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Ahhh, Paris!

23 Dec
The City of Light certainly enhances its reputation at Christmas. Unabashedly celebrating the season, the city is bedecked with myriad trees, dangling lights, kitschy windows and shooting stars. Shopping bags and parcels adorn the arms of many as they hurry to prepare for the coming days of merrymaking.
Hardly needs a caption, does it?

Hardly needs a caption, does it?

We took a 3-night stop on our way to London, indulging in a few fine meals and thankfully about 37 kilometers (22 miles) of walking to atone for the excesses. We were also fortunate to meet Portland friends who know Paris well for lunch one day at the elegant and festive Vagenende on Boulevard St. Germain. If you get to Paris and want a romantic splurge, skip the places you find in the tour books and go here. If you want a fine meal in a low-key bistrot, dark and romantic yet casual, the best Boeuf Bourguignon ever is served at La Cave Gourmande in Montmartre. (During our last trip, we had a lot of marginal meals and only a couple of really good ones. This time we had several winners, I am happy to say.)
I am told the after effects of the terrorist events are being felt in some quarters. I understand some of the clubs and fancier places are not very well attended. There are announcements on French TV with actors telling people to join them and go out, as people are apparently staying home in fear. But we saw young people out enjoying the terraces even in the cool weather of December (which for December was not too cold) and the bistrots we ate in were busy, although skewing to the younger market (30-to-40-year-olds). The streets on Saturday were chockablock with shoppers. Security is high and omnipresent.
Publicis drugstore at Étoile, Champs-Élysées. Constantly changing display.
Publicis drugstore at Étoile, Champs-Élysées. Constantly changing display.
Cartier store, Champs-Élysées. Note the “jeweled” tiger overlooking the scene.
Crowds and lights on the Champs-Élysées. See the huge ferris wheel at Place de la Concorde?
The Roue de Paris.
The 7th Arrondissement celebrates its most famous landmark.
Star Wars influence even on the Champs Élysées.
Millenium Falcon model at Galleries La Fayette.
Store windows at Galleries La Fayette had a space/robot theme that played out in a mid-twentieth century style. Sort of “Lost in Space meet the Jetsons.”
Store windows at Galleries La Fayette had a space/robot theme that played out in a mid-twentieth century style. Sort of “Lost in Space meet the Jetsons.”
Store windows at Galleries La Fayette had a space/robot theme that played out in a mid-twentieth century style. Sort of “Lost in Space meet the Jetsons.”
Store windows at Galleries La Fayette had a space/robot theme that played out in a mid-twentieth century style. Sort of “Lost in Space meet the Jetsons.”
Even in Paris, there is kitsch.
More kitsch.
Pere Noel with his donkey cart, giving rides in the Montorgueil area.
On the Blvd. St. Germain, in front of a lovelty chocolate shop.
Beautiful chocolate tree ornaments.
I love Beouf Bourguinon, but this vat of the stuff in a street market made it seem a bit less special.
Many stores had a Christmas tree outside the door rather than talking up preceious indoor space. This one required no decorations.
Christmas tree market, Paris.
Chocolate Moose anyone?
Three nights and two days is not enough to “do” Paris, but as we spent a week there last March, we did not feel we had to cram in a dozen museums. Instead, we took long walks through the city, two escorted Paris Walks tours (fabulous!), and simply soaked up the atmosphere, viewed the lights, and enjoyed the city. We treated ourselves to a nice boutique hotel in the 7th, and from our room could see the top bit of the Eiffel Tower. As we usually stay in apartments or little B&Bs, this we a holiday treat with daily maid service, a lovely breakfast, and top notch service in a convenient neighborhood.
We are now in London, also unusually warm, but buzzing with holiday activity. More to come, but probably after Christmas. So for now, let us wish you a simple but heartfelt Happy Christmas! 

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The wonder of Christmas lights

18 Dec
When we were kids, our parents used to take us out at least once every Christmas season to look at the lights in various neighborhoods of St. Paul, Minnesota. We so looked forward to those drives, wondering if the house on Snelling Avenue had the Santa, sleigh and reindeer up again this year (very special in the late 1950s/early 1960s) and marveling at the “rich people’s” houses where there were so many lights you knew they did not have any concerns about electrical bills. Our house always had a few strings of lights, but somehow the other neighborhoods seemed more exotic.
Ahhh, the Milano Duomo and its magnificent tree!

