As I've been back home I've had so many requests to really wrap up this blog and give my overall impressions from my trip.
The most popular question is always, "what was your favorite place?" I can't pick just one and with hindsight I wouldn't choose to not visit any of the locations. That said, I think Cambodia, Laos, Istanbul and SW France top my list. If I could tell someone to go to any one place it would be to either Cambodia or Laos and particularly in the next 5-10 years, before they become more and more like Vietnam and Thailand.
The further I get from my travels the more and more thankful I am to have had the opportunity to walk away from life as I knew it for 6 months. In a way I feel like it was a gift from my Dad as his death certainly has given me perspective on my own life.
I am renewed and refreshed and SO excited to be starting my next chapter. I've been told repeatedly that it will be the best two years of my life. I'm excited to find out!
My CBS orientation started last weekend. The class is roughly 540 people at the moment but we will be joined by ~160 more in January. We are divided up into clusters of roughly 70 people and I am now a proud Cluster A! member. Orientation is all about building the Cluster A family feeling and Cluster A pride. Each cluster is assigned a team of Peer Advisors (2nd years) to help facilitate the entire week. We are also divided into learning teams of 5 or 6 people. Somehow my learning team is 7 strong. We are convinced that we are the guinea pigs for some social experiment but so far so good. There's been a lot of information thrown at us, most of which I hope to digest in the weeks to come. There's also been a TON of social activities (see Flickr). My liver is crying out for help and I've stayed up until 3am more nights than I can ever remember before (I went to Wellesley remember). Cluster A at the moment really stands out as one of the closest clusters which I feel really happy about. After all, this experience is at least 50% about the people and networks I will build.
I'm really happy to be back in NYC and will surely have more stories to tell in the coming weeks and months. I will continue to post pictures to Flickr, unfortunately, I just won't have the time to keep blogging. So here is where it all ends. I hope you have all enjoyed reading as it has been great fun writing.
THE END
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Ciao!
Italy was the last stop on my whirlwind trip. I connected with my mom in Rome where we had four very busy days seeing the sights of the city. We joined a few organized tours through the USO which given the size of the city turned out to be a very efficient way to explore everything. The history is also rich and honestly neither she nor I know as much as we should about Roman and Christian history so the added commentary from guides was much appreciated. Oh and one other small detail...tourists descend upon Rome en masse in the late summer and with a tour guide you get to jump to the front of lines. So yes I am a bit ashamed to say that I have now been one of those people following a flag but it was always well worth it!
We stayed just outside the Vatican City and actually visited St. Peter's Basilica three separate times. The first included a tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. The second time we climbed the 320 steps to the top of the cupola and the third time we took a tour of the crypts underneath St. Peter's. Each time we discovered something new inside the church. It's really enormous and full of so many beautiful and interesting elements. For me the most impressive aspect is that there is not a single painting inside the basilica. Every surface is either covered in marble or a mosaic of different stones etc. Michaelangelo's Pieta is also breathtaking. It's one of his four Pieta sculptures. Sadly it was attacked a while back (Mary lost a few fingers) and so it is kept behind a glass wall. The crypt of Pope John Paul II was also wonderful to see. He and the pope before him are buried underneath a simple slab of marble which, given that all the other popes have been interred in ornate sarcophogi, is a bit of a let down.
We also visited all of the major monuments from ancient Rome. We spent time touring the Forum and then moved on to the Colosseum. While the Forum can look like a pile of rocks with a few columns standing here and there, it's interesting to envision the place as the center of society that it was and frankly just stand in awe that anything from the 6th century BC (i think?)still exists. The Colosseum is such an iconic building that you can't help but imagine the events that occurred there as you stand around the center ring. As an ironic aside, last time I visited the Colosseum was the summer the movie The Gladiator was released. This summer, gladiator sandals are all the rage in fashion. Coincidence? I think not.
We opted to only visit one art museum, the Gallerie Borghese. Cardinal Scipioni Borghese began accumulating Roman art and sculpture in the 17th century. While much of his collection was sold off by subsequent generations, what remains is really impressive. We learned much about Classical, neo classical and baroque styles of sculpture. We also were taken through a huge array of works by Bernini as the collection is full of his work. The villa where the museum is housed is beyond ornate and is a must-see.
We did a lot of other sight seeing but Rome just wasn't the highlight of our time in Italy and I've already given it too much airtime.
From Rome we took a day trip to Pompeii, en route to Sorrento. I really did not know what to expect at Pompeii. First, it's incredibly expansive. I understood that it was an entire town but still it was larger than I had pictured in my mind. The quality of the preservation is also impressive. Sure they've unearthed entire homes but the little things like the engraving of "Welcome" in the ground in front of a home ,(the first welcome mat maybe??) are what made the experience for me.
In Sorrento we stayed just on the southern outskirts of town at La Tonnarella. The view from this hotel was just breathtaking. Our balcony and the restaurant where we ate most meals sat out on a rocky cliff looking back at the five towns of Sorrento. Down below the hotel was a little private beach. We spent our third day almost exclusively at this beach, taking a break before what would be a week of A LOT of walking. I am getting ahead of myself though....
On our first day in Sorrento we took a day trip out to the Isle of Capri (CApri, not caPRI as we American's like to say). Capri has two main towns, Capri and Ana Capri. We took a minibus all the way up to Ana Capri and from there we rode up a chair lift to the highest point of the island. The 360 degree view was beautiful. Both towns were lined with shops and restaurants. The target audience, however, is clearly rich. Capri is where, as I like to say, the pretty people vacation. It wasn't Valentino but we did find the best homemade lemon granita on Capri. After checking out both towns we chose to take a boat tour around the island. We opted to forgo the long line at the Blue Grotto and were happy with our choice.
On our second day in Sorrento we took a fast ferry down to the town of Amalfi. From Amalfi we took the public bus up to the town of Ravello. Ravello was by far my mom's favorite spot on the Amalfi coast. It was just so quaint and quiet. It seemed to be THE source for Italian ceramics. After Ravello we went back to Amalfi to explore the town. It was really just one main strip of touristy spots so we didn't stay long. From Amalfi we once again took the public bus to Positano. Positano is just beautifully situated in a crevice along the mountainous shore. We quickly discovered that it's really a town to vacation in but not one with much to just visit. There aren't many touristy things to see and do. It's all about families beaching it.
