A Taste of Italy

We always look forward to visiting Italy.

We appreciate Italy’s friendly people. They strike us as a little warmer and more welcoming than some other nationalities (a ridiculous generalization but there it is).

The country’s history, culture, and architecture are amazing, and then of course there’s the food.

Amiamo la cucina italiana! We love Italian cuisine!

It’s rare but possible to get a bad meal in Italy. We recall with a shudder an overnight ferry trip to Sicily many years ago.

We do much better most of the time, and did far better on our current excursion, with stops in Turin (Torino) and Bergamo, which we learned is pronounced something like Kokomo, and not like banana as we’d been doing.

We don’t drive in Europe these days, but find the trains to be manageable and at times even enjoyable. Off we went, riding the rails from Lyon to Turin, with one transfer at Milan.

We even managed to buy a hot lunch dish at our Italo Treno first class seats that was surprisingly decent (much better than Sicilian ferry food).

We arrived in Turin on time, and checked in at the impressive lobby of the Hilton Torino.

An amusing sidelight: Kathy, a Hilton Lifetime Diamond politely and successfully lobbied to give Tom, a Hilton Gold, and Ellyn access to the Executive Lounge for our two-night stay.

It turned out the lounge is probably the weakest we’ve ever encountered abroad, offering cheap wine and skimpy food. What is it they say about what’s the only thing worse than not getting your heart’s desire?

We enjoyed some sightseeing before our first Italian dinner of the trip.

We remember the elaborate covered sidewalks from a visit here years ago, just before Turin hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics.

In the restaurant we were amused by the antics of fellow diners’ young Bernese Mountain Dog.

This large puppy eagerly greeted the waiter or anyone else who might be bringing him food. So much for the stereotypical restaurant-trained European pet, lying quietly under the table at its owner’s feet.

The food was deliziosa.

While we greatly enjoyed Strasbourg, Lyon, and Turin, the highlight of our trip was our three-night stay in Bergamo, a city about an hour by train from Milan, with a beautiful old town.

The first step was to take a train from Turin to Milan, where we transferred inside the cavernous station to a regional train bound for Bergamo.

As mentioned, Bergamo was the highlight of our land tour, so it deserves its own post.

Arriviederci.

Wandering in Strasbourg, Lyon, and Turin

Do we really wander?

Some would scoff at that descriptor.

After all, we ordinarily plan in detail our destinations, transportation, and accommodation far in advance of the trip.

Our only response is to note that we plan the trip’s framework early, so that we can relax and enjoy ourselves once we’re there.

The older we get, the more we enjoy simply meandering.

Of course, we’re budget-conscious travelers who love to buy first-class European train far in advance, when they’re cheaper than the cost of second-class tickets closer to the departure dare. The same goes for accommodations. Advance planning is therefore a must.

When traveling in a party of four, as we are at the moment, we also find it useful to make restaurant dinner reservations, rather than trusting to luck.

Brian laughed at a boss who favored “planned spontaneity,” but maybe the guy was on to something.

On our first night in Lyon, the city some consider the culinary capital of France, and therefore the world, the question before us was simple.

Where to eat?

After some thought and research, we selected an establishment founded by the late chef Paul Bocuse, an inventor of la nouvelle cuisine and perhaps the single most significant French chef of the twentieth century.

Brasserie Le Nord is part of the late chef’s still flourishing empire, and we looked forward to it with enthusiasm.

It was all the more unfortunate that service lapses marred our dining experience.

The food itself was good overall. We didn’t swoon over it, but we enjoyed it. For example, Brian savored a green salad that included croutons, pancetta, and a soft-boiled egg on top.

Tom appreciated his Soupe à l'oignon, even if, like any self-respecting chef, he considered his own version superior.

Ellyn’s pasta dish was topped with a generous portion of freshly-grated truffles.

Where things went off the rails was when Kathy’s €24 serving of foie gras was delivered, with a dollop of possibly apricot jam on the side.

First, it resembled a foie gras terrine, rather than a pure hunk, but perhaps that’s quibbling.

Second, do you smear the foie gras on the jam, or drizzle the jam on the foie gras?

The answer of course is neither. You spread them both on the “toast bread” advertised on the menu as an accompaniment but not presented.

