products i love: marks and spencer scottish shortbread petticoat tails

My friend Daryl works for the British government here in LA and had to travel to London back in September for work. He was taking requests for souvenirs so I told him to try and find me something from the London Summer Olympics. 

When he returned, he brought me two cute collectible pins featuring the Games' mascots Wenlock and Mandeville. That would have been enough. But then he handed me a shopping bag containing what has turned into two months of streched-out, carefully-rationed edible heaven.

This is the totally adorable Marks and Spencer London Olympics souvenir biscuit tin that was inside the bag...

And these are the amazingly wonderful Scottish shortbread petticoat tails that were stacked inside of it...

I'd never had "petticoat tails" before, but upon one taste, they became my favorite cookie in the world. 

They remind me of a thinner (and therefore better for you, right? ;) version of the old Girl Scout Shortbread cookies they had back when I was a Brownie. (These weren't just a plain "Trefoil" shortbread cookie like they sell now. These were the amazing, now-discontinued "Scot-Teas" that had sprinkled sugar on top, which I used to lick off before devouring the remaining cookie. ;)

These petticoat tails also have a light sprinkling of sugar on top. And taste oh-so-delicious with hot tea. The tin had about 10 of the cookie sheets (pictured above) inside of it, which can be broken up into six individual wafers, which I've been seriously rationing since October because when they are all gone, I'm going to be very, very sad. 

Of course, thanks to the internet I could order more (although the cute collectible tin is now only available on eBay). But that just wouldn't seem as special. 

So from now on, if anyone is going to London, you now know what you can get me as a special treat. My sweet tooth and I will love you forever :)

the joys of shredding

No, I'm not talking about skating or snowboarding. I'm talking about taking piles of paper and running them through a powerful cross-cut paper shredder so crooks don't steal your identity or financial records.

While a chore to some, I LOVE shredding stuff! And yes, I freely admit that I have a slight case of OCD. However, based on recent finds of not-so-recent paperwork in my home office files ("Why hello tax returns from 1993"), I don't shred nearly enough. But now that I'm sort of caught up, I'm going to be much more diligent about my shredding because...

a) ... it is super-fun to watch piles of paper turn into confetti.

b) ... it's also fun to take a cheap trip down memory lane and discover fun facts. For example, during this last shred-athon, I found my driver's license road test scoring sheet from when I was 17 (where I was marked down for driving too slow -- ha!) and figured out, based on the previously-mentioned tax returns from 1993, that I spent as much on my recent trip to Italy as I made during all of 1993 at my editorial internship at the now-defunct Disney Adventures magazine. I will let you decide whether that means Disney Adventures paid their interns well or I am a very frugal traveler ;)

c) ... I will never run out of paper clips as long as I keep shredding. Here's the colorful paperclip collection I reclaimed during my last shred-fest.

d) ... it gives me a great sense of accomplishment to turn a few piles of paper into three giant bags for the recycling bin :)

things i love: afternoon tea in pasadena

I don't like coffee. In fact, I hate it. So I drink a lot of tea instead. Normally I've got my Starbucks Chai tea latte with me on-the-go. And at home, I brew Twinings English Breakfast or Stash Double Spice Chai.

But every so often, a girl just needs a fancy afternoon out with friends and finger sandwiches (not to mention scones with strawberries and clotted cream!). And one of my favorite places to go for such fancy afternoons is Pasadena, home to three establishments offering great, yet distinctly different afternoon teas.

