A Little London Escape!

Once more an opportunity presented itself and Lisa and Christos were able to get over to London for five days of fun and, for Lisa, some work.

We arrived during the late afternoon on Saturday with both of us a little worn out (little sleep on the flight over) and thus not up for too much. So we wandered around Mayfair a bit and along Bond Street where the Holiday shoppers were out in full force.

We dropped into the lovely Halcyon Gallery on New Bond Street where we enjoyed the exquisite works of Dashi Namdakov.

Dashi works in metal and stone with pieces ranging from small to larger than life. Lisa's favourite was "The Bride", a small bejeweled golden statue, which can be viewed here: http://halcyongallery.cld.bz/Dashi-Namdakov#142 while Christos quite liked the larger pieces such as the bronze Dragon seen here: http://halcyongallery.cld.bz/Dashi-Namdakov#88.

Of course with gold and gold equities beat up right now, neither of us are in the market for such luxury items! Dinner was at "The Only Running Footman" which is our preferred pub for food while in London (our preferred pub for Guinness and Chips is the "Audley" but "The Only Running Footman" has a better kitchen). Lisa had a wonderful venison pie while Christos thoroughly enjoyed the bouillabaise. We made it back to the hotel at a reasonable hour and sunk into bed letting the weariness and jetlag drain out of us.

The next day (Sunday) we rose late and relaxed with breakfast until noon. Then it was time for a lovely walk to Camden Town and a visit to Camden Market (second time for Christos and first time for Lisa).

We stopped by 221B Baker Street (being fans of the original Sherlock Holmes as well as the new adaptations of "Sherlock" and "Elementary") before getting to Camden Town in the mid-afternoon where Christos bought reggae records and some other odds and ends while Lisa mostly just soaked up the atmosphere.

We had a late lunch of really, really good burgers before heading back for the walk back to the Connaught, with the obligatory stops for Guinness on the way fully embraced.

We made a slight miscalculation as the late lunch led to a lack of peckishness on our part and thus no desire for dinner until later in the evening ... by the time we finally wanted dinner it was 9PM and we could not find a pub or restaurant with an open kitchen close to the hotel (everything closes early on Sundays).

So we dined on the lovely cheese and fruit plate that the hotel had provided!

Monday saw a trip to the National Gallery to enjoy several Caravaggios as well as paintings by others as well as a walk through Regents Park and a visit to Christos' favourite provisioner; Fortnum and Mason.



The walk in the park was quite fun. In addition to the lovely birds and the fine weather (twelve degrees while it was quite cold back in Canada, or so we are told) we encountered an older gentleman feeding the squirrels who offered up some peanuts to us for the same activity. The squirrels in London have no fear; they will climb rut up you to get a peanut!

Lisa had dinner with clients on Monday so Christos grabbed a lovely pasta con vongole (for a mere 20 pounds or 38 CDN dollars) at a local Italian place.








Tuesday was a full work day for Lisa so Christos spent the day wandering around town popping in at places like the Wallace House and Apsley House (closed for renovations; Christos has yet to actually get into the Apsley House) and walking in St. James park.

We met up after work at the Audley for a few pints of Guinness and accompanying chips. Next to our table a well heeled gentleman was asleep but sitting upright with his mobile in hand. It rang a couple of times, failing to wake the gentleman, Finally one of his friends found him and woke him ... and he then proceeded to latch on to Lisa and I for the next several hours!

We downed several pints with our new friend, Brian, before the three of us went off in search of sustenance. Brian got us into a packed upscale restaurant called Novikov (Asian seafood place, Russian inspired we think) where we devoured the duck, dumplings and sushi put before us.

We dodged Brian on the way out as before dinner he had suggested we go clubbing with him after and given Lisa's early start the next morning this was not an option! So after a fine dinner, we stumbled back to the hotel for a solid night's sleep.

Wednesday was a work day for Lisa with departure in the mid-afternoon so it was a truncated day for Christos to enjoy London. Christos went for a walk and popped in at the offices of "Minerva" magazine, which he subscribes to, and they piled him high with free back-issues! The only other visit was a quick visit back into Fortnum and Mason's for Christos to get rid of the last of his English cash. By 5PM we were airborne on our way back to Toronto ....

Finally one last thought .... MMMMMMM GUINNESS!!!!

A poem about Canada

What Happened Canada?

What happened to make backpackers no longer proud to wear your Maple Leaf?

What happened to turn you from a nation of peacekeepers into bomb droppers?

What happened to make you call a violent lone man with mental illness, if Muslim, a terrorist?

What happened to make you vote with the minority of nations at the UN on Palestine?

