mchookem finally leaves the continent!

[crash_davis 23,113]

I forgot. Sainte Chapelle is a must see when it first opens or towards closing. It's usually crowded as shit through out the day but if you get there at those times, the crowd is significantly less. Depending on what time of year you go, I like the light in the chapel at closing better.

Edited March 29 by crash_davis

[956 Worldwide 34,715]

@mchookem, this is fun to watch come together and I am glad to see it shaping up. 
 

My advice (toss it or use it) to anyone going to Europe is this— once you have the basic sketch, you should CUT activities and destinations before you try to fit any more in. I know that’s painful as you look at a trip like this but it has always paid off for me.  Getting the most in and having great photos ends up being more rewarding for your friends than for you personally.  Seeing the Med is awesome, but even more awesome is just to give up a bit and experience where you are.

If you are finding a day or block of time, my best advice is to simply not fill it. In your case, I’d just leave unscheduled time in Florence or Rome.  You can wander around, you can go back and get deeper into a place that caught your eye, you can do a last minute side trip that you didn’t think about.  But you won’t regret it. In nearly all my travels in Europe, the unscheduled “let’s see what comes up” have been the best.

Except when my kids demanded another aquarium. Fuck that. There are fish in the U.S. 

[mchookem 16,336]

this seems like important and critical information.

 

 

[mchookem 16,336]

On 3/28/2024 at 11:08 PM, mchookem said:

btw i get to start my attempts to actually get tickets for the big ticket Roman sites (Vatican/Sistine Chapel, Colosseum/Roman Forum) this weekend 😐

i'm not very optimistic and have already prepared myself for just getting to see external views of these places. i mean i knew it was going to be busy as we're there the first week of high season...but i honestly didn't expect 1) their websites to be so crappy (i imagine UI/UX just really isn't a priority for ancient historical sites 😄) and 2) for the whole process to be as stressful and unsuccessful as trying to get Tool tickets! 😂

it's cool... the experience will still be incredible if we can't get in...and it will leave more time to visit the coast and stroll around the city gawking at incredible ancient shit! 😁

yay - success with the Vatican/Sistine Chapel tickets!😀 first choice day was already sold out (i don't even know when that happened, sometime b/t 12-2am locally lol) but got lucky for the next day.

next biggie...Colosseum tickets, can first try about 4 weeks from now.

[seven 1,367]

God bless you mc, we are having very different trips. I'm in London right now on day 7 of a 35 day solo trip. I pre-booked nothing except my initial accommodations landing in Dublin. 

[mchookem 16,336]

update...

we're about 2 1/2 weeks out from departure, really getting excited now 😊, just working on final touches, reservations, etc. 

some changes...dad suddenly realized there's not much to see at the Eagle's Nest😑 which i had already tried to convince him of, and @rage-a-holic had confirmed, but he had it set in his head (until he didn't🙄)...

but i'd figured out how to make it work and had adjusted our schedule/lodging...and this week he calls and is like 'nah, let's skip it, it's in the opposite direction we need to go anyway' which...DUH, I TOLD YOU THAT A MONTH AGO! lol

anyway...so now instead of Berchtsgaden we're heading to Garmisch-Partenkirchen for a few days. unfortunately the cogwheel train/cable cars to Zugspitze are closed for spring maintenance, but scheduled to reopen our last day...but that actually gives us a plenty of time then to visit Neuschwanstein Castle/ Hohenschwangau Castle and/or Linderhoff Palace, which is awesome. it also knocks over an hour off our drivetime to Strasbourg, also awesome.

and hopefully we'll be able to ride to the top the morning before we leave, assuming Germany keeps the 'trains running on time', which is probably a bad pun re: Germany haha

regarding Rome, i think we are going to take a slower-paced day trip to the coast, probably Ostia as @texasdago suggested. i've been reading up and i guess you can get a good look at the Colosseum without having to go inside - lots of areas to actually look into it, overlook it, etc., there don't seem to be any big barriers surrounding it, and there's just SO MANY other ancient ruins, piazzas, etc...plenty to see! we definitely have the Vatican/Sistine Chapel tickets already, which was what i really didn't want to miss, so the rest we're just going to play by ear. it seems the tourist crowds are already NOLA/LV levels, so i think we'll just end up getting out of the city a bit. 