Ahhh, the Milano Duomo and its magnificent tree!

When my son was small I’d do the same thing with him although eventually these viewings became what he called forced marches through neighborhoods in Omaha and Portland as we took to our feet instead of the car. Ric and I have continued the tradition everywhere we’ve lived and traveled, with fond memories of wandering down Peacock Lane & strolling through the Grotto in Portland. In Italy the private dwellings are not the focus, it is the public lighting.
Wednesday night we traveled through Milano, stopping for one night on our way to Paris, and made a point of taking a Christmas Lights Walk. Subtle, like Roma, nothing really garish, but people were out in droves enjoying a crisp-but-not-cold night, taking the kids to see Santa, shopping, and gawking at the tree in Piazza del Duomo.
Adding to the festiveness, a live orchestra was performing in a building overlooking the Piazza del Duomo. Christmas songs done in a swing style with a proper chanteuse singing in slightly accented English (‘Ave you-self a merrrrry little Chris-mas.…) blared out through open windows and over a magnificent sound system. People were paying rapt attention even though one could not see the musicians. It truly was festive!
Click on any photo for a slide show.
Babbo Natale takes his break at a cafe, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.
The lighting in the dome in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is almost painfully blue.
Swarovski’s tree dominates the center of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.
The mob in the street outside La Rinascente, Milano. There is a nice Christmas market in the streets around the Duomo area.
Figure skater with apple, Piazza del Duomo.
Tree in a bar in Milano. Molto elegante!
Presepe in the window at Dolce and Gabbana, Milano. This is 1/2 of the giant Neapoletan-style creche.
Porta Venezia lights. Origins go back to Roman times, but this sructure is from the 19th century.
Milano has a theme called “Yellow Christmas” near Porta Venezia. Un po’ strano.
Holiday lights in public garden, Milano Porta Venezia.
Children’s Christmas village in Milano near Porta Venezia.
Babbo Natale receives kids in a very low-key style in Milano Christmas Village. Note the parents taking their own photos!
I am looking forward to the French experience in Paris where I understand the lighting is far less subtle.

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Holiday lights in Roma

15 Dec
Tomorrow we head to Paris then on to London for Christmas. I am told by Italian friends that the Christmas lights in Paris are fantastic. I am excited to see them as Roma just is not as sparkly this year as it has been.
The tree in Piazza Venezia is grand, and the one in Piazza San Pietro certainly is grand, although we have not been able to get over there at night yet. (We have until January 6 to do so.)  Many of the lights in Roma are sweet, subdued, befitting Roma’s usual level of lighting, soft and amber. 
I am disappointed that Via del Corso is lacking lights this year. For the past four holiday seasons, lights have been strung from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Venezia. This year — at least as of last Thursday — nothing! I guess that goes along with the scaled-down mercatino in Piazza Navona. We haven’t made it down there since it opened late last week, but it is supposed to be more about games for kids and Christmas decorations and artisanal items, instead of the junky atmosphere of years gone by. That sounds nice because it has been pretty cheesy in the past, though the children loved it.  I hope to get down there at New Years.
So before we skip town, here are a few holiday scenes from Roma. At the bottom of this post, you’ll see four years of lights in Via Del Corso, from 2011-2014. Sad the tradition has not continued.
 Auguri everyone! I’ll write from Paris in a few days.

 

Love the tree juxtaposed against the Colosseo.
More lights in the historical center. Nothing too garish.
Looks like they used the 2012 lights from Via del Corso on this street a couple of blocks away.
Sparkling ball, one of a series hung above one small street.
Giant Menorah in Piazza Barberini.
Umbrellas floating over a street near the French Embassy.
A side street in the historical center.
Tree in Piazza Venezia, nearing completion.
Piazza San Pietro. The tree is large, but dwarfed by the basilica, as is everything in Roma.
Tree in Piazza San Pietro.
Close up of the creche in Piazza San Pietro.
The entire creche at San Pietro is huge.
Pilgrims arriving to go through the Jubilee Door at San Pietro. The Jubilee started along with the Christmas season on Dec, 8.
Tree and nativity in the lobby of our building. Traditionally the portiere puts up a tree.
Nativity scene in the lobby of our apartment building.
Via del Corso 2011, 150th anniversary of the Italian State.

