venice, italy - part 3

on our final day in venice, we were treated to beautiful weather and bright sun, a very welcome change to the drab, overcast grey cloud of the previous two days.

we decided to leave the main island and check out one of the other, smaller islands around the lagoon. we didn't have a lot of time, since we'd be flying out later that evening, so decided to visit the most popular and well known of them - murano.

murano is known for its skilled artisan glass-blowers, crafting intricate and beautiful jewelry as well as home furnishings such as vases and chandeliers. a signature murano touch is rainbow swirls in the glass, composed of many vibrant colours.

we took the vaporetto to the island and strolled up to the main part of the island (the canals meet in a 'T' junction near the centre of the 'island'). small shops lined the streets, and you could still see some larger buildings which once housed glass factories.

venice isn't that big, as you may have gathered from our previous posts, and murano even less so. pretty soon we were at our sole destination for the day, the murano glass museum. it was a fascinating lesson in the finer points of how glass is made and coloured. we were able to see a showcase of some spectacular works of art, including some enormous chandeliers.

we took the vaporetto back to the main island and, after wandering around for a bit, we found a real gem of a restaurant tucked away on a quiet street. the patrons were locals and the menu was all in italian - generally good signs. the food was excellent, including the octopus carpaccio, calamari and fish soup.

when our meal was done, it was a vaporetto and a bus back to the airport. and, with that, we bid arrivederci to venezia.

on meat

the british take their meat seriously. and well they should, especially since a pillar of british social tradition is the sunday roast. it's a big affair and important that everything is done in a proper fashion.

the roast in question can be any meat; since we've been here, we've been treated to beef, chicken, lamb and pork. stuffing is optional, but always a welcome treat. the british, perhaps in a cue taken from the italians (possibly originally taken from the chinese), surprisingly appreciate pork 'crackling', the skin of the pig, which becomes crispy/crunchy when roasted.

then there's gravy. sometimes it takes the form of au jus. other times (the less often, the better), it's made (did we say made? we meant reconstituted...) from gravy granules. but it's always present on the table.

and the trimmings. who could forget the trimmings? we're continually surprised at how the british go all out. it's not just meat and potatoes. of course, the potatoes are usually beautifully done, especially when properly roasted in duck or goose fat (sold quite commonly in little tubs for this express purpose).

but that's not all. a roast would not be complete without parsnips and carrots. now we had never really taken a liking to parsnips. but this was likely because our previous experience had been boiled parsnips, which were quite bland. but when roasted, they have a lovely sweet taste that brings a nice contrast to the rest of the savoury dishes. incidentally, we recently discovered parsnips crisps, which are also quite tasty. cream cauliflower with cheese is another possible addition to the roast lineup and very rich in flavour.

that being said, we're still on the hunt for a good roast that hasn't been cooked by friends. when you do it yourself, you can prepare it exactly the way you want. when you go out, you're leaving too much to chance. our first couple of forays did not go well. in hindsight, that was to be expected, since we were trying the roasts at chain pubs. the good thing (or maybe bad thing) is that london has a lot of pubs (a LOT). gastropubs, which place more emphasis on the quality of food, should deliver a good product, albeit at a price. hopefully we'll be able to find a happy medium (rare).

venice, italy - part 2

the morning of our second day in venice was grey and foggy, but in a way, it added to the mystique of the city. we started our day with another vaporetto ride. this time, we went in the opposite direction, traveling around the back of the main island. we figured it would give us a chance to see more of venice and we'd already been down the grand canal once.

we alighted just a little further down from san marco, at arsenale. arsenale (not to be confused with the north london football club we support) is the site of the historic venetian shipyards. the might of the venetian empire was built on its naval dominance and the arsenale was the engine powering it. we visited the naval history museum and were pleasantly surprised when our rolling venice card scored us a discount - entry only cost 75 cents each.

the museum itself is probably a little off the beaten path, and we were the only ones there until we were about to leave. although it's not very flashy in presentation, its contents are quite impressive. the first room you walk into contains massive cannon barrels from warships of old. you see scale, 3d models of various fortresses. we were pleased to see quite a few models of fortresses from crete, including the one we had visited in rethymnon.

