Blogs from Aosta Valley, Italy, Europe - page 3

Today is the beginning of my trip hiking and some biking in the Italian Alps. I leave from Logan Airport in Boston and will transfer in Paris before landing in Torino.... read more

Where did I leave off, I have to apologize for the last post….seeing that I probably could of waited for sobriety to explain my travels. I have just got home from school, and I can say that Italian is not an easy language. This weekend was wonderful, and a part of me wishes I were traveling between tiny cities with no real perception of time. Aosta in an hour and a half with no real plan of what we were going to do. The tiny town draws many tourists, but the cobble stone roads, colorful painted houses, and quaint cafes finally gave me the real stereotypical impression of Italy. Aosta is home to numerous roman ruins; the Roman theater is impressive with the view of the Alps from behind. The air was clean, the sun was ... read more

Friday, July 24, 2011 Anti-Starbucks Coffee, Per Favore This morning’s breakfast was as fantastic as yesterday’s, with one exception. I decided to try out a piece of cheese. It was soft, possibly brie. As soon as I put it in my mouth I realized my mistake. It tasted like feet. In America, with our proud cheddars and even prouder processed cheeses, our pallets have not adapted to the variety of cheese available. Even so, I could not bring myself to eat another bite of feet-cheese. The good news was that my hostess made me a cappuccino, which was so much richer than anything I’d experienced from an American coffee bar. It became very clear why there are no Starbucks in Italy – coffee here is superior. It’s rich, thick, and full, versus our “fast food” coffee, ... read more

Wednesday, June 22, 2011 Time Zone Change Changing time zones in the air was interesting. It was afternoon daylight when we took off, but the plane windows were closed for some time, so I don’t know if it got dark anytime during our journey. When I opened the windows again, the Sun was rising for Europe. My first glimpse of the continent was a wind generator farm located off coast in the North Sea. And then we saw Holland. Flat, green, broken with canals, it was exactly as I remembered it from nine years ago. The airport, however, was forgettable. Wasn’t I Just Here? Connecting in Amsterdam is not as fun as one might think. Airport connections in general are not fun, now that I consider it. The plane was late leaving Seattle, so its late ... read more

Nothing much happened on the ferry. We chatted to people. Hilary read the other two books she bought for the reader (Fury and Interworld). Eventually we got to Ancona, left straight away and rode 80 km straight into the sun, ending up back at the Ferrara hotel in Cattolica. They seemed pleased to see us. Ashley demanded new eyes but settled for beer goggles - we found a place opposite the Ritter hotel where they sold beer in litre glasses. This was followed by a pizza and a salad at the Pirate restaurant with half a litre of house white (very nice - all of it - and not expensive) and beer on the hotel balcony. We didn't get to Cattolica till after nine so there wasn't time to do a great deal. We also managed ... read more