Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Torino Update

Back at the Internet cafe.

After updating the blog (and trying to convince the security guard at the door that my camera had come in with me and wasn't being lifted from the store) we headed to the Mole Antonelliana - Turin's answer to the CN Tower back home. Originally built as the city's synagogue it now houses the national cinema museum.

Our entrance was free with our Torino card. We decided to take the elevator to the top as the first order of business. The glass box was lifted from above through the cavernous interior up through a hole in the roof. Getting off of the elevator we were treated to a fantastic view of Torino and the alps in the distance.

Back down on the main level of the museum we enjoyed one of the most fascinating series of exhibits I have ever seen. Each genre of movie was there, each with its own theatre which served as a metaphor for the genre (i.e. an old style salon was playing a Western, a huge red velvet bed had a romance movie playing on the wall). In the centre of the main floor rows and rows of red velvet couches, each fitted with an individual speaker - sort of like a reclining drive in. We lay back and watched the movies to the point where we almost fell asleep!

This was a sign that it might be time to head back to the B and B for a nap! When we left the cinema museum there was a bit of irony awaiting us - they were shooting a real movie right on the street. There is no truth to the nasty rumour now circulating Turin that a couple of confused Canadians walked onto a movie set causing the director to shout, no truth at all.

I think that we're finally starting to get our bearings. We wandered back to the B and B (stopping for gelato en route of course!) without an difficulty. We crashed for a few hours and then decided to head out for dinner.

We ended up at a Venetian wine bar. Of course we had left the slowtravel menu translator at the room so we only recognized 1 or 2 things on the menu. We ordered and of course managed to muddle things up - all a part of the adventure. The chicchetti was fabulous - tiny anchovies, whole shrimps, and calamari with a number of other treats. For our mains Paul ordered polenta with some mystery fish on it, I had huge gamberi fritte. It is a bit disconcerting to have them show up on your plate with the eyes staring up at you but we managed to persevere.

We wandered around the Roman quarter a bit before heading back to the room for a well deserved sleep.

I think we were exhausted because we slept in until almost 9! We got reading in a flash because breakfast is only served until 10.

Today threatens to be cloudy so we decided it was another museum day. First though we had to visit the market. The Porta Palazzo market is Europe's largest outdoor market and was a complete feast for the senses.

After the market we popped into the Cathedral of San Lorenzo which was started by Guarini in 1666. The vaulted dome was an incredible feat of architecture at the time and was impressive even today.

Next up was the Palazzo Madama - a mixture of styles and construction that was 'slapped' together over 200 years. Restored and reopened in 2006 it now features the museum of Civic Arts. The exhibits trace decorative arts from the 1500s to the present age. All housed in a beautiful structure that was the former home of the Queen's mother - talk about ornate style her bedroom was as big as our house!

By the time we had had enough of the art we were famished. We managed to find a pizza shop which is supposed to have the best pizza in Turin (according to Eugenia Bell, anyway). It was bloody excellent. No need for a repeat of yesterday's 40 euro lunch - today was a quick slab of pizza and a drink eaten on a rock for 4 euro.

Time to head out before I run out of time and loose everything!

Italians vs Europeans

By all rights we should be in Torino right now.

Capital of western Alps and Piedmont Region, Torino was founded 2,300 years ago by the Taurini Gauls, a celtic tribe, and was a Roman military camp called “Augusta Taurinorum” in the early Roman period. Taurus is latin for bull, and the bull, still today, is the symbol of the city.

In the Middle Ages the Savoys, Lords from the  French Region of the same name, began to extend their ambitions towards the most important territories in Piedmont. Since the 17th century and up to the mid 20th century, it has been the seat of the Savoy Dynasty. In the 19th century, Torino was the first capital of the Italian Kingdom after the unification.

Nowadays it is a modern industrial and commercial City, the seat of Fiat and many other industries as well as the home of the famous Martini, Cinzano and Carpano Vermouth. Torino also boasts artistic churches, buildings and well-known museums. The most important of these is the Egyptian Museum, the 2nd largest in the world after the one in Cairo. The large harmonious squares, the straight avenues lined with trees, the sober streets with arcades give the City an appereance of noble and charming elegance.

