The Real Confession

Munchen is definitely not my favorite city. It does provide a good base for visiting Augsburg--or so sayeth the guidebook. I have to say though that when I arrived in Augsburg and started walking around I noticed a couple of hostels which would have been just fine. Once again the guidebook fails to guide me. The train ride gave me a lovely view of the countryside with small towns along the rail line and rolling green hills dotted with pines and white birch trees. Something you don't see much of in PA. The town itself feels similar to the ones I loved in Provence (Aix-en and Avignon). Modern parts mesh with areas preserved from long ago centuries filled with charm. There were two main places I wanted to visit in town for certain: St. Anna Church where Luther hung out and the Fuggerei a housing unit for poor Catholics.

Finding the tourist office was a bit of a challenge. Usually they put them near the train station so you don't have to look too far. This one was in the center of the old town. Good thing I did some map research online before coming! It's always easier to move around these towns (even the small ones) with a map. I started my explorations at the Catholic Dom just up the hill from the old part of town. But first I must tell you about the best thing I've bought since I've been here. On my way down the street I ran across a E1 shop which had a rack of socks displayed outside. They happened to be short sport socks and looked to be about my size. Since S France it's been rather warm here--often in the mid to upper 60sF. The socks looked just right. I opted for 2 pairs and continued down the street. When I reached the Dom plaza I stopped to eat lunch. I thought I'd try out my new socks to see if they fit since my knee high wool ones were making me rather toasty. Oh my gosh! It was like starting the day all over again. A new pair of fresh socks can turn your entire day around. To this I can attest. Now back to the church... Like most massive cathedrals it has all sorts of side chapels and stained glass. My favorite part about this one was a small quiet space half a floor down in what I assume was (still is?) probably the crypt. It's always a treat to find these quiet spaces when you stay in busy, noisy cities.

From here I headed to the Fuggerei which is a series of housing units built in the 1700s or 1800s for poor Catholics by philanthropist Jacob Fuggerei. Rent was either the equivalent of E.80 for a month or a year. Either way, still a deal. During WWII the units were badly damaged when Augsburg was bombed, but rebuilding went underway as soon as it was safe from war threats. In the old bomb shelter they have a display about how the war affected the local people and specifically the housing unit. I got some good background on the war which put a few more historical puzzle pieces together in my mind. The other cool part of this place was the model units they had on display. One is furnished to today's standards and one like it would have looked when first built. The units are equivalent to the space of a nice two bedroom apartment in the US. I wish I could afford a place that nice. Not that I want to become a poor German Catholic. Some of the original trademarks are still in use such as the unique door bell ringers for each place. By feeling each of the distinct handles you could find your way back to your house after dark. Now, of course, they have modern lighting. The most impressive fact about these housing units is that they are still being used today. What a gift for people in need of help to have the opportunity to stay in a decent place for an affordable rate to give you a chance to work toward a better living situation.

St. Anna Church was next on the list. The building was rather empty and unclear about where you could visit. Apparently it's common for Germans to keep doors closed and while it's perfectly fine for you to check them out, you must take the initiative to explore said rooms by trying the door handle to see if it's locked or not. I found a few locked doors and a few open ones. Like most European places there's scaffolding all over the towns. St. Anna had it inside where their famous chapel was being restored. I was more interested in the Luther display upstairs so I breezed through the main sanctuary and headed up a long flight of old wooden stairs. All of the information was in German, but I know the Luther story right? Hopefully there was no new info. The best part was the original bibles and books Luther and his cohort used. I think I even saw an authentic copy of the Augsburg Confessions. Some of them are enormous--like 10" high when closed. I have to say I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have a bit more to look at. Maybe if I could read German I'd have been satisfied by their posted boards. While walking around trying to decide what else to do in town, I spotted an ice cream cafe. Being so sunny I couldn't pass up a yummy, cool treat. I sampled coco-choconut and something fruity I can't remember now. I know it all tasted delicious and hit the spot. It even came with a gummy bear on top!

