Bonjour Paris...

How do I love Paris? let me count the ways... after many visits to this wonderful, warm (apart from some of the cranky waiters) and classy city, I still can't (and why would you want to?) resist it's charms!

soaking up the sunshine...

She's gorgeous, and begs to be wandered about, I could talk about all the regular and wonderful things that Paris has to offer such as the Musee d'Orsay (closed due to a strike) Sainte Chappelle (closed for security) The Louvre (I don't do queues) the Eiffel Tower (I don't do queues)...but instead I will share some extra beautiful things that come from just immersing yourself in "being here"

a cheery little band!

This is made so much easier by delightful friends such as Annette, Leigh and Little Eli leaving you ensconced in their beautiful apartment in the 6th whilst they whip off to Italy, Merci my darlings!

A Sunday morning stroll
down Rue du Bac, a pain au chocolat
from one of the most exquisite 

Sunday morning...

bakeries I've ever seen..

then, how about a little Renoir, Monet or Cezanne at the smaller (and open:0) Musee Oragngerie before a wine and cheese tasting at a very convivial (and super cool) wine bar O'Chateau...

A little Renoir to begin the day!

Not before a wander over a bridge that is covered in locks with names 
of couples declaring their undying love! It is fantastic!

Love under Lock and key!

I must be honest and share that it wasn't all highbrow "culture" 
After the said wine and cheese tasting (I'm quite sure I consumed my own bodyweight in cheese, and goodness gracious it was c'est bonne!!!!!) 
I had "bonded" with a great couple
from the UK Rachael and Chris, 

whoops!

after two or so hours of sniffing swirling      
and tasting fabulous French vino's, 
we wandered out into the crisp fresh 
Parisian day and Chris said "I think we need a pub" :0) too right! 
which is how at some impossibly late hour that night, after searching for (and finding) a jazz club (and then not going in because we were chatting too much) we found ourselves in a cab heading home from a fantastic area (who knows where?!) of Paris, quite possibly feeling a little like that lovely sculpture...  

I have, thus far (ok! apart from "the" boots in Milan) resisted quite successfully the temptations of gratuitous shopping, but here temptation lies in every shop window...it is incredible, every ten steps you feel as though you could reinvent your look "just like the display" not only that, you just know it would make your life if not complete, just SO much better!

Did I fall in love?????

                                                        
There appears to really be very little that the French don't do better style wise, be it fashion, bread, pastries, cheese, shop displays i.e. choosing free range eggs by "egg" and putting them into the carton yourself, the coats the scarves the gloves (yes I bought them all here, actually not the eggs!) although their coffee is a bit crappy, as to the flirting, all I can say is "resistance is useless"... :0)

                                               

Ok one for the traditionalists!

                                 Merci! and thank you for sharing! xxx

Bologna...burly blokes and bolognese...

Bologna Burly bloke #1 Neptune...

What a complete and utter delight was Bologna, basically I arrived here on a whim (it was raining in Venice) Bologna was on the "train line", pretty close, and looked easy, ticked all my boxes!

Burly bloke #2

As luck would have it, clear crisp blue sky's and much to be seen.

Bologna is known as the City of the Learned the Fat and the Red...

I love this because its absolutely correct, the Oldest University in the Western world, the red washed  terracotta colourings of their buildings and arcades, some of the longest in the world (and possibly some Communist leanings at some point) and the Fat for is agricultural wealth and of course it's wonderful FOOD and wine!

Like all of Europe it has a huge history that is laden with tales of trials and tribulations, they really were a bit "fighty" over here , this City was quite a lot about the Guelphs and the Ghibellines (personally I think they were just fighting about their silly names)  

Also, Galluzzis and the Carbonesis families, this is a bit of a sad one that would rival Romeo and Juliet from the nearby town of Verona, google that along with twin towers it's too sad to tell here... 

Rolling NOT folding, Italy Not Sweden...

 I joined in a wonderful days cooking course, this is the home of tortelloni, tortellini and tagliatelle NOT spaghetti, spaghetti does not LIVE HERE! quote/ unquote the beautiful Luciana who is the doppelgänger for Louise Hay...

I did this class because I am (as Im sure we all are) after the perfect "ragu" recipe, what better place to learn than in this gorgeous surprise of a city and in someone's home no less! 

Bolognese does live here, in fact it was invented here! 

It was sensational! 30 month aged parmesean and balsamic (as opposed to the pffft! piddling 24month) cow ricotta compared to sheep ricotta,  could you taste the difference? OH MY! yes indeed... same with the Prouisiutto, frankly I am (or my budget is) ruined for life...there is no going back when you have experienced pig, sheep and cow products like that!

Made...from SCRATCH!

We mixed and rolled (and rolled and rolled) for what seemed like forever, and the result was the most delicious warm and soulful meal I have had in a very long time all washed down by reserve vino and home made Limoncello (whooosh! dangerous stuff!) thank you to my wonderful fellow students and host's, frankly breaking bread is right up there in my favourite life experiences!

