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).
–
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.
Amfiteatro – Lucca
Within the town walls are 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 amphitheater, hence the oval-shape appearance.
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 amazingly 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.
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 kinds of cheese, 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!
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 in the style of “beef burgundy,” with plenty of juices. Finally, we finished off our dinner with a variety of desserts.
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 tomatos, 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
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.
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, hamburgers, beef and Guinness pie, mixed salads, fish and chips, and even some tasty black pudding with goat’s cheese!
Full-Irish Breakfast
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 ceral, 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.
Candice Brown, a former student, has family who live in France. Luckily, Candice and I were able to coordinate our travel schedules so that we could meet up in Lyon, France.
Preplanning is the key to getting a seat on one of Europe’s busiest trains. I booked my TGV ticket online, several days in advance (visit http://www.voyages-sncf.com, choose your route, and pay by credit card online). The journey was a breeze once at the Paris Lyon TGV station. I zipped through the French countryside at lightning speed and was in Lyon in just over two hours.
Candice, our friend Abby, and her grandfather Jean-Paul met me at the station in Lyon. We hurried back to Jean-Paul’s home where I met Chantelle, his wife. After a little visit, we were off to explore the town.
Starting at the Cathedral, on the highest summit, we made our way downhill through woody parks, medieval cobbled streets, the Renaissance city, and finally the 20th century “new” town. It was a delight to have Jean-Paul and Chantelle as my private guides. I felt so special that they would devote a day to showing me around their hometown. An added bonus was visiting with Candice and Abby, not in Orange Park, but in France.
One of the highlights was our dining experience. The Restaurant Les Adrets (here is the TripAdvisor link) was located in the heart of the old medieval town and seemed to draw attention from only the locals. Jean-Paul told me that reservations were essential, and luckily, he had booked us a table! There was no menu and very few choices, but that did not matter, because the food was divine!
For my starter, I had toasted bread loaded with greens, olive oil, and fresh anchovies. It was amazing! A funny thing: when I asked Jean-Paul how to say “anchovy” in French, he laughed and said, “It is a French word, so it is anchovy.”
I’ve had a lot of salmon in the past few weeks, but Restaurant Les Adrets’s salmon plat was the best so far. It came perfectly prepared and fresh from the sea. The local wine from “Cote du Rhone” was presented in a traditional “pot” or glass bottle, only available in the Lyon area. The bottle had several inches of glass at the bottom. I speculated the bottles were made that way so that they would not tip over after a bottle or two!
Later, we returned to Jean-Paul’s and Chantelle’s home where we sat, talked, and visited. This was the best! I picked up so much about French culture, protocol, and customs. Like any grandparents, they were proud of their grandchildren and their immersion into their (French) culture. I am truly thankful to have had an opportunity to experience Lyon with the perfect hosts in Jean-Paul and Chantelle.
A few days ago we experienced unsually perfect weather in Scotland… 65 degrees F, few clouds, lots of sun and an awesome vantage point. Just outside of Fort William, a funicular transports visitors to the highland approaches of Ben Nevis, Scotland’s highest peak. Here is a short video about my experience.
Recently, I’ve been reading two of Ken Follett’s novels, Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. He sets the fictional story in a realistic Middle Ages town in England, which he calls Kingsbridge. Mr. Follett’s description of Kingsbridge Priory, the Earl of Shiring’s Castle, and the town of Shiring came to life for me today upon visiting Carcassonne, a medieval fortress town in southern France.
Carcassonne is located in the south of France about one hour from its border with Spain. Since about 700 A.D., the huge stone walls have provided refuge and fortification for various lords, earls, and their serfs. It is surrounded by two massive outer walls with towers and barbicans, a moat, and a large drawbridge all designed to ward off attacks.
Inside the walls are the restored remains of a thriving medieval city. It is easy to imagine medieval life going on in Carcassonne. Merchant’s shops, pubs, craftsmen and noble houses are easily identified.
There is an inner close, a castle within a castle, where the lord of the town apparently lived. Enclosed within these secondary fortifications is a modest palace and church.
After touring the town, I decided to find a spot for dinner. After rewalking the town to assess dining possibilities, I referred to “TripAdvisor.com” and decided upon “Adelaide Restaurant.” The GPS feature on my iPhone led me directly to the restaurant, where I was lucky to get a table.
This being my first night in France, I was ready for their rich cuisine. I decided upon a Fois Gras starter with fig compote and greens.
My main course was their duck confit cassolette, which included a roasted duck leg and its juices, cooked in a pot with white beans and sausage.
Dessert featured chocolate mousse and raspberry ice cream. This was all washed down with a splash of the local red wine from Corbieres, just down the road from the restaurant.
There are several scenic train routes running through the Alps of Switzerland. The “Golden Pass” route connects Lucerne, Interlaken and Montreaux and offers what many think to be the best scenic alpine train excursion.
I began my journey at the halfway point, in Interlaken. After a beautiful ride along Lake Thun, I transferred to a cog-driven train. Here we climbed the 76% grade trek through alpine meadows to the high point of the expedition. Then we began the journey down to Montreaux offering beautiful vistas of the Alps and Lake Geneva.
