Ode to: Cinque Terre (Part Deux)

And we continue on with Wanderlust Week with the continuation of my Ode to: Cinque Terre!

My friend Ang and I went on a girls trip there this past summer (along with stops in Pisa and Florence), and we couldn't have been luckier with the weather...

I had the best frutti del mare risotto I've ever had in my life at Gambero Rosso in Vernazza...

Via Roma, (otherwise known as the main street), in Vernazza by sunset. This was late June, and though it was very crowded during the day, once the sun started to go down the day trippers hopped back on their trains and the city became beautifully quiet...

Sunset over the Mediterranean in Vernazza...

The highlight of this trip for me was our final night in Vernazza. Unbeknownest to us the city was having a soccer tournament on the beach for the guys in the town, though it didn't start until almost 10 PM so that everyone who worked in the restaurants could either play or watch. What happens if the ball goes out into the water you ask? Well there was a guy in a row boat (who we later found out was playing in the next game) who would row out to where the ball ended up in the water and throw it back. His services were used quite a bit during the first game. 

It was a Tuesday night, and despite the fact that neither of us spoke Italian, or knew anyone, we totally felt like a bunch of locals...

...these are more happy place moments for me. (Can you tell?) Having a Birra Moretti, on the beach in Vernazza, with one of my best friends,  on a comfortably warm Italian summer night.

Thank you people of Vernazza and all of the Cinque Terre for making our girls trip such a blast and making us feel so at home.  

And again, if you want to help out in rebuilding this beautiful place after the horrendous flash flooding and landslides that happened this October, here's a site specific to helping save vernazza. And here's a site you can go to as well that is specific to Monterosso. If I find out more donation sites for the Cinque Terre I will be sure to post for any of you interested in that sort of thing.

Stay tuned for current pictures of the rebuliding of the Cinque Terre, 3 months post flash flooding and landslides...

A la prochaine friends... 

 

Honey

Ode to: Cinque Terre

Hopefully by now Doc and I are in the car heading towards the Mont Blanc/Monte Bianco tunnel, and subsequently, the Italian border. Since I know the chances of us having internet today and tomorrow in Cinque Terre are slim to none, I figured I'd continue on with this Wanderlust theme a little more with a round up of pictures from my last trip to Cinque Terre this past June. You may remember that I posted a video of the church bells in Vernazza ringing, but I'm pretty sure that was it.

I already know however, that the Cinque Terre is not going to look like the photos from this trip, as they are still coming back from the horrendous flooding and landslides that devasted the UNESCO protected site, especially the towns of Monterosso and my beloved Vernazza. The destruction was so bad that it left many to say that the cities of Monterosso and Vernazza no longer existed.

Well, from the pictures I've seen online, they do in fact exist, and are coming back. It's just going to be a bit of a long road for them.

I already know that it is going to be hard to see the Cinque Terre in such a struggling state, though I think it's important too. It really puts into perspective the power of mother nature, and in return, the power of the human spirit to persevere and survive.

So with that being said, I'm excited to be able to document the current state of the Cinque Terre, as well to bring some tourism back there. Look for an onslaught of pictures of the current state of the Cinque Terre throughout this trip, as we'll be spending tonight in Riomaggiore (apparently somewhat untouched by the flooding), and I'm hoping for an additional day trip to Vernazza and Monterosso while we're in Pisa.

But for now, I just want to revel in what was and will be again. (I'm sure of it.)

{Obviously in my Happy Place.}

I've had so many amazing memories during my two past trips to the Cinque Terre, and I can't wait to make more of them.

Sidenote: For those of you into charitable deeds, here's a link to donate to help rebuild Monterosso! And here's a link to save Vernazza!

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey

Ode to the Suisse Lounge...

Dear Suisse Lounge,

There is much that I will miss with the ending our Star Alliance Gold Membership Status at the end of this year, but it is you I will miss the most. Three free bags at 70 lbs each and priority boarding is nice, but the serentiy of your lounge can never be beaten on transatlantic flights. I've never had better oatmeal and yogurt than yours. Maybe one day we'll meet again.

A la prochain Suisse Lounge,

Honey

PS - I bet Silver membership won't be able to hold a candle to your glittery goldness...maybe you can work on them a bit from your end. Merci.

Ode to Lou's...

...Lou Malnati's that is. I never knew thick crust pizza until ye, dear Lou Malnati's. You were my ascent into Chicago style pizza and my favorite of the bunch. Oh Lou's, how we will miss your spicy/vinegary giardenia toppings, thick buttery crust and perfectly roasted tomatoes.

That is the face of a happy man. This very well may have been our last Lou's here in Chicago until we move abroad, and we savoured the hell outta it. Well, maybe tomorrow night for one last slice...or two... :)

Ode to Karyn's Cooked...

Well hello there! I'm just gonna put it out there, I'm feeling a little bummy today. Feeling very under the weather and that always depresses me because there's so many other things I'd rather be doing and exploring than lying in bed with a runny nose, drippy throat, and congested head, especially since we're in the final countdown of our days here in Chicago. I'm hoping that a day in bed full of hot earl grey tea and honey will get me better so I can resume my exploring and errand running tomorrow. Here's is my Thursday late edition of "Ode to..." with my Ode to Karyn's Cooked, an amazing vegan restaurant just off Chicago Ave. on Wells Street, just a few blocks from downtown Michigan Ave.

Look at all this food! All for under $14 with a coffee! (The mac 'n cheese was actually given to me free as a "sample" - how sweet is that?!) There's so many things I love about this place - first of all, it's super clean and super conscious. The staff are very nice and don't rush you out of the restaurant as soon as you've sat down. The desserts look great, though I've never had room left in my belly to try any. I've only ever come for lunch, however it looks like it'd be a really nice place to come to dinner as well. The beer and wine list is also very if not all organic and many of the drinks themselves are brewed/distilled locally. I also love that if I had not known that this was a vegan restaurant before eating the food, I wouldn't be able to tell after eating the food either. The mac 'n cheese tasted super cheesy (despite the lacking of cheese) and the chili was very hearty (despite the lacking of meat). They even offered me coffee to-go for free because "it's cold out there." All in all one of my favorite lunch spots here in the city, especially if you're downtown because a large majority of the food places that I've seen in that area are chains or pricey or both. Overall it was the start to a very lovely day in downtown Chicago! :)

Ode to Star Lounge...

This is our last full week in Chicago, and in honor of this great city I'd like to take the time this week to highlight a few of my favorite spots here in the city. I know I haven't spent as much time here as Dan, however I do have a profound respect and appreciation for this city. I've really enjoyed my time spent here over the last year and a half, both in being a tourist and now a (very) temporary resident. Today I'd like to say a big thank you to Star Lounge, an awesome coffee shop by our place.

I love love love this place. It's kind of been our home base for doing work, scheme-ing, and just relaxing. My favorite drink here is the Mayan Mocha - basically an awesomely made mocha with red pepper flakes in it. The loose teas are great too. Everything, including the pastries, is really fresh. They also know a lot about coffee and are very, very, very passionate about it.
There's a great deck and yard outback for the warmer months...

I sit here now as numerous plans and schemes have evolved in this coffee shop, and I hope will continue to do so at a later date in the future and for the remainder of our time here in Chicago. I can't help but love a place like this that is so good at supporting the local arts and music scene, as well as being so environmentally conscious. If you come to visit this awesome city bypass the Starbucks and try to make a stop in for a Mayan Mocha, or a pastry. It's well worth the search. :) I'll miss you Star Lounge!!!