models were the name of the game here and there were lots of model ships. this included ancient ships used by the greeks (basically glorified covered rowboats) to sailing tall ships to modern supertankers, naval destroyers and cruise liners. there were even ships from other cultures, including chinese junks and viking ships. of course, the museum would not be complete without a model of the arsenale shipyards, showing the progression of a ship being built and set to sea. however, the highlights had to be the full-scale venetian wedding barge and the gondola collection, which includes peggy guggenheim's personal gondola.

after we'd seen enough ships (surely for a lifetime), we headed back to the streets of venice. if you wander around enough, you begin to realise that many of the streets (as seen on a map) aren't really streets at all, and are little wider than an alley. some are passages with doors on either end and give you the distinct feeling like you're going down a tunnel. every now and then, a gap appears between the buildings and, voila, you have a throughway. toss in a few dead ends (some end in enclosed squares, others end in a canal), and even with a good map, it's not that hard to get lost. we suppose if you stick to the main streets, then you wouldn't really get lost. but then again, you don't see much traveling that way.

we eventually made our way back to the ponte di rialto, the postcardesque bridge that spans over the grand canal. after a few pictures, we headed across to the western side of the lagoon and the areas of san polo and san croce. running the gauntlet of tourist stalls, we made our way over to the bank with the hope of catching the fish market in action. but it was not to be, as most of the traders had packed up for the day and only a few stragglers were still in the last phases of cleaning their stalls.

to console ourselves, we stopped at a small pub - the ostaria antico polo - for some refreshment. we wanted to try some more cichetti and this ostaria had a fairly good selection from which to choose. we settled on classic venetian choices of baccala mantecato (pureed cod), sarde in saor (marinated sardines), as well as some other tasty snacks whose names we never knew (we simply went up to the bar and pointed "that one"). this time, we washed it down with spritz, which is a typical afternoon aperitif in venice made by mixing soda water, white wine and some form of bitters (sometimes just a lemon peel tossed in).

we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around san polo, passing by the odd open square and more than a few churches. it seemed as if every turn we took, there was a postcard shot waiting for us. venice gets progressively less touristy the further you go from the grand canal, and we noticed that san polo and croce were sleepier parts of towns and many of the people we saw seemed like locals. we tried to find a couple of gelaterias recommended by our guidebook, but unfortunately, they were closed. we were quite disappointed because the guide did quite a good job marketing them. we made up for it by sampling some italian pastries, including canoli and a fornarina di cioccolato e pistacchio.

for dinner, we crossed back over the grand canal and headed up to cannaregio and the jewish quarter in particular. we settled on a little trattoria by one of the main canals in the area and discovered that we were literally the only ones there (it was probably still too early and most italians were still in the ostaria for an evening, pre-dinner drink). we had a delightful meal that included steamed clams, gnocchi with crab sauce, frittura mista, and canneloni, topped off with some panna cotta for dessert.

after dinner we went to see if we could get tickets to see either an ensemble play a tribute to vivaldi (who was born and raised in venice) or la traviata (verdi, on the other hand, was not from venice). we could get neither, so we took another romantic stroll back to our hotel, stopping briefly to pick up yet another round of gelato before retiring for the evening.

to be continued...

venice, italy - part 1

so many places, so little time. if you've grown up in europe, then you'll have grown up with amazing travel opportunities, with most of the first world a mere stone's throw away. if you're us, then you have to balance a list of where you want to go with where it's not so expensive to go at any given time.

we've had many conversations with friends and colleagues soliciting recommendations. and time after time, the same city kept on popping up near the top of everyone's lists: venice. in hindsight, we realise that we've tended to travel in themes. our first two trips, paris and brussels, were linked by the fact that we traveled by eurostar to both cities. the second theme, then, would be cities built on or around canals, venice following in close succession to our time in amsterdam.

we flew into venice's marco polo airport. upon disembarking, we picked up our rolling venice cards at a kiosk in the arrivals hall. the rolling venice card is available to tourists under 29 and gives you discounts on transit passes and entry into some of the museums and other sights. we used it to get a 72-hour transit pass, which works for the land bus that took us from the airport to the lagoon itself as well as the vaporetto (water bus) system that allows you to get around venice.