Via del Corso 2011, 150th anniversary of the Italian State.

Via del Corso 2012

Via del Corso 2012

Via del Corso 2013

Via del Corso 2013

Via del Corso 2014

Via del Corso 2014

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Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015!

6 Jan
The last two weeks have been busy what with four – count ’em – four holidays in Italy! December 25 and 26 (Santo Stefano) we spent in Ortisei (see prior posts), then returning from vacation we had two more holidays to enjoy: New Year’s Day and Epifania.  Life is good!
New Year’s Eve we traveled to our favorite trattoria in Roma, Antica Taverna. The owner Paolo and our favorite waiter, Giovanni, took good care of us and we enjoyed a protracted dinner with too many dishes to name them all and a steady supply of good red wine. The dessert was the only item I managed to photograph, a delightful tortino al cioccolato.  It tasted 10 times better then it looks. It was THAT GOOD.  We slipped out before 23:00 in hopes of finding a cab before the whole city descended into chaos. The buses stop running at 21:00 on NYE because they can’t make it through the streets effectively. Can you imagine? Shutting down the buses because there are too many people in the streets? The Metro runs but unfortunately nowhere near our home. We can walk from Antica Taverna to home in 75-90 minutes, but it was really cold (for Roma) and walking did not seem like much fun. What luck! We found a cab at an obscure cabstand near the restaurant! Got home in time to endure 45 minutes of neighborhood revelry.  Some year we need to be brave and go down to the party in via Fori Imperiali and see the fireworks over the Colosseo. Some year.
This weekend was the start of the winter saldi (sales). We had a couple of purchases in mind and headed out into a bright if chilly Sunday along with THOUSANDS of people making their way to our destination, a major shopping street near the Vatican. We made our way by bus to transfer to the Metro at Termini. The Metro was packed like the Japanese subway on a business day. I wanted to take a picture of how crowded it was, but I couldn’t maneuver to do so packed in as I was with my arms pinned! We wondered at so many people heading out to shop! We might have bailed in the Metro station but by that time we were like cows going through chutes and there was no turning back. Moo. When we got to our stop, the hoards headed down the street toward the Vatican. It was then that we realized they were headed to Piazza San Pietro for the Pope’s angelis. Shopping was busy too, but not quite the cattle drive.
Today is Epifania, the official end to the Christmas season, also called Befana, when the witch La Befana visits the children leaving candy for the good ones and coal for the not-so-good children. Having no young children around and having spent Christmas out of Roma, we decided to have a small group of friends for a decidedly non-traditional lunch. Is Italian-Swedish a fusion cuisine? Our new friends and soon-to-be-landlords had voiced an interest in Swedish meatballs, and she wanted to make a special Neopolitan pastiera for dessert. Combined with a purè di patate casserole, Swedish pickled herring, Swedish cheese, a beet salad, and Italian salumi, it was cross-cultural event. Unfortunately as we got into entertaining we forgot to take more pictures!
So now we have to go a week-and-a-half until the next holiday, Martin Luther King’s birthday. Hope I can make it!

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The Whos down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot

