIANT ROCK.

Finally, we return to Sydney for the flight home.  We're flying Air New Zealand, and I might be crossing my fingers for an oversold flight so I can volunteer to be bumped for a day in Auckland!

It's going to be a little hard for packing on this one.  It's winter there, but not cold winter like New England!  We're also going north so we'll be in the warmer climates for a few days.  It's require a lot of creative layers- more on that later.

This will be continent number six for me, which seems so crazy.  Antarctica is already in the works for 2020... But first I'll be saying "G'day, Australia!"

Norway Getaway

Norwegian Air started flying out of Boston this year with the most amazing price deals.  I couldn't resist and booked a ticket to Oslo for spring vacation this year.  A friend ended up coming along, the lure of the fjords too great to resist. 

I was skeptical of flying a budget airline but Norwegian was a surprise.  The planes were 787 Dreamliners, and while they weren't as spacious as some other airlines, they were better than a lot of US carriers.  The entertainment was fantastic, the seats fairly comfortable, and the flight without delays.  My only gripe was the food, both the quality (just totally unappealing) and the two-tiered system that dragged out meal service way too long.  It limited sleep time on the red eye overseas flight.

Anyway, landing in Oslo was a breeze, as was the transit from the airport to downtown.  Our first glimpse of Norway was breathtaking, farms and mountains beyond.  Once checked into the hotel in Oslo, the sun came out and we set out exploring the waterfront area.  We were staying near city hall, a few blocks from the harbor.  On our first day we wandered along the water for a ways, enjoying the sunshine.  We then took the tram up to Vigeland Park, full of statues representing the different stages of human life.  It was the perfect day to wander among the art, all bright sunshine and blue skies.  As the sun started to dip, we stopped into our second coffee shop of the day for a brief respite and wifi check-in.  Then it was back down to the harbor where we started a self-guided walking tour, in reverse from the tourbook which was always fun.  It got cloudy again as the day wore on, but cheery bright colors of a Sikh festival on Spikersuppa, or the National Mall of Norway, kept the day lively as we took in the sites of the National Theater and Parliament building.  Dinner on night one was Asian, recommended and close to our hotel.  It was quite the place. 

Day two dawned rainy, but with a big buffet breakfast at the hotel.  We took a boat from the harbor behind city hall to the Viking Ship Museum, which was my most-wanted site of the trip.  It was phenomenal- when you walk in you can see the Ostgard ship immediately, rising up above you just past the ticked checkpoint.  I was in awe of the two complete ships there, as well as the ruins and the hall of treasures pulled out of the ship graves that were excavated.  There were images from the excavations as well, showing how the ships were found and removed from the ground.  I was in history geek heaven while there, I must admit. 

After the museum, we learned that it was a special day in Oslo and city passes were free, so we went back to the City Hall to get one.  We saw where they awarded the Nobel Peace prize inside among the beautiful murals of Norwegian history.  We also went to the National Gallery and saw Edvard Munch's The Scream, Norway's most famous painting.  I enjoyed some of the other works there, especially Harald Sohlberg's Winter Night in the Mountains. 

We had lunch in an Egon restaurant and then, as the sun came out, began a walking tour of the Grünerløkka and Grønland neighborhoods, to see the more multicultural side of the city.  Walking along the river yielded pretty waterfalls and there were more coffeeshops, of course.  We ended the tour at the train station to pick up our tickets for the next day, and the Opera House on the water, where you could walk on the roof.  It was very dramatic, especially with the white-bright sun of the late afternoon.  For dinner we took the bus back up to a market, which was closed, so we ended up with Beer and Burgers.  Ah, America abroad.