venice has a lot of historical and cultural significance, but today, it's basically sustained by the tourism industry and the lagoon itself doesn't really offer much else. most of the industry, apart from some smaller glass-blowing artisans, has moved onto the mainland. despite that, it still is a remarkable city and the second you step off the bus and see the grand canal you get the sense that you're in a place like no other.

after quickly checking into our hotel, we set off on the vaporetto for the san marco area. the vaporetto took us at a leisurely pace down the grand canal itself, taking us past the rialto bridge, ca'rezzonico, the guggenheim collection and finally to san marco itself. we made our way to the piazza di san marco, the famed open square of venice. being late november, we were quite fortunate as there were fewer tourists around and it hadn't yet hit the height of winter, where the square itself sometimes gets partially flooded. the piazza is hemmed in on three sides by continuous buildings accented with columns and even has an astronomical clock.

at the far end of the piazza sits the basilica di san marco. we decided to wander inside for a look and were blown away by the craftsmanship involved. at a glance, the ceilings look painted, albeit a little glittery. upon closer inspection, however, you realise that that the expansive and elaborate murals are actually mosaics made up of tiny tiles gilt in gold and other colours.

we next turned to the adjacent building, the palazzo ducale which is the palace of the doge, the governor of venice. the palazzo contains a seemingly endless array of rooms and the tour path takes you through almost every single one of them. every room was elaborate, as you'd expect a palace to be, with massive, ornate doors and mouldings. highlights included the entrance hall with ancient maps drawn across the wall and two large globes (one of earth, the other of the stars), the meeting hall of the government, the armoury and the dungeons (not recommended for the claustrophobic).

from the palazzo, we basically wandered around the narrow walkways and passages of the san marco district, gradually making our way in the general direction of our hotel. we stopped for some espresso and hot cioccolato. we passed by the theatre and rows of shops, including many that sold elaborate masks. we came to realise that masks - the type that you'd wear to a masquerade ball - were something of a local specialty in venice. they ranged from generic, mass produced versions manufactured for tourists to high end masterpieces, breathtakingly beautiful and intricately crafted. of course, the price tag for the finer ones was also enough to take your breath away.

we stopped again for a little snack of an involtino, basically a rolled up slice of pizza flattened in a panini press. our particular one had artichokes and ham and we washed it down with a glass of prosecco, dry sparkling wine made in the veneto region and a typical afternoon drink for venetians.

the main throughfare took us parallel to the grand canal and we eventually reached the rialto bridge again. by this time, it was already quite dark and some shops were beginning to close for the night. we stopped at a local bar recommended by our guidebook and had a glass of vino bianco and some cichetti, bar snacks that are essentially the venetian version of tapas. at this bar, we were served some polpetti, deep-fried meatballs which were quite tasty. the vibe of the place was great and it was packed with locals catching up with each other. of course, that made it a little difficult to get served, although we finally managed with our broken italian.

we strolled a bit further down the strada nova. although it's probably cliche to some, just knowing you're strolling around venice makes it romantic. and you don't even have to go on a gondola ride to get caught up in the romance. every few blocks or so, you're taken over another tiny bridge and get to glance down a quiet side canal, the sound of the water gently lapping at the edges.

we finally decided to head back to the hotel and found a place to have dinner. although probably a bit of a tourist trap, we were too tired to care, and the daily menu did include some local specialties. we had a fisherman's risotto, spaghetti al nero di seppia - where the sauce is made from the black ink of squid/cuttlefish - and fegato alla veneziana (liver, venetian style). it wasn't the most spectacular meal we've had, but it did the job and allowed us to sample something out of the ordinary. we topped off our evening with a trip to the gelateria and headed back to the hotel to recharge our batteries for our second day in venice.

to be continued...

life in london: 3

3. notes on vocab

the british actually do use 'brilliant' as much as portrayed in the movies. and they actually still use 'chap' and 'bloke' in everyday language. or at least some do. some even still say 'cheerio'.

