Today starts Ericka’s vacation and we are on our way via train to Munich, Germany.
This starts out with our tickets to the main train station, Frankfurt Hbf, using the regional line. Once there we had a quick bite to eat and jumped on our ICE train (high speed, hmmm, er not quite) to Munich.
Patti and Ericka relaxing
Patti and Ericka settling in for the three hour ride. Ericka was actually on her phone more than reading that book! ?Well at the moment we have run into a bit of a problem, after Aschaffenburg a fire somewhere ahead has broken out and delayed our train. In the meantime they have backed our train up a bit and stopped at Laufach, so that we may stretch our legs.
Laufach unscheduled stop
Yeah, its not Würzburg or Munich.
Our doomed ICE 623
While outside we had some time to enjoy the beautiful Spring weather.
Train tracks at Laufach, direction Würzburg
Our stay at Laufach was just around an hour long.
The gorgeous countryside just outside Lohr am Main reminds me a lot of Copake and the Berkshire mountains. The Main river down here reminds me more of a stream than a river. The one thing I did forget was how many tunnels were on this line when I last took it five years ago..!
Well we have to switch trains in Nürnberg, thank you fire.
Nürnberg Hbf platform, was expecting a roof at least
Though technically not the one they told us to take. It is an ICE train and it’s headed to München Hbf!
München Hbf
Finally, after five and a half hours, München and the promise of a hotel room and beer!
Als ich durch die Gassen und Strassen von Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt und Offenbach geschlendert und an jeder Strassenbahn- und Busshaltestelle gestanden ist die nachfolgende Gedichte mir immer ergreifend. Enjoy!
The passed few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity finding an apartment in Turin and moving in. There were not only the customary contractual things to take care of, but also cleaning and furnishing the place to our liking. Luckily, we found something that mostly fit our desires while still being in the central part of town (Via Giovanni Giolitti.) However, it took several trips to IKEAand other sojourns to bring it to a point where we could move out of our AirBnB.
Just this past Friday, fairly exhausted, the three of us, Patti, Tristan and I left Turin for Frankfurt, Germany, after finally getting the apartment halfway straightened out and liveable (there will be another blog entry on that later once we have it completed.) The trip from Turin to Milan was more or less uneventful, although happily very fast and on time, thank you FrecciaRossa!
Leaving the Swiss Alps behind as we enter Thun
As we have in the past, we decided on taking the train from Milan to Frankfurt instead of flying. A seven hour journey between the two points (perhaps two hours more than flying), but relaxing in first class with its beverage service and other amenities, made the trip all that more enjoyable. Riding through the Italian and Swiss Alps, especially after the recent heavy snows, also made it a memorable site-seeing trip.
Train platform at Thun
Though of no particular importance as an attraction, the platform sign for Thun is shown above.
My fascination with this train stop has more to do with the John Le Carre’s 1982 BBC series “Smiley’s People“, than with any real, first hand experience of the place. In the movie, a soviet diplomat assumes another identity while in Thun, to remove money from a bank account setup by his Soviet operatives. Since I had never heard of the place, I became curious about its location and then subsequently surprised when one day a train that I was taking actually passed it! I guess it demonstrates just how small the world really is in a way.
Oberschweinstiege Restaurant and Blockhutte
After spending a relaxing weekend with our daughter Ericka, we decided to visit one of the restaurants that we enjoyed immensely on our last visit. After having snow flurries that morning, and a very intolerable forty something degrees that evening for North Carolinians, we took the regional train from Offenbach am Main to Frankfurt Süd, and subsequently Strassenbahn 18 to the park. Unbeknownst to us, Strassenbahn 18 dropped us some 2 km distant from our objective, which forced us to walk for an additional twenty minutes through the park.
Trails in the Naturpark in Frankfurt am Main Süd
The Oberschweinstiege, nestled in the naturpark in Frankfurt am Main Süd, sports a long tradition of local cuisine. It is also repleat with local history and traditional, which anyone can find and read with a proper internet search.
Tristan and Patti’s Rumpsteak vom Argentinischen Rind with vegatables and grilled potatoes
As can been seen by the photograph above the rump roast was thick, juicy and tender. Complimented with a Pauliner Hefe or local wine, an enjoyable meal anywhere.
Oberschweinstiege-Pfanne
I, on the other hand, decided to go with the establishment’s main dish. A hot frying pan of rendered pig with spaetzle!
Rinderroulade nach Großmutters Art
Lastly, Ericka had the grandmother’s roast beef roladen with red cabbage and spaetzle.
