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Night train to Vienna

21 Feb
Does that title conjure up images of The Third Man: Harry Lime and Holly Martins with the lovely Anna prowling about post-WWII Vienna, chasing through dark streets, sewers, and buildings reduced to rubble? The movie paints Vienna as a bleak and dreary place, certainly not the city of Mozart and Schubert.
The Stephanskirche in Vienna is very dark and grim inside and out.

The St. Stephens Cathedral in Vienna is very dark and grim inside and out.

We found Vienna to be quite bleak as well. Perhaps it is just the weather, which was rather like Seattle in winter, only colder. Skies were gray on gray, with winds that chill the neck and beg one to wrap the scarf more tightly.  We feasted our eyes on the riches of the Habsburgs in all their excess: The Hofburg Palace, Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM for short; marvelous!), and the Schönbrunn Palace. We walked through diverse areas of the old city, marveled at the musical heritage of this one small burg, and ate non-Italian food for days. We did miss our €1.00 espresso shots and accessibly priced Italian wines, but my, the bread and pastries were tasty!
Settling in for a night on the train.

Settling in for a night on the train.

The night train was fun and we would gladly do it again. We had a large private compartment for less than the price of two one-way airline tickets and a night in a hotel plus airport transportation on both ends. The compartment even had a bathroom, although coaxing hot water out of the shower proved to be an impossible task. We slept far better than we expected to and greeted the new day in Austria with breakfast served in our compartment. All-in-all it was a lovely evening and night, affording us the opportunity to hit the streets of Vienna upon arrival.
The Schoenbrunn Palace of 1441 rooms rivals Versailles. It dates to the 16th century when it was, of course, built as a hunting lodge. Inside is 18th century Rococo.

The Schoenbrunn Palace of 1441 rooms rivals Versailles. It dates to the 16th century when it was, of course, built as a hunting lodge. Inside is 18th century Rococo.

The Habsburg wealth and excess gave us pause to consider excesses and royalty. It seemed even more excessive than that which we have seen elsewhere in Europe. Perhaps because Austria is now such a small country it is difficult to reconcile with the once great status of the empire and the family that acquired such wealth.  It is a wonder the Austrian people didn’t do to the Habsburgs what the French did to the Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette in the French Revolution. (Nota Bene: Marie-Antoinette was a Habsburg by
The backyard at the Schoenbrunn Palace.

The backyard at the Schoenbrunn Palace.

birth.) Empress Elizabeth, AKA, Sisi, seemed to be worshiped in the eponymously named museum within the Hofburg Palace. While it was fun to see the gowns and elegance of the time, she was a tragic narcissist who had ankle-length hair, a penchant for the finest chocolate Demel could deliver, and despised being married to the Emperor. Not much to admire in my book. 
For more on the riches and sights of Vienna please click on any picture below for a slide show. 
Kunsthistorisches Museum staircase. The building was constructed especially for the colloection.
Cafe inside the KHM, an elegant reminder of times long gone.
Canova’s fabulous “Theseus Defeats the Centaur” at the Kunsthistorisches.
Habsburg medicine chest. See the little vials inside?
The Hofburg Palace.
You might think you were back in the 19th century with the carriages drawn up outside the palace.
Demel’s windows dressed for Easter.
Easter deco at Demel.
Typical Viennese pastries at Demel.
The silver lining to winter city-trips is that sites are not crowded. While weather prohibited sipping coffee in a sunny square, we enjoyed crowd-free touring and waltzed right into the museums and palaces. To be fair, even with 2 ½ days we failed to see all Vienna had to offer. Wish we’d had time for the Klimt Museum at the Belvedere Palace.
Typical wurstel stand in Vienna. YEs, they are much patronized. No, we did not.

Typical wurstel stand in Vienna. Yes, they are much patronized. No, we did not.