This past week, one of my oldest, dearest friends came to visit from Portland with her 7-going-on-30-year-old daughter, who I adore. So we decided to go out for ladies afternoon tea at Pasadena's Chado Tea Room, which is located in Old Town. (So not only can you have tea, but you can go shopping afterwards at fabulous places like two of my fave stores -- Pottery Barn and The Container Store -- that are only a block away, and decked out for the holidays :)

Chado is one of the first places I ever had afternoon tea and it's a great starter place for people who fear a tea experience that's too fancy -- like those with young daughters.... or guys. (My mom and I have taken my dad here and he survived!) Part of the reason it's great is it offers things on the menu other than the traditional afternoon tea. Chado also doesn't bring your tea in delicate china teacups. In fact, Chado specializes in tea leaves. They have a whole wall of canisters packed with loose leaf tea, blooming teas and their own special blends. It is essentially the equivalent of a great, non-commercialized coffee house, but with tea. And when you order the "afternoon tea" you receive a 10+ page tea menu to peruse and order your individual pot of tea from.

I always get a black tea, since that's my fave. This week, I chose "Reena's Chai," which comes steeped with milk and sugar. It wasn't the best tea I've ever had there, but it was good. As for the food, it was delish! Each person gets four finger sandwiches -- a great open-faced smoked salmon, chicken with cranberry sauce, egg, and a watercress and goat cheese.

Then there are the scones... I love scones! I shouldn't but I do. They come with strawberries and cream. How could I not?

And finally, cookies and cake. All super yummy deliciousness! And only $18 a person, which is pretty cheap for a dining experience that lasts 1-2 hours and stuffs you before you're finished.

Another historic Pasadena place for afternoon tea is the Tiffin inside The Langham Hotel, which used to be The Huntington... which used to be The Ritz Carlton, and is still a tea-time fave of the famous Red Hat Society, who I actually saw here once for tea about 10 years ago, back when it was the Ritz. 

Being a fancy hotel, the afternoon tea here is more fancy than Chado's. So three of my friends who love fancy things + tea and I went here back in September on a Saturday I dubbed "Being Cultured and Stuff Saturday." (Before tea, we experienced culture dating back to the 14th century at the "You see it on TV every New Year's Day as the Rose Parade floats by it, but have you ever bothered to go inside?" Norton Simon Museum, which has an amazing collection including more Degas "Dancers" than you can point a toe-shoe at and Claude Monet's beautiful "The Artist's Garden." Highly recommend this museum... well at least the side to the left of the main entrance. I could do without all the older, religious art to the right.)

Anyhoo, back to fancy tea! One example of why The Langham is fancy: You don't pour your own tea here; the waiter/waitress does it for you, always making sure your tea pot (that doesn't even rest on your table) is full of the flavor you ordered. However, there are fewer tea choices here than at Chado. But, what they lack in tea choices they make up for in food! While I can't remember exactly how many sandwich options there are, the dessert choices are out of control! We couldn't even get close to finishing them all. The scones on the bottom of the three-tiered dessert tower were delish. And the custard filling these gold-tipped cones on the top-tier were an amazingly-wonderful surprise.

Then there was the middle tier, which came loaded with two of my favorite things -- cupcakes and creme brulee'. Sadly, the cupcakes were chocolate with a not-good fruit filling. And the mini-creme brulee' cups were just okay (they did have the brulee' though, so bonus points for that ;) But it didn't matter. There was so much food, we were stuffed by that point... and did I mention how amazing the cones on the top tier were? (Traditional Tiffin Afternoon Tea is $39/person.) 

Finally, if you love fancy British things and personalized service, then Rose Tree Cottage is the tea establishment for you! I went to Rose Tree with two friends for afternoon tea on New Year's Eve's eve almost a year ago and loved everything about the experience. 

Rose Tree is located in a beautiful old house in Pasadena and, while a bit crowded at the entrance, has a lovely old English feel once you are seated in the tea room. There are three seatings for afternoon tea (1pm, 2:30pm and 4pm) and Edmund and Mary Fry, the owners, greet guests at the door and are extremely friendly. Edmund seats everyone personally, and helps you open your holiday popper (an English tradition). The service is excellent... I was asked if I take milk in my tea once, and then everyone who came back to refill my beautiful china tea cup throughout the afternoon knew how I liked it. 