My map suggested St. Ulrich and Afra would also be an interesting place to visit. A short 500km down the road was a small Protestant church "glued" to a large Catholic church. A sign out front seemed to indicate both were closed and the Catholic one was under significant reconstruction. Since it was around 4pm I thought I would wander the shops a bit and scout out a good place for dinner before taking the train back to Munchen. Like many of the smaller towns I've visited so far, amidst the old part of town is a large pedestrian shopping area. Thanks to Italy the pedestrian sign is branded in my brain as Zona Pedonale no matter what language is on the sign. I walked through a few clothing stores (yes, I got my H&M fix just like almost every other town I've been in) and cased the main streets before deciding to head toward the area where one of the restaurants was from my guidebook. I expected it to be on more of a side street, but there were quite a few nice non-commercialized shops down there as well. The menu for the restaurant seemed to promise food I would like so I grabbed a seat outside. The waitresses wore more traditional style German clothing with the flowing skirted dresses and aprons. I felt bad for the younger girl who had on this blue gingham get up. It gave the "I feel like I'm wearing a clown costume" vibe, but she wore it happily and had enough spunk to pull off the outfit. It's hard to remember the exact name of the meal, but I think it was something like Rauschauerbraten. Visually translated this meant perfectly tender beef roast slices in brown gravy with a bread ball dumpling and red spiced sauerkraut. I sampled a brown lager which was quite good and complimented the beef nicely. The sauerkraut was by far the newest item. It literally was red cabbage sauerkraut with a hint of what I'll take a stab at saying was perhaps cloves and cinnamon. It gave a lightly sweet spiced cider flavor to the sauerkraut. I was sad to leave the lovely town of Augsburg.

Eau D'Cologne

Taking the metro to the train station was easy enough and there was plenty of space on the
train. It was easy to tell I was headed out of France as the scenery changed from relatively
flat or slight hills with grass and sparse deciduous (leafy) trees to more pronounced foothills and wooded areas with conifers (pines) amongst the deciduous. I slept for part of the trip and relaxed. The hostel was delightfully easy to find. Armed with a map and only one night to enjoy the town, I headed out walking toward the main part of town. I could have taken the metro, but this was my one chance to see the above ground area. Somehow at one of the major intersections I faded too far to the left when I should have turned right. Not unimaginable since the intersection comprised 3 main 4 lane roads and a plaza. Plazas are sure fire ways to get lost in Europe. Street names are never marked in plazas, only the name of the plaza. Since I thought I was heading the right direction, it wasn't until 20 minutes later I found a street name on the map and realized I had made a semi-circle instead of a straight line. I corrected the error and made my way through the very unorganized and winding streets.

The museum I was trying to locate was called Kolumba. I had it in mind that this was a place
showcasing artfully designed practical and functional pieces. Clearly I was wrong. This was
actually a museum built around an old church that the relative of a former priest (who had
served there) had excavated to preserve. Upstairs there were some modern art displays. Definitely not what I was expecting and it gave me a taste for German art displays. They prize minimalism here. Some rooms only had one piece in them.
[This was all of the front I could fit in the picture. It's huge!]
From here I headed to the Dom (cathedral) near the hauptbanhof (train station) for which is
what Cologne is famed. The massive church has been blackened from weather and looms over the
rest of the city. Since I would be walking all evening and tomorrow, I passed on climbing the
one spire. Plus I'm not a huge fan of city skylines. [This the the chest purported to hold the remains of the 3 magi.] The inside is enormous with stained glass all over the place. Much like Notre Dame, though a bit quieter and more respectful, the place was filled with groups and people swarming all over.
I left here and walked along the Rhine River passing through the older/touristy part of town. It was starting to get close to dinner time and I hadn't found a restaurant I particularly liked. The lady at the hostel suggested there were lots of places to eat by the hostel so I headed back. On the way there I came across an organic market and had to go inside. I knew the hostel had a big kitchen and I was in the mood to cook. I picked out some zucchini, potatoes, onion and 2 bratwurst thuringen. With a little bit of salt/pepper, garlic and olive oil it turned into a tasty meal. Even in limiting myself to how much food I bought (always a problem), I still had two large bowlfuls. No going hungry today!

