What??!!

Since I am done traveling (for the next couple months) and have not been to any recent concerts - weird news stories I come across will be spoken about.. and this story is definitely crazy! A Polish man in Germany had a bullet shot into his head during New Years yet did NOT realize or get it checked out until 5 years later. There are hardly any words I can use to describe my disbelief in this story and my confusion on how this man did not realize. In the story (link below), the man says he thought fireworks had hit him - and lets say that is true and I were him, I would get checked out by a doctor if a book fell on my head and definitely if I believed a firework had hit me. This guy is severely misguided - your health is your true wealth! (Corny, yet true).


LINK:
http://weirdnews.blogs.heraldtribune.com/10481/man-finds-bullet-in-head-5-years-later/

Berlin, Munich, USA, CSN concert

Home in America..but spent half the day in Berlin (the day before I left for the USA). What a city! M had an interview so we took a 4 hour drive there - spent some time walking around, seeing the city, went to the interview, then drove back to Muenchen.

Before leaving Munich I also visited the Olympic Tower (in Munich) and went to the top of it. From the top, almost all of Munich is visible - it is not such a huge city. Germany is just densely populated (around 80 million people) and is only around the size of Arizona (I believe).


Anyways now back to American affairs: just saw a Crosby, Stills and Nash concert at Jones Beach Theatre. What a show!! They covered Neil Young (obviously), Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Beatles, and The Who (Behind Blue Eyes). The covers were incredible - behind blue eyes stood out because everyone (all band members) were in sync. The whole concert had a way more rock and roll feel as compared to other concerts (my dad has been to). This was a great night! Thanks Dad for taking me :)

Hofbraeuhaus

Yesterday M and I went to the Hofbraeuhaus which is located off of MaximilianStrasse (more or less). The Hofbraeuhaus is a inside beergarden - very big tourist attraction with music, food and drinks. The food is Bavarian style including pork products, sausages (also pork), dumplings, sour kraut, and blaukraut. The beers are all made by the Hofbraeu brewery - my favorite is a mix of wheat beer and lemonade called Russn (Weissbier und Zitronenlimonade).

More updates to come on other Munich hotspots.

In Munich AND Update on the last day(s) in Tuscany

Current situation: back in Munich for the next weekish and America! Before I get ahead of myself, let me finish Tuscany. We went to Pienza - which is a village around where we stayed. While there we walked around, checked out the Cathedral (called The Dome), and looked at local shops.

Another cool spot M, J and I checked out was the Roman bathing spots - which are thermal waters that is naturally hot (comes from a local spring). There was showers, swimming pool, and streams to run your feet in. The town was very quaint - it has only 50 people living in it! During the summer months, there is much tourism. This was located in: Banio Vinioni (the town). After walking through the town, M and I looked at A's hotel (where he is a doctor). The hotel caters to holistic medicine and to people who are looking for a spa-wellness experience.

Overall the stay with J and A was wonderful and thank you to them!! I am especially going to miss the dogs (P and L) - what great dogs! So loving!

Anyways - here I am - back in Munich. Last night M and I went to Cafe Atlas located by the Gasteig. We met up with M's friend from high school. Tonight we are going to a beer garden in the English Garden to catch up with M's mother about our Eurotrip and her recent trip to Poland and Lithuania.

More later! Keep in touch!

Tuscany

An update of the past few days:

The first night out we had dinner in Montichiello (town) at La Porta (restaurant). The food was great, as was the wine - the food was typical of the region with many pasta dishes that come with a meat sauce as well as homemade pasta.

M, J, A, and I visited Siena (the town is most famous for its biannual horse race). We walked around the city, saw the main square, visited the towns ONLY Jewish synagogue - which has much history with violence and oppression. I learned that Italy has 30,000 Jews with 15,000 in Rome and 10,000 in Milan. Siena has only 50 Jewish people in the town. The town is very old - probably around 1000 years old - and is very beautiful (of course). We had a nice lunch with, as usual, much wine.

Yesterday we had a wine tasting in Montalcino (town) at Plan Dell'Orino. Caroline and Jan have 11 hectars of land (many acres) in which they use 6 hectars for growing grapes and olives. The main plant is grapes. The 4 of us were given a tour of their property, their wine making machines, and then given a wine tasting (which was very intimate due to A's recent friendship with the owners). We tried 4 types of wine (Roce - and then 3 different levels of red), parmigiano cheese, bread, 2 different types of salt (one from Hawaii and one from the Himalayans), and their homemade olive oil. After the wine tasting, we came back and napped.

In between the relaxing at the Tuscan home and walking around, we have had great homemade meals from J (with me being the kitchen helper - aka sous chef). I have learned how to cut better as well as some great dishes I cannot wait to try.

We have another day here and then back to Munich. The next update will probably be from Munich. Enjoy!

Rome to Tuscany

My first day in Tuscany was spent relaxing at M's uncles house in the country. It is beautiful. Surrounding the house is acres upon acres of land - and no neighbors remotely close. I truly enjoy spending time here. But before I continue about Tuscany, I must inform you about my last day in Rome. I went inside St. Peters Church - how intricate and beautiful! There were many religious people around, for obvious reasons, but my main objective was to marvel at its beauty - it was not too hard to accomplish! Everything has such detail - the walls, sculptures, ceiling, floor.. It was extremely grandeur. M and I visited the tombs of the Popes - I enjoyed reading the brief description of each. Some Pope's were in "office" for less than a month. There are also some women buried down there. I also liked the Swiss guards - the Vatican army - due to their interesting way of dressing. It was a great experience to visit somewhere with such history and power!!

