Barcelona

10-25-2007. Today we wandered Barcelona somewhat aimlessly. But in the process, saw some really cool stuff. We started with a walk to the harbor, to see the Mediterranean for one last time this trip. From there, we wandered the old fishing village of Barcelonetta, before jumping the metro to the Exiample district. We stopped briefly in the Placa de Cataluyna, the hub of Barcelona.

From there, we hit the Mercat de la Boqueria (open-air market). Seafood, veggies, fruits everywhere! Not to mention the candy...


After a quick bite and stocking up on some food for the plane ride home, we walked into the Old Town, past lots of cool old stuff.

Topped it off with a visit to the Picasso museum, where we saw not only the style he's most famous for, but also read up on and saw his early, formative works. A drink on the Placa de Reial, and now we're back at the hotel resting up before we head out again for dinner and to soak up the gritty Barcelona nightlife.

Sadly, this will be our last blog post from Europe. We leave tomorrow morning and arrive home around 9pm Portland time. Thanks everyone for checking in, it's been a fun way to chronicle our travels (for those reading, and ourselves as well)!

Gavarnie to Barcelona

10-24-2007. In an effort to get towards Barcelona, but stick to the mountains for another day, we decided to head east over a few of the big Pyranean passes. After a short walk in the morning to try to loosen the legs up after the previous days hike, we rolled down the valley to the start of the Col de Tourmalet. Jeff took out the bike for a spin up and over. Allez!

View up to the top. Fifteen kilometers so far, five to go:


Next it was up and over the Col d'Aspin. Pretty views everywhere!

We spent the night in the little spa town of Luchon, partly so we had easy access to Barcelona, where we arrived this afternoon. Funky little city. We ate tapas. Tommorow we spend the day touring the town, then get packed up to head home :( But we're excited to see everyone soon!

Cirque de Gavarnie: 4 Valleys and a Sheep

10-22-2007.

Took all of yesterday to drive from Provence deep into the Pyrenees, and ended up in the little town of Gavarnie. Hotel population, one. Beatiful place, and the weather forcast was due to hold so we started scheming a long long day hike for the following day. And that's what we got....

Awoke early and were on the trail by nine (it doesn't get light here until after eight). Headed up up up towards the main cirque - improbably steep cliffs surroundng a narrow valley, water and ice falls everywhere. Halfway up we took a side trip into the valley to the right until it turned into the most beautiful pastoral valley.

After a croissant break, we headed back down into the cirque, passing the colorful trees turning for the winter.

Went all the way to the "cirque" and had some lunch we had packed outside the (closed) Hotel Turon. Then it was up, up, up a fairly sketchy trail cut into the cliffs, with lots of exposure. But soon we were in yet another beautiful valley opposite the one we started the morning in.

After a long, gruelling hike up, we ended at a Col (pass) called Hourquette d'Alans with amazing views back down the the main valley and into a new as-yet-unseen valley on the other side.

From there, a long swichback down into town. A lost sheep thought we were its flock, and followed us all the way baaaaaa-ck. All told, probably a ten mile hike with 4500+ feet of elevation gain. We definitely earned our dinner :)

Last Days in Provence

10-21-2007.

Friday: Headed to a little town nearby called Isle sur la Sorgue, the 'Venice' of Provence. Well, not quite, but the canals were nice and the town was really cute. The afternoon was lazy, then we headed to Rousillon for an evening stroll and dinner. Rousillon is known for the red ocre rock that they quary nearby and color their houses with. After a simple meal of pasta, we headed to the only bar in town to watch France play for the rugby Bronze; fun scene with lots of boisterous locals!

Saturday: Since the skies were perfectly clear, we decided to head back up to Mont Ventoux again. We had a semi-elaborate plan: Jeff would ride up the side he didn't last Monday, and Mel would drive over the other side to begin a hike all the way to the top. Once up, Jeff descended to the car and took it back to the top where we met for a coffee. Got the views we were looking for! Then Jeff bombed down to the bottom on bike, of course.

Afterwards, we toured a few small villages in the area, stopping for food for a light dinner. One the way back we came through the most amazing gorge that was right around the corner the whole time we were here.

We're a little sad to be moving on, since Provence seemed to suit us so well - awesome food and perfect October weather. But we still have a week left, so on to the Pyrenees and Barcelona!

Provence

10-19-2007. We're having a great time in Provence. Our little gite is a great jumping off point for seeing the area.

Tuesday - Started the morning with croissants and cafe, of course, then meandered over to the crumbling town of Oppede le Vieux. Unlike many of the other hill towns in Provence which are being restored slowly as folks buy up property, Oppede is still mostly in ruins. There's an effort underway to restore the church, but the rest of the city inside the ramparts is as it was when the population died down in the mid 19th century. It was a bit surreal exploring old homes and the decaying castle on top of the hill. Hardly any tourists, sweet.