Beside being famous for their wide selection of typical regional food and wines like Barolo, Barbaresco and Dolcetto, Piedmont and Torino are well-known also for their hors-d’oeuvres and “pasticceria” (small pastries, friandises, chocolate). In the historical cafès once (Baratti & Milano, Al Bicerin, Torino, San Carlo, Pepino, Mulassano, Fiorio) visited by aristocracy, artists and poets, one can still enjoy some of the old recipes and live the athmosphere of the past centuries.

The City, which recently hosted the 2006 Olimpic Winter Games, is set to accept new important challenges: in 2008 Torino will be the first World Design Capital turning itself once again into a fundamental international destination.

It will be 2:35 when we arrive in the city. I know my body will be screaming from exhaustion. I am not sure how I will feel about blogging after being on planes through the night. I do hope to blog from the road but today isn't the day!

In preparation for this I decided to feature one of my favourite clips - Italians vs Europeans by the comedian Bruno Bozzetto - you learn a good deal about the Italian psyche by watching this. Yes, there is some exaggeration - but only some!

We're Off!

It is finally here - departure day! I'm not sure what will happen to the counter at the side once we have left but I can deal with that when I run into an internet cafe somewhere.

The airways transit shuttle service picks us up at 4:30. This seems ridiculously early for an 8:30 flight but who am I to quibble. I just want to get to the flipping airport! If we have two hours during which to lounge about the Air Canada lounge at least we will be comfortable!

I booked our flights on Orbitz back in February. The tickets cost about $ 1300 each including all taxes and surcharges at the time. The cost was less than when we flew to Rome last but more than what other flights were going for. However, it was an open jaw ticket with the times we wanted so I went for it. Sometimes you have to pay more to get the convenience that you want.

Arrival in Turin:

Air Canada 890

Depart:	8:25pm evening	Toronto, Canada Toronto Pearson International (YYZ)
Arrive:	11:00am morning	Rome, Italy Rome Intercontinental Airport Leonardo da Vinci (FCO)

Change planes. Time between flights: 2hr 20min

Alitalia 1417

Depart:	1:20pm afternoon	Rome, Italy Rome Intercontinental Airport Leonardo da Vinci (FCO)
Arrive:	2:35pm afternoon	Turin, Italy Turin Citta Di Torino (TRN)

Total duration: 12hr 10min | Total miles: 4743 miles.

We return from Florence on June first routed through Munich.

Incidentally - the same ticket on orbitz right now is now about $ 1900. OUCH

A few days ago I posted about packing lightly (not something I adhere to at all!). I defy anyone to fit all of this into a carry on:

You'll notice Victor sound asleep on a freshly dry cleaned shirt (one he later vomited on, ARGH). Heck - just my shoes alone would fill a carry on (running shoes, sandals, dress shoes, casual walking shoes). Add to that 2 pairs of jeans, cords, casual pants, dress pants, 2 shorts, bathing suits and on and on and you'll get the picture.

Just packing the empty wine carriers (soon to be full of lovely brunellos and barolos) took up half of the space in our luggage.

Everything has wheels so we will be fine. Of course, the only challenge will be fitting it all into the rental car. :-)

I am a bit out of sorts. I have about 9 hours to go and little to occupy my time. I am too organized and requires some sort of major panic attack before it feels like we're going away.

I will be blogging from the road whenever I can find an Internet cafe or if my iTouch can pick up on a wireless signal. I've put together a bunch of 'canned posts' to fill in the spaces when I can't find a connection. I don't have a clue how to manage photos though - i have brought just about every cable I own so hopefully something will work.

See you soon!

Mother's Day 2008

Yesterday was Mother's Day. Paul and I wanted to have our mothers over for dinner even though we leave on Tuesday for our long-planned vacation to Italy (no, it is clear, I NEVER get sick of saying that!) Because of this we decided to keep it simple - not like last year's multi-coursed food feast.

Things were further complicated by a trip to the clinic for me. My foot was in incredible pain and I could hardly walk. It turns out I have a disease of fat, 60 year old men - gout. ARGH Happily the anti-inflammatory, ice, and heat seem to be working and I should be able to hobble about Italy. It did put a dint in our dinner planning.

We had the table set early in the day.

Paul got a wee bit cranky when he heard that I had hobbled to the field near our house to cut the lilacs for the table. Mind over pain, I say! Normally the table is far more decorative but this was the best I could do yesterday in my painful, diseased state.

We started off with assorted antipasto.

