Today we wake to walk to our daughter's hotel (she's on spring break with a group of international students from Loyola, we planned to meet in Rome at the end of the break and travel as a family until she had to get back for classes). Her hotel is a pleasant 15 minutes walk from our condo. She will be surprised as she's not expecting us for 2 more days (as you've read the air traffic controllers strike in France altered our plans; it's a good idea to plan to be a flexible traveler!). She is surprised to see us and Jake lavishes her with hugs and kisses - he even cries a bit - a very sympa man :) We go to the corner cafe for delicious cappuccino and croissants (they sprinkle them with sugar here, different than France), Jake opts for fried eggs - gorgeous orange yolks! Clementine's got to go with her professors to St Peters and the Vatican so we part ways and plan to meet for dinner.
Jake and I spend the day wandering around the area: Coliseum and Circus Maximus area mainly. Get some corny touristy photos with 2 guys dressed as centurians; overpaid for these masterpieces!!
In the evening we walk to get C at her hotel near Campo di Fiore and take her to see our condo. On the way we get some wine and beer and have cocktails at "our" place before meeting Cynthia for dinner out. We have wonderful conversation and food: roman artichokes, gnocchi, ravioli with gorgonzola and pear and my new favorite: lemoncello. We walk Clementine back to the Auberge de Soleil. A great day.
xo La
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Baltimore - The Charm City
Once again veering off the prescribed course (which is, of course,detailing our European adventures from April of this year), but it's August and I should be taking the entire month off! Not gonna happen but we did get to take our daughter back to school in Maryland and, as we do, we made a petite vacation out of it. It's an easy drive in our opinion, just about 6 hours, to get from here to there. Typically we take a break when necessary and change drivers. This time Jake drove the whole way while Clementine and I slept and read. Instead of heading straight to our hotel on the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore we head to: Destination Ikea for a few back to school items (and I've been lusting over small coffee spoons since April;see Europe entries, I am going to do one on breakfast alone - it was so good over there!) - and Ikea has 'em! We love to cruise through Ikea - making mental notes on our upcoming kitchen renovation and ideas that we see and love. Then we fill our bags with photo frames, kitchen goodies (egg slicer to replace broken one, small spoons - yay I am so happy, vases, etc) and, boo to Ikea - they no longer have our favorite candle scent: ligonberry. What is up with that??? We do load up on ligonberry jam and concentrate (makes the best juice) and swedish fish (which are not as chewy as they used to be and therefore a waste of money). Then: Lunch. We like to eat here: meatballs with ligonberry jam, salmon with vegetable puffs (incredible!!), great coffee. Very reasonable and with the Ikea card (a rewards card, not a credit card) we get free coffee!! and discounts on our candles (settled for orange and lilac scents).
Now to the Inner Harbor and our favorite Hampton Inn. Check in and go to walk the harbor front. We have a cocktail at the Rusty Scupper (looks like a really good deal for happy hour and we may go next time we're in town) and then hit the Visionary Arts Museum - a really strange collection of art from, mostly, untrained artists who use a variety of mediums and, to my eye, have a wildly varying degree of talent LOL. Not my favorite, but we have the Cleveland Museum of Art and I can indulge in the Impressionists here at home. Point goes to: Paris on the Cuyahoga.
For dinner: Joe Squared. We'd seen it on previous trips here (Clementines a senior) but never stopped. I saw it featured on the Food Network and said hey we gotta go. Crazy busy, fabulous waitstaff and really good food. Concentration is pizza - we tried bacon and clam, yum, but they have wonderful looking chicken wings, vegan options and great salads: we did the avacado shrimp. I love that everything in Baltimore smells of Old Bay Seasoning. Side note, I grew up in the 'burbs of Washington DC so it's like coming home. Get some Old Bay and cook some shrimp in beer with some of that gold dust. Heaven.
Next day we take the trolley tour. It originates from the Visitor's Center in the Inner Harbor. Our guide "Doc" Bob was the best! He had a wardrobe of hats (King Charles's bejeweled beret, Uncle Sam's top hat etc) and was informative and entertaining. We saw a lot of things we've already visited in the past 3 years but it was great to hear his commentary and learn some new stuff. We also congratulated ourselves on how much we'd actually done and seen on our own.