The food surprised us. Our dinners were anything but formula Austrian. Fresh fish and creative treatment of vegetables surprised us, although of course one can find schnitzel, too. Wine by the bottle is expensive compared to our beloved Italy, but restaurants offer a remarkable selection of wines by-the-glass at prices that make a bottle seem unnecessary. We are now big fans of Grüner Veltliner, the exceptional Austrian white wine.
The Vienna U-Bahn employs an honor system we’ve not seen before. There are no turnstiles or gates. You are responsible for buying and carrying a validated ticket or pass, and there are spot checks. We sashayed on-and-off a few times, then the last morning on our way to the train station encountered an army of ticket checkers at Schwedenplatz – at least a dozen strong – randomly looking at tickets and passes. The system made transit quite smooth. I wonder if it could be made to work in Rome?
My travel companion of 31 years and a bottle of prosecco to start the trip.

My travel companion of 31 years and a bottle of prosecco to start the trip.

For anyone planning a trip to Vienna, I have three recommendations.
  1. Hotel Stefanie is just past the Danube Canal to the north of the Ringstrasse. Old-world in style, but upgraded for modern travel with powerful showers of never-ending hot water (unlike Base Camp Barton in Rome), WIFI, and an enormous breakfast buffet. The tram to the center runs right by the front door. Off-season we paid €106.00 per night.

    Lovely fish and vegetable dish at El Hans. Delectible and pretty.

    Lovely dorado and bok choy with potatoes at El Hans. Delectable and pretty.

  2. We had incredible meals at El Hans and ef16 both within walking distance of the hotel. Certainly you can get Wienerschnitzel, but why do so when there is freshly grilled octopus, calamari, trout, pumpkin soup, violet mashed potatoes, and figs at every turn? How does Austria manage to do vegetables so much better than Switzerland?
  3. A transit pass for three days was very worthwhile. Although we walked 9-10 km daily, the weather frequently made jumping on the tram a good idea. No need to buy a Vienna Card. As seniors, every museum gave us a discount upon asking (the low end of senior defined as a youthful 61). 
More to come…Salzburg and the Pillerseetal ahead!

 

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Dear Vacation Rental Property Owner

6 Feb
Dear Vacation Rental Property Owner (be you with VRBO, AirBnB, HomeAway, Sabbatical Homes, or Bob’s Pretty-Good Rentals),
There are a few 17 things I would like you to know about the needs and desires of travelers who rent your apartment or home. After several years of renting in both the U.S. and Europe, I find there are quirks or things lacking that, if corrected, would make a huge difference in our comfort level and willingness to return to or refer your property to others. I am not amused by your flea market furnishings or good-enough-for-a-college-student kitchen ware. I am appalled when you ask me to clean, and I am confused by the widely varying approaches to recycling.
  1. Put a chair in the bedroom(s) where one can sit to put on shoes and socks. I am short and when I have to sit on a high bed to put on my undies or socks, it’s very uncomfortable. I’m not asking that the bedroom be furnished like Versailles, but a bedroom with only a bed, a small table, and a dim lamp is not really furnished.

    OK, nothing this bad,m to date, but we've had our share of drapes sagging on wire and shades that won't stay up...others won't stay down.

    OK, nothing this bad, to date, but we’ve had our share of drapes sagging on wire and shades that won’t stay up…others won’t stay down.

  2. Make sure things work and are in good repair. Do the curtains, drapes and window blinds hang neatly and are easy to open? We’ve seen cockeyed blinds, drapes where the rod or support is drooping, shutters half falling off the wall. We’ve had a washing machine fail to drain leaving us with a soggy mess. My favorite was the water heater that did not turn itself off and heated water to scalding. The owner’s solution: turn it off during the day and on at bedtime. After all, why would you need hot water during the day?
  3. There should be more than two wine glasses in the cabinet. And it would be nice if they matched.
  4. We have indeed found broken glasses, hidden in closets by prior guests.

    We have indeed found broken glasses, hidden in closets by prior guests.