Afternoon tea starts with a delish non-alcoholic, fruity wine prior to the English tea being served and the food coming out. All of the finger sandwiches were yummy (I couldn't pick a favorite) and the scones with cream + a house preserve were AMAZING! (Note, you can purchase these in the gift shop and take some home too!) I'd show you photos, but Rose Tree has a strict no cell phones policy, which adds to the old English, relaxing and extremely enjoyable environment. I will definitely be going back there for tea and bringing my mom, as I promised Edmund... she's gonna love it :) 

gratitude

Gratitude is defined as "the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness."

Today is Thanksgiving, an annual day Americans gather together to eat too much food, watch parades and football (snooze) and spend time with family and friends. It is also a day when we reflect on what we are thankful for.

Looking back, this year has been one of major transition and personal growth for me, more than I can remember in many years. I experienced amazing kindness from both expected and unexpected sources. I saw things I didn't think I'd live long enough to see and visited beautiful places. And I experienced loss, which helped me grow and will quite possibly end up being amazing for my life in the long-run. I feel like a very different, much stronger and more secure person than I did a year ago. And I have much to be thankful for....

My family -- As crazy as we are, I love each and every member of my wacky brood. I am thankful that my mom is coping well with her MS. I am thankful my 82-year-old grandma made it through knee replacement surgery in March and that my aunt and uncle are there to take care of her. I am thankful that my little sister called me all ticked off and ready to kick some ass when I got laid off in September. I am thankful my little brother was there with me to see the Kings get their asses kicked in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals in June, and that my dad was there with me to see them win the Cup in Game 6. I am also thankful that I have parents who support me in good times and bad, that my dad is around to answer my financial questions and my mom is here to help solve all my household plumbing problems. :)

My friends, new and old, who are there to laugh with me when I'm happy, listen to me when I need to vent, and lend a shoulder when I need to cry. I am thankful for those who walked a 5k around the Rose Bowl with me to raise money for MS Research, and all our friends and colleagues who sponsored us. I am thankful for the amazing group who made donations and granted my special birthday wish to an extent I couldn't have imagined. And I am thankful for the friends who pushed, prodded and encouraged me to finally go to Italy, and to those others who helped me plan and prep for the trip, so I could finally see this with my own eyes.

Modern veterinary medicine -- A year ago, I feared I would have to say goodbye to my sweet cat Lucky, when he was diagnosed with renal failure. But thanks to a vet who cared and whatever strength allowed me to overcome my fear of needles and give him IV fluids everyday (+ a mom and two friends who took care of him when I traveled), Lucky's numbers are thisclose to being in normal range again and he's gaining weight and looking like his majestic self again :)








Freedom -- I feel as if a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders two and a half months ago. And I'm thankful that I now have the time and financial security to sit back, reflect and figure out how to make a living doing something that keeps a smile on my face vs. stress in my neck. 

Miracles on Ice -- I still can't quite believe this happened...

... but I'm very thankful I was still alive to see it, and was lucky enough to be in the building as it did. If that was the last NHL game ever played (which is sadly looking like the case, at least for this year), then I have no complaints.

Happy Turkey Day!

things i love: crumbs cupcakes

I love cupcakes! And more and more I'm starting to like Crumbs Bake Shop cupcakes. Mainly for three reasons:

1. They are big (like muffin-sized). You buy one for $4.00 and, as long as you have some semblance of self-control, can get two or three desserts out of it. (For more info on this, ask me about my poker group's long-standing tradition of slivering up desserts into "Barbie Dream Slices.") 
2. Crumbs usually packs your cupcakes in lovely cupcake containers for safe traveling, ensuring no sprinkles or frosting are misplaced or smushed if you take your cupcake to-go.
3. They come in fun, ever-updating flavors. Although, there is also a downside to this as sometimes your favorite flavor, like my beloved Cotton Candy Cupcake, is not always available. The upside of that downside, however, is you get to try new flavors, which is exactly what I did recently upon two separate visits to two different Crumbs Bake Shops.

