This post is dedicated to all the travelers out there. We often get inquiries about our favorite places that we have visited outside of the US. Before we forget, we wanted to leave detailed notes on our top picks in rank order. Instead of putting it as a post and making it impossibly long to scroll through, we have created a new page on the site here. You can find it in the future on the top menu of the blog. We pledge to continually update it through our travels!
Category Archives: Travel: Europe
Progressive Dinner Around the World?
We are feeling a bit nostalgic. One of our recent conversations included naming the best meals we have ever had. So, I posed the question to Gabe….if you had superpower and could have a ‘progressive dinner’ around the world (travel to different places for different courses), where would you go?
His answer:
Nicolas Maillart Champagne
Apertif: Champagne from Champagne Nicolas Maillart in Reims, France
5 rue de Villers aux Noeuds
51500 Ecueil, France
First course : Pasta course trio at Mario Batali’s restaurant, Del Posto, in NYC with Ferdinand & Isabella
85 Tenth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212-497-8090
Fish main course: Grouper at Ostria
Ostria
Plaka-Elounda, Crete Greece
Meat main course: Veal (Vitello), a fried veal cutlet which came doused in fresh tomato and basil at Al Mercante in Milan
Piazza Mercanti, 17
20123 Milan, Italy
Dessert: Nutella pizza at Luigia in Geneva, Switzerland
Rue Adrien Lachenal 24A
Genève Suisse
And my response?
One of my favorite dining memories, Plaka, Crete, Greece
Drink: Bordeaux from Château Pontet Canet
33250 Pauillac, France
05 56 59 04 04
Appetizer: Eggplant dip from Ta Koupia in Kolonaki neighborhood of Athens, Greece
Αναπήρων Πολέμου 22
Αθήνα 11521, Ελλάδα
+30 210-7400150
First course: Truffle Pasta from Restaurant Maurizio, off the square in Orvieto, Italy
Via del Duomo,
78 05018 Orvieto Province of Terni, Italy
Fish main course: Grouper at Ostria
Ostria
Plaka-Elounda, Crete Greece
Meat main course: Veal chop at Trattoria 4 Leoni, Florence, Italy
Trattoria 4 Leoni
Via dè Vellutini, 1-red 50125 Florence, Italy
055 218562
Dessert: Tres leche cake at Sole in Charlotte, NC
-no longer in business, formerly of East Blvd Charlotte NC-
Where would you go on a progressive dinner around the world? Please share your favorites!!!
Green Energy
Gabe is a big fan of alternative / renewable forms of energy. We’ve been able to see many examples of green energy sources during our time in Europe.
Windmills are very common, dotting the mountainous landscapes to take advantage of the wind energy.
Windmills in the Aosta valley of Italy
Windmills in Eastern France, on the way to Champagne
Windmills in Eastern France, near Dijon
Windmills in the water, near Copenhagen, Denmark
Windmills in Scotland in the Midlands
We also have seen several examples of cool solar energy in Europe:
Solar parking lot near Bordeaux, France – this was enormous. The panels both gathered energy and protected the cars from the elements
Solar powered parking machine in Vienna
Switzerland in particular makes excellent us of hydropower with its alpine streams and vertical topography. It produces over 50% of Switzerland’s energy.
Switzerland harnesses their natural treasures into energy
We both think it is pretty neat how Europeans invest in protecting their environment, with their concern for recycling, reduced packaging/disposable materials, and using combinations of green energy.
Postcards from Rome
When in Rome, we saw many beautiful places. Here are a few snapshots from our lens:
The Square opposite Capitol Hill that was designed by Michelangelo
Victor Emmanuel Monument
Lunch just outside The Pantheon
Inside of The Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
The Spanish Steps
Natural Christmas tree in one of Rome’s squares
Beautiful street scene
Taking in the cool architecture
Blue skies
Grand squares
Neat fountains
The island in the middle of the Tyber
Street music
Ruins were intertwined with modern buildings everywhere!