For dinner we go to Hampden a gentrified area of shops, residences, restaurants etc for dinner at the Corner Charcuterie - and it did remind us of Paris. Cocktails with olives, roasted (in duck fat) fingerlings and then on to wine and a wonderful cheese plate hand selected by the chef. The waitress took our likes to him and then he came out with 2 gorgeous plates of cheese with accoutrements: jams, figs, nuts, pickled things and toasts. I love to sample and take my time and it was a wonderful way to relax en famille.
Saturday was move in. She's got a nice townhouse and is the first one to move in so we quickly get her stuff out of the van and into her new "home" so we can hit Miss Shirley's for brunch before Jake and I have to hightail it home (I have a gig Saturday night that I cannot miss). We've always loved Miss Shirley's and, even tho this time was a bit of a disappointment for me - my poached eggs were just too runny and not hot enough), I'd recommend you try her out if you are ever in B'more. She's an institution and has some wonderful, unusual breakfast/brunch/lunch menu items.
La
Now to the Inner Harbor and our favorite Hampton Inn. Check in and go to walk the harbor front. We have a cocktail at the Rusty Scupper (looks like a really good deal for happy hour and we may go next time we're in town) and then hit the Visionary Arts Museum - a really strange collection of art from, mostly, untrained artists who use a variety of mediums and, to my eye, have a wildly varying degree of talent LOL. Not my favorite, but we have the Cleveland Museum of Art and I can indulge in the Impressionists here at home. Point goes to: Paris on the Cuyahoga.
For dinner: Joe Squared. We'd seen it on previous trips here (Clementines a senior) but never stopped. I saw it featured on the Food Network and said hey we gotta go. Crazy busy, fabulous waitstaff and really good food. Concentration is pizza - we tried bacon and clam, yum, but they have wonderful looking chicken wings, vegan options and great salads: we did the avacado shrimp. I love that everything in Baltimore smells of Old Bay Seasoning. Side note, I grew up in the 'burbs of Washington DC so it's like coming home. Get some Old Bay and cook some shrimp in beer with some of that gold dust. Heaven.
Next day we take the trolley tour. It originates from the Visitor's Center in the Inner Harbor. Our guide "Doc" Bob was the best! He had a wardrobe of hats (King Charles's bejeweled beret, Uncle Sam's top hat etc) and was informative and entertaining. We saw a lot of things we've already visited in the past 3 years but it was great to hear his commentary and learn some new stuff. We also congratulated ourselves on how much we'd actually done and seen on our own.
For dinner we go to Hampden a gentrified area of shops, residences, restaurants etc for dinner at the Corner Charcuterie - and it did remind us of Paris. Cocktails with olives, roasted (in duck fat) fingerlings and then on to wine and a wonderful cheese plate hand selected by the chef. The waitress took our likes to him and then he came out with 2 gorgeous plates of cheese with accoutrements: jams, figs, nuts, pickled things and toasts. I love to sample and take my time and it was a wonderful way to relax en famille.
Saturday was move in. She's got a nice townhouse and is the first one to move in so we quickly get her stuff out of the van and into her new "home" so we can hit Miss Shirley's for brunch before Jake and I have to hightail it home (I have a gig Saturday night that I cannot miss). We've always loved Miss Shirley's and, even tho this time was a bit of a disappointment for me - my poached eggs were just too runny and not hot enough), I'd recommend you try her out if you are ever in B'more. She's an institution and has some wonderful, unusual breakfast/brunch/lunch menu items.
La
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Book Review!
I've read most of the "french inspired" lifestyle books that have been released over the years. Periodically I've reviewed a few on the blog. I just finished reading 2 - one is a new release "My Paris Dream" by Kate Betts and the other other was published in 2013 (but is new to me!) "French Women Don't Get Facelifts" by Mireille Guiliano.
I had high hopes for "My Paris Dream" and they weren't fulfilled. Perhaps they were too high?! Maybe I'm a bit jealous that I didn't hightail it to Paris after school and make living there a reality?!
Not sure of the answer to that, but I was disappointed with this memoir. Kate Betts, who ultimately became the editor in chief of Harper's Bazaar, came from a background of privilege: she was the 4th generation of her family to graduate from Princeton University. She paints herself as a fairly regular girl who bucked the system and followed her dream of living in Paris instead of becoming a New York money making machine like many of her fellow graduates. It seems a bit of a stretch (to me anyway) that she ended up working for Fairchild's Women's Wear Daily without any use of her familial connections. Fairchild himself was a Princeton grad. If I had enjoyed her writing style and her exposition more that would not be an issue, but I felt that something was missing from this retelling of her story: more detail, more honesty, more explanation of the slang words used and more juicy, insider details about, for example, Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld, both of whom she worked with. Some writers have made me drool when evoking Paris or Italy, this memoir did not.
