Ultima Blog

Not necessarily the best, but very likely the last blog entry before we leave bella Italia on 19 December (for Ottawa, where we look forward to the holidays with Bonnie, Dave, Peter, Michelle, et alia familia Ontariono).

Stunning sunset shot back in early November with my iPhone 3Gs from the bridge I cross on the way home from the U.

 

They go in for exotic door-pulls here-abouts.

 

Karen came out for a visit from Istanbul and, among other things, we had a mighty fine time in Venezia.  Here we are in the Piazza San Marcos.

Fog in Venice is better than fog elsewhere.

It's a long story, but we had an awesomely wonderful dinner in Venice and late in the evening some drumming was in order.

Not just door pulls, but knockers too.  In fact, I have in mind to do a special edition printing of Great Knockers of Italia.

 

 

Dinner one evening.

Sidewise.

 

Another sunset, again shot with the iPhone, this time from the Piazza dele Erbe.

 

 

 

We made a risotto with chopped sauteed mushrooms.  The next night I made arancini (pingpong-sized balls of cold risotto rolled in bread crumbs and fried in olive oil).

 

Part of an old fortification that long ago was turned into an atronomical observatory.  This is a mile or so from our apartment.  Galileo taught at the University of Padova in the 1600s.

 

Sigh.

 

Mixed mushrooms, including some rather scary looking be lovely blackblackblack ones.

 

Recently the most prized white truffles have been available, but I wasn't able to bring myself to buy one.  The smallest, which was pretty darn small, was E80, so a bit more than $100.  So instead for E20 we bought this tube of white truffle cream and some fancy formed butter and high-end pasta.  Not bad, but...

 

I already mentioned about the door pulls.

 

Our friend Don stayed here.

 

Stuffed rolled rabbit.  Lots of bunnies at the butchers.

 

Karen a while back had a contest in which she asked people to guess the subject of a photograph.  The answer is the same for the above and following photos.

 

 

 

 

It's beginning to look a lot like natale.

 

Reportedly, this fountain was commissioned by the cardinal of Bologna.  Our niece Karla and her friend Amy are visiting, and the four of us took a day trip to Bologna (about 95 minutes by train).

Karla modeled for the fountain in a past life.

 

Believe it or not, the upper reaches of that same fountain.

 

Another statue to which Karla took a shine.

 

 

 

 

 Just off the large central piazza in Bologna are narrow pedestrian streets lined on both sides with shops and stalls selling all sorts of marvelous foodstuffs.

 

 

The sign says these are the hottest in the world.  Up there, that's for sure.

I ate eel in a restaurant and enjoyed it very much, but haven't had a go at cooking it even though it is widely available.  Something daunting about it...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can imagine, as we walked through those streets looking at all of that food, we got hungrier and hungrier.  Amy had read about a restaurant called Drogheria della Rosa, and she had located it on a map and led us to the place -- a true scout.  "Drogheria" is a drugstore -- the restaurant is in a building that was build as a pharmacy in the 1800s if not earlier, and it retains the look and feel. 

 

We arrived a bit after 1pm with no reservation, but the place was almost empty -- just one couple seated.  We felt a bit uncertain as we sat down, but the place was so funky and charming and within minutes the waiter just brought, opened, and poured white wine for us without asking and we decided to put ourselves in his hands.  The place began to fill up.  The waiter told of six primi:  A soup with dumplings and five pasta dishes.  We had one each of four of the pasta dishes, and every one was a superb delight.  Then Moira had roast veal, Karla had steak with a balsamic reduction, and I had steak with salt and rosemary (and Amy had selected tastes).  Of course we had to have red wine with those dishes.  Then the party next to us insisted that we have some of their red wine too.  Then we shared desserts.  Then somehow we stood up and floated back into Bologna.  A truly lovely lunch.

  

 

La signora received roses from the restaurant, as per the second part of its name.

 

I'd not previously enjoyed persimmons but these were very tasty.

 

There's an interesting little gallery a few blocks from our apartment.  We've often stopped to look in the window at odd and interesting art pieces, but this time we had to go in and have a closer look.  There were several large birds of prey -- most hawks or falcons, but also this beautiful owl (sitting on his/her keeper's shoulder).

 

 

OK, that's probably enough.  Ciao!

 

Steve

 

Chora Church

Karen and I visited the Chora Church (or, as it is now called, Chora Museum).  Moira had been trooping up hill and down dale for days and decided to sit out for this trip (which was a continuation of the shoe-shine/spice market outing highlighted in my preceding posting).

Reportedly, the original church on the site of the current Chora Museum was built in the 400s ad, outside the walls of Constantinople.  Much of the current building was erected in the 11th century.  It wasn't until the 14th century that the building took +/- the complete form it now has and was decorated on the inside with stunning frescoes and mosaics.  Then in the 15th centuries the Ottomans took over the city and the church was converted to a mosque and all of its frescoes and mosaics covered with plaster.  It operated as a most for some 400 years.  In 1948 it was deconsecrated and restoration work was undertaken, and in 1958 it opened as a museum.

Aw always, double clicking on a photo should displa it in larger, denser format.

The building is fairly small and really very beautiful and graceful.

My photos don't really do it justice.  Google Chora Museum to find better images.

Moira and Karen and the Thai-Ital dish in Karen's apartment on our penultimate night.

Gould Hall with banners celebrating Turkey and Ataturk.