Cheers to Six Years: A Europhile Reunion in Toronto

When I moved to France in 2007 for an eight-month stint as a high school English teacher, I had already chatted with Stephanie via Facebook because we'd both been placed in the same city -- Angers. We formally met one afternoon in the central plaza, where she introduced me to Becca, whom she'd just met at a regional orientation and who was living in Nantes, a 40-minute train ride away. We'd only been teaching for a week and were already due for our first vacation. 

Welcome. To. France. 

Less than a minute into our conversation, we were planning our first trip:

Becca: "So, for the October break, Steph and I were thinking we'd like to go to Greece. Are you in?"

Me: "Sign me up."

That evening, I was texting Steph my credit card number so that she could book my flight. 

Classing It Up in Turin

Palaces. Opera houses. Gardens. After getting to know beautiful, rusty Bologna, Turin felt like an extravagance. I arrived knowing little more than the following about the fourth largest city in Italy:

• It is home to the famous Shroud of Turin, which some believe to be the shroud in which Jesus was buried. 
• Italy's royal family, the House of Savoy, lived there.

Given its royal history, I figured that Turin would be elegant, but I'm not sure I bargained for this:

Emilia-Romagna Is for Eating

How much would life suck without the existence of the following foods?

• Parmigiano-Reggiano 
• Bolognese sauce
• Mortadella
• Balsamic vinegar
• Tortellini 
• Tagliatelle 
• Lasagna alla Bolognese
• Prosciutto

A lot! Life would suck a lot. To the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, the birthplace of these culinary wonders, I say grazie.

Bologna in a Nutshell

The “In a Nutshell” series superficially summarizes an entire city, region, or country in a few bullet points. Ignoring historical and cultural complexities, I give you Bologna … in a nutshell:

• Tortellini, bolognese sauce, mortadella ... You WILL gain weight here. Don't fight it.

• In most of Europe, Americans can be embarrassingly loud. Not so here. Judging by my Italian fellow train travelers, watching movies on a tablet at full volume without the use of headsets is totally acceptable.

Ghosts of Bologna

By day, Bologna is beautiful; by night, it's haunting. In the moonlight, the archways, cobblestone, and warm hues lend the city an air of mystery. Sure, I may be overselling Bologna as the perfect setting for a 19th-century murder mystery novel, but I like my cities with a little dose of intrigue, so I kept an eye out for furtive-looking men in long black pea coats and top hats ... just in case. I also tried to capture my impressions of ghostly Bologna in photographs:

A Food-Filled Afternoon in Bologna

Bologna is lovingly known as la grassa (the fat one) for its rich culinary tradition and food culture. In a future post, I plan to elaborate on the history of food in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, of which Bologna is the capital, but for now, I'll simply take you through one afternoon's worth of eating in Bologna. Think of this post as the appetizer.

After a quick breakfast of toast and orange juice (boring!), Kellie and I are ready to stroll the city and eat, eat, eat.

Bologna and the Love of Old Things

I've always had a fascination with all things old. As a kid, I briefly considered being an archeologist. I thought it would be exhilarating to unearth old things and discover hidden histories. The past is alluring to me, not because I think life would have been better in some romanticized "back then," but because there's comfort in continuity.

In Bologna, the past is very much alive. It's there in the architecture and in the traditional foods, a part of everyday life. As I mentioned in my last post, Bologna is home to the oldest university in the world, which was founded in the late eleventh century. Two medieval towers also showcase Bologna's past, standing tall in the city center. The taller of the two is open to visitors.

Beautiful Bologna

There's no city like it. Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy, isn't nearly as popular a travel destination as Rome, Naples, Florence, Venice, or Milan, but I can't see why. It's home to the oldest university in the world, it's recognized as the gastronomic center of Italy, and it's pretty ... very pretty. Bologna may not be a polished city -- it's full of cracks and imperfections -- but the fact that Bologna looks its age is part of the charm.

Favorite Moments in Paris

I swung by Paris for only three days last April, but I made the best of them. The photos below showcase my favorite moments from my most recent trip to the belle ville.

Reuniting with old friends

Capture the Colour Photo Contest 2013

For the second year in a row, Travel Supermarket is hosting Capture the Colour, a contest in which travel and photography bloggers showcase five pictures, each featuring a different color -- yellow, red, green, white, and blue. Each blogger then nominates five fellow bloggers to enter the contest, which ends October 9.

Recently, Joe of Cosmic Smudge nominated me. Yay! There's no way I'm winning this thing, but it's fun to participate because 1) it makes me feel like part of the travel blogger community and 2) it gives me an excuse to spell the word colour with a u. So here goes.

Sir Gnome's Paris Highlights

A London resident, Sir Gnome visits Paris as often as his busy life allows. After all, it's an easy trip across the English Channel on the Eurostar. He loves making new discoveries in the "city of lights" -- venturing outside the city center, finding hidden corners, dining at bistros that tourist guides ignore. However, while Sir Gnome loves an adventure, he also finds comfort in the familiar. For this reason, he has chosen to share the three experiences he can never do without in Paris. Below are his photos and descriptions.