If the Amalfi coast was the vacation within our vacation then the next week would be our workout. From Sorrento we took a car to Naples and then the train from Naples up to Florence. We spent a day in Florence and then were picked up by our guide for five days of walking through Tuscany and other parts of Northern Italy. The company we used was Club Toscana and because we were the first and only people to request our tour on our particular week, it was just mom, me and our guide Peter. We started in the heart of the Chianti region, walking through tiny villages, all of the names of which I can't remember at the moment. By day two we had learned one thing...what goes up must come down, and the down is more uncomfortable than the up. We traipsed through vineyards and dirt paths over hills and what often seemed like mountains. Along the way we enjoyed wine tasting and tours of villas, castles and monestaries. In Tuscany we stayed most of our nights at Podere Terreno, a villa with quite a few guest rooms. Each night after many miles of walking we would share in a family style dinner with the other guests as well as the owners of the villa, Sylvie and Roberto. The first night the table was segregated by French, Italian and English and yet we all enjoyed each others' company. They served jugs of their own wine and we never seemed to have trouble finishing it off. The dinners here were also some, if not the, best we ate in our whole stay. Yum!
From the heart of Tuscany we transfered up to the Cinque Terre region. The cinque terre are 5 villages that sit on the cliff side of the Italian riviera (northern coast). You can walk from one end to the other in one day so that's what we did on day 4. It was a total of 14km but I have to note that most of that was directly up or down hill. Mom is really proud to have completed it and I was incredibly impressed by her seeming ease at doing so. The villages were all picturesque, tucked into the hillside and full of color. I honestly can't imagine staying in any one of them for an extended time but they were beautiful in passing.
On our last day we transfered once again up to the heart of the Italian riviera region, near Portofino. Our hotel was in the city of Santa Marguerita Ligure (SML), just down the coast from Portofino. This region was really just so beautiful and the type of place where I would go for a destination vacation. From SML we started our final day of walking by checking out a local market. Then we set out for Portofino. Portofino is like Capri, a vacation spot for the wealthy. The small port was dotted with yachts and the restaurants were filled with people watchers. Kind of ironic to be walking around in tank tops and sports bras! From Portofino we hiked a ways to a town called San Fruttuoso. At San Fruttuoso we called it quits for the week and took a ferry back to SML. We ate well in SML and on our last day we spent a few hours on the beach as a reward to ourselves. Mom likes the irony of the fact that as a child she hated to walk with her grandma to the home of a family friend and now we were paying to walk! All in all it was a great experience.
From Italy I flew back to London for a night and then it was off to Seattle. I got the chance to catch up with a very old friend of mine, Kate, before flying out to my grandparents' home in Kettle Falls, WA.
Then from WA I had two weeks back in Fairfax, tying up loose end before moving back to NYC and starting at CBS, Columbia Business School.
We stayed just outside the Vatican City and actually visited St. Peter's Basilica three separate times. The first included a tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. The second time we climbed the 320 steps to the top of the cupola and the third time we took a tour of the crypts underneath St. Peter's. Each time we discovered something new inside the church. It's really enormous and full of so many beautiful and interesting elements. For me the most impressive aspect is that there is not a single painting inside the basilica. Every surface is either covered in marble or a mosaic of different stones etc. Michaelangelo's Pieta is also breathtaking. It's one of his four Pieta sculptures. Sadly it was attacked a while back (Mary lost a few fingers) and so it is kept behind a glass wall. The crypt of Pope John Paul II was also wonderful to see. He and the pope before him are buried underneath a simple slab of marble which, given that all the other popes have been interred in ornate sarcophogi, is a bit of a let down.
We also visited all of the major monuments from ancient Rome. We spent time touring the Forum and then moved on to the Colosseum. While the Forum can look like a pile of rocks with a few columns standing here and there, it's interesting to envision the place as the center of society that it was and frankly just stand in awe that anything from the 6th century BC (i think?)still exists. The Colosseum is such an iconic building that you can't help but imagine the events that occurred there as you stand around the center ring. As an ironic aside, last time I visited the Colosseum was the summer the movie The Gladiator was released. This summer, gladiator sandals are all the rage in fashion. Coincidence? I think not.
We opted to only visit one art museum, the Gallerie Borghese. Cardinal Scipioni Borghese began accumulating Roman art and sculpture in the 17th century. While much of his collection was sold off by subsequent generations, what remains is really impressive. We learned much about Classical, neo classical and baroque styles of sculpture. We also were taken through a huge array of works by Bernini as the collection is full of his work. The villa where the museum is housed is beyond ornate and is a must-see.
We did a lot of other sight seeing but Rome just wasn't the highlight of our time in Italy and I've already given it too much airtime.
From Rome we took a day trip to Pompeii, en route to Sorrento. I really did not know what to expect at Pompeii. First, it's incredibly expansive. I understood that it was an entire town but still it was larger than I had pictured in my mind. The quality of the preservation is also impressive. Sure they've unearthed entire homes but the little things like the engraving of "Welcome" in the ground in front of a home ,(the first welcome mat maybe??) are what made the experience for me.
In Sorrento we stayed just on the southern outskirts of town at La Tonnarella. The view from this hotel was just breathtaking. Our balcony and the restaurant where we ate most meals sat out on a rocky cliff looking back at the five towns of Sorrento. Down below the hotel was a little private beach. We spent our third day almost exclusively at this beach, taking a break before what would be a week of A LOT of walking. I am getting ahead of myself though....
On our first day in Sorrento we took a day trip out to the Isle of Capri (CApri, not caPRI as we American's like to say). Capri has two main towns, Capri and Ana Capri. We took a minibus all the way up to Ana Capri and from there we rode up a chair lift to the highest point of the island. The 360 degree view was beautiful. Both towns were lined with shops and restaurants. The target audience, however, is clearly rich. Capri is where, as I like to say, the pretty people vacation. It wasn't Valentino but we did find the best homemade lemon granita on Capri. After checking out both towns we chose to take a boat tour around the island. We opted to forgo the long line at the Blue Grotto and were happy with our choice.
On our second day in Sorrento we took a fast ferry down to the town of Amalfi. From Amalfi we took the public bus up to the town of Ravello. Ravello was by far my mom's favorite spot on the Amalfi coast. It was just so quaint and quiet. It seemed to be THE source for Italian ceramics. After Ravello we went back to Amalfi to explore the town. It was really just one main strip of touristy spots so we didn't stay long. From Amalfi we once again took the public bus to Positano. Positano is just beautifully situated in a crevice along the mountainous shore. We quickly discovered that it's really a town to vacation in but not one with much to just visit. There aren't many touristy things to see and do. It's all about families beaching it.
