Long Way Home

Here's my post written while en route home:
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After 24 hours in Lecce post cycling, we caught a flight from the Brindisi airport back to Rome and holed up in a Hilton Hotel just off the grounds of the airport. Upon return to the airport on Tuesday morning, Wendy and I said goodbye and headed to our separate terminals. In short order, I discovered that British Airways cancelled my two flights (Rome to London, London to Seattle) although they cheerily informed me that my Seattle to home flight was still ok (gee thanks). After standing in a long line to get re-routed (two agents to serve an entire flight's worth of people), I was relieved that my new itinerary was not so bad:  Rome - Frankfurt - San Francisco - home. However, it has turned into a 24 hour trip so I'll be pretty wasted when I finally get back. I'm writing this while at the SF airport, drinking a beer and watching the Giants, so things could be worse.

My new itinerary took me through Frankfurt, Germany. I was only there for 2 hours and nothing went wrong, but still, I was off kilter. After passing inspection by an unsmiling and condescending customs/passport guy, and walking from landing zone A to departure zone Z, I was greeted at the gate by a gaggle of overly efficient TSA agents (German, but employed by the U.S. I assume). The woman who processed me asked a rapid-fire series of questions that I barely understood, and then said something about the TSA random check. She told me to go to the toilette and be back within 1/2 hour because I would not be able to use the toilette after that. This information raised my alert level -- I pictured being ushered off to the gulag to be questioned under klieg lights. Off I went to fulfill my toilette duties (scurrying up and down the hallway because first restroom flooded, second one closed, third one the charm). 

When I got back, I sat where she had indicated and awaited my fate but either I misunderstood or they found juicier suspects because a different set of travelers was selected for the random check (and geez, they WERE ushered off somewhere!)  Still, all of the uncertainty about this stressed me out to the point that I had to buy some chocolate, so I went off to do that while also picking up a sandwich and what I thought were plain potato chips, but which I later discovered were vomit flavored.

Finally!  on the plane and settled in for the 10.5 hour flight. The aisle seat I had paid extra for on British Airways was a lost cause and I was stuck in the middle of the middle, but I was able to sleep and arrived in SF where the customs/passport people greeted me with friendly smiles. I'm happy to be back in the USA!

Calories vs. Kilometers

I know I've already raved about the food but I can't help but do it again. This has been the best food experience I've ever had. I can't imagine how an Italian can come to the U.S. and not be deeply disappointed in the food.

Our meals typically include antipasto featuring fish, grains, vegetables (yes, I'm eating vegetables!), legumes and cheese. Everything is freshly prepared and accented with herbs and olive oil. We can then choose from first and second courses that involve pasta (of course), squid, octopus, eggplant, or many types of fish. Mozzarella and ricotta are served at every meal (including breakfast) and they are so much melt-in-your-mouth better than what we get in the U.S.  Only occasionally have I seen chicken or beef on the menu, although I'm told that tonight's dinner may involve meat.

Even taking just a spoonful of each offering results in a full plate so despite our (minor) efforts at restraint, we are leaving the table each time a little overly satisfied. Of course, the biking helps but I'm afraid even a daily 50 mile ride is not enough to work off what I have taken in. I'm anticipating a few weeks of serious discipline upon my return home!

American Scampi --- boo!

Italian Scampi --- yay!

The Rides

They aren't kidding when they call it "Backroads."  Our routes have taken us through groves of olives and almonds, fields where they are growing chard, artichokes, and other leafy greens, small towns and gravel roads. On the good side, we've seen a lot of how 'the real people live,' often in charming old homes set on agricultural acreage.

On the bad side, the routes are very complicated. We are constantly turning or veering at Y's or negotiating traffic circles -- it's rare that we get to ride on the same street for even 3-5km.  We are given pages and pages of instructions each morning so in addition to watching for potholes and traffic and each other, we are trying to read our route instructions. On top of that, most of the roads are unnamed and/or unmarked so the instructions will say something like "Easy turn to miss - turn right at the unmarked 3 way intersection, green house on your right.  If you reach a stop sign you have gone too far."  So you can see, we often have to read several sentences to know the next thing to do.  We also have to stop a lot to flip pages of the route instructions and fit them back into the plastic map case.

A trip leader generally guides us out of town in the mornings, and into town for our lunch stops and end-points. And they are tracking us pretty closely via van and bike. Still, we are all finding it rather stressful to stay on course, and it's harder to enjoy the scenery when we're having to be so vigilant. At dinner last night I asked some of the others  who have been on other backroads trips if this is typical and they all said no! They said that other trips feature smoother roads where you can get some decent mileage between turns. This is good to know, as I have been doubting whether I would do another Backroads trip. The food, lodging and logistics have all been top notch but the rides have been bizarre --- my fellow bikers all agree.

First Day of Riding

Ok, I know I am way behind on blog posts and it's not because of the wine intake, although the wine intake has been substantial. It's because we are having so much fun.  Blog posting has fallen in priority behind bike riding, incredible meals, wine tasting, and food demos.

