More Fun with Rick & Myra

As if Lake Bledd wasn't enough, it was just the start their stay with us.  The next big adventure was to run up north to the Trattoria all'Angelo for another afternoon of Italian cooking (and overeating).  The first stop was the garden to pick some fresh herbs.  Then we hit the kitchen to make a complete 4 course meal including fresh pasta.  Rick even busted out the uke and played a few tunes!!

Not content to enjoy the good life north of us, we headed to the little town of Este, about 90 minutes south of us for a sun-dappled day of roses and ruins.  We couldn't believe how ENORMOUS the roses were in the town's central garden.

ahhhh...  La Dolce Vita!

More Cooking Class Pics HERE!

More Incredible ESTE!

Ciao!
M

Back to Slovenia

Our good friends Rick & Myra capped off a wonderful European vacation by spending some time with us.  We knew they would love going to Slovenia, so we made some reservations at the Grand Hotel Toplice, loaded up the car, and headed out to Lake Bledd.

There are a lot of romantic hotspots around the globe, but Lake Bledd, Slovenia never fails to disappoint.  It was early May, so the weather was perfect although a little rain did fall on one afternoon.  The castle, the little island with the church, and the incredible fairytale atmosphere were all still there.  To make things a little easier, we decided to hitch a ride on one of the ferries, rather than relying on my rowing skills...

 


 
For something a little different, we decided to take a little trek into the woods to Vintgar Gorge.  A breathtaking nature walk that winds thru the Gorge's valley, several wooden bridges and pebble paths criss-cross the clear mountain waters

As always, the views from the castle were spectacular, although the air wasn't super clear.

We even had enough time to finish off the excursion by stopping in Llubjlana, the capitol of Slovenia.  It was a gorgeous city with great architecture and history.

Wanna check out more pics?  Here ya go!

Ciao,
Mike

The Badger's Wedding

My good poker buddy, Patrick "the badger" Osburn, has always been a confirmed bachelor, so when he said that was engaged to his lovely, italian girlfriend, Silvia, I found it a little hard to believe. But the heart has mysterious and unknowable secrets and on a perfect spring day, Patrick and Silvia wed in the Vicenza City Hall in a small, understated affair. :)

The Commune di Vicenza is in a 500 year old palace in the middle of the city with a large, airy inner courtyard.





We waited here until the main matrimonial hall was available. It is quite popular to get married here (you can see why!) so the bookings were very closely scheduled.





After the ceremony we went for a stroll and some photos on the Piazza dei Signori, the main square at the heart of Vicenza.



The reception was at wonderful restaurant called il Castello nestled in the foothills west of the city. The food was delicious; the views were spectacular.

All our best to Patrick and Silvia.

Tanti Auguri!
Mike & Cyn

More Pics!

April Cooking Class at M&B's

We'd been enjoying going to other peoples cooking classes so much, that we decided to organize our own. The irrepressible chef Mauro and his always classy wife Bari organized a wonderful spring menu for us and even helped celebrate Cyn's birthday.

Al pays close attention as Chef Mauro strains the sauce

Assembling the little rabbit legs




We really enjoyed the results!

Good Times!

More Pics.

Ciao, Mike

Mauro & Bari's - The Fish Menu

You'll all know how much we love Mauro & Bari; the spunky chef and sommelier proprietors of our favorite restaurant in all of Italy, Trattoria all'Angelo. In January we were invited to a class organized by our good friends Ann and Roland. The menu theme was focused around fish, specifically dover sole and sea bass.

Mauro is a hands-on kind of guy, so we were definitely going to get a little dirty on this one!

Mauro demonstrates how to filet the sole

Ann tries to emulate his technique without gagging!

...Fish heads, fish heads, eat them up! YUM!

Cleaning the fish... I try to emulate Mauro's technique without gagging! Cynthia was a total pro at gutting the fish. It must be the nurse in her. If you ever need your lungs ripped out and a knife to cut you from anus to chin, y'know who to call.

Want to improve your cooking? Add Booze!

The food tasted a LOT better than it looked! So good I forgot to take pictures of it. Oops!

:)
M

That's Amore!

In Napoli, where love is king,
When boy meets girl,
Here's what they say!

Our great friends Sandy and Reggie moved from Vicenza to Naples it was a truly sad day for us. But it gave us an unequaled opportunity to visit them down in old Napoli! Reggie and Sandy live in a quaint little town about 30 minutes north of Naples called Castelvolturno. We had heard a lot of stories about the crime and decay that plagues the areas south of Rome, and I'm sad to report that a lot of the stories are true. However this area of Italy has such a unique and vibrant flavor we found ourselves swept away by the whole thing... well not so swept away that we left our valuables unattended, but you get my point.





On one of our excursions we stopped at Sorbillo for the real deal Napolitano Pizza!


But by far the highlight of the trip was the day we spent cruising down the Amalfi Coast. It was a gorgeous day with great weather. Too bad everyone had the same idea as us, and a traffic jam of beach-goers, sight-seers, and impatient locals quickly formed!


The Amalfi Coast line has several little small towns perched precariously on steep, ocean-facing cliffs. Our first stop was the little town of Vietri Sul Mare which is renowned for their intricately painted ceramics.




For lunch we enjoyed the Sea King's Feast at Ristorante d' Nettuno in the town of Maiori!




And then there was Amalfi!
Renato Fucini said of Amalfi
On the day of Judgement,
for the people of Amalfi
that go to heaven,
It will be a day
like all the others...






After Amalfi came Positano bathed in luxurious evening light.




By the time we made it to Sorrento, all the good light was gone, and we were exhausted. We can't wait to go back to see our friends!

Check out more Pics!

Ciao!
M & C