Saturday, September 8, 2007

Italy and Croatia

Hello everyone,
After 5 months of being on the move, we were tired of being vagabonds so we set off looking for a place to stay put for a while.  We have spent the better part of the last three months in Trieste, a small port city on the Adriatic in the north-east corner of Italy.  Trieste has shifted between Italian, Slavic, and Austro-Hungarian rule over the centuries, so it presents an interesting mix of cuisine, architecture, culture, and language. 

We rented a room in an apartment right in the center of Trieste.  Here's exactly where we lived. 

We have two great housemates: Arianna, and Francesco.  Also pictured are Sylvia our landlord, and her boyfriend Pier-Paolo.

A typical day in Trieste for us has been:

-         Elisabeth goes for a morning swim in the sea and on the way home hits the panificio for fresh bread, the salumeria for meat and cheese, and the market for fruits and vegetables. 

-         We take the bus to the cliffs outside of Trieste, and rock climb for a few hours.  It’s not quite as good as South Africa or Thailand, but still pretty decent.  Elisabeth pauses halfway up the wall and picks wild sage to make the Tuscan dish white beans and sage.

-         Elisabeth continues her gastronomic explorations in the kitchen to make dinner.  We drink an excellent super-cheap Italian wine (like $4 cheap).

-         After dinner, we walk to Zampolli or Chocolat, the two best gelaterias in Trieste to enjoy a gelato with throngs of Triestinos.  On a hot summer night, they are more popular than the bars.  Gelato is followed by a long walk to digest and induce sleep.



-         If there’s something going on in the piazza, we head there.  We’ve seen some amazing free concerts:  the San Francisco jazz duo Tuck and Patty, the Al Foster Quintet (he’s a famous jazz drummer), the British folk band The Fairport Convention, and a great Afro-Cuban big-band called Mercadonegro.  We also saw the Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess, put on by a theater company from New York.


It’s a tough life!

Other scenes from Trieste:



We’ve taken a few side trips as well:

Florence
Not really a side trip but our first destination in Italy.  We met up with Elisabeth’s father and niece, Jasmine, who were backpacking around Italy. Although unbelievably clogged with tourists, it was still quite nice.  For four days, we indulged in the many cultural and culinary delights on offer.  One day, we rented a car and drove through the Chianti region, visiting the Brolio Castle.  We picnicked on a hillside with wine, marinated sundried tomatoes, grilled vegetables, olives, fresh bread, local pecorino cheese and bresaola (a cured beef). After a wonderful time together, Jasmine and Aldo headed home to Montreal. Thanks to Jazz for letting me post some of her pictures.








Istria, Croatia

The peninsula east of Trieste is Istria; the region where Elisabeth’s father’s family is from.  We visited upon arrival in June and then returned for the fruits in September.  Elisabeth is mad for figs and grapes and they grow abundantly in every garden.  We spent time with family, at the beach and did some sightseeing.  Elisabeth’s cousins Marina and Mario took us to some of the costal towns where the Venetian influence is most evident.  We also visited the city of Rijeka where her cousin Sandra lives.  Everyone speaks Croatian, Italian and varying levels of English.

Elisabeth’s uncle Aldo makes 1000 liters of wine and grappa (a distilled spirit made from grapes) every year.  Some is sold, some is given to friends, and some is used to ambush unsuspecting Canadians.


Vienna, Austria

We took the train to Vienna and spent five days there to celebrate Elisabeth’s birthday, and our anniversary.  We went to several museums and galleries, saw a Mozart concert in a tiny recital hall where the man himself used to perform, had a slice of famous Sacher Torte from the Hotel Sacher (but Elisabeth’s mom makes a better one), and saw the new Harry Potter movie (brilliant).


Sadly, we have already left our Italian life in Trieste.  We’ve decided to visit the beautiful South of Ontario!  Yes, we have come home for a little while so that Elisabeth can complete her graduate school applications, and Shawn can start looking for a job.  We plan to travel again later in the year. 

See you soon!

Ciao, Shawn e Elisabetta