An American In Paris

This morning I realized that I was missing a plastic bag of things. It finally dawned on me that I had left it on the upper rack in the train yesterday. My beloved blue scarf is gone along with a tin of cookies, some maps from the last few trips to Aix-en-Provence and Avignon, and another scarf I had just bought the day before. I am quite angry about this. [Still angry on the 21st as I write this.]

Today I met up with my friend Manuel who lives here in Paris. We met in Archaia Corinthos, Greece which seems like ages ago. I'm glad I have this blog or I wouldn't remember much of what I have seen and done. I wasn't sure how much time Manuel had to spend with me and thought we might just plan out an itinerary over coffee. He kindly served as my tour guide for the day as we walked around Central Paris. Our walk started on the E end crossing the River Seine and following it until we were at Notre Dame Cathedral. This globally recognized church was filled with people walking through the outer circuit of the interior (the area roped off for tourists to pass through). It was quite noisy despite the Silence signs as everyone talked in their own language to their people about what they were seeing. Amidst camera flashes and the clank of coins being dropped into the medallion machines (yes, you can purchase your own Notre Dame coin from vending machines throughout the church), the atmosphere--if there ever is one--was nonexistent. The Gothic style did nothing for me. The stained glass was not pretty. The walls/ceiling were composed of stone block which made the entire place look like the metro of Paris--i.e. tacky and dingy. Compared to Sacre Cour in Montmarte, Notre Dame is a hollow building for the commercialism of religious goods. I was not positively swayed or moved.

Further down the river we walked into the Louvre and grabbed some information on times and prices. There are three buildings of fun waiting for me to discover! We took a stroll through the Jardin des Tuileries next to the Louvre which is really more of a sandy, deserty like park with trees in it. Not overly pretty and very bright from the white dirt/rocks on the pathways. We walked past the Obelisque and crossed the river again and passed the Assemblee Nationale building (their legislative/political building). We wandered through the St. Germain area looking for a another church which we eventually found. It's very similar in architecture to Notre Dame with high arches and stained glass windows, but very quiet as no tourists really come here. We walked back W to the Hotel des Invalides which is now a military building. I wasn't too interested in seeing the military history museum through the revolution up to Napoleon so we took a bus to the Jardin du Luxumbourg where we strolled around though a park that at least had grass in it. Most of our walking had been relatively quiet for the international metropolis of Paris. Most Parisians seemed to be on vacation (similar to spring break) or in the parks as we noted in Jardin du Luxumbourg. The place was packed! we stopped for some coffee and then wandered through the Quartier Latin where there are some lovely traditional French shops and markets. A guy was playing a crankable music box cart with paper cut out music while singing. Cheese, fruit, fish and vegetable stores tempted us with their delicious looking foods. Manuel picked out a tub of strawberries that are presently in season and we feasted on them. My Mom would have been jealous for how fresh and sweet they were.
[Paris skyline at night from Sacre Cour--apparently I didn't understand the slow exposure time. Still a cool photo though.]
We hopped on the metro and went to meet up with one of Manuel's good friends as they were growing up and his wife. We had drinks and appetizers at Le Rhumerie. I had a tasty fruit juice drink of pineapple, orange, banana and coconut juices. We snacked on some fried fish balls, something similar to bruschetta and what I think was a blood sausage with spices. All quite yummy. From here we parted ways with Manuel's friends and found a traditional Bretangne restaurant (region of France) where we had egg, ham and tomato crepes with apple cider wine. I was incredibly stuffed by this point. No dessert for me or I would have exploded! We headed up to Montmarte by metro to see if we could find a jazz club, but everything seemed pretty quiet up there. I was wiped out from all the walking and eating, so we headed home for the night. We planned to meet up tomorrow to head to Versailles.