Dear Bologna, thank you for being such a delicious surprise and thank you for the wonderful cab driver Luca that insisted he was not happy (neither was I) with the Hotel (location) that I had chosen and drove me to about another half a dozen whilst I ran in, checked the rooms asked all the important questions and would not take a Euro more than the meter said (next to nothing) because he wanted me to have a lovely visit...once again, the kindness of strangers...lucky me :0)

There were some skinny chicks there too!

                                              Off to Paris next!

                                 As always, thank you for sharing xxx

Gondola country...

There is not a lot more  to say about Venice except that it is indeed absolutely gorgeous!
Yes, it's filled with gondolas "driven" by very spunky gondolier's, who seem in the main part to be very perky and (at a price) will even sing with great gusto to you! and for just a wee bit more you can have a piano accordion player as well!

Delivery!!!

I didn't feel the need to try this out personally, however what a smile it puts on your face, you just can't help but love it! 

I came to Venice because in part, I have always loved the Monty Python "more F***king Gondolas" sketch, and frankly that to me is a good enough reason as any! :0)

Everything happens on the water here, it's quite incredible, it's also the most beautiful place to get lost in, you kind of know that you're on an Island so you can't get in too much trouble, but the divine crazy little streets and bridges are fantastic!

I also have to say it was stacks more fun than the main areas that had, I swear a gazillion tourists! To see them coming over those bridges was enough to make you turn the other way and run!
Once again, it's fascinating to visit these amazing places and then to realise (when you see someone rushing along with a hand full of mail) that people actually live there too! It must drive them bananas, having their home town filled with people who can't even say hello, those people deserve the menus with pictures and the food that goes with it...


 The Venice Biennale was in full swing, with exhibitions set up in beautiful buildings all throughout the City, I have always been quite interested in this concept of the most "cutting edge" artists being shown like this, so I was pretty excited to pop my head into an exhibition...well, hmmm gotta say, actually let me just share this...Yuko Sakuari of Japan... 
     Sakuari addresses travelling as an existential experience of time and space...

I didn't really get it either...

                          
I much preferred the robust realism of Rene Rietmeyer of the Netherlands...
       "ultimately, my work is nothing more than proof of my existence"

 

Good job Rene, you exist!

I wandered off and found the Guggenheim, now this was something to be impressed with, Peggy the Heiress who found herself with "time on her hands" after she parked her children in boarding school. 
What an amazing legacy she left us with, and thanks in no small part to good old Henri Moore who said if you're going to collect art buy from Artists who are alive not dead!

Peggy in her life time outlived 14 small pet dogs had a big fat palazzo and gondola in Venice, wonderful digs and galleries in New York and shamelessly supported and shagged many up and coming artists, all this with hairy legs, a very "important" nose and comfortable shoes...Quite frankly Peggy, I raise my glass to you!

Grey sky's, not by Murano!

So thank you Venice, where I ate sardines "Venetian Style" met a fabulous family from New Zealand and a gorgeous girl from Perth and had two brilliant "new friends" experiences, and thank you for the gorgeous "special place" in the world that you are and that we all should see if we get the opportunity!


Bummer that you rained on my last day though, which made me take a water taxi that cost as much as a Gondola ride (I'm sure including at least a song!)...because I couldn't wait to "get going" Venice is a place of water, but not when it comes from the sky!

Thanks for sharing xxx

When the moon hits your eye...

Milan is a gorgeous city, easy to find your way around and the undisputed capital of fashion and fabulous shopping...(ask me about my boots!) it is also the home to the most breathtaking historical monument I've have seen to date...The Milan Cathedral or Duomo. I jumped on the metro (as one does now) thinking with a bit of a ho-humm attitude, yeah yeah another Gothic site, goodness me, it was bit like "ohhhhhhhhh you mean THAT Duomo" no words really just good old fashioned respect and admiration...actually INCREDIBLE may come close.

Get rid of the pigeons and it would be PERFECT!

I was in Milan to visit the lovely Italiano Bombshell Sara whom I met in San Sebastian, whilst studying (pffft...studying used lightly:0)

Sara showed me "her town" with such gorgeous Italian aplomb, and on the back of a scooter no less, what a fantastic feeling, even the bit where I was sitting quite casually and thinking, how close the traffic is to each other as we then proceeded to squeeze between a big red bus and 67 cars...I spent a lot of time breathing in!

How thin I should have been for scooter riding

The food was fabulous, we visited a gorgeous traditional Mialnese restaurant in a quite "rural area", where I had the most beautiful risotto and the loveliest gentle flavoured basil with my cutlet the size of a horse, we went to "by the river arty areas" for fantastic pizza and to a very sexy little bar that was heaving with beautiful bite sized deliciousness, now here though is my conundrum...when do you say Italy "stop giving stuff away!"...

And ruin...

                                                                   

Meet Rack...

I believe I have worked out the reason for the financial crisis Italy finds itself in, take a look at these two gorgeous platters that I (yup just little old me) received gratis with my 6Euro glass of vino...a meal... and this happened time and time again...