    The coffee pot must work. We checked into one apartment in Italy where they had the teeny tiniest single-serving Moka pot but the gas burners were too big for it. I could not set it properly on the grate over the burner: it fell through! So no coffee in the morning, which is one of the main reasons we like to rent apartments. If you supply a drip coffee maker, make sure there are filters. I’ve had to make them out of paper towels, which of course I purchased myself because there were none.
  5. When we check in at midnight to your check-yourself-in-no-one-will-meet-you-there’s-a-lockbox apartment, the toilet paper supply should consist of more than 12 sheets on the last roll in the place, and there should be hand soap. We have had to buy these items in several apartments. I don’t expect fancy little bottles of shampoo and lotion, but some hand soap would be nice in the bathroom.

    Please supply a spare few toilet rolls. Arrivng late one night we found our apartment down to a few precious sheets.

    Please supply a spare few toilet rolls. Arriving late one night we found our apartment down to a few precious sheets.

  6. Ditto in the kitchen: dish soap, paper towels, a hand towel or two. I should not have to buy dishwasher detergent or even soap for washing dishes in the sink.
  7. I am happy to run the dishwasher as I leave the premises, but please don’t expect me to strip the bed and wash the sheets and towels, too. It is YOUR responsibility to clean the place for the next guests, not mine. In one Portland, Oregon apartment, we were asked to strip the bed and start the washer while paying over $200 a night.
  8. Believe-it-ot-not, we actually make our bed wherever we are staying, but I do not hink I should have to wash the linens.

    Believe-it-or-not, we actually make our bed wherever we are staying, but I do not think I should have to wash the linens.

    In conjunction with #7, do not charge extra for cleaning. It’s really irritating to have to pay a cleaning fee when the rent is already $200 a night! Build it into the price. Maybe give a break for staying 4 or more nights since you won’t have to clean the place as often, or charge a little more for short stays to cover those times when it has to be cleaned two or three times in a week. And reasonable, please! I pay €48.00 a week to have my 1000 square foot apartment cleaned in Rome. Why does it cost €110.00 to clean your 600 square foot vacation let?

    Mommy Dearest would be appalled! So am I...

    Mommy Dearest would be appalled! So am I…

  9. Have some decent hangers in the closets and plenty of them. No wire hangers from the cleaners. Go to IKEA or Target and load up on nice wooden, or even heavy-duty plastic, hangers. If your guests are staying a month, they will need more than 6 bent wire hangers.
  10. We cannot intuit your city’s recycling and trash disposal rules, especially when we don’t speak the language. Explain the particulars and make sure your guests can comply without too much trouble. If you need to use pink bags for recyclable plastics and gray ones for garbage, supply them. We stayed in a place in Sorrento where the recycler only picked up plastics — in special green bags — on Thursdays and the plastics could only be set out on Wednesday evenings after 10:00PM.
    We were also admonished to remove all trash and recycling when we exited on Saturday. Since there was no place to put the plastics on Saturday we could not possibly comply. (See #8: it should be YOUR job to remove the trash anyway.)
  11. Expired food has to go.

    Expired food has to go.

    Periodically clean out the condiments and groceries left by prior guests. (Ironic that you want us to recycle and clean but you leave expired food in the house.) I never use the coffee left behind because it usually smells old. In a place we stayed last summer my husband tossed out a box of Cheerios that had an expiration date in 2013. It was July 2015 when he did this. Ric now makes it a habit to clean out the cupboards wherever we go. It’s a public service. Maybe you can label these items with the date you find them and if they are still there in 30 days, toss them out. 
  12. Reboot your router now-and-again. It helps the WiFi to function. By the way, strong, reliable WIFI is more important than almost any other amenity. We can no longer manage without it. It is the 21st century equivalent of “Direct Dial Phones!” in mid-20th-century motel rooms. We don’t need no stinkin’ phone, but we require WIFI. 
  13. Sort through the travel brochures and books left behind and only make available the latest and most reliable information. No sense leaving the Rick Steves’ 2010 Italy guide out when it’s 2015. Things change. The last guest’s crumpled map of downtown is not appealing. We’ve seen piles of tourist info in apartments that would make kindling for a bonfire. Maybe the visitors’ center can give you a stack of new maps to hand out. 
  14. When I wake up in the dark in a new place, I cannot remember what direction the bathroom is. Put a nightlight in each bathroom and supply a spare bulb. We need that for orientation when we wake up at night in a strange location. If you do not supply a nice low wattage nightlight, I have to leave on the overhead.