On a brighter note, I enjoyed Mireille Guiliano's latest instructional manual much more and I can definitely tell you why. First, she is of the less is more school, very no nonsense and practical. Secondly her information is spot on! She discusses, for instance, estrogen and Vitamin C and her recommendations are the latest, most scientifically supported! I know this because, just this week, I met with the Cleveland Clinic's Holly Thacker who is one of the preeminent women's health doctors in the world and her recommendations to me were exactly the same!!
Here's to one of my favorite things: reading. Cheers, La
Friday, August 14, 2015
Rome
Ok so the overnight train is definitely not my favorite way to travel. Jake says I was snoozing on the tray table (elegant!) and I know I wasn't sleeping much later on, fully clothed, on my bunk. Then we transferred trains in Milan at 5:45 am - ugh. When we finally got settled on the final leg of the trip the sunrise and countryside views from the train windows as we made our way to Rome were gorgeous, making up for the rest of the journey!
We cabbed from Roma Termini at about 9 am to Piazza Venezia to pick up Will (my good friend Cynthia's son, he's in for a few months finishing high school on line, living with her) so he can guide the cabbie to our condo. Cynthia has invited us to stay with her and Will but first her other guests have to leave (more on them later); therefore C's found us an adorable 2 day rental, just about 3 blocks from her apartment on the Piazza Venezia. We are in the heart of Rome! Trevi Fountain right around the corner! Our condo has a very modern bathroom, great shower and, bien sur, a bidet. Exposed beams in the lofted bedroom. We feel very lucky to be so well connected and, even tho I've never been to Rome I feel right at home.
We shower and Jake goes exploring - I have to do some work and take advantage of a decent internet connection. He reports back that there is no dearth of souvenir stands and tourists, but also plenty of restaurants and cafes - altho not as many as in Paris.
For dinner we are invited to dine at Cynthia's with Will and Tomas and Monica. Tomas is a Czech that did some carpentry in Shaker Hts at Cynthia's home here in the states. They have stayed in touch and he and Monica and her 2 daughters (none of the 3 speak English) are visiting Rome. Tomas is a real character and we all hit it off immediately. He's brought slovovitz - a Czech version of moonshine, and homemade pickles to share and, along with delicious appetizers of sliced sausage, cheese, olives, cherry tomatoes and peppers we begin to feast and communicate in broken English and sign language. Lots of laughs and lots of fun. C's prepared chicken pot pie for the main dish and we stuff ourselves on a home cooked meal! We toast, several times with Limoncello , having moved on from the moonshine. Ice cream with truffled honey for dessert. Have I mentioned how much I love this European lifestyle!!?? A long, slow, wonderful meal with old and new friends. And we can walk "home" to boot.
xxoo La
We cabbed from Roma Termini at about 9 am to Piazza Venezia to pick up Will (my good friend Cynthia's son, he's in for a few months finishing high school on line, living with her) so he can guide the cabbie to our condo. Cynthia has invited us to stay with her and Will but first her other guests have to leave (more on them later); therefore C's found us an adorable 2 day rental, just about 3 blocks from her apartment on the Piazza Venezia. We are in the heart of Rome! Trevi Fountain right around the corner! Our condo has a very modern bathroom, great shower and, bien sur, a bidet. Exposed beams in the lofted bedroom. We feel very lucky to be so well connected and, even tho I've never been to Rome I feel right at home.
We shower and Jake goes exploring - I have to do some work and take advantage of a decent internet connection. He reports back that there is no dearth of souvenir stands and tourists, but also plenty of restaurants and cafes - altho not as many as in Paris.