What happened to make your PM call the slaughter of an occupied people “self-defense”?

What happened to make Israel name a park built on the ruins of Arab villages after your PM?

What happened to make you into a country I am no longer proud to be a citizen of?

Oyster Party IX

Another autumn brings another season on bivalves and hijinks!

Oyster Party IX was early this year, the week before instead of the week after Thanksgiving, but the oysters were no worse for it.

Canadian guests from both the east coast (Aare) and west coast (James) were represented as well as numerous Torontonians.


Oysters for all regardless of geographic or other persuasion!

The party started in the late afternoon but got packed quickly.

Once more Lawrence's help was beyond compare as he arrived not only laden with several boxes of oysters but also the sauces, lemons and other accoutrements for service.


Chilled wine, cold beer and bubbly water helped wash down this season's lovely oysters which hailed from PEI but not from Colville Bay.

Oysters were consumed as fast as they were plated and an hour in we realized that at the pace we were going, we would be out of oysters well before the usual three hours of oyster bar!

So our master shucker Lawrence took off half-way into the shift to his place to recover another box of oysters while Crispin, Christos and others worked the Oyster bar!

Tall tales were told among both friends and strangers, united in their love of oysters and good times. Many of those who arrived as strangers left as friends.




Lawrence returned just as the initial batch of bivalves was done with a full box of thalassic goodness which had been destined for a charity event the next day ...

While most of the oysters were eaten raw, the baked option was also quite popular among the guests!

We passed a hat around to replace the funds that would have gone to charity and an amazing $300 was raised!

Late in the evening we had a visit from a local racoon who made off with the remains of some cream cheese! James the mountain man insisted on taking a selfie with the wee beast.

Of course the evening went late and much mirth
was had!

The turntables were once more brought to life long after the oysters had run out and only the remains of snacks and copious alcohol kept the party going until the last guest left long after midnight.

Portrait Party 2

In February 1999, Portrait Party 1 was thrown at 9 Hanna ...

More than fifteen years later the madness returned ....

Crispin and Patricia!

BvB!

La Marisa!

Marisa, Becca and Lisa!

Chris and Adam channelling Miami Vice!

Christos, Chris, Adam, Lisa and Becca!

Patricia, Chris and Adam!

The Amazing Julian!

Baby J and Pappa Adam!

Christos and Cooper!

Sam and Adam (not to be confused with Sam Adams)!

Nicole and Becca!

Late Night House Music Dancing!














And Romancing!












Twenty Years of Bitche and Lorraine!

Roma! Trastevere

We left Sicily on Friday afternoon enduring the bus service of the skies that is Ryanair and arrived at our hotel in Trastevere at 6pm; just in time to hustle over to a local bar and watch the Italy-Costa Rica  World Cup Game! While the excitement of the young crowd was palpable, unfortunately Italy lost the match one nil to Costa Rica. After a quick pit stop back at the hotel, we headed of for our dinner reservation at Meridionale, a local hip trattoria where we enjoyed a yummy dinner washed down with a litre of house vino! Then it was time to wander around Trastevere until the wee hours bar hopping as though we were in our 20s.

Trastevere is quite a change from our usual Roman haunt across the Tiber; much younger, hipper and more lively.

We laughed that even though we have been to Rome many times and think we know it, we keep discovering new facets to the city and truly remain strangers in the Eternal City.

Saturday in Trastevere started a little bit blurry for Christos although Lisa seemed to be in fine form. Clearly the vino has a greater impact on one as one ages. We headed out to Santa Maria in Trastevere, an amazing church founded in the third century AD with gorgeous mosaics from the 13th century AD.

We then wandered a bit more before taking another little break (for Christos to recover some more) and then headed out to see the Villa Farnesina with its lovely frescoes by Raphael. After the villa tour we grabbed a quick lunch of pizza at the aptly named "Bir & Fud" before retiring once more to our hotel for an afternoon nap. In the late afternoon we headed out again for a wander and realized we may be in for a treat similar to "fete de la musique" in France as many street corners have suddenly sprouted what appears to be setups for live music!

We headed out for another stroll, caught some entertaining street theatre (Christos ended up participating) and Lisa bought a new bag from a street vendor (Lisa just loves to buy bags on holiday). Dinner was at the lovely restaurant "La Boticella" just a stone's throw from our hotel. We both started with a wonderful ravioli (cheese, mushroom and truffle) followed by lamb for Christos (good but not as good as Monaci's lamb) and chicken for Lisa (first chicken we have had in weeks; quite good!) and were stuffed to the brim by the end of dinner. A local cat watched us from a nearby moto.