If the Amalfi coast was the vacation within our vacation then the next week would be our workout. From Sorrento we took a car to Naples and then the train from Naples up to Florence. We spent a day in Florence and then were picked up by our guide for five days of walking through Tuscany and other parts of Northern Italy. The company we used was Club Toscana and because we were the first and only people to request our tour on our particular week, it was just mom, me and our guide Peter. We started in the heart of the Chianti region, walking through tiny villages, all of the names of which I can't remember at the moment. By day two we had learned one thing...what goes up must come down, and the down is more uncomfortable than the up. We traipsed through vineyards and dirt paths over hills and what often seemed like mountains. Along the way we enjoyed wine tasting and tours of villas, castles and monestaries. In Tuscany we stayed most of our nights at Podere Terreno, a villa with quite a few guest rooms. Each night after many miles of walking we would share in a family style dinner with the other guests as well as the owners of the villa, Sylvie and Roberto. The first night the table was segregated by French, Italian and English and yet we all enjoyed each others' company. They served jugs of their own wine and we never seemed to have trouble finishing it off. The dinners here were also some, if not the, best we ate in our whole stay. Yum!
From the heart of Tuscany we transfered up to the Cinque Terre region. The cinque terre are 5 villages that sit on the cliff side of the Italian riviera (northern coast). You can walk from one end to the other in one day so that's what we did on day 4. It was a total of 14km but I have to note that most of that was directly up or down hill. Mom is really proud to have completed it and I was incredibly impressed by her seeming ease at doing so. The villages were all picturesque, tucked into the hillside and full of color. I honestly can't imagine staying in any one of them for an extended time but they were beautiful in passing.
On our last day we transfered once again up to the heart of the Italian riviera region, near Portofino. Our hotel was in the city of Santa Marguerita Ligure (SML), just down the coast from Portofino. This region was really just so beautiful and the type of place where I would go for a destination vacation. From SML we started our final day of walking by checking out a local market. Then we set out for Portofino. Portofino is like Capri, a vacation spot for the wealthy. The small port was dotted with yachts and the restaurants were filled with people watchers. Kind of ironic to be walking around in tank tops and sports bras! From Portofino we hiked a ways to a town called San Fruttuoso. At San Fruttuoso we called it quits for the week and took a ferry back to SML. We ate well in SML and on our last day we spent a few hours on the beach as a reward to ourselves. Mom likes the irony of the fact that as a child she hated to walk with her grandma to the home of a family friend and now we were paying to walk! All in all it was a great experience.
From Italy I flew back to London for a night and then it was off to Seattle. I got the chance to catch up with a very old friend of mine, Kate, before flying out to my grandparents' home in Kettle Falls, WA.
Then from WA I had two weeks back in Fairfax, tying up loose end before moving back to NYC and starting at CBS, Columbia Business School.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Anybody home?
Don't worry we haven't died. My post on Rome is 3/4 written and hey the pics are posted! If you've been to Rome before then enjoy. If not, well enjoy and I'll explain more about them later.
The problem is just that Italy gets a big F for its internet access. Also there's been the whole problem of finding time to write. We have had a very full stay so far. 4 days in Rome, 4 days on the Amalfi coast and now we are literally walking through Tuscany (Radda in Chianti has this great internet cafe). It's all been a blast. I'm afraid you just might have to wait to hear about it. Think of it as the grande finale of posts....worth the wait!!
The problem is just that Italy gets a big F for its internet access. Also there's been the whole problem of finding time to write. We have had a very full stay so far. 4 days in Rome, 4 days on the Amalfi coast and now we are literally walking through Tuscany (Radda in Chianti has this great internet cafe). It's all been a blast. I'm afraid you just might have to wait to hear about it. Think of it as the grande finale of posts....worth the wait!!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Istanbul
You can add Istanbul to the list of cities that does not disappoint! The last three days here have been great and really very multidimensional.
Istanbul is two hours ahead of London and that combined with a midnight arrival time has had my body clock all screwed up. Fortunately it's put me right in sync with the Instanbullus who who have a joie de vivre that gives the French a run for their money. You'll understand what I mean soon enough.
I spent my first day here mosque hopping. I stayed in the old city of Sultanahmet and both the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya (Hagia Sofia) were just a few hundred meters away. I found the Blue Mosque to be just breathtaking. The scale certainly was impressive but the use of Iznik tiles on nearly every surface was truly beautiful. To enter you have to take off your shoes and cover your shoulders and arms (not necessarily your head) out of respect for the Muslims in the space. I hadn't been there for 20 minutes when everyone was being shooed out. Turns out the 1:20 prayer call was imminent. From the Blue Mosque I crossed the street and spent a few hours at Aya Sofya. Built in the 6th century as a Christian church, Aya Sofya was then converted to a mosque in the 15th century when the Ottoman Turks conquered the city. It was transformed again in the 1930s, that time into a museum. When you consider the year in which is was built (the first of three times) just the mere fact that the dome stands more than 50 meters high is astonishing. They are restoring the dome so sadly there is an enormous piece of scaffolding that consumes 1/3 of the space. Still, the sheer scale, the mosaics and the huge medallions with Arabic symbols are awesome. After the mosques I took a turn through the well preserved Basilica Cistern. The cistern's original purpose was to store water underground for the Palace.
After spending most of the day in the old city I ventured over to the “new” city to check out the nightlife (okay, late evening life). I took a stroll down Istiklal Cadessi, the main pedestrian drag lined with today's most fashionable shops and restaurants. It's here that you can see the true transition taking place in this city. Let's face it, the Muslims here aren't extremely devout. The alcohol flows and the people-watching at cafes, particularly on Nevizade Sokak, is great. With some wine and a few mezes I observed from a terrace for a bit. Coming together with friends and family is very important to the people here. I'm sure the crowds were out into the morning. It reminded me of the hoards of families that I saw picnicking and barbequeing in the parks along the waterside as I was riding in from the airport on my first night. And well, remember my comment about my arrival time. This is what I mean about a joie de vivre. It's just an enormously social city. I admit this is one place where I wish I wasn't traveling alone.
Back in Sultanahmet later that evening I had to take a few snaps of the Blue Mosque at night. As the 10:35 evening call to prayer rang out a number of locals scurried past. As I stood by the steps taking it in, a girl came up to me and said in perfect english “so are you a tourist too?” She was wearing a scarf and looked Turkish so I was a bit taken aback. Turns out she is Turkish but has lived her whole life in Stockholm. While the guidebooks say you can't be in a mosque during prayer she took me in with her to watch. The men stand at the front while the women are in a screened off section in the back. She informed me that this is to prevent the men from seeing the women and becoming distracted from prayer. Given my natural first impression of the segregation I rather enjoyed the true explanation.