Of course, no meal is complete without dessert. But this of course was nothing special since each went to their own comfort food. I chose the apple strudel, Ericka chose creme brulee and the others chose ice cream. All in all, a great evening of eating, compounded by our success getting on Strassenbahn 17, the correct train, which picked us up, but a few hundred meters from the restaurant’s door, instead of a mile away..!
Well it has been a while since we last gave an update on what’s going on. And the fact of the matter is, not much, even though Patti and I are exhausted. First things first and consider it preliminary, retirement is just f***** awesome. But we’ll talk about sleep patterns and dreams later at another time.
View from bedroom window, into courtyard
Aside from doing a lot of work cleaning our new apartment and all that entails, and of course shopping for those things you don’t have, but just need, we have been desperate for food every afternoon. Most places open for lunch at 12 or 12:30 and again we have turned to pizza as our salvation occasionally.
Pizza Ad Hoc – thin crust pizza
Pizza Ad Hoc is right down the block from us and offers a simplified menu which includes great tuna salads, piedmontese hamburger (read no bun here, but really good bread) and an especially thin version of pizza seen above that is just awesome. This happens to be my preferred kind of pizza, short on the dough, tall on the fixings.
Of course as I have already alluded to, shopping has been a major time waste lately. Including, but not confined to traveling just outside the city to IKEA.
IKEA with the Italian Alps with fresh snow in background
After several shopping excursions here and several online, we abandoned future trips, to more accessible stores closer to our new home. Including a cheaper, but nonetheless excellent pizza place three blocks away, called Pizza Vittorio, its pizza is comparable to Red Baron pizza, in thickness.
Pizza Vittorio personal pizza – YUM
Served as a personal-sized pizza, around 10 or 12 inches, it was served with whatever toppings you want, if on the menu. For example, wurstel is hotdog and margherita is with tomato sauce, basil and cheese. Though the place was very simple, probably for the younger crowd since the walls had places to write on with chalk, it was quite good. All in all another great place to eat, which I would definitely recommend. Our total bill for two, including beer (1 liter Becks), came to 13€.
Yesterday we took an Irish respite after a long walk to eat lunch at a pub on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II called The Huntsman. The weather was somewhat on the cool side, but we still availed ourselves the great open air store fronts many restaurants have in Europe, and this pub was no exception.
The Huntsman main bar
As with anything Irish, the inside didn’t look like much and we were not disappointed. The main bar was well worn and the tables and surroundings showed years of vigorous use. Either the Italians themselves allow for a good Irish pub night out regularly, or there are plenty of international travelers of Northern European and U.S. persuasion visiting the area, or a bit of both.
In any case having been to Ireland, our somewhat home away from home country, one of us felt it incumbent to test the veracity of the Guinness. We were actually wondering if the silky chocolate texture and flavor would survive dispensing from an Italian establishment. For such an analytic task, Tristan agreed to take one for the team and give it a try.
Tristan enjoying an authentic Guinness moment
After some delay, Tristan noted the bartender getting our drink order together. He remarked, “Let’s see if they draft the Guinness like they do in Ireland?” He even noted the long pause they allow the brew to settle there when we visited the factory last year. As can be seen by his first gulp of the viscous beverage above, he confirmed and was not disappointed with the results.
I on the other hand went with the Grimberger Blonde. A safe bet, when considering every other time I have had it, it always tasted great. Aside from the fact it does not depend on nitrogen to be dispensed correctly like Guinness, it always comes through with a nice clean taste and finish. Though I will say, when dispensed properly you cannot beat a Guinness!
The rest of experience only consisted of typical Irish pub food. A mixed salad for Patti, a hamburger and fixings for Tristan and I stuck with the panini with a side order of fries. All in all worth the 3.7 the tavern is weighted on google.
Given all that goes on in America, the day to day political bullshit, Libertarianism ad nauseum, paranoia, narcisistic behaviors, etc. I have found our trip to Europe and Italy in particular more than liberating, I find it refreshing. I would like to use the term mind-cleansing, the act of ridding one’s mind of all past day to day perceptions and cares.
Yes, for sure, the European Union have their own minority stupid asses that hold sway over the majority, with Brexit and other less public referendums. But at least the Brexit has the EU fixated for a change. That they even gave the Brits a relaxed scheduled to leave actually astounds me. As any American would say, if you want to go, please go already. My own opinion is mixed on the matter, but the short of it is, the EU ought to let them fall, and fall hard if they want to. Its best for children to learn from a bloody nose and by extension countries as well.
This brings me to interesting sidewalk art I happen to find. In an effort to clear my mind’, I have allowed my once astral senses to turn earthwards, streetwards to be specific, instead of to the sky and the cosmos they so dearly love. Turin at least seems to be filled with an assortment of strange, if not 12 monkeys, related kind of street art.