    Remember the elegance of a 1950s motel room? Many B&Bs in Europe have about as many electrical receptacles.

    Remember the elegance of a 1950s motel room? Many B&Bs and vacation apartments in Europe have about as many electrical receptacles.

  15. If your place is wired like a 1950s-era motel in Nebraska, please provide a power strip. I hate to crawl on the floor unplugging lamps so I can charge my phone. There should be a couple of convenient outlets for charging electronics. I should not have to put the phone in the bathroom or the iPad on the floor to charge them.
  16. If controlling the television requires an 8-year-old’s insight to the medium and the ability to juggle four remote controls, provide detailed instructions on which combination is necessary to watch the morning news. Best idea: pictures of each remote with guidance on how to use it and which buttons to push so I can figure it out in a jet-lagged state when I wake up at 4:00AM.
  17. Bathrooms should have decent towel bars or hooks so we can dry the towels out between uses. I hate having to hang them over the shower door or rod. So tacky. It would be nice to have access to an extra set of towels if we stay more than 2 nights. How hard is it to supply a couple of extra towels just-in-case. And don’t charge for beach towels in a resort location when you are already getting €200.00 per night from us!
Consider sleeping in your own property for a couple of nights now-and-then. See how it is to be a traveler in your rental. Can you make coffee in the morning? Do you like to hang your blouse on a twisted wire hangar? Can you read in bed? Do the pillows give you a crick in your neck? Are there enough pillows?  Is there something you miss? Your guests probably miss it too. You might be a more sympathetic landlord if you know what your guests are experiencing.
Sincerely,
GoodDayRome
P.S., Apartments we’ve loved have had:
  • Great WIFI
  • Lots of sturdy hangers (a dozen or more please!)
  • The Moka pot, Italian stallwart of the AM, must actually fit on the burner to work.

    The Moka pot, Italian stalwart of the AM, must actually fit on the burner to work.

    A crockpot so we could set up dinner and return from a day of hiking to a prepared meal (only happened once and it was so appreciated!)
  • More than 2 pillows
  • More than one set of towels for a stay of more than 3 nights
  • A Moka pot that makes two cups at a time (although we’d kill for a Nespresso machine)
  • Plenty of horizontal space for computers and personal effects
  • OUTLETS where they make sense! Bonus points to the apartment in London that actually provided a U.K. adapter! Double-bonus to our favorite apartment in Venezia where they have 110 and 220 outlets.
  • 4-or-more wineglasses and a corkscrew

    SMEG makes a fine toaster in Italy, but you seldom find a toaster in a gite.

    SMEG makes a fine toaster in Italy, but you seldom find a toaster in a vacation rental.

  • A welcome bottle of wine and chocolate (Can’t tell you how wonderful that was on a midnight arrival in San Francisco when we had last eaten a sandwich on the plane 6 hours earlier and after a transatlantic flight.)
  • A toaster (rare in Europe, loved by Americans)
  • Common condiments beyond salt & pepper: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, etc. so we can make a simple meal without leaving behind a month’s worth of supplies.
  • We love our wood hangers from IKEA. They cost next-to-nothing. ANd when I am somewhere for a week, I want more than 3 bent hangers.