Day three was our train day.  We left Oslo around 8:30 AM and rode all day to Bergen, on the west coast.  Going over the mountains we rode through a blizzard- you couldn't even see out the windows at times.  I like snow when you don't have to go out in it!  When we got to Voss we had to change to a bus because of construction on the train line.  Then it started to rain.  It was raining when we arrived in Bergen so we took a taxi to the hotel.  Our hotel was gorgeous- worth the little splurge.  We were greeted with opulence and waffles for afternoon snack.  Then, after a quick run to the fort and then back for umbrellas, we  set out on a walking tour of the Bryggen, the old medieval shipping neighborhood on the harbor.  We saw the maze of shops and old fish market.  We wandered the city a little bit, but with the cold and damp it wasn't very pleasant.  There was, however, a gorgeous rainbow that appeared, just in time to cheer us up before heading back to the hotel for dinner.  Mmmm, potato soup and salad.   We may have also run outside in our pajamas to see if we could find the Northern Lights later that night, but no luck there.  Oh well, I'll have to come back. 

The last day in Norway was our most dramatic.  Using the "Norway in a Nutshell" route, we traveled back to Voss by train.  It was still sort of rainy in the morning but the skies were clearing to bright sunshine by the time we got to Voss.  There we boarded a bus to Gundvagen, a little tourist transit stop at the end of the Nærøyfjord.   We had ice cream for lunch, did some shopping, then boarded the boat for the journey along the fjord.  It was breathtaking.  The sun was behind us so we got some beautiful pictures.  The fresh coat of snow made everything glisten.  I don't know that I can put into words how beautiful the fjords were.  Even pictures don't seem to capture it fully.  You need the crisp cold air on your cheeks, the warmth of a sunbeam breaking through clouds, the rush of water tumbling down from a glacier to fully get it.

The boat ended at Flåm, where we had two hours to grab some food and see the little train museum before riding back up the mountain towards the main train line back to Oslo.  The trip was about an hour and had beautiful views of the valley and a frozen waterfall.  Once back on the main train, we settled in for a five hour ride to Oslo.  There was no blizzard this time so we could see the towns completed buried at the top of the mountain.  Once we got back down below the tree line the snow disappeared into beautiful scenery of rivers, pine and birch forests, and eventual city lights.  We got into Oslo around 11 PM and wandered back to the hotel to check back in and repack for the trip home.

It was a whirlwind sampling but a wonderful taste of Norway in just four days.  I hope to return to see the northern parts of the country someday (oh, those Northern Lights elude me!).  

At the harbor, Oslo

Vigeland Park, Oslo

Viking Ship Museum, my favorite part of the trip, Oslo

City Hall.  I'll be back for my Nobel Prize later on!

Opera House, Oslo

Blizzard in the Mountains, Norway

Bryggen, Bergen

Rainbow over Bergen

Fjord cruise, Norway

Fjord Cruise, Norway

Snowy mountains near Myrdal, Norway

Paris

I've been putting off finishing my summer trip posts with info about my week in Paris, and then it all exploded.  Literally.  With everything going on in the last 24 hours, I can't help but think about walking those same streets just three months ago.  

I first went to Paris when I was 20, on my first trip abroad.  It was my first time in a country where I couldn't speak the language (6 months of 7th grade introductory French does NOT count!), my first time in Europe, and my first time winning something inside a candy-bar wrapper. I never got to use those free movie tickets, but I did develop a love for travel that stays with me today.  It was rainy, cold, lonely, and I spent $50 on Metro tickets trying to figure out the machines in French.  I still have some of the francs in my box-o-coins. Here, have a throwback photo:

My mother was the one who wanted to see Paris, and she and my dad were supposed to visit at the end of my Italy trip and fly to Paris on the way home.  Three days before I left my mom had a freak accident that involved surgery and long recovery, so they couldn't come.  I debated quite a while about whether to go at all, and in the end basically peer pressured a friend into buying at trans-Atlantic plane ticket to join me.  

Paris the second time around was nothing like I remembered.  It might be easy to chalk it up to more English or being more familiar in foreign countries but it was more.  Paris was friendly, a happy city.  It was cosmopolitan- you saw wondering American tourists standing beside Middle Eastern men with multiple wives at crosswalks.  There were so many languages, with an undercurrent of French that was somehow more understandable this time around.  Though remembering to speak it was tough- we did a lot of "Si.  OUI!  Damnit, not again!"