Visit 1: Crumbs @ Hollywood & Highland

Cupcake Flavor: Grasshopper

Cupcake Commentary:

I'd been thinking about trying this flavor for a long time, because it looks like one of my fave ice cream flavors, mint chocolate chip. But I always got distracted by my beloved Cotton Candy cupcake. However, H&H did not have my beloved Cotton Candy cupcake, so I went for it. The frosting was indeed mint-chippy. And the cake was very chocolate. Sadly, this cupcake made me realize I don't really love chocolate cake that much. And, double sadly, this shop did not put my cupcake in the cool cupcake to-go container. Boo!

--------------------------------

Visit 2: Crumbs in Larchmont Village

Cupcake Flavor: Raspberry Swirl

Cupcake Commentary:

Again, there was no Cotton Candy Cupcake to be seen. I'm now thinking that's just a summer flavor. Boo. Oh well. This time as my flavor experiment, I went back to white cake. Wise choice. This cupcake was delish, with a creamy white frosting and a swirl of raspberry jelly on top, plus -- spoiler alert -- in the middle of the cake. Yummy! This might just be my new go-to to-go cupcake, especially since the Larchmont shop uses proper packing (which also doubles as a storage container for your remaining "Barbie Dream Slices" :)

italy part 5: food fotos

So part of going to Italy is eating great food. Another part of going to Italy is walking around a lot and seeing really good food in shop windows. So here is a pictorial review of some of the food I ate and/or saw looking yummy in a window.

Shockingly (because I am not a big sweets person), most of these are desserts. And sorry, but I just realized I didn't take one single pizza pic. Oh well...

Pasta Toscana from La Divina Osteria in Florence

Desserts in the Caffe Alinari window in Florence

A cannoli close-up

A candy store in Florence.

Strawberry gelato - Black Bar, Florence

Mint chip gelato - Black Bar, Florence

The lunch that caused a bazillion traffic tickets.
Proscuitto, artichokes & oil - La Bottegaia, Pistoia 

Italian Creme Brulee' (minus the brulee') - Hotel Malibran, Venice

Pure sugar art! A Venice cafe window.

"Cioccolata calda con panna" and a cookie - Venice

A cafe latte with pretty chocolate design -  Hotel Malibran, Venice

Lemon torte - Hotel Malibran, Venice 

italy part 4: the shoppers of venice...

Venice: Friday, October 26 - Monday, October 29, 2012

Accommodations: This Venice apartment was my favorite place to stay on the whole trip! Partly because Mimi, our hostess/my new Facebook friend, was awesome! Before we arrived, she was communicative and very helpful. Once we got there, she continued to be super helpful, and has a totally fun, spunky personality you can't help but adore. When she met my mom (who walks with a cane) and I at Rilato Bridge, she proceeded to help me lug our heavy suitcases to the apartment in the rain so my mom didn't have to worry about them. Once in the apartment, she showed us how everything worked (saying "Attenzione!" whenever something was important, like the sign we needed to look for to find the alley to our apartment, and the fact that the heater should not go up past #4 on the dial). She also showed us where the umbrellas and galoshes were in case we needed them -- I chuckled at this Friday night; Saturday morning, I was praising Mimi's preparedness! She gave us tips on great restaurants nearby and even helped us book a private water taxi to take us to the airport when we left. The apartment itself is very clean and totally cute/my Pottery Barn-esque style and has a deep bathtub -- a total luxury based on the three other places we stayed in with tiny showers.