Day two, like day one, started with breakfast on the rooftop terrace of my hotel. The view from the roof was just spectacular, facing the Bosphorus and the southern shore of the European side. Well fueled I walked over to the Topkapi Palace. I had been warned that it would take a few hours to half a day to cover the palace and they weren't kidding. The gardens were lovely and the tour of the Harem (where the Sultan, his concubines, queen mother and children lived) and the Treasury (the jewels) were the highlights. Also not to be missed were the breathtaking views at the NE corner out over the Golden Horn and the Bosphorous. See the pics to understand what I mean. From Topkapi I headed for the Spice Bazaar. Along the way I stopped in at the shop where the decendants of the man who invented lokum (turkish delight) still make and sell the sweets. It is said their lokum is the best in the world so I figured no better place to try it. I was skeptical of the gooey squares but YUM! Even better....chocolate covered YUM! The spice market was visually appealing and bustling with locals. It was right about 6:00 and the spice market sits right behind the Eminonu pier. I went over to the pier for a view of the Beyoglu shore, Galata tower and Galata bridge. As a transportation hub it was just a really vibrant area. Some folks racing for buses, others stopping in for a fish sandwich from the docked restaurant boats. All of the hustle bustle exciting.
Back at my hotel I was relaxing on the rooftop just as the 8:39 calls to prayer began to echo out. Down at street level you can hear the calls from the closest 1 or 2 mosques but up on the roof you can hear calls for what seems like miles. They all blend together and seem to blanket the city. It emphasized to me the unifying force of religion in the country. Very powerful. The view of the sunset from the rooftop about an hour later was also glorious. You have to see the pics!
On my last day in Istanbul I indulged in a few things. Over the course of my stay I have been on the lookout for just the perfect central asian textile. More specifically I was drawn to the traditional Suzani embroidered items from Uzbekistan. Of course the design and colors had to be just so which led to much hunting through different shops. Finally I found THE one. It's not exactly like this one but you can get the gist.
source: http://www.marlamallett.com
I found it at the Grand Bazaar which has nearly 5,500 different stalls. Not all textiles of course. In fact I'm not sure there isn't anything you CAN'T find at the Grand Bazaar.
My second indulgence was a trip to a traditional Turkish hammam, the Cagaloglu Hamam to be exact. This particular hammam was built in 1741 and is even listed in the “1,000 places to see before you die” book. The setting was one for the movies (Indiana Jones apparently) and the experience was certainly interesting. I won't be shy in sharing. After changing into a pestemal (small cloth) in a dressing room off a large internal courtyard space, a woman led me back to the hot, steamy common bathing room. Here's a pic to give you a sense for what it looked like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ca%C4%9Falo%C4%9FluHamam%C4%B1.jpg It was constructed entirely of marble or quartz and the floors were heated. After kindly helping me do away with my pestemal (no modesty here!) the woman left me to relax and I suppose to allow my pores to open for about 15 minutes. I was given my own sink along the outer wall and a bowl for dousing should I get too hot. Eventually my bather/masseuse returned and took me out into the center for my bath. I had to lay down on the floor and she essentially took a pumicey rag to my whole body. Then I got what I would lightly call a massage. I don't want to think about the fact that the bottles of massage oil actually said “sonnogram gel” No kidding. Then the bather accompanied me back to my sink, washed my hair as I sat on the floor in front of her and then rinsed me off. It was honestly a bit like being a grown baby getting washed in the kitchen sink. For as far back as my memory goes though, I've never had an experience like it.
So now I'm squeaky clean and ready for the next adventure. It's back to london for a night (darn BA with it's hub and spoke flight patterns!) and then the dynamic duo will be back together. I meet my mom in Rome on Friday!!
Istanbul is two hours ahead of London and that combined with a midnight arrival time has had my body clock all screwed up. Fortunately it's put me right in sync with the Instanbullus who who have a joie de vivre that gives the French a run for their money. You'll understand what I mean soon enough.
I spent my first day here mosque hopping. I stayed in the old city of Sultanahmet and both the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya (Hagia Sofia) were just a few hundred meters away. I found the Blue Mosque to be just breathtaking. The scale certainly was impressive but the use of Iznik tiles on nearly every surface was truly beautiful. To enter you have to take off your shoes and cover your shoulders and arms (not necessarily your head) out of respect for the Muslims in the space. I hadn't been there for 20 minutes when everyone was being shooed out. Turns out the 1:20 prayer call was imminent. From the Blue Mosque I crossed the street and spent a few hours at Aya Sofya. Built in the 6th century as a Christian church, Aya Sofya was then converted to a mosque in the 15th century when the Ottoman Turks conquered the city. It was transformed again in the 1930s, that time into a museum. When you consider the year in which is was built (the first of three times) just the mere fact that the dome stands more than 50 meters high is astonishing. They are restoring the dome so sadly there is an enormous piece of scaffolding that consumes 1/3 of the space. Still, the sheer scale, the mosaics and the huge medallions with Arabic symbols are awesome. After the mosques I took a turn through the well preserved Basilica Cistern. The cistern's original purpose was to store water underground for the Palace.
After spending most of the day in the old city I ventured over to the “new” city to check out the nightlife (okay, late evening life). I took a stroll down Istiklal Cadessi, the main pedestrian drag lined with today's most fashionable shops and restaurants. It's here that you can see the true transition taking place in this city. Let's face it, the Muslims here aren't extremely devout. The alcohol flows and the people-watching at cafes, particularly on Nevizade Sokak, is great. With some wine and a few mezes I observed from a terrace for a bit. Coming together with friends and family is very important to the people here. I'm sure the crowds were out into the morning. It reminded me of the hoards of families that I saw picnicking and barbequeing in the parks along the waterside as I was riding in from the airport on my first night. And well, remember my comment about my arrival time. This is what I mean about a joie de vivre. It's just an enormously social city. I admit this is one place where I wish I wasn't traveling alone.
Back in Sultanahmet later that evening I had to take a few snaps of the Blue Mosque at night. As the 10:35 evening call to prayer rang out a number of locals scurried past. As I stood by the steps taking it in, a girl came up to me and said in perfect english “so are you a tourist too?” She was wearing a scarf and looked Turkish so I was a bit taken aback. Turns out she is Turkish but has lived her whole life in Stockholm. While the guidebooks say you can't be in a mosque during prayer she took me in with her to watch. The men stand at the front while the women are in a screened off section in the back. She informed me that this is to prevent the men from seeing the women and becoming distracted from prayer. Given my natural first impression of the segregation I rather enjoyed the true explanation.