This city park was a park of ruins
Castel St Angelo
St. Peter’s in the distance over The Tyber
Castel St Angelo
Vatican City & St. Peter’s Cathedral
We visited Vatican City our third day in Rome. Vatican City is a sovereign city-state within the city of Rome, taking up only 110 acres. It is home to 800 people, all affiliated with the church and museum.
We were lucky to have Claudia again as our guide, to see the highlights. With limited time in Rome, and also limited time to plan and research the trip, booking a guided tour was helpful to make sure we got the most out of it.
View from The Vatican Museum of St. Peter’s in the distance
The light was just beautiful in Vatican City. The buildings seen here are the galleries leading to the Sistine Chapel.
We started our tour in the Vatican Museum, holding many treasures that they have accumulated from history. The statues were impressive but I much preferred the remarkable ceilings.
These corridors lead to the Sistine Chapel. Many people told me they were brought to tears upon seeing Michelangelo’s greatest work. I read the fictional novel The Agony & The Ecstasy, about Michelangelo’s life many years ago, which detailed that he was not enthused about this assignment – he hated fresco painting and preferred sculpture. The Pope had required him to live in Rome and complete the works on St. Peter’s. Not sure if it was that information or the hoards of people shoving us, but I thought it was just okay. Really cool to see but I did not need any tissues. Sorry – no photos allowed.
A guard came up to us and told Claudia that they were shutting St. Peter’s in 10 minutes due to New Years’ Eve. He told her to hurry or we’d miss it. Whispering a “grazie mille”, we quickly descended into the remarkable church.
If you aren’t familiar with St. Peter’s, it is a church dedicated to St. Peter, built above his grave site. There was an original church on the same spot, but during Julius II’s reign, he wanted to make it more glorious due to it’s significant dedication and symbolism. St. Peter was one of Jesus’s disciples, and a very important and influential one. After Jesus’s death & resurrection, he became the natural leader and made great strides in proclaiming the message of Christianity. He was persecuted for his teachings under Emperor Nero and when he was given death by crucifixion he requested only to be crucified upside down as he didn’t feel he deserved to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus.
One of the first things we saw within the church was Michelangelo’s pieta, a sculpture of Mother Mary holding the adult crucified Jesus on her lap. Michelangelo sculpted this emotional masterpiece at 24 years of age. Can you imagine? This work of art brought me more emotion than the Sistine Chapel, it was his passion, the sculpture.
We continued to walk around the basilica. Notice the light coming in at every vantage point. Full credit to the hubby for capturing this beautiful essence of the visit with our camera.
The domes and ceiling were really impressive. Mid-way through, Gabe said that it was the most impressive religious structured he’d ever seen. Although I was impressed by others (see list at end of this post) , I’d have to agree.
Upon leaving, we saw the famous Swiss guard on duty! The volunteers come from the four Catholic cantons of Switzerland and their mission is to protect the Pope.
After grabbing lunch, we returned back to the square for experiencing this special place once more.
About ten minutes after we returned, the guards came, ushering every single person out of St. Peter’s Square for what we think were New Year’s Eve preparations. So, we can officially say we were kicked out of Vatican City!!
Nonetheless, we we grateful for the visit. What a remarkable place.
The Coliseum & Roman Forum
On our trip to Rome, visiting The Coliseum was a must. We booked a three hour tour with Claudia to explore the Coliseum, Palantine Hill, and The Roman Forum. All of these sites are very close together.
The metro stop Coliseo literally drops you off at this vantage point! I loved the Christmas tree out front.
Claudia led us efficiently through, explaining that the Coliseum is in ruins for many reasons. When the gladiator games stopped due to rulers objecting to their bloody nature, the Coliseum wasn’t as needed so was left deserted. Earthquakes came in 847 and 1231 which caused significant structural damage. Finally, when St. Peter’s Basilica was being re-built by Julius II, they used all the marble from the Coliseum to build the church.
The entire thing used to be covered in white marble. You can see below the places where the marble was attached, leaving holes once it was taken.
