May 2012
14 posts
1 tag
Torino
4 tags
Chamois
No, I’m not in Switzerland! Nor are those my cigarettes or chips (the cappuccino is mine, though). Ivan, Maria, Agata and I are in Chamois, a very French region of northern Italy.
We needed to take a cable car to reach this ski town in the mountains.
Slate roofs.
Rooster.
We had the entire town to ourselves!
3 tags
Fénis Castle
“Despite its impressive defensive structure, the castle is situated at the top of a small knoll and not a promontory or another inaccessible and easily defensible place. In fact it was not built for military purposes, but to serve as a prestigious residence for the Challant family. The castle belonged to the lords of Challant until 1716, when Georges François of Challant had to sell it to...
3 tags
Piazza San Carlo
Concert in Piazza San Carlo in honor of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, assassinated twenty years ago.
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Chiesa Evangelica Valdese
We were tricked into going to church, lured by the promise of gospel music that was not sung.
At least we discovered old-timey Cafe Lumiere nearby. Best pastries ever!
1 tag
Piazza Solferino
Paola and Maria.
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Daily Market
It’s so wonderfully affordable to purchase fresh produce in Europe!! I love buying vegetables here and stir-frying them to serve with couscous.
5 tags
Lunch at Gran's
I had hoped to lose several pounds before Saint-Tropez, but lately I’ve been fed like a goose being fattened for foie gras. As a friend recently said, “We all have our crosses to bear.”
3 tags
Running
Even though I’m now fluent in Italian, I still find myself in situations in which I don’t know what’s going on. Yesterday, I went jogging then stopped by Francesca’s grandma’s because we had plans to go to the market. She looked panicked upon seeing me and sent me to her room. So I’m sitting on her bed in the dark by myself wondering what the heck is going on....
3 tags
Back in Torino
I have more to say about my trip to Berlin, but first: a brief update on the hell I’m doing and where I am. After Germany, I flew back to Torino with the intention of studying Italian and exploring the city. I spent exactly one night living with a crazy artist in the apartment above. I have a knack for finding the sketchiest places in which to live and my tolerance for dodgy bullshit is...
Report: Renouncing Citizenship Could Save... →
I don’t fault Eduardo Saverin at all for doing this. Our tax system on expats is absurd and has gotten even worse this year. If you’re living in the US, of course you need to pay taxes. However, if you’re living, working and paying taxes in Singapore—or England, say—you shouldn’t have to also pay US taxes in the same year. As far as I know, the US is the only...
1 tag
What I Thought Berlin Would Look Like
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What Berlin Looks Like
Great store in our Friedrichshain neighborhood where you can purchase handmade stulpen, sort of like fingerless gloves but less glove-y. Very cool.
What’s going on here? I thought this was a cafe or someone’s home, but it’s a shop (with no name or information about it outside, of course).
2 tags
Berlin
The delightful little place I’m calling home for the next week. Elke’s friend is traveling through Vietnam and offered up her flat to us. While here, Elke is taking a course on paper for art conservationists and I’m spending my days on walking tours.
April 2012
4 posts
2 tags
Torino
Piazza Vittorio.
Aperitivo at Cafe Accorsi Palace. We’re drinking Arneis, a local white wine.
Plate 1
Plate 2
Cafe des Arts. Francesca’s brother is the drummer in this band.
Waiting at Gatwick
Hanging out at Cafe Nero before my flight. Really I just want to test out my new iPhone’s blogging feature. I don’t really know what I’m doing but you could soon be treated to lots of pics of me aimlessly waiting around!
2 tags
Torino! (Turin)
Today I return to Torino (aka Turin)! I can’t believe I’ve never blogged about my favourite Italian city. In November, I visited Francesca’s hometown with her and loved it, despite it pouring so hard the city flooded (the same storms that devastated Cinque Terre). Torino exemplifies a city that actually benefited from hosting the Olympics, which in 2006 aided Torino’s...
March 2012
3 posts
1 tag
Battersea Mess and Music Hall
I won tickets to a concert at Battersea Mess and Music Hall, a great (huge!) pub in Clapham Junction. My friends and I arrived early and had dinner before the show. O. Chapman (above) was my favorite performer of the night—and he’s only 19! The kid is going places.
2 tags
All New People
Thursday night, my friends and I saw the play All New People, a dark comedy by Zach Braff (of Scrubs and Garden State fame). It’s a dark comedy about a suicidal man (portrayed by Braff in London) who is saved by a bunch of misfits. I knew nothing about it going in, and later read mixed reviews, but my friends and I loved it. I can’t remember the last time a play made me laugh so much...