You'll see cheddar cheese shortbread, crackers,a nd assorted breads. The cheeses were goat cheese with dried cranberries, Stilton, a soft Brie like cheese from Quebec, smoked white cheddar, and a cheese with black truffles. We arranged candied walnuts on the cheese trays. We also served cured meats and olives (to get ready for Italy). To go with the cheeses we served a fig and balsamic compote, a pear jam we bought when we were in Florence, and my strawberry, balsamic, black pepper compote.

Simple and easy - this is the sort of appetizer I like - you just open packages, boxes, and jars and presto - antipasto that looks as if you have slaved for hours!

We then moved to the table for the main event.

Paul's mother loves steak so we had New York strip loin. I had bought an whole strip loin at Costco for about 70 dollars, trimmed it (and my finger in the process), and cut it up into steaks. I got about 16 steaks like the one you see pictured here - not a bad deal at all!

We grilled the steaks and then finished them off with a Stilton and panko crust. They were served on a bed of Gruyere mashed potatoes with a drizzled of Cabernet wine sauce. On the side were honey roasted carrots.

We also served a cucumber salad which combined crisp slices of cucumber with a creamy dressing laden with celery seed.

Dessert was champagne gelatin with mint and strawberries. I served two of the lemon cookies I made yesterday on the side.

The leftovers were all sent home and now the fridge is almost cleaned out!

Packing

Six days to go. I need to think about packing . . .

Palma has already packed her bags and weighed them to see if they will be accepted on a plane without penalty.

Me? I am making lists . . .

One of the great on going debates  discussion on the slowtravel community message board generally revolves around packing. There are those who swear by their ability to pack enough clothing for an entire three week European adventure in a carry on bag. We are not in that camp. No, not evening close.

I see nothing to be gained by rinsing out my jockey shorts each evening with shampoo and hanging them to dry in the window.

Someone posted this a few weeks back:

We just returned from one week in Paris, and it (a BACKPACK) performed very well. I was able to pack a pair of jeans, a pair of chinos, two polos, two long sleeve button down shirts, one sweater, one pair of shoes, six pairs of socks, six pairs of boxers, one heavy jacket, three under shirts, one long sleeve tee, one short sleeve, tee, a pair of mesh shorts, two books, four magazines, shaving kit, notebook, maps, and other smaller items. It was comfortable to carry through airports, the Paris metro, and while walking down the street. If you regularly can use a 22" roller for one week trips, then you can use this too. It was perfect.

Nothing about this, other than a week in Paris, sounds perfect to me. Hell, I need a backpack just for my camera, iPod, video camera, cell phone, assorted chargers, international plug, etc.

Frankly I do NOT pack lightly at all. Why, you ask?

1. Read the jockeys in the bathroom sink drying in the window for  # 1.
2. I don't care to wear the same outfit five days in a row. I suppose no one would know. The problem is I would and I wouldn't be able to live with ME!
3. Yes, I know that the people I see don't know me and I will likely never run into them again. However, I just do NOT like the thought of wandering about with my clothing looking like Phyllis Diller's ankles because I have rolled it up in a tube to fit it all in a carry-on.
4. I am addicted to guidebooks. Guidebooks take up room in the suitcase. Hell, just printing out hotel reservations, plane reservations, directions to the villa, car rental agreements, etc has filled a file folder.
5. I am not a nudist (and the world gives thanks for that). I like clothing.
6. Apparently I have shoe issues. I bring different pairs with me. I bring walking shoes, sandals, running shoes, dress shoes. Sometimes I bring river shoes or hiking boots. Have you ever tried to put a pair of hiking boots in a backpack?
7. Some folk enjoy wearing nothing but black for weeks on end. I am neither a monk nor a goth. I enjoy some colour in my life. Having a clothing palette involves a variety of colours. This takes luggage room to mix and match appropriately.
8. I like to bring wine home with me. Thanks to those pinheads who tried to down an airliner with the contents of a coke can I can no longer bring my wine home as carry-on. Now I have a wine suitcase, carefully fitted with styrofoam, to safely bring that liquid gold home with me.
9. I have been known to purchase a thing or two. Actually I have been known to purchase so many things that I was forced to mail boxes of dirty clothing home in order to make room for my purchases in my suitcase. I could fill a carry-on in 5 seconds in Florence.