here are some terms/usages we've only ever heard used since coming here (it may only be because we're linguistically and culturally ignorant). for the record, we haven't listed some of the more typical ones (flat vs. apartment, brolly, wellies, etc.):

naff - tacky, unstylish, uncool
camp - fruity; can also be used to mean 'OTT' (over the top)
knackered/shattered - very tired, exhausted
(get) stuck in - get into, engage, dive in
sorted - taken care of (note the absence of 'out' after)
biro - ballpoint pen
stuffed (up) - screwed (up)
take on board - learn, internalize
wind up - tease, irritate
bespoke - tailored, custom made

minging - gross

gutted - very disappointed

blokey - masculine

chav(vy) - derogatory and un-pc, this is the british version of 'white trash'

fit - apparently means more than 'in good shape' and is used to describe something positive or someone very attractive; interchangeable with 'hot' when used to describe a person

this is clearly not an exhaustive list. as with accents, we tend to mingle with people from a lot of different places, both within and outside of the UK. we'll continue to add to this list as we pick up more slang. feel free to send in your additions!

amsterdam, netherlands - part 2

our second day in amsterdam started off with blue skies and bright sunshine, a very welcome change to the grey drizzle that formed the backdrop for our first day.

we set off for town early and arrived at our first destination: the heineken experience. now, we're not really all that into drinking, but we know other people who have gone before and enjoyed it. besides, it's an iconic, globally recognised brand and, as marketers, we thought it would be interesting to see how well the 'experience' was executed.

the guidebook was a little off in terms of the opening times, so instead of waiting around, we took a quick stroll down to the rijksmuseum. we've hit our limit as far as museums and art galleries go, so unless there is something very compelling or world-renowned, it's quite unlikely that we're going to actually go in any more. which is all well and good because the rijksmuseum was undergoing renovations and only a small wing comprising less than 1/3 of the building was open to the public. the fact that they weren't charging 1/3 of the entrance fee was also a little unpalatable.

by the time we got back to the heineken experience, they were ready to open. located on the site of the original heineken brewery, the heineken experience essentially takes you through the entire history of the company, as well as the process of creating heineken - from the sourcing of the ingredients all the way to the marketing and distribution around the world. given the depth of information on offer, it was little surprise that we spent four hours there. or, at least that's how we'll justify it. highlights include the spaceship-like pods where you can watch heineken tv ads dating back to the early 20th century, the ceiling made out of heineken bottles, and the stables with clydesdales and the delivery wagons that are still used for special occasions. included in the admission fee are three beers - one in a 'tasting session' where a heineken rep talks you through the flavours, and two more in the bar at the end of the tour controlled by toggles on a rubber 'live strong'-style bracelet. we also got the opportunity to pull our own pints (more like half-pints), which was fun.

from there, we walked back to the rijksmuseum for a couple more pictures. we strolled through the park that sits between the rijks and the van gogh museum, which we also walked by (again, we didn't actually go in).

there was a museum that we were interested in seeing, but alas, the nederlands scheepvaartmuseum (maritime museum) was closed for the winter. so we contented ourselves by casually strolling back towards the city centre. we toyed around briefly with the idea of renting some bicycles for the authentic dutch experience, but the clouds started to look threatening again, so we decided to pass.

instead we visited albert heijn, the local supermarket, to pick up some souvenirs for colleagues and friends. isaac had recommended we pick up some stroopwafels, essentially caramel sandwiched between two thin, almost cookie-like waffles. we were glad we listened to him as they were a big hit with all who were lucky enough to nab one before they disappeared.

for our final meal in the netherlands, we wanted to find some authentic local fare and were rewarded with a very pleasant surprise as it was quite hearty (well suited for the rather bleak weather) and tasty. our meal consisted of a toastje (the dutch version of a croque monsieur or a welsh rarebit), hutspot(boiled and mashed potatoes, carrots and onions served with sausage), and erwtensoep (dutch pea and ham soup).

the little pub that drew our patronage also held another surprise - cats! the pub apparently had a resident mother cat and two absolutely adorable, and very playful kittens. one startled us mid-meal as it took a daring jump and proceeded to climb up our legs in an attempt to get at our food. cute at first, it got a little tiresome having to shield our food. but their persistence eventually wore us down and teresa started slipping our newfound friends some ham and sausage. tired from their little adventure (and quite possibly the hearty food), the little guys finally settled down for a nap.