Amelie, Montmarte

Much like my trip to Avignon, the train strike was still in effect which meant I only had to find a train going my direction and see if I had to pay once I got on. I met a girl while checking out of the hostel who was trying to get back to London, but her flight was canceled due to the ash from the volcano in Iceland. She was trying to take trains from Marseille to Paris to London, but didn't understand about the buying a ticket piece. We ended up walking to the train station together and sitting across from each other on the train. She didn't talk much and we both ended up napping on our way to Paris. Once I'm on the train I get in the mode to find my place and figure out transit.

Finding the metro at the Gare de Lyon station was quite confusing. The map of the station shows where it is, but the orientation of the map is not easy to understand. I finally found the connection for line 1, bought a ticket and dragged my bag up and down stairs to get to the platform. What no one tells you about the Paris metro is that the connections to different lines require quite a bit of walking. Sometimes this involves stairs. Fortunately I hadn't done much today, so I had the energy to move my things around. The change to line 5 was pretty easy and finding my stop was simple. Finding the turn for the street of the hostel was somewhat more difficult. It was either not marked or listed under a different name: both very common problems in Europe. When I spotted the next metro stop I knew I had gone too far. Fortunately there are maps of the metro at almost every stop so I was able to navigate my way back relatively easily and checked in. I noticed on the welcome map that there was a tour of Montmarte at 6pm. It sounded like an easy way to see some of the city and check off something on my list of things to see.

The tour was excellent. We started outside the Moulin Rouge (red windmill) and heard the stories of how this poor part of town bred artists as well as seedy characters in the red light district. We walked all over Montmarte [Martyr Hill--where Christians were taken to be executed in Catholic France during the revolutions] (which is quite lovely by evening stroll) and our guide Ann Marie from Ireland was chipper and made the stories quite interesting. I learned about Van Gogh's distraught and challenging life when we passed the place where he used to live. We saw the Au Lapin Agile where Picasso challenged the owner to feed him in return for artwork which later turned the owner into a millionaire. The buildings and apartments are quaint and places you can only dream of living unless you have say E500,000 you just want to toss at a small European apartment. Sacre Cour Cathedral was by far one of the best stops we made. The views of Paris are excellent (including the Eiffel Tower) and the church is gorgeous. Made out of travertine stone, the building is self-cleaning (like the free public toilets on the street :) ) when the rain naturally whitens the stone. We wound our way down the hill through Place du Terte where local artists vie for a lifelong seat in the square doing portraits. We also stopped at a few of the places where the movie Amelie was filmed including the cafe and the market. The director spent 18 months going each day to the cafe to ask the owner if he could close the cafe for 4 months in the high tourist season to film. He's glad he consented now! Business has never been better.

After such a busy day I opted to eat at the hostel where I had a large plate of lasagna bolognese style filled with beef, green/red peppers, cheese and onion. Tomorrow I meet up with my friend Manuel to discover more of Paris, so a good night's sleep is in order.

The Best of The Best

If Aix-en-Provence was charming and relaxing, Avignon was a close tie for history and depth of sights. What Avignon is most famed for is being the double see (or seat) of the papacy in the 1300-1400s. Conflict raged in the Roman Empire and the pope at the time (Clement something) decided to re-situate the papacy in Avignon where it was not only safer and calm, but also a very central location in the heart of Catholic France, Spain and Italy. Benedict XII began building an enormous palace which was later added to (doubled in size) by Clement # (some other number) creating the vast Palais des Papes.

Getting to Avignon is easiest by train. Busses are possible, but a bit more challenging. Since the train station is right outside the hostel, I checked it out first. Turns out no tickets are on sale during the strike. The protocol is to go to the train, get on, find the manager and buy a ticket on board. The train the woman at the desk suggested was one that headed to Paris (good news for future travel to know trains are still regularly going to Paris). I hopped on and there was no one around from whom I could purchase a ticket. Unlike Italy, they don't come through the train to check and punch your tickets. This was quite nice as it was about E20 one way to Avignon.

