Sigh...

Europe (France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy)
May 3 - June 2, 2006

home --> Paris et Versailles --> Girona y Barcelona --> Sevilla y Barcelona --> Zurich und Luzern (Mt. Rigi) --> Baden, Basel, Bern --> Zurich und Luzern (Mt. Pilatus) --> Roma e Città del Vaticano --> Pisa e Firenze --> Nice et Monaco --> Cinque Terre --> Siena e Milano --> Paris -> home

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The Traveling End (... for now)

Day 30 (Friday, June 2, 2006)

Although my sightseeing had come to an end, the adventure continued as I embarked on my journey back home. My flight back to the states departed from Paris on Friday afternoon. Being in Milano on Thursday, I had to make my way to Paris. So I booked a flight for early Friday morning from Bergamo (Italy) to Beauvais (France). Since the flight was extremely early in the morning and it required an one-hour bus ride from Milano to Bergamo (Orio al Serio Airport), I decided to spend the night at the airport. This was my first time spending overnight at an airport, and it was no Holiday Inn. The night consisted of continuous sleeping position readjustments, a sore butt, and mild paranoia of backpack snatchers. The airport closed for cleaning for a few hours, so my fellow slumber party and I had to relocate to a very cold and noisy building with unsleepable plastic seats. I only got 1-2 hours of sleep, but overall it was a bearable experience. Once I arrived at Beauvais Airport, I had to ride another one-hour bus to get to Paris. Then once in Paris, I had to ride the metro and then train to get to Charles De Gaulle Airport.

I checked in with plenty of time to spare. And just as I began to settle my mind on the reality that my fun was officially concluding, a wide husky Samoan-looking man with a buzz-cut starts shouting orders for everyone to move away from the gate. I was experiencing my first bomb scare. Initially, we were told to just move down a few gates. But eventually, we had to evacuate the entire terminal, which was a long and arduous task to herd hundreds of people back through a long and narrow hallway. After an hour and a half, we were allowed to return to our gates. Even then, the my flight did not depart for another two hours. I overheard that the cause of the evacuation was an unattended Disney backpack filled with toys. So somewhere a little kid was crying to his mommy because he lost his toys. Meanwhile back at the airport, an entire terminal full of passengers were seriously inconvenienced and discombobulated.



I eventually arrived in Detroit. But I arrived two hours late, and just barely missed my connecting flight to LAX. Fortunately, Northwest had already prepared hotel and meal vouchers once we arrived. I was able to watch game six of the NBA playoffs (Pistons vs. Heat) accompanied by a beer and burger at a restaurant/bar, which also happened to be on karaoke night! The waitress was a sweet old lady who ended every sentence with "honey" or "sweety". I slept in a hotel room with two double beds all to myself. And flew back to LAX the next morning.

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Au Revoir!
Adios!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Ciao!
Cheers!

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next: Iceland? Austrailia & New Zealand? or more of Spain?

Siena e Milano

Day 27-29 (May 30 - June 1, 2006)



Before Siena, we made a quick stop in Pisa so my cousin could see the tower. The train ride through the Toscana region featured rolling green hills, fields of bright colorful flowers, and stretches of vineyards and agriculture. We arrived in Siena late afternoon, and found a last minute accomodation through the tourist office which was closing. But as I have learned through my travels, things always work out in the end. The tourist office found us a spacious apartment with a kitchen and two twins and a double. The quaint interior consisted of brick walls and antique furnishings. And it was inexpensive.



I love the vibe of Siena. Regretfully, our stay was too brief. But the city's charm still left a lasting impression. Uniquely, the city is built on hills. The alleyways and streets dip and rise liberally. One instance, you are viewing the top of rosy roofs and green trees. And the next, you are hiking up alleyways through the shadows of surrounding buildings. And if you peer beyond the city's perimeter, you can get a glimpse of Toscany's signature landscapes.

For dinner, we ate at a family-run trattoria. For the first dish, I ordered thick hand-made pasta. It was very very al dente. For main course, I ordered veal in white wine sauce. The meal was decent. A sudden stream of customers filled the place as we arrived. So the owners were flustered because I don't think they were used to serving a full restaraunt.





Next, we headed to Milan. As the capital of fashion, I expected the city to be glitsy and sheen. But instead it seemed dreary. As we walked through the streets, we noticed that many of the buildings were scribbled with spray-paint. Typically, you see these things in alleyways and other low traffic areas. But this stuff was blatantly seen next to shopping windows on the main street buildings. And to make things worse, they were tasteless tags! (I do have an appreciation for artistically done graffiti). I was quite shocked. For a city renowned for setting trends and that is so focused on image, the last thing you would expect are spray-painted buildings.