family hasn't decided if they are going to stay a second night with us in Paris or go on to Luxembourg...but i'm trying to encourage them to also just play it by ear and call an audible once we get to the apartment in Paris. we'll have been traveling for almost two weeks at that point, so i'm hoping my sister will be a bit more relaxed by the time we get there and will want to hang out a bit 😊

finally...i've been the crazy lady riding her bike around Denver talking to herself in French for a few weeks now 😆but it's been a good way to practice, i.e., imaginary 'realistic' conversations lol. took a test today, figured i was A1, maybe A2 at the most...damn if i'm not B1! 😀 i've actually been practicing 'thinking in French' which really helps it be more natural/fluid. i know it's not really going to be necessary in Paris as i imagine they'll get one dose of my Tex-french accent and start talking in english😋but we're going to be spending over a week traveling around the countryside and other places - Strasbourg, Normandie, Brittany - and it will come in handy there. the trick really is just being confident, i think it's okay to make slight gender or conjugation errors if you master the flow and accent (which in all seriousness, my accent is really pretty good). 

brushing up my language skills has actually been one of the more fun things in all this. i'll need to plan a trip to Montreal next 😄  

Edited April 28 by mchookem

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Please do take photos or blog here when you arrive; sounds like a fantastic trip and very happy for you!

[mchookem 16,336]

well. we made it to Iceland. heh.

the sun dipped below the horizon but it never fully got dark. that was kinda weird. also, Greenland was cool looking at night/not night.

[mchookem 16,336]

so here's my first rec...if you're like me and you freak out a bit on flights longer than four hours, and you are willing to pay a bit more for comfort/room/service but aren't a surly 1%er and can't afford Polaris, and if you live in a city that has a nonstop flight to Reykjavik...then I highly recommend Icelandair Premium Saga class. it's basically domestic first class service and comfort. nonstop from Denver, with a 4 hour layover with full access to United lounge in Denver and Icelandair lounge in Reykjavik. 

reviews for economy class are full of horror stories...but splurge for Saga and it's pretty freaking awesome. food was shockingly good, and the gin choices were outstanding... apparently that's an Iceland specialty. i did not know that but i was happy to sample a few! and the lounge in Iceland is open bar... and by that i mean there's just a counter with open bottles of whatever liquors, with an ice bucket and glassware and setups/mixers... and you just make your own drink. 🍸 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,101]

Good to know. I have always skipped over IcelandAir becuase no lay flat, and why break up what is already a short flight from NYC.  However, if I am just popping over for a weekend (and it isn't work related), I might have to check it out.  Glad to hear about this.

[Brisketexan 105,139]

17 hours ago, mchookem said:

then I highly recommend Icelandair Premium Saga class

"Saga class."  Does that mean that you get to raid England, plunder some monasteries, grab some wenches, and then sing about it drunkenly in the langhus later?

Because if it does....I'm listening....

[mchookem 16,336]

well we just got started, ask me again in two weeks 😜

 

Gin 'library' 🍸😎

Edited May 17 by mchookem

[CycleTex87 2,970]

 

[mchookem 16,336]

well, waking up in the Alps this morning is pretty far out.

[mchookem 16,336]

a few shots from the last two days. or three. i'm not sure. the effect of jetlag on me specifically has been interesting...i have insomnia and am a night owl by nature, have been since childhood. then i retired and it became extreme, so at home i am often up very late and typically sleep until at least 930-10, and i only get up then bc i set my alarm every day. that has somehow translated here to...i am sleepy and in bed by 11pm, and am wide awake at 730am. weird.

the thing i'm most surprised by so far...i think i could live in Germany.

Leaning Tower of Kitzigen. we recreated a family photo from 1969 in front of it. pretty cool deal. 

Munich biergarten 

Zugspitze

german wine and german funyuns for hotel hh in the rain 

Edited May 17 by mchookem

[Brisketexan 105,139]

a few shots from the last two days. or three. i'm not sure. the effect of jetlag on me specifically has been interesting...i have insomnia and am a night owl by nature, have been since childhood. then i retired and it became extreme, so at home i am often up very late and typically sleep until at least 930-10, and i only get up then bc i set my alarm every day. that has somehow translated here to...i am sleepy and in bed by 11pm, and am wide awake at 730am. weird.
the thing i'm most surprised by so far...i think i could live in Germany.
Leaning Tower of Kitzigen

Munich biergarten 
Zugspitze





german wine and german funyuns for hotel hh in the rain 

I love Germany. Never would have expected that, but there you are. Its great. And yeah, I dig the grub and beer.

[Orale 1,087]

Gorgeous!

