Eating Our Way Through Italy

Buongiorno!  We landed in Milan at 11 p.m. and waited until morning to head to Florence.  The night went by somewhat quicker because we were able to chat with a friend we made from Slovenia.  So far making friends has been a theme during our trip to Italy.

Priority número uno after arriving in Florence was finding something to eat.  We headed to All’ Antico Vinaio, for some authentic Italian sandwiches.  Lyss got Italian ham with Pecorino cream.  The man at the counter said to me, “I bet you like everything, I will make you best sandwich in world”.  He is the expert after all so I gave him free reign to make the best sandwich and he didn’t disappoint.  As we were sitting in the plaza eating our lunch, we heard some people speaking English next to us.  Alyssa asked where they were from, and what do you know they were from Wisconsin visiting their daughter who goes to St. Norbert and is studying abroad in Italy.  Alyssa had predicted we would see a St. Norbert student in Italy and she was right!

mozzarela and spicy salami

Gusta Pizza for the second time

As one tourist put it “You eat your way through Italy.” Most of our time has been spent walking and taking in the sights until it is time to eat again.  Then the whole process repeats itself.  We walked through the flower gardens of Florence, visited a number of old churches, and saw many different versions of the David statue.  There were so many artistic sights to take in around us that Alyssa walked right across a man’s painting while she was looking up at a bell tower.  Mi dispiace...

 

We hiked to Michelangelo's viewpoint to get a better view of the city.
The dome of the church was the world's first dome.

We spent the night in a room we are renting in an Italian grad student’s house.  We chatted with the Israeli family across the hall that is also visiting Florence.  The next morning we walked through the market and shared a panini.  Then we took the bus to Chianti.  It was a great change of pace to spend time in a city that is 100% Italy.  Chianti is a small Italian village in Tuscany known for their wine.  We walked through fields of olive trees, visited a small stone hamlet in the hills, and saw the house of Amerigo Vespucci (who America is named after).  We returned to Florence ready for dinner, but first we helped an Austrian family find their way to one of the churches.  Then it was off to Gusta Pizza, our favorite restaurant here in Italy!  We ate delicious pizza and calzone two nights in a row for dinner.  We followed it up with Gelato on the bridge.  Tomorrow we are off to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  

In front of Amerigo Vespucci's house in Montefioralle.
The moth symbol above the door was the symbol of his family.

Ciao for now!

Italia Here We Come!!!

Not tomorrow, but the NEXT day we will be on a plane headed for Italy.  As the last big vacation within a vacation, we have a checklist that we must complete. Let's see if we're successful. It's simple, really....


1. EAT THIS PIZZA AND MORE!

2. EAT THIS PESTO ON SPECIAL TROFIE NOODLES

3. EAT AT THIS FAMOUS SANDWICH SHOP IN FLORENCE

4. RELAX AND ENJOY THE VIEW

A Galician Road Trip

Well friends...it's been a while.  Like we said, the sun is quite motivating and we had been experiencing some poor weather until today.  Also, we were without a computer charger for a while.  The good news is things are lookin' up. We've got a new computer charger and the sun is shining. What more can we ask for?

Although public transportation is awesome in Europe, Galicia is lagging a bit behind.  However, Galicia is doing pretty good in the car rental department.  It was so cheap for us to rent a car that got 75 miles per gallon! Increíble.  This past weekend, we drove through the lush, green hills of Galicia.  It was so neat to see the little villages tucked away in the hills by car.

LAS PLAYAS CATEDRALES

We started our adventure in the north of Galicia at Las Playas Catedrales (Cathedral Beach) so named because of the rock formations.  We had to go during low-tide.

Just look at that blue! How cool would it be to swim in here?  It's very shallow and crystal clear.  

Our very adventurous friend. It looks dangerous from the ground, but it's pretty wide at the top.

a taste of Ireland's Cliffs of Moher right in Galicia

Robin Indiana Jones Wabalickis

TO THE END OF THE EARTH (Cabo Finisterre)

We left the sunny beach in the north to go to the end of the earth.  During Roman times, they literally thought that this area in Galicia was the end of the earth since it is the most western point in Europe. Cabo Finisterre is located on the Costa de la Muerte (The Coast of Death).  This coastal area was given this name due to the many shipwrecks that happened here.  I'm not going to lie, we were pretty scared to walk to the lighthouse with such intense fog.  We could hear the ocean, but we couldn't see a thing.  It's too bad because the views are supposed to be spectacular.  

 

(Pictured above: thick fog and shoes left by pilgrims.  It is tradition to leave your shoes here after completing the Way of St. James pilgrimage)

Next Up: The Waterfall in Ézaro

 

We spotted northern and western Galician snails.  Just kidding...they're all the same, I think!

Last Stop: The Enchanting Fishing Village of Combarro

A proper Galician road trip must include Churrasco (perfectly seasoned grilled ribs!)