1 tag
Norway
Norway ranks #1 in every ‘Best Place to Live’ list and now I know why. What a magical little utopia they have going on there! When Norway discovered oil and gas in the ’60s, they used that money to help the people (the only country I can think of that’s avoided the ‘resource curse.’) Everyone is treated equally and poverty doesn’t exist. Everyone has a...
October 2011
4 posts
3 tags
Vienna
Gardens at Schonbrunn Palace. I did not know much about the Habsburg dynasty before our trip, so I was fascinated to learn more during our excellent guided tour of the family’s summer palace, designed by Maria Theresa, the empire’s only female ruler and the mother of Marie Antoinette and 16 other children. Maria held various titles, including Queen of Bohemia, which has to be the...
4 tags
Cambridge
I took the train up to Cambridge for a little business trip on Tuesday. My train actually got cancelled and I worried I might not make my meeting on time. I hopped in a cab and a little while later the cabbie said, “We’ve got plenty of time, so I’m taking you on the scenic route.” I’m not sure where he got the idea that I had time to kill as he was driving me to an...
1 tag
Kobe
While in Reggio, I learned that NBA star Kobe Bryant had visited only a week or so before. Turns out he grew up in Reggio Emilia because his father played basketball in Italy. Reggio: Kobe and Sarah were here!
4 tags
Return to Reggio!
I jaunted off for a weekend in Reggio and had such a great time visiting my friends (Aleksandra, me, Elena, Annalisa, Elena M.). Friday night began with aperitivo at Cafe Europa and then dinner here at Casseruola.
Followed by more drinks.
As I usually get around by public transport, I frequently got carsick on this trip. We had to make an emergency stop at the McCafe so I could get ahold...
August 2011
6 posts
1 tag
Best of
My homage to the best travel partner ever. Shoreditch (I think).
Blackheath.
Sally Lunn’s.
Roman Baths.
Greenwich.
Camden Town.
Taking Precautions in Greenwich
There are 16,000 police officers on the streets of London tonight and while we still hear sirens and helicopters, things seemed under control as I was walking home from work. Hopefully they’ll stay that way! My mom didn’t want to risk going out tonight, but I insisted on at least getting takeout—I wanted chimichangas damn it! Actually, I wanted Indian food, but the place I planned on going to...
2 tags
BBC News - London riots →
My mom is in town and I have so many wonderful stories to share of our England and Parisian adventures. However, we’ve been too preoccupied with the London Riots of 2011 to upload any photos. There have been fires and fights in my neighborhood, but as of this writing we are safe. Thank you to the Lewisham police for getting things under control (in other areas of the city the police have...
4 tags
Montmartre
This is Saint Denis, France’s first bishop. He supposedly had his head chopped off for preaching the gospel. No matter. He allegedly picked up his head and walked it up the mountain, giving Montmartre its name (mon=mountain, martre=martyr).
It used to cost 50p to go to the Moulin Rouge and the girls in the vaudeville act were totally nude (Nicole Kidman looked way too classy in the movie). Now...
3 tags
Paris
We stayed at Hotel Dauphine, right in the heart of Paris. As soon as we arrived, I met up my Venezuelan friend Alexandra (whom I know from Rome). We had a great time catching up at Café Latin (after drinking overpriced, overly sugary cocktails at another place).
Observe the ominous clouds—it looks like we’re in England! On Saturday, we went on a great walking tour, where we saw...
3 tags
Bath
We did an overnight in Bath, where the town offers free walking tours every day. We saw the Abbey and the Royal Crescent and learned some history about this ancient town, which was most fashionable in the winter season of the Georgian and Victorian ages. At dawn, rich people would be carried to the baths in sedan chairs to ‘take the waters’ then just hang out all day eating before going out at...
July 2011
13 posts
3 tags
Italian Picnic
The only requirement at this Italian gathering in Regent’s Park was that the beverages (wine) had to come from Italy. Not sure why my friend is triumphantly shaking my hand in this photo, but we’re excited about something.
2 tags
High Tea at the Soho Hotel
When Elena came to town we met at the Soho Hotel for high tea, one of my favorite British activities (I drank a lot of tea before Italy turned me into an expert little espresso maker). The sandwiches they served us were so-so, but the desserts—my god, the desserts. Best scone of my life. Make that scones. We couldn’t even finish it all. I know this is not proper, but I slipped one of...
2 tags
Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum & Mason is this uber-fancy shop that sells all sorts of teas and related treats. Now that I have a paycheck again, I might go back and buy that ridiculously overpriced biscuit tin that’s making me grin a little too mischievously. I have no interest in said biscuits, but I am obsessed with that turquoise tin. One could put receipts in there, or spare change. Or biscuits I bake...
