The European Adventures of G & A

The best gelato place - right around the corner from our hotel

Some nice looking eggplants at the produce market

The Nutelleria - why didn't we think of this ??

The terrace of our hotel

We enjoyed a wonderful five days in Bologna. I had recently read in a travel magazine that Bologna rated as one of the most underrated European cities to visit. I would agree, as it was a wonderfully authentic place with a friendly, international vibe. The University of Bologna is reportedly the oldest University in all of Europe. The students definitely help to make the city vibrant and contemporary. Our hotel shared an alleyway with the law school, and was located on one of the piazzas that are surrounded by bars and café’s frequented by the students. We thought about joining them after a young American student told us that everyone “drinks and parties outside in the square until dawn”. But, our pajamas start to worry about us when we are not in them by 10:30. Just like at home.

We really enjoyed our hotel, the San Donato. It was the only 4 star we stayed in during the trip, and really was noticeably a step above. The hotel itself was in a historic building with frescoe covered ceilings and a rooftop terrace with a wonderful view of the city and especially the Duo Torre - the Two Towers, a main monument in Bologna and one of the few towers from medieval Italy in astonishingly good condition. We didn’t go to any art galleries or museums, though Bologna is a premier city for opera, theater and art. We were able to see art in many of the public squares and often the bookstores would have contemporary art and photography exhibits, which we really liked. Speaking of bookstores, Bologna must have the highest per capita in Italy. There were close to ten within three blocks of our hotel. Adam was in heaven and found some rare photography books that he can’t get in the states. I bought the cheapest bag I could fine to transport our new purchases back home. It looks like a dead skunk.

We walked for hours everyday and really saw all of Bologna, which appears to be a fairly large city. It is a great central location for Italian travel as it is 2 hours from Milan or Venice, 3 hours from Rome, and only an hour from Florence or Parma. We discussed day trips, but the hotel was cushy, and the food so good we decided to stay in the big B. Let’s face it, we chose Bologna as a destination for the food and wine. We had both been to other locations in Italy, and had read that the Emilio-Romania region is undeniably the best for foodies. It is where Parma ham, balsamic vinegar and some of the best wines come from. The wine was cheap and good, and the food (pizza, pasta carbonara, Bolognese pasta and gelato...sometimes twice in one day were mainstays. Because of all of the walking we have been doing in the last 4 weeks, neither of us had felt as if we had gained any weight. That was before Italy! Now we can barely roll our fat butts out of bed to eat more bread and cheese.

The fashion and boutiques in Bologna was very high end. The men and women take fashion very seriously. The weather was starting to get a little crisp at night which was an excuse for the locals to showcase all of their new fall fashions. Very impressive. Boots, boots, and more boots. For many of the famous names (Dolce & Gabana, Louis Vittuion, Gucci, etc) the stores were entered only by appointment or with a secret code, and were always watched over by armed security. However, I was able to enter the 99 cents store without any problems, which is where all of your gifts will come from.

The architecture, of course, is fascinating, and the town’s historic sites are well preserved and maintained. One of the most interesting things was that a large number of the city sidewalks are covered by arcade ceilings, so during the twenty-minute walk from the train station to the hotel we were almost always covered by the city walls. This was helpful too as it rained a bit, but weather was still quite good. The center of the action was two blocks from the hotel, in Piazza Maggiorre, flanked by a majestic statue of Neptune, and home of the National museum. During our stay the space held a fitness fair, a world music concert and a political rally among other events.

Lastly, I’ve still got it. The Italian men are still after me. Okay, not the same ones I met ten years ago. My suitors now are octogenarians and drunk Turkish guys who hang out behind the train station. Oh well. Adam is still melting from the smiles he received from the Italian regazza. When will youth ever stop being wasted on the young?

In Paris now (arrived late Monday night, it is Thursday morning now), and flying home Sunday. Paris is Fantastique, mais oui. I will have to write a book about Paris, as a blog simply will not do. This will likely be the last blog, as we will be hurrying to consume every last almond croissant in the 72 hours we have left on our tour of Europe.

We are torn about our return. Ready to sleep in our own bed and tiring of the practicalities associated with travel. But, we have also found that we are adding more places to our list of travel destinations, and both agree that each place we have visited requires a second (or third!) visit.

We will speak to you all soon and look forward to telling more of our travelogue, and hearing your travel stories, too.

Much love,

Gretchen and Adam

Fish Heads - The Small Kind

Fish Heads - The Big Kind

Our Fabulous Villa in Dubrovnik

And the private beach

We are now enjoying our second day in Bologna, which is an interesting and vibrant city. But first, a few words about our week in Croatia. The difficulty there with regard to posting a blog was that we were staying in private apartments outside of the town centers. Most Croats do not yet have home computers, but all town centers had several internet café’s and most of the three stars and up hotels also had access. So, we could check emails but couldn’t hook up the laptop, as we don’t carry it everywhere we go.