Day two, like day one, started with breakfast on the rooftop terrace of my hotel. The view from the roof was just spectacular, facing the Bosphorus and the southern shore of the European side. Well fueled I walked over to the Topkapi Palace. I had been warned that it would take a few hours to half a day to cover the palace and they weren't kidding. The gardens were lovely and the tour of the Harem (where the Sultan, his concubines, queen mother and children lived) and the Treasury (the jewels) were the highlights. Also not to be missed were the breathtaking views at the NE corner out over the Golden Horn and the Bosphorous. See the pics to understand what I mean. From Topkapi I headed for the Spice Bazaar. Along the way I stopped in at the shop where the decendants of the man who invented lokum (turkish delight) still make and sell the sweets. It is said their lokum is the best in the world so I figured no better place to try it. I was skeptical of the gooey squares but YUM! Even better....chocolate covered YUM! The spice market was visually appealing and bustling with locals. It was right about 6:00 and the spice market sits right behind the Eminonu pier. I went over to the pier for a view of the Beyoglu shore, Galata tower and Galata bridge. As a transportation hub it was just a really vibrant area. Some folks racing for buses, others stopping in for a fish sandwich from the docked restaurant boats. All of the hustle bustle exciting.
Back at my hotel I was relaxing on the rooftop just as the 8:39 calls to prayer began to echo out. Down at street level you can hear the calls from the closest 1 or 2 mosques but up on the roof you can hear calls for what seems like miles. They all blend together and seem to blanket the city. It emphasized to me the unifying force of religion in the country. Very powerful. The view of the sunset from the rooftop about an hour later was also glorious. You have to see the pics!
On my last day in Istanbul I indulged in a few things. Over the course of my stay I have been on the lookout for just the perfect central asian textile. More specifically I was drawn to the traditional Suzani embroidered items from Uzbekistan. Of course the design and colors had to be just so which led to much hunting through different shops. Finally I found THE one. It's not exactly like this one but you can get the gist.
source: http://www.marlamallett.com
I found it at the Grand Bazaar which has nearly 5,500 different stalls. Not all textiles of course. In fact I'm not sure there isn't anything you CAN'T find at the Grand Bazaar.
My second indulgence was a trip to a traditional Turkish hammam, the Cagaloglu Hamam to be exact. This particular hammam was built in 1741 and is even listed in the “1,000 places to see before you die” book. The setting was one for the movies (Indiana Jones apparently) and the experience was certainly interesting. I won't be shy in sharing. After changing into a pestemal (small cloth) in a dressing room off a large internal courtyard space, a woman led me back to the hot, steamy common bathing room. Here's a pic to give you a sense for what it looked like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ca%C4%9Falo%C4%9FluHamam%C4%B1.jpg It was constructed entirely of marble or quartz and the floors were heated. After kindly helping me do away with my pestemal (no modesty here!) the woman left me to relax and I suppose to allow my pores to open for about 15 minutes. I was given my own sink along the outer wall and a bowl for dousing should I get too hot. Eventually my bather/masseuse returned and took me out into the center for my bath. I had to lay down on the floor and she essentially took a pumicey rag to my whole body. Then I got what I would lightly call a massage. I don't want to think about the fact that the bottles of massage oil actually said “sonnogram gel” No kidding. Then the bather accompanied me back to my sink, washed my hair as I sat on the floor in front of her and then rinsed me off. It was honestly a bit like being a grown baby getting washed in the kitchen sink. For as far back as my memory goes though, I've never had an experience like it.
So now I'm squeaky clean and ready for the next adventure. It's back to london for a night (darn BA with it's hub and spoke flight patterns!) and then the dynamic duo will be back together. I meet my mom in Rome on Friday!!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Vin, vin and more vin
I've spent the last week hiding out in SW France. Before I get into things, I just have to exclaim that I have had SO much fun speaking/struggling to speak french in my time down here. Sure, my last formal french class was in 1997 but I think Madame Huff would be proud of my conversational skills. What really matters is that I have successfully understood nearly everything others have said to me. Unlike in my prior trips to France, I found that the locals in this region were very content to let you muddle your way through whatever you were trying to say even if they spoke fine english themselves. At one point I even had a tour guide sort of snap at me about “didn't I speak French” even though he had initiated English with me!
I should say that I decided to come to this region after meeting a bunch of French men on Koh Samui in Thailand. They ran the dive company and over beers after a day of diving they convinced me of the beauty of the region. I started my stay in the region's main city, Bordeaux. Visually, Bordeaux has a skyline of very old, hommogenous, cream/gray stone buildings. There is really no color to this city but I suppose that's what the people add (awww...I should write the tourism pamphlet)! I didn't know it until I had already decided to come and was looking for a hotel but my stay coincided with the city's Fete-le-vin. This wine festival for the public (as opposed to professionals) is held only every other year and is a very big deal. Thankfully I found a place to stay fairly easily. I spent my first day just exploring the city center and putting together the rest of my stay in the area. There really aren't major tourist attractions (i.e. churches and monuments) but there is a cute old city and the beautiful river front. Oh I should say that apparently this week and next coincide with the yearly big sale at clothing stores in the area. My pack doesn't have much space but that hasn't seemed to deter my bargain hunting. The one thing I still lack is a minidress and leggings. EVERY woman here, and in Stockholm I might add, wears them.
On my second day in Bordeaux I took an organized wine tour up into the Medoc region NW of the city. I thought I was going to the Graves region SW of the city but that's another story. Despite my surprise upon meeting the bus I went along for the ride. We visited Chateau Giscours, Beychevelle and Lascombes. It was really a nice introduction to the region and started what has been a very educational visit. As an aside, how is this for evidence of how small the world is: At lunch I was sitting at a table of all french speakers though one couple, from Paris, did speak some English. I noticed about halfway that the husband of that couple was wearing an Army Navy Country Club hat. I couldn't believe it. Apparently his brother lives in Alexandria and for some reason is a member. For those out there who don't understand, my mom lives about a mile from the club and my dad used to golf there every weekend and it's where we held his celebration of life. The world gets smaller every day!
After a day in wine country what better than a few hours tasting wine at the Fete? As the night set in I swear the entire city of Bordeaux showed up. It was just packed as you can see from my pics. At 10:30 there was a concert on a major plaza with the local symphony and opera. It was followed up with a nice little fireworks display on the river. For certain the French have a culture of late nights as restaurants don't even open for dinner until 7pm but still the crowd at midnight was impressive, kids and all.