I began by following some of the walking trails around town to see the area and locate a place for lunch. My morning exercise used up enough energy to make me hungry, so I grabbed a pair of croissants. I branched off one of the roads to find a place my guidebook suggested and when I arrived at #4 Rue de Amphoroux all I found was what looked like someone's house. Sometimes this book is 50/50 on its suggestions. I thought I knew which road I was on, but the map I had named only the main roads. Turns out I was on a different street, but soon fixed my mistake. I saw some more of the city since the museum I wanted to see wasn't open until 12pm. I knew it would be a short trip through so I walked some more up in the N part of town. [Right outside the cafe] Hunger got the best of me so I opted to find my second lunch choice Numero 75, a cafe in the house where abysinth was discovered. On my way to one of the main streets near where I had been searching for the other lunch spot, I somehow missed the turn I needed. When I started to see the walled parts of the city again, I knew I had gone too far. Fortunately when I turned I was on the only road that would lead me through this university part of town. Finally I arrived at the cafe. It was definitely worth it! It's been hard to find veggies that aren't too expensive in restaurants or a place to clean/cook them at a hostel. My French is so vast that I thought I ordered some kind of fillet and asparagus with it--something off the menu of the day. It turns out I got grilled asparagus with a pea/onion souffle. I was actually pretty excited for all the veggies and it tasted so delicious. There was even a mustard green salad with sesame seeds and a sesame oil vinaigrette. The bread was really fresh and something of a 1/2 white 1/2 wheat combination.

The Musee Angladon was a small place in a former house filled with great furniture (from the 18-19th centuries??) and impressionist works by Cezanne, Monet, Degas and the only Van Gogh piece in Provence. It was nice to see some furnished rooms for a change. Most of the museums are rather drab and boring apart from the artwork. From here I wandered up the main streets to see the central part of town where I ran into an H&M. For those unfamiliar, I discovered this store in the Twin Cities with its European fashions. It's where I got my blue scarf with the flowery pastel design. They were having a sale and I picked out a button up plaid shirt to expand my travel wear a bit and a yellow scarf with pink and orange flowers on it for a whopping E15. Not bad.

When I realized it was getting late into the afternoon to see all that I had left on my list, I hopped on a bus to see the Tour Philippe-le-Bel and wander the small town of Villeneuve-les-Avignon just across the Rhone River. My map mentioned an abbey that had beautiful gardens, so I started there. Turns out it was gorgeous! There were only 4 other people inside and the peaceful walk was quite lovely. Views of Avignon were excellent. I walked the purple trail through the old part of town and came across a monastery that I was debating on whether to traverse. I'm glad I did because I was able to wander a Carthusian monastery in peace and discovered the various rooms along the way. The guide map is pretty straightforward, so when I found a few staircases without ropes I decided to venture up. There were rooms set up as the monks would have used them with their small bunk bed, writing table and prayer spot. Downstairs was an herb garden, kitchen, fireplace and wood chopping station. Definitely glad I stopped here instead of the other church in town.

It was close to 5pm and with the last entrance to the Palias des Papes at 6pm, I needed to hurry back or miss one of the great sights of the city. I arrived at 5:30pm and was able to fully enjoy the audio guided tour. Built out of huge, white blocks of stone, most of the rooms inside were painted extravagantly though it's no longer on the walls. From what I heard, the place was quite richly furnished and so were the popes. Their vestments were expensive and their treasuries were equally filled with gold, jewels and the like. Secret rooms below the floor served as vaults for their valuables. Both halves of the palace were 4 stories high including the ground floor. Some of the towers for cooking were even taller. The guide listed off the food at one of the pope's coronations and it went on for a good minute about the abundance of food needed to properly celebrate this event with the town. I don't remember exact figures, but I think 20,000 chickens is not out of the ballpark. This along with lambs, bread, eggs, vegetables, potatoes and more!

After a long day I needed to head home and train was the only quick option. With the strike, I wasn't sure if the usual schedule would apply, so it was a bit risky. A train was supposed to come through at 8pm so I took the bus back to the station and checked to see what was available. Apparently there was a train from Paris stopping here at 7:30pm. Same rules: get on the train, find the manager and buy a ticket. I thought I would at least ask about a ticket this time and see if they were going to sell them. When I asked the manager about getting a ticket, he said something in French that seemed to imply he would take care of it after the train started moving or that it wasn't important and to just grab a seat. I sat down upstairs and figured if he really wanted to charge me he could easily find me. He passed by a couple times and never said anything, so another free ride on the train.