7 tags
Mom's trip
We visited Spitalfields and Camden markets, where for lunch we shared a falafel wrap so big we had to cancel our dinner reservations in Notting Hill. But then we went for a walk through Greenwich and ended up eating at Bianco, an Italian restaurant where all the servers are Italian and most of the diners are, too. We shared gnocchi and pizza, which was delicious. I know Italians drink beer with...
3 tags
Wine bar 28-50
Nice little spread at 28-50. They offer workshops here, but as far as I can tell, that just means drinking.
3 tags
The Railway
We are the dorks who will order port at the pub. Actually, I ordered port (because they didn’t have sherry) and Elke was a sport and joined me. Yes I’m 90. We’re at The Railway in Blackheath, the village right next to mine. Super cute neighborhood that I run through to get to Greenwich Park.
Sunset in Blackheath.
1 tag
Salt of Life
Last week the Italian language club I belong to went to see Salt of Life (Gianni e Le Donne—not a direct translation of the title at all) at Curzon (near Market Tavern, where we went to drink after). I liked the film, but I loved the star/director, who was in the audience for the London premier. The movie is about men getting old in Italy and how they are in complete denial of the aging...
2 tags
Veganpeasant
On Saturday, I found myself at a stranger’s house for a mysterious vegan dinner hosted by Veganpeasant. These things can often be sketch—one doesn’t know the menu or who’s coming until the event—so I was very happy to find myself among a group of fun, sane people. Good wine, good conversation, good food, good night.
3 tags
Windsor Castle, Pizza East
On Friday, my friend Yupeng and I went to Windsor Castle, one of our favorite pubs, to celebrate my new job (more on this later). Supposedly Thomas Paine is buried in the basement, though this idea actually weirds me out and is not one of the reasons I like this place. Why I do like it:
“Inside it is creaking wooden wonderland, full of cosy alcoves, wooden settles and panelling, and...
Pakistan Bids To Change The Minds Of Swat Radicals... →
The most heartening story I’ve heard in awhile. I remember reading about them burning schools and forbidding girls an education.
4 tags
Mediterraneans Abandon Their Famous Diet : NPR →
I would add that in addition to being “cool,” the American diet is often quick. Nonna isn’t cooking all day in the kitchen anymore—women go to work and often don’t have time to cook lavish meals. Having said that, none of my Italian friends have poor diets or are overweight. The dietary situation in Italy has become just like the States, where some people are very...
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And Speaking of Italian Cooking...
When you live in a city, there is nothing better than having a friend within walking distance (I miss you, Annie!). Thankfully, Francesca and I have each other and often get together to cook on Sunday night. Well, Ismail usually cooks. He made the stuffed mushrooms and eggplant rollups you see above, or, I should say, aubergine rollups.
Several Italians I’ve cooked for have commented...
6 tags
July 4
My friend’s and I celebrated July 4 picnicking in Trafalgar Square. The Royal Opera beamed Madama Butterfly onto a large screen for free (they were performing live in front of a paying audience at their theatre). The show made me a little nostalgic for Brooklyn, where the performers would have actually come to the park. However, we were permitted to drink wine out in the open instead of...
June 2011
4 posts
1 tag
London by Belle
My friend Belle took these photos. She has much better photo skills than I do.
2 tags
Around Town
“The scars that disfigure the pedestal of the obelisk, the bases of the sphinxes and the right hand of the sphinx were caused by fragments of a bomb dropped in the roadway close to his spot in the first raid on London by German airplanes a few minutes before midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 1917.”
Lightning Strikes the Empire State. My roommate’s—flatmate’s,...
4 tags
Polish Mexican
Spotted in Mayfair: a Polish-Mexican Bistro. What?! Though I’m 50 percent Polish, I’ve never been that into Polish food aside from perogies (no one could top my grandmother’s). However, how can I not try this? I definitely need to go back there to sample the madness.
7 tags
I'm a Unicorn Bird Fish
As in New York, and many big cities, I suppose, a number of London museums stay open late on Friday and offer alcohol and fun activities for grown-ups. The other night, Belle and I went to the Victoria & Albert museum, where they were having all sorts of fashion-related workshops. In one, we waited in line for them to turn us into avant-guard paper dolls. My designer didn’t know what...
May 2011
5 posts
“For years the & symbol was the 27th letter of the alphabet.”
– Sorry letter z! Learn why z was removed from the alphabet, and what now-extinct letter used to be No. 27 | The Hot Word | Hot & Trending Words Daily Blog at Dictionary.com
“Worst Atrocity in Europe Since World War II”
– Mladic Arrest Removes ‘Stain’ From Serbia : NPR