For dinner, we ate at Trattoria Milano, which was recommended in my travel book. Although the prices were higher than most previous meals of my trip, it was still very delicious. In fact, everything is more expensive in Milan compared to the rest of Italy. The service was fast and the portions were quite big. The dishes are simple and delicious, just how I like it. We ordered Risotto alla Milanese (risotto made with saffron and white wine), Osso Buco (braised veal shank), Cotoletta alla Milanese (breaded veal cutlet), roasted artichokes, and of course local red wine. The Risotto was very good, but when served with Osso Buco, the combo makes my stomach growl and mouth water just thinking about it! The Cotoletta was perfected prepared and oh so tender and crispy. We could hear the chefs pounding the veal cutlet in the kitchen everytime a Cotoletta was ordered. The artichokes were good, and the wine was excellent. Another most satisfying meal. Buenissimo!




It was great traveling with Uli and Kevin. A top priority was to plump our bellies and get sauced up! The uninhibited indulgence in local food and wine was as big of a priority as sightseeing itself. My travels with them was very much a "food tour".

Overall, there is not much to do in Milan except shop. When I think of Italy, I think of food, culture, and history. If you think of Prada and Gucci, then Milan is the place for you. Otherwise, there are much more worthwhile destinations to visit in Italy.

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more photos: siena e milano

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next: milano->paris->home

Cinque Terre

Day 25-26 (May 28-29, 2006)


Cinque Terre consists of five small fishing villages (Montorosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore) that are strung along the Italian Riviera. Travel between the villages can be achieved by train or via pedestrian paths.

Uli, Kevin, and I arrived in Montorosso in the late evening. The train station sits right on the beach boardwalk. We ate dinner in the village before going to our Bed & Breakfast. We walked up and down the small main street, searching for a restaurant that struck our fancy. We decided on one that was hidden away in a narrow alleyway. And fortuitously, we sure struck gold! The food was amazing! It was called Ristorante Al Carugio. We later discovered that this was the best place to eat in Montorosso, according the lady at our B&B. The portions were big, the prices were reasonable, and the quality was exceptional. And our waiter was very friendly and gave great suggestions. We ordered Seafood Spaghetti, Muscoli alla Marinara (mussels) and fries, and Steak w/ capers, regional red wine (Colline di Levanto), Grappa, and espresso. EVERYTHING was buonissimo!




After a extremely gratifying dinner, we called the B&B to pick us up. Since it is located up on the mountain, the owners personally drive guests up and down. Our room had a balcony overlooking Montorosso and the wide open sea. At night, fireflies flicker throughout the black mountainside underneath a star filled sky. The accommodation was most charming, and much better than any ritzy hotel. And it was cheap as well.


room w/ a view

In the morning, we awoke to the sweet aromas of freshly baked pastries. We made our way to the garden, where we would eat our breakfast and enjoy a great view of the Mediterranean Sea. Then started our village exploration. We managed to see all five of the villages. We hiked most of the paths to get from one village to the other, and took the train a couple times. My favorite village is Corniglia. All the other villages were at sea level. But Corniglia was a tiny village perched on a cliff that protruded out into the ocean, and basically had one main street that ran straight from inland to the edge of the cliff. Most buildings line the perimeter of the peninsula like cliff, thus yielding fantastic views.


breakfast vista

The hikes were exhilerating and relaxing. So much so that I could have easily hiked all of the paths between the villages. The paths offered gorgeous blue sea, rocky cliffs, variety of wild flowers, colorful villages, and crisp fresh air.


For dinner, we decided to return to the same place, Ristorante Al Carugio. And we even had the same cheery waiter. He not only gave us great suggestions for food and wine, but was also very sociable and comical. After a long day of trekking, our appetites were at its peak. We ordered Lemon Anchovies (steamed and de-boned), Risotto Frutti di Mare (seafood risotto), Muscoli alla Marinara and fries, and steamed fish w/ herbs and olive oil, red wine (Colline di Levanto), Limoncello, and espresso. The region is known for lemons and anchovies. Anchovies are not that bad (contrary to prior assumption). The Seafood Risotto was so very good! I'll always want to eat fries with mussels now. The steamed fish was prepared very similar to Chinese cuisine. The wine was excellent. I even got a pen as a souvenir! This small alleyway restaurant will echo hungry memories for the rest of my life.




The combination of a charming B&B, the fantastic restaurant, scenic hikes, and colorful villages made Cinque Terre one of my favorite travel destinations. There were not too many tourists, probably because it is more off the beaten path of Rome and Florence. It is truly an unique and refreshing escape from the chaos of the main tourist cities.

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edge of Corniglia


montorosso



riomaggiore


manarola


vernazza



more photos: cinque terre

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