By the time I got back a walk to a restaurant would have worn me out. I headed to the market and picked up some chicken, onion, bread, cheese, wine and yogurt. With my olive oil and garlic, the chicken was quite tasty. Some more olive oil and salt for the bread along with the herbed cheese was also good. Now the only question was what to do for tomorrow's itinerary?

Chateaus and Baskets

[Large fish market at the port]
I actually slept in a bit today--and there was much rejoicing (yea!). Despite the creaky wood beds (they look nice, but I have discerned that all bunk beds squeak and shake no matter the material) and the two French speaking guys who woke up in the middle of the night to an alarm, left the room, came back a while later (I fell back asleep), and proceeded to talk for quite some time until I said something about trying to sleep I managed to sleep quite well. I was off and walking by 9:30am to tour the town and take in the few highlights.

My day began with a ferry to Chateau D'If which you will recognize from Alexandre Dumas' book The Count of Monte Cristo. A whopping 3.5km from the port, the island is a small rocky plateau off the shore. Just NW there are 2-3 more islands (Frioul is one). The views of the town were excellent and put the area into perspective. The dual forts guarding the port are visible amongst the few tall, modern office buildings to the N and the Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde high on a hill to the S. The island is covered with random grasses, clovers and small ground coverings amidst the smooth, pale white rock. The fort has three round towers and a central courtyard. It was strategically built in the early 1500s to protect the town from sieges after Charles V overran the town. Dubbed the "unsightly neighbor," the townspeople lamented the fort as an image of imperial power. Marseille retained rights to their own protection when they were annexed to France in 1481. Four floors of old cells and empty rooms comprise the Chateau. Some were no more than 4 walls and some were more like apartments with fireplaces and areas to cook. My info pamphlet said that some families would have their sons sent here by letters of state which bypassed a trial and committed them to the island until further notice. A few rented the apartments out and had reasonable stays. Others who were less fortunate prisoners (some were traitors, many were protestants and friars--thanks to Catholic France back in the day) ended up in spartan cells with miserable ends. It was a fun tour and entertaining owing to my love of the novel which made the Chateau truly famous.

[Seagull nest]
From here I spotted a place for lunch, but had an hour before they started serving the menu option I wanted. I hiked up the hill to the Basilique. It's quite a ways up! The board at the church noted it at an altitude of 147m though I didn't catch how high the actual town is. Inside the ceiling is gilded with beautiful, shiny mosaics depicting biblical stories and has a lovely glow to it. It might have helped the feeling of warmth that there were candles burning and I was inside out of the wind and rain.

Back at the restaurant I endeavored to order using as much French as possible. It's a bit easier when you read it right off the menu. I chose the Le Trio which was a starter (Le Turrine de Legumes Provencal), a main dish (Boulliabasse et Roche) and dessert (La Suggestion du Chef) for E17. I thought I had chosen a red wine, but it turned out to be white though I think that was a better choice in the end. In a short time the waiter said the starter I chose wasn't available so I opted for the Soupe du Poisson (fish soup) which a guy at the last hostel said I should definitely try. It turned out to be quite yummy. The dark broth had bits of spice and fish remnants (more like the dark brown bits between the meat and the skin) floating amongst it. What I didn't know was that the Boulliabasse was basically fish soup with fish and potatoes in it. So my second course was almost identical to the first. Oh well. The dessert, however, was fabulous. The waiter didn't remember that I chose the chef's choice, so I ended up selecting the chocolate cake. Wow was that delicious! In layers were yellow cake and chocolate truffle like substance. On top a bitter chocolate sauce and slivered almonds. It was a large slice too--probably 6" long and 4" high. I was definitely moving slow after this meal.

