David McGuffin's: Bloggin' About Europe
Throughout the day, I have received emails from folks who have traveled with me to the Cinque Terre. The flooding has evidently ruined much of the western Cinque Terre.
Here is a link to a website that promotes tourism in the Liguria. Its front page shows the total destruction of the harbor of Vernazza.
Vernazza Harbor and "the rock."
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One of my favorite destinations, the Cinque Terre, was devestated by heavy rains, flooding, and mudslides today. Apparently, much of Monterosso is destroyed and Vernazza is in ruins. Here is a link to a video aired on RAI TV in Italy.
Additional information from “The Telegraph,” a UK newspaper, can be found at this link.
Up-to-date information is being presented online at the TripAdvisor website.
Here is a photo of the muddy water rushing down the street in Vernazza. What you see here is the point where the harbor square meets with the beach. Normally, there are brightly colored fishermen boats and several outdoor restaurants (in the upper area in the photo). The red car is actually on the “sandy” beach area.
Flooding in Vernazza
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For much of my life, I’ve packed my travels into the summer months. Like many, this is necessary because of vacations, work, and school schedules. There are many positive aspects regarding travel during this time known as the “high season.” Longer days, swimming and beach opportunities, fresh summer foods, maximum opening hours for tourist destinations, fewer things to pack, less chance of rain, fewer travel delays, and extensive tourist resources are just a few. However, given the choice, I’d choose to travel during the spring, fall and winter.
My number one reason for travel between October and May is COOLER temperatures. Here is my annotated list of reasons to travel to Europe in the winter, spring, and fall.
Here are some additional links for off-season travel:
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We’ve just completed an extensive video project chronicling the experiences on a recent tour to Paris and Madrid. My friend, Abby Austin, lugged a camera and microphone around to capture the essence of what I do and why. I hope you enjoy the video tour.
-David
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Hey, what do you think about this promotional video?
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Here is a bit of video I shot as the Eiffel Tower was putting on its show!
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Podere Marcampo is a newly constructed agriturismo located on the road towards Pisa, about four miles outside of Volterra. My friend, Genuino del Duca, and his family have labored countless hours to present a first-class lodging oppurtunity. They rent out three fully-equipped apartments containing a full kitchen, living room, spacious bathroom, and a large bedroom. Additionally, there are three standard-size rooms with a bed and bathroom. All rooms have air-conditioning and heating, as well as Wi-fi. Here is a web link to Podere Marcampo.
Genuino's Vineyards
On the property, Genuino carefully tends a prized vineyard from which he makes his award-winning Merlot wine, Giusto Alle Baltze. Genuino breaks from planting the traditional ”sangiovese” grape and works with merlot instead. The result is a well-balanced wine loaded with hints of berries and the unique terroir of Le Baltze.
Podere Marcampo
The grounds are decorated with flowering plants, roses, stone walls, and pathways to match the decor of the surrounding countryside.
Le Baltze
Podere Marcampo is located in what we might think of as an unusual landscape of Tuscany. This area, known as Le Baltze, or the sandy cliffs, have been known to slide and swallow up entire buildings, dating back to Etruscan times. Of course, Genuino’s place is safely constructed on solid ground!
Pool Area
If you are planning to travel to Tuscany, don’t miss the opportunity to visit Volterra and Podere Marcampo.
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There has been a tradition in Italy for many years in which two lovers secure a padlock to famous sites. The symbolism here is that their love is forever joined together at the site by the act of locking the padlock. Pretty romantic, eh?
Via del Amore - Cinque Terre
Over the years, I have seen this tradition spread to the far reaches of Europe. I don’t know if the tradition has made it to the USA yet, but I bet it will someday. I first ran across these padlocks in Florence, on the Ponte Vecchio. Here there is a bust of Cellini, the famous goldsmith of Florence, and all around it were padlocks secured to the railings. Recently, I’ve noticed the city of Florence has placed a sign on the site stating, “It is illegal to put padlocks here.”
Padlocks in Prague
In the Cinque Terre, there is a path known as the “Via dell’ Amore” (the pathway of love) connecting the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola. Along this pathway, there is a “graffiti wall” where lovers leave their own graffiti scribbles and mark their special spot with a padlock. Lining the path are thousands of padlocks marking the site where love was securely locked in the hearts of two lovers. There is even a hardware shop in Riomaggiore that sells specially engraved padlocks with the Cinque Terre logo.