This however was my favourite meal of all time, Fasouli with mussels (and I paid for it! Di-VINE!!!!!

Scrumptious!

 

 

This has been a bit foodie based, so I will throw in some Fashion and some fun... Oh but I must mention Maurizio, whom I met at the neighbourhood bar near the Laundromat, who insisted on sharing his home made sausage with me, I have no idea what "beast" it came from, but the subtle caraway and aniseed flavours just simply made me ignore the bit kind of large chunks of "fatty bits", cheers for the vino too!

A spot of loveliness

A spot of spottiness

The Welcoming Committee, beautiful people!

                                                                  

Spot of adventure....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I heart you Milano and I extra HEART you Sara, thank you for your beautiful hospitality and the wonderful memories made!!!!

     
                            Thank you for sharing xxx

Zurich...ticking along beautifully...

I think this is a beautiful photo, imagine how Louis would feel today...

Zurich...after the hustle and bustle of Greece and Turkey, wow what a difference a flight makes! This city is sexy in a kind of clock worky way, everything from the service to even the sounds of the many (many) trams, efficient not overbearing but making you feel secure that everything is as it should be, you have got to love a town that gives you seats with swanky furry covers and the option for a lap rug when you sit down for a vino.

It's a city of many historical Louis's, LOTS of clocks! and the Bismark Baguette..Pickled herring, polski gherkin and sliced boiled egg...

Hrrrrrr! yes baby!

This was the city that I decided to "up the ante" of solo travel and rather than do my usual grab a cab to the hotel, I thought I would give the local rail system from the airport a red hot blast.. I could have ended up anywhere in Europe, (well at least Germany or Italy) that day, but I had time on my side so, I kind of had a "wander" and a "play" on the ticket machine, a "wander" and a play on the platform, boarded a train with clenched teeth (mine not the trains) and BINGO! I got it right...Happy days! Achievement ratio V high, $ value (or CHF) rewards/spendings points... one Dior Lipstick...#991 actually, fabulous!

                                                                                                        

Marc Chagall 1/5

On one of my first wanders I came across the

The Fraumunster Abbey, Built by King Ludwig the II, it was a Benedictine Convent for female members of the Aristocracy....I kind of lost the thread a little there, why on earth if you were a member of the "Aristocracy" would you EVER want to go to a CONVENT?... interesting space, very austere compared to the gold/silver and general lavishness of recent places I've visited, however a stunning set of stained glass windows from Marc Chagall...once again the Swiss, understated but Oh so classy...

With a little more "time on my hands"  I visited the National Museum, in general am frankly not much of a Museum girl, however on discovering a special exhibition of Horological Art (yes you guessed it Clock making!) it seemed churlish to not have a look...so...Louis -Abraham Breguet (yes the name in the main photo that was taken this afternoon on the poshest street in Zurich) is the most renowned watchmaker of all time, a major claim to fame was that he first invented the "perpetual" watch that did not need manual rewinding....

                                                                                                 

The first people he supplied these to were King Louis XVI AND Marie Antoinette, can you just imagine her keeping her watch going with the "let them eat cake" wrist action, I had to stop myself from laughing out loud!  If you can believe it, there was an alternative exhibition at another Gallery showing the skills of Louis-François Cartier...these guys takes their Louis's and there watches VERY seriously indeed.

A couple of other Swiss points...they are the airline that has the tag line of "We're more disappointed when we're late than you are..." my flight was late, poor loves...hope they're ok...

I can't resist luscious blooms!

It is a City that I learnt not to be too "cocky" with the foreign, language but seriously...

Kabien Hieren=lift has arrived, right, so...

Bathroom scenario...Herren, what would you do? Hmmmm, sorry broad shouldered  businessman type, yup I should have gone the Damen....

Must be said they're a bit "skimpy"on the pour sizes of their beverages....

Not quite the wild and reckless

Swiss do swans not seagulls OR pigeon

generosity of the vino's and G&T's I'm used to, having said that though this is the first country I've visited (Turkey excepted) that is not in financial meltdown...Oh, I hope it's not my fault...

A local burly bloke sorry he's a little grainy!

I've enjoyed some lovely food, no, I didn't eat a Bismark baguette, however I couldn't resist a Swiss sausage in a bun with sauerkraut and spicy mustard, some roasted chestnuts from a street vendor, a rather delish Lobster Bisque and a very nice little hand made pasta with olive oil, chilli and parmesan. This interestingly from a restaurant with wines supplied by the Antinori family of Florence, I met the ex-wife and and heir apparent, many years ago on a train from Paris to Florence on their way to an access visit, she was as mad as a cut snake but that child probably made the wine I had with my lunch, you just never know! 


I loved Zurich on so many levels, efficient friendly and with great great service, easy to get around and as you can see below, not THAT buttoned down...  

who can resit a naughty sign, my nephews will love it!

More moonset than sunset here....

even their telephone booths are lovely, they play soothing music until you pick up the hand piece...

                                      Thank you for sharing xxx