Wednesday - Rented a bike for Melissa in Bonneiux, and we pedaled over to the south side of the Luberon range. Stopped in Lourmarin for coffee, then continued riding through vineyard after vineyard. Almost Napa-like, without the fancy homes. Melissa was a trooper on her clunky rental bike; all told we covered about 40 kilometers over not-too-flat roads and saw many cool little hill towns.

Luckily, we had plans to gain back all the calories burned that day - 8pm reservation at Domaine des Andeols, one of renowned chef Alain Ducasse's restaurants (thanks for the tip Jon!!!). Most delicious, artfully prestented seven course meal we've ever had. Wow. And how nice, the fixed course menu was Melissa-friendly (fish and poulty). Words can't describe how amazing this dinner was - consisting of only what was local and freshest....but here's the summary: scallops in a cauliflower foam, fois served with a fig reduction, lobster tail with a lime and hoisin sauce, sole with many textures/preparations of butternut squash, tender chicken served with stuffed cabbage, chevre with micro greens, and a caramel-pineapple medley with contrasting textures that was to die for. Champagne to start, and a Cote du Luberon wine. Mmmmm.

Thursday - Exausted from the bike ride and hearty eating, finally we slept in a bit. The famous Provence Mistral Winds were in full force, blowing hard all day. Skies were clear and the temps not too bad though. Had a mellow but surprisingly good lunch at the internet cafe we've been frequenting. Quiches and salad with a tray of delicious little accompianments (radish gaspacho anyone?). Then we hit the road to the Pont du Gard near Avignon to marvel at the ancient roman aquaduct. Hardly anyone there, it made for a nice walk.

Having not been in a city for a while, we wandered Avignon for a few hours. Those Popes sure lived it up, in their fancy Pope Palace. We caught some views of the city and the ancient bridge across the Rhone, before the sun started to go down and we made our way back home.

Jeff "proposed for us" a light dinner of Provence inspired omlettes (with fresh truffles and cheese, of course).

We've got two more nights here (staying one extra) before heading towards the Pyrennes. We'll be in Barcelona for sure on Wednesday and Thursday night before we fly home on Friday. Where'd the time go?

Les Bouilladoires

10-15-2007. After a long time on the go, we're psyched to check into a little "Gite" (guesthouse) in the heart of Provence, just south of the town of Gordes. Quiet and cozy, we'll be here through next Saturday (at least :^))

After visiting the local farmers market in Coustellet (puts all of our farmers markets to shame, btw), we added duck and prawns to our bounty of cheese, veggies, bread, and fresh truffles. We're kind of excited to cook for ourselves again. Pasta sauce:

Gordes is a cool little hill town, literally built into the rock. Explored for a few hours before tiring of the tourists and retreated to our little guesthouse haven.

Next day, we headed to Mount Ventoux. Jeff got on his bike and suffered for a couple hours while Melissa went for a pretty forested hike. This being the tallest peak in the area, it created its own weather, so views were sparse at the top. Beautiful nevertheless, and the ride down was a dream for Jeff.

Saint Paul de Vence

10-13-2007. Stopped for the night in Vence en route from Cinque Terre to Provence...mostly so we could hit the tiny hilltown of Saint Paul de Vence in the morning. Vence itself turned out to be a great stopping point - the highlight being (of course) food! Had an amazing dinner in a tiny restaurant "Le Passe Muraille" including fois, some of the best snails in garlic butter to date, duck and boeuf (for Jeff of course).

So at the recommendation of NHdad and NHmom, we headed to St Paul in the morning. Arrived at just the right time to explore this quaint art-filled town as stores were opening....and got out just as the tourist busses began to swarm.

And in the interim, Melissa fell in love. No - not with the guy in the photo below - he's the artist/gallery owner. With his painting. And so now we have the perfect souvenir of our honeymoon, which will hang above the dining table in a spot that's been waiting for this exact painting for a long time.

After a lovely morning in St. Paul, we got on the (side) road toward our little cottage outside of Gordes. Along the way, we spotted a festival - so stopped to check it out. Turns out it was Rains' annual Fete de Courge. That's pumpkin-fest to you. A total blast to wander through - pumpkins everywhere, wine, cheese, a marching band....and more pumpkins.

Cinque Terre

10-11-2007.

We were a little fearful that Cinque Terre was going to be "Rick Steved" - the phenomenon of noisy Americans with blue books. But this place is beautiful. Right on the Mediteranian, five little towns nestled into the rocks. Narrow streets, steep stairs, and no cars.

Yesterday we parked the car and hit the trail, skipping the train that runs between the towns. First stop, Vernazza.

We found a little room in an "Affita Camere", basically a room in someone's very old home. Cozy, clean, and the price was right, so we set up a home base for two nights. After sipping wine on the harbor we had a wonderful dinner, including the local 'anitpasti' - mixed yummy fresh seafood. Mmmmm.