How I Argued with a Grumpy Old Frenchman and Won (sort of)

- "Look, monsieur, I don't know who you're talking about, but I booked a room for two."

Grand Hôtel du Loiret is a classically Parisian budget hotel -- small, quaint, locally owned, and centrally located. After checking out the official website and reading mostly positive reviews on Trip Advisor, I decided to give this hotel a shot. I booked over the phone and then emailed the hotel to request a confirmation. Below is a translated and heavily abbreviated version of that email exchange:

Paris Picture-Takers

I lived in Paris for a period of six months as a college student, and I've visited the city while on vacation a total of six times. Lucky moi. When I travel there now, it feels more like a second home than a travel destination. I'd much rather sit at a café all day than venture to the top of the Eiffel Tower. That said, I can't keep myself from snapping photos of the same famous structures over and over again. It's beyond my control. On my most recent trip to Paris, I tried a new approach -- capturing the city from the perspective of a first-timer by taking pictures of people taking pictures. Below are the results of my mini meta-photo project.

Portugal in a Nutshell

The “In a Nutshell” series superficially summarizes an entire city, region, or country in a few bullet points. Ignoring historical and cultural complexities, I give you Portugal … in a nutshell:

• When ordering hot chocolate, be advised that this means melted chocolate in a cup. It’s delicious, but I wouldn’t suggest drinking an entire cup for breakfast unless you’d like to wage war on your stomach.

• There are hills everywhere, and they’re truly alive with the sound of music. Okay, I made the second part up.

A Porto River Cruise at Sunset

On the first leg of my trip to Portugal, I stood atop Lisbon’s ancient castle overlooking the city to watch a stunning sunset. It seemed fitting that I should say goodbye to Portugal by taking in another sunset, this time while cruising the Douro River. Hopping onto one of the many boats from the riverfront Ribeira neighborhood is a great way to see the city from a different angle. These cruises generally last about an hour, an hour in which there’s nothing to do but relax and snap a few photos. Below are some of mine:

Good Eating in Porto

Although our time in Porto was short, my friends and I made the best of the city’s varied dining scene. We opted for one trendy restaurant, one elegant, and one casual. All were yum (which is what matters).

Bugo Art Burgers

Not Doing Things in Porto

We arrived in Porto, a picturesque city in northern Portugal, ready to sample tons of port wine. As soon as we checked in, we took a cab across the river to Vila Nova de Gaia, where all the wine cellars are. We insisted on beginning our tour at the wine cellar that also sold cheese and crackers because we were famished. Thing is, our cabdriver was capable of finding any wine cellar but that one. He drove round and round, practicing his French with me, talking about keeping up with French news and keeping in touch with French friends and loving all things French. He also spoke extensively about Porto -- pointing out the architecture and providing a detailed history lesson -- all in French. This was amusing, but we were hungry and wanted our cheese right now. Now! At long last we found the cellar, bid adieu to our Francophile Portuguese cabdriver, and ate some freaking cheese. We managed to tag along on two wine cellar tours and sample four ports that afternoon. Success!

Chocolate Shot Cups? I Seriously Love Coimbra.

A popular Portuguese liquor made from ginja (a sour berry), sugar, and schnapps, is my new favorite thing. They call it Ginjinha (so it’s fun to say) and serve it as a shot (so it’s fun to consume). As if that weren’t enough, at a small shop near Coimbra’s central plaza, Ginjinha comes in a chocolate shot cup. That’s right, people. Chocolate. Shot. Cup. Drink the liquor, eat the cup. It’s a thing of beauty.

Heavenly shots are ready for consumption

Visiting Coimbra Hogwarts

Students at the nearly 800-year-old University of Coimbra wear black capes to class. When I learned about the traditional uniform, I decided that the University of Coimbra was Hogwarts. Students study Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. They learn to cast spells and play Quidditch. Seriously. You can quote me on this.

Since we were in town over the holiday break, we sadly missed out on meeting any Hogwarts students in their medieval garb. To compensate, we pretended to be them.

Fado and Falling for Coimbra

To me, there's no better souvenir from a foreign country than a CD. I like to pop into a record store, grab some music off the shelves, plant myself at a listening station, and go for the ride. Usually, I feel like I gain insight into a culture by listening to its traditional and popular music, even if I can't understand the lyrics.

Portugal is famous for fado, a musical genre that typically features mournful lyrics and an emotional, expressive singing style. I tend to find beauty in all things melancholy and was therefore eager to learn more about fado. On a hop-on-hop-off bus tour of Lisbon, I discovered Portuguese fado singer Cristina Branco, whose songs played between historical anecdotes on my headset. I learned the singer's name from the bus driver and now own one of her albums. It turns out that Cristina Branco is one of the most popular current-day interpreters of the fado style. Below is a taste.