So what do you do in Paris for a week?  You walk.  You wander through neighborhoods pausing to take photos where famous artists lived.  You eat delicious desserts and drink a lot of chilled wine on summer evenings.  You take photos of art, of statues, of food, of yourself at awkward angles.  You climb stairs to see pretty views, and then marvel how BIG this city is.  You gawk at weird modern buildings so close to lovely historical architecture.  

You watch the people and try to absorb their style.  You try all of the samples at the many L'Occitane stores.  You pose like statues in the museums and wonder if anyone will notice if you touch that piece of marble someone carved thousands of years ago.  Was it their job or their passion?  Did they bring their family to see the finished work and burst with pride?  Was this even their best work, or has that long been destroyed?  You fight crowds at museums to see the Mona Lisa and Degas' dancers, and then you stand in the strangely crowdless Orangerie surrounded by waterlilies.  You hit 30,000 steps and still go to late hours at Louvre because you can.  

You spend a lot of time underground, laughing at the posters for Euro-Disney and that picture from the middle-of-nowhere South America you went five years ago in the Argentine stop.   You get really mad that the line you really need to be on is down for construction and spend over an hour trying to get to Versailles.

You suffer through the crowds at Versailles and declare, once again, that some of these sites need more limited access.  You swear to never go again, because you can't imagine living in luxury in that disaster of tourism.

You eat steak frittes with pepper sauce and wonder why it never tastes that good at home.  You eat crepes out of paper cones that drip sugar and Nutella all over your hands and hope people don't judge you as you lick them off.  You buy umbrellas because it looks like rain but never get very wet.  You make faces at gargoyles and try to read stories in stained glass.  You wonder how much has changed since Picasso and Hemingway were here, and what they'd think of the changes.  

Paris was a pleasure this August.  It was supposed to be mom's trip but it turned into my own, and I'd go back in a heartbeat, not just for the croissants but for the sophisticated, fun, worldly environment I found there.  So my heart goes out to the city tonight as I write this, because it gave me so much this summer.  

I hope one day I can return the favor.  

October's Journey: Rhinebeck

One of my non-traveling hobbies is crocheting.  I make a mean star-shaped baby blanket, as all of my procreating friends have learned.  That said, I stick to basic patterns and am by no means a skilled fiber-worker.  Still, it's fun to hang with the cool kids, the ones who can make actual clothing and beautifully knit accessories. 

That led to a pilgrimage to the Mecca of all things yarn: the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY.  The event takes place at the height of foliage season and combines the best of a state fair with a really beautiful craft fair.  Great food, great crafts, and a wonderful good time with friends.  I limited my purchase to about $100 but I could have spent so much more!  Oh, and those pretzels- YUM.

We also go to explore the town a little which led to an eclectic dinner and a lovely morning at the farmer's market.  It even snowed, the first of the season!  Rhinebeck ended up being a great little getaway with all the best of fall- cider, leaves, warm clothes, and good friends.

Mmmmm,food

My haul

Florence Finds

Now that I've returned, these were a few of my favorite things while in Florence for a month:

Gelato:

Il Procopio: 

 Via Pietrapiana 60

Smooth and creamy with some creative mixed flavors.  Worth the walk!

Gelateria di Neri:

Via dei Neri 9/11, Between Uffizi and Santa Croce

My favorite in the city.  Everything is amazing- try a peach/raspberry combination, chocolate and caramel, or anything else really.

Gelateria Mordilatte:

Via dei Servi, 10/R

Close to the dome and not open late, but delicious! 

Restaurants:

Trattoria Benvenuto

Via della Mosca, 16

Great food, not busy.  Near the river

Trattoria 4 Leone

Via de' Vellutini, 1r (Oltrano)

The best meal of my life.  Get the fiochetti di pera.  Make a reservation.  It’s worth the hassle.  I have flown across oceans for this dish.