Today we walked south to visit the other three towns. We stopped along the way for pizza, gelato, gorgeous views, and a naked dip in the Mediteranian. Sorry, no pictures :^)

We're back in Vernazza tonight, looking forward to more seafood. Tomorrow, sadly, we must leave these beautiful towns behind. But we're psyched to be heading back into France, and towards Provence where we'll settle into a cottage for a week starting this Saturday. It'll be nice to slow down a little... But we'll miss you Italy!

Tusacany...

10-9-2007

...is awesome. Before rolling out of town, we went for a short hike to Lago di Santo and Lago Bacco. On the other side of the hill -- Tuscany.



Spent the day wandering toward Lucca. Jeff rode his bike part of the way while Mel drove, snapping pictures all the way. Note to honeymooners: If you separate - one on bike and one in car - and the road turns and becomes confusing....stop. Don't lose your spouse in Italy. :^)

Had done some internet searching from the road and found Dreamers B&B (they're film buffs) just outside of Lucca. http://www.bb-dreamers.toscanaviva.com/home.htm. It was awesome. Our hosts Alessandro and Barbara were incredibly gracious, dispite having come home that very day from hospital with their new baby Yael (or Ya Ya). Didn't get any pics of Ya Ya, but we did of Marguerite and Lola...two other VIPs at Dreamers.

On Alessandro's recommendation, we followed some very windy roads up to Ceru - a restaurant/albergo (tiny hotel) tucked away in the Tuscan hills. (Take a left at the fourth olive grove. If you get to the fifth vineyard, you've gone too far.) Amazing food. Amazing view. Some of the best of both we've had. Oh the porcinis!

Next day, Operation Florence. Beautiful with tons of history. But, yes, crowded with tourists. Yet we had a great day, including seeing the real David at the Academia. Which was surprisingly moving and amazing. Spent some 40 minutes staring at just that one sculpture. Totally worth the price of admission (not to mention the line) right there. Wandered to the Duomo and Mel walked to the top to catch some great views and pics.

After a pretty darn full day of non-stop touring in Florence, we headed back to (comparatively) quiet Lucca - our own "mini-Florence" - where we rented a couple bikes and rode the ramparts, the top of the giant wall encircling the city.

Lovely way to wind down the day...followed by another delicious dinner at Giulios, at the recommendation of our B&B hosts. Yum.

Padova through Emilia-Romagna

10-6-2007. Took the autostrada SW for a bit, then jumped off onto the backroads towards Tuscana. Meandered slowly, snapping pics of the beautiful countryside, past wheels and wheels of Parma cheese. Eventually decided to stop in Pievolago, a sleepy little town near a ski resort. Mel tried to go for a walk, Jeff a bike ride. Heavy thunderstorms shut us down after a beautiful day. So we headed back to the hotel to read for a bit and look out the window at the lovely valley.

Soon, hunger moved us, so we wandered away from the main drag and found a tiny restaurant where everyone spoke Italian. Amazing - Scallopine al aceto Basamico, pizza with Porchinis the size of your fist, spaghetti carbonara with gigantic regional parmesan flakes, veggies with lovely olive oil and more big parm flakes. And when it was all done and we couldn't eat one more bite, the friendly old gentleman proprietor brought over a bottle of limoncello and a peach-infused vodka to try. Mel's idea of heaven.

Oh - and did we mention the signed pictures of old school Italian cycling heros on the wall? Jeff's idea of heaven. :^)

Surgical Strike - Operation Venice

10-5-2007.

10:00am: Board train in home base of Padova.

10:45am: Arrive Venice. Board slow boat #1 and cruise the grand canal. Dodge tourists. You'd think the Americans are the worst, but no, the Italians.

12:00pm: Walk St Marks square. Sip an expresso, look out for the pigeons (a tourist attraction in and of itself, apparently).

1:00pm: St Marks Basilica. Wow, amazing murals made of tiny ceramic tiles. Pay a few extra euros for the church museum to get to the top of the Basilica. Museum items dating back to the second century. Even bigger wow!

3:00pm: Walk the streets and over canals. A little shopping. Lots of pictures.

7:00pm: Settle into a quiet spot for some dinner away from the Rialto Bridge tourist traps. Yummy creamy seafood lasagna, seafood polenta. Sip Bellinis (apparently the official drink of Venice). Mmmmm.

8:30pm: It's dark. Board our gondola. Luckily, shadowed by another gondola complete with accordian and singer for ambience. Cuddled up for the romantic Venice experience. Awww.

9:45pm: Gelato. Some more walking.

10:30pm: Train back to home base in Padova. Operation Venice a success. Glad we did it, probably won't be back soon. We're countryfolk.