Day 10 (continued):
After getting rid of the evil rental car in Florence, we hopped a train to Venezia (that's Venice to you non-Italian speakers). It was raining and this was a 2-hour train ride, so I was sleepy by the time we arrived. Once we got off the train, I found a place to buy tickets for the Vaporetto N.2 and then we hopped on the water taxi, met Mimi at Rilato Bridge and got settled in our apartment before heading out to find someplace to eat. The only place nearby that was open (the trend continues) was the restaurant at the nearby Hotel Malibran, which was very busy with lots of hungry Americans. It had been a while, so I ordered a pizza -- the "Quattro Stagioni" -- with tomatoes, mozzarella, ham, mushrooms, artichoke and olives. It arrived and each of the toppings was in a pile in a different part of the pizza. Weird. So I spread them all around and turned it into an American supreme pizza ;) I can report that the wine in Venice also has alcohol (yay!). And for dessert we ordered what sounded like creme brulee' and looked like creme brulee' with berries on top, but was missing the actual brulee', cracking through which is half the fun. It was still yummy though.

Creme brulee, minus the brulee', at Hotel Malibran 

Day 11:

I was woken up at 6:30am by something that was a cross between church bells tolling and a what I imagine bomb warning sirens sounded like in London during the world wars. My mom didn't hear it at all. After looking out the window, I began to wonder if it was a flood alarm, as there was about 4-5 inches of water in the courtyard downstairs. Those galoshes Mimi had in the cabinet were all of the sudden a godsend! We would have dry, non-dorky looking feet today versus all the other tourists who had to buy plastic things with trash bags attached to stick on their sneakers and tie around their legs. 

By the time we were dressed and ready to venture out, the courtyard water line was down to 1-2 inches, and once we got out onto the main thoroughfare on higher ground, there were no puddles, but it continued to sprinkle on and off throughout the morning. We headed out with our end-goal being Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square). But on our way we looked at Venetian glass, lace, linens and discovered amazingly beautiful, incredibly detailed carnival masks all over the place. Here are a few examples: 

As we got closer to St. Mark's Square, we happened upon the Hard Rock Cafe - Venice in front of a giant gondola parking dock. I went in to buy my friend Diana her HRC shot glass (she collects them from around the world), and then it started raining harder, so we decided to stay for a lunch of burgers and fries. I felt right at home here... I can't imagine why ;) 

Richie Sambora's 1968 Fender Telecaster Deluxe, used on the 2003 "Bounce" tour.

After lunch, we walked down a tiny corridor and exited in the middle of Piazza San Marco, which was full of tourists posing for photos with pigeons and on the raised plank walkways.

Piazza San Marco, looking towards St. Mark's Basilica 

Me, in Mimi's rain boots, in front of St. Mark's Basilica 

The line to get into the Basilica was reeeeeeally long. And it started raining again, so rather than see another church, we opted to see a palace instead -- the Palazzo Ducale, or Doge's Palace next door. The Doges' were figurehead leaders of Venetian government from the 800s until the late 1700s. The Doges' and their families lived on the second floor of the palace, and the third floor was used for government council chambers and courtrooms. The palace is attached to the old Venetian prison by the famous "Bridge of Sighs." We spent about 2.5 hours walking through the various rooms, looking at old paintings, furniture and the armory, filled with old swords, suits of armor, spears and early pistols. It was fascinating to walk the halls where so many people had been centuries before.  

The Palazzo Ducale Courtyard

Yet another intricately designed Italian ceiling inside the Doge's Palace.

View of Venetian homes from a window of the Doge's apartments.

View of water taxis and gondolas docked on the lagoon, seen from the Doge's apartments.

View from the "Bridge of Sighs" of the lagoon.
This is the last view of freedom many prisoners saw and sighed over (get it?)
on their way from the Palazzo Ducale courtrooms to prison.  

Me, in the courtyard of the Doge's Palace.

After touring the palace, we walked back out in Piazza San Marco and headed towards the docks to catch a water taxi back to Rilato. But this is what we saw instead... a giant cruise ship leaving the lagoon, which was quite an insane contrast to the gondolas rowing by.

By the time we got back to Rilato, we were a little hungry, but not ready for dinner (it was only 5pm). So we stopped for hot drinks (tea for Mom, cocoa for me) and pastries. Once we got back to the apartment, it was dark and cold. We decided to eat in and drink the wine we'd purchased in Tuscany. So I went out for take-out panini's from a nearby pizzeria, which were surprisingly delish.