A multitude of locks
Originally, there was a wall of “lover-themed” murals along one section of the pathway. These were beautifully crafted designs by artists comissioned for the project. Almost as soon as the murals were completed, people began adding their own bit of graffiti. As you can imagine, this small amount of graffiti turned into a big glob of graffiti completely covering the original works of art. This went on unchecked for many years. In June, when I arrived in the Cinque Terre for the first time this season, I noticed the walls had been completely whitewashed, totally obliterating the original murals and the countless thousands of individual graffiti. Now, in August 2011, the whitewashed wall is filling up with new graffiti works, by new strolling lovers, leaving their marks of fame.
My "Grafitti" in 2008
My "Graffiti" in 2011
Yesterday, as Charlotte and I were walking this “lover’s lane,” we noticed a new tradition has sprung up. Apparently, it is a cheaper alternative to the padlock and has spread like wildfire along the path. The two lovers, instead of “locking thier love” with a padlock, now simply tie any object in a knot, symbolizing “tying the knot.” Unfortunately, this has created an ugly appearance at the once charming “Via dell’ Amore.” Now it has the appearance of trash and rubbish collecting along the path.
Trashy Love?
The matter is even more complicated in that the National Park has no direction and few employees as a result of scandal and corruption. Hence, there is no one to “police” the area and keep it clean.
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A couple of days ago, Charlotte and I visited Lucca, one of the few places in Tuscany I’ve never seen. In order to get a “feel” for the city, we rented bikes and rode around the Renaissance-era city walls. The walls are 100 feet wide, flat and paved. As you can see in the video, much of the path is lined with shady trees, making for a pleasant riding or walking experience. It is about 2.5 miles around the top of the walls, so you might want to really consider renting a bike ( 3 euro per hour all over town).
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These walls are unlike any I’ve encountered in my travels. Most often I’ve seen medieval city walls built of stone and only a few meters in thickness. However, the folks in Lucca built their walls in the age when canons were beginning to be used in battle. The walls took about ten years to complete and actually were never employed to defend the city because invading forces realized it was a waste of time to attack such strong fortifications.
This photo is taken from inside the walls. Notice the gentle sloping embankment leading up to the flat and tree-lined wall.
Town Square - Amfiteatro
Within the town walls is the small medieval and Renaissance city. Today, this area is mostly traffic-free, making for a perfect location to shop and explore. Above, the town “square” is constructed on the site of a Roman ampitheater, hence the oval-shape appearance.
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I recently completed a tour to Scotland and Ireland. Each day, we packed in a lot of sightseeing and traveling, so by the time dinner rolled around, we were ready to eat. Most people don’t really know what to expect with Scottish or Irish cuisine. Usually, what comes to mind are heavy and filling “meat and potatoes” type meals. Then there is also the mental repulsive “organ, head and toes” meals such as black pudding, haggis, liver, tongue, ears, and feet.
It was a bit funny that a few days before the tour I received an email from one of the tour members’ daughter. She told me that her parents were very picky eaters and probably would have a hard time adjusting to any food outside their comfort zone. Actually, I get that a lot from rookie travelers. Most have the same concept I had years ago, and that is you just cannot find good food in a
foreign land.
Consequently, my dining philosophy is centered on introducing my fellow travelers to an authentic and varied menu of fresh and locally prepared ingredients. Traditionally, that means we will eat fish along the coast, snails in Burgundy, mussels in Normandy, pesto in Liguria, beef in Tuscany, pizza and pasta in Italy, fish and chips in the UK, and lamb in Ireland. However, it does not end here; there are many “ethnic” restaurants scattered around the English speaking parts of Europe that provide an authentic taste of the homeland. Restaurants of this type along with pubs, bistros, and inns make traveling with me a culinary experience that’s hard to beat.
Fresh Catch of the Day - The Seafood Temple - Oban, Scotland
We began the tour early one morning in Glasgow, Scotland. By the early afternoon, we had toured the Scottish lowlands, Stirling, the Trossach’s and the Roy Roy and William Wallace historical sites. In Oban, I discovered THE TEMPLE RESTAURANT, quietly located away from town in a small bayside park. Luckily, I arrived by about 5:00 and made a reservation for 8:30; otherwise, we would not have gotten a table. While dining, we learned that the present owners had just taken over the restaurant two weeks before. The meal featured platters of what was fresh on the day’s catch. We ordered two of the platters featured above. Pam, on the right, was not a fan of shellfish or seafood, but this platter convinced her otherwise. All the ingredients were fresh from the sea, with such an amazing clean and sea-salty flavor. There was a lot of food, but yet none of us were uncomfortably stuffed upon leaving. As of this moment, THE TEMPLE RESTAURANT does not have a website. Eilidh (pronounced like Kaliegh) the proprietor, can be contacted by telephone at 01631 566000.