So you see, I just don't get it. To those who like to pack lightly, I say - good for you. I shall have my two bags, changes of clothing, clean jockey shorts, shoes, wine, and purchases.

This You-tube has some helpful advice for those of you who wish to pack lightly. At first I thought it was helpful, having watched it a few times I now think it is mocking light packers. I like it more now. :-)

We Visit Bombay's Chutney

Last weekend was a busy one for me. I was working a conference in Kingston on Friday and Saturday. I raced home Saturday because we had plans to go out with a friend for dinner. Paul wanted to try a new Indian restaurant in Burlington that had been opened for a few months - we had driven by but not popped in. It was time to correct this.

Elise arrived at about 5 bearing gifts. She had brought a wonderful early anniversary gift for us which was such a nice treat. In her words: 'the 10th is a big one so gifts it is!'

Who were we to refuse?

We sipped a Tahitian Sunrise while we opened gifts, chatted, and laughed.

Then it was off to the restaurant.

Bombay's Chutney, featuring high ceilings and big windows, makes the transition from the busy decorating in many Indian food establishments to understated without a drop in quality of the fare. It's located  in the Longo's plaza at Walker's Line and Dundas Street and features a mix of muted colours and stylish lighting. The Indian touches show up in the profile of a room divider and art under glass on table tops.

The menu is quite extensive and we had a difficult time deciding what to order.

We decided to start off with an appetizer platter which featured a generous assortment of Vegetable Samosas, Aloo Tiki and Onion Bhaji. This was served with a tangy tamarind chutney and curred chickpeas.

We decided to order a number of different dishes and share, that way we could try many different things. The first one to arrive was Lamb Tikka. We enjoyed the juicy chunks of lamb which had been marinaded, cooked in a tandoor and finished with cinnamon. It was served with mint chutney and salad.

The next dish in our feast was vegetable biryani. This was an aromatic blend of ling grained rice cooked with saffron, vegetables and spices. It came topped with crisp onions and sliced almonds. I really enjoyed the layers of flavours and textures in this dish.

One of our all-time favourite things to order at Indian restaurants is butter chicken. I laugh at folks who think that the dish is actually made with butter; instead what we received was moist pieces of chicken cooked to perfection in a rich sauce of tomato, cream and spices. The sauce was accented nicely with dried fenugreek.

Elise selected a vegetarian dish I had never heard of, let alone tried, for her dish. It was called mutter paneer. For those of you who, like me, don't have a clue about this it is cubes of cottage cheese that are simmered in a rich tomato sauce with cream, onions, and green peas. I was so glad that she had ordered this, I doubt that I ever would have, yet it was wonderful! Thank you Elise for expanding our horizons.

Now, before anyone says anything, of course we ordered naan bread. I can not eat Indian food without copious quantities of hot naan bread to sop it all up. The waitress tried to tell us that we had ordered too much naan - clearly she hadn't met us before. We went with what our gut told us and were happy that we had. This was wonderful naan - light and crispy on the edges.

Of course we were not able to eat all of this food so Paul had leftovers during the week - a good thing as I was away for four days running another conference. The portions were generous, the flavour incredible - there wasn't one bad dish amongst those we ordered. I can't believe that we have driven by this spot for seven months and not stopped in! We will definitely return.

The dishes shown above, with steamed basmati rice, beers, and water came to $ 95 with the tip. 

Cats and Dogs

My friend Catherine sent this to me last week.

DOG DIARY

8:00 AM - Dog food! My favorite thing!

12:00 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing!

1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!

7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!

11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

CAT DIARY

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Idiots!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of allergies. I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around   his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded!

This YouTube video examines this difference even further . . .

Did You hear the One About . . .?

Sometimes as a blogger you face a dilemma. Things come your way and you think 'hmmm . . . that would be a fine post . . .'

But then the little voice in your head mumbles something about offending folk and you have a moral struggle with which to cope. Should you or shouldn't you?

Moral conscious be damned, I say.

Did you hear the one about the priest who attached himself to helium filled party balloons in an attempt to set a record?

Sadly, this isn't Comedy Central but the evening news.

The Rev. Adelir Antonio Di Carli was trying to break a 19-hour record for the longest party balloon flight to raise money to fund a "spiritual" rest stop for truckers in Paranagua, Brazil.

A spiritual rest stop?

For truckers?