perhaps we didn't see the amsterdam that most people come for. perhaps we didn't see the amsterdam that people conjure in their heads when they imagine it. we probably didn't even see the amsterdam that most tourists come to see, as we opted to skip most of the museums and the vondelpark. but we saw a version that was perhaps off the beaten path. and in this particular case, off the beaten path was probably a lot more wholesome. it was definitely friendly (which our butchery of the dutch language did not deter), quaint and beautiful.

amsterdam, netherlands - part 1

amsterdam's the kind of place that surprises you once you get over its reputation as a liberal city full of druggies and prostitutes and actually see the city. it isn't just all about drugs and sex. at least not the sections we went to.

we took a train in from den haag and checked into our hotel, dropping off our stuff before heading to the city centre. our hotel, the novotel europa, was in the outskirts of the city, far away (a 20 minute tram-ride to be exact) from the sights and sounds of the centre. but the fact that breakfast (and a fabulous buffet one at that!) was included and there was a tram stop just a short 5 min walk away made up for the distance. the hotel and room were very modern in design and well appointed.

we had arranged to meet isaac in front of the anne frank huis, intending to go in for the tour. unfortunately, our detour to the hotel took us longer than anticipated and we were late for our rendezvous. as a result, the queue was ridiculously long, stretching around the house and down a block. we figured it would have been about a 45 min wait to get in. on top of that isaac was nowhere to be seen. in fact, he had gone in without us seeing as we hadn't arrived yet. we finally found him when he came out. we considered going in, but didn't particularly want to wait in line. isaac also told us that, while it was interesting, a lot had been changed to facilitate the museum aspect and we were probably better off just reading the diary to get the experience.

we walked around, soaking in the picturesque canals and bridges and ended up in a magnificent looking building that ended up being a mall called the magna plaza. after a quick look around a department store oddly named 'sissy boy', we set off in search of some lunch. being in the shopping district close to the city centre, it was difficult to find non-touristy places. we ended up in, of all places, a kebab shop. it's only ironic for us, since we live next door to a kebab shop in london.

after lunch we set off for, you guessed it, more walking. we wandered around the narrow alleys, and winding pedestrian walkways, passing by the occasional coffeeshop and catching a whiff of, well, you know, until we ended up at amsterdam's famous floating flower market. it's definitely something cas' mom, or any gardener for that matter, would quite enjoy as the selection was massive. besides, the fact that the stores are floating on the canal is quite novel. of course, getting any seeds or plants back home would pose at least a little challenge. we weren't bothered enough to figure out whether it was more cost effective to buy seeds there and send them back or just buy seeds at home. seeing how we don't have a garden, the point was moo. (as in, it's a cow's opinion. it doesn't matter. although we didn't say that out loud. the way the dutch love their cows, they might have deported us on the spot. yes, we know the correct term is moot.)

we gradually made our way back closer to the city centre (mainly marked by amsterdam centraal train station), coming full circle in our little mini-tour. as it was nearing dusk, we started sizing up dinner options. caspian was a little hungrier, so we stopped by a tiny shop off one of the alleys for a snack of a broodje haring (herring sandwich). the shop was a tiny place consisting of a counter, a fridge and maybe four tables at most that was likely only frequented by locals. the gentleman behind the counter was very cordial and appreciated our modest attempts at speaking dutch.

for dinner, we decided to be completely adventurous and have indonesian food! the guidebook had mentioned that there was a sizable migration of indonesians to the netherlands in the 1940s, so we figured we'd give it a try. we found this great little indonesian restaurant off a side street, much less dodgy than some of the other alleys we passed through. the food was yummy, and satisfied the hunger in our bellies!

however, that being said, after dinner, we still managed to have the desire to seek out a place that sold chips. it's rather hard not to want some when every other person you walk past on the street is holding a cone of chips! the place we ended up getting the chips from was "voted #1 holland's fries", rightfully (or perhaps not) named manneken pis. as you may recall, the manneken pis is a statue that we visited in brussels, belgium...hmmm...makes you wonder what the connection is...

after that, we walked with isaac to the train station so he could head back to den haag. as all the shops had pretty much closed by this point and it was too dark to take any decent photos of the city, we decided to pack it in for the night. after all, a second day in amsterdam awaited us the next day...

to be continued...