For dinner we are invited to dine at Cynthia's with Will and Tomas and Monica. Tomas is a Czech that did some carpentry in Shaker Hts at Cynthia's home here in the states. They have stayed in touch and he and Monica and her 2 daughters (none of the 3 speak English) are visiting Rome. Tomas is a real character and we all hit it off immediately. He's brought slovovitz - a Czech version of moonshine, and homemade pickles to share and, along with delicious appetizers of sliced sausage, cheese, olives, cherry tomatoes and peppers we begin to feast and communicate in broken English and sign language. Lots of laughs and lots of fun. C's prepared chicken pot pie for the main dish and we stuff ourselves on a home cooked meal! We toast, several times with Limoncello , having moved on from the moonshine. Ice cream with truffled honey for dessert. Have I mentioned how much I love this European lifestyle!!?? A long, slow, wonderful meal with old and new friends. And we can walk "home" to boot.
xxoo La
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Facial Cupping
Before I write a Paris recap and move onto Rome I'd like to mention something I recently discovered: facial cupping massage. My regular body massage therapist also does this type of facial and suggested I try it, I'm super glad she learned this ancient technique and shared it with me. Using little glass suction cups (different sizes for different facial areas) and gently pulling the skin in a lymphatic massage (toward the lymph nodes in the neck and upper chest) drains excess fluid and promotes - natural- collagen production. I'm sure you can google it for more extensive information, but let me tell you it is:
super relaxing - like getting a full body massage but in a half hour; reduces puffiness and helps to sculpt the face; stimulates the skin to renew itself - in my experience the banding/lines that are horizontal across my neck and which I've had forever - are softening and disappearing!
So that's today's tip - I'd love to answer any questions and/or hear about your experience with facial cupping massage.
xo La
super relaxing - like getting a full body massage but in a half hour; reduces puffiness and helps to sculpt the face; stimulates the skin to renew itself - in my experience the banding/lines that are horizontal across my neck and which I've had forever - are softening and disappearing!
So that's today's tip - I'd love to answer any questions and/or hear about your experience with facial cupping massage.
xo La
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Day 7 - Last Day in Paris
Thank goodness for Jake's faithful travel journaling! I start each adventure with the best intentions, this time even bringing some colored pens to sketch with, but I just don't have the discipline he does and, in my defense, I was doing some work via computer on this trip and the internet problems were amazing, so I just didn't have the time. We like to look through our old journals - the ones from our first trip to Europe together for example - and they are worth more than gold, so I do advise keeping one when you travel. The memories will fade but you can jog them back with your writing.
Today, after all the running around and drama of yesterday, we decide to do something we've never done before: take the double decker bus tour! The day is gorgeous and we sit on the top level, plug in the provided ear buds and enjoy being rather coddled :) We've caught the bus at Notre Dame and it's headed to Luxembourg Gardens in the 6th. Like all of Paris it's an area full of history. Like what happens all the time in Paris there is a demonstration of some sort and the bus has to abandon the original route, return to Notre Dame where we hop on another line. We pass the Tour Eiffel, cruise the Champs Elysee, pass the Louvre and Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, Musee d'Orsay, Paris Opera and more..... Lots of sites in a relatively short time and we enjoyed it,
For our last meal we head to Le Petit Pont again and feast on moules and frites - mussels and fries - one of our favorites! Apres we need to pack up and take the #4 metro line to Chatalet and then the #1 to Gare de Lyon, the huge train station. It's an impressive structure built in 1900 for the Paris Exposition. We have a cocktail in the lounge and just enjoy the architecture and,....wait for it,... the people watching! Soon it's "All Aboard" and we find our overnight compartment, get settled in for
a sleeper trip to Rome. Jake will sleep, me not so much....
xo La
Today, after all the running around and drama of yesterday, we decide to do something we've never done before: take the double decker bus tour! The day is gorgeous and we sit on the top level, plug in the provided ear buds and enjoy being rather coddled :) We've caught the bus at Notre Dame and it's headed to Luxembourg Gardens in the 6th. Like all of Paris it's an area full of history. Like what happens all the time in Paris there is a demonstration of some sort and the bus has to abandon the original route, return to Notre Dame where we hop on another line. We pass the Tour Eiffel, cruise the Champs Elysee, pass the Louvre and Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, Musee d'Orsay, Paris Opera and more..... Lots of sites in a relatively short time and we enjoyed it,
For our last meal we head to Le Petit Pont again and feast on moules and frites - mussels and fries - one of our favorites! Apres we need to pack up and take the #4 metro line to Chatalet and then the #1 to Gare de Lyon, the huge train station. It's an impressive structure built in 1900 for the Paris Exposition. We have a cocktail in the lounge and just enjoy the architecture and,....wait for it,... the people watching! Soon it's "All Aboard" and we find our overnight compartment, get settled in for
a sleeper trip to Rome. Jake will sleep, me not so much....
xo La
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