The above was found low on a building’s foundation of a common thoroughfare. Of course I am not certain of the objective of the depiction, but imagine it has something to do with turning off your TV. The caption or title seems to read “skene”, which I don’t think has anything to do with the female anatomy, but rather the name of a group publishing their rhetoric.
The next image above appears to perhaps have something to do with the zombie apocalypse. Obviously a young woman in thin bandages stopping us from entering or proceding further. To what end? Or perhaps something totally different. Since I am not part of the society here, merely an interloper, I cannot know for sure. But it appears to be a sincere rejection of something.
Lastly, something I can appreciate. It took great pains during my tenure NOT to become an authority. For some, a cop out for sure, for others an understandable, even allergic reaction to becoming that which one detests. Apparently, our Italian brethren have the same mistrust of the Yale graduates and American elite we do. Once I read this my mind no longer felt as clean as I thought it should. Geography in the 21st century is apparently no longer the cognitive antiseptic it once was.
For a proper mind-cleanse, some far off mountain range, or perhaps even Antartica is more appropriate. I at least, have found the streets of Turin invigorating and its street art interesting but not enough of a distraction for a proper mind-cleanse.
Interested by some literature, we happen to read in our apartment, we decided to visit the Madama Palace on via Giuseppi Garibaldi at piazza Castello. The entrance fee was 10€, 8€ for students, which included a map.
Fine wood engraving
Some of the amazing historical items I found in there were the wood carvings. The one example I found the most compelling, was the depiction of Christ’s birth in the manger as shown above. There were other similar carvings and most were done on choir screens or benches. Most of these were reliefs, as well as all of the pictures and stained glass, were, or course, for the benefit of the illiterate part of the congregation.
Erick in front of decorative church panel
The museum is filled with many other artifacts and itself is built on an ancient castle or other ruins from the Roman times, as is evident within one of the stairwells. Ascending to the parapet on the roof provides an excellent view of the city.
Saturday, prior to my son Tristan and I knowing that we had contracted the flu, we all walked into the center of town to visit the Egyptian museum. It contains the largest collection of artifacts, outside of Egypt. We had thought that Italy was still allowing free admissions to museums from the 5th – 9th. However, this was not the case. In fact, we could not even get a student discount since those are only offered on Thursdays – oh well. The one thing we did get unexpectedly were headsets, which unfortunately ended up to be useless technological throwbacks to the early 1990’s. Undeterred, we soldiered on determined to make the best of it, even among an afternoon throng.
The amazing pieces were the statues and sarcophagi which were surrounded by glass so you can see all sides.
Below is Patti in front of a 4200 year old Sphinx, like the one near the pyramids of Giza.
And finally the sarcophagi we mentioned before.
Well after an hour, which we really enjoyed (our son, Tristan is an ancient history buff), we took our leave to consume some of Italy’s really fine coffee.
Next time we hope to post about something a little less macabre.
We landed early this morning at Malpensa/Milano airport, then on to Milano via TrenNord and finally Torino via the FrecciaRossa 1000. Due to conditions beyond our control, our Airbnb host was delayed until 1 p.m. That forced us to remain at the Porta Susa train station for an hour and a half. But, as we arrived on foot to Antonio’s front door, he pulled up with his car right on time.
We spent the next hour or so discussing with Antonio what our objectives were in Torino, how we selected the city, and lastly, how to go about renting an apartment. Our host appears to be a kind person and very concerned with helping us navigate the tricky waters of high Italian rental contracts and all of their associated taxes and costs. We have welcomed any assistance he can provide.
The rest of the afternoon we spent resting.
Pizza!!! Yum…
We ventured out later this evening for something to eat, having skipped lunch we were all starving. Supper at “di Michi” Pizzeria was great and inexpensive. We ordered 14 inch pies, one melanzane and two prosciutto, for 6€ each ($7). Some beer and salad and we were satisfied.
It is now around 9 p.m. and time for more sleep, stay tuned…
Last night we enjoyed dinner at Stellino’s to say farewell to Dana, he will be staying behind in Cary, working for Genesys in RTP.
Erick, Patti, Dana and Tristan at Stellino’s
After a great supper, we said our goodbyes and stayed at the TRU Hilton hotel. It is located very near RDU airport, so it was a snap this morning to drop our rental vehicle off and start our real trip. First destination, JFK airport in NY. So we say goodbye to North Carolina for the time being, onto new adventures.
RDU airport and NC from the air
We will keep all posted as we make progress to our final destination, Turin Italy. Ciao for now!