We had a lovely conversation with some Swedes during dinner and Christos may have convinced them that it is time to buy a little gold. We then wandered about a bit more, caught the end of a live music set and finally got back to our hotel around 11:30pm. We played a game of Kingdom Builder while sipping beers in the hotel patio, breathing in our last (for this holiday) of the Roman summer ... Tomorrow we will be (hopefully) back in Toronto.

Sicily - Mount Etna

We left the environs of Noto on Tuesday around 10:30am and at noon we arrived at our next destination, the amazing "Monaci Delle Terre Nere" on the slopes of Mount Etna. Monaci is simply amazing!!! Not only are the views just astounding but the food is excellent (best we have had yet in Sicily), the staff friendly and attentive, the buildings cool (an old monastery which houses the ancient wine press etc) and the tranquility of the place inspiring. The only thing not going our way was the weather as Tuesday was over cast all day. After checking in and enjoying a welcome drink, our host told us that Mount Etna had just started erupting again and that we might get a view of lava if we were lucky. Wow. We settled into our amazing suite ("Limpido") located about a five minute walk from the main building and relaxed for a bit before having a light lunch (salad and vegetarian pasta).

We then relaxed in our suite for a few hours before heading back to the main building for aperitifs and snacks at 6pm. They laid out a groaning table of cheeses, salamis, nuts, honey and crackers. We looked at each other with wide eyes and decided that the next day we would skimp on lunch to wait for the 6pm snacks. At 8:30pm it was time for dinner which was the best we have had to date in Sicily; Lisa had a wonderful peace of beef while Christos had the best tuna ever! We skipped dessert as we were just stuffed, wandered back to our suite and chatted about how we should have just come here for the whole trip! Of course we were just kidding as we love to see lots of different places and things but truly for those who come to Sicily, Monaci is not to be missed. While we did not see any lava or smoke (the skies were still overcast) we did hear some thundering sounds that may well have been Etna welcoming us. After a little iPad TV of "The Americans" (special thanks to Davey and Shazz for the recommendation) we got to sleep around 11:30pm, our budding homesickness much diminished!

Wednesday on Mount Etna started bright and sunny and we enjoyed an amazing breakfast of freshly squeezed blood orange juice, cheese, bread, fruits, preserves and of course cappuccino before heading off to visit the local town of Zafferena. At Zafferena we did a little shopping (Lisa bought a new bag) and wandered about until lunch time when we shared a calzone (or Sicilian pizza) that was quite good before heading back to Monaci in the early afternoon. By this time the weather had changed to being slightly overcast but still gorgeous. Back at Monaci we lounged by the pool reading until 4pm when we did a yoga class! A new thing for Christos and something he has to be careful doing as he has a slight back problem. We both enjoyed the class and decided we wanted to do it again the next day. Then it was time for a little more relaxation before 6pm cheese and wine. We played a little "Kingdom Builder" on the iPad from 7pm to 8pm while sitting on our lawn soaking in the amazing view. We also saw a snake! It was about three feet long and crossed our path when we were returning from snack time. It was interesting to see the snake print it left in the dirt as it crossed our path. Dinner was once again excellent, we both had the beef; which was good but not as good as the nigh before (different cut). All the guests for dinner were sitting outside and the weather turned once more;  to a solid rain! We were sheltered under an umbrella and thus were the last holdouts but eventually we followed everyone else and went inside. Fortunately the rain stopped before dinner ended and we walked back to our suite on soggy ground but with no rain falling on us. Once more we watched an episode of "The Americans" before falling asleep.

Our final full day in Sicily started once more with sunshine and a wonderful breakfast. We decided to wander the grounds of Monaci, trying to get a better glimpse of Mt. Etna and visiting the wonderful gardens where Monaci produces vegetables for its kitchen. We were so happy without holiday we just had to jump for joy ... more than once!

Shortly before noon we hopped on the car and drove to the Benanti winery in the nearby town of Viagrande for a tasting of its vintages.

Although the tour got off to a rocky start as our guide was busy with another group it ended up being a great experience and we discovered that the Etna grape, Nerello Mascalese was much to our liking; six bottles are coming home with us.

After a wonderful tasting and lunch we finally hopped back in the car around 4pm and returned to Monaci where we relaxed as the sun set, sipping wine and playing "Kingdom Builder".

Sicily - Noto (or thereabouts)

We left Modica Friday morning and decided, at Christos' insistence, to head back to Caltagirone to try once more for some ceramic shopping and touring. Arriving around noon we did not have much time to shop as everything closes around 1:30pm but that did not deter us as we found a lovely little shop and loaded up on bowls to take home.