We met up with our cycling group at the Bari Centrale train station on Tuesday am. They  drove us by van to our starting point where we first had lunch (a scrumptious buffet of healthy selections: grain salads, seafood salads, caprese, eggplant and more) at a gorgeous beach side restaurant. We also received a run down of logistics and an overview of the bikes. After lunch, it was finally time to suit up and go on our first ride.

This first one was rather short --- just 17 miles to get ourselves oriented and, I'm sure, for the ride leaders to check us all out.  We ended up at Corta Altavilla in Conversano where we checked into charmingly restored rooms in a hotel right across from a beautiful church,

As we explored the area that afternoon, we witnessed a funeral at the church. We watched the funeral procession led by people carrying beautiful flower arrangements that they placed in the piazza in front of the church. Next came four pall bearers balancing the casket on their shoulders, followed by family members of the deceased, solemn and linked arm in arm. I was struck that nobody was dressed up -- even the family members wore jeans and t shirts -- but it seemed that nearly the whole town turned out to pay their respects.

Our trip leaders took us to a nearby restaurant (open only for us since they are usually closed on Tuesdays) and we had a spectacular meal. Really, spectacular, as they all have been -- I have never had food in the U.S. that even approaches the quality of what we've had here.

We tucked into our rooms to rest up for our first real day of riding.

More pictures to come -- internet is spotty!

From Rome to Bari

We are on the train to Bari right now, so it's time I caught you up.

It would be hard to find a street in Rome that we did not walk on sometime during the past few days. Wendy is wearing one of those activity monitoring watches - a vivo I think - and we clocked in at over 15 miles on Saturday, and around 10 miles on Sunday. Consequently, we felt fully justified about our gelato intake. Wendy has been experimenting with different flavors but I'm all about the cioccolato, the only decision being 'con panna' or not. Here we are talking about real cream scooped from a freshly whipped batch (not squirted from a can) so actually, it's no decision at all. Si! Con panna!

Rome is beyond amazing in many ways and at any given moment you are walking past something extraordinary. However, it is crowded with tourists and traffic and covered in graffiti. It's easy to miss things as you maneuver past other tourists, consult your map and dodge scooters and taxis (hint: they do not stop!). Thus, it is even more amazing to step into the cool and dark serenity of a chiesa (church) and be surrounded by extraordinary sculptures, paintings, statues and architecture. There are churches all over the place and there is not an unembellished surface to be found in any of them. It is truly mind-blowing to find such a range of centuries old artwork just steps away from the hustle and bustle of modern Roman life.

We visited all of the famous sites: the Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill, Spanish Steps, Quirinale, Santa Maria Maggiore, Castel Sant' Angelo, Piazza Navona (where we paid something like $12 each for beers!), Piazzo del Popolo, Borghese Gardens, Trastevere neighborhood and Pantheon. We also did plenty of window shopping and people watching.  Last night we revisted the lobster pasta restaurant but this time, ordered pizza (4 different types made into a single pizza) which was indescribably delicious.

Bari

We should arrive in Bari shortly after noon today and are hoping to get laundry done somehow. Tomorrow we meet up with the Backroads people to begin our bicycle tour -- an entirely different experience (we hope) from the chaos of Rome.

Sticks!

Readers of this blog  (see post from Sept. 15, 2009) may remember the walking sticks, now common in the U.S. but then, something I hadn't yet seen. Today I bring you another type of stick: the selfie stick. Although I am not a fan of selfies, I have to concede that this ingenious little device solves the problems of a) the photographer's extended arm in the foreground of the picture and b) a close-up of nostrils and pores. As I'm sure you've deduced by now, the selfie stick is a telescoping wand with a claw at one end in which you can secure your cell phone. You hold it up, aim it at yourself and snap your selfie via a timer app or a bluetooth remote. The stick folds down to around 9 inches so you can easily tuck it into your backpack or travel purse.

We first saw one of these things in use by a young couple at the Vatican, and we laughed at what we assumed must be a misguided sky mall purchase. It turns out that the laugh is on us because they are popular items. We saw them everywhere, and were accosted by selfie-stick wielding street vendors at every coffee or beer break. A quick google search tells us they have made an appearance in New York City so it is only a matter of time before we seem them across the country and on QVC.

And no, we did not purchase one!

Beer at lunch, wine at dinner, and gelato inbetween

Faithful readers know that I've had a lot of food angst on past trips. Traveling to Europe -- especially Italy -- is much about the food, but as a solo traveler, it's hard to have exceptional food experiences on your own. Last year, when I traveled to Ireland with a tour, I finally had folks to eat with, but all of our meals were had at hotels or pre-selected restaurants. They were of decent quality, but limited in range and devoid of creativity. It was rather like attending a conference every night where the choice was chicken, salmon or pasta, Ireland style, which is to say, not great.

So, I've been rather excited about having a travel buddy to share meals with. Tonight, after consulting trip-advisor and yelp, we walked to Al Forno Della Soffitta on via Piave, a short jaunt from our hotel. The reviews we read said it was frequented by locals, and this seemed to be the case. When we pushed open the heavy glass door, the restaurant was well populated, but even so, we were seated straightaway by a welcoming host.