Not touching that piece of this gem. No, not at all.

What would entice someone to think that filling 1000 balloons with helium, attaching the full balloons to your body and then floating away might possibly be a good idea? This is just dumb, dumb, dumb. The wind picks up. You float into the ocean . . . dumb, dumb, dumb.

At the risk of being cruel, offensive, and an all round twit . . . cause and effect exists for a reason and some folk invite things to happen to them.

The sad consequences of this cautionary tale of helium misuse?

Lots of money will be spent trying to rescue this twit. Probably enough money to construct spiritual retreats all over the place.

Those truckers will have to get by without the 'Rev. Adelir Antonio Di Carli Spiritual Retreat' to assist in their soul cleansing.

We'll have the 24 hour round-the-clock 'missing balloon priest watch' on CNN.

The Brazilian navy will be put on full alert.

Manufacturers of party balloons will have to include warning labels on their products: 'attaching too many helium balloons to your body may result in unplanned flight and death'

Update at 11.

One Month Today

Wow.

How to tell if a blogger is getting excited an upcoming event . . .

they install a counter on their blog counting down to the start of the event (as I type - 28 days and 12 minutes)  . . .

they drop mentions of said event in many posts . . . (I think that I started doing this some time last year)

they start posting about the event a month in advance.

What is this event? Our big vacation this year . . . AKA Italy 2008.

This will be us as we jet towards Italy and adventure, fun, food, and good times.

Now I should back up just a wee bit. I started planning this trip some time in January 2007 when I realized (or was reminded!!!!) that our 10th anniversary was coming up in May 2008. What better spot to celebrate than Italy?

Initially I was going to keep it as a surprise. Paul would know that there was a trip. The limo would pick him up after work and we'd head together to the airport where he would find out the destination.

Marcia suggested that this might not be fair to Paul. I realized that she was right and that my control issues might just be rising to the surface a wee bit as well. I also realized that part of the fun of traveling is being able to plan the trip with one another.

When we were in Savannah a few weeks ago people asked us what our plans were. Funnily enough, we didn't have anything definite. The flights are booked. Our accomodation are booked. I reserved (and paid for) the car. We've arranged for a ballooning trip over the hills of tuscany. Diana, the amazing owner of the B and B in Acqui Terme has reserved our anniversary dinner at a fine restaurant. Other that that - nothing.

Here's what we know at this point:

We will fly into Torino.

Where we will recover from jet lag before heading to Acqui Terme . . .

From here we head to the beautiful walled town to Lucca.

We visited Lucca back in 2006, loved it, and I had to return.

From here we head to Montisi  . . .

. . . which will be our base for exploring southern Tuscany.

Finally we head back to Florence

Before jetting back to Toronto.

Did I tell you that I am excited and can't wait?

My lord, you'll be sick of this all in 28 days!

Rum Tasting Class

So on Saturday we had the cooking class at the LCBO, tonight we had a rum tasting class. Normally we try and spread our classes out so that we have one a month but with our trip to Italy our schedule got out of whack - not unlike things at work but that is a different post.

I knew that we would be tasting a number of straight rums over the course of an hour so I decided we would walk rather than risk driving while 'silly'. This turned out to be a very wise choice . . . plus it is great to be out walking again!

Bill, our instructor, explained how rum was made and the differences between the rums. I was interested to hear the difference between industrial rums (i.e. Bacardi - ewwww) and agricultural rums which are produced on site with natural ingredients. My favourite rum, Appleton Estates, is an example of an agricultural rum. This must be why it tastes so great.

At each place Bill had arranged six glasses and poured a sample of rum in each. The first two were tropical cocktails, the remaining four were rums of various ages. With each he passed around a sample of food so we could explore how the food impacted the taste of the rum.

It was fascinating to taste the difference that terroir made in the rums. The impact of the aging material was significant as well. I also noticed a remarkable difference in the 'tears' of the more aged rums compared to the industrial rums. The more aged rum (a 12 year old from Guyana) had tears that slowly dripped down the inside of the glass whereas the young rum just sloshed about like water, albeit water with one heck of a kick!

I've done lots of wine tasting classes over the years but this was the first spirit tasting class that I had attended. I confess to being a bit of a whimp when it comes to straight alcohol. Paul turned beet red and started giggling (like many of the participants). I saved my giggling for the walk home.

It was a fun night out!