    We love our wood hangers from IKEA. They cost next-to-nothing. When I am somewhere for a week, I want more than 3 bent hangers.

    Coat hooks by the door for our jackets
  • Towel racks in the bathroom

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Of castles and kings

29 Jan
Palazzo Reale, the royal residence in the heart of Torino at Piazza Castello.

Palazzo Reale, the royal residence in the heart of Torino at Piazza Castello.

Americans do not usually visit Torino (Turin in English), yet it is a remarkable city that deserves a closer look. We first visited in 2014. That year as a birthday gift for Ric, my train-a-holic spouse, I found the longest trip one could make in a high-speed Frecciarossa train from Roma: a little over 4 hours to Torino. As the ride was the objective, we only stayed one night (see “Motown Italy”). What a mistake. We decided to correct that.
Torinese architecture, the Museum of the Risorgimento in Palazzo Carignano, one of the Savoy Palaces.

Torinese architecture, the Museum of the Risorgimento in Palazzo Carignano, one of the Savoy Palaces.

Setting our sights on getting to know the area and seeing some of the museums as well as palaces of the Savoia, we slipped away this week for 3 nights. The charming B&B A Casa di Giò was our home. Here we found a quiet refuge, incredible hosts and, reinforcing my impression that Americans do not stop in Torino, we were the first American guests to stay in their home. Located near Piazza Castello, the heart of Torino, A Casa di Giò was perfectly located to explore the city on foot.
A typical porticoed street makes for nice shopping, protection from heat or rain.

A typical porticoed street makes for nice shopping, protection from heat or rain.

Torino is pedestrian friendly to a fault. Not once did a motorino creep up my backside as they do in Roma, and drivers actually yielded to pedestrians in the crosswalks. Lovely wide sidewalks under substantial porticos reminded us of Bologna, last winter’s city trip. The wide piazzas and generous parks combined with tree-lined boulevards reminded us a bit of Paris. No wonder! Napoleon’s occupation of the Piemonte resulted in a legacy that left the city of Torino with some of these grand public places.
Apericena is a thing in Torino as well as Milano. Buy a glass of good wine for €7.00 and you get a plate of savories at Mulassano. Stop a few places and you've had cena, Italian for dinner.

Apericena is a thing in Torino as well as Milano. Buy a glass of very good wine for €7.00 and you get a plate of savories at Mulassano. Stop a few places and you’ve had cena, Italian for dinner.

Who goes to Torino? It is very much on the radar of Italians and other Europeans. There’s a vibrant opera and the Piemonte region is also the home turf of the Savoys, Italian royalty that spawned several kings of the newly unified Italy in the 19th century. The patrimony of modern Italy is here. Castles and kings indeed!
La Mole Antonelliana. We tried to ascend, but were foiled by a Japanese film crew that had taken it over for a shoot.

La Mole Antonelliana. We tried to ascend, but were foiled by a Japanese film crew that had taken it over for a shoot.

La Venaria Reale is the Versailles of Torino. It is much easier to get to than Versailles, and far less crowded. We thought we would pass a couple of hours here. We could have spent much of the day! As the vast gardens were in hibernation, we chose to skip them and return sometime on a sunny spring day.
A sprawling estate dating to the 17th century, La Venaria was built as a hunting lodge. In its heyday, the stables housed hundreds of horses and dozens of hunting dogs. The estate has had a history of construction, destruction, additions and renovations so extensive that it is difficult to believe anyone had time to live here. Unfortunately, during the Napoleonic domination, the structures were turned into barracks and the gardens used for military training. The Italian military continued this tradition until 1978, after which it was ransacked to the degree that neither doors nor windows remained. We saw pictures of what a train wreck the property was just a couple of decades ago. Fortunately, those interested in preserving Italian history embarked on a restoration project and since 2007 it has been open to visitors.
This is how crowded La Venaria was.... Most of the people here are the same Japanese film crew we encountered at La Mole.