[mchookem 16,336]

Strasbourg

Notre Dame de Strasbourg. so big it looked like an optical illusion and it triggered a bit of my megalophobia. i can't imagine what the Paris one is going to be like. definitely had me gawking like a tourist dork. which i am. who gives a shit. 😄

most of France has had a ton of rain this year, lots of flooding around the country. 

in general the French seem to be much more engaging and effusive than Germans, kind of snarky and smartass. i fit right in 😄 also, France has ALL the nationalities. 

but wtf with the absolute dearth of ice in Europe. i mean it only requires water, it's not exactly a luxury 🤨

Edited May 20 by mchookem

[Brisketexan 105,139]

13 hours ago, mchookem said:

but wtf with the absolute dearth of ice in Europe. i mean it only requires water, it's not exactly a luxury 🤨

Totally a cultural thing.  It's a running joke in our family.  If you ask for ice, and if they have it and will bring it, you get....one ice cube.  "YOU GET ONE ICE!"

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,101]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Totally a cultural thing.  It's a running joke in our family.  If you ask for ice, and if they have it and will bring it, you get....one ice cube.  "YOU GET ONE ICE!"

It is.  But in Paris, they will bring you cups of ice with your champagne/wine.  LOL.  

[mchookem 16,336]

well... we drove across France today. which was mostly just beautiful and breathtaking and there's like 11th century castles just there on the side of the toll road lol...but MY GOD between the traffic and the absolutely torrential downpour... just going around Paris almost did us in 😳 it was like trying to drive 610 around Houston at 5pm during Harvey.

ANYway... the sun was still up at 10pm (which was unexpected and weird!) when we finally arrived here...

watching my dad walk across the street and stand on Utah beach was...well, you don't get many moments like that, especially at 76. pretty special.

[mchookem 16,336]

well. do i have some pictures.

here's just a couple from tonight. 

this one has a german bunker and the full moon...

anybody visiting Normandie that needs an AirBnB recommendation, lmk... this is the most awesome place i think we've ever stayed. 

also that^ pic was taken at 10:20pm 😮

Edited May 22 by mchookem

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

14 hours ago, mchookem said:

also that^ pic was taken at 10:20pm 😮

You DID remember to change your watch right? I kid, I kid. Really happy for your family; the whole experience (even the traffic issues) will have so many memories and stories for all of you.

[mchookem 16,336]

the last few days...

Utah beach 

i was told all the Longhorns were back at home sipping tea 🤔

moving...and prescient 

i can't decide if it's weird or cool that they have that guy up there

rifle found off Omaha in 2013 😮

last evening in this place...i could spend two weeks in this exact home easily... and we're already planning it 🥰

American Cemetery...i was not expecting Omaha beach and the English channel to look like the coast of Hawaii 😮 

this might literally be the most unbelievable place i've ever been/seen...

 

...and this is the best purchase i've ever made 😆

[mchookem 16,336]

high speed train to Paris is bitchin!

as big as US is we are absolute idiots for not having this system. but we are still in our belligerent adolescence, hopefully we'll grow out of it before we crash ourselves into a wall. 

[Mo Horn 8,841]

3 hours ago, mchookem said:

high speed train to Paris is bitchin!

as big as US is we are absolute idiots for not having this system. but we are still in our belligerent adolescence, hopefully we'll grow out of it before we crash ourselves into a wall. 

One of the best things about traveling in Europe are the trains. We are a country of idiots. 

[CycleTex87 2,970]

We are a country of airline and Boeing lobbyists

[mchookem 16,336]

spent the last couple of days in Brest in Bretagne, which is not at all a tourist destination but is where our French friend lives and works, and it turned out to be a really nice midpoint stop. Brest is home to the French Naval Academy and has been a French naval base and military harbor since 1631. it has a 3rd century castle that houses the Maritime museum. it's full of rowdy sailors 😄, a cool lift bridge, and some damn good food, especially the oysters.

these narrow openings allow archers to shoot arrows out but were too narrow for anyone to shoot back.