On day two I decided to get smart about all this wine tasting by attending a two hour wine tasting course at the Wine School the next morning. We learned more about the proper process for how to taste a wine. We used bottles of concentrated aromas to train our noses to pick up on certain elements. Then we put it to work on a dry white, rose and red. I also learned valuable info on what exactly comprises a Bordeaux or the local appelations(types) of Margaux, Pauillac, St. Emilion etc. You can laugh at me but you know when you look at the French wine section at the store and wonder “well that's great that it's a Chateaux XYZ wine but what the heck does that mean about the grapes inside??” Well now I am happy to have more of a clue. For example, a medoc wine will be 50/50 up to 70/30 of Cab Sauv/Merlot while a St. Emilion will be the inverse and with Cab Franc instead of Sauvignon.
Armed with this great knowledge I headed to the Fete again. I had bought a pass for 12 tastings and while I made some more progress on my ticket book I was aware that I would have to drive 150kms that evening to Sarlat. The regional food at the Fete also has to be noted. I got a cheese tasting plate that was absolutely fantastic.
After picking up my rental car I drove as far East as I would go on this trip to Sarlat. The countryside along the way was picturesque and at numerous bends in the road beautiful chateaus and castles would come into view high up on mountain sides. It was a glorious day as well so of course I had to stop and take pics. After checking in to my hotel in Sarlat I dined on a picnic dinner in a local park, strolled through the village streets again taking advantage of the evening light for pics and hit the sack for the next morning's market. Sarlat is known as having one, if not the best weekly market in the region. On Saturday the cobblestone streets, alleyways and squares of this 1,000+ year old village are packed with vendors of everything you can imagine. It's targeted at locals and tourists alike which is nice. As a society that shops just-in-time this is a major source for weekend meal prep as NOTHING in this country is open on Sunday and very little on Monday. I happened upon a nice man who recommended a local cheese I just had to try as well as the best foie gras stand among the 50+ that had set up shop. I think Sarlat must be the foie gras capital at least of the region b/c every other shop there sells it. After the market I rented a bike and saw a bit more of the countryside from a different vantage point.
From Sarlat I headed back west to the town of Bergerac. I have to admit that Bergerac was rather disappointing. It was the only town I visited that was right on the river and I found a great running trail but there's just really very little in the village to see. Luckily the chambre d'hote (b&b) that I booked was with a fantastic woman, Janette, who happened to live in the oldest home in the entire town. She was just a lively woman who despite having been married to an american for almost 10 years (he died last year) knew very little English. Apparently she helped him become fluent in French but he never returned the favor. The house had so much charm and since everything was closed I settled into her living room for the Euro 2008 final.
From Bergerac I meandered through the countryside visiting Monpazier, one of the best preserved bastide towns, and a set of Gallo-Roman ruins from 300 - 400AD in Moncaret that were just discovered in the '20s and are still being unearthed and preserved. Finally I made it to St. Emilion and settled into a wine bar with wifi that stayed open long after the town shut down. In St. Emilion I stayed in a “chateau” chambre d'hote which was really a very quaint old farm house. There wasn't much interaction with the owners but it was certainly in a picturesque setting among vineyards.
On my full day in St. Emilion I took a really long walk to explore all of the chateaus that surround the city proper and then scooted over to the tourist bureau for a tour of a few must-sees downtown. The guide took us to the cave where St. Emilion lived as a hermit, the Benedictine monks' catacombs, and the monolithic church that they carved into the limestone cliff side. The church was huge (at least three stories and I don't know, maybe 50 yards wide) and just amazing considering the way in which it was constructed. The church essentially served as a quarry and the stones have been used to build chateaus and even part of the Grand Theatre in Bordeaux. I wish I could show you pictures but b/c all of the sites are privately owned they were forbidden.
In the afternoon I meandered through what is very sleepy village lined with wine shops, macaroon bakeries and other french boutiques. I also visited Chateau Belair just outside of the walled city area of St. Emilion. Other than being a Premiere class wine, it is most famous because it uses part of the 250km+ of tunnels (like the church, they were mined by the monks) that are under St. Emilion for its barrel and private collection storage. Sadly the family that owns Belair has just had to sell it to a company that is notorious for only opening its vineyard to professionals. Also, the tunnels need a lot of stabilization work (they're made from very porous limestone) so they will have to be closed for at least 15 years and really it's unlikely the public will ever see them again. I feel lucky to have gotten in when I did.
Yesterday it was back to the Medoc (NW of Bordeaux) for three vineyard tours that I had set up when I thought my group tour the week before would be to Graves. This time I drove myself and I booked a few higher classification chateaus including Premiere class Mouton-Rothschild). At one, Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, I happened to be the only one with a reservation at my time and I arrived just as a friend or colleague of Robert Parker (of the preeminent wine guides) was leaving. The tour guide was my age and we had a good time so she brought out all of the bottles that they had opened for the Parker guy. I got to taste some VERY expensive wine (i.e. the 2005 vintage of their first wine which goes for at least $600+/bottle and it's still 20 years too early to drink) and loved every second of it. After this week I truly have an understanding for why this regions wines are “fine.”
I head back on the train to London tomorrow. My friend Carl happens to be marketing in Europe and our schedules will coincide for at least a drink, which is just great since he lives in CA. After a night I turn around and head back out to Istanbul.
Sadly today marks the one month from when I will return to DC and it's less than a month from when I leave Europe (I'm going to see my grandparents after Italy). I am not tired at all of the constant packing and moving and am really happy with the overall duration of my trip. It doesn't feel like a chore at all and I'm still very engaged in every new place.
I probably miss my own bed far more than I realize and it will surely to take a while to readjust to a more stationary lifestyle but I'm not thinking about those things just yet!
I should say that I decided to come to this region after meeting a bunch of French men on Koh Samui in Thailand. They ran the dive company and over beers after a day of diving they convinced me of the beauty of the region. I started my stay in the region's main city, Bordeaux. Visually, Bordeaux has a skyline of very old, hommogenous, cream/gray stone buildings. There is really no color to this city but I suppose that's what the people add (awww...I should write the tourism pamphlet)! I didn't know it until I had already decided to come and was looking for a hotel but my stay coincided with the city's Fete-le-vin. This wine festival for the public (as opposed to professionals) is held only every other year and is a very big deal. Thankfully I found a place to stay fairly easily. I spent my first day just exploring the city center and putting together the rest of my stay in the area. There really aren't major tourist attractions (i.e. churches and monuments) but there is a cute old city and the beautiful river front. Oh I should say that apparently this week and next coincide with the yearly big sale at clothing stores in the area. My pack doesn't have much space but that hasn't seemed to deter my bargain hunting. The one thing I still lack is a minidress and leggings. EVERY woman here, and in Stockholm I might add, wears them.