Day 12:

Our last full day in Italy. And the day that Italy switched from Daylight Savings Time. Once again, I was woken up by the crazy bell/siren/gong thing. But there was no flood in the courtyard today, which was surprising because it was raining, and continued to rain most of the day. There was also a freezing cold wind blowing. I felt really sorry for the people running in the Venice Marathon, which Mimi had mentioned to us on Friday. Today's only "to do" was going over to the local internet cafe to print our boarding passes and to finish up our shopping, as the day before had been spent mostly browsing/price comparing. Mom wanted to buy a lace tablecloth and to go get some beautiful after-dinner drink glasses, each in a different color, she'd found at a shop in the corner of Piazza San Marco. So, that meant we had to walk back there... did I mention it was raining and cold? By the time we purchased her glasses, my nose and toes were froze (even in the galoshes) so we headed back to the apartment for some hot tea and to rest before going out for our last Italian dinner. We were going to eat at a fancy restaurant Mimi recommended and charge it to my dad's credit card (shhhhh.). But.... wait for it... they didn't open till 8pm. So we went back to Hotel Malibran, which once again was the only place open at 7pm. This time, I had a salad and lasagna bolognese, and a yummy lemon torte for dessert. After dinner it was time to pack and prep to catch our private water taxi at 10am the next morning.

Day 13:
Our last morning in Italy and our first sunny day in Venice. So sad... I would have loved to explore the city without an umbrella and my rain jacket's hood tied tight around my face. Oh well. Once we got on our private water taxi, which is a story I'm not allowed to tell (at least in print.. lol), we had a quick 20 minute tour of the Grand Canal and lagoon on our trek across it to Marco Polo Airport. This was one of the most fun and exciting parts of our trip and well worth the pretty penny (or euros) it cost!

Gondolas docked on the Grand Canal 

Isola di San Michele, the cemetery island in the Venetian Lagoon

Our private water taxi, driven by Gianluca, heading back to Venice after dropping us at the airport dock

Our trip home was kind of stressful. We had just a one-hour layover in London, and the wheelchair that was supposed to be waiting for us to quickly wheel Mom through security and to our next gate wasn't waiting. We had to go to special services and request it. Ten minutes later, we got a golf cart instead, which taxied us under the airport runways in underground tunnels (which was kind of cool) to another terminal, where we went through security, and then I got picked for a second security check at the gate. But we made it in time for our flight. Then, once on the plane, I found myself seated next to a nice young man who talked to himself and continually drummed his fingers on his legs. And got up. And sat down. And drummed on his legs. And got up. And sat down. For 11 hours. Thank god for earbuds and British Airways' movie library. 

Two weeks after we left Venice (ie: last Sunday, 11/11/12), Mimi posted this video of the "acqua alta" in Venice on her Facebook page. CRAZY. I was walking in many of those exact spots in Piazza San Marco just two weeks before this happened, posing in galoshes and complaining about the rain and cold wind. Ha! In retrospect, what we had to deal with was nothing. This is so sad... the city really is going to sink one day. And it's so beautiful. 

I prefer to remember it like this instead :)

My Venice "calendar shot" of one of the canals, complete with a gondolier in a striped shirt :)

italy part 3: under the tuscan sun... and evil traffic cameras

Lamporecchio: Wednesday, October 24 - Friday, October 26, 2012 

Accommodations: The "old stone house in Tuscany," aka the house that started this whole trip :) I've dreamed of going to Tuscany for years and this house was the perfect spot to make that dream come true! The views of the Tuscan hills from the patio were amazing and the house itself was beautiful. Each room has its own bathroom, is very clean/comfortable and is decorated with artwork our hosts Giacomo and Rolly have collected on their travels. Giacomo and Rolly were great, very communicative hosts both before and during our stay. And we even had the opportunity to sample some of Giacomo's cooking one evening with a few of the other guests staying at the house, which was delicious, and also convenient since there are only a few restaurants in the nearby towns.