Normandie was covered in USA flags which made sense. seeing our colors flying over this castle was cool, we think it was for upcoming DDay celebrations which are apparently going to be huge.  

so we had to change some plans, primarily bc my sister was really struggling with the anxiety. there's a lot behind it...but basically we all concluded there was literally no way she could handle Paris...she didn't even leave the apartment once in Brest and it's less than half the size of Corpus! it was disappointing for my dad bc he wanted to see Paris, but we'd already gone thru two unprecedented panic attacks with her and barely avoided a third, so we all decided a change in plans was best. so that's how my mate and i ended up on a regional high speed train from Brest to Paris which was awesome 😁 so it's just us now in this gorgeous Paris apartment.

only problem now is our nosy Parisian neighbor who is freaking my husband out 😆

[Brisketexan 105,139]

spent the last couple of days in Brest in Bretagne, which is not at all a tourist destination but is where our French friend lives and works, and it turned out to be a really nice midpoint stop. Brest is home to the French Naval Academy and has been a French naval base and military harbor since 1631. it has a 3rd century castle that houses the Maritime museum. it's full of rowdy sailors , a cool lift bridge, and some damn good food, especially the oysters.

these narrow openings allow archers to shoot arrows out but were too narrow for anyone to shoot back.
Normandie was covered in USA flags which made sense. seeing our colors flying over this castle was cool, we think it was for upcoming DDay celebrations which are apparently going to be huge.  
so we had to change some plans, primarily bc my sister was really struggling with the anxiety. there's a lot behind it...but basically we all concluded there was literally no way she could handle Paris...she didn't even leave the apartment once in Brest and it's less than half the size of Corpus! it was disappointing for my dad bc he wanted to see Paris, but we'd already gone thru two unprecedented panic attacks with her and barely avoided a third, so we all decided a change in plans was best. so that's how my mate and i ended up on a regional high speed train from Brest to Paris which was awesome so it's just us now in this gorgeous Paris apartment.

only problem now is our nosy Parisian neighbor who is freaking my husband out

Leave the window open at night. That way, the neighbors can hear yall getting busy.
It’s a Parisian thing. Trust me.

[mchookem 16,336]

well looky what we found...

why eat bbq on the other side of the world? because their pitmaster is from central Texas. and because it's waaay better than Colorado's 😆

[CycleTex87 2,970]

That tray looks great. 

[rage-a-holic 4,398]

French BBQ?

[mchookem 16,336]

14 hours ago, rage-a-holic said:

French BBQ?

not in the slightest...

On 5/26/2024 at 3:50 PM, mchookem said:

why eat bbq on the other side of the world? because their pitmaster is from central Texas. and because it's waaay better than Colorado's 😆

the taste has not been adjusted for French palettes...this was straight up Texas bbq. even the sides tasted like Texas - the potato salad was fantastic. i wish we'd gotten there before they sold out of the ribs! 😆

Edited May 28 by mchookem

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,101]

Please tell me you are actually going to French restaurants while you are in Paris!  I know you wanted to try the Paris incarnations of American food, but I fear you will miss out on some amazing places. Restaurant Amalia is a place I went to on my last visit, and it was amazing.  I highly recommend it.

[mchookem 16,336]

girl... we've been in the country 12 days, i've been eating almost nothing but French food 😆 we did Lafayette's just last night!

i was curious about 'French-Mexican' food but that doesnt seem to be a thing on its own, it's all trying to be some version of 'texmex' and i assume failing lol. 

we've had some spectacular meals and i've eaten some things i'm not even sure what they were... but it's all been good lol. we've also tried Thai, Mediterranean/Lebanese, seafood (on the coast), and we cooked quite a bit when we were out in the country. the food has been outstanding and my digestive system has felt great 😁 and i'm not even getting into the bread, cheese, and wine lol.

but...i live in CO now, good central Texas bbq IS foreign food to me 😆 also our French exchange student friend loves it 🤘 anyways, it's called Melt and i would definitely recommend it!

[mchookem 16,336]

anyways...

we. loved. Paris.

i'll share more later... but basically we did like half the things i planned and it was fucking awesome and we would totally come back. 

may i just say i will miss 2+ hour lunches with 3 courses and wine and dessert and then a 'nap' 😄 

also we rode trams, metro, RER trains, taxis and Uber...i think the only public transit we missed was the bus. Europe's ability to move mass amounts of people everywhere everyday should embarrass the USA.

Pepe Lepew came back.

[mchookem 16,336]

off to Florence in the morning! we still got 10 days in this mofo! 😆

[CycleTex87 2,970]

It’s funny about French lunches. A colleague and I were in a smaller French city some years ago where we were negotiating a large technical equipment sale for several days.  We generally worked through technical details in the morning, had the French 2.5 hour lunch beginning with an aperitif, a different bottle of wine with each course, ending with dessert wine.  Then we went back and worked on the commercial portions of the contract in the afternoon.  The combination of the lunch coupled with jet lag and we would agree to almost anything we were so fried. 