All’Antico Ristoro di Cambi

Via S.Onofrio, 1R (Oltrano)

Go here for meat!  The filet is heavenly, I couldn’t manage full Bistecca Fiorentina but other tables had it and it looked great. 

Pane e Toscana

Borgo degli Albizi 31

Great, great sandwiches.  No long line of tourists, just locals looking for a cheap lunch.   Their bread is to die for.  Skip the “famous” sandwich place by the river and come here instead. 

·         Best view: Piazzale Michelangelo at Sunset

·         Best hidden art gem: Mondays you can go into Orsanmichele.  Good art, great views from top floor

·         Best entertainment: Sunset on the Ponte Vecchio.

·         Best cost saver: Free water.  Fountains at Palazzo Vecchio, San Lorenzo, Ponte Vecchio, Across from Uffizi back exit, North side of Duomo, Piazza San Marco.  Refill your water bottle.

·         Best crowd-beater: Bargello Museum.  Famous stuff with few people

·         Best shopping: San Lorenzo markets (leather) and Mercato Centrale (food souvenirs)

·         Best way to see Uffizi: Go on the night it’s open late.  NO TOUR GROUPS

·         Best people watching: Sitting at the Loggia de Lanzi before dinner. 

·         Best way to buy wine: Conad City grocery stores. 

Prato

My students write research papers on Renaissance artists, so I spend a good part of my year immersed in the world of da Vinci, Botticelli, and Titian. It's wonderful and has left me with a list of works to track down around Italy.  It inspired trips to some out of the way churches and museums, and even side trips.

Prato was one of those.  Filippo Lippi is one of my favorite artists from the time period.  He was Botticelli's teacher, and has this beautiful softness to his work.  I love how he used the faces of his family in his art and how he managed to show translucent veils with only egg and tint.

Some of his last works are in Prato, about 20 minutes by train from Florence.  I rode out mid-morning, definitely not on the tourist trail that day.  When I got there, it was easy to find the main cathedral with a little help from Google Maps and GPS.  God bless technology.

The square was simple but pretty, not too hot yet on a cloudy morning.  The church has an external pulpit by Donatello but it was under construction.  You couldn't take pictures inside.  It was a simple nave with a center aisle and one large chapel that held the Holy Girdle, the city's famed relic.  Relics sort of freak me out so I moved quickly to the front of the church where you could pay 3 Euro to see the frescoes behind the altar up close.  There was an older man selling the tickets and he quickly became my favorite person in all of Italy.

My Italian is limited, but I can manage to order tickets.  But when he offered pamphlets, I reluctantly asked for English.  He was shocked- an English speaker, here, in his tiny town?  I brokenly told him that I liked Lippi and wanted to see the art.  It was the magic phrase.  Suddenly he was out of his chair, turning on lights, talking and gesturing about the works- there were frescoes by Uccello too.  I only understood a fraction of what he was saying but I knew: we were kindred Renaissance junkies, in love with the ethereal images lovingly created by long dead masters. 

I thought about sneaking pictures as I wandered behind the altar.  No one could see me.  But I didn't- something told me this was a place that needed to be a memory, not a photo.  I had the brochure to remember it by.

I stayed longer than needed and fondly bid farewell to my Pratonian guide at the door.  The day was quiet so I began to wander.  Turns out that the town boasts a pretty castle and a lot of churches.  Pretty soon the smell of cookies baking lured me downtown to a cantucci bakery and some delicious almond flavored souvenirs.

I was back in Florence by lunch time having thoroughly enjoyed my trip to "real" Italy.  As I exited the train in Santa Maria Novella, into the throng of tourists and backpackers, I couldn't help but wonder if more time in Prato would have been worthwhile.

Fresco Cycle at Prato.  Web Gallery of Art.  25 Sep 2015.  http://www.wga.hu/art/l/lippi/filippo/1450pr/00view0.jpg

 Not my photo, obviously.  Below are mine though:

Exterior of the Cathedral

Piazza in front of the Cathedral

Prato Castle.  Love this picture

Another church in town

This kid was SO EXCITED his father let him play in the fountain!