Two things were left on my to do list for the day: check out the Marseille history museum and wander the Le Panier Quarter again hoping the shops would be open. Turns out the history museum is closed for the next month or until the end of the month. Le Panier was somewhat of a bust as well. Apparently Sunday and Monday are days off for much of the town. I did manage to come across a biscuit shop that smelled heavenly where I picked up 200g (about 7.1 oz.) of biscuits for after dinner snacks. I found 3 of the other shops on my map, but they were all closed. By the time I had wandered for about an hour I was in great need of a bathroom and rather tired. Time for a nap at the hostel. The evening was relaxed with working on the blog, eating up my Asian chicken rice mix and chatting with friends. Excited for day trips to start tomorrow!

The Five Villages

I checked out of the hostel in Genova and decided to take the bus all the way to the Brignole Station instead of trying to navigate my way via bus to the Principe Station. Trains to Cinque Terre leave from both stations, so no problem there. The train was mostly empty until we got close to the 5 villages that are situated in Cinque Terre National Park. Even then, there was still plenty of space. Once I arrived in Riomaggiore (the last of the 5 villages counting from the N), I walked through a long tunnel decorated in mosaics with tile and rocks depicting scenes of Cinque Terre to get to the main part of town. From there it was a steep uphill climb to where the hostel was. It was taxing, but could have been worse. The room has 6 beds and isn't too bad. Kitchenette, bathroom, TV and free laundry are all part of this room. Kind of excited to wash some clothes.

The park was set up to preserve the fragile coastline in this part of Italy. I'm not sure why it was endangered or why it's so fragile. Any information I have come across in the town where I am staying has been in Italian. It is beautiful coastline. Jagged rocks with striated patterns stick out along the water where they are pounded by the teal blue sea water. The rocks have multi-colored bands running through them of yellows, greys and blacks. Everywhere you look along the coast are picture perfect views. Two men in thick sweaters and orange-yellow waders pick through their fishing net. Boats of every color line one of the streets down by the water's edge where a string of orange buoys marks the way out into the sea. The houses rise like brightly colored red, orange, yellow, green, peach and cream towers from the rocky hillsides terraced into various levels with staircases, elevators and ramped streets linking them together.

Being such a small town, though the largest of the 5 villages, there is a limited supply of food items available. Two small street shops supply most needs, but bread is hard to come by and I haven't seen any fresh meat--only luncheon meat [which I'm still not ready to eat after the Bologna dinner incident]. For dinner I wanted to make a concerted effort to use up my 500g box of rice that I've carried with me since Firenze as I have been without cooking facilities. The famed dish of the area is pasta and pesto. I thought "Why not try rice and pesto? I can call it Italian Rice when I open up my cafe someday." Having learned in Firenze that I need to limit how much I buy so I can actually eat it in the days allotted, I chose some pesto, a small red pepper and two tiny zucchinis to garnish my rice. With some olive oil and garlic it all turned out pretty good for not having spices and in about an hour. The only improvement I would make is to add a bit of salt and pepper. Surprisingly the pesto added a great flavor with the sweetness of the pepper.

Not wanting to spend the entire evening indoors, I went for a walk after dinner thinking I might get some gelato if the shop was still open. I discovered that a coop shop across the street was miraculously open. Both branches 1 and 2 were closed this afternoon. I wandered in hoping to find some bread for breakfast and walked out with raisin loaded focaccia, peach juice boxes and some crunchy, lightly sugared cookies. I walked to a nearby bench and opened the cookies right away. The cookies really hit the spot. Just enough sweetness and lots of crunch. Yum. I also located two churches I could check out tomorrow for Pascqua (Easter). Originally I think I had intended to be in a larger town to see the pageantry of Pascqua in Italy or France, but I think a small resort town celebration will be equally interesting.

Fill Up My Senses

Travel goal for the day: make it to at least 1-2 of the islands surrounding Venezia.
I got a much later start than planned, but still had plenty of time to hit a couple islands. My first stop was to the post office to send out postcards as this was on the way to the box stop for the water bus. When I finally found the street it was on and walked in, I realized I didn't have addresses for two of the cards. Rather than wait in line I opted to head for the island of Murano and deal with the postcards later.