Edited May 29 by CycleTex87

[mchookem 16,336]

we're in Ireland now, winding down, will be home friday evening. it's been incredible. as i suspected, once we split off from my family we dropped the pace significantly and settled in to a much more pleasant rhythm. 

Paris was outstanding. i'm pretty proud, all my French practice paid off! i was conversationally fluent and i think it helped us have an amazing experience... every driver, waiter, store clerk, even the dude at the post office was friendly and helpful. the 'rude Parisian' was truly a myth in our experience... hell, while we were studying maps at metro stations, two different times Parisians stopped and asked if we needed assistance finding some place! i feel like we barely saw anything, we spent time every day just wandering around, and it was perfect. once i couldn't find the train we were looking for so we just got on the train that came and went somewhere completely different 😆 the apartment and neighborhood (17th) was gorgeous, hardly any tourists but tons of shops and brasseries, and the metro about 100 feet from the front door. it really could not have been any better. running around the maze that is the metro was an unparalleled experience itself!

so Paris is at the top of our list to return to and was our favorite stop...until Florence lol. i just cannot imagine what it's like to live there completely submerged and surrounded in that beauty and art literally everywhere your eyes touch. it left quite a significant impression on both of us and we would also love to return there. we did the Uffizi but not the Accademia, we'd return just for that! Florence is special. 

Rome has a bit of a raunchy underbelly, with mind-blowing sites and history, a literal open-air museum. loved it as well... it's just so big and there's so much! i felt like i spent the whole time looking like 😮 plus...the trash. there was just trash everywhere. but boy do the Romans like to party lol. it really was a bit like NOLA on steroids. probably will not return. also...gotdamn the Vatican needs to take some lessons in people movement from Disney. total chaos getting in. but once inside...just omg 😳 worth it. the gallery of tapestries and the gallery of maps left me 😮

Germany wins the beer, France wins the wine, Italy wins the food. 

some pics of things a million people have taken pictures of but who cares, it's my turn 😁

Paris

Florence

Rome

 

 

Edited June 5 by mchookem

[Brisketexan 105,139]

Love this trip for you, I really do.  What a fantastic adventure.

[mchookem 16,336]

back in Iceland on the way home. Ireland was pretty fun for just a few days, we really only saw Dublin city center, St. Patrick's, Dublin Castle, Trinity College, and we took a train to Howth for the day yesterday. between the food and the prices we could definitely tell we were transitioning back to 'Merica 😆😠

our hotel was actually really cool... it's a Weatherspoon property, but the hotel is built around/over an excavated church with a solarium over it. part of the pub is in the church...you can have a drink in a confessional 😁

 

[mchookem 16,336]

talking with locals was fun...super friendly people! so Ireland is really ca$hing in on Brexit lol. they were all shaking their heads like 'what a shame', but the growth and building and infrastructure upgrades were all over the place - the Irish are apparently benefiting tremendously from being the only remaining english speakers in the EU, lots of corporations are moving there from the UK.

it was a really nice stop at the end, we got to hang out with our best friends a bit, and like i said it definitely felt like a 'transition' stop back to the land of ice cubes and fluffy pillows 😁

...which i will be very happy to enjoy both this evening 😊

[texasdago 7,573]

All the pictures look great.  Rome is definitely a lot to take in... I've been 10 times or so because of family and there's still plenty I haven't seen.  Case in point... those crowds at the Vatican are why I haven't been inside the Vatican museums.  Just don't want to deal with it and when in Rome, we always seek quiet spots and lesser known areas.  Not sure how it is these days but I always loved the relative peace of hanging out on the Palatine in the Forum.  

[crash_davis 23,113]

On 6/5/2024 at 4:56 PM, mchookem said:

Paris was outstanding. i'm pretty proud, all my French practice paid off! i was conversationally fluent and i think it helped us have an amazing experience... every driver, waiter, store clerk, even the dude at the post office was friendly and helpful. the 'rude Parisian' was truly a myth in our experience... hell, while we were studying maps at metro stations, two different times Parisians stopped and asked if we needed assistance finding some place! i feel like we barely saw anything, we spent time every day just wandering around, and it was perfect. once i couldn't find the train we were looking for so we just got on the train that came and went somewhere completely different 😆 the apartment and neighborhood (17th) was gorgeous, hardly any tourists but tons of shops and brasseries, and the metro about 100 feet from the front door. it really could not have been any better. running around the maze that is the metro was an unparalleled experience itself!

