We
travelled the short distance to Florence, Italy, by local train on another grey but
balmy autumn day and booked in at avery nice Star Hotel, arranged by our
son. Our evening ‘looking for food’ walk led us to a narrow, welcoming, restaurant which had that ‘do come in – I am very
good’ look about it. The Trattoira Armando
turned out to be just that, a family owned restaurant,
where we were looked after by a very proud owner, whose eyes and smile reflected his passion for local food and wine. For the first time ever, I had artichoke
pasta – delicious!!!!
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Cannes on a Wintery Sunday
We travelled by train to Cannes, past towns, seaside resorts, a huge luxury apartment block, more resorts, and as we arrived, so did the rain. Ever been to a tourist town in the wintery off season, in the rain? And being a Sunday, with no shops open? We quickly walked from the train station to the seaside, and walked more quickly towards the old town, past the famous Congress Centre where many events including the Cannes Film Festival is held every May. So we missed the hand prints of famous movies stars and various sculptures. But we did wander - very quickly - through the quaint picturesque outdoor Christmas Market - where stall holders outnumbered visitors and over to the old town and up the hill to get a view of the place. Fortunately the rain let up for a but for us to enjoy the view. A beautiful place, even in the gloom!
By now it was lunch time, but no cafes or pubs in sight. The day was So Gloomy we decided to travel back to Nice. Then we discovered a huge french food market - indoors, then fishmongers and many chocolate shops. One had many religious items for christmas, including something for each of the 12 days of Christmas - all in chocolate! Have a look at the pics to see more.
So that was Cannes! I'd love to return in summer! Back in Nice the day was even more gloomy and we set off in the rain to find a place to have a late lunch as there was nothing else to do - everything was closed. No crowds or tourists anywhere.
Al last, after walking for hours, it seemed, in the rain, and feeling very cold and wet, we finally found a street of restaurants, and some were open! Now, which one..
Hey, look at that! A Le Maori Restaurant! I wonder if it does hangi food. No? Well French fare will do! Look at the menu! All Black and Barvarian items. Someone obviously likes rugby here. I wonder if we should mention that our team the All Blacks one against the French at Marseilles last night?? Well, everyone agrees it was a great game. Look at the cutlery! Handles shaped like the Koru. Dessert? Yes please! Gosh, look at the size of our plates! No small arty servings here. And decent sized Stella glasses too. This seems just the place to stay on a wintery afternoon.
And then back to the hotel to pack for our next adventure!
By now it was lunch time, but no cafes or pubs in sight. The day was So Gloomy we decided to travel back to Nice. Then we discovered a huge french food market - indoors, then fishmongers and many chocolate shops. One had many religious items for christmas, including something for each of the 12 days of Christmas - all in chocolate! Have a look at the pics to see more.
So that was Cannes! I'd love to return in summer! Back in Nice the day was even more gloomy and we set off in the rain to find a place to have a late lunch as there was nothing else to do - everything was closed. No crowds or tourists anywhere.
Al last, after walking for hours, it seemed, in the rain, and feeling very cold and wet, we finally found a street of restaurants, and some were open! Now, which one..
Hey, look at that! A Le Maori Restaurant! I wonder if it does hangi food. No? Well French fare will do! Look at the menu! All Black and Barvarian items. Someone obviously likes rugby here. I wonder if we should mention that our team the All Blacks one against the French at Marseilles last night?? Well, everyone agrees it was a great game. Look at the cutlery! Handles shaped like the Koru. Dessert? Yes please! Gosh, look at the size of our plates! No small arty servings here. And decent sized Stella glasses too. This seems just the place to stay on a wintery afternoon.
And then back to the hotel to pack for our next adventure!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
More snow in Milano and our last day there
On our last morning in Milan we awoke to even more snow. Thick coatings everwhere!
A different type of winter magic to St Petersburg.
Once again we trudged along in the crunchy and even thicker snow to see the Last Supper fresco. We had booked well in advance, as one must, to see this particular work of art, and the viewing was very controlled. Our group stood silently in awe, gazing at this famous work, painstakingly restored, along with a nearby fresco from the same era, by Olivetti. Well worth the visit.