Murano is the famed island where Venetian glass has its roots. All over Venice you can find shops in abundance with glass trinkets in their windows. Anything from glass bow-tie candy to ash trays to necklaces to abstract shapes to dinnerware can be found for purchase. I hoped taking a trip to Murano first before purchasing anything would enlighten me about the specialties of the glass and ensure I got authentic pieces. I started at the Glass Museum which was a bit anticlimactic. I had hoped for a bit more of a history lesson, but was only given old glass to look at. Some were exquisite and fascinating to see that glass existed in such intricate and delicate shapes well back into the BC era. The oldest piece I can remember seeing was from 1 AD. From here I started wandering the shops to see if there was anything that fit my taste. I grabbed an eggplant and meat (could have been ham or turkey) panini for lunch part way through my browsing. Most of the pieces for sale are quite large--even for necklaces the average size of the main piece was about 2-3" wide and usually 4-6 pieces total per necklace. Many were quite gaudy too. Nothing I could imagine anyone wearing except in a tourist resort. For example the lady wearing her 3" tall glass butterfly necklace. After walking back and forth about 7 times through the main sales area I finally stopped in to a place with earrings that were appealing thinking I could remove the ear piece and string the glass on a necklace. Eventually the shopkeeper came over and asked if I wanted to try anything on. I explained my predicament and she suggested I browse the loose glass beads and she would then put pendants on them for a necklace. Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that before?? I was able to find 4 artsy pieces that were simple and tasteful for E17. Most of the ugly necklaces I saw were around E20-25 and not even close to what I was looking for.

I only had time to visit one more island before needing to be back for Maundy Thursday mass. I decided to buzz over to Burano (a good 25 minute boat ride away) where venetian Lace has its roots. My interest in lace is nill, but the chance to see another interesting island sounded nice. Unfortunately it started to rain and became quite windy when I arrived. I managed to walk through town, locate the bathroom and discovered the lace museum was closed. Being so cold and icky I stopped in a cafe for a hot chocolate which is literally like drinking liquified chocolate. The frothy, thick, tasty chocolate is like no other I have tried. After I warmed up a bit I went directly back to the water bus stop and headed back to Venezia mainland.
[Old building in the middle of the water on the way back in the rain]
I had about an hour to rest and head over to the church. After a quasi nap I booked a room for my one night stay in Genova before heading to Cinque Terre. I'm glad I got this taken care of, but it also put me behind for walking time to the service. I turned what I thought would be a 20 minute walk into a 10 minute one out of necessity. I arrived just before 7pm. What a neat service. This must have been a bit more traditional parish. They processed in the cross and bible, rang bells at certain times in the service and had a choir of men sing parts of the liturgy in Latin. It's surprising how beautiful sung Latin is when done in a stone/marble building. I also better understand the purpose of vestments--heat. These churches are flippin cold even in moderately temperate weather. It was probably in the high 40s outside and I could see my breath during the service. Bbbrrrr!!! We used a book with the liturgy in it, so I could follow along and participate in Italian. The one downside was that there was actually a sermon and it was all in Italian. I caught a few words, but not enough to understand the main theme.

Quite hungry by now I headed to a new restaurant. I arrived where my guide book said the place should be, but a differently named place was there and it was a bit too pricey for me to want to try. Since my meal my first night in Venezia was so good, I went back. The lady asked if I had a reservation to which I said no (who makes reservations anymore??--not in the US). With an exasperated sigh, she finished serving up a few drinks at the bar and then decided she could find a place for me to eat. It was so worth it! I sampled the grain sausage in balsamic vinegar which apparently comes with a large side of polenta. Had I known this ahead of time I probably wouldn't have ordered the tagliatelli with amaretti biscuits and smoked mozzarella. I'm glad I did though. I was stuffed to the max, but every bite was amazing! That has to be one of the best restaurants ever. There's nothing you can do after a meal like that except plop and sleep.