San Marino is a very small republic totally within Italy. It is the smallest of the European micro-states. Apparently it is a big shopping area, because their taxes are lower. Shopping was the reason that the two women had come. We thought we might tag along if we caught up with them early enough.
Saturday evening my friend and I wandered around Bologna, drank some wine, and had the best gnocchi I’ve ever eaten.
Sunday we got down to breakfast at the hotel and did not see the two women. We decided to go to San Marino anyway. We took the 1 hour train ride to Rimini, then the 20 minute bus ride up to San Marino.
What a beautiful area! We did not visit the shopping district, as we pretty much stayed in the old fortified town at the top of a hill for the afternoon.
From there you could see (what seemed like) all of Italy.
If you faced west you could see snow covered mountains...
Toward the east you are overlooking farmland and can see the Adriatic...
And there is a little rain falling somewhere to the northwest…
The fortified town is really pretty as well. This is the new wallpaper on my computer…
We took the second to last bus of the day back to Rimini, which is on the Adriatic coast. And since Rimini it is a coastal town, we decided to eat at a seafood restaurant there before taking the train back to Bologna.
The next day we saw the two women at breakfast. They had never even made it to San Marino. One of them was from Rimini, and they had visited her father and never made it to the shopping Mecca.
On Monday, my friend and I wandered around Bologna. We took photos, visited markets, ate good food, drank good wine, and admired some pretty Italian women. I even had one of those girly coffee drinks (a mocca-latte-choco-crème-fresh-machiatto, or some testicle-shriveling crap like that). I’m almost afraid to say that I liked it (but it really was pretty good).
The market was pretty big. They had plenty of fruit…
Vegetables…
Cheese…
And, of course, ham…
One of the butcher stalls had this painting on the back wall.
Doesn’t he remind you of Reverend Jim Ignatowski?
Almost every store in Bologna had mortadella (the original bologna that Oscar Mayer based his upon). I didn’t get any photos of it, but I did eat it for breakfast every morning while there. It is good, but it is not my favorite of the cured meats. I wonder if anyone fries it up for breakfast like Oscar Mayer’s. I can get it here in Wiesbaden, so perhaps that will be my next food project.
Bologna is a pretty town. It has a couple of leaning towers (I think these were built before the time of Terzaghi and Casagrande).
It’s hard to get a close-up picture that shows it, but both of these towers are leaning.
Bologna has a large concentration of covered walkways. Almost every building in the downtown area is built with the second floor extending over a walkway. It would be a nice place to shop in the rain.
There are some neat architectural flourishes on the buildings such as these faces that are popping out of holes.
It reminded me of the Joke Wall at the end of the Laugh-In.
The city has a large square with a fountain. Inside the fountain is statue of King Neptune…
And the King is surrounded by ...
... cherubs(?) …
... and below the cherubs are ...
… well, what appear to be …
… lactating mermaids?
When we left Tuesday, we were all struggling to get our carry-on bags configured so that we could fly on Ryan Air. If you are not aware of them, Ryan Air is a budget airline in Europe and their prices are great. However the restrictions on baggage are getting to really be a pain. You are allowed to have one bag that weighs no more 10 kilograms (22 pounds). I had more than that.
So I filled my coat sleeve with the items I had bought, threw the coat over my arm, and had them weigh the bag. 9.3 kilos. I was OK to pass. I cannot believe that the folks working the X-ray machine didn’t say anything about the 5 pounds of meat in the sleeve of my coat.
Here is part of the haul…
A big fatty slab of Guanciale (i.e. pork jowl bacon), some nicely fermented salami (with the plastic wrap), and three somewhat moldy salamis that I bought at a farmers market. Two of these moldy salamis are made from wild boar (one spicy, one not) and the other is made from Asina.
That is correct, I bought a moldy salami made from the meat of a female donkey. I haven’t tried it yet, but it does smell a bit funky. I’ll let you know how it is.
Last week I was in a training class for work, the week before that I was back in Turkey for work. Next week I’ll be in training in Oberammergau, after which I’ll be spending the weekend in Munich before heading to Stuttgart for a week of work.
So don’t expect an update for a couple of weeks… and be sure to check my flickr page for more photos.
oh yeah, I almost forgot ...
How 'bout them Cards?
And ... my kimchi got the thumbs up from the wife (who happens to be Korean) of a guy I work with. I also made some kimchi fried rice (stir fried kimchi with rice) the other day. Now, I'm just one man talking, but ... that is something you only want to do when you are the only one home (possibly the only one in the neighborhood).
Boy, is that stuff ever stinky. It tastes great, but you don't want to be around when it is being cooked. Luckily for me Saturday was a nice day and I could air out the apartment.
7 comments:
I know I keep saying it, but those are beautiful photos Tony! I am not usually jealous of the hanging meat photos, but those cheeses, can you mail me one?
Janie, I tried to email you one but it melted, and now the computer doesn't work, the IM people are here, and I've got some explaining to do.
Great pics as always, Tony.
GO CARDS!!!
Tony,
The grinning Pan head "popping" out of the hole in the wall looks like he could be your brother. (No offense.)
How many Havenites got the reference to Terzaghi (let alone Casagrande)? Is this a mostly Civil engineer crowd?
That is some pretty nice looking produce you photographed. I would bet cash money that somewhere in the market you shopped there was a fresh hogs head for sale and you didn't take a picture cause you didn't want me to give you grief for not buying one.
Oberammergau - home of the Passion Play? That is where Donna want to drag me to in October of aught-10.
What the hell is the deal with all the snow in the one picture? I thought Global Warming had done away with both the cold and the precipitation necessary for snow.
Was the climb to the fort at the top of the hill as daunting as it looks in your pictures?
I'm surprised you didn't just leave your close and toiletries in Italy and pack your bag with meats.
Just a few observations.
W
W-
I an honestly say that I do not remember there being a pigs head there. Sorry about that, perhaps I should have kept a better eye out.
I am in Oberammergau as I write this. It's a really nice little Bavarian town. I think you could get set up with some Lederhosen here (if you were so inclined).
There is also a little town nearby in which I think we may be able to quench our respective thirsts. Perhaps you've heard of it? It is called Munich. I think that after you watched the Passionspiele, Donna would surely not prohibit it. Hell, I might even join you.
I will be in Munich tomorrow, and mean to stop by the Weissesbrauhaus for some of the best beer in Germany (in my not-so-humble opinion) and to eat some viscera.
As you know, tickets to the Passionssspiele go on sale in Arpil of April this year. http://www.passionplay-oberammergau.com/
Oh yeah, and the bus dropped us off near the top of the hill. But the climb would definitely be as daunting as it looks. You would not believe the switchbacks we had to do to get to the top.
Tony,
On a somber note, Cassius the boxer is no longer with us. Brett, Kate and Abby visited this week for spring break. Monday morning, for reasons known only to him, Cassius decided to bite Abby in the face. His head is now in a bucket at the state lab in Frankfort.
Abby had to get thirty stitches in her face at Kosair. That ws a comedy of errors - except it wasn't the least bit funny. She is doing fine and her scares won't be very noticeable. She visited a plastic surgeon this morning and he was happy with her progress. He removed a bunch of her stitches - which I thought was strange as heel since they have been in for less than four days.
Kellie was distruaght at us having put Cassius down without consulting her. I told her that whether we consulted her or not the outcome would have been the same. She was upset that she didn't get to say good-bye.
W
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