Day 8:
Our day started in Florence, with most of it spent waiting and waiting and waiting in the Hertz Rental Car office for the two people working (slowly) to help the 10+ American tourists arriving at 11am with both checking in (argh... Italy apparently hasn't learned about the mobile device check-ins we have in the US that take 30 seconds in a parking lot) and out cars. Once I finally got our keys, we hooked up the GPS and attempted to follow it to the A11 Autostrada, which was the first step on the directions Giacomo had given us for the northern route to the Tuscan house. The GPS decided to take us the southern route, which didn't have tolls. But once I finally found what appeared to be a freeway, I felt okay. And the southern route meant we ended up going through the town of Vinci, where Leonardo di Vinci was born. We also ended up eating lunch in the #1 rated restaurant in Vinci -- il Ristoro Del Museo -- by default... it was the only place we could find open ... at 1:45pm! I had a salad and pasta arribiatta, which was actually spicy! Very good food, and nice service, even though the woman/owner spoke very little English.

Here was my view during lunch. Ahhh....

My view of the Tuscan Hills during lunch at il Ristoro del Museo.

Rows and rows of olive trees in Vinci.

LIZARD! (An Italian one, on the side of the road in Vinci)

Once we finished lunch, we headed farther up the hill and finally found the correct white stone driveway with the nasty left turn (that I stalled the manual transmission on the first time up ;) that led to the "old stone house." Giacomo came out to greet us in the front, and then gave us a tour. In person, the house was very different than I'd pictured from online. The house is a perfect square, split in half. Giacomo and Rolly live in the front half, and then the back half is four stories with the communal kitchen on the lower level, and then a staircase going up the middle of the house, with two bedrooms, one on each side of the staircase, on the next three levels. Right outside the backdoor is a long patio to sit on and enjoy the view (the view I'd been waiting five years for!) and then a beautiful, moss-covered stone stairway up to the swimming pool, which we didn't use since it was a bit chilly, but would be wonderful and amazing in July I'm sure.

The view from the back patio of the "old stone house in Tuscany"

We spent the rest of the afternoon resting and using the free wi-fi in the lounge next to the kitchen, as well as meeting the four other guests staying at the house, Pat and Lynne from San Francisco and Jeannie and Frank from Utah, who were nice enough to tell us that the restaurant at bottom of the hill wasn't open on Wednesday and Thursday. So we had to change our dinner plans. Back to Vinci we drove (in the dark, on a tiny Italian mountain road!), where we ended up at Ristorante Leonardo... again because it was actually open at 7pm. We were the second customers there. But by the time we left, it was about two thirds full, with what I'm guessing were mostly local regulars, since the two old men sitting next to us walked right in and over to the table like they owned it, and another group of guys walked in and the waitress brought them a round of drinks without even taking their order. I had a pasta and a lonely piece of chicken (literally, it was one boneless, slightly breaded chicken breast on a plate, that's it) that were okay. No wine since I had to drive back on the dark mountain road. 

Day 9: 

The day started out beautifully, with the sun rising over the gorgeous valley. I got up and dressed and went to take a lot of photos. Here are just a few of them:

The old stone house on Thursday morning.
That window with the shutters was the room we stayed in "Peace."

Thursday morning view of the Tuscan valley.

One of my favorite photos I took on the trip.
The moss-covered stairs up to the pool with the morning sun shining down.

Once Mom was ready, we decided to head down the hill in the opposite direction from whence we came and have lunch at a restaurant Rolly recommended in an old town called Pistoia, and then head to Lucca, another old medieval town. The ride down the hill was gorgeous, but kinda scary cuz Italian drivers are crazy and don't seem to think slowing down around tight mountain curves is a smart idea. But we did okay, and even pulled over at one point to take more photos of the pretty hills:

Tuscan hills outside of Pistoia

Pretty green hills!