On the way back to the hotel to await the taxi to take us to the station - too far away to walk trundling our suitcases, I espied a couple of dresses - on sale, of course, in a shop window. ¨Wait here¨I said to Chris. ¨I will not be long.¨
In I went and said to the shop attendant. ¨I want to try on these two dresses and I am in a hurry.¨
¨Let me take your coat¨ he said.¨
Acutally I have three¨I replied.
Önly three? He demures....
A few minutes later Chris and I are back to the hotel, yes, with a dress, and waiting for a taxi to take us along the very snowy streets to the station for our new adventure in Venice. We had originally planned to drive there with friends, via a business call by Chris at Frienze, but this was now not possible because of the snow.
Milano looed even more spectaular today. The traffic, both moving and stationery, had about half a metre of snow on top, the telegraph and tram wires were lined with snow, the large Christmas tree and the statue in the square looked even more dramatic, and the Duomo, with the extra coating of snow all its whitte and gold parapets, looked like a huge fancy Christening cake.
When we finally shused our way to the Milano railway station, the train timetables had been turned topsy turvy by the snowfalls. Some trains to Venice had been cancelled, and ours was delayed by an hour. The Milano Railway station is probably the worst station to stand in in the very cold. There is no shelter, no bars, or shops to pop in to to keep warm. There are only 2 - 3 stand up cafes where you can purchase a roll and a hot drink. These were kept very busy by people, like us, buying food to warm up!
At last, our train was ready and we were off!! And in good time, too, as we found out in the following days, as Milano got colder and whiter. The snow covered ground, as we travelled east towards Venicia, gradually changed from white christmas card scenery to fields and villages lightly covered with snow. Maybe we will have a white holiday in Venice!!
We arrived late in the afternoon at the Venicia Station. This station is like most other European ones - all from the same drawing board, most likely, and Venice is the the end of this particular line.
So it is a great pleasure and change to step out and gaze onto the Grand Canal with some of Venices. beautiful old buildings behind. And the sound of absense motor traffic! Apart frome th quiet purring of canal ferry traffic, of course.
Chris found, on the interet, a lovely hotel just around from the Venice Railway station, and it was very easy to find. In the past, we have stayed in the middle of the city, however the numbering of the buildings of the narrow streets can be rather confusing to new visitors to Venice.
To be continued.....
A different type of winter magic to St Petersburg.
Once again we trudged along in the crunchy and even thicker snow to see the Last Supper fresco. We had booked well in advance, as one must, to see this particular work of art, and the viewing was very controlled. Our group stood silently in awe, gazing at this famous work, painstakingly restored, along with a nearby fresco from the same era, by Olivetti. Well worth the visit.
On the way back to the hotel to await the taxi to take us to the station - too far away to walk trundling our suitcases, I espied a couple of dresses - on sale, of course, in a shop window. ¨Wait here¨I said to Chris. ¨I will not be long.¨
In I went and said to the shop attendant. ¨I want to try on these two dresses and I am in a hurry.¨
¨Let me take your coat¨ he said.¨
Acutally I have three¨I replied.
Önly three? He demures....
A few minutes later Chris and I are back to the hotel, yes, with a dress, and waiting for a taxi to take us along the very snowy streets to the station for our new adventure in Venice. We had originally planned to drive there with friends, via a business call by Chris at Frienze, but this was now not possible because of the snow.
Milano looed even more spectaular today. The traffic, both moving and stationery, had about half a metre of snow on top, the telegraph and tram wires were lined with snow, the large Christmas tree and the statue in the square looked even more dramatic, and the Duomo, with the extra coating of snow all its whitte and gold parapets, looked like a huge fancy Christening cake.
When we finally shused our way to the Milano railway station, the train timetables had been turned topsy turvy by the snowfalls. Some trains to Venice had been cancelled, and ours was delayed by an hour. The Milano Railway station is probably the worst station to stand in in the very cold. There is no shelter, no bars, or shops to pop in to to keep warm. There are only 2 - 3 stand up cafes where you can purchase a roll and a hot drink. These were kept very busy by people, like us, buying food to warm up!
At last, our train was ready and we were off!! And in good time, too, as we found out in the following days, as Milano got colder and whiter. The snow covered ground, as we travelled east towards Venicia, gradually changed from white christmas card scenery to fields and villages lightly covered with snow. Maybe we will have a white holiday in Venice!!