Here Comes the Sun, And I Say It's Alright :)

     Did we mistakenly put a honeymoon picture from North Carolina on the blog? Nope! Just plain, gorgeous weather here in northern Spain.  We were surprised too! It’s amazing what a little sun can do for one’s motivation and energy!  On Friday, we managed to get everything done on our to-do list on our sunny ocean-view porch.  After finishing our chores, our creative juices started flowing...

Homemade Household Orange Cleaner

  

Robin focusing on drawing an accurate U.S.A. map

Thankful! Thankful! Thankful!

A Lanzada Beach

     Until this year, I had never escaped a brutal Wisconsin winter during spring break.  It’s a weird feeling to sun-bathe on the beach during the first week of March.  We’re not complaining, though.  We went to the town of O’Grove about forty-minutes south of where we live.  O’Grove really juts out into the ocean, so the open waters are great for surfing.  There were lots of surfers taking advantage of the huge waves.  Other than the surfers who were wearing wet-suits, Robin was the only one crazy enough to swim in the freezing ocean.  Also, nearby the beach was a church with the exterior completely covered in shells! Cool beans!  It doesn't come as a surprise since the town hosts one of the world's largest seafood festivals every October.

     People are always asking us why we don’t bundle up like we live in Antarctica when it is almost 50 degrees out.  This time they thought we were crazy to wear short sleeve-shirts and shorts when it was almost 70 degrees with sunny blue skies.  We are constantly explaining to teachers and store cashiers that we are from Wisconsin where people will go out and wash their cars on the first 60-degree day of spring.  The owner of the fruit store refers to us as “Wisconsin” now.  Maybe this is aided by the fact that Robin brought three different t-shirts with Wisconsin written across the chest.



 

Views From Our Front Porch During These Beautiful Days

Lots of kayakers lately.  We'll have to get out there soon!

 Pictures from Carnaval at Alyssa’s School

     We went to Vilaxoán to watch their Carnaval parade and indulge in traditional Carnaval sweets.  We ate many homemade crepe(ish) types of dessert. Also, we loved the homemade sugar-dusted flowers! Basically, we ate a lot of fried dough!  It's a good thing we gave up sweets for lent.  The students are so creative and get really into their costumes.  Even the teachers dress up.  The funniest costume by far would probably be the religion teacher dressed as Bob Marley.  This costume might only fly in California, Washington and Colorado.  It is clear that American culture definitely plays a part in Carnaval costumes.  Two entire classes of three and four year olds dressed as Vikings might be one of the cutest sights known to man!

 

  

With this classic photo of a sweet Galician man walking down
a narrow, rainy Galician farming street, we say ADIOS to gloomy winter!

Santiago de Compostela

Lyss at the end of her pilgrimage to Santiago two years ago.

     The rain let up for a few hours one day, so before that could change we ran to the train station to take a trip to Santiago de Compostela.  Many Galicians have told us that Santiago is the most beautiful city in all of Spain.  Alyssa was pretty set in her opinion that Toledo is the most beautiful city in Spain, but my vote was still up for grabs.  Santiago is a mere 45-minute train ride away from Villagarcia. 

     On our train ride we passed horses, goats, and sheep grazing in tiny farm fields.  We learned that Galician parents choose to literally split their inheritance between their surviving children.  What once started as a normal sized farms would be split into smaller and smaller pieces so each child can have their own piece of farmland just big enough for a few animals but too small to actually have a business.  I asked one Galician farm owner how much work it took to take care of his four goats.  He said “It isn’t any work at all.  You just toss them your leftover bread every day and then kill one once or twice a year during a festival!”

     We arrived in Santiago and raced to the market so we could explore before it closed.  When we got to the market we were met with the smells of fresh bread and cheese.  I used my husband shining power to read Alyssa’s mind and there was one clear and powerful thought coming through.  FREE SAMPLES!  We walked up to the very first stand and a man offered us a sample.  However, it wasn’t quite what Lyss had in mind.  He used a big ladle to reach into a barrel and pull out an octopus tentacle.  Before we knew it he had cut it, seasoned it, and presented us with toothpicks skewering pulpo (octopus meat).  I’ve become quite an experienced octopus eater in my time here in Spain and enjoyed the free treat, but Alyssa had never tried it.  She stuffed it in her mouth smiling, waved goodbye, and walked quickly away.  By the time I caught up to her there was a wad of octopus in her hand.

     I was very proud of Alyssa’s attempt to eat octopus so we picked out some bread and cheese to eat for our lunch.  As we walked through the market we saw...

Santiago is home to some of the world's finest seafood.

We enjoyed our favorite dessert local to Santiago, Tarta de Santiago, in front of the Santiago Cathedral.  While enjoying our dessert, we met pilgrims who had just finished the pilgrimage.  It is tradition for pilgrims to kiss the brick on the left after finishing the pilgrimage.