At the same time, the French macaroni-like dish ordered for everyone to sample, was plopped on the table with no serving spoon and no serving plates. There was no pancetta on it or in it, despite our ordering it.

It took us ten long minutes (really!) to capture an employee’s attention to rectify these lapses. Baguette slices, small plates, and a serving spoon were finally sitting on the table.

There was also delay among us with the arrival of each course.

By then, the magic of the evening had dissipated like air escaping from a French party balloon.

C’est La Vie. We realized we’d had a total of four different employees taking our orders and serving us. The server who took the order didn’t note that the macaroni was for sharing. No employee noticed the foie gras was not accompanied by “toast bread,” whatever that is.

Tom, with decades of experience as a restaurateur, also advised us that the Sunday restaurant crew is often the second string. The all-stars are taking the day off after a busy weekend.

In any event, the good news was that our dining experiences improved as our visit to Lyon continued.

We took an Uber to Lyon’s Les Halles, the city’s major food market hall, feasting our eyes on some world class food porn, as Brian has been known to describe it.

First, a stop for some delicious Cappuccinos, including a Halloween pumpkin on top, so tasty that we promptly ordered a second round.

Now fortified, we commenced to wander Les Halles.

All that gazing whetted our appetites, and we eventually found a little restaurant that would squeeze in all four of us.

Tom and Ellyn ate their fill of oysters. In fairness, they claim there is no such status as “their fill” when it comes to the seagoing sliders!

We two are not partial to the bivalve mollusks, but we found other delicious items to tempt us, such as the above.

After this satisfying stop, we wended our way, again via Uber, to the Fourvière Hill Funicular that would transport us to a hilltop view of Lyon.

We first took a look inside the magnificent Vieux-Lyon - Cathédrale Saint-Jean near the base station.

Once above, we first took in a 19th century church (that’s considered a new one in this part of the world) before enjoying the spectacular view of Lyon.

A final dinner in Lyon - and in France - before another train ride, this one to Torino Italy, Turin as we call it in English.

C'était un bon repas. Good eats!

Onward to Italy!

Alsace Vineyards and Villages

One of the highlights of our 2023 visit to this part of France was a private day tour with Cédric Schuhler, the personable young proprietor of Détour Alsace, specializing in bicycle tours.

No bicycles for us, but it was an easy decision to arrange a tour for all four of us. We enjoyed a bonus. Cédric, with our approval, brought his wife along. Sophie earned a master’s degree in history from the University of Strasbourg and proved to be an informative guide.

Because of the upcoming All Saints’ Day, La Toussaint, childcare was a problem, so they also brought their cute and well-behaved three-year-old daughter. Coraline enjoyed the sticker book we’d picked up for her, and gave our tour the feel of a family outing.

Our first stop was Colmar, where we admired a much photographed view of the River Lauch.

Colmar is one of those places where pointing your camera in any direction results in a scenic photo.

Sophie pointed out the construction dates engraved into the stones of various structures, some dating back into the 1500s. She also mentioned that some medieval buildings were color-coded for the benefit of the largely illiterate citizenry. For example, the iron maker’s foundry was painted red.

We discussed this and other topics over a hearty Alsatian lunch at Restaurant Aux Trois Châteaux in Ribeauvillé, one of Cédric’s favorites.

Coraline enjoyed her kid’s plate, including Le Hot Dog and Les French Fries. We all look satisfied, don’t we?

After that memorable meal, it was time for some touring and tasting.

We drove past this Statue of Liberty replica. It memorializes Colmar as the birthplace of Auguste Bartholdi, Lady Liberty’s sculptor.

We imbibed a refined array of Alsatian whites, along with some Crémant d’Alsace, the sparkling wine that is a worthwhile bargain alternative to Champagne.

We two have been fortunate to visit wine regions in Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the U.S. There’s a special magic about them, and the Alsace is second to none in that regard.

La Famille Schuhler dropped us back at the Strasbourg Hilton after this wonderful days, and we hugged our goodbyes.

We even made it to the Executive Lounge before the end of Happy Hour, and savored another glass or two of Crémant d’Alsace.

Une journée merveilleuse!