The shop was just off the famous main stairs of Caltagirone; the stairs are famous as they are all tiled on the vertical face and present quite a beautiful view when seen from their base. We also stopped in at a local deli and bought meats, bread, olives and marinated mushrooms for lunch. Christos prepared two sandwiches on the road as we headed out for the two hour drive to Noto from Caltagirone; one proscuitto and one salami and we were in no need of olives or mushrooms (which we saved for a later date). Arriving at "Masseria degli Ulivi" around 5pm we noted its quaint charm and peaceful quiet, something we have been looking forward to as both Mandranova (near the highway) and Casa Talia (in the heart of Modica) were a bit loud. We checked out the lovely grounds (olive trees abound) and then rested until dinner at 9pm. We were a bit worried as the hotel is some 8km from Noto and if the restaurant was no good we had few other options. Fortunately, the restaurant is excellent! Christos had a tasty octopus carpaccio while Lisa had gnocchi for appetizers followed by veal (Christos) and mixed grill (Lisa) which were both excellent. We also enjoyed the bottle of Nero D'Avola wine in the room which we thought quite good but turned out to be just the hotel's house wine! After dinner we drifted off to sleep watching "The Americans" on the iPad; a new series for us.

The next morning it was off to Syracuse (or Siracusa as the Italians say), one of the first Ancient Greek colonies in Sicily and a town filled to the brim with sights to see! We arrived before noon and headed to Ortigia, an island that was once the heart of ancient Siracusa that is now linked to the main city by bridge. Our first stop was the ruins of the Temple of Apollo and while not much is left today, one could see the various stages of use from the Greeks, to the Byzantines to the late medieval; each adding a little of its own to the building. Adjacent to the temple is the local market which was in full swing when we arrived.

The market is primarily food oriented, although one can get underwear as well there. We strolled along looking at the stalls piled high with fruit and vegetables, local products such as lemoncella and olive oil but most appealing were the fishmonger stalls. The fish were all as fresh as can be with eyes as black as coal and no "fishy" smell at all.
We watched a fishmonger chop up a massive tuna in sight of the head of a swordfish.

It all looked so wonderful and we yearned for the days gone by when we could have brought such fine victuals back to Elifthiria for Sally to cook up. Lisa lamented our choice of domicile as fresh fish in Toronto is as rare as an honest politician. Next it was time to visit the church of Santa Lucia that houses a Caravaggio painting ("Martyrdom of Santa Lucia") that although not his best work (he rushed to get it done in time for a festival) still exhibits his amazing talent and is lovely to gaze upon. Then it was off to the Duomo next door which was quite amazing as it incorporates the ancient columns of the Temple of Athena from 2500 years ago!
With its massive stone blocks, the towering columns and the warm glow of the stained glass the gravitas of the place was quite astounding. We then stopped off for a glass (well two actually) of white wine at a local trattoria where we ended up purchasing some fine white wine before making the trek to the archeological museum. The museum houses a fine collection of Sicilian artifacts from the most ancient times (mostly grave goods dating back to 3000BC) through to the Greco-Roman era (lots of votive offerings, vases etc). The highlight is a roman era sarcophagus of supreme workmanship.

We then drove back to Masseria degli Ulivi and chilled until dinner, which was once more quite good (lamb for Christos, fettuccine with rabbit ragout for Lisa).

The next day was a Sunday and as such, we opted to just relax at the hotel as not much is open in Italy on Sundays. The day was spent lounging by the pool, reading and playing kingdom builder. Once more dinner was delicious; Christos had the squid ink pasta while Lisa had the lamb that Christos enjoyed the previous evening.

For our final day near Noto, we opted for a day trip in to Noto to see the Baroque architecture. We arrived before noon and spent about three hours in Noto. Lisa purchased an expensive but appropriate t-shirt (it says "beautiful shoes are my Prozac") and we also bought some pottery, a small painting, some postcards of old Sicily maps and two bottles of Noto DOC wine (both Nero D'Avola, a grape we have come to quite enjoy). Then it was time for a trip to Noto Antica, the old town hat was destroyed in the earthquake of 1693 (it had been inhabited since the 400s). We only saw one other group there and we quickly lost them as they wimped out soon after entering the ruins (he macro of the group was wearing totally inappropriate shoes for exploration). We spent about an hour and a half in the blazing sun wandering over the ruins visiting an old church, the castle, a palace and a hospital.

Quite a fun excursion for us. Christos also picked up some broken pottery shards that is likely older than Canada!