Anyways, Tuscany.. Today was a day to acclimate ourselves (plus the fact it rained so there was not much to do but relax) and tomorrow will begin the exploration. Thank you J and A for allowing me to stay at your house! And thank you for giving me 2 dogs to play with - I have missed my own dog very greatly.

Side note - I watched Pride and Prejudice - and let's just say that will be the next book I read (I cannot believe I did not read it before - what a beautiful love story!).

Enjoy your day, my fellow readers. I will enjoy the beauty that surrounds me, and I hope you will as well.

My Birthday! in Rome!

Today was my birthday. I spent it: picnic in the Borghese park, tandem bike then rikshaw through the park, and finished it off with a nice dinner. The dinner was so wonderful that it is the main focus of this post. M took me to my birthday dinner in the Jewish Quarter at La Regola on Piazza Di San Paolo Alla Regola. The meal went as followed:

Raw ham with blueberries and parmesan shavings (flavors went well together)

Flat bread with cooked onions and salt with Prosecco

Meatballs genovese style - Veal meatballs in saffron sauce - touch of basil sauce on side (interesting because texture and sauce was unique - texture was smooth and soft - fell apart nicely)

Ottaviano Lambrusch - Vermentino 2009 - white wine -14 percent so very dry - aroma is very fresh

Fire Spaghetti - cherry tomatoes, capers, parmesan cheese, olives, small pepper flakes, ricotta cheese

Lamb beef (chianina IGP) - smoked salt, salt, bbq sauce, risotto on side - medium rare (completely pink in middle - was more rare than medium) - tender lamb (the meat was extremely soft)

Asparagus with butter and parm cheese - little heavy on the butter sauce

Goat cheese tasting - side of honey and bread

The meal was incredible. All the flavors blended so nicely together. I am so thankful for all the birthday celebrations of the day - this meal certainly capped off a great day!

Rome: Day 3

Yesterday began with a plethora of fruits, bread and meat from the market (bought the day before). Yum. Then the 3 of us left for the day and began by walking through the Borghese park. From the park we walked to Piazza del Poppolo which is a big square with an obilisque in middle. There are 2 churches on square and 3 streets that veer off of it - middle street goes straight to Piazza Venezia.

Then we found a bike rental place (M and I's favorite way to see a city) at Piazza di Spagna. We biked around to other side of town - other side of Tibre river.

We biked inside the Vatican! It is so crazy to go into another country - especially one that is completely immersed in another country - how unique! We came up on Saint Peters Square which is the square for the Saint Peters Church - where outdoor masses are held. Masses were held yesterday (but we came after the mass). We left the Vatican and biked along Tibre to neighborhood called Trastevere. It is a cute neighborhood with narrow streets and lots of restaurants and shops - at night many people go there because of the vibrant street life. The area is kind of artsy as well. We ate lunch in the neighborhood for very cheap yet amazingly tasty. I got pasta for 5 euro and the boys had a 4 course meal for 10 euro! (Pre-picked selections but still!)

After lunch we biked to Colosseum. But first saw the excavations called Forumromanum. They are pretty much the oldest part of Rome still standing. We went inside the Colosseum and read about Romans and gladiators and walked around. Before we left we said hi to Julius Ceasar. Then we biked to Piazza Navona - to accomodate the groups need for caricature watching and more gelato.

Bikes were subsequently brought back and then M, Z and I visited most unique McDonalds. It had a McCafe and very nice seating (couches and cool tables). Z told us the Travel Channel said it was the most unique McD's. We came back to M's apartment, showered, had some wine then had dinner at Pizzeria Simeto. Dinner was great (once again). Overall Rome is amazing and I am super excited that this is only the beginning!

Rome: Day 2

Although this is my first post from Rome, it is my second day's activities. The first day was all sleep and eat so disregard that I didn't post...

Excuse me for not writing in a couple days but ... Moving on. Yesterday was my first real day in Rome. M and I started the day with shopping at the open market (right outside his apartment). The open market is filled with beautiful fruits and vegetables as well as some clothing and stuff. Then we walked into the city through Villa Borghese which is a huge park that was established by a wealthy Italian family from royal blood so therefore it has nice fountains and old-school buildings and houses. There is a museum in the park. At the edge of the park it overlooks most of Rome - very beautiful. Then we walked to the Spanish steps which is filled with tourists. The steps lead up to the church which is in a Spanish architectural style. This area is known for pick pocketing.

Then we walked around Via Dei Condotti which is a very nice shopping area - has Prada, Gucci, DG, MaxMara, Armani, Bvgari, Valentino, and Furla. We walked around minor streets in that area and ended up at the Pantheon. It is as wide as it is tall (44 meters). It is breath-taking. Then we walked to Piazza Novona (and visited the church in that square) which is filled with artists, caricatures, and people selling fake bags.

Then we walked to Piazza Venezia which is the grave of the unknown soldiers and is a huge traffic point in Rome. Then we saw the American Embassy which is on Via Vento - it is a very nice street filled with lots of hotels and tourists. The street is very winding and awe-inspiring.

All in all, we walked around for 6 hours! My feet were killing me at the end of the day. Then I cooked a traditional Italian meal (eggplant parmigiane) and drank 3 bottles of wine with M and Z (who met up with us again and is now staying at the apartment with us. The more the merrier!)