Divino (Italian Dining) Edinburgh, Scotland
ENOTECA DIVINO is located three floors down in the wine cellar of a popular Italian restaurant in Edinburgh. I was lucky to find this place and even luckier to get a table. The “enoteca” (that’s Italian for wine merchant/bar) featured authentic food and wine in a high-tech environment, yet comfy cave atmosphere. We ordered a tasty “antipasti” mixture for our first course, that consisted of fresh mozzarella, crostini, pate, several cheeses, prosciutto, cured ham, salami, and bread. Everything tasted first quality, just like eating it in Tuscany. We all chose something different for our “secondi” and it must have been good, because by the time I got around to taking a photo of the food, it was all gone!
Duck Confit Salad - La Mere Zou - Dublin, Ireland
Lamb Shank - La Mere Zou - Dublin, Ireland
A few days later, we flew from Edinburgh to Dublin. For dinner, I booked us into my favorite French Restaurant outside of France. LA MERE ZOU is nicely tucked into a basement just across from Stephen’s Green, the huge city park. I found La Mere Zou many years ago and have been coming back ever since. Our starter consisted of succulent Duck Confit on a bed of fresh greens and topped off with a tangy vinaigrette; even the folks who had never tried duck were impressed and gobbled it all down. We continued with a roasted lamb shank cooked i n the style of “beef burgundy,” with plenty of juices. Finally, we finished off our dinner with a variety of desserts.
Oysters, Guinness and Brown Bread - Oliver St. John Gogerty - Dublin, Ireland
OLIVER ST. JOHN GOGERTY is a favorite pub on Fleet Street in the Temple Bar area of Dublin. We dined here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. On our last evening in Dublin, I slid down a dozen raw oysters drizzled with a little red wine vinegar and lemon. Gogerty’s serves food all day and has music on all day as well. Go here for good food, good music and good craic!
The biggest wine glass ever!
Actually, this was the decanter for our “Vino Nobile de Montepulciano,” a masterly crafted Tuscan wine that is smooth as velvet on the taste buds. RISTORANTE RINUCCINI is without question, my best pick for Italian food outside of Italy! Like “La Mere Zou” in Dublin, I discovered Rinuccini some years ago and have been coming back ever since. I booked us a table for the “early-bird” menu offering three courses for about € 30. Again, I don’t have any pictures of the food because we all were too busy eating it! However, I do remember my menu: fresh Wexford mussels steamed in fresh tomato, garlic and white wine, fillet of chicken in a cream sauce of mushrooms, and pancetta and white wine and creamy Tiramisu for dessert.
Fresh wild-caught Salmon - Out of the Blue - Dingle, Ireland
Monk Fish Kabob - Out of the Blue- Dingl, Ireland
Several years ago a friend recommended I dine at OUT OF THE BLUE the next time I was in Dingle. I did and have never had a better seafood experience! Consequently, I keep coming back! However, it is a small place so reservations are strongly advised. ”Out of the Blue” is only open when and if there is fresh fish brought in that morning. If there is no fishing, there is no food! This particular evening, we all decided to pick one item off the blackboard menu (they have nothing in print because the menu varies with the fresh fish caught that morning). I ordered the Monkfish (pictured above) which was fresh, clean and flakey, but firm enough to stand up to the pepper sauce. The other five plates were met with yummies and silence as we ate.
Out of the Blue - Dingle, Ireland
I did not think to take a photo of the fresh fish menu, but we did get our waiter to pose with the dessert menu.
I don’t want you to think we ate gourmet food every night. We mixed it up with a variety of exceptional “pub grub,” featuring this Irish filet of beef and onion ring, hambugers, beef and Guinness pie, mixed salads, fish and chips, and even some tasty black pudding with goat’s cheese!
Full Irish Breakfast - Ballyvara House - Doolin, Ireland
Finally, we had the option to begin every morning with a full Irish or Scottish breakfast, as pictured above, or a more reserved menu featuring cereral, oatmeal, fruits, and cheeses. On the plate above (beginning clockwise from 12) Irish Bacon, Black Pudding, Fried Egg, Orange Wedge, Tomato, Sausage Link and White Pudding in the center.
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