She taught us about the levels of seating. Even back then, people received a “ticket” with their section and row. Important people such as Senators and the Imperial Family were on the bottom tier, with protective walls. Then, the upper class in the 2nd tier, the lower class in the 3rd tier, and at the top: the women. She explained it was common for women to be impressed with the gladiators. Thus, they were kept at the top, at quite a length.
The lower class tier. You’ll see people cooking in the stands because these were all day events.
Some of the remaining marble Senatorial seats
If you aren’t familiar with Gladiatorial Games, it is when men fight to the death to entertain the crowd. The Gladiators are actually slaves / criminals forced to fight. You might remember from the movie The Gladiator that Maximus was actually a Roman general who became a slave due to the vengeful rule of the Emperor.
The gladiators are unfairly weighted against soldiers with chariots and better weapons. To keep an element of surprise, wild animals were also released during the fights. You can see a cross section of the lower part under the main floor, which contained staging areas.
Cross section demonstrating the area under the floor
They have built a modern floor in the Coliseum today so that you can imagine it as it were, with the underlying area revealing in the ruin of the Coliseum.
The Coliseum was quite advanced in design. They had sails that could protect the spectators from the harsh sunlight.
After being impressed by the Coliseum, we continued to Palantine Hill, the seat of many ancient Roman palaces and onto the Forum.
The arch of Constantine, in sight of The Coliseum
A look back at the Coliseum. The Arch of Constantine is the structure in the right hand side.
The entry arch to The Forum
A view towards Capitol Hill
A view of the ruins of The Roman Forum
The mound where Julius Caesar’s body was burned/cremated
Everywhere you looked, there was something magnificent
You know the saying, “All Roads Lead to Rome”? This is mile marker zero in Rome.
The arch where you exit The Forum
Leaving The Forum
Just outside The Forum was the jail. This is the place that Jesus’s disciples, Peter and Paul, where kept before they died.
If you took Mr. Ward’s Latin class like me in high school, we learned a lot about Romulus & Remus, the twins who were raised by the she-wolf. A statue stands outside Capitol Hill demonstrating this legend.
We were really in awe of this area. Outside of Athens & Greece, no place that we have seen compares to the vast and significant history here in Rome.
Riding In On A Broomstick: Italy’s Christmas Heroine
I thought I had completed my Christmas market circuit across Europe. That is until we hit Rome for New Years. On an evening stroll, we came across market stalls in Piazza Navona.
“Christmas markets!” I exclaimed with glee.
Piazza Navona & the lights from the Christmas market
Carousel & game stalls for children
Upon closer look, we were a little creeped out. Witches were covering the tents, stacked in baskets, and the proprietors were waving their hands in the air, prompting them to all howl and cackle. What the heck? Delayed Halloween Italian-style??
Witches in the air
Baskets of witches, everywhere!
A rack o’ witches
We spotted a cute cappuccino ornament and got it for our travel tree to remember Italy. When the shopkeeper responded to my bad Italian by saying, “eight”, I got the courage to ask her in English what the meaning of the witch was. She looked perplexed. I indicated to the hundreds of old ladies riding brooms hanging from her booth, with puzzled eyes.
Strings of witches
“Ah, Befana,” she said, “Good luck for New Year.”
I Googled it later.
In Italy, “Befana” is not a witch, but merely an old lady who rides a broomstick and delivers presents to good Italian children. There are many interpretations of the legend, one being that the wise men wanted to stay at her inn, but she was too busy doing the housework/sweeping. She later realized the importance of their journey and then seeks to find Baby Jesus to deliver presents but never found him. The story nowadays is that she searches in every house looking for Baby Jesus, leaving small presents if she doesn’t find him, as the presence of Christ is found in all children.
The friendliest Befana we found
We bought a little broom to remember Befana. For more interesting Christmas figures, be sure to check out Schwingen In Switzerland’s Schmultzi, St Nicolas Vigilante Style.
Gratitude Friday: UNESCO World Heritage List
This Gratitude Friday goes out to UNESCO. I actually had no clue what UNESCO was before we moved to Geneva. However, because of the sheer volume of places in Europe, it became something of note during our travels. UNESCO helps identify and protect the places in the world that are most important to humans, both culturally and naturally. There are currently 962 places in the world on the list. Roughly 80% are cultural while 20% are natural.