On my second day in Bordeaux I took an organized wine tour up into the Medoc region NW of the city. I thought I was going to the Graves region SW of the city but that's another story. Despite my surprise upon meeting the bus I went along for the ride. We visited Chateau Giscours, Beychevelle and Lascombes. It was really a nice introduction to the region and started what has been a very educational visit. As an aside, how is this for evidence of how small the world is: At lunch I was sitting at a table of all french speakers though one couple, from Paris, did speak some English. I noticed about halfway that the husband of that couple was wearing an Army Navy Country Club hat. I couldn't believe it. Apparently his brother lives in Alexandria and for some reason is a member. For those out there who don't understand, my mom lives about a mile from the club and my dad used to golf there every weekend and it's where we held his celebration of life. The world gets smaller every day!
After a day in wine country what better than a few hours tasting wine at the Fete? As the night set in I swear the entire city of Bordeaux showed up. It was just packed as you can see from my pics. At 10:30 there was a concert on a major plaza with the local symphony and opera. It was followed up with a nice little fireworks display on the river. For certain the French have a culture of late nights as restaurants don't even open for dinner until 7pm but still the crowd at midnight was impressive, kids and all.
On day two I decided to get smart about all this wine tasting by attending a two hour wine tasting course at the Wine School the next morning. We learned more about the proper process for how to taste a wine. We used bottles of concentrated aromas to train our noses to pick up on certain elements. Then we put it to work on a dry white, rose and red. I also learned valuable info on what exactly comprises a Bordeaux or the local appelations(types) of Margaux, Pauillac, St. Emilion etc. You can laugh at me but you know when you look at the French wine section at the store and wonder “well that's great that it's a Chateaux XYZ wine but what the heck does that mean about the grapes inside??” Well now I am happy to have more of a clue. For example, a medoc wine will be 50/50 up to 70/30 of Cab Sauv/Merlot while a St. Emilion will be the inverse and with Cab Franc instead of Sauvignon.
Armed with this great knowledge I headed to the Fete again. I had bought a pass for 12 tastings and while I made some more progress on my ticket book I was aware that I would have to drive 150kms that evening to Sarlat. The regional food at the Fete also has to be noted. I got a cheese tasting plate that was absolutely fantastic.
After picking up my rental car I drove as far East as I would go on this trip to Sarlat. The countryside along the way was picturesque and at numerous bends in the road beautiful chateaus and castles would come into view high up on mountain sides. It was a glorious day as well so of course I had to stop and take pics. After checking in to my hotel in Sarlat I dined on a picnic dinner in a local park, strolled through the village streets again taking advantage of the evening light for pics and hit the sack for the next morning's market. Sarlat is known as having one, if not the best weekly market in the region. On Saturday the cobblestone streets, alleyways and squares of this 1,000+ year old village are packed with vendors of everything you can imagine. It's targeted at locals and tourists alike which is nice. As a society that shops just-in-time this is a major source for weekend meal prep as NOTHING in this country is open on Sunday and very little on Monday. I happened upon a nice man who recommended a local cheese I just had to try as well as the best foie gras stand among the 50+ that had set up shop. I think Sarlat must be the foie gras capital at least of the region b/c every other shop there sells it. After the market I rented a bike and saw a bit more of the countryside from a different vantage point.
From Sarlat I headed back west to the town of Bergerac. I have to admit that Bergerac was rather disappointing. It was the only town I visited that was right on the river and I found a great running trail but there's just really very little in the village to see. Luckily the chambre d'hote (b&b) that I booked was with a fantastic woman, Janette, who happened to live in the oldest home in the entire town. She was just a lively woman who despite having been married to an american for almost 10 years (he died last year) knew very little English. Apparently she helped him become fluent in French but he never returned the favor. The house had so much charm and since everything was closed I settled into her living room for the Euro 2008 final.
From Bergerac I meandered through the countryside visiting Monpazier, one of the best preserved bastide towns, and a set of Gallo-Roman ruins from 300 - 400AD in Moncaret that were just discovered in the '20s and are still being unearthed and preserved. Finally I made it to St. Emilion and settled into a wine bar with wifi that stayed open long after the town shut down. In St. Emilion I stayed in a “chateau” chambre d'hote which was really a very quaint old farm house. There wasn't much interaction with the owners but it was certainly in a picturesque setting among vineyards.
On my full day in St. Emilion I took a really long walk to explore all of the chateaus that surround the city proper and then scooted over to the tourist bureau for a tour of a few must-sees downtown. The guide took us to the cave where St. Emilion lived as a hermit, the Benedictine monks' catacombs, and the monolithic church that they carved into the limestone cliff side. The church was huge (at least three stories and I don't know, maybe 50 yards wide) and just amazing considering the way in which it was constructed. The church essentially served as a quarry and the stones have been used to build chateaus and even part of the Grand Theatre in Bordeaux. I wish I could show you pictures but b/c all of the sites are privately owned they were forbidden.
In the afternoon I meandered through what is very sleepy village lined with wine shops, macaroon bakeries and other french boutiques. I also visited Chateau Belair just outside of the walled city area of St. Emilion. Other than being a Premiere class wine, it is most famous because it uses part of the 250km+ of tunnels (like the church, they were mined by the monks) that are under St. Emilion for its barrel and private collection storage. Sadly the family that owns Belair has just had to sell it to a company that is notorious for only opening its vineyard to professionals. Also, the tunnels need a lot of stabilization work (they're made from very porous limestone) so they will have to be closed for at least 15 years and really it's unlikely the public will ever see them again. I feel lucky to have gotten in when I did.
Yesterday it was back to the Medoc (NW of Bordeaux) for three vineyard tours that I had set up when I thought my group tour the week before would be to Graves. This time I drove myself and I booked a few higher classification chateaus including Premiere class Mouton-Rothschild). At one, Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, I happened to be the only one with a reservation at my time and I arrived just as a friend or colleague of Robert Parker (of the preeminent wine guides) was leaving. The tour guide was my age and we had a good time so she brought out all of the bottles that they had opened for the Parker guy. I got to taste some VERY expensive wine (i.e. the 2005 vintage of their first wine which goes for at least $600+/bottle and it's still 20 years too early to drink) and loved every second of it. After this week I truly have an understanding for why this regions wines are “fine.”