Once we got to Pistoia, then the fun (please read that with Kim's sarcastic voice and eyes rolling in your mind) began. The GPS was trying to find the restaurant, which we'd later learn wasn't reachable by car, as it was in the middle of a square surrounded by tiny medieval cobblestone streets. We tried to find the train station and park there as recommended by Rolly, but I could only see 15-minute parking. Mom said to go one way and look for a bigger lot. The GPS kept trying to take me to the restaurant. I was trying to find street parking closer to the restaurant. Around and around down little streets we drove in mid-day traffic. Before I knew it, I saw it... the evil sign I'd been warned of by Trip Adviser... the "zono limitado" sign. And it was too late. I was in the "zono." I panicked and tried to get out. Hoping there were no cameras. Got out. Drove around some more, still looking for parking. AHH! I drove into another one but there was nowhere else to go/I had no alternative, and this time I saw the evil traffic camera hanging over the street. This is the point where Mom and I had our first and only tiff of the trip. Stressed Out/Pissed Off Kim and Backseat Driver Mom do not make a good combo. Luckily my mom knows me well and just stopped talking. I finally found a parking spot and managed to figure out (or so I thought) the Italian parking meter. Thought I put in 2 hours of coins, got a ticket out saying 1:20. Argh. Whatever.

We eventually found the restaurant after wandering around and mom finally showing the business card for the restaurant to a storekeeper who spoke no English but pointed us in the correct direction. We arrived at La Bottegaia just as it was opening at noon. We were the first customers again. And after all that, upon sitting down, I wished we'd actually looked at the menu before beginning this whole ordeal. They had a lot of meats I don't eat... like rabbit and veal and lamb. (Note: I don't eat baby animals or animals my 4-year-old next door neighbor Josie has as a pet.) Mom got one of those animals I think. I had a side salad and prosciutto with artichokes in oil -- aka what will end up being the most expensive meal of my lifetime by the time my "zono limitado" 100 euro traffic ticket(s) find me in America 2-12 months from now. Ugh.

What will end up being the most expensive meal of the trip, if not my life. Sad. 

Needless to say, at lunch we decided not to continue on to Lucca, opting instead to spend an exciting afternoon searching for a supermarket to buy food for breakfast and then doing laundry. Oh, and we also stopped for more strawberry gelato in Vinci, where I picked up an Italian real estate listings book (because someone keeps telling me I should buy a villa ;) 

That evening, we, Jeannie and Frank paid Giacomo to cook for us. He made a delicious meal starting with a grilled, seasoned eggplant on a bed of toasted bread and "rocket salad." I don't normally like eggplant, but this was delish! For the main course, he prepared a giant bowl of green fettuccine with prawns, tomatoes and parmesan with a great chianti. Then for dessert, we had an apple/raisin torte and sweet dessert wine. It was a great meal and fun time talking with the other guests. It was also great to not have to get in the car again and go find a restaurant that was open ;)

Day 10:

Woke up to rain on our final day at the old stone house and was very happy we didn't leave our laundry outside overnight to dry ;) Check out time was noon, so we had a lazy morning eating breakfast and packing. We ended up leaving at about 11:40, which was a very good thing because as soon as we made it down the hill and through Empoli back to the autostrada to Florence, it was shut down about a mile later. Ahhh! We were diverted off the freeway into a town I had no clue about. I decided to follow the truckers in front of us, who led us through the town to a road by a river and then we ended up in a very small town with one main street that only one direction of traffic could fit through at once. Our 40 minute drive back to Florence ended up taking two hours and 20 minutes. Luckily, we made it back in time to return the evil rental car and make our 3:25 train to Venice. But sadly, between the "zono limitados" and the freeways being shut down, driving in Tuscany completely ruined my grand plan to have a relaxing time in Tuscany. It was beautiful, but the only way I will ever return will be on a tour bus with someone else driving.