27 Dec
When Dr. Seuss wrote “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” I think he must have had Ortisei in mind. It sits in a steep valley beneath snowy peaks reminding one of the “Whos down in Whoville.” As we descended yesterday from the highest lift station we could just make out the
From up here (in a gondola) Ortisei seems like little Whoville down in the valley.
From up here (in a gondola) Ortisei seems like little Whoville down in the valley.
village far below, and imagined the Grinch careening down the steep slopes to return the Christmas treasures. Instead we saw skiers launching off the mountain and enjoying a run of several kilometers albeit on mostly artificial snow. Ortisei calls itself Il Paese di Natale, and celebrates for 25 days, right up to Epiphany on January 6. They like Christmas a lot.
We spent a lovely Christmas Day in the Alpe di Siusi (if we are Facebook Friends you have already seen a few pictures from that hike), and on Santo Stefano (Dec. 26) we followed a local alpine guide from the Catores group on a hike to the Church of San Giacomo, which turned out to be a pretty good workout of 2 ½ hours roundtrip. I am pleased to say we old timers were not the slowest ones on the uphill stretch.
Dating to the 11th century, far above Ortisei. My Swedish ancestors were still practicing Norsk Mythology at that time, I think.
Dating to the 11th century, far above Ortisei. My Swedish ancestors were still practicing Norsk Mythology at that time, I think.
Fresco on San Giacomo, 15th century! There is also a quaint cemetery with a view to "die" for.
Fresco on San Giacomo, 15th century! There is also a quaint cemetery with a view to “die” for.
We also spent part of the evening in Ortisei to see the activity during the passeggiata and the fairy tale-like village transformed by holiday lights.
The Mercatino di Natale bustles even the night after Christmas.
What some countries call Boxing Day is Santo Stefano in Italy. The crowds are festive!
There are welcome warming fires scattered about.
La piccola chiesa in Ortisei, simply adorned.
There are 4 ice trees. illuminated from within. These are placed in the rushing river that runs through Ortisei.
Luckily we are able to be active (as was the point of this trip) to compensate for the amazing food we are consuming at Hotel Albion.
We are staying at what is for us one of the nicest places we have ever stayed. I would compare it to Salishan Lodge on the Oregon Coast in terms of elegance, although the Albion has a decidedly ski-sport bent versus the golf club sophistication at Salishan.  On a normal trip we stay in B&Bs, apartments and small hotels with a goal of spending no more than EURO 100.00 per night. Usually we are successful at that budget number on an average basis, and sometimes we get breakfast included. In planning this holiday trip, a gift to ourselves in lieu of stuff, we wanted to be a little pampered and stay somewhere special and memorable. I agonized over several choices in Ortisei, and while this one is expensive, it is half the price of the high-end properties here!
Like many European resort hotels, the meals are included in a half-pension plan.  Breakfast and dinner are included and are beyond ample. Breakfast offers almost every kind of fruit, a make-your-own juice bar, several choices of breads, pastries, eggs, sausages, assorted salume from speck to cotto, mortadella and salami, yogurt, muesli, jams, a honey bar (6 options!), a dozen types of cheese, and I would venture at least that many types of butter, flavored and not. This is the Tyrol and the northern influence on cooking brings butter to the forefront. Dinners are five courses including an amazing over-the-top salad buffet and an ever-changing menu of primi and secondi. We’ve enjoyed fish, shellfish, venison, quail, veal and duck as well as beautiful vegetarian dishes. I could go on but I won’t.
The clientele are from all over, although I am certain we are the only Americans on the property and probably the only native English speakers. Christmas morning we enjoyed hearing greetings of Joyeux Noel, Fröhliche Weinachten, and Buon Natale.
There is a shuttle to take us on demand to the lifts or to the village center. There is a spa including outdoor heated pool, which we have not had time to try. The only thing missing was snow, until today (Saturday) when it started during our hike and continued for about 8 hours.
Finally snow to compliment the lights, Hotel Albion.
Steam rises from the infinity pool while snow falls.
Our table at Hotel Albion, overlooking tiny Ortisei.
We took a woodsy walk in lightly falling snow on Saturday. Finally fresh snow!
Ric said I needed to be seen in something not pink. See? I have a blue fleece too.
This is our fourth Christmas in Italy, starting with our 2011 vacation here and now three years as residents. Family and friends, we miss you very much, especially at this time of year. We have traded greetings with many of you and have kept up on Facebook , which has been fun.  We keep ourselves entertained, but truly look forward to your visits here next year and to our planned extended visit to the U.S. in August. (Here we come, Seattle, Portland, and Durango!)
Here you see the plateau we hiked on Dec 24, Rasciesa. The view is from another peak, Seceda. The little black square is the rifugio where we ate lunch. See prior post.
Until the next time I think of something to say, Auguri e Buone Feste from both of us! May you have a blessed Anno Nuovo.

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