This is how crowded La Venaria was…. Most of the people here are the same Japanese film crew we encountered at La Mole.

I had some familiarity with the House of Savoy due to my work as a docent at the U.S. Embassy. The main palazzo at the embassy is called Palazzo Margherita as Queen Margherita of Savoy live in it for 20 years. This family has deep roots. Dukes and Counts, Marquis and Marquesses, not to mention Kings of Sardegna, Sicily, and Italy, this family dates back to 1003.
Ceiling detail, La Venaria Reale.

Ceiling detail, La Venaria Reale.

La Venaria is only one of many luxurious palaces ringing the city of Torino built, as the website states to create a refined “Crown of Delights” around the capital, as a demonstration of the magnificence of the House of Savoy. It is good to be the king.
A little something from the Egyptian Museum. Many of the artifacts were transported across the mountains from Genova in military wagons pulled by horses, 19th century style.

A little something from the Egyptian Museum. Many of the artifacts were transported across the mountains from Genova in military wagons pulled by horses, 19th-century style.

While we did not get to see any other palaces or castles from the interior (I can only handle so much majesty in a day), many are in use for other purposes, such as the Museum of the Risorgimento at Palazzo Carignano, and the Municipal Museum of Ancient Art in Palazzo Madama. This website has links to information about all of the Royal Residences.
We did manage to fit in a visit to the impressive Egyptian Museum, the second most important in the world for Egyptology enthusiasts (only the museum in Cairo is considered more important). A five-year renovation was completed less than a year ago, and the result is a well-curated, open, light, and engaging museum. Why is the second-largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in Torino? It all started with a purchase by a Savoy King, Carlo Emanuele I in 1630…. Castles and kings indeed.

 

 

Medieval castle in Parco del Valentino. This is a recreation in a medieval village created for an exposition in the 1880s.
Wide open spaces: Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Torino.
Piazza San Carlo, Torino.
Castello di Valentino in the homonymously named park. In the 1500s it was a riverside residence located out of town.
Another beautiful, wide, portico in the center.
Palazzo Madama in Piazza Castello, an art museum. Yup, another Savoy palace, this one a center for governing.
La Venaria Reale – view from the main palazzo toward the mountains.
This is how crowded La Venaria was…. Most of the people here are the same Japanese film crew we encountered at La Mole.
Ceiling detail, La Venaria Reale.
Bucintoro commissioned by a Savoy in the early 18th century. It is HUGE, a “state barge” of the type used by the Doges in Venezia, hosed in the gigantic stables at La Venaria..
The Torinese excel at pastries.
More Torinese delights
Like most Italians, the Torinese can put away the pastires.

 

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A day in the Cotswolds

17 Jan
The sun rises late in London just after the Solstice, in fact, a few minutes after 08:00. That didn’t stop us from seizing the day and taking a day in the country, thanks to the generosity of friends Carol and Nigel of the East Midlands.
St. John the Baptist in Burford, a so-called "wool church" as it was funded by wealth from wool.

St. John the Baptist in Burford, a so-called “wool church” as it was funded by wealth from wool.