Four our final night at Masseria, we both opted to dine on the excellent fettuccine with rabbit ragout, washed down with a bottle of "Carthago" Nero D'Avola wine. Christos had an excellent potatoes and leek soup to start while Lisa had the yummy gnocchi. All the pasta at Masseria is made daily and it really makes a difference! After dinner it was time to watch a little more of "The Americans" before lumbering into sleep with thoughts of our next and final destination in Sicily; Mount Etna!!!!

Sicily - Modica

After four nights at Mandranova it was time to head to our next destination, the lovely hill town of Modica some two hours away by car. We left early as we planned to stop at a couple places on the way, first of which was the amazing Roman villa near Piazza Armerina. The villa hosts some of the most extensive and best preserved Roman mosaics in the world and they were definitely worth the time and price of admission. After a couple hours at the villa it was time to head to Caltagirone, a local centre of ceramic production. Unfortunately, our timing was bad and we arrived in the mid afternoon, when all the shops were shuttered! 

So we drove through the town and then headed on to Modica, arriving around 5pm. Our first night in Modica saw us dine at a local seafood restaurant where Lisa had a tasty piece of tuna while Christos enjoyed seafood pasta. After dinner we headed down to the main street where we discovered live music!!

We only caught the last two songs but it was enough to remind us how different social life is in Southern Europe compared to Canada; whole families with young kids were in attendance and it was after 11pm on a weeknight! We made it back to Casa Talia around midnight and laid down on the not so comfy bed they provided to drift off to sleep.

Our first full day in Modica was a leisurely one. After a delicious breakfast with freshly squeezed OJ  (and a magnificent view) we opted to see the town. We clattered down the steep stairs to the main drag of Modica (Via Umberto I) and wandered about for a couple of hours visiting the local Cathedral done in the Baroque style before making a fateful decision .... Wine with lunch!

With "day drinking" underway, we ended up a little tipsy by the mid afternoon and stumbled back to Casa Talia for some more drinks and eventually a much needed afternoon nap. Rising in the late afternoon, we decided to read a bit in the garden of Casa Talia, looking up every few pages to take in the stunning view of Modica. Finally it was time for dinner so we wandered down into town and had our most disappointing meal to date. While the appetizer was quite good (poached cod), both of our pastas were thoroughly uninspired and bland. Ah well, they can't all be winners! This night there was no live music in Modica so we found our way back to Casa Talia (many narrow winding alleys later) and settled in for a night's rest.

Our final day in Modica involved a road trip to the nearby (20 km away) town of Ragusa.

We arrived in the late morning and after parking in the new town, we walked to the old town with the sun blazing down on us. Like Modica, Ragusa is another charming hill town that was largely rebuilt in the Baroque style after a devastating earthquake in 1693. We visited a map museum at Christos' request on the way to the old town and a church in the old town but otherwise just spent the afternoon wandering about scrambling from one shaded area to the next as it was hot as the devil's backside! Lunch was at an awesome trattoria just off the main square called "Angelo's".

The hole in the wall had only three tables inside and two outside and a staff of two; Angelo behind the bar and a waitress. We ordered a bruschetta sampler and a meat/cheese plate. The bruschetta sampler had six different offerings ranging from the traditional tomatoes and basil to cheese with honey and cheese with tapenade. It turned out our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we could not finish the cheese/meat plate which Angelo promptly bundled up for us as takeout. Angelo insisted we try a local dessert wine (after we had paid the bill) which is similar to a Muscato but less syrupy. While we dined at Angelo's lovely tunes were being played on vinyl, much to the approval of Christos! We left Angelo's and shopped a bit on the way back to our car before embarking on the short drive back to a Modica, arriving around 4:30pm.

While we had initially planned to relax for the rest of the day, we changed our minds and decided instead for another walking tour of Modica, this time visiting the other side of the valley that hosts the town. We discovered a local artist but declined to buy anything, stumbled into a wedding where we watched from the sidelines for a bit and found a curiosity shop where Christos purchased an old print of a camel, a favourite animal of his. We finally made it back to Casa Talia around 7pm where we sipped white wine purchased earlier in the day at Ragusa that was unfortunately not quite up to par before heading down to dinner at a highly regarded new restaurant in town called "Accursio". Dinner was decent but not as good as we had hoped, portions were small and the food was good but not great. We were also disappointed that the chef came out to talk to most of the local tables but not ours. Finally, the service was poor; we ordered red wine and were brought white wine, they failed to bring the right utensils and we felt ignored for most of the evening. Christos refers to the restaurant as "Accursed".

We stumbled up the winding stairways of Modica back to Casa Talia late in the evening, finished off the mediocre white wine and slipped into sleep well after midnight.