Croatia was truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We both really loved it. Our stay in Croatia was perfectly timed, too, as we needed a break from touring the big cities and took the opportunity to really relax before the second half of the trip. We began in Dubrovnik, which is a very old medieval city whose town center is completely walled in, just as it was when it was founded by the Romans. We walked the wall, which took about an hour and a half, and afforded amazing views of the area, and all of the sights within, including churches, secret passageways in the castle, artifacts, and cannons at the lookout points. Dubrovnik and the surrounding area have long been the jewels of the Country, due to the natural beauty and the reputation as an artistic, intellectual and cultural center. During the war of 1991-1992 the old city was attacked and shelled and suffered wide damage. This was evidenced by the number of new roofs scattered throughout the city. According to the Croatians that we spoke to, it was quite devastating and the recovery physically and emotionally continues. We met two Croatian brothers on a boat trip. One was a Psychologist and the other an insurance lawyer. They provided us with a lot of information about Croatian history, but still we are not clear on the whole Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian relationship, and our lawyer friend was direct in saying, depending on who you talk to, you will hear a totally different story.

I had heard Croatia was unique in that there were obvious influences of it being Mediterranean, and yet maintaining an eastern European identity. I would agree that both culture are present. The food was amazing, and as we were in Southern Croatia on the coast of Dalmatian coast, Seafood and Italian-esque food was most represented. We ate pizza nearly everyday, as it was cheap and tasty. My favorite thing was the grilled calamari stuffed with smoked ham and cheese. I may have to move to Dubrovnik simply for that reason. The weather was wonderful except for one rainy day, I swam in the sea as much as I could, and the weather was still in the low 80’s, so we are about as tan now as these two pasty white kids will ever be.

We stayed a ten-minute bus ride from the old town on the Lapad Peninsula. The area is a mix of locals who rent rooms/apartments and resorts that mostly cater to large groups of Brits and Germans who holiday on package vacation deals similar to the Mexico/Hawaii deals from the states. Few Americans vacation in the region because there are no direct flights from the US, although apparently there were before the war. I have never seen a travel ad in America for Croatia, although the CNN international and Bbc television has adds for Croatia and Slovenia all of the time. Strangely the Bosnian tourism council is also trying to drum up visitors with TV advertisements and I must say the place looks beautiful. I just can’t imagine seeing a commercial for Bosnia on American TV; would be almost as shocking as club med Darfur.

Our studio apartment was amazing. We had our own private cove with access to the water, a jacuzzi, terrace, and an incredible view. The view was spectacular, and damned well better have been for the seventy stairs we had to walk up to get to it. At night we watched DVD’s, drank great Croatian wine and went to sleep with the windows open, literally lulled by the waves. Very idyllic. There were discos and nightlife for the young hipsters but let’s face it, that’s not for us. We were there at the end of the season, and things were beginning to close. We both preferred this to what must be the chaos of July and August. Since most assumed we were German, Adam is wearing socks with his sandals, but he knows it stops the minute we land on US soil. There were still a handful of scantily clad hotties of both genders for each of us to appreciate. The Crows are very foxy. They are friendly as well, as many speak English. The only thing we didn’t like was the way many of them took cuts in every line. It didn’t matter what you were waiting for, you have to be aggressive to get to the front. There was one guy who cut Adam off in the line for ferry tickets and then talked to the ticket agent for about 25 minutes. We saw him later on the ferry and we mumbled “shithead” as he passes by. He didn’t speak English but it made us feel better.

We took a boat tour of three islands near Dubrovnik. The first, Lopund, has 190 inhabitants and almost as many Catholic churches. As it turns out, back in the day your home property taxes would be waived if you built a church as well. Look for Saint Gretchen’s to hold mass soon in SF. I always light a candle for safe travel when I enter a church, but I’m not sure if it works for a lapsed Catholic slumming with an agnostic. C’est la Vie. The second island, Kolocep, was really great because as part of the tour we went to lunch at the home of our boat’s Captain. Carmello. He served us authentic specialties including grilled fish, walnut liqueur, and wine that he makes himself, mussells, and Dalmatian ham that he smokes on the premises, and home baked bread. We thought it was pretty special although maybe he just got it all at the Croatian CostCo (CroCo?).

After five days we took a six-hour ferry from Dubrovnik to the island of Hvar. Wish we had more time there, Again we ate, imbibed, lounged on the beach and swam in the sea, My friend Liz had given us the low down on Hvar because her Dad was born there. She told us about the best chocolate that we ate every day, about the fields of lavender (not in season), and taught me a list of dirty words, I never actually used them except to Adam, of course. She also told us about an island near Hvar where everyone is inbred and has syphilis, but we ran out of time.

We would love to go back to Croatia as there is so much more to see and it was beautiful and so romantic. On Tuesday we took the overnight ferry from Split to Ancona. We bought a cabin on the ship and surprisingly slept even though the space was beyond cramped. Must be the magic of a bottle of Croatian wine before bed.

Love to all,

Gretchen and Adam

The 1-Liter Beer Mugs

Early in The Evening

A Little Bit Later in The Evening