How wonderful that there is an organization which makes it their mission to preserve and recognize these sites? While sites like the Notre Dame in Paris might not have trouble gaining support, think about those in underdeveloped countries like Angkor Wat in Cambodia that can now have the financial and administrative resources to preserve and protect these special sites for the world to appreciate?
And also, I wanted to express our thankfulness for being able to visit over 30 new UNESCO sites during our time as ex-pats. This is something that neither one of us thought we would do in a 1.5 year span. While our travels will be slowing down with our move back to the US, I wanted to find a way to archive the sites that we had been to, both before this experience, and then after.
So, I have created a page in the main menu of the blog listing Our UNESCO Tracker. I’ll keep this up in the future as well.
Bon weekend, everyone!
The Swiss Rule Book: Drinking in Public
Drinking in public isn’t a big deal in Europe. We are constantly reminded of this with our guests. We bring along a bottle of wine to a picnic or on a train and they ask us, “you can’t actually drink that here, can you?”. The answer is yes. Europeans are far more lax about things like this. As a result, there are actually far less drunk people because it isn’t so taboo. In fact, the Swiss can start drinking wine and beer at 16. It’s 18 for hard liquor. And, we have never seen drunk teens.
Here are a few photographic reasons to further demonstrate the point:
Recently, in Italy, we had a glass of champagne at a risotto fair. They gave us cloth glass holders to string around our neck so that we could take it “to go”. This has become my favorite new accessory.
Me with my champagne glass necklace, walking around town
They put reminders up about the legal drinking age:
Babies can’t drink in public.
However, some don’t pay attention.
Before….
After….
Sorry little guy. You have to wait a few years.
And, those ‘on duty’ don’t mind enjoying a cold one.
This guy might have just had his 16th birthday
People drink in random places. It is most common on the bus to see a guy in a suit enjoying a beer on his way home from work. I prefer this photo of a lady in her 70’s opening up her bottle she purchased grocery shopping and drinking it out of the bottle at the bus stop. There is no time like the present.
It’s 5 o’ clock somewhere.
Here’s hoping that this New Years Day, you didn’t have too much to drink!
The Apéro or Après-Ski….Two Alternatives to What We Know As Happy Hour
When we lived in The States, we frequently had “Happy Hour”. Whether it was with colleagues or friends, it was common to get together after work, enjoy a drink and catch up. In the US, it is also common for bars and establishments to have Happy Hour Specials such as dollar beers or half priced glasses of wine, etc.
In France, they have a similar tradition, however usually without the discount. We’ve had the pleasure of experiencing them before but while in Morzine for Christmas, we feel like we’ve really gotten a lot of practice!
The first is “L’Apero”, or The Apero. L’Apero is the French bridge between your normal busy day and the start of the evening. Enjoying an ‘aperitif’ before dinner is classified as a gesture of health or well-being, to start your appetite. The typical aperitif consists of : champagnes, martinis, vermouths, sherries, or a light or sweet white wines, as well as small snacks like olives, chips or nuts. A fruit juice is also an alternative to the alcoholic beverages.
Having Champagne for an aperitif
In ski towns, the apero has a fun spin in terms of the “Après Ski”. Literally translated, it means ‘after the ski’. Crowds gather at the most popular bars to start the night. Here the drink selections are more broad, including beers and mixed drinks.
The Après Ski buzz
Enjoying the Après Ski with friends, including a special birthday celebration
Finally, after dinner, it is common in France and other European countries to be served a digestif. Many times this is included with the meal, and is intended to help your food settle. In Greece, it is raki or ouza. In Italy, many times it is limoncello. Here in France, we had homemade apple and pear liquor as well as a hot rum digestif.
While I have heard of “the night cap”, an alcoholic beverage consumed before going to bed, in the US, I typically know it as a sleep aid vs. a digestive aid.
It sure is hard to do this research, but we are happy to do it for the benefit of the blog! Happy New Years Eve, everyone!!
The Swiss Watch Blog 