We arrived late in the afternoon at the Venicia Station. This station is like most other European ones - all from the same drawing board, most likely, and Venice is the the end of this particular line.
So it is a great pleasure and change to step out and gaze onto the Grand Canal with some of Venices. beautiful old buildings behind. And the sound of absense motor traffic! Apart frome th quiet purring of canal ferry traffic, of course.
Chris found, on the interet, a lovely hotel just around from the Venice Railway station, and it was very easy to find. In the past, we have stayed in the middle of the city, however the numbering of the buildings of the narrow streets can be rather confusing to new visitors to Venice.
To be continued.....
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Christmas holiday in the Snow
As our plane travelled down below the clouds to land at the St Petersburg Airport, we gazed out at a city and country scene covered with a white blanket of snow. Chris' dream of having a white Chrismas has come true!
But what will being in a white wintery world really be like? All we have done so far is walk for 30 seconds from a warm airport to a very warm hotel, and back, so far!
And that is what it has been, over the three days in St Petersburg, formerly Leningrad, Russia. Sometimes our bedroom is too hot for our layers of thermals, winter garments and jackets. Then we go outside, all togged up and think - yes we do have enough on. Then we get into a warm car, museum, shop or restaurant, and we are roasting again!
It's lovely being in St Petersburg at this time of year. It is almost surreal, walking along the streets, with the sidewalks covered in snow, and soft snowflakes twirling out of the sky on your hair, face and clothes. And in the twilight, of which there is plenty, gazing at the beautiful street Xmas decorations.
As a result of their past opression, Russians love celebrating anything today. So the Xmas decorations in the streets were erected in December and will be up intil the orthodox Christmas on January 7. Each year the decorations are improved upon, and swapped from area to area so everyone sees something different. This year 74 artificial Xmas trees were decorated and erected around the city. 20 of these were over 18 meters high and 33 were more than 20 metres high. The largest and only real tree (which apparantly took over 100 years to grow) was erected, as per tradition in the Palace Square.
So when people travel to St Petersburg in the future may expect to find an extremely awesome Christmas display, not only from the trees, but on the buildings, over the streets and in the shops. Even the trees and buildings, decorated by nature with their coating of snow, give a dramatic look to the Christmas scene.
We are not sure what we will do to celebrate Xmas day, as the emphasis for party celebrations seems to be on New Year's Eve. As the shops and museums will be open all day on Christmas Day, we will probably just go cruise around the city. But we don't mind - it was worth all the travelling just to enjoy the Xmas season....
But what will being in a white wintery world really be like? All we have done so far is walk for 30 seconds from a warm airport to a very warm hotel, and back, so far!
And that is what it has been, over the three days in St Petersburg, formerly Leningrad, Russia. Sometimes our bedroom is too hot for our layers of thermals, winter garments and jackets. Then we go outside, all togged up and think - yes we do have enough on. Then we get into a warm car, museum, shop or restaurant, and we are roasting again!
It's lovely being in St Petersburg at this time of year. It is almost surreal, walking along the streets, with the sidewalks covered in snow, and soft snowflakes twirling out of the sky on your hair, face and clothes. And in the twilight, of which there is plenty, gazing at the beautiful street Xmas decorations.
As a result of their past opression, Russians love celebrating anything today. So the Xmas decorations in the streets were erected in December and will be up intil the orthodox Christmas on January 7. Each year the decorations are improved upon, and swapped from area to area so everyone sees something different. This year 74 artificial Xmas trees were decorated and erected around the city. 20 of these were over 18 meters high and 33 were more than 20 metres high. The largest and only real tree (which apparantly took over 100 years to grow) was erected, as per tradition in the Palace Square.
So when people travel to St Petersburg in the future may expect to find an extremely awesome Christmas display, not only from the trees, but on the buildings, over the streets and in the shops. Even the trees and buildings, decorated by nature with their coating of snow, give a dramatic look to the Christmas scene.
We are not sure what we will do to celebrate Xmas day, as the emphasis for party celebrations seems to be on New Year's Eve. As the shops and museums will be open all day on Christmas Day, we will probably just go cruise around the city. But we don't mind - it was worth all the travelling just to enjoy the Xmas season....
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