I head back on the train to London tomorrow. My friend Carl happens to be marketing in Europe and our schedules will coincide for at least a drink, which is just great since he lives in CA. After a night I turn around and head back out to Istanbul.
Sadly today marks the one month from when I will return to DC and it's less than a month from when I leave Europe (I'm going to see my grandparents after Italy). I am not tired at all of the constant packing and moving and am really happy with the overall duration of my trip. It doesn't feel like a chore at all and I'm still very engaged in every new place.
I probably miss my own bed far more than I realize and it will surely to take a while to readjust to a more stationary lifestyle but I'm not thinking about those things just yet!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Two for the Price of One
Yep so I'm behind on the posting again. There's actually two new posts below. Happy reading!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Dead Ringer
That's me! Dead ringer for a Swedish girl that is. I just spent three days in Stockholm and nearly every local tried to speak Swedish with me. While we might like to think that all Swedes are tall blondes, it's clearly not the case so perhaps all tourists have the same experience. Nevertheless I surely got a kick out of it.
I didn't know it when I chose the last few days for my trip to Stockholm but I happened to arrive mid-day on what they call Midsummer's Eve. Technically midsummer is June 24, the longest day of the year here, but they celebrated the holiday this weekend. Last year my friend Jessica, who has a love for all things Swedish, took me to the NYC Swedish midsummer celebration so I had a bit of an idea of what to expect. My hostel, which by the way looked like a showroom at Ikea, advised that I go to Skansen to enjoy the Midsummer festivities. Skansen is an old swedish village (ala Williamsburg) which they transformed into the center of celebrations. There was a maypole where hundreds of locals danced and sang traditional folk songs. They also had a group that performed traditional children's dances accompanied by a group of fiddlers. Around the grounds families spread out their picnics and relaxed in the grass. Men and women alike wore crowns of flowers and other greenery and a few even came dressed up in traditional Swedish garb. It was all very quaint and innocent in a way.
I should back up and just mention for those who may not know (myself included before this trip) that Stockholm is an archipelago. The heart of the city is concentrated on 3 or 4 islands and there's certainly good reason to call it the Venice of the north. In one word this city is lovely. The waterways and the architecture are just gorgeous. It's clean and the early summer weather was sunny but crisp leaving me with such a pleasant impression. Oddly it's also a fairly empty city. Apparently Stockholm only has 1m people so the city is literally really quiet.
I took a trip to the Modern Art Museum. What can one say about a modern art museum? Well it was certainly interesting. I enjoyed much of it and much of it went over my head. I just felt it was compulsory in a city that's such a heart of modern design.
One afternoon I met up with Emily, the only friend I know who lives in Stockholm, and she took us for lunch at a great waterfront spot that seemed to epitomize Stockholm chic. It was a sea of massive couches and just a nice way to spend a lazy Sunday. The restaurant was on the same island as Stockholm's most famous park. I took a nice long stroll after lunch and got a bit lost but eventually found my way out.
I spent another afternoon exploring Gamla Stan, which is the old city. It's a maze of cute cobblestone alleyways full of Swedish kitsch, clothes, art, antiques restaurants etc. Since the sun barely even goes down this time of year I also partook in an evening glass of wine along the water. Oh the life!
The city had set up a huge screen in one of its plazas where the football games were broadcast every night. Of course I had the pleasure of joining in the Turkish mayhem as they advanced another step. The whole experience took me back to Wellesley and movies on Severance Green. Well I suppose the gender ratio was inverted :-) but still my college friends will know what that means.
Over the few days I managed to hunt down excellent Swedish meatballs, reindeer meet and potato pancakes as well as my fair share of salmon. Everything here has a cream sauce or mayonnaise or gravy. Thank goodness the city is completely walkable and I crossed it more than a few times but still...my diet starts tomorrow!
I am posting this from Bordeaux, France. More to come!
I didn't know it when I chose the last few days for my trip to Stockholm but I happened to arrive mid-day on what they call Midsummer's Eve. Technically midsummer is June 24, the longest day of the year here, but they celebrated the holiday this weekend. Last year my friend Jessica, who has a love for all things Swedish, took me to the NYC Swedish midsummer celebration so I had a bit of an idea of what to expect. My hostel, which by the way looked like a showroom at Ikea, advised that I go to Skansen to enjoy the Midsummer festivities. Skansen is an old swedish village (ala Williamsburg) which they transformed into the center of celebrations. There was a maypole where hundreds of locals danced and sang traditional folk songs. They also had a group that performed traditional children's dances accompanied by a group of fiddlers. Around the grounds families spread out their picnics and relaxed in the grass. Men and women alike wore crowns of flowers and other greenery and a few even came dressed up in traditional Swedish garb. It was all very quaint and innocent in a way.
I should back up and just mention for those who may not know (myself included before this trip) that Stockholm is an archipelago. The heart of the city is concentrated on 3 or 4 islands and there's certainly good reason to call it the Venice of the north. In one word this city is lovely. The waterways and the architecture are just gorgeous. It's clean and the early summer weather was sunny but crisp leaving me with such a pleasant impression. Oddly it's also a fairly empty city. Apparently Stockholm only has 1m people so the city is literally really quiet.
I took a trip to the Modern Art Museum. What can one say about a modern art museum? Well it was certainly interesting. I enjoyed much of it and much of it went over my head. I just felt it was compulsory in a city that's such a heart of modern design.
One afternoon I met up with Emily, the only friend I know who lives in Stockholm, and she took us for lunch at a great waterfront spot that seemed to epitomize Stockholm chic. It was a sea of massive couches and just a nice way to spend a lazy Sunday. The restaurant was on the same island as Stockholm's most famous park. I took a nice long stroll after lunch and got a bit lost but eventually found my way out.
I spent another afternoon exploring Gamla Stan, which is the old city. It's a maze of cute cobblestone alleyways full of Swedish kitsch, clothes, art, antiques restaurants etc. Since the sun barely even goes down this time of year I also partook in an evening glass of wine along the water. Oh the life!
The city had set up a huge screen in one of its plazas where the football games were broadcast every night. Of course I had the pleasure of joining in the Turkish mayhem as they advanced another step. The whole experience took me back to Wellesley and movies on Severance Green. Well I suppose the gender ratio was inverted :-) but still my college friends will know what that means.
Over the few days I managed to hunt down excellent Swedish meatballs, reindeer meet and potato pancakes as well as my fair share of salmon. Everything here has a cream sauce or mayonnaise or gravy. Thank goodness the city is completely walkable and I crossed it more than a few times but still...my diet starts tomorrow!
I am posting this from Bordeaux, France. More to come!
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