Carol and Nigel got up before the birds and motored to London on Boxing Day to fetch us for a day in Nigel’s old stomping ground, the darling villages of the Cotswolds. You know you are in the Cotswolds when you start seeing names like Bourton-on-the-Water, Chipping Norton, and Barton-on-the-Heath. Thatch roofs appear and great spires above country churches with picturesque cemeteries and nameless gravestones. It’s like a movie set. No wonder Downton Abbey, Harry Potter, Poldark, The Remains of the Day, Bridget Jones Diary and many British shows have filmed scenes here. Even on a gray winter day (no rain!), it was charming, each village cuter than the last.
On the very edge of The Cotswolds we visited Bladon, where beside the village church, Winston Churchill is buried. Not in a great cathedral, like St. Paul’s or Westminster Abbey, rather this great man is buried in the countryside near his ancestral home, Blenheim Palace.
We toured Burford, Bladon, Bourton-on-the-Water, The Slaughters and more than I can remember. Nigel took us along twisty-turny roads I might not successfully navigate even with left-hand drive. A day is not enough. One only gets a sense of the peace and beauty of the English countryside. Best to come back when one can walk the paths through the green hills.
We wrapped up in Oxford, and while it was quiet on a holiday, it was nice to see the fabulous architecture without tourist hordes. We took so many pictures it has taken considerable time to sort through them. Here I offer you a taste of this gorgeous landscape, although remarkably we did not think to get a group picture of the 4 of us. Click on any picture for a larger view and full caption.
Church in Bladon, resting place of the Churchill’s. We had seen the plaques commemorating Churchill. in St. Paul’s and Westminster Abbey. and had wondered where he was laid to rest.
Winston and Clementine Churchill gravesite in Bladon.
St. John the Baptist in Burford, a so-called “wool church” as it was built by wealthy wool merchants.
The ornate, canopied tomb of Sir Lawrence and Lady Tanfield, in St. John the Baptist Church, Burford.
Nativity tableau in St. John the Baptist, Burford. Very simple and sweet compared to the Italian creches.
Burford’s main street, so quaint!
Love this sign in Burford!
Charming pub in Burford.
Sign in Burford.
Burford cemetery. Doesn’t this just look like a scene from a Dickens book?
Burford, The Cotswolds.
Bourton-on-the-Water.
I love the Christmas tree in the middle of the stream, Bourton-on-the-Water.
Bourton-on-the-Water was fairly lively this day, despite gray skies.
Bourton-on-the-Water.
We saw dozens of beautiful pheasants in the countryside. Ric managed to snap one in nice profile.
Great library at Oxford.
Oxford bridge, resembling the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. Note the quiet streets, middle of the afternoon on Boxing Day.
Oxford building detail.
Oxford door.
Oxford, quiet on Boxing Day.

 

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This and that

12 Jan
Our trips supply us with anecdotes far beyond the pictures we take, and often provide memories we talk about for years: Our two collie puppies running on moonlit Cannon Beach in Oregon on New Years Day at 6:00-God-help-us-AM; A priest roller-blading, cassock flying, on Via Arenula; A beautifully dressed, kind Italian businessman personally guiding us when we were lost in Spoleto;  Running into a pack of Portlanders on a mountain ridge in Italy on Christmas Eve. Here are a few more tidbits from our trip to London, Paris and Switzerland.

Italian moments

I was amazed at how often we encountered the Italian language and Italians outside of Italy. I heard Italian every single day, whether in the street, on a train, or in a restaurant or a shop. It made me miss Italy.
Parisians can find panettone, pandoro and other Italian treats, too.

Parisians can find panettone, pandoro and other Italian treats, too.

On Christmas Eve at Dean Street Townhouse our waitress was from Italy. It felt like home to order and chat in Italian.
Even in the north of Switzerland, we heard Italian daily. Our waiter at Punctum, where we found an amazingly good pizza, was Italian. You can read about it on my other blog, Our Weekly Pizza.

That small town feel

Many years ago, we traveled to my adopted hometown of Lindstrom, MN for my mother’s 80th birthday. The day we arrived there was a huge snowstorm and we were going to be very late getting from MSP to little Lindstrom. We called the motel and we were told they’d leave the key under the mat for us.  How cute is that?
No picture of Hotel Chur, so here is a serene little alley in the Alt Stadt, on our way to Punctum for pizza.

No picture of Hotel Chur, so here is a serene little alley in the Alt Stadt, on our way to Punctum for pizza.