Glad you did my favorite part about visiting Paris, walking around getting "lost" in the city and finding out how fucking awesome it is. The "rude Parisians" are the ones clueless American's walk up to and without even a polite "Bonjour Monsieur/Madame", immediately start speaking/asking questions in English, and then get pissed that the French person France is not so nice or cordial in answering. 

Florence is awesome but for me Florence is a place where I love to visit. Paris is a place where I'd love to live.

[locodos 5,387]

37 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Glad you did my favorite part about visiting Paris, walking around getting "lost" in the city and finding out how fucking awesome it is. The "rude Parisians" are the ones clueless American's walk up to and without even a polite "Bonjour Monsieur/Madame", immediately start speaking/asking questions in English, and then get pissed that the French person France is not so nice or cordial in answering. 

Florence is awesome but for me Florence is a place where I love to visit. Paris is a place where I'd love to live.

I generally agree with this sentiment.   95% of the folks we interacted with were very kind and helpful.  However, we did get to sample some good old fashion French arseholery. 

First night in Paris, climbing the common staircase to our 5th floor walk up apartment, we were vigorously, rudely, and hilariously questioned by a little angry old french dude.   In a Monty Python type French accent he demanded to know what we were doing in the building?, who us let in?, and insisted that we leave at once!   I calmly told him that we rented an apartment on Airbnb and showed him the key to the unit.  He flew into a rage and demanded to know the surname of the apartment owner.  I told him I didn't know, because I rented it on airbnb.  He then called me liar and physically blocked the stair case.  Then he demanded to know how much I paid...  at this point the novelty was wearing off and I told him I didn't remember and that he could just look it up himself.  After 5 mins of back and forth he relented and went back in his apartment.   When we checked out I let the owner know of the incident, and his response was, oh he knows it's for rent and I've spoken to him about it many many times.

Another time the wife and I were walking back from the Arc' Triumph and wanted some lunch...  looked on google maps and found a nice looking café on the walk back.  It was just after lunch and we walked up to the almost empty café and in french I said bonjour and asked for a table for two.  In English, and dripping with sarcasm, the man asked if I had a reservation.   This was a simple café, and not particularly expensive or fancy, just a plain ass café.   I looked at all the empty tables both inside and out and said in English that I didn't.   He said they were fully booked and good bye.  Could be true, but not likely based on his attitude, smirk, and the metric buttload of empty tables.

 

Edited June 7 by locodos

[mchookem 16,336]

finally...airplane pics generally aren't great, but our pilot made a point of mentioning how rare these clear skies above Greenland were. pretty spectacular view from 38k feet 😮 felt much closer for some reason. 

[mchookem 16,336]

and now for some gratuitous food shots 😁

Germany

giant macaron that is part of French first aid protocol when you crash your segway on your tour...

when your first French éclair is surprisingly filled with chocolate creme! 😁

Brest seafood... bad calamari makes me irrationally angry. luckily this calamari was fucking delicious.

so good!

some Paris eats...

Florence...more excellent calamari...

lots of recs for Trattoria Sostanza...and we thank you for it. best meal of the trip. my mate hates artichokes. until this.🤤

heh

and these tiny wild strawberries picked that morning, omg!

on to Rome where it was all about the pasta...

this was interesting as we thought we were ordering raw oysters... turned out to be a whole sampling of raw items. and we ate every single bite. 😄

 

our travel days weren't great as we were often limited to convenience store sandwiches and snacks. or McDonald's... which is meh no matter where you are, unsurprisingly. we mostly cooked when we were in the country (Normandie), and got takeout a few times when we were too tired to go out - fantastic Thai in Strasbourg (and Switzerland train station, shockingly - might be the best Thai dish i've ever had!) and Indian food in Brest was incredible. we did a great job avoiding tourist spots and had just one mediocre meal in Paris. not one bad meal in Italy...hell even the sandwiches at the train stations were outstanding! in Ireland we had some pretty common American dishes...fish and chips, Irish stew, etc.

also i love liverwurst but could not imagine ever eating it for breakfast... but i did in Germany, every morning, spread on some delicious brown bread. whatever, man...shit was good. 

anyways...yeah, the food is a major highlight 😁 the meal experience as a whole is just so different than here...after we finished our main at Trattoria Sostanza the guy literally said 'now relax, enjoy your wine, i'll be back in a little while to talk about dessert' and just left us alone.

it was incredible. we bought several bottles of wine, olive oils, spices, and balsamic at the Mercato Centrale in Florence and had it shipped home... hopefully it will arrive by the end of this week. i'm going to try a few new things. 😊