We had an amazing meal. I had a lobster pasta dish and as you can see they did not phone it  in. Wendy ordered the squid special and received an enormous and beautiful serving. The people sitting next to us -- a mother/daughter duo -- told us that the pizza they shared was the best they had had in Rome.  With wine, almond-chocolate tort and superior service, we were very happy customers.

Prior to this spectacular dinner, we spent the day visiting the Vatican, the Trevi fountain (dry and under repair) and the Spanish Steps area. Today's highlight was a tour of the necropoli at the Vatican, one section of which was discovered and excavated in the 1950s, and the other, just since 2003. It was fascinating. They have done an excellent job excavating some of the site, while preserving much of what was found in situ. Visitors traverse criss-crossed catwalks that allow a surprisingly close-up view of the scene. We were also surprised that we were allowed to witness and photograph ancient remains in this way, but we appreciated the experience.

Tomorrow we're headed for the Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill and more.

The Friendly Skies

I know that flying an airplane is accomplished via your basic physics, but to me it is as miraculous and mysterious as such modern day conveniences as wifi, bluetooth and microwave ovens. Ok, microwave ovens are old school by now, but I still remember the days when we stuck a potato in there and nuked it within a matter of minutes as a parlor trick. Anyway, my point is, I take these things for granted, and they pretty much work on demand even though I am clueless about the underlying magic. Thus, I can't imagine how the airplane itself remains aloft despite all manner of interference -- storm clouds, other airplanes, meteors -- while the devices within perform on a par with a phone made of soup cans connected with a string.

I'm thinking specifically of the touch screen entertainment system installed on the airplane seat-back. It is a tease. It promises all sorts of diversions: movies, games, GPS tracking, even shopping. But, if the screen responds to anything, it is certainly not a human finger, nor plastic fork, pencil eraser, bobby pin, eyebrow pencil, chopstick or the business end of a toothbrush, all of which I poked fruitlessly at the screen. It is a special kind of hell to be on a 9 hour flight with tantalizing but unreachable access to over 30 full length films.

This is, I realize, a first world problem as the modern saying goes. Boo hoo I am flying to Italy and I can't watch the movies. Add to that, however, that several people's overhead lights would not turn off, so the flight attendants helpfully wrapped them with aluminum foil. And that the life vests feature little straws for you to blow in should they fail to inflate in the event of a "water exit from the cabin." I'm glad there are backup plans, but these things take a toll on your confidence at hurtling over the Atlantic at 35,000 feet.  

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But hey, it is still mind-blowing to me that I can board a plane in California and in a matter of hours walk the streets of Rome surrounded by ancient structures, traditions and culture. So enough with the cranky, and call me lucky instead!

If you want a pizza, then tell it!

I’m pretty excited about enjoying excellent food while in Italy so I recently asked my friend, who once lived in Rome for several months, for some restaurant recommendations. He sent me several and while googling them to scope out locations, I stumbled upon this inviting description, written by the proprietors of La Montecarlo. The entire thing is hilarious, but I have excerpted it below and bolded my very favorite parts. You can bet that La Montecarlo is on our ‘go-to’ list!

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Welcome to the reign of pizza: "La Montecarlo".

Few minutes will be enough for you to understand in what an extraordinary place you are.
You entered in a true cross-section of Rome, where to taste is allowed, to enjoy is a duty.
The magic of pizza, its sweet smell, its aroma, its unique taste will pervade your body.

Don’t be shy: “if you want a pizza, then tell it!”

Don’t never frighten for the line. If you think you’ll have to wait for hours, perhaps you’re thinking to change place, overcome your shyness and ask for a seat: just few minutes and you’ll be pleased.

Pizza is good, it enchants; pasta is good, it surprises. Service is quick, it stupefies.

You are in “La Montecarlo”, which made to bow Prince Ranieri, who thought to own also something unique out of the  the Principality.  But La Montecarlo is not the Principality. It is something different.
It is poetry, energy, Roman spirit, it is theatre!  Yes, just theatre. Every evening. And also at midday.

Dishes are the protagonist; but also men, who exalt taste. 

Carlo, the Boss, if you know him, you’ll avoid him. Rhythm and fantasy are his best weapons.
When he directs the traffic, free seats spring up like mushrooms, when you least expect them.
If to please guests is an art, Carlo is an absolute master. His way.

Mariuccio, er Barnaba, is the true Roman essence of “La Montecarlo”.

Little Mariuccio is a surprise. He looks gruff, but in reality he is true and sanguine; with him, you discover a world of Roman wisecracks, gloss and verses, that synthesize perfectly literary concepts, even complex. A true satirical poet.

If the Boss is the master, Carletto is the careful performer of the miracle of “La Montecarlo”.
His best virtue is patience. He never raise the voice and he often smiles, even when he wouldn’t.
He looks slow and abstracted. But in reality he is a panzer... that never stops!

And with all three, an unbelievable group of "theatrical character actors", who are really waiters and pizza makers.

They all together give smiles, irony and sarcasm.

In short, “La Montecarlo” is theater!

“If you want a pizza, then tell it!”