We had a similar experience in Chur, Switzerland. Coming all the way from London, we knew we would not arrive until at least 10:00 PM, so I contacted the hotel. As the front desk staff goes home at 8:00 PM – odd in a hotel with 58 rooms – we received instructions via email including a code to a box that would release a door entry key. Our room key would be laying on the front desk (along with many others, we saw upon arrival). We had a moment of panic when the entry key did not release easily and I had to use a nail file to finagle it, but it all worked out quite well.

Fabled names

Drury Lane, Carnaby Street, Oxford Street, Piccadilly Square, Baker Street, Covent Garden, Whitehall. How often we have come across these names in literature and history and there we were in the midst of them! London Bridge, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace: fabled landmarks in a literary town. I have to say as much as I like speaking Italian, it was fun to understand every damn word whether spoken or written. No menu translation challenges. 
'Do you know the muffin man who lives in Dury Lane?' There really is a Drury Lane. Now try to get that tune out of your head for the rest of the day.

‘Do you know the muffin man who lives in Drury Lane?’ There really is a Drury Lane. Now try to get that tune out of your head for the rest of the day.

Melting pot

After dinner on Christmas Day, we ventured to the Odeon at Marble Arch to See “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” With reserved seats, there was no need to arrive super early to stand in line, although we milled around in the lobby for a while before the theatre was clear. We heard very little English being spoken among the various family groups waiting. Predominant language? Arabic.
Carnaby was well decorated for the holiday.

Carnaby was well decorated for the holiday.

Thanks to the former British Empire, London is truly home to many cultures. As a result, ethnic food is widely available. We love Italian food, but it was a real treat to eat good Indian food in a London restaurant.

Hailo

Hailo is the Uber for legal cabs. I am not a fan of Uber. I think the drivers who are licensed and who have spent years studying their cities should get my transportation Euro, Pound, or Dollar. London’s answer is Hailo.  In about 5 minutes, I installed the app, signed up, and had a cab scheduled for 06:30 the next morning. The driver was a gem, arrived early, helped with bags, and spoke with the most amazing Cockney accent. Luckily he could understand me better than I understood him. Hailo is also available outside the U.K. It worked great and I wish it would come to Rome. Thanks to Nigel for the recommendation!

Pedestrians & parking

As a pedestrian in Roma, one watches traffic ever-so-carefully. People wear headsets listening to music when they drive, they talk on cell phones even though it is illegal, and generally pedestrian crossings are used for parking so they get little respect as pedestrian zones.  
Orderly, I tell you! Look how the women areallowed to cross the street without a motorino shooting past. And no one is parked in teh crosswalk. Heaven!

Orderly, I tell you! Look how the women are allowed to cross the street without a motorino shooting past. And no one is parked in the crosswalk. Heaven!

In Switzerland, cars screech to a halt before you even know you want to cross the street. I almost felt obligated to cross the drivers were so polite and accommodating. Reminded me of Portland.
I love that in London and Paris drivers park where they are supposed to, inside the parking zones, not on sidewalks or within the zebra stripes. It makes for such an orderly city! Most of you take this for granted, but if you’ve ever been to Roma, you know that creative acts of parking make rough going for those on foot.

Crypt café

Cafe in the Crypt. Notice the tombstones on the lower left.

Cafe in the Crypt. Notice the tombstones on the lower left.

Eating in a mausoleum? Why not? At the famous St. Martin-in-the-Field there is a cafeteria in the crypt. It’s far from the Lutheran Church basements of our youth in the Upper Midwest. This is a true crypt with ancient tombs underfoot. The food was simple, of good quality and, for London, inexpensive. (One sandwich, 2 bottles of water, coffee and tea for GBP 9.85.) It was warm, with low-lighting, a polite crowd, decorated for Christmas.
We ate our light lunch with the Baythorns.

We ate our light lunch with the Baythorns.

St. Paul’s Cathedral also has a café in their crypt. Not as big, but great for coffee and cake.
I don’t see this trend coming to St. Peter’s anytime soon. Can you imagine the